“Strong and Courageous”

May 21, 2024

May 20, 2024

Read Joshua 1, Proverbs 16, Romans 16

What would you do if you had more courage? Would you go sky diving? Would you drive a race car? Would you take more chances in business ventures or in talking to more people with the gospel?

The opening chapter of the book of Joshua has the command for Joshua to be “strong and courageous” repeated four times in Joshua 1. “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go” v. 9. Why was God telling Joshua to be “strong and courageous?” The opening verses tell us why, “Moses my servant is dead” v. 2. Israel’s greatest leader had passed away and God had chosen Joshua to take his place. Can you imagine following someone so big and influential? You would probably need a little encouragement from the Lord as well.

Not only was God encouraging Joshua to be strong and courageous, but God also promises Joshua that “I will give you every place where you set your foot, as I promised Moses” v. 3. God keeps his promises and that is comforting to know. Is there anything that you believe God has called you to do and you need a reminder of God’s promises in your life? Do you need a challenge to be “strong and courageous” just as Joshua did?

What else do you see in these chapters? What words, phrases, or themes stand out to you as you read?
Add your thoughts below.

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Posted by John Weldon

“Speak Not Strike”

March 31, 2024

March 31, 2024

Read Numbers 20, Psalm 90, Mark 14

Have you ever had directions to follow and you may not have followed them close or carefully enough? What happened? Did you leave an ingredient out of a recipe, miss a turn when you were driving, or maybe it was something more costly? In Numbers 20 we have what seems to be a very harsh punishment for Moses from the Lord simply because he struck the rock that God told him to speak to. “The LORD said to Moses, 8 ‘Take the staff, and you and your brother Aaron gather the assembly together. Speak to that rock before their eyes and it will pour out its water. You will bring water out of the rock for the community so that they and their livestock can drink’” vv. 7-8. There was a problem, Moses in his anger did what he had done before. He struck the rock with his staff and while water did come out, it was not how God had wanted him to do it. Why? We might find a clue in Moses’ comment to the Israelites. “He and Aaron gathered the assembly together in front of the rock and Moses said to them, “Listen, you rebels, must we bring you water out of this rock?” 11 Then Moses raised his arm and struck the rock twice with his staff. Water gushed out, and the community and their livestock drank” vv. 10-11. Moses and Aaron had gathered the people together to give them a lecture. Moses said, “must we bring you water out of this rock?” v. 10. This could either been seen as “we” meaning Moses and Aaron or “we” meaning Moses and God. Either way Moses was equating himself with God or leaving God out of the whole process of providing water for the people. It might have been just as much about his words that he actions. Instead of speaking to the rock, Moses chooses to speak about himself rather than the Lord.

We must be careful to follow God’s commands when know God is instructing us. There are plenty of examples in Scripture of people who only half-heartly obey and God was not pleased.

What else do you see in these chapters? What words, phrases, or themes stand out to you?
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Posted by John Weldon

“Against Moses”

March 27, 2024

March 27, 2024

Read Numbers 16, Psalm 86, Mark 10

Have you ever had a time where you did not want to do something, but because you were in charge or the leader you knew what had to be done? Maybe it was a task or perhaps even dealing with a relationship with someone that was not the most kind or easy to be around.

Moses was God’s chosen leader to lead Israel out of Egypt and into the land of the Canaanites. Israel had already messed it up with a bad report and it cost them 40 years in the desert before everyone over the age of 20, who was counted in the census would pass away and then they would enter. Now it seems that some of the leaders had not learned their lesson. Numbers 16 says that a group of leaders “became insolent 2 and rose up against Moses. With them were 250 Israelite men, well-known community leaders who had been appointed members of the council” vv.1b-2. These were not just typical members of Israel, they were leaders. They had gotten to the point where they thought Moses was no more special than they were. “You have gone too far! The whole community is holy, every one of them, and the LORD is with them. Why then do you set yourselves above the LORD’s assembly?” v. 3b. I can see why Moses “face down” when he heard this. He was doing a job that He didn’t want to do, but now was dealing with leaders who wanted to take his place.

