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Bible Adventures 1


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Bible Adventures 1
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Judges & Kings of Israel
 


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BIBLE ADVENTURES 1 - OLD TESTAMENT


TABLE OF CONTENTS

(1) Introduction                      Jump down to introduction
          
  a.) what Bible Adventures is about
 

(2) JUDGES from Othneil to Samson
             Chapter 1 - Othniel               Jump down to chapter 1
             Chapter 2 - Gideon                Jump down to chapter 2
             Chapter 3 - Samson              Jump down to chapter 3

 

(3) Song OF Solomon King Solomon and the Shulamite woman he could not win (now also see the 3-Act Play on Bible Playhouse)

             Chapter 1 - Shulamite woman       Jump down to chapter 1

             Chapter 2 - Shulamite woman saw a magnificent chariot coming down the road    Jump down to chapter 2

             Chapter 3 - Her audience with King Solomon      Jump down to chapter 3

             Chapter 4 - "As my eyes look upon your beauty"       Jump down to chapter 4

             Chapter 5 - Their mother said, "I raised her as a proper girl!"     Jump down to chapter 5
 

(4) Kings of Israel & Judah from Rehoboam to Josiah

             Chapter 1 - Rehoboam        Jump down to chapter 1

             Chapter 2 - Jeroboam         Jump down to chapter 2

             Chapter 3 - Asa, Ahab, Jehoshaphat & Jehoram       Jump down to chapter 3

             Chapter 4 - Joash           Jump down to chapter 4

             Chapter 5 - Hezekiah         Jump down to chapter 5

             Chapter 6 - Manasseh         Jump down to chapter 6

             Chapter 7 - Josiah           Jump down to chapter 7
 

(5) DANIEL and King Nebuchadnezzar interpretation of Nebuchadnezzar's dreams which foretell events to come

             Chapter 1               Jump down to chapter 1

                    a. Nebichadnezzar

                    b. Attacked Jerusalem

             Chapter 2 - Dream           Jump down to chapter 2

             Chapter 3                       Jump down to chapter 3

                    a. Interpretation

                    b. The LORD answered their prayers

             Chapter 4 - Fiery furnace            Jump down to chapter 4

             Chapter 5 - Dream two               Jump down to chapter 5

             Chapter 6 - Judgment                 Jump down to chapter 6

             Conclusion                     Jump down to conclusion
 

(7) DANIEL and King Belshazzar the writing on the wall and its significance     Jump down to part 7


(8) DANIEL and King Darius - Daniel in the lion's den and his deliverance by the Lord   Jump down to part 8


(9) ABRAHAM, The "FRIEND OF GOD"            Jump down to Abraham


(10) ISAAC, the Son of Promise                Jump down to Isaac

             a.) Isaac's great test of faith

             b.) A bride for Isaac

             c.) Isaac's twins ... Esau and Jacob

             d.) Jacob steals his brother's birthright


(11) THERE'S NO ESCAPE! (Jonah)                  Jump down to Jonah

             a. Jonah's disobedience

             b. God's discipline for Jonah

             c. Jonah' learns his lesson and confesses his sin. God's grace to Nineveh and Jonah's reaction to it.


INTRODUCTION

All young people seem to have a curious mind, and they enjoy a good adventure story! How do I know? Well, I, too, was once a young person with a mind full of curiosity and a love for adventure!

Some of the greatest adventures ever told are found in the Bible. Many of the characters stand out distinctly on the pages of the Word of God in a spectacular way, while others are more obscure but still important. Some of those people were honorable, godly individuals, and some were really scoundrels, but they all had one thing in common. They all had a sinful nature just like we have!

Our adventures are going to focus on a period of time when God gave Judges the power to deliver [his people, Israel, from their enemies after they had entered the land He had promised them.

After Moses and Joshua died, the Children of Israel forgot much of what they had been taught and began to worship the false gods of the people in the land. The Lord disciplined them by sending enemy armies against them. When they cried out to Him for mercy, He raised up Judges to deliver them. Over a period of about 300 years and involving several generations, the Lord gave the Israelites ten different Judges to help them. After each one of those Judges died, the people went back to worshiping idols again.

Let's take a closer look at some those Judges as we begin our journey into BIBLE ADVENTURES.
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CHAPTER 1 - JUDGES, OTHNIEL

The first Judge in the land was a man by the name of Othniel. He was a very godly man, and the Lord gave the people forty years of peace while Othniel lived. When he died, the Children of Israel again did evil in the sight of the Lord, therefore, the Lord strengthened the hand of their enemy, Eglon, the king of Moab. Eglon gathered the armies of Ammon and Amalek together with his own men, and they fought against the Israelites and defeated them. As a result, the Israelites were made to serve them for eighteen years.

Then Israel cried unto the Lord, and He provided a Judge named Ehud. He was a left-handed man, and one of his first acts as Judge was to take a gift to King Eglon. The gift was an 18" dagger which had two sharp edges. Ehud hid the dagger on his right thigh under his cloak and went to see Eglon.

Eglon was a very fat man, and he was sitting in his summer house which was his private quarters. When he heard that Ehud had come to give him a present, he invited him into his house. Ehud had dismissed the men who came with him on this errand.

Ehud said to Eglon, "I have a secret errand unto you, 0 king!"

Excitedly, Eglon sent everyone out of the house so that he and Ehud were alone.

As Ehud approached the king, he said, "I have a message from God for you."

Eglon got up out of his chair with anticipation for the gift, but as Ehud drew closer, he took the dagger from his right thigh and plunged it into Eglon's belly. The fat in his body enclosed both the handle and the blade, so that Ehud was not able to pull it out again. He made a hasty exit by way of the porch and locked the doors behind him.

After several hours, Eglon' s servants came to see if everything was all right. When they found the doors locked, they assumed that the king was taking a nap, so they left. Much later, when the servants had still heard nothing from the king, they came again with a key and opened the doors. To their dismay, they found that the king was dead!

Meanwhile, Ehud had escaped, and he went back home to get his army. The Israelite army attacked Moab, and they killed about 10,000 men. Following that great victory, Israel obeyed the Lord, and there was peace in the land for 80 years.

When Ehud died, the Children of Israel did evil again in the sight of the Lord. This time the Lord sent Jabin, king of Canaan, against them. The captain of Canaan's army was a man named, Sisera, who troubled and threatened Israel with his command of 900 chariots for 20 years. Once more, Israel cried out for help, and this time the Lord sent them two Judges, Deborah and Barak. Barak took 10,000 men to fight against the Canaanites, and they were victorious. However, Sisera ran away on foot during the battle and escaped.

Sisera found his way to the tent of Heber, the Kenite, who had separated himself from the Canaanites. Sisera thought he could hide there in safety. Heber' 5 wife, Jael, was in the tent, and she came out to meet Sisera.

She said to him, "Turn in her, my lord. Don't be afraid"

He went into her tent, and she covered him with a shawl.

Sisera pleaded, "I am very thirsty. Please give me a drink of water!"

Jael brought him water and another warm garment.

Then Sisera instructed Jael, "Stand in the tent door, and if anyone comes to inquire if you have seen a stranger today, tell him NO!"

Then Sisera fell into a deep sleep.

Jael knew that Sisera was an enemy of Israel. While he slept, she took a tent peg and a hammer in her hand and entered the tent quietly without disturbing him. Before he could awaken, she drove the peg through his temples and into the ground, and Sisera died.

Meanwhile, the Judge, Barak, had looked everywhere for Sisera on horseback. As he came closer to Jael's tent, he saw her standing in the doorway.

Barak leaned toward her and shouted, "Has any stranger passed this way today?"

Without any hesitation, Jael answered, "Come inside my tent, and I will show you the man for whom you are searching!"

Barak dismounted from his horse and ran into the tent. There he found the body of his enemy, Sisera, lying on the ground with a tent peg driven through his temples!

That is how the Lord delivered Israel from the Canaanites that day by means of this woman named Jael.

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CHAPTER 2  - JUDGES, GIDEON

Israel enjoyed peace for forty years after Barak defeated the Moabites, but then they did evil again in the sight of the Lord. He delivered them into the hand of the Midianites, another enemy of the Israelites. The Midianites oppressed the Jews for seven years, and then God's people cried out for deliverance.

This time, the Lord sent a prophet to them with this message from Him:

"Thus saith the Lord God of Israel, I brought your forefathers up from Egypt and delivered you from the hand of your enemies who troubled you! I drove them out and gave you their land! Also, I said, I am the Lord your God! Do not trust in the gods of the heathen in whose land you dwell, but YOU DID NOT OBEY MY VOICE!" (Judges 6:8-10)

After saying that, the Lord was gracious to His people and chose another man to be Judge over them. The man's name was Gideon. When we first meet him, he is trying to hide some wheat that he is threshing in a very secluded place so the Midianites wouldn't find it.

Suddenly, the Angel of the Lord appeared, sitting under an oak tree nearby, and He said to Gideon, "Hello there, hero! The Lord is with you!"

Gideon looked around behind him to see who this man was talking to, because he knew he wasn't a brave man or a hero.

Seeing he was the only one standing there, Gideon said, "If the Lord is really with us, why has all this misery come upon my people? Why doesn't the Lord perform a miracle for us as He did for our fathers when they were delivered from slavery in Egypt? I'm convinced that He has forsaken us and has given us to the Midianites!" (Judges 6:12,1

(At this point in time, Gideon did not realize that he was actually talking with God the Son. In the Old Testament, before Jesus came into the world as a baby in a manger, He appeared to some people as The Angel of the Lord. You can easily identify Him as Deity by the context in the scriptures. God the Son is the only revealed member of the Trinity.)

The Lord looked steadily at Gideon and said, "Haven't I commanded you to do this? Go and do as I tell you. I will save Israel from the Midianites, and I will tell you what you must do to accomplish their deliverance!"

Still not sure about the Person to whom he was speaking, Gideon responded, "If I have found grace in your sight, show me a sign that it is really You giving me this command. Stay here while I prepare a sacrifice to set before you."

The Lord replied, "I will wait for you here."

Gideon made preparation for a sacrifice, and he presented it to the Lord. The Lord told him to place it on a rock, and then He took His staff and touched it. Fire came out of the rock and consumed the sacrifice.

After witnessing that, Gideon knew it was truly the Lord who was speaking with him, and he fell down and worshiped Him.

The Lord said, "Don't be afraid, Gideon, you will not die because you have seen me face to face."

Gideon was speechless, and as he looked on in amazement, the Lord disappeared out of his sight. (Judges 6:14-23)

The Lord did not appear personally to Gideon again but spoke to him by direct conversation or in dreams. The Lord told Gideon to destroy the altar of Baal, a false god, which his father had built and replace it with an altar where the people could come and worship the Lord God only. Gideon obeyed. Under cover of darkness, he took ten men from the city and tore down the altar of Baal.

When the men of the city arose the next morning and saw that the altar of Baal was destroyed, they were furious. They demanded to know who was responsible, and when they learned it was Gideon, they ordered his father to bring Gideon to them so they could execute him.

Gideon's father said, "Why do you want to kill my son and defend Baal? If Baal is truly a god, let him defend himself."

When the men heard that, they kept silent.

The Lord put His Spirit upon Gideon to empower him to deliver the people as He had promised. Gideon sent messengers throughout the land and gathered a great army to fight against their enemy, but he still had doubts about his own personal role in leading the men to victory.

He made a request of the Lord and said, "Lord, if you will save Israel under my leadership as you have said, please let it be proved to me one more time. I will put some wool on the doorstep outdoors tonight, and if; when I arise in the morning, the ground is dry and the wool is wet, I will know that you mean to keep your promise."

The Lord agreed. When Gideon got up the following morning, he took the wool in his hands and wrung a bowlful of water out of it, but the ground around it was dry. Still, Gideon wasn't satisfied. Once more he put God to the test.

"Please don't be angry with me, Lord," he said, "But I have one more request to make. I wish to try the same experiment tonight, and then I will be sure you mean to keep your promise. This time if the wool is dry and the ground is wet, I will believe You."

The Lord graciously agreed again, and in the morning, the ground was wet and the wool was absolutely dry. At last, Gideon was content!

Early the next morning, Gideon took his army and positioned his men near the enemy lines.

Then the Lord told Gideon in a dream, "There are far too many men with you, Gideon. If they defeat the Midianites and their allies, they will be proud of their own achievement and say that they alone have done it. They will not give Me the glory. Therefore, go and tell your men that if any of them are afraid, they should go home."

When Gideon made this offer, 22,000 men decided to leave and just 10,000 were left.

Then the Lord told Gideon, "There are still too many men here! We must eliminate some of them, and I will tell you what to do. Take all of the men to the river bank. Those who get down on their hands and knees to lap water like a dog will not go with you, but those who remain on their feet and take water in their hand to drink are the men who are prepared to go into battle with you."

Only 300 men drank from their hand. Then the Lord instructed Gideon and said, "By these 300 men will I deliver Israel. Send the rest of the men home."

When Gideon awoke from his dream, he knew that the Lord did indeed mean to keep His promise, and Gideon worshiped the Lord.

He told his men, "Let's go! The Lord has delivered our enemies into our hands."

They were victorious that day, because the Lord fought for them. Another forty years of peace followed that great victory

After Gideon died, the people who had witnessed all the things the Lord did for them still went back to their idolatry and worshiped Baal. They forgot how God had delivered them and how gracious the Lord had been to them while Gideon lived.

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CHAPTER 3 - JUDGES, SAMSON

During the forty years following the death of Gideon, there were five more Judges for short periods of time, and then, because of the Israelite's idolatry, the Lord delivered them into the hands of the Philistines. During the time of the Philistine conquest when Israel was forced to served them, a young man named Samson was born, and the Lord prepared him to lead the people against the Philistines.

Samson is, no doubt, one of the most colorful of all the Judges, and the Lord used him in some very spectacular ways. Because he was to be God's instrument against the Philistines, the Holy Spirit came upon Samson in order to enable him to perform great feats of strength.

Unfortunately, Samson had a weakness for beautiful women, and eventually that weakness became his downfall. The first recorded incident involving him with a woman took place when he saw a very lovely Philistine woman and asked his parents to arrange for her to be his wife.

Samson's parents were angry with him and replied, "Why do you want a wife who worships idols? There are plenty of attractive Jewish girls here that you could choose."

Samson ignored their answer and insisted on having his own way. While traveling to see the Philistine woman, he passed through a vineyard. Suddenly, a young lion roared out and challenged him. The Holy Spirit came upon Samson, and he killed the lion with his bare hands. He told no one about the incident and went on his way.

The Philistine woman whom he loved agreed to marry him. After a while, Samson went home to make preparations for the wedding feast. On the way home, Samson went through the vineyard again and looked to see if the lion's body was still where he had left it. By this time, the body had dried and become a carcass. A swarm of bees had made honey in it. He took honey in both his hands and ate until he was satisfied.

When Samson arrived home, he said nothing to his mother and father about the lion, because he knew the commandment God had given to the Jews that they were not to approach any dead body.

Not long after that, Samson and his father went back to the home of the bride-to-be for the customary wedding feast. The woman's friends came to the celebration and brought thirty of their own friends with them.

Samson thought it might be fun to tease them a little, so he said, "Here's a riddle for you. If you are able to untangle it within seven days, I will give each of you thirty changes of clothing; but if you are not able to explain it to me, you shall give me thirty changes of garments."

The men agreed to take the challenge.

Samson said, "Here's the riddle: Out of the eater came meat, and out of the strong came sweetness."

After three days, the men still had been unable to figure out the riddle, so they cornered Samson's wife and threatened her.

"Find out the meaning of this puzzle for us," they demanded, "Or we will burn you and your father's household to the ground."

Fearing for her father's life as well as her own, she wept in Samson's arms night after night until he finally relented and explained the riddle to her. She, in turn, gave the men the answer.

On the seventh day, they came to Samson and said, "What is sweeter than honey, and what is stronger than a lion.”

Samson knew at once how they had gotten the right answer and said, "If you had not put pressure on my wife to get the answer, you never would have been able to know it."

Angrily, Samson left and went down to Ashkelon where he found thirty men wearing beautiful garments. The Holy Spirit came upon him, and Samson killed the men, took their clothing, then brought it back to the Philistines to pay his wager. That done, he stormed out of their presence and went home.

Doubting that Samson would ever return, the woman's father arranged for her to marry another man. Time passed, and Samson's anger subsided. He decided to go back and claim his wife and took along a nice gift for her.

When her father saw him, he said, "I thought you hated my daughter for betraying you, so I gave her to another man."

Samson was furious, for he had loved the woman. Determined to have revenge, he caught three hundred foxes, tied their tails together with a firebrand between each fox and sent them through the Philistine's cornfields. When they saw that their crops had been burned, the Philistines sought the one responsible. They were told it was Samson who had done it, because his wife had been given to one of their friends.

They set fire to household of the woman's father. When Samson learned that the men had killed his wife, he went away to be alone. While he was gone, the Philistines gathered a small army and positioned themselves against the Israelites.

