The Attributes of God:

20/20 Spiritual Vision 1 Samuel 16-20 “The Lord does not deliver by sword or by spear; for the battle is the lord’s and He will give you into our hands.”                   Without my glasses, life is blurry.  Having worn glasses since 4 th  grade, I can barely make out the biggest letter on the eye chart.  If it were not for glasses, the world would look very differently.  The same is true of our spiritual vision. Without spiritual vision, we cannot fully see God’s plan.  Instead, our world becomes very confusing and foreboding.                     The story of David’s rise to prominence is a story of spiritual vision.   When God instructed Samuel to go to Bethlehem to anoint a new king, Samuel’s vision was becoming cloudy.  When S...

The Failure of Disobedience 1 Samuel 11-15 “But now your kingdom shall not endure, The Lord has sought out for Himself a man after His own heart.”                   It seemed like a small thing—a simple act of disobedience driven by the expediency of the moment.  Faced with a coming battle, Saul was waiting for Samuel to arrive so that Samuel might offer a sacrifice to God to ensure God’s blessing upon the armies of Israel and secure a victory over a formidable force of the Philistines.   When the Israelites drew near to the battle, they were struck with fear.  Fear is the product of doubt that comes when we look at the challenges before us rather than the empowerment of God with us.  When we are confronted with challenges that exceed our ability, we can become frightened and hesitant. To calm the people's fears, Samuel was to come and ask for God’s bles...

The Danger of Cultural Accommodation 1 Samuel 6-10 “Nevertheless, the people refused to listen to the voice of Samuel, and they said, ‘No, but there shall be a king over us, that we also may be like all the nations, that our king will judge us and go out before us and fight our battles.”          For 400 years, Israel has been a nation without an earthly king.  God’s intent for Israel was that they would be a theocracy in which God himself would be the king.  But this was not enough; the people looked about them and saw that every other nation had a king to lead them into battle, and so they wanted to be like them. For the past 400 years, they had experienced turmoil from military attacks by the neighboring nations.  However, rather than recognizing that it was a result of their sin, they attributed it to not having a king.  If they had a king to lead them into battle, then it would solve their problems...

The Grace and Holiness of God 1 Samuel 1-5 “Therefore, the Lord God of Isarel declares, “I did indeed say that your house and the house of your father should walk before Me forever’; but now the Lord declares, ‘Far be it from Me—for those who honor Me I will honor, and those who despise Me will be lightly esteemed.”             We cannot conform God to our understanding; instead, we must conform our understanding to God.  The Book of Samuel opens with a story of God’s grace upon a heartbroken woman who sought Him and a story of God’s judgment upon a household that dishonored Him.  The two-fold theme of God's nature and activity is one that is woven throughout the entire Bible.  Indeed, to have a right perspective of God, we must maintain a perfect balance between the grace of God and His holiness.  His grace gives us the hope of salvation, His holiness reminds us of His divine judgment up...

The Danger of Self-delusion Judges 21-26 “In those days, there was no king in Israel; everyone did what was right in his own eyes.” (26:25).             We live in the age of feelings.  A new national survey conducted by the Cultural Research Center at Arizona Christian University revealed that 74% of adults trust feelings over facts to discern moral truth, and two-thirds reject the belief that there is absolute moral truth.  Today, the majority of people, including those who identify as Christians, believe in moral pluralism; that multiple, even contradictory, moral viewpoints can be valid. Even among those who identify as born-again Christians, only 32% believe in moral absolutes. Without any belief in absolute moral truth, the majority of people trust their emotional response to determine right from wrong.  If the age of Enlightenment was the age of reason, today it is the age of feelings. ...

Unlikely Heroes Judges 11-15 “And what more shall I say? For time will fail me if I tell of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah.” Hebrews 11:33               One of the most incredible testimonies of God’s grace, providence, and power is the fact that God uses unlikely people to accomplish His purpose.  Hebrews 11 is often referred to as the “Faith Hall of Fame” because it lists individuals who exemplified incredible faith. Many of the individuals listed were renowned for their unwavering devotion and commitment to God, as well as obedience to His law.  Men like Enoch, whose depth of faith results in his being taken up into heaven without experiencing the tragedy of death.  People like Abraham, Joseph, Moses, and David, who trusted in God’s promises and acted upon them.  However, when we come to verse 32, we find four of the judges mentioned.  When we examine their life, we see...

