Podcasts about canaanites

Today we explore one of the most surprising stories in Hebrews 11, the story of a Canaanite prostitute named Rahab, who comes to believe FULLY in the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.How does she come to faith? Based on what she hears about God's faithfulness to His people!Turn in your Bibles to Hebrews 11:31 and Joshua 2 as we explore this incredible story and as we learn how this woman not only saves the lives of the Hebrew spies, but also is named in the very genealogy of Jesus!!(RAR2025EP36)

QUOTES FOR REFLECTION“Waiting is not a waste.”~Mark Vroegop (author Dark Clouds, Deep Mercies, pastor, president of TGC)“In the waiting, in the searchingIn the healing, in the hurtingLike a blessing buried in the broken piecesEvery minute, every momentWhere I've been or where I'm goingEven when I didn't know itOr couldn't see itThere was Jesus.”~Zach Williams (Southern Rock artist), feat. Dolly Parton “Waters never part, until our feet get wet.”~Petra (Christian Rock group) “Life doesn't discriminateBetween the sinners and the saints.It takes and it takes and it takesAnd we keep living anyway.We rise and we fall and we break.And we make our mistakes.And if there's a reason I'm still aliveWhen so many have died,Then I'm willing toWait for it,Wait for it."~Leslie Odom Jr. as Aaron Burr in Lin Manuel-Miranda's Hamilton “The waiting is the hardest part.”~Tom Petty (Rock artist, 1950-2017) SERMON PASSAGEJoshua 3:1-3, 3:9-4:3 (NIV)Joshua 3 1 Early in the morning Joshua and all the Israelites set out from Shittim and went to the Jordan, where they camped before crossing over. 2 After three days the officers went throughout the camp, 3 giving orders to the people: “When you see the ark of the covenant of the Lord your God, and the Levitical priests carrying it, you are to move out from your positions and follow it….” 9 Joshua said to the Israelites, “Come here and listen to the words of the Lord your God. 10 This is how you will know that the living God is among you and that he will certainly drive out before you the Canaanites, Hittites, Hivites, Perizzites, Girgashites, Amorites and Jebusites. 11 See, the ark of the covenant of the Lord of all the earth will go into the Jordan ahead of you. 12 Now then, choose twelve men from the tribes of Israel, one from each tribe. 13 And as soon as the priests who carry the ark of the Lord—the Lord of all the earth—set foot in the Jordan, its waters flowing downstream will be cut off and stand up in a heap.” 14 So when the people broke camp to cross the Jordan, the priests carrying the ark of the covenant went ahead of them. 15 Now the Jordan is at flood stage all during harvest. Yet as soon as the priests who carried the ark reached the Jordan and their feet touched the water's edge, 16 the water from upstream stopped flowing. It piled up in a heap a great distance away, at a town called Adam in the vicinity of Zarethan, while the water flowing down to the Sea of the Arabah (that is, the Dead Sea) was completely cut off. So the people crossed over opposite Jericho. 17 The priests who carried the ark of the covenant of the Lord stopped in the middle of the Jordan and stood on dry ground, while all Israel passed by until the whole nation had completed the crossing on dry ground.Joshua 4 1 When the whole nation had finished crossing the Jordan, the Lord said to Joshua, 2 “Choose twelve men from among the people, one from each tribe, 3 and tell them to take up twelve stones from the middle of the Jordan, from right where the priests are standing, and carry them over with you and put them down at the place where you stay tonight.”

The sermon emphasizes the importance of persistent prayer, drawing on scriptural examples like Jacob wrestling with God and the Canaanite woman's unwavering faith to illustrate the power of importunity. It highlights that urgent, helpless, and consistent petitions, rooted in a recognition of dependence on divine guidance, are key to receiving God's blessings and direction, particularly in seeking a pastor and navigating life's challenges. The speaker encourages listeners to emulate the unwavering faith demonstrated in these narratives, believing that God responds to those who persistently seek His will.

Ability or Dependability? This week join Aaron with special guest Sean Butler as they unpack the Faithful fruit. In Scripture, the concept of faith is often misunderstood as mere belief or mental agreement. However, a deeper look at both the Hebrew (אָמֵן – aman, H539) and Greek (πιστεύω – pisteuō, G4100) roots reveals a fuller picture: faith is trustworthiness, reliability, and dependability—not just belief in God, but faithfulness to God. “The just shall live by his faith.” – Habakkuk 2:4 In both the Old and New Testaments, faith is consistently shown through action and loyalty. It's not enough to acknowledge God's existence; true faith manifests as consistent obedience and unwavering commitment to God's ways. This is why Abraham was counted righteous—not because he believed God existed, but because he trusted and obeyed Him. Moses, too, is called faithful in all God's house—not because of what he believed, but because of how he lived. Even Jesus commended individuals for their faith when He saw their actions—like the friends who lowered the paralytic through the roof (Matt. 9:2) or the Canaanite woman whose persistence led to her daughter's healing (Matt. 15:28). A faithful husband is not judged by his beliefs, but by his consistency, loyalty, and actions. Likewise, God calls His people to demonstrate faith by their dependability—by living lives that reflect His character. Faithfulness is Dependability ● Keeping commitments, even when it's hard. ● Trusting God's Word enough to live by it. ● Showing up consistently—for others and for God. ● Obeying when it's inconvenient. ● Being loyal to God's Kingdom over worldly pressures. Faith is more than ability. It's not about being strong, talented, or capable in ourselves—it's about being reliable and loyal to God, just as He is to us: "Know therefore that the Lord your God is God; He is the faithful God." – Deuteronomy 7:9 Faithfulness is the Victory In the end, it's not ability but faithfulness that overcomes the world. “This is the victory that overcomes the world—even our faith.” – 1 John 5:4

Welcome to The Daily, where we study the Bible verse by verse, chapter by chapter, every day. Support our mission to teach every verse of the Bible on video over the next 23 years. Read more about it here: PROJECT23 Our text today is Judges 1:27-33: Manasseh did not drive out the inhabitants of Beth-shean and its villages, or Taanach and its villages, or the inhabitants of Dor and its villages, or the inhabitants of Ibleam and its villages, or the inhabitants of Megiddo and its villages, for the Canaanites persisted in dwelling in that land. When Israel grew strong, they put the Canaanites to forced labor, but did not drive them out completely. And Ephraim did not drive out the Canaanites who lived in Gezer, so the Canaanites lived in Gezer among them. Zebulun did not drive out the inhabitants of Kitron, or the inhabitants of Nahalol, so the Canaanites lived among them, but became subject to forced labor. Asher did not drive out the inhabitants of Acco, or the inhabitants of Sidon or of Ahlab or of Achzib or of Helbah or of Aphik or of Rehob, so the Asherites lived among the Canaanites, the inhabitants of the land, for they did not drive them out. Naphtali did not drive out the inhabitants of Beth-shemesh, or the inhabitants of Beth-anath, so they lived among the Canaanites, the inhabitants of the land. Nevertheless, the inhabitants of Beth-shemesh and of Beth-anath became subject to forced labor for them. — Judges 1:27-33 It started small. One tribe didn't fully obey. Then another. Then another. Until compromise became the norm, Manasseh, Ephraim, Zebulun, Asher, and Naphtali—all of them— failed to drive out the people God had commanded them to remove. And the language is chilling: they did not drive out… they lived among… What began as a delay turned into disobedience. Disobedience evolved into a cultural shift. Before long, coexisting with sin replaced conquering it. Here's the danger: when one man compromises, others will follow. When one tribe accepts partial obedience, others begin to believe it's acceptable. Spiritual apathy is contagious. It numbs courage. It silences conviction. And it spreads through passivity. As Christians, our influence carries weight. Your kids, your friends, your brothers, your church—they're all watching. Not to see perfection, but to see consistency. To see surrender. To see obedience even when it's hard. You may think your compromise only affects you. But it doesn't. It affects your circle. And eventually, it reshapes a culture. Don't underestimate the influence of your obedience—or your passivity. This is your call to drive out what needs to be driven out. Don't coexist with what God has called you to confront. Stand up today, even if others sit down. ASK THIS: What area of my life have I let slide because others around me have? Who's watching my obedience and learning from it? What sin or habit have I tolerated that God has clearly addressed? What would courageous obedience look like today? DO THIS: Identify one spiritual compromise you've tolerated due to others' influence, and take a stand to reject it. PRAY THIS: God, I don't want to blend in with spiritual apathy. Give me the courage to confront what others have ignored and to live fully surrendered to You. Amen PLAY THIS: "Give Me Faith."

Joshua 12New King James Version:The Kings Conquered by Moses12 These are the kings of the land whom the children of Israel defeated, and whose land they possessed on the other side of the Jordan toward the rising of the sun, from the River Arnon to Mount Hermon, and all the eastern Jordan plain: 2 One king was Sihon king of the Amorites, who dwelt in Heshbon and ruled half of Gilead, from Aroer, which is on the bank of the River Arnon, from the middle of that river, even as far as the River Jabbok, which is the border of the Ammonites, 3 and the eastern Jordan plain from the Sea of Chinneroth as far as the Sea of the Arabah (the Salt Sea), the road to Beth Jeshimoth, and southward below the slopes of Pisgah. 4 The other king was Og king of Bashan and his territory, who was of the remnant of the giants, who dwelt at Ashtaroth and at Edrei, 5 and reigned over Mount Hermon, over Salcah, over all Bashan, as far as the border of the Geshurites and the Maachathites, and over half of Gilead to the border of Sihon king of Heshbon.6 These Moses the servant of the Lord and the children of Israel had conquered; and Moses the servant of the Lord had given it as a possession to the Reubenites, the Gadites, and half the tribe of Manasseh.The Kings Conquered by Joshua7 And these are the kings of the country which Joshua and the children of Israel conquered on this side of the Jordan, on the west, from Baal Gad in the Valley of Lebanon as far as Mount Halak and the ascent to Seir, which Joshua gave to the tribes of Israel as a possession according to their divisions, 8 in the mountain country, in the lowlands, in the Jordan plain, in the slopes, in the wilderness, and in the South—the Hittites, the Amorites, the Canaanites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites: 9 the king of Jericho, one; the king of Ai, which is beside Bethel, one; 10 the king of Jerusalem, one; the king of Hebron, one; 11 the king of Jarmuth, one; the king of Lachish, one; 12 the king of Eglon, one; the king of Gezer, one; 13 the king of Debir, one; the king of Geder, one; 14 the king of Hormah, one; the king of Arad, one; 15 the king of Libnah, one; the king of Adullam, one; 16 the king of Makkedah, one; the king of Bethel, one; 17 the king of Tappuah, one; the king of Hepher, one; 18 the king of Aphek, one; the king of Lasharon, one; 19 the king of Madon, one; the king of Hazor, one; 20 the king of Shimron Meron, one; the king of Achshaph, one; 21 the king of Taanach, one; the king of Megiddo, one; 22 the king of Kedesh, one; the king of Jokneam in Carmel, one; 23 the king of Dor in the heights of Dor, one; the king of the people of Gilgal, one; 24 the king of Tirzah, one—all the kings, thirty-one.

