Salty Zebra

  By faith the prostitute Rahab, because she welcomed the spies, was not killed with those who were disobedient.   Hebrews 11:31  Who was Rahab? If you read the NIV version of the Bible, it says that she was a prostitute that ran an inn in Jericho that the spies stayed at. Many of the Jewish theologians argued that she was just an inn keeper and not a prostitute, but the term that was used by Joshua when writing it is used over and over throughout the Old Testament with illicit sexual connotations (Genesis 34:31, Exodus 34:15-16, Leviticus 19:29, etc.). I think that the Jewish scholars just didn’t want to have a prostitute in their genealogy.   Why does it matter? Because I think that Rahab represents so much for us in the Bible, and in order to appreciate that we have to see her for who she was. Rahab was a Canaanite living in Jericho. Her people followed false gods and pagan practices that had made them so abominable in God’s eyes that He was about to wipe them...

  Fix these words of mine in your hearts and minds; tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads.   Deuteronomy 11:18  I see more and more in society where people are seeking to have a long life, to lengthen their days and stay healthy and strong longer. While medical science has found ways to elongate our lives, those extra days and years are not always fruitful or enjoyable. So, how do we set about realistically to live a good, long, healthy, happy life? Thousands of years ago, God told us how in His Word! Walk in obedience to all that the LORD your God has commanded you, so that you may live and prosper and prolong your days in the land that you will possess.   Deuteronomy 5:33   The world tells us that living by God’s commands is limiting, that it keeps us from fun or freedom or pleasure, but the truth is the exact opposite. In living God’s way, we can find true peace, enjoyable life, and complete freedom. In fact, it is only in Je...

Sometimes life isn't ideal. Let's face it, most of the time it isn't! So, we do what we need to, to make things work. In my "Making It Work" posts, I share life hacks and ideas that have helped me so that, maybe, they can help someone else too. I hope you enjoy!    So, I've officially entered my Fall Risk Era. Yeah, I didn't think I'd hit this for a few more decades either, but God had other plans! As I approached  Radiation Therapy this spring, my vertigo really kicked in. I found the world around me tilting and whirling like I was on a ride at the fair (not Disneyland, Disney wouldn't do this to me!). My husband noticed that I was leaning to the right again (this happened before my brain surgeries as well) and that my path did not proceed on as straight a line as I intended. One Sunday at church, things got really bad! Our sanctuary is very dimly lit during services and the way everyone lines up to receive communion has lines of people going in ...

  Be careful, therefore, to do exactly what the LORD your God has commanded you; do not turn right or left! Walk just as he has commanded you so that you may live, that it may go well with you, and that you may live long in the land you are going to possess.   Deuteronomy 5:32-33  Today’s verse starts out with a directive. “Do exactly what the LORD your God has commanded you…” It’s not a guideline, not a suggestion. He’s told us exactly what we are to do. Jesus clarified it for us in John 13:34-35, “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” And in Galatians 5:14 it emphasizes, “For the entire law is fulfilled in keeping this one command: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’” So, what are we to do? Love others. Pure and simple. How are we to love them? What is that to look like? Jesus said that we are to love others in the same way that He lo...

  Moses stretched out his hand toward the sea, and the LORD drove the sea apart by a strong east wind all that night, and he made the sea into dry land, and the water was divided. Exodus 14:21  In this world we will have trouble ( John 16:33 ), but God is with us, He will never leave us nor forsake us ( Deuteronomy 31:6-8 ). When we encounter trouble or temptation, God will remain faithful, and He will make a way out so that we will be able to endure it ( 1 Corinthians 10:13 ).  In today’s passage ( Exodus 14:13-22 ), Israel has encountered a terribly difficult situation. They’ve been hemmed in with the Red Sea on one side of them and the Egyptian army bearing down on them on the other. It seems like they’re done for, like there isn’t any hope to be had. But. God. Before God had shown Moses how He would protect the Israelites, Moses encouraged them, saying, “Do not fear! Stand firm and see the salvation of the LORD that he will provide for you today; for the Egyptians...

  then tell them, ‘It is the Passover sacrifice to the Lord, who passed over the houses of the Israelites in Egypt and spared our homes when he struck down the Egyptians.’” Then the people bowed down and worshipped. The Israelites did just what the Lord commanded Moses and Aaron.   Exodus 12:27-28  Obeying God is important. Sometimes, it can mean immediate life or death. Today we look back at the story of the first Passover, when the Angel of Death passed over the homes of the Israelites on the way to execute the plague of the firstborn of Egypt. If the Israelites had blown Moses off, thinking he was wild to have them painting blood on their doorposts and eating in haste because their time in Egypt was just about up, they would come to swiftly regret it!   Much of the time, when we receive a command from God, either through His Word or from the Holy Spirit, it is guidance for our life, helping us to draw closer to Him or live out the blessings He has for us. Ever...