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Truth and Soberness: Declaring the Word through Come Follow Me., Salt Lake City, UT (2026)

06/03/2026

CFM Old Testament: Ruth, Samuel

The Book of Ruth is Unique and Refreshing.

"Unlike the narratives from Genesis to Kings, where even pastoral settings are riven with tensions and often punctuated by violence, the world of Ruth is a placid bucolic world, where landowner and workers greet each other decorously with blessings in the name of the LORD, and where traditional practices such as the levirate marriage and leaving unpicked ears of grain for the poor are punctiliously observed.

The idyllic nature of the book is especially evident in its characters. In the earlier biblical narratives, character is repeatedly seen to be fraught with inner conflict and moral ambiguity. Even such presumably exemplary figures in the national history as Jacob, Joseph, David, and Solomon exhibit serious weaknesses, sometimes behaving in the most morally questionable ways.

In Ruth, by contrast, there are no bad people. Orpah, who turns back to Moab, leaving Naomi, is devoted to her mother-in-law and is merely following Naomi's exhortation. She is a good person, only less good than Ruth. The unnamed kinsman of the last chapter is also not a bad person, merely less exemplary than Boaz in his unwillingness to take on a Moabite wife with all that might entail.

In sum, this idyllic narrative is one of the few truly successful stories in any literature that concentrates almost exclusively on good people.

The balance, the rhyming poise, the stately symmetries of the language are an apt manifestation of the harmonious world of the Book of Ruth: the characters express a kind of moral confidence ultimately stemming from a sense of the rightness of the traditional values of loyalty, love, and charity and of the sustaining force of providence even in the face of adversity.

All this taken together, consummated with the most finely managed artistry, makes the Book of Ruth one of literature's most touching stories with a happy ending." (Alter)

06/03/2026

CFM Old Testament: Ruth, Samuel

What's in a Name?

Elimelech - "my God is king".

Naomi - Naomi points out in 1:20 that her name suggests "sweet" or "pleasant", as she names "mara", meaning "bitter", as the antonym for her name to be more applicable as the way she has been treated by the LORD.

Mahlon and Chilion - mean "sickness" and "destruction", pointing to the fate of the bearers, are manifestly schematic names and would not have been used in reality. "Chilion" implies utter destruction, and with no offspring, this son's name will be lost. "Mahlon" suggests a lesser condition of illness, and his name will be revived through Ruth.

Orpah - "nape", like the names of Naomi's sons, this name is dictated by plot function, because in the end she necessarily turns her back on Naomi to head back to Moab. Elsewhere, turning the nape is a sign of flight.

Ruth - There is some uncertainty about the meaning of this name. It might be a defective spelling of re'ut, "friendship", or it might derive from the verbal stem r-w-h, which suggests "well-watered" or "fertile". It could also be that the name has no thematic meaning.

Boaz - Though the name is not altogether transparent, and though it may not be meant to be symbolic, a tradition going back to Late Antiquity associates it with a Hebrew root signifying "strength". He is described as a "man of worth" gibor hayil, which means "valiant warrior", but its meaning is extended to an entirely pacific sense - a landowner of substantial means. It is the same designation that is applied to the "worthy woman" of Proverbs 31:10, and later this feminine form of the epithet will be attached to Ruth.

Obed - Only here is the name given to a child by neither father nor mother but by neighbor women. It is probably a reflection of the importance of the community of women in the story. The name Obed, which occurs elsewhere, means "worshipper" and is probably a shortened form of "Obadiah", "worshipper, or servant of the LORD"

06/03/2026

CFM Old Testament: Judges

"The first two chapters are both a prologue to what follows and a bridge from the end of the Book of Joshua. They incorporate a report of Joshua's death and an account of the incompletion of the conquest of the land, for which at least two rather different explanations are offered.

The unconsummated conquest sets the stage for the sequence of stories in which Israel is sorely oppressed by enemies on all sides - the Philistines based on the coastal plain, the Midianites and the Moabites to the east, and the Canaanites in the heartland of the country.

