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Peter is writing to Hebrew exiles north of Israel in the Black Sea region. He assures them that they have an inheritance that for now is in Heaven but will be possessed at the coming of Christ. He also says that the trials that they are currently experiencing are to prove their faith.

In Luke 3, when baptizing in the wilderness, John addressed those coming to him as a brood of vipers; especially those who had no intention of repenting of their sins. Religious ritual without the intention of a behavior change is futile. True repentance is measured by the fruit that it produces.

With Saul's death, David was free to begin the process of becoming king. He made a number of deft political moves that first got him installed as king over Judah ruling from Hebron. In the north, Abner had installed Ish-botheth as king to replace his father Saul. Ish-bosheth, however, was not nearly so astute as was David. He alienated Abner, and so began David's moves to consolidate the nation under his reign.

Although mostly famous for the prophet being swallowed by a fish, Jonah is about the tension between justice and mercy. Jonah wants strict justice for Nineveh and fears that God will change His mind and extend them mercy. That, indeed, is what happens and so Jonah asks God to take his life. God explains things to him through the vehicle of a tree and a worm.

Unbelievers often mock Scripture because of the instructions about how to manage slavery. Slavery has always existed and continues to exist world wide today. For example prisoners in the county jail are forced to mop the floors, wash the dishes, collect trash along the roads, etc. They are, in fact, slaves for the duration of their sentence. What God gives in Torah are rules to prevent unnecessarily harsh conditions for those who are enslaved.

Before his final battle with the Philistines, Saul had lost all contact with God. In desperation, he consulted a necromancer who channeled the ghost of Samuel who predicted Saul's defeat and death. David meanwhile was rejected when he tried to join the Philistine army fighting against Israel. This was quite providential because he would have had a very difficult time uniting Israel under his reign had he sided with their enemies.

In defending his ministry, Paul mentions a thorn in his flesh that God has not seen fit to remove. This was almost surely the 'super apostles' who have been leading astray the gentiles that Paul has brought into the Kingdom. He also says he intends to visit Corinth again and hopes that he will not have to use the authority given to him by Christ to chasten the Corinthians.

There is a liberal mantra that you cannot legislate morality. That is precisely what God did do at Sinai. What He did not do was force a heart change in the Israelite people. The Torah codified God's vision of a moral society. That vision has not wavered, Christ did not change it. Just like the Pharisees, the church today has drifted away from God's design as presented in the Torah. We can expect pretty much the same results.

While evading Saul, David and his men lived by raiding. In this he spared Israelites and even offered them protection from rival tribes. This forms the background for his marriage to Abigail. When her husband, the fool, refused to let David and his men share in a feast, David vowed to kill him and his men to avenge the insult. Abigail's quick action forestalled that event and when Nabal died, David married her. After David again spared Saul, he had had enough dodging and moved his operations out of Judah and into Philistia.

There seem to have been two question raised about Paul's qualifications and ministry. The first concerned the difference between Paul's letters and his demeanor in person. This might be cause to wonder if it was really Paul who had written the letters. The second concerned his qualifications. This may mean that the problem in Corinth was similar to that in Galatia where Messianic Pharisees were attempting to impose Talmudic rules on the gentiles.

Water figures prominently in Exodus and, indeed in the whole Bible. Beginning with crossing the Red Sea where the nation Israel is born and Egypt dies, the story goes to bitter water, then twelve springs then water from the rock and finally to Moses striking the rock and being denied entry into the Land. God uses water both to bring forth life and to destroy. In Exodus water is used to outline the entire plan of salvation for the whole world.

Saul's paranoia was so severe that his own people could see it. He accused the priests of conspiring with David against him and ordered them killed. The Israelites would not do it, so it fell to an Edomite. David had to constantly stay on the move in southern Judah to avoid being trapped and killed by Saul. Yet for all that, when presented with the opportunity to kill Saul as he was relieving himself in a cave, David did not raise his hand against the Lord's anointed. If he could stay alive, that decision would pay dividends when David united the nation after Saul's death.

