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Kids Bible Blog : Page P330
Between the Old and New Testaments
We have now driven right through the Old Testament part of the Bible! In the next four months Bible Drive-Thru will take you through the New.
(The September 1 devotion - "Surprise" begins our trip through the New Testatment.)
About 400 years passed between the time when Nehemiah rebuilt the Jerusalem wall (the end of the Old Testament) and when Jesus was born (the beginning of the New Testatment). Here are some of the main events that happened between the Old and New Testaments.
423 B.C. - Nehemiah, the last Old Testament character we read about, wrote his story in about 423 before Christ (B.C.). Judah was then a province of Persia. For another 100 years Judah lived under tolerant Persian kings.
336 B.C. – Meanwhile Greece was becoming strong. In 336 B.C. a young Greek soldier named Alexander the Great led a fierce army. He quickly gained control of Egypt, Assyria, Babylon and Persia. When he invaded Palestine in 332 B.C. he spared Jerusalem and was kind to the Jewish people.
"Alexander the Great in the Temple of Jerusalem" by Sebastiano Conca, 1750
323 B.C. – After Alexander the Great died, his four army generals divided the lands he had conquered. Judah was ruled by...
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Tags: God’s word God’s plan
Betrayed!
TODAY’S SPECIAL: John 13:18-30
TO CHEW ON: “'Very truly I tell you, one of you is going to betray me.'” - Jesus, John 13:21
Your brother promises to wait for you after school, but then walks home without you.
You tell your best friend a secret and ask her not to tell anyone. But the next day you find that five people in your class know your secret.
Your baseball team has its own signals. One day you play a team that knows exactly what each of your signals means.
You have been betrayed! Whether betrayal comes from someone disappointing you, telling your secrets or helping your enemy, being betrayed is not fun.
"My Betrayer Is Here" - Artist unknown
Jesus was betrayed too. His betrayer came to the garden where He was praying. He came with soldiers who were planning to arrest Jesus.
1. Who was the traitor? (John 18:1-6)a)____ Johnb)____ Peterc)____ Judas.
2. How did he betray Jesus: (Mark 14:43-46)a)____ He spread bad stories about Jesus all around town.b)____ He lost the money bag he was in charge of.c)____ He kissed Jesus to show the soldiers which person to arrest...
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Tags: trickery storytelling Mark John Jesus God’s plan friendship Christ’s passion
Bethlehem Food Bank
TODAY’S SPECIAL: Ruth 2:1-12
TO CHEW ON: “May the Lord repay you for what you have done. May you be richly rewarded by the Lord, the God of Israel, under whose wings you have come to take refuge.” Ruth 2:12
The first thing Naomi and Ruth had to do when they got back to Bethlehem was figure out where to get some food. So Naomi sent Ruth to the food bank, right? Well, not exactly. But she did send her to a place where food was free.
In those times, farmers harvesting their crops were supposed to leave a little behind for exactly this reason - to feed the poor. People who needed food were allowed to go to harvested fields and pick up what was left over. This was called gleaning.
I wonder what Ruth’s thoughts were as she went out to her first gleaning job. Perhaps she wondered if there would be any grain left to glean in the fields. Maybe she worried that people would find out she was a foreigner and make fun of her or chase her away. In spite of any anxious thoughts, Ruth went out, as Naomi asked her to.
Ruth gleaning in the field - Artist unknown
On...
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Best Friends
TODAY’S SPECIAL: 1 Samuel 20:32-42
TO CHEW ON: "Jonathan said to David, 'Go in peace, for we have sworn friendship with each other in the name of the Lord saying, "The Lord is witness between you and me, and between your descendants and my descendants forever."'” 1 Samuel 20:42
King Saul’s jealousy meant that the palace was no longer a safe place for David. Saul even told his servants and his son Jonathan to kill David if they got the chance. So David left to live somewhere else. This made Jonathan sad. He liked David a lot. In fact, you could say they were best friends.
One day Prince Jonathan asked his father, “Why are you trying to kill David? He doesn’t mean you any harm.”
“You’re probably right,” King Saul answered. He promised to stop trying to kill David. Then Jonathan convinced David to come back and live in the palace again. But no sooner had he moved back when again Saul tried to kill him and David had to run for his life....
