There are several women in Scripture for whom my heart absolutely aches. Leah, because her husband Jacob openly loved his other wife, Rachel, more. Mary, the mother of Jesus, whose joy of birth and early motherhood gave way to letting go of the unpredictable and divine Son she watched die on the Cross. And then there is Hephzibah. She was wife of Hezekiah, …
Who is Micah?
When we look at the people in our churches, we see great variety. Tall and short. Young and old. Thin and . . . not so thin (especially after all those Thanksgiving and Christmas goodies!). Big churches, little churches, well-to-do parishes, and those that struggle financially. We could break it down into Protestant, Catholic, Evangelicals and then name various denominations. But what’s …
Who is Ahaz?
When was the last time you ran into an “Ahaz?” I think the wacko sea captain that chased Moby Dick is the only Ahaz I’ve ever heard of—well, besides the scoundrel-king we’ll talk about today. King Ahaz, son of Jotham and father of Hezekiah, was the twelfth king of Judah and nearly destroyed the nation with his idolatry. Dates of …
Who Is Hezekiah?
Hezekiah is an Old Testament king that I’m excited to meet in heaven. I have this image of him in my head—tall, dark, and handsome sort. His story can be found in three books of the Bible: 2 Kings 18-20, 2 Chronicles 29-32, and Isaiah 36-37. As with most kings, the accounts in 2 Kings and 2 Chronicles are similar, …
Who is Abijah?
With a name like “Mesu,” I’ve never had to worry about which Mesu someone was talking about. Abijah, however, is another story. If we had an “Abijah Bible reunion,” eight people would walk off the pages of Scripture—six men and two women. The Abijah we’re talking about today is the wife of King Ahaz, mother of Hezekiah. Scripture says very …
Who Is Isaiah?
When children list their superheroes, we get Batman, Superman, Spiderman, and maybe—now that we’re raising more sophisticated children—Captain America and/or Iron Man. Diligent, Bible-teaching parents might invest in the Super Heroes of the Bible Sticker and Activity book. I would be surprised if the prophet Isaiah was featured in this book. He’s generally not listed with Old Testament greats like: …