God dealt with these leaders in a most unusual way. “The ground under them split apart 32 and the earth opened its mouth and swallowed them, with their households and all Korah’s men and all their possessions. 33 They went down alive into the grave, with everything they owned; the earth closed over them, and they perished and were gone from the community.” vv. 31-33. God wasn’t done yet either.  Other people began to complain after this too. “The next day the whole Israelite community grumbled against Moses and Aaron. “You have killed the LORD’s people,” they said” v. 41. God sent a plague through the community, and it killed 14,700 people. The thing that blows mw away is the reaction of Moses to the Lord when God starts His judgment. They pleaded for God to stop, and they wanted to save the very people that were mad and complaining toward them. This shows you what kind of leader Moses was. He cared for the people under his leadership, even when they were difficult and hard to love. What else do you see in these chapters? What words, phrases, or themes stand out to you?
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Posted by John Weldon

“Follow the Leader”

March 23, 2024

March 23, 2024

Read Numbers 12, Psalm 82, Mark 6

What are your aspirations in leadership? Do you see yourself as more of a leader or as a follower? Often many people want to be the leader. Children in school want to be a leader and for adults the same is true in work and play. God had chosen Moses as the leader of Israel, to be the one to lead them out of Egypt. Moses reluctantly agreed to do it. This did not make everyone happen and we read about this in Numbers 12.

“Miriam and Aaron began to talk against Moses because of his Cushite wife, for he had married a Cushite. 2 “Has the LORD spoken only through Moses?” they asked. “Hasn’t he also spoken through us?” And the LORD heard this” vv. 1-2. Did you notice that the complaint against Moses as leader started because his sister and brother didn’t like that Moses had married a non-Israelite. This was the seed of the complaint against his leadership to start with.

God heard about this and wanted to teach them a lesson. He called them all to the tent of meeting to let them know that Moses was not just any leader. Prophets were informed by visions and other means, but with Moses God said, “With him I speak face to face, clearly and not in riddles; he sees the form of the LORD. Why then were you not afraid to speak against my servant Moses?” v. 8. Being a leader is difficult and not being a leader can be equally difficult as well. Learning to follow and not complaining when we can easily do so is hard.

What else do you see in these three chapters? What words, phrases, or themes stand out to you?
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Posted by John Weldon

“Doubletake”

February 22, 2024

February 22, 2024

Read Leviticus 9, Psalm 53, Hebrews 9

Have you ever done a “doubletake” before? A doubletake is when you must take a second look at something. Maybe you thought you saw something or someone that you recognized. Maybe it was something unbelievable that you had to take a second look to make sure you weren’t crazy. Doubletake is all about taking a more careful and calculated look at something to see if you can confirm your suspicions. These chapters today remind me in several ways of a double take.

First, Leviticus 9 is a chapter describing when God instructed Moses to present Aaron and the other priests before the Lord and the people. God told them to offer a sacrifice as they began their ministry in the tabernacle as high priest before the Lord. Again, we read about the blood of the bull calf that had to be sprinkled on all four sides of the altar. The process is very similar to how God instructed Moses to ordain Arron and his sons in the previous chapter. At the end of the chapter, we read this majestic scene of God sending down fire and consuming the offering that was made. “Moses and Aaron then went into the Tent of Meeting. When they came out, they blessed the people; and the glory of the LORD appeared to all the people. 24 Fire came out from the presence of the LORD and consumed the burnt offering and the fat portions on the altar. And when all the people saw it, they shouted for joy and fell face down.” vv. 23-24.

As you read Psalm 53 you might be thinking, “This sounds familiar. Haven’t I read this before?” Many will quickly say that Psalm 53 and Psalm 14 are the exact same psalm. For some reason this has caused people to question the Word of God. Keep in mind, that these chapters in Psalms are songs, poems, and writings from people for all types of occasions and purposes. Think about how some songs today are rewritten and sung again by different artists and returned to a different flavor. But if we take a double take at these two psalms you will see that they are not exactly alike after all. Psalm 14 uses the divine name “Yahweh” and Psalm 53 uses the generic name for God “Elohim.” They share the exact same message, and one was apparently rewritten latter to emphasize the Lord in a different way. The later verses vary just slightly as well. The same theme of evildoers that will not prevail and will be brought to justice is present in both psalms.

The author of Hebrews is again comparing Jesus with another part of the Old Testament. In Hebrews 9 the author tells us that Jesus is better than the priest of the Old Testament. The high priest would enter the Most Holy place once a year and offer a sacrifice, but Jesus offered a sacrifice of his own blood. The priest would enter into the most Holy place in the presence of God, but Jesus entered into Heaven, not just a inner room in the Tabernacle. “He did not enter by means of the blood of goats and calves; but he entered the Most Holy Place once for all by his own blood, having obtained eternal redemption” v. 12. The blood sprinkled on the altar in the Old Testament was part of the covenant that God made with Israel. This is the way they would atone for sin and keep God’s covenant. The author of Hebrews states, “In the same way, he sprinkled with the blood both the tabernacle, and everything used in its ceremonies. 22 In fact, the law requires that nearly everything be cleansed with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness” vv. 21-22.