Paul encourages the Corinthians' generosity in setting aside an offering of grain to be sent to relieve a famine in Jerusalem. In that process he takes great pains to let them know that there will be impartial witnesses accompanying the shipment.

In 1873 Horatio Spafford sent his wife and four daughters ahead of himself to England. Their ship was struck by another and his daughters were all killed. As he crossed the Atlantic himself, he wrote the words to the hymn. This a masterpiece of beauty and sound, sturdy theology. The lessons are very apt for today's climate in the west.

As David continued to succeed in all that he did, Saul became increasingly paranoid and unstable. What began as throwing a spear at David on impulse changed into an official condemnation and edict that David be murdered. In this, Saul's own children sided with David and helped him escape. Thus began David's time in exile and the wilderness.

Paul speaks of the day to come when we will shed our earthly tent and enter a heavenly building. It is there that all of God's promises to those who trust in His Son will be fulfilled. In the mean while, we live through the trials inherent in the earthly tent, working to spread the news of His Kingdom and confident that eternal life awaits.

The Egyptian magicians are able to duplicate the first two of God's plagues, water into blood and frogs. When they are unable to produce gnats, they proclaimed that "This is the finger of God". This prefigures a nineteenth century intellectual hubris that only the things that science could not explain need be attributed to God. God responded to the Egyptians with satire - so also with the nineteenth century. (Idea from Rabbi Sacks.)

The story of David's victory over the giant Goliath is well known to every Sunday school student. What is not so widely known is that, in addition to his spiritual advantage, David also had the tactical advantage.

In describing the stone tablets delivered by Moses as a ministry of condemnation, Paul is not speaking of their content but rather of the medium. God's word was and is intended to be written on hearts of flesh. Having those words engraved in stone is a metaphor for hearts of stone.

When God encountered Moses at the burning bush, He told him that he was to return to Egypt and free the Hebrews from Egyptian slavery. Moses, not wanting to go, responded with two questions: "Who am I?" and then "Who are you?" Each of those questions has multiple possible meanings and both are still relevant for the believer today.

When Saul was sent by God to exterminate the Amalekites. While he defeated them in battle, he took their king as prisoner and the best of their livestock and goods as plunder. He further raised a monument to himself at Carmel. When confronted by Samuel, he deflected the blame to his troops. This disobedience and lack of character caused God to reject Saul as king and choose David as his replacement.

It appears that someone had come to Corinth after Paul had left and called his apostleship into question. This first part of the letter addresses Paul's afflictions during the course of his ministry and the fact that he was comforted by God and sustained by the prayers of believers within the churches he had planted.

Joseph weeps seven times. In every case his tears are in response to his relationship with his family. Even though he has available all of the power and resources of Egypt, he cannot make his brothers accept him. Similarly, God has all of the power and resources in the universe, yet He does not coerce us into having a relationship with Him. This Biblical concept is the origin of the American belief that government requires the consent of the governed. Inspired by Rabbi Sacks.

This section begins with Jonathan destroying a Philistine garrison in the Saddle of Benjamin. That action caused the Philistines to send a large punitive expedition into central Israel. All Israel was clearly intimidated. In a second move Jonathan again destroyed a Philistine garrison which sowed confusion among the Philistines. Saul took advantage of that confusion to attack. In his zeal, he ordered that none of his army should eat until the battle was over. This was both rash and foolish because his men became exhausted and were unable to fully exploit their victory.

Paul addresses the importance and nature of the resurrection. Although he had preached about the resurrection when he planted the church in Corinth, someone had subsequently cast doubt on the entire concept. In chapter 15, Paul affirms the fact that there were hundreds of witnesses to Christ's resurrection. He then explained why that was important. Finally, he discussed the nature of the resurrection body that believers were to receive.

