Dave Dishman

Guidance from Overlooked Men and Women of the Bible

Category: Bible (Page 388 of 420)

The God of Hope

January 29, 2021 / / 0 Comments

You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good…

Thus Joseph assured his brothers, after the death of their father, that the evil they did to him all those years ago accomplished the saving of thousands and thousands of lives, both Egyptian and Hebrew.

Such a hopeful conclusion to the wild story of Joseph’s life in Egypt, from slave to prisoner to the heights of power (Genesis 50).

You and I never know. Our stories are not finished. I don’t want to sound naive, sometimes evil is just evil, and I cannot fathom any good that might come from such depths. But other days, what appears terrible to me might hide God’s hand molding it toward my good.

While often challenging, I choose to hope in the God of hope.

Week four of reading the Bible cover to cover.

The Way of the Wolf

January 28, 2021 / / 0 Comments

On his deathbed, Jacob blessed his twelve sons, telling each what would happen in the days to come. Asher’s future looks pleasant – his food will be rich and he will provide delicacies fit for a king. His brother Zebulon will live by the sea and provide safe harbor for ships.

But I’m riveted by the future predicted for Benjamin – a ravenous wolf; in the morning he devours the prey, in the evening he divides the plunder.

This stark image of a vicious predator underscores the strength of Benjamin’s future victories. Like those opposing the Lion of Judah, his enemies face certain defeat.

Maybe it’s just latent aggression buried in my heart, but as I think through the options – a chef, or shipping & receiving, or spending my evenings dividing plunder – I’ll take the way of the wolf.

Photo by Marc-Olivier Jodoin on Unsplash

Genesis 49 in Week four of reading the Bible cover to cover.

Humility – Again

January 27, 2021 / / 0 Comments

As I read the Bible cover to cover, and do so over and over, themes emerge. It reminds me of tilling the soil to grow tomatoes in the Ozarks. No matter how much I worked, rocks continually bubbled to the surface.

In this case, humility and pride emerge from the rich loam of scripture. Pride as a rocky impediment to life, humility as the fertile soil of growth and blessing.

He (God) guides the humble in what is right and teaches them his way (Psalm 25:9).

Blessings for the humble. Our world screeches the opposite. Only the word of God delivers this gracious message of guidance towards loving and faithful ways.

Week four of reading the Bible cover to cover.

Tossing Sandals

January 26, 2021 / / 1 Comment

Strange to my ears, the Lord speaks in Psalm 108 and declares, “Moab is my washbasin, on Edom I toss my sandal.”

I toss my sandals in the back of the closet. There they lay until I need them again. The back of my closet is not a part of my house I show guests. It’s a place for shoes and dust bunnies and stuff I forgot.

Commentators explain that this idiom, to “toss my sandal,” points to the Lord’s authority over these nations. The Lord relegates Moab and Edom, despite their power, to back of the closet status.

No nation escapes the authority of God, and we look forward to the day when the Messiah’s rule ceases hostilities between all nations.

A truth for me to remember when I think of my nation, our leaders, and the nations of the world today.

Week four of reading the Bible cover to cover.

« Older posts Newer posts »

SUBSCRIBE VIA EMAIL

Join 1,558 other subscribers

© 2026 Dave Dishman

Theme by Anders Noren — Up ↑