I could write about the walls of Jericho tumbling down or about the treachery of Achan, who sinned against God and led to the Israelites’ first defeat after they crossed into the Promised Land.  But I won’t. Instead, my mind turns towards the ambush that Joshua and the Lord brought against the town of Ai.  These people of Ai were confident because they had easily defeated a small group of Israelites who then ran away.  So when Joshua led a large company against them, they weren’t afraid to go out and pursue them in battle.  Little did they know that … Continue reading Joshua 5-8: Ambushed by God

11 Now what I am commanding you today is not too difficult for you or beyond your reach. 12 It is not up in heaven, so that you have to ask, “Who will ascend into heaven to get it and proclaim it to us so we may obey it?” 13 Nor is it beyond the sea, so that you have to ask, “Who will cross the sea to get it and proclaim it to us so we may obey it?” 14 No, the word is very near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart so you may obey it. These … Continue reading Deuteronomy 30-31: The Word

29 The secret things belong to the LORD our God, but the things revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may follow all the words of this law. Such sweeping contrasts of blessings and curses I have never seen before!  The beautiful blessings promised by the Lord for those who keep his commands — and the exact opposite curses promised by the Lord for those who go their own way…who follow after other gods are illustrated in great detail in these two chapters. But this last verse — the one about the secret things belonging to … Continue reading Deuteronomy 28-29: The Secrets