A Profound Forfeit

1 Chronicles 5:1 “He could not be listed in the genealogical record in accordance with his birthright” (NIV). Observation: The early chapters of 1 Chronicles contain a blur of nourishment easily left undigested if not approached by a heart hungry to discover their...

Hobson’s Choice

1 Samuel 11:2 “I will make a treaty with you only on the condition that I gouge out the right eye of every one of you” (NIV). Observation: Ammonites led by Nahash besieged Israelites living in the area of Jabesh-Gilead. Preparing to surrender, the men of Jabesh told...

Mud Pies

Ruth 3:4 “He will tell you what to do” (NIV). Observation: Ruth told Naomi, her widowed mother-in-law, that Boaz had been extraordinarily kind to them. Ruth gleaned Boaz’s fields after harvesters had done their work, and Boaz had gone out of his way to be both...

Longing for Home

Ruth 1:5 “Naomi was left without her two sons and her husband” (NIV). Observation: Naomi and Ruth’s story is a portrayal of loss, commitment, restoration, and divine provision. Naomi had gone with her family to live in Moab due to Bethlehem’s famine. There, her...

The Strategy of Abandonment

2 Corinthians 2:1 “I made up my mind that I would not make another painful visit to you” (NIV). Observation: Much of 2 Corinthians 1 and the beginning of the second chapter seem to be travelogue. Paul wrote in 1:15 about having tried to arrange his itinerary so as to...

Saturday’s Dance

Psalm 42:2 “When can I go and meet with God?” (NIV). Observation: This psalm expresses the passionate cry of David’s heart to once again be in the presence of God. David was exiled from the house of Saul, hiding in a very small country with 3,000 soldiers in pursuit....