I’ve been learning so much here at New Tribes and I wanted to write down just few things that I have learned in God’s Word. Take your time reading these. I hope and pray they are a blessing to your life. There are many themes in these stories and I just wanted to point out a few.
Creation
This story you probably know so I won’t restate it, but there are some amazing things in the story of creation. So God created everything right? Well where did it come from? Where did the idea of everything that is in existence come from? Where did emotions come from? When God created, He made all things in existence from Himself. He thought up everything! The idea of the human body is His. The idea of the cell is His. The idea of the solar system is His. The idea of the platypus is His. God is amazingly knowledgeable and wise beyond our comprehension. “Be Skillful” by Warren W Wiersbe says, “The astronomer watching a comet through a telescope and the biologist peering at a cell through a microscope are both discovering God’s wisdom, for scientific study is but the act of thinking God’s thoughts after Him.” God is so amazing! And not only did He think of these things, He created them. And He created them by just speaking them into existence. Crazy! Some themes of God’s story of creation are God is the author of everything, it was his idea; God is all powerful, He can do anything He wants; God is eternal, he has no beginning or end; God is love, He defines love because He is love, He created man because he is love; and God is Holy (holy means set apart or unique), He is infinitely unique because He defines Holiness.
Abraham
A major theme in the story of Abraham is man must have faith in God to be saved. His faith was evident through his obedience to God of leaving his country and his family. He believed what God had promised him.
“And I will make you a great nation,
And I will bless you,
And make your name great;
And so you shall be a blessing;
[3] And I will bless those who bless you,
And the one who curses you I will curse.
And in you all the families of the earth will be blessed."
And because he believed what God promised, he obeyed and left everything behind for a land that God would show him. “So Abram went forth as the Lord had spoken to him; and Lot went with him. Now Abram was seventy-five years old when he departed from Haran.” By faith Abraham was saved. Versus in Hebrews 11 also sate his faith.
“By faith Abraham, when he was called, obeyed by going out to a place which he was to receive for an inheritance; and he went out, not knowing where he was going. [9] By faith he lived as an alien in the land of promise, as in a foreign land, dwelling in tents with Isaac and Jacob, fellow heirs of the same promise.” “By faith even Sarah herself received ability to conceive, even beyond the proper time of life, since she considered Him faithful who had promised.” “By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac, and he who had received the promises was offering up his only begotten son.”
Man’s responsibility is faith in God. Romans 4:5 says, “But to the one who does not work, but believes in Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is credited as righteousness.” Ephesians 2:8 says, “For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God.” John 5:24 says, “Truly, truly, I say to you, he who hears My word, and believes Him who sent Me, has eternal life, and does not come into judgment, but has passed out of death into life” So throughout the Bible, it is clearly stated that faith in God alone saves man from death.
Joseph
Joseph was son of Jacob, who was son of Isaac, who was son of Abraham. Jacob loved all his sons but loved Joseph more than all his sons and gave him a multi-colored tunic. Joseph had two dreams where one was his brothers sheaves bowing down to his sheaf, and the other was the sun, the moon, and eleven stars bowing down to him. His brothers hated him and were jealous of him because he had these dreams that foretold future events and because his father loved him more. Therefore, his brothers wanted to kill Joseph and plotted to do so. Rueben, one of Joseph’s brothers and the first born to Jacob, did not want to kill him and convinced his brothers to only throw him into a pit so he could rescue him later. After he was thrown into the pit, Judah, another brother, convinced all the brothers to sell him as a slave to some Ishmaelites that were passing by to go down to Egypt. The brothers then tricked Jacob into thinking Joseph was devoured by a wild animal by dipping Joseph’s multi-colored tunic in blood.
