Tag: Old Testament

February 19, 2025

February 19th, 2025

Wednesday – History

Reading – Joshua 22-24

Highlight Verse:

“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.”
‭‭Joshua‬ ‭24‬:‭31‬ ‭NLT‬‬

My grandparents were very good at saving money. They lived through the Depression Era.

My generation isn’t afraid of much. We grew up when safety was an afterthought.

No matter how much we try to teach our kids, nothing teaches like experience.

The nation of Israel learned this throughout their history.

They would see God act miraculously to save them and they would worship wholeheartedly.

The next generation would have it easy and would fall away.

Things would get bad. God would rescue. The pattern would repeat.

It is good to experience the blessings of God.

It is also good to experience difficulty so that the blessings become far more meaningful, even miraculous.

There’s a very fine line between protecting our kids and helping them learn from experience.

My prayer is that they would have the devotion that good leadership and experience can inspire.

What is it that your generation has learned from tough experience?
How do you balance teaching and experience in raising the next generation?
February 14, 2025

February 14th, 2025

Friday – Prophets

Reading – Isaiah 19-21

Highlight Verse:

“In that day there will be an altar to the Lord in the heart of Egypt, and there will be a monument to the Lord at its border.”
‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭19‬:‭19‬ ‭NLT‬‬

First off, for all you hopeless romantics looking for a romantic reading, sorry.

I scoured today’s reading and found nothing that we would call romantic.

That is unless we think along the lines of what author Ted Dekker called “The Great Romance” in his “Circle Series” of novels.

In that case,

The Great Romance is the story of God wooing His creation to find life in Him.

In today’s highlight verse, Isaiah prophesied that Romance coming to Egypt.

It came true!

In the 2nd century BC, during the Maccabean revolt in Israel, the priests were forced to flee to Egypt. They brought with them the practice of worship and sacrifice. Many in Egypt came to worship God, laying the spiritual foundation for the Coptic Church to follow after Christ’s sacrifice.

It was likely to the same area that Joseph, Mary, and Jesus fled.

The Coptic Church, founded by Mark the Evangelist in 42AD is likely the oldest Christian group still in existence today.

And Isaiah saw it coming.

Does it surprise you that Isaiah’s prophecies came true in such a profound way?
What other prophecies in today’s reading caught your eye? Why?
February 12, 2025

February 12th, 2025

Wednesday – History

Reading – Joshua 19-21

Highlight Verse:

““Now tell the Israelites to designate the cities of refuge, as I instructed Moses.”
‭‭Joshua‬ ‭20‬:‭2‬ ‭NLT‬‬

The word “refuge” appears more than 40 times in the Bible.

These cities of refuge are a precursor to the concept of God being a refuge to those in need.

If you accidentally killed someone in those days, you were in desperate need for a refuge. Your mistakes opened you to the distinct possibility of death at the hands of an avenger.

God made provision for refuge for people who had accidentally killed someone.

God provided refuge for David when he was pursued by Saul.

Isaiah declares the Messiah as a refuge from the storm.

Then Jesus provided our refuge from the penalty of our sin.

The Cities of Refuge give us a beautiful picture of the mercy to come when God sent His Son to be our refuge from sin.

What are your thoughts on the Cities of Refuge?
What would your thoughts be if you had accidentally killed someone during the time of the Cities of Refuge?
February 7, 2025

February 7th, 2025

Friday – Prophets

Reading – Isaiah 16-18

Highlight Verses:

“Only a few of its people will be left, like stray olives left on a tree after the harvest. Only two or three remain in the highest branches, four or five scattered here and there on the limbs,” declares the Lord, the God of Israel. Then at last the people will look to their Creator and turn their eyes to the Holy One of Israel.”
‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭17‬:‭6‬-‭7‬ ‭NLT‬‬

A once vital church in Prescott, Arizona was down to just over a dozen devoted members.

Everyone told them to cash it in. Move on.

Everyone except God.

