Josh1Eight

Scripture: Judges 11:29-31, 34, 39 29 At that time the Spirit of the Lord came upon Jephthah, and he went throughout the land of Gilead and Manasseh, including Mizpah in Gilead, and from there he led an army against the Ammonites. 30 And Jephthah made a vow to the Lord. He said, “If you give me victory over the Ammonites, 31 I will give to the Lord whatever comes out of my house to meet me when I return in triumph. I will sacrifice it as a burnt offering...34 when Jepthah returned home his daughter came out to meet him...39 After the two months... he did to her as he had vowed. And she was a virgin." Observations: When God wanted to save His people from their enemies, on one occasion He picked a guy named Jepthah to lead them. What's crazy about this story is that God empowered him with the Holy Spirit to defeat the Moabites, which guaranteed them success. In the midst of all the excitement over what God was about to do, Jepthah made a series of mistakes guided by his own ign...

Scripture: John 6:14-15 14 When the people saw him do this miraculous sign, they exclaimed, “Surely, he is the Prophet we have been expecting!”15 When Jesus saw that they were ready to force him to be their king, he slipped away into the hills by himself." Observations: When the crowds saw Jesus multiply the bread and fish that fed 5000 people, not only were they impressed, they recognized Him as One who was surely sent from God. While their assessment was correct, their following conclusion was flawed. They reasoned that if Jesus was from God then logically He would make the best and most likely candidate to become the next King of Israel. But Jesus refused to play to the approval of the crowds and use His popularity as a means of personal gain. Instead He chose, in spite of the favor of the people to follow God's purpose rather than His own by walking away from a very tempting earthly opprtunity. Had he allowed the crowd to make Him an earthly king rather than a heavenly Kin...

Scripture: John 3:27-30 "A man can receive only what is given him from heaven. 28 You yourselves can testify that I said, 'I am not the Christ but am sent ahead of him.' 29 The bride belongs to the bridegroom. The friend who attends the bridegroom waits and listens for him, and is full of joy when he hears the bridegroom's voice. That joy is mine, and it is now complete. 30 He must become greater; I must become less." Observations: Before Jesus ever became anything significant in the eyes of man, the one who enjoyed the spotlight before Him was a man named John the Baptist. John was consumed with an overwhelming desire for God and His Kingdom to come on earth. He eagerly anticipated the day when God would redeem mankind and save them from their sins. His job was to call the world to turn away from their sins and get things right with God. At the height of his ministry, along came Jesus who stole the show so to speak the moment John baptized Him in the Jordan River...

Scripture: Judges 2:10-11 "After that generation died, another generation grew up who did not acknowledge the LORD or remember the mighty things he had done for Israel. 11 The Israelites did evil in the LORD’s sight and served the images of Baal. 12 They abandoned the LORD..." Observations: So after God's people settle in the Promised Land (with the Canaanites they had not driven out) it was only a matter of time before their tolerance for the religous beliefs and practices of their culture were absorbed by the next generation. The first generation that had previously pledged their wholehearted obedience to God's Word (Joshua 24) eventually died and left their children to inherit the Land God had given them. The only problem though was that they not only inherited the Promised Land but also the influence of the Canaanites living in it! Because they had not fully obeyed God's command to conquer their enemies with the Lords' help, the battles not won by the firs...

Scripture: Joshua 24:31 "31 The people of Israel served the Lord throughout the lifetime of Joshua and of the elders who outlived him—those who had personally experienced all that the Lord had done for Israel." Observations: The official end of the conquest of the Promises Land closes with a call from Joshua for all of God's people to rededicate themselves to the covenant and pledge their loyalty again to the Lord and His commands. While their intentions may have been good, the writer alludes to the fact that the Israelites as a whole only served God through the lifetime of Joshua and the elders who had served with him, indicating that their alliegence to the Lord was about to falter in the near future. The writer also points out that those who remained faithful did so because they had "personally experienced" the things God first hand. This seems to suggest that one of the main reasons many Israelites compromised God's commands and turned away from Him was ...

