2 Kings 10

Introduction When we studied chapter 9 a couple of weeks ago, I said that it was an unpleasant chapter. It was an unpleasant chapter because, after recording that Jehu was to be king of Israel in place of Joram, the newly anointed king went immediately to Jezreel, where he killed Joram and where he also … Continue reading 2 Kings 10 →

2 Kings 09

Introduction Back in chapter 5 there was the story of the healing of Naaman. Do you remember? He was the commander of the Syrian army. He was a mighty warrior and people admired him. But he had leprosy. However, he heard from his wife's servant that there was a prophet in Israel who could heal … Continue reading 2 Kings 09 →

Psalm 083

Introduction All of the psalms since Psalm 73 have been psalms of Asaph. And today's psalm is his last one. According to 1 Chronicles 6, he was a Levite who, along with others, was appointed by David to provide music for the worship of God in the tabernacle. And not only did he provide music, … Continue reading Psalm 083 →

2 Kings 08(07–29)

Introduction You might recall that all the stories in last week's passage made clear that the Lord is in control. He is the great and mighty God who made all things and who rules over all things and nothing is too hard for him. He rules over small events, like what happens to a lost … Continue reading 2 Kings 08(07–29) →

Psalm 082

Introduction In today's psalm, the Lord rebukes unjust rulers for defending the wicked, instead of defending the cause of the weak and innocent. The psalmist refers to these unjust rulers in verse 1 as gods. And so, the question arises: Who are these gods? A number of commentators believe the psalm is referring to human … Continue reading Psalm 082 →

Psalm 081

Introduction It occurred to me as I was studying this psalm and preparing for this evening that the whole psalm is like a service of worship with four main parts. And so, we're to imagine the Lord's people coming to worship God. And in the first part of the psalm, which is verses 1 to … Continue reading Psalm 081 →

2 Kings 06(01)–08(06)

Introduction Today's passage contains four true stories. There's the story of the axe-head which was recovered from the river. There's the story of the Aramean soldiers who were blinded when they came to capture Elisha, the Lord's prophet. There's the story of the famine in Samaria, which was brought to an end in a miraculous … Continue reading 2 Kings 06(01)–08(06) →

Psalm 139

Introduction If you've got your Bible open at the psalm, you can see from the title that it's a psalm of David. That is to say, this is one of the many psalms which King David wrote under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. And the psalm can be divided into four main parts. The … Continue reading Psalm 139 →

2 Kings 05

Introduction In 2 Kings 4, which we studied last week, we had four stories about miracles. There was the story of the widow's oil. Though she only had a little oil, Elisha told her to collect as many jars as possible. And when she began to pour out the oil, she was able to fill … Continue reading 2 Kings 05 →

Psalm 080

Introduction In today's psalm, the psalmist once again laments before the Lord because of the trouble that has befallen God's people; and he prays to the Lord to restore their fortunes. You may have noticed the refrain or chorus which appears three times in the psalm. It first appears in verse 3, where the psalmist … Continue reading Psalm 080 →