Observations from the Word by The Barking Fox

In the Valley of the Lepers

The reason we don't reach out more to undesirable people is because they are, well, undesirable. But how much of that undesirableness is because they are actually toxic to us, and how much is a description we have assigned based on our own preferences? This is why it's uncomfortable to read that our Messiah made a habit of reaching out to the undesirables. It gets even more uncomfortable when we realize we ourselves are undesirable, but He reached out to us anyway. 
Leviticus 14:1-15:33; 2 Kings 7:3-20; Exodus 29:19-21; John 5:19-20, 14:9-15; James 1:26-27, 4:1-12
Leper on the day of his cleansing, Simon Fokke, after a drawing Louis Fabritius Dubourg, 1722-1784, Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam.
Music: "Made to Leave” (feat. Mason Clover), Exodus Road Band, Hard Rain, 2018. See the official video on Youtube at https://youtu.be/3_w1EGc78Y4. The Exodus Road Band's music is available at www.exodusroadband.com. 
Click here to download a transcript of this podcast: In the Valley of the Lepers.pdf

Staying On The Field

Sometimes it helps to think of life as a game. There are many things out of our control in games, but we do have some control over how long we stay in the game, and whether we play well with others.
Leviticus 9:1-11:47, 2 Samuel 6:1-7:17; Psalm 24:1-10; Acts 5:1-11; James 4:8-12
Sliding Into Home. Arlington Little League photo by Danny Lee, June 20, 2017, via Flickr.
Music: "Centerfield," John Fogerty, Bad News Bears (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack), Bulletproof Entertainment, 2005. The full song is available on John Fogerty’s YouTube channel at https://youtu.be/Xq3hEMUeBGQ. 
Click here to download a transcript of this podcast: Staying On The Field.pdf

A Kingdom of Priests

Our contemporary concept of priesthood probably hasn't changed much since the dawn of civilization. It seems that we humans are quite happy to outsource our interaction with the Creator to those who seem more inclined to stand before Him on our behalf. That is, at best, a temporary solution seeing that our Creator has always desired to connect with each of us directly. With that in mind, maybe we should give some thought to what He means when He says He has called us into His Kingdom of Priests.
Leviticus 6:8-8:36, 10:8-10; Psalm 110:4; Jeremiah 7:21-8:3, 9:23-24; Ezekiel 22:25-27, 44:23; Hebrews 6:13-7:28; 1 Peter 2:1-11
Consecration of Aaron and His Sons. Illustration from the 1890 Holman Bible, via Wikimedia Commons.
Music: "Higher Ground," Promise Keepers, Turn the Tide 2001, Maranatha, 2002.
Click here to download a transcript of this podcast: A Kingdom of Priests.pdf

The Garment of A Jew: A Special Presentation for Purim

Did you ever consider that human beings are simultaneously the oppressed and the oppressors, the beloved and the reprobate, the Creator's handiwork and the Adversary's tools? This paradox of our existence has inserted a tension in the universe that our Creator is resolving through a massive role reversal story called redemption.
Zechariah 8:18-23; Esther 8:15-17; Isaiah 61:1-3; Jeremiah 9:23-24; Matthew 20:16, 27:35-54; Romans 3:1-2; 1 Corinthians 1:18-31
The Garments Divided by Cast Lots, James Tissot, 1886-1894, The Brooklyn Museum.
Music: "Garments of Praise,” Robin Mark, Revival In Belfast, Columbia 2002.
Click here to download a transcript of this podcast: The Garment of A Jew.pdf

Burned Up or Burned Out?

Does our Creator delight in the fact that the pace of this modern world leaves us overstretched and exhausted? Of course not. He does expect us to be overstretched and exhausted, but His delight is in seeing us pour ourselves out to Him so He can fill us anew day by day. 
Leviticus 1:1-6:7; Isaiah 43:21-44:23; Jeremiah 6:16; Matthew 11:28-30; Romans 12:1-2; Hebrews 12:28-29
Burnout! Photo by Dennis Skley, August 10, 2014, via Flickr.
Music: "Overture,” 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: Burned Up or Burned Out.pdf

The Reconstruction of Ourselves

God knew what He was doing when He established a single standard for good and instructed our first ancestors to abide by it. All the world's problems originated in their decision to ignore those instructions and set up their own standards. That's why we really don't have a unified understanding of what good means. All we have is hope that our Creator will fix the problem in us as He fixes the problems we have caused. 
Exodus 38:21-40:38; 1 Kings 7:51-8:21; Genesis 1:1-31; John 4:21-24; 1 Corinthians 3:9-16, 6:18-20; 2 Corinthians 6:14-18; Revelation 21:1-3, 22
Construction of the Tabernacle under direction of Moses. Jan Luyken, 1705, Rijksmuseum Amsterdam.
Music: "Rebuild,” 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: The Reconstruction of Ourselves.pdf

A Heart Prepared

It's difficult enough to comprehend the transformative process our Redeemer works within us as individuals. It's even more difficult to comprehend this process in a nation - particularly if it is the kingdom of priests our Redeemer has been assembling for millennia, and into which He calls all the Redeemed. The preparation of individual hearts is what, over time, brings about the transformation of the national heart that will glorify our King and Bridegroom for all eternity.
Exodus 35:1-38:20; Deuteronomy 29:4, 30:6; 2 Kings 12:1-17; Jeremiah 31:31-34; Ezekiel 11:17-21; Joel 2:32; Matthew 11:28-30; Romans 10:9
Assertion of Liberty of Conscience by the Independents of the Westminster Assembly of Divines, 1644. John Rogers Herbert, 1847. (Heritage Collection at UK Parliament, Palace of Westminster, London, via Wikimedia Commons.)
Music: "Old 100th,” Celtic Worship, Morningtide, Integrity Music 2021.
Click here to download a transcript of this podcast: A Heart Prepared.pdf

Never Disowned

God makes a promise never to leave us or forsake us. That's stunning since we humans have always had a tendency to leave and forsake Him. The Bible says God does this because He loves the world. So how does that work when no person and no nation consistently loves Him back?
Exodus 30:11-34:35; 1 Kings 18:1-39; Isaiah 49:14-16; Jeremiah 30:10-11; Zechariah 8:23; Romans 8:38-39
Stephen Lungu's mother abandoned him when he was a young child, but his Heavenly Father intervened to give a new, unshakeable identity in Messiah Yeshua (Jesus Christ). That's why he  become one of Africa's most gifted evangelists. (Photo via African Enterprise Australia.)
Music: "Amazing Grace, " John Newton, performed by the African Children’s Choir, Devotion, African Children’s Choir, 2004. To learn the story of the African Children’s Choir, visit https://africanchildrenschoir.com/.
Click here to download a transcript of this podcast: Never Disowned.pdf