Every verse in this Psalm ends in the words “His mercy endures forever.” It follows the progress of the events from the creation in Genesis to the conquest of Canaan recorded in Joshua. It is thought that the Levite song leader would recite the first half of each verse and the congregation …
At the heart of the Jewish Law was the ten commandments. Yet apparently, as dogmatic as these false teachers were, they really didn’t understand God’s law. God’s law is like a medicine prescribed by our doctor. If we use the medicine the way its prescribed, it w …
Just after God’s special provision of escape and victory the Israelites were tested. It might have seemed nice to linger at the seaside and praise the Lord but they needed to follow His leading. Leaving the Red Sea area the pillar of cloud lead the Israelites into the …
Two definite things have been made evident in these chapters: the foolish behavior of Micah and the retreat to the north by the tribe of Dan. The tribe of Dan was notoriously restless. When the territory had been allotted to the various groups upon Israel’s arrival in Canaan, they had been …
God is gathering all Jerusalem’s hoped-for lovers into an invading army. They will attack from the north in huge numbers, well-organized and well-armed. They will execute God’s judgment on Oholibah for her abandonment of God’s law. She will drink the same cup of horror an …
A simple contrast is made between the ability and inability to keep quiet (v. 23). A fool is prone to blurt forth all that he knows (which may not be much) while a wise man is careful to practice silence in the presence of others. Next we see a contrast between diligence an …
Joshua summoned a second great assembly at Shechem to confirm Israel’s covenant relationship with God. Shechem was a few miles northwest of Shiloh (v. 1). This was where God first promised Canaan to Abraham (Gen. 12:6-7), where Jacob built an altar and buried his family’s idols …
Many Jews falsely believed that the Messiah’ origins would be unknown. The crowds believed that Jesus was only a Galilean carpenter from Nazareth. Since they “knew†His origins, they reasoned He could not be the Messiah. Jesus, however, was more than a Galilean; He was born of …
God’s blessing of Judah with leadership over the Israelites was contrary to natural order. It was pure grace for those tribes. These tribes of Judah settled east of the Jordan: …
Last time, we read that Jesus and John the Baptist were doing separate baptismal ministries (vv. 21-24). During that time a debate erupted between their disciples over which of them had the greater purifying ability (v. 25). It seems that John’s disciples were jealous of Jesus and …