In Egypt, Joseph was sold to Potiphar, the captain of the bodyguard of Pharaoh. God was with Joseph and made him successful and prosperous in everything he did. Potiphar saw that God was with Joseph and put him in charge of his whole house. Potiphar’s wife, though, falsely accused Joseph of trying to sleep with her because Joseph refused to sleep with her, and Joseph was put in jail. The chief jailer saw also what Potiphar saw in Joseph and he put him in charge over supervising all the prisoners. The Pharaoh’s cupbearer and chef were prisoners in jail at this time and both had dreams that could not be interpreted. God gave Joseph the ability to interpret their dreams because he believed God and they came true. The cupbearer was put back in his position but the chef was killed. Pharaoh had a dream later and he called all interpreters of dreams in Egypt to interpret his dream but they could not interpret it. The cupbearer remembered Joseph and told Pharaoh about the dream Joseph interpreted for him, so Pharaoh called Joseph to interpret his dream. Joseph gave all the glory to God for interpreting the cupbearer’s dream and humbled himself. God gives Joseph the ability to interpret Pharaoh’s dream and explains that there will be seven years of abounding food and then seven years of famine. Pharaoh then makes Joseph ruler of Egypt, second to Pharaoh, to oversee that they gather food for the famine.
After the seven years of abundance, the famine came just as interpreted. Joseph’s brothers were sent to Egypt because there was no food in the land and Egypt was the only one with food. His brothers did not recognize him when they saw him. He tested them to see the intent of their heart if it was still evil but they were convicted about selling Joseph into slavery and changed their heart. Joseph reveals himself to them and sends to bring his father, Jacob, and his whole family to live in Goshen, prime time real estate in Egypt.
God is so awesome! I love this story because it just shouts God’s character. A very big theme in this story is the exaltation of God. In His stories, God very often exalts himself. This is seen in this story of Joseph explaining to Pharaoh that he himself cannot interpret dreams but that God is creator of everything including dreams and that He has the wisdom to interpret dreams. God wants to exalt himself so people can know Him. God also in this story exalts himself by simply staying true to His character. He fulfills all the dreams that he created in the first place showing that He is the author of everything, He knows everything, and is sovereign; He restores Joseph back to his family showing that again God is sovereign, He knows all things, and is loving; and ultimately God works this whole story for the good of Joseph, even with man sinning in the beginning of it, showing God’s sovereignty, knowledge, mercy, grace, and man’s depravity and sinful heart.
The 12 Spies
A little background to the story, the nation of Israel had been in bondage in Egypt for 400 years. Moses led God’s people out of Egypt by His power, and the nation was promised the land of the Canaanites. God showed his amazing power through 10 plagues against the Egyptians and the parting of the Red Sea for Israel to escape Pharaoh. After the exodus, God had given Israel the Law so they could have a relationship with a Holy and Righteous God. God showed his Glory multiple times to the people through a cloud on Mount Sinai and through the cloud that guided them in the wilderness. While on the way to the land of the Canaanites, the people again and again forgot about where the Lord had brought them from and His miraculous signs He showed them, and they complained about food and water. God again and again supplied their needs though.
Then we come to the 12 spies. Once the nation of Israel was near the land, Moses sent in 12 spies to check the land and see what the people were like. After spying the land for 40 days, they came back and reported to Moses what they had seen. They told him that the land is flowing with milk and honey, and they bought back huge grapes, pomegranates, and figs. Although, they said that the cities are well fortified and the people are very strong. Everyone except Caleb and Joseph believed that God gave them the land and that they could take it because God was on their side. Because of the people’s unbelief, God sent them into the wilderness for 40 years to kill off the unbelieving generation but spared Caleb and Joseph for their faith.
I know from just looking in on your life from the outside that you can relate to this story, as well myself. Again and again I can see myself seeing God in so many ways in my life, through the good and the bad, and again and again I grumble and complain about my life and disobey God with my actions by just not believing His Word and who He is. I don’t recognize the truth that I am depraved, sinful, and helpless without God and that I need Him more than anything else in life. He is the one and only thing I should be living for in life because he bought me with a price of His Son’s life and my life doesn’t belong to me anymore because I accepted God’s free gift of salvation. God owns us.
