1 Samuel 1:9-4:11 One classic TV show was the Beverly Hillbillies. Upon striking it rich, this uncultured family moves among the rich and famous where they do not fit. There is a stark contrast between how they live and the families all around them. Today's reading provides a similar contrast between two families. The family of Eli and the family of Hannah. Despite Eli being a priest over Israel, ...  Read More

Ruth 4:13-22; 1 Chronicles 2:9-55, 4:1-23; 1 Samuel 1:1-8 Have you ever attended a successful surprise birthday party? One where the person walks in, hears surprise, and stands with their mouth agape at all the people surrounding them? The end of the book of Ruth has that kind of surprise. What initially seemed like a story about one Israelite family is a story that includes all of Israel and, ult...  Read More

Ruth 1:1-4:12 The book of Ruth begins with all sorts of seemingly disastrous decisions. A family from the tribe of Judah leaves the Promised Land. The Israelite men from this family marry non-Israelite women—what were they thinking? It seems like God is against them. Naomi voices this opinion as she heads back home leaving three dead men in Moab and apparently with no material possessions. Yet, Go...  Read More

Judges 19:1-21:25 If the Bible had parental advisories on each section, today's reading would get a heavy R rating. We have rape, war, sexual immorality, chopping up of a body, lots of death, civil war, and kidnapping. Throughout the book of Judges, the nation of Israel has slowly drifted spiritually and now finds a vast chasm between them and God. They have stepped right into idolatry and sin in ...  Read More

Judges 16:1-18:31 "In those days Israel had no king; everyone did as they saw fit." In the book of Judges, Israel has devolved to a point where they have no leadership and no sense of law. God was supposed to be their king, but they had long ago cast him to the side in order to place people, and ultimately themselves, on the throne. In fact, from Judges 17 to the end of the book, we see there are ...  Read More

Judges 11:29-15:20 Unity is a critical virtue in the Bible. Hypothetically it seems easy enough, but it is extremely hard to maintain. Who would have thought the divisions of contemporary America would exist like they do? We learn from a young age to argue over the smallest of things. Despite the divisions around us, God calls the church to be a place marked by unity. But it is difficult to mainta...  Read More

Judges 9:22-11:28 Throughout the book of Judges, we have seen the pattern of Israel rebelling against God, then crying out to God, and God providing a judge/deliverer who saves the people from their oppressors. In today's reading we see two moments where this pattern is not followed. When a pattern is broken in the Bible it is meant to capture our attention. Two leaders who do not follow the patte...  Read More

Judges 7:1-9:21 Gideon is such an interesting figure. He is a courageous leader who obeys God even amid impossible circumstances and at the same time he is filled with doubt, fear, and sin. In many ways he is just like us. One of the things we see through his life is God is the one who ultimately brings about deliverance. God winnows down the size of Gideon's army from 32,000 to 100. We are told G...  Read More

Judges 3:31-6:40 In our “pull yourselves up by your bootstraps” culture we tend to be slow to admit when we need help. This attitude of “I can do it on my own” has been around far before the sprouting of American individualism. We see this same mentality play out in Judges with disastrous consequences. In Judges 4 we see the Israelites under the rule of Jabin king of Canaan for a period of twenty ...  Read More

Judges 1:1-3:30 The book of Judges is a series of cycles where Israel turns to God out of difficulty, is delivered, then turns from God and is oppressed again. This pattern is laid out in Judges 2:16-23. During Israel's faithlessness, God raises up judges who will function as leaders over the various tribes. They are a mix of righteous, evil, wise, and foolish men and women who, even in their shor...  Read More

Joshua 22:1-24:33 We have reached the end of the book of Joshua and the end of Joshua's life. In a powerful speech, Joshua leaves the eastern tribes with the most important message they could hear—love God. This is reiterated by Jesus as the most important command, to love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength. We need to put this truth in front of ourselves every day and...  Read More

Joshua 19:49-21:45; 1 Chronicles 6:54-81 Much of the Old Testament is a shadow of the greater reality we find in Jesus. We see that in two ways in our reading today. The first is the idea of inheritance. Joshua is given an inheritance in the Promised Land for his role as a faithful leader over the people. Those in Christ are given an inheritance that exceeds significantly that of Joshua. Our inher...  Read More