Scripture: Joshua 21:43-45 43 So the Lord gave to Israel all the land he had sworn to give their ancestors, and they took possession of it and settled there. 44 And the Lord gave them rest on every side, just as he had solemnly promised their ancestors. None of their enemies could stand against them, for the Lord helped them conquer all their enemies. 45 Not a single one of all the good promises the Lord had given to the family of Israel was left unfulfilled; everything he had spoken came true. Observations: After nearly 500 years after God made Abraham a promise that his descendents would inherit the Land of Canaan, God finally made good on it. Not only did it seem to take a really long time for God to do what He said, it literally took almost 5 centuries! To this day God has never justified His reasoning or methods at any point to anyone. Why? Just because God makes a promise doesn't mean He will do it the way we would. But the fact remains, He kept His Word and fulfilled everyt...

Scripture: Joshua 19:51 "51 These are the territories that Eleazar the priest, Joshua son of Nun, and the tribal leaders allocated as grants of land to the tribes of Israel by casting sacred lots in the presence of the Lord at the entrance of the Tabernacle at Shiloh. So the division of the land was completed." Observations: When the Israelites entered the Promised Land God gave Joshua specific directions as to how it was to be allotted to each tribe. Here it seems to indicate that part of the process involved a rolling of the dice to "randomly" select who got what according to God's will. However this random method only applied to 7 of the 12 tribes (18:1-2). So why did the first 5 tribes get the biggest and te best portions of land while the majority of everyone else were forced to role dice over what was left? There seems to be a direct correlation between those tribes that chose battle and received a reward and those tribes that chose passivity and were hand...

Scripture: Luke 24:35-43 35 Then the two from Emmaus told their story of how Jesus had appeared to them as they were walking along the road, and how they had recognized him as he was breaking the bread. 36 And just as they were telling about it, Jesus himself was suddenly standing there among them. “Peace be with you,” he said. 37 But the whole group was startled and frightened, thinking they were seeing a ghost! 38 “Why are you frightened?” he asked. “Why are your hearts filled with doubt? 39 Look at my hands. Look at my feet. You can see that it’s really me. Touch me and make sure that I am not a ghost, because ghosts don’t have bodies, as you see that I do.” 40 As he spoke, he showed them his hands and his feet. 41 Still they stood there in disbelief, filled with joy and wonder. Then he asked them, “Do you have anything here to eat?” 42 They gave him a piece of broiled fish, 43 and he ate it as they watched." Observations: The day Jesus rose from the dead, before He revealed Hi...

Scripture: Joshua 17:14-18 14 The descendants of Joseph came to Joshua and asked, “Why have you given us only one portion of land as our homeland when the Lord has blessed us with so many people?” 15 Joshua replied, “If there are so many of you, and if the hill country of Ephraim is not large enough for you, clear out land for yourselves in the forest where the Perizzites and Rephaites live. 16 The descendants of Joseph responded, “It’s true that the hill country is not large enough for us. But all the Canaanites in the lowlands have iron chariots, both those in Beth-shan and its surrounding settlements and those in the valley of Jezreel. They are too strong for us. 17 Then Joshua said to the tribes of Ephraim and Manasseh, the descendants of Joseph, “Since you are so large and strong, you will be given more than one portion. 18 The forests of the hill country will be yours as well. Clear as much of the land as you wish, and take possession of its farthest corners. And you will drive o...

Scripture: Joshua 14:6, 10-12, 14, 15:13-14 Caleb said to Joshua,...10“Now, as you can see, the LORD has kept me alive and well as he promised for all these forty-five years since Moses made this promise—even while Israel wandered in the wilderness. Today I am eighty-five years old. 11 I am as strong now as I was when Moses sent me on that journey, and I can still travel and fight as well as I could then. 12 So give me the hill country that the LORD promised me. You will remember that as scouts we found the descendants of Anak living there in great, walled towns. But if the LORD is with me, I will drive them out of the land, just as the LORD said...14 Hebron still belongs to the descendants of Caleb son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite because he wholeheartedly followed the LORD, the God of Israel...13 So Caleb was given the town of Kiriath-arba (that is, Hebron), which had been named after Anak’s ancestor. 14 Caleb drove out the three groups of Anakites..." Observations: Caleb is an in...

