1 Chronicles 6 – The list reads of heavy hitters in the work of God. The tribe of Levi was initially set a part to serve God…
desert
78 posts
Isaiah 61 – It is such an interesting chapter. In Luke 4, Jesus reads the first two verses of Isaiah 61 in the synagogue…
Isaiah 44 – We stand in the barren wilderness. The ground cracked and dried, our parched throats cry for water. Looking every direction there is nothing on the horizon….
Isaiah 43 – Sink or swim. Drown or float. Two pretty stark options when the floods come, the hardship prevails. Waves crashing upon, the…
Galatians 1 – Freedom. Across this globe, there is a longing for freedom from tyranny. There is a desire to be free from the underbelly of sex trafficking. There…
Exodus 40 – Over and over through this chapter we read, “… as the Lord had commanded.” Obedience plain and simple. For many chapters God laid out…
Exodus 38 – We are people who try to do it alone. Delegation over some tasks for some is difficult. This is an area God has been working…
Exodus 31 – Hebrew tradition Rabbinical literature states he was only 13 years old when he completed his task. But it would be by this age he…
Exodus 27 – Most fascinating. The Hebrew word for altar is killing place. Just this fact alone struck me. Most churches have some form of an altar….
Exodus 19 – 3 months into their journey, after walking through the Red Sea they traveled the desert and found themselves at the foot of Mount Sinai. …
Exodus 13 – We want to get from here to there in the least amount of time possible. We’re wired that way I think, or at least…
Judges 8 – Warren Wiersbe observes, “Gideon’s choosing to avenge himself could have been the beginning of his backsliding.” Gideon’s story continues with interesting events that follow after the…
Judges 6 – The pattern continues. “Again Israel did evil in the eyes of the Lord…” Once again they would need to hit rock bottom before they would cry…
Joshua 21 – “Not one of the good promises which the Lord had made to the house of Israel failed; all came to pass.” – Joshua 21:45 What a…
Joshua 14 – Caleb was one of the 12 men alongside Joshua when over 40 years before had gone into the land to spy out what awaited the people…
Joshua 13 – “Now Joshua was old and advanced in years when the Lord said to him, “You are old and advanced in years, and very much of the…
Joshua 5 – The Israelites spent 40 years in the desert because they were terrified of the Canaanites. They foolishly doubted God’s ability to do for them what He…
Joshua 1 – For 40 years the Israelites had wandered throughout the desert. It wasn’t because they were following their leader – far from it…
Matthew 4 – After Jesus’ 40 days in the desert with the temptations of Satan playing on every aspect of His calling and life; mocking who He…
Matthew 3 – John the Baptist was one unique guy. Today we would say strange on many fronts. From his odd clothing to the wild look he…
1 Samuel 24 – In the political age of which we live, we all have opinions about the current status of our country. We hold thoughts about…
1 Samuel 3 – God has never done things the ‘normal’ way. Ever. It seems that every story within the Bible is chock full of examples where…
2 Kings 3 – Israel and Judah had some of the best land. The neighboring Moabites envied such ground and often would attack both nations…
Genesis 49 – One by one Jacob spoke to each son of what their future would hold. This blessing was common but these words would turn…
Genesis 16 – “God helps those who help themselves” – a statement nowhere found in scripture. Good old Benjamin Franklin made this…
Genesis 6 – Let’s stop and consider, Noah had no idea of what God was about to do. He was simply given instructions, mind you – crazy…
Esther 9 – The day arrived. The irreversible edict Haman connived and duped the king to sign had come. The edict King Xerxes approved…
Malachi 1 – Malachi is the last of the prophets in the Old Testament. In fact, when his voice ceased, over 400 years passed before God spoke…
Zechariah 5 – A flying scroll and woman in a basket – what does this mean? Given a strange vision, Zechariah knew this spoke of things to…
Amos 4 – “…But you didn’t notice me. You continued to ignore me.” – Amos 4:10 The Message It’s almost as though God is saying in this chapter, “What’s…
Hosea 9 – It’s like an unseen cancer that appears and grows below the surface. The disease slowly takes over without much notice as it spreads throughout so many…
Hosea 2 – Hosea had done what was expected of him. He married Gomer, made a life together, had a family and provided for her needs. He had redeemed…
1 Corinthians 10 – “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” –George Santayana The Life of Reason 1905 Paul brings a history 101…
Psalm 120 – They are called the Pilgrim Psalms or Songs of Ascent. Psalm 120 is the first of 15 each with the same title. These songs were sung…
Psalm 107 – Sometimes we get so overrun by a situation we can’t see the goodness of our God in the present. Sometimes we are so consumed by something…
Psalm 98 – What would a new song to our eternal great God sound like? This question rambles in my thoughts as I consider my own prayers and what…
Psalm 95 – Crusty bread. Nothing can restore a piece or loaf of bread back to its freshness. It seems the longer it’s exposed to the elements, the harder…
Psalm 63 – Desolate. The craggy rocks tower above. The sun cracked sand hard like pavement. The hot winds of the day and below…
Mark 9 – It was a moment of complete transparency and revelation. Jesus took Peter, James, and John up to the mountain where right before their…
