29.King David (1 Samuel 27–31; 2 Samuel 1–10; 13–24) 150
30. David’s Grave Sin (2 Samuel 11–12:25; Psalm 51) 153
31.Wise King Solomon (1 Kings 1–3; 6–8) 158
32.Wise Words for Living (Selections from the Book of Proverbs) 164
33.Elijah Defeats the Prophets of Baal (1 Kings 16–19) .............. 166
34.Elijah Taken Up in a Fiery Chariot (1 Kings 19; 2 Kings 2:1–22) 171
35.Jonah and the Great Big Fish (Jonah 1–4) 176
36.The Fiery Furnace (Daniel 1–3) 181
37.Daniel in the Lions’ Den (Daniel 6) 186
38.Queen Esther Saves Her People (Esther 1–10) ........... 190 The Ten Commandments .......... 196
God Creates a Perfect World
ភា�ព្រះស់ស់់ស្អាាតយើ�ក់ុ�ង�ិភ�យើ�ក់។
The Bible, God’s true Word, tells us that in the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was just cold and dark, without any shape, life, or light. Then God began to create order and beauty in the world.
light was good. He called the light “day” and the darkness He called “night.” There was evening and there was morning. It was day one.
Next God said, “Let the water be separated with some water above and some water below. Let there be a space in the middle that I will call the sky.” The only sounds were the ocean waves and the strong winds over the waters. The whole earth was covered by water, and there was no dry land at all. There was evening and there was morning. It was day two.
Then God said, “Let the water under the sky be gathered into one place. Let the dry ground appear.” And it was so.
God made trees which produced delicious fruit. God made plants that grew wonderful vegetables. God also made grasses and bushes and beautiful flowers. God said, “Let each plant make seeds so that each kind of plant will make more just like itself forever.” God saw that it was good. There was evening and there was morning. It was day three.
Next God made two great lights—the sun and the moon. God set them in place in the heavens to give light to the earth, to rule over the day and the night, and to divide the light from the darkness. God also made all of the stars. God saw that it was good. There was evening and there was morning. It was day four.
After He made the sun, moon, and stars, God said, “Let the waters be filled with many, many, many living creatures. Let the sky and the heavens be filled with birds of every kind, flying above the earth.” God created the wonderful sea creatures. God made everything that moves and swims in the water from the great whales to the smallest fish and other living sea animals. He also made the birds to fly through the air.
God blessed them and said, “Be fruitful and multiply. Fill the seas and the skies.” God saw that it was good. There was evening and there was morning. It was day five. After all the sea creatures and the birds were made, God said, “Let the earth produce all kinds of living creatures.” God made all kinds of creatures to live on the land. He made animals such as lions, tigers, and elephants. He made livestock such as cattle and
sheep. God also made all of the animals which creep and crawl. God saw that it was good.
A very important part of creation was still missing. God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, after Our likeness. I will make man the master of everything I have made so that he can take care of everything I have created.”
To make the first man, God took some dust from the ground and formed him. God breathed life into his nostrils. The first man became a living being. The first man’s name was Adam. The Hebrew word for “man” is Adam. God put Adam into a wonderful garden called Eden, which God had created for him.
In the garden of Eden, Adam had an important job. Adam was to work and care for the garden and for all that was in it. Adam’s job was joyful because God’s creation
was perfect. God told Adam, “You may eat the fruit of any tree that is in the garden except for the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. On the day that you eat the fruit of that tree, you will die.”
Adam enjoyed all the animals and named each one. But Adam noticed that among all the animals, there were not any which looked like him. Adam was the only person on earth.
God said, “It is not good for man to be alone. I will make a helper who is just right for him.” God caused Adam to fall into a deep sleep. While Adam slept, God took out one of Adam’s ribs. Using this rib, God made a woman. God brought the woman to Adam. Adam said, “This is bone of my bones and flesh from my flesh. She will be called ‘woman’ because she
was taken out of man.” Adam and Eve were man and wife. Even though Adam and Eve were both naked, they were not ashamed.
God was now finished creating everything. God looked around and said, “It is very good.” There was evening and there was morning. It was day six.
This is how all the heavens and the earth were created. All of God’s creation displays His glory and might. By the seventh day, God had finished creating everything, so He rested. God blessed the seventh day and made it holy. By that day, God had completed all that He wanted to create.
Gospel Connection
God made the world perfectly for us. God wants the very best for all people.
Words of Hope
God saw all He had made, and it was very good. (Genesis 1:31 NIV)
God Creates The World
Adam And Eve Sin Cain Kills Abel The Great Flood God Promises the Savior
od created everything to be perfect. It looked as if nothing could destroy the happiness which Adam and Eve experienced in the Garden of Eden. But an enemy of God and of all whom God loved was lurking in
This enemy is Satan, or the devil. Satan is entirely evil. Satan had once been one of God’s good angels. Then Satan tried to become greater than the Lord God, so God banished Satan from heaven forever. Satan wanted to make Adam and Eve disobey God. Satan thought that if he made Adam and Eve disobey God, God would not love them anymore.
Satan had a plan to trick Adam and Eve. Satan changed his body so that he looked like a snake. One day when Eve was standing near the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil in the middle of the garden, Satan came to talk to her. While Eve looked at the fruits on this tree from which God had forbidden them to eat, Satan said, “Did God really say to you, ‘You shall not eat from any tree in the garden?’” Eve answered, “We may eat the fruit from any of the trees in the garden. But God said, ‘Do not eat the fruit from the tree that is in the
middle of the garden. Do not even touch it, or you will die.’”
“You will not die,” the snake (Satan) said. He was lying. Satan told Eve, “God knows that on the very day that you eat of the fruit, you will be just like Him. You will know something which you have never known before. You will know good and evil.”
Eve looked at the fruit God had told her and Adam not to eat. She saw that the fruit was good to eat and beautiful. Eve suddenly believed Satan’s lies about how wise and smart she would become if she ate a piece of the fruit.
Eve took some of the fruit and ate it. Then she gave some to Adam, who was standing next to her. Adam ate some of the fruit too.
As soon as Adam and Eve ate the fruit, they were very frightened. Suddenly they knew that they were naked. To cover their bodies, they sewed fig leaves together to make clothing.
Later that evening, Adam and Eve heard the Lord God walking in the garden. They were terrified and tried to hide from God among the trees. God called to them, “Where are you?”
Adam answered, “I heard You calling and I was afraid. I hid because I am naked.”
God said, “Who told you that you are naked? Did you eat from the tree of which I said you shall not eat?”
“The woman that You put here with me gave me some of the fruit, and I ate it,” answered Adam.
God said to Eve, “What have you done?” Eve answered, “The snake tricked me, and I ate some of the fruit.”
God said to the snake (Satan), “Because you have done this, cursed are you above all the livestock and all the wild animals. You will eat dust and crawl on your belly as long as you live. I will put a strong hatred between you and the woman, between your descendants and her Descendant. He will crush your head, and you will bruise His heel.”
ដែ�លណ្ណោះ�ញ�ដែ�ែព្រះស់ឡាយ��ណ្ណោះអវ៉ា
ស្អាតាំងន្ទូឹងបណ្តាាលឱ្្យព្រះ�ង
God’s words meant that one day, a man from Eve’s family would fight against Satan. Satan would cause this man much pain, but the man would crush Satan forever. This was the first time that God promised to send His Son to be our Savior.
Adam and Eve had sinned against God. God still loved Adam and Eve, but He had to punish them because they had disobeyed Him. God said to Eve, “It will be painful for you whenever you have children. Your husband will rule over you.”
God said to Adam, “You listened to your wife and ate the fruit that I commanded you not to eat. Now you will have to work hard all the days of your life. As you eat your bread, your face will always be wet from the sweat of hard work.”
God also had mercy on Adam and Eve. To cover them, God made clothes for Adam and Eve out of animal skins. God said, “Now man and his wife have become like one of Us, knowing good and evil. We must not let them reach out and eat from the Tree of Life. If they do so, they will live forever in their sins.”
So God sent Adam and Eve out of the Garden of Eden. God put a mighty angel with a flaming sword, which flashed back and forth, to guard the entrance to Eden so that no one could eat from the Tree of Life.
Because of Adam and Eve’s sin, trouble was brought into the world. Pain, suffering, thorns, thistles, hard work that was no longer joyful, and physical death came into the world because Adam and Eve disobeyed God. The perfect paradise in the garden with God was lost for Adam and Eve. But God still loved them. God did not forget them. God made a wonderful plan and promise to get His children back from sin and Satan.
Gospel Connection
Adam and Eve’s sin ruined God’s perfect creation. After their disobedience, God promised them a Savior who would destroy sin, death, and the devil and restore our relationship with Him (Genesis 3:15). This Savior is Jesus, God’s Son.
Words of Hope
“For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.”
(John 3:16 NIV)
Adam and Eve Sin Cain Kills Abel The Great
Brothers Divided: Cain and Abel
God helped Adam and Eve to build their lives outside of the Garden of Eden. Eventually, God blessed Adam and Eve by giving them sons. Their firstborn son was named Cain. Their second son was named Abel. Adam and Eve had many other sons and daughters.
Abel was a shepherd. He raised sheep to use for food and for their wool. Cain was a farmer. He grew many different vegetables. When it was the harvest season, each brother gave an offering to God to thank Him for His many blessings. Cain brought God an offering of some of the food he had grown. Abel brought God an offering of the best meat from several of the first-born sheep in his flock.
God was pleased with Abel’s offering because he had given it to Him with true faith and thankfulness in his heart. Cain had not given his best to God. God was not pleased with Cain’s offering. This made Cain angry. God knew that Cain felt this way. God told Cain, “Don’t let your anger cause you to sin.”
Cain did not listen to God’s warning. At a later time when Cain and Abel were out in the field together, Cain killed his brother. God knew what Cain had done. God wanted to give Cain a chance to confess his sin to Him. God asked Cain, “Where is your brother?” Cain lied to God. He answered, “I do not know. Am I to take care of my brother?”
God was very angry with Cain. God told him, “Because of what you have done, you will no longer be able to grow any food. You shall have no home and will have to wander from place to place for the rest of your life.”
Cain said to God, “Your punishment is more than I can take. You’ve taken away my work as a farmer. You have separated
Yourself from me. I have no home and will have to wander from place to place. Whoever finds me will kill me because I have killed Abel.” Cain was not sorry about killing his brother. Cain was only sorry about how hard his punishment would be. Even though Cain had sinned when he murdered Abel, God had mercy on him. God told Cain, “If anyone kills you, that person’s punishment will be seven times worse than yours.” God put a mark on Cain so that no one would harm him. Cain then went away and settled in an area east of Eden. There, Cain and his wife had a son. Cain named him Enoch.
Later God blessed Adam and Eve with another son. Eve named him Seth. Through Seth, God continued to keep His promise to one day send a Savior to the world who would save all people from their sins.
It was a horrible sin when Cain murdered Abel. Yet, God had mercy on Cain and protected him. When we sin, God has mercy on us. He forgives our sins and loves us for Jesus’ sake.
Words of Hope
Remember, O LORD, Your great mercy and love, for they are from of old. Remember not the sins of my youth and my rebellious ways; according to Your love remember me, for You are good, O LORD. (Psalm 25:6–7 NIV)
God Promises the Savior Cain Kills Abel The Great Flood
Table of Contents
The Great Flood
From the time of Adam and Eve, God blessed His people so that their population grew and grew. By the time a man named Noah was born, hundreds of years had passed since God had sent Adam and Eve out of the Garden of Eden. The earth was now full of people.
A man named Noah and his family were part of the many people on earth. Noah was a righteous man. God considered Noah blameless among the people of his time. Noah walked with God. This means that Noah followed God’s will. He listened to God. He trusted in God.
Noah and his wife had three sons. Their names were Shem, Ham, and Japheth. These sons were also married. Noah’s wife and his family also believed in God. In the entire world, Noah and his family were the only people who followed God. In Noah’s time, the people on earth had become very evil. They were mean and cruel to one another. Their sinfulness made God very sad. God told Noah what He was going to do because of all the evil in the world. God said, “I have decided to destroy all the people that I have made. The earth is filled with violence because of them. I am going to send a huge flood upon the earth to destroy all the people. I am sorry I have made them. I want to start all over again.”
God wanted to save Noah and his family from the deadly flood waters. God told Noah to build a giant ark. God said, “Make the ark out of cypress wood with many rooms. Cover it with pitch inside and out so that it will be waterproof. Make the ark 450 feet long, 75 feet wide, and 45 feet high.”
Noah needed to build the ark so large because not just he and his family would need to be protected inside of it. God told Noah and his sons exactly how to build the ark so that it could hold Noah and his family as well as one pair, male and female, of all the living animals in the world.
Noah obeyed God and built the ark just as he was told. It took 120 years to finish it. When the ark was finished, God sent a male and female of every kind of animal to Noah. One pair of the many animals which lived on the dry land of the earth came to the ark and entered it. Pairs of birds also entered the ark. God protected His creation because He knew that during the flood, they would not be able to find food or a place to nest.
When all the animals were inside the ark, God said to Noah, “Now you and your family may enter.” When Noah and his family, eight people in all, were inside the ark, God closed the door of the ark behind them. God shut them in the ark to save them from the waters of the flood.
Noah was 600 years old when springs of water from deep within the earth burst upward and rain began to fall from the sky. For 40 days and 40 nights, rain poured down. The water on the earth rose higher and higher. First the water covered the roads and fields. Then the water covered houses and towns.
As the flood waters became deeper, they lifted the ark so it floated on the top of the water.
The flood waters rose so high that eventually the highest mountains on the earth were covered with water. The flood waters continue to rise until the mountain tops were covered by more than 22 feet of water!
Outside the ark, every living thing that could not swim died. Birds and livestock, wild beasts and animals that crept along perished. All the people also died. But everyone inside the ark was safe because God had told Noah how to build the ark so that it stayed dry.
God remembered Noah and all those who remained with him on the ark. God caused a great wind to blow over the earth so that the flood waters began to pull back. God shut the springs
of water within the earth and stopped the rain from falling. As the waters receded, the ark continued to float around for almost a half a year. Then one day, the ark touched dry ground on the side of a mountain called Ararat.
Noah sent out a raven from the windows of the ark. It kept flying back and forth as the waters continued to go down. Noah also sent out a dove, but it soon returned because there was no dry place for it to land..Noah took the dove back into the ark. A week later, he sent out the dove again. When evening came, the dove returned with a freshly plucked olive branch in its beak. Noah smiled. He knew that the waters were going down even more. One week later, Noah sent out the dove again, but this time it did not return.
រយៈណ្ណោះ�ល៧ស់បា�ណ្ណោះព្រះកាយមក៏
ណូ�ណ្ណោះអថា៖ “ចូូរឯងចេញពទឹូកចូះ
និងកូនប្រ្ស្លាស្រួ្ីឯងដែរ
នៅជាមួយនឹងឯងចេញមកផ្តុំង
ជើើង៤
បានមកប់ង្កើើើតិកូន
On the first day of the month when Noah was 601 years old, the water was drying up on the earth. Noah removed the covering of the ark. Looking out over the earth, he saw that the surface of the ground was dry. Seven weeks later, the earth was completely dry. God then said to Noah, “Come out of the ark, all of you: you, your wife, your sons, and their wives. Bring out all the living creatures that are with you—the birds and animals that creep along the earth—so that they may multiply and cover the earth again.”
Out of the ark came Noah, his wife, his three sons and their wives. All of the animals, the creeping things, the birds, and all the animals that move on the earth which had been preserved in the ark came out too. A fresh new world awaited all of them.
Noah built an altar to worship God and to thank Him for keeping his family and all the animals safe. God smelled the pleasant aroma coming from the sacrifice Noah burned on the altar. God said in His heart, “Never again will I destroy all flesh by a flood because of evil and the sins of man. I will never again destroy all the living creatures as I did. As long as the earth remains, planting and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, daytime and night will never end.”
God blessed Noah and his sons. God said to them, “Be fruitful and have many children. Make the earth full again. From now on, the animals of the earth and the birds of the air and whatever creeps on the ground or swims in the sea will be afraid of you. Every living thing is put under your control.”
Then God made a covenant with Noah and his sons..“This will be the sign that I will keep My promise to you for all ages to come. Look at My rainbow that I have put up in the sky. My rainbow will be the sign to you and all who come after you. Whenever I see the rainbow in the clouds, I will remember My covenant with you. Never again will I destroy all things that live on earth. When I see the rainbow, I will remember My promise that will last forever between Me and all lives on the earth.”
Gospel Connection
Because Noah followed and trusted God, God rescued him and his family from death in the flood. God rescues all who trust in Him from sin, death, and the devil. Through His Word and the water in Holy Baptism, God gives faith, forgiveness of sins, a new eternal life, and a home in heaven.
Words of Hope
For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast. (Ephesians 2:8–9 NIV)
In the years after the great flood, Noah’s sons Shem, Ham, and Japheth had many sons and daughters. When their sons and daughters grew up, they married and had many children. The earth’s population grew and grew. Everyone spoke one language and all used the same common words. As time went on, many people moved their families to the east, where they built a new city.
ព្រះ�ះជាម្ចាាស់់ម្ពីន្ទូស់�ូព្រះ�ះ�ឫ��ភា�អន្ទូួត
ព្រះក់អ�តព្រះក់�ម្ពីរបស់់ម្ពីន្ទូស់្សយើ�ើ�។
មនះស់សីជាតិិទាំំងអំស់់ជាពួកតែ១
បានច្ឆាប់់ផ្តើមធ្វើអំំពេើយ៉ាាងដុះចេុ្ះ
ប់ំភាន់ភាស្លាពួកគេ
The people said to each other, “Let’s work together and bake bricks from clay. We will use these bricks to build a tall building that will reach all the way to heaven. Then we will become so famous and admired that no one will dare to challenge us. We will always be remembered as the most important people who have ever lived on the earth.”
But God was not pleased with the people’s proud and arrogant talk. The people wanted to bring glory to themselves instead of giving praise and honor to God. God came down to look at the city and to see the tower which was being built. “Look at what the people are doing,” said God. “They are working together because they all speak the same language. If they can do this, there will be nothing that will be impossible for them to accomplish. Let Us go down and confuse their language. Then they will not be able to understand one another when they speak.”
God mixed up the language of the people. When they continued to build the tower, the workers could not understand each other. The people became angry and frustrated. They finally moved away to other areas because they could no longer understand one another. They could not work together anymore.
In this way God showed His might by scattering the people all over the earth.
The city with its great tower was never finished.
The place was named Babel, which means “confusion.” It was there that God confused the language of everyone in the world.
Though sin and rebellion separate us from God and others, God sent His Son Jesus to suffer, die, and rise again so that we might once again be reunited with God through faith in Him. Thousands of years later, the Holy Spirit gave Jesus’ followers the ability to speak in many languages so that people all over the earth could hear the truth that Jesus is the Savior.
Words of Hope
Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. (Proverbs 3:5 NIV)
The Tower of Babel Isaac Was Born Sodom and Gomorrah Destroyed
One of the countries to which God scattered the people was Babylonia. In Ur, a Babylonian city, there lived a very good man named Abram. Abram’s father was named Terah. Abram was married to a woman named Sarai. Later, God gave Abram and Sarai new names: Abraham and Sarah. The name Abraham means “father of many people.”
Abraham was a very wealthy man. He owned many herds of cattle, sheep, and camels. One day God said to him, “Come out of your country, away from your family and your father’s people. Go to a new land which I will give you. I will make you a great nation. I will bless you. I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing to others. Through you, all families of the earth will be blessed.”
យើ�យើ�លផែ�ល�ក់យើគបាន្ទូម្ពីក់�ល�ក់�
So Abraham took Sarah and his nephew Lot and left as God had told him. They took all of their possessions and their many servants and animals and traveled to the land of Canaan. Abraham was 75 years old. Sarah was 65 years old. When they came to the land where the Canaanites lived, God appeared to Abraham.
God told him, “I will give this land to your descendants.” Abraham then built an altar to the Lord to honor and worship Him. Even though he and Sarah were getting older and were yet to have any children, Abraham believed God’s promise that He would give them a family.
God continued to bless Abraham and protected him from many dangers. God made him rich with gold, silver, and very large herds of sheep, donkeys, cattle, and camels. But still Abraham and Sarah remained childless. Every day Sarah grew older, Abraham grew more and more worried. How would God give them a baby in their old age?
God knew Abraham was troubled. So He came and spoke to Abraham. God said, “Look at the stars in the heavens. Count them if you can. This is how many descendants I will give you.” Abraham continued to trust that God would keep His promise.
យើព្រះកាម្ពីយើ�ើម្ពីយើ�ើយើន្ទូះស់ន្ទូ
One day as Abraham sat in the door of his tent at Mamre in Canaan, God appeared to him as a traveler, along with two other men. It was the middle of the day and very hot. When Abraham saw the three men near his tent, he ran to them and bowed to welcome the visitors. Abraham said, “My lord, if I have pleased you, please stay. I will have some water brought so that you can wash your feet and rest under this tree. Let me get you something to eat to give you strength before you go on your way.” The men replied, “Do as you have offered.”