Scripture: Joshua 12-13:1-2, 6 "1 These are the kings east of the Jordan River who had been killed by the Israelites and whose land was taken. Their territory extended from the Arnon Gorge to Mount Hermon and included all the land east of the Jordan Valley...24 In all, thirty-one kings were defeated...13:1 When Joshua was an old man, the Lord said to him, “You are growing old, and much land remains to be conquered. 2 This is the territory that remains:...the south also remains to be conquered. In the north, the following area has not yet been conquered: all the land of the Canaanites...6 and all the hill country from Lebanon to Misrephoth-maim, including all the land of the Sidonians. Observations: After Joshua and the Israelites successfully conquered the majority of the Promised Land (31 Kings in all) and began settling their families in the areas God had given them, the Scripture records all of their victories in succession as a testament to God's faithfulness and the peopl...

Scripture: Joshua 10:3-5, 12, 11:1-4, 8 3"So King Adoni-zedek of Jerusalem sent messengers to several other kings: Hoham of Hebron, Piram of Jarmuth, Japhia of Lachish, and Debir of Eglon. 4 “Come and help me destroy Gibeon,” he urged them, “for they have made peace with Joshua and the people of Israel.” 5 So these five Amorite kings combined their armies for a united attack. They moved all their troops into place and attacked Gibeon...12 On that day the Lord gave the Israelites victory over the Amorites...11:1 When King Jabin of Hazor heard what had happened, he sent messages to...all the kings of the northern hill country; the kings in the Jordan Valley south of Galilee; the kings in the Galilean foothills; the kings of Naphoth-dor on the west; 3 the kings of Canaan, both east and west;...the Jebusites in the hill country, and the Hivites in the towns on the slopes of Mount Hermon in the land of Mizpah.4 All these kings came out to fight...8 And the Lord gave them victory ov...

Scripture: Luke 23:32-34 "32 Two others, both criminals, were led out to be executed with him. 33 When they came to a place called The Skull, they nailed him to the cross. And the criminals were also crucified—one on his right and one on his left. 34 Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they don’t know what they are doing.” And the soldiers gambled for his clothes by throwing dice." Observations: There's no greater portrait of forgiveness in the Bible than Jesus Christ, the Son of God, being beaten, crucified, mocked, and executed through the torture of the cross. There is hardly a more bewildering statement in all of Scripture than His words to his executioners as He is left hanging to die, "Father forgive them, for they don't know what they are doing." (vs. 34). On the one hand the soliders knew exactly what they were doing when they were doing it. They had been given orders to put Jesus to death, which they forcefully followed. Although it wasn...

Scripture: Joshua 9:3-4, 6, 14-1, 18 "But when the people of Gibeon heard what Joshua had done to Jericho and Ai, 4 they resorted to deception to save themselves. They sent ambassadors to Joshua...6 When they arrived at the camp of Israel at Gilgal, they told Joshua and the men of Israel, “We have come from a distant land to ask you to make a peace treaty with us... 14 So the Israelites examined their food, but they did not consult the Lord. 15Then Joshua made a peace treaty with them and guaranteed their safety, and the leaders of the community ratified their agreement with a binding oath. 16 Three days after making the treaty, they learned that these people actually lived nearby!...18 But the Israelites did not attack the towns, for the Israelite leaders had made a vow to them in the name of the Lord, the God of Israel." Observations: After God led the Israelites into another amazing victory, before they even discussed their next conquest amongst themselves they were met by...