The Israelites asked why they had come to threaten them, and they answered, "We have come to find and kill Samson for what he had done to us." Immediately, 3,000 Israelites set out in search of Samson, and when they found him, they asked, "Why have you put us in this great danger by your actions?

Samson replied, "I was just paying them back for what they did to me."

Then the men said, "We have come here to tie you up and deliver you to the Philistines.

"If you promise not to kill me yourselves," Samson said, "I will let you bind me and turn me over to the Philistines."

The enemy shouted victoriously when they saw Samson being delivered to them, but the Holy Spirit empowered him, and he broke the cords that bound him as if they were a piece of string. Looking about him, he found a new jawbone of an ass and fought against them, killing 1,000 of them that day.

Unfortunately, Samson had not learned his lesson regarding women. He met another beautiful Philistine woman who lived in the valley of Sorek. Her name was Delilah.

When the men in her city noticed Samson's interest in her, they approached her and said, "Find out where his great strength comes from so we can capture him, and we will give you a great deal of money."

Delilah wanted the reward they offered, so she asked Samson to reveal the secret of his strength to her.

He answered, "If they tie me with seven new willow twigs that are still green and strong, I will be as weak as any other man."

While Samson slept, Delilah tied his hands and feet and then called the Philistine leaders. When they came, Delilah woke Samson by shouting, "The Philistines are upon you, Samson!" Samson got up quickly and snapped the ties about him, and the men ran away. Still determined to get the promised reward, Delilah kept asking Samson about his strength and said to him, "You are making fun of me. You lied to me about your great strength. You don't really love me or you wouldn't lie about it."

Twice more after that Samson gave her the wrong answers, but finally he grew weary of her constant questioning.

He told her, "I am a Nazarite, and my long hair is a symbol of my obedience to the Lord God. If I allow it to be cut, I would be disobeying my God and be as weak as any other man.

This time Delilah was sure he was telling her the truth, so that night when Samson was sleeping soundly, she called one of the Philistines to cut his hair.

Then Delilah shouted, "The Philistines are upon you, Samson!"

Unaware that his hair had been cut, Samson awoke and faced his enemies confidently, but this time he wasn't able to protect himself against them. It took Samson a moment to realize that the Holy Spirit was not with him. Delilah accepted her reward. The Philistines took him prisoner. In revenge, they blinded him, bound him with brass chains, and forced him grind grain in their prison.

While Samson labored in their prison, the Philistine leaders decided to hold a celebration in the house of their god, Dagon, in honor of their victory over Samson. When their hearts were merry with wine, they sent for blind and chained Samson to have him entertain the crowd. They didn't realize that Samson's hair had grown again during the imprisonment, and when he was brought to them, they stood him in the auditorium between two pillars which held up the balcony of the temple. That day, the temple was filled with 3,000 men and women plus all the leaders of the Philistines who had come to watch Samson and to make fun of him.

Samson said to the lad who led him by the hand, "Take me to the pillars and place my hands on both of them."

The boy did as he asked. Then Samson bowed his head and prayed to the Lord saying, "0 Lord God, remember me, I pray thee, and strengthen me, I pray thee, only this once, 0 God, so that I may be avenged of the Philistines because they blinded me."

Samson then took a firm grip on the two pillars and made one more request of the Lord saying, "Let me die with the Philistines."

Samson gathered his strength and pushed against the pillars with all his might. The temple collapsed and fell upon all the people there. The dead in the temple that day numbered more than all the Philistines Samson had previously destroyed during his lifetime. The Lord's purpose to defeat the Philistines was accomplished.

Samson died that day along with the Philistines, as he requested. He had been a Judge in Israel for twenty years.

End of JUDGES
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SONG OF SOLOMON

CHAPTER 1

No doubt, every young woman has dreamed that one day she would meet her own "prince charming". He would be her ideal companion for life. He would also be attractive to her in every way, and he would take her to his "castle" where they would live happily everafter. Well, life doesn't always progress the way we imagine it will perhaps you have discovered that for yourself just as the heroine of our story did.

Let's begin by introducing the author of our story . . .King Solomon. He tells us about a beautiful young woman to whom he was attracted, but lost, in his rendition of "SONG OF SOLOMON" in the Bible. Even though he had all of the qualifications that any woman could ever hope to find in a man, Solomon failed to win the love of this lovely Shulamite woman about whom he writes. Solomon doesn't give any proper names to the characters in this story, but he simply identifies each one with descriptive words so I will do the same.

As our story unfolds, we find a young Shulamite woman in the harem of the wealthiest, most intelligent and most handsome young king who has ever lived, and she definitely did not want to be there. You may be thinking that she was a very foolish woman for not being the happiest and most fortunate woman in existence, but perhaps, when you hear her story, you will understand.

Before our heroine was brought to the palace, she had found her "prince". He was a shepherd who was caretaker of a flock of sheep near her home not far from Jerusalem. They grew to love each other and vowed they would marry. Joyfully, she took him to her home where she supposed he would be accepted by her widowed mother and her brothers. Instead, her brothers were very upset and said she was much too young for marriage. They forced the shepherd to leave and made their sister work in the vineyards of Baal-hamon, which the brothers leased from Solomon. Her duties were to keep the foxes away from the fruit on the vines.

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CHAPTER 2

While working in the vineyards one day, the Shulamite woman saw a magnificent chariot coming down the road. As it came closer, she noticed that the air was filled with the scents of myrrh and frankincense. Also, some beautifully-scented powders were being thrown up into the air, and the sight resembled great pillars of smoke. She knew immediately that the chariot must belong to King Solomon. There were a great many soldiers accompanying the chariot as the king toured the countryside to check on the land he had leased to farmers in the area.

Oddly, our heroine had the feeling she was being watched, and when the chariot came closer, it stopped, and several of the soldiers approached her. They said the king was the man in the chariot, and he was attracted to her. They asked if she would accompany them to the palace where he could talk with her. She was very anxious to leave her duties as caretaker of the vines, and she thought perhaps she would be better able to find her betrothed shepherd if she was with other people who may know of his whereabouts. With that in mind, she accompanied the men to the palace.

The king did not place her in the harem with his wives, but she was taken to the house where the servants lived. In our story, they are referred to as "the virgins of the harem" or "the daughters of Jerusalem".

The virgins of the harem bathed and perfumed the Shulamite woman's body and dressed her in beautiful clothing to prepare her to be presented to the king. They also told her that the king's plan for her was to attempt to persuade her to become one of his queens.

It was common knowledge among all of the people in the kingdom that King Solomon had many wives ... in fact, he had 700 of them! They were all princesses who had been presented to Solomon by their fathers when a peace treaty was signed with Israel

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CHAPTER 3

While she was being made ready for her audience with King Solomon, the Shulamite woman told the virgins about her wonderful shepherd and how he alone filled her thoughts. Her one desire was that he would find her and take her away from the palace. As she spoke about her lover, the ladies also wanted to see him. They said, if she were to leave, they would follow her. Also, they told her they were curious and very puzzled as to why she had agreed to come to the palace if she was so much in love with her shepherd.

Our heroine related the whole story to them and said, "While living at home, I desperately wanted to find my lover. I dressed and went out into the streets in the middle of the night to look for him, so I could take him to my mother and my brothers to ask their permission for us to marry. I was unable to find him and my search was interrupted by a policeman who stopped me and questioned why I was out in the street in the middle of the night. It was not proper for a respectable young woman to be wandering about alone the way I was. The officer listened politely to my explanation and then took me home. When my brothers heard that I had been arrested and the reason for the arrest, they were very angry with me. They sent me away to work in their vineyards, and that is where the king saw me."

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CHAPTER 4

As the Shulamite woman was telling her story, the doors of the room suddenly burst open, and King Solomon appeared in all of his glory! It was truly a breathtaking sight to behold as he approached her and kissed her hand! Then he stepped back a little, and said very dramatically, "As my eyes look upon your beauty, my love, I can only compare your person with the very magnificent horses in Pharoah's chariots!"

When she heard that. she drew back while attempting to free her hand and said to him, "Please don't even look upon me, your majesty, because I am very unattractive . . . my skin has been blackened by the sun, and it is like the tents of Kedar!" (Kedar was a black-skinned son of Ishmael ) The Daughters of Jerusalem who were with her answered in a chorus, "Oh, No! We would compare your skin to the beautiful and delicate white curtains of Solomon!"

Not to be outdone by the flattering words of the virgins, Solomon passionately began to use many other descriptive words with which to describe how beautiful she was. Our heroine felt a little sick by all of those words, and she interrupted the king saying, "I am formally engaged to another man! Please do not force your attentions upon me.

No matter how hard she tried Solomon was not about to be distracted by her words, and he tried to win her favor with more flattery. He was very sure that she would not be able to resist his advance.

In desperation, the Shulamite woman said, "I am feeling a little faint! Please allow me to go out into your beautiful gardens for a breath of fresh air!"

Reluctantly, Solomon gave his consent, but he watched her eagerly from the window as she ran down the pathway to the gardens. Also, as he watched, Solomon was mentally planning the next strategy he would use when she returned, but his thoughts were suddenly distracted by a familiar voice saying to him, "What do you see in this Shulamite?"

Solomon quickly turned away from the window and saw that it was one of his favorite queens who was standing there addressing him.

He said politely, "My dear, how long have you been listening and watching?"

The jealous queen answered, "Long enough to know that this woman presents no competition for me, your majesty. Just watch me now as I dance for you!"

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CHAPTER 5

Meanwhile, in the garden, the Shulamite woman thought she heard the voice of her beloved shepherd. She ran to the gate and called his name. He answered and climbed over the wall near the gate, swept her up in his arms, and they sped away quickly in his humble chariot to her home.

The brothers were watching them come down the road and called their mother. The chariot approached in a cloud of dust, and the brothers said to one another, "It is our sister and her shepherd lover in that chariot! If she is undefiled, we will build them a beautiful house; but if she has been defiled, we will lock her up and keep her away from this shepherd whom she loves."

Their mother said, "I raised her as a proper girl!"

By this time, the couple had arrived and had overheard what was said about them. In response, the Shulamite woman said, "I am undefiled, even though I was in Solomon's palace for a brief moment! My love is only for my shepherd, and for that reason I remained pure and undefiled just for him!"

After hearing that, the brothers and their mother gave their permission for the two lovers to marry.

The End of Song of Solomon
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KINGS OF ISRAEL & JUDAH

CHAPTER 1

During the years following the reigns of David and of Solomon, two young men appeared on the scene in Israel.

One of them is Rehoboam, the son of Solomon and the rightful heir to the throne, and the other is a man called Jeroboam who was a very promising young man who had been given a position of rulership over the tribe of Joseph.

While Solomon still lived, Jeroboam was traveling outside of Jerusalem one day, and the Lord sent the prophet Ahijah to give him a message. When Ahijah met Jeroboam, they were alone in a field.

The prophet took his own new cloak, ripped it into twelve pieces, and gave ten of them to the young man and said, "This is God's message to you, Jeroboam. Because my people were involved in idolatry during Solomon's later years, I will divide the kingdom. Solomon's son will still rule over two tribes, because of my promise to David, and you will be king over ten tribes. If you will obey me as David did, your sons will rule after you."

When Solomon heard about that, he attempted to kill Jeroboam, but Jeroboam fled into Egypt and was safe there until word came to him that Solomon had died, and his friends brought him back to Jerusalem.

Rehoboam became king over the whole nation after his father's death, and the leaders of the people along with Jeroboam, came to the king and said to him, "Your father put a heavy tax burden upon us and made our lives very difficult. If you will lighten our tax load and treat us kindly, we will serve you well."

Rehoboam answered, "Let me think it over. Come back here in three days while I consider what I will do about the matter."

His arrogance combined with poor judgment caused the young king to accept the bad advice given to him by the young men with whom he had grown up rather than to follow the good advice given him by the older men who had been with his father for forty years, so after three days when the people returned for his answer, Rehoboam spoke roughly to them and said, "You think my father was severe with you? Well, I will make your tax burdens heavier than he ever did!"

Many of the men became very angry at that reply from their king, and they went to their homes to plan what they would do. Only the tribes of Judah and Benjamin remained in Jerusalem with Rehoboam.

Soon after that, all Israel learned that Jeroboam had returned from Egypt. They called him before the leaders of the people and made him king over the Northern Kingdom known now as Israel.

When Rehoboam sent his chief tax collector among them, they stoned him to death!

Rehoboam gathered 180,000 of his chosen warriors to attack, but the Lord sent a prophet to the king saying, "You shall not fight against your brethren, because I am using them to discipline you!" The soldiers listened and obeyed the Word of God.

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CHAPTER 2

The priests and the Levites who were scattered throughout the kingdom fled to Judah because Jeroboam had replaced them with prophets whom he chose. Also, the people in the land who wanted to worship the Lord God of their fathers rather than idols, went to Judah also. Jeroboam had made two golden calves for his nation to worship, and placed them in two very strategic places: one in Dan, which was at the northern part of the kingdom, and the other one in Beersheba, which was in the southern part of the kingdom.

Then he said to the people, "Here are your gods, Israel! There is no need for you to go to Jerusalem to worship anymore!"

Jeroboam knew very well that only priests were authorized to make sacrifices, but, because of his pride, he decided to offer one himself. While he was in the process of doing so, the Lord sent a prophet from Judah to warn Jeroboam of his wrongdoing.

The prophet did not speak directly to Jeroboam but instead he addressed the altar with God's message. He said, "Altar, altar, thus saith the Lord: Behold, a child shall be born in the line of David by the name of Josiah, and upon thee shall he offer the priests who burn incense to the false gods which Jeroboam has set up. You will know that the Lord has spoken when this altar is broken and all the ashes pour out!"

Hearing those words, Jeroboam drew his hand back from the altar and pointed to the prophet saying, "Arrest that man!" Immediately his hand dried up and he was unable to use it!

Then Jeroboam pleaded with the prophet to pray to God that his hand be restored again. The prophet did so, and the king's hand became normal once more.

Then the king said to the prophet, "Come home with me and refresh yourself after your long journey, and I will reward you!"

The man of God answered, "Even if you would give me half your kingdom, I would not go with you or eat bread and drink water in this place, because the Lord gave. that command to me!"

After saying that to the king, he turned away from him and left another way to return to Judah.

An old prophet who lived in Bethel where Jeroboam was, heard about the things done that day by a prophet who had come from Judah, and he wanted to see him and speak with him. He called his sons and had them saddle his mule, and then he went out to look for the man of God.

He soon found him sitting under an oak tree just a short distance from Bethel.

The old prophet asked him, "Are you the prophet that God sent here from Judah?"

The prophet looked up and said, "I am that one."

The old prophet said, "Come home with me and dine with me!"

his answer was the same for this man as it had been given to the king. "The Lord has forbidden me to eat or drink in this place. Also, I was told not to go back the same way I came here."

Then the old prophet lied to him and said, "I too am a prophet of the Lord, and the Lord told me I should take you to my house and give you food and drink!"

The man of God believed him, and accompanied him to his house.

While they were eating, God spoke to the older man and gave him this message: "The prophet whom I sent from Judah has disobeyed me. Now, tell him that because he did not do as I commanded, he will die and his body will not be buried with his forefathers."

When he heard God's message, the prophet from Judah left there and went on his way. A short way down the road, a lion attacked him and killed him. The lion did not eat his body, but stood by it. When some people came by and saw the lion standing there and the man's body lying alongside the road, they went to Bethel and told the old prophet what they saw.

He answered them, "I know it is the body of the man of God who was here today. The Lord delivered him to the lion because he did not obey the Word of God."

Then he went to find the body, and he buried it in his own tomb. He told his sons that he wished to be buried beside the man of God after his death.

After these things, Jeroboam continued his evil ways, and he took the worst people in the land and made them priests. God's judgment came upon him and the people of Israel as well because of their idolatry.

First of all, Jeroboam's son became very ill, and Jeroboam told his wife to disguise herself and go to the prophet Ahijah who had annointed him king over Israel, and ask him to heal their son.

Ahijah was very old, and he was unable to see. The Lord spoke to him and said, "The wife of Jeroboam is at the door. The woman will pretend to be someone else, and she will ask you to heal the king's son who is dying."

As soon as Ahijah heard her footsteps outside his door, he said, "Come in, wife of Jeroboam! Why do you pretend to be someone else? The Lord gave me a message which you can deliver to your husband”

The message was: "Jeroboam, I took you from among the people of Israel and I promoted you to be king over the ten tribes which I took away from Rehoboam, the son of Solomon, because he did not follow me with all his heart as David had done before him! Therefore, your son will die and none of your offspring will rule over the nation."

Jeroboam ruled Israel for twenty-two years, and then he died. All Israel suffered discipline because of their idolatrous practices which were introduced by Jeroboam.

Back in Judah, Rehoboam had become strong, and he, as well as his people, walked in the way of David and Solomon for three years. After they were a powerful nation, they forsook the Lord and began to worship idols. The Lord sent Shishak, the king of Egypt, against them, and he took away all the treasures in the temple which King Solomon had stored, and he also took Rehoboam's personal treasures.

