“I cried aloud to the LORD, and he answered me from his holy hill” (Psalm 3:4 ESV). David wrote this psalm while fleeing from his son Absalom. Though surrounded by enemies and betrayed by those closest to him, he did not despair. Instead, he cried out to the Lord. David’s prayer was not silent or
‘So the tribune came and said to him, “Tell me, are you a Roman citizen?” And he said, “Yes.” The tribune answered, “I bought this citizenship for a large sum.” Paul said, “But I am a citizen by birth.”’ (Acts 22:27-28 ESV). Paul’s Roman citizenship was often a help to him as he traveled throughout
“And he defiled Topheth, which is in the Valley of the son of Hinnom, that no one might burn his son or his daughter as an offering to Molech.” (2 Kings 23:10 ESV). King Josiah, in his sweeping reforms, deliberately targeted the Valley of Hinnom—also known as Gehenna—as a place to abolish one of the
“Then Isaiah said to Hezekiah, ‘Hear the word of the Lord: Behold, the days are coming, when all that is in your house, and that which your fathers have stored up till this day, shall be carried to Babylon.’” (2 Kings 20:16–17 ESV). Isaiah was the Lord’s prophet during the time of four kings of
“The words of a whisperer are like delicious morsels; they go down into the inner parts of the body.” (Proverbs 18:8 ESV). In this proverb, Solomon observed the destructive appeal of gossip. He described the words of a whisperer—someone who spreads secrets or slander—as “delicious morsels.” These words were not just heard and dismissed; they
“And he did what was right in the eyes of the Lord, according to all that David his father had done.” (2 Kings 18:3 ESV). After a long succession of mostly wicked kings, Hezekiah emerged as a striking exception. The biblical writer described him in glowing terms, noting that he did what was right in
“In the twenty-seventh year of Jeroboam king of Israel, Azariah the son of Amaziah, king of Judah, began to reign. He was sixteen years old when he began to reign, and he reigned fifty-two years in Jerusalem.” (2 Kings 15:1–2 ESV). Azariah, also known as Uzziah, was one of the longest-reigning kings of Judah. He
“You have indeed struck down Edom, and your heart has lifted you up. Be content with your glory, and stay at home, for why should you provoke trouble so that you fall, you and Judah with you?” (2 Kings 14:10 ESV). After King Amaziah of Judah defeated Edom, he became proud and sought to challenge
“Now the rest of the acts of Joash and all that he did, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah?” (2 Kings 12:19 ESV). Joash began his reign with great promise. Rescued from death as a child and raised under the godly guidance of the high priest
“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