Category Archives: Uncategorized

One of the central statements of the Jewish faith is the Shema. As Moses exhorts the Israelites to remain faithful to the Lord, he makes this declaration: “Hear, Israel! The Lord is our God, the Lord is one!” This has been the cornerstone of the Jewish faith since this first proclamation by Moses. It is recited twice a dayContinue reading “Day 60: Deuteronomy 5-7”

Israel struggled with following the Lord faithfully during their time in the wilderness. The very fact that they had been wandering for forty years was due to disobedience to God’s command to go into the Promised Land. Throughout their time in the desert they had wavered between following the Lord and wanting their own way.Continue reading “Day 59: Deuteronomy 3-4”

The book of Deuteronomy consists of several addresses by Moses that recount the experiences of Israel from the time they left Egypt until they were prepared to cross over to the Promised Land. After forty years of wandering the nation now stood near the Jordan River. From their camp they could see the land theyContinue reading “Day 58: Deuteronomy 1-2”

Most people have a hard time admitting they made a mistake. It could be something serious or just a simple oversight, but we don’t like to admit when we were wrong. By holding on to our incorrect decisions, we may create a situation in which more significant fallout could happen. Admitting to a mistake canContinue reading “Day 57: Numbers 35-36”

One of the questions many people have when reading about the conquest of Canaan is why the Lord commanded the complete removal of the Canaanites. It seems to us in our culture to be an unjustifiably harsh judgment on people who were just in the way of an Israelite takeover. It doesn’t seem fair forContinue reading “Day 56: Numbers 33-34”

Sometimes after experiencing a victory, problems can crop up among those who were on the winning side without warning. Just when it seems everything is going smoothly, issues have to be settled and differences ironed out. These issues can arise from the very success that was just achieved. There is a real danger that itContinue reading “Day 55: Numbers 31-32”

Giving is a subject that is often handled poorly by churches. Many make one of two mistakes in teaching about giving. The first is to equate giving with a returned blessing. The more you give, the more God will give you; some go so far as to say God is obligated to give back whenContinue reading “Day 54: Numbers 28-30”

As the Israelites prepared to enter the Promised Land, the Lord ordered Moses to take another census of the men who could fight. The earlier census from almost forty years prior was no longer accurate, for it had been the number of those who could fight when the Lord first told them to enter theContinue reading “Day 53: Numbers 26-27”

The test of a teacher or preacher isn’t just in how orthodox their message sounds. There are many teachers, prominent or obscure, who can make a message sound good. The question that listeners need to ask is twofold: what do they mean by what they say and do they teach their hearers to live accordingContinue reading “Day 52: Numbers 23-25”

After forty years wandering in the wilderness, Israel finally reached the point in their journey where they were headed to the Promised Land. The journey would not be simple or short, but compared with their decades-long experience in the desert it was a step in the right direction. They began with a quick victory overContinue reading “Day 51: Numbers 21-22”