After that, Rehoboam humbled himself before the Lord, and things went well again in Judah. Rehoboam ruled in Jerusalem for seventeen years, and then he died.

NOTE: Beginning with Rehoboam and Jeroboam, the nation Israel was divided into two separate nations with each having their own king. Judah, which had the tribes of Judah and Benjamin, and Israel, which was composed of the remaining ten tribes of the Children of Israel. Kings ruled in both nations for fourteen generations. Some of their kings were faithful, God-fearing men, and some were idolatrous and wicked. The length of time during which they ruled varied according to the will of God.

We will study some of those kings, particularly those of Judah, but for the purpose of seeing the sin nature at its worst, we will also look at one or two of the kings of Israel.

The line of kings from which the KING OF KINGS, THE LORD JESUS CHRIST will come, go through the line of David, Solomon, Rehoboam, etc. The last of these kings was so evil that the Lord said no son of his would sit on the throne of Judah.

After the last king, there were four hundred silent years in which no prophecy was given to the Jews. During that time, many man-made traditions replaced the Word of God. Then we see John the Baptist and Jesus Christ, the annointed Son of God, appearing on the scene of history.

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CHAPTER 3

Two kings followed Rehoboam who can give us an excellent object lesson on what can happen when people make wrong decisions about choosing friends. The first king we want to look at was the grandson of Rehoboam. His name was Asa. He pleased the Lord in all of his ways, and he destroyed the idols which had been set up during his father's three-year reign. For thirty-five years, Asa and his people trusted the Lord, and they were delivered from all of their enemies. Then Asa took his eyes off the Lord and made an alliance with the king of Syria and asked him to help in Judah's fight against the king of Israel.

The Lord sent a prophet to Asa with this message, "You have done foolishly, because you relied on the king of Syria rather than asking help of Me! Therefore, you shall have wars for the rest of your life!"

When he heard those words, Asa was furious with the prophet and put him in prison. Following that act of wrong-doing against God's Word and God's prophet, Asa was out of fellowship with the Lord for four years. In discipline, to turn Asa back to obedience, the Lord inflicted him with a terrible disease in his feet, but Asa still would not turn to the Lord and confess his sin. Two years later, Asa died, and his son, Jehoshaphat, ruled in his place.

Jehoshaphat was thirty-five years old when he became king, and he ruled over Judah for forty-one years. He was faithful in all of his ways, and the Lord blessed him with riches and honor, but in the 25th year of his reign, Jehoshaphat decided to make friends with a very evil man ... Ahab, king of Israel.

Jehoshaphat should have listened to the words of his great grandfather, Solomon, when he wrote, "Confidence in an unfaithful man in time of trouble is like having a broken tooth or a foot which is out of joint." (Proverbs 25:18)

Ahab was worse than all the kings of Israel who had gone before him. Not only did he encourage his people to worship idols, but he also chose as his queen, a beautiful princess by the name of Jezebel who brought her false prophets and her idols into Israel.

Ahab wanted to regain a portion of the land which had been taken from them years before by the king of Syria. That land was known as Ramoth-Giliad. He sent word to Jehoshaphat and asked him for help in fighting the Syrians.

Instead of refusing, Jehoshaphat said, "Why not! We are all Jews, and we must stand together against our common enemies. I'll help you, Ahab!"

The capitol and palace of Ahab was the city called Samaria, and when Jehoshaphat arrived there and greeted Ahab, he said, "Let's get direction from the Lord on how we should proceed against the Syrians."

Ahab summoned four-hundred of his false prophets to appear before him and questioned, "Shall we go and fight the Syrians in Ramoth-Gilead or not?" They all agreed on an answer and said, "Go into battle! The Lord will deliver your enemies into your hand!"

Jehoshaphat, knowing that the prophets were not of God's choosing, said to Ahab, "Don't you have one of the Lord's prophets here so that we may ask his advice?"

Reluctantly, Ahab answered, "Well, yes, there is one man, but I hate him! He never gives me good news, but he always has a message of doom for me from the Lord."

Jehoshaphat answered, "You shouldn't be so disrespectful of one of the Lord's prophets!"

After that rebuke, Ahab ordered, "Bring Micaiah from the prison so we may ask him what we should do!"

The two kings were seated on thrones, dressed in their royal robes watching as Ahab's soldiers brought Micaiah in.

When one of the chief false prophets by the name of Zedekiah observed what was happening, he took some iron horns which he had made and used them to demonstrate his message and said to the king, "This is the word of the Lord – you shall fight the Syrians until they are destroyed!"

The other false prophets who were with him spoke as they had before and said, "Go into battle. The Lord will deliver your enemy into your hands!"

A soldier standing with Micaiah turned to him and said, "See how all of these prophets are encouraging the kings. Be in agreement with them when you speak!"

Micaiah answered, "I can only speak the words which the Lord gives me!"However, when he stood before the thrones and heard Ahab command, "Micaiah, shall we fight against the Syrians and reclaim Ramoth-Gilead or not?”

Micaiah replied, "Yes. Go there, and you will be victorious over the Syrians!"

Ahab stood up and said angrily, "How many times have I told you not to lie to me, Micaiah?"

Micaiah then answered truthfully, "This is what the Lord has told me regarding the matter. The army of Israel will be destroyed if they go against Syria!"

Ahab turned from him in disgust and said to Jehoshaphat, "Didn't I tell you this man would prophesy evil against me?"

Micaiah again spoke and said, "In a vision, the Lord showed me that His armies in heaven stood around His throne, and He questioned them saying, 'Who will go and convince Ahab that he should go against Syria and be defeated in war and die on the battlefield?'

One of God's fighting angels replied, 'I will go and put a lying spirit in the mouth of Ahab's prophets.' God has done so today!"

Ahab pointed to Micaiah and shouted, "Take this fellow back to prison and feed him moldy bread and stale water until I return victorious!"

As he was being dragged away, Micaiah turned and said to the king, "If you return from the battle, the Lord has not spoken by me!"

Ahab took a deep breath and sat down once more and spoke to Jehoshaphat. "Let's have a little fun today! Let's deceive the Syrian army by disguising ourselves! You put my robes on, and I'll wear yours. Then they won't know who to pursue on the battlefield!"

Jehoshaphat foolishly agreed to that scheme.

When they were on the field of battle, the Syrian soldiers said, "There's the king of Israel, Let's capture him!"

When they surrounded Jehoshaphat, he cried out to the Lord for help, and the Syrians spared his life.

Meanwhile, one of the Syrian soldiers took a chance and aimed an arrow at one of Israel's men, not knowing it was Ahab who was the target. Ahab was badly wounded, but he asked his men to prop him up in his chariot so as not to embarrass himself. He stayed there the rest of the day, and they took him back to camp where he died.

Jehoshaphat returned, unharmed, to his home in Jerusalem, and the Lord sent a prophet to him with a stern message saying, "Should you help the ungodly, and love those who hate the Lord? The Lord is angry with you because of your actions, Jehoshaphat!"

After that, Jehoshaphat encouraged the people to be obedient to the Word of God, and he himself was humbled for a long while. However, he again did evil by making friends with the king who ruled after Ahab, and they made ships to gather merchandise from a far land together. The Lord destroyed their building efforts, and Jehoshaphat died, and his son, Jehoram ruled in his place.

Jehoram was not a good king, and only reigned for eight years before his death. As a result of his father's friendship with Ahab, Jehoram had met and married the beautiful daughter of Jezebel and Ahab, and more idolatry was brought into the land of Judah through his queen, Athaliah.

Jehoram was the next king over Judah. He followed the idolatrous practices of his father, and he died of an incurable disease. When his mother, Athaliah, saw that her son was dead, she ordered the death of all of the royal sons of Jehoram, and she herself ruled over the land of Judah for about seven years. She did not know that one of the sons of Jehoram escaped the slaughter authorized by her, and was hidden for six years in the home of Jehoida, the priest. The young boy's name was Joash.

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CHAPTER 4

Certainly, a 7-year old boy cannot make adult decisions, so Jehoida, the priest, raised him during the years when Athaliah reigned as queen.

When Joash was seven years old, Jehoida gathered a small army of men who were leaders in Judah, and they decided it was time to put Joash on the throne.

He divided the men into three groups and positioned them in strategic areas around the temple. Some were armed bodyguards and protected Joash from any possible danger. When all the preparations were completed, they brought Joash into the temple where they put a crown on his head. Then all those who were present for the occasion shouted, "God save the king!!"

Athaliah heard the noise, so she hurried into the House of the Lord to investigate what was causing the big commotion. When she saw the young king in the temple, she shouted, "TREASON! – TREASON!”

Jehoida gave the order, "Take that woman outside, away from the temple area, and execute her!"

Athaliah's death was just the beginning of the removal of idolatry from the land. The people went into the house of Baal, broke down the altars and the images and slew the priest who ministered there. After that, Jehoida made a covenant with the king and all of the people in the land that they would serve the Lord God only, and once again there was peace in Judah.

Things went well while Jehoida, the priest, was alive, but when he died, Joash took advice from the younger men who served him, and they went back into idolatry again.

In grace, the Lord sent prophets to warn them of discipline if they did not obey His Word, but they refused to listen! The Lord sent a small group of Syrians into the land, and many Jews were killed in the battle. Joash survived the Syrian attack, but he was left with a terrible disease. Then some of his own men killed him as he lay in his sickbed.

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CHAPTER 5

Several more kings sat on the throne in Jerusalem after Joash died, and a man by the name of Hezekiah appeared on the scene as king in Judah. Hezekiah is a valuable illustration to us of how a man can be great for many years and then fail miserably because of pride and human viewpoint rather than Divine Viewpoint.

Hezekiah was a good ruler, and he set a wonderful example for his people regarding their trust in the Lord. He was their king for twenty-nine years.

In the fourteenth year of Hezekiah's reign, a very evil and powerful man became ruler over Assyria. His name was Sennacherib. For several years he had been forcefully acquiring some of the nations around him, and he decided to attack Judah. He took all of the fenced cities in the land of Judah and was attempting to capture Lachish, which was one of Judah's main fortresses situated about thirty miles from Jerusalem.

Hezekiah became frightened and sent a message to Sennacherib asking him what they could give him so he wouldn't attack Jerusalem. Sennacherib demanded much gold and silver, so Hezekiah gave him all of the treasure that was in the temple and his own silver and gold as well.

Instead of pacifying Sennacherib with silver and gold, he was still bound to attack Jerusalem, and he sent three of his best men from the battlefield in Lachish for the purpose of frightening the people so they would surrender.

The main spokesman of the three sent by Sennacherib was a man by the name of Rabshakeh, and when he saw the people on the wall which surrounded Jerusalem, he shouted to them in their own language. He called for Hezekiah to come out, but Hezekiah sent three of his best men to hear what the enemy had to say and report back to him.

Rabshakeh said, "Go to Hezekiah and ask him in whom he is trusting. If he says he is relying on his God to deliver the city, ask him why he destroyed the altars! The Lord told us to destroy your land!"

Hezekiah's men answered, "Please don't speak to the people in the Jew's language. Speak to them in the Assyrian language which only we can understand!"

Rabshakeh ignored their request and shouted even louder to the people saying, "Don't let Hezekiah deceive you when he tells you that the Lord will deliver you! Instead, make friends with us, and we will take you away to a beautiful land which is like your own country. Then you may live and not die! None of the gods of the nations around you have delivered them from the hand of our great king, Sennachareb."

The people didn't say a word, because the king had commanded them to be silent.

Hezekiah's men reported the words spoken by Rabshakeh, and when Hezekiah heard the report, he tore his robe and went into the House of the Lord. Then he sent the men to Isaiah, the prophet, for a word from God about their plight.

When they told Isaiah about the Assyrian army's threats, he said, “Go and tell Hezekiah 'Thus saith the Lord: Be not afraid of the words spoken by the men of Assyria. Sennacherib will hear a rumor which will make him return to his own land, and there he shall fall by the sword!'”

While fighting at Lachish, Sennacherib heard news which made him leave his troops, and he took a few of his men with him back to Nineveh. While he was worshipping in the house of his god, two of Sennacherib's sons killed him with a sword, and then they fled to the land of Armenia.

Also, the night Sennacherib left for Ninevah, the Lord struck the Assyrian troops, and when the Jews arose to fight the next morning, they saw 185,000 Assyrians lying dead on the battlefield! The Lord had given them a great victory over their enemies!

Then Hezekiah became very ill and was dying. He turned his face to the wall and asked the Lord to heal him. He wept bitterly and said, "Lord, all my life I have walked before you, and I have done many good things in your sight. Please let me live!"

The Lord sent a message to the king by way of Isaiah, saying, "Tell Hezekiah I will heal him, and in three days he will be well enough to go into the temple again. Also, I will add fifteen years to his life."

During that fifteen year period, Hezekiah accumulated an abundance of riches and honor, and the Lord prospered him in all that he did. News of Hezekiah's illness spread throughout the known world, and people sent many precious gifts of silver and gold to him. The king of Babylon wrote letters to Hezekiah and sent him a gift.

Hezekiah was so pleased and grateful that he invited the king of Babylon to Jerusalem and showed him all of the riches he had accumulated.

Immediately after the Babylonian king's visit, Isaiah came to Hezekiah and asked him, "Who were those men who came to see you, and why did they come here?"

Hezekiah answered happily, "0, those men came from Babylon, a far away country. They came to see me, and I have shown them all of the treasures in my house!"

Then Isaiah rebuked him and said, "You have acted foolishly! The day will come when all these things shall be carried away into Babylon. Furthermore, your sons will be taken there in chains and will serve the king of Babylon!"

Proudly, Hezekiah replied, "The Word from God is good in my ears. At least there will be peace and truth during my lifetime!"

Then Hezekiah became very proud and boasted about his riches and his victories.

The Lord was very angry with him because of his pride.

When Hezekiah realized that he had displeased the Lord, he confessed his sin of pride, and things went well with him and with the people in the land of Judah.

The Lord extended the life of Hezekiah in order that he might understand his sinful nature.

(II Chronicles 32:31b)

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CHAPTER 6

Hezekiah's son, Manasseh, was born during the fifteen extended years that the Lord granted to Hezekiah. Because of Hezekiah's wrong-thinking and pride, perhaps he didn't give his son the proper training and discipline, because when the young man came to the throne at the age of twelve, he did much evil in the sight of the Lord. He set up the heathen altars which his father had torn down, and he placed an idol in the House of God. He also practiced witchcraft, and caused the people in Judah to do worse than the heathen whom the Lord had cast out before the Children of Israel.

The Lord sent prophets to speak to Manasseh and to his people, but they refused to listen! Therefore, the Lord sent the captain of the armies of Assyria to bind Manasseh with chains, and they took him to Babylon. Finally, when he was in great affliction, Manasseh prayed to the Lord his God and humbled himself before Him.

The Lord answered Manasseh's prayer for deliverance and returned him to Jerusalem and restored his kingdom to him.

After that, Manasseh knew that the Lord God was the only true God, and he took away the idols from the land of Judah, and things went well for him and the people as well. He reigned in Jerusalem for fifty-five years and then he died.

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CHAPTER 7

Manasseh's grandson, Josiah, became king when he was eight years old, and he ruled for thirty one years over the nation of Judah. He pleased the Lord and walked in the ways of David and Solomon all of his life. When he reached the age of twenty-four, Josiah ordered the removal of all of the altars and images of idols in the land and ground them to powder. He personally went throughout the land and observed that destruction.

Do you remember in our study of Jeroboam how God sent a prophet from Judah to Bethel where Jeroboam was offering a sacrifice to his god? The prophet disobeyed the Lord, and a lion killed him. Then an old prophet who lived in Samaria buried the man's body in his own tomb and asked his sons to bury him beside the disobedient prophet. Well, it is interesting to take note that when Jeroboam's altar in Bethel was found and destroyed, they also saw a tomb nearby with an engraving on it. Josiah asked whose bones were in the tomb. The men of the city told him the story of the two prophets, and Josiah did not burn their bones like he had done with all the others.

After cleansing the land of idols, Josiah decided to repair the temple, because it had been neglected for many years. He called a scribe, a recorder and the governor of the city and asked them to find some skilled workmen to do the repairs.

The three men went to Hilkiah, the priest, who ministered in the House of God. They asked him to use any money he could find in the temple which had been given by the people, and use it to pay for the repairs.

When Hilkiah looked for the money, he also found a copy of a book of the law and gave it to Shaphan, the scribe, who was able to read it. (a "book of the law" would be one of the first five books of the Bible ... possibly it was the book of Deuteronomy because of what was said in the book as it was read to the king)

When the king heard the words which the scribe read, he tore his robe and said, "Great is the wrath of the Lord that is going to be poured out upon us because our fathers have not kept the Word of the Lord to do all that is written in this book!"

Then the king asked a prophet to ask the Lord what He intended to do with the nation.

