Observations from the Word by The Barking Fox

Responsible Unfairness

Why do people continue to hold the Bible up as the definitive authority for life if it is rooted in ancient patriarchy and is inherently unfair to women? That's a valid question. The answer is just as valid, although it may not be what we expect, or what we want to hear. 
Numbers 30:2-36:13; Jeremiah 2:4-28, 3:1-16, 31:31-34; Genesis 2:15-16; Isaiah 28:14-18; Hosea 13:12-14; Ephesians 5:21-33; 1 Corinthians 15:51-57
Angry mother and daughter. Photo: verkeorg, February 19, 2016, via Flickr.
Music: "Psalm 25,” Exodus Road Band, Heart of the Matter, Exodus Road Records 2016. This song and others by Exodus Road Band are available at https://www.youtube.com/c/ExodusRoadBand/featured.
Click here to download a transcript of this podcast: Responsible Unfairness.pdf

A Form for That

Why would anyone ever submit to all the restrictions and oversight that comes with military service? It's just not right to the sensibilities of people who appreciate self-esteem and individualism. But then, individualism can mean isolation from others. It's very hard to live in community when we're isolated - and if we're not in community, how do we learn to love our neighbors as ourselves? 
Numbers 25:10-29:40; Jeremiah 1:1-2:3; Luke 7:1-10; Acts 5:1-11, 8:9-24
Pfc. Jennifer Reynolds fills out in processing paperwork on the back of Pfc. Enrique Baena at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Washington, after their return from deployment in Iraq, December 6, 2011. Photo: JBLM PAO/Jim Bryant/NW Guardian, via Flickr.
Music: "National Emblem," Edwin E. Bagley, The United States Army Concert Band, Marches of America, Altissimo 2005. Music by the United States Army Bands is available at https://www.usarmyband.com/.  
Click here to download a transcript of this podcast: A Form for That.pdf

Settling for Division

We are bred for conflict, or so it seems. Even in the games we play, are objective is to win at the expense of others. Is that how our Creator designed us? Maybe, but it's more likely that in His eternal perspective, the winners are the ones who enter the Kingdom together with those they have helped along the way.
Numbers 22:2-25:9; Micah 5:7-6:8; Genesis 12:3; Deuteronomy 2:8-9; 1 Samuel 15:22-23; 1 Corinthians 1:10-18, 6:1-8
A friendly game of Catan.
Music: "Overture” (feat. Eben Mann), 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.
Click here to download a transcript of this podcast: Settling for Division.pdf

Sprinkling the Dogs

We love our dogs, but because they are dogs, sometimes they get into things that make them repulsive to us. That's when they need some loving intervention in the form of a thorough scrubbing to make them acceptable in our presence.
Isn't that exactly what our Creator does for us?
Numbers 19:1-22:1; Judges 11:1-33; Psalm 90:4; Isaiah 52:13-15; Ezekiel 36:22-28; Matthew 22:31-32; 2 Corinthians 5:17-21; 2 Peter 3:8; Hebrews 10:19-25
 
Music: "Remember Me,” Cody Ryan Cribbs, Exodus Road Band, Prodigal Son, Exodus Road Records 2022. This song and others by Exodus Road Band are available at https://www.exodusroadband.com/.
Click here to download a transcript of this podcast: Sprinkling the Dogs.pdf

Divine Expectation Management

Life is an endless series of negotiations. Children and parents negotiate their relationships and boundaries, business partners negotiate contracts, social organizations negotiate bylaws, and nations negotiate treaties. It's really a matter of reaching agreement about what each party contributes and what each will receive. We know by experience the problems that arise when one or both parties fail to live up to their obligations, but what happens if one of those parties is our Creator?
Numbers 16:1-18:32; 1 Samuel 11:14-12:22; Jeremiah 7:21-25; John 6:67-69; Hebrews 11:23-29
Korah, Dathan and Abiram and their families are swallowed up by the earth, Gilliam van der Gouwen, after Gerard Hoet, 1728, Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam.
Music: "Trust & Believe,” Exodus Road Band, Hard Rain, Exodus Road Band 2018. This song and others by Exodus Road Band are available at https://www.exodusroadband.com/. 
Click here to download a transcript of this podcast: Divine Expectation Management.pdf

How God Sorts Out His Own

It's easy - too easy - to write people off as lost causes when it seems that God is judging them. If it is judgment, then it may be such people are simply suffering the natural consequences of poor choices. But what if the people suffering the most are not the ones who made those choices? And what if those natural consequences doom them to make those same choices and perpetuate the cycle? Do we let them perish, or do we break into their suffering somehow, at least to ease their pain, even if they never find the path to redemption?
Numbers 13:1-15:41; Joshua 2:1-24, 6:22-25; Deuteronomy 7:1-6; Matthew 1:1-6; 2 Timothy 1:3-7
Rescuer holds a hand of a student survivor of the collapse of La Promesse College, Port-au-Prince, Haiti. UN Photo/Marco Dormino, November 7, 2008, via Flickr.
Music: "Forgiveness,” Mason Clover, Perception, Abiron Records 2019. Mason Clover’s music is available at https://www.masonclover.com/.  
Click here to download a transcript of this podcast: How God Sorts Out His Own.pdf

Quail Jerky and the Illusion of Abundance

How much do we trust God? We say we trust in Him, but how much trust do we really have when adversity comes? Maybe a better question would be, do we trust Him more than we trust in ourselves to provide the things we want when we want them? That leads to a more uncomfortable question: if God doesn't provide in the way we expect, is He still the God we want to follow?
Numbers 8:1-12:16; Zechariah 2:10-4:7; Daniel 3:12-18; Philippians 4:12-13 
Desert Quail (Gambel's Quail), illustration from The Birds of California, William Leon Dawson, (Los Angeles: South Moulton Company, 1923). Biodiversity Heritage Library, via Flickr.
Music: "I Know Whom I Have Believed,” Hymn Collective, Gospel Light, Infinity Records 2010.  
Click here to download a transcript of this podcast: Quail Jerky and the Illusion of Abundance.pdf

Coping with Unfair

It is inevitable that we encounter undeserved adversity. That's been part of human existence for as long as anyone can remember. We can't eradicate unfairness, which means we have a choice: we can complain and make ourselves more miserable, or we can bear it as best we can while finding a way to grow through it.
Numbers 4:21-7:89; Judges 13:2-25; Genesis 6:5, 9:8-16; Matthew 1:18-25; 26:36-39; 1 Corinthians 2:14-16; Ephesians 5:21-33
Sad little boy. Photo: David Shankbone, May 2009, via Flickr.
Music: "Crisis of Belief,” Mason Clover, An Intimate Look, Abiron 2008. Visit https://www.masonclover.com/ to hear more by Mason Clover.
Click here to download a transcript of this podcast: Coping with Unfair.pdf