Scripture: Luke 23:18-25 "Then a mighty roar rose from the crowd, and with one voice they shouted, “Kill him, and release Barabbas to us!” 19 (Barabbas was in prison for taking part in an insurrection in Jerusalem against the government, and for murder.) 20 Pilate argued with them, because he wanted to release Jesus. 21 But they kept shouting, “Crucify him! Crucify him!” 22 For the third time he demanded, “Why? What crime has he committed? I have found no reason to sentence him to death. So I will have him flogged, and then I will release him.” 23 But the mob shouted louder and louder, demanding that Jesus be crucified, and their voices prevailed. 24 So Pilate sentenced Jesus to die as they demanded. 25 As they had requested...he turned Jesus over to them to do as they wished. Observations: The day Jesus stood trial before Pilate He was falsely accused by the religious leaders who were so thirsty for His innocent blood that they violently pushed for His death. Pilate, however, saw...

Scripture: Joshua 7:1, 4-5, "But Israel violated the instructions about the things set apart for the Lord. A man named Achan had stolen some of these dedicated things, so the Lord was very angry with the Israelites...4 So approximately 3,000 warriors were sent, but they were soundly defeated. The men of Ai 5 chased the Israelites from the town gate as far as the quarries, and they killed about thirty-six who were retreating down the slope. The Israelites were paralyzed with fear at this turn of events, and their courage melted away...12 the Israelites are running from their enemies in defeat. For now Israel itself has been set apart for destruction...I will not remain with you any longer unless you destroy the things among you that were set apart for destruction...13 You will never defeat your enemies until you remove these things from among you." Observations: After a great victory at Jericho, Joshua and the Israelites were so confident that they could conquer the neighb...

Scripture: Luke 22:20-21, 23-27 "After supper he took another cup of wine and said, “This cup is the new covenant between God and his people—an agreement confirmed with my blood, which is poured out as a sacrifice for you. 21 “But here at this table, sitting among us as a friend, is the man who will betray me...23 The disciples began to ask each other which of them would ever do such a thing. 24 Then they began to argue among themselves about who would be the greatest among them. 25 Jesus told them, “In this world the kings and great men lord it over their people, yet they are called ‘friends of the people.’ 26 But among you it will be different. Those who are the greatest among you should take the lowest rank, and the leader should be like a servant. 27 Who is more important, the one who sits at the table or the one who serves? The one who sits at the table, of course. But not here! For I am among you as one who serves. Observations: At the Last Supper, the final meal Jesus sha...

Scripture: Joshua 5:13-14; 6:20, 27 When Joshua was near the town of Jericho, he looked up and saw a man standing in front of him with sword in hand. Joshua went up to him and demanded, “Are you friend or foe?” 14 “Neither one,” he replied. “I am the commander of the Lord’s army.” At this, Joshua fell with his face to the ground in reverence...6:20 When the people heard the sound of the rams’ horns, they shouted as loud as they could. Suddenly, the walls of Jericho collapsed, and the Israelites charged straight into the town and captured it...27 So the Lord was with Joshua, and his reputation spread throughout the land. Observations: Right before Joshua led the Israelites to conquer the city of Jericho he was visited by what appeared to be an angelic warrior wielding a flaming sword many believe to have been The Lord Himself. As soon as Joshua realizes who it is that is talking to him he fell to the grown and humbled himself before God who would lead them victoriously in battle the nex...

Scripture: Luke 21:34-36  “Watch out! Don’t let your hearts be dulled by carousing and drunkenness, and by the worries of this life. Don’t let that day catch you unaware, 35 like a trap. For that day will come upon everyone living on the earth. 36 Keep alert at all times. And pray that you might be strong enough to escape these coming horrors and stand before the Son of Man.” Observations: Jesus one at least one occasion spoke to His disciples about what it will be like when the Kingdom of God comes and the world draws to a close. Among the many "signs" that would be indicators of the return of Christ would be things like wide-spread deception, natural disasters, and intense persecution, alongside the destruction of Jerusalem by godless rulers. But Jesus' point in telling them all this was not to scare them or to make predictions about when all this might happen. His purpose in giving this information about the future was to teach them and warn them never to let their gua...

