Tag Archives: Clever

Woman Caught in Immorality

204 – Caught in Immorality

John 7:1-8:12

It was time for a festival in Jerusalem. Jesus pretended he wasn’t going, but he went without anyone knowing. The religious leaders were looking for him… but couldn’t find him.

Still, everyone was talking about him. Some said Jesus was a good man, while others said he deceived people with his teaching. No one wanted to say too much because they feared the religious leaders. 

Halfway through the festival, Jesus went to the temple and started teaching the crowd. Everyone was amazed at what he said.

The religious leaders sent guards to get him. They went, but they weren’t able to grab him because it wasn’t time for him to die. Soon, the guards were spellbound by his teaching. They finally returned to the religious leaders. The leaders said, “Where is he? Why didn’t you bring him?”

The guards said, “We’ve never heard anyone talk like this man.”

The next morning, Jesus was once again teaching at the temple. The religious leaders went to him with a woman they had caught in immorality. They thought they could use her to trap Jesus and get evidence against him.

They said, “Teacher, this woman was caught in the very act of adultery. The law of Moses says we should stone her. But we want you to tell us what we should do.”

He acted like he didn’t hear them. He stooped down and used his finger to write in the dust. They didn’t allow him to ignore them. They kept asking about this situation. Finally he stood up and faced them. “Go ahead and stone her. But have the one without sin throw the first stone.” He then stooped down and started writing on the ground again.

The men stood there without saying anything. Finally they started leaving one by one, starting with the older men. Then Jesus stood up and looked around. He and the woman were the only ones standing in the middle of the crowd. He said to her, “Woman, where are those who were accusing you? Didn’t they condemn you to death?”

She said, “No, they didn’t, Lord.”

He said, “Well, I won’t condemn you to death either. Go, and don’t sin anymore.”

He then turned to the crowd and said, “I am the light of the world. Those who follow me will never walk in darkness because they’ll have the light of life.”

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Nebuchadnezzar’s Dream

167 – Nebuchadnezzar’s Dream

Daniel 2:1-49

Nebuchadnezzar had a dream that troubled him. He called his counselors and told them they were to interpret his dream. They said, “Tell us the dream and we’ll tell you what it means.”

The king said, “Listen carefully to what I’m about to say. You’re to tell me my dream as well as its interpretation. If you can do this, I’ll give you great rewards and honor you before everyone. But if you can’t do this, you’ll die a slow death, and all of your property will be destroyed. Now, tell me my dream!” 

His counselors were shocked. They asked a second time, “Please, tell us your dream and we’ll give you the meaning.”

Nebuchadnezzar grew impatient. “You’re stalling for time. You heard what I said. If I tell you my dream, you’ll simply make up something just to humor me. The only way I’ll know your interpretation is correct, is if you can tell me the dream.

At this point, the counselors begged him. “No king has ever asked their counselors to do this. Only the gods know what people dream when they’re asleep.”

Nebuchadnezzar became angry. He made a declaration that all the counselors were to be killed. So the guards started gathering them up. Daniel heard of this and immediately sent a message to the king, “Give me some time and I’ll tell you your dream, as well as the interpretation.”

God showed Daniel the king’s dream and gave him the interpretation. Then Daniel went to meet with the king. Nebuchadnezzar looked at him and said, “Is it true you can tell me my dream and its interpretation?”

Daniel was careful with his answer. “No man is able to do what you’re asking, but there’s a God in heaven who has shown me what you dreamed when you were asleep.

“He gave you a vision of what’s going to happen in the future of the world. You saw a massive statue in your dream. It had a head of gold. Its arms and chest were silver, and its belly and hips were bronze. It had legs of iron, and its feet were a mixture of iron and clay. Suddenly a stone was cut out of a mountain, but you couldn’t see the hands that did it. This stone hit the feet and the entire statue was destroyed.

“The pieces crashed to the ground and the wind blew it away as if it had no weight at all. As you watched, the stone got larger until it filled the entire earth.