Welcome to The Daily, where we study the Bible verse by verse, chapter by chapter, every day. Support our mission to teach every verse of the Bible on video over the next 23 years. Read more about it here: PROJECT23 Our text today is Judges 1:16-21: “And the descendants of the Kenite, Moses' father-in-law, went up with the people of Judah from the city of palms into the wilderness of Judah, which lies in the Negeb near Arad, and they went and settled with the people. And Judah went with Simeon his brother, and they defeated the Canaanites who inhabited Zephath and devoted it to destruction. So the name of the city was called Hormah. Judah also captured Gaza with its territory, and Ashkelon with its territory, and Ekron with its territory. And the Lord was with Judah, and he took possession of the hill country, but he could not drive out the inhabitants of the plain because they had chariots of iron. And Hebron was given to Caleb, as Moses had said. And he drove out from it the three sons of Anak. But the people of Benjamin did not drive out the Jebusites who lived in Jerusalem, so the Jebusites have lived with the people of Benjamin in Jerusalem to this day.” — Judges 1:16-21 At first glance, things still seem to be moving forward. Judah fights. Victories are won. Cities are claimed. Hormah is renamed after a devastating defeat of the Canaanites. Caleb continues to drive out giants. However, the cracks soon begin to appear. Judah takes the hill country, but they stop short in the plains. Why? Iron chariots. A visible enemy with intimidating strength. And then there's Benjamin. They don't even drive the enemy out. They just let them live there. This is where the shift happens. The faith-filled obedience we saw earlier begins to give way to fear-based compromise. The Lord was with Judah, but that didn't mean it would be easy. Obedience never guarantees comfort. It guarantees conflict with our flesh, our fears, and our enemy. And here's the truth: any area we leave unconquered becomes a future foothold for the enemy. What we tolerate today may torment us tomorrow. Compromise is subtle. We tell ourselves, “I've done enough.” Or “This part isn't so bad.” Or “It's too hard to deal with now.” But unfinished obedience is still disobedience. And letting sin live beside us only weakens our walk. So what have you left unfinished? What stronghold are you ignoring? Where have you stopped short of full surrender? Today's the day to pick up the fight again. Don't settle where God has called you to conquer. ASK THIS: Where have I grown passive in my obedience? What's the “iron chariot” I've been afraid to face? Am I tolerating sin that should be driven out? What would full obedience look like in this season? DO THIS: Identify one area of compromise and take one bold step toward obedience today. PRAY THIS: God, expose the places I've compromised. Give me the courage to fight again and finish what you've asked me to do. Amen PLAY THIS: "Battle Belongs."

The nation is on the doorstep of Canaan. In our Parsha, the people are instructed in how they must treat the Canaanite inhabitants of the land. It's not pleasant. The people are told that they must engage in total war against these nations. How do we understand the requirement to be so violent and aggressive […]

The nation is on the doorstep of Canaan. In our Parsha, the people are instructed in how they must treat the Canaanite inhabitants of the land. It's not pleasant. The people are told that they must engage in total war against these nations. How do we understand the requirement to be so violent and aggressive towards the Canaanite nations? What about the Canaanites who opt to join the nation? What is their status? In this podcast, we first explore the general notion of how to understand the Torah's instructions regarding the Canaanite policy, and then we explore a very interesting thread about the power of behavior and how it can get embedded in the spiritual DNA that we transmit to our descendants.– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –DONATE: Please consider supporting the podcasts by making a donation to help fund our Jewish outreach and educational efforts at https://www.torchweb.org/support.php. Thank you!– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –Email me with questions, comments, and feedback: rabbiwolbe@gmail.com– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –SUBSCRIBE to my Newsletterrabbiwolbe.com/newsletter– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –SUBSCRIBE to Rabbi Yaakov Wolbe's PodcastsThe Parsha PodcastThe Jewish History PodcastThe Mitzvah Podcast This Jewish LifeThe Ethics PodcastTORAH 101 ★ Support this podcast ★

Welcome to The Daily, where we study the Bible verse by verse, chapter by chapter, every day. Support our mission to teach every verse of the Bible on video over the next 23 years. Read more about it here: PROJECT23 Our text today is Judges 1:8-15: “And the men of Judah fought against Jerusalem and captured it and struck it with the edge of the sword and set the city on fire. And afterward the men of Judah went down to fight against the Canaanites who lived in the hill country, in the Negeb, and in the lowland. And Judah went against the Canaanites who lived in Hebron (now the name of Hebron was formerly Kiriath-arba), and they defeated Sheshai and Ahiman and Talmai. From there they went against the inhabitants of Debir. The name of Debir was formerly Kiriath-sepher. And Caleb said, ‘He who attacks Kiriath-sepher and captures it, I will give him Achsah my daughter for a wife.' And Othniel the son of Kenaz, Caleb's younger brother, captured it. And he gave him Achsah his daughter for a wife. When she came to him, she urged him to ask her father for a field. And she dismounted from her donkey, and Caleb said to her, ‘What do you want?' She said to him, ‘Give me a blessing. Since you have set me in the land of the Negeb, give me also springs of water.' And Caleb gave her the upper springs and the lower springs.” — Judges 1:8-15 The conquest continues—and Judah isn't slowing down. City by city, they obey and advance. But embedded in this war-torn section is a beautiful picture of legacy. Caleb—the same man who stood faithful back in Numbers—is still moving forward with bold faith. And he's pulling others into the fight. He throws down a challenge: “Whoever captures Debir gets my daughter's hand in marriage.” It's not just a reward—it's a call to courage and a test of sorts of the type of man he hoped would carry his legacy on. Othniel steps up. And Achsah, Caleb's daughter, isn't passive either. She asks her father for more land, then asks boldly for water. She's not greedy. She's confident. Courage, boldness, and bravery run in the family. This moment isn't about a single conquest; it's a story of leadership character. Caleb isn't just taking territory; he's building a family legacy. His faith didn't start and die in the desert. It grew stronger, and now it lives on through his extended family. Your faith wasn't meant to die with you. It was meant to inspire the next generation. You might not be capturing cities, but are you cultivating courage? Are you raising up sons, daughters, disciples, or friends who trust God boldly? Do those closest to you see a legacy worth following? Caleb didn't retire. He led. He gave. He kept walking in faith until his last breath. Pass on a spiritual legacy to someone today. ASK THIS: Am I building a legacy of faith or just surviving spiritually? Who is watching and learning from my walk with God? What bold step of obedience can I take today? How can I encourage courage in someone else's life? DO THIS: Share one spiritual lesson with someone younger today—something that's shaped your faith. PRAY THIS: Father, let my faith be contagious. Help me build a legacy that honors you and strengthens others. Amen PLAY THIS: "Build My Life."

There are moments where Jesus' words can be uncomfortable, especially if you were raised in western culture. We talk about what Jesus said and did regarding the Canaanite woman who asked for her daughter's healing.

Welcome to The Daily, where we study the Bible verse by verse, chapter by chapter, every day. Support our mission to teach every verse of the Bible on video over the next 23 years. Read more about it here: PROJECT23 Our text today is Judges 1:3–7: "And Judah said to Simeon his brother, 'Come up with me into the territory allotted to me, that we may fight against the Canaanites. And I likewise will go with you into the territory allotted to you.' So Simeon went with him. Then Judah went up and the Lord gave the Canaanites and the Perizzites into their hand, and they defeated 10,000 of them at Bezek. They found Adoni-bezek at Bezek and fought against him and defeated the Canaanites and the Perizzites. Adoni-bezek fled, but they pursued him and caught him and cut off his thumbs and his big toes. And Adoni-bezek said, 'Seventy kings with their thumbs and their big toes cut off used to pick up scraps under my table. As I have done, so God has repaid me.' And they brought him to Jerusalem, and he died there."  — Judges 1:3–7 When Judah was chosen to go first, he didn't march into battle solo. He turned to Simeon—his brother—and asked him to come fight alongside him. That was humility. That was wisdom. And the result? Victory. God gave them the Canaanites and Perizzites. Ten thousand defeated. One wicked king was brought to justice. One battle won together. We weren't made to fight alone. Even though God had given Judah the land, he didn't try to earn a solo trophy. He invited his brother to share the mission and share the victory. In our culture, self-made individuals often receive the spotlight. But in God's kingdom, brotherhood and sisterhood are the power move. Real believers know they need backup—because pride isolates, but humility unites. And in this gritty passage, there's also a moment of brutal irony. Adoni-bezek—the cruel king who mutilated others—acknowledges God's justice. “As I have done, so God has repaid me.” Justice finds him. And that's not karma, that divine providence. Even evil kings understand God's justice when they see it. So what do we learn? Spiritual victory requires two things: dependence on God and interdependence with others. Who are you walking with? Who's fighting with you? Or have you been white-knuckling your battles in silence, hoping you can just push through? If so, it's time to humble yourself, link arms with a believer, and face the fight together. Because when we unite in obedience and courage, God always moves in power. ASK THIS: Who's fighting with me in my spiritual battles? Have I let pride keep me from asking for help? How does God use brotherhood to bring victory? What justice from God do I need to trust Him with? DO THIS: Reach out to one stronger believer today. Ask them to pray with you and fight with you spiritually. PRAY THIS: Father, thank you for believers in the battle. Keep me humble enough to ask for help and faithful enough to fight with others by my side. Amen PLAY THIS: "Brother."

After deciding to sell his brother as a slave, Judah runs away and makes some more bad decisions. Finally, after a wild turn of events that you won't want to miss, he realizes that even a pagan, Canaanite woman is more righteous than he is. Let's open Genesis 38 together.

