Sermon and Worship Resources

1 Kings 20:1-12

Understanding Series

Iain W. Provan

... Ahab is confronted by one of the sons of the prophets (i.e., a member of a prophetic group, v. 35; cf. 2 Kgs. 4:1; 6:1). In a scene reminiscent of 2 Samuel 12:1–4, the king is tricked into pronouncing judgment upon himself, albeit with a disguise whose ... 10:15). It is apparently centralization of power that is in view here—the replacement of vassal kings with officials directly accountable to Ben-Hadad. The royal advisors seek greater military cohesion through a greater degree of political control. 20:26 ...

2. Ahab Defeats Ben-Hadad

1 Kings 20:13-34

Understanding Series

Iain W. Provan

... Ahab is confronted by one of the sons of the prophets (i.e., a member of a prophetic group, v. 35; cf. 2 Kgs. 4:1; 6:1). In a scene reminiscent of 2 Samuel 12:1–4, the king is tricked into pronouncing judgment upon himself, albeit with a disguise whose ... 10:15). It is apparently centralization of power that is in view here—the replacement of vassal kings with officials directly accountable to Ben-Hadad. The royal advisors seek greater military cohesion through a greater degree of political control. 20:26 ...

3. A Prophet Condemns Ahab

1 Kings 20:35-43

Understanding Series

Iain W. Provan

... Ahab is confronted by one of the sons of the prophets (i.e., a member of a prophetic group, v. 35; cf. 2 Kgs. 4:1; 6:1). In a scene reminiscent of 2 Samuel 12:1–4, the king is tricked into pronouncing judgment upon himself, albeit with a disguise whose ... 10:15). It is apparently centralization of power that is in view here—the replacement of vassal kings with officials directly accountable to Ben-Hadad. The royal advisors seek greater military cohesion through a greater degree of political control. 20:26 ...

4. Asa King of Judah

2 Chronicles 14:2-15

Understanding Series

Louis C. Jonker

... king’s cultic reform measures. The terminology used in Chronicles, namely, foreign altars, high places, sacred stones, Asherah poles (2 Chron. 14:3), and high places and incense altars (14:5), reminds one of the prescriptions given in the Deuteronomic legal material (e ... thirty-sixth year) things drastically changed: Baasha king of Israel went up against Judah (16:1). In self-defense, Asa immediately sought alliance with Ben-Hadad king of Aram (16:2), sending to Ben-Hadad as inducements silver and gold out ...

5. Famine in Besieged Samaria

2 Kings 6:24-7:2

Understanding Series

Iain W. Provan

... Kgs. 21:21–24)? Or are we to wait yet longer for Elijah’s prophecy about the end to be fulfilled? 6:24–33 The second siege of Samaria by Ben-Hadad, king of Aram, is significantly more serious than the first (cf. the additional note on 1 Kgs. 20:1) and inflicts much greater hardship on the population. There is a famine ... literally meant, and five horses actually went, then some of them were spares, whether the Hb. šenê reḵeḇ sûsîm in v. 14 is understood as “two chariots with their horses” (i ...

6. The Siege Lifted

2 Kings 7:3-20

Understanding Series

Iain W. Provan

... Kgs. 21:21–24)? Or are we to wait yet longer for Elijah’s prophecy about the end to be fulfilled? 6:24–33 The second siege of Samaria by Ben-Hadad, king of Aram, is significantly more serious than the first (cf. the additional note on 1 Kgs. 20:1) and inflicts much greater hardship on the population. There is a famine ... literally meant, and five horses actually went, then some of them were spares, whether the Hb. šenê reḵeḇ sûsîm in v. 14 is understood as “two chariots with their horses” (i ...