“That was your dream. Now here is the interpretation. God has made you the head of gold. After you, will arise another kingdom that’s not as good as yours.

“Then a third kingdom of bronze will rule the world. The fourth kingdom will be as strong as iron and will crush everything in its way. This kingdom will divide into two parts like the legs of the statue. The last kingdom will also be divided into two feet with ten toes. It’ll have the strength of iron, but be as brittle as common clay.

“The stone carved out of the mountain is God’s kingdom, which will be formed without human hands. God will destroy all the kingdoms of this world, but His kingdom will never end.

“Oh king, God has shown you the future with a dream, and it’ll happen just as the dream has said.”

Nebuchadnezzar fell down with his face to the ground. He said, “Your God, he is God! He’s the Lord!” Nebuchadnezzar then made Daniel a great ruler in his kingdom.

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Daniel’s Decision

166 – Daniel’s Decision

Daniel 1:1-16

Nebuchadnezzar was king of Babylon. He conquered Jerusalem and took the people captive. He then ordered his officials to select the best young men and train them to serve in the royal court. They were to be given the best instruction in language, literature, and wisdom. This training would last three years, and during that time, the king would provide them the best food and wine. 

Four of the young men selected were Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. These men determined before the Lord that they wouldn’t defile themselves by eating and drinking things that were against God’s Law. Daniel asked the overseer to leave those things out of their daily diet.

“Oh no. I couldn’t let you do that! A day is coming when you’ll stand before the king. He’ll see that you’re scrawnier than the others, and then he’ll have me killed!”

At this point, Daniel chose his words carefully. “Please, before you decide, do a test. Allow the four of us to eat vegetables and drink water for ten days. Then see how we look in comparison to the others.”

The overseer highly respected Daniel, so he agreed to this test. At the end of ten days, Daniel and his friends looked better and healthier than all those who had been eating the king’s food and wine. So the overseer allowed the four of them to continue eating only vegetables and drinking water.

God was with Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. He gave them knowledge, and allowed them to understand wisdom. Daniel also understood visions and dreams.

At the end of three years, Nebuchadnezzar interviewed all of the young men who had gone through his training program. None of the others ranked as high as Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. So they began serving in the king’s court. He consulted them in every matter concerning wisdom and understanding.

In time, the king valued their counsel ten times higher than his other counselors. Daniel continued to serve in the court through the reign of many kings.

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Uzziah

149 – Uzziah

2 Chronicles 26:1-27:9 & 2 Kings 15:1-7 15:32-38

When Amaziah died, the people made his son, Uzziah, king. He was 16 years old and served as king for 52 years. God gave him great success because he followed the Lord and wanted to please him.

Uzziah did many wonderful works. He defeated the enemies of Judah and was known far and wide as a powerful king. He restored Jerusalem and strengthened the other cities of Judah. He loved the soil, so he excelled in farm activities. He provided for his army so that every man was well equipped for battle. He invented the catapult, so he could throw large stones from the walls of Jerusalem.

One day, King Uzziah was feeling proud of his accomplishments and his dedication to God. He decided to go into the Temple and burn the incense himself, instead of letting the priest do it. The high priest suddenly realized what he was about to do. He got 80 other priests and went in the Temple so they could stop the king from doing this.

He said, “Uzziah, this is wrong! God made it clear that only a descendant of Aaron is allowed to offer incense to the Lord. Please, leave right now! You’re not honoring God in this.”

Uzziah became angry as he stood next to the altar with the censer in his hand. He couldn’t believe all the priests were so bold as to confront him on this. Suddenly leprosy appeared on his forehead. All of the priests saw it and rushed him out of the Temple. He willingly went with them because he knew the Lord was punishing him.

Uzziah had leprosy for the rest of his life. He had to stay away from other people, so he lived in isolation. Because of the leprosy, he wasn’t allowed to go into the Temple. He couldn’t even go into his own palace. His son Jotham lived there and ruled the people in the king’s stead.