From the latter part of chapter 3 to the end of chapter 12, there is a formulaic rhythm of events: Israel's disloyalty to its God, its oppression by enemies as punishment for dereliction, the crying out to God by the Israelites, God's raising up a judge to rescue them...

The pattern remains the same, but for some of the Judges, we have no more than a bare notice of their name and their rescuing Israel, whereas for others we are given a detailed report of an act of military prowess. The story of the fratricidal Abimelech breaks the sequence of Judge narratives but provides foreshadowing of the bloody civil war at the end of the book.

The last in the series of Judges is Samson, who is in several ways quite unlike those who precede him. Unlike the other Judges, Samson acts entirely alone, and his motive for devastating the Philistines is personal vengeance, not an effort of national liberation.

Samson, battling alone with unconventional weapons or with his bare hands, more drawn to the sexual arena than to national struggle, hostilely confronted by fellow Israelites, sowing destruction around him to the very end, like the fire with which he is associated from before his conception, is a figure of anarchic impulse: the man in whom the spirit of the LORD pounds down enemies but offers no leadership at all for his people, which may be a final verdict on the whole system of governance by charismatic warriors represented in the preceding episodes of the book.

What follows the Samson cycle is the bizarre story of Micha's idol (chapters 17-18) and then the grisly tale of the concubine at Gibeah who is gang-r***d to death by the local Benjaminites, leading to a costly civil war between Benjamin and the other tribes (chapters 19-21).

The morality exhibited in the book's concluding narrative is even worse than the story of Micah. Another Levite, considerably more egregious than the one engaged by Micah, ends up reenacting the story of S***m with a bitter reversal. In this tale, devoid of divine intervention, there are no supernatural beings to blind the brutal sexual assailants; the Levite pushes his concubine out the door to be r***d all night long; and when he finds her prostrate on the threshold in the morning, he brusquely orders her to get up so that they can continue their journey, not realizing at first that she has expired.

His remedy for this atrocity is as bad as the violation itself: he butchers her body into twelve parts that he sends out to the sundry tribes to rouse their indignation against Benjamin, and the ensuing civil war, in which the other tribes suffer extensive casualties, comes close to wiping out the tribe of Benjamin.

Unbridled lust, implacable hostility, and mutual mayhem provide ample warrant for the implicitly monarchist refrain of these chapters: "In those days there was no king in Israel. Every man did what was right in his own eyes."

Judges represents, one might say, the Wild West era of the biblical story. Men are a law unto themselves.

The famous lines that Yeats wrote at a moment of violent upheaval in European and Irish history precisely capture the thematic thrust of Judges:

"Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold;
Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world,
The blood-dimmed tide is loosed..."

After this dark impasse to which the Book of Judges comes, it will be the task of the next great narrative sequence, which is the Book of Samuel, concluding in the second chapter of 1 Kings, to imagine a political means to create a center and leash the anarchy.

That goal is in part realized, but the undertaking itself is an arduous one... and even as a center begins to hold, the blood-dimmed tide is never stemmed." (Alter)

06/03/2026

CFM Old Testament: Judges

Spiritual Relativism

"In those days there was no king in Israel: every man did that which was right in his own eyes." (Judges 21:25)

This philosophy is everywhere in the world today. It's even permeated the Church, finding support from those who take as permission to spurn the Prophets and seek acceptance for anything/everything they want to do. This confirmation bias is leading a great many off of the covenant path, which requires strict adherence.

I was asked this week about some rumors on Twitter that the town in which I live, South Jordan, being a hotbed (pun kind of intended) for LDS swingers... or members of the Church who engage in promiscuous sexual encounters as a couple with other couples in or**es reminiscent of the Golden Calf scene in Exodus.

I confirmed that I too had heard the rumors... and not just about South Jordan, but about the very neighborhood in which I live, Daybreak... site of the Oquirrh Mountain Temple.