Abraham quickly asked Sarah to make cakes from three cups of fine flour. So they would have meat to eat, a servant prepared a young and tender calf. Abraham brought bread, butter, milk, and the roasted meat and set it in front of the three visitors. Abraham served them as they ate under a shady tree. Then the Lord asked Abraham, “Where is Sarah your wife?” “She is in the tent,” Abraham replied.
Then God said, “You can be sure that I will return this time next year and Sarah will have a son.” As she stood listening behind the tent’s door, Sarah heard what the Lord said. Because she and Abraham were very old, Sarah laughed to herself because she thought it would be impossible for her to have a baby.
God heard Sarah laugh and asked Abraham, “Why did Sarah laugh and say that she would never have a baby? Is anything too hard for God? I will return this time next year and Sarah will have a son!”
Sarah was afraid, so she said, “I really didn’t laugh.” But God said, “Yes, you did laugh.”
The Lord kept His promise to Sarah and Abraham. Sarah became pregnant and gave birth to a son. Sarah was 90 years old and Abraham was 100 years old when their son was born. They named their baby Isaac, which means “laughter.”
Then Sarah said, “God has given me laughter, and everyone who hears of this will also laugh with me. Who would imagine that I would nurse the child that God has given to Abraham in his old age!”
God kept His promise to Abraham and blessed him with a son. Abraham’s family grew to be a great nation. Jesus is a descendant of Abraham. Through Jesus’ death and resurrection, God kept His promise to save us from our sins. Through faith in Jesus we are a part of God’s family
Words of Hope
You are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus.
When Abraham, Sarah, and his nephew Lot first arrived in Canaan, they all lived near a place in Canaan called Bethel. As He did for Abraham, God also blessed Lot with many flocks of sheep and herds of cattle.
Abraham and Lot soon realized that if they continued to live together, there would not be enough room for all of their animals to graze and eat. The people who took care of Abraham’s herds and those who took care of Lot’s herds began to argue with one another.
So Abraham said to Lot, “We are all part of the same family, so let’s not argue. Choose the part of the land where you want to live. I’ll take the other part.” Lot looked around him. He chose the part of the land near the Jordan River which had plenty of water. Lot moved his family, his animals and his servants east to the area near the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah in the Jordan River valley. Abraham continued to live in Canaan.
The men who lived in the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah were very evil. God knew all about the evil and sinful things that the people in the city were doing. When God and the two men visited Abraham outside his tent about a year before Isaac was born, God told Abraham that He planned to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah.
When Abraham heard about God’s plan, he became very worried about his nephew Lot. He did not want Lot and his family to die along with the evil people in Sodom and Gomorrah. As Abraham and God walked together, Abraham prayed.
Abraham asked God, “If there are 50 people in Sodom and Gomorrah who follow You, will You still destroy the cities? I know that You would never treat the people who follow You the same way that You treat the people who do not.”
God answered Abraham’s prayer. He said, “If I find 50 godly people in Sodom, I will save it. I will save the whole place because of them.”
Abraham prayed to God again. He said, “I know it’s very bold for me to speak to You again for I am only a person. But what if there are only 45 people in the city who follow You? Will You still destroy the whole city?”
God answered Abraham, “If I find 45 people there, I will not destroy it.”
Again Abraham prayed to God. He asked, “What if only 40 people who follow You are found there?”
God replied, “If 40 godly people are found there, I will not do it.”
Boldly Abraham prayed again. He asked God, “What if there are only 30 people found there who follow You?”
God said, “If there are 30, I will not do it.”
“What if only 20 are found there?” Abraham prayed.
God said, “If there are 20, I will not destroy it.”
Then Abraham prayed, “Lord, please don’t be angry with me, but let me speak just one more time. What if only ten godly people are found in Sodom?”
God answered, “If there are ten, I will not destroy it.”. After His conversation with Abraham, God left.
That evening, two angels arrived at Sodom. Lot sat near the city gates. When he saw the angels, he bowed before them and said, “Please come to my house and spend the night.”
At first the angels replied, “No, we’ll spend the night in the street.” But Lot wouldn’t give up asking, so the angels went with him to his home. Lot prepared a meal for them to eat.
Before Lot and his guests went to bed, all of the men from every part of the city of Sodom came and surrounded Lot’s house. These men wanted to do evil things to God’s angels.
Lot went outside to meet with the men. To keep his visitors safe, he offered to give the evil men his daughters instead. But the men of Sodom wanted Lot’s guests. They tried to break down the door to Lot’s house to get inside. But the angels reached out and pulled Lot back into his house. The angels shut the door. Then the angels blinded all of the men outside the house so they could no longer find the door.
The angels told Lot, “Get all of your family out of here! God has sent us to destroy all of the evil people in this city.” Lot went to speak to his sons-in-law who were promised to marry his daughters.
Lot said to them, “Hurry up! Get out of this place for the Lord is going to destroy the city!” But Lot’s sons-in-law thought he was joking.
When morning came, the angels once again tried to get Lot to leave. They said, “Hurry! Take your wife and your two daughters and get out of here. If you don’t leave, you too will be swept away when Sodom is punished.”
Lot still didn’t move right away. So the angels grabbed him by the hand. They also took the hands of his wife and two daughters. The angels safely led them out of
Sodom. As soon as they were out of Sodom, one of the angels cried, “Run for your lives! Don’t look back! Don’t stop anywhere in the valley! Run to the mountains! If you don’t you will be swept away!”
Lot pleaded, “No, my lords! Please! You have been very kind to me by saving my life. But I can’t run to the mountains. There is a small town near here that I could run to. Please let me run to it.”
Then God said to Lot, “All right. I will let you go to the town you are talking about. But run there quickly. I can’t do anything until you reach it.”
The town where Lot wished to go was named Zoar which means “small.” By the time Lot reached Zoar, the sun was up. God rained down burning sulfur to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah. God killed all the people in those cities and the whole valley. Even all the plants were burned up.
As they ran to Zoar, Lot’s wife disobeyed God and looked back. When she did, she became a pillar made of salt. The next morning, Abraham went and looked toward Sodom and Gomorrah. Thick smoke like that from a furnace rose over the whole land. But God had answered Abraham’s prayers and had saved Lot.
Gospel Connection
In His great love and mercy, God answered Abraham’s prayer and rescued Lot and his family from destruction. In His great love and mercy, God sent His Son Jesus to rescue us from sin and eternal death.
Words of Hope
For He has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son He loves, in Whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.
(Colossians 1:13–14 NIV)
BIBLE TIMELINE (BC/BCE)
Sodom and Gomorrah Destroyed
God Tests
Abraham Esau and Jacob Live
Abraham’s Great Test
Abraham and Sarah loved their son Isaac very much. One day while Isaac was still a boy, God spoke to Abraham. God had a very difficult test for Abraham. God called to him, “Abraham!” Abraham replied, “Here I am.”
God said, “Take your only son Isaac, the one whom you love. Go to the land of Moriah. On one of the mountains there which I will tell you about, sacrifice Isaac as a burnt offering.”
Early the next morning, Abraham got up. He saddled his donkey. He took two of his servants and his son Isaac with him. He also cut enough wood for the burnt offering. They set out for the place God had told Abraham to go.
On the third day of their journey, Abraham saw the place God had in mind. Abraham said to his servants, “Stay here with the donkey. The boy and I will go over there and worship. We will come back to you later.”
Abraham put the wood for the burnt offering on his son Isaac to carry. Abraham himself carried the fire and the knife. Abraham and Isaac walked together to the place where God wanted them to go.
As they walked, Isaac asked, “Father the wood and the fire are here, but where is the lamb for the burnt offering?”
Abraham replied, “My son, God Himself will provide the lamb for the burnt offering.” Abraham and Isaac walked on together.
When they reached the place God had told them to go, Abraham built an altar for the sacrifice. Abraham arranged the wood on the altar. Then he tied up Isaac and placed him on the altar on top of the wood. Abraham reached out his hand and took the knife to kill his son as God had directed.
Suddenly, an angel of the Lord called out to Abraham from heaven. The angel cried, “Abraham! Abraham!”
“Here I am,” Abraham cried.
The angel commanded, “Do not lay a hand on the boy. Now I know that you have respect for God. You have not held back from me your only son.”
Abraham looked up. There in the bush was a ram, caught by its horns. Abraham offered the ram as a burnt offering instead of Isaac. Abraham named that place, “The Lord will provide.”
Then the angel of the Lord called out from heaven to Abraham a second time. The angel gave Abraham this message from God. The angel said, “Because you did not hold back your only son from Me, I will bless you. I will make your offspring as many as the stars in the sky and as the grains of sand on the seashore. In your offspring, all the nations of the world shall be blessed because you have obeyed Me.”
Abraham and Isaac returned to the two servants. They all traveled home together.
Abraham’s love for God was so strong that he was willing to sacrifice his son Isaac according to God’s command. God’s love for us is even stronger—He sacrificed His only Son Jesus so we can be saved through faith in Him.
Words
of Hope
[Jesus] is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world.
Isaac loved his wife Rebekah very much. Together they prayed to God for the blessing of children, but after twenty years of marriage, Rebekah remained childless. Isaac continued to pray for his wife and one day, God answered his prayer. Rebekah became pregnant. She
felt two children struggling in her womb because she was going to have twins. Rebekah said, “If all is well, why is this happening to me?”
God told Rebekah, “Two nations are in your womb. From you, two separate groups of people will come. One will be stronger than the other, and the older will serve the younger.”
Rebekah did give birth to twins. The oldest twin had reddish skin and hair which covered his body like a coat. This twin was named Esau, which means “hairy.” The second twin was also a boy. As he was being born, he came out holding on to Esau’s heel. The second boy was named Jacob, which means “he takes by the heel” or “he cheats.”
When the boys had grown up, Esau became a skillful hunter who liked to be out in the open country. Jacob was a quiet man who stayed back home inside the tents. Isaac’s favorite son was Esau because he liked to eat the meat of the wild animals Esau hunted. Jacob was Rebekah’s favorite.
One day when Esau returned from hunting, he smelled the stew that Jacob was cooking. Exhausted, Esau said, “Give me some of that red stew. I’m starving!” But Jacob replied, “First sell me your birthright.” Esau said, “I’m about to die from hunger. Why do I need a birthright?”
Jacob said, “Swear that you will give it to me.” Esau swore to give Jacob his birthright. Esau believed that a bowl of stew was more important than the gifts he would someday receive as Isaac’s firstborn son.
Now that Isaac was an old man, he could no longer see well. One day he said to Esau, “I am old and I don’t know when I will die. It is time for someone else to lead our family. Take your weapons and go hunting. Bring back some meat and fix me a good meal. After the meal, I will make you the leader of the family and give you my blessing.”
Rebekah heard what Isaac had said to Esau. As soon as Esau left to hunt, she called Jacob. Rebekah said, “I heard your father tell Esau that he wants to give him the blessing now. My son, listen carefully and do what I tell you. Go and get two goats. I will prepare them just the way your father likes them. Then you will take it to him so that he will give you the blessing instead of Esau.”
Jacob replied, “My brother Esau is a hairy man, and I have smooth skin. If Father touches me, I would appear to be tricking him. This will make him very angry.” But Rebekah insisted, “Do as I say.”
Rebekah put Esau’s best clothing on Jacob. She put the skin of the goats over Jacob’s hands and over the smooth part of his neck so that his skin would feel like Esau’s hairy skin.
Jacob pretended to be Esau. He took the food that his mother had made and brought it to Isaac. When Isaac smelled Jacob’s clothes, they smelled like Esau’s. When Isaac touched Jacob’s arms, they felt like the hairy arms of Esau.
Isaac said, “Who are you, my son?” Jacob said, “I am Esau, your firstborn son. I have done as you told me. Sit up and eat my food so that you may bless me.”
Isaac said, “Come here my son and let me touch you. I want to know if you are really my son Esau or not.” Jacob went closer to Isaac. As Isaac touched him he said, “The voice is Jacob’s and the hands are Esau’s hands.” “Are you really my son Esau?” Isaac asked. “Yes, I am,” said Jacob. Isaac ate the food Jacob had brought him.
Then Isaac said, “Come near and kiss me, my son.” When Isaac noticed that Jacob’s clothes smelled like the fields, he gave Jacob his blessing. Isaac said, “May God always bless you. May people serve you and nations bow down to you. Rule over your brothers, with your mother’s sons bowing down to you. Cursed be everyone who curses you, and blessed be everyone who blesses you.”
A short time after this, Esau returned from his hunting. He said to Isaac, “Father, I am back. I have prepared a wonderful meal for you. Now give me your blessing.” But Isaac answered, “Who are you?” Esau replied, “I am your firstborn son, Esau.”
Isaac shook all over. He knew he had been tricked into giving his blessing to Jacob instead of Esau. When Esau realized what Jacob had done, he became so angry that he made plans to kill Jacob after Isaac died. Rebekah found out about Esau’s plan. To protect Jacob, she told him to run away to her brother Laban until Esau’s anger died down.
Quickly Jacob left his mother and father and traveled to Rebekah’s homeland. One night along the way, he came to a place to sleep. He put a stone under his head as a pillow. As he slept, Jacob dreamed of a stairway that reached to heaven. God’s angels were going up and down on the staircase. At the top of the stairs stood God Himself.
God said, “I am the Lord, the God of your grandfather Abraham and of your father Isaac. The land where you sleep will be given to your descendants. Your children will be like the dust of the earth. They will spread to the north, south, east, and west. Because of you and your descendants, all the families of the earth will be blessed. I am with you and will keep you safe. I will not leave you until I have done what I promised.” God changed Jacob’s name to Israel. His descendants, God’snation, would come to be known as Israelites.
The next morning when Jacob woke up he said, “Now I know for sure that God is with me and wants to bless me.” Jacob took the flat stone he had used for a pillow and set it up as a pillar. He poured oil on it to designate it as a holy place Jacob named the place Bethel.
When Jacob arrived in his mother’s homeland, he met his Uncle Laban and began to work for him. Jacob took care of Laban’s large flocks of animals. As payment for his work, Jacob was allowed to marry Laban’s two daughters, Rachel and Leah. As the years passed, Jacob became the father of twelve sons. God blessed Jacob with wealth and with hundreds of cows, sheep, and goats.
After twenty years of working for Laban, God told Jacob that it was time to return to his homeland. He took his wives, his children, his servants, and all the goats, sheep, cows, camels, and donkeys he had earned while working for Laban. At first, Laban was not happy that Jacob left him. Eventually, Jacob and Laban made a covenant to keep their loved ones safe.
When Esau learned that Jacob was coming home, he sent a message to him. Esau told Jacob, “I am coming to meet you. I will bring 400 men with me.” Jacob was terrified. He prayed, “O God of my father Abraham and God of my father Isaac. You told me, ‘Go back to your country and relatives and I will make you prosper.’ Please save me from my brother Esau. I am afraid that he will attack me and kill me.”
Hoping that Esau was no longer angry with him, Jacob sent out some of his servants to bring gifts to Esau. To keep his family
safe, Jacob went out ahead of them to meet Esau. As Esau approached him, Jacob bowed down to the ground seven times to show respect to his brother. But Esau was no longer angry with Jacob. Instead, Esau ran to Jacob. He hugged him and cried tears of joy. “Who are all these people with you?” Esau asked.
“These are the children God has given to me,” Jacob explained as each of his wives and his children came and bowed down before Esau. Esau welcomed his brother home. Esau had forgiven Jacob and was very happy to see his brother and Jacob’s big family. Esau wanted the whole family to be together again.
Gospel Connection
God worked in the hearts of Jacob and Esau so they could be reconciled to one another. Our sins make us enemies of God. But God has reconciled us to Him through the death of Jesus for our sins.
Words of Hope
We also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.
(Romans 5:11 NIV)
BIBLE TIMELINE (BC/BCE)
Esau and Jacob Live Joseph Sold As Slave Joseph Serves in Egypt
After his reunion with his brother Esau, Jacob and his family settled in Canaan. Jacob had twelve sons, but his favorite son was Joseph. Joseph was Jacob’s second youngest son. Jacob had a beautiful and very expensive coat made for Joseph. When Joseph’s brothers saw that their father Jacob loved Joseph best of all and had given him such an expensive gift, Joseph’s brothers became very jealous of Joseph and hated him.
One day, Joseph had a dream. He said to his brothers, “Listen to this dream I had. We were working together out in the field tying bundles of grain. My bundle of grain stood up, and all of your bundles of grain bowed down to mine.” When they heard Joseph’s dream, his brothers became even more angry with him. They asked Joseph, “Do you think that you will rule over us?” Joseph’s brothers hated him even more than before.
Another time Joseph had a dream that was similar to the dream about the bundles of grain. In this dream, Joseph saw the sun, the moon, and eleven stars. The sun, the moon, and stars all bowed to Joseph. Joseph told his brothers and his father Jacob about this dream too.
When he heard about Joseph’s dream, Jacob said, “Do you think that your mother and I and your brothers will bow down to you?” Joseph’s brothers became even more jealous and angry. They hated
Joseph so much that they decided to find a way to get rid of him. But Jacob thought about and remembered what Joseph had said.
Some time later, Jacob sent Joseph out to the fields to see how his brothers were doing as they took care of the flocks of animals. When Joseph’s brothers saw him coming in the distance, they said, “Look. Here comes that dreamer. Let’s kill him and throw him in this well. We can say that a wild animal ate him. Then we will see what will become of his dreams.”
But Reuben, Joseph’s oldest brother said to his younger brothers, “Don’t kill Joseph. Just throw him in the well. Don’t shed his blood.” Reuben had a plan to later go back to rescue Joseph and bring him back to his father. When Joseph reached his brothers, they stripped off his beautiful robe and threw Joseph into the empty well. As the brothers ate their meal, they saw merchants riding camels on their way to Egypt to sell spices. The brothers pulled Joseph up from
the well. For twenty pieces of silver they sold him to the merchants as a slave. Then Joseph’s brothers took his beautiful coat and tore it to shreds. They dipped the pieces into the blood of a goat they had killed to make it look as though Joseph had been attacked by a wild animal
When the brothers returned home from the fields, they took Joseph’s coat to their father, Jacob. The brothers said, “We found this. Look carefully. Doesn’t it look like Joseph’s coat?”
Jacob cried, “It is my son’s coat! A ferocious animal must have killed him! Joseph is surely dead now.” To show how very sad he was, Jacob tore his clothes and put on sackcloth. He mourned for Joseph for many days. None of his sons or daughters could comfort him. When the merchants arrived in Egypt, they sold Joseph to be a slave to a man named Potiphar. Potiphar was the captain of the soldiers who guarded Pharaoh, the Egyptian king. Even though Joseph was far away from his family, God was with him and blessed him in all that he did. Potiphar respected Joseph and his work so much that he put Joseph in charge of all his other servants. Joseph was very handsome. Potiphar’s wife tried to make Joseph fall in love with her, but Joseph resisted her. Because Joseph would not love her, Potiphar’s wife made up lies about him. She said, “Look! That Hebrew slave tried to attack me!”
Potiphar believed his wife’s lies and had Joseph locked up in Pharaoh’s prison. Even in prison, God was with Joseph. The head of the prison put Joseph in charge of the other prisoners. This warden didn’t worry about anything because Joseph was in charge. God gave Joseph success in all that he did.
One of the other prisoners had once worked closely with Pharaoh. One night he had a dream. He told Joseph about it. God gave Joseph the ability to understand the prisoner’s dream. Joseph told the prisoner, “In the past, you were Pharaoh’s special servant. Your dream means that you will soon be his servant again.” Just three days later the prisoner’s dream came true. The man was released from prison and went to work for Pharaoh again.
Two more years went by. One day, Pharaoh himself had a dream. The Egyptian king dreamed that he was standing by the Nile River. He saw seven fat, beautiful cows come up out of the river to graze on the grass. Then he saw seven skinny, ugly cows come. The skinny cows completely ate up the fat, beautiful cows. It was a very strange dream. Pharaoh woke up and thought about his dream. Then he fell asleep again and had another dream. This time, there were seven heads of healthy and full grain which sprouted on a stalk. Then seven more heads of grain appeared on the stalk, but these new grains were thin and shriveled up by the east wind. Suddenly, the seven shriveled heads of grain ate up the seven healthy heads of grain. Pharaoh awoke once more. It had been yet another strange dream.
The next morning Pharaoh was very troubled. He called for all his magicians and wise men, but no one could interpret his dreams. But then the servant Joseph had met in prison spoke up. He now worked as chief butler and said, “When I was in prison, I met a young Hebrew slave. When I had a dream I could not understand, this young man told me the meaning of my dream. It came to be exactly as he said. I think that this man can help you to interpret your dream.”
Pharaoh immediately called for Joseph and said, “I have had a dream that no one can interpret. I have heard that you can tell me what it means,” Pharaoh said
“I cannot tell you,” explained Joseph. “God will give you the answer.”
