Observations from the Word by The Barking Fox

The Enemies God Scatters

We all expect God to vanquish His enemies, and we all look forward to the day when He does just that. That's because we assume we're never going to be counted among His enemies. But what if we're wrong? 
Numbers 8:1-12:16; Zechariah 2:10-4:7; Isaiah 2:2-5; James 4:1-12
Click here to download a transcript of this podcast: The Enemies God Scatters
Photo: This is how we might imagine an enemy of God, but not all God's enemies are easy to identify. (Image generated by Grok, created by xAI.)
Music: "Future King of Heaven,” Zachariah Hickman, YouTube Audio Library, April 21, 2021. Listen to the complete audio on YouTube at https://youtu.be/bteCg7aqqX0?si=0ToVaXQxcRHbMV1N.

Why God Remembers for Us

Why is it that Jews seem to be the constant target of senseless violence? They have been the targets of genocidal evil for millennia, and yet they are still here and flourishing. The discerning understand this is a spiritual thing. Those who look closer and ask the God of Israel about it will learn why He still cares about the Jewish people - and why He wants His Christian children to care as well. 
Leviticus 25:1-27:34; Jeremiah 16:19-17:14; Romans 3:1, 9:1-7, 11:16-18, 25-32; Hebrews 6:13-14
Click here to download a transcript of this podcast: Why God Remembers for US
Photo: Opening session of the Israel Conference, Peace Tower Church, Ottawa, May 6, 2025. Photo by A.J. McCarn.
Music: "Future King of Heaven,” Zachariah Hickman, YouTube Audio Library, April 21, 2021. Listen to the complete audio on YouTube at https://youtu.be/bteCg7aqqX0?si=0ToVaXQxcRHbMV1N.

Pour Encourager les Autres?

There is this line of thought in Christianity that the God of the Old Testament is harsh and vindictive, but the God of the New Testament is merciful and gracious. How can that be when there is only one God? Maybe the problem isn't with God, but with our perspective of Him. 
Leviticus 9:1-11:47, 2 Samuel 6:1-7-7:17; Psalm 100:1-5; Hosea 3:1-5; Acts 5:1-11; Romans 12:1-2; Hebrews 8:8-12; 1 Peter 1:13-17
Click here to download a transcript of this podcast: Pour Encourager les Autres?
Image: Candide witnessing the execution of Admiral Byng. Image generated by Grok, created by xAI.
Music: "Future King of Heaven,” Zachariah Hickman, YouTube Audio Library, April 21, 2021. Listen to the complete audio on YouTube at https://youtu.be/bteCg7aqqX0?si=0ToVaXQxcRHbMV1N.

Barabbas and Redemption

We know that Yeshua was executed at the time of Passover. There was another man who might have been executed at that time, but who was spared. The surprising thing is that Barabbas, the thief who was released, provides a connection between Christians and Jews that we have probably overlooked. 
Psalm 133:1-3; Ezekiel 37:15-28; Hosea 1:6-7; Matthew 27:11-25; John 1:20-30, 11:57-52; Romans 11:25-27; 1 Peter 1:18-21; Revelation 6:9-11; 12:11
Click here to download a transcript of this podcast: Barabbas and Redemption
Image: "Let Him Be Crucified!" James Tissot, 1886-1894, Brooklyn Museum. Public Domain, via Wikimedia Commons.
Music: "Future King of Heaven,” Zachariah Hickman, YouTube Audio Library, April 21, 2021. Listen to the complete audio on YouTube at https://youtu.be/bteCg7aqqX0?si=0ToVaXQxcRHbMV1N.

How God Multitasks

God is infinite and all-knowing, so naturally we expect Him to be the operating force behind everything that happens in the universe. So where do we fit in all that? 
Exodus 38:21-40:38; Numbers 1:1-4; 1 Kings 7:51-8:21; John 14:1-14
Click here to download a transcript of this podcast: How God Multitasks
Image: "Multitasking." Image by Urs Steiner, May 23, 2017, via Flickr.
Music: "Future King of Heaven,” Zachariah Hickman, YouTube Audio Library, April 21, 2021. Listen to the complete audio on YouTube at https://youtu.be/bteCg7aqqX0?si=0ToVaXQxcRHbMV1N.

Choosing to Participate

When we hear about tithes and offerings, do we think of money, or do we think of other ways we can give to God's Kingdom work? Do we think about how our gifts will be used? How does that affect how we give, or if we give at all?
Exodus 35:1–38:20; 1 Kings 7:40-50; Ezekiel 36:16-38; Luke 21:1-4
Click here to download a transcript of this podcast: Choosing to Participate
Photo: Widow's Mite - Ancient Roman Bronze Coins. Photo by Royce Bair, December 4, 2009, via Flickr.
Music: "Future King of Heaven,” Zachariah Hickman, YouTube Audio Library, April 21, 2021. Listen to the complete audio on YouTube at https://youtu.be/bteCg7aqqX0?si=0ToVaXQxcRHbMV1N.

Kingdom Initiative

In the Army we learned to take initiative and be decisive. Is that the way we're supposed to be in the Kingdom of Heaven?
Exodus 30:11-34:35; 1 Kings 18:1-39; 1 Samuel 15:1-35; 2 Samuel 5:17-25; Esther 2:21-23, 4:13-17; Revelation 2:18-28, 3:7-13
Click here to download a transcript of this podcast: Kingdom Initiative
Music: "Future King of Heaven,” Zachariah Hickman, YouTube Audio Library, April 21, 2021. Listen to the complete audio on YouTube at https://youtu.be/bteCg7aqqX0?si=0ToVaXQxcRHbMV1N.
Photo: Washington Army National Guard officer candidates in training, Joint Base Lewis-McChord, July 20, 2022. (U.S. Army National Guard photo by Staff Sgt. Adeline Witherspoon, via Flickr.)

National Goals in Context

We know that our Creator makes each of us uniquely, with special gifts and abilities for His purposes. What exactly are His purposes, though? And how  are we connected to His purposes as they have unfolded through the ages?
Exodus 27:20-30:10; Ezekiel 43:10-27; Proverbs 29:18; Hosea 4:6; 1 Corinthians 12:1-13
Click here to download a transcript of this podcast: National Goals in Context
Music: "Future King of Heaven,” Zachariah Hickman, YouTube Audio Library, April 21, 2021. Listen to the complete audio on YouTube at https://youtu.be/bteCg7aqqX0?si=0ToVaXQxcRHbMV1N.
Photo: My Uncle Charles Wood at a ceremony honoring him and his supervisor for their work on the Space Program at Redstone Arsenal, Huntsville, Alabama, c.1965. Left to right: Astronaut Scott Carpenter, Supervisor (name unknown), Charles Wood, Dr. Wernher von Braun. Photo used by permission of Richard Wood.