I don't know of anyone personally engaged in this, but the rumors are rampant. Members of the Church who spurn their covenants of chastity in favor of unbridled lust and lasciviousness. justifying their behavior as being ok as long as everyone involved is consenting.

There seems to be a feeling that anything is legally/morally acceptable as long as it happens between consenting adults. And if there were no God, and if there were no absolutes of right and wrong, maybe that would be an acceptable doctrine.

In the opening remarks in October General Conference, President Nelson reaffirmed the following:

"Contrary to the doubts of some, there really is such a thing as right and wrong. There really is absolute truth—eternal truth. One of the plagues of our day is that too few people know where to turn for truth. I can assure you that what you will hear today and tomorrow constitutes pure truth." (Nelson 2021)

When one's moral compass is based solely on the idea that the only difference between right and wrong is whether everyone involved is of age to consent, and is consenting, then the sky's the limit as far as behavior is concerned.

And then what happens when that moral compass is replaced with one that says something like what Korihor would propose:
"every man fared in this life according to the management of the creature; therefore every man prospered according to his genius, and that every man conquered according to his strength; and whatsoever a man did was no crime." (Alma 30:17)

We get destruction and devastation. The powerful taking full advantage of the weak, and believing that they are justified in doing so.

And this is what happened to Israel in the time of the Judges. There was no king... there was no ultimate authority... everything was relative.

It's very reminiscent of the time of the societal collapse in the Book of Mormon.

"Now behold, I will show unto you that they did not establish a king over the land..., they did destroy upon the judgment-seat, yea, did murder the chief judge of the land.

And the people were divided one against another; and they did separate one from another into tribes, every man according to his family and his kindred and friends; and thus they did destroy the government of the land.

And every tribe did appoint a chief or a leader over them; and thus they became tribes and leaders of tribes." (3 Nephi 7: 1-3)

As President Nelson reminds us, there IS absolute truth. There IS absolute right and wrong. And for those of us that have made covenants with the LORD, there ARE strict limits to our behavior.
We cannot just do whatever we want to and find acceptance from the LORD.

We need to follow the Prophet.

"Prophets have no greater concern than to lead God’s children to the Savior Jesus Christ, who will, as He did for the willing and obedient anciently, take them to the promised land. But to delay obedience to prophetic counsel or reject it is to put our lives at peril." (Holland 2021)

I recommend reading the entire article by Elder Holland. I believe it is important and timely. We need direction... not a lack of it.

06/03/2026

CFM Old Testament: Judges

Samson

"Although the -on suffix of the Hebrew Shimshon is used for quite a few biblical names, it could also be related to 'on, "potency", making the name suggest "sun of potency". In any case, the link with the sun is another warrant for the fire motif. In terms of mythological patterns, this figure also bears some resemblance to Hercules, a muscular hero who performs arduous labors" (Alter).

Are we supposed to like Samson? Compared to other Judges like the Prophet-woman Deborah, he's a scoundrel. He's violent, immoral, he breaks kosher laws, he marries outside the covenant, etc. There's nothing about him that we would use as an example of piousness.

Though he kept one particular vow, He broke so many others.

But maybe that's the point of the Samson story. The LORD will keep covenant with those who keep covenant with Him... even when they are imperfect and even downright rebellious in other areas of their lives.

There is power to be had in making and keeping covenants with the LORD.

So whatever your capacity for covenant-keeping... do it. Make and keep covenants with the LORD. You will be blessed for doing so.

The LORD promised Samson great strength as long as he did not cut his hair. There may have been other stipulations, but that was the main one. So no matter how bad Samson was at keeping other covenants with their attending blessings, he kept this one.

However, it should be noted that the gouging out of Samson's eyes by the Philistines is the covenant curse for a rebellious vassal (compare the blinding of Zedekiah by the Babylonians 2 Kings 25:7). So though he maintained the blessing of keeping his Nazarite vows, he suffered the covenant curses for breaking other covenants.

