Gary Gleans

There are times in Scripture when we are given a “snap shot” of the lives of specific people in Scripture.  The book of Ruth is such an occasion.  After reading a rather depressing history of the children of Israel and their unfaithfulness throughout the period of the Judges; it is refreshing to find a story of faithfulness and a true demonstration of the fear of the Lord.  It is nice to know that during a time when most people were doing what was right in their own eyes there were at least a few people who were concerned with doing what was right in God’s eyes.  Just as in the days of Elisha, there was a remnant of people who had not bowed down to Baal; we see that in the days of the Judges there were people who followed the Lord and the Law He had established.  What takes us by surprise is the fact that the heroine of the story is actually not a descendant of Israel but was a woman from Moab who married into Israel.  This marriage was not within the scop...

Disappointment is the word that comes to mind when trying to sum up the book of Judges.  The book starts with the statement that the children of Israel failed to drive the other nations out of the Promised Land.  As promised by God, that failure led the people into a repeated cycle of idolatry which was punished by God in the form of oppression from these same nations.  God graciously raised up judges who were used by God to liberate the people from oppression and call the people back to Himself.  When the judge died, the cycle would start over again with the people returning to their idolatrous ways.  The book ends with a tragic description of the idolatry and immorality in Israel that led to a civil war in the nation.  The theme that is repeated throughout the book is that the people were doing what was right in their own eyes.  Man’s heart is corrupt and evil.  Apart from divine intervention, man will worship false gods and rebel against the c...

Transitions in leadership can be very dangerous times for nations, churches, businesses and families.  It is hard for us to adapt to a new leader and it is hard for a new leader to replace a dynamic and powerful former leader.  Joshua starts out with a very clear message of transition in leadership.  God makes it clear to Joshua that Moses is not coming back and that he is the man who has been chosen to lead the children of Israel into the Promised Land.  However, God also makes it very clear that Joshua will not be alone in the task of leading His people.  As believers, the realization that God is our supreme Leader should make transitions of leadership much easier for both leaders and followers.  The Lord is in charge of the leadership changes that happen on every level of our lives so we must learn to trust Him through this process.  Joshua demonstrates his competence as a leader and God uses him to fulfill promises that He had made to Abraham many...

Repetition is a very important part of learning.  Deuteronomy is a book with a great deal of repetition.  Most of what we read in this book we have already read in the previous books.  However, it is organized and restated in an organized and concise way that allows us to gain a better handle on what God is really doing in the history of His people.  The key moments of history, the key revelation of the Law and the key doctrines of God’s promises from Exodus, Leviticus and Numbers are all summarized in this one book.  This is very helpful to us as we study the Pentateuch but it is also important for us to remember that it was vital for Moses to record this message to the people because all of the men who had experienced these events and heard these teachings the first time around are all dead.  The nation has literally come full circle.  The former generation has died and now God wants Moses to make sure that this new generations understands just exac...