What else do you see in these chapters? What words, phrases, or themes stand out to you? Add your thoughts below.

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Posted by John Weldon

“Jesus > Moses”

February 16, 2024

February 16, 2024

Read Leviticus 3, Psalm 47, Hebrews 3

When I was a student pastor or when I was coaching a rec league soccer team, I knew I could always get the students talking by asking some opinion questions. Who is the greatest basketball player of all time… Who is the greatest soccer player of all time, who is the greatest superhero of all time…. This would always kick start a debate between everyone. As a cello player the debate was between Lenard Rose or Yo Yo Ma and Pablo Casals. You probably have people that you consider the greatest (fill in the blank) as well.

When it comes to the greatest person to have ever lived You must go to Jesus of Nazareth. He was a real historical person who lived in the first century AD. (In fact, He is the reason we split time BC/AD). There has been no other person on the planet that has ever had the influence and power to change people’s lives that Jesus the Christ. He did not amass an army, try to conquer any land or territory and yet He alone has changed the world. How many other religions want to claim a piece of Jesus because of his influence? To Buddhist Jesus was one of the 28 Buddhas that have come, To Muslims Jesus was a mighty prophet, and there are many other religions that will try to connect him to their own worldview.

The author of Hebrews is writing to a Jewish audience. His main point in Hebrews 3 is that Jesus is greater than Moses. “For every house is built by someone, but God is the builder of everything. 5 Moses was faithful as a servant in all God’s house, testifying to what would be said in the future. 6 But Christ is faithful as a son over God’s house.” vv. 4-6a. The author of Hebrews was using an analogy that Moses was a servant in God’s house, but Jesus, the Son was the owner of the house.

The rest of Hebrews 3 is the first of four warnings in Hebrews. These warnings are to encourage the believers not to “fall away” in disbelief. “See to it, brothers, that none of you has a sinful, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God. 13 But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called Today, so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness” vv. 12-13. These verses point out the danger of sin. If we persist in sin or allow it to take hold in our lives it can pull us away from our relationship with the Lord. The good news is that any one of us can turn back to God in one moment. Repentance is a positive word.

If you are searching and really looking for what’s true. If you are trying to decide what is the right worldview, what is the correct religion, let me encourage you to start with Christianity with the original Jesus and his own teachings about himself and reality.

What else do you see in these chapters? What words, phrases, or themes stand out to you?
Add your thoughts below.

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Posted by John Weldon

“Devotion”

February 11, 2024

February 11, 2024

Read Exodus 32-34, Psalm 42

Today is the super bowl. I read a story last week about three men who have made it to all 57 Super Bowls. The men will sit together and cheer on their teams. Thousands of other people will gather around the stadium and millions more will watch the super bowl on TV tonight. Sports fans are devoted to a game they love. So are the “Swifties” who enjoy Taylor Swift. The things that most people care about or are devoted to can change over time. Sometimes rather quickly.

In Exodus 32-34 we read a little about devotion. Moses was at the top of the mountain talking with God and receiving the 10 Commandments on stone tablets. During the forty days he was up on the mountain the rest of Israel got bored and worried that something might have happened to him. Their solution, they go to Aaron and ask him “Come, make us gods who will go before us. As for this fellow Moses who brought us up out of Egypt, we don’t know what has happened to him” v.1. Aaron without question decides to collect gold from the people and then he fashions a gold calf image that they will worship. “Then they said, ‘These are your gods, O Israel, who brought you up out of Egypt’” v. 4. Moses and God had become silent for a short time and the people had to find something to worship. God informs Moses of what they have done and tells Moses to go down and take care of the incident. God calls them, “stiff-necked people” v. 9. In other words, they are stubborn or slow to learn. We might be tempted to scoff at their actions.  “What! Don’t the Israelites know who God is? Don’t they realize what He just did to help them escape from Egypt?” But remember to us, it is just a few short pages in the Bible, but much more time had passed. And if we are honest, we might see a little bit of ourselves in this passage.  We are all “prone to wander, prone to leave the God I love” as the great hymn describes it. It is very easy to get out of the habit of spending time with God. There are always distractions and temptations that want to steal away our devotion to the Lord.