And the whole purpose of Samson's great strength was so that he could "begin" to deliver Israel before his dying day. In fact, the messenger of the LORD includes the allusion to Samson's death in the very same breath where he announces his birth (Judges 13:7).

There are a couple of motifs that go through the narrative of Samson. I would like to point out some of them.

Fire:
This is judgement imagery. It is also the theme that Samson, like fire, blindly sows destruction and then burns itself out in the end.
- The messenger of the LORD ascends to heaven in the flame of the altar.
- Samson's wife and her father's house are threatened with fire.
- Samson burns the fields and grain of the Philistines.
- Samson's wife and her father's house are actually burned.
- Ropes on Samson became as flax burning in fire.
- Samson breaks cords as fire breaks cords.

Numerology:
Most of the numbers in this story are multiples of 3.
- Samson is involved with 3 women: his nameless first wife, a pr******te, and Delilah.
- Samson is involved with 3 animals: lion, foxes, donkey.
- Samson uses 300 foxes to destroy the fields with fire.
- Samson destroys the 3 principal products of agriculture for the Philistines: grain, vineyards, and olive trees.
- Samson executes 3 major assaults on the Philistines, killing thousands.
- 3000 men of Judah come to bind Samson.
- Samson gives 3 false ways that he can be weakened.
- Samson wears his uncut hair in 7 tresses.
- Samson kills 3000 Philistines when he topples the temple.

I think that the story of Samson is a challenging one. It is difficult for me to find anything redeeming in his narrative. At least by the account we're given, it seems that Samson spurned the LORD at every turn and relied on his own strength and just happened to begin to deliver Israel. I guess the LORD can use anyone for His purposes. And maybe it is comforting for some people to know that the LORD also keeps covenants with very flawed people, and not just those who appear more "perfect" in their narratives, like Nephi and Alma.

I guess if all you care about is physical prowess and the ability to mow through thousands of people with a rudimentary weapon without taking injury... like Wolverine, then Samson is for you.
However, I think I will still look to people like Captain Moroni for inspiration on how to live a good life.

06/03/2026

CFM Old Testament: Judges

What's in a Name: Deborah

"And Deborah, a prophetess, the wife of Lapidoth, she judged Israel at that time." (Judges 4:4)

First, a little context on what "fiery" means. I'm going to link to a video that does a great job of linking the idea of "fiery" to that of "judgement"... whether it be the "fiery flying serpents", the "fiery darts of the adversary", the "flaming sword" that guards the way of the Tree of Life, or almost any other instance of "fire".

Fiery = Judgement

Deborah means "bee". She is also known as "a woman of Lappidot" (Judges 4:4). Alternatively, "lappid" translates as "torch" or "lightning", therefore the phrase, "woman of Lappidot" could be referencing Deborah as a "fiery woman," or in this case "fiery bee".

And what does Deborah do? She sat and judged Israel... completely consistent with her name and title.

- Deborah is a prophet-woman. "The translation mirrors the structure of Hebrew, which does not say nevi'ah ("prophetess") but 'ishah nevi'ah. The introduction of "woman" ('ishah) component, which is not strictly required by idiomatic usage, highlights the prominence of woman vis-a-vis man that is evident both in Deborah's relation to Barak and in the story of Jael and Sisera." (Alter)

- She it was who judged Israel at that time. "The figure of Deborah manifests the ambiguity of the role of "judge", shofet. She is called a prophet because she evidently has a direct line of intelligence about God's strategic plans for Israel. In this, she resembles the martial judges, who are invested with the Spirit of God. She is not called a judge, perhaps because she herself, as a woman, does not go out to the battlefield, but she is the subject of the verb "judge," a capacity she exercises in the judicial sense, as becomes entirely clear in the [narrative]." (Alter)

"And she sent and called Barak... and said unto him, Hath not the Lord God of Israel commanded, saying, Go... and take with thee ten thousand men... And I will draw unto thee... Sisera... and I will deliver him into thine hand.

