Observations from the Word by The Barking Fox

Shaky Ground

We all chafe under what we perceive as overbearing leaders. Sometimes they really are overbearing, but sometimes it's simply our resentment of and resistance against any authority. The path of wisdom is to discern which is which. We can fix our attitudes, but we may not be able to fix a bad situation with a bad leader. Then again, sometimes fixing the situation means not making it worse.
Numbers 16:1-18:32; 1 Samuel 11:14-12:22; Matthew 6:22-23, 20:25-28; Jude 1:1-25
Click here to download a transcript of this podcast: Shaky Ground
Music: "Forgiven Fate,” Dan Lebowitz, YouTube Audio Library, April, 2020. Listen to the complete audio on YouTube at https://youtu.be/04qy6i9mKRA?si=XLH7orlY9-GWZrWI.
Photo by Chris Hawkins, March 21, 2008, London, England, via Flickr.

Grasshoppers in Context

The Bible tells us that we are more valuable than many sparrows. By that measure, we must be even more valuable than grasshoppers. So what should we think when the Bible also tells us that God sees us humans as grasshoppers?
Numbers 13:1-15:41; Joshua 2:1-24; Proverbs 30:24-28; Isaiah 40:1-31; 1 Peter 1:3-9
Click here to download a transcript of this podcast: Grasshoppers in Context
Music: "First Love,” Wayne Jones, YouTube Audio Library, February 2, 2018. Listen to the complete audio on Youtube at https://youtu.be/Ye0ZHOooeq0?si=TdKZYHkNfZ34crlu.
Photo by SJ Liew, Petaling Jaya, Malaysia, July 26, 2007, via Flickr.

How to Handle Disagreeable People

Why do people whine and complain and play the victim even when circumstances seem good? To answer that question, we had best start by examining our own reasons for complaining. If we don't, then eventually God will let us know whether He thinks our reasons are valid.
Numbers 8:1-12:16; Zechariah 2:10-4:7; Luke 15:8-10; Acts 2:14-17; 1 Corinthians 14:1-5; Philippians 4:11-13
Click here to download a transcript of this podcast: How to Handle Disagreeable People
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.
Photo: "Grumpy Old Men," by Martyn, November 21, 2007, via Flickr.

Our Place in the Camp

Did God redeem us so we could do as we please for all eternity, or does He have a greater purpose for us? Assuming He does have such a purpose for us all, then we should probably put more emphasis on learning about that purpose, and about how to live it now so we'll be better prepared for eternity. 
Numbers 4:21-7:89; Judges 13:2-25; Ezekiel 47:21-23; Romans 11:16-27; Galatians 3:26-29; Hebrews 5:7-6:12; Revelation 7:9-10, 21:9-27
Click here to download a transcript of this podcast: Our Place in the Camp
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.
Photo: Boys camping. Uploaded by Richard May 12, 2015, via Flickr.

Understanding Paul

Do we think of Paul as a Christian theologian, or a Jewish Torah scholar? The answer to that question reveals the way we read - or misread - Paul's letters. 
Leviticus 26:3-27:34; Jeremiah 16:19-17:14; John 10:22-29; Acts 15:12-21; Romans 11:25-29; 2 Peter 3:14-18
Click here to download a transcript of this podcast: Understanding Paul
Music: "Return,” 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.
Illustration: Saint Paul, by El Greco (Domenikos Theotokopoulos) and workshop, Toledo, Spain, 1608-1614 (Museo del Prado, Madrid).

Let's Make A Deal

All the real estate transactions recorded in the Bible emphasize that God awarded the land of Israel to the descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Why do we have trouble understanding how that Divine decree still applies to the Jewish people today?
Leviticus 25:1-26:2; Jeremiah 32:6-27; Genesis 11:1-11; Psalm 24:1-10; Luke 18:1-8; Acts 17-16-31
Click here to download a transcript of this podcast: Let's Make A Deal
Music: "After You,” Dan Lebowitz, YouTube Audio Library, April, 2020. Listen to the complete audio on Youtube at https://youtu.be/vcz8ClAoMX4?si=GRwp2weSYS8Ef2HV.
Photo: “Let's Make A Deal in Calgary.” Photo of Conversation, sculpture by William Hodd McElcheran. Photo by Suburban Tourist, March 16, 2011, via Flickr.

A Lesson In Resurrection

Holiness is a matter of life and death. That can be a difficult concept to understand if we don't know what holiness is. Let's start with the premise that life itself is holy. That's why our holy God offers resurrection as the means of transcending the corruption of death.
Leviticus 21:1-24:23; Ezekiel 44:15-31; Matthew 22:23-33, 26:59-68; Ephesians 6:2
Click here to download a transcript of this podcast: A Lesson In Resurrection
Music: "Yonder Hill and Dale,” Aaron Kenny, YouTube Audio Library, February, 2018. Listen to the complete audio on Youtube at https://youtu.be/M_AcKq_a9BE?si=48aIC8c_jQbtpG87.
Photo by Wordshore, Stockholm, July 4, 2008, via Fickr.

One Heart At A Time

We Christians don't think much about the Torah. If we've even heard the word, we probably think of it as the old Law of Moses that doesn't apply to us. That's why we're surprised to learn that Jesus taught the Law of Moses, and expected His followers to use it as a guide for their lives. 
Leviticus 16:1-20:27; Amos 9:7-15; Matthew 5:21-22; Mark 12:28-34; Hebrews 8:8-12; 1 John 3:4-9
Click here to download a transcript of this podcast: One Heart At A Time
Music: "Create in Me,” 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.
Photo: Jerod D, May 25, 2009, via Flickr.