Jotham became king after his father died. He followed the example of his father’s early years. He continued to build up the kingdom of Judah. He did what was right and became a powerful king.

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Joash

144 – Joash

2 Kings 12:1-21 2 Chronicles 24:1-27

Joash was seven years old when he became king of Judah. Jehoiada, the high priest, taught the king and helped him live a godly life. As long as Jehoiada lived, Joash followed the ways of the Lord.

When the king was older, he decided to make repairs on the Temple of the Lord. Athaliah had taken every thing of value out of it to use in the worship of Baal.

Joash assigned priests and Levites to go throughout the nation and collect money for Temple repairs and annual upkeep. Many years earlier, Moses had provided for this by imposing a tax.

They started collecting the money, but the repairs didn’t start. The king finally realized the money was being used for administration costs and for other things the priests thought important.”

It was clear that the priests and Levites were the wrong people to oversee the Temple repair. Joash decided on a different method. He told men to make a large box and put it at the Temple gate. He then announced that people were to bring their money for the Temple and put it in the box.

The people of Judah liked this, so they brought their offerings and put them in the box. When it got full, the money was given to the men making the repairs. This gave them the ability to keep at their work and not slow down. They were men of integrity, so the king didn’t require them to give an accounting of the money and how it was spent.

The offerings kept coming in even after the work was done. So the extra money was used for making various tools of worship. The people of Judah became faithful at coming to the Temple and worshiping God.

All of this was done while Jehoiada was still alive. He died when he was 130 years old, having lived a good life. He had served his king, his God, and the people of Judah.

After his death, Joash listened to various leaders of Judah who wanted a different direction for the nation. He allowed them to make changes, and soon the people stopped going to the Temple to worship God. Instead they turned to idols and sex goddesses.

The Lord sent prophets to preach against this. The son of Jehoiada was now a priest. God had him stand before the people and say, “If you leave the Lord, he’ll leave you.”

The people rejected this message and wanted to kill the priest. Finally Joash ordered him to be stoned, even though he was the son of Jehoiada, who had been a faithful friend and advisor.

Soon afterwards, God allowed a small Syrian army to conquer the superior army of Judah and take Jerusalem. Many of the Jewish leaders were killed, the king was badly wounded, and the Syrians took everything of value. After they left, several men went into the king’s bedroom and killed him.

Joash had been king for 40 years. The people didn’t bury him in the tombs of the kings because of what he had done to the son of Jehoiada.

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Jezebel

142 – Jezebel

2 Kings 9:30 – 10:36

After Jehu killed the two kings, he went back to Jezebel to find Jezebel. She knew he was coming, so she put on makeup, brushed her hair, and sat next to her second floor window.

When he arrived, she called down to him, “Why are you here—to keep killing people who are better than you?”

He looked up at her, and then yelled, “Is anyone up there that’s on my side?” Some men who worked for the queen looked down from the window. Jehu yelled, “Throw her out of the window!”

They picked up Jezebel and threw her out of the window. She fell to the ground, splattering blood on the wall. Jehu drove his chariot over her several times. He then went inside to get something to eat.

After the meal, he said, “Well, I guess we should bury her. After all, she is a queen.”

He sent some men out to take care of this, but they could only find her skull, her feet, and the palms of her hands. They told Jehu, and he said, “God spoke through Elijah when he said, ‘Dogs will eat Jezebel at Naboth’s field, and she will be fertilizer.’”

Jehu then sent a message to the elders in Samaria. “Your city walls are strong, and you have plenty of horses, chariots and weapons. The 70 sons of Ahab live under your protection. Therefore, select one to be your king, and prepare for battle.”

The elders were terrified when they got this letter. They sent him a message saying, “We don’t want to make any of these sons of Ahab our king. We’re your servants and will do whatever you say.”

He sent a message back to them. “If that’s true, put the heads of those 70 sons in baskets and send them to me.” So the 70 sons of Ahab were killed, and their heads were sent to Jehu. He then made sure no other relative of Ahab was still alive.

