Biblical pop-quiz: what do Moses, David, and Ezekiel have in common?

"He shall save the children of the needy, and shall crush the oppressor."

Ps 72

"The hand of Yahweh shall be known toward his servants, and his indignation toward his enemies."

Is 66

Thought for Today: Tuesday April 11:

How you live at home, is the acid test for any believer – man or woman. If you are a true believer, you will not give way at home to bad temper, impatience, fault finding, sarcasm, unkindness, suspicion, selfishness or laziness. Instead, each day of your life will display the Fruit of the Spirit which is: Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness, Faithfulness, Gentleness, and self-control. – Galatians 5:22-23. How different would your home be if you consistently practice these virtues!

SERIES L --- THE NATION DIVIDES --- LESSON 21

NOT ONE GOOD KING

THE MANY KINGS OF ISRAEL

From 1 Kings 14:20; 15:26-34; 16:1-28; 2 Chronicles 16:1-10

While all this was happening with King Asa in Judah, the kingdom was changing in the northern ten tribes of Israel, During the second year of the reign of King Asa, Israel’s King Jeroboam died and his son Nadab ruled in his place. He, like his father Jeroboam, was an evil king who led his people into sin. While Nadab was with his army, laying siege to the Philistine city of Gibbethon, a man named Baasha assassinated him. Baasha was the son of Ahijah from the tribe of Issachar. Thus, the reign of Nadab quickly came to an end after two years. The rest of his deeds are written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel. As soon as Baasha became king he quickly killed all of Jeroboam’s descendants, fulfilling the prophecy of Ahijah of Shiloh. Adonai had spoken through him and said that all of Jeroboam’s descendants would be killed instead of dying of old age and that they would not reign forever because Jeroboam had sinned and led his nation into sin. Jeroboam’s evil had angered Adonai and caused Him to send this severe punishment. By the third year of King Asa’s reign in Judah, Baasha set up his kingdom, with his capital city at Tirzah. He reigned for twenty-four years, but all that he did was evil, just as it had been with Jeroboam. He, like Jeroboam, led his people into sin. As long as Baasha reigned in Israel and Asa reigned in Judah, there was war between them. In an effort to cut the supply line of Judah, Baasha built a fortress at Ramah. Asa responded by taking all the gold and silver treasures from the temple and the palace and sending them through his officials to King Ben-Hadad of Syria to buy his help against Baasha. [Your father and mine had a peace treaty between them, so you and I should also have one, he said. [I am sending this silver and gold so that you will cancel your treaty with Baasha of Israel and join me. That will force Baasha to abandon his plans to defeat me.] Ben-Hadad accepted Asa’s offer and sent his army to Israel, where he captured Jon, Dan, Abel-Beth-niaachah and all Cinneroth [Chinneroth] and the territory of Naphtali with its supply centres. Baasha saw what happened and retreated quickly to Tirzah, leaving his fortress uncompleted at Ramah. King Asa quickly drafted all the men of Judah to go to Ramah and remove the stone and lumber which Baasha had brought to build his fortress. With these building materials, King Asa strengthened the cities of Geba in Benjamin, and Mizpah. Then the prophet Hanani went to see King Asa. [Don’t you remember how you trusted Adonai to help you conquer the Ethiopians and Libyans with their enormous army and hundreds of chariots and horsemen? When you asked Adonai, He delivered those people to you and gave you a great victory. Adonai is always searching the earth for people who please Him so that He can help them with His great power. But you have placed your confidence in the king of Syria instead of in Adonai. You can never be master over Syria’s army, as you were over the army of Ethiopia. You have been very foolish; your action will only lead to more war.] King Asa was so angry when he heard what Hanani the prophet said that he threw him into prison. He was also very harsh with some other people at that time. During the thirty-ninth year of King Asa’s reign, his feet became diseased. As time passed his condition grew worse, but instead of seeking Adonai’s help, he depended on his doctors completely. In the forty-first year of his reign, he died and was buried in the City of David section of Jerusalem, in a vault his workmen had chiselled from stone. He was laid on a bed filled with sweet spices and ointments, prepared by skilled perfumers. To honour him, the people made a great fire. Meanwhile, in the northern kingdom of Israel, another prophet named Jehu the son of Hanani went to King Baasha to warn him, for Baasha was ruling with an evil hand, which greatly angered Adonai. When Hanani went to Baasha with a message from Adonai, this is what he said, [I raised you from the dust to lead My people Israel, but instead of following Me, you have followed the evil ways of King Jeroboam, leading the people of Israel into sin. I am angry because of this and therefore I will destroy the household of Baasha, bringing it to ruin even as I did the household of Jeroboam. Dogs shall eat your family members who die in the city and birds shall eat those who die in the country.] When Baasha died, he was buried with his ancestors at Tirzah. The rest of the biography of Baasha is written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel. Baasha’s son Elah came to the throne of Israel and he also ruled from Tirzah, though he ruled only for two years. One day while King Elah was drinking in Tirzah at the home of Arza, his palace overseer, he became drunk. Zimri, who was in charge of half of the king’s chariots came into the house and murdered Elah. Then Zimri became king and occupied the throne of Israel. This happened during the twenty-seventh year of King Asa’s reign in Judah, the rest of Elah’s biography is also written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel. As soon as Zimri became king, he murdered all of the family of Baasha so there would be no more heirs. Not one of them was left. This fulfilled the prophecy which Jehu the prophet had given to Baasha, when he told how Adonai was angry because of the sins of Baasha. However, when Elah’s army, which was besieging the Philistine city of Gibbethon, heard what had happened, they made Omri, their commander, king of Israel that same day in their camp. Omri and his army returned to Tirzah, the capital city, and captured it, when Zimri saw what had happened, he went into the palace and burned it to the ground while remaining inside to die. Zimri’s reign lasted only seven days. He was thus punished for his own sins and for causing his people in Israel to sin. His further biography is written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel. Then the people of Israel were divided. Half of them accepted Omri as king and half accepted Tibni the son of Ginath as their king. The people who followed Omri won out and Tibni was executed, permitting Omri to rule without further opposition. Omri began to rule during the thirty-first year of King Asa’s rule in Judah. Altogether he reigned twelve years, the first six of them in Tirzah. After the six years at Tirzah, Omri bought a hill from its owner Shemer. He paid about four thousand dollars in silver for the hill. There he built a city which he named Samaria in honour of Shemer. Omri was more wicked than all the Israelite kings who preceded him. He followed the way of Jeroboam, doing the things in Israel which had caused Adonai to be angry. After his twelve-year reign, he died and was buried in Samaria. The rest of his story is written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel. Omri was succeeded by his son Ahab, who became king of Israel in his place.

