Last fall, when we began the His Story journey through the whole Bible, it became very clear there were more questions on the Old Testament than we had time to answer! As this summer ministry season gets in gear, we will dig deeper into a portion of the Old Testament. The hope is we will be able to spend a little more time on a smaller chunk and therefore get a few things ironed out.
We will start June 2-3 with Joshua, the leader of the Israelites after Moses dies without entering the Promised Land. Joshua is tasked with overcoming the previous objections, leaning into his faith and encouraging the whole group of Abraham’s descendants to do the same. This is no small task but will require great faith and a great God who will make Himself known through Joshua.
After Joshua we will move into the era of the Judges where we will explore how God sends leaders at just the right times to accomplish just the right things. Each Judge had different skillsets to help the people overcome the particular spiritual crisis of the culture. God does this in each of our lives as well, if we let Him, in each of our own spiritual crises.
The six week Old Testament Challenge will conclude with the prophet Samuel and the selection of the first earthly king of the Israelites, Saul. This account is one of great importance; the people want an earthly king. God challenges the people to trust in God alone above all things and yet relents and gives the people what they want. What does this mean for us when we beg God for things that may not be a blessing? Why would God gift us things that are not necessarily in His plan for us? How is God able to redeem all these things and still accomplish His will for all mankind?
This more in depth look at a small portion of Old Testament teaching is sure to be one to challenge and enrich our walk of faith. Our hope in working through these accounts is to see how God interacts with humanity, points us to Jesus, and continues to be present for us today. We challenge you to join us these next few weeks by digging into the Word of God and engaging with Him like He continues to engage with us. The hope is that our faith is refined and we increasingly become a more faithful reflection of Him in our everyday lives.
