Now when Joshua was near Jericho, he looked up and saw a man standing in front of him with a drawn sword in his hand. Joshua went up to him and asked, “Are you for us or for our enemies?” “Neither,” he replied, “but as commander of the army of the LORD I have now come.” Then Joshua fell facedown to the ground in reverence, and asked him, “What message does my Lord have for his servant?” The commander of the LORD’s army replied, “Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy.” And Joshua did […]
Category Archives: Other
A Time to Mourn
On the tenth day of the fifth month, in the nineteenth year of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, Nebuzaradan commander of the imperial guard, who served the king of Babylon, came to Jerusalem. He set fire to the temple of the LORD, the royal palace and all the houses of Jerusalem. Every important building he burned down. The whole Babylonian army under the commander of the imperial guard broke down all the walls around Jerusalem. Jeremiah 52:12-14 Sunday, July 29 is Tisha B’Av, a day in the Jewish liturgical calendar that marks the destruction of both Temples in Jerusalem. They were […]
Project Management
Early in the morning, Jerub-Baal (that is, Gideon) and all his men camped at the spring of Harod. The camp of Midian was north of them in the valley near the hill of Moreh. The LORD said to Gideon, “You have too many men for me to deliver Midian into their hands. In order that Israel may not boast against me that her own strength has saved her, announce now to the people, ‘Anyone who trembles with fear may turn back and leave Mount Gilead.’ ” So twenty-two thousand men left, while ten thousand remained. But the LORD said to […]
Rain, Rain Please Stay
Be glad, O people of Zion, rejoice in the LORD your God, for he has given you the autumn rains in righteousness. He sends you abundant showers, both autumn and spring rains, as before. Joel 2:23 It’s been a dry summer around here (and a large portion of the United States). It’s been a month with very little rain here. It was a joy to see rain fall today. Israel is a country highly dependent on rain. It doesn’t rain in the summer. I remember my first experience of rain there last fall. It was exciting! The ancient Israelites were […]
Do you Want to Change the World?
Do you want to spend the rest of your life selling sugared water, or do you want a chance to change the world? Steve Jobs to John Sculley Steve Jobs was looking for a new CEO for Apple Computer in 1983 and found John Sculley, the CEO of PepsiCo. Jobs wasn’t ready to take the reigns of Apple himself yet and needed someone to run the company. He found Sculley and wooed him to Apple. Jobs saw what he was doing as world-changing. In many ways, he was right. Jesus was walking on the shore of the Sea of Galilee […]
Success in Failure
The Israelite foremen realized they were in trouble when they were told, “You are not to reduce the number of bricks required of you for each day.” When they left Pharaoh, they found Moses and Aaron waiting to meet them, and they said, “May the LORD look upon you and judge you! You have made us a stench to Pharaoh and his officials and have put a sword in their hand to kill us.” Moses returned to the LORD and said, “O Lord, why have you brought trouble upon this people? Is this why you sent me? Ever since I […]
So Many Questions
Any questions? [pause] You have no questions? You are so lucky; I have so many questions! Dr. Gabi Barkay Archaeology is a tough subject. You dig up some object in the dirt; it’s often broken and partly decomposed and you have to determine its function. Biblical Archaeology Review, a magazine that covers archaeology of the Biblical world, often has a picture of an object with multiple choice of what the object is. Taken completely out of the context it was found with no size information, it is often challenging. Debates often take place over various objects, structures, and even identifications […]
The Shoot
A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse; from his roots a Branch will bear fruit.The Spirit of the LORD will rest on him– the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding, the Spirit of counsel and of power, the Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD–and he will delight in the fear of the LORD. Isaiah 11:1-3a I have this palm tree (affectionately known as Jungle Jim) growing in my living room. Despite having enough vertical room to grow, it decided it liked growing sideways towards the window rather than up. After putting up with […]
Holiday Weekend
Therefore do not let anyone judge you by what you eat or drink, or with regard to a religious festival, a New Moon celebration or a Sabbath day. These are a shadow of the things that were to come; the reality, however, is found in Christ. Colossians 2:16-17 Monday was Memorial Day, a day in the US where we remember those who have fought in our wars and gone before us. Sunday I mentioned it was Pentecost. That made for a full holiday weekend, but also an enjoyable one. Perhaps you’ve read on my blog about the various festivals mentioned […]
Weeks
Count off seven weeks from the time you begin to put the sickle to the standing grain. Then celebrate the Feast of Weeks to the LORD your God by giving a freewill offering in proportion to the blessings the LORD your God has given you. And rejoice before the LORD your God at the place he will choose as a dwelling for his Name–you, your sons and daughters, your menservants and maidservants, the Levites in your towns, and the aliens, the fatherless and the widows living among you. Remember that you were slaves in Egypt, and follow carefully these decrees. […]