When Joseph finally has all eleven of his brothers kneeling before him, he has a choice to make. He can move them to Goshen without acknowledging his identity or he can forgive them. His choice to forgive is made possible because he was able to reframe being sold into slavery as being part of God's larger plan. In so doing, he freed himself from bitterness and resentment.

Although neither God nor Samuel was pleased with Israel's request for a king, in choosing Saul God gave the project its best chance of success. Saul was from the buffer tribe of Benjamin; he was tall, handsome and brave; he was modest in that he didn't want the job.

As with everything else in this letter, there was apparently division over Spiritual manifestations. It seems that those who had the 'flashier' gifts were exalting themselves over those who had the quieter ones. This seems especially to have been the case with tongues. Paul makes it clear that spiritual gifts are not for the benefit of the one who receives them, but rather are for the building up of the body.

During Joseph's life, God took him through a crash course in character development. A key feature of this course was that it was neither easy nor pleasant. Similarly, Christ says the Way is hard and few will find it. That doesn't mean it is hidden. The Way is clearly laid out in Scripture. It means that while salvation is a gift from God, carrying that gift to fruition is hard and many will not succeed.

When Samuel became old and it was obvious that his sons were not suitable to follow him, Israel asked that he get them a king so that they could be like all the other nations. God was displeased but told Samuel to do what they wanted. The system of judges, while subject to corruption just like every other human institution, structurally provided the greatest potential human liberty. A monarchy was a step away from that liberty and a distancing from God.

Chapters 8-11 concern food sacrificed to idols. Here he says that although there is only one God and idols are not gods, not everyone understands that. Thus believers should not eat such food in order to avoid confusing those who either believe in idols or are unsure. He closes by saying that idols represent demons and that a believer should have nothing to do with them.

There is a curious incident in the story of the sale of Joseph. When his father sends him to check on his brothers, he meets a stranger who tells him that his brothers have moved on to Dothan. Without that encounter the rest of the Torah would be entirely different. Joseph would not have been sold, he would not have interpreted Pharaoh's dreams and the Exodus would have been something else entirely. So too with most of history. Seemingly unimportant encounters wind up having important effects. God prefers to act subtly most of the time, so one can have a large effect on others and on history without being aware of God's hand.

The ArK of the Covenant is captured by the Philistines at the battle of Aphek and the priests Hophni and Phinehas are killed. The Ark proves to be quite capable of taking care of itself and the Philistines hasten to send it back to Israel.

In chapter 7 Paul is answering specific questions which are unknown to us. His points about marriage are made in the expectation that the end times were upon them. Hence, some of his advice would seem to go contrary to Torah - remaining single for example. (This episode ends abruptly. We actually went on to chapters 8 and 9, but they form a unit with chapter 10 and will be presented next time.)

In Scripture a yoke can be either a punishing burden impossible to bear or a tool to get useful work accomplished. Scripture presents the Pharisaic understanding of the Torah as the former while Christ described His yoke as easy and light. One of the dividing lines between the two is that Christ's words are true and the Pharisaic interpretation is not.

The birth of Samuel. Samuel's mother, Hannah, was barren and bitter about it. Her prayer and promise to God flows from that anguish of soul. After the birth of her son, she makes a song of praise. Mary's prayer, although shorter, is essentially the same. The background on the Priest Eli and his corrupt sons sets the scene for the entire book - the importance of fathers and the consequences of their failure.

Paul uses the metaphor of leaven to condemn immoral behavior within the church. The idea being that if sin is tolerated and excused, it will spread and infect others. He instructs them to expel flagrant sinners from the body. He also chastens them about taking disputes between brothers to the secular authorities. In cases where secular law does not comport with God's law injustice will be the result.

Both Chanukah and Thanksgiving are celebrations to thank God for a successful rebellion against government that has exceeded its authority from God and become oppressive. God has never been impressed with human government, Historically when it has become oppressive and hostile to Him, He has supported rebellion.