Pharaoh then explained the dreams to Joseph who listened carefully. Joseph said, “The dreams have the same meaning. God has shown you what He is soon going to do. First, Egypt will have seven good years with plenty of food to eat. But then there will be seven very bad years where no food will grow at all. God gave you two dreams because He surely will do it and it will happen soon. Pharaoh should find a wise, discerning man who can help store food, so the country will not be ruined by the famine when the seven bad years are coming.”
Pharaoh liked Joseph’s plan. The Egyptian king said, “Since God has made this known to you, you shall be in
charge of my palace and all people must obey your orders.” Pharaoh took off his ring and gave it to Joseph. He gave Joseph royal robes to wear. In all of Egypt, only Pharaoh was greater than Joseph. Joseph was 30 years old when he began to serve Pharaoh. During the seven years of abundant crops, Joseph collected and stored much grain. After the seven years of good crops, the years of famine began, just as Joseph had said. When the people of Egypt cried for food, Pharaoh sent them to Joseph. Joseph opened the storehouses to feed the Egyptians. People from all over the world also came to Egypt to buy food.
Gospel Connection
God was with Joseph and worked good things in his life despite challenging circumstances. When we face difficult times, God is with us and promises to help us for Jesus’ sake.
Words of Hope
And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose.
(Romans 8:28 NIV)
BIBLE TIMELINE (BC/BCE)
Joseph Sold As Slave Joseph Serves in Egypt Joseph Forgives His Brothers
Exactly as God had led Joseph to explain to Pharaoh, Egypt had seven years of good crops followed by seven years of famine. It was not only in Egypt that the harvests failed. People all over the world were starving. Soon the message reached other nations that there was food available in Egypt.
When Joseph’s father Jacob learned that there was grain in Egypt, he said to his sons, “Why do you keep looking at each other? I have heard that there is grain for sale in Egypt. Go there and buy some for us so that we may live and not die of hunger.”
Jacob sent ten of his sons from Canaan to Egypt to buy grain. Jacob did not send his youngest son Benjamin. Jacob feared that something bad would happen to Benjamin as it had to Joseph so many years ago.
Joseph was the ruler of Egypt who controlled the amount of grain that was sold. When Joseph’s brothers arrived in Egypt, they bowed their faces to the ground in front of Joseph to show honor to him. Joseph’s brothers did not recognize him, but Joseph recognized them immediately. “Where do you come from?” Joseph harshly asked his brothers.
“We have come from Canaan to buy food,” they replied.
Joseph remembered the dreams he had long ago about them. “You are spies coming to see how this land is unprotected!” Joseph accused.
“No,” his brothers answered. “We are your servants, twelve brothers of the same man who lives in Canaan. Our youngest brother is home with our father, and one brother is no more.”
Joseph replied, “You are spies. I will test you to see if you are telling the truth. As Pharaoh lives, you will not leave here until your youngest
brother comes to Egypt. Send one brother to get him. The rest of you must stay in prison until he is brought here.” Joseph kept his brothers in custody for three days.
On the third day, Joseph had his brothers released from prison. Joseph said, “I fear God. Do this and you will live. If you are honest men, one of you will remain here while the rest return to your country with food for your starving families. You must bring to me your youngest brother to prove you are telling the truth. Otherwise you will all die.” Joseph had his brother Simeon tied up and thrown into prison as his other brothers watched.
Joseph gave orders that the bags of his other brothers be filled with grain. Secretly, he had their payment for the grain in silver coins placed back into their sacks. With food to eat along the way, Joseph’s brothers loaded their donkeys and left for Canaan. When they stopped for the night, one of the brothers saw the silver coins he thought he had used to pay for the grain near the top of his sack. The brothers asked each other trembling, “What has God done to us?”
When they reached their home in Canaan, they told their father Jacob everything that had happened in Egypt. They told him that they were to bring their youngest brother back to Egypt to prove that they were not spies. As they emptied their sacks of grain, the brothers and their father discovered that all the money they thought they had given to pay for the grain was there in their sacks. They were afraid.
Jacob did not want Benjamin to go back with his other sons to Egypt. He was afraid Benjamin
would die. But soon Jacob and his family needed more grain to eat. Eventually the sons convinced Jacob that the only way they could satisfy the man who had accused them of spying was to bring Benjamin back with them.
Finally Jacob gave in. He told his sons, “Take some of the best things from our land like spices, nuts, and honey as a gift for the man in Egypt. Take double the money for the grain. Also take Benjamin. May the Almighty God cause the man to show mercy on us.”
Joseph’s ten older brothers along with his younger brother Benjamin returned to Egypt. They bowed before Joseph as they gave him their gifts. Joseph asked them, “How is your old father? Is he still living?”
“Your servant, our father is still alive and well,” the brothers replied.
Joseph looked and saw Benjamin, his own mother’s son. Joseph asked, “Is this your youngest brother, the one you told me about?”
When Joseph saw Benjamin, he was so surprised that he quickly went away from his brothers so he could cry for happiness without being seen. When his emotions were once again in control, he washed his face and went back to his brothers. “Serve the food,” Joseph ordered. All of Joseph’s brothers ate dinner with him.
When it was time for them to leave for home, Joseph gave orders for their sacks to be filled with as much grain as possible.
He once again had the money for the grain placed back into their sacks. This time Joseph also ordered that his silver cup was to be placed in Benjamin’s sack.
The next morning, the brothers set out for home. Joseph commanded one of his managers to follow them. The manager rode quickly to catch up with Joseph’s brothers. The manager accused the brothers of stealing Joseph’s silver cup. Shocked, the brothers replied, “We would never do such a thing. We returned the silver we found in our sacks the last time. If any one of us has the cup, he must die. The rest of us will be your slaves.”
“Only the one who has the cup will be a slave,” the manager replied. He searched each sack from that of the oldest brother to that of the youngest. The manager found the silver cup in Benjamin’s sack. Upon this discovery, the brothers tore their clothes in sorrow. They loaded their camels and returned to the city.
Joseph’s brothers threw themselves on the ground before him. Joseph said, “Don’t you know that I see the unknown? What have you done?
The brothers pleaded, “How can we prove that we are innocent? God has shown that we are guilty. We will all be your slaves, not just the one who is found to have the silver cup.”
Joseph said, “Only the one who had the cup must remain. The rest of you go back to your father in peace.”
But Joseph’s brother Judah said, “Please listen and do not be angry. You asked about our father and discovered that we had a younger brother. We told you that he cannot leave his father, but you said that we could not return unless we brought him. My father loves this boy so much that if he does not return, my father will die. I guaranteed to keep the boy safe. Please let me remain here in place of him. I cannot bear the misery that will come to my father if he loses another son.”
Joseph could not control his emotions any longer. He commanded all his servants to leave his presence. Joseph cried so loudly that all of his household and Pharaoh’s servants heard him. Joseph said to his brothers, “I am Joseph. Is my father still alive?” Joseph’s brothers were terrified.
“Come near,” Joseph said to his brothers. “I am Joseph, your brother that you sold as a slave. Don’t be afraid of me. You did evil to me, but God turned it into something good.” Joseph hugged and kissed his younger brother Benjamin as he cried tears of happiness.
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Joseph kissed all his brothers. He said to them, “Go and bring our father to come and stay with us here in Egypt so we can all live as one big family again.”
Pharaoh was pleased that Joseph’s brothers had come. He ordered them to take wagons back to Canaan so they could quickly move to Egypt. Jacob could not believe the news he heard from his sons when they told him, “Joseph is still alive. He rules all of Egypt.” Jacob did not know what to think. Finally, when he saw the wagons from Egypt, he believed it was true. When Jacob and his family arrived in Egypt, Pharaoh gave them a wonderful piece of land to live on in a place called Goshen. There Jacob and his family lived safely through the years of famine.
Despite the evil actions of Joseph’s brothers against him, God worked good for Joseph and for his family. Despite our sinfulness, in His great mercy and grace, God works good for us and blesses us through Jesus our Savior.
Words of Hope
The LORD is good, a refuge in times of trouble. He cares for those who trust in Him. (Nahum 1:7 NIV)
BIBLE TIMELINE (BC/BCE)
Joseph Serves in Egypt Joseph Forgives His Brothers Job Tested by Satan
During the time of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob lived a man named Job. Job was an honest man. He respected God and avoided evil. God blessed Job in many ways. Job had seven sons and three daughters. Job prayed constantly for his family. He was also very rich. Job owned thousands of sheep and camels along with many oxen and donkeys. Job had many servants. In the land where Job lived, he was the most important man.
God noticed Job’s goodness and kindness. But so did Satan. Satan is God’s enemy and the source of all evil. Satan roams the earth looking for ways to hurt God’s people. Satan came to God and told Him, “Job loves You only because You give him everything he needs. But if You take away everything he has, then he will speak evil against You.”
God was sure that despite such hardship, Job would continue to trust in Him and honor Him. So God told Satan, “You may test Job. Take away all he owns. But do not hurt Job himself.”
One day soon after, Satan did many evil things to Job. Thieves stole all of Job’s oxen and donkeys. Lightning killed all of his sheep and his shepherds who took care of them. All of Job’s camels were stolen. Worst of all, all of Job’s sons and daughters were killed when a very strong wind blew down the house in which they were eating dinner together.
Job was filled with sorrow at his great loss. He tore his clothes and shaved his head to show how sad he was. Then he worshiped God. Job said, “Even though God has taken away all that He has given me, I will still praise Him.” Job did not blame God for any of the terrible things that had happened to him.
បានប់នំគោរពកោតិខា
សោះកសៅទាំំងអំស់់ដុះលគ្នាតិក៏ដោយ”។
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ជា�ុំខ្លាំន្ទូយើ�ើ�”។
ព្រះ�ះព្រះ�ងម្ចាន្ទូព្រះ�ះបន្ទូូ�លថា “
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រ�ូត�លព្រះក់យើ�ក់្បាល។
យើ�ើ�ម្ចាន្ទូអារម្ពីណ្ត៍ថា
ព្រះប�ន្ទូធរបស់់�ុូបបាន្ទូន្ទូយ៉ា�យើ��ត់ថា៖
On another day, Satan came to God again. God told Satan, “My servant Job has continued to honor Me despite all the hardship you brought him.”
But Satan replied, “That’s because Job himself was not hurt. If Job becomes sick, then I’m sure he will speak evil against You.”
God said, “You may bring illness on Job, but you must not kill him.” Satan left and went on his way.
Soon Job became very sick. Satan made terrible sores called boils to cover Job’s body from the top of his head to the bottom of his feet. Job was in much pain and felt very miserable.
Job’s wife said to him, “It’s all God’s fault that these things are happening.”
But Job told her, “Be quiet! You are talking nonsense. We accept good things from God. We should be patient and trusting when God sends trouble.”
Three of Job’s friends named Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar heard about Job’s troubles and came to visit him. When they saw Job sitting in ashes covered with sores and clothed in rags, they were very sad. For seven days and seven nights they sat with Job but did not say a word to him. His friends could see how much he was suffering.
Then Job’s friends began to offer him advice. One friend said, “You must have committed a very bad sin. God would not send such pain and suffering to someone who was good. God is punishing you for something you have done wrong.”
But Job knew that he loved God with all his heart. Job told his friends, “I’m innocent.” But his friends replied, “Stop pretending! Tell God you’re sorry for what you’ve done. Then God will forgive you and everything will go well for you again.”
Job pleaded with his friends, “Why won’t you have pity on me? Why won’t you believe me? I need loyal friends to help me. You are no comfort to me in my troubles.”
Job knew that the advice his friends had given him was wrong. But Job began to feel that God was being very unfair
to him. Job wished that he could take God to court so things could be settled between them. But Job knew this was impossible because God is not a man. Job felt more and more bitter. Many times he cried, “I wish I had never been born.” Job questioned God over and over about his suffering. He waited and waited for God to answer him
Then a fourth man who was much younger than Job and his friends came to see him. This man’s name was Elihu. Elihu was angry with Job because Job believed that God was wrong. Elihu was angry with Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar because they continued to say that Job was guilty of a terrible sin even though they could not prove it.
យើអល��៊ូវិបាន្ទូន្ទូយ៉ា�យើ�កាន្ទូ�ុូបថា
ន្ទូយ៉ា�ជាម្ពី��ក់បងៗ
ម្ចាន្ទូអា�យើព្រះចើន្ទូជាងខ្
Elihu said to Job, “I waited to speak to you because I am so young. You are older and are supposed to be wise. But you have
it all wrong. God knows all things. God is so much greater than any person. God made all things. He controls everything in the world. Everything God does is fair and right. God saves suffering people and speaks to them when they are hurting. God wants you to respect Him and listen to Him.”
Suddenly a huge storm came up with a very great wind. Job heard God speak out of the storm. God said, “Job, you have been asking Me many questions. But you must answer My questions to you. Where were you when I made the world? Can you tell me where light comes from? Can you make the clouds give rain? Can you teach hawks where to fly? Answer Me, Job!”
Job had no answers to God’s questions because only God knows the answers. Job was ashamed. While he had lived a good life and had kept God’s laws, he thought he could argue with God as if he had the same strength, power, and wisdom as God Himself.
God did not explain to Job the reason for all his troubles. But God led Job to realize that he could also trust in Him and in His wisdom. Job said, “God, now that You have spoken to me, I realize how great and mighty You are. I should have trusted in You.”
Then God said to Job’s three friends, “You have done wrong. You did not speak the truth about Me to Job. But Job wil l pray for you, and I will forgive you
After Job prayed for his friends, God made him healthy and successful again. He gave Job twice as much wealth as he had before. God blessed Job with seven sons and three beautiful daughters. Job lived to see his children, his grandchildren, and his great-grandchildren. Job lived a very long time and died at a great age.
Gospel Connection
God allowed troubles to come into Job’s life. But God never left Job. When we experience problems and troubles, God never leaves us. We can trust in God’s care because He gave His one and only Son Jesus to redeem us from our sins.
Words Of Hope
I know that my Redeemer lives, and that in the end He will stand upon the earth. (Job 19:25 NIV)
oseph, his father Jacob, and all of Joseph’s brothers and their families lived in Egypt for many years. When Jacob died, Joseph kept the promise he had made to his father and buried him in Canaan. After Jacob’s death, Joseph continued to provide for his brothers and for their families in Egypt.
During his lifetime, Joseph saw his son Ephraim’s greatgreat-grand children. When Joseph was about to die, he told his brothers, “God will surely come to your aid and take you out of Egypt to the land He promised to Abraham, Isaac, and our father,
Jacob.” Joseph was 110 years old when he died. His brothers buried him in Egypt.
Eventually, all of Joseph’s brothers and the people of their generation died. But God continued to bless the new generations of Israelites. The families of the Israelites grew and grew until there were many, many Israelites all over Egypt.
As time passed, Egypt had a new pharaoh in power as their king. This new pharaoh did not know about Joseph. This new king became very worried that there were too many Israelites. He told his people, “We must deal shrewdly with the Israelites or they will become even more numerous. If a war breaks out, the Israelites will join forces with our enemies. They will fight against us and leave Egypt.”
So the pharaoh placed slave masters over the Israelites and made them slaves. The Israelites were forced to work very hard under very difficult conditions. As slaves, the Israelites were forced to build cities for the Egyptians.
But God was with His people. No matter how hard the work was, the Israelites continued to grow in number. The Egyptians were afraid of them, so they forced the Israelites to work even harder. They forced the Israelites to work as brick-makers and bricklayers. They also forced them to work in the fields to plant, care for, and harvest the crops. The Egyptians worked the people ruthlessly.
So the pharaoh devised another plan to try to prevent the Israelite population from growing any larger. Pharaoh told the women who helped the Hebrew women when they were in childbirth to do something very horrible. Pharaoh said, “If an Israelite woman is having a baby boy, kill him as soon as he is born. If an Israelite woman is having a baby girl, let her live.”
But the women who helped new mothers in childbirth respected God and believed in Him. They knew that it was wrong to kill any babies. So they did not do what Pharaoh asked them to do. They let the Israelite baby boys live. When Pharaoh found out about this, he called the women to him and asked them, “Why have you done this? Why have you let the boys live?”
The women told the Egyptian king, “The Hebrew women are very strong. They give birth before we arrive.” God was kind to these women because they did not kill the boy babies. God gave them families of their own. God also continued to bless the Israelites. Their population continued to grow larger and larger.
So Pharaoh gave a new order. He told all the people, “Every boy that is born you must throw into the Nile River, but let every girl live.”
Because God was taking care of His people, Pharaoh’s new plan to limit the number of Israelites did not work either. So Pharaoh gave another order. He told the Egyptian slave drivers and the other men in charge of the Israelite slaves, “Do not give the Israelites any more straw that they need to make bricks. Instead, make them go and gather their own straw. But still force them to make as many bricks as before.”
It was impossible for the Israelites to keep up with Pharaoh’s demand. Many Israelite slaves were beaten because they could not make the number of bricks the Egyptian king required. God’s people cried out to Him for help. God heard their cries. And God had a plan to rescue them from their slavery in Egypt.
God’s people suffered as slaves in Egypt. But God had a plan to rescue them. We are born sinful. We are slaves to sin. Our sins cause us and others to suffer. We can’t rescue ourselves from this terrible situation. But God has rescued us from our slavery to sin by sending His Son, Jesus. Jesus died on the cross and rose again to save us from sin, death, and the devil. Through faith in Jesus, we are freed from the slavery of sin. God gives us the power to resist sin and to follow Him.
Words of Hope
For we know that our old self was crucified with Him so that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin—because anyone who has died has been freed from sin.
After Joseph and his family had died, their children, called the Israelites, still lived in Egypt in the land of Goshen. But things did not go well for the Israelites after Joseph died. The new Pharaohs (kings) of Egypt did not like the Israelites. They worried that the Israelites might become so numerous that they would try to take over the Egyptians.
So the Pharaohs forced the Israelites to work as slaves. Their work was very hard and very long. The Israelites did not have much food. They were commanded by the Egyptian kings to build many things including the cities of Pithom and Raamses. But God was with His people, just as He
had been with Joseph. The harder the Egyptians made the Israelites work, the stronger God made them. God blessed the Israelite families with many children.
As the number of Israelites grew, the evil Pharaoh was even more worried that they soon would outnumber the Egyptians and take over their kingdom. So the Pharaoh made a cruel and terrible decision. He said that all of the baby boys of the Israelites must be killed. The Israelites were afraid of the Pharaoh and his new law, so the people prayed to God for help.
After Pharaoh made his new law, an Israelite woman gave birth to a baby boy. She took care of him and kept him hidden from the Egyptian authorities for three months. But soon the baby boy became too big to hide any longer. To try and save her son from death, the woman made a basket out of the stems of tall grass which grew near the Nile River. She covered the basket with sticky tar so that it would be waterproof. Then the woman put her baby in the basket and sent it out on the Nile River. The woman trusted that God would save her son. The baby boy’s older sister, Miriam, hid and watched the basket as it floated on the river.
After a short time, the daughter of Pharaoh came down to the Nile to take a bath. The princess saw the basket floating among the reeds along the river’s shore. She sent her servant to bring the basket to her. When the princess opened the basket, the baby boy was crying. The princess was filled with compassion for the little baby. She exclaimed, “This is one of the
Miriam had been watching all that had happened. Boldly she came up to the princess and asked her, “Would you like me to find a Hebrew woman who can nurse him for you?”
The princess told her, “Go.” Quickly Miriam returned with her own mother. Pharaoh’s daughter said to her, “Take this child into your house and care for him for me. I will pay you.” The happy mother took her son back into her home. She lovingly cared for him until he was old enough to eat food by himself.
Then the woman brought her son to Pharaoh’s daughter, who continued to raise him as her own son. The princess said, “I will name him Moses, because I have taken him out of the water.”
Gospel Connection
God rescued Moses from death. God has rescued us from sin, death, and the devil through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior.
Words of Hope
[Jesus] gave Himself for our sins to rescue us from the present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father. (Galatians 1:4 NIV)
BIBLE TIMELINE (BC/BCE)
Baby Moses Rescued God Chooses Moses Plagues and Passover
Moses grew up in Pharaoh’s palace. Even when he had become a man, he remained there as the son of Pharaoh’s daughter. But Moses knew that he was an Israelite. It angered him to see how the Egyptians were cruel to the Israelite slaves. So Moses tried to help some of his people.
Moses rescued the Israelite by killing the Egyptian. Moses buried the Egyptian’s body in the sand.
The next day, Moses went out again. This time he saw two Israelites fighting. Moses asked, “Why are you hurting your brother?” One of the fighting Israelites replied, “Are you going to kill me as you killed the Egyptian?” Moses realized that people knew what he had done. He knew that his life was in danger. If Pharaoh found out that Moses had murdered an Egyptian, the Egyptian king would try to kill Moses too. So Moses had to run away from Egypt.
Moses escaped to Midian and began to work there as a shepherd. Moses took care of the sheep owned by a priest named Jethro. Moses lived in Midian for forty years as a shepherd. Eventually, Moses married Jethro’s daughter, Zipporah. Together, Moses and Zipporah had two sons.
When Moses lived in Midian with Jethro, the Egyptians made the Israelites work harder for them than ever in Egypt. The Israelites cried to God for help. God heard the cries of His people. God did not forget them.