Scripture: Luke 20:17-18 17 Jesus looked at them and said, “Then what does this Scripture mean? ‘The stone that the builders rejected has now become the cornerstone.’ 18 Everyone who stumbles over that stone will be broken to pieces, and it will crush anyone it falls on.” Observations: Just before He went to the cross, Jesus made one last effort to challenge the religious leaders' hard-hearted rejection of His role as the Messiah by denouncing them in His final parable which portrayed them as the wicked tenant farmers who murdered the heir to the estate. Jesus' pointed remarks got their attention just enough to quote Psalm 118 as a means of implying that their rejection of Him was equivolent to the builder's rejection of the cornerstone (the most important piece of a building's foundation). Coincidentally, Jesus' quotation was a Psalm which was commonly used in celebration of the anticipated coming Messiah. His interpretation of the Psalm quoted in this passage po...

Scripture: Joshua 1:7-8 "Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the instructions Moses gave you. Do not deviate from them, turning either to the right or to the left. Then you will be successful in everything you do. 8 Study this Book of Instruction continually. Meditate on it day and night so you will be sure to obey everything written in it. Only then will you prosper and succeed in all you do." Observations: God's first words to Joshua as the leader of Israel instructed him to give special attention to His commands that Moses had written down for the people to follow. By following the plans God had already given to them, Joshua would ensure that the people of Israel would in fact successfully enter the Promised Land and prosper just as God had said they would. But just like the rest of God's promises, this prinicple of success was conditional upon their obedience. Knowing that their success would be determined by His people's obedience, God gave ...

Scripture: Luke 18:15-17 "One day some parents brought their little children to Jesus so he could touch and bless them. But when the disciples saw this, they scolded the parents for bothering him. 16 Then Jesus called for the children and said to the disciples, “Let the children come to me. Don’t stop them! For the Kingdom of God belongs to those who are like these children. 17 I tell you the truth, anyone who doesn’t receive the Kingdom of God like a child will never enter it.” Observations: Jesus once made a staggering statement that likely shocked His audience- entry into God's Kingdom is best illustrated by observing little children. For one, children in Jesus' day had no social standing and therefore no rights to anything. They were considered powerless and weak. Unless someone acted on their behalf, they would have nothing and no one to help them. They could earn nothing and according to society they deserved nothing. But according to Jesus, human beings are no diffe...

Scripture: Luke 17:1-4 "One day Jesus said to his disciples, “There will always be temptations to sin, but what sorrow awaits the person who does the tempting! 2 It would be better to be thrown into the sea with a millstone hung around your neck than to cause one of these little ones to fall into sin. 3 So watch yourselves! If another believer sins, rebuke that person; then if there is repentance, forgive. 4 Even if that person wrongs you seven times a day and each time turns again and asks forgiveness, you must forgive.” Observations: Jesus once gave His disciples a quick lesson about sin by pointing out that sin is a reality that everyone must deal with and no one will ever be exempt from. As such, people can't afford to take sin lightly because it has the potential to not only affect individuals but also other people. Like a disease, sin has the ability to infect humanity and spread like a virus to others. For that very reason, Jesus made it abundantly clear that it is th...

Scripture: Deuteronomy 33:3 "Indeed, he loves his people; all his holy ones are in his hands. They follow in his steps and accept his teaching." Observations: Moses' final blessing spoken over God's people just before his death reminded them about God's covenant relationship with Israel and how they came to be known as His people. In this verse he uses an expression to describe God's special care and concern for His people. The word translated "loves" in this context carries the same basic meaning as "to choose", meaning that God's love for and His choosing of the people of Israel as the only nation on earth to enjoy this special kind of favor were the result of cause and effect. Because God loved Israel He also chose them. This is significant when you consider the fact that God's intention in all of this was for relationship with His people. When God commanded His people to "love the Lord your God" (6:4), they understoo...

