Observations from the Word by The Barking Fox

Genuinely Human

Which is better: to be right, or to keep a relationship? We can choose an answer now, but it's likely to be the wrong one at some point. Every relationship is unique, and some need to be broken. The real challenge is to know which is which, and when. 
Numbers 16:1-18:32; 1 Samuel 11:14-12:22; Psalm 46:10; Ezekiel 33:10-11; Romans 12:9-21; 1 Corinthians 5:9-6:8; 1 Timothy 2:1-6 
Click here to download a transcript of this podcast: Genuinely Human
Music: "Revive Me,” Mason Clover, Perception, Abiron Records 2019. Mason Clover’s music is available at https://www.masonclover.com/. 
Picture: Argument, oil on canvas, Kirsi Karppinen, January 19, 2011, via Flickr.

Vision Beyond Survival

It's right to cry out to our Creator for salvation in times of trouble, and for provision at all times. However, if we never progress beyond that, then we might miss the lofty goals our Creator has for us, and the dreams He dreams on our behalf. 
Numbers 13:1-15:41; Joshua 2:1-24, 6:22-25; Proverbs 29:18; 1 Peter 2:1-25; Revelation 5:6-10 
Click here to download a transcript of this podcast: Vision Beyond Survival
Music: "How Could We,” Solomon O. Lopez, The Born At Home Collections, The Hebraism Project 2014. To hear more of Solomon’s music, visit The Hebraism Project on YouTube.
Picture: Abd El-Krim al-Khattabi, or Molay Muhand Amazigh as he is known to the Berber people of Morocco, led a fierce resistance against Spanish and French colonial forces in the Rif War (1921-26). Illustration by Imdukar, December 31, 2013, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

Out of the Mixed Multitude

What is permanent about national, religious, or even ethnic identity? We think of tribes, tongues, and nations as everlasting, but even the oldest has existed only a moment in the context of eternity, and has evolved continuously over the centuries. That's why it is good to consider what identity we will carry into eternity, and how we might begin to live that identity in the present.  
Numbers 8:1-12:16; Zechariah 2:10-4:7; Ephesians 2:1-22; Philippians 3:17-21; Revelation 5:9-10, 7:1-15, 13:5-8, 21:10-13 
Click here to download a transcript of this podcast: Out of the Mixed Multitude
Music: "Old 100th,” Celtic Worship, Morningtide, Integrity Music 2021. See the official video on Youtube at https://youtu.be/pldbEUCkAnc. Celtic Worship’s music is available at https://celticworship.co.uk/.
Picture: Many leaders of the Scottish nation have been of foreign origin, but their identity is unquestionably Scottish. The latest is First Minister Humza Yousaf, son of Pakistani immigrants. Scottish Government photo, March 29, 2023, via Flickr. 

Ugly Holiness

If we ever think about holy people, what comes to mind may be nice people who get along well with others. But what about people who aren't very nice, such as those Old Testament judges and prophets who saw everything in black and white and took no prisoners when it came to rooting out unrighteousness? Were they holy? And are such people still with us today? 
Numbers 4:21-7:89; Judges 13:2-25; Romans 9:14-23, 11:29, 12:14-21
Click here to download a transcript of this podcast: Ugly Holiness
Music: "Battle Hymn of the Republic,” The U.S. Army Band, YouTube Audio Library. The full recording is available at https://youtu.be/dAdbKqLwhZg.
Picture: The Tragic Prelude: John Brown. Mural by John Steuart Curry, 1938, Kansas State Capitol, Topeka, KS. 

Citizen Advocates

It's not right to have different classes among citizens of any nation. That's not simply a human sense of fairness, but a statute of our Creator, Who commands that there be one law for the native born and for the foreigner. 
Exodus 19:1-20:26; Deuteronomy 14:22-16:17, 23:4-5; Ruth 1:1-4:22; Ezekiel 1:1-28, 3:12; Habakkuk 2:20-3:19; Matthew 23:13; John 4:25-42; Acts 22:23-29; Galatians 3:27-29; Philippians 3:2-7
Click here to download a transcript of this podcast: Citizen Advocates
Music: "Jesus Paid It All,” Celtic Worship, Homeward, Oak Ridge Records 2019. See the official video on Youtube at https://youtu.be/YfUNU-sPwbQ. Celtic Worship’s music is available at https://celticworship.co.uk/.
Photo: Petitioners taking the Oath of Citizenship at Yellowstone National Park. National Park Service photo by Neal Herbert, September 9, 2015, via Flickr.

Counting the Dark Stars

Is our Creator trustworthy if He doesn't come through on His promises? We need to wrestle with this question because the eternal destiny of the whole world depends on it. That's why we have to ask whether He has come close to fulfilling His promise to Abraham to make his descendants as numerous as the stars in the heavens. 
Numbers 1:1-4:20; Hosea 1:10-2:21; Genesis 15:1-6; Deuteronomy 1:10-11; Ezekiel 11:14-16; Matthew 15:24; Romans 11:16-21; Galatians 3:29; Ephesians 2:11-22
Click here to download a transcript of this podcast: Counting the Dark Stars
Music: "Shevet Achim," Exodus Road Band, Heart of the Matter, Exodus Road Band 2017. This song and others by Exodus Road Band are available at https://www.exodusroadband.com/. 
Photo: Milky Way over Lake Ninan - Western Australia, by Trevor Dobson, August 12, 2018, via Flickr.

One More River to Cross

There is some comfort in knowing that our Creator expects us to fail. It's part of the lengthy training process He has overseen for millennia to prepare a redeemed people for His eternal purposes. 
Leviticus 25:1-27:34; Exodus 4:22; Jeremiah 16:19-17:14; John 10:29; Galatians 3:26-29; 1 Peter 2:9
Click here to download a transcript of this podcast: One More River to Cross
Music: "Many Waters,” Exodus Road Band, Hard Rain, Exodus Road Band 2018. This song and others by Exodus Road Band are available at https://www.exodusroadband.com/. 
Photo: Woodrow Wilson Bridge, looking northwest over the Potomac River toward Alexandria, Virginia. Traffic flows freely in this photo, but several months earlier, the final stages of construction on the new bridge severely constricted traffic in both directions. Photo by Virginia Department of Transportation, December 14, 2008, via Flickr.

Justice on the Right Terms

We all want to see right prevail. Or do we? Maybe what we really want is to see right prevail as we define it. 
Leviticus 21:1-24:23; Ezekiel 33:10-11, 44:15-31; Matthew 5:38-42; Luke 6:27-38
Click here to download a transcript of this podcast: Justice on the Right Terms
Music: "The Entertainer,” Scott Joplin, arranged and performed by Kevin MacLeod, 2019. Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/. Kevin MacLeod’s music is available at https://incompetech.com/. 
Photo: Robert Earl Jones (L) as Luther Coleman and Robert Redford (R) as Johnny Hooker in The Sting, winner of the Oscar for Best Picture of 1973. Imaged by Heritage Auctions, HA.com.