The Small Branch

  We have been talking a lot about encouraging the men in our church to lead their families Biblically, including discipling them.  As we have discussed this, one thing I keep thinking about is how much we have disrespected men in the last several decades.  It is no wonder they don’t want to lead.  They are continually told they are chauvinist or domineering if they try.  There are even women who will get angry with a man for opening the door for her.  Our culture does not want strong, godly men.   But how does that play out in my own home?  I definitely do not consider myself a feminist.  I am very traditional in my views of gender roles.  But does that show itself in my attitude and actions towards my husband, or have I been more influenced by the culture than I thought?  Lately, I am convicted that the later is true.  1 Peter 3:1-4 says, “In the same way, you wives, be subject to your own husbands so that even if any o...

  Read Joshua 8 Who? Joshua and the Israelites, the king of Ai and the people of Ai What? Battle for Ai, the Israelites fulfill Moses’ instructions for reminders (Deuteronomy 11 and 27) Where? Ai, near Bethel When? After the sin of Achan has been dealt with Why? Obedience to God How? Using strategy, including ambushes  We learned two major lessons in chapter 7: first, confess your sin as soon as it is revealed to you, second, when you fail, refocus on God, deal with the problem, and move forward.  Joshua and the Israelites are putting this second lesson into practice in chapter 8.   Notice that God “resets” the Israelites, especially Joshua, with His encouragement in verse 1.  Just as in Joshua 1:9, God encourages Joshua not to be afraid.  God points out that the victory is HIS and the battle is already won, the Israelites just have to obediently go fight.  The instructions given by God are different from the recommendations of the spies (...

  Read Joshua 7. Who? God, Achan and his family, Joshua, the people of Israel, the people  of Ai What? Sin and defeat Where? Ai, westward and up into the central hill country When? After the victory in Jericho  Why? Israel is defeated because of their disobedience concerning the designated things of Jericho. How? They are routed by the people of Ai because God is not fighting for them due to their sin. Read 2 Corinthians 6:16-18.  God wants His people to be separate from the rest of the world.  He is holy and wants His people to be holy.  In Joshua, we have had the story of Rahab, which is a story about faith and God’s grace.  Now we have the story of Achan, which is a story about unbelief and God’s holiness and wrath.  God pours out His wrath on sin (see John 3:36, Romans 1:18, Colossians 3:6, and Hebrews 10:26-31).  There are no exceptions to this fact.  Achan is one of the Israelites, one of the chosen people.  He...

  There are numerous verses in the Bible, especially in Proverbs, about the sinfulness of laziness.   It is easy to see that God does not want us to be lazy, that laziness is sin.   Laziness is a hard thing for me.   Where does it stem from?   Yes, my flesh and my sin nature, but it is often more complex than that.   My biggest trouble is that I see things that need to be done but get overwhelmed because of how many things there are to do, or the magnitude or difficulty of the job, or the many unknowns in how to do the job, or the fact that, even if I do the job well, it will need to be done again the next day.   These feelings of being overwhelmed seem to “shut down” my system.   Sometimes, I struggle because I’m just waiting for someone to tell me what to do.   I am almost positive that this stems from growing up in the shadows of American education.   Teachers are there to tell you what to think and when to think it and what to do a...

 Here is a guide to breaking down a study passage for the week.  You can use this with the Joshua study guide I have been posting about lately if you want or any other book of the Bible that you are studying. NOTE: If the passage is particularly long, you can break it up into smaller pieces and spread this guide out across all seven days of the week. Day 1: Read the passage for the week, answering the questions Who? What? Where? When? Why? And How? Make sure you have read the previous passages and understand the context for this passage. Day 2: Read the passage again, making notes on the events and making sure you understand what the text says is happening in context with the whole.  Write out questions you have about the passage.   Day 3: Go through the passage, using footnotes, cross references, and/or a dictionary as needed.  Answer the questions in the study guide and any questions you may have written out for yourself.  Day 4: Go through the passa...

  Who? Joshua, the priests, the Israelites, the “captain of the army of the Lord”, Rahab and her family, the spies, those living in Jericho, the king of Jericho and the kings of the Canaanites What? The conquest of Jericho by the Israelites - preparation for it, instructions, and the battle Where? Jericho When? First month for Israel, middle and second half of the month Why? Jericho was a heavily fortified city.  It needed to be taken before Israel could enter the rest of the Promised Land. How? God’s way, by God’s might Some notes from these chapters: (5:1) The Amorites live in the hill country (Numbers 13:29).  The Canaanites are those in the lower regions of the land (Numbers 13:29, 14:25, Deuteronomy 1:7).  The people of Jericho and the rest of Canaan have heard what God has done for Israel.  These people know that God is mighty and their fear is because of Him, not just Israel itself (Joshua 2:10-11). (5:2-7) Circumcision shows that they are ke...

WHO? Joshua, the priests, the people of Israel, and God WHAT? crossing the Jordan River - God divides the water and leads His people; notice that this is almost like a second “exodus” very similar to the exodus from Egypt - consecrating the people, the date it happens, the parting of the water, God leading the people with a visual (the cloud/fire from Egypt, the ark here in Joshua) - connecting the previous generation to the current one WHERE? The Jordan River, between Shittim and Gilgal/Jericho WHEN? The first month, crossing on the 10th day WHY? To go into the Promised Land HOW? By God’s design, leading, power, and might Some notes: (3:1-2) These events probably happened while the spies were in Jericho, with the crossing happening after they returned. (3:3) The ark signifies the presence of God.  This is faith requiring action.  Saving faith is active, obedient faith (3:4) 2000 cubits is about 3000 feet or 1000 yards (1 cubit=1.5 feet); The people are to treat the t...