Once all of this was done, Jehu made an announcement in Samaria. He said, “Ahab served Baal a little, but I’m totally dedicated to him. Therefore I’m having a great sacrifice to Baal. All the true worshipers of Baal are to be there. I’ll kill anyone who misses this meeting.”

This announcement was made all across Israel. Baal worshipers came from every part of the nation. They filled up the temple of Baal. No one was missing. Jehu said, “Look around and see if there are any servants of the Lord with us. If you see one, throw him out immediately. Only servants of Baal are welcome here.”

Once this was done, the people started making their burnt offerings. Jehu went outside and said to his men. “Go in and kill everyone. If anyone escapes, you’ll give your life for his.”

So the men went in and killed everyone. They then tore down the temple of Baal and made it into a large toilet.

The Lord said, “You have followed my instructions with enthusiasm. Therefore, your sons will be king of Israel for four generations.” So Jehu reigned over Israel for 28 years.

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Blind Soldiers

138 – Blind Soldiers

II Kings 6:8-23

The king of Syria invaded the land of Israel. He brought in his military leaders and told them his plans—where he was going to set up camp and how he was going to attack the Israelites. As soon as he spoke the words, Elisha went and told the king of Israel exactly what the Syrians were planning. The army of Israel made preparations and won the battle.

This happened several times until the king of Syria finally realized that the Israelites always knew exactly what he was planning. He said to his commanders, “Which one of you is a spy for Israel?” 

One of them said. “My lord, we’re all loyal to you. It’s Elisha, the prophet. He is the one telling his king about your plans. He knows what you say, even when you’re in your bedroom.”

“Where does this prophet live?”

“He lives in Dothan, my lord.”

So the king sent a large army with horses and chariots to Dothan. They arrived at night and surrounded the city.

Elisha’s servant got up early and stepped outside. Suddenly he saw this massive army. Running back inside, he yelled, “The Syrian army has surrounded the city. What are we going to do?”

Elisha was surprised. “Why are you afraid? Our army is much bigger than theirs.”

Then he prayed, “Lord, open this man’s eyes so he can see.” So the Lord opened his eyes. He looked out and saw that the mountain was covered with horses and chariots of fire. All of them were for Elisha.

At that point, the Syrians started moving in on the city. The prophet prayed, “Lord, please make all these men blind.” Suddenly the Lord struck them with blindness.

The prophet walked up to them and said, “Somehow you’ve gotten on the wrong road. You’re at the wrong city. I’ll guide you and take you to the right place.”

He then led them to Samaria, the capital of Israel. Once they were inside the gate, he prayed, “Lord, open the eyes of these men so they can see.” The men looked around and realized they were in Samaria.

The king of Israel saw this and said to Elisha, “Should I kill them? ”

“No. You can’t kill these men. You didn’t capture them in battle. They’re your guests. Give them food and drink, and let them go back to their master.”

So the king prepared a great feast for his guests. When everyone had had enough to eat and drink, they went back to the king of Syria. It was a long time before Syria invaded Israel again.

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Gehazi

137 – Gehazi

II Kings 5:15-27

After Naaman was healed at the Jordan River, he and his men went back to the prophet’s house and stood before him. Naaman said, “Today I’ve learned, and now know, that there’s no god on earth except the God of Israel. Please accept my humble gift.”

Elisha said, “As sure as God lives, I won’t take a gift from you.” Naaman insisted, but the prophet still refused.

Then the commander said, “Please let me have as much dirt as two mules can carry. I’ll no longer worship any other god. Instead, I’ll kneel on this dirt from Israel and worship the Lord God.”

He then asked for something else. “When my king goes into the temple of his god, I’m required to go with him because I’m his commander. While I’m there, I have to kneel down in front of the idol. I ask that the Lord will forgive me for doing this.”

Elisha said, “Go home in peace, and don’t worry about that situation.”

Shortly after Naaman left, Gehazi started thinking. “My master let this Syrian off too easy. He should’ve paid something. I’ll go catch up with him and ask for a gift for myself.”