One day in Midian, while Moses was watching over Jethro’s sheep as they grazed near a mountain, Moses saw a very strange bush. The bush was on fire but did not burn up. Moses walked over to the burning bush. Just then, God appeared to him and called to him from inside the burning bush.
From the fire, God’s voice said, “Do not come near. Take off your sandals. The place where you are standing is holy ground. I am the God of your father, God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” Moses hid his face because he was afraid to look at God.
God said to Moses, “Don’t be afraid for I am with you. I have seen My people, the Israelites, as they suffer in Egypt. I have not forgotten them. Tell Pharaoh that the Israelites are My people, and I want My people to leave Egypt. Moses, you must lead them out of Egypt.”
But Moses was afraid to go back to Egypt. He said to God, “Who am I to go to Pharaoh and bring the children of Israel out of Egypt?”
God said to Moses, “Don’t be afraid. I will be with you. This will be the sign for you: when you have come out of Egypt, you will worship Me on this mountain.”
Moses said, “When I say to the people, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me,’ and they ask me to tell them Your name, what should I tell them?”
God replied, “I AM WHO I AM. Tell the children of Israel that I AM has sent you. Tell them the God of their fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob has sent me to you. This is My name forever.”
But Moses was still afraid. He said, “They won’t listen to me. They will say, ‘God did not really appear to you.’”
But God said, “I will keep you safe. Take your staff and use it to perform miracles in Egypt. You will lead My people to Canaan, the land that I promised long ago to Abraham. Go now and I will be with you.”
Afraid to do the task that God had given him, Moses said, “I am not a good speaker.”
God said to Moses, “Go. I will help you speak. I will teach you what to say.”
Still afraid, Moses pleaded, “Oh Lord, please send someone else.”
Now God was angry with Moses. “I know that your brother Aaron speaks well. He is coming now to meet you. He can be your mouth. I will tell you what to say, and Aaron can speak for you to the people. Take your staff and with it you can show My signs.”
Moses went to Jethro to ask permission to visit his family back in Egypt. After Jethro blessed him, Moses took his wife and sons with him to Egypt.
Soon Moses met Aaron. Moses hugged his brother and shared with him the plan God had made. Aaron spoke for Moses. The
people believed that God had seen their suffering and that God had chosen Moses to lead them out of Egypt. The Israelites bowed their heads and worshiped God in gratitude.
Gospel Connection
God called Moses to lead the Israelites out of Egypt and to the land God promised them. God was with Moses and gave him strength and everything he needed to carry out this great task. God calls us to show and tell others of the love which Jesus gives. He is with us always and strengthens us by the power of the Holy Spirit so we can do this work.
Words of Hope
I can do everything through Him who gives me strength.
Pharaoh did not listen to Moses, so God sent ten plagues over Egypt. These plagues were designed to convince Pharaoh to let the Israelites leave Egypt as God desired. First, God turned the water in Egypt into blood. The Nile River and all the bodies of water in Egypt were blood instead of water. No one could find good water to drink. But despite this problem, Pharaoh would not let the Israelites leave Egypt.
At God’s direction, Moses and Aaron went up and stood before Pharaoh. They told the Egyptian king, “We have met with God, the God of Israel. God has said, ‘Let My people go.’ But Pharaoh replied, “Who is the Lord? Why should I obey Him? I don’t know Him and I will not let Israel go!” With that, Pharaoh commanded that the Israelite slaves work even harder than before.
A week later, God again sent Moses to Pharaoh. God told Moses to tell Pharaoh, “The Lord says, ‘Let My people go. Then they will be able to worship Me. If you do not let them go, I will plague all of Egypt with frogs. There will be frogs everywhere, in your palace, in your bedroom, on your bed, in everyone’s homes and even in the ovens and the bread pans’.”
Aaron stretched his staff over the Nile River as God directed. God made frogs from the river, ponds, and streams come up out of the water and cover the land. But Pharaoh’s royal magicians also made frogs appear everywhere.
After some time, Pharaoh sent for Moses and Aaron. “Pray to your Lord and ask Him to take the frogs away,” Pharaoh requested. “Then I will let the people go.” God allowed Pharaoh to set the time for the frogs to leave. Pharaoh chose the next day.
The next day, as all the frogs died, the Egyptians piled them up. The frogs stunk as they rotted. But Pharaoh changed his mind. He would not let the Israelites go.
So God sent a third plague on the Egyptian. God told Aaron to hit the dust of the ground with his staff. When Aaron did so, God made all of
the dust become biting bugs called gnats. The gnats attacked all of the people and animals. Pharaoh’s royal magicians also tried to make gnats using the devil’s power, but they could not. The magicians told Pharaoh, “God’s powerful finger has done this.” But Pharaoh’s heart was stubborn. He would not listen.
Then God sent a plague of flies over Egypt. Flies swarmed in the Egyptian houses. They swarmed on Pharaoh and his officials. The Egyptian land was ruined by flies, but in Goshen where the Israelites lived, there were no flies. This fourth plague was terrible. Finally Pharaoh promised that the Israelites could leave Egypt if only the flies would go away. God made the gnats and flies go away. But once again Pharaoh’s stubborn heart refused to let the Israelites leave.
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បាន្ទូស្អាំប់ទាំំងអស់់។
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បយើព្រះម្ពីើបាន្ទូជីព្រះម្ចាប�ល់ព្រះ�ះយើ�ផ្កា
God again sent Moses back to talk with Pharaoh. God told Moses, “Tell Pharaoh that if he refuses to let My people go, a deadly plague will come upon the cattle, horses, camels, donkeys, sheep, and goats of the Egyptians.” The next day this fifth plague happened just as God had said. All of the livestock of the Egyptians died. Pharaoh sent servants to see the animals of the Israelites in Goshen. The servants reported back to Pharaoh that all of the animals of the Israelites remained healthy. Still Pharaoh would not let the Israelites go.
So God spoke to Moses and Aaron again. God told them to throw ashes from the furnace into the air. In this sixth plague, the ashes in the air turned into dust that made painful sores called boils to come upon every person and animal in Egypt. Painful,
oozing sores covered the Egyptians’ bodies from the top of their heads to the bottom of their feet. Even the royal magicians could not stand up before Moses because they were in too much pain. But God made Pharaoh’s heart stubborn. Pharaoh would still not let the Israelites go.
For the seventh plague, God sent a terrible storm over Egypt. Huge hailstones crushed every plant and all the crops in the fields. The hailstones fell on people and animals too. It was the worst storm in Egypt’s history. The only place it didn’t hail was in Goshen where God’s people lived.
Pharaoh sent for Moses and Aaron. “This time I’ve sinned,” Pharaoh said. “The Lord has done what is right and I and my people have done what is wrong. Pray to the Lord. Tell Him we’ve had enough thunder and hail. Then I’ll let you and your people go.” Moses left Pharaoh and went out of the city. He prayed to God. God stopped the thunder and hail. But once Pharaoh saw that the storm had stopped, he became stubborn once more and would not let the Israelites leave Egypt.
Then God told Moses and Aaron to return to Pharaoh. Moses and Aaron told the Egyptian king, “If you continue to refuse to obey the Lord, tomorrow He will send locusts into your country. There will be so many locusts that you will not be able to see the ground beneath them. The locusts will eat everything that was not already destroyed by the hail. They will fill your houses. You will never have seen anything like this.”
Pharaoh’s officials begged him to let the Israelites go. They pleaded, “Don’t you realize after everything that’s happened that Egypt is destroyed?”
Pharaoh called Moses and Aaron back to him. He said, “Go. Worship the Lord your God. But just who will be going with you?”
“All of our people,” replied Moses.
“No!” said Pharaoh. “I’ll only allow the men to leave.” Then Pharaoh drove Moses and Aaron out of his sight.
Because of Pharaoh’s stubbornness, God sent the eighth plague on Egypt. As Moses reached his staff out over Egypt, God caused a strong east wind to blow. The wind brought locusts into every part of Egypt. The locusts covered the ground until it was black. They ate up all the plants until there was nothing green left on any tree or plant in all of Egypt.
Pharaoh quickly sent for Moses and Aaron. He said, “I’ve sinned against the Lord your God. I’ve also sinned against you. Forgive my sin one more time. Pray to your God to take away from me this deadly plague.” Moses left Pharaoh and prayed to the Lord. The Lord changed the wind to a very strong west wind. The wind picked up the locusts and blew them into the Red Sea. Not one locust was left in Egypt. But again Pharaoh’s heart became stubborn. He would not let God’s people go
The ninth plague was a plague of darkness. God told Moses, “Stretch out your hand toward heaven. I will bring darkness over Egypt that will
be so thick that it can even be felt.” Moses did as God said. Darkness fell upon the land of Egypt that lasted for three days. None of the Egyptians could see one another. But in the houses of God’s people, the Israelites, there was light.
Then God said to Moses, “Pharaoh will soon let you go. Therefore, go and tell your people to be ready to leave. Each family must gather tonight and eat a meal together. For the meal they must select a perfect year-old lamb. If a family is too small to eat an entire lamb, then they must share it with their neighbors.”
“When the lamb is slaughtered, take some of its blood and put in on the sides and the tops of the doorframes of your houses. Then roast the meat and eat it with bitter
herbs and with bread made without yeast. If any meat is left over, it must be burned. Eat the meal in a hurry with your belt fastened, your sandals on your feet, and your staff in your hand. This is the Lord’s Passover.”
God continued, “Tonight My angel will pass through Egypt and strike down the firstborn of all man and animals. I will show My power, and Pharaoh will let My people go. When I see the blood on the houses of My people, the angel will pass over these homes and do you no harm.”
Moses did as God said. The Israelites gathered their belongings and prepared to leave Egypt. The families painted the blood of the lamb on their doorposts as God has instructed. They ate the Passover meal, just as God had told them to do. On that night, all the firstborn boys in Egypt died. Even Pharaoh’s son died. But among the Israelites, no one died. God’s angel saw the sign of the blood on their doorframes and passed over them. This was the tenth plague God sent on Egypt.
That same night Pharaoh called on Moses. Pharaoh said, “I have had enough. Take your people and go.”
So the Israelites made their way out of Egypt. There were about 600,000 men plus women and children when they departed. The Israelites also brought their flocks and herds of animals. The Israelites had lived in Egypt for 430 years. Like an army, the Lord’s people marched out of Egypt and took Joseph’s bones with them .
God delivered His people out of Egypt and their lives as slaves. Through the death and resurrection of our Savior Jesus, we are no longer slaves to sin and death. Jesus has set us free to live our lives for God as His rescued and redeemed people.
Words of Hope
Through Jesus Christ the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death. (Romans 8:2 NIV)
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ការរយើ�ះយើ�ឯស់ម្ពីព្រះ�ព្រះក់�ម្ពី
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Plagues and Passover
God Provides for His People Red Sea Deliverance
Table of Contents
The Red Sea Miracle
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ក់ុ�ងរូបភា�ជា��ក់ព្រះកាស់់។
�ក់យើគយើ��អណ្តាាតយើភឺើងវិិញ។
�ក់�ព្រះបជារា
�យើណ្តើរម្ពីក់�លស់ម្ពីព្រះ�ព្រះក់�ម្ពី
ន្ទូិង�លទាំហាន្ទូចន្ទូន្ទូជាង៦០០�ក់់យើ�ជាម្ពី�។
Moses led the people as they left Egypt. During the day God went ahead of them in a thick cloud. During the night, God went ahead of them in a flaming fire. This is how God led His people, whether it was day or night.
As Moses and the Israelites traveled, they came to the Red Sea. There they set up camp on the shore. Meanwhile, God hardened Pharaoh’s heart so he once again regretted his decision to let the Israelites leave Egypt. Pharaoh sent out his big armies to bring the Israelites back. Pharaoh sent out over 600 of his best chariots, his horses and horsemen, and his army. Their plan was to overtake
When the Israelites saw the Egyptian army approaching them, they were terrified. They cried out to Moses, “Why did you bring us out here in the desert to die? Didn’t we tell you to let us serve the Egyptians? It would have been better to serve in Egypt than to die here in the wilderness!”
But Moses said, “Don’t be afraid. Stand firm and see how God will save us. God will fight for you. Just be still.”
Then God spoke to Moses. He said, “Tell the people to move on. Hold out your staff over the Red Sea to part the water. The Israelites will be able to go through the sea on dry ground.”
The thick cloud in which God traveled moved between the Israelites and the Egyptians. Neither group could see the other.
As Moses reached his hand out over the Red Sea, God pushed the water back with a strong east wind. God parted the waters of the Red Sea and turned the sea into dry land.
All through the night, the Israelites went through the sea on dry ground. As they walked, God made a wall of water on their right and on their left
The Egyptian army chased the Israelites. All of Pharaoh’s horses, chariots, and horsemen followed God’s people into the sea. God saw the Egyptian army. He made the soldiers and horses panic. God kept the wheels of their chariots from turning. The chariots were hard to drive.
The Egyptians cried out, “Let’s get away from the Israelites! The Lord is fighting for them against us!”
After the Israelites were safe on the other side, then God commanded Moses, “Reach out your hand over the sea once more. I will make the waters of the sea flow back over the Egyptians and their chariots and horsemen.” Moses reached out his hand over the Red Sea. At sunrise, the waters of the sea went back into place. The Egyptians tried to run from the sea, but God swept them into it. The water covered Pharaoh’s entire army. All of them drowned in the waters of the sea.
The Israelites saw what God had done for them. They put their faith in God. The people praised God with songs and dancing. They sang, “I will sing to the Lord and honor Him. He has thrown Pharaoh’s horses and riders into the Red Sea!”
Gospel Connection
God led the Israelites through the waters of the Red Sea and gave them the victory over their Egyptian enemies. In the same way, When we receive faith and are saved by the waters of baptism, God gives us victory over sin and death.
Words of Hope
But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. (1 Corinthians 15:57 NIV)
After God’s amazing rescue of His people at the Red Sea, Moses led them away from the sea and out into the wilderness. The wilderness land was a desert. It was hot and dry. There was little water.
After a few days, the people came to a place called Marah where they found water. But the water there was so bitter the people could not drink it.
The people were not happy with Moses. They complained, “What are we supposed to drink?”
Moses cried out to God for help. God showed Moses a log. When Moses threw the log into the water, the water became sweet so that the people could drink it.
From Marah, the Israelites traveled to Elim where there were 12 springs of water and 70 palm trees. For a time the people camped there. At Elim they had plenty of water to drink and shade from the desert sun.
From Elim, Moses led the people to the wilderness of Sin, located between Elim and Mount Sinai. It was now the fifteenth day of the second month since the Israelites had left Egypt. There in the wilderness, the entire group of the Israelites grumbled and complained against Moses and Aaron. The people moaned, “At least when we were in Egypt, we had plenty of food to eat. We wish the Lord would have put us to death there. You’ve brought us out into this desert. You must want all of us to die from hunger.”
Then God spoke to Moses. God said, “I will rain down bread from heaven for you.”
Moses and Aaron told the people, “God has heard your complaining against Him. So tonight God will give you meat to eat. In the morning, God will give you bread. By this you will know that God is the Lord.”
That evening, birds called quail came into the camp so the Israelites would have meat to eat. In the morning, the ground around the
camp was covered with dew. When the dew was gone, the ground was covered with thin flakes of sweet bread the Israelites called manna. When the people saw the manna, at first they did not know what it was. The manna God sent was white like coriander seeds. It tasted like wafers made with honey.
Moses said to them, “This is the bread that God has given you to eat. God commands that you should gather up as much as you need for today only. Don’t keep any of it until tomorrow morning.” But some of the people did not listen to Moses. They kept some of the manna until the next morning. But overnight the manna had spoiled. It was full of maggots and stank.
On the sixth day of the week, Moses told the people to gather twice as much manna so that it would also last for the Sabbath day. On the sixth day, the people prepared twice as much bread so they would be able to honor God and rest on the Sabbath. The extra manna they gathered on this day did not spoil.
God commanded Moses, “Get two quarts of manna. Keep it for all time to come. Then the people who live after you will see the bread I gave you to eat in the desert.” Aaron put two quarts of manna in a jar, just as God had commanded
After a time, the Israelites moved from the Desert of Sin and continued to travel from place to place in the desert as the Lord told them. When they camped
at a place called Rephidim, there was no water there. The Israelites complained to Moses that they were thirsty. “Why did you bring us up out of Egypt?” they said. “Did you want us and our livestock to die of thirst?”
Moses cried out to God, “What am I to do with these people?”
God answered, “Walk on ahead of the people. Take the elders of Israel with you. Go to the rock at Mount Horeb. Stand in front of it and hit it with your staff. Then water will come out of the rock for the people to drink.”
Moses did as God said. Now the Israelites could drink as much as they wanted. God had once again provided for His people as they journeyed in the desert.
Gospel Connection
Even though the Israelites sinfully grumbled and complained, God faithfully provided for them as they traveled in the wilderness. Even though we often sin because of our own ungrateful attitudes, God, our loving and gracious heavenly Father, daily provides for all our needs.
Words of Hope
Give thanks to the LORD, for He is good; His love endures forever.
The Israelites continued their journey through the desert to the land which God promised them. Exactly three months after they had left Egypt, the people arrived at Mount Sinai, the same mountain where Moses had seen the burning bush. The Israelites
set up camp at the base of the mountain. As they looked up, they saw a dark cloud which covered the mountain. Lighting flashed from the cloud and thunder boomed. God Himself was on the mountain.
Moses climbed up the mountain to talk to God. For forty days, Moses stayed there as God talked to him.
God said, “I am the Lord your God who brought you out of Egypt. I have rescued you from slavery.
“Do not worship any gods in place of Me.
Do not make any idols to worship. Worship Me only.
“My name is holy. Do not misuse My name or use it for evil.
“Keep the seventh day of the week holy. Do your work in six days so that you can remember the seventh day as the Sabbath day.
“Honor your father and mother.
“Do not kill.
“Do not be unfaithful to your spouse, in your thoughts or in your actions.
“Do not steal.
“Do not tell lies about others.
“Do not be jealous for the things which belong to your neighbor.
“Do not be jealous for any of the people or animals which belong to your neighbor.”
God Himself carved these ten laws or commandments on two large, flat stone tablets. He gave them to Moses on Mount Sinai
so that Moses could teach these commandments and instructions to God’s people. While Moses was away on the mountain, Aaron was leading the people. The Israelites gathered and said to Aaron, “ We don’t know what’s happened to Moses. Make some new gods for us so we can worship them. “Aaron told the people to give him their golden earrings, and he melted their jewelry. Then he shaped the gold to make a golden calf, and he made an altar for the idol. Aaron proclaimed, “Tomorrow is a feast day to the Lord.”
The next day, the people gave burnt offerings to the false golden god instead of to the one true God. They worshipped the golden calf. They ate and drank in celebration.
God saw what the Israelites were doing. God said to Moses, “Your people have turned away from Me. They have made a golden calf their new god. I am very angry. I am going to destroy them all.” Moses pleaded with God, “Remember Your promise to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Please do not let the Egyptians think that You led Your people out of Egypt only to destroy them.”
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God heard Moses’ request. God relented from destroying His people.
Then Moses went down the mountain with the two stone tablets of God’s Law. When Moses saw the Israelites as they worshiped the golden calf, he became very angry. Moses threw
the stone tablets on the ground. The tablets broke into pieces at the foot of Mount Sinai.
Moses said to Aaron, “What did these people do to you that made you lead them into sin like this?” Aaron said, “Please, don’t be angry with me. The people asked me to make a god because they didn’t know what had happened to you. I told them to take off their gold jewelry. I threw it into the fire and out came this calf.”
Moses then prayed to God for the people. Because Moses asked God to forgive the people, God showed mercy and forgave the Israelites. Later, God commanded Moses to bring up on Mount Sinai new stone tablets. God wrote all of His Laws and commands from the first tablets on the two new tablets and gave them to Moses. Moses carried the tablets back to the camp and read them to the people.
Then Moses told the people, “God has commanded us to build a special place to worship Him. It will be a large beautiful tent called the tabernacle.”
The people built the tabernacle in the center of the camp. They made colorful curtains for the tent and decorated it with silver and gold.
Inside the tabernacle, the people placed some very special items including a special container called the Ark of the Covenant. Inside this container Moses placed the tablets with the Ten Commandments, Aaron’s staff, and the jar of manna. Everywhere the Israelites traveled they carried the tabernacle and the Ark of the Covenant with them.
When the tabernacle was finished, a cloud appeared and hovered in the air just above the tabernacle. The cloud showed the Israelites that God was always with them.
Gospel Connection
Out of His great love for us, God gave His Law so that we would know what to do, what not to do, and how to live. God expects us to keep His Law perfectly. Because we sin, we cannot do this. But Jesus did. Through faith in Jesus’ perfect keeping of the Law and in His death and resurrection, we are saved.
Words of Hope
Your Word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path.
For another 38 years, God continued to lead the Israelites through the desert to the land He promised them. Along the way, Moses’ sister Miriam and his brother Aaron died. Aaron died on Mount Hor on the border of the land of Edom.
