“Thus Jehu wiped out Baal from Israel. But Jehu did not turn aside from the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, which he made Israel to sin—that is, the golden calves that were in Bethel and in Dan.” (2 Kings 10:28–29 ESV) Jehu had been chosen by God to bring judgment on the house
“Now Elisha came to Damascus. Ben-hadad the king of Syria was sick. And when it was told him, ‘The man of God has come here,’ the king said to Hazael, ‘… inquire of the Lord through him, saying, “Shall I recover from this sickness?”’ (2 Kings 8:7–8 ESV). Elisha traveled to Damascus, the capital of
“One who heard us was a woman named Lydia, from the city of Thyatira, a seller of purple goods, who was a worshiper of God. The Lord opened her heart to pay attention to what was said by Paul” (Acts 16:14 ESV). The gospel’s entrance into Europe began through an unexpected person: a businesswoman named
“But we believe that we will be saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus, just as they will.” (Acts 15:11 ESV). After certain Judaizers came to Antioch, teaching that circumcision was required for salvation, Paul and Barnabas were sent to bring the question to the apostles at Jerusalem. After much deliberation, Peter stood and
“And Elisha said to the king of Israel, ‘What have I to do with you? Go to the prophets of your father and to the prophets of your mother.’ But the king of Israel said to him, ‘No; it is the Lord who has called these three kings to give them into the hand of
“The next Sabbath almost the whole city gathered to hear the word of the Lord. But when the Jews saw the crowds, they were filled with jealousy and began to contradict what was spoken by Paul, reviling him” (Acts 13:44-45 ESV). The ministry of Paul and Barnabas was marked by great results and great resistance.
“For David, after he had served the purpose of God in his own generation, fell asleep and was laid with his fathers” (Acts 13:36 ESV). The apostle Paul described King David’s life with a powerful summary during his sermon in Pisidian Antioch. He said David “served the purpose of God in his own generation.” Though
“Have you seen how Ahab has humbled himself before me? Because he has humbled himself before me, I will not bring the disaster in his days” (1 Kings 21:29 ESV). After Elijah confronted Ahab with God’s judgment for his role in Naboth’s murder, Ahab responded in an unexpected way. He tore his clothes, put on
“Immediately an angel of the Lord struck him down, because he did not give God the glory, and he was eaten by worms and breathed his last” (Acts 12:23 ESV). There are many Herods in the Bible. This Herod is Herod Agrippa I, grandson of Herod the Great, who sent soldiers to Bethlehem to try
“Now the apostles and the brothers who were throughout Judea heard that the Gentiles also had received the word of God.” (Acts 11:1 ESV). This verse reports a historic and groundbreaking moment in the early church. For the first time, Gentiles—those outside the covenant community of Israel—had received the word of God. The apostles and