Genesis 9:22–23 “Ham, the father of Canaan, saw his father’s nakedness and told his two brothers outside. But Shem and Japheth took a garment and laid it across their shoulders; then they walked in backward and covered their father’s nakedness” (NIV)....

Genesis 3:7 “Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves loin coverings.” Observation: Sin had been firmly established through the disobedience of Adam and Eve. Having eaten from...

Genesis 1:1 “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.” Observation: God’s Book is off to a good start, indeed! In these ten first words it tells us the when, who, and what of how we came to be. It is worth noting a few things with a bit more care than...

1 Corinthians 16:2 “On the first day of every week, each one of you should set aside a sum of money in keeping with his income, saving it up so when I come no collection will have to be made” (NIV). Observation: Paul’s request was consistent with what he also asked of...

Judges 6:13 “Where are all His wonders?” (NIV). Observation: Israel was living under God’s judgment, having been overrun by the superior, oppressive power of the Midianites. Reduced to living in caves and mountain clefts, Israel watched helplessly as marauding enemy...

Judges 4:2 “So the Lord sold them into the hands of Jabin, a king of Canaan” (NIV). Observation: Ehud delivered Israel from its Moabite enemy. He had personally killed the Moabite king and then led the Israelite army to victory over Moab, ushering in an eighty-year...

Joshua 21:44 “The Lord gave them rest on every side, just as he had sworn to their forefathers. Not one of their enemies withstood them; the Lord handed all their enemies over to them” (NIV). Observation: The tribes of Reuben, Gad, and Manasseh had been in Canaan...

Psalm 47:2, 7–9 “How awesome is the Lord Most High, the great King over all the earth! … For God is the King of all the earth. … God reigns over the nations. … The kings of the earth belong to God” (NIV). Observation: This celebratory psalm demands universal praise to...

I Corinthians 8:12 “When you sin against your brothers in this way and wound their weak conscience, you sin against Christ” (NIV). Observation: In this short chapter Paul warned of problems caused when we act from our knowledge base without first bathing our actions...

Joshua 18:3 “How long will you wait before you begin to take possession of the land that the Lord has given you?” (NIV). Observation: The nation had entered the Promised Land and it was time for the tribes to establish themselves in regions of their own. A few tribes...