COMMENTARY

ASHURNASIRPAL; PORTRAIT OF AN ASSYRIAN KING

Following the reign of Tiglath-pileser I, a dozen kings ruled over Assyria. One succeeded the other in rapid order until Ashurnasirpal II took the throne as a young man in 883 B.C. He immediately displayed the fierce temperament that had earned him notoriety as the cruellest conqueror in Assyria’s history. Without provocation he attacked the lands east of Assyria before leading his army northward. His reputation preceded him, striking terror in the hearts of the Mesopotamians. They met him with rich gifts and oaths of allegiance; subjection to Assyria was preferable to a horrible death at the hand of a vengeful Ashurnasirpal. In the course of many wars, Ashurnasirpal collected vast treasuries of wealth that he spent on enormous building projects. He chose the ruined city of Calah as the site of his new capital on the banks of the Tigris River. Thousands of workmen levelled the land and erected a massive city wall. A ziggurat dedicated to Ninurta, the Assyrian war YHVH, crowned the capital. Close to the ziggurat’s base, Ashurnasirpal’s palace stretched over more than six acres. The intricate maze of chambers and banquet halls was adorned with fine examples of Assyrian artistry. At the dedication of his new capital, Ashurnasirpal proclaimed a great feast. For ten days he entertained the entire city of Calah, in addition to many foreign dignitaries. But gold for the king’s treasury was not the only booty Ashurnasirpal carried away from his victories at war. He brought back to Assyria a variety of trees and seeds for his gardens. Exotic animals unknown to Assyria were also carried back to Calah. During the peaceful intervals between his military campaigns. Ashurnasirpal enjoyed the dangerous sport of lion-hunting. The walls of his palace are lined with reliefs illustrating his skill with the bow and arrow. For more than twenty-five years Ashurnasirpal reigned over Assyria, dominating the surrounding nations with the threat of his vengeance. After his death he was buried in Ashur, the city of his origin. His son, Shalmaneser III, succeeded him to the throne and continued to expand the borders of his father’s empire.

