Small Things Are Great

We’ve been on a journey through the Bible, and by God’s help we’ve walked through the first five books—Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy. That’s what we call the Pentateuch. Now we are stepping into a new section. If you follow the Hebrew way of arranging Scripture, we are now entering what they call the Prophets . What many of us today call historical books, they saw as prophetic writings, and this section begins with Joshua. These books are divided into two: the former prophets and the latter prophets. Joshua falls under the former prophets. Alongside it you have Judges (with Ruth connected to it), then Samuel and Kings. So Joshua becomes the first book in this new movement and the transition is beautiful. We are coming from laws, commands, regulations—very structured instruction—and suddenly we enter narrative, movement, action and life! The people are no longer just being told what to do; now they are stepping into what God had promised. There is energy here. Th...

A friend texted in and said...  I have questions about God based on my readings of the Old Testament so far: 1. Why did God okay having multiple wives and concubines? Nowhere in the many laws talks about adultery 2. Why was it okay for the Israelites to put their enemies under forced labour? Why was slavery a thing? 3. It was said that if someone killed someone by mistake, they would seek refuge in the city of refuge until the offended party died, lest he avenged his murdered relative. Why was avenging even a thing? Why was it allowed? 4. I have forgotten the 4th one. In response I wrote; 1. Did God approve of multiple wives and concubines? Short answer: No—God did not design or command it. From the beginning, God’s design for marriage was clear: “ Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh. ” — Genesis 2:24 One man. One woman. One union. So where did polygamy come from? - Human beings. As societies developed, people...

Thoughts by Kare Sue. Divorce is one of those topics that shows up uninvited. Not every day. Not even regularly. But every now and then, it presses on the mind—quietly, persistently and this week, the question wasn’t just what happens in divorce, but why . Why do people leave each other? Beyond the obvious reasons—infidelity, growing apart, financial strain, even the strange and unexpected like one spouse joining a cult—there remains a deeper question. After everything has happened… why end it? The answer, she concludes, is simple, though not easy: choice . “Someone chose to call it quits. They chose either to not forgive and move on, or to forgive and move on.” That realization shifts the conversation. Divorce is not just something that happens to people—it is something people decide, often in the middle of pain, disappointment, or exhaustion. What does God say about divorce? Her reflections turn to Scripture, beginning with Deuteronomy 24:1–4, where divorce is acknowledged as a huma...

Reflections from our OT journey — with insights from Chosen Kabiru. Reading from Genesis through to Deuteronomy is not just a reading plan—it is an unfolding. Patterns begin to emerge. Decisions begin to carry weight. And quietly, God starts highlighting things you might have easily passed over before. For Chosen Kabiru, one of the most defining moments in this journey did not come from the Torah itself, but from a New Testament reflection in Hebrews 12:16: “Lest there be any fornicator or profane person like Esau, who for one morsel of food sold his birthright.” That verse became a lens—a way of re-reading an old story with fresh clarity and from that place came a striking realization: “This story would have been different… because Esau was the one who was meant to be the father of the chosen nation. It should have been the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Esau—not Jacob.” That thought reframes everything. It shifts the focus from Jacob’s strategy to Esau’s posture. The turning point of the...

Reflections from our OT journey — with insights from Kare Sue. A prophetess, a friend and minister of the gospel through her life and career. There is something deeply satisfying about finishing a long book—especially one like Deuteronomy. For one reader, it did not just feel like the end of a book, but “like the end of a series… a long-awaited one.” Her journey through Deuteronomy was not quiet or passive. It was full of questions, laughter, pauses, and moments of real reflection. And by the end of it, she found herself not only learning about God, but also seeing Christ more clearly. “I have really enjoyed this book,” she wrote. “I have learnt a lot about God in this book. And I have also learnt a lot about Christ.” What stood out most to her was the centrality of salvation. The idea that everything ultimately points to the finished work of Jesus. She noted: “It is very important that we understand the finished work of Jesus on the cross. It is only when we do that we will be able to...

The book of Joshua is the first book we encounter after the Torah. In the Hebrew arrangement of Scripture, it is not grouped with history as we often think, but with the prophets. In fact, it is the first among what are called the former prophets—together with Judges, Samuel, and Kings. Joshua comes at a very important moment. The people of Israel are standing at the edge of the wilderness, just about to step into the promised land. It is a transition moment—from wandering to settling, from promise to fulfillment. Even the name Joshua is worth paying attention to. It is closely related to the name Jesus. Both come from the Hebrew name Yehoshua, which carries the meaning, “The Lord saves.” So Joshua is not just a leader in history; he also points us to something greater. He becomes, in a way, a picture of Christ—leading people into what God has prepared for them. Joshua, the son of Nun, had already shown his faith earlier. When the twelve spies were sent into the land and came back afte...