And Barak said unto her, If thou wilt go with me, then I will go: but if thou wilt not go with me, then I will not go.

And she said, I will surely go with thee: notwithstanding the journey that thou takest shall not be for thine honour; for the Lord shall sell Sisera into the hand of a woman. And Deborah arose, and went with Barak... " (Judges 4: 6-9)

- Has not the LORD God of Israel charged you. "Deborah would know what God commands Barak because she is a prophet."

- If you go with me, I will go. "Barak's hesitancy makes it evident that the male commander needs this woman behind him in order to go out to battle. Thus he becomes a kind of proxy for Deborah, who is to all intents and purposes also a "judge" in the military sense."

- For in the hand of a woman the LORD will deliver Sisera. "The sentence has a double meaning. The woman in the first instance is the "prophet woman" Deborah, who can rightly take credit for the victory. It also turns out to be Jael, whose actual hand, driving in the tent peg, will finish off Sisera." (Alter)

We know very little about Deborah. She is described as both a "prophet" and a "judge" in Israel. The "judge" descriptor given her is less what we would think of as a judge in our political judicial system, and more of that of a Bishop in our wards, who is a "common judge in Israel", seeing to the problems and disputes among the members of the local community. But because there were no lines between church and state in this society, the roles tend to blend.

As for being a "prophet", the spirit of prophecy seems to have rested on her more than anyone else within her sphere. She does not fill the role of the "Presiding High Priest", the role we typically tend to think of with the title "prophet". But technically speaking, a "prophet" is anyone with the spirit of prophecy. Moses wished that all his people were prophets in that sense (Numbers 11:29), and President Nelson has repeated that call in our day, urging us to do whatever is necessary in our lives to have the spirits of prophecy and revelation more fully.

She was obviously capable and qualified for her roles. And it would seem that she may have been the only one qualified for those roles, as she is singled out in the narrative, something done so rarely with women.

We only get a glimpse of her, but a glimpse is worth a thousand words, right?

06/03/2026

CFM Old Testament: Judges

Gideon vs the Midianites (and Amalekites)

Gideon is threshing wheat when we first meet him (Judges 6:11).

He's doing it in secret because it appears that the Midianites are exacting taxes from the Israelites. Instead of threshing wheat out in the open where it could be seen by the enemy, he is doing it in a winepress.

Then the LORD appears to him, and Gideon has an experience much like Abraham and others before him who saw the LORD face-to-face. Gideon even runs off to prepare a meal of a kid and some flatbread (Judges 6:19) while the LORD waits for him.

The LORD introduces Himself and calls Gideon a "valiant warrior", or "mighty man of valor", something the narrative has not yet established about Gideon. He certainly will live up to that title later on, but he seems to lack some confidence when he later repeatedly asks the LORD for a sign that He is with them.

And Gideon wastes no time in asking the LORD why Israel finds itself again in bo***ge, this time to the Midianites:

"And Gideon said to Him,
"Please my lord, if the LORD is with us, why has all this overtaken us, and where are all His wonders of which our fathers told us, saying, 'Did not the LORD bring us out of Egypt?'
And now the LORD has abandoned us and given us into the grip of Midian." (Judges 6:15)

The LORD responds: "Go in this power of yours and rescue Israel from the grip of Midian. Have I not sent you?" (Judges 6:16).

Gideon is tasked, much like Moses before him, of delivering the children of Israel from bo***ge. Like Moses, Gideon seems to trust in the LORD, but seems completely unsure of his own abilities. The LORD reassures him by saying the He has sent Gideon.

When it comes time to do battle, Gideon's army stands at around 32,000 men. And the LORD is sending him up against a numberless army of Midianites, Amalekites, and a confederacy of Easterners (Judges 6:33).