Matthew 18:15 NIV “If your brother or sister sins, go and point out their fault, just between the two of you. If they listen to you, you have won them over. Matthew 18:19-20 NIV “Again, truly I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything they ask for, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven. 20 For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them.”POINT 1: VALUESJoshua 24:15 NIV But if serving the LORD seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD.”POINT 2: VOLUME Joshua 6:10 NIV But Joshua had commanded the army, “Do not give a war cry, do not raise your voices, do not say a word until the day I tell you to shout. Then shout!”Galatians 5:22 NIV But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. POINT 3: VOW Joshua 1:3-7 NIV I will give you every place where you set your foot, as I promised Moses. 4 Your territory will extend from the desert to Lebanon, and from the great river, the Euphrates—all the Hittite country—to the Mediterranean Sea in the west. 5 No one will be able to stand against you all the days of your life. As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake you. 6 Be strong and courageous, because you will lead these people to inherit the land I swore to their ancestors to give them. 7 “Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses gave you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, that you may be successful wherever you go.Joshua 26:15 NIV But if serving the LORD seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD.” Genesis 12:7-7 NIV Abram traveled through the land as far as the site of the great tree of Moreh at Shechem. At that time the Canaanites were in the land. 7 The LORD appeared to Abram and said, “To your offspring[a] I will give this land.” So he built an altar there to the LORD, who had appeared to him. Ecclesiastes 5:4-6 NIV When you make a vow to God, do not delay to fulfill it. He has no pleasure in fools; fulfill your vow. 5 It is better not to make a vow than to make one and not fulfill it. 6 Do not let your mouth lead you into sin. And do not protest to the temple messenger, “My vow was a mistake.” Why should God be angry at what you say and destroy the work of your hands? Matthew 18:19-20 AMP “Again I say to you, that if two [a]believers on earth agree [that is, are of one mind, in harmony] about anything that they ask [within the will of God], it will be done for them by My Father in heaven. 20 For where two or three are gathered in My name [meeting together as My followers], I am there among them.”

Welcome to The Daily, where we study the Bible verse by verse, chapter by chapter, every day. Support our mission to teach every verse of the Bible on video over the next 23 years. Read more about it here: PROJECT23 Our text today is Judges 1:1-2: "After the death of Joshua, the people of Israel inquired of the Lord, 'Who shall go up first for us against the Canaanites, to fight against them?' The Lord said, 'Judah shall go up; behold, I have given the land into his hand.'" — Judges 1:1-2 The book opens in a moment of loss. Joshua is gone. The strong leader. The voice of God's direction. The man who filled Moses' sandals and led battles with divine clarity. Now? Silence. No commander. No plan. Just questions. But the people do something right—they ask God. And he answers. "Judah shall go up; behold, I have given the land into his hand." Notice that God doesn't give them a detailed strategy. He just tells them who goes first. And that was enough. Judah. The tribe whose name means praise. The tribe from which kings would come. And eventually—Jesus. Notice God's tense in the statement: "I have given." Not will give. He speaks with certainty. It's the assumptive sale! That's the language of divine sovereignty. Faith isn't based on circumstance—it's based on God's character. But here's the rub: Inquiring is easy. Hearing is easy. Obeying is hard. You've probably asked God for direction lately. Maybe about your job, your marriage, your next move. You've prayed, and maybe you've even sensed what God's telling you. But have you moved? God isn't asking for your full understanding. He's asking for your next step. Obedience doesn't require a detailed map—just faith in the One giving the directions. Take one small step forward today, even if it's just that—small. With God, the land and the territory have already been given. ASK THIS: Where do I feel unsure about my next step? Have I truly asked God, or just tried to figure it out on my own? What's something God has already spoken that I'm hesitating to obey? What would faith look like in motion today? DO THIS: Take one obedient step today in the direction God has already spoken. PRAY THIS: Father, thank you for leading even when I feel uncertain. Help me trust your voice and act on what you've already said. Amen PLAY THIS: "Same God."

You are invited to join us this Sunday as we continue our summer series, with a look at Jesus' meeting with the Canaanite woman. We'll be reminded that even in the midst of trial, we can choose to persevere in our worship of Jesus.

Joshua 11New King James VersionThe Northern Conquest11 And it came to pass, when Jabin king of Hazor heard these things, that he sent to Jobab king of Madon, to the king of Shimron, to the king of Achshaph, 2 and to the kings who were from the north, in the mountains, in the plain south of Chinneroth, in the lowland, and in the heights of Dor on the west, 3 to the Canaanites in the east and in the west, the Amorite, the Hittite, the Perizzite, the Jebusite in the mountains, and the Hivite below Hermon in the land of Mizpah. 4 So they went out, they and all their armies with them, as many people as the sand that is on the seashore in multitude, with very many horses and chariots. 5 And when all these kings had met together, they came and camped together at the waters of Merom to fight against Israel.6 But the Lord said to Joshua, “Do not be afraid because of them, for tomorrow about this time I will deliver all of them slain before Israel. You shall hamstring their horses and burn their chariots with fire.” 7 So Joshua and all the people of war with him came against them suddenly by the waters of Merom, and they attacked them. 8 And the Lord delivered them into the hand of Israel, who defeated them and chased them to Greater Sidon, to the Brook Misrephoth, and to the Valley of Mizpah eastward; they attacked them until they left none of them remaining. 9 So Joshua did to them as the Lord had told him: he hamstrung their horses and burned their chariots with fire.10 Joshua turned back at that time and took Hazor, and struck its king with the sword; for Hazor was formerly the head of all those kingdoms. 11 And they struck all the people who were in it with the edge of the sword, utterly destroying them. There was none left breathing. Then he burned Hazor with fire.12 So all the cities of those kings, and all their kings, Joshua took and struck with the edge of the sword. He utterly destroyed them, as Moses the servant of the Lord had commanded. 13 But as for the cities that stood on their mounds, Israel burned none of them, except Hazor only, which Joshua burned. 14 And all the spoil of these cities and the livestock, the children of Israel took as booty for themselves; but they struck every man with the edge of the sword until they had destroyed them, and they left none breathing. 15 As the Lord had commanded Moses His servant, so Moses commanded Joshua, and so Joshua did. He left nothing undone of all that the Lord had commanded Moses.Summary of Joshua's Conquests16 Thus Joshua took all this land: the mountain country, all the South, all the land of Goshen, the lowland, and the Jordan plain—the mountains of Israel and its lowlands, 17 from Mount Halak and the ascent to Seir, even as far as Baal Gad in the Valley of Lebanon below Mount Hermon. He captured all their kings, and struck them down and killed them. 18 Joshua made war a long time with all those kings. 19 There was not a city that made peace with the children of Israel, except the Hivites, the inhabitants of Gibeon. All the others they took in battle. 20 For it was of the Lord to harden their hearts, that they should come against Israel in battle, that He might utterly destroy them, and that they might receive no mercy, but that He might destroy them, as the Lord had commanded Moses.21 And at that time Joshua came and cut off the Anakim from the mountains: from Hebron, from Debir, from Anab, from all the mountains of Judah, and from all the mountains of Israel; Joshua utterly destroyed them with their cities. 22 None of the Anakim were left in the land of the children of Israel; they remained only in Gaza, in Gath, and in Ashdod.23 So Joshua took the whole land, according to all that the Lord had said to Moses; and Joshua gave it as an inheritance to Israel according to their divisions by their tribes. Then the land rested from war.

Prepare for a raw and unflinching look at divine disappointment as we explore one of Scripture's most graphic passages in Ezekiel 16:35-63. Using the powerful metaphor of marriage betrayed, God confronts Israel's spiritual unfaithfulness with language that still startles readers today.The discussion opens by examining God's portrayal of Israel as a beautiful bride who degenerates into a shameless prostitute—but one who remarkably pays her lovers rather than receiving payment. This shocking imagery represents Israel's eager adoption of pagan worship practices, including the horrific sacrifice of their children to foreign gods like Molech. As Glenn and Steve carefully work through the text, they reveal how Israel's failure to drive out the Canaanites led to their corruption by the very practices God had warned against.What makes this passage particularly devastating is God's declaration that Israel acted "more corruptly" than places like Sodom and Samaria—cities synonymous with wickedness. The conversation explores why Israel bears greater responsibility: they possessed God's law, experienced His deliverance, and knew His presence, yet willfully turned away. This principle carries profound implications for formerly Christian nations today that have abandoned their spiritual heritage.Just when the message of judgment seems overwhelming, a dramatic shift occurs in the final verses. God unexpectedly promises to remember His covenant and establish an "everlasting covenant" with Israel. The teachers carefully analyze this reference to what theologians identify as the New Covenant, connecting it to passages in Jeremiah 31, Hebrews 8, and Hebrews 10, while exploring its implications for both Israel and the Church.This episode powerfully demonstrates how Scripture uses provocative imagery to convey spiritual truths about covenant faithfulness, the consequences of idolatry, and God's redemptive purposes that persist even through judgment. Despite Israel's profound unfaithfulness, God's commitment to His promises remains unshaken—offering hope to all who have strayed from His path.Support the showThank you for listening!! Please give us a five-star rating to help your podcast provider's algorithm spread RTTB among their listeners. You can find free study and leader resources at the following link - Resource Page - Reasoning Through the Bible Please prayerfully consider supporting RTTB to help us to continue providing content and free resources. You can do that at this link - Support RTTB - Reasoning Through the Bible May God Bless you!! - Glenn and Steve

The Judeans understood they had messed up when they intermarried with the Canaanite women, with all their idolatry and abominations against the Lord. They confessed and repented of their sins. 

In this episode of The History of the Bible, we continue the story of Abimelek after his rise to power in Shechem. Exploring Judges 9, we examine how internal strife between Abimelek and the leaders of Shechem led to betrayal, rebellion, and a brutal conflict that climaxed in the attack on Thebez. From the role of the temple of El-Berith to the strategic significance of Mount Zalmon and Thebez, this episode unpacks the political and cultural backdrop of Israel during the early Iron Age. We also place Abimelek's rule in the wider context of world history, at the close of the Late Bronze Age, when major empires such as Egypt and the Hittites were collapsing. The episode highlights how ambition, divine judgment, and fragile leadership intertwined to shape this turbulent chapter in Israel's history.   If you'd like to support The History of the Bible, visit our Patreon Page. Your feedback is valuable to us! Share your thoughts and insights via our feedback form. Let us know how our podcast has impacted you or someone you know by filling out our impact form. If you have concerns about any information presented, please inform us via our correction form.   #HistoryOfTheBible #BookOfJudges #Abimelek #Shechem #AncientIsrael #BibleHistory #BiblicalArchaeology #LateBronzeAge #IronAge #TempleOfElBerith #Thebez #MountZalmon #GideonsSons #OldTestamentHistory #BiblicalLeadership   ESV Study Bible (Crossway, 2008) – Notes on Judges 9. ESV Archaeology Study Bible (Crossway, 2018) – Historical context on Shechem, Thebez, and Iron Age Canaan. Cultural Backgrounds Study Bible (NIV, Zondervan, 2016) – Insights on covenantal temples, Abimelek's kingship, and Shechem's mixed population. New Spirit-Filled Life Bible (NLT, Thomas Nelson, 2002) – Spiritual application of Abimelek's leadership. Rose Book of Bible Charts, Maps, and Timelines (Rose Publishing, 2005), p. 104–109 – Map references for Shechem, Mount Zalmon, and Thebez. Satellite Bible Atlas by William Schlegel (2013), Map 6–7 – Geographic context of Shechem and surrounding battles. The Earth and Its Peoples: A Global History (Cengage, 2018), p. 83–89 – Collapse of Late Bronze Age civilizations. Armstrong Institute of Biblical Archaeology – Articles on Shechem and Canaanite religion. BiblicalArchaeology.org – Discussions on Iron Age Shechem and Abimelek's historical setting. WorldHistory.org – Entries on the Late Bronze Age collapse and Canaanite culture. BlueLetterBible.org – Hebrew word study of “evil spirit” in Judges 9:23 and cross-references.    

