SCRIPTURE: Proverbs 3:1-20 OBSERVATION/APPLICATION: 1. “Bind them around your neck”. Solomon urges us to cling to wisdom and truth, love and faithfulness, to bind ourselves to them, to let nothing get in the way of our living according to them. 2. “They will prolong your years and bring you prosperity.” If we seek wisdom first we…
Mar 24 — Proverbs 2:1-22
SCRIPTURE: Proverbs 2:1-22 OBSERVATION/APPLICATION: 1. Solomon believes that the person who humbly, honestly, sincerely and seriously seeks wisdom and truth will find out how right and good God and His ways are. 2. Wisdom and truth (intergrity) is more important than wealth and happiness. People often pursue wealth and happiness, but do so in a way…
Mar 23 — Proverbs 1:20-33
SCRIPTURE: Proverbs 1:20-23 OBSERVATION/APPLICATION: 1. Wisdom (common sense) is not hard to discern, but we have to stop and listen. Solomon describes wisdom like a loving, concerned friend, calling out, warning and pleading with us to pay attention. “Stop, can’t you see, don’t go there!” 2. If we persist in ignoring wisdom, we will eventually pay…
Mar 22 — Proverbs 1:8-19
SCRIPTURE: Proverbs 1:8-19 OBSERVATION/APPLICATION: 1. Many times the young feel that they know better, especially than their parents. Solomon urges us to pay attention to what our parents (and others with life experience) have to say. Even if not everything is said in a helpful way, there is wisdom contained in their words. 2. At the…
Mar 21 — Proverbs 1:1-7
SCRIPTURE: Proverbs 1:1-7 OBSERVATION/APPLICATION: 1. Solomon wrote these words to help people gain wisdom – not information. We can know a lot of things, yet be very foolish. 2. Wisdom is something like common sense for daily living, for helpful, healthy and successful living. 3. Parables and proverbs capture in simple yet profound ways, in ways…
Mar 20 — Joshua 21:1-45
SCRIPTURE: Joshua 21:1-45 OBSERVATION: 1. The levites, whose task is to serve as spiritual leaders in the community, have their practical needs addressed by begin given towns for their families and pasture for their flocks. They lived among the other tribes, as a visible reminder to the rest of the people of the centrality of their…
Mar 19 — Joshua 20:1-9
SCRIPTURE: Joshua 20:1-9 OBSERVATION: Cities of refuge, places where people could find protection and a fair trial. There were no police, so when crimes occurred, people might take the law into their own hands. I do sometimes wonder how much of this law is Moses, and how much is God’s design. I am referring to Matthew 19:1-9…
Mar 18 — Joshua 18:11-19:51
SCRIPTURE: Joshua 18:11-19:51 OBSERVATION: The details of the land distribution do not hold symbolic meaning. This is the practical side of God’s plan for establishing the nation of Israel in the land, as a base camp for God to work out His kingdom plan, the coming of the Messiah, and the ultimate restoration of the whole…
Mar 17 — Joshua 18:1-10
SCRIPTURE: Joshua 18:1-10 OBSERVATION: The people are holding back. Joshua exercises wise leadership, organizing the last “stretch” of their campaign. The lot selection method (like drawing straws) done in a prayerful manner is how the remaining territories will be divided. Again we are reminded about the Levites who “inherit” the service of the Lord as priests….
Mar 16 — Joshua 17:1-18
SCRIPTURE: Joshua 17:1-18 OBSERVATION: Not sure what “lessons” I glean from this passage. Provision is made for Zelophehad’s daughters? The Manassites were not strong enough, or confident enough, to take the land from the Canaanites? They had more confidence in the enemy’s iron chariots than in their God’s power? Or, like Joshua learned the hard way…