“So the men took some of their provisions, but did not ask counsel from the Lord. And Joshua made peace with them and made a covenant with them, to let them live, and the leaders of the congregation swore to them.” (ESV – Read the chapter)
There are three things worth noting in this story. First, the Gibeonites were both smart and wise, if dishonest. They saw the writing on the wall and decided that living as servants was better than being totally destroyed. If they could trick the Israelites into thinking they were not locals slated for destruction, but rather foreigners who came to serve because of how great Israel’s God was, perhaps they would be allowed to live, rather than being wiped off the face of the earth as had happened to Jericho and Ai. Read the rest…
“But Ruth said, ‘Do not urge me to leave you or to return from following you. For where you go I will go, and where you lodge I will lodge. Your people shall be my people, and your God my God. Where you died I will die, and there I will be buried. May the Lord do so to me and more also if anything but death parts me from you.'” (ESV – Read the chapter)
This beautiful expression of faithfulness is often read in the context of a wedding ceremony. And, given the words Ruth uses here, this is not an inappropriate use of them. But, let’s consider for a moment just how amazing they really are and perhaps the wonder of such moments will only increase. Read the rest…
This week we took a break from our series, Hard Sayings. With our Vacation Bible School starting last night, we took a few minutes to get a preview of what the kids will be studying all week long. When it comes to the task of advancing the kingdom of God in this world, our Lord does not leave us unequipped for the work. He has provided us everything we need and then some. Keep reading to learn how.
Game On
Well, this morning we are taking a brief break from our series, Hard Sayings, to talk about something else. There are a couple of reasons for this. First, I don’t know about you, but the past three weeks have been a bit bruising. Not only that, but we’ve got some more challenging stuff in the weeks ahead of us. Taking a bit of a breather will leave us refreshed and ready to engage further with some of the other hard things Jesus said. There’s an even more pressing reason than that, though. Tonight, begins our week-long marathon that is Vacation Bible School. I’ve got to tell you: I’ve been looking forward to this for a long time. I love VBS. It gives me a chance every year to be a big kid…not that I’m not a big kid for most of the rest of the year, it just gives me a better excuse. This week I get the pleasure of teaching the Bible study lessons to some of the older kids. There’s just something fun about engaging with these guys and helping them understand the life-changing teachings of Jesus. As fun as the Bible study lessons are this year, though, most of you are not going to get to be in on the action. So, I wanted to give you a sneak-peak at what the kids are going to be learning in the days ahead. Read the rest…
“But Elimelech, the husband of Naomi, died, and she was left with her two sons. These took Moabite wives; the name of the one was Orpah and the name of the other Ruth. They lived there about ten years, and both Mahlon and Chilion died, so that the woman was left without her two sons and her husband.” (ESV – Read the chapter)
Ruth is one of the most beautiful stories in the Bible. This is for several reasons which unfold over the course of its telling. It takes place during the same time period as Judges. And, in the beginning, it figures to be about as dark as its companion narrative. Read the rest…
“But the people of Israel broke faith in regard to the devoted things, for Achan the son of Carmi, son of Zabdi, son of Zerah, of the tribe of Judah, took some of the devoted things. And the anger of the Lord burned against the people of Israel.” (ESV – Read the chapter)
The story of Achan is an interesting and sad one. The people were coming off a major victory. Their first stop on their tour through the land of Canaan had ended with them sacking a significant military outpost in the city of Jericho. The city was famous for its incredibly high and thick walls. The walls were so massive that archaeologists today can see in the various layers of rubble around the city where this battle took place. So, the people are high on a sweet victory, but then things take a turn for the sour. What happened? Read the rest…
The Nexus 