God’s Power on Display Judges 6-10 “The Lord said to Gideon, ‘I will deliver you with the 300 men who lapped and will give the Midianites into your hands.”             It was with irony that the angel of the Lord appeared before Gideon and said, “The Lord is with you, O valiant warrior.”  Gideon was neither valiant nor a warrior.  Instead, he was a frightened man who hid in a wine press to thrash his wheat.  Thus, Gideon is an enigma.  Throughout his role as a deliverer and judge, he was timid, fearful, and lacking in faith.  When God commands him to deliver Israel from the hand of Midian, Gideon responds by questioning the wisdom of God’s choice.  Gideon’s lack of faith is seen by his continual demand for a sign from God to prove that God would be with him.  He asks for a sign that it is God who is speaking to him (6:18).  Even after his initial vi...

Man’s Fickleness and God’s Faithfulness Judges 1-5 “When the Lord raised up judges for them, the Lord was with the judge and delivered them from the hand of their enemies all the days of the judge; for the Lord was moved to pity by their groaning because of those who oppressed and afflicted them.”             For the next 400 years, the cycle would be repeated over and over again.  Even though God blessed Israel and gave them victory over their enemies and possession of the land, the people continued to abandon God and turn to the worship of Baal and Ashtaroth.  Baal was the male deity of the Canaanites, and the worship of him was marked by depravity.  In their belief, Baal was the son of the chief god, El.   Ball would eventually gain power as the highest god by usurping El and setting himself up as the chief god.  He, along with his consort, Ashtaroth, was seen as the god...

Remembering the Past and Making a Choice for the Future Joshua 21-24 “If it is disagreeable in your sight to serve the Lord, chose for yourselves today whom you will serve: whether the gods which your fathers served which were beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you are living; but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”                   The greatest threat to spiritual growth and faith is not adversity but prosperity.  When circumstances turn against us, when life becomes dark and foreboding, it is natural to turn to God for help, guidance, and protection.  But when life is going well and we are enjoying the prosperity and security of the present, we can start to neglect God and trust in our own abilities and wisdom.                   During the lifetime o...

The Long-term Consequences of Incomplete Obedience Joshua 16-20 “They did not drive out the Canaanites.”                   As Israel set to establish their presence in the promised land, there is a repeated phrase that we find, “They did not drive them out completely.”  The phrase is repeated in 15:63. 16:10, 17:13, and implied in 17:18.  Because they were agents of God’s judgment, the nation was to drive the people out of the region faithfully.  This was both an act of judgment because of the depth of the idolatry and perversion of the Canaanites, as well as an act of obedience to obey God’s commands.  However, in the process, they failed to do so.  Instead, they enslaved the people.  Why they did this is not explicitly stated.  It may have been that they were tired of battle or saw the opportunity to obtain slaves for their lab...

The Holiness and Justice of God Joshua 11-15 “They struck every person who was in it with the edge of the sword, utterly destroying them; there was one left who breathed.  And he burned Hazor with fire.”                   For the modern reader, the account of Joshua’s conquest is troubling.  When they captured a city, they destroyed the people and put everyone to death, both young and old and men and women.  We are perplexed when we read the account:  How can a loving God of mercy and grace command Joshua to destroy the people?  Was this a case of ethnic cleansing in which one people are destroyed and killed for the Jews to gain possession of the land?  Were the Jews justified in their actions, or was it an act of barbarity? Did the Jews use the name of God to commit unthinkable genocide? As we read the narrative of Joshua’s conquest, thes...

Victory and Defeat Joshua 6-10  “The Lord said to Joshua, ‘See, I have given Jericho into your hand, with its king and the valiant warriors.”                   The battle plans were both absurd and straightforward.  The people were to march around the city of Jericho once a day for six days, and on the seventh, they were to march around the city seven times and then blow the trumpets.  When they had done so, God promised them that the city's walls would collapse and they would be able to capture the city.  However, this was more than just a plan on how to capture the city; it was a test of the people of Israel.  Would they trust in God and His ability to give the victory, or would they trust in their own strength and ability?  To further point to God’s sovereign control, the ark of the covenant was to be carried behind the people as they marche...

Fear and Faith Joshua 1-5 “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous! Do not tremble or be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”                   In the late 1990s, two books were written that shared the same title: Culture of Fear.”  Since then, the phrase has become a part of our national discussion as our culture has become increasingly obsessed with the threats to our safety and existence.  In recent years, our society has become fixated on what we should fear.  Politicians use fear to try and generate votes for themselves. Fear feeds itself, so that the more we fear, the more we embrace fear.  We fear the threat of terrorists, we fear who is going to be elected, we fear things that are seen as existential threats, such as pandemics and weapons of mass destruction.  We fear circumstances that are a threat to our...