The Torah Portion reading for his week is now up on our app and website! Visit- www.triumphintruth.global/Torah or download our app to view it now.

One of our Homeschooling Torah members unexpectedly lost her husband yesterday. They have 8 kids and were on one income as she was homeschooling and caring for the children. This gofundme is to help raise funds for the funeral and end of life costs. If anyone is able to donate and/or share, that would be greatly appreciated. Please be covering them in prayer. Thank you so much! ?
https://www.gofundme.com/f/bob-hartsell

And Moses and Aaron went into the tent of meeting, and when they came out they blessed the people, and the glory of YHVH appeared to all the people.
Leviticus 9:23

Moses and Aaron had a private meeting with God, the topic of which remains private to this day. Not everything God tells a person is meant to be shared.

This meeting also parallels the ascension of #yeshua to Heaven where he remains in the presence of the Father and where we can neither go nor see. When he returns, we will all see the glory of God.

Help wanted in Lewiston Idaho. $16-$22.00 an hour. Working with a team of two workers to take care of christian. Please pray for christian and see this picture for details and share it with anyone in the area that you know.

SERIES L --- THE NATION DIVIDES --- LESSON 20

ASA OF JUDAH

KING ASA OF JUDAH

From 1 Kings 15:8-24; 2 Chronicles 14:1-15:19

After the death of King Abijah his son Asa became the new king of Judah. His mother was Maachah the daughter of Abishalom. Asa became king during the twentieth year of the reign of King Jeroboam of Israel and ruled for forty-one years in Jerusalem. During the next ten years, the land was peaceful. Asa tried to please Adonai, destroying the heathen altars and high places, breaking down the obelisks and cutting down the Asherim gods. He issued orders for the people of Judah to follow Adonai and to obey Adonai’s Commandments and Laws. Without the heathen idols, high places and sun images, the land became much more peaceful. During this time of peace, Asa entered into a building program to construct walled cities in Judah. [Now that we have peace and Adonai is with us, let’s build these cities with walls, towers, gates and bars,] he said. [We have invited Adonai to be with us and He has brought us peace with our enemies.] Asa continued to build and his work prospered. Asa formed an army of three hundred thousand men of Judah, who carried light shields and spears and two hundred and eighty thousand men of Benjamin who carried large shields and bows. All these men were courageous and well trained. But an Ethiopian army, under the leadership of a commander named Zerah, marched into Israel to fight against Asa’s forces. There was a vast number of Ethiopians, about a million troops with three hundred chariots. When they reached Maresha in the valley of Zephathah, King Asa met them in battle with his much smaller army. Then Asa prayed. [Adonai, no one can help us against this mighty army except You,] he said. [As we depend on You to help us, for we trust in You and we go into battle in Your Name. O Adonai, You are our YHVH, so do not let these men defeat You with their strength.] Adonai heard Asa’s prayer and defeated the Ethiopians, giving Asa and his army a great victory. The Ethiopians fled and Asa’s army pursued them as far as Gerar, destroying every man in the entire Ethiopian army. They were utterly defeated before Adonai and the army of Judah gathered much plunder from the Ethiopians. While Asa and his army were in the area of Gerar, they attacked and defeated the surrounding cities. The fear of Adonai swept the area. Asa and his men gathered large amounts of plunder attacked the tents of those who raised cattle, taking their sheep and camels and then at last they returned to Jerusalem. As king Asa and his men returned from battle, the Spirit of Adonai came upon the prophet Azariah and he went out to meet them. [Listen to me, king Asa and your armies of Judah and Benjamin,] Azariah shouted. [Stay loyal to YHVH and He will continue to help you. But if you turn against Him, He will