History for Christian Teens

Episode #20- Elijah: Bold Prophet Who Vanished in a Whirlwind

On this podcast, Kevin and Crystal take a closer look at a man of boldness for the Lord and extraordinary faithfulness. A man who, one day, was caught up to heaven in a whirlwind, never tasting death as a reward for his obedient service to God. You can find his story in 1 Kings 17-19 and 2 Kings 2. We are talking about Elijah. His name means, “The Lord is my God,” and he was a prophet who lived around 900 BC. Back in those days, being a prophet wasn’t easy and his main task was to give King Ahab bad news. His life was often in peril because of this, but the Lord always protected and cared for Elijah.

With very little introduction, Elijah comes on the scene to prophesy a coming drought upon the land of Israel due to the people’s idol worship and their wicked ruler. Ahab was an evil king who ruled the northern kingdom from 874 to 853 BC. Because the people had turned from worshiping the one true God to bowing down to idols, God sent Elijah to declare His judgment upon them. They would endure 3 1/2 years of drought to show them that their idol Baal, the god of rain and fertility, had no power over the Living God who could control all things, including the weather.

After challenging King Ahab, Elijah was warned by God to hide for a time, and while there, the Lord used ravens to supply him with food. As the drought and famine worsened across the land, Elijah met a widow living nearby. Because of her sacrificial giving to Elijah, she, her son, and Elijah were provided for. Miraculously, the widow’s barrel of flour and jar of oil never run out.

Sadly, the severe drought did not move King Ahab to repent from his wicked ways. As the drought years came to an end, God sent Elijah to Ahab to propose a power challenge between God Himself, the 450 priests of Baal, and the 400 priests of Asherah. In front of the whole nation, the one true God shows His power over the false gods. Still, despite God’s powerful display, Elijah became fearful and ran for his life from Ahab and Jezabel, falling into a deep depression. However, rather than be angry, the Lord lovingly ministers to Elijah and speaks to him there.

Listen in to hear the full story and find out what we can learn from this great, though very human, prophet of God that we can apply to our lives as believers.

Next week- Please be sure to tune in next week when we’ll get the inside scoop about a man who has a whale of a tale to tell!

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If you have questions, comments, or are in need of prayer, you can reach us by email at [email protected].

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Episode #19- Solomon was a Wise and Foolish King

This episode explores the reign of a man who was both a wise and a foolish king. Proclaimed, in fact, as the wisest man who ever lived. But, despite his vast, God-given wisdom, he lacked discernment and disobeyed the Lord. Who was this king?

Solomon, his name meaning, “peace,” the third and final king of Israel; son of David and Bathsheba. King David appointed Solomon as his successor just before his death even though he was not the eldest of his sons. Solomon inherited a kingdom that was well managed and stable with none of the countries that surrounded them strong enough to cause concern. His 40 year reign was marked by peace in the region with only a few occasions of unrest, and he expanded his control from Egypt to the Euphrates River. During his lifetime, Solomon wrote the Book of Proverbs, the Song of Songs, and the Book of Ecclesiastes.

Though he was just a youth, Solomon still realized the enormous task that lay ahead of him as a new king. When the Lord gave him the chance to ask Him for anything he wanted, King Solomon asked for wisdom. God gave that to him and wealth and honor besides. Crystal and Kevin then share two examples of ways he proved his wisdom and love for the Lord during his long reign.

However, as great and wise as Solomon was, he had a major flaw. During the course of his reign, Solomon married many foreign women for personal gratification and likely as a political move to secure his power and ensure stability in the region. Of Solomon, we read this Nehemiah 13:46, “. . . He was loved by his God, and God made him king over all Israel, but even he was led into sin by foreign women.” Even the wisest man had weaknesses, as we all do, and it was at those unguarded points that the devil was able to trip him up and entice him into sin.

Be sure to listen in to the podcast to find out what we can learn from Solomon and apply to our own lives as believers.

Next week- Please join Crystal and Kevin next week for the story of a man who disappeared in a whirlwind!.

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We are now on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, iHeartRadio, and more! You can also find us on your favorite podcast listening app. Please be sure to like and subscribe so you don’t miss a single episode.

If you have questions, comments, or are in need of prayer, you can reach us by email at [email protected].

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Episode #18- King David: Humble Shepherd, Giant Slayer, and Man After God’s Own Heart

When God sent the prophet Samuel to appoint one of the sons of Jesse to be the new king of Israel, the young boy David was occupied out in the field, tending to his father’s sheep. His father didn’t even think to call his youngest son in to be considered by Samuel because, surely, one of his older sons was destined for kingship. However, it was David to whom the Lord led Samuel to anoint.

On this episode, we explore two major events in David’s life. First, we see how God can use someone who is willing, though unequipped, to slay a giant. Next, we take a look into David’s descent into sin, its effect on his health and family, and eventual repentance, restoring him to a right relationship with God. Crystal and Kevin then discuss three life lessons that we can apply to our own lives as Christ-followers.

