Joshua 9

“But when the inhabitants of Gibeon heard what Joshua had done ... (9:3). After the mighty cities of Jericho and Ai fell, the Gibeonites “feared greatly for their lives” (9:24). They chose to approach the Israelites with “cunning”, pretending to be from a “distant country” (9:3,6). Joshua and the elders “made peace” with them, even though they did not consult the Lord (9:14-15). When the ruse was revealed, the leaders were bound to keep their word and let the Gibeonites l

Joshua 8

“Do not fear and do not be dismayed” (8:1). After the disastrous first attempt at capturing the city of Ai, God encouraged the Israelites to try again. He gave Joshua a new plan that succeeded and established Israel firmly within the Promised Land. Joshua and the people honored God’s faithfulness with “an altar of uncut stones” (8:31), and the covenant was written again “on the stones” (8:32).

“The Lord your God will give it into your hand” (8:7). God kept his commitment t

Joshua 7

“But the people of Israel broke faith ...” (7:1). The booty from Jericho’s defeat was to be completely dedicated completely to God, who had won the victory. But Achan “transgressed the covenant” with God and his community by hiding treasure in his tent (7:1,11). In doing so, he brought judgement and “trouble” on the whole community, robbing them of their ability to stand before their enemies (7:13,25). 

“He has done an outrageous thing in Israel” (7:15). Achan’s “outrageou

Joshua 5-6

“And the day after the Passover ... they ate of the produce of the land” (5:11). The Israelites were attempting to enter the Promised Land a second time. The first generation had “perished, because they did not obey the voice of the Lord” (5:6), but their children had a fresh opportunity. The new generation was consecrated through circumcision (5:7) and their leader, Joshua, experienced personal consecration in God’s holy presence (5:15). This believing generation experie

Luke 2

“In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus ...” (v1). The birth of Jesus happened during the time of a powerful emperor whose decrees made impact all over the Roman Empire. However, Jesus was born to a simple Galilean family, and common shepherds were his first visitors. Two aging believers, Simeon and Anna, affirmed that the child was God’s salvation, a “light to the Gentiles” and the “glory of Israel” (v32).

“And this will be a sign for you: you will find a ba

Luke 1

Luke wrote his gospel so that we can “have certainty” about Jesus Christ, because the stories about Jesus were told by “eyewitnesses” to his life who faithfully delivered these accounts to others (1:1). Luke’s story begins not with Jesus himself, but with Zechariah the priest and his wife Elizabeth. Infertile for years, they then had a miraculous son, John, who later announced the Messiah. Jesus did not arrive in a vacuum; he came to real people who knew him and whose liv

Psalm 32

“Blessed is the one whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered” (v1). David knew that the best life is one in right relationship with God. To be out of accord with God saps us of life; our “bones waste away” (v3), and we are “dried up as by the heat of summer” (v4). To live stubbornly puts us outside of God’s forgiveness and compounds sorrow (v 9,10). But when we “offer a prayer” of confession to God, we are delivered from the “rush of great waters” of unforgiv

Joshua 3,4

The generation ready to cross the Jordan River had heard the Red Sea narrative, but all that generation were dead except Joshua and Caleb. God was establishing Joshua’s leadership at the Jordan. When the priests took the Ark of the Covenant on their shoulders and stepped into the water, the river stopped flowing and all of Israel passed on dry ground. At God’s command, men went back into the riverbed and took stones to memorialize the event.

Two lessons seem inescapable. S

Joshua 2

No one in Israel or Jericho would have voted Rahab to be God’s chosen “heroine” in this narrative. The Hebrew word for “harlot” leaves no question of her morality. Her act of hiding the spies followed by deceiving the soldiers can hardly be seen as acts of faith. Yet we can never ignore God’s lesson to Samuel (1 Sam 16:7), “God sees not as man sees, for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”

Rahab is mentioned in Joshua 2 and 6, in Hebrews 1

Joshua 1

“Be strong and courageous…” (Josh 1:6,7,18). This message was given to Joshua three times, twice by God and once by his own followers. He was a tested leader (Exodus 17:9) whom Moses had trusted, but now Moses was dead (Josh 1:2) and Joshua was both the military and spiritual leader of Israel. This level of responsibility was beyond anything he had experienced.

It is wonderful to have opportunity from God whether in church, business or family. But being “spiritual” is not

Deuteronomy 31-34

From the time Moses “struck the rock” instead of speaking to it in faith (Num. 20:8-12) he knew he would never lead Israel into the Promised Land. Instead of being petulant and resentful, he determined to follow God carefully in the transfer of leadership to Joshua. He wanted the best for Israel. These chapters in Deuteronomy record that spiritual nobility.

Leadership is  both privilege and opportunity (with responsibility) for the one chosen as leader. A Godly leader will

Mark 16:11-20

The initial response of the disciples to the news that Jesus was alive was total unbelief (Mark 16:11-14). It should help us to be sympathetic with initial skepticism until one has seen the demonstration of the gospel. 

The promise in the Great Commission (vs 15-18) is effectiveness – certainly a promise to the apostles, but also to all believers who have been (water) baptized. The list of miracles (attesting signs) is significant but not intended to be exhaustive. God wil

Mark 16:1-10

Three godly women were going to the tomb early to anoint the body of the crucified Jesus. They wondered who would roll away the stone; they could not. Yet they came, driven by love, and found the tomb open but a body not there. Mark 14 tells the story of a woman, driven by love, who came into a home where Jesus was, and anointed Jesus with perfume from an alabaster container. When she was criticized, Jesus said that she had anointed Him for His burial, the very thing the

Psalm 31

We are not told in this Psalm the particulars of David’s failure that had made him vulnerable to malicious slander fueled by jealous men. The slander had almost destroyed David. The secret to David’s success in life was not his perfection, but his trust in God’s faithfulness. David’s response to this suffering so much reflected the heart of God that it is quoted by Jesus while on the cross: “Into your hand I commit my spirit” (v5).   

This is a great Psalm for when times s

Deuteronomy 29-30

The final words of the covenant urged God’s people to remember all “the Lord did before their eyes” (29:2) and to not forget God through “stubbornness of heart” (29:19). God wanted not just morality but radically changed hearts (30:6-7). There was a clear choice set before the Israelites between “life and good, death and evil” (30:15) and the obvious, right response is to “choose life” so that we may live (30:19).

Jesus is still the right choice. For “whoever has the Son