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JUNE 15
disciples, since Peter had claimed he would be more devoted than all the others (Matt.26:33).“Feed
My lambs.” The word “feed” conveys the idea of being devoted to the Lord’s service as an under-
shepherd who cares for His flock (1 Pet.5:1–4).The word has the idea of constantly feeding and nour-
ishing the sheep.This served as a reminder that the primary duty of the messenger of Jesus Christ is
to teach the word of God (2 Tim.4:2).Acts 1–13 records Peter’s obedience to this commission.
In v.17,“Peter was grieved.”The third time Jesus asked Peter,He used Peter’s word for love that
signified something less than total devotion, questioning even that level of love Peter thought he
was safe in claiming. The lessons driven home to Peter grieved his heart, so that he sought for a
proper understanding of his heart, not by what he said or had done, but based on the Lord’s omni-
science (2:24,25).

for they served idols, of which the LORD had
JUNE 15 12 said to them, “You shall not do this thing.”
13 Yet the LORD testified against Israel and
against Judah, by all of His prophets, every
2 Kings 17:1–18:37
seer, saying, “Turn from your evil ways, and
In the twelfth year of Ahaz king of Judah, keep My commandments and My statutes,
17 Hoshea the son of Elah became king of according to all the law which I commanded
Israel in Samaria, and he reigned nine years. your fathers, and which I sent to you by My
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2 servants the prophets.” Nevertheless they
And he did evil in the sight of the LORD, but
not as the kings of Israel who were before would not hear, but stiffened their necks, like
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him. Shalmaneser king of Assyria came up the necks of their fathers, who did not believe
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against him; and Hoshea became his vassal, in the LORD their God. And they rejected His
and paid him tribute money. And the king of statutes and His covenant that He had made
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Assyria uncovered a conspiracy by Hoshea; for with their fathers, and His testimonies which
he had sent messengers to So, king of Egypt, He had testified against them; they followed
and brought no tribute to the king of Assyria, idols, became idolaters, and went after the
as he had done year by year. Therefore the king nations who were all around them, concerning
of Assyria shut him up, and bound him in whom the LORD had charged them that they
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prison. should not do like them. So they left all the
5 Now the king of Assyria went throughout commandments of the LORD their God, made
all the land, and went up to Samaria and for themselves a molded image and two calves,
besieged it for three years. In the ninth year made a wooden image and worshiped all the
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of Hoshea, the king of Assyria took Samaria host of heaven, and served Baal. And they
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and carried Israel away to Assyria, and placed caused their sons and daughters to pass
them in Halah and by the Habor, the River of through the fire, practiced witchcraft and
Gozan, and in the cities of the Medes. soothsaying, and sold themselves to do evil in
7 For so it was that the children of Israel had the sight of the LORD, to provoke Him to anger.
sinned against the LORD their God, who had 18 Therefore the LORD was very angry with Is-
brought them up out of the land of Egypt, rael, and removed them from His sight; there
from under the hand of Pharaoh king of was none left but the tribe of Judah alone.
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Egypt; and they had feared other gods, and 19 Also Judah did not keep the command-
had walked in the statutes of the nations ments of the LORD their God, but walked in the
whom the LORD had cast out from before the statutes of Israel which they made. And the
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children of Israel, and of the kings of Israel, LORD rejected all the descendants of Israel,
which they had made. Also the children of Is- afflicted them, and delivered them into the
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rael secretly did against the LORD their God hand of plunderers, until He had cast them
things that were not right, and they built for from His sight. For He tore Israel from the
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themselves high places in all their cities, from house of David, and they made Jeroboam the
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watchtower to fortified city. They set up for son of Nebat king. Then Jeroboam drove Is-
themselves sacred pillars and wooden images rael from following the LORD, and made them
on every high hill and under every green tree. commit a great sin. For the children of Israel
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11 There they burned incense on all the high walked in all the sins of Jeroboam which he
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places, like the nations whom the LORD had did; they did not depart from them, until the
carried away before them; and they did LORD removed Israel out of His sight, as He
wicked things to provoke the LORD to anger, had said by all His servants the prophets. So
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