The Lord replied that He would bring all the curses listed in the book upon the people of Judah, but He would not do it until the next generation, because Josiah had been faithful in obeying Him.

After Josiah died, the kings and the people went back into idolatry again.

The Lord had compassion upon them for awhile, and He sent prophets to them.

They laughed at the messengers of God and they despised the words they spoke to them until there was no longer any remedy for God's wrath.

The Lord delivered the people into the hands of the Babylonians, and they broke down the walls of Jerusalem, burned the palaces there, and killed many people. Those who escaped the sword were carried away to Babylon where they served King Nebuchadnezzar and his sons for seventy years.

What happened to the Jews after that seventy-year captivity? Well, that's another interesting adventure which introduces us to great men like Daniel. We'll learn about him in another episode of BIBLE ADVENTURES.

The End of Kings of Israel & Judah
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DANIEL and King Nebuchadnezzar

CHAPTER 1

Imagine that you are a teenage prince suddenly finding yourself forcefully taken from your home and placed in the distant palace of a powerful king who wanted to prepare you to serve him.

All your life you had been well-trained in the Word of God by your parents and others with whom you grew up, and you were confident that God had a purpose for your life. With all your heart you believed the promises of God and trusted Him as King David did when he said, "It is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in man."

The prophet Daniel found himself in that kind of situation, and because of his faith in the Lord God, he lived a long, happy life. After many testings, Daniel was placed in positions of high authority by several great kings whom he served, beginning with King Nebuchadnezzar.

When Nebuchadnezzar took his armies and attacked Jerusalem, he took the king of Judah and thousands of people to Babylon. Also, he removed all of the silver and gold from Jerusalem and placed it in the house of his own god in Babylon.

Nebuchadnezzar knew that some of the prisoners were of royal blood, so he ordered one of his high officials to select some of the princes and prepare them to serve in the palace. They were to be isolated from their own people and taught the language and the ways of the Chaldeans. (by doing that, Nebuchadnezzar would isolate them from the Word of God and from other Jewish believers) The young men who were selected were given a special diet of the same food that the king ate and the wine which he drank, and that was to be done for three years. After that, they were to be presented to the king.

Daniel and three of his friends, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah, were among those chosen for that special privilege, and they were given into the custody of Melzar, who was the prince of the eunuchs in the king's personal service. Their names were changed to Chaldean names such as, Daniel was changed to Belteshazzar; Hananiah was called Shadrack; and Azariah's name became Abednego.

God brought Daniel into special favor with Melzar, and when Daniel asked that he and his three friends be given a diet of cereal and water rather than the food and wine specified by the king.

Melzar listened to his request and then said, "I'm afraid to disobey the king's order! If he sees the four of you looking worse than the other young men, I'll be in danger of losing my head!"

To that, Daniel replied, "Please let us try it for ten days, and then compare our appearance with those who have eaten the king's food."

Melzar agreed, and at the end of ten days he observed that Daniel and his friends looked so much better than the others did, he allowed them to continue their diet of cereal and water for the remainder of the three-year period.

Nebuchadnezzar called for all the young men who had been in the training period with Melzar, and as he spoke with Daniel and his three companions, he found that they pleased him more than all of the others. In fact, in matters that called for wisdom and understanding, the king found them to be ten times superior to all of the wise men in his realm, so they were chosen to serve him.

CHAPTER 2

In the second year of Nebuchadnezzar's rule, he had dreams which troubled him greatly, and he commanded all the wise men, the magicians and the sorcerers to be brought before him. He made a decree and said, "I insist that you give me the interpretation of my dream! Furthermore, I have sent for you to tell me what I dreamed as well as the meaning of it!"

The men looked at each other in amazement and answered, "0 King, live forever! Please tell us your dream and we will give you the interpretation of it!"

Impatiently, the king spoke again, "If you don't tell me what the dream is and what it means, you will be cut in pieces and everything you own will be destroyed! On the other hand, if your answer pleases me, you will be rewarded handsomely! That is my decree!"

Then they said again, "How can we tell you what your dream is?

The king replied, "I know you are just stalling for time! You are preparing lies and corrupt words to speak before me until the decree will no longer be in effect!"

The Chaldeans tried to reason with the king by saying, "There isn't a man on this earth who can answer you. Only the gods can do that, your majesty!"

Then Nebuchadnezzar became furious, and when he commanded that all of the wise men in Babylon were to be slain, a search was made for Daniel and his three friends.

CHAPTER 3

When Arioch, the captain of the king's guard, came to take him, Daniel asked, "Why is the king's order so urgent that you have come to arrest me?"

After Arioch explained what had taken place regarding the king's dream, Daniel requested that he be allowed to consider the situation so he would have an answer for the king.

Arioch agreed not to arrest Daniel until the next morning.

Immediately after that, Daniel searched for his three friends, and they earnestly prayed that the Lord would reveal the king's dream to them and also give them the interpretation of it.

The Lord answered their prayers, and in a night vision the answer was revealed to Daniel, and he praised the Lord saying, "Blessed be the name of God forever and ever! Wisdom and strength are His! He alone changes the times and the seasons! He sets up and removes kings! He gives wisdom to the wise and adds knowledge to those who have understanding! He reveals the deep and secret things! I thank thee, 0 God of my fathers, for giving me wisdom and strength and for revealing the matter of the king's dream to us."

The next morning when Arioch came to Daniel, Daniel said, "Do not destroy the wise men of Babylon, Arioch, because I have the answer for the king."

Arioch took Daniel into the king's presence and said, "Your majesty, I have brought one of the Jewish captives to you, and he will interpret your dream!"

Nebuchadnezzar looked directly at Daniel and questioned, “Can you truly tell me what my dream was and interpret it as well?"

Daniel replied, "Your majesty, it is not because your wise men or I have any unusual wisdom, but there is a God in heaven who is able to reveal all hidden things, and He has done this so that you may know what future events are going to occur during your lifetime and beyond."

By this time, the king and those who stood near him were absolutely speechless, and they were listening intently to Daniel's words as he continued, "0 king, in your dream you saw a gigantic and brilliant statue which greatly frightened you. The head of the statue was pure gold, and the breast and arms were silver. The thighs and belly were brass, and the legs were iron. The feet and toes were a mixture of iron and clay."

Then Daniel continued and said, "As you observed this image, a large stone suddenly appeared and rolled against the feet of the image, breaking it into so many pieces that it became powder which the wind blew away. After that, the stone which destroyed the image became a great mountain which filled the whole earth!"

Nebuchadnessar was listening intently as he waited for the interpretation of the dream.

Daniel said, "Here's the interpretation of your dream, your majesty. You are the head of gold. The God of heaven has given you a magnificent kingdom along with power and strength and glory. You rule over many nations, but after you will come another kingdom which will not be as glorious as yours. That is represented by the silver section of the image. Then, the iron legs of the image show the strength of the fourth kingdom. It will be powerful and cruel to those whom it controls. The two legs and feet tell us that this fourth empire will be divided. The ten toes represent ten nations which will be a part of that empire. Those ten nations will not always be in total agreement with each other, and they will be easily destroyed when the God of heaven replaces all the kingdoms of men and sets up His own kingdom over which He will personally reign.

Nebuchadnezzar interrupted and said, "Why would the Most High God tell us these things?"

Daniel replied, "God has made these events known to you, Nebuchadnezzar, so that you may know His plans which will surely come to pass!"

Daniel's answers so pleased the king that he gave him many gifts. He promoted Daniel to be ruler over the entire province of Babylon and made him chief of the governors in charge of all of the wise men in Babylon.

Daniel accepted the honors bestowed upon him by the king, and asked that favor also be shown to his three friends, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednigo.

Nebuchadnezzar set each of those three men over the internal affairs of the province.

CHAPTER 4

Nebuchadnezzar began thinking about the image and his kingdom being the head of gold, and he became very proud.

He ordered the construction of a solid gold image which was to be ninety feet high and nine feet wide. It was built in the plain of Dura where it could be seen for miles in all directions.

When the image was completed, Nebuchadnezzar sent for all of the rulers in the provinces to come to the dedication of his idol. He also ordered musicians to bring as many musical instruments as could be found.

Hundreds of people arrived for the ceremony, and at the proper time, a herald shouted loudly, "To you it is commanded, 0 people of all nations and languages assembled here, that you are to fall down and worship the idol when you hear the sound of the music. If you refuse to do so, you will be cast into a fiery furnace where lawbreakers are executed!"

When the music was played, everyone present fell on their knees to worship the image as ordered except three officials: Shadrach, Meshach and Abednigo.

Certain Chaldeans who were jealous of those three because they had been promoted above them, went to report their act of disobedience to the king.

They went into the king's presence and bowed before him and said, "Your majesty, there are certain Jews whom you have placed over the affairs of the province of Babylon who have refused to worship the golden idol which you have set up"

Nebuchadnezzar became very angry when he heard that, and he sent for Shadrach, Meshach and Abednigo to question them.

The king said, "Is it true that you are refusing to bow down and worship the golden image which I have set up?"

Then without waiting for their answer, he continued, "I'll give you another chance! When you hear the sound of the music, you will fall down and worship the idol! If you refuse to do so, you shall surely be cast into the middle of the burning, fiery furnace! There is no god who can deliver you out of my hands!"

The three were not afraid, and they replied, "0, king, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the fiery furnace if He chooses to do so. But, even if He does not protect us, we will not serve your gods nor will we worship the idol you have set up!"

Then Nebuchadnezzar was furious, and his attitude was changed toward them. He commanded that his servants should heat the furnace seven times more hot than usual. He called for the strongest men in his army to bind Shadrach, Meshach and Abednigo and had them cast the three prisoners into the fire.

The furnace was enormous, and it had an opening at the top where certain prisoners were taken and then dropped into the fire below. There was a stairway leading up to the opening, and there was a window at the bottom of the furnace where observation could be made.

Then, because the king's command was urgent and the furnace was extremely hot, the flames killed the soldiers as they deposited the three men into the opening.

Shadrach, Meshach and Abednigo fell down bound into the middle of the fire.

Nebechadnezzar was observing all of this activity very carefully and then said to his counsellors, "Didn't we cast three men who were securely bound into the fire?"

They answered, "That's true, your majesty!"

The king said, "If that's true, why is it that I see four men who are not tied walking in the middle of the fire? The fourth one must be an angel sent by their God!"

After saying that, Nebuchadnezzar walked near the mouth of the furnace and spoke to those inside saying, "Shadrach, Meshach and Abednigo, you servants of the most high God, come out here at once!"

The three men came out of the furnace, and all the king's officials standing by saw with their own eyes that the fire had not even singed one hair on their head! Their clothing was not damaged in any way. and not even the smell of fire could be detected on them.

Then Nebuchadnezzar spoke to all those who were assembled and said, "Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednigo, who has protected them because they trusted in Him. He also has changed the king's word! These men offered their bodies to be burned rather than to worship any other god than their own God!"

After that exclamation by the king, he made a decree which stated that all of the people of the nations in his kingdom who would speak against the God of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednigo should be cut into pieces and their property would be made a garbage dump.

Then the king promoted the three men to higher positions than they had held before.

CHAPTER 5

Some time passed, and Nebuchadnezzar had another dream which troubled him. Again, he sent for all his wise men of Babylon and asked them to interpret his dream. After he described the dream, his men were not able to tell him what it meant.

Finally, Daniel was sent for and brought before the king. Nebuchadnezzar said, "0, Daniel, I know there is no secret hidden from you, so here is my dream: I beheld a gigantic tree in the midst of the earth. As I looked at it, the tree grew so tall that it reached up into heaven! The leaves were healthy, and the branches were so broad that all of the birds and beasts of the earth found shelter in and under its branches. The fruit which the tree bore was so plentiful that the whole earth was fed from its production!"

Nebuchadnezzar watched Daniel's expression for a moment and then continued, "Suddenly, an angel came down from heaven and shouted loudly for all to hear, 'Cut the tree down and destroy the branches and the fruit, but leave the stump with its roots in the earth! Let the stump be wet with the dew from heaven, and let him live as an animal and eat the grass of the earth. Then let him think as a beast does for seven years! This is the decree of God! His purpose is to show all mankind that He alone rules in the kingdoms of men, and He gives ruling power to whomever He wishes. Also, let it be known that He chooses the basest of men to rule on the earth!'"

After that, the king said to Daniel, "The wise men of my kingdom were not able to interpret this dream, but I know you are able to do it, Daniel, because your God has given you the ability to do it."

Daniel was so upset by Nebuchadnezzar's dream that he didn't speak to anyone for an hour!

Nebuchadnezzar tried to comfort him and said, "Daniel, don't let the dream or the interpretation of it upset you so!"

Daniel replied sadly, "My lord, let the dream be for those who hate you and the interpretation of it be for your enemies!"

Then Daniel told the king what the dream meant as he said, "The huge tree which you saw that reached unto heaven and which protected and fed all creatures on the earth is you, your majesty! The greatness of your kingdom has extended throughout the earth! When you saw an angel from heaven and heard him say, 'Cut the tree down and leave the stump banded with iron and brass on the earth; let it be wet with the dew from heaven; and let his portion be with the beasts of the field for seven years', that was a decree from the Lord God of heaven."

Daniel continued, "These things will happen to you, 0 king! You will be driven from men and live with the beasts of the field. You will eat grass like the ox, and the dew from heaven will cover your body. All of this will come to pass and will continue for seven years. After that, you will know that the Lord rules over the kingdoms of men and gives power to whomever He pleases!"

Daniel observed that Nebuchadnezzar was listening intently, so he went on to say, "The command which was given to leave the stump and the roots of the tree was for you to know that your kingdom will be taken from you, but it will be returned to you after you humble yourself before the Lord! I now implore you to accept my counsel and change your ways, your majesty. If you show mercy to your people, the Lord may extend the peace you now enjoy!"

CHAPTER 6

Twelve months later, Nebuchadnezzar walked through his palace and his beautiful gardens and boasted, "Isn't this great Babylon which I have built for the house of the kingdom by the might of my power and for the honor of my majesty?" (The beautiful hanging gardens outside the palace were one of the seven wonders of the world at that time. Nebuchadnezzar had planted them for his wife, according to historians)

While those proud words were still in his mouth, the king heard a voice from heaven saying, "0 King Nebuchadnezzar, the kingdom is taken from you. Now you will be driven out from men and sent into the field to live like an animal for seven years. After that time has passed, you will know that the God of heaven rules over the kingdoms of men and gives power to rule to whoever He pleases!"

That very hour, the king was driven from men to eat grass like an ox. Also, his body was wet with the dew of heaven for seven years. His hair grew like eagles' feathers and his nails looked like birds' claws.

When the seven years ended, Nebuchadnezzar's sanity returned to him. He looked up and praised and honored the Lord, and his position as king, along with his honor and glory, were restored to him.

Then Nebuchadnezzar wrote a declaration to all the people and nations in his kingdom which stated: "There is one God which lives and abides forever! His kingdom is an everlasting one which reigns from generation to generation! No man can question His wisdom or His purpose! His works are absolute truth, and His ways are just, and those who walk in pride, He is able to bring low!”
 

CONCLUSION

Because Daniel went into captivity and was taken to Babylon in the first deportation of the Jews in Judah in 604 BC and in the first year of King Nebuchadnezzar's reign, he held important positions during the reign of three ancient kings. Those kings were Nebuchadnezzar, Belshazzar and Darius. Their reigns covered a period of approximately seventy years.

In 555 BC, Nebuchadnezzar's grandson Belshazzar became ruler and ruled for nine years. He was the last ruler over the Babylonian Empire.

When Babylon fell in 539 BC, Darius, the Mede, was made king over the province of Babylon by the conqueror Cyrus, the Persian.

The Medes and Persians ruled together for two-hundred years, with Persia being the stronger of the two.

In 330 BC, Alexander the Great of Greece conquered the Persian Empire.

The Roman Empire followed the reign of Alexander the Great, and still controlled most of the known world at the time when Jesus Christ came into the world.

To our readers: There are more interesting adventures involving Daniel when Belshazzar and Darius were kings, and we will cover them in another of our exciting BIBLE ADVENTURES.

The End of DANIEL and King Nebuchadnezzar
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DANIEL and King Belshazzar (the hand writing on the wall and its significance)


“DANIEL! DANIEL! HURRY! The king is calling for you and wants you to come immediately!”

Daniel was sleeping soundly in his private quarters in the palace, but he was jolted out of sleep by the shouting and pounding on the door of his apartment.

He reached for his robe and sandals and opened the door. Seeing several of the king's servants standing there, Daniel asked, "For what purpose have you come to me in the middle of the night?”

One of the men quickly replied, "Oh Daniel, nothing like this has ever happened before, and the king and his lords are frightened out of their wits!"

Then Daniel said, "Come in and tell me what has happened while I make myself presentable to report to the king."

They all began to speak at once, and Daniel interrupted saying, "Just a moment! Let me hear one of you at a time!”