Introduction and background to the letter. Paul first addresses factionalism within the church. Paul had planted the church earlier (Acts 18) and guided it for 18 months before moving on. Apollos had then come along and continued to teach there. Apparently, some new Christians had come to believe that there was some conflict between the two. Paul denies that, comparing himself to a foundation builder and Apollos to the one who erects an edifice on the prepared foundation.

In Genesis 26 Isaac was run out of Gerar because he had become too powerful. As he moved, he reopened the wells his father had dug and which the Philistines had plugged up. As he did so, the Philistines drove him off and claimed the wells for themselves. In the story of Abraham and Isaac's wells and the Philistine's reaction, we have the entire plan of salvation and the basis of all the antisemitism in the world today. Consider the hatred that would cause herdsmen to stop up wells in the desert.

Having conquered the land, Joshua released the eastern tribes to return to their land and their families. These tribes built an altar by the Jordan to serve as a witness that they would always be a part of the people of God. As his final official act, Joshua and the tribal elders renewed the covenant with God.

At his death God's promises to Abraham had not been fulfilled. Although he did have six sons, the only land he possessed was a burial plot for his wife. Yet Scripture says he was blessed in all things and and was full - contented. That is because he had a purpose and realized that God's plan would take generations. So too with us, having a purpose is what gives meaning to our lives.

Although there was still much land to conquer, Joshua proceeded to define tribal allotments on the west side of the Jordan River. For political reasons, he began with Judah and Joseph, putting them astride the central ridge and separated by the Saddle of Benjamin. The remaining seven tribes sent out survey parties and divided the rest of the land into parcels. Those parcels were assigned by lot, one to each tribe.

Faith and trust are related but distinct concepts. In relation to God, faith is the belief that He exists and that His word is true and reliable. Trust, on the other hand, involves acting on His word especially when one cannot see how that will turn out. When Abraham was told to sacrifice his son, he had no doubts about God's existence or that he had heard His word. So he obeyed, trusting that somehow God would honor His promise to establish a covenant with Isaac.

After the series of battles attendant to the 'long day', Joshua continued with the conquest of the south. With that complete, the King of Hazor gathered an army of all the peoples in the north. They gathered at the waters of Merom; very many horses and chariots. Joshua came up from the south and destroyed that army as well as all of the towns from which they had come.

Mark 12 begins with the Parable of the Wicked Tenants. This parable raises several questions. Who is it addressed to? There are at least three groups. In each context, what are the pathologies being addressed? What fruit does the owner expect in each context? How does this apply today?

Gibeon lies in the Saddle of Benjamin astride the north- south ridge route as well as the east-west route from the Jordan Valley to the coastal plain. It was a major city in a very strategic location. After the destruction of Ai, the Gibeonites knew that they were next and so planned a deception to get Israel to make a covenant and spare them from destruction. Once that covenant was made, the southern Canaanite kings attacked Gibeon forcing Israel to defend it.

After observing humanity for over 1600 years, God was disappointed with His creation and decided to destroy it all and start over. The proximate reason for that decision was the state of the human heart - evil continually. After the flood, His assessment did not change. So what did change that prompted Him to decide not to re-flood the place?

After the reduction of Jericho, Israel turned to capturing the Saddle of Benjamin, with Ai being the first target. Reconnaissance reported that Ai was a soft target and only a small force would be needed. Because a man in Israel had disobeyed God and taken spoil from Jericho, that force was routed. Once the sinner had been dealt with, Joshua took his entire force up and captured both Ai and BethEl. From there he turned north and went to Shechem and renewed to Covenant as commanded by Moses.

The first five and a half chapters of Genesis contain the entire Bible in a nutshell. There we learn the purpose of creation, the nature of God, the nature of humanity, the techniques of Satan and the entirety of the Gospel.

Jericho sat at the entrance to the route from the Jordan valley to the Saddle of Benjamin. As such it needed to be destroyed so that Joshua could leave the Israelite women and children behind in safety while the warriors moved west and fought the Canaanites. The events of the reduction of Jericho prefigure the seven trumpets of Revelation.