Through this story, God is also seen as holy, loving, merciful, and gracious. Through all the circumstances that made Israel grumble and complain, God still provides for them and extends love, mercy, and grace. He also is seen as just though for Israel’s unbelief and punishes them for it.
Jericho
After the unbelieving generation had died in the wilderness, God put Joshua in charge of the nation and conquering the land that God had already given them. The first city that he conquers is Jericho. This city had huge walls and was well fortified. God instructed Joshua and Israel to march around the city once for six straight days and on the seventh day to march around seven times. After the seventh time on the seventh day, the priests were to blow their trumpets and the people to shout and God would make the city walls fall down flat. Joshua did as God had told him and they marched around the city for six days and seven times on the seventh day and blew the trumpets and shouted. The walls of the city fell down just as God had said. Israel went into the city and destroyed everyone and everything, except for Rahab who saved two of Israel’s spies who went in before they had marched around the city.
This stories main theme I believe is the exaltation of God. Who else could knock down city walls by people blowing trumpets and shouting? It’s crazy how God is so much more powerful and knowledgeable and gigantic than we think he really is. No, He hasn’t recently knocked down a city but He is alive and working in this world and in our lives. God is big! It’s hard to grasp even a hint of his power and greatness, like the story of creation. “’But will God really dwell on earth with men? The heavens, even the highest heavens, cannot contain you. How much less this temple I have built!’”
Gideon’s 300
In the time of the judges, God appointed individuals to judge and lead Israel because they again and again disobeyed God and turned to idolatry and evil ways. It was a cycle of Israel sinning against God, being taken captive and oppressed by another people, realization and confession of their sin, and God saving them from bondage with a judge that God chose. God chose Gideon to save Israel. The angel of the Lord appeared to him and assured that he would be victorious against the Midianites and Amalekites who were oppressing Israel. 32,000 of Israel’s warriors were called together to defeat their enemy but God had a different plan. “The Lord said to Gideon, ‘The people who are with you are too many for Me to give Midian into their hands, for Israel would become boastful, saying, ’My own power has delivered me.’’” 22,000 people left because they were afraid so they were down to 10,000. God still said there was too many and so he told Gideon to send home everyone who kneels to drink the water out of the river. Now there were only 300 men left. God spoke to Gideon and reassured him that he would be victorious because God had given their enemy into their hands.
God confused the enemy when Gideon and his men blew their trumpets and they killed themselves and retreated. Gideon called more of Israel in the land of Ephraim to pursue the enemy that retreated and they captured them and killed their two leaders.
This story is a beautiful example of God exalting Himself in His stories. He cut down Gideon’s army lower and lower only to exalt himself. All Gideon’s men did was blow their trumpets. God is the author of everything and he is all-powerful.
Samson
One of these judges was also Samson. God called Samson to be a Nazirite from the time he was conceived, which means he wasn’t able to drink wine, touch any dead body, or cut his hair, being dedicated and wholly devoted to God. Israel was in bondage to the Philistines for 40 years before God saved them through Samson. God blessed Samson as he grew up.
Samson was walking along when he saw a Philistine woman that he was interested in. He went back to his house and said to his parents, “I saw a woman in Timnah, one of the daughters of the Philistines; now therefore, get her for me as a wife.” His parents did not want him marrying a Philistine because God did not want Israel associating with different nations. Israel was to be a holy nation, set apart. Samson did not listen to his parents and insisted that he knew better than they did and wanted his way saying, “Get her for me, for she looks good to me.” He expresses total disrespect towards his parents but they get her for him anyways. They get engaged and throw a party before their wedding. Samson tells a riddle to his buddies and they can’t figure it out. They ask Samson’s fiancé to ask Samson what the riddle means and after she nags him for 7 days he tells her. She then tells his buddies and they tell Samson they figured out the riddle. They had a bet that if they figured it out, he had to give them 30 outfits of clothing. I know, weird. Samson then kills 30 people from a different nation for the clothes he had to give to them.