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Tags: Saul love friendship David 1 Samuel
Be Blessed
TODAY’S SPECIAL: 3 John 1-14
TO CHEW ON: "Dear friend, I pray that you may enjoy good health and that all may go well with you, even as your soul is getting along well." 3 John 2
When you hear the word “blessing” what do you think of? Saying a prayer over food before you eat? The pastor praying a benediction at the end of a church service?
You’re right - a blessing is these things, and more too. Any time we ask for God’s favor or declare it over someone, we speak a blessing. Look up the verses, below, to see what the Bible says about blessing and being blessed, then fill in the missing words:
1. Paul usually began his letters by speaking a blessing of God’s _______ and _______ to his readers (Ephesians 1:2).
2. In today’s verse, John speaks a blessing of ________ for his friend’s body and soul. (3 John 2).
3. Jesus took ________ in his arms, put his hands on them and blessed them (Mark 10:16).
"Suffer the Little Children to Come Unto Me" by James Tissot, 1836-1902
4. Jesus blessed or ________ ________ for food before eating (Matthew 14:19).
5. We will inherit a blessing by not repaying ______ with _____...
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Banned
TODAY’S SPECIAL: Numbers 14:1-12, 20-23
TO CHEW ON: "Not one of them will ever see the land I promised on oath to their ancestors. No one who has treated me with contempt will ever see it." Numbers 14:23
When the twelve spies came back from Canaan, only two thought they could conquer the people and move in. The ten others saw only walled cities and fierce, tall people. They were afraid and refused to trust God and Moses.
When the people in the camp heard their report, they started to grumble and cried, “We don’t want to die in a war. We want to go back to Egypt. We want a new leader.”
Joshua and Caleb tried to change the peoples’ minds. “The land is wonderful,” they said. “God isn’t afraid of those people. If He is with us, those people should be afraid.”
But the people wouldn’t change their minds. Instead they ganged up on Moses, Aaron, Caleb and Joshua. “Let’s kill them!” they shouted, and began picking up stones....
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Tags: rebellion Numbers Moses leaders grumbling fear faith consequences choices
Bad Timing
TODAY’S SPECIAL: Luke 2:1-7
TO CHEW ON: "While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born." Luke 2:6
After the angel’s visit, Mary got pregnant. God, the Holy Spirit, was the baby’s father.
Joseph, the man she was planning to marry, thought she had cheated on him. He was all set to break their engagement. But an angel came to him in a dream. He told Joseph to take Mary as his wife and to be an earthly father to the baby she would have.
Now it was months later. The baby was due to be born any day. That's when Caesar Augustus passed a law about registering for a census. So Joseph and Mary had to take the long trip from Nazareth to Bethlehem where Joseph needed to register. Talk about bad timing!
"The Journey to Bethlehem" by Unknown Artist
They didn’t have planes, cars or buses for the trip. Instead they had to walk the 46 to 50 kilometers (or 28 to 31 miles) from Nazareth to Bethlehem. Maybe Mary rode on a donkey. Not only was the trip uncomfortable, but when they got to Bethlehem, the inns were full....
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Tags: prophecy Luke Jesus God’s timing God’s plan God’s care
Back to Work
TODAY’S SPECIAL: 1 Kings 19:9-18
TO CHEW ON: "Then the Lord said to him, 'Go back the way you came. . . .'” 1 Kings 19:15
When Elijah came to Mount Horeb, he found a cave in which to sleep. That night God spoke to him. “What are you doing here, Elijah?”
“I’ve done my best for You,” Elijah replied. “But the Israelites have turned their backs on You. They’ve broken your altars and killed your prophets. I’m the only one left. Now they’re trying to kill me too.”
“Come outside,” God told him. “I want to show you something.”
As Elijah stood outside the cave, a powerful wind came up, shaking the trees and loosening rocks so they came tumbling down. But Elijah didn’t hear God in the wind. Suddenly the earth underneath him began shaking. But Elijah didn’t hear God in the earthquake. Then he saw fires burning around him. But God wasn’t in the fires either.
Finally Elijah heard a quiet voice. He recognized it. It was God. Again God asked him, “What are you doing here, Elijah?...
