Posts by Josh Moody
Judges 8: Faithful unto the End
Judges 8, Psalm 85, Mark 6:14-29, 1 Corinthians 10:14-33 Judges 8: Gideon begins by showing savvy leadership wisdom towards the complaints of the men of Ephraim (8:1-3). He pours oil on troubled waters, soothes bruised egos, and negotiates a way to keep unity around the common cause of God’s honor and his victory. Gideon appears…
Read MoreJudges 6-7: For the LORD and for Gideon!
Judges 6-7, Psalm 84, Mark 6:1-13, 1 Corinthians 10:1-13 Judges 6-7: The pattern begins again. Rebellion, ruin, and then rescue. First Israel rebels (6:1). Then they are in misery and oppression because of their rebellion (6:2-6). Then they cry out to God for rescue (6:7). He then sends them a prophet to tell them exactly…
Read MoreJudges 4-5: Victory!
Judges 4-5, Psalm 83, Mark 5:21-43, 1 Corinthians 9:13-27 Judges 4-5: The story of Deborah has troubled the conscience of those who believe in a male pastorate or eldership for many years, but it need not do so. First of all, the New Testament describes the role of women in ministry with eminent examples of…
Read MoreJudges 1-3: Downward Spiral
Judges 1-3, Psalm 82, Mark 5:1-20, 1 Corinthians 9:1-12 Judges 1-3: The Book of Judges is one of the most rewarding, as well as most surprising, studies in the Old Testament. It has a clear overall message and structure: God’s people—once the generation that knew Joshua had died out—failed to keep God’s covenant (Josh. 24:31;…
Read MoreJoshua 24: Covenant Renewal
Joshua 24, Psalm 81, Mark 4:21-41, 1 Corinthians 8 Joshua 24: The covenant renewal at Shechem. A blessed day, long in the memory of Israel, and symbolic of our covenant with Christ and our call to commit to him. Joshua gathers the people (24:1), and then tells them what God says. “Thus says the Lord”…
Read MoreJoshua 22-23: Obedience
Joshua 22-23, Psalm 80, Mark 4:1-2, 1 Corinthians 7:17-40 Joshua 22-23: We have different assemblies in these chapters, with different consequences and results. First Joshua summons the Reubenites, the Gadites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh (22:1). He tells them that they have done their duty in helping their brothers subdue (though not yet totally conquer)…
Read MoreJoshua 20-21: Promises, Promises
Joshua 20-21, Psalm 79, Mark 3:20-35, 1 Corinthians 7:1-16 Joshua 20-21: The arrangement of the land that has been subdued, though not yet totally conquered, continues. The cities of refuge—places where someone who has unintentionally killed another person might fly for refuge and be protected from vengeance from the relatives of the person unintentionally killed—are…
Read MoreJoshua 18-19: Inheritance!
Joshua 18-19, Psalm 78:40-72, Mark 3:1-19, 1 Corinthians 6:12-20 Joshua 18-19: The land was subdued before the Israelites—in the sense of them being the dominant military presence, but not in the sense of entire and total conquest. For there are still some whose lands have not even been apportioned (18:2), and they are encouraged to…
Read MoreJoshua 15-17: Courage!
Joshua 15-17, Psalm 78:1-39, Mark 2:18-28, 1 Corinthians 6:1-11 Joshua 15-17: The “allotments” continue—boundary lines specified with great detail indicating which parcels of land have been allotted to whom so that the record is kept for future generations, and so the tribes are motivated to “subdue” the land (18:1) and make it theirs. In the…
Read MoreJoshua 13-14: Octogenarian Warrior
Joshua 13-14, Psalm 77, Mark 2:13-17, 1 Corinthians 5 Joshua 13-14: Joshua himself is getting old (13:1), so God gives him instructions fitting the need to pass on a legacy. “There remains very much land to possess” (13:1). This reality is reiterated later again in verse 13, and refutes an academic critical position that the…
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