Before Samson had gotten married to his Philistine fiancé, her father thought Samson hated her so he had given his daughter in marriage to one of Samson’s friends. Samson freaks out and catches 300 foxes, ties them by their tails to a torch, and lights the torches on fire to burn down a whole bunch of grain, vineyards, and groves. Now the Philistines are super ticked off at Samson and burn his supposed to be wife and her father. Then Samson gets super ticked off and kills a thousand Philistines with a fresh donkey jawbone. Crazy! After that he decides it was a good idea to sleep with a harlot.
He then falls in love with another woman named Delilah. The Philistine leaders came to her and said, “Entice him, and see where his great strength lies and how we may overpower him that we may bind him to afflict him. Then we will each give you eleven hundred pieces of silver.” After few tries, Delilah gets Samson to tell his secret. “A razor has never come on my head, for I have been a Nazirite to God from my mother's womb. If I am shaved, then my strength will leave me and I will become weak and be like any other man.” She cuts his hair while he was asleep and God departed from him so he could not use his strength when the Philistines captured him. It was God who had given him all his strength by the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. When they capture him, they gauge out his eyes and then praise and sacrifice to their pagan gods. Samson calls to God while the Philistines are partying and asks God to strengthen him one last time so he could make the house they were in collapse by pulling on the pillars that held up the house. God gives him the strength and he dies while killing thousands of Philistines.
The first theme of this story that I noticed was the truth that God owns us. Even before Samson was born, God told his parents that he would be dedicated to Him. God had total authority to do this because He created him in the first place, just as he has created you and me and can tell us what we are to do with the life He has given us. We have no right at all to argue or complain. It isn’t our life. Samson didn’t even have the opportunity to argue about being a Nazirite. It was just imposed on him.
The next truth I noticed about this story was that God is supreme and sovereign. Through Samson’s sin and the selfishness in his heart, God still works through him to fulfill His will. God uses Samson’s desire for a Philistine wife, his gambling, his ridiculous idea with the foxes, his slaughter of the Philistines with the donkey’s jawbone, and his weakness for Delilah all to bring judgment on the Philistines and for Samson to realize his need of God. God punished the Philistines because of their sin of not believing in Him and having pagan gods and messed up worship and sacrifice to those gods, which brings up another truth. God demands death as a penalty for sin.
You can see throughout this story that Samson was pretty messed up, but that was just his heart showing through his actions. Man is ultimately depraved and corrupt. “Then the Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great on the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually” (Genesis 6:5). “The Lord smelled the soothing aroma; and the Lord said to Himself, ‘I will never again curse the ground on account of man, for the intent of man's heart is evil from his youth; and I will never again destroy every living thing, as I have done’” (Genesis 8:21). “He who trusts in his own heart is a fool, but he who walks wisely will be delivered” (Proverbs 28:26). “’The heart is more deceitful than all else and is desperately sick; who can understand it?’” (Jeremiah 17:9).
Amalek
Samuel was a prophet of God when Saul was king. Samuel spoke the words of God to Saul saying, “This is what the Lord Almighty says: ‘I will punish the Amalekites for what they did to Israel when they waylaid them as they came up from Egypt.’” God told him to destroy everything and everyone of Amalek. Saul did as God commanded him and killed man, woman, child, and animal. But Saul spared the best of their spoil and disobeyed God. He told Samuel that it was for sacrifices to God. Samuel’s reply was this: “Does the Lord delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in obeying the voice of the Lord? To obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed is better than the fat of rams. For rebellion is like the sin of divination, and arrogance like the evil of idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the Lord, he has rejected you as king."
Harsh, but don’t we do the same thing? We obey God somewhat and think that He is okay with some of our life. But God wants our entire life. We are given clear instruction in God’s Word and how often do I find myself deceiving my own heart and directly disobeying God’s Word or the Holy Spirit’s conviction. God owns us. He deserves our life as a living sacrifice.
Another theme in this story is God’s faithfulness and justice. The Amalekites had years before attacked Israel but God is faithfully just and punished them for messing with His people.
