DAVID: THE SONG-WRITING, STONE-SLINGING MAN OF GOD David was God’s man, but he was also a man’s man. There was something about his heart that the Lord chose to anoint him king. And there was something about his manner that made men of action want to follow him. He was an amalgamation of eclectic talent
THREE ENCOURAGING FAITH STATEMENTS FOR FACING LIFE’S STORMS The ship taking Paul to Rome for his appeal to Caesar was caught up in a great storm and in danger of sinking. But God sent an angel to encourage Paul that although they would suffer shipwreck, no one on board would drown. All would be saved.
DID LUKE SAIL TO ROME WITH PAUL? Dr. Luke once again included himself in the Acts narrative with the use of the first person plural “we” (“it was decided that we…”). This is the last of the four “we passages” found in the book of Acts (Acts 16:10-17; 20:5-15; 21:1-8; 27:1-28:16). Although there is some
GOSPEL-CENTERED PROCLAMATION Paul’s testimony before the Roman governor Festus and King Agrippa showed not only the focus of his gospel teaching, but also its rootedness in the Old Testament Scriptures. For he was convinced that the good news about the Messiah was clearly foretold by Moses and the prophets. In Paul’s testimony, he gave
SURROUNDED WITH GOD’S SHIELD OF FAVOR David wrote of God’s loving-favor and blessing as a shield that surrounded him, both protecting him from harm without, and comforting him with acceptance within. It may seem unusual to visualize God’s love and favor as a shield, which is a defensive weapon of war. But David felt surrounded
PAUL’S FAITHFUL WITNESS Paul was held prisoner by the Roman procurator of Judea, Marcus Antonius Felix for two years. Felix understood the religious culture of Judea better than most Romans, having married the daughter of Herod Agrippa I, Drusilla. Both of them divorced their first spouses in order to be together. Paul’s captivity during
THE LORD SUSTAINS US EVEN WHILE WE SLEEP David wrote this psalm after he had to flee from his son, Absalom, who sought to overthrow him and take the crown. Surely he was overcome by grief from this betrayal. Sleep had no doubt eluded him during this time. Yet, he finally lay down and slept.
REMEMBERING OUR DUAL CITIZENSHIP Paul’s Roman citizenship was often a help to him as he traveled throughout the empire spreading the gospel. Being a Roman citizen gave him certain rights. One of those rights was the right to a trial before any punishment might be administered. It was this right that Paul brought to the
WHEN THE KING REDISCOVERED GOD’S WORD King Josiah was crowned at age eight after his father, Amon, was murdered by conspirators. Both his father and his grandfather, Manasseh, were evil kings who had led the people into idolatry. Apparently, during the 55-year reign of Manasseh, the Book of the Law had been lost. How this
HEZEKIAH’S TUNNEL STILL REMAINS King Hezekiah was one of the greatest kings in Judah. In 2 Kings 18:5, he was described as one who “trusted in the Lord God of Israel, so that after him was none like him among all the kings of Judah, nor who were before him.” The only foolish event attributed