Scripture: Luke 16:9-12 "And it is true that the children of this world are more shrewd in dealing with the world around them than are the children of the light. 9 Here’s the lesson: Use your worldly resources to benefit others and make friends. Then, when your earthly possessions are gone, they will welcome you to an eternal home. 10 “If you are faithful in little things, you will be faithful in large ones. But if you are dishonest in little things, you won’t be honest with greater responsibilities. 11 And if you are untrustworthy about worldly wealth, who will trust you with the true riches of heaven? 12 And if you are not faithful with other people’s things, why should you be trusted with things of your own?" Observations: Jesus told the story about the corrupt businessman who had been embezzling from his boss and was then fired and asked to clean out his desk. But before he left the office he made a few phone calls to some of his clients and gave them some discounts to ...

Scripture: Deuteronomy 30:11, 16, 19-20  11 “This command I am giving you today is not too difficult for you to understand, and it is not beyond your reach...If you do this, you will live...19 “Today I have given you the choice between life and death, between blessings and curses...Oh, that you would choose life, so that you and your descendants might live! 20 You can make this choice by loving the Lord your God, obeying him, and committing yourself firmly to him. This is the key to your life...” Observations: In His closing words to the nation of Israel, Moses summarized the entire covenant between God and His people by offering them the choice to accept or decline His offer of relationship by choosing either to obey His commands or refusing them. As an act of His grace, God weighed in as they were considering His offer and went so far as literally telling them which option to pick that would lead them to a preferred destiny rather than an empty existence. It was as if the Divine teac...

Scripture: Deuteronomy 28:9-10, 15, 68  9 “If you obey the commands of the Lord your God and walk in his ways, the Lord will establish you as his holy people as he swore he would do. 10 Then all the nations of the world will see that you are a people claimed by the Lord, and they will stand in awe of you...13 If you pay attention to the commands of the LORD your God that I give you this day and carefully follow them...15 however, if you do not obey...68The LORD will send you back in ships to Egypt on a journey I said you should never make again. There you will offer yourselves for sale to your enemies as male and female slaves, but no one will buy you." Observations: Moses here draws a line in the sand for God's people that would mark the difference between God's blessing or His curse. On one side was option 1: obedience; on the other side option 2: disobedience. Moses gave them the option to either obey God's instruuctions and be blesssed or refuse them and be cursed....

Scripture: Luke 15:1-2 "Tax collectors and other notorious sinners often came to listen to Jesus teach. 2 This made the Pharisees and teachers of religious law complain that he was associating with such sinful people—even eating with them!" Observations: Here in this passage the disciple Luke who documented Jesus' life and ministry takes a shot at a certain group of individuals who had basically just missed it concerning the nature of God and His love for people. He pointed out that when Jesus was teaching about God that frequently the audience was filled with what society considered to be the most sinful and corrupt people who were known for their reputation for doing things that were unquestionably against God's Word. And yet, what is absent from Luke's account is even the slightest concern from Jesus about the kinds of people His ministry was attracting. In fact, the only people who even seemed bothered by it were the religious leaders who thought somehow that ...

Scripture: Deuteronomy 27:11-13, 15 "That same day Moses also gave this charge to the people: 12 “When you cross the Jordan River, the tribes of Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, Joseph, and Benjamin must stand on Mount Gerizim to proclaim a blessing over the people. 13 And the tribes of Reuben, Gad, Asher, Zebulun, Dan, and Naphtali must stand on Mount Ebal to proclaim a curse...And all the people will reply, ‘Amen.’" Observations: After laying out all of the principles and regulations of Israel's covenant relationship with God, he then called them to commit themselves to obey them. However, this was no casual response. He instructed one group of Israelites to stand on one mountainside while the other half stood on another mountain across from them while the priests stood in the valley in between them and proclaimed a series of curses to which they all had to agree to before the covenant took full effect. It would be equivolent today of someone checking the box that says ...

