Video People of the Bible (16) Elijah

 

16.        ELIJAH 

Elijah was a prophet for twenty years in the northern section of divided Israel about 870 years before the birth of Jesus.

 

THE MIRACLE OF FLOUR AND OIL. Elijah visited a widow in the costal town of Zarephath ten miles south of Sidon. He asked her for a cup of water to drink and for some bread to eat. She lamented that after the very little flour and a drop of oil she had used, she and her son would die of hunger. Elijah assured her that she would have enough flour and oil for the three of them to live for a year. True to his promise, the flour and oil never ran out.

 

THE SACRIFICE ON MOUNT CARMEL.  The great sin of the people was to worship the false god Baal instead of the true God. There was a contest between a group of four hundred false prophets and Elijah on Mt. Carmel to prove who was the true God. A young bull was placed on an alter and the false prophets prayed to Baal but nothing happened. Then Elijah prayed to God to destroy the bull and fire immediately destroyed it proving that Elijah was the true prophet of the true God.

 

THE ENCOUNTER WITH GOD. Elijah fled Israel for fear of being killed by the evil queen. He walked for forty days and nights to Mount Sinai where Moses received the Ten Commandments. God appeared to him not in a strong wind, earthquake, or fire but in the gentle breeze. God told him to return home and anoint Elisha as his successor. God informed him that 7,000 faithful followers would remain in Israel.

 

Elijah provided food for the widow and proved his God was the true God. He met God on Mt. Sinai and anointed Elisha as his successor.

Video People of the Bible (15) Solomon

 

15.        SOLOMON 

Solomon was the son and successor of King David. He reigned around 950 years before the birth of Jesus.

 

SOLOMON IS CONSECRATED KING. Solomon was born in Jerusalem and his mother was Bathsheba.  Though younger than some of his brothers, David chose him to be the next king. At David's command, Solomon was placed on the king's mule and led to the spring Gihon by the priest Zadok and the prophet Nathan. A horn was blown and the cry went out "Long live King Solomon." After his return to the king's palace, Solomon sat on the king's throne and began to rule in the place of David.

 

SOLOMON'S DREAM. One night God appeared to Solomon in a dream and asked him to request a gift and God would give it to him. He asked God for an understanding heart to judge the people justly and to distinguish right from wrong. God was very pleased with this request and granted him this gift. God was very happy that Solomon did not ask for a long life for himself, for riches, or for the life of his enemies. He became known for his great wisdom.

 

SOLOMON BUILT THE JERUSALEM TEMPLE. Solomon planned to build the temple in Jerusalem and hired skilled works to do the work. When completed, the Ark of the Covenant which contained the Ten Commandments and was a symbol of God's presence was placed in the temple as its permanent resting place. This temple became the center of the peoples' religious life.

 

Solomon became king after the death of his father King David. God blessed him with great wisdom and wealth. He built the temple in Jerusalem.

Video People of the Bible (14) David II

 

14.        DAVID/2 

David lived about 1,000 years before the coming of Jesus and reigned for about 40 years.

 

DAVID IS ANOINTED KING. After the death of King Saul, the first king of Israel, the tribes of Israel gathered in the southern city of Hebron and anointed David as their king. He was thirty years old and reigned for forty years. He was the second and greatest king of Israel.

  

THE PROPHESY OF NATHAN. David captured a mountain fortress called Zion which became Jerusalem and the capitol where he built his palace. He planned to build a temple to house the Ark of the Covenant, a symbol of God's presence. The prophet Nathan informed David that God did not want David to do this. Nathan also informed David that God would make him famous; and after his death, his sons would continue to be kings. God would always protect his descendants.

 

THE DEATH OF DAVID. When David was old and soon to die, he instructed his son, Solomon, how to be a good king. He was to keep the commandments and instruct his sons to do the same. Solomon did as his father instructed. David was buried in Jerusalem along with his ancestors. During his reign, Israel became a rich and powerful nation. He was considered the greatest king of Israel.

 

King David, originally a shepherd, became the greatest King of Israel. He ruled from his capital, Jerusalem, for forty years. During his reign, Israel became rich and powerful.

 

Video People of the Bible (13) David I

 

13.        DAVID/1 

David lived about 1,000 years before the coming of Jesus which is about 3,000 years ago. He was the second king of Israel.

 

DAVID SERVED SAUL. David was a shepherd skilled in playing a stringed instrument. King Saul was often unhappy and depressed. It was suggested that music might help to calm him and bring him some peace. Saul agreed to this suggestion. David, skilled in music, was wiling to play soothing music to help the king. Thus David entered the service of Saul.

