The nineteenth king of Judah became Jehoiachin, son of Jehoiakim. He reigned on David’s throne for barely three and a half months. In 598 b.c. Nebuchadnezzar brought his forces to Jerusalem and seized the 18-year-old king with his mother, his wives, and many other royal captives. In 561 b.c., in the thirty-seventh year of his … Continue reading –>
Jehoahaz (also known as Shallum) was 23 years old when he succeeded his father on the throne. His reign lasted only three months. Pharaoh replaced him with his brother because Jehoahaz was not favorable toward Egyptian politics. Jehoahaz was taken to Egypt, and there he died. (See 2 Chron. 36:4, 2 Kings 23:31-34.) The king … Continue reading –>
Josiah was the sixteenth king to rule in the Southern Kingdom; his dates were 640-609 b.c. He became king at the age of eight, after more than half a century of moral and spiritual decline under his father (Amon) and grandfather (Manasseh), two of the most evil kings in Judah. Josiah’s reign lasted for thirty-one … Continue reading –>
Read for This Week’s Study: 2 Chronicles 34:1-33, Jer. 22:1-19, Jer. 29:1-14, 2 Chron. 36:11-14, Jer. 23:2-8. Memory Text: He defended the cause of the poor and needy, and so all went well. Is that not what it means to know me?(Jeremiah 22:16, NIV). Famed Russian writer Fyodor Dostoevsky spent four years in a Siberian … Continue reading –>
A Most Satisfying Career – Part 2 Some Christian lay workers visited the prison each week to teach prisoners about God. One of the prisoners invited Harry to join them. He went, but his mind focused on a way to escape from prison. A lay worker gave him a book called The Great Controversy. Harry … Continue reading –>
Ye shall not do after all the things that we do here this day, every man whatsoever is right in his own eyes (Deut. 12:8). When thou shalt hearken to the voice of the Lord thy God, to keep all his commandments which I command thee this day, to do that which is right in … Continue reading –>
In Jeremiah 5:1, the Lord tells the people to run through the streets and see if you can find a man, one who does justice and seeks truth, that I may pardon her [Jerusalem] (ESV). This brings to mind two stories. One is from an ancient Greek philosopher of the fourth century b.c. named Diogenes … Continue reading –>
The background to the political events that shaped the ministry of Jeremiah are, to some degree, lost to history. That is, many of the details are not available. But we do have in the Bible (with the help of archaeological finds) more than enough information to have a general picture of what took place. Though … Continue reading –>
It was against this background that the young Jeremiah began his prophetic ministry. The word of the Lord came to him, and he spoke it in hopes that the people, if they would heed these words, would be spared the ruin that otherwise was sure to come. Read Jeremiah 2:1-28 and answer the following questions: … Continue reading –>
After the division of the nation, things went from bad to worse. In the Northern Kingdom, King Jeroboam made some terrible spiritual choices that had a long-lasting impact for evil. Read 1 Kings 12:26-31. What should this tell us about how immediate circumstances can so blind our judgment? The king’s introduction of idolatrous worship helped … Continue reading –>
