The angel of the LORD came and sat down under the oak in Ophrah that belonged to Joash the Abiezrite, where his son Gideon was threshing wheat in a winepress to keep it from the Midianites. When the angel of the LORD appeared to Gideon, he said, “The LORD is with you, mighty warrior.” Judges 6:11-12 Gideon began his story in fear of the Midianites. The Lord called him to lead an army against this strong enemy. After much encouragement and confirmation, Gideon eventually submitted. He gathered his army by the spring of Harod while the Midianites camped to the […]
Author Archive: Brian Johnson
Please Pass the Salt
You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men. Matthew 5:13 Along the southwest shore of the Dead Sea (the lowest point on earth with its massive salt content) is Mount Sodom. Besides being the lowest mountain, what makes it truly extraordinary is that it’s made almost entirely of salt. We drove up there early this morning to view the sea from a vantage point on top. Just one more slice of […]
The Trails Less Traveled
This is what the LORD says: “Stand at the crossroads and look; ask for the ancient paths, ask where the good way is, and walk in it, and you will find rest for your souls. But you said, `We will not walk in it.’” Jeremiah 6:16 There’s something about pulling on a backpack, donning my hat, and setting out to explore a trail. What views will we see? What is around the next bend? How far will we go? As my heart pumps a little faster and sweat oozes from my pores, it makes me feel alive. God didn’t create […]
Israel: I Can Dig It
For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through endurance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope. Romans 15:4 One of our stops today was Tel Mareshah, a site I’ve been to a few times before. We signed up for something different for the visit: a program called Dig for a Day. For a chunk of the afternoon, a group does a little archaeological digging in one of the 5000 caves around the site, which is closed to the public. Then we gathered our buckets of dirt and rocks and […]
Meanwhile, Back in Israel…
The LORD had said to Abram, “Leave your country, your people and your father’s household and go to the land I will show you.” Genesis 12:1 I seem to be making a habit of hopping on a plane the last few years and getting at Ben Gurion International Airport in Tel Aviv, Israel. This week has started yet another such adventure. This time, I’m the driver of our rental car. Our itinerary is packed. Many kilometers lie ahead of us. Come digitally join me as we hit the road and bring the Bible to life in new and exciting ways! […]
Political Shift
The LORD said to Samuel, “How long will you mourn for Saul, since I have rejected him as king over Israel? Fill your horn with oil and be on your way; I am sending you to Jesse of Bethlehem. I have chosen one of his sons to be king.” But Samuel said, “How can I go? Saul will hear about it and kill me.” The LORD said, “Take a heifer with you and say, `I have come to sacrifice to the LORD.’ Invite Jesse to the sacrifice, and I will show you what to do. You […]
Welcome to the Future!
“Take a scroll and write on it all the words I have spoken to you concerning Israel, Judah and all the other nations from the time I began speaking to you in the reign of Josiah till now. Perhaps when the people of Judah hear about every disaster I plan to inflict on them, each of them will turn from his wicked way; then I will forgive their wickedness and their sin.” Jeremiah 36:2-3 We are a week into 2015. I’ve been looking forward to this year because the Back to the Future movies set the “future” in this year. […]
Nativity Scene
I remember from a young age the various nativity scenes that were among our Christmas decorations. Picture your generic nativity scene. There’s Mary, Joseph, and baby Jesus in a wooden manger with some hay. They’re in a wooden stable. There’s a couple shepherds with a couple sheep. There’s the three wisemen with their gifts and perhaps camels. Maybe there’s also the star overhead. Perhaps an angel is present, too. Finally, there’s a donkey and an ox in the stable, too. Sound familiar? There are the usual errors like the wooden manger and stable (they would have been stone). But at […]
That December Holiday
One generation will commend your works to another; they will tell of your mighty acts.They will speak of the glorious splendor of your majesty, and I will meditate on your wonderful works.They will tell of the power of your awesome works, and I will proclaim your great deeds.They will celebrate your abundant goodness and joyfully sing of your righteousness. Psalm 145:4-7 A few years ago I told my small group that at our next meeting we would discuss “that December holiday mentioned in the Bible.” What do you think we talked about? Hanukkah, of course! While […]
Swinging Doors of the Shephelah
When moving from the Mediterranean coast into the hills of Judah (places like Jerusalem and Bethlehem), travelers had several parallel routes to choose from. They were dominated by several valleys in a region called the Shephelah. I want to focus on the three most prominent today. The first, in the north, is the Aijalon Valley, dominated by the cities of Aijalon and Gezer. There was a road from here that led east up to lower and upper Beth Horon, to Gibeon and beyond. This route is mentioned a couple times with the Israelites routing their enemies westward (Joshua 10:12, 1 […]