Observations from the Word by The Barking Fox

So Many Chickens

Choosing life rather than death sounds simple enough. Who would have a problem making such an obvious choice? But is it really that simple when the choice we make concerns the intrinsic value of another human being - especially when that person is someone whose value may be questionable in our eyes?
Proverbs 14:28; John 8:42-44; James 1:26-2:13
Dawn at the Alamo (1905), Henry McArdle, Texas State Library and Archives Commission. 
Music: “Yellow Rose of Texas,” Mantovani and His Orchestra, Mantovani Magic, Columbia River Entertainment, 2000.
Click here to download a transcript of this podcast: So Many Chickens.pdf

Only Following Orders?

It is said that evil triumphs when good men do nothing. Maybe it's more accurate to say that evil triumphs when good people get so caught up in the business of life that they stop pursuing righteousness. So if they are not pursuing righteousness, what are they pursuing? And what slips by while they're not looking?
Jeremiah 5:20-31; Matthew 26:40-41; 1 Corinthians 10:1-12 
Adolf Eichmann (in glass booth on left) on trial for crimes against humanity in Israel, 1961. Photo via Yad Vashem. 
Music: “Luftwaffe March,” he Band Of The Staffordshire Regiment (The Prince Of Wales's), Staffords: Music By The Band of the Staffordshire Regiment, MM Military,2012.
Click here to download a transcript of this podcast: Only Following Orders.pdf

The Trial of Not Knowing

The hardest part of any trial may not be the trial itself, but waiting for it to begin.
Psalm 79:5-13; Luke 18:1-8; Revelation 6:9-11 
"On Guard at Sunset," Peter G. Varisano, U.S. Army Center of Military History.
Music: “Gary Owen,” U.S Army Field Band, Duty Honor Country: Two Hundred Years Of West Point Tradition, Naxos of America, Inc., 2012.
Click here to download a transcript of this podcast: The Trial of Not Knowing.pdf
 

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
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.
Music: “Maple Leaf Rag," Scott Joplin, Stoptime Rag, Future Noise Music Ltd., 2008.
Click here to download a transcript of this podcast: Justice On The Right Terms.pdf
 

Defiance, or Definition?

Where do we draw the line between obedience and defiance to authority? Maybe that is not the right question. Maybe it's more a matter of who - and whose - we understand ourselves to be.
Daniel 3:12-18; Job 13:15-16, 19:25-27; Thessalonians 5:8-11; Revelation 12:10-11 
The Fiery Furnace, Gustave Doré.
Music: “Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednigo,” The Abyssinians, The Abyssinians Live, Ackee Dist 2012.
Click here to download a transcript of this podcast: Defiance Or Definition.pdf

Our Shenandoah Moment

No matter how diligently we try to avoid controversy and hard choices, eventually they overtake us. It is another paradox of life that even refusing to choose one way or another often means to have made a choice, and in so doing to endure even greater harm. This is not new. Our ancestors going back to the beginning have dealt with hard decisions. What can their choices teach us? 
Exodus 1:8-10; 1 Samuel 23:15-18; 2 Samuel 2:8-11, 3:6-21; 1 Kings 2:5-6; Ecclesiastes 3:1-8; Romans 12:14-13:15; Ephesians 6:10-19
Scene from Shenandoah, 1965 film starring James Stewart. Imaged by Heritage Auctions, HA.com.
Music: “Shenandoah,” Mitch Miller and The Sing-Along Gang, The Essential Mitch Miller, Columbia/Legacy 2014.
Click here to download a transcript of this podcast: Our Shenandoah Moment.pdf

An Eternal Catch-22

Life is one grand paradox. To enjoy life to its fullest, we have to live within the boundaries our Creator established, even if those boundaries displease us. Going beyond those boundaries to grasp more of life brings very disagreeable consequences, but what happens when we stay within those boundaries even when they are constricting, unpleasant, and painful?
Genesis 2:15-17, 3:1-19; 1 Kings 3:5-14; Isaiah 5:18-24; Romans 6:8-11
1963 paperback edition of Joseph Heller's Catch-22.
Music: “I’m Getting Sentimental Over You,” by George Bassman and Ned Washington, performed by Members of the Original Tommy Dorsey Band, Original Big Band Collection: Tommy Dorsey, Classic Fox Records 2007.
Click here to download a transcript of this podcast: An Eternal Catch-22.pdf

He Ain‘t Heavy

How fractured is humanity? The Scripture record says we have been fighting one another from the very beginning. Will we ever get over that and be at peace with one another? Yes, that is our Creator's promise. However, He also gives us responsibility to work toward that promise. Oh yes, we do need His help to get there, but if we don't put forth the effort, how will we even begin the journey?
Genesis 4:6-12, 44:18-34; Ezekiel 37:15-28; John 17:20-23, 26
"Two Brothers" statue that stood at the entrance of Boys Town in Omaha, Nebraska, from 1977 to 2017. Photo: Nonpareil photos, “Boystown,” Council Bluffs Public Library, accessed December 21, 2020.
Music: “He Ain't Heavy, He's My Brother," Bobby Scott and Bob Russell, performed by The South African National Symphony Orchestra, Classic Unchained Melodies, Prestige Elite, 2007.
Click here to download a transcript of this podcast: He Ain't Heavy.pdf