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What God does for Joseph He does for all those whom He grafts into His Story. Paul describes the value of looking back—looking back at God’s method of operation in the past—and the value it brings in producing hope in the present, “For whatever things were written before were written for our learning, that we through the patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have hope” (Romans 15:4).  Psalm 105, 106, and 107 are historical psalms—they chronicle... Read More

Seven hundred years earlier in the  Exodus Era , God had assigned each tribe its camping space around the Tabernacle—Judah to the east, closest to the Tabernacle entrance, with other tribes arranged in armies, clockwise in order (Num. 2). None of the tribes lived in direct contact with the Tabernacle, however; God reserved that honor for the Levites. The sub-tribe of Gershon camped to the west (3:23), behind the Tabernacle; Kohath to the south (3:29); Merari to the north (3:35); and... Read More

Revival broke out at the beginning of Hezekiah’s reign. He sought the LORD with all his heart, followed in the footsteps of his “father” David, and restored both the Temple and the worship of the LORD which his predecessor Ahaz had neglected. He so prioritized God’s worship over all the other affairs of his reign that he began on the first day of the first month of the first year of his reign to cleanse and restore the house of the LORD (2 Chron. 29:3, 17). When the... Read More

A principle surfaces throughout the Bible’s story: God uses what He hates to accomplish the good that He loves. Evil doesn't originate with God, but He uses the existing evil for His own purposes. When God’s people walk with Him by faith, He generally hedges them about with His hedge of protection (Job 1:10; Dt. 28:7). Often that hedge is simply the restraining of evil nations and rulers around His people. When He does lift the hedge, He shows His power to deliver them. Prior to... Read More

God chose Israel to be a blessing to all the families of the earth (Gen. 12:1-2). He describes Israel as a vineyard in which He has highly invested (Isaiah 5:1-2). They have instead, ruined themselves for any usefulness, “What more could have been done to My vineyard that I have not done in it? Why then, when I expected it to bring forth good grapes, did it bring forth wild grapes?” (5:4); “He looked for justice, but behold, oppression; for righteousness, but behold a cry for... Read More

Speaking the truth to a wayward loved one is risky business.  Those who harden their hearts against the truth often execute retaliation of varying degrees against the truth-teller (silence, shunning, shaming, slander, and even murder). Jesus singles out the role of prophets (Truth-tellers) when He rebukes the scribes and Pharisees for their rejection of truth-tellers and the truth that they tell, “That on you may come all the righteous blood shed on the earth, from the blood of... Read More

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Both Jeroboam and Rehoboam seek the counsel of others as they face a decision regarding their kingdoms.   When Rehoboam’s followers request tax relief, Rehoboam seeks advice from two groups of people. The elders who advised his father counsel Rehoboam to heed the people and lighten their tax load, while the young men who had grown up with him advise him to add to their yoke. Rehoboam listens to the pride of his peers rather than the wisdom of the elders and creates a situation... Read More