Deuteronomy 34 – Moses was a man used by God in the most powerful way. It has been said that God used 80 years of training to ready him…
Deuteronomy 32 – The song of Moses has been labeled as not only praise but also prophetic words given the people of Israel. Holding forth hope and destruction for…
Deuteronomy 26 – What is your history with Jesus? Consider when you were found by Him as that lost sheep. Think about where He has stepped into your life,…
Deuteronomy 24 – Compassion and fairness were 2 things God called His people and still does today to live and reflect. Hearkening the people of Israel to remember all…
Deuteronomy 16 – God established 3 major feasts for the Israelites they were to participate in. These were celebrations of God’s goodness and faithfulness. These were Passover, The Feast…
Deuteronomy 11 – There is absolutely no neutral ground with God. Either we are for Him and working alongside of Him or we are not. Many times the fruit…
Deuteronomy 8 – The Lord’s humbling of us is something none want to go through. Deuteronomy 8 warns against pride that could come to the Israelites if they were…
Deuteronomy 4 – The future for Israel was based on what they did and how they would follow. Not only their physical future but their spiritual one as well. …
Deuteronomy 2 – Even in the desert, the place Israel’s rebellion had led them, God still looked out for His people. This is quite a statement. It’s actually astounding…
Deuteronomy 1 – It should have taken 11 days. Instead, it took 40 years. What had stalled the Israelites in the desert was not an issue of might but…
Numbers 33 – Moses wrote an account of the journey of Israel thus far. Beginning in Egypt and leaving their slavery, they marched out with boldness and not just…
Numbers 32 – Numbers 32 – Perhaps he jumped to conclusions. I mean we all do this don’t we? We hear a bit of information without the full story and make an…
Numbers 27 – It’s known as one of the most beautiful and comforting hymns of all time. Written by Joseph Scriven in 1855 he was inundated with tragedy. As…
Numbers 26 – By the numbers – thus the book title! As always there is more to the story than what is seen even through a census. For the…
Numbers 21 – The time had come for Israel to enter the Promised Land. The old generation had passed and for this new group of people this would be…
Numbers 15 – They were at their lowest point ever. The people had turned on God in belief He could actually follow through with what He promised. Their discipline…
Numbers 14 – The loss of perspective brings despair. When we begin to focus on the tangible rather than the ability of God, we will slowly and dramatically fall…
Numbers 11 – Complaining. I’m telling you what, I am sick and tired of it. This is the grumbling that takes place when something doesn’t go according to what…
Numbers 10 – I cannot imagine the task Moses had in leading. Here he was with 100’s of 1000’s and way upward and beyond in numbers, leading all of…
Numbers 7 – Commentators agree this chapter is more than likely out of chronological order. This chapter of the special offerings may have happened instead during the first chapter…
Numbers 2 – God was up to some organization. The people had been on their journey now for a year. God was putting things in order. Where they went…
Numbers 1 – Complaining – it gets you nowhere. In fact, if we’re honest it will get you stuck. This is exactly what the book of Numbers records. The…
Luke 11 – The man was desperate. An unexpected friend had stopped on his journey for a place to sleep. In ancient times hospitality was a given. Being after…
Luke 4 – “We do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin.”– Hebrews…
Ezekiel 29 – Egypt. A powerful nation during the ancient times. Self-sufficient, dominant, cruel – this marked this one-time world leader. But that chapter was about to come to…
Ezekiel 13 – False prophets are a dime a dozen. They pop up everywhere. These are the ones who claim to know God’s words when He’s not…
Acts 22 – Little did Paul know that day on the Damascus Road of the twists and turns his life would take as he took the message…
Lamentations 5 – We don’t often think in terms of the comprehensive suffering that Judah endured during exile. It was not just that their enemies came and put them…
Leviticus 25 – “When you enter the land I am going to give you…” It’s a fascinating opening to consider the people have not entered the Promised Land. God…
Leviticus 23 – There were 7 feasts God set in place for the Israelite’s. They involved celebration, worship and community with one another. These were distinctly different than any…
Leviticus 16 – It was ultimate day of the year when it came to Israel and their sacrifices. The Day of Atonement, known as Yom Kippur, was when a…
Revelation 16 – The last 4 verses of Revelation 15 has a sobering scene unfold. The portals of the temple in heaven open and out walk 7 angels dressed…
Revelation 6 – For many believers, Revelation 6 is the Continental Divide – meaning, from this point on in the book of Revelation, there are different theological perspectives as to how the end times will unfold…
Jeremiah 31 – In my bible, chapter 31 is marked up everywhere. There are notes in the sidelines, thoughts jotted down, and promises I’ve penned across the top. It…
Jeremiah 9 – The conflict is real. Jeremiah knows what awaits the people because of their hardheartedness. He knows personally what this will cost the nation, which is everything. …
2 Chronicles 5 – It took 7 years to build the temple. The day had finally arrived in November 959 BC for the dedication of this incredible…