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Tags: work Israel God’s plan Elijah 1 Kings
As Good as His Word
TODAY’S SPECIAL: 2 Chronicles 36:15-20
TO CHEW ON: "The Lord, the God of their ancestors, sent word to them through his messengers again and again, because he had pity on his people and on his dwelling place. But they mocked God’s messengers, despised his words and scoffed at his prophets until the wrath of the Lord was aroused against his people and there was no remedy." 2 Chronicles 36:15,16
Have you ever been in a situation where your teacher or parent keeps threatening to punish you, but never does? Maybe that’s how God’s many warnings felt to the people of Judah. Prophets had been telling them for years that God would judge them if they didn’t change their ways.
They probably thought that God’s patience would last forever. But they were wrong.
Finally the day came when Nebuchadnezzar made his final move. After a siege of Jerusalem, today’s reading tells us what happened (2 Chronicles 36:17-20). Complete the sentences by filling in the blanks using the words below.
1. People of all ages were ____ .2. The temple furniture and dishes were _____ to Babylon3. The temple and palaces were _______.4. The Jerusalem wall was ______ .5. Everyone still alive was ___________.6. There they...
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Are You Ready?
TODAY’S SPECIAL: I Thessalonians 4:13-18
TO CHEW ON: For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever. I Thessalonians 4:16,17
Your grandma, who lives far away, is coming for a visit! You clean the house and make the guest bed. Your mom stocks the fridge with Grandma’s favorite foods. On the day she’s due to arrive, you drive to the airport and wait impatiently in the arrivals lounge. You can’t keep your eyes off the doorway through which she’ll soon appear
Someone else just as special as grandma will arrive one of these days. Jesus promised over 2000 years ago He would someday return to earth. We don’t know when He will come back and we won’t go to meet Him at an airport, bus depot or train station. But He promised someday He will appear in the sky. It could be any...
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Tags: Saul/Paul promises Jesus’ return heaven God’s timing faith 1 Thessalonians
Angel Jail-break
TODAY’S SPECIAL: Acts 12:1-12
TO CHEW ON: "So Peter was kept in prison, but the church was earnestly praying to God for him." Acts 12:5
Peter was in big trouble. After King Herod killed James, he arrested Peter. For days Peter had been in a cramped, uncomfortable jail, chained and guarded by sixteen soldiers.
The night before Herod was going to put him on trial Peter was asleep in his cell. He was awakened by strange man shaking him. “Quick, get up and get dressed!” the man said. The cell was filled with light even though it was the middle of the night. Then his chains fell off.
Peter's miraculous escape from prison - Artist unknown
I must be dreaming Peter thought as he pulled on his clothes, wrapped his cloak around him, and followed the man out of the prison. It was not until he had walked a block or two and his companion disappeared that Peter realized - I’m not dreaming. This is real. I was just set free by an angel....
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Tags: prayer Peter persecution God’s help angels Acts
And Your God is…?
TODAY’S SPECIAL: Acts 17:22-28
TO CHEW ON: For as I walked around and observed your objects of worship, I even found an altar with this inscription: “To An Unknown God” Now what you worship as something unknown, I am going to proclaim to you. Acts 17:23
As Paul waited in Athens for Timothy and Silas to join him, he walked around the city. On his walks he saw altars and statues (idols) to which the people prayed. He also saw an altar with a title that grabbed his attention: “To An Unknown God.”
"Paul Speaks at Athens" - Artist unknown
The next day he went to the public square where the people gathered to hear and discuss new ideas. He said to the people, “I see you have made an altar to ‘An Unknown God.’ Today I’m going to tell you about him.” Then he told them about Jesus...
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And More and More and More…
TODAY’S SPECIAL: Revelation 6:9 -17
TO CHEW ON: "For the great day of their wrath has come, and who can withstand it?" Revelation 6:17
Have you ever read an exciting book where the closer you came to the end, the more bad things happened? You looked at how few pages were left and wondered, how would the author ever straighten this out! In a way John’s vision in Revelation is like that. John saw more and more bad things as more seals were opened.
In the fifth seal, John heard the voices of people who had been killed for believing in God (martyrs). They asked God, how long until He would punish those who killed them. God answered, it would happen, but even more people would be martyred first.
Then came the sixth seal. It predicted some things that have never happened on earth. Read Revelation 6:12-17 and list five things John saw:1.2.3.4.5.
"The Opening of the Sixth Seal" by John Martin
Every day natural disasters like earthquakes, floods and erupting volcanoes take place somewhere on earth. The size of the disasters John saw here, though, were bigger than any our earth has ever seen. They help us understand how weak and helpless we humans are...