They sought the counsel of a group that helps revive churches. They made some radical changes that made them relevant to the local culture and generations while remaining faithful to God’s Word.

I started attending Prescott Heights when they had around a hundred people. By the time I moved away a couple years later, they were around 400 people.

I don’t know if their growth continued but I know from their website, they are still around and making a difference in their community.

Sometimes our ministries get off-target and suffer diminishment.

Sometimes our own effectiveness wanes as we wander from the calling or devotion that first brought us progress.

When we find ourselves losing influence, feeling at the end of our hope, God can restore.

If we are open to the direction of the Holy Spirit, He can restore our first love. He can restore our effectiveness. He can restore His ministry through us.

How have you coped with times of low effectiveness?
How has wise advice helped you get out of low times?
February 4, 2025

February 4th, 2025

Tuesday – Pentateuch

Reading – Genesis 7-8

Highlight Verse:

“A male and female of each kind entered, just as God had commanded Noah. Then the Lord closed the door behind them.”
‭‭Genesis‬ ‭7‬:‭16‬ ‭NLT‬‬‬‬‬‬‬

Did you ever notice that Noah didn’t shut the door on the ark. Yahweh, the Lord did.

I’ve read commentaries saying this symbolized the fact that only the Lord could open or shut the door on salvation.

Personally, I just think that it needed to be shut and sealed from the outside and God wasn’t willing to sacrifice any of Noah’s family to be left behind to shut the door.

I could be wrong. But I know that God wanted to save Noah and his family. By extension, that means you and me too as we all descended from Noah.

God has us covered.

How has God stepped in to protect you?
What has He sealed you from?
January 26, 2025

January 26th, 2025

Sunday – Poetry

Reading – Psalms 10-12

Highlight Verse:

“I trust in the Lord for protection. So why do you say to me, “Fly like a bird to the mountains for safety!”
‭‭Psalms‬ ‭11‬:‭1‬ ‭NLT‬‬

As a city kid transplanted into rural southwest Virginia, I once had to walk done a very long wooded driveway to wait at the road for my parents to give me a ride.

I had no flashlight.

It was pitch black.

When I made it to the road, I stood in the middle of it staring at the one patch of clear moonless sky.

Even though I was in the mountains, I was afraid.

Not too many years later, I lived in downtown San Jose and would sometimes have to go out at night.

I wasn’t afraid, though it was a far more dangerous area.

By then I had confidence that I was in the Lord’s hands.

Now I don’t advocate foolishly dangerous actions, nor do I object to taking defensive measures.

But for me, I am confident that as long as God has more for me to do on this earth, He will protect me.

I am equally confident that when it is time for me to pass from this world, I will be welcomed to eternal life in heaven.

Do you have confidence in the Lord’s protection?
Are you equally as confident of what lies beyond this life?
January 23, 2025

January 24th, 2025

Friday – Prophets

Reading – Isaiah 10-12

Highlight Verse:

“Out of the stump of David’s family will grow a shoot— yes, a new Branch bearing fruit from the old root.”
‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭11‬:‭1‬ ‭NLT‬‬

When I lived in Santa Cruz in the 80s, there was a congregation there called Tsemech Adonai – The Branch of the Lord.

It was a Jewish Synagogue that believed that the Messiah had already come in the person of Jesus Christ.

They were right.

According to some scholars, Isaiah contains 48 prophecies about the Messiah.

The odds of any person filling all those prophecies are 1 in 10 to the 157th power (1 followed by 157 zeroes).

Even if you only believe in the eight most obvious prophecies, that puts the chances at 1 in 10 to the 17th power (1 in 100,000,000,000,000,000) (source: preceptaustin dot org)

That’s more that a hundred million times longer odds than winning the lottery

But one person did fulfill all those prophecies.

His name is Jesus – The Branch of the Lord.