The king of the land of Edom would not allow the Israelites to pass through his land, so God led the Israelites around Edom back toward the Red Sea. As the people traveled away from their destination, they became impatient. The Israelites spoke against God and Moses as they complained, “Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? There is no food or water, and we hate this worthless food.” The people no longer wanted to eat the manna which God provided for them every morning.
God heard the people’s complaints and became angry. He sent fiery serpents among them. They bit the Israelites so that many of them died.
The people came to Moses. They said, “We have sinned. We have spoken against the Lord and against you. Pray to the Lord so that He will take the serpents away from us.”
Moses prayed to God for the people. God told Moses, “Make a serpent and set it on a pole. Everyone who is bitten, when they look at this serpent, will live.” This serpent was God’s way to rescue His people from death.
Moses did what God said. He made a bronze serpent and set it on a pole. Everyone who was bitten and who looked at the serpent trusted in God to save them. Everyone who was bitten by the fiery serpents and looked at the bronze serpent on the pole would live.
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Gospel Connection
In order to live, the Israelites had to look at the serpent on the pole. This showed their trust in God. Many years later, God’s Son Jesus was raised up on a cross and died for the sins of everyone in the world. Jesus’ death rescues us from the eternal death our sins cause. Everyone who looks to Jesus and believes that He died and rose again to save us from our sins has eternal life through faith in Him.
Words of Hope
Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the desert, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, that everyone who believes in Him may have eternal life.
(John 3:14–15 NIV)
Table of Contents
The Bronze Serpent Jericho Falls God Chosen Gideon to Lead Israelites Moses Dies
The Israelite people whom Moses and Aaron led for forty years were not the only ones who sinned during the trek to the land of Canaan. Moses and Aaron also disobeyed God. While traveling in the wilderness, the Israelites began to once again complain because they had no water to drink.
So God told Moses and Aaron, “Take the staff and gather the people in front of the rock. Tell the rock before their eyes to give water so that the people and their cattle may drink.”
Moses and Aaron gathered the people in front of the rock. But instead of telling the rock to yield
water as God had commanded him, Moses instead used his staff and hit the rock twice. God still gave the people and their cattle water from the rock, but Moses had disobeyed God’s order.
God punished Moses and Aaron for their sin. God told them, “Because you did not trust in Me, you shall not bring the Israelites into the land that I have promised to give them.”
Moses and Aaron and the Israelites journeyed on to Mount Hor. Aaron died there on the top of the mountain. The Israelites were very sad that Aaron had died. For thirty days they mourned for him.
Moses was now 120 years old. He continued to lead God’s people until they were very close to the Jordan River. Once they crossed the Jordan River they would finally be in the land of Canaan, the land God had promised many years before to Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and to their descendants.
Moses wanted to cross the Jordan and see the Promised Land. But because of his sin at the rock in the wilderness, like Aaron, God would not allow Moses to cross into Canaan.
Instead, God chose a young man named Joshua to be the one who would lead the people into Canaan. Moses brought Joshua to the tent of meeting. There God appointed Joshua to be the new leader of the Israelites.
Then God told Moses, “Go to the top of Mount Nebo and view Canaan, the land I am giving the Israelites as their own possession.
Because you and Aaron did not trust me in the wilderness, you will only see the land from a distance; you will not enter it.”
Moses did as God commanded. On Mount Nebo, God showed him the whole land He had promised to give His people. Then Moses died and God Himself buried Moses in Moab. To this day no one knows where his grave is. Moses was 120 years old when he died, but his eyesight and his body were still strong. The Israelites mourned for Moses for thirty days.
There has never been another prophet like Moses, whom God knew face to face. God gave Moses the strength and power to perform miracles and to lead the Israelites out of Egypt.
Even though they sinned, God loved His people and kept His promise to lead them to Caanan. Even though Moses sinned, God loved him and allowed him to see the Promised Land before he died. Even though we sin, God loves us. He sent Jesus, His Son, to suffer and die for our sins. When He rose from the dead, Jesus triumphed over sin, death and the devil. Through faith in Jesus, God leads us to heaven— the eternal home He has promised us.
Words of Hope
Jesus replied, “Rejoice that your names are written in heaven.”
After many years of traveling in the wilderness, the Israelites came to the edge of Canaan, the land God had promised to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob many, many years before Moses died, God said to Moses, “Send some men into Canaan to see what the country is like.” Moses selected one man from each of the twelve tribes of Israel. Moses instructed these twelve men to
secretly scout out the land and find out more about it. The men were also to see if the armies of their enemies living in the land were strong.
Forty days later when the scouts returned, they carried with them a cluster of grapes that was so huge it took two men to carry it. Ten of the scouts reported, “See the fruit we brought! Truly, this land is flowing with milk and honey. But the people of this land live in large walled cities. We cannot fight these men.”
But the other two scouts, named Joshua and Caleb, told the people, “Yes, we can take the land, but only with God’s help.”
The Israelites were afraid and did not want to listen to Joshua and Caleb. God became angry because the Israelites would not trust in Him and in His power. God told the Israelites, “Because you are afraid and don’t trust in Me, you will not enter the Promised Land of Canaan. I will give it to your children, but you will wander in the wilderness for 40 years. Only Joshua and Caleb will enter Canaan because they trusted Me.”
Forty years after leaving Egypt, God decided it was time for His people to enter Canaan. Because of Moses’ sin, God chose Joshua
Before Moses died, he told the people whom he had led for so long to remember everything that God had commanded them to do. Then God led Moses to the top of Mount Nebo which is opposite of Jericho. There God allowed Moses to see the land He had promised to give to the descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob so long ago.
Moses died in the land of Moab, and the Israelites mourned Moses for 30 days.
After Moses died, God said to Joshua, “I want you and all of these people to get ready to go across the Jordan River. I want all of you to go into the land I have promised you. No one will be able to stand up against you as long as you live. I will be with you, just as I was with Moses. I will never leave you. Be strong and brave. Do not be terrified. Do not lose hope. I am the Lord your God. I will be with you wherever you go.”
Joshua told the Israelites to get ready. Then he sent two spies to check out Jericho. The two spies stayed with a woman named Rahab. She hid the two spies on the roof of her home. The king of Jericho found out that the Israelites had sent the men to check out the land. So the king sent messengers to Rahab’s house. They told her, “We know that your guests are Israelites who are looking over our whole land. We have orders to bring them to the king.”
Rahab told the messengers, “Yes, some men came to me, but
I do not know where they came from. The men are already gone. They left before the city gate was closed. Go after them quickly so you can catch up with them.”
After the messengers had left, Rahab went to Joshua’s men. Rahab said, “I know that God has given you this land. We have heard about how God dried up the Red Sea for you and how He helped you as you wandered all those years in the desert. Now, as I have been kind to you, please show kindness to me. When you return to capture Jericho, please keep my family alive and save us.”
The two men promised, “Our lives for your lives, as long as none of you tell of our agreement. When God gives us this land, we will be kind and faithful to you.”
Rahab’s house was built into the side of Jericho’s city wall. Rahab helped the two men escape through the window using a red rope. The spies told her, “Hang this red rope in the window. Whoever is in your house, your father, mother, brothers, and all their family members, will be safe. But you must keep this a secret.” Rahab agreed. She hung the red rope in the window of her home.
The two spies returned to Joshua. “It is true,” they reported. “God has given this city into our hands. The residents of Jericho are melting in fear because of us.”
So Joshua led the Israelites according to God’s direction. First, the Israelites had to cross the Jordan River. Before the
people were allowed to cross, the Israelite priests carried across the river the Ark of the Covenant, which contained the tablets with the Ten Commandments. As soon as the priests stepped into the flooded waters of the Jordan, God caused the water to stop flowing. Just as God had helped the people cross the Red Sea on dry ground, now He helped them cross the Jordan River on dry ground.
When all the Israelites were safely across the Jordan River, God commanded Joshua, “Choose 12 men from among the people. Choose one man from each of Israel’s 12 tribes.” Each man took a stone from the river. Together they built a monument at a place called Gilgal to honor God. This monument would remind the people and their children how God had led them across the Jordan River on dry ground.
The Israelites traveled to Jericho. The city gates of Jericho were shut tight. No one went out of the city. No one came in.
God spoke to Joshua. He said, “I have handed Jericho over to you. March around the city once with all of your fighting men. Do this for six straight days. Have seven priests get seven trumpets made out of ram’s horns. On the seventh day, march around the city seven times. Have the priests blow the trumpets as you march. When the priests blow a loud blast on the trumpets, have all the men give a loud shout. The walls of the city will fall and the whole army will be able to enter Jericho.”
Joshua commanded the people to do exactly as God said. When the walls of Jericho fell,
the Israelites were able to easily capture the city. As they did, the men kept their promise and rescued Rahab and all her family.
Finally, after many years of wandering in the desert, the Israelites could now live in the land God had promised would be theirs. The promise made so many years earlier to Abraham had been fulfilled by God.
Gospel Connection
Our God is strong and mighty. He made the walls of Jericho fall so His people could enter the promised land of Canaan. Through His death and resurrection, our mighty Savior Jesus crumbled the wall of sin which separated us from God. Through faith in Jesus, God forgives our sins. Someday we will live with Him forever in the promised land of heaven.
Words of Hope
For no matter how many promises God has made, they are “Yes” in Christ.
Joshua faithfully followed God as he led the Israelites for many years. Under Joshua’s leadership, separate areas in the land of Canaan were given to each of the 12 tribes of Israel. The people of Israel spread throughout the land of Canaan.
As long as Joshua lived, the Israelites served the Lord.
But after Joshua died, the Israelites forgot about God. They did not follow God’s Law. They worshipped other gods. So God allowed robbers from other nations to come into Canaan and steal the Israelites’ food and animals.
God allowed enemy armies to enter Canaan. When the people tried to fight these enemies, the enemies won because God’s power was against the Israelites.
Then the Lord gave the Israelites leaders who saved them from the power of the enemies and the robbers. These leaders followed God. These leaders were called judges. One of the judges God gave to His people was named Gideon.
God chose Gideon to lead the Israelites at a time when they were being ruled by the people of Midian. The Midianites treated the Israelites very badly. The Israelites were forced to hide from the Midianites in holes in the mountains and in caves.
When it came time to harvest their crops, the Israelites would thresh their wheat in secret places so that the Midianites would not know what they were doing. When the Lord came to Gideon, Gideon was threshing his wheat in a place where wine was usually made.
God said to Gideon, “You are strong. Go and save Israel from the power of Midian. I am sending you.”
At first, Gideon was afraid of the job God wanted him to do. How could he, the least important member of his family from the weakest tribe of Israel, save the Israelites from their strong enemy? Gideon said to God, “Show me that You really want me to be a leader. If you are really going to use me to deliver Israel, please give me this sign. I am placing a fleece of wool on the threshing floor.
“Tomorrow morning if there is dew only on the fleece and the ground around it is dry, then I will know that You will deliver Israel by my hand as you have promised.”
The next morning when Gideon got up, he went to the threshing floor. He picked up the fleece. He squeezed it and the water from the fleece filled a bowl .
But Gideon was still afraid. He asked God, “Please don’t be angry with me. Let me ask you for just one more sign. When I put the fleece on the threshing floor, in the morning let the wool be dry but cover the ground with dew.”
God did what Gideon asked. The next morning the fleece of wool was dry, but dew was everywhere on the ground. Now Gideon knew for sure that God wanted him to be a leader and judge in Israel.
Gideon prepared for battle against the Midianites. He went out and gathered as many soldiers as he could. Thousands of men came to fight in Gideon’s army. God spoke to Gideon. God said, “I want to hand Midian over to you. But you have too many soldiers in your army. I do not want the Israelites to brag that it was their power that saved them.” So Gideon sent 22,000 soldiers home. Only 10,000 men remained in his army.
God again spoke to Gideon. God said, “There are still too many soldiers. Take them down to the water. I will sort out which men you should keep.” At the water’s edge, God told Gideon, “Watch how the men drink. Put anyone who licks up water like a dog in one group. Put those who kneel down to drink water in another group.”
There were 300 men who took water in their hands to lick it up like a dog. All the rest of the men knelt down to drink. God said, “I will save Israel with the 300 men who lapped up the water. I will give you a great victory over Midian. Let all the other men go home.”
So Gideon sent the rest of the men of Israel to their tents. He kept the 300 men. They took over the supplies and trumpets the other men had left and followed Gideon. Then God gave Gideon a fantastic plan to defeat the large Midianite army with only 300 soldiers.
God told Gideon to separate the 300 men into three companies. God told Gideon to give each man a trumpet and an empty clay pot. Then Gideon gave each man a torch to put inside the empty pot to hide its light.
About 10:00 p.m., Gideon and the 300 men snuck down to the edge of the Midianite camp. Gideon told the men, “Watch me. Do exactly as I do.”
At Gideon’s signal, the men blew their trumpets. They broke the clay pots that covered their torches so that the light could shine. Together they shouted the battle cry, “A sword for the Lord and for Gideon!”
The loud trumpet noise woke up the Midianite soldiers. When they saw the light of the torches on the hill tops and heard the sound of the trumpet horns, it looked as if a very, very large army had surrounded them. They thought they had no way to escape
Terrified, the Midianites began to run from their tents to escape. In the darkness, they ran into one another and thought the Israelites were already in the camp to fight them. So the Midianite soliders began to fight each other in the darkness. The Midianites were destroyed by their own actions. With His great plan, God gave Gideon and the Israelites victory over a much larger army of enemies.
During the 40 years that Gideon was judge, there was peace in Israel
Gospel Connection
God gave Gideon and the Israelites the victory over the Midianites. Through faith in Jesus, God gives us victory over sin, death, and the devil. We can trust that God will help us in every battle and trouble we face in our lives.
Words of Hope
God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.
(Psalm 46:1 NIV)
BIBLE TIMELINE (BC/BCE)
God Chosen Gideon to Lead Israelites Naomi, Ruth, Boaz Live
God Sent Samson to Save Israel Midianites Defeated
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Judges 13 – 16
After Gideon died, the people once again turned away from God. Eventually, God allowed the Philistines to rule over them. But God had a plan to once again give the people of Israel a new leader and judge. This new leader and judge was named Samson.
Among the Israelites from the tribe of Dan, there lived a man named Manoah. Manoah’s wife was unable to have children. One day an angel of the Lord appeared to Manoah’s wife. The angel told her, “You are not able to have children. But you are going to become pregnant. You will give birth to a son. While you are pregnant, do not drink any wine or eat anything that is unclean. After your son is born, you must never cut his hair. Your so will be set apart to serve God as a judge in Israel.God will use Samson to begin to save Israel from the power of the Philistines.”
Everything happened just as God’s angel had said. Manoah’s wife gave birth to a son and named him Samson. God blessed Samson as he grew up. Samson never allowed anyone to cut his hair. God blessed Samson with great strength. As a young man, Samson killed a lion with his bare hands!
The Philistines caused great trouble for God’s people. God helped Samson to protect the people from this fierce enemy. One night, Samson was in a city called Gaza. The city was surrounded by a tall, thick wall and had very big gates for protection. When the Philistines found out that Samson was in the city, they wanted to capture him. So they locked the city gates to keep Samson trapped inside the city walls. But Samson easily tore the gates off the city wall, put them on his back, and carried them away from the city.
The Philistines were shocked to see Samson’s great strength. For many years the Philistines tried to capture Samson. But filled with strength from God, Samson singlehandedly fought off the Philistines. Some years later, Samson fell in love with a woman named Delilah. The Philistines found out about this. Secretly they visited Delilah and made an agreement with her. If Delilah could discover the secret of Samson’s strength, the Philistines would pay her more than a thousand pieces of silver. Greedily, Delilah agreed to carry out this plan.
The next time Samson came to see her, Delilah asked him, “Tell me what makes you so strong?” At first Samson told her that if he were tied with seven new leather bowstrings,
he would become weak. Delilah put Samson’s words to the test. She hid some Philistines in the next room. She tied up Samson with the bowstrings. Then Delilah cried out, “Samson, the Philistines are coming!” As the Philistines rushed into the room, Samson easily snapped the bowstrings.
Delilah did not give up her quest to find the secret to Samson’s strength. She asked him again, “What makes you so strong?” Samson replied, “Tie me up tightly with new ropes that have never been used. Then I will be weak.”
But when Delilah did, Samson again easily broke free
Delilah continued to plead with Samson. This time Samson told her that if seven locks of his hair were woven into a loom, he would be unable to escape. As Samson slept, Delilah wove Samson’s hair into her loom with pins. When she thought Samson was secure, again she cried out, “Samson, the Philistines are coming!” As Samson awoke, with one jerk he easily broke free.
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Finally Delilah said, “If you really loved me, you would tell me the secret to your strength instead of making a fool of me.” Delilah continued to nag, plead, and beg Samson to tell her the secret. Finally, Samson was so tired of Delilah’s nagging that he told her the truth. Samson told her, “The secret to my strength is that my hair has never been cut. Since before I was born I have been bound by a vow to God to never cut my hair. If my head is shaved, my strength will vanish.”
Delilah realized that finally Samson had told the secret to his strength. She sent a message to the Philistine rulers. “Come back once more,” she said. “He has told me everything.” The rulers returned and brought the silver with them.
Delilah got Samson to go to sleep on her lap. As Samson slept, she had a man shave Samson’s seven braids off his head. Immediately Samson’s strength left him because he had disobeyed God.
Delilah called out, “Samson! The Philistines are attacking you!” Samson woke up and thought he could once again escape. He did not know that God had left him.
The Philistines easily caught Samson. They tied him up and threw him into prison. So that he could not escape, they blinded Samson by tearing out his eyes. In prison, Samson was forced to push a heavy stone to grind grain. As time passed, Samson’s hair began to grow once more.
One day the Philistines held a big party in their temple to celebrate Dagon, the false god they worshiped. During the party, they devised an evil plan to make fun of Samson, so they brought him up from the prison. The people shouted, “Bring out Samson to entertain us!” Over 3,000 people were gathered there. As they became more and more drunk, they became more and more evil. They laughed at blind Samson. Samson asked the servant who held his hand, “Put me where I can feel the pillars that hold up the temple. I want to lean against them.” Then Samson prayed to
God, “Lord and King, show me that you still care for me. Please make me strong just one more time. Let me pay back the Philistines for what they did to my two eyes.”
God heard Samson’s prayer and gave him great strength once more. Samson stood between two pillars and put a hand on each pillar. He cried, “Let me die together with the Philistines!” Then Samson pushed as hard as he could. The pillars broke and the roof of the temple crashed down on all the people who were in it. Samson killed many more people when he died than he had killed when he was alive.
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បានឮណ្ណោះស់�ក៏ិអ�សាានរប៉ុស់់ ណ្ណោះយ�
Samson’s brothers came to get his body. They brought it home and buried it in the tomb of his father Manoah. Samson had led Israel for 20 years.
Gospel Connection
Despite Samson’s sinful disobedience, God heard his prayer and gave him strength against the Philistines. Jesus our Savior talks with God on our behalf. Because of Jesus, God hears our prayers for help and answers them.
Words of Hope
Therefore He [Jesus] is able to save completely those who come to God through Him, because He always lives to intercede for them.
(Hebrews 7:25 NIV)
ព្រះ�ះចាតស្អាស់ន្ទូ ឱ្្យយើ�ជី�ស់យើ�ងាាះ
(BC/BCE)
Table of Contents
God Sent Samson to Save Israel
Naomi, Ruth, Boaz Live God Calls Samuel Saul is Anointed King
During the time that Israel was ruled by the Judges, a man of God named Elimelech lived in Bethlehem with his wife Naomi and their two sons. One year the harvest was so poor that Elimelech did not have enough food to feed his family. So he left Israel until the time of famine was over. Elimelech and his family went to live in the nearby country of Moab.
While they lived in Moab, Elimelech died. Naomi was now a widow. But her two sons were now old enough to marry. They married women from Moab. These two women were named Orpah and Ruth. Together they all lived with Naomi.
After a time, more sadness came to Naomi and her two daughters-in-law when the two sons of Naomi died. Orpah and Ruth tried to comfort Naomi. But she missed Bethlehem. When Naomi heard that the famine in Bethlehem was over, she decided to return home. Orpah and Ruth set out with her.
As they went back to the land of Judah where Bethlehem was located, Naomi spoke to her two daughters-in-law. “Each of you go to your own mother’s home. You were kind to your husbands and you have been kind to me. May the Lord be kind to each of you. May He help you find a secure place in the home of another husband.”
At first neither Orpah nor Ruth wanted to leave Naomi. But Naomi said, “Go home, my daughters. I have no other sons for you to marry. My life is more bitter than yours.”
When the two women heard Naomi’s words, they broke down and cried. Then Orpah kissed Naomi good-bye. But Ruth held on to Naomi. Ruth said to her, “Don’t try to make me leave you and go back. Where you go I’ll go. Where you stay I’ll stay. Your people will be my people, and your God will be my God.”
So Naomi returned to Bethlehem with Ruth. When they arrived, the barley harvest in Bethlehem was just beginning. Because neither Naomi or Ruth had a husband, they did not have any land of their own from which to get food. In those days, people who were widowed or who were poor were allowed to go
into the fields after they had been harvested to pick up any leftover grain. So Ruth went out and began to pick up grain. She worked in a field that was owned by an important man named Boaz. Boaz was a relative of Naomi’s husband Elimelech.