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Tags: worship Revelation natural disaster miracles judgment John God’s timing God’s plan
Amazing Flour and Oil
TODAY’S SPECIAL: 1 Kings 17:7-16
TO CHEW ON: "Elijah said to her, 'Don’t be afraid. Go home and do as you have said. But first make a small loaf of bread for me from what you have and bring it to me, and then make something for yourself and your son. For this is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: "The jar of flour will not be used up and the jug of oil will not run dry until the day the Lord sends rain on the land." ' ” 1 Kings 17:13,14
After Elijah had lived by the brook for a while, he noticed a change. The hot sun was drying it up. It no longer flowed fast. Soon it was only a trickle. One day there was no water left in the brook at all.
That day God spoke to Elijah again. “Go at once to Zarephath in Sidon. A widow there will feed you.”
So Elijah walked to Zarephath. It was a hundred mile trip through scorching dessert, over rugged hills and through mountain passes. When he finally got to the Zarephath gate he was covered with dust, famished and very thirsty. “Could you please give me a drink...
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Tags: trust Israel God’s care generosity Elijah 1 Kings
Amazing Escape
TODAY’S SPECIAL: Exodus 14:15-31TO CHEW ON: "And when the Israelites saw the mighty hand of the Lord displayed against the Egyptians, the people feared the Lord and put their trust in him and in Moses his servant." Exodus 14:31Even after God spoke to him, Moses kept crying to God for help. Finally God interrupted Moses’ frantic prayer. “Stop praying,” God said. “Get busy. Here’s my plan.”
The waters are divided by James Tissot
Read the story in Exodus 14:15-31, then cross out the three things, below, that did not happen:
1. Moses stretched out his staff toward the sea.2. The cloud came between the Israelites and the Egyptian army.3. The Egyptians bothered the Israelites all night.4. An east wind turned the sea into dry land.5. The Israelites waded through the sea in waist-deep water.6. The Israelites walked across the sea on dry ground.7. The Egyptian army followed the Israelites into the sea.8. The Egyptian army became confused.9. When Moses gave the signal, the sea rushed back into place.10. Some of the Egyptians got across in canoes.11. The whole Egyptian army drowned in the sea that day....
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Tags: obedience Moses miracles God’s timing God’s help faith Exodus Egypt
Always Available
TODAY’S SPECIAL: Acts 28:1-10
TO CHEW ON: "His father was sick in bed, suffering from fever and dysentery. Paul went in to see him and, after prayer, placed his hands on him and healed him. When this had happened, the rest of the sick on the island came and were cured." (Acts 28:8,9)
Paul had just come through a two-week storm and a hair-raising shipwreck. The sailors and passengers had landed on the Island of Malta. You’d think he would be asking for a holiday. But not Paul!
"Paul sails for Rome" - Artist unknown (after Gustave Dore)
First he helped collect firewood. When a viper (a poisonous reptile) fastened itself to his hand, the superstitious islanders thought this was a sign Paul was a murderer. They watched closely to see him fall over dead. When Paul didn’t die they thought he was a god....
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Tags: work Saul/Paul research obedience miracles God’s care Acts
All-seeing Eyes
TODAY’S SPECIAL: Psalm 139:1-16
TO CHEW ON: "You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar. You discern my going out and my lying down; you are familiar with all my ways." Psalm 139:2,3
David couldn’t sleep in his own bed any more, or eat at his own table, or be close to the people he loved. That would make it too easy for Saul to find and kill. Instead, he had to run away. He ran from city to city. But as soon as someone recognized him he had to leave because it was no longer safe.
Finally David found a good place to hide in some caves. Saul couldn’t find him there. David’s own family didn’t know where he was. But Someone did. God never lost sight of David all the time he was hiding.
In Psalm 139 David writes about God’s all-seeing eyes. Pick out every statement below, that tell where God sees us and what He knows about us. (Psalm 139:1-16)
1. God sees where we sit in school.2. God sees us when we get up in the morning.3. God knows what we will say this evening.
4. God sees us when we’re in a space...
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Tags: Saul research Psalms God’s omniscience David
All Better!