Psalm 42 is one of my favorite psalms. The popular song in the late twentieth century “As the Deer” comes from this psalm. The author desires to be in the house of the Lord and cannot go. “As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, O God. 2 My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When can I go and meet with God?” vv. 1-2. Here you have the opposite effect occurring. Being cut off from God’s people, being alone and away from the Lord. If brings a strong desire for the authors to desire to back at a place where they were before. “These things I remember as I pour out my soul: how I used to go with the multitude, leading the procession to the house of God, with shouts of joy and thanksgiving among the festive throng” v. 5.

What else do you see in these chapters? What words, phrases, or themes stand out to you?
Add your comments below.

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Posted by John Weldon

“Justice”

February 8, 2024

February 8, 2024

Read Exodus 23-25, Psalm 39

Justice is a word that is added to a lot of other words in our culture today. Climate justice, trans justice, reproductive justice, racial justice, and on and on.  Do people think by simply adding this word it makes something right or “just?” I heard a pastor say once that “anytime you add another word in front of justice you are perverting justice in some sense.” Justice should be the right thing to do regardless of any circumstances of a particular subject or area. In Exodus 23 we see just how independent justice is from everything else. Justice is independent of; popular opinion – “do not follow the crowd” v.2, economic status – “do not show favoritism to a poor man in his lawsuit.” v. 3, If you don’t like them – “If you come across your enemy’s ox or donkey wandering off, be sure to take it back to him.” v. 4, If they don’t like you – “someone who hates you” v. 5, Any personal benefits – “Do not accept a bribe” v. 8, citizenship – “Do not oppress an alien” v. 9. Justice is dependent on God and his nature.

In Exodus 24 God renews the covenant that He made with Israel (Exodus 19) but this time it is just Moses, a couple of key leaders, and the 70 elders that represent the families of Israel. God reminds them all to carefully pay attention to his law and to follow it closely. He warns them not to worship other gods, participate in their religious practices, and not to make any covenants with the other gods or nations. The people all agree and reply “we will do this!” God then calls Moses up the mountain to receive the stone tablets with the law. What I find fascinating is that Moses goes up the mountain and the Scripture says, “When Moses went up on the mountain, the cloud covered it, 16 and the glory of the LORD settled on Mount Sinai. For six days the cloud covered the mountain, and on the seventh day the LORD called to Moses from within the cloud” vv. 15-16. Moses waited for six days for God to speak. Finally on the seventh day the Lord speaks to Moses. I wonder how impatient Moses was during those six days? We live in such a microwave society today, if we were Moses, would we have turned around and walked back down after a few short hours? When God gives us instructions, we must patiently wait on him for when he will take action.

Psalm 39 is a psalm that has a lot to do with our mouth and our words. David records how hard it was to keep his mouth from speaking in a sinful manner. He knows it is the just thing to do, but he finds it hard to hold in his flesh. “But when I was silent and still, not even saying anything good, my anguish increased” v. 2. In the end of the psalm David finds that he can take his words and direct them toward the Lord. “Hear my prayer, O LORD, listen to my cry for help; be not deaf to my weeping” v. 12 Instead of crying out against the wicked, David will cry out to the Lord and call for help. It was a choice that David made with his words. We have the same choice today. Which will you choose?

What else do you see in these chapters? What words, phrases, or themes stand out to you?
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Posted by John Weldon

“Walk on ahead of the people”

February 6, 2024

February 6, 2024

Read Exodus 17-19, Psalm 37

Ever have a time when you need to get away from something? Maybe it’s a situation or maybe it’s a person(s). It might be both! In chapter 17 you will read about Moses who fielded complaints from the people. God tells him to walk on ahead of the people, take some elders (leaders) with him, and take his staff with him. God was up to something. He was going to have Moses tap the rock and bring forth some water to provide for the people. Maybe this would stop their complaining for a little while. I bet Moses enjoyed the time away from everyone else. Maybe he enjoyed the silence or lack of complaints. We all do it from time to time. I am guilty!

