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GATHERING STONES

If you drive around America’s New England states you’ll notice a great many old stone walls bordering different properties.   These walls were built mostly during the late 18 th and early 19 th centuries by farmers who were clearing stones from their fields.   The first year they would dig the stones out of the ground, and a year or two later would use them to build boundary walls around their fields.   Before the Industrial Age kicked into high gear and after the Civil War, these farmers had produced an astonishing 240,000 miles of stone walls!   That’s estimated to be enough to wrap around the earth at the equator 10 times, and all done using no modern equipment.   These early pioneers moved all that stone by hand using only shovels, pry bars, runner-less stone “sleds” pulled by oxen or horse, and sheer muscle and grit.   The reason for all of this labor on the part of the New England farmers was to improve the production of their farms.  Large ...
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JOSHUA: GOD IS SALVATION (PART EIGHT)

Jericho had now been conquered, utterly destroyed, and burnt to the ground.   The ascent up the pass to the central highlands of Canaan (which Jericho had protected) was now open to Joshua and the armies of Israel.   God had given Joshua a very unusual, but successful, strategy for taking the mighty fortress city of Jericho.   All that stood between Israel and the less fortified cities in the highlands was the smaller walled city of Ai.   Just as Jericho was meant to protect the lower approach to the pass, Ai was situated to protect the top of the pass.   Once Ai was conquered, an advancing army could invade to the north and to the south picking off the weaker Canaanite cities that were built along the Judean highlands.   After Jericho was overthrown, Joshua sent out spies to view Ai and gather intelligence that would help them in forming a battle plan.  When these men returned, they advised Joshua not to send his whole force against Ai because it ...
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JOSHUA: GOD IS SALVATION (PART SEVEN)

BUT WE SEE JESUS In the second chapter of Hebrews, Paul refers to the writer of Psalm 8 when he says, "One in a certain place testified, saying, 'What is man that You are mindful of him?'" (2:6 NKJV).  He then goes on to describe how God made man lower than the angels in might and strength, but then crowned him with glory and honor by setting him over all the works of His creation and becoming so involved in man's affairs (v. 7).  But then the psalmist writes, "You have put everything in subjection under his feet."  This is a powerful statement.  When God says everything, He excludes nothing.  God has said that everything is in subjection to you and me.  There is nothing that we do not have power over in Christ Jesus!  Verse eight continues, however, by saying, "But now we see not yet all things put under him [man] ."  These verses remind me of Joshua and the Israelites' plight.  God said Jericho was theirs, but they did not yet see the...
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