TODAY’S SPECIAL: John 4: 46-54
TO CHEW ON: "The royal official said, 'Sir, come down before my child dies.' 'Go,' Jesus replied, 'your son will live.' ” (John 4:49,50)
The royal official had tried everything to cure his son. Doctors, special baths, medicines – nothing had worked. Then he heard that Jesus was back in Cana. This was the Jesus that had made water into wine. It gave him an idea!
As fast as he could, he traveled the 30 kilometers (about 15 miles) from his home in Capernaum to Cana. Jesus was easy to find - in the middle of the biggest crowd.
"Nobleman asks Jesus to heal his son" - Artist unknown
But when the official asked Jesus to come home with him, Jesus didn’t go. Instead He sent the man home by himself with a promise: “You may go, your son will live.”
Would his son really get better without Jesus there, the official wondered. Before he reached home, an excited servant came out to meet him....
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Afraid
TODAY’S SPECIAL: Exodus 23:20-33
TO CHEW ON: " Worship the Lord your God, and his blessing will be on your food and water. I will take away sickness from among you, and none will miscarry or be barren in your land. I will give you a full life span." Exodus 23:25,26
What things scare you:- Walking alone in the dark?- Changing schools?- Trying something for the first time (diving, horseback riding, snowboarding)?- _____________________________
It’s easy to be frightened when we don’t feel safe, or when we don’t know anyone, or when we’re trying something for the first time, or a lot of other reasons.
The Israelites had every reason to be afraid. They had gone from living in one spot to moving nearly every day. They went from being safe in Egypt to being easy prey to fierce desert tribes. They went from always knowing where they would find their next drink and meal to having to trust God for all these things.
A. God saw the fear inside them. He answered it with a whole lot of promises. Cross out the one thing, below, that He didn’t promise in TODAY'S SPECIAL reading.God said he would:1. send His angel to show them the way to...
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Tags: promises memory verse God’s help fear Exodus
Accurate Predictions
TODAY’S SPECIAL: Joel 2:28-32
TO CHEW ON: "And afterward, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your old men will dream dreams, your young men will see visions." Joel 2:28
If someone asked you, “What will happen next week?” could you tell them? What if they asked about tomorrow, or even later today?
Without God’s help, people have no way of knowing the future. But when God’s Spirit tells people what to say about the future, as He did to the Old Testament prophets, we get accurate predictions.
God gave Joel words to say about the distant future. He told about a time when God would pour out His Spirit on all people – old and young, women and men.
Hundreds of years later a small band of Jesus’ followers were gathered in a Jerusalem room. Jesus had recently died, risen again and gone back to heaven. Just before He left, Jesus told His followers to wait in Jerusalem for the Holy Spirit.
That’s what they were doing this day when suddenly there was the sound of wind and the sight of fire tongues sitting on each person’s head. Then people began praising God in languages they didn’t...
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Tags: prophecy occult Judah Joel Holy Spirit God’s plan
Accepting All People
TODAY’S SPECIAL: Acts 10:24-35
TO CHEW ON: "Then Peter began to speak: 'I now realize how true it is that God does not show favoritism but accepts men from every nation the one who fears him and does what is right.'" Acts 10:34,35
Peter went back with Cornelius’s servants to Caesarea. Even though Cornelius and his men were Gentiles and not Jews, Peter knew God wanted him to visit Cornelius. Peter probably had an idea his vision was about more than eating unclean food. After he heard Cornelius’s story, Peter knew God was telling him to accept people he had thought of as unclean. What two things did Peter learn (Acts 10:34,35)?
"Peter and Cornelius" - Artist Unknown
1. God does not _____________________________________________2. God accepts ______________________________________________
God hasn’t changed. He still loves everyone – no matter what color their skin, what language they speak or where they live. We should love them too....
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Tags: Peter love Holy Spirit God’s plan baptize Acts
A Young King’s Advisers
TODAY’S SPECIAL: 1 Kings 12:1-15
TO CHEW ON: "But Rehoboam rejected the advice the elders gave him and consulted the young men who had grown up with him and were serving him." 1 Kings 12:8
After being king in Israel for forty years, Solomon died. When Jeroboam, who was still in Egypt, heard this, he rushed back to Israel. Then he led the people of Israel when they came before Solomon’s son Rehoboam, who was the new king. They wanted to ask something of him.
“Solomon your father forced us to work very hard,” they said. “We will serve you as king if you are easier on us.”
