The books of Kings are filled with many who were doing the works of Jesus. It is the equivalent of the New Testament book of Acts and speaks of the glory of God then and now. When I read the books of Kings I cannot help but be truly inspired by all that was said and done. I must continually put my trust in the God who sent ravens to feed (1 Kings 17:4) and lepers to lead (2 Kings 7:9-11). Who, but God could accomplish such feats? Like the books of Samuel, Kings was once one book but was Read More
Samuel: Messiah, Prophet, and King
Jesus, our Messiah is definitely portrayed in the books of Samuel as prophet and king. These have always been two of my favorite Old Testament books. There is so much valuable information contained in these two books. These two books were originally one, but they were later divided by the translators of the Old Testament (Septuagint). The books are named after Samuel, who presided over Israel’s transition to a monarchy ruled by a king. Samuel—part prophet, priest, and judge himself—was God’s instrument for choosing a king for Israel. The books of Samuel cover a period of Israel’s history of approximately 100 Read More
Goel: Kinsman, Redeemer, and Avenger
In the book of Ruth, Jesus is our Goel. Goel means “to redeem or ransom” and is rendered “kinsman” in , , , “redeemer” in , and “avenger” in and . The picture of Jesus here as Goel is both that of redeemer and avenger. Consider , Jesus not only died as a ransom for us, but he also avenges us against all enemies. Notice the correlation between redeemer and avenger: God redeemed Israel with the Passover lamb, but poured out vengeance on the gods of Egypt (). God redeems us as believers through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus (), Read More
Praise and Faith: Secrets to Answered Prayer
Praise, thanksgiving, and faith are keys to answered prayer. If you want to receive answers to your prayers be sure to: 1. Praise Him and Thank Him. As we read the Lord’s Prayer we observe Jesus teaching the disciples to begin their prayer with PRAISE AND THANKSGIVING. Psalm 100:4 states, “Enter his gates with thanksgiving; go into his courts with praise. Give thanks to him and praise his name.” Begin by praising and thanking Him for being your provider (Jehovah Jireh); your peace (Jehovah Shalom); your healer (Jehovah Rophe); your shepherd (Jehovah Rohi); and your righteousness (Jehovah Tsidkenu). Praise creates an Read More
Judges: Seven Times
The number seven is prevalent in the book of Judges. Judges is also the seventh book of the Old Testament and the Bible. The number seven is regarded in Jewish tradition as completeness, wholeness, blessing, rest, and also a weapon. Want to know more about the number seven, look here. In the book of Judges, we can clearly see Jesus as the Righteous Judge who time and time again delivers us, just as the leaders (judges) in this book delivered God’s people. The book of Judges starts with “After the death of Joshua”. The book shows us a pattern which is Read More
Help!: Secrets to Answered Prayer
Help me, Jesus! How many of us say this on a daily basis? I do not mean just say it just to say something, but say it because you actually need some help. When my daughter prays for our food the first words out of her mouth are: “Father, Help My Mother“. I always say “I need all the help I can get”. She has done this for years to the point that we had a friend over for Thanksgiving last year and asked her to pray over the food. She said, “Father, Help Ms. Garnet“. We laughed about that Read More