When Boaz arrived to check on his workers who were cutting and gathering his grain, he saw Ruth out in the field. He asked the man in charge of the workers, “Who is that woman?” The man told Boaz, “She is from Moab. She came back here with Naomi. She asked if she could walk behind the workers and pick up the leftover grain. She has worked hard all day. She only took one short rest in the shade.”
Boaz went and talked to Ruth. He said, “Dear woman, listen to me. Don’t pick up grain in any other field. Stay here with my female servants where you will be safe. When you are thirsty, you may drink water from the jars the men have filled.”
When Ruth heard that, she bowed down to the ground. She asked Boaz, “Why are you being so kind to me? Why are you even noticing me? I’m from another country!”
Boaz replied, “I have heard about everything you have done for your mother-in-law since your husband died. You have come to live with people you didn’t know before. May God reward you for what you have done. May God richly bless you.”
When it was time to eat, Boaz gave her all the food she could eat. There was even some food left over. After Ruth went out to the field to work some more, Boaz told his men to leave her some extra grain.
That evening when Ruth returned home, Naomi saw all the grain she had gathered. Ruth also brought out the leftover food she had received from Boaz at lunch. Naomi asked her, “Where did you pick up grain today? May the man who noticed you be blessed!”
Ruth replied, “The name of the man is Boaz.”
“May the Lord bless him!” Naomi said. “Boaz is a close relative of ours. He is one of the protectors of our family known as a kinsmanredeemer. He can pay debts and buy back land for those in our family. It will be good for you to continue to work in his fields where you will be safe.” So Ruth continued to work in the fields Boaz owned until the harvest was completed.
One day Naomi said to Ruth, “My daughter, shouldn’t I try to find a secure place for you? Shouldn’t I find a home for you and a husband? You have been working with the female servants of Boaz. Tonight he will be separating the straw from his barley on the threshing floor. Wash yourself. Put on some perfume and your best clothes. Go to the threshing floor. Notice where Boaz lies down. Then go over and uncover his feet. Lie down there. He will tell you what to do.”
Ruth did everything Naomi told her. In the middle of the night, something surprised Boaz. He woke up and found a woman lying at his feet.
“Who are you?” Boaz asked.
“I’m Ruth,” she said. “You are my family protector, my kinsmanredeemer. Take good care of me by making me your wife.”
“May God bless you,” Boaz replied. “I will do for you everything you have asked. But there is a man who is an even closer relative to you than I am. In the morning I will talk to him. If he wants to help you, good. But if not, I will do it.”
Ruth stayed at the feet of Boaz until morning. Before she left, Boaz gave her more than 50 pounds of barley to take back to Naomi.
When Ruth returned to Naomi, she told her all that happened. Naomi told her to sit and wait until Boaz settled everything.
Boaz went to the town gate and met with the other family protector. Ten elders of the town met with them as well as witnesses of what was to happen. Boaz told the other family protector that Naomi had land to sell that belonged to Elimelech. At first, the other family protector wanted to buy the land. But when Boaz explained that he would also have to take Ruth as his wife, the other man no longer could buy the land. So he said to Boaz, “Buy the land yourself.” Then the man took his sandal off and gave it to Boaz. This was the practice of the time whenever a business matter was settled.
Boaz spoke to the elders and all of the people. He said, “Today you are witnesses. I have bought from Naomi all of the land that belonged to Elimelech her husband and her two sons. I’ve also taken Ruth to be my wife. I am marrying her so that her husband’s name can stay with his property.”
Boaz did indeed marry Ruth. The Lord blessed them with a son whom they named Obed. The women of Bethlehem said to Naomi, “We praise the Lord. He has provided a family protector for you. May this child become famous all over Israel. He will make your life new again. He is the son of your daughter-in-law who loves you.”
Naomi’s life was happy once more. Obed grew up to the father of Jesse. Jesse grew up to the father of David. And many years in the future, Jesus the Savior would be born from the family line of David.
Gospel Connection
Through the actions of their kinsman-redeemer Boaz, God richly blessed Ruth and Naomi. Through the actions of Jesus our Savior and Redeemer, we are richly blessed with God’s forgiveness, His constant love and care, a new eternal life, and a home in heaven.
Words of Hope
In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace that He lavished on us with all wisdom and understanding.
(Ephesians 1:7–8 NIV)
BIBLE
Saul is Anointed King
God Calls Samuel Naomi, Ruth, Boaz Live
Samuel Dedicated to God
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During the time when Samson was a judge, a woman named Hannah lived in the hill country of Ephraim. Hannah was one of the wives of a man named Elkanah. Elkanah also had a second wife named Peninnah.
For years and years, Hannah prayed to God for a child, but
she did not have any. Peninnah was very mean to Hannah and teased her because she didn’t have any children. Peninnah would continue to tease Hannah until she was so upset that she cried and wouldn’t eat. Elkanah tried to comfort Hannah, but she was very sad and bitter because she did not have any children.
Years passed by. One year when Hannah and Elkanah were at the tabernacle for worship, Hannah prayed to God and made a promise to Him. Hannah prayed, “Lord, You rule over all. Please see how I am suffering. Please give me a son. If You do, I’ll give him back to You to serve You all his life.” Eli the temple priest saw Hannah as she prayed. Eli could see that Hannah was moving her mouth, but he could not hear her speak any words. Eli thought that Hannah was drunk. So he said to her, “How long will you continue in your drunkenness? Get rid of your wine.” Hannah answered, “No, I am not drunk. I am a woman who is deeply troubled. I have not had any wine or strong drink. I have been telling God all of my troubles, begging Him to bring me out of my sadness.” Eli then replied, “Go in peace. May the God of Israel answer your prayers.” A few months later, Hannah realized that she was going to have a baby. God had answered her prayer. When her son was born, Hannah named him Samuel, saying, “I have asked the Lord for him.”
When Samuel grew old enough to be able to put on his own clothes, Hannah brought him to Eli the priest. Eli had two sons who were also priests, but they did
not honor or obey God. They did not want to help their old father. Hannah said to Eli, “I want Samuel to grow up working here with you. It is a promise I made to God before Samuel was born. Now I want to keep my promise.”
Hannah visited Samuel at the tabernacle every year, and every year she brought him a new coat. Eli loved Samuel and treated him like he was his own son. Eli taught Samuel all about God and how to be a servant in God’s tabernacle. Samuel already served God even though he was just a boy helping Eli. Samuel grew stronger and grew in favor with God and with people.
Years passed and Samuel continued to serve the Lord. At that time, God didn’t give many messages or visions to His people. God did not speak directly to anyone. Eli was old and his eyesight was failing. He slept in his own room in the tabernacle.
One night as Samuel slept by the lampstand in the Holy Place near the Ark of the Covenant, he heard a voice calling his name, “Samuel! Samuel!”
“Here I am,” Samuel said. He ran to Eli. “Here I am,” Samuel said. “You called me?”
Eli said, “I did not call you. Go back to sleep.”
Samuel went back and laid down. God called again, “Samuel!” Again Samuel got up and went to Eli. Samuel said, “Here I am. You called out to me?”
“My son,” Eli said, “I did not call you. Go back and lie down.”
Samuel did not know it was God’s voice calling him because God had not spoken to him before. When God called out to Samuel a third time, Samuel again went to Eli and said, “Here I am. You called me?” Eli finally realized that it was God calling Samuel. Eli said to Samuel, “Go and lie down. If someone calls to you again, say, ‘Speak, Lord, Your servant is listening.’” So Samuel went back to the Holy Place and lay down.
God came and stood before Samuel. He called out again, “Samuel! Samuel!”
Samuel replied, “Speak, Lord, Your servant is listening.”
God said to Samuel, “I am about to do something terrible in Israel. I told Eli I would punish his family. He knew that his sons are doing sinful things. He failed to stop them from making fun of me. Eli’s sons will die on the same day. There is nothing that can be done to stop this.”
Samuel lay down until morning. He was afraid to tell Eli about what God had told him. “What did God say to you?” Eli asked Samuel. “Don’t hide anything from me that He told you.”
Samuel told Eli everything. Then Eli said, “He is the Lord. Let Him do what He thinks is best.” From that time on, God often spoke to Samuel. People soon learned that God spoke with Samuel. More and more people came to Samuel for advice. Samuel became a
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prophet while he was still a boy because God was speaking to him about things that would happen. Samuel continued to grow. God was with him and made everything he said come true.
Gospel Connection
God spoke to Samuel, who listened and followed God’s Word. God speaks to us through His true Word— the Bible. When we read and study God’s Word, the Holy Spirit helps us to grow in wisdom and faith and leads us to know and follow Jesus.
Words of Hope
He [Jesus] replied, “Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and obey it.” (Luke 11:28 NIV) BIBLE
David Defeats
Goliath
Saul is Anointed King
God Calls
Samuel
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Israel’s First King: Saul
ស់ព្រះតវិចាស់់របស់់ស្អាស់ន្ទូ
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Samson’s and Israel’s old enemy, the Philistines, grew strong again. They fought against Israel and triumphed over them. In one battle, the Philistines even stole the Ark of the Covenant from the tabernacle. When Eli the priest heard this news, he fell and broke his neck. Eli was 98 years old when he died. He had led Israel for 40 years.
The Philistines thought that by capturing the Ark of the Covenant that they had won power over God. But when they placed the Ark in the temple of their god Dagon, God caused the statue of Dagon to fall over and break. Then God punished the Philistines with an illness that caused tumors in their bodies. The Philistines were scared. They decided to send the Ark back to Israel. Their cows pulled a cart with the Ark on it back to Israel.
For the next 20 years the people of Israel were filled with sorrow. Samuel became their judge when Eli died. Samuel was the last of the judges God gave to the people. Samuel told the people, “Do you really want to return to the Lord? If you do, get rid of your false gods. Commit yourselves to God. Serve Him only. Then He will save you from the powerful Philistines.”
The people listened to Samuel. God used His powerful hand against the Philistines for as long as Samuel lived. The Philistines didn’t attack them again.
When Samuel became old, he appointed his sons to serve as judges for Israel. But his sons did not follow the ways of the Lord. They were corrupt judges. So the elders of Israel came to Samuel. They said to Samuel, “You are old. Your sons do not live as you do. So appoint a king to lead us. We want a king like all the other nations have.”
f elt, God told him, “The people are turning their backs on Me, not you. I am their King, but the people do not want Me. Let the people have what they want. But give them a strong warning. Let them know what the king who rules over them will do.”
Samuel called the Israelites together. He told them, “If you have a king, he will take everything that is yours for himself. He will make your sons fight in his army. He will send for your daughters to work for him. He will take away your best land and a tenth of your crops and livestock.”
But the people cried, “We still want a king! Then we’ll be like the other nations. We will have a mighty and brave leader to take us into battle.”
Samuel told God what the people said. God told Samuel, “Listen to them. Give them a king.”
God led Samuel to a man named Saul. Saul was tall and handsome. Saul was who God chose to be Israel’s first king. Saul and Samuel met when Saul was out looking for some of his father’s lost donkeys. Saul and one of his father’s servants went to Samuel, hoping that he could help them find the lost animals.
The day before Saul came, God had spoken to Samuel. God said, “About this time tomorrow I will send you a man from the land of Benjamin. Anoint him to be Israel’s king. He will save them from the power of the Philistines.”
When Samuel met Saul and his servant, Samuel said, “Do not worry about your father’s donkeys. They have already been found. You are the person that all of Israel has been looking for.”
Saul said, “But I’m from the tribe of Benjamin, the smallest tribe in Israel. My family group is the least important in the whole tribe of Benjamin. Why are you saying this to me?”
That night Samuel had a fine dinner prepared for Saul. Saul and his servant spent the night at Samuel’s house. The next morning Samuel had Saul send his servant on ahead. Then Samuel turned to Saul. Samuel took a bottle of olive oil. He poured it on Saul’s head. He said, “God has anointed you to be the leader of His people.”
Samuel continued, “Three things will happen to you on your way home so that you will know that God is going to make you king. First, you will meet two men who will tell you that your father’s donkeys are safe. Then you will meet three other men who are going to worship God. They will give you two of their loaves of bread. After that, you will meet a group of people praising God as well as some of His prophets. There God’s power will come upon you. You will become a different person. God will be with you.” All that Samuel told Saul happened. Then Saul returned home to wait. Samuel called all the people of Israel together. They had a special service to worship God. Then Samuel announced that he would tell them who the king would be. Samuel did not tell them immediately because he wanted the people to know that
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ថា
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កពះងតែ្ពួននៅកុ�ងអំវា្ន”
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�តម្ចាន្ទូក់ម្ពីីស់់ខ្ីស់់ជាងយើគទាំំងអស់់។
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បណ្តាាជីន្ទូផែព្រះស់ក់ថា
God had chosen Saul to be king.
Samuel called each of the 12 t ribes of Israel to come forward. Then Samuel selected the tribe of Benjamin. Each family group in the tribe of Benjamin came forward. Finally it was revealed that Saul was to be the king. But when the people looked around for Saul, he was nowhere to be found.
So the people prayed to God to help them find Saul. God told the people, “Saul has hidden himself among the supplies.” The people ran and found Saul there. When Saul stood among the people, he was taller than anyone else.
Samuel said, “Do you see whom the Lord has chosen? There is none like him among all the people.”
The people shouted, “Long live the king!”
Gospel Connection
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ន�ណ្ណោះហារា�ព្រះ�ប៉ុ់លក៏ណូ
យើស្អា�រាជី្យជាយើស់ែចផ្ទៃន្ទូ
មានព្រះ��ប៉ុនលន�ណ្ណោះ�ថា
God chose Saul to be the first earthly king of the Israelites. Saul and all the other kings, prophets, and priests of the Bible pointed toward the perfect Prophet, Priest, and King: Jesus. Jesus reigns as our King forever. Unlike earthly kings who are not perfect and who can make unwise and sinful decisions, we can always trust that Jesus our King does only what is right and best for us.
Words of Hope
Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Me.”
At first Saul proved to be a good king and strong leader. He rescued the people from their enemies the Ammonites. Saul grew strong and powerful in Israel. God directed all that Saul did through Samuel. But Saul began to want his own way more and more. He disobeyed God’s commands about when to go into battle. He disobeyed other instructions God gave him.
God spoke to Samuel. “I am sorry that I have made Saul king,” God said. “He has not followed Me or My commandments.”
So Samuel told Saul, “Because you have disobeyed God, your sons will not be kings after you. Instead, God will find a new king for Israel who will obey Him and follow His laws.” Samuel and Saul parted ways. Samuel was very sad that Saul had disobeyed God.
After a time, God said to Samuel, “I am sending you to a man in Bethlehem named Jesse. I have chosen one of his sons to be king.”
At first Samuel was afraid to go to Bethlehem. He said to God, “What if Saul hears about it? Then he will kill me.” But God told Samuel that He would tell him what he needed to do.
When Samuel arrived in Bethlehem, he told the elders, “I have come to offer a sacrifice to the Lord.” As God had directed him, Samuel invited Jesse and his sons to the sacrifice. Samuel saw Jesse’s son Eliab and thought, “Surely this is the one God wants me to anoint for Him.”
But God said to Samuel, “Do not consider how handsome or tall he is. I do not look at the things that people look at. Man looks at how someone appears on the outside. But I look at what is in the heart.”
ម្ពីន្ទូបាន្ទូយើព្រះជីើស់យើរីស់ន្ទូរណ្តាម្ចាាក់់
អុក់ម្ចាន្ទូក់ន្ទូផែតបុយើណ្តះយើ�ឬអ�?
Seven of Jesse’s sons walked before Samuel. Samuel said to him, “The Lord has not chosen any of them. Are these the only sons you have?”
“No,” Jesse replied. “My youngest son is taking care of the sheep.”
Jesse did as Samuel asked. J esse’s youngest son was very handsome. The Lord said to Samuel, “Get up and anoint him. He is the one.”
Samuel got out his animal horn filled with oil. He anointed David in front of his brothers. From that day on, the Spirit of the Lord came on David with power. But it would be some time before he would become Israel’s new king.
As they had been for many years, the Philistines continued to be fierce enemies of Israel. As had the judges before him, King Saul found himself confronted by the Philistine army. The Philistines were ready for battle. They were camped on one side of a mountain in the Valley of Elah. The Israelites were camped on the other side of the valley.
The leader of the Philistines was a man named Goliath. Goliath stood over nine feet tall. He had a bronze helmet on his head and wore a coat of bronze plates that weighed about 125 pounds. Bronze armor gleamed on his legs, and a bronze javelin was slung between his shoulders. The shaft of his spear was huge, and the head of the spear alone weighed about 15 pounds. Goliath’s shield bearer went ahead of him.
Goliath stood and called out to the armies of Israel, “Why do you come out, lining up for battle? Am I not a Philistine and are you not servants of Saul? Choose a man to fight me. If he can kill me, then we will be your servants. But if I am the winner, then you will be our servants. I challenge your army! Let us fight!”
When King Saul and his men heard Goliath’s words, they were terrified. For 40 days the fearsome Philistine came forward and repeated his taunts every morning and evening.
Then one day David came into the camp to visit his brothers who were soldiers in the army. David’s father had sent him with food for his brothers and to find out how they were doing. As David was talking with his brothers, Goliath stepped forward and shouted out his daily dare. David saw how afraid all of the Israelite soldiers were of Goliath. But David was not afraid.
David went up to King Saul. “I am not afraid of the giant and I will fight him,” David said. But King Saul said, “You are just a boy. How can you fight and defeat the giant?”
David replied, “As a shepherd, God has saved me from the paw of the lion and from the paw of the bear. He’ll save me from the powerful hand of this Philistine too.”
When King Saul heard these brave words, he gave David his own sword and dressed him with the king’s helmet and armor. David tried to wear the armor, but gave it back to Saul. “I can’t wear this,” David said. “I’m not used to fighting in it.”
David then took his shepherd’s staff and walked to a small brook. Out of the brook he chose five smooth stones. He put them in his pouch. With his sling in his hand, David approached the mighty Goliath . Goliath and his shield bearer came closer to David. Goliath hated David because he was handsome and young. “Am I a dog that you
come out against me with sticks?” Goliath shouted. Goliath prayed to his gods and cursed David.
“Come on! I’ll feed your body to the birds of the air! I’ll feed it to the wild animals!”
David said to Goliath, “You are coming to fight me with a sword, a spear, and a javelin. But I am coming to fight you in the name of the Lord who rules over all. This very day the Lord will hand you over to me. I’ll strike you down. I’ll cut your head off. The battle belongs to the Lord. He will hand all of you over to us.”
As the Philistine came forward, David ran quickly to meet him. Reaching into his pouch, David put a stone in his sling and hurled it at the giant. The stone struck Goliath in the forehead and sank into it. The giant fell face down on the ground. David defeated the Philistine giant with a stone and sling. There was no sword in David’s hand.
Then David ran over to Goliath. He took Goliath’s sword out of its sheath and cut off Goliath’s head with it. God had given David the strength to kill the giant. David gave God glory for the victory.
As King Saul saw David going out against Goliath, he asked Abner, the captain of his army, “Abner, whose son is that?” Abner replied, “King Saul, I do not know.” Abner brought David before King Saul. David was still holding Goliath’s head in his hands. King Saul asked him, “Whose son are you, young man?” David answered, “I am the son of your servant Jesse of Bethlehem.”
When the Philistines saw that their giant warrior Goliath had been defeated by a young man, they all ran away. The Israelite soldiers were excited. They celebrated how David had defeated Goliath with God’s help. David became a famous hero in Israel.
David trusted in God to win the battle over the giant Goliath. We have bullies and giant problems too, especially the problem of our sins. Our Savior Jesus is stronger than anything, even sin and death. Jesus won the battle for us over these enemies when He died on the cross and came alive again. We can count on Jesus to help us with all the struggles in our lives.
Words of Hope
The LORD is strong and mighty, the LORD is mighty in battle.
After David killed Goliath, King Saul became very jealous of him. Eventually King Saul became so jealous that he tried to kill David on numerous occasions. To keep himself safe, David and his 600 men escaped from Israel and lived for a time in the land of Philistines. God was no longer with King Saul. Eventually Saul was killed in a battle with the Philistines. It was now safe for David to return to Israel. Even though Saul had tried to kill him many times, David was sad that Saul had died.
Before David became Israel’s second king, he and his army had to fight several battles against Saul’s army. God gave David success in these battles. All the tribes and elders of Israel came to him. They anointed David as king over Israel according to God’s wishes. David was 30 years old when he became king. He ruled over Israel for 40 years.
King David captured the city of Jerusalem from the Jebusites. David’s workers built a palace for him in Jerusalem. Because God was with him, David became more and more powerful. With God’s help, David and Israel’s army defeated the Philistines and drove them out of the land. David wanted Jerusalem to be God’s city. So David and 30,000 of the best soldiers in Israel brought the Ark of the Covenant to Jerusalem. David set up a special tabernacle for it. David leaped and danced for joy when the Ark arrived in Jerusalem. He made sacrifices that day to honor the Lord.