He selected the man who was the least excited and said to him, "I'd like to hear you tell me about the events from the beginning."

The king's servant took a deep breath and then answered Daniel saying, "Your excellency, you must surely be aware that our king, Belshazzar, enjoys a good feast. Well, early last evening the king held a banquet and invited a thousand of his lords to attend."

Daniel said, "I was sleeping so soundly that I heard none of the activities that took place."

The servant continued and said, "The best wine had been brought in, and when the king tasted it, he ordered the waiters to bring in the golden and silver cups which his grandfather Nebuchadnezzar had taken out of the temple in Jerusalem."

"The king, his princes, his wives and his concubines drank wine from those gold and silver cups, and as they were doing that, they praised their gods of gold, silver, brass, iron, wood and stone."

"That very hour, the fingers of a man's hand mysteriously appeared where all could see, and the fingers began to write words on the wall.

"The king's eyes were glued upon those fingers, and as he looked at them, he became extremely pale! Of course, he was not able to understand the strange phenomena, and he became so frightened that his knees began to knock against each other."

"Belshazzar shouted loudly and called for all of his wise men to be brought in before him. When they stood at his feet, the king said to them, "Whoever is able to read this writing and interpret it for me shall be clothed with scarlet and be given a chain of gold to wear about his neck. Also, I will appoint him to be the third highest ruler in my kingdom!"

"While the wise men discussed the writing on the wall among themselves, the king's lords were astonished to see that the king was so greatly troubled that his face became distorted."

"Then the king's mother, who was the daughter of Nebuchadnezzar, came to king Belshazzar and said to him, "Don't look so worried and frightened my son! There is a man by the name of Daniel in the palace, whom your grandfather made governor over the wise men in the empire. Call for him, and he will interpret this writing on the wall for you!"

“After hearing his mother's words, the king sent us to you, your excellency! Will you come with us now?"

Daniel was ready and agreed to accompany the men, and they presented Daniel to the king.

Belshazzar said to Daniel, "Are you the very same Daniel who was brought from Judah by my grandfather Nebuchadnezzar? I have heard about you from people who have told me that you have understanding and wisdom above that which my wise men and astrologers do not possess. Now, tell me the meaning of this handwriting on the wall, and I will give you scarlet robes, a gold chain to wear about your neck, and I will make you the third highest ruler in my kingdom!"

To that, Daniel replied, "Keep your gifts for yourself, your majesty, and give the rewards to another. I will read the writing and give you the interpretation of those words."

Daniel continued, "The most high God gave your grandfather, Nebuchadnezzar, this kingdom along with much glory and honor. He ruled over all people, nations of every language and did according to his own will regarding them. However, when he became proud of all this power given to him, the most high God removed him from his throne and he was made to live like an animal for seven years until he recognized that God rules in the kingdoms of men, and that He sets up over them whoever He desires!"

While the king considered Daniel's words, Daniel went on to say, "You, Belshazzar, have not humbled yourself before God, although you have known these things! Instead, you have set yourself up above the Lord God of heaven! You have brought the vessels of the Lord's house to use in your drunken banquet! You have also praised the gods of silver, gold, brass, iron and wood which cannot see nor hear nor reason, and you have refused to give glory to the God who has given you your very life!"

"Because of all your disregard for the Lord, He has sent this message in writing to you. The words which you see on the wall are MENE, MENE, TEKEL, UPHARSIN. This is the interpretation of those words: (1) your kingdom has come to an end! (2) your life has come to an end! (3) you have been weighed in the balances and found wanting! (4) your kingdom is divided and given to the Medes and the Persians!"

When Belshazzar heard the interpretation of the handwriting on the wall, he commanded his servants to clothe Daniel with scarlet and put a gold chain about his neck. Then the king proclaimed to those who were present that Daniel was promoted to being the third highest ruler in the kingdom.

Belshazzar was a very proud and immoral man who apparently had not profited from the lesson his grandfather, Nebuchadnezzar, had learned regarding the results of pride and how it can destroy both a man and a nation.

That very night, Belshazzar, king of the Chaldeans, was slain, and Darius, the Mede, took the kingdom of the Chaldeans.

The End of DANIEL and King Belshazzar
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DANIEL and King Darius - Daniel in the lion's den and his deliverance by the Lord

The Medes and the Persians combined forces and became the second world empire which is referred to by historians as the Media-Persian Empire. The Persians were the stronger of the two with Cyrus the Great being the leader of the Persians and Darius the Mede the leader of the Medes.

Cyrus appointed Darius to be king over the conquered Chaldeans. Darius set 120 princes to rule over the kingdom, and he chose three presidents to direct those princes.

Daniel was chosen as one of the three presidents, and when Darius saw that Daniel excelled above the others, he considered putting Daniel in charge of the whole kingdom.

This preference for Daniel shown by Darius caused much envy and jealousy among the other leaders, and they planned to find some way to discredit him.

Daniel was faithful to the Lord, and he was also trustworthy in his position of authority, so it was very difficult for his adversaries to find any fault in him.

The other presidents and the princes combined their ideas of how to get rid of Daniel. They decided that the only thing they could think of to accuse him would be in the matter of his faithfulness to his God. They conceived an idea, and a group of them went to Darius and said to him, “King Darius, ALL of your presidents, governors, councilors and captains in your kingdom have agreed on an idea which may please you. If you would establish a royal statute and make a firm decree that whoever would ask a petition of any God or any man for thirty days except from you, your majesty, that person would be cast into the den of lions."

The Persians used a lions' den to execute capital punishment upon convicted criminals, and disobeying the king's decree would be a just cause to eliminate such a lawbreaker.

While the king thought about the idea presented to him, the men continued and said, "If you would make such a decree, your majesty, and if you would personally seal it with your official ring, you surely know that according to the law of the Medes and the Persians, that decree could not be altered for any offender."

The idea pleased Darius and appealed to his ego, so without further thought about who might be endangered by such an act, he signed the writing, and the decree became law for thirty days.

Of course, Daniel was not included in this ingenious plan, but he heard about the decree. He went on about his business in the usual way. It was his daily custom to pray and give thanks to the Lord three times a day, and Daniel went into his house, opened. the windows and kneeled down in prayer where all could see.

The men who accused him, saw Daniel on his knees praying to his God, and they scurried off to tell the king about it.

When they stood before the king, they asked him, "Didn't you just sign a decree which forbids anyone in your kingdom to petition any God or any man other than you, your majesty?"

Darius responded, "Yes, I did! That decree cannot be altered according to the law of the Medes and the Persians! Why have you come here concerning the matter?"

Then the men reported, "Well, your majesty, that Daniel, who was brought here as a captive from Judah some years ago, has shown no respect for you or the decree which you have signed! He still prays to his God three times a day as he did before your decree became law!"

When Darius realized that Daniel was being accused, he was very displeased with himself for allowing his pride interfere with good, solid judgment! The rest of that day and all through the night, Darius set his mind to deliver Daniel, but he was unable to find a solution. The king was forced to order his servants to cast Daniel into the den of lions. Also, he ordered a stone to be placed at the entrance of the den, and the king and his lords put a seal upon the stone which stated that the execution must be carried out!

Darius approached the den and said to Daniel, "Your God, whom you serve continually, will certainly deliver you, Daniel!"

After that, the king went to his palace. He was so upset that he was unable to eat or sleep! He arose very early the next morning and rushed over to the lions' den and cried sadly, "0 Daniel, servant of the living God, has your God whom you serve constantly been able to deliver you from the lions?"

Daniel answered, "Yes, your majesty! My God sent His angel to shut the mouths of these lions! Because I have been found innocent in the eyes of the Lord, and because I have done nothing against Him or against you, the lions were prevented from harming me in any way!"

When Darius heard Daniel's reply, he was extremely happy, and he commanded that Daniel be removed from the lions' den. Daniel was found to be completely unharmed because he trusted in his God!

Then the king's anger was against Daniel's accusers, and he ordered them to be cast into the lions' den. The lions attacked and destroyed those men as soon as they were cast into the den.

All these things resulted in Darius personally trusting in the Lord, and he sent a written message throughout his kingdom which said, "I make a decree that in every corner of my kingdom men should tremble and fear before the God of Daniel, because He is the living God!"

Daniel lived a long and prosperous life during the reign of King Darius and also of King Cyrus of Persia.

The End of DANIEL and King Darius
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ABRAHAM, The "FRIEND OF GOD"

More than two-thousand years before Christ and nine generations after Shem, who was one of Noah's three sons, a man by the name of Abram appeared on the pages of the Word of God. This man became known as Abraham, the "friend of God", and we will see how he was given that great honor as our story unfolds.

Abraham believed in the Lord. He lived in a city called UR in southern Babylonia. The city of UR was not only very famous for its wealth and culture, but it was also a place of much idolatry.

When Abraham was seventy-five years old, the Lord called him and said to him, "Abram! Get out of your country and away from your relation and your father's household! I will make of you a great nation. Also, I will bless you and make your name great. You will be a blessing to all the families of the earth. Furthermore, I will bless those nations that bless you, and I will curse those nations who persecute your people."

Abram was willing to go wherever the Lord would lead him, and leaving his own country was the first of four great challenges that would be given to him before he would be called God's friend.

Abram had a father whose name was Terah. When God called Abram, Terah was about two-hundred years old, and we are told in Joshua 24:2 that Terah was an idolater. Being the oldest member of his family, Terah was also the authority. Terah decided to take Abram and the entire family to the land of Canaan, which covered all Palestine west of the Jordan River. (see Numbers 34:3-12) That area formed a geographical bridge between two pagan civilizations.

Abram's family took the busy caravan road on which merchants travelled to various prospering cities with their goods. Terah decided that they should stop in the city of Haran for awhile.

Haran was a city that was well-known to~be a center for a religious cult -which worshipped the moon, and it may have attracted Terah for that reason.

They all remained in Haran for five years, and then Terah died.

After Terah's death, the Lord spoke to Abram and once more instructed him to leave his family and go to the land which He would show him.

This time, Abram obeyed the Lord, and he left Haran with his wife Sarai, his nephew Lot, and about three-hundred servants which the family had acquired over the years in ER. Abram's brother Nahor and his family remained in Haran.

Abram's incomplete obedience in taking Lot with him would cause problems for Abram later on, but God had a purpose for allowing Lot to go with Abram.

When they reached the plain of Moreh in the land of Canaan, they camped there. This time the Lord appeared to Abram and said, "Abram! Unto your seed will I give this land!"

Abram believed God, and when he had travelled a short distance to a place called Bethel, he pitched his tents there and built an altar unto the Lord and worshipped Him.

Shortly after that, there was a famine in the land of Canaan, so Abram picked up his belongings and journeyed down to Egypt.

As they were entering the land of Egypt, Abram said to Sarai, "Look now, Sarai. I know that you are a very beautiful woman, and when the Egyptians see you, they will say, 'This is his wife'. Then they will kill me and save you alive!"

Sarai listened carefully to her husband, and she agreed to follow his words when he said, "When the Egyptians stop us, let's tell them that you are my sister. Then I will be safe in their hands!"

Just as Abram was afraid might happen, the Egyptians did take special notice of Sarai and saw that she was very beautiful. They told Pharoah about her, and she was taken into Pharoah's house.

Believing that Abram was Sarai's brother, Pharoah treated Abram with every kindness. However, the Lord greatly troubled Pharoah's household because of Sarai. Pharoah investigated the household problems and then he sent for Abram for questioning. He said to Abram, "What is the meaning of lying to me? Why didn't you tell me that this woman was your wife? You could have prevented all of this difficulty in my house! Now, TAKE YOUR WIFE AND GET OUT OF MY SIGHT!"

Abram left Egypt after that and took all those who were travelling with him and went back to Bethel where he had built the altar unto the Lord.

PART 2  -  Abram surveyed the land of Canaan and saw that there wasn't enough pasture land to accommodate his own flocks and also those which belonged to his nephew Lot. The cowboys belonging to each of them began to quarrel among themselves, so Abram knew they would have to separate.

Abram said to Lot, "Let's not have a big argument about this! The whole land is out there before us! Choose the portion you want for yourself, and I will take what is left.

Lot looked at the beautiful plain along the Jordan River, and he chose that spot for himself. When they separated, Abram dwelt in the land of Canaan and Lot pitched his tent in the plain just outside of the city of Sodom. The men of Sodom were extremely wicked in the eyes of the Lord, and they appointed Lot to be a judge in their city.

After his separation from Lot, the Lord spoke to Abram and said, "Look around you, Abram! Look in every direction, for all the land which you see I will give to you and to your seed forever. Also, Abram, I will multiply your descendants as the dust of the earth in number. Now, get up and walk through this land and know that I have given it to you!"

Abraham believed that promise from God. He removed his tents, and settled in the plain of Manre, which is in Hebron. There he built an altar and worshipped the Lord.

PART 3 - In the beautiful valley where Lot settled, five powerful kings from Babylonia descended with their armies to fight against the kings of Sodom, Gomorrah and Zoar. The Babylonian army was victorious, and they took Lot and all of the possessions of the kings in the valley and headed back toward Babylonia.

One man had escaped the slaughter, and he went to Abram to report that Lot had been taken prisoner by the Babylonian army.

Immediately, Abram armed his three-hundred eighteen servants, and they pursued the enemy to the border of Babylonia. They rescued Lot and also recovered all of the goods which had been taken during the battle.

As Abram was returning home victoriously, the king of Sodom and the other kings who had fought with him went out to meet Abram. They rewarded the men who had fought with Abram.

PART 4 - After his great victory, Abram became discouraged and worried. God had promised to give him many descendants, but he didn't even have a son of his own. Abram decided that perhaps he could make his servant Eheazer his heir, but God spoke to Abram in a vision and said, "I am your shield and your exceedingly great reward!

Abram asked, "Lord God, I am childless, because you have not given me a son. Couldn't my servant Eheazer be my heir?"

The Lord replied, "No, Abram! He shall not be your heir! I will give you a son of your own body, and he will be your heir!"

After saying that to Abram, the Lord took Abram out of his tent and said to him, "Look up into the heavens, Abram, and see if you can count the stars. If you were able to count them, you would know the number of descendants you will have!"

Abram was silent after that, and in the night the Lord spoke to him in a dream and said, "Know for sure what I am saying to you, Abram! Your descendants will be slaves in a land that is not theirs. They will serve those people four-hundred years. After four

generations, your people will be delivered from their slavery. Then they will come out with great wealth. After that, I will judge those who afflicted them. Furthermore, I will bless those who honor you, and I will curse those who curse you!"

Several years passed and Abram still had no child of his own. Sarai spoke to him and said, "The Lord has not given me the ability to bear a child for you. Take my Egyptian handmaid, Hagar, for your wife, and perhaps we can have a child through her."

It was not an uncommon thing to do in the ancient world when a wife was unable to bear children, so Abram listened to the voice of his wife, and took Hagar as his wife.

When Hagar became pregnant, she despised her mistress, Sarai!

Sarai became very upset at Hagar's attitude toward her, so she complained to Abram and said, "It's all your fault that there is trouble in our household because of my handmaid! The Lord can judge whether it is you or me who is to blame for all of this turmoil!"

Abram replied, "Hagar is your servant! Do with her as you think best!"

Sarai scolded Hagar severely, and Hagar ran away.

The angel of the Lord found Hagar by a fountain on the road to Egypt and said to her, "Hagar, Sarai's maid, why have you come here, and where are you going?"

Hagar replied, "I am running away from my mistress, Sarai!"

Then the Lord said, "Return to your mistress and submit yourself to her! You will bear a son and you shall call his name Ishmael. He will be a trouble-maker, and others will cause much trouble for him. I will multiply his seed greatly, so that his descendants will not be numbered for multitude."

Hagar obeyed the Lord and returned to Sarai and bore Abram's son. After that, there was peace in Abram's household once more.

PART 5 - Thirteen years passed, and when Abram was ninety-nine years old, the Lord appeared to him again and said, "I am the almighty God. Walk before Me and be perfect. I will make a sure promise between Me and you, and I will multiply your seed exceedingly!"

Abram fell down before God and the Lord talked with him saying, "Behold, my sure promise is with you, and you shall be a father of many nations. Your name will now be Abraham. Nations and kings will come from you. I will establish my covenant between us with all of the generations that follow you. I will give your children all the land of Canaan in which you are now a stranger. That land will be an everlasting possession for them, and I will be their God!"

Abraham was listening very carefully to what the Lord was saying, but he kept silent.

Then the Lord continued and said, "As for Sarai, your wife, you shall call her Sarah. I will bless her and she shall bear your son."

Abraham laughed within himself and thought, "Shall a child be born to a man and woman who are both past the child-bearing age? I am nearly one-hundred years old, and Sarah is ninety!"

Then Abraham asked, "0 that Ishmael might be the heir you have promised me."

The Lord answered, "No! Sarah, your wife, shall certainly bear a son for you, and you shall call his name Isaac. I will establish my covenant with him and with all the generations that follow him. As for Ishmael, I have heard your prayers concerning him, and I will multiply him also. He shall be the father of twelve princes, and I will make of him a great nation, but My covenant will be established with Isaac whom Sarah shall bear unto you at a set time next year."