I Corinthians 4:9-16 St. Matthew 17:14-23 Fr. Anthony reflects on St. Paul's call to imitation, teaching that we are shaped by those around us and must guard our hearts and minds against sin while cultivating holiness. He explains the spiritual power of the Antiochian pre-communion prayers, showing how their repetition trains our minds, transforms our souls, and unites the faithful as one body in Christ.  Enjoy the show! --- Here is the Antiochian Orthodox Pre-Communion Prayer for the Divine Liturgy: I stand before the doors of thy temple, and yet I refrain not from my terrible thoughts. But do thou, O Christ God, who didst justify the publican and hadst mercy on the Canaanite woman and didst open the gates of paradise to the thief: open unto me the compassion of thy love toward mankind, and receive me as I approach and touch thee, like the harlot and the woman with the issue of blood; for the one, by but touching the hem of thy garment, received healing, and the other, by embracing thine immaculate feet, received the forgiveness of her sins. And I, who am pitiful, dare to partake of thy whole Body. Let me not be consumed, but receive me as thou didst receive them, and enlighten the senses of my soul, burning up the accusations of my sins, through the intercessions of her that without seed gave thee birth and of the heavenly powers; for thou art blessed unto ages of ages.  Amen.   I believe, O Lord, and I confess that thou art truly the Christ, the Son of the living God, who didst come into the world to save sinners, of whom I am first. And I believe that this is truly thine own immaculate Body and that this is truly thine own precious Blood. Wherefore I pray thee, have mercy upon me, and pardon my transgressions both voluntary and involuntary, of word and of deed, of knowledge and of ignorance; and make me worthy to partake without condemnation of thine immaculate mysteries, unto remission of my sins and unto life everlasting.  Amen.   Behold, I approach Divine Communion; O Maker, burn me not as I partake, for Fire art thou which burneth the unworthy. But purify thou me of every stain.   Of thy mystic supper, O Son of God, accept me today as a communicant; for I will not speak of thy mystery to thine enemies, neither will I give thee a kiss as did Judas; but like the thief will I confess thee: Remember me, O Lord, in thy kingdom.   Tremble, O man, as thou beholdest the deifying Blood, for it is a burning coal consuming the unworthy. The body of God both deifieth and nourisheth me. It deifieth the spirit and wondrously nourisheth the mind.   Thou hast smitten me with yearning, O Christ, and by thy divine love hast thou changed me. But with thine immaterial fire, consume my sins and count me worthy to be filled with delight in thee, that leaping for joy, O Good One, I may magnify thy two comings.   Into the splendour of thy Saints how shall I, the unworthy one, enter? For should I dare to enter the bridal chamber, my vesture doth betray me, for it is not a wedding garment; and as one bound, I shall be cast out by the Angels. Cleanse, O Lord, the defilement of my soul, and save me, since thou art the Friend of man.   O man-befriending Master, Lord Jesus my God, let not these holy Gifts be unto me for judgment through mine unworthiness, but for purification and sanctification of both soul and body, and as an earnest of the life and the kingdom to come. For it is good for me to cleave unto God and to place in the Lord the hope of my salvation.   Of thy mystic supper, O Son of God, accept me today as a communicant; for I will not speak of thy mystery to thine enemies, neither will I give thee a kiss as did Judas; but like the thief will I confess thee: Remember me, O Lord, in thy kingdom.   Not unto judgment nor unto condemnation be my partaking of thy holy mysteries, O Lord, but unto the healing of soul and body.  

Theme: A Canaanite woman comes to Jesus, desperate for him to heal her daughter. She will not be denied because she believes Jesus can work the miracle she longs to see come to pass in the life of her child. Jesus responds to her request by healing her daughter. And Jesus marvels at the great faith of this Canaanite woman, which stands in stark contrast to the disbelief of the Pharisees and scribes. Matthew 15:21-28

Send us a textThis week we look at what was going on in the land during the time that God gave Abram the land of Canaan. This includes a civil war between the Canaanites and also various races of giants in the land. 

Text me a message! I would love to hear from you!When God seems silent, it's easy to give up. But the Canaanite woman in Matthew 15 shows us what persistent prayer really looks like. In this episode, I share her story and what it teaches us about pressing in, refusing to be offended, and trusting that Jesus hears and cares—even when the answer seems far away. Support the showI've released my new book!!! Get your copy here: Seek First: 31 Quiet Moments With JesusIf you enjoy this episode and want to buy Audrey a coffee, please click here: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/ajmccrac73d Subscribe to My Weekly Email List! Visit GraceForMyHome.com Follow me on Facebook.Follow me on Instagram.Contact me via admin@graceformyhome.com

Welcome to *The Forefront Radio*! In this explosive episode, we expose the uncomfortable truth:➡️ Ashkenazi Jews claiming biblical identity—but are they the REAL Israelites?➡️ Or are the true descendants of Israel the **Black people of the African Diaspora**?

Podcast link: https://spotifycreators-web.app.link/e/0rxAKr2uJVbThe companion volume to The Earth Chronicles series that reveals the identity of mankind's ancient gods• Explains why these “gods” from Nibiru, the Anunnaki, genetically engineered Homo sapiens, gave Earthlings civilization, and promised to return Zecharia Sitchin's bestselling series The Earth Chronicles provided humanity's side of the story concerning our origins at the hands of the Anunnaki, “those who from heaven to earth came.” In The Lost Book of Enki we now view this saga from the perspective of Lord Enki, an Anunnaki leader revered in antiquity as a god, who tells the story of these extraterrestrials' arrival on Earth from the planet Nibiru.In his previous works Sitchin compiled the complete story of the Anunnaki's impact on human civilization from fragments scattered throughout Sumerian, Akkadian, Babylonian, Assyrian, Hittite, Egyptian, Canaanite, and Hebrew sources. Missing from these accounts, however, was the perspective of the Anunnaki themselves. What was life like on their own planet? What motives propelled them to settle on Earth--and what drove them from their new home? Convinced of the existence of a lost book that held the answers to these questions, the author began his search for evidence. Through exhaustive research of primary sources, he has here re-created tales as the memoirs of Enki, the leader of these first “astronauts.” What takes shape is the story of a world of mounting tensions, deep rivalries, and sophisticated scientific knowledge that is only today being confirmed. An epic tale of gods and men unfolds, challenging every assumption we hold about our past and our future.

THE PASSING of the mantle from Elijah to Elisha was spectacular: A fiery chariot pulled by horses of fire in a whirlwind carried Elijah off to heaven. The whirlwind was a theophany, an appearance by God Himself. The chariot, as Sharon noted, was believed to be the vehicle that carried human spirits to the netherworld—but in this case, Elijah was carried off to heaven. We discuss the location of the event, the plains of Moab across from Jericho, and why that has supernatural significance. For one thing, it's where Moses was buried after his death, and it's probably not coincidental that Moses and Elijah are the two who joined Jesus on Mount Hermon, the “Canaanite Olympus,” for the Transfiguration. The place from which Elijah was caught up was below the ruins of Sodom, at the southern end of the Jordan River called the Valley of the Travelers by Ezekiel. “Travelers” was a term used by the Canaanites for the spirits of the Rephaim, which were venerated by the pagan neighbors of the Israelites. It's also the Valley of Siddim, where the armies of Sodom, Gomorrah and their allies fought the kings of Mesopotamia (Genesis 14). Siddim can also be rendered shedim, which is a Hebrew word meaning “demons”--in other words, the Valley of Demons. In other words, God carried off Elijah from a place that had been notorious for demonic activity for about a thousand years by the time of Elijah and Elisha. We also discuss the final days of the son of King Ahab, Ahaziah, who turned to Baal-zebub (“Lord of Flies”) for healing instead of God. Big mistake! Sharon's niece, Sarah Sachleben, was recently diagnosed with stage 4 bowel cancer, and the medical bills are piling up. If you are led to help, please go to GilbertHouse.org/hopeforsarah. Our new book The Gates of Hell is now available in paperback, Kindle, and as an audiobook at Audible! Derek's new book Destination: Earth, co-authored with Donna Howell and Allie Anderson, is now available in paperback, Kindle, and as an audiobook at Audible! If you are looking for a text of the Book of 1 Enoch to follow our monthly study, you can try these sources: Parallel translations by R. H. Charles (1917) and Richard Laurence (1821)Modern English translation by George W. E. Nickelsburg and James VanderKam (link to book at Amazon)Book of 1 Enoch - Standard English Version by Dr. Jay Winter (link opens free PDF)Book of 1 Enoch - R. H. Charles translation (link opens free PDF) The SkyWatchTV store has a special offer on Dr. Michael Heiser's two-volume set A Companion to the Book of Enoch. Get both books, the R. H. Charles translation of 1 Enoch, and a DVD interview with Mike and Steven Bancarz for a donation of $35 plus shipping and handling. Link: https://bit.ly/heiser-enoch Follow us! • X: @gilberthouse_tv | @sharonkgilbert | @derekgilbert• Telegram: t.me/gilberthouse | t.me/sharonsroom | t.me/viewfromthebunker• YouTube: @GilbertHouse | @UnravelingRevelation• Facebook.com/GilbertHouseFellowship JOIN US IN ISRAEL! Our next tour of Israel is October 19–30, 2025. For more information and to reserve your place, log on to GilbertHouse.org/travel. NOTE: If you'e going to Israel with us in October, you'll need to apply for a visa online before you travel. The cost is 25 NIS (about $7.50). Log on here: https://www.gov.il/en/departments/topics/eta-il/govil-landing-page Thank you for making our Build Barn Better project a reality! We truly appreciate your support. If you are so led, you can help out at GilbertHouse.org/donate. Get our free app! It connects you to these studies plus our weekly video programs Unraveling Revelation and A View from the Bunker, and the podcast that started this journey in 2005, P.I.D. Radio. Best of all, it bypasses the gatekeepers of Big Tech! The app is available for iOS, Android, Roku, and Apple TV. Links to the app stores are at www.gilberthouse.org/app/. Video on demand of our best teachings! Stream presentations and teachings based on our research at our new video on demand site! Gilbert House T-shirts and mugs! New to our store is a line of GHTV and Redwing Saga merch! Check it out at GilbertHouse.org/store! Think better, feel better! Our partners at Simply Clean Foods offer freeze-dried, 100% GMO-free food and delicious, vacuum-packed fair trade coffee from Honduras. Find out more at GilbertHouse.org/store. Our favorite Bible study tools! Check the links in the right-hand column at www.GilbertHouse.org.

