Observations from the Word by The Barking Fox

Formulas and Fake Snakes

Is it possible for finite, mortal humans to know everything about the immortal, infinite Creator? No, it isn't. So why do we keep trying to do that? 
Numbers 19:1-22:1; Judges 11:1-33; 2 Kings 18:1-4; Daniel 2:19-23; John 3:14-15; 2 Timothy 3:1-17
Click here to download a transcript of this podcast: Formulas and Fake Snakes
Image: When we try to reduce God's ways to a formula, we could end up making an idol. (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.

Don't Sink the Boat

Why do we have contentious people among us? We can't get away from disagreeable people, but we can make it a point not to be disagreeable to others. 
Numbers 16:1-18:32; 1 Samuel 11:14-12:22; Genesis 37:16-26; Proverbs 27:20; Mark 12:28-34, 10:42-45; Luke 17:1-2; 1 Corinthians 11:18-19; Ephesians 5:21
Click here to download a transcript of this podcast: Don't Sink the Boat
Image: Some people aren't content just to rock the boat, but want to sink it. (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.

A Different Identity

How do heroes get to be heroes? It may not be as difficult as we think. Then again, it may be even more difficult, especially for those heroes who have attached themselves to the Creator of the Universe. 
Numbers 13:1-15:41; Joshua 2:1-24; Exodus 33:11; Isaiah 55:6-9; Romans 12:1-2; Hebrews 11:6
Click here to download a transcript of this podcast: A Different Identity
Image: Sgt. Alvin C. York, October 18, 1918. Painting by Frank Schoonover, 1919. Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons. Inset: Photo of Sgt. Alvin C. York, Bain News Service, ca. 1920 (Library of Congress #2014709286).
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.

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.