“I’ll give you my decision in three days,” Rehoboam told them. During those days, Rehoboam went to some people for advice. First he went to the elders, those men who had advised his father and had experience working with people and in government.
Then Rehoboam went to his friends, the young men he’d grown up with. “What do you think?” he asked them. “Should I do what the people ask?”
“No way!” they said to him. “You’re the king. Make sure they know it. Tell them, if you think my father was bad, you haven’t seen anything yet!”...
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A Special People
TODAY’S SPECIAL: Obadiah 1:-10
TO CHEW ON: "Because of the violence against your brother Jacob, you will be covered with shame; you will be destroyed forever." Obadiah 1:10
Do you have brothers and/or sisters with whom you quarrel? Arguments and quarrels between siblings are common. Bible brothers and sisters had their differences too.
Take Jacob and Esau. Though they were twins, they were always competing against each other. Jacob tricked Esau into giving him the birthright (the inheritance that belonged to Esau as the oldest). Then he tricked Isaac, their father, into blessing him instead of Esau. This made Esau so angry, he threatened to kill Jacob. So Jacob left home.
"Isaac and Esau" Fresco painting by Raphael (1518-1519)
Over the years the descendants of Esau became the nation of Edom. Jacob’s descendants became Israel. But there was no more love between the nations of Edom and Israel than there had been between their great-great-great-... grandfathers....
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Tags: prophecy Obadiah Israel God’s word God’s plan God’s care
A Plan of His Own
TODAY’S SPECIAL: 1 Kings 12:25-33
TO CHEW ON: "The king made two golden calves. He said to the people, 'It is too much for you to go up to Jerusalem. Here are your gods, Israel, who brought you up out of Egypt.' " 1 Kings 12:28
Jeroboam went to live in Schechem and ruled Israel from there. The prophet had told him he would be a successful king if he obeyed God. Even so, Jeroboam began to be afraid. His people would go back to Jerusalem to worship. What if traveling back to Jerusalem would make them want Rehoboam as their king again?
So Jeroboam made a plan to keep that from happening. Instead of encouraging the people to worship God in the temple in Jerusalem he set up calf idols nearby – one in Dan and another in Bethel. He told the people, "Here are the gods who brought you out of Egypt." Then he chose people who weren’t in the Levi tribe to be the priests. They offered sacrifices to the golden calves.
Jeroboam also invented new festivals. At festival time, the people now went to Dan or Bethel instead of Jerusalem. In no time the people who had chosen Jeroboam as...
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Tags: worship trust prophecy memory verse Israel idols 1 Kings
A Parade of Palms and Praise
TODAY’S SPECIAL: Matthew 21:1-11
TO CHEW ON: "A very large crowd spread their cloaks on the road, while others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road." Matthew 21:8
One day as Jesus and His disciples walked toward Jerusalem, He sent two of them on an errand. “Go to the village ahead of you,” He said. “You will find a donkey tied with her colt. Bring them to me.”
Soon the disciples were back with the animals. They put their cloaks (outer clothing) on the animals’ backs and Jesus got on the colt and rode toward the city.
Crowds gathered beside the road. Many had probably seen Jesus’ miracles and heard His teaching. When they saw Jesus riding into Jerusalem on the donkey, they remembered what prophet Zechariah had said. They recognized this was how Messiah (the Jews’ promised deliverer) would ride into Jerusalem.
Then they took off their cloaks and spread them on the road in the donkey’s path. They cut palm branches and spread them on the road too or waved them as they ran beside Jesus shouting, “Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!” They were honoring Jesus as...
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Tags: Zechariah worship prophecy Matthew Jesus Christ’s passion
A Letter and a Prayer
TODAY’S SPECIAL: 2 Chronicles 32:6-15 & 20,21
TO CHEW ON: “'Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or discouraged because of the king of Assyria and the vast army with him, for there is a greater power with us than with him. With him is only the arm of flesh, but with us is the Lord our God to help us and to fight our battles.' And the people gained confidence from what Hezekiah the king of Judah said." 2 Chronicles 32:7,8
Sennarcherib the fierce king of Assyria had already defeated Israel. Now he had his eye on Judah. He invaded the country with his powerful army. When soldiers surrounded the walled cities near Jerusalem, Hezekiah knew that he would soon be there.