What more proof do you need?
If you have faith, do you even need that proof?
January 22, 2025

January 22nd, 2025

Wednesday – History

Reading – Joshua 10-12

Highlight Verse:

“He and his people became very afraid when they heard all this because Gibeon was a large town—as large as the royal cities and larger than Ai. And the Gibeonite men were strong warriors.”
‭‭Joshua‬ ‭10‬:‭2‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Becoming allies with the Gibeonites was a very bad mistake.

Despite all the problems with that alliance, there was a silver lining.

That alliance inspired fear in their enemies.

That fear caused several of the enemies to combine and attack the Gibeonites.

Because the Israelites were honor-bound to defend the Gibeonites, they came to their defense and soundly defeated five allied kings in one campaign instead of five.

Does that justify Israel’s foolish alliance.

No.

Does it mean that there are no negative consequences for that poor decision.

No. Plenty of bad came from it.

But God can bring good out of any and every situation, even when we are to blame for the error.

Have you ever messed up but had good come out of the situation anyway?
Was the good side effect easy or hard to see?
January 17, 2025

January 17th, 2025

Friday – Prophets

Reading – Isaiah 7-9

Highlight Verse:

“The Lord has given me a strong warning not to think like everyone else does. He said, “Don’t call everything a conspiracy, like they do, and don’t live in dread of what frightens them.”
‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭8‬:‭11‬-‭12‬ ‭NLT‬‬

At first this sounds like a declaration of non-conformity.

In a sense that’s true. We certainly shouldn’t conform to the standards of this world.

Rather, it is God’s standards to which we should conform.

Then we need not fear any but God and He will keep us safe.

How much do fear God?
How much do you fear people?
January 16, 2025

January 16th, 2025

Thursday – Letters

Reading – Romans 3

Highlight Verse:

“For God presented Jesus as the sacrifice for sin. People are made right with God when they believe that Jesus sacrificed his life, shedding his blood. This sacrifice shows that God was being fair when he held back and did not punish those who sinned in times past,”
‭‭Romans‬ ‭3‬:‭25‬ ‭NLT‬‬

The little theologian in me squealed with joy when I saw this.

Here’s proof that God made provision for those who sought to worship God in Old Testament times.

While this passage does not give specific criteria for salvation of those who passed before Jesus’ sacrifice, I believe that God could recognize those who trusted Him for their salvation.

Through the sacrifice of Jesus, their sins were forgiven just as ours are.

How do you think God recognized the faith of those from the Old Testament?
What do you think are the differences between people in the Old Testament waiting for the Messiah to come and us waiting for the Second Coming of Jesus?

Tag: Old Testament

No matter how much we try to teach our kids, nothing teaches like experience.

The nation of Israel learned this throughout their history.

My prayer is that they would have the devotion that good leadership and experience can inspire.

I scoured today’s reading and found nothing that we would call romantic.

The Great Romance is the story of God wooing His creation to find life in Him.

And Isaiah saw it coming.

The word “refuge” appears more than 40 times in the Bible.

Then Jesus provided our refuge from the penalty of our sin.

The Cities of Refuge give us a beautiful picture of the mercy to come when God sent His Son to be our refuge from sin.

Everyone except God.

Sometimes our ministries get off-target and suffer diminishment.

When we find ourselves losing influence, feeling at the end of our hope, God can restore.

Did you ever notice that Noah didn’t shut the door on the ark. Yahweh, the Lord did.

God has us covered.

Even though I was in the mountains, I was afraid.

I wasn’t afraid, though it was a far more dangerous area.

But for me, I am confident that as long as God has more for me to do on this earth, He will protect me.

They were right.

That’s more that a hundred million times longer odds than winning the lottery

His name is Jesus – The Branch of the Lord.

Despite all the problems with that alliance, there was a silver lining.

No.

But God can bring good out of any and every situation, even when we are to blame for the error.

Then we need not fear any but God and He will keep us safe.

The little theologian in me squealed with joy when I saw this.

Here’s proof that God made provision for those who sought to worship God in Old Testament times.

Through the sacrifice of Jesus, their sins were forgiven just as ours are.