"And the Midianites and the Amalekites and all the children of the east lay along in the valley like grasshoppers for multitude; and their camels were without number, as the sand by the sea side for multitude." (Judges 7:12).

The LORD says that He will deliver them all into Gideon's hands... but 32,000 men is too many. Gideon could still win and people attribute it to his own prowess. The LORD needs to reduce his numbers so that it would be utterly impossible to win without people recognizing that the LORD did it Himself.

The LORD reduces Gideon's army to 300... a prophetic number.
Gideon asks for confirmation that the LORD is actually with them, and that this isn't just some figment of Gideon's imagination, or a delusion of grandeur. He isn't sign-seeking, but seeking confirmation.

We'll see later in Isaiah that this is something that the LORD himself offers His leaders. He understands that we lack faith in the face of imminent danger. "Ask thee a sign of the LORD thy God; ask it either in the depth, or in the height above." (Isaiah 7:11).

In this case, Gideon asks a miracle involving the morning dew. One day, a fleece will be wet while the ground around it is dry... the next morning, the fleece will be dry while the ground around it is wet.
(Judges 6: 36-40). The sign is given and Gideon goes out in the power of the LORD.

The battle plays out much the same way that it did when Abraham mustered his force of 300 men against the confederacy that sacked the plains and kidnapped Lot and others.

Gideon leads his 300 men in the night against a numberless force. They split into 3 columns of 100 an flank the enemy soldiers. And in exactly the same fashion, the LORD fought their battle, He "panicked" the opposing force and they ended up killing each other in the confusion.

"the LORD set every man's sword against his fellow... In other accounts of Israelite victories, we are told that the LORD "panicked" the enemy. Only here do we get the mechanism of the panic, which is in fact a stratagem devised by Gideon to terrorize the sleeping army" (Alter)

Abraham rallied his troops and prayed for deliverance. Lot and the other captives were rescued without Abraham's men even lifting a sword. Gideon rallied his troops and trusted in the LORD for deliverance, and they routed the Midianites without even lifting their swords.

President Nelson reminded us that one of the promises that the LORD makes with covenant Israel is "He will fight our battles" (Nelson - Let God Prevail).

Gideon learned this truth. The wonders and deliverance spoken of by their fathers was still a possibility when Israel kept covenant.

06/03/2026

CFM Old Testament: Judges

What's in a name: Gideon

"And there came an angel of the Lord, and sat under an oak which was in Ophrah, that pertained unto Joash the Abi-ezrite: and his son Gideon ..." (Judges 6:11)

"The name transparently derives from the verbal stem g-d-', which means "to hack down".

Since the name appears to be a consequence of his first act in the story, one might guess that his original name was actually the pagan name Jerubaal, which would mean, "Baal contends [for his loyal worhippers]," and not, as verse 32 suggests, "Let Baal contend for himself," or perhaps, referring to Gideon, "he contends with Baal". " (Alter)

05/17/2026

CFM Old Testament: Joshua

Jericho is De-Created

The destruction of Jericho has reference to many things in Israel's past, including Creation, and the Passover.

Passover was observed (Joshua 5:10):

"Of all the stipulated festival sacrifices, it was the Passover that confirmed a person's full participation in the community of Israel. For a male, being circumcised was a necessary condition for taking part in the rite, as is made clear in Exodus 12:44.

The celebration of the first Passover took place on the eve of the departure from Egypt, and so this second Passover marks the liminal moment of leaving the wilderness for the land as the first Passover marks the leaving of Egypt for the wilderness." (Alter)

In preparation of this Passover, the males were circumcised (Joshua 5:4), which apparently was something that was not done during the entirety of the wilderness wandering.

Another Passover motiff is when Rahab marks her residence with red and avoiding destruction which takes the rest of the city. The two spies tell Rahab that Israel is coming to destroy Jericho. Rahab has heard tale of the exploits and victories of Israel and testifies that she knows the God of Israel is the One True God, and that if Jericho is to be destroyed, it is God who wills it.