7. The Lord's Anger Against Israel

Hosea 13:1-16

Understanding Series

Elizabeth Achtemeier

... , 9–11, and 12–16. All four oracles probably date from the last years of Hosea’s ministry and from the last years of Hoshea ben Imla’s reign, around 724 BC. Thus, they have probably been set in their present place by a disciple/redactor of the prophet’s work. ... the case during the Syro-Ephraimitic war in 734–733 BC. Isaiah 7:2 records that “When the house of David (i.e., King Ahaz of Judah) was told, ‘Syria is in league with Ephraim,’his heart and the heart of his people shook as the trees ...

8. Israel’s Ill-Placed Confidence

Amos 5:18-27

Understanding Series

Elizabeth Achtemeier

... traveled to Damascus after his encounter with God at Horeb in order to anoint Hazael as future king of Aram (1 Kings 19:15). Later, Ben-Hadad II, informed of Elisha’s presence in Damascus, sent his servant Hazael to inquire whether ... , again including the eschatological judgment (Acts 24:25). Krima is the word most frequently used by Paul. He also often presents judgment as already realized (e.g., Rom. 2:2–3; 5:16). In the later epistles judgment may be realized as well (2 Pet. 2:3; Jude 4). James points ...

9. Israel Unrepentant

Hosea 6:1--7:16

Understanding Series

Elizabeth Achtemeier

... to Tiglath-pileser was prevented only by the assassination of Pekah and the payment of an enormous tribute to Assyria by King Hoshea ben Elah (2 Kgs. 15:30; 17:3). However, when Tiglath-pileser was succeeded on the Assyrian throne by Shalmaneser V in ... certainty about the precise meaning of the text. The general sense is clear, however: Israel has abandoned God. It is like a slack bow, i.e., like a bow that is not strung tightly enough to allow the archer to hit a target (cf. Ps. 78:57). Thus, closing this ...

10. The Family of Abraham

1 Chronicles 1:28

Understanding Series

Louis C. Jonker

... –28. The next verses (1:43–54) offer a section that is strictly speaking not a genealogy but rather a name list of Edomite kings (1:43–51a) and chiefs (1:51b–54), filled in with some narrative details. This section, a slightly adapted quotation from Genesis 36:31 ... can and even should be transgressed on occasion, with divine blessing, and resulting in divine blessing” (A. Labahn and E. Ben Zvi, “Observations on Women in the Genealogies of 1 Chronicles 1–9,” Bib 84 [2003], pp. 457–78, at ...

11. Descendants of Hagar

1 Chronicles 1:29-31

Understanding Series

Louis C. Jonker

... –28. The next verses (1:43–54) offer a section that is strictly speaking not a genealogy but rather a name list of Edomite kings (1:43–51a) and chiefs (1:51b–54), filled in with some narrative details. This section, a slightly adapted quotation from Genesis 36:31 ... can and even should be transgressed on occasion, with divine blessing, and resulting in divine blessing” (A. Labahn and E. Ben Zvi, “Observations on Women in the Genealogies of 1 Chronicles 1–9,” Bib 84 [2003], pp. 457–78, at ...

12. Descendants of Keturah

1 Chronicles 1:32-33

Understanding Series

Louis C. Jonker

... –28. The next verses (1:43–54) offer a section that is strictly speaking not a genealogy but rather a name list of Edomite kings (1:43–51a) and chiefs (1:51b–54), filled in with some narrative details. This section, a slightly adapted quotation from Genesis 36:31 ... can and even should be transgressed on occasion, with divine blessing, and resulting in divine blessing” (A. Labahn and E. Ben Zvi, “Observations on Women in the Genealogies of 1 Chronicles 1–9,” Bib 84 [2003], pp. 457–78, at ...

13. Job Hears the Whispers of God’s Works

Job 26:1--31:40

Teach the Text

Daniel J. Estes

... forum. As the center of community life, the gate combined the activities of the commercial marketplace (2 Kings 7:17–18), the legal court (Deut. 21:19; Ruth 4:1), and the intellectual interchange of ... . Just as the land of Canaan is often depicted as a land flowing with milk and honey (e.g., Exod. 3:8), so now Job says that the festive delights of cream and olive oil flowed ... God seems distant. Literature: Ben Hur, by Lew Wallace. In this story published in 1880, the title character, Ben Hur, is unjustly ...

