Category: Biblical Support

The next section in The MANual, my NIV Bible for Men is titled “A Nation’s Rise and Fall” and covers the books from 1 Samuel to 2 Kings. This lesson comes from two books: 1 Samuel and 2 Samuel. The next lesson will cover the other two books: 1 Kings and 2 Kings. From Judges to a King The setting for the books of Samuel is when the nation of Israel went from being led by God to being led by a human king. First Samuel begins during the closing years of Samson’s life (see those lessons in my post on the book of Judges). Samuel was one of Israel’s last judges and the first priest and prophet to serve during the reign of King David (1050-970 B.C.). Samuel was the son of a high priest, Elkanah, and his wife, Hannah, who was known for her fervent praying. Hannah dedicated Samuel

One of my favorite contemporary Christian music artists is Chris Tomlin, the singer of such great songs as Amazing Grace (My Chains are Gone), How Great is our God, Indescribable, and many others. One of his more catchy songs includes some powerful lyrics from a story in the book of Ruth, our next lesson from The MANual, the NIV Bible for men.  About The Book of Ruth The eighth book of the Bible is about a widow and the influence of her relatives. It’s a story is about love, friendship, and family loyalty after a tragedy. The purpose of the book is to show the strength of character of three people: Ruth, her mother-in-law, Naomi, and a close relative named Boaz. Many believe the prophet Samuel wrote this book, but evidence suggests it was written after his death. The book of Ruth is short with just 4 chapters but it

No one likes to go before a judge. We also don’t want anyone to judge us, especially those who do not sit behind a courtroom bench. But the book of Judges shows us that judges are heroes too when they help us return to godly behavior and right living.  This week’s lesson from The MANual, an NIV (New International Version) translation of the Bible, describes the work of 12 judges — men and women, who heroically delivered the people of Israel from their oppressors, despite repeated cycles of disobedience. Here Come The Judge(s)   With apologies to comedian Flip Wilson, I paraphrase a line from one of his famous bits to open this lesson. The 21 chapters in the book of Judges cover a time span of 325 years and six successive periods of oppression and deliverance. The setting is the land of Canaan which is modern-day Israel. God helped the Israelites conquer