After those words to Abraham, the Lord left him for awhile.

PART 6 - One hot summer day, not long after God renewed his promise to Abraham, Abraham was sitting in the doorway of his tent. He looked down the road, and suddenly noticed that three men were approaching, so he ran to meet them. Abraham bowed down graciously to the three men and said, "Please come into my tent and refresh yourselves before you continue your journey. You are welcome to relax under this tree while we prepare a little food for you."

The three men replied, "Yes, we will rest here awhile, and thank you for your hospitality."

Abraham hurried into the tent and said to his wife, "Sarah, we have been honored with three guests today. Have the servants prepare bread and meat for them right away!"

Then Abraham returned to his guests and stood by them under the tree while they waited for the food. One of the men addressed Abraham and said, "Where is Sarai, your wife?"

Abraham answered, "Oh, she's inside the tent preparing food for you."

The man said, "I will return to you at the appointed time when Sarah shall bear a son for you."

Then Abraham realized that it was the Lord who was speaking to him, and the other two were angels who had accompanied the Lord.

Sarah was listening to the conversation between the men, but she was hiding behind the flap of the tent door so she wouldn't be seen. She laughed inwardly at the words she heard! She could not imagine how she and Abraham could have a son in their old age!

The Lord knew her thoughts and said to Abraham, "Why did Sarah laugh when I told you she would have a son? This will certainly come to pass! Is anything too hard for the Lord?"

Sarah cautiously came from behind the tent flap which concealed her presence. Now she was afraid, and she denied the accusation and said, "I did not laugh!"

The Lord said, "Oh yes you did laugh, Sarah! The son you will bear will be called Isaac, which means laughter, and you will never forget that you did not believe my promise."

After that scolding by the Lord, Sarah went back into the tent. When the men finished eating, they got up to leave. Abraham accompanied them as they walked down the road. Their attention was firmly fixed in the direction of Sodom.

They stopped for a moment, and the Lord said to the two angels, "I won't hide My plans for Sodom from Abraham, because I have determined that he will be a blessing to the whole earth." Then the Lord turned to Abraham and said, "We have come here to destroy Sodom and Gommorah, because the people there have committed grevious sins!"

The Lord continued speaking with Abraham, and the two angels turned away from them and walked down the road to Sodom.

Abraham feared for the lives of Lot and his family, because they lived in Sodom. Abraham drew close to the Lord and asked, "Will you destroy the righteous with the wicked? Suppose you find fifty believers in the city? I know you will spare them because you are a righteous judge!"

The Lord replied, "If I find that there are fifty believers in Sodom, I will not destroy the city."

Abraham was encouraged to speak again, and he said, "I have no right to ask you further, but suppose you find that there are forty-five righteous people there? Will you spare the city?"

The Lord answered, "I will not destroy Sodom if I find that there are forty-five righteous people there."

Abraham still continued to bargain with the Lord, because he assumed that Lot and all of his family were believers. He swallowed hard and then said, "Lord, please don't be angry with me for asking, but if there are ten righteous people there, will you spare the city?"

The Lord replied, "Yes, I will spare the city if I find that there are ten righteous people there."

Then Abraham was satisfied that the city would not be destroyed. He knew that Lot was a believer, and he assumed that Lot's wife, two unmarried daughters, three married daughters and their husbands made a total of ten people who were righteous in Sodom.

After that, the Lord was finished speaking with Abraham, and Abraham went back into his tent for a good night's rest.

PART 7 - Lot was a judge in Sodom, which meant that he sat in the gate of the city and handled legal problems that the citizens of Sodom would bring before him. At dusk, Lot was sitting in the gate and he saw the two men walking toward him. As he hurried to meet them, he bowed in reverence to the two strangers and said, "Sirs, it will soon be dark. Please come to my house and refresh yourselves. Then you will be ready to continue your journey in the morning."

They answered, "No, thank you! We will remain in the street all night!

When Lot continued to urge them to stay, they finally accepted his hospitality. They went into Lot's house, and he made a great feast for them. Just before they were ready to retire for the night, the men of Sodom, young and old alike, came from every section of the city and surrounded Lot's house. They called out to Lot saying, "Where are the two men who came into your house tonight, Lot? Send them out here to us!"

Knowing that the men of Sodom were very wicked in the eyes of the Lord, Lot came out of the door of his house and closed it tightly behind him. Then he spoke to the men of Sodom and said, "Please do not insult or mistreat my guests! These men have come into my house, and I must protect them! I have two unmarried daughters, and I will send them out to you instead of the men who are my guests!"

In answer to that, the men of Sodom shouted angrily, "Stand away from the door, Lot! You have come into our city to judge us and to be critical of us! Now we'll just see about what you want us to do!"

After saying those words, they violently pushed Lot out of the way and were about to force their way into his house without Lot's permission. However, the angels prevented their entrance, and they afflicted the men of Sodorn with blindness, and they were unable to find the door. After that ordeal, the two strangers asked Lot, "Do you have any other family members living here in Sodom? If so, find them at once and take them out of this city! The Lord has sent us here to destroy Sodom because of the wickedness of the people here!"

Instantly, Lot went out to look for his married daughters and their husbands. When he found them he said, "Get ready to leave Sodom immediately! The Lord is going to destroy this city as soon as we leave!"

Lot's sons-in -law just laughed when they heard his words and replied to him, "That's very funny! We don't believe what you are telling us! Since when have you taken the Word of God seriously?"

Lot was very discouraged at their attitude, and he returned to his house.

The angels said, "Take your wife and your two unmarried daughters with you and get out of this place at once!"

Lot hesitated to obey, so the angels took hold of Lot, his wife and his two unmarried daughters and set them outside the city of Sodom.

Then the Lord spoke to Lot and said, "Run for your lives now, and don't look back! Don't remain in this valley, but flee to the mountains!"

Lot argued and said, "Please, Lord! If I have found grace in your sight, and you are preserving my life, let me go into that little city of Zoar over there to hide from the destruction you are about to bring upon Sodom. I just know I'll die if I go into the mountains for protection!"

The Lord replied, "Alright, Lot! Go into Zoar, and I will not destroy it,. but don't look back at Sodom as you go!"

By this time, the sun was shining brightly upon the earth, and the Lord sent fire and brimstone from heaven and poured it upon Sodom and the neighboring city of Gomorrah. All of the inhabitants and everything that grew upon the ground were destroyed!

Lot's wife lagged behind the others, and she turned and looked back longingly at Sodom. The vapour from the fire and brimstone which the Lord was raining down upon Sodom and Gomorrah filled the air like a fog. Also, the substance of the combination became like a crust of salt. It killed Lot's wife as it enveloped her body, giving it the appearance of a pillar of salt.

Lot kept running and took his two daughters up into a mountain above Zoar.

PART 8 - Abraham rose up early the next morning and stood in the place where the Lord had talked with him. He looked across the plain toward Sodom and Gomorrah, and the sight was like that of a smoking furnace! Abraham never saw Lot again, but he was confident that the Lord had spared his nephew's life. After that, Abraham decided to travel to the Philistine city of Gerar. Their king, Abimelech, saw how beautiful Sarah was, and he sent men to capture Abraham and his party.

Just as he had done in Egypt when he feared for his own life, Abraham said, "Sarah is my sister!"

Then when Sarah was questioned, she said, "He is my brother!"

Abimelech took Sarah into his house and intended to make her one of his wives. However, God spoke to Abinelech in a dream and said, "You are about to die, because the woman you have taken into your house is the man's wife!"

Abimelech answered the Lord and said, "Lord! Will you destroy this righteous nation because of my actions? The man told me she was his sister, and she also said he was her brother! I am innocent in this matter!"

The Lord replied, "Yes, I know you weren't responsible. That's why I did not allow you to take the woman as your wife. Now, return her to her husband! The man is a prophet, and he will pray for you. If you refuse to restore his wife to him, you and your people will surely die!"

Abimelech got up early that morning and called his men into conference. He told them what the Lord had said to him, and they were very frightened!

Then Abimelech called Abraham to him and said, "What have you done to us? Have I done something to offend you that you would bring this great sin upon me and my people? Those things should not have been done!"

Abraham answered, "I did not know you and your people believed in the Lord, and I was afraid you would take my wife and kill me. I asked Sarah to protect me by saying that she was my sister!"

Then Abimelech gave Abraham sheep, oxen and servants, and he also gave Abraham's his wife to him and said, "Look out there at my land, Abraham, and choose a place where you wish to pitch your tents, and leave me and my people in peace!"

After that well-deserved scolding by Abimelech, Abraham went on his way.

PART 9 - When Abraham was one-hundred years old, Sarah bore their son, just as the Lord had promised. They called his name Isaac.

When Isaac was about two years old, Abraham made a great feast to honor his young son. At that celebration, Isaac was the center of attention, and during the festivities, Sarah suddenly noticed that Ishmael was making fun of her little boy!

Ishmael was now about seventeen by that time, and he was laughing and pointing his finger at Isaac. When someone asked him why he was laughing, Ishmael said, "His name means laughter, and I think that is very funny!"

Well, it certainly wasn't funny to Sarah! She was furious and complained to her husband about Ishmael's actions.

Abraham was grieved to see how Ishmael acted toward Isaac, so early the next morning Abraham gathered food and water for a long journey for Hagar and Ishmael and sent them away into the wilderness of Beer-sheba. Soon their water was gone, and Hagar said to Ishmael, "Go and rest in the shade nearby. We have no more water, and we will both die here in the desert!"

Then Hagar sat down under some bushes near her son, but she turned her eyes away from him so she wouldn't have to witness his death. Then she wept bitterly!

The Lord spoke to Hagar and said, "What's wrong with you Hagar? Don't be afraid! I have heard the lad's prayers! I have prepared a well for you and your son to draw water, so lift him up now, because I will make a great nation of him."

They filled their water jug, and Hagar and Ishmael went on their way strengthened and refreshed. Apparently, Hagar was in the process of taking Ishmael back to her home in Egypt, but God's plan for him was to stay in the desert. Hagar found an Egyptian wife for Ishmael, and he became the father of twelve sons.

Isaac and Ishmael did not see one another again until seventy-five years later when Abraham died. They buried their father in a cave in Hebron.

PART 10 - From the time when Abraham was first called by the Lord and told that there was a special purpose for his life, about forty years had passed. During those years, Abraham experienced four great crisis. During each crisis, he was asked to surrender something that was very special to him. After he passed each one of those tremendous tests, he became the father of many nations as the Lord had promised.

Abraham's first big test was when the Lord told him to leave his own country and his family and go to a place which the Lord would show him. His second test was to separate from his nephew Lot who was a fellow-believer and his possible heir. The third challenge was to accept the Lord's reason for not allowing his son Ishmael to be his heir. Ishmael was not the son that God promised him, so he could not be Abraham's heir. Then the final test came. It was the most difficult one of all, because the Lord asked him to take his son Isaac and offer him as a burnt offering.

Abraham didn't argue with the Lord, but obeyed His command and made preparations to carry it out.

Why did Abraham obey? Because he knew, without any doubt at all, that if Isaac died, God was able to raise him up from the dead! He understood that through Isaac, the promised son, would come a people which would be so great in number, they could not be counted, so Isaac had to live!

This greatest of all tests came to Abraham after all of the human props were taken from him. This time he had to rely on the Lord God and no one else! Finally, the day came for this great testing, and God said to Abraham, "Abraham! Take your son Isaac whom you love dearly, and go into the land of Moriah. There you will offer him as a burnt offering to Me upon one of the mountains which I will show you."

Abraham rose up early the next morning, probably before Sarah awoke, and he took two of his servants and Isaac, his son, and made ready for the journey to the land of Moriah. Abraham saddled his donkey, cut wood for the burnt offering and placed the wood upon the donkey. He followed the Lord's directions, and on the third day, Abraham looked up and saw the place where the Lord wanted them to go. He turned to his two servants and said, "You men stay here with the donkey and wait while the lad and I go up on this mountain to worship the Lord. After we worship, Isaac and I will return to you again."

Abraham took the wood for the offering and laid it upon Isaac's shoulders. Then he took a torch in his hand for the fire and a knife for the sacrifice, and the two of them began to ascend the slope. Isaac was a strong young man and was probably about seventeen years old at that time, so it was the logical thing for him to carry the load.

Suddenly Isaac looked around and said, "Father!"

Abraham replied, "Yes, my son?"

Isaac said, "I see that we have brought all of the necessary things for the sacrifice, but where is the lamb for the offering?"

Abraham answered, "My son, God will provide a lamb for the burnt offering!

After that, they both continued up the slope to the place of sacrifice which the Lord had chosen. Abraham built an altar and laid the wood upon it. Then he bound Isaac and laid him on the wood. Isaac did not question his father, but was obedient to his instructions.

As Abraham stretched forth his hand and took the knife to slay his son, God called to him out of heaven saying, "Abraham, Abraham!"

Abraham stopped and answered, "Here I am, Lord!"

The Lord said, "Do not harm your son! Now I know that you trust me with all your heart, because you were willing to sacrifice your son without questioning My purpose!"

Then Abraham looked up and saw a ram caught in a thicket by its horns behind him. He knew that the Lord had substituted the ram for the sacrifice instead of Isaac, and Abraham offered the ram as a burnt offering to the Lord.

God's purpose in asking Abraham to sacrifice his son was not for the outward act, but it was to see Abraham's mental attitude of complete trust and his willingness to obey God without questioning Him. This testing of Abraham also serves as an illustration of how God the Father sacrificed His Son, Jesus Christ on the cross as a substitute for you and for me.

Sarah died when she was one-hundred twenty-seven years old, and after her death, Abraham married a woman by the name of Keturah who bore him six sons. However, it would be through Isaac, the son of promise, that the Saviour would eventually come into the world four-thousand years later. Before he died, Abraham willed all of his possessions to Isaac. He gave presents to Ishmael and to the sons of Keturah and sent them into the east country we know now as Arabia.

Abraham, the friend of God, lived to be one-hundred seventy-five years old, and then he died. Through his son Isaac, his grandson Jacob and his twelve sons, the nation of Israel was born, and through that nation came the Son of God, the Lord Jesus Christ in true humanity and perfect deity as the only sacrifice for our sins.

The End of ABRAHAM
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"ISAAC, the SON OF PROMISE"

PART 1 - Isaac was the son which God promised to Abraham, and the covenant God made with Abraham was passed down to him.

When Isaac was about seventeen years old, Abraham awakened him very early one morning and said, "My son, we are going on a three-day journey to the land of Moriah to worship the Lord with a burnt offering." (Isaac did not know that he was about to play a very important part in the final big test for Abraham. That test would involve both he and his father)

Abraham took Isaac and two of his trusted servants, and they selected a donkey from their flocks to carry the necessary food and water for the trip. They also took a large bundle of wood for the burnt offering and placed it on the back of the animal.

After travelling for three days, Abraham looked up and pointed to one of the mountains ahead and said, "There is the place where God wants me to make a sacrifice to Him!"

When they reached the foot of the mountain, Abraham turned to his servants saying, "You two men wait here while I and the lad go up into the mountain to worship the Lord, and afterward, we will come back again to you!"

Then Abraham took the bundle of wood from the animal's back and placed it on Isaac's shoulders, and the two of them began to ascend the slope together.

Suddenly as they walked, Isaac turned to his father and said, "Father, I see that you have a knife and the fire for the sacrifice, but where is the lamb for the offering?"

Abraham took a deep breath and then replied, "My son, God will provide a lamb for the offering!

Abraham began to explain further to Isaac, "My son, your birth was a great miracle from the Lord, because your mother and I were long past the child-bearing age when you were conceived. God told me when I left my home in Haran that He would give me a son by my wife Sarah, but it took me twenty-five years to really believe that promise! When I finally did believe that He would give us a son, even though we were ninety-nine and one-hundred years old, you were born. God always keeps His Word! Don't ever forget that!"

Isaac thought about that for awhile and then asked, "But what has that to do with not having a lamb for the sacrifice today, father?"

Abraham could have made up a fancy excuse, but instead of doing that, he gave a truthful answer to Isaac and said, "My son, the Lord has asked me to use you, my only true son, for the burnt offering! I know that if I kill you with this sacrificial knife, God is able to raise you from the dead! He has promised me that my seed will be multiplied and become a great nation! I have no doubt at all that you will live!"

Naturally, Isaac was frightened by the idea that he was to be the sacrifice, but when he understood what his father was saying, and he saw the unwavering faith of Abraham, he was willing to be bound and placed on the altar.

As Abraham raised the knife to kill his son, the Lord spoke to him from heaven and said, "Abraham! Do not harm your son! I know now that you trust me with all your heart, because you are willing to obey me even if it means the death of your son Isaac."

As soon as God spoke to Abraham, he and Isaac heard a rustling in the bushes nearby. They looked up and saw a ram which was caught in the thicket by its horns. Now they both understood that the ram was the Lord's provision for the burnt offering.