Next week- Be sure to listen in next week as your hosts explore the life of a man who was both a very wise and a very foolish king.

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We are now on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, iHeartRadio, and more! You can also find us on your favorite podcast listening app. Please be sure to like and subscribe so you don’t miss a single episode.

If you have questions, comments, OR are in need of prayer, you can reach us by email at [email protected].

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Episode #17- Saul: Israel’s First King Falls Short

As we learned in our last episode, although Samuel was a godly man and great spiritual leader, his sons were not and so the people of Israel rejected them as judges over them. Instead, the people called for a king to be appointed to lead them. The nations around them all had kings and the people of Israel wanted to be like them. Samuel tries to discourage the people’s desire for a king and prayed to the Lord for His help. However, the Lord though disappointed in the Israelites’ desire for a human king to rule over them, rather than He, Himself through judges, consented to their wishes and sent Samuel to anoint a man named Saul.

The name Saul in Hebrew means “asked.” Saul was the son of Kish from the tribe of Benjamin. Kish was a wealthy man, and Saul grew up to be given charge of his father’s land and livestock. Tall, handsome, intelligent, and sensitive to God’s leading, Saul, looked like he was born for the role of king. But sadly, as we will explore in this episode, Saul becomes increasingly disobedient, impatient, and prideful, leading to his eventual downfall after the Lord rejects him as king.

What can we possibly learn from the life of Saul? Kevin and Crystal discuss two powerful takeaways from Saul’s reign and how we can apply these lessons to our lives as believers, avoiding the pitfalls of pride and disobedience.

Next week- Please join us next time when we discover why a humble shepherd boy was considered a man after God’s own heart.

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We are now on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, iHeartRadio, and more! You can also find us on your favorite podcast listening app. Please be sure to like and subscribe so you don’t miss a single episode.

If you have questions, comments, OR are in need of prayer, you can reach us by email at [email protected].

The post Saul: Israel’s First King Falls Short appeared first on Ultimate Homeschool Podcast Network.

Episode #16- Samuel: Priest, Prophet and One of Israel’s Greatest Judges

On this podcast, we explore the life and ministry of a man who held the offices of a priest, a prophet and became one of Israel’s greatest judges. That great man was Samuel of the Old Testament, who lived between 1105-1030 B.C.

In 1 Samuel Chapter 1, we read about Hannah, who was barren and prayed fervently for a child. Hannah was married to Elkanah, a member of the priestly tribe of Levi. God heard Hannah’s prayers and blessed her with a son, whom she named Samuel, which means “name of God.” After Samuel was older, Hannah took him to the tabernacle to dedicate him to the service of the Lord, placing him in the care of Eli, the priest.

The Bible tells us that Eli’s sons were known by all to be wicked men who did not know the Lord. Things were so evil, that because of the wickedness of Eli’s sons, and because he allowed it to continue in the house of God, one of Samuel’s first tasks was to tell Eli, his mentor, that God had judged his family for this reason. After Eli and his sons die as a result of God’s judgment, Samuel was then recognized as Israel’s new spiritual leader.

Samuel in his lifetime was a priest, a prophet, and one of Israel’s greatest judges, also anointing two kings of Israel. He continued to serve the Lord all the days of his life and because of his obvious close relationship with the one true God, always having the best interest of the people at heart, the people of Israel turned from their false gods and returned to the Lord.

Kevin and Crystal then lead listeners through two life application lessons that we can draw from the faithful service of Samuel and apply to our own lives as Christians.

Next week- Please join us next week when we take a closer look into Israel’s first king and the lessons we can learn from his downfall.

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We are now on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, iHeartRadio, and more! You can also find us on your favorite podcast listening app. Please be sure to like and subscribe so you don’t miss a single episode.

If you have questions, comments, OR are in need of prayer, you can reach us by email at [email protected].

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Episode #15- Ruth: A Lesson in Strength, Faith, and Compassion

If you are looking for a role model to inspire you in your own life, look no further than Ruth! She is a beautiful example of what it means to be strong, faithful, and compassionate. Truly, each of the Fruit of the Spirit given in Galatians 5:22-23 is clearly evident throughout her story.

We find her story in the Book of Ruth in the Old Testament. Ruth was a woman who faced many challenges in life. She was a Moabite woman who married into a family that were enemies of her country. Then, when her husband died, she was left penniless and in dire circumstances. Ruth, showing extraordinary compassion, decided to make the long journey with her mother-in-law, Naomi, who, also widowed, wanted to go back to her homeland in Judah.

In doing so, Ruth left behind her country, her family, and the false gods of her people, choosing to serve the one true God that Naomi worshipped and live among the Israelite people. Ruth’s devotion and love for her mother-in-law, and her decision to follow the Lord, are just two examples of the faithfulness and strength of character she possessed.