Dr. Titus Kennedy, a biblical archaeologist specializing in the Eastern Mediterranean, reveals how archaeological discoveries provide tangible evidence of the Bible's historical accuracy. His journey from childhood fascination with Troy to uncovering Canaanite altars demonstrates how archaeology transforms abstract biblical narratives into concrete historical realities.• The discovery of a 9th century BC "House of David" inscription dramatically changed scholarly views on David's existence• Archaeologists have found evidence for 132 people mentioned in the Bible• Kennedy's favorite biblical figure is Daniel, whose story offers both spiritual guidance and archaeological richness• Future archaeological possibilities include discoveries related to Noah's Ark, Sodom and Gomorrah, and early biblical manuscriptsFind Dr. Kennedy's work in his books "Unearthing the Bible," "Excavating the Evidence for Jesus," and his forthcoming book documenting archaeological evidence for 132 biblical figures.

THE PASSING of the mantle from Elijah to Elisha was spectacular: A fiery chariot pulled by horses of fire in a whirlwind carried the elder prophet to heaven.The whirlwind was a theophany, an appearance by God Himself. The chariot, as Sharon noted, was believed to be the vehicle that carried human spirits to the netherworld—but in this case, Elijah was carried off to heaven. We discuss the location of the event, the plains of Moab across from Jericho, and why that has supernatural significance. For one thing, it's where Moses was buried after his death, and it's probably not coincidental that Moses and Elijah are the two who joined Jesus on Mount Hermon, the “Canaanite Olympus,” for the Transfiguration. The place from which Elijah was caught up was below the ruins of Sodom, at the southern end of the Jordan River called the Valley of the Travelers by Ezekiel. “Travelers” was a term used by the Canaanites for the spirits of the Rephaim, which were venerated by the pagan neighbors of the Israelites. It's also the Valley of Siddim, where the armies of Sodom, Gomorrah and their allies fought the kings of Mesopotamia (Genesis 14). Siddim can also be rendered shedim, which is a Hebrew word meaning “demons.”In other words, God carried off Elijah from a place that had been notorious for demonic activity for about a thousand years by the time of Elijah and Elisha.

In this world, Jesus is famous for His love. But not everyone understands just how radical and polarizing His compassion was: Healing the humble gentile; and sending away the prideful religious. Compassion fueled the fire of Christ to proclaim, teach, heal and sacrifice. But could many believers have lost sight of God's great compassion in how we are to treat others? In this teaching: Did Jesus call the Canaanite Woman a dog? How Yeshua dealt with Israel's enemies How love is both more than about feelings, and more than about rebuke Stories of God's compassion The historical context of the Canaanites, and how Jesus healed a demon oppressed boy. The grace and compassion Christ calls you to. Who exactly will inherit the Kingdom of God Support Rise on Fire Ministries by contributing to their tip jar: https://tips.pinecast.com/jar/rise-on-fireRead transcript

Bible tied together by principle; Righteous kings; Separation of Church and State; Eleazor of Damascus; Freewill or bondage?; Abimelech; Milk and meat; Haran, Ham-ur-abi; Having eyes to see; Dry bones; Hebrew letters and words; Tzdek-aleph-nun = flock/multitude; "Stone"?; Government of God; Gen 28:1 Isaac blessing Jacob; Becoming Israel; Jacob removing a stone; "Multiplied" = "hey-yod-hey", but "vav-hey-yod-yod-tav"; Spiritual Isaac; Republics; Missing the bible story; Living in the city?; Degenerational dependence; "Israel"; Idolatry; "aleph-resh-mem"; Cause and effect; "Gerar"; Covetousness - not Okay; Charity; Blessings of faith; Canaanite; Rightly dividing charity; Leaven = oppression; Mixing church and state; Dumbing down society; The Way of Christ also seen in Abraham, Isaac and Jacob; Jacob's dream; Angels? = messenger/ambassador; Haran; Strangers; Belonging to government; v4 "stranger" = mem-gimel-resh-yod-kuf; Who is Israel?; Families of the Earth; Volunteering into bondage; Receiving Jacob's inheritance; Living by prayer; Setting the captive free; Leaving your comfort zone; Busy angels; Burning Bush Festival; Jacob's comforter?; "chet-resh-resh" = Haran; Strangling middle class; Abraham's burning lamp; Stone: Aleph-biet-nun; Abraham lived by faith, not force; Freedom of choice; Construction of aleph; Mem+aleph-biet-nun+yod; Isa 62:10 Stones; What is the ladder?; Sacrifice?; Moses' offerings; Christ's living stones; Welfare; Making Jacob stink?; How free are you?; Human resources; Bad decisions; "Christ"; Anointing; Repent and seek His kingdom and His righteousness.

Matthew 15:21–28. While others begged Jesus to send the Canaanite woman away, she refused to back down, revealing a desperation that moved heaven. Jesus' silence wasn't rejection, but invitation. Her faith pressed past offense, and her response gave her access to covenant promises she wasn't even “qualified” for. Pastor Ryan Schlachter reminds us: breakthrough often comes when we let Jesus offend our expectations. Even the crumbs of His presence are more than enough. Desperation that draws near is the door to divine encounter.

As believers in today's world, we are to contend for the miracles of God, because He is still a miracle-working God! While praying and expecting miracles may be a risky endeavour that could bring disappointment and inner tension, faith requires pressing in—despite setbacks. Just like the Canaanite woman, let us be encouraged to persist in prayer and faith, trusting in God's compassion and power to heal, deliver, and provide!

WHAT HAPPENS IN THIS EPISODE Pharisees challenge Jesus' cleanliness, while ignoring their own law Jesus: "It's what comes from your heart defiles you, not what you eat." Off to Tyre and Sidon and the healing of a Canaanite woman Then to the Decapolis and healing of a deaf/mute man Jesus feeds another crowd Challenge from the Pharisees and Sadducees: Show us your authority! Healing in Bethsaida for a blind man Off to Caesarea Philippi – “sin city” – What? SCRIPTURES USED IN THIS EPISODE Mark 7:1-23 Mark 8:1-26 Isaiah 29:13 Exodus 20:12 Exodus 21:17 Matthew 15:10-31 Matthew 16:1-12 FIND US ON SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORMS Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JesusStoriesThePodcast Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jesus_stories_the_podcast/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/JesusStoriesPod Linked In: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jesusstories/ YouTube: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLgJ3Tf0R_aiF-uxG-G97ortxPZMFC7kPu SUPPORT THIS PODCAST Find out how to support us by visiting our website: https://jesusstories.info/support-this-podcast/ Don't forget to check out our sponsor: Hero Care Packages. Make a service member's day and support Jesus Stories, too. https://herocarepackages.com/discount/STORIESDEAL Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

There was also a lot for the tribe of Manasseh; for he was the firstborn of Joseph; to wit, for Machir the firstborn of Manasseh, the father of Gilead: because he was a man of war, therefore he had Gilead and Bashan.JOS.17:2 There was also a lot for the rest of the children of Manasseh by their families; for the children of Abiezer, and for the children of Helek, and for the children of Asriel, and for the children of Shechem, and for the children of Hepher, and for the children of Shemida: these were the male children of Manasseh the son of Joseph by their families.JOS.17:3 But Zelophehad, the son of Hepher, the son of Gilead, the son of Machir, the son of Manasseh, had no sons, but daughters: and these are the names of his daughters, Mahlah, and Noah, Hoglah, Milcah, and Tirzah.JOS.17:4 And they came near before Eleazar the priest, and before Joshua the son of Nun, and before the princes, saying, The LORD commanded Moses to give us an inheritance among our brethren. Therefore according to the commandment of the LORD he gave them an inheritance among the brethren of their father.JOS.17:5 And there fell ten portions to Manasseh, beside the land of Gilead and Bashan, which were on the other side Jordan;JOS.17:6 Because the daughters of Manasseh had an inheritance among his sons: and the rest of Manasseh's sons had the land of Gilead.JOS.17:7 And the coast of Manasseh was from Asher to Michmethah, that lieth before Shechem; and the border went along on the right hand unto the inhabitants of Entappuah.JOS.17:8 Now Manasseh had the land of Tappuah: but Tappuah on the border of Manasseh belonged to the children of Ephraim;JOS.17:9 And the coast descended unto the river Kanah, southward of the river: these cities of Ephraim are among the cities of Manasseh: the coast of Manasseh also was on the north side of the river, and the outgoings of it were at the sea:JOS.17:10 Southward it was Ephraim's, and northward it was Manasseh's, and the sea is his border; and they met together in Asher on the north, and in Issachar on the east.JOS.17:11 And Manasseh had in Issachar and in Asher Bethshean and her towns, and Ibleam and her towns, and the inhabitants of Dor and her towns, and the inhabitants of Endor and her towns, and the inhabitants of Taanach and her towns, and the inhabitants of Megiddo and her towns, even three countries.JOS.17:12 Yet the children of Manasseh could not drive out the inhabitants of those cities; but the Canaanites would dwell in that land.JOS.17:13 Yet it came to pass, when the children of Israel were waxen strong, that they put the Canaanites to tribute, but did not utterly drive them out.JOS.17:14 And the children of Joseph spake unto Joshua, saying, Why hast thou given me but one lot and one portion to inherit, seeing I am a great people, forasmuch as the LORD hath blessed me hitherto?JOS.17:15 And Joshua answered them, If thou be a great people, then get thee up to the wood country, and cut down for thyself there in the land of the Perizzites and of the giants, if mount Ephraim be too narrow for thee.JOS.17:16 And the children of Joseph said, The hill is not enough for us: and all the Canaanites that dwell in the land of the valley have chariots of iron, both they who are of Bethshean and her towns, and they who are of the valley of Jezreel.JOS.17:17 And Joshua spake unto the house of Joseph, even to Ephraim and to Manasseh, saying, Thou art a great people, and hast great power: thou shalt not have one lot only:JOS.17:18 But the mountain shall be thine; for it is a wood, and thou shalt cut it down: and the outgoings of it shall be thine: for thou shalt drive out the Canaanites, though they have iron chariots, and though they be strong.

