Ecclesiastes opens with this introduction: “The words of the Preacher, the son of David, king in Jerusalem” (Ecclesiastes 1:1). The Hebrew word for Preacher is Qoheleth, meaning one who assembles or speaks before an assembly. The strongest internal and...
When Adam sinned, the entire created order fell under the curse of sin. Romans 5:12 says, “Therefore, just as through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned.” The passage is clear: sin...
The setting for Elijah's showdown is laid out in 1 Kings 17–18. Israel is deep into apostasy under the rule of King Ahab and his Sidonian wife, Jezebel, who promoted the worship of Baal and Asherah. 1 Kings 16:33 says, "And Ahab made a wooden image. Ahab did...
The book of Amos opens simply: "The words of Amos, who was among the sheepbreeders of Tekoa, which he saw concerning Israel in the days of Uzziah king of Judah, and in the days of Jeroboam the son of Joash, king of Israel, two years before the earthquake." (Amos...
The first mention of Nimrod is found in Genesis 10:8-9, in the genealogy of Noah’s descendants after the Flood. The Scripture says, "Cush begot Nimrod; he began to be a mighty one on the earth. He was a mighty hunter before the Lord; therefore it is said,...
In the days when Israel had no king, the people did what was right in their own eyes. The nation drifted in cycles of sin, judgment, repentance, and deliverance. God would raise judges to rescue His people, not because they deserved it, but because He is merciful....
Hannah was the first wife of Elkanah, a man from the tribe of Ephraim. Though deeply loved by her husband, she bore the weight of barrenness, while his second wife, Peninnah, had children and mocked her continually (1 Samuel 1:6). In ancient Israel, to be barren...
Baal (Hebrew: בַּעַל, Baʿal) simply means “lord” or “master.” It was a title used broadly across the ancient Near East for various gods, especially storm and fertility gods. In Canaanite religion,...
Psalm 8 is a Psalm of David, as the inscription clearly states: “To the Chief Musician. On the instrument of Gath. A Psalm of David.” David, the shepherd-king, wrote many of his Psalms under the open sky, and this one reflects the awe of a man who often...
Jonathan was the firstborn son of King Saul (1 Samuel 14:49), which made him the legal heir to the throne of Israel. In the world's eyes, Jonathan was destined for kingship. But Jonathan's account is not one of political ambition; it is one of self-denial, courage,...
