Jesus said Isaac and Jacob would be in the Kingdom of God (Luke 13:28). They must, then, be considered great men of the Old Testament. Isaac, the son of Abraham, was the father of Jacob. His birth was as follows: And these are the generations of Isaac, Abraham’s son: Abraham begat Isaac: And Isaac was… Read More

Among the great men of the Old Testament, Joseph is truly unique. Joseph’s father, Jacob, originally intended to take only one wife, but his father-in-law, Laban, deceived him, and he ended up with two wives who were sisters. The account is given in Genesis 29-30. Competition between the two of them led to two more… Read More

Upon the death of Moses, Joshua was chosen to replace him. He was the conqueror of the Promised Land, and set the stage for the period of the judges that followed. This is why he is included in the section of the judges. The Byzantine historian, Procopius, wrote that in his day two columns of… Read More

The Israelites served God all the days of Joshua and all the days of the elders who outlived him. But in time a new generation arose that had not seen Gods power and works. They forsook God and turned to Baal worship (Judges 2:7, 10-11). According to the punishment God promised, they were sold into… Read More

After the death of Gideon, the Israelites again turned from God. We read: And the children of Israel did evil again in the sight of the LORD, and served Baalim, and Ashtaroth, and the gods of Syria, and the gods of Zidon, and the gods of Moab, and the gods of the children of Ammon,… Read More

The last of the Judges to be covered in this work is Samson. In many ways he was one of the most unusual. In our English Bible he is called Samson, but in the Hebrew tongue his name was “Shemshon,” pronounced with a long “e.” His name meant “the bright one,” or “strong man.” In… Read More

David was the second king over the 12 tribes of Israel, and certainly a man who trusted God and practiced righteousness. But his life is so entwined with that of Saul, it is necessary to consider the background and life of Israel’s first king-King Saul. Saul is both a good and bad example. Though eventually… Read More

There was no king of Israel who accomplished more for the prosperity of his people than Solomon. People who lived at that time were truly privileged to be a part of the nation of Israel. In spite of the fact that Solomon turned from God in his old age, his relationship with God for much… Read More

Upon Solomon’s death, his son Rehoboam took the throne. He was unrighteous, and early in his reign the ten tribes of the North broke away from the house of David. Rehoboam reigned 17 years and upon his death, his son Abijah took the throne. Abijah reigned only three years and upon his death his son… Read More

Upon the death of his father, Asa, Jehoshaphat took the throne. He was a righteous king and followed in the footsteps of his father. At this time there was a serious threat of war with Israel. Jehoshaphat took measures to protect his country. And Jehoshaphat his son reigned in his stead, and strengthened himself against… Read More

Jehu was not a righteous man in the sense that he was dedicated to God’s Way of Life. But he should be considered great because of his zeal in obeying God’s instruction to avenge the house of Ahab. He was given a commission through the prophet Elijah-a commission that played a major role in the… Read More

The father of Hezekiah, Ahaz, was a wicked king (2 Chr. 28:1-4), but Hezekiah did not follow in his footsteps. We may never know why some evil kings did not follow in the footsteps of their righteous fathers, or why some righteous kings did not follow in the footsteps of their wicked fathers. It would… Read More

Josiah, the last of the righteous kings of Judah, is the final king to be considered in this section. Josiah is perhaps unusual because a wicked father and wicked grandfather preceded him on the throne. His grandfather, Manasseh, was the most wicked king that ever ruled in Judah, and his father Amon followed in the… Read More

The Bible defines faith as “the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen” (Heb. 11:1). In brief, it is belief in God’s existence, and that what He has promised He will perform (v. 6). With this explanation, the first of the prophets we need to examine is Moses. Although he was… Read More

The advent of Samuel introduces a new era in the history of Israel. During the period of the judges, “open visions” were scarce. This was about to change. A theocracy under kings was also soon to begin, and God would now make His will known to the king, and to the people, by means of… Read More

One of the most fascinating of the prophets was Elijah. He is also one of the greatest, a man truly zealous for God. Little is known about the background and personal life of Elijah. He appears to have been middle-aged, at least, when he came on the scene-at a time when the nation of Israel… Read More

Elisha was chosen by God to continue the office of Elijah. His primary mission was to advise the kings of Israel. In that sense, what he accomplished was a continuation of the work of Elijah. Among the prophets who performed miracles, none surpassed Elisha. The number of miracles attributed to him is simply astounding. Some… Read More

The reason these three prophets are not covered as separate individuals in this work is because information about their personal lives and accomplishments is scant by comparison to others. It is for this reason we have not included a number of the “minor prophets” in this work as well. This does not mean, however, that… Read More

Daniel is the last of the great prophets to be covered in this section. He was one of the three most righteous men in the Bible (Ezek. 14:13-14). His name means “God is Judge.” He was one of the Jewish exiles taken to Babylon in 640 BC, and as a member of the royal seed… Read More

About 150 years before the time of Ezra, Isaiah the prophet prophesied of the work that Ezra was to accomplish. These prophecies did not refer to Ezra directly, but it did foretell his essential role in their fulfillment. Here are the prophecies: “Thus saith the LORD to his anointed, to Cyrus, whose right hand I… Read More