King David lived in a beautiful palace. God gave him peace and rest from all of his enemies. King David wanted to build a beautiful temple in which to house the Ark of the Covenant. It would be a wonderful place where the people could worship God. King David told God’s prophet named Nathan what he planned to do. That night, God said to Nathan, “Tell My servant David that I will make him famous. I will set up a royal house for him. When he dies, one of his own sons will become Israel’s king. David’s son will be the one to build My temple.
“I will never take My love away from David’s son. David’s royal house and his kingdom will last forever in My sight. His throne will last forever.” Nathan told King David all the words God had spoken to him. This was a wonderful covenant that God made with King David. David prayed to God and praised and thanked Him for His greatness. God continued to bless all that David did. The Lord helped David win his battles wherever he went. God led David to be a right and fair ruler for all the people.
Gospel Connection
God promised King David that his kingdom would last forever. Through Jesus, our eternal King and a descendant of King David, God established His kingdom forever. All who believe in Jesus as their Lord and Savior are members of God’s kingdom now and forever.
Words of Hope
But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His wonderful light.
Some years later in the spring, the Israelite armies went out to battle against the Ammonites. The leader of the Israelite army was a man named Joab. King David remained in Jerusalem.
One evening while the armies were gone, David got up and walked around on the roof of his palace. From his roof, he saw a beautiful woman taking a bath. The more David looked at the woman, the more he wished she was his.
King David sent a messenger to find out who the woman was. The messenger reported, “Her name is Bathsheba. She is the wife of Uriah, one of your soldiers who is fighting in your army, led by Joab.”
King David said to Uriah, “Stay here one more day. Then I’ll send you back to the battle.” Uriah remained in Jerusalem that day and the next. King David invited Uriah to eat dinner with him. David got Uriah drunk. But Uriah still did not go home to Bathsheba. He was loyal to Joab and to the other soldiers in the army.
The next morning, King David sent a letter to Joab, ordering Uriah’s murder. David wrote, “Put Uriah on the front lines to fight. Then pull your men back from him so that the Ammonites will kill him.” Joab did as King David commanded, and when Uriah died, Joab was sad. But King David sent a messenger to Joab to tell him not to get upset over what had happened. David wanted Joab to continue to attack the Ammonite city.
When Bathsheba heard that her husband was dead, she was very sad. After her time of mourning, King David made her his wife. Their baby was a son. But God was not pleased with what David had done.
So God sent His prophet Nathan to go and see King David. Nathan told David this story: “There were two men living in the same town. One man was very rich and the other man was very poor. The rich man had many flocks of sheep, but the poor man had only one little pet lamb. This one little lamb was very, very precious to the poor man. One day the rich man had guests. Instead of sending his servants out to his own flock to kill one of his sheep to eat, the rich man ordered them to take the little pet lamb that the poor man loved and kill it for food.”
David was horrified. He said, “The rich man deserves to die for doing such a thing!”
Nathan replied, “You are that man! God has given you many, many wonderful things. He has richly blessed you. Yet you had to take Uriah’s one precious possession— his wife. You have done what is evil in God’s sight. Now God will bring trouble upon your family.”
King David confessed to Nathan, “I have sinned against the Lord.” David was filled with sorrow. He prayed to God, “Take away all of my sins. Wipe away all of the evil things I have done. Create a clean and pure heart within me. Give me a new spirit that is faithful to You. Please do not take Your Holy Spirit away from me.”
Nathan told King David, “The Lord has taken away your sin. You will not die. But the son who has been born to you will die.”
Nathan went home. Then the Lord made King David and Bathsheba’s son very sick. While his son was sick, David would not eat anything. He begged God to heal his son. But the child died. When King David found out that his child was dead, he went to the tabernacle to worship God. Then he comforted Bathsheba. Sometime later, another son was born to King David and Bathsheba. The boy was named Solomon. Solomon would one day become Israel’s third king
Gospel Connection
God is just. He punishes sin. But God is also full of love and grace. His Son Jesus died and rose again to take away our sins and to give us the gifts of forgiveness and eternal life. Anyone who trusts in Jesus and asks God to forgive his sins has God’s full forgiveness for Jesus’ sake.
Words of Hope
This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by His grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. (Romans 3:22–24 NIV) BIBLE TIMELINE
When King David’s time to die drew near, he commanded his son Solomon, “Be strong. Show how brave you are. Do everything that God requires. Live the way God wants you to as you keep His Laws and commands. Then you will have success in everything that you do.”
When King David died, Solomon became Israel’s new king. One night, God spoke to King Solomon in a dream. God said, “Ask for anything you want Me to
give you.” King Solomon answered, “You have showed great mercy to my father David. I pray that You will give me an understanding mind to govern these people. I pray that I will be able to understand what is good and what is evil.”
God was pleased that Solomon had asked this. God told him, “Because you have asked this and not to live a long life, or to have many riches, or for the lives of your enemies, but have asked to understand what is good and what is evil, I will give you what you have asked.
“I will give you a wise and understanding heart so that there never was, nor will there ever be anyone as wise as you. I will also give you what you have not requested—riches and honor. No other king on earth will compare with you for as long as you live.”
King Solomon woke up and was very happy. He returned to Jerusalem and stood before the Ark of the Covenant. He offered sacrifices to God. Then he gave a big dinner for all of his officials.
Many times as king, Solomon showed the wisdom God gave him. One day two women came before King Solomon. They asked him to make a judgment concerning a problem. One of the women said, “My lord, this woman and I live in the same house. I gave birth to a son while she was there. Three days later she also gave birth to a son. We were alone in the house with our babies. Then this woman’s child died in the night because she laid on top of him.
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“She awoke at midnight, took my child from me while I slept, and put her dead child by my side. When I awoke in the morning to nurse my child, I saw that he was dead. Then I looked closely at the baby in the morning light and saw that he was not my son.”
The other woman responded, “No, the living child is mine. The dead child is yours.” The first woman kept on saying, “No, the dead child is yours and the living child is mine.” The women continued to argue like this before King Solomon.
King Solomon then said, “This woman says, ‘My son is alive and your son is dead.’ The other woman says, ‘No! Your son is dead and mine is the living one.’ Bring me a sword!”
A sword was brought to King Solomon. He said, “Cut the baby into two pieces. Give half of the baby to one woman and give half of the baby to the other woman.”
Then the woman of the living child was filled with love as she thought of her baby boy. “Oh, my lord,” she cried out to King Solomon. “Give her the living child. I beg you, do not kill him.”
But the other woman cried, “He will be neither yours nor mine. Cut him in two.”
King Solomon answered, “Give t he living child to the first woman. Do not kill him. She is his mother.”
All of Israel heard about the judgment King Solomon had given. They were in awe of the wisdom God had given him. The kings of all the nations in the world heard about Solomon’s wisdom. They sent their people to listen to him.
When Solomon had reigned for three years, he began to build the temple in Jerusalem. Solomon made an agreement with Hiram, the king of the neighboring country of Tyre to provide the cedar and pine logs which would be used to help build the temple. Hiram had been a friend of Solomon’s father, David.
The temple was to be a beautiful place where God would be praised and worshiped. The temple’s foundation and the building stones were cut at the quarry so that no iron tool was heard as the temple was being built. Side rooms were constructed for storage. Carvings of palm trees, flowers and angels were made in the cedar paneling of the walls and doors.
The carvings and floors were covered with gold. Two cherubim angels were made to stand guard over the Ark of the Covenant.
The Ark would be placed in the Most Holy Place in the temple. Curtains separated this area of the
temple from the Holy Place, which was where the priests served. Gold lampstands and altars for incense stood in the Holy Place. Outside in the temple courtyard, there was an altar for burnt sacrifices and a huge basin for washing.
After seven years, the beautiful temple was completed. The Ark of the Covenant which contained the stone tablets Moses had received from God was brought up and placed inside the Most Holy Place. The tabernacle or Tent of Meeting was also brought and all of the sacred articles that were in the tent. These items were brought up by the priests and Levites.
The priests brought the Ark into the temple and placed it in the Most Holy Place. As the priests came out of the Holy Place, the glory of the Lord filled the entire temple.
King Solomon had 22,000 cattle and 120,000 sheep sacrificed as he dedicated the temple to the Lord. For fourteen days the people of Israel celebrated. They rejoiced and praised God for all the good things He had done for them. King Solomon ruled Israel for 40 years.
King Solomon’s wisdom was a gift from God. Our wisdom is also a gift from God. When we read and hear God’s Word, the Holy Spirit teaches us the wisdom we need to be saved from our sins that is found only in Christ Jesus.
Words of Hope
But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in His name.
In addition to ruling wisely and building God’s temple, God inspired King Solomon to write a number of wise teachings that are included in the Bible in the book of Proverbs. Proverbs share the wisdom of God in short, meaningful sayings. They are designed to help people live according to God’s way. They give people wisdom about things which are important to God.
The Proverbs of the Bible teach people to trust in the Lord and in His understanding. They teach people to respect God and to avoid evil. They tell people to honor God with offerings and by helping others. They tell fathers and mothers how to raise their children in ways that please God. They teach that being wise in God is more precious than being rich or important.
Here are some of the proverbs God inspired King Solomon to write:
● People who do what is right earn life. But what sinners earn brings them punishment (Proverbs 10:16, NIrV).
● Those who talk a lot are likely to sin. But those who control their tongues are wise (Proverbs 10:19, NIrV).
● Anyone who walks with wise people grows wise. But one who walks with foolish people suffers harm (Proverbs 13:20, NIrV).
● Anyone who hates his neighbor commits sin. But blessed is the person who is kind to other people in need (Proverbs 14:21, NIrV).
● It is better to have respect for God and own few things, than to be rich and have trouble (Proverbs 15:16, NIrV).
● Commit to the Lord all that you do. Then your plans will succeed (Proverbs 16:3, NIrV).
● When you live in a way that pleases God, He makes even your enemies live at peace with you (Proverbs 16:7, NIrV).
● A friend loves at all times. When trouble comes he is there to help (Proverbs 17:17, NIrV).
● Have respect for the Lord and don’t be proud. That will bring you wealth, honor, and life (Proverbs 22:4, NIrV).
● Train a child in the way he should go. When he is old he will not turn away from it (Proverbs 22:6, NIrV).
Gospel Connection
The Word of God is a most wonderful and important gift. In it we find instructions for living and the life-saving truth that we are saved by faith in Jesus Christ our Savior.
Words of Hope
For the LORD gives wisdom, and from His mouth come knowledge and understanding. (Proverbs 2:6 NIV)
After King Solomon, there were many very bad kings in Israel who did not care about God at all. Instead, they built all kinds of idols made of rock and wood. One of the worst kings of Israel was Ahab. King Ahab decided that everyone should worship a god named Baal
Almost everyone worshiped Baal, because King Ahab declared that anyone who worshiped the God of the Israelites would be killed.
But despite King Ahab’s decree, 7000 people in Israel still believed in the true God. One of them was a prophet named Elijah Elijah wore clothing made out of hair and had a leather belt around his waist.
God told Elijah to go and tell King Ahab that God would not let rain fall in Israel fall for a very long time. For the next few years there would be no rain and no dew. This was to punish Ahab for telling Israel to worship Baal. When God stopped the rain, the plants and crops could not grow. This caused a famine. It was very difficult to find anything to eat in all of Israel.
To keep Elijah safe from King Ahab, God told Elijah to go and hide in the Kerith Valley east of the Jordan River. God took care of Elijah. Even though the land was completely dried out because of the drought, Elijah lived well next to a small brook that still had water. Every day God sent large birds called ravens to Elijah to bring him bread and meat. The birds came with food for Elijah every morning and every evening. Elijah had plenty of water to drink from the brook.
Three years of drought went by, but King Ahab still continued to be a stubborn and evil person who did not follow God. Instead, Ahab built more and more idols to Baal. So God sent Elijah back to King Ahab. Elijah told the king, “You and your family have caused much trouble for Israel. You have turned away from God’s commands. You have worshiped Baal. Let us now have a contest between the true living
God and your Baal who is no god at all. This will prove for good which God is real.”
King Ahab agreed to the contest and gathered all the leaders of Israel on Mount Carmel. The king also brought hundreds of priests who believed in Baal. First, the Baal prophets built an altar for Baal. The Baal prophets put wood on their altar and cut up a bull as a sacrifice to Baal. Then Elijah told the Baal prophets, “Don’t set the wood on fire. Instead, pray to your god Baal. If he is real, he can light the fire on the altar for your sacrifice. I will pray to the living God. Let us then agree from this day on that we will believe in the God who sends fire from the heavens.”
Hundreds of priests prayed to Baal to light a fire on their altar. Though the priests prayed and prayed, nothing happened. Elijah began to taunt them. “Shout louder!” Elijah said. “Surely Baal is a god! Perhaps he is deep in thought or busy or traveling. Maybe he is sleeping and must be awakened.”
No matter what the Baal prophets did, nothing happened. This was because Baal was not the true God.
The Baal prophets cried louder. They cut themselves with knives until their blood gushed, as was their custom. They danced and cried all afternoon. But no one spoke or answered or paid any attention to them.
Now it was Elijah’s turn. He repaired the altar of the Lord using twelve large stones, one
f or each of the twelve tribes of Israel. Then Elijah dug a large trench all around the altar. He put the wood and bull on the altar. To show how great and powerful God is, Elijah then commanded that four big jars of water should be poured all over the altar.
Elijah then told them to pour four filled jars of water on the altar two more times, for a total of twelve jars of water. The bull, the wood, and the stones of the altar were very wet. Water filled the trench that surrounded the altar. Everyone watched closely as Elijah raised his hands and quietly prayed to God.
Elijah prayed, “Lord, God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, make it known this day that You are God in Israel and that I am Your servant who has done this by Your command. Answer me, God, so that these people may know that You are the true God of Israel.”
After Elijah prayed, suddenly a huge flame came down from the sky and hit the altar. The flame burned up everything on the altar. Even the stone altar burned up and the water around the altar disappeared as well. The people were amazed! They all fell on their knees and shouted, “God is the true God! God is the true God!”
“Arrest the prophets of Baal,” s aid Elijah. “Do not let them escape.” The priests of Baal were arrested and killed. Then God sent rain to His people again.
Gospel Connection
Our great and mighty Triune God is more powerful than anything or anyone. He is the one true God who has defeated sin, death, and Satan. All who trust in Him will be saved.
Words of Hope
Find rest, O my soul, in God alone; my hope comes from Him. He alone is my rock and my salvation; He is my fortress, I will not be shaken.
King Ahab told his wife Jezebel what had happened with Elijah on Mount Carmel. He told her that Elijah had all of the Baal prophets killed. This news made Jezebel very angry.
King Ahab’s evil wife had already killed many of God’s prophets. She sent a message to Elijah. Jezebel said, “You can be sure that I will kill you, just as I killed the other prophets.”
Elijah ran for his life. He traveled one day’s journey into the desert. Tired, discouraged, and afraid, Elijah sat down under a small tree. Elijah prayed to God, “Lord, I’ve had enough. Take my life.” Then Elijah fell asleep. An angel came to Elijah and touched him. “Get up and eat,” the angel said to Elijah. Near his head Elijah saw a flat cake of bread and a jar of water. Elijah ate and drank. Then he laid down again and slept.
The angel of the Lord came to Elijah a second time and touched him. The angel said to Elijah, “Get up and eat. You will have a long and hard journey ahead of you.” Elijah did as the angel said. The food made Elijah strong once more. He traveled for 40 days and 40 nights until he arrived at Mount Horeb. Elijah went into a cave in the mountain to spend the night. Then a message from God came to Elijah. God said, “Elijah, what are you doing here?” Elijah replied, “Lord, I have been very loyal to you. But the people of Israel have turned their backs on You. They’ve killed all Your prophets but me. Now they are trying to kill me too.”
God told Elijah to stand on the mountain. God said, “I am going to pass by.” As God approached, a very powerful wind tore the mountain apart. But God was not in the wind. After the wind came an earthquake. But God was not in the earthquake. After the earthquake a fire came. But God was not in the fire.
After the fire, Elijah heard a gentle whisper. He pulled his coat over his face and went out and stood at the entrance to the cave. God said to him once more, “Elijah, what are you doing here?”
Again Elijah told God of his faithfulness. He told God the people of Israel wanted him dead. Then God said to Elijah, “Go back the way you came. Go to the Desert of Damascus. When you get there, anoint Jehu as king of Israel. And anoint Elisha as the next prophet to serve after you.”
Elijah left Mount Horeb. He saw Elisha, Shaphat’s son, out in the field plowing with 12 pairs of oxen. Elijah went up to Elisha and threw his coat around him to let Elijah know that God had chosen him to be His prophet. Elisha left his oxen and ran after Elijah. Elisha said, “Let me say good-bye to my mother and father. Then I’ll come with you.” Elisha went home. He killed two oxen. He burned his plow to cook the meat. He fed the meat to the people. Then Elisha followed Elijah and became his assistant.
For a time Elijah and Elisha worked together. Together they traveled to Bethel and then to Jericho. Elisha was a faithful companion to Elijah. Other prophets in both Bethel and Jericho told Elisha that God was going to take Elijah away from him. When Elisha heard this he replied, “Yes, I know. But don’t talk about it.” Elisha did not want to think about Elijah being taken from him.
As Elijah and Elisha walked to the Jordan River, fifty other prophets followed them. Elijah took his cloak and rolled it up. He struck the water of the river with it. God caused the water of the river to part so that Elijah and Elisha could cross through on dry ground.
When they reached the other side of the river, Elijah asked Elisha, “What shall I do for you before I am taken away?” Elisha said, “Please give me a double share of your spirit.” Elijah replied, “What you have asked for is something only the Lord can give. But if you see me when I am taken from you, then you will have received it.”
As Elijah and Elisha continued to walk together, suddenly a chariot and horses appeared. Fire was all around them. God took Elijah up to heaven in a whirlwind. Elisha saw what had happened. Sad that his mentor was gone, Elisha tore his clothing. Then he picked up Elijah’s coat that had fallen on the ground. Elisha went back and stood on the bank of the Jordan River. He struck the water with Elijah’s coat. Elisha asked, “Where is God’s power? Where is the power of the God of Elijah?” When Elisha had struck the waters, they parted once more and Elisha crossed over.
The 50 prophets from Jericho
Gospel Connection
God sent His prophets to share with people His Word and the salvation found in Christ alone. As He was with His prophets Elijah and Elisha, God is with us as we love Him, serve Him, and tell others about Him.
Words of Hope
“Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go.” (Joshua 1:9 NIV)
ear the end of the ministry of Elisha the prophet, another prophet named Jonah began to serve the Lord. God had an important job for Jonah to do. God commanded Jonah to go to a city called Nineveh. At that time, Nineveh was one of the largest cities in the world. But Nineveh was a terrible place because the people there were evil and did terrible things to one another. This made God angry. So God told Jonah, “Go to Nineveh. Tell the people there that I have seen their wickedness.” God wanted Jonah to warn the people there that He would destroy
But Jonah did not want to go to Nineveh. The people of Nineveh were enemies of God’s people and Jonah did not want to give them God’s message. So Jonah decided instead to go to the harbor at Joppa and take a ship to a place called Tarshish. Jonah thought that he could run away from God by taking a ship sailing in the opposite direction of where God wanted him to go.
As the ship sailed, Jonah went down below the deck to try to get some sleep. He wanted to try to forget that he was actually escaping from the job God wanted him to do.
But God knew exactly where Jonah was. God sent a great wind upon the sea. The storm God sent was so mighty that the ship’s crew feared that the ship would break apart. The sailors were very afraid. Each man prayed to his own gods and begged them to stop the storm. When the storm did not stop, they threw the ship’s cargo into the sea to make its load lighter. As the storm raged, the ship’s captain discovered that Jonah was sleeping soundly in the lowest part of the ship. The captain shouted at Jonah, “How can you sleep at a time like this? Get up and call on your God. Maybe He will have mercy on us so that we will not die in this storm.”
Then the ship’s sailors said to one another, “Let’s cast lots to see who is causing the storm.” Each sailor took his turn and the lot fell on Jonah. The sailors asked him, “Why is this happening to us? What is your job? What is your country? Who are your people?”
Jonah answered the sailors. “I am an Israelite. I worship the Lord
God, who made the heavens and the seas and the dry land.” The sailors were terrified. They soon found out that Jonah was running away from God. “What can we do so that God will stop the storm? What can we do to make your God happy?” the sailors asked as the seas grew wilder and wilder. “Throw me over the side of the ship and the sea will grow quiet again,” Jonah answered.
This made the sailors even more frightened. They tried to row the ship to the shore. But the storm became more furious than ever. The sailors could no longer control the ship. Finally they prayed, “Please God, do not hold us guilty for this man’s life. Do not let us die for You have done as You wished.”
The sailors then picked up Jonah and threw him over the side of the ship. Immediately the storm stopped. The crew of the ship now believed in the one true God. They made a sacrifice and prayed. They made vows to serve God only.
