Acts 7 begins with Stephen’s speech to the Sanhedrin and ends with the stoning of Stephen, the first martyr killed for his Christian faith.
1 Chronicles 5 contains the family tree of Reuben, the family tree of Gad and the family tree of Manasseh East of Jordan. These three tribes were unfaithful to God and the king of Assyria defeated them and took them into exile.
Acts 6. To better serve the needs of widows seven people were chosen, among them Stephen. They would later be called deacons. Stephen spoke boldly about Jesus, he was in the Spirit, was seized by zealous Jews, and so a trial began.
1 Chronicles 2 lists the family tree of Israel, then concentrates on the family tree from Judah to David, continuing with the family tree of Hezron, the family tree of Jerahmeel and finally the family tree of Caleb.
1 Chronicles 3 contains the family tee of David, the royal line of Solomon and the royal line of Jeconiah after the exile.
1 Chronicles 4 contains the rest of the family tree of Judah and the family tree of Simeon.
Acts 5:12-42. When Ananias and Sapphira had lied to the Holy Spirit and died on the spot, great fear and great power came over the Church. An Angel of the LORD came during the night and freed the Apostles that had been jailed the previous day. They went back to the Temple courts and got called in to the Sanhedrin again for the crime of preaching about Jesus, but Gamaliel gave them good advice, they listened, and after flogging the Apostles were let go.
1 Chronicles 1 lists the partial family tree of Adam to Noah’s sons, the family tree of Abraham, beginning with the family tree of Keturah, Abraham’s concubine whom he married after the death of Sarah, the family tree of Isaac, the family tree of the people of Seir in Edom and finally a list of the kings of Edom.
Psalm 42, a Maskil. Of the sons of Korah. A very old Psalm, it mentions Elohim many times, but Jehovah only once. It begins “As the deer pants for the water brooks, So pants my soul for You, O God.” Enjoy! (I love the song)
Acts 5:1-11. Ananias and Sapphira were lying to the Holy Spirit and fell down dead. This lead to great fear and great power in the Church.
Proverbs 6 warns against cosigning documents with neighbors, condemns sluggards of their sleepy and lazy habits and points to the destruction of wicked men. It tells about seven detestable things to the LORD, and finally it takes a dim view of adultery, a sure way to destroy yourself and others.
Psalm 41, of David. A prayer for help in sickness and protection from traitors and other enemies.
Acts 4.The Apostles Peter and John were arrested and hauled before the Sanhedrin, were told not to speak about Jesus anymore. Their response? “Whether it be right in the sight of God to hearken unto you more than unto God, judge ye. For we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard.” They were let go and continued telling about Jesus and his resurrection, and a good time was had by all, sharing all things.
2 Kings 24. Things went from bad to worse, Judah was overrun by enemies, Jehoiachin became king of Judah and was taken captive, Nebuchadnezzar conquered Jerusalem and made Zedekiah nominal king of Judah.
2 Kings 25. In this final chapter describes vividly the fall and captivity of Judah. Gedaliah was made Governor of Judah and Jehoiakin was released from prison. This ends 2 Kings.
In Acts 3 the Apostle Peter healed a crippled man sitting at the Beautiful Gate with these words: “Silver and gold have I none; but such as I have give I thee: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth rise up and walk.” Then Peter preached at Solomon’s Portico. Read it!, It is powerful.
2 Kings 22. Josiah was king of Judah and Hilkiah the priest found the book of the law. The reading of the law pricked their conscience.
2 Kings 23. Having repented, Josiah restored the worship and even tore down the quarters of the male shrine prostitutes and ended idol worship, but alas, too late. There still came impending judgment on Judah, Josiah died in battle at Megiddo. After that came the reign and captivity of Jehoahaz, after which Jehoiakim became king of Judah.
Acts 2. At the day of Pentecost the Holy Spirit arrived, and that day many languages were spoken by the disciples, at least 15 different tongues that the listeners understood. Peter stood up and delivered his first sermon, a powerful one that led to about 3000 new converts. The following few weeks were good times and the believers were in good fellowship with each other.
2 Kings 20. Hezekiah was ill unto death, but he prayed to the LORD, and got his life extended another fifteen years. From Babylon came envoys, Hezekiah showed them every treasure in his palace, for in doing so he thought “There will be peace for our time” just like Neville Chamberlain promised before WWII.
2 Kings 21. Manasseh became King of Judah, doing more evil in the sight of the LORD than even the surrounding countries. After his death Amon reigned and died, followed by his son, Josiah.
Acts 1 begins with the disciples watching Jesus’ Ascension, but before he left Earth he promised they would receive power when the Holy Spirit came upon them. While waiting for the Holy Spirit to come Matthias was chosen to replace Judas Iscariot as one of the 12 Apostles.
2 Kings 18. Hezekiah reigned in Judah, and was threatened by the Assyrians. Sennacherib boasted against the LORD, but Hezekiah still trusted the LORD and that He would deliver His people. The chapter ends with a standoff.
2 Kings 19. The prophet Isaiah assured deliverance from Sennacherib’s threat. Hezekiah’s prayed for deliverance and Isaiah delivered the word of the LORD concerning Sennacherib. That night the Angel of the Lord slayed 185,000 men, and Sennacherib was defeated and died not long after.
Acts 28 records thr Apostle Paul’s ministry on Malta and his final sailing to Rome. After Paul arrived in Rome it tells of Paul’s ministry there, and he stayed in Rome freely proclaiming the gospel for two full years.
Nehemiah 1 records Nehemiah’s prayer.
Nehemiah 2. After some days of praying Nehemiah went to King Artaxerxes, told the King why he was sad and was sent to Judah where he viewed the wall of Jerusalem.
Nehemiah 3 retells the start of rebuilding the wall.
Acts 27:13-44. Against better advice from God via Paul the captain and Centurion ignored Paul’s warning, and sure enough a great storm grew up and they were shipwrecked on Malta, but all got safely ashore.
Proverbs 9 contrasts the way of wisdom with the way of folly.
Psalm 51, of David, written after Nathan confronted David after his adultery with Bathsheba. This Psalm explains fully, how God would say, after David was pointed out to be both an adulterer and a murderer: “He was a man after God’s own heart”.
Psalm 52, of David. The Psalm is a contemplation of David, contrasting the final end of evil men with the rewards of the righteous.
Psalm 53. This is a short Psalm telling about fools that say “No God”
Len Bilén's blog, a blog about faith, politics and the environment. 