Author: Dave Dishman (Page 74 of 411)

I read of people who push back against the broad teachings of the Christian scriptures. Folks claim the Old Testament is antiquated, and Paul is out of touch. But these same commentators claim to like Jesus with his words of peace and love.

But it doesn’t take much of Jesus to upend this view. Notice some of his teachings recorded in one chapter of the Bible, Luke 16:

No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.

You are the ones who justify yourselves in the eyes of others, but God knows your hearts. What people value highly is detestable in God’s sight.

It is easier for heaven and earth to disappear than for the least stroke of a pen to drop out of the Law.

Anyone who divorces his wife and marries another woman commits adultery, and the man who marries a divorced woman commits adultery.

In Hades, where he was in torment…

If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be convinced even if someone rises from the dead.

In a few lines Jesus condemns the love of money, upholds the Old Testament law, inveighs against divorce and adultery, confirms the reality of hell and presents as fact those who reject him will find themselves there.

It’s possible to use Jesus to as a cover for living on our terms. But when I actually read what Jesus said and engage with his words, I find nowhere to hide.

Don’t get caught up in this popular swindle. Some words of Jesus indeed bring peace, but others bite and sting. If you’re not wrestling with both, you’re not getting the full measure of Jesus.

Luke 16 in Through the Bible in 2024

Photo by Annie Spratt

It seems an odd detail thrown into the account of Joshua leading the armies of Israel and conquering the promised land. Joshua took city after city, destroying one, but leaving the rest intact:

Yet Israel did not burn any of the cities built on their mounds—expect Hazor, which Joshua burned.

What’s the significance of these mounds? Were these burial places or sites of hidden treasure? The answer (after a bit of sleuthing) is much more simple and practical. Substitute hill for mound and Joshua’s strategy becomes clear.

These cities stood atop hills, natural positions of defense. The Lord promised the Israelites they would live in cities they did not build. These strongholds among the hills fulfilled that promise.

I find it fascinating that the Lord not only provided towns and villages in the valleys, but places of safety in case of future conflict. The Lord could have met his pledge with scattered cabins and tiny homes. But cities of strength—the best locations for living—filled the real estate portfolio he opened to the children of Israel.

God is better than we realize—trust in him. Like the Lord leading his children to the mounds, his goodness often comes in ways we fail to imagine.

Joshua 11 in Through the Bible in 2024

Photo by Kai Pilger

I know several foolish people, and I like a lot of them. But I rarely call them foolish to their face. However, the Bible shows no such fear. Long ago King David wrote of those who reject God in order to go their own way:

The fool says in his heart, “There is no God.”

Fools say the same thing today. From my experience, most people reject belief in the existence of God based not on philosophical arguments, but on the desire to live without the messy interference of biblical morality. Push God out the door and his rules go with him. Finally, freedom in all its forms.

However, what burns bright from a distance turns out to be a dumpster fire. A flourishing life draws you towards the Lord, not away. David later laments, Do all these evildoers know nothing?

Indeed, they do not. To the morally deficient it feels liberating to walk away from the Lord and his boundaries. Don’t make the same mistake. What liberates today shackles tomorrow, as the fool will eventually understand.

Psalm 14 in Through the Bible in 2024

Photo by Stephen Radford

Arriving for our flights back home, we joined the line at an empty check-in counter. A few minutes later an official appeared and told us to leave and come back in an hour. Airline employees were going on strike.

So began two long days of travel.

After several hours, the airline booked on a new itinerary the following day from a different airport. Then another long wait before we were put in a taxi and driven two and half hours to the next city. The airline arranged for a hotel (a fellow traveler dubbed it the Bates Motel), and provided a dinner consisting of a few frozen appetizers. We skipped and went downtown. My wife and I loaded into a taxi at 4 am the next morning to continue our journey. We landed in Denver and drove home in a blizzard. So much for the glamor of the jet age.

Sometimes the demands of life call for strength and courage, and in this case, patience and humor.

Facing a much more daunting situation, the Lord encouraged Joshua as he led the nation of Israel across the Jordan river and into their promised land:

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. Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful. Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.

Notice the conditions bound with strength and courage—keep this Book of the Law always on your lips; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. From obedience to the words of God spring prosperity and success, strength and courage. Hold to the ways of the law, and the Lord will be with you wherever you go.

God grants strength and courage today, just as he did for Joshua and the people of Israel. But these attributes remain bound with our choice to follow His words. Or as another prophet put it, obedience is better than sacrifice.

Strength and courage come from the Lord, and we only know and understand his ways from the Scriptures. Become strong and very courageous by molding your life to the words of God.

Joshua 1 in Through the Bible in 2024

Photo by John McArthur