Gideon's story continues as his many sons, including Abimelek—born of a concubine from Shechem—play key roles in the unfolding drama. After Gideon's death, Abimelek uses his maternal ties to Shechem, a city with a mixed Israelite and Canaanite population, to seize power. He manipulates the people and elites, securing seventy pieces of silver from the temple of Baal-Berith to hire mercenaries. Abimelek kills his brothers and is crowned king under a great tree near Shechem, marking the first Israelite kingship over a city with a complex cultural and religious backdrop. Meanwhile, the youngest son of Gideon condemns this rise to power with a fable illustrating Abimelek's destructive rule. This episode explores themes of ambition, political intrigue, and the consequences of leadership outside God's anointing.   Scripture Judges 8:34-35 and Judges 9:1-15   Support and Feedback If you'd like to support The History of the Bible, visit our Patreon Page at https://patreon.com/TheHistoryoftheBible. Your feedback is valuable to us! Share your thoughts and insights via our feedback form at https://forms.gle/AtzUReJ8gLuFYPaP8. Let us know how our podcast has impacted you or someone you know by filling out our impact form at https://forms.gle/jr4EdGsqCaFk4qZm8. If you have concerns about any information presented, please inform us via our correction form at https://forms.gle/PiMMkPnJFaa4j5p37.   Hashtags #BibleHistory #Judges #Abimelek #Gideon #AncientIsrael #BiblicalLeadership #Shechem #BaalBerith #BiblePodcast #HistoryOfTheBible #BiblicalStudies #OldTestament   Sources ESV Study Bible ESV Archaeology Study Bible Cultural Backgrounds Study Bible (NIV) New Spirit-Filled Life Bible (NLT) BlueLetterBible.com Rose Book of Bible Charts, Maps, and Timelines Satellite Bible Atlas by Schlegel The Earth and Its Peoples: A Global History WorldHistory.org

And the lot of the children of Joseph fell from Jordan by Jericho, unto the water of Jericho on the east, to the wilderness that goeth up from Jericho throughout mount Bethel,JOS.16:2 And goeth out from Bethel to Luz, and passeth along unto the borders of Archi to Ataroth,JOS.16:3 And goeth down westward to the coast of Japhleti, unto the coast of Bethhoron the nether, and to Gezer; and the goings out thereof are at the sea.JOS.16:4 So the children of Joseph, Manasseh and Ephraim, took their inheritance.JOS.16:5 And the border of the children of Ephraim according to their families was thus: even the border of their inheritance on the east side was Atarothaddar, unto Bethhoron the upper;JOS.16:6 And the border went out toward the sea to Michmethah on the north side; and the border went about eastward unto Taanathshiloh, and passed by it on the east to Janohah;JOS.16:7 And it went down from Janohah to Ataroth, and to Naarath, and came to Jericho, and went out at Jordan.JOS.16:8 The border went out from Tappuah westward unto the river Kanah; and the goings out thereof were at the sea. This is the inheritance of the tribe of the children of Ephraim by their families.JOS.16:9 And the separate cities for the children of Ephraim were among the inheritance of the children of Manasseh, all the cities with their villages.JOS.16:10 And they drave not out the Canaanites that dwelt in Gezer: but the Canaanites dwell among the Ephraimites unto this day, and serve under tribute.

Exodus 13:1-161 The LORD said to Moses, 2 “Consecrate to me every firstborn male. The first offspring of every womb among the Israelites belongs to me, whether human or animal.”3 Then Moses said to the people, “Commemorate this day, the day you came out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery, because the LORD brought you out of it with a mighty hand. Eat nothing containing yeast. 4 Today, in the month of Aviv, you are leaving. 5 When the LORD brings you into the land of the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Hivites and Jebusites—the land he swore to your ancestors to give you, a land flowing with milk and honey—you are to observe this ceremony in this month: 6 For seven days eat bread made without yeast and on the seventh day hold a festival to the LORD. 7 Eat unleavened bread during those seven days; nothing with yeast in it is to be seen among you, nor shall any yeast be seen anywhere within your borders. 8 On that day tell your son, ‘I do this because of what the LORD did for me when I came out of Egypt.' 9 This observance will be for you like a sign on your hand and a reminder on your forehead that this law of the LORD is to be on your lips. For the LORD brought you out of Egypt with his mighty hand. 10 You must keep this ordinance at the appointed time year after year.11 “After the LORD brings you into the land of the Canaanites and gives it to you, as he promised on oath to you and your ancestors, 12 you are to give over to the LORD the first offspring of every womb. All the firstborn males of your livestock belong to the LORD. 13 Redeem with a lamb every firstborn donkey, but if you do not redeem it, break its neck. Redeem every firstborn among your sons.14 “In days to come, when your son asks you, ‘What does this mean?' say to him, ‘With a mighty hand the LORD brought us out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. 15 When Pharaoh stubbornly refused to let us go, the LORD killed the firstborn of both people and animals in Egypt. This is why I sacrifice to the LORD the first male offspring of every womb and redeem each of my firstborn sons.' 16 And it will be like a sign on your hand and a symbol on your forehead that the LORD brought us out of Egypt with his mighty hand.”

And these are the kings of the country which Joshua and the children of Israel conquered on this side of the Jordan, on the west, from Baal Gad in the Valley of Lebanon as far as Mount Halak and the ascent to Seir, which Joshua gave to the tribes of Israel as a possession according to their divisions,JOS.12:8 in the mountain country, in the lowlands, in the Jordan plain, in the slopes, in the wilderness, and in the South-the Hittites, the Amorites, the Canaanites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites:JOS.12:9 the king of Jericho, one; the king of Ai, which is beside Bethel, one;JOS.12:10 the king of Jerusalem, one; the king of Hebron, one;JOS.12:11 the king of Jarmuth, one; the king of Lachish, one;JOS.12:12 the king of Eglon, one; the king of Gezer, one;JOS.12:13 the king of Debir, one; the king of Geder, one;JOS.12:14 the king of Hormah, one; the king of Arad, one;JOS.12:15 the king of Libnah, one; the king of Adullam, one;JOS.12:16 the king of Makkedah, one; the king of Bethel, one;JOS.12:17 the king of Tappuah, one; the king of Hepher, one;JOS.12:18 the king of Aphek, one; the king of Lasharon, one;JOS.12:19 the king of Madon, one; the king of Hazor, one;JOS.12:20 the king of Shimron Meron, one; the king of Achshaph, one;JOS.12:21 the king of Taanach, one; the king of Megiddo, one;JOS.12:22 the king of Kedesh, one; the king of Jokneam in Carmel, one;JOS.12:23 the king of Dor in the heights of Dor, one; the king of the people of Gilgal, one;JOS.12:24 the king of Tirzah, one-all the kings, thirty-one.