So Gehazi went after the Syrian commander. Soon, Naaman saw him coming and stopped his chariot. He got off and greeted the servant. “Is everything all right?”

Gehazi said, “Oh yes, everything is fine. My master just found out that he’s having two young guests staying with us tonight. They’re from the school of the prophets. He was wondering if you would like to help with the expenses – possibly 75 pounds of silver and a couple of sets of clothes.”

“Certainly! Here, I’ll give you 150 pounds of silver in two bags, as well as two sets of clothes.” The commander gave all of this to a couple of his men so they could carry it back for the servant.

Gehazi had the men take the silver and clothes to his own house. Once everything was put away, he sent the men away. He then went and stood next to his master.

Elisha said, Gehazi, where did you go?”

“I didn’t go anywhere.”

Elisha said, “Oh my dear friend. My spirit was there when Naaman stopped his chariot and stepped down to greet you. It wasn’t your place to accept money, clothes, olive trees, vineyards, animals, or slaves. Therefore, Naaman’s leprosy is now attaching itself to your skin.”

With that, Gehazi turned and left the house. He looked down at his arms, and they were already white with leprosy.

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Jehoshaphat & Ahab

129 – Jehoshaphat & Ahab

I Kings 22:1-53 II Chronicles 17:1 – 19:3

After Asa died, his son Jehoshaphat became king of Judah. The Lord was with him, and he followed the example of King David.

The first thing he did was make the nation more secure. He also set up an educational program so people could understand God’s Laws. The Lord made the surrounding nations fear Jehoshaphat, so they didn’t want to go to war with him.

The king decided to build an alliance with the kingdom of Israel. So he arranged a marriage between his son and the daughter of King Ahab.

Jehoshaphat then went to Samaria to make the alliance stronger. Ahab said to him, “I’m going to fight a battle. Come with me and we’ll do it together.”

Jehoshaphat said, “I’m willing to go if it’s God’s will, so let’s ask a prophet.”

Ahab sent for his 400 prophets. He said, “Should we go into this battle?”

They said, “Yes! Go fight because God will give you victory.”

King Jehoshaphat said, “I want to hear from a prophet of the Lord. Don’t you have one in Israel?”

Ahab said, “Well yes. We have one. But I hate to call him because he only says bad things about me. He’s always talking about judgment.”

Jehoshaphat said, “Still, I want to hear from him.”

So Ahab said to his guards, “Go get Micaiah and bring him here.”

As the guards brought the prophet in, they told him, “Everyone else is saying good things about the king’s plans. So go along with them.”

He said, “As there is a God in heaven, I’ll say what the Lord tells me to say.”

When King Ahab saw Micaiah, he said, “Tell me. Should I lead my army into this battle, or should I stay home?”

Micaiah said, “Oh, you should definitely go. You’ll be successful.”

Ahab glared at him, “I’ve told you over and over. Always tell me the truth. What does the Lord really say about this battle?”

Micaiah said, “I see Israel scattered like sheep without a shepherd. Their master is dead.”

Ahab turned to Jehoshaphat. “See I told you. He only says bad things about me.”

Micaiah said, “Hear the Word of the Lord. I saw God sitting among his angels. He said, ‘How shall I get King Ahab to go to this battle?’ The angels had various ideas. Then one spirit said, ‘I can make him go. I’ll become a lying spirit in the mouth of his prophets. He’ll believe them and go into the battle.’ So, that’s what he did. Listen, the Lord wants you at that battle.”

One of Ahab’s prophets walked over and slapped Micaiah. Ahab yelled at his guards, “Put this man in prison. Give him nothing but bread and water until I come back from battle.”

Micaiah yelled at the crowd, “Everyone listen and remember. I’m not a prophet of God if the king returns from this battle.”

Both kings went to the battlefield. Once they were there, Ahab said to Jehoshaphat, “You can wear your royal robes, but I’ll disguise myself as a common soldier.”

