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...

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 ...

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...

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...

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...

Joshua 18:1-19:48 Unless you are a geography buff, you may find today's reading a tad tedious. The seven tribes who had not yet received their territories finally have their homes. What is interesting is they had to be commanded to go take their land! It seems that though Manassah, Reuben, Gad, Judah and Ephraim had already received their land, the remaining seven tribes were just sitting around, ...

Joshua 15:20-17:18 A quick read through Joshua 15-17 might lead us to believe that the Israelites have taken the whole of the Promised Land and are living in a type of paradise. Yet a few verses stick out and show us that things are not as they initially appear. Joshua 15:63 tells us that, "Judah could not dislodge the Jebusites." Joshua 16:10 says, "They did not dislodge the Canaanites...to this ...

Joshua 12:7-15:19 One universal human longing is the desire for home—a place to rest, to feel loved, and be known. The Israelites had spent 400 years in Egypt, then 40 years of wandering, and only now are beginning to find their home. They have made it into the Promised Land and tribe by tribe are allotted their residences. The cities and areas mentioned may seem unfamiliar to us, but they represe...

Joshua 10:1-12:6 The Southern kings felt that Joshua was becoming too powerful, so they went to war against the Israelites. During the battle, Joshua pleaded for God to make the sun stand still in the sky, and God did just that, creating a supernatural, never-before-seen event. He then defeated the southern and northern kings and their cities. God was faithful and provided for the Israelites when ...

Joshua 7:1; 1 Chronicles 2:7; Joshua 7:2-9:27 The Israelites’ first battle with Ai was met with a surprising defeat. The Lord told them all the land was theirs for the taking, but their 3,000 men were soundly beaten. After being defeated, they seek the Lord earnestly. What has gone wrong? God seemingly replies with the same lack of pity I feel when my kids are whiny or dramatic—“Stand up! What are...

Joshua 3:1-6:27 God often calls his people to do strange things. Joshua is told to send the Ark of the Covenant and the priests to the edge of the Jordan River and it will part. What a strange request! Then they are told to stop and circumcise all the men who are yet uncircumcised, making themselves a target for attack. What a strange request!! Then they are commanded to march around a walled city...

Deuteronomy 33:1-34:12; Joshua 1:1-2:24 There are so many changes that happen throughout our lives. We move from dependent kids, to potentially relied upon parents, to once again needing the assistance of others as we age. There is very little that is stable in life except for the presence and character of God. In our reading today, there is a massive change in the leadership of Israel. They are g...

Deuteronomy 31:30-32:52; Psalm 90 How often do you stop and remember God's greatness? If you do not, you may find yourself inflating your own greatness. Pride can easily make us feel like we are gods and feel like the weight of the world is on our shoulders. Moses' song provides a healthy reminder of God's character and our tendency to pride. God is described as our rock. The foundation upon which...

Deuteronomy 29:2-31:29 The Israelites walked in a fog for 40 years. They did not realize their clothes did not have holes or frayed edges, their sandals did not deteriorate with use. As nomads they could not pick grapes and make wine, but God gave them water. They did not have to plant crops, but manna appeared every morning. These things happened so that they “might know the Lord (their) God,” (D...

Deuteronomy 26:1-29:1 God lays out two paths for people—the path of life or death, wisdom or foolishness, blessings or curses. Some people take these promises to Israel and attempt to apply them directly to themselves. They think if we obey God we will have an abundance of wealth and health. The problem is we cannot claim a promise that God did not give to us (we are not Israel), while also minimi...

Deuteronomy 21:10-25:19 I continually teach my kids to treat others how they want to be treated. My children, like all of us, are prone to treat others how they are treated rather than treating others with love, kindness, and grace, regardless of their actions. Since we all have been hurt by others, it is easy to multiply this pain rather than be beacons of light and love. Deuteronomy 21-25 challe...

Deuteronomy 16:18-21:9 The Pentateuch (first five books of the Bible) has justice as a key theme. Not only as we look at the Bible, but also as we look at our country, we see the pervasive cry for justice. Yet so often I do not think we fully understand what justice is or for what we are asking. In our reading today, the concerns for justice cover issues like false witnesses, idolatry, selfish kin...

Deuteronomy 13:1-16:17 Discernment is a skill that is necessary for the people of God. We need to be able to think through all areas of life and determine God's leading. Our reading today begins with discernment around worship. God's people are called to worship him alone and refuse to participate in idolatry. We need to be crystal clear about who God is, what he has done, and how to rightly respo...

Deuteronomy 10:1-12:32 God consistently calls the Israelites to fear him, to love, and obey Him. God tells them exactly what will happen if they turn away and worship other gods. A choice is laid before them. If they love him, walk in obedience, hold fast to Him, then they will be blessed—God will drive out the larger and stronger nations. If they choose their own way, if they disobey the commands...

Deuteronomy 6:1-9:29 Christians need to live with their heads on a swivel. We need to be constantly looking back to what God has done and looking forward to what he will do. Much of Scripture follows this pattern. It is a call to remember what God has done and trust him for what is yet to come. As Moses recounts what God has done in Deuteronomy, he is also looking forward to what God will do by br...