A Sermon for the Sixth Sunday after Trinity St. Matthew 5:20-26 by William Klock In last Sunday's Gospel we were with Jesus and Peter in that fishing boat as Jesus preached to the crowd on the shore.  I said that I had a pretty good ides the sorts of things Jesus was preaching, because both Matthew and Luke preserve versions of his favourite sermon about the kingdom.  Today's Gospel gives us a snippet of Matthew's version of that sermon.  In Matthew 5:20 Jesus says to the gathered crowd, “I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.”  In the words leading up to this, Jesus was preparing the people to hear this.  He talks about being the salt of the earth and the light of the world and a city set on hill and a light held high on a lampstand for everyone to see.  “That's how you must shine your light in front of people!” he says, “Then they'll see what wonderful things you do, and they'll give glory to your father in heaven.”  Do your works, does you the way you live make people take notice and give glory to God?  That's a tough one, isn't it?  And then, just in case people might be thinking that Jesus came to do away with the law and the prophets: “Don't suppose that I came to destroy the law or the prophets,” Jesus said, “I didn't come to destroy them.  I came to fulfil them!  I'm telling you the truth: until heaven and earth disappear—and since that won't happen this just means never—not one stroke, not one dot, is going to disappear from the law until it's all come true.  So anyone who relaxes a single one of these commandments, even the little ones, and teaches that to people, will be called least in the kingdom of heaven.  And anyone who does them and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven.”  And this is where Jesus says those words, “Yes, let me tell you: unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never get into the kingdom of heaven.”   Because Jesus was doing and saying so many things that a lot of people thought weren't right, I suspect some people thought that Jesus was teaching an easier way to the kingdom.  The Pharisees were mad because he didn't seem to keep the law with the same zeal that they thought everyone should, but I suspect there were others who thought Jesus was offering them a way to God without all the spiritual rigor and rules.  Just this week I found myself talking to someone who had left an orthodox, biblical church a few years ago and is now worshipping at a United Church.  The reason: “They aren't so strict.  They let people be themselves.  They aren't so bound to the Bible.”  In other words: The United Church offers a way to God that you can follow on your own terms.  I suspect some people thought Jesus was doing a sort of First Century Jewish version of that.  And so Jesus makes it clear that this is not the case.  No, just the opposite in fact.  Not even the Pharisees with all their zeal for torah, not even they meet the standard.  Later in the sermon he'll go on to talk about the wide and narrow way that will lead Israel to destruction and the narrow gate that few can find and the narrow and difficult way beyond that leads to the kingdom.  No, Jesus hasn't come to relax the standard.  Not at all. But before we can go on we need to ask a couple of questions.  When Jesus talks about “righteousness”, what does he mean?  Well, for the Jews “righteousness” was bound up with torah, with the law and with God's covenant.  A righteous person was someone who was faithful to God and to the covenant and that meant, fundamentally, that he was faithful in living the law that God had given his people. The name “Pharisee” means “separated one”.  That's what Israel was supposed to be.  The Lord had delivered Israel from slavery in Egypt to be his people and he gave them a law, he gave them torah, as a way of life that would separate them and that would make them distinct from every other people on earth.  When the nations looked at Israel they were supposed to be moved to give glory to God.  But for most of their history, the Israelites didn't do a very good job of being that separate and distinct people.  They were selective in their obedience.  They worshipped idols.  And so just as he cast Adam and Eve out of the garden and out of his holy presence, the Lord cast out Israel and sent her in exile to Babylon.  Righteousness means “covenant faithfulness” and if Israel wasn't going to be faithful to the covenant, then in order to be faithful himself to the covenant, the Lord would have enact the covenant curses that he promised would befall his people if they didn't keep their end of the covenant—if they were unrighteous. As I've said before fairly recently, the Pharisees knew all of this.  More than that, they believed that the exile was, after a fashion, still ongoing.  Because Israel was still ruled by pagans and because the Lord's presence had never returned to the temple.  They desperately wanted an end to Roman rule and even more than that, they prayed for the Lord's return.  But that wasn't going to happen as long as Israel was still unfaithful—still lacking in righteousness.  So the Pharisees decided to set an example.  They weren't just going to obey the law as best they could; they were going to live their whole lives as if they were priests in the temple.  They wouldn't just keep themselves from sin.  They'd keep themselves ritually pure at all times.  They were ready for the Lord to return.  If only they could get everyone in Israel just as ready!  But not everyone in Israel was as interested in righteousness as they were.  There were a lot of people who just weren't as serious about God's law as they were.  But worse were the compromisers—the Jews who gradually assimilated to the pagan ways of the Greeks and Romans and the people who willingly and knowingly became traitors to the covenant: tax collectors and sinners. Think of it this way: The Pharisees saw themselves in the midst of a culture war.  And they knew it wasn't the first time Israel had faced a culture war.  And so their heroes were the righteous men of Israel's past culture wars.  One of those heroes was Phinehas, one of Aaron's grandsons.  In the book of Numbers we read how Balak, the King of Moab, had hired a prophet to curse the Israelites.  But the prophet, Balaam couldn't do it.  Every time he opened his mouth to curse the Israelites, the Lord caused blessings to spill out.  So Balak, instead, sent a bunch of beautiful Moabite women to infiltrate the Israelite camp and to entice the men of Israel to worship the Canaanite god Baal with them.  Isreal's first culture war.  The men were enticed into sexual immorality and then into idolatry—those two always go hand-in-hand.  But Phinehas, came upon one of the Israelite men in flagrante delicto with one of these women.  Filled with holy zeal, Phinehas grabbed a spear and ran them both through together.  That was the end of Israel's first culture war and Phinehas became a hero for his righteous zeal. But much more recently, the Pharisees looked back on the heroes of the Maccabean Revolt—about 160 years before.  In those days Judah was ruled by Greeks.  And the Greeks just sort of thought that because their culture was so superior to everyone else's, everyone would just assimilate given the chance.  Think of Gus in My Big Fat Greek Wedding.  “There are two kinds of people: Greeks and everyone who wish they was Greek.”  But no matter how many temples or gymnasiums the Greeks built, the Jews wouldn't assimilate.  Antiochus IV Epiphanes had enough of it and finally outlawed the law.  If you circumcised your son, you and he would be executed.  He defiled the Lord's altar by sacrificing a pig on it.  In Second Maccabees we read a horrific story of seven brothers and their mother who were tortured and gruesomely martyred when they refused to eat pork.  Jews were forced to offer sacrifices to Zeus.  Mattathias Maccabeus was watching as one Jewish man caved into that pressure.  The writer of First Maccabees tells us how Mattathias burned with zeal for the law, just like Phinehas had.  He ran forward and killed the man at the altar, then turned and killed the King's soldier.  That would kick off a revolt against the pagan Greeks.  But the Maccabean revolutionaries didn't just go after their foreign rulers; like Mattathias they went after compromising Jews as well. They were the inspiration for the Pharisees.  The Pharisees didn't have that kind of power.  They couldn't force anyone to keep the law or to keep it better.  But they had the same kind of zeal.  They desperately wanted, they prayed for the Lord to return to Zion to destroy the Romans and all the other unrighteous pagans—and all the compromisers like the tax collectors and sinners in Israel, too. And—getting back to Jesus peaching on the hillside—and Jesus now says that even that kind of zeal, that kind of righteousness isn't enough to get folks into the kingdom.  In other words, to the people who were coming to Jesus thinking he was making it easier—kind of like some modern liberal spirituality that you can shape to your own liking—Jesus says, “No.  I didn't come to make it easier.”  But then he condemns even the Pharisees.  They were the most righteous people around and even they weren't going to make the cut.  So what now?  Imagine all the people holding their breath to hear what Jesus is going to say next.  They really, really want to know.  Before he ever started preaching, they'd seen him doing all the Messiah things: casting out demons, healing the sick and the blind and the deaf.  They knew without a doubt that the God of Israel was somehow acting in and through Jesus, so they had to think that when he preached, he preached with authority and he spoke for God.  He's got their attention now.  Now they want to know what it means to be more righteous than even the Pharisees. So Jesus goes on and says, “You have heard it said to the people of old, ‘You shall not murder'; and anyone who commits murder shall be liable to judgement.  But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother shall be liable to judgement; anyone who insults his brother with foul and abusive language will be liable to the lawcourt; and anyone who says, ‘You fool,' will be liable to the fires of Gehenna.”   And Jesus keeps going on like this.  If we skip down to 5:27—picking up just were today's Gospel ends—Jesus says something similar about adultery.  “You have heard it said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.'  But I say to you: everyone who gazes at a woman in order to lust after her has already committed adultery with her in his heart.”  On and on.  Divorce falls in Jesus sites too: Divorce is wrong.  Marriage is a life-long covenant.  Tell the truth, he says, and you won't need to make oaths for people to believe you.  The law commanded justice and put limits on retaliation, but Jesus says, “Don't resist evil with violence”, “turn the other cheek”.  “When someone wants to sue you and take your shirt, let him have your coat, too.  When someone forces you to go one mile, go a second one with him.”  And in verse 43 Jesus puts a cherry on top of all this.  They knew that the law was about loving your neighbour, but then they got the idea that the only people who were their neighbours were their fellow Jews.  Love your neighbours, yes, but hate your enemies—people like the Romans, the tax collectors, and the sinners who openly rejected God's law and covenant.  Love your neighbours.  Pray for God to smite your enemies.  And Jesus says, “No!  I tell you: love your enemies!  Pray for people who persecute you!”  Why?  “So that you may be sons [and daughters] of your Father in heaven.”   Do you want to have a share in the kingdom?  Do you want to be a child of the Father?  Do you want to know how to have a righteousness—a covenant faithfulness—greater than even the Pharisees?  Do want people to glorify God when they see how you live?  Then love the way that God loves.  That's what righteousness has always been about: it's been about a people that conforms to the heart of God.  Righteousness is about sinlessness, but it goes deeper than that and that's what the Pharisees and so many others in Israel had forgotten even though it was there all along: “Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God is one Lord.  And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength, and your neighbour as yourself.” Brothers and Sisters, this is what kingdom people look like in a culture war.  They love the way God loves.  This is the narrow gate, this is the difficult path that leads to the kingdom and life with God.  It's hard.  All we have to do is look around us.  Things haven't changed much since Jesus preached this two thousand years ago.  We're in the middle of a war ourselves and it seems like Christians are prone to the same two failures.  There's a ditch on either side of the road.  You fall into the ditch on this side when you give in and compromise.  Whether it's the Judeans who went along with the Greeks, leaving their sons uncircumcised, eating pork, and making offerings to Zeus or the Christians today who give up and buy into the pagan world's notion that love is whatever you make it, anything goes, and we can all live and fellowship with God on our own terms.  Brothers and Sisters, compromise with a godless and anti-gospel culture isn't the way.  Jesus didn't come to make it easier to get into the kingdom, but there are a lot of people and churches today who think that the answer to the culture and to dwindling interest in the gospel is to lower the bar and to make it easier to think of yourself as a Christian.  Appealing to the cultural moment might get you a few followers in the short term, but it will land you in the outer darkness, weeping and gnashing your teeth just as surely as the opposite error will. The opposite error—the ditch on the other side of the road—is Phariseeism.  And that happens when we forget that the gospel wins not through violence and force but when Christians love the way that God loves.  Brothers and Sisters, no amount of compelling, force, violence, or political power will ever move the heart of an unbeliever to give glory to God because of what they see in us.  But in the midst of a culture war it's very easy for God's people to think that seizing the reigns of power is the answer.  We'll do anything, compromise just about anything, team up with just about anyone no matter how ungodly they are, to get our hands on that power.  And we can do it all with a zealousness like that of Phinehas or Mattathias that feels so right.  We try to meld Caesar and Jesus together, forgetting that Caesars bloody and violent way is the opposite of the gospel, which conquers through love.  You can't trust in Jesus and at the same trust in horses and chariots.  You can't trust in Jesus and at the same time trust in political power.  Jesus demands our allegiance and our trust—all of it and without compromise.  And it's when we give him that full allegiance that we have the loving heart of God.  It's when we're willing to follow Jesus as we turn the other cheek, as we give both our shirt and our coat, as we go the extra mile, even as we go to our own deaths, it's then that world takes notice and give glory to God.  That's how the gospel captivates hearts and transforms the world. Brothers and Sisters, that's the narrow gate and the difficult path.  Don't give up on righteousness when the going gets tough.  And never forget that law is ultimately about loving God and loving our neighbours—everyone—the way God loves them—enough to give his own son.  Love them as God does—even your worst enemy—even to point of sacrifice.  That's how God once captivated your heart and it's how he will captivate theirs. Jesus stresses just how important this is.  Going back to the end of our Gospel in Matthew 5:23 he says, “So, if you are coming to the altar with your gift and there you remember that your brother has a grievance against you, leave your gift right there in front of the altar, and go first and be reconciled to your brother.  Then come back and offer your gift.”   We probably miss the significance of this.  To go to the temple in Jerusalem to make an offering to God was the peak of righteousness, of covenant faithfulness.  This took precedence over everything else.  No one.  No. one.  Would go to Jerusalem.  And remember, Jesus is preaching in Galilee, a three day's journey from Jerusalem.  No one would trek all that way, carrying their animal for sacrifice or buying one at an exorbitant price at the temple, wait their turn, and then standing there with the priest ready to make the sacrifice, suddenly realise they needed to go all the way back home to make something right with a brother or a sister.  Yes, I think Jesus is using a bit of hyperbole here, but he wants to drive his point home, because this is how people—especially the Pharisees thought.  If you were doing it for God, nothing else mattered.  Think of the priest and the Levite in Jesus' parable, leaving a man for dead on the side of the road lest they become ritually impure.  For all their talk of loving God, they'd forgotten just how much God loves us and they'd failed to live it out.  That's why they grumbled when Jesus ate with tax collectors and sinners.  They'd forgotten that all of heaven rejoices over a sinner who repents. No, says Jesus.  Never think that you're honouring God if, at the same time, you're failing to love your neighbour the way God loves him.  Never think you're doing God's work if, at the same time, you've compromised his call to faith and to faithfulness.  Never think you're building the kingdom if, at the same time, you're compromising its principles.  Instead, stop what you're doing and make things right.  Go back and love your neighbour.  Reconcile and make things right with him.  Remember that you serve the God who gave his son out of love in order to reconcile sinful you to himself.  Have that kind of love in your heart and let it shape every thing you do. Brothers and Sisters, every Sunday we recite those words of Jesus: “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, You shall love your neighbour as yourself. On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.”  Don't just mindlessly say those words.  Be shaped by them.  Love God and love your neighbour with everything you've got and then you will have that righteousness greater even than that of the scribes and the Pharisees. Let's pray: O God, you have prepared for those who love you such good things as surpass our understanding: Pour into our hearts such love towards you, that we, loving you above all things, may obtain your promises, which exceed all that we can desire; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