As a believer, and as one who helped the spies, Rahab has found favor with the LORD and with Israel. She asks the spies to spare her and her household. They agree. They tell her to mark her residence with a red ribbon, so that it can be spared once the destruction comes. Though she knows the destruction won't come for several days yet, she marks her house immediately (Joshua 2:21).

And the destroyer passes over her house, and she and her household are delivered and reside among Israel evermore (Joshua 6:23).

Jericho's destruction is Creation in reverse...

"And seven priests shall bear before the ark seven trumpets of rams’ horns: and the seventh day ye shall compass the city seven times, and the priests shall blow with the trumpets." (Joshua 6:4)

"seven priests... seven ram's horns... on the seventh day... seven times. The rite devised to bring down the walls of the town involves a quadrupling of the sacred number seven.

But the destruction of the town is also an anti-Creation story: six days they go around the wall, and on the climactic seventh day, it collapses and the town is reduced to rubble."

What was city with people, beasts, plants, water and land, had now been de-created after six days and turned into basic chaotic elements.

05/17/2026

CFM Old Testament: Joshua

Joshua Mirrors Moses

The Book of Joshua gives us a sort of inclusio of the Exodus events. It is a bookend to the Moses experience, and many of the same things, or types of things, are recorded in the Joshua account.
Moses gets this promise from the LORD:

"I am come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians, and to bring them up out of that land unto a good land..." (Exodus 3:8)

And Joshua is told that this is now fulfilled:

"Moses my servant is dead; now therefore arise, go over this Jordan, thou, and all this people, unto the land which I do give to them, even to the children of Israel.

Every place that the sole of your foot shall tread upon, that have I given unto you, as I said unto Moses." (Joshua 1: 2-3)

40 some-odd years later, and this promise has been fulfilled. Israel is about to leave their desert wanderings and take up residence in the land that the LORD promised Moses to give them. I bet Joshua can hardly believe it.

So Exodus chapter 3 opens up this narrative with a promise from the LORD, and Joshua chapter 1 gives us its fulfillment.

The LORD continues to tell Joshua that he (the LORD) will be with him just as much as He was with Moses. That has to be as much of a relief as it is a recognition of what the LORD has in store for Joshua to do:

"There shall not any man be able to stand before thee all the days of thy life: as I was with Moses, so I will be with thee: I will not fail thee, nor forsake thee." (Joshua 1:5).

But there are other similarities between Moses and Joshua....

- Moses sees the LORD face-to-face on Sinai, and is told to remove his shoes because the place is holy... (Exodus 3:5)

- Joshua comes across the captain of the hosts of the LORD (Lord of hosts?) and is told to remove his shoes because the place is holy. (Joshua 5:15)

By the way, these two accounts are the only ones in all of scripture where someone is told to remove their footwear because the place is holy. There is something special about Moses and Joshua that the narrative wants to single out.

- Moses parts the reed sea, and the children of Israel walk through on dry ground. (Exodus 14:22)

- Joshua parts the Jordan River, and the children of Israel walk through on dry ground. (Joshua 4)

- Both Moses and Joshua lead the children of Israel in battle against insurmountable odds, and miraculously come out victorious in the power of the LORD.

- Both Moses and Joshua call down cataclysms, plagues, and natural disasters upon the enemies of Israel.

- Moses institutes the Passover on the eve of leaving Egypt for the wilderness.

- Joshua observes the second Passover on the eve of leaving the wilderness for the promised land.

The comparisons go on and on.

I think one of the most important things to take away from this is that the LORD keeps His covenants. When He makes a promise of deliverance and a promised land, He keeps it... even though it might take more time than what He would desire, or than we would expect. The narratives of Moses and Joshua wrap this idea up for us in a nice, neat little package.

Truth and Soberness: Declaring the Word through Come Follow Me.

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