turn against you. Remember what happened to the tribes of Israel in years gone by. For a long time, they had turned away from YHVH and did not even have a priest who could teach them. They had even turned against the Law of YHVH. But whenever they asked YHVH for help, He gave it to them. As long as they rebelled against YHVH, they had no peace or security, but had troubles from every direction, with wars and crimes pitting tribe against tribe and city against city. You must remember this and be strong and courageous. Then YHVH will continue to reward you.] When king Asa heard what Azariah said he was further encouraged to destroy the idols of the land throughout Judah and Benjamin, as well as in the cities he had captured in the hill country of Ephraim. He also rebuilt Adonai’s altar which was before the temple. Asa called a convocation of the people of Judah and Benjamin and the people of Ephraim, Manasseh and Simeon who had migrated from Israel to live in the land of Judah. These people had gone to live there because they saw that Asa was trying to please YHVH and to encourage his people to do likewise. The convocation was held in Jerusalem in the third month, about June, the fifteenth year of King Asa’s reign. About seven hundred oxen and seven thousand sheep were sacrificed that day, part of the plunder Asa’s army had captured. The people also made a covenant to seek Adonai and worship Him alone and to punish anyone who did not worship Him by putting that person to death, whether the person was young or old, man or woman. The people pledged this to Adonai with great shouting and blowing of trumpets. They were glad of the oath and took it with great delight, for they had searched for Adonai with all their hearts. Because of their loyalty Adonai gave their portion of the nation a time of peace. King Asa’s mother Maachah had made an Asherah idol for the people to worship. In his effort to clean the land of such things, Asa removed his mother Maachah from her position as queen mother. He cut down the idol, broke it in pieces and burned it at the Kidron Brook. Even though the northern tribes of Israel kept their high places of heathen worship, Asa remained faithful to Adonai during his lifetime. He also returned to the temple the gold and silver bowls which he and his father Abijah had dedicated to Adonai. With this devotion to Adonai there was peace until the thirty-fifth year of Asa’s reign.

COMMENTARY

MILITARY ALLIANCES

Many alliances in the ancient world were formed out of desperate need, such as the one king Asa made with Syria. Rulers too weak to defeat a foe called on others for help, often uniting kings who had been bitter enemies. The confederations of Canaanite kings grew from this kind of predicament. Before the Israelite conquest threatened their survival, rulers of the city-kingdoms continually fought with one another. Faced with a common enemy, they joined forces in huge battles such as the one at the Waters of Merom. Later alliances resulted from similar crisis situations. One of the most famous included the Syrian king of Damascus, King Ahab of Israel and rulers of several Phoenician city-states. For generations following David’s reign, Damascus had been Israel’s most bitter enemy. On several occasions the Syrian kings had aided Israel’s enemies or marched directly against Israel. Yet, in 853 B.C., the enemy kingdoms joined forces to stop Assyrian invasion which threatened to destroy them all. Less frequent were alliances that grew from friendship or mutual interest other than war. The long fruitful relationship between the Phoenicians and the Israelites was one of these. David established the bond and king Hiram of Tyre extended it to Solomon. From this grew trade and an exchange of skills beneficial to both nations. Such strong ties later united them against common enemies. Marriages like the one between Solomon and the pharaoh’s daughter were another means of making a political alliance. Such an alliance however, held no more guarantee of permanence than others. In the following years, a pharaoh named Shishak invaded Israelite land in an attempt to regain trade control.