Isaac was set free, and the ram was tied and placed on the altar and used as an offering to the Lord instead of Isaac.

After that great ordeal, Abraham and Isaac went back down the slope, and all of the men returned to their home.

PART 2 - Twenty years went by after Abraham's great test of faith. Sarah died very suddenly, and Abraham buried her in a cave in Hebron which he purchased as a burying place for his descendants who would inherit God's covenant promises.

Shortly after that, Abraham called his eldest servant, Eliezer, and said to him, "I'm going to send you to Haran to find a bride for my son Isaac. I do not want him to marry a woman of the Canaanites in this land, so before you leave, I insist that you swear to me by the Lord, the God of heaven and earth, that you will go to my people in Haran and bring back a wife for Isaac."

Eliezer replied, "Suppose the woman I find will not be willing to come back here with me? Must I return to Canaan and take your son to Haran?"

Abraham answered, "No! My son must never go back to that country again! The Lord has forbidden it, but He will send His angel before you, and you will find a wife for my son. If the woman will not return with you, you will be free from your oath!"

Eliezer agreed to go. He took some men, food supplies and gifts for Abraham's family and travelled to the city of Haran where Abraham's brother Nahor lived. After many weary days of travelling, Eliezer reached the outskirts of the city of Haran, and he stopped by a well. He made his camels kneel down to rest while he waited to see what the Lord would do.

It was early evening, and Eliezer prayed to the Lord saying, "Lord, please show kindness to my master Abraham today. When the women come from the city to draw water from this well, let the one from whom I request a drink be the one you have chosen for Isaac."

As he prayed, Eliezer saw a beautiful young woman coming toward him with a water pitcher on her shoulder. She filled her jug at the well, and then Eliezer approached her and asked, "Please give me a drink of water from your pitcher."

She looked at Eliezer and then set her pitcher down and said, "Rest here, and I will draw water for all of you and also for your camels."

When the camels had their fill, Eliezer gave the young woman a golden earring, two gold bracelets and a small bag of gold. Then he asked her, "Whose daughter are you?"

She replied, "My name is Rebekah, and I am the daughter of Bethuel, the son of Nahor."

Eliezer was excited when he heard her reply, and then he asked, "Is there room in your father's house to accommodate us for the night?"

Rebekah responded quickly and emphatically, "Yes! We have plenty of room and food also for all of you and a place for your camels as well!"

Eliezer bowed his head and worshipped the Lord for His provision. Then he said, "The Lord has truly blessed my master Abraham today. He has led me to the house of Nahor, Abraham's brother!" Then he accompanied Rebekah to her house.

Rebekah ran ahead of the others, and went into the house to tell her family what had happened. She showed them the beautiful gifts Eliezer had given to her, and when Rebekah's brother Laban saw the earring and the bracelets, he hurried outside to greet Eliezer and said, "Come in! Don't stand here outside the house! We have plenty of room for all of you, and we also have a place in our stables for your camels. This is the house of my father Bethuel. Our grandfather Nahor is no longer living."

Eliezer and the men who were with him accepted Laban's hospitality, and they entered the house where they met Laban's mother and father.

After they were refreshed from their long journey, a wonderful meal was set before them, but before they would eat, Eliezer said, "I will not partake of this food until I have told you my reason for coming here."

Laban and Bethuel responded, "Please tell us your purpose in coming so far to see us."

Eliezer answered, "I am Abraham's servant. You both know that Abraham is the brother of your father Nahor. The Lord has blessed my master with much wealth as well as numerous flocks and herds of animals and also many servants. The Lord has also blessed Abraham with a son when he and Sarah were way past the child-bearing ages. His son's name is Isaac, and to him has been given all that belongs to Abraham."

Everyone at the table was listening intently as Eliezer told his story. Then Eliezer continued and said, "My master has sent me here to find a wife for his son from your family, and I believe that the Lord has brought me to you in order that I might take your daughter Rebekah back to Isaac. If you will permit her to accompany us, and if she is willing to leave you, we will be happy to take her to my master's house as a bride for Isaac."

Bethuel responded, "If this is the Lord's will that you should take Rebekah, we have no objections! Take her with you if she is willing."

Then Eliezer brought forth jewels of silver and gold as well as some beautiful garments and gave them to Rebekah. After that, he and his men enjoyed the food which was provided for them.

When they rose up to leave the following morning, Eliezer said, "Let me go now and take Rebekah back to my master Abraham."

Rebekah's mother and brother objected and said, "Please let Rebekah stay with us for ten days or so, and then she may go with you!"

Eliezer replied emphatically, "Don't try to detain me any longer! The Lord has prospered our journey, so permit us to leave without any further delay!"

Rebekah's mother called her and asked, "Are you willing to go with these men?"

Rebekah replied, "Yes, I will go with them!"

After that, the family members said, "Go then, and leave here with our blessing upon you!"

Rebekah said goodbye to her family, and she made preparations to leave. Some of the ladies who attended to her personal needs accompanied her. They rode on the camels which Eliezer had brought with him, and began their long journey to the land of Canaan.

PART 3 - When the caravan drew near to the place where Isaac was waiting, it was nearly sunset. Daily, Isaac had come there, meditating about how his life would be changed when Eliezer returned and presented a wife to him. Suddenly, he looked down the road and saw the camels coming. He immediately ran in their direction to welcome those in the caravan.

Rebekah also noticed that a man was coming to meet them, and she asked Eliezer, "Who is this man who approaches us?"

Eliezer replied, "It is Isaac, my master's son!"

Then Eliezer assisted Rebekah as she descended from the camel, and he introduced her to Isaac. He told Isaac all the things that had happened to them on their journey from Haran.

Isaac loved Rebekah, and he took her into his mother's tent, and she became his wife.

Many years passed, and Isaac and Rebekah had no children. Isaac earnestly prayed to the Lord and asked Him for a son. Nineteen years later, Rebekah became pregnant.

During her pregnancy, Rebekah noticed an apparent struggle within her body, so she asked the Lord, "If it is your will that I should have a son for Isaac, why am I having such a problem carrying this child?"

The Lord replied, "Twin sons will come from your womb. One will be stronger than the other, and the firstborn will serve the younger."

Isaac was sixty years old when the boys were born. At birth, the first twin was red and hairy, so they named him Esau, which means red. After he was delivered, his brother was born with his hand holding Esau's heel. They gave him the name Jacob, which means "heel-catcher".

As the twins were growing up, Esau became an excellent hunter, while Jacob preferred the life of a shepherd. Isaac showed his preference for Esau, because he enjoyed the venison which Esau prepared and gave him, but Rebekah favored Jacob.

One day Esau was out hunting, and he became extremely tired and hungry. He managed to find his way to Jacob's tent just at the time Jacob was preparing some lentil soup for himself. Esau said, "Jacob! I'm exhausted and about ready to faint from lack of food! Please give me some of that lentil soup before I die of starvation!"

Jacob replied thoughtfully, "Of course, Esau, but first you must swear that you will sell your birthright to me!"

Esau reached for the bowl of soup and said, "Look here, Jacob! I need food! What good is my birthright to me if I die?

Jacob restrained Esau and said, "Not so fast, brother! Swear to me that you will give me your birthright this very day!"

In exasperation, Esau said, "Alright! I will swear! Give the food to me at once!"

Jacob gave bread and soup to his brother, and Esau ate and drank until he was satisfied. Then he went on his way, not caring that he had sold his birthright to Jacob for a morsel of food!

(In Jewish culture at that time, a birthright involved some very important things regarding advantage, privilege and responsibility among the descendants of Abraham. The firstborn was given a double portion of his father's estate, while the other sons were given equally divided smaller portions. Then, the firstborn son was given authority over his younger brothers. He was also designated as the one to provide food, clothing and shelter for his mother and for his unmarried sisters as well. In addition to those benefits, the most important of all of the blessings given to the firstborn was the covenant with God, which was awarded to the firstborn and handed down from Abraham, to Isaac and then to Jacob and his sons.)

Later on, when Esau realized what he had done, he despised Jacob and stayed away from him for a very long period of time.

PART 4 - Because of a famine in the land, Isaac took Rebekah, his servants and his flocks to the land of the Philistines, but Esau and Jacob remained in Canaan. Isaac camped in the area of Gerar for some time, because it was a prosperous town located on the border between Egypt and Philistia.

One night the Lord appeared to Isaac and said, "Do not go down into Egypt, but stay here for awhile. I will bless you and confirm my covenant with you as I promised your father Abraham."

Isaac obeyed the Lord, and he remained in Gerar for a number of years.. They dug many wells in that place, and with an ample water supply, their flocks increased in number. So great was Isaac's prosperity that the Philistines became envious, and their herdmen began fighting with Isaac's men. In fact, the problem became so great that Isaac was forced to leave Philistia and go to Beer-sheba, which was the place his father Abraham always enjoyed.

While Isaac and Rebekah were in Gerar, Esau married two Canaanite women. His wives caused much grief for Rebekah, because the Canaanite people worshipped the gods of Egypt and Babylonia and not the Lord God of Abraham.

PART 5 - When Isaac was old, his eyesight became so bad that he could barely see. He called his eldest son, Esau, and said to him, "Son, I am old and feeble now, and I do not know how much longer I will live. Before my death, I want to bless you as the firstborn son." (apparently, Isaac had forgotten what the Lord told him before the twins were born that the younger would inherit the firstborn blessings)

Isaac continued saying to Esau, "Please go and get a deer and prepare a nice venison meal for me. You know how much I enjoy the way you prepare venison!"

Esau replied, "I'll go right away, father!"

Rebekah overheard the conversation between Isaac and Esau, so she quickly sent for Jacob and said to him, "My son, I just overheard your father tell Esau to go hunting for a deer and prepare a fine venison dinner for him before his death. Then he would bestow the blessings of the firstborn upon him! Now, before Esau returns from the hunt, I want you to listen carefully and obey my instructions!"

Jacob replied, "I'll do whatever you say, mother!"

Rebekah said, "Your brother will be away for a few days, so in the meantime I want you to bring two small goats to me, and I will make a savory stew for your father. Then you will serve him what I have prepared, and he will bless you instead of Esau"'

Jacob interrupted and said, "My father will surely know me because I am a smooth-skinned man and my brother is a very hairy man! I'll never be able to deceive my father!"

Rebekah replied, "Let me bear the responsibility in this matter, my son! Go now and do as I asked you to do!"

Jacob obeyed his mother, and she made a delicious meal for Jacob to take to Isaac. Rebekah also put some of Esau's garments on Jacob, and then she took the skins of the goats and put them on Jacob's hands and on the back of his neck so that Isaac would think that Jacob was Esau.

After all of the preparation was accomplished, Jacob took the meat and bread to his father. He approached his father and said, "Father, I have brought you a fine meal as you requested."

Isaac said, "I'm right here, my son, but who are you?"

Jacob replied, "I am Esau, your firstborn! I have done as you asked me to do. Now please eat this venison that I have prepared for you. After you have had your fill, I will be ready to receive your blessing upon me."

Then Isaac questioned, "How could you have done all of this so soon, my son?"

Jacob answered, "Because the Lord provided it for me!"

Then Isaac said, "Come closer to me, and let me feel your hands, my son. I want to make sure you are Esau before I give you the firstborn blessings."

Jacob went near to his father, and Isaac felt Jacob's hands and said, "The voice is Jacob's, but the hands are the hands of Esau!" Then he asked again, "Are you truly my son Esau?"

Jacob continued to lie and answered, "Yes, I am truly your son Esau!"

Then Isaac said, "Bring the food to me, and after I enjoy this venison, I will bless you!"

Jacob sat nearby watching as his father ate the food which Rebekah had prepared, and after that, Isaac blessed him, and Jacob left the house.

Meanwhile, Esau had returned from his hunting trip and had cooked the venison for his father. He came into the house just moments after Jacob had gone, and he went to his father and said, "Father, here is the venison which you requested of me. Get up and eat it, and then bless me as you promised."

When Isaac heard those words, he was very disturbed and asked, "Who are you?"

Esau replied, "I am your firstborn son, Esau!"

Isaac trembled and said, "Who? Where is he who brought me the venison which I did eat before you came to me? I have bestowed upon him all of the blessings of the firstborn!"

When Esau heard how Jacob had deceived his father, he wept bitterly and then said, "Bless me also, father!"

Isaac replied, "I cannot, my son! Your brother came to me in disguise and deceived me! Now he has taken your blessing from you!"

Through his tears, Esau said, "My brother has been successful in deceiving me twice! First he took my birthright away from me, and now he has stolen my blessing for himself!"

Isaac said, "My son, I have made Jacob Lord over you, and I cannot change what has been done. Now you will live by the sword in the wilderness!"

When Esau heard those words, he hated Jacob even more, and he began to plan how he would kill Jacob after their father was dead.

Esau also knew that his parents were displeased with the wives he had chosen from the Canaanite people, so in an attempt to please Isaac and Rebekah, Esau married a woman who was descended from Ishmael, the son of Abraham.

PART 6 - Rebekah soon learned about Esau's plan to kill Jacob, so she sent for Jacob and said to him, "Your brother is very angry and means to find a way to kill you! I will speak to your father and ask him if we can send you away to stay with my brother Laban for awhile. Perhaps Esau will forget about how we deceived him, and you will be able to return to us again."

Jacob replied, "I am willing to go to Laban if my father permits me to leave."

Then Rebekah spoke to Isaac and said, "I am weary of my life because of the Canaanite women our son Esau has married! If Jacob also marries one of these women in the land, I won't care about living anymore! Would you permit him to go to my brother's family to look for a wife?"

Isaac called Jacob to him and said, "You must NOT marry any of the women in the land of Canaan! Make ready to leave this place at once, and I will send you to Haran, to the house of your mother's father Bethuel. There you may choose a wife from one of Laban's daughters! May the Lord God bless you and multiply your seed exceedingly! May the Lord give you the blessing of Abraham so that you may inherit this land in which we have been strangers."

After hearing his father's instructions, Jacob left and went to Haran to see Bethuel and Laban.

On his long journey to Haran, Jacob stopped one night when the sun was just going down. He took a stone to use as a pillow for his head, and then he lay down to sleep. During the night, Jacob had a dream in which he saw a ladder that reached up into the heavens. The Lord was standing at the top of the ladder, and angels were ascending and descending on it.

The Lord spoke to Jacob and said, "I AM THE LORD GOD OF ABRAHAM AND ISAAC! I will give the land on which you lie to you and to your seed after you. Your descendants shall be as the dust of the earth in multitude, and they shall spread abroad to the west, to the east, to the north and to the south, and all of the families of the earth shall be blessed because of them! I am with you, Jacob, and I will protect you wherever you go. I will bring you back to this land of Canaan, and I will not leave you until I have accomplished all of the things I have told you!"

After that, Jacob awoke from his sleep, rubbed his eyes and said to himself, "Surely, the Lord is here, and I was not aware of His presence!"

As Jacob considered the dream, he became afraid and said to himself, "It is very frightening to know that God has spoken to me here!"

Then Jacob took the stone which he had used for a pillow and put oil upon it to mark it to remind himself that it was the place where God had spoken to him and confirmed His covenant to him. He called that place Bethel, which means "THE HOUSE OF GOD".

PART 7 - Jacob continued his journey eastward and noticed a well in the distance. As he drew closer to it, he saw that a large stone was covering the well, and three flocks of sheep were lying around the well with their shepherds tending them.

Jacob greeted the shepherds and then watched them as they rolled the stone away from the mouth of the well to water their sheep. After the sheep had their fill, the men rolled the stone back over the well.

Jacob asked the shepherds, "Who are you men, and from where do you come?"

The shepherds replied, "We are from Haran."

Then Jacob asked, "Do you happen to know Laban, the grandson of Nahor, the brother of Abraham?"

They replied, "Yes! We know Laban!"

Then Jacob questioned further saying, "Is Laban in good health?"

The men answered, "Yes, he is well. Look up the hill! Laban's daughter Rachel is coming here with her father's sheep."

Jacob looked up quickly and saw Rachel. He ran to the well and rolled the stone away. Then he watered the sheep for Rachel and replaced the stone. After that, Jacob greeted Rachel with a kiss and told her he was the son of Rebekah, her father's sister.

When Rachel received that news, she left her sheep with Jacob and ran to tell her father.

As soon as Laban heard Rebekah's news, he went to meet Jacob and brought him into the house. Jacob told Laban all about his family and why they had sent him to Haran. Laban said, "Stay with us and work for me! What will you ask as payment for your work?" (Laban had two daughters, Leah and Rachel. Leah was the older sister, but Jacob loved Rachel the moment he first saw her)

Jacob replied to Laban, "I will serve you for seven years if you will give Rachel to me as my wife!"

Laban answered, "It is better that I should give Rachel to you rather than to some other man! Stay with me, and you shall have Rachel for your wife!"