Scripture: Luke 14:25-27, 33 "A large crowd was following Jesus. He turned around and said to them, 26 “If you want to be my disciple, you must hate everyone else by comparison—your father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters—yes, even your own life. Otherwise, you cannot be my disciple. 27 And if you do not carry your own cross and follow me, you cannot be my disciple...So you cannot become my disciple without giving up everything you own." Observations: Again, Jesus' ministry is gaining a huge following and He's got a large crowd following Him around. And You'd think Jesus wouldn't do something so stupid that would jeopardize His "ministry" and possibly cause Him to lose followers. But right in the middle of this momentum He tries again to filter out those who are truly devoted to Him from those who aren't really all that commited by explaining to them what it meant to be one of His disciples. What exactly did that require you as...

Scripture: Luke 13:181-9 "Then Jesus said, “What is the Kingdom of God like? How can I illustrate it? 19 It is like a tiny mustard seed that a man planted in a garden; it grows and becomes a tree, and the birds make nests in its branches. 20 He also asked, “What else is the Kingdom of God like? 21 It is like the yeast a woman used in making bread. Even though she put only a little yeast in three measures of flour, it permeated every part of the dough.” Observations: When Jesus talked about the Kingdom of God, He explained that although God's purposes and His plans are huge, from a purely human perspective they never start out that way. Like a seed that goes in the ground or yeast put in some dough, at first there's just not much to look at. No one is impressed and most people don't even notice. But even the smallest things can become significant in the eyes of both man and God when it has to do with the spreading of His Kingdom. The only reason a farmer or a baker woul...

Scripture: Deuteronomy 19:8,10; 20:1, 15 “And if the Lord your God enlarges your territory, as he swore to your ancestors, and gives you all the land he promised them...10(He will give you this land if you are careful to obey all the commands I have given you—if you always love the Lord your God and walk in his ways.)...“When you go out to fight your enemies and you face horses and chariots and an army greater than your own, do not be afraid. The Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, is with you!...15 But these instructions apply only to distant towns, not to the towns of the nations in the land you will enter." Observations: Hundreds of years before Moses ever was God had already promised Abraham's descendents that they would inherit the Promised Land (Genesis 13:15). When Moses came along, he led the Israelites out of Egypt en route to make God's promises a reality as they were now on the verge of actually entering it. Here, before they ever set foot i...

Scripture: Deuteronomy 16:16-17 “Each year every man in Israel must celebrate these three festivals: the Festival of Unleavened Bread, the Festival of Harvest, and the Festival of Shelters. On each of these occasions, all men must appear before the Lord your God at the place he chooses, but they must not appear before the Lord without a gift for him. 17 All must give as they are able, according to the blessings given to them by the Lord your God." Observations: A vital part of Israel's worship revolved around the concept of sacrifice and offerings they were commanded to present to the Lord at regular intervals throughout the year as an expression of their alliegence to Yahweh and their recognition of their covenant relationship with Him. On special occasions God required His people to celebrate Him with week long festivals in recognition of how he had saved them (Passover), His provision (Harvest), and His guidance (Tabernacles) in their lives. At each of these festivals God ...

Scripture: Luke 12:16-21 "16 Then he told them a story: “A rich man had a fertile farm that produced fine crops. 17 He said to himself, ‘What should I do? I don’t have room for all my crops.’ 18 Then he said, ‘I know! I’ll tear down my barns and build bigger ones. Then I’ll have room enough to store all my wheat and other goods. 19 And I’ll sit back and say to myself, “My friend, you have enough stored away for years to come. Now take it easy! Eat, drink, and be merry!”’ 20 “But God said to him, ‘You fool! You will die this very night. Then who will get everything you worked for?’ 21 “Yes, a person is a fool to store up earthly wealth but not have a rich relationship with God.” Observations: Jesus once told a story about a guy who had so much money he didn't know what to do with it, who suddenly died unexpectedly, leaving his money behind. His basic philosophy of life was that at least money was something he could count on to give him everything in life he thought was valuable...