The battle was fierce. The opposing army was focused on killing Ahab, but they couldn’t find him. At one point, they thought King Jehoshaphat was Ahab. But once they realized they were mistaken, they turned away from him.

Finally, a man shot an arrow into the air without aiming. It hit Ahab at a joint in his armor. He yelled, “Take me off of the battlefield. I’m wounded.” 

Ahab watched the battle propped up in his chariot. He died as the sun set in the west.

They took his body back to Samaria and buried him. Someone washed his chariot beside a pool. Dogs licked up his blood just as the Lord had said.

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Abijah & Asa

123 – Abijah & Asa

I Kings 15:1-34 II Chronicles 13:1 – 16:14

Jeroboam was still king of Israel when Rehoboam died. After his death, Abijah became king of Judah. Soon afterward, Jeroboam and the army of Israel invaded Judah. 

When the two armies faced one another, Israel’s army was twice as big. Still, Abijah stood on a hill and yelled over at the army of Israel. He said, “Men of Israel, you have left the family of David to serve a servant of Solomon. On top of that, you have left the God of Israel to worship Jeroboam’s two golden calves. And your priests are not from the tribe of Levi.”

He went on and on, preaching to the men. He didn’t realize that while he was doing this, Jeroboam was sending half of his men around to the back of Abijah’s army. Suddenly the army of Judah realized they were surrounded. They cried out to the Lord and the priests blew the trumpets. God fought against Israel and they ran from the battlefield. Many of their soldiers died that day. 

Jeroboam never recovered from this massive defeat, and he died soon afterwards. Abijah became stronger because he trusted the Lord. 

After Abijah died, his son Asa became king of Judah. He ruled for 41 years. The Lord gave him 10 years of peace because he returned the nation to the ways of David. He destroyed the idols Solomon had set up. He told the people of Judah to seek the Lord God. 

Suddenly a vast army from Ethiopia invaded from the south. The army of Judah was greatly outnumbered. Asa prayed, “Oh Lord, only you can help us now!” 

So the Lord helped him defeat the Ethiopian army. Many of them were killed as they tried to run away. When it was all done, their army was crushed before the Lord. The men of Judah collected all the possessions from the bodies that were lying on the battlefield. They also got all of their sheep and camels. 

As Asa and his men went back to Jerusalem, a prophet met him and challenged him to continue his walk with God. So the king decided to start destroying the idols from all the other cities of Judah. He even removed his grandmother from being Queen Mother because of her loyalty to an idol. 

People from the northern kingdom of Israel moved to Judah in large numbers because they worshiped the Lord. On a certain day, everyone met together and vowed to always serve God. Asa then took silver and gold and put it in the Temple treasury. So the Lord gave Judah peace from all their enemies. 

Unfortunately, Asa came to a turning point in his life. The new king of Israel declared war on Judah and invaded the land. He took control of a key city. 

Instead of trusting the Lord, Asa thought of another way he could get the advantage over Israel. He took the gold and silver out of the Temple and sent it to Ben-hadad, the king of Syria that was north of Israel. He sent a message saying, “I’m sending you gold and silver so you will break your treaty with Israel, and establish a treaty between our two nations.” 

Ben-hadad took the gold and silver and made a treaty with Asa. He then invaded Israel and captured several of their cities. Quickly the army of Israel left Judah so they could defend themselves against Syria. 

It seemed like Asa’s plan had worked. But then, a prophet went to king Asa and said, “You should have asked the Lord to fight for you— not Syria! Don’t you remember what God did with the massive army of Ethiopia? The Lord is looking for those who will trust Him. You were foolish in doing this. Therefore, you will be at war until you die.” 

Asa was angry with the prophet and called for a guard. “Put this man in prison!” After that, he became cruel toward his own people. Suddenly he developed a disease in his feet, which got worse and worse. Still, he didn’t seek the Lord’s help, even when the disease became life threatening. Instead, he trusted the doctors to help him. Finally, he died after two years of great pain.

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