Jacob worked hard for the next seven years, and those years seemed like a few days to him, because he had so much love for Rachel. Then Jacob said to Laban, "Please give me my wife as you promised. The seven years have expired, and I'm ready to receive Rachel as my wages."

Even though Laban had agreed to give Rachel to Jacob, on the wedding night he took his older daughter and placed her in Jacob's tent. It was very dark, and Jacob did not know that the woman was Leah until the next morning.

Jacob went to Laban and demanded, "Didn't I keep my bargain with you? I agreed to work for you for seven years to have Rachel for my wife! What do you mean by giving Leah to me instead of Rachel?"

Laban replied, "According to the custom in our country, the eldest daughter must marry before the younger does. It would have been wrong for me to give you my youngest daughter first. If you will stay and work for me another seven years, I will give you Rachel also."

Jacob agreed, and Rachel was given to him as his wife. Then Jacob worked an additional seven years for Laban. Jacob loved Rachel more than he loved Leah, and the Lord gave Leah a son, but withheld Rachel from bearing children.

Leah's first son was named Reuben. Then she conceived again and bore another son whom they called Simeon. Leah said to herself, "Surely my husband will now love me more than my sister, and she bore a third son for Jacob, and they named him Levi. The following year Leah had one more son and named him Judah, and then she stopped bearing children for awhile.

Rachel became very envious of her sister, and she complained bitterly to Jacob and said, "Give me children or I'll die!"

Jacob became very angry and replied, "Am I responsible for what God has prevented?

Rachel said, "Well, take my handmaid Bilhah then, and perhaps I can have a son through her!"

Jacob agreed, and Bilhah bore a son whom they named Dan. She conceived a second time and had a son and called him Naphtali. After that, she had no more children for Jacob.

When Leah saw what Rachel did, she took her own handmaid, Zilpah, and gave her to Jacob as his wife. Zilpah bore two sons for Jacob. The first one was called Gad, and the second was named Asher.

After that, Leah bore two more sons for Jacob. They were called Issachar and Zebulun. Last of all, Leah bore a daughter for Jacob, and she was called Dinah.

After many years of praying for a son of her own, Rachel was blessed with a son, and he was named Joseph.

During the fourteen years that Jacob served Laban, he became very prosperous. By now, he had four wives and eleven sons, so he went to Laban and said, "Send me away now to my own country, and let me take my wives and my children with me. You know that I have worked very hard for you all these years!"

Laban replied, "I know that the Lord has prospered me because of my association with you, Jacob! What more can I pay you in wages for all you have done for me?"

Jacob replied, "When I came to you, your flocks were few in number, and now there are hundreds of them. It's time for me to provide for my own family.

Laban said, "Yes, what you say is true, but what shall I give you in return for shepherding my flocks for the past fourteen years?"

Jacob answered, "Separate your cattle, sheep and goats, and give me the ones that are speckled and spotted and grisled, and give the good ones to your sons to care for. I'll stay for a few more years and care for the animals you leave in my care. When they produce better looking young ones, I'll give those to you, and the others will be my wages."

That idea appealed to Laban, and that same day he instructed his sons to separate the animals and take the good flocks to another area, a three-day journey from the animals left in Jacob's care.

Jacob stayed six more years tending those flocks, and with the Lord's help, the marked animals increased more rapidly than the good-looking ones. Laban's sons went to their father and said, "Father! Jacob has taken away all that belonged to you! Now he has greater wealth than we have!"

When Laban heard his son's report, his attitude changed toward Jacob, and his face showed that he was angry and unfriendly toward him. Jacob saw that Laban was no longer pleased with him, so he sent for Rachel and Leah and said to them, "Your father is very displeased with me, but the Lord God of my fathers has been with me all through the years in which I have worked for him. Laban has deceived me many times, but God prevented him from harming me in any way. Now the Lord has given me most of your father's flocks, and He has told me to leave this place and return to the land of Canaan."

Rachel and Leah replied, "Our father has deprived us of our rightful inheritance by his unfairness to you, and we are both willing to leave our father and go with you to Canaan!"

Then, without telling Laban they were leaving, Jacob gathered all the people and the flocks which belonged to him and began his journey back to Canaan. Three days later, Laban received word that Jacob had fled, so he took some men and went after Jacob. However, the Lord spoke to Laban in a dream and said, "Be sure that you do not harm Jacob in any way!"

Laban and his men soon overtook Jacob, and Laban said to him, "Why have you left me secretly, Jacob? I would have enjoyed honoring you with a celebration before you went away! You didn't even give me a chance to kiss my daughters and grandchildren goodbye! You have acted foolishly, and now my men and I have the power to harm you, but God has warned me in a dream not to do so!"

Jacob said, "I didn't tell you we were leaving, because I was afraid that you would take your daughters from me by force!"

Laban answered angrily, "I can understand your concern about my daughters, but why have you taken my household gods?"

Surprised, Jacob replied, "I know nothing about your gods, Laban! If you find them or any of your possessions with one of my men, that man will die'"

(Jacob did not know that Rachel had stolen the household gods which belonged to her father. Those gods were known as Teraphim1 and they were the possession of the man who was the head of the family. By taking them, a married daughter could make sure that her husband would inherit her father's property, even though she had brothers who would normally be the rightful heirs. By her action, Rachel demonstrated that she was not entirely free from the idolatry and the superstition of the land from which she came)

Laban first went to Jacob's tent to search, and then he went to the tents belonging to the two maidservants, but he found nothing which had been stolen from his house. Next, Laban went to search Leah's tent and found nothing. Last of all, he entered Rachel's tent. Rachel had put the images under the saddle and blankets which she used on her camel when they travelled, and she lay down on them. She did not rise when her father entered, and she said to him, "Please don't be angry because I do not rise up to greet you, Father, but I'm not feeling well, and I must rest."

Laban replied, "That's alright, my child. I'm not going to disturb you!"

Laban searched everywhere except where Rachel was resting, and he did not find the household gods.

Jacob became very angry with Laban after that, and he said to him, "What made you pursue me? You have searched all my household goods, and what have you found? If you found anything of yours, set it before me and my men!"

Laban was silent, and then Jacob continued, "I served you for twenty years, Laban, and you changed my wages ten times! Surely you would have sent me away with nothing, but the Lord has prospered me, and He has rebuked you, Laban!"

Laban replied, "Oh, let's not part enemies because of this matter! Instead, I suggest that we make a contract of peace between us in this place and then go our separate ways with the Lord's blessing upon our agreement!"

The two men shook hands, and early the next morning, Laban arose and kissed his daughters and grandchildren, and went back to his home in Haran. Jacob also arose and began his journey back to Canaan.

PART 8 - While traveling back to Canaan, Jacob decided to go through Seir where his brother Esau lived. He called some of his men to him and said, "Go and find my brother Esau, and tell him that since we last saw one another I have been in Haran with Laban. Then tell him also that the Lord has multiplied my flocks and my servants, and that I wish to present some of this wealth to him."

The messengers found Esau and then returned to Jacob saying, "Your brother is coming to meet you with four-hundred of his men!"

When he heard that, Jacob was afraid. He prayed to the Lord saying, "0 God of my fathers, I am not worthy of the least of your mercies, but you have prospered me and told me to return to Canaan. Please deliver me from the hand of my brother, Esau, because I fear him very much!"

That night, Jacob gathered about three-hundred goats, sheep, cattle and camels as a present for Esau. Then he ordered his men to take the animals and go ahead of the caravan to meet Esau. He instructed them to say to Esau, "Your brother Jacob is coming to meet you!" Then he said, "Tell him you are my servants and that you have brought the animals to him as a gift from me."

Jacob sent his men on their way to meet Esau, and he stayed back with the caravan. That night, Jacob divided the women with their children into two companies and sent them over the brook Jabbok which was always passable on foot, and it emptied into the Jordan River. Jacob stayed alone nearby.

That night Jacob prayed for guidance. The Angel of the Lord came to him and wrestled with him until dawn. Neither one was subdued in the struggle, so the Angel of the Lord touched the hollow of Jacob's thigh, causing it to become out of joint. Jacob limped on that leg for the rest of his life.

Then the Angel of the Lord said to Jacob, "You will no longer be called Jacob, but your name is now Israel, because, as a prince you have power with God and with man!"

Jacob asked, "Please tell me your name."

The Angel of the Lord replied, "Why do you ask my name? I will bless you in this place!"

Jacob called the name of that place Peniel. He said, "I have seen God face-to-face, and my life has been preserved!"

(in the Old Testament, there were a number of instances in which our Lord became visible in a body in order to deal personally with certain individuals. We can know if it was an angel or truly the Lord Himself by the context of the words which are recorded in the scriptures. Jacob knew he was speaking to the Lord at that meeting!)

When Jacob rose up the next morning, he saw that Esau and his men could be seen in the distance, so he separated the women with their children into four groups. He placed Rachel and her son Joseph at the end of the line to protect them in case Esau wanted to harm them.

Jacob ran to meet Esau and bowed down in respect to him. Esau also greeted Jacob in a friendly manner and then asked, "Who are all these women and children with you?"

Jacob replied, "These are my wives and my children whom the Lord has given to me so graciously." Then he presented them to Esau.

Esau questioned, "Why have you sent these flocks to me?" Jacob said, "I sent them as a gift to you!"

Esau responded, "I have enough of my own! Keep these for yourself, Jacob!"

However, Jacob urged his brother and said, "It would please me very much if you would accept this gift from me!" Then Esau accepted his brother's generosity.

After that, Esau suggested, "Let my men and I go before your caravan to guide you on your way to Canaan."

Jacob responded, "Thank you, but we must travel slowly, because the women and children are tender. The flocks also have young ones who cannot travel fast."

The two brothers said goodbye. and Esau went back to Seir in Edom, and Jacob proceeded to journey to the ancient town of Succoth where he build a house for his family and erected shelters for his flocks. The two brothers did not see one another again until their father Isaac died, and they buried him in the cave of Machpelah where his father Abraham was buried.

The End of ISAAC
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THERE'S NO ESCAPE" (the story of Jonah)

PART 1 - "In what strange prison do I find myself? Lord! What am I doing here in this terrible place? There's no escape!"

Those words were the pathetic cry of God's prophet Jonah who lived seven hundred years before Jesus Christ came into the world.

The Lord answered Jonah saying, "Jonah! You know how you refused to go to Nineveh with my message of salvation, and because of your disobedience, I have brought you here to think about your sinful decision. You have been here for the past three days and nights."

Jonah was frightened out of his wits but still able to think clearly, so he replied, "Yes, Lord, I do remember you telling me to take your message of salvation to the people of Nineveh. I didn't want to go, because I knew you would save them if they believed your words! You know, Lord, how extremely cruel those people are, and how they have killed many of my people in Israel! I didn't want them to be saved, so I ran away!"

Then the Lord asked, "Do you remember what you did instead of obeying me, Jonah?"

Jonah answered, "Yes, Lord! As soon as I heard your commission for me to go to Nineveh, I decided to go to Joppa instead. I bought passage on a ship that was bound for Tarshish, and when we got there, I boarded a merchant ship which I hoped would take me as far away as possible from Nineveh!"

The Lord said, "You had your own way, Jonah, but now I have brought you here to give you an opportunity to change your mind! Do you remember that sea voyage?"

Jonah replied, "Yes, Lord, I do remember. I boarded that cargo ship, and it sailed for Tarshish. I looked for a quiet, secluded place to rest, and I found one below deck. I fell fast asleep, and suddenly I thought I was surely having a nightmare! The ship was being tossed violently on the sea, and I could hear the fierce wind blowing and bringing waves over the sides of the upper deck. I shook myself out of that sound sleep when I heard the captain shout to his crew, 'Start throwing the cargo over the sides to lighten the ship!'"

"The sailors began to drag the cargo to the railing and were throwing it into the raging waters. Through all the noise and confusion on the deck, I heard the captain shout, 'Is anyone down in the hold?' The answer came back, 'Just the passenger who came aboard at Joppa, sir!'"

Jonah took a deep breath and then continued, "Just as I was about to get on my feet, the captain came down to me and shook me as he demanded, 'Who are you, and who is your god? My men have been praying to their gods, but no help has come! Now we are beginning to suspect that it may be your fault that this storm has come upon us!'"

"The captain hauled me up to the main deck, and one of the sailors demanded of me, 'Stranger, where do you come from, and who are your people?'"

"I clung desperately to the rail, and I observed the boiling sea as I answered carefully, 'I am a Hebrew prophet, and I fear the Lord, the God of heaven and earth! My name is Jonah!'"

"Another seaman yelled, 'Your god must be very angry with you, Jonah! What terrible thing did you do to displease him and bring this destruction upon us?'"

"I answered sadly, 'The Lord told me to go to Nineveh and preach His message of salvation to the people living there, but I refused to obey! I didn't want to help them in any way, because of the way they have treated my people in Israel. Now I see that no matter how hard I try, I cannot escape the presence of my Lord and Saviour.' "

"Another sailor said to me, ' I've heard about the power of the God of the Hebrew people. What shall we do with you in order to appease his anger? ' "

"I replied, 'Throw me into the sea, and it will stop raging! This storm was sent because of me! ' "

"When the captain heard that, he shook his head and said to the crew, 'We can't deliberately throw this man overboard! Row hard and try to reach the shore!"

"The mariners rowed until they collapsed from exhaustion on the deck. Again they cried to their gods for deliverance, but some prayed to Jonah's God and said, ' O, Lord! Don't let us die because of this man's sin! Please don't blame us for what we must do with him! ' "

"After praying those words to the Lord, the men picked me up and threw me into the sea! "

"My body sunk down so deeply into the water that I could see the bottoms of the mountains. Giant weeds wrapped themselves about my head, and I thought my ears would burst! Then I saw an extremely large fish approaching me, and the next thing I knew, I was alive and inside the belly of this great fish."

"I know, Lord, that you directed this fish to swallow me in order to punish me, and to preserve my life as well! Now I acknowledge my sin of disobedience, and call upon you for mercy."

As soon as Jonah's confession of sin was out of his mouth, the Lord spoke to the fish, and it vomited Jonah onto dry land.

PART 2 - Two shepherds were tending their flocks near the spot where Jonah was coughed up onto dry land. In great amazement, one of them said to the other, "I wouldn't have believed that if I hadn't seen it with my own eyes! Did you see what happened?"

The other shepherd responded, "Yes, I did, and it's hard to believe! Let's go to him and see if he needs our help! "

The two men walked over where Jonah lay, and when they saw that he was breathing, they asked him, "Who are you, stranger, and what circumstances brought you to Assyria?"

Jonah sat up, rubbed his eyes, and then replied, "I am a Hebrew prophet of God!"

One of the men said, "Which god are you talking about? We worship many gods here! "

Jonah replied, "The God who created the heavens and the earth is the one whom I serve! Tell me, what is the name of the nearest city!"

They answered, "We're just outside of the great city of Nineveh!"

Jonah rose to his feet when he heard that, and then said, "This is exactly where I should be! Please direct me to Nineveh! "

Then the Word of the Lord came to Jonah the second time. The Lord said, "Arise, Jonah, and go into this great city of Nineveh to preach my Word of salvation to the people!" This time when Jonah heard those words, he obeyed the Lord. He went into the city of Nineveh and walked for three days from one end of the city to the other saying to the people, "In forty days the Lord God of the universe will destroy Nineveh!"

Great fear came upon all who heard Jonah's message! Some came to Jonah and said, "What can we do to escape the wrath of your God?"

Jonah replied, "You must believe in Him and turn from your gods of wood and stone and from the evil that is in your hearts!"

Jonah's message was heard by everyone in Nineveh. Even the king himself heard the bad news regarding the city, and he arose from his throne, removed his royal garments, put on sackcloth and sat in ashes. (sitting in ashes and wearing sackcloth indicated true humility)

Then the king called his scribe and said, " I'm going to issue a proclamation to my people, and I want you to take it down and distribute it to everyone in Nineveh. Write the following words: ' Let no man or beast, herd or flock eat or drink, but let them all be covered with sackcloth. Then give up your evil ways and your violence, and call upon the God of heaven! Perhaps God will turn from his fierce anger against us, and we will be spared."

The people heard the king's message and obeyed. God saw their faith when they called upon Him, and He changed His attitude toward the people of Nineveh and did not destroy them. However, when Jonah saw that God had mercy upon the Ninevites, he became very angry and went outside the city to sulk!

Then the Lord said, "You had pity on the vine which you did not plant or water, and it came up in a night and perished in a night! Why can't you show pity for the people of Nineveh, that great city in which there are 120,000 little children who do not yet know the difference between right and wrong, and also their cattle?"

The Bible does not tell us if Jonah confessed his sin, so he may have died on that hill outside the city of Nineveh in Assyria.

TO OUR READERS: This story of the prophet Jonah is set forth to glorify the Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus Himself said in Matthew 12:40 that this true story of Jonah was an illustration of His own death, burial and resurrection.

It is our hope that the readers of this story will now have a better understanding and picture of the book of Jonah as it is set forth in the Holy scriptures.

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