Ever think about what life would be like if there were no complaints? If no one complained then that might mean we got everything we wanted, had all our needs met, and didn’t lack anything. Sounds a lot like Heaven. Don’t miss something in this chapter. Read verse 1 slowly. “The whole Israelite community set out from the Desert of Sin, traveling from place to place as the LORD commanded. They camped at Rephidim, but there was no water for the people to drink.” So, God led Israel place to place, where He wanted them to go. And the place that God led them was a location with no water. Hmm… why would God do that? Maybe, it was so that we would turn to Him and seek his help for our needs. Do you think that maybe God wouldn’t give us everything we need, or think we need, so that we might rely on Him? I do.

Exodus 18 is one of my favorite chapters in Exodus. Here we meet Jethro! Jethro is Moses’s father-in-law. Jethro comes for a visit and observes how Moses is busy sunup to sundown acting as judge before the people.  Jethro tells Moses, “What you are doing is not good” v. 17. Moses had a choice here.  He could say, “Hey Jethro! God put me in charge of these 2 million whining people. I get to make the decisions here.” Or Moses could do what he did in the Scripture passage. He listened to his father-in-law and took his advice. Moses wasn’t threatened by Jethro or felt the need to go on a power trip. When he listened, everyone benefited from it. We may find ourselves in positions of leadership from time to time, but that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t stop and hear people out when they come to us. A wise leader surrounds himself with people that are smarter than themselves. They are threatened by someone else’s ideas or skills.

Psalm 37 is a great psalm that contains many song lyrics from modern Christian music, and it is encouraging to read. The psalm encourages us to wait and trust in the Lord no matter what others, especially the wicked may be doing. Face it, we live in a world where it’s easy to think that evil is winning. David had this same mentality, but it was 3,500 years ago. Things do not really change much do they?

As I read this psalm, I was reminded of the childish sayings I said as a kid to the other kids we got in verbal battles of name-calling. “I’m rubber, you’re glue, bounces off me and sticks to you!” We might have said the silly things like this to push back and let the other person knew we weren’t fazed by their trash talk. God is not worried about the evil that is done by the wicked, He knows their day is coming. “But the Lord laughs at the wicked, for he knows their day is coming” v. 13. Verses 14-15 say, “The wicked draw the sword and bend the bow to bring down the poor and needy, to slay those whose ways are upright. 15 But their swords will pierce their own hearts, and their bows will be broken.”

What else do you see in these chapters? What words, phrases, or themes stand out to you? Is there one verse that just hits you with a dose of truth serum as you read? Add your thoughts below.

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Posted by John Weldon

“You Only Need to Be Still”

February 5, 2024

February 5, 2024

Read Exodus 14-16, Psalm 36

When you are trying to do your best to be obedient to the Lord sometimes it requires us to make a choice, take an action, or start down a path. Other times we only need to be still. We must be careful to not take one situation in Scripture as a prescription for how we respond to everything we face in life. Just because God commanded someone in the Bible to do or not do something does not mean that it is the right means for us to follow. I think our natural tendency is to want to take action and put ourselves in the drivers seat. This doesn’t mean that it is always the right thing we should do.  We find this to be the case here in Exodus 14. Moses led the Israelites out to the Red sea, and then they look behind them to see the Egyptian army flanking them from the rear. They cry out to Moses, “Was it because there were no graves in Egypt that you brought us to the desert to die?” v. 11. Moses’ response was this, “Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the LORD will bring you today. The Egyptians you see today you will never see again. 14 The LORD will fight for you; you need only to be still” vv. 13-14. God was about to do the one of the most miraculous works in the entire Old Testament by parting the Sea for Israel to walk through. Being still or waiting is not a neutral gear. Just like acting, it requires trusting in the Lord to not move. Waiting does not mean we are inactive either. When we wait on the Lord to act, we can be busy doing what he has already called us to do. What is God calling you to do… or not do right now? How can you exercise faith and confidence in the Lord while you wait or stand still.

It’s hard to imagine eating the same thing every day, even if it was one of your favorite foods. Exodus 16 is the narrative of God providing manna and quail to the Israelites daily. They were to collect it everyday but the Sabbath. The day before the Sabbath they could collect a double portion to sustain them for two days. These strict rules about how much they could take were not for nothing. They were to teach Israel to rely on the Lord daily for their needs. This is where Jesus connects himself to the Old Testament. He calls himself the bread of life (John 6:35) and when he teaches the disciples to pray (Matthew 6:9-15) he prayed “give us today our daily bread.”

What else do you see in these chapters? What words, phrases, or themes stand out to you? Add your thoughts below.

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Posted by John Weldon

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