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  Bible reading for May 31 -- June 1 May 31 -- Isaiah 32 and Rev 2 Jun 1 -- Isaiah 33 and Rev 3 Take some time today to pause, remember, and thank God for the many soldiers who died in military service for our country. Here's the USAF band performing Dvorak's "Going Home" at the National Cemetery in Culpeper, Virginia. ================    "Behold, a king will reign in righteousness, and princes will rule in justice. Each will be like a hiding place from the wind, a shelter from the storm, like streams of water in a dry place, like the shade of a great rock in a weary land." (Isaiah 32:1-2) LOOKING FOR FEW GOOD MEN (ch 32). Don't we all long for good leadership? Good leadership in homes, in businesses, in the church, in communities, and in the nation? How much suffering and misery comes from corruption, bribery, conflicts of interest, immoral decisions, unjust laws, bribery, and favoritism.  Whether leadership is weak or overbearing, all of the people s...

Bible reading for Dec 11.  2 Chronicles 11-12. "And those who had set their hearts to seek the LORD God of Israel came after them from all the tribes of Israel to Jerusalem to sacrifice to the LORD, the God of their fathers." (11:16)  DRIVEN OUT (ch 11) . Something we are told here that is not recorded in 1 Kings 12 is that Israelites who were faithful to the Lord and living in the north would pay a price for their loyalty (11:13-16; 13:9). Ousted from their role as priests and Levites, many gave up homes and property in the north to move to Jerusalem. This is a principle throughout Scripture -- when idolatry reigns God's people are often driven from public life and cultural influence. Both secularism and religious pluralism, supposedly tolerant and neutral, end up driving Judeo-Christian influence away from the public sector. This intolerance was seen in the northern kingdom then, and later in the Roman empire toward the early church, and today in opposition both from se...

Bible reading for July 22.  Judges 5 "My heart goes out to the commanders of Israel who offered themselves willingly among the people. Bless the LORD." (Judges 5:9)  A SONG OF VICTORY. Deborah writes a poem about God's deliverance (see yesterday's post). These Israelites (primarily tribes from the central region) had lived in fear of the powerful Canaanites in that region, led by the military commander, Sisera. The Israelites kept off the main roads, likely to avoid encounter and abuse from their cruel overlords. The tribes rallied and faced their enemy in the plain between Megiddo and Mount Tabor. This flat region gave great advantage to the chariot warfare waged by the Canaanites. As we saw yesterday the Canaanites, despite heavy odds in their favor, were totally defeated. So what happened? Apparently, a most unusual and massive storm  -- possibly along with an earthquake -- took place and flooded the plain between Megiddo and Tabor (vv 4-5, 20-22). The t...