As Ruth’s story unfolds, we learn how she carefully followed her mother-in-law’s directions which won the heart of their kinsman-redeemer, Boaz, whom she would go on to marry and have a son. Be sure to listen to the entire episode to learn how this would have a lasting impact on both her and Naomi, as well as generations to come.

Next week- Please join us next time, when we explore the life and ministry of a man who held the offices of a priest, a prophet, and became one of Israel’s greatest judges.

Resources referenced or recommended for further study:

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We are now on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, iHeartRadio, and more! You can also find us on your favorite podcast listening app. Please be sure to like and subscribe so you don’t miss a single episode.

If you have questions, comments, OR are in need of prayer, you can reach us by email at [email protected].

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Episode #14- Samson: Even the Strongest Man Has a Weakness

On this episode, we learn that even the strongest man has a weakness . . . or two. Weakness so great that it landed him into prison and eventually led to his demise. Gratefully, we serve a God of redemption who can restore strength even to the most broken of men.

Throughout the Old Testament, we read that the Israelites would go through periods of great faithfulness to the Lord and, as a result, God would bless and prosper them. However, time and again, they would become disobedient to the Lord and turn away from Him. God would then hand them over to their enemies because of their disobedience and in judgment of their sin.

However, when God was preparing to deliver the Israelites from their oppressors, He

raised up a man, named Samson, who was distinguished and set apart by God for this special purpose even before his conception. The Lord instructed his parents to never cut his hair. As Samson grew, and his hair grew long, he became a man of tremendous strength and might.

However, Samson had a weakness . . . for women. Philistine women to be exact. With the Lord’s directive, he married a Philistine woman giving him opportunities to infiltrate and fight the Philistines. However, he continued to intermingle with the Philistines and sin against God by falling in love with the infamous, Delilah. Through his pride and his continuing relationship with Delilah, Samson played with fire and eventually got burned . . . badly!

Tune in to get the inside scoop on how this story ends, and learn two important lessons from this account of Samson’s life that we can apply to our own lives today.

Next week- Please join us next time, when we explore the life of a woman who is a beautiful example of what it means to be strong, faithful, and compassionate.

Resources referenced or recommended for further study:

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We are now on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, iHeartRadio, and more! You can also find us on your favorite podcast listening app. Please be sure to like and subscribe so you don’t miss a single episode.

If you have questions, comments, OR are in need of prayer, you can reach us by email at [email protected].

The post Samson: Even the Strongest Man Has a Weakness appeared first on Ultimate Homeschool Podcast Network.

Episode #13: By Faith, Rahab Transforms from Harlot to Heroine

Today’s show looks at the role Rahab, a woman of ill repute, played in conquering Jericho. And also how God’s incredible mercy helped her turn her life around and become an ancestor of kings. Author Tessa Afshar once said, “He wiped out Jericho, and He saved a harlot. What kind of God was this? He seemed at once impossibly holy and ridiculously merciful. How could you tie those two incongruities together? Rahab.”

Rahab lived in the great fortified city of Jericho. As the people of Israel began taking possession of the Promised Land, Jericho stood in their way. As we learned the story of Joshua, Jericho’s stone walls towered high into the sky and surrounded the city – its gates were locked up tight. No one went in or came out of the city undetected by the guards.

To scope out the city to see what obstacles lay ahead, Joshua sent two spies with instructions to come back and give him a full report. To keep from being discovered, the spies took refuge in the house of Rahab. According to the Biblical Archeological Society, the first-century C.E. historian Josephus reports that she kept an inn, so it would appear that Rahab was also a landlady. This likely is why the spies took cover in her home.

After the walls of Jericho had fallen, Joshua told the Israelites to spare Rahab and her entire family, just as the spies had promised Rahab when she hid them. She and her family were the only people in the whole city to be spared. Rahab and her family then became part of the nation of Israel. When Rahab left Jericho, she left behind her life of sin, giving it all up for good. Her decision changed the course of history. In return, she and her family obtained salvation, and she was given a place of honor in God’s story.

Next week- Please join us next time when we discover that even the strongest man who ever lived had a fatal weakness. Tune in to get the inside scoop!

Resources referenced or recommended for further study:

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We are now on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, iHeartRadio, and more! You can also find us on your favorite podcast listening app. Please be sure to like and subscribe so you don’t miss a single episode.

If you have questions, comments, OR are in need of prayer, you can reach us by email at [email protected].

The post By Faith, Rahab Transforms from Harlot to Heroine appeared first on Ultimate Homeschool Podcast Network.

Episode #12- Joshua: Mighty Military Leader Carries Out an Unorthodox Battle Strategy

On this podcast, we learn about a great military leader who trusted God in everything and conquered a prominent city through an unorthodox battle plan. Today, we’re talking about Joshua and the battle of Jericho.