Hezekiah did all he could to get ready. He cut off the water supply to the outside the walls of Jerusalem. He made the walls stronger. But most of all, he encouraged the people. “Don’t look at Sennarcherib’s strong army,” he said to them. “Instead, look at our big God.”
One day a messenger arrived with a letter. It was from Sennarcherib. “What are you trusting in?” the letter asked. “If Hezekiah is telling you that God will save you...
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Tags: trust problems prayer miracles Isaiah God’s help angels 2 Chronicles
A Deathbed Prayer
TODAY’S SPECIAL: 2 Kings 20:1-11
TO CHEW ON: “'Go back and tell Hezekiah, the leader of my people, 'This is what the Lord, the God of your father David says: "I have heard your prayer and seen your tears; I will heal you. On the third day from now you will go up to the temple of the Lord. I will add fifteen years to your life . . ."’” 2 Kings 20:5,6a
Hezekiah was very ill. The doctors expected him to die. Even the prophet Isaiah said, “Put your affairs in order, because you’re going to die.”
But Hezekiah didn’t want to die. As Isaiah left the room, he turned his face to the wall and began to cry. As he wept, he prayed, “God, I’ve tried to please you. I’ve served you wholeheartedly...”...
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Tags: sickness miracles memory verse Judah Isaiah healing God’s help 2 Kings
A Change of Heart
TODAY’S SPECIAL: 2 Chronicles 12:1-14
TO CHEW ON: "Because Rehoboam humbled himself, the Lord’s anger turned from him and he was not totally destroyed. Indeed there was some good in Judah." 2 Chronicles 12:12
We left the story of Rehoboam a while back. He was the son of Solomon who said he would be a mean and bossy king. Ten tribes didn’t want Rehoboam to be their king. They chose Jeroboam to be king and were called Israel. We have been following what happened in Israel (King Jeroboam, King Ahab, the prophets Elijah and Elisha).
Meanwhile back in Jerusalem, Rehoboam ruled over the two tribes that stayed loyal to him. The part of the land he ruled was called Judah.
Rehoboam soon became a strong king in Judah. He forgot all about God and worshiping Him until King Shishak of Egypt started invading. In no time Shishak had captured all the nearby cities and was just outside Jerusalem.
Scared Rehoboam and his advisors were huddled in the city trying to decide what to do next when a prophet came to them. “You have abandoned God,” the prophet said to Rehoboam.“Now He is leaving you to Shishak.”
This made Rehoboam even more frightened. That day he decided...
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Tags: repent Judah God’s character discussion consequences 2 Chronicles
A Way Out
TODAY’S SPECIAL: I Corinthians 10:6-13
TO CHEW ON: "No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it." I Corinthians 10:13
Temptations come in a variety of ways and at different times.
If you’re writing a test at school, are you tempted to sneak a peak at someone else’s answers. If you’re in the store, are you tempted to slip something from the shelf into your pocket? If you’re hanging out with friends, are you tempted to go along with the crowd, even if what they’re doing is wrong? What tempts you?
______________
Paul wrote two letters to the church in Corinth. In the first one (1 Corinthians), he talked about temptation. He explained how, when we’re tempted, sometimes it seems impossible to resist. But God has promised to give us something – what is it? (I Corinthians 10:13)__________________________
Dealing with temptation involves at least two things:1. Realizing that what you face is a temptation.2. Remembering that you don’t have to give in to temptation. With God’s help you...
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A Solid House
TODAY’S SPECIAL: Luke 6:46-49
TO CHEW ON: "As for everyone who comes to me and hears my words and puts them into practice, I will show you what they are like. They are like a man building a house, who dug down deep and laid the foundation on rock." Luke 6:47-48a
Which part of a house is built first:
- the walls?- the roof?- the rooms?- the front porch?- the foundation?- the basement?
You probably know that the foundation of a house is the very first thing a builder makes. He usually starts building that foundation by digging a hole. If he can dig down to bedrock and fasten the house’s foundation onto rock, the house will be almost immovable. But if a house’s foundation rests on earth or sand, it can be swept away by floods, toppled by earthquakes and smashed by storms.
One day Jesus told a story of one man who built his house on a rock. Another man built his house on sand. When the storm came, which house stayed standing?
"The house upon the rock and the house upon the sand" by William James Webb
Jesus explained the story. He said those houses on their different foundations are like our lives. When...
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