We explore the period of the Judges in Israel's history, a time marked by a cycle of sin, oppression, deliverance, and drift. After the deaths of Moses and Joshua, the nations was tasked with continuing the campaign to conquer the Land of Canaan. Their disobedience led to Canaanite influence and oppression. Despite Israel's repeated rebellion and worship of false gods, God showed mercy by raising up judges to save them. These judges brought temporary relief, but the Israelites continued to stray.Support the showRead along with us in the Bible Brief App! Try the Bible Brief book for an offline experience!Get your free Bible Timeline with the 10 Steps: Timeline LinkSupport the show: Tap here to become a monthly supporter!Review the show: Tap here!Want to go deeper?...Download the Bible Brief App!iPhone: App Store LinkAndroid: Play Store LinkWant a physical book? Check out "Bible Brief" by our founder!Amazon: Amazon LinkWebsite: biblebrief.orgInstagram: @biblelitTwitter: @bible_litFacebook: @biblelitEmail the Show: biblebrief@biblelit.org Want to learn the Bible languages (Greek & Hebrew)? Check out ou...

What if your story isn't over yet? In this powerful message from our Faithful & Brave series, we turn our focus to Rahab—a Canaanite prostitute whose faith didn't just save her family but earned her a place in the lineage of Jesus. This sermon explores what it means to live “at the edge of the inside,” where transformation, empathy, and radical inclusion are possible.

This Sunday's message, "Lord, Help Me!", explores the powerful story of a Canaanite woman in Matthew 15:21-28 who, despite overwhelming obstacles, demonstrated extraordinary faith. Let's look at what the Scripture says about how to cultivate this type of unwavering faith.

The story of the Canaanite woman is about a woman who asks Jesus to heal her daughter, and he does. Jesus' response to her proves that God constantly enters new territory and breaks long-held and man-made boundaries. This message will remind us that everyone who trusts Jesus has a seat at his table

PSALM 82 is a courtroom scene in heaven. This psalm is the source of the term “divine council,” a concept well known in the ancient Near East. The high god in the pantheon was believed to preside over a group of lesser gods, who were tasked with carrying out the will of the king of the pantheon. But in the religions of Babylon, Canaan, Egypt, Greece, Rome, etc., the lower gods were part of a polytheistic pantheon. This is a twisted version of God's council. We see God's divine assembly in action in Job 1 and 2, and especially in 1 Kings 22, where God asks the council for recommendations on how to lure King Ahab to go to war with the Syrians where he will fall in battle. To be clear, God doesn't need a council to carry out His will. He created one for His pleasure, because He desires family. However, just as with us humans, the spirits in the unseen realm were created with free will, and many of them chose to rebel against His authority. What we see in Psalm 82, then, is God passing judgment on those lesser elohim, the “sons of the Most High,” for exercising their free will to “judge unjustly and show partiality to the wicked”. As a result of their mismanagement of creation, which threatened the very “foundations of the earth,” God decreed that these small-G god will die like men. We also discuss the New English Translation's rendering of Psalm 82:1, in which Yahweh, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, “stands in the assembly of El,” the creator-god of the Canaanites, to pass judgment on the gods of Canaan! Was that a prophecy of the Transfiguration of Jesus on the summit of Mount Hermon? Here's the link to the paper by Dr. Michael Heiser explaining Jesus' quotation of Psalm 82:6 in John 10:34 (link opens a PDF document) Sharon's niece, Sarah Sachleben, was recently diagnosed with stage 4 bowel cancer, and the medical bills are piling up. If you are led to help, please go to GilbertHouse.org/hopeforsarah. Our new book The Gates of Hell is now available in paperback, Kindle, and as an audiobook at Audible! Derek's new book Destination: Earth, co-authored with Donna Howell and Allie Anderson, is now available in paperback, Kindle, and as an audiobook at Audible! If you are looking for a text of the Book of 1 Enoch to follow our monthly study, you can try these sources: Parallel translations by R. H. Charles (1917) and Richard Laurence (1821)Modern English translation by George W. E. Nickelsburg and James VanderKam (link to book at Amazon)Book of 1 Enoch - Standard English Version by Dr. Jay Winter (link opens free PDF)Book of 1 Enoch - R. H. Charles translation (link opens free PDF) The SkyWatchTV store has a special offer on Dr. Michael Heiser's two-volume set A Companion to the Book of Enoch. Get both books, the R. H. Charles translation of 1 Enoch, and a DVD interview with Mike and Steven Bancarz for a donation of $35 plus shipping and handling. Link: https://bit.ly/heiser-enoch Follow us! • X: @gilberthouse_tv | @sharonkgilbert | @derekgilbert• Telegram: t.me/gilberthouse | t.me/sharonsroom | t.me/viewfromthebunker• YouTube: @GilbertHouse | @UnravelingRevelation• Facebook.com/GilbertHouseFellowship JOIN US IN ISRAEL! Our next tour of Israel is October 19–30, 2025. For more information and to reserve your place, log on to GilbertHouse.org/travel. Thank you for making our Build Barn Better project a reality! We truly appreciate your support. If you are so led, you can help out at GilbertHouse.org/donate. Get our free app! It connects you to these studies plus our weekly video programs Unraveling Revelation and A View from the Bunker, and the podcast that started this journey in 2005, P.I.D. Radio. Best of all, it bypasses the gatekeepers of Big Tech! The app is available for iOS, Android, Roku, and Apple TV. Links to the app stores are at www.gilberthouse.org/app/. Video on demand of our best teachings! Stream presentations and teachings based on our research at our new video on demand site! Gilbert House T-shirts and mugs! New to our store is a line of GHTV and Redwing Saga merch! Check it out at GilbertHouse.org/store! Think better, feel better! Our partners at Simply Clean Foods offer freeze-dried, 100% GMO-free food and delicious, vacuum-packed fair trade coffee from Honduras. Find out more at GilbertHouse.org/store. Our favorite Bible study tools! Check the links in the right-hand column at www.GilbertHouse.org.

In this powerful exploration of faith, we delve into the story of the Canaanite woman from Matthew 15. This narrative challenges us to reconsider our understanding of difficulty in our spiritual journey. The woman's persistence in seeking Jesus' help, despite facing silence and apparent rejection, serves as a model for unwavering faith. We're reminded that our struggles and moments of divine silence aren't signs of failure, but opportunities for spiritual growth. The message encourages us to push through barriers, both external and internal, in our pursuit of Christ. It's a call to trust God's goodness even when His responses don't meet our expectations, understanding that He may be using our difficulties to deepen our faith and dependence on Him. This teaching invites us to reframe our perspective on life's challenges, seeing them not as obstacles to avoid, but as the very means through which our faith can be strengthened and refined.

In this powerful exploration of faith, we delve into the story of the Canaanite woman from Matthew 15. This narrative challenges us to reconsider our understanding of difficulty in our spiritual journey. The woman's persistence in seeking Jesus' help, despite facing silence and apparent rejection, serves as a model for unwavering faith. We're reminded that our struggles and moments of divine silence aren't signs of failure, but opportunities for spiritual growth. The message encourages us to push through barriers, both external and internal, in our pursuit of Christ. It's a call to trust God's goodness even when His responses don't meet our expectations, understanding that He may be using our difficulties to deepen our faith and dependence on Him. This teaching invites us to reframe our perspective on life's challenges, seeing them not as obstacles to avoid, but as the very means through which our faith can be strengthened and refined.

We delve into the initial conquest of Canaan led by Joshua and the Israelites. We explore the miraculous crossing of the Jordan River, the swift fall of Jericho, and the strategic victories at Ai and in southern Canaan. With Yahweh's divine intervention, including hailstones and an extended day, the Israelites vanquish their enemies, establishing control over the southern territories. The army then shifts to the northern campaign, where Israel faces a massive alliance of Canaanite forces. Despite the overwhelming odds, Joshua leads the Israelites to victory, fulfilling God's commands and demonstrating unwavering faith by destroying captured tools of war. By the end of the campaign, Israel largely controls the Promised Land, marking the beginning of the fulfillment of God's promise to Abraham and providing a period of rest from war. Support the showRead along with us in the Bible Brief App! Try the Bible Brief book for an offline experience!Get your free Bible Timeline with the 10 Steps: Timeline LinkSupport the show: Tap here to become a monthly supporter!Review the show: Tap here!Want to go deeper?...Download the Bible Brief App!iPhone: App Store LinkAndroid: Play Store LinkWant a physical book? Check out "Bible Brief" by our founder!Amazon: Amazon LinkWebsite: biblebrief.orgInstagram: @biblelitTwitter: @bible_litFacebook: @biblelitEmail the Show: biblebrief@biblelit.org Want to learn the Bible languages (Greek & Hebrew)? Check out ou...

Christianity has long claimed to be for every person, irrespective of who you are or where you're from. Does Jesus undermine that claim and show himself not to be divine, or even not worth following, by making a racial slur against a foreign woman? In this episode of Ask Away, Vince and Jo talk about what we should make of this confusing interaction between Jesus and the "Canaanite" woman in Matthew 15 and Mark 7. ------ We're so glad you joined us for Ask Away. If you have a question that needs answering, we'd love to hear it. Send us an email at askawayquestion@gmail.com or call and leave a voicemail at ‪(321) 213-9670‬. Ask Away is hosted by Vince and Jo Vitale, and produced by Studio D Podcast Production. New episodes come out regularly, so make sure to subscribe. The best way you can support Ask Away is to leave a review. All you have to do is open up the Podcast App on your phone, look for Ask Away, scroll down until you see ‘Write a Review' and tell us what you think. If you'd like to see videos from Vince and me, invite us to speak, or make a financial gift so that more people's questions can be heard on Ask Away, visit Kardiaquestions.com See you next time, and remember, if you have a question, it's worth asking.