14. Ezekiel's Call

Ezekiel 1:1-28, Ezekiel 2:1-3:15, Ezekiel 3:16-27

Understanding Series

Steven Tuell

... King Jehoiachin (1:2). Jehoiachin became king when his father Jehoiakim rebelled against Babylonian rule, and died in the midst of the resulting siege of Jerusalem (2 Kgs. 24:1–4). Jehoiachin’s one kingly ... :7). Throughout the book of Ezekiel, the Lord addresses the prophet as son of man (Heb. ben ʾadam, used ninety-four times in this book, eight times in Ezek. 1–3 alone [see ... particularly in the 8th-c. prophets Hosea (1:6; 5:1; 6:10; 11:12), Amos (e.g., 5:1, 3, 4; 6:1, 14), and Micah (1:5; 3:1, 9). In ...

15. Hazael Murders Ben-Hadad

2 Kings 8:7-15

Understanding Series

Iain W. Provan

... v. 10), but the general thrust is that Ben-Hadad is going to die (v. 10). Hazael receives more information than he expects, however, for Elisha sees beyond Ben-Hadad’s death into Aram’s future—a future in which Hazael will be king and will inflict great suffering on Israel (vv. ... is normally a negative of some kind, but which sometimes appears in the OT as a variant for lô, “to him” (e.g., Isa. 9:13)—the reading that the Masoretic scribes wish us to read here (cf. further GKC §103g) and that a ...

16. Oracles of Restoration

Ezekiel 34:1-31, Ezekiel 35:1-15, Ezekiel 36:1-38, Ezekiel 37:1-14, Ezekiel 37:15-28

Understanding Series

Steven Tuell

... draws upon the oracle of Micaiah ben Imlah concerning the fate of Ahab and ... king” (v. 24, Heb. nasiʾ; see the discussion of this term at 12:10). The future Davidide will rule expressly as one under divine authority: “I the LORD will be their God, and my servant David will be prince among them” (v. 24; see Levenson, Program of Restoration, p. 80). 34:25–31 Many have also seen this glowing description of restoration after the exile as a later expansion to the text. The language is awkward (note, e ...

17. The Law of the Temple

Ezekiel 43:13-27, Ezekiel 44:1-31, Ezekiel 45:1-12, Ezekiel 45:13--46:24

Understanding Series

Steven Tuell

... the people,” bringing together traditions going back not to their last independent king, but to their foundation as a society under Moses. But the designation of ... 44 as foreigners doing menial work in the temple, such as the Gibeonites of Joshua 9:23 (e.g., Cooke, Ezekiel, p. 479; Eichrodt, Ezekiel, p. 564; Wevers, Ezekiel, p. 220; Zimmerli, Ezekiel 2, pp ... Isa. 56:6–7) Isaiah 56:1–8 makes a very significant claim for ben-hannekar. This text does not restrict priestly access to Zadokites but extends it in ...

18. Jehoram King of Judah

2 Kings 8:16-24

Understanding Series

Iain W. Provan

... v. 10), but the general thrust is that Ben-Hadad is going to die (v. 10). Hazael receives more information than he expects, however, for Elisha sees beyond Ben-Hadad’s death into Aram’s future—a future in which Hazael will be king and will inflict great suffering on Israel (vv. ... is normally a negative of some kind, but which sometimes appears in the OT as a variant for lô, “to him” (e.g., Isa. 9:13)—the reading that the Masoretic scribes wish us to read here (cf. further GKC §103g) and that a ...

