2 Kings 5 Though it is difficult to discern exactly when the various stories of Elijah and Elisha took place, all of them occurred during an era of Aramean strength, roughly spanning the ninth century B.C. In this story, a man named Naaman, commander over the Aramean army, suffered from leprosy, and a captive Israelite […]
Category Archives: Old Testament
Maps for Advent: The Hope of the World Enters History
Week 1 > The Historical Context: A People in Exile · The Land of Exile· Galilee throughout Bible Times Week 2 > The Present Reality: The Fullness of Time · Palestine under Roman Rule· The Ministry of John the Baptist· Nazareth and Its Surroundings Week 3 > The Arrival of Hope: God with Us · […]
Solomon’s Enemies
1 Kings 11 Solomon ruled over a powerful kingdom that brought him great wealth, but he allowed his many wives to lead his heart astray to worship the gods of other nations. Many of these wives were likely given to him by foreign rulers to seal political alliances (e.g., 1 Kings 3:1). Because of Solomon’s […]
The Route of David’s Census Takers
2 Samuel 24:1-10; 1 Chronicles 21:1-8 After David had secured his reign over all Israel and greatly expanded his rule over neighboring nations, he commissioned Joab, the commander of his army, to “count the people of Israel and Judah.” Though Scripture does not explicitly state the reason for this order, the report that Joab provided […]
David Defeats the Ammonites and the Arameans
2 Samuel 8:1-8; 10:1-19; 12:21-31; 1 Chronicles 18:2-11; 19:1-19; 20:1-3 The accounts of David’s greatest military victories stand like bookends around the record of David’s most grievous sins. Sometime after David brought the Ark of the Covenant into Jerusalem and the Lord promised to establish his dynasty over Israel, David achieved a series of victories […]