Meanwhile, Jonah was sinking under the water. He sank deeper and deeper into the sea. Then he saw a big shadow approaching right under him from the depths of the sea. The shadow came closer and closer. It was a big fish. The fish swallowed Jonah alive in one mouthful. Jonah went all the way down into the belly of the enormous creature.
Though it was a scary and dark place to be inside the belly of the fish deep down in the sea, Jonah knew that God could still hear him. So Jonah started to pray to God. Jonah prayed for three days and nights. In his prayer, Jonah told God that he was thankful God had saved him.
God had not forgotten Jonah. On the third day, God told the fish to spit up Jonah on the seashore. Again God spoke to Jonah. “Get up,” God said, “and go to Nineveh. Tell them the message that I give you.” Jonah got up and made the long journey to Nineveh. It was hundreds of miles away, but Jonah listened and did what God said.
Nineveh was a huge city. It took three days to walk from one end of it to the other. On his very first day in Nineveh, Jonah stood before the people. He told them God’s message. Jonah said, “In 40 days, Nineveh will be destroyed!”
The people of Nineveh listened to Jonah. They believed his message. In order to show God that they were sorry for their sins and the evil they had done, they refused to eat any food. The king of Nineveh himself put on sackcloth and sat in ashes to show how sad and sorry he was.
The king ordered everyone in Nineveh, from the most important person to the least important person, to do the same. Not one person or any animals were allowed to eat or drink anything. The king declared, “Everyone must cry to God the Lord. The people must repent of their evil ways and the violence they have done. Who knows, maybe then God will change His mind. Maybe He will turn from His anger so that we do not die!”
When God saw that the people were truly sorry for their sins, He changed His mind. God did not destroy the city as He had planned to do.
Gospel Connection
All people deserve eternal death as the punishment for sin. But God is compassionate and forgiving. He wants no one to be lost from Him. He sent His Son Jesus to suffer and die to pay the price for our sins. Jesus rose from the dead and conquered sin, death, and the devil for us. God used Jonah to proclaim this truth to the people of Nineveh. God uses us to do the same today so by the power of the Holy Spirit, all can know Jesus the Savior.
Words of Hope
This is good and pleases God our Savior, who wants all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth.
For many years, God’s people refused to follow His commands. Long gone were the days when kings like David and Solomon led God’s people wisely and well and obeyed God’s will as they ruled. In 722 BCE, God allowed the nation of Assyria to take all the people out of the land of Israel and scatter them throughout their empire. Then about 140 years later, in 587 BCE, God allowed the Babylonians under a king named Nebuchadnezzar to carry away almost all the people of Judah. God also allowed the Babylonians to destroy the temple King Solomon had built in Jerusalem.
After King Nebuchadnezzar conquered Jerusalem, he ordered that all the young men of Israel from the royal family be brought to Babylon. The young men who were selected were handsome and intelligent. They were taught the language and customs of the Babylonians. Their Hebrew names were even changed to Babylonian names.
Among those taken to Babylon were four young men who trusted in God. Their names were Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. The four men were put in King Nebuchadnezzar’s palace. For three years the four men lived there and were trained in the Babylonian language and ways. God gave knowledge and understanding to Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. God gave them the ability to understand all kinds of writings and subjects. God gave Daniel the special ability to understand visions and dreams. No other men were equal to these four who followed God.
Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were given the privilege of serving King Nebuchadnezzar himself. The king found that the advice and answers that the four men gave him were always better than any given to him by the magicians in his kingdom. With God’s help, Daniel even interpreted a dream that the king had. The king put the four young men in important positions in his kingdom.
But King Nebuchadnezzar did not believe in God. He built a huge idol to worship instead. This idol was 90 feet tall, nine feet
wide and covered with gold. The king placed the giant statue where everyone could see it. King Nebuchadnezzar sent for all the Babylonian officials. He sent out this message to all the people of Babylon: “All peoples and nations, when you hear the sound of the cornet, flute, harp, bagpipe, lyre, and all the music, you must all bow down and worship the golden statue. If you don’t, you will be thrown into a burning, fiery furnace.”
So the people, whenever they heard the sound of the cornet, flute, harp, bagpipe, lute, lyre, and all the music, bowed down and worshiped Nebuchadnezzar’s golden idol.
But then some of the king’s servants brought him some surprising news. “Did you know, O King, that there are some Jews from the land of Israel that work for you—Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego—who do not worship our gods? They refuse to bow down and worship the golden statue you have set up.”
King Nebuchadnezzar was furious. He sent for the three young men. The king asked, “Is it true, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, that you will not bow down and worship the statue? Now I will give you another chance. When you hear the music of the cornet, flute, harp, bagpipe, lute, lyre, and all the music, and you bow down, it will be good. If you do not bow down, I must have you thrown immediately into the burning, fiery furnace.”
Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego said to him, “O Nebuchadnezzar, we don’t have to worry about answering you. If our God
is willing to save us, He will save us because He has the power to rescue us from the burning, fiery furnace. But even if He should choose not to save us, we will not worship your gods or the idol you have put up.”
King Nebuchadnezzar’s face twisted with rage. He ordered the furnace to be heated up seven times hotter than usual. He ordered very strong soldiers to tie up Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. The soldiers tied them up even though the three men were still dressed in their official cloaks, turbans, and tunics. The soldiers threw the three men headfirst into the burning, fiery furnace. Because the furnace was so hot, the soldiers that threw Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego into the furnace also died from the heat of the fire.
But then an amazing thing happened. The fire did not hurt the three friends. It did not burn their clothes. The men even walked around inside the furnace. Suddenly, there were four men inside of the furnace! King Nebuchadnezzar was horrified when he saw this. He said, “I had three men thrown into the fire. But now there are four men in the furnace, and one of them looks like the Son of God.”
The king went to the furnace. “Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego,” he called. “Servants of the Most High God, come out of the fire.”
Calmly, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego walked out of the furnace. There was no smell of smoke on them even though they had been in the flames. King Nebuchadnezzar knew God had saved the three men. The king realized how strong God truly is.
Therefore, King Nebuchadnezzar sent out a new law throughout all of Babylon. The king demanded that no one must ever say anything bad about the God of Israel. All over Babylon, everyone came to know what God had done. The king promoted Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego to higher positions in the kingdom.
Gospel Connection
Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego trusted in God’s will for them. They obeyed God’s Word regardless of whether or not He saved their physical lives. Through faith in Jesus, we are saved from eternal death in hell. All who trust in Jesus as their Savior have the promise of eternal life regardless of physical death.
Words of Hope
Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in Me will never die.”
Years passed and the people of Judah continued to live as captives in Babylon. God blessed Daniel as he lived in Babylon. Daniel had risen in authority to be one of the highest leaders in Babylon. By this time Babylon had a new king named Darius. King Darius liked Daniel very much.
But others in the king’s government were jealous of Daniel because Darius and the kings before him had trusted Daniel with so much. So they decided to set up a trap. They knew that Daniel prayed to God three times every day. So the jealous leaders went to King Darius and said, “Why don’t you make a new law that for the
next thirty days people can only pray to you. Then people can show they are only loyal to you as their king. If people pray to anyone else, they will be thrown into a den of lions.” King Darius liked their idea. He made it into a law that could not be changed.
When Daniel learned that King Darius had signed the law, he went to his upstairs room. He opened the windows of his room which faced Jerusalem. He continued to kneel down to pray prayers of praise and thanksgiving to God three times each day, just as he had always done.
The leaders ran in and found Daniel on his knees as he prayed to God for help. They rushed to King Darius and reminded them of his new law. “Didn’t you publish a decree, O King, that says for the next thirty days if anyone prays to any god or man, except to you, O King, that he will be thrown into a den of lions?”
King Darius said, “Yes, that law stands with the laws of the Medes and the Persians. It cannot be changed or cancelled.”
Then the jealous leaders said, “ King Darius, Daniel - one of the men we took from Israel - does not show respect for the law you have published. He still prays to his God three times a day.”
King Darius was very sad when he heard this because he liked Daniel so much. But at the same time he knew that he had to enforce the law. All day he tried to think of a way to rescue Daniel. But King Darius was unsuccessful. The governors
and prime ministers came to him and said, “Remember, O King, that according to the law no decisions made by the king can be changed.”
So King Darius gave orders for D aniel to be brought to the den of lions. The king’s soldiers threw Daniel into the pit. King Darius said, “May your God, whom you continually worship, rescue you.” A stone was put over the entrance of the pit. The king sealed it with his signet ring as did the other officials. Now nothing could be changed.
During the night the king could not sleep. He did not drink or eat anything. All the time he thought about the ferocious lions and poor Daniel.
Early in the morning at first light, the king rushed to the den of lions. Even though he did not expect an answer, King Darius called, “Daniel! Daniel! Are you there?”
Daniel answered, “O King, may you live forever! My God sent His angel to shut the mouths of the lions. They have not harmed me. God has kept me safe.”
The king rejoiced and gave orders for Daniel to be lifted from the den of lions. As King Darius examined Daniel, he saw that there were no scratches or wounds on him. The king then commanded that the men who had accused Daniel, along with their wives and children, be thrown into the den of lions instead. Before they hit the bottom of the den, the lions attacked them. The lions crushed all of their bones.
Then King Darius issued a new decree to every person in every language who lived in Babylon. “Peace to all of you. I issue a decree that in every land in my kingdom, men must fear and tremble before Daniel’s God. He is the living God and will live forever. His kingdom will never be destroyed. He will rule until the end of time. Daniel’s God rescues and delivers. He works signs and wonders in heaven and on earth.
He has rescued Daniel from the power of the lions.”
Daniel continued to prosper during the entire reign of King Darius.
Gospel Connection
Like his friends Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, Daniel trusted in the Triune God and followed His command to worship only Him. God blessed Daniel and kept him safe in the den of lions. God blesses us when we trust in Him and worship Him alone as our Lord and Savior.
After about 70 years of living in Babylon, King Cyrus of Persia announced that many of God’s people could go back to Jerusalem to rebuild the temple that had been destroyed during the rule of King Nebuchadnezzar. During the next 100 years or so, the temple was rebuilt and so were the city walls of Jerusalem. God allowed His people to return to the land of Judah.
But some of God’s people, also known as Jews, stayed in Persia. Eventually the grandson of King Cyrus, a son of King Darius, took over as king of Persia. His Greek name was Xerxes. His Persian name was Ahasuerus. King Xerxes ruled Persia from his palace in Susa. When his wife Queen Vashti refused to obey one of his orders, she was never allowed to come before the king again. So King Xerxes needed a new wife.
The king’s servants searched f rom India to Ethiopia to find the most beautiful women. Many young women were brought to the palace, including a beautiful young Israelite woman still living in Persia named Esther. When King Xerxes saw Esther, he was very pleased. He was so pleased that he set the royal crown on her head and she became the queen. To celebrate, the king held a big party for all his nobles and officials that lasted 180 days.
When she was a young child, a J ewish man named Mordecai had adopted Esther as his daughter. But when Esther became queen, King Xerxes did not know anything about Esther’s family background. One day when Mordecai went out and sat by the palace gates, he overheard some men planning to kill King Xerxes. He immediately went to Esther and warned her so that she could tell the king. The bad men plotting the crime were arrested. The king was very grateful to Mordecai for his help. The story of Mordecai’s rescue of King Xerxes was written in the royal books.
Some time later, King Xerxes appointed an advisor named Haman to a position of honor above all the leaders in the kingdom. The king commanded everyone to bow to Haman, but Mordecai refused. King Xerxes’ officials asked Mordecai each day why he would not bow to honor Haman. “I am a Jew,” Mordecai said. Haman was furious because Mordecai would not bow to him. So Haman made plans to destroy all the Jews in the entire kingdom of Persia. Haman cast lots to discover a day of good omen for this to happen. Then he went to King Xerxes. Haman told the king, “There are a certain people throughout your kingdom with laws that are different from your laws. It is not in your interest to allow them to live in your kingdom. Let it be decided that they all must be killed.” Haman even offered a bribe to the king so that his evil plot would take place.
King Xerxes took his ring and sealed the decree so that it would surely happen. The decision was written in every language and sent to all the people. It gave permission to kill all Jews, young and old, men, women, and children, on the thirteenth day of the twelfth month. All of the Israelites in Persia would die on this day.
When he discovered Haman’s plot, Mordecai tore his clothing and put ashes on his head. Jews everywhere fasted and wept. When Esther found out that Mordecai was in mourning, she tried to send him different clothing so he could come and
see her in the palace. But Mordecai refused to come and see Esther. He sent her a letter explaining Haman’s plot. Mordecai urged Queen Esther to go to the king to save her people, the Jews.
Esther sent a message back to Mordecai. She said, “All of the people of the kingdom know that if a man or woman goes to the king in the inner court without being called, he or she will be put to death. The only way they can be saved is if the king holds out to them the golden scepter. Then the person will live.”
Mordecai replied to Esther’s message. He said, “Do not think that because you live in the palace that you will be saved. If you do not speak up, we will be killed. Who knows? Maybe this is why you have come to the kingdom.”
Esther responded, “Go and gather the Jews. Have them fast and pray for me. My servant girls and I will also fast and pray. Then I will go to the king, even though it is against the law. If I die, then I die.”
Esther put on her royal gown and went to King Xerxes as he sat on the throne. When the king saw her standing there, he was pleased and held out his golden scepter to her. King Xerxes asked, “What is it you ask, Queen Esther? I will give you anything, up to half my kingdom.”
Esther said, “If it pleases the King, let him come with Haman to a banquet that I have prepared.”
King Xerxes quickly went to the feast. As they were eating and drinking, the king again asked Esther, “What is it that you want? I will give it to you, even if it is half my kingdom.”
Queen Esther replied, “If I have found favor with you, my King, come again to dine with me tomorrow with Haman. I will tell you then what I request.”
Once again the next day, in the middle of the feast the King asked Esther, “What do you wish, Queen Esther? I will grant it, up to half my kingdom.”
Queen Esther said, “If I have found favor in your sight, O King, let my life be spared. Please save the lives of my people. My people and I have been sold to be destroyed and killed.”
“Who has done this? Where can I find him? Who is planning to do this evil?” shouted King Xerxes.
Esther pointed at Haman and said, “This wicked man is our enemy.”
Now King Xerxes became very angry. He realized how Haman had convinced him to make such a wrong decision. So the king ordered Haman to be hung. Mordecai was given the position of advisor to the king. Mordecai had the king sign a new law that gave the Jewish people the right to fight back against their enemies.
God saved the Jewish people who lived in Persia. Days of feasting were held to celebrate the day when God protected His people.
Gospel Connection
God gave Esther the courage to confront King Xerxes so God’s people could be saved from their enemies. God gives us courage so that we can tell others of Jesus who saves us from our enemies--sin, death, and Satan.
Words of Hope
Our God is a God who saves. (Psalm 68:20a NIV)
BIBLE TIMELINE (BC/BCE)
Conquests of Alexander the Great God Works Through Esther to Save His People
God gave us the Ten Commandments to help us live a good life that is pleasing to Him because He loves us and cares for us. They serve as a curb to help prevent us from doing sinful acts, as a mirror to show us our sins, and as a guide to teach us what a God-pleasing life is like and what we should and should not do according to His will.
The Law explains what God demands of us and shows us how badly we fail to reach the standard that He has set. We can never earn our salvation or a place in heaven through the Law because God requires that we follow it perfectly, which is impossible for us to do.
The Gospel reveals God’s loving care for us and the way of salvation that He provides for sinners through faith in His Son Jesus Christ.
The First Commandment Thou shalt have no other gods. We should fear, love and
Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord, thy God, in vain.
We should fear and love God that we may not curse, swear, use witchcraft, lie, or deceive by His name, but call upon it in every trouble, pray, praise, and give thanks.
The Third Commandment
Thou shalt sanctify the holy day.
We should fear and love God that we may not despise preaching and His Word, but hold it sacred, and gladly hear and learn it.
The Fourth Commandment
Thou shalt honor thy father and thy mother (that it may be well with thee and thou mayest live long upon the earth).
We should fear and love God that we may not despise nor anger our parents and masters, but give them honor, serve, obey, and hold them in love and esteem.
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The Fifth Commandment Thou shalt not kill.
We should fear and love God that we may not hurt nor harm our neighbor in his body, but help and befriend him in every bodily need (in every need and danger of life and body).
The Sixth Commandment Thou shalt not commit adultery.
We should fear and love God that we may lead a chaste and decent life in words and deeds, and each love and honor his spouse.
The Seventh Commandment Thou shalt not steal.
We should fear and love God that we may not take our neighbor’s money or property, nor get them by false ware or dealing, but help him to improve and protect his property and business (that his means are preserved and his condition is improved).
The Eighth Commandment Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor.
We should fear and love God that we may not deceitfully belie, betray, slander, or defame our neighbor, but defend him, (think and) speak well of him, and put the best construction on everything.
Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor’s house. We should fear and love God that we may not craftily seek to get our neighbor’s inheritance or house, or obtain it by a show of (justice and) right, etc., but help and be of service to him in keeping it.
The Tenth Commandment
Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor’s wife, nor his man-servant, nor his maid-servant, nor his cattle, nor anything that is his.
We should fear and love God that we may not estrange, force, or entice away our neighbor’s wife, servants, or cattle, but urge them to stay and (diligently) do their duty.
Our Father who art in heaven, Hallowed be Thy name, Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread; And forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us; And lead us not into temptation, But deliver us from evil. Amen.
The Lord’s Prayer is the prayer that Jesus taught His disciples how to pray.
I believe in God the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth. And in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord; who was conceived by the Holy Ghost, born of the Virgin Mary; suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, dead, and buried; He descended into hell; the third day He rose again from the dead; He ascended into heaven, and sitteth on the right hand of God the Father Almighty; from thence He shall come to judge the quick and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Ghost; one holy Christian Church, the communion of saints; the forgiveness of sins; the resurrection of the body; and the life everlasting. Amen.
The Apostles’ Creed is the creed (or belief) that Christians speak, summarizing all God’s work in creation and in the history of God’s people, as taught in the Bible.
Altar — a structure often made of stone or wood on which sacrifices were made in Bible times.
Righteous/righteousness — being right; a quality of being holy and without sin.
Mourn/mourned — to show grief or sadness
Circumcised/circumcision — a religious ceremony performed on boys as a sign of God’s covenant with Abraham; corresponds to Holy Baptism in the New Testament.
Hebrew/Hebrews — one of the languages (along with Aramaic) in which the Old Testament was originally written. Hebrews is another name used in the Old Testament to refer to God’s people, the Israelites.
Sackcloth — cloth made from goat hair which people wore in Bible times to show that they were sad or angry.
Worship — to praise, honor, and adore God
Famine — a time period when little food is available.
Sacrifice — an offering made to show respect. Burnt offerings were sacrifices of animals in Old Testament times that showed honor to God and paid for sins.
Intercede — to pray for others, to speak on
Covenant — a formal, binding agreement between two people or two groups of people.
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All rights reserved. No portion of this publication may be reproduced in any form or by any means without prior written permission of Lutheran Heritage Foundation.
Lutheran Heritage Foundation would like to thank the following people for the publication of this volume :
Text : Diane Grebing, Dawn Mueller
Illustrations : Ruben Adriano, Dito Boby, Yudhistira Irja Wiguna
Editors : Jen Bagnall, Anna Bagnall
Supervision : Ted NaThalang
All Khmer Bible Texts are from Khmer Bible with permission from the Bible Society in Cambodia.
Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
The Ten Commandments, the Lord’s Prayer and the Apostles’ Creed are from Triglot Concordia, The Symbolical Books of the Evangelical Lutheran Church, 1921. - Public Domain.
Funding for the publication of this volume has been provided by the Iowa West District Lutheran Women’s Missionary League (LWML). Soli Deo Gloria!
Distributed by Lutheran Heritage Foundation – Cambodia.
Address: #76, St. Betong, Sangkat Krang Thnong, Khan Sen Sok, Phnom Penh, Cambodia.
Zechariah 8:7- Thus says the Lord of hosts, ‘Behold, I am going to save My people from the land of the east and from the land of the west.
God’s Word - The Bible - is for you, the people of all nations and races. God’s Word for You tells the true history of God’s people with archeological evidence of the things that happened long time ago. God’s people throughout time have preserved the Word of God and passed it from generation to generation.
As you read God’s Word For You, which is a short summary of the Bible with colorful Mangainspired graphics, you will learn about God’s beautiful Creation, how sin came into this world and destroyed God’s good plan for mankind. God is full of love and compassion for all people, even while they were still sinners. He has promised to save them from punishment in hell through His only Son, Jesus Christ, who suffered and died on the cross for the sins of everyone. This is the Good News, which is the main purpose of the whole Bible: to tell people of every nation and race of God’s love and forgiveness for them all.
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Jesus died for each one of us because of God’s grace and mercy, not because of how good we are. Jesus, the Son of God, loves you and has come to help sinners – those who are lost, sick, lonely, and those who need love and forgiveness (1 Timothy 2:4). He understands the pains, struggles and sufferings you are going through. He wants to help you and be your friend.
We pray that the Holy Spirit will help you to understand God’s Word, His Good News and receive great blessings of love, peace and joy in your life in having Jesus as your true friend.