19. Ahaziah King of Judah

2 Kings 8:25-29

Understanding Series

Iain W. Provan

... v. 10), but the general thrust is that Ben-Hadad is going to die (v. 10). Hazael receives more information than he expects, however, for Elisha sees beyond Ben-Hadad’s death into Aram’s future—a future in which Hazael will be king and will inflict great suffering on Israel (vv. ... is normally a negative of some kind, but which sometimes appears in the OT as a variant for lô, “to him” (e.g., Isa. 9:13)—the reading that the Masoretic scribes wish us to read here (cf. further GKC §103g) and that a ...

20. The Shunammite's Land Restored

2 Kings 8:1-6

Understanding Series

Iain W. Provan

... v. 10), but the general thrust is that Ben-Hadad is going to die (v. 10). Hazael receives more information than he expects, however, for Elisha sees beyond Ben-Hadad’s death into Aram’s future—a future in which Hazael will be king and will inflict great suffering on Israel (vv. ... is normally a negative of some kind, but which sometimes appears in the OT as a variant for lô, “to him” (e.g., Isa. 9:13)—the reading that the Masoretic scribes wish us to read here (cf. further GKC §103g) and that a ...

21. The Writing on the Wall

Daniel 5:1-31

Teach the Text

Ronald W. Pierce

... set in a prominent place in the banquet room, the king is visible to the people, setting the stage for their involvement in the sacrilege. Some commentators see here a drunken king, yet the Aramaic t e ‘em more likely connotes a routine “tasting the wine.”7 ... human rewards should be a testimony to God’s goodness. Biography: Ben Carson. Born in 1952, pediatric neurosurgeon and author of six best-selling Christian books Ben Carson rose from humble beginnings to become a remarkably accomplished person. ...

22. Ahaz King of Judah

2 Chronicles 28:1-27

Understanding Series

Louis C. Jonker

... pitfall! In elaborating on the apostasy of King Ahaz, the Deuteronomist mentions that the king “even sacrificed his son in the fire, following the detestable ways of the nations the LORD had driven out before the Israelites” (2 Kgs. 16:3). Child sacrifice, which is often related to the influence of the Canaanite Molech cult, is explicitly forbidden in various texts in the Old Testament (e.g., Deut. 18:10). These sacrifices were apparently associated with the Valley of Ben Hinnom (a valley running to the ...

23. Taming the Tongue

James 3:1-12, James 3:13-18

Understanding Series

Peter H. Davids

... complete in Christian character (1:4) and thus able to meet every test and temptation and control every evil impulse (1:12–15). As “Ben Zoma said: ‘Who is mighty? He who subdues his passions,’ ” or, as “Alexander of Macedon asked the Elders of the South, ‘Who is ... is “harsh zeal” or “rivalry”; the same term can have a positive meaning of “zealous” elsewhere in scripture (e.g., 1 Kings 19:10), and surely the person so characterized is persuaded this is the case. But in reality it is ...

24. Two Kinds of Wisdom

James 3:13-18, James 3:1-12

Understanding Series

Peter H. Davids

... complete in Christian character (1:4) and thus able to meet every test and temptation and control every evil impulse (1:12–15). As “Ben Zoma said: ‘Who is mighty? He who subdues his passions,’ ” or, as “Alexander of Macedon asked the Elders of the South, ‘Who is ... is “harsh zeal” or “rivalry”; the same term can have a positive meaning of “zealous” elsewhere in scripture (e.g., 1 Kings 19:10), and surely the person so characterized is persuaded this is the case. But in reality it is ...

25. Healed By The Great Physician

2 Kings 5:1-27

Sermon

Bill Bouknight

... is the strongest country in the Middle East. It is on the northeast border with Israel, approximately where Syria is today. Ben-Hadad is King of Aram and Joram is King of Israel. In Judges, chapter 5, we are introduced to a man named Naaman. He is commander of Aram’s army ... profound. She said, “Tony, he wasn’t cured, but he was healed.” (5) (1) From “Healing,” a sermon by William E. Swing, published in I am the Lord Who Heals You, G. Scott Morris, Editor, (Abingdon: Nashville, 2004), pp. 53-54. (2 ...