When you think about Joshua and the battle of Jericho, you might start humming to yourself, as Crystal did, the children’s song about him that goes like this:

Joshua fought the battle of Jericho

Jericho, Jericho

Joshua fought the battle of Jericho

And the walls came tumbling down!

There are several more stanzas, but you get the picture. Joshua is often most remembered for his role in bringing down the walls of Jericho, which is the primary focus of our episode today.

First, explore who Joshua was and get a little backstory. Numbers 27:18 refers to him as the son of Nun. The meaning of the name Joshua is “Yahweh is salvation.” He was an Israelite born into Egyptian slavery and one of the Israelites to accompany Moses when he led the people out of Egypt. Joshua lived from 1494-1385 BC, passing away at the age of 110. The major Bible texts we will be using today as we study Joshua is Exodus 17, Numbers 14, and the Book of Joshua.

In the book, 10 Minutes to Knowing the Men & Women of the Bible, by Jim George, he describes Joshua as “One of the liberated slaves- who at the age of 50 becomes Moses’ aide, his spy, his military leader, and ultimately his successor.”

We then learn that after the death of Moses, Joshua becomes the leader of the people of God. In fact, it was Joshua who then leads the people of Israel to begin taking possession of the Promised Land, also known as Canaan, but Jericho stood in their way. To size up Jericho, Joshua sent spies to investigate. They found that Jericho was a formidable fortress of a city with the stone walls that surrounded it towering high into the sky. The gates were locked up tight so that no one could enter or leave without the guards knowing. God then gives Joshua instructions for an unorthodox strategy for the battle of Jericho, which Joshua carried out to a “T.” You can read in detail about the battle in Joshua 6.

Before we end the show, Kevin and Crystal discuss two main takeaways from Joshua and the battle of Jericho and how we can apply them to our own lives as believers. Kevin then closes in prayer.

Next week- Please join us next time when we look at the role Rahab, a woman of ill repute, played in conquering Jericho. And also how God’s incredible mercy helped her turn her life around and become an ancestor of kings.

Resources referenced or recommended for further study:

Scripture references:

Follow us on Facebook or Instagram.

We are now on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, iHeartRadio, and more! You can also find us on your favorite podcast listening app. Please be sure to like and subscribe so you don’t miss a single episode.

If you have questions, comments, OR are in need of prayer, you can reach us by email at [email protected].

The post Joshua: Mighty Military Leader Carries Out an Unorthodox Battle Strategy appeared first on Ultimate Homeschool Podcast Network.

Episode #11-The Ten Commandments and Their Impact on Western Civilization Today

This week on the History for Christian Teens podcast, we examine a major Biblical event and how it reverberated throughout history. Even now it’s the fundamental legal code of Western Civilization and the common law of the United States. Of course, we are talking about the Ten Commandments.

According to some Bible scholars, it’s thought that sometime around three months after God’s people left Egypt, is when the Ten Commandments were written by God upon two tablets of stone and given to Moses on Mount Sinai. The record of the Ten Commandments can be found in Exodus 20:1-17 and Deuteronomy 5:6-21.

The Ten Commandments, as recorded in Exodus 20:3-17 are:

3 “You shall have no other gods before me.

4 “You shall not make for yourself an image in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. 5 You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, 6 but showing love to a thousand generations of those who love me and keep my commandments.

7 “You shall not misuse the name of the Lord your God, for the Lord will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses his name.

8 “Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. 9 Six days you shall labor and do all your work, 10 but the seventh day is a sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your male or female servant, nor your animals, nor any foreigner residing in your towns. 11 For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but he rested on the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.

12 “Honor your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the land the Lord your God is giving you.

13 “You shall not murder.

14 “You shall not commit adultery.

15 “You shall not steal.

16 “You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor.

17 “You shall not covet your neighbor’s house. You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, or his male or female servant, his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor.”

We also explore some historical perspectives and learn that a symbol of the Ten Commandments even hangs today in the United States Supreme Court building above the seat of the Chief Justice as the fundamental legal code of Western Civilization and the common law of the United States.

In conclusion, we learn what the New Testament has to say about the Ten Commandments and their place in our lives as believers today.

Next week- Please join us next time when we learn about a great military leader who trusted God in everything and conquered a prominent city through an unorthodox battle plan.

Resources referenced or recommended for further study:

Scripture references:

Follow us on Facebook or Instagram.

We are now on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, iHeartRadio, and more! You can also find us on your favorite podcast listening app. Please be sure to like and subscribe so you don’t miss a single episode.

If you have questions, comments, OR are in need of prayer, you can reach us by email at [email protected].

The post The Ten Commandments and Their Impact on Western Civilization Today appeared first on Ultimate Homeschool Podcast Network.