 

DAVID AND GOLIATH. The Philistines and Israelites were often at war. One day while fighting a giant Philistine soldier named Goliath, whose very appearance brought fear to the Israelite soldiers, appeared. The young David did not fear him and was prepared to do battle with him. His only weapon was a sling along with a few stones which he used striking Goliath in the forehead resulting in his immediate death. Because of this, the enemy soldiers immediately fled the battlefield. David showed his courage in the face of great danger.

 

DAVID LEARNED OF SAUL'S DEATH. David was deeply grieved upon hearing of the death of Saul and his son Jonathan at the hands of the Philistines. He and his men mourned their death. Though misunderstood by Saul, David was always faithful to the king and remained a loyal friend of Jonathan.

 

David was a shepherd from Bethlehem who served King Saul. He killed in battle a giant Philistine solder whose appearance brought fear to the Israelite soldiers. David became very friendly with Saul's son Jonathan and mourned their deaths at the hands of the Philistines.

Video People of the Bible (12) Saul

 

12.        SAUL 

Saul from the tribe of Benjamin was the first King of Israel who ruled from 1020 to 1000 before Christ.

 

SAUL IS CHOSEN KING. The twelve tribes of Israel were ruled by God so there was no need for a king.  However, the people wanted a king like the other nations. God granted them their request. Samuel gathered all the people to choose a king. The people selected Saul from the tribe of Benjamin to be their first king.

 

GOD REJECTS SAUL. King Saul was ordered to fight the tribe of Amalek and to destroy all the people and their possessions. He defeated them but took possession of the best lambs, sheep and oxen for sacrifice. Samuel was angry with him for disobeying God and told him God considered obedience far more important than offering sheep and oxen.  Because King Saul rejected the command of God, God rejected him as ruler.

 

THE DEATH OF SAUL. King Saul and his three sons were fighting the enemy. They were overpowered and they were killed in battle. When the sad news reached his friends who lived a long distance from the battlefield, they marched through the night, removed the four bodies, and carried them back to their homes for a proper burial.

 

Saul, the first King of Israel, displeased God because of his disobedience. He and his three sons were killed in battle. His friends gave him a proper burial.

Video People of the Bible (11) Samuel

 

11.        SAMUEL 

Samuel was the last of the judges who were local leaders. He also was a priest and a prophet.

 

GOD CALLS SAMUEL. The young Samuel was living with the elderly priest, Eli, at the shrine located at Shiloh. One night when Samuel was asleep, he heard a voice calling him. Thinking it was Eli, he went to him saying, "Here I am." Eli said that he did not call Samuel. This happened two other times. Finally Eli understood that it was God who was calling him. God called Samuel to be his prophet.

 

SAMUEL ANOINTED SAUL AS KING. God informed Samuel that he would send him a man from the tribe of Benjamin who would be anointed king. When Samuel saw Saul, God informed him that Saul was the chosen one. One day Samuel took oil and poured it over Saul's head kissed him saying that the Lord anointed him as leader over his people.  Saul became the first king of Israel.

 

SAMUEL ANOINTED DAVID AS THE SECOND KING OF ISRAEL. God and Samuel were displeased with Saul because of his disobedience. God informed Samuel to go to Bethlehem where he would anoint another king. Samuel went to the house of a man named Jesse where    God would choose one of his sons to become king. God chose Jesse's eighth son, David, who was a shepherd to become the second king of Israel.

 

Samuel was chosen by God to be the last judge. He anointed both Saul and David to become the first and second kings of Israel.

Video People of the Bible (10) Ruth

 

10.        RUTH 

Ruth was a kind and faithful woman from Moab. She was an ancestor of King David.

 

RUTH AND NAOMI. Due to a severe famine in Israel, Naomi, her husband, and her two sons moved across the Jordan River to Moab.  There the two sons married local woman, one being Ruth. After the death of her husband and two sons, Naomi decided to return to her home as there no longer was a famine. She encouraged her two daughters-in-law to remain in their own country. Ruth insisted on returning with her, so the two of them returned to Bethlehem, Naomi's hometown.

 

BOAZ CARES FOR RUTH. In order to support Naomi, Ruth went into the fields of Boaz to collect the grain which was left over after the harvest. Boaz told Ruth to work only in his fields along with his servant women. If thirsty, she could drink from vessels used by his workers. He ordered his men to do her no harm. Ruth thanked him for his care and concern. He was aware of the great sacrifice Ruth made for his relative Naomi.

 

BOAZ MARRIES RUTH. Naomi wished to sell a piece of her land. The custom was that the relative who purchased the land had the responsibility to marry her. The closest relative wanted the land but refused to marry Ruth. Boaz was the next closest relative who was willing to buy the land and marry Ruth. They were married and Ruth bore a son and named him Obed. He became the father of Jesse who became the father of King David.

 

Naomi was forced to leave her homeland due to a famine. Ruth, her daughter-in-law, loved her very much so she returned with her to her homeland. Ruth married Boaz and their son Obed became the father of Jesse who became he father of King David.