Joe Barnett

You are the man! —2 Samuel 12:7 David was livid. Nathan had just told him about the despicable act of a rich rancher. Instead of butchering one of his hundreds of head of livestock, when it came time to set the table for a visiting friend he climbed the fence and stole the only lamb […]

The battle is the Lord’s. —1 Samuel 17:47 Once upon a time a shepherd boy with a sling and five rocks faced-off with a giant. You’re not jumping to the end of this entry to see what happened, because you already know. It’s a well-known story about a nearly-unarmed, nearly-naked kid taking on a nine-foot,

This day the Lord will hand you over to me.                                  —1 Samuel 17:46 If David had known that for thousands of years he would be praised as a hero for his skirmish with Goliath, he would have protested—because the

I come against you in the name of the Lord Almighty.                                                    —1 Samuel 17:45 Eighty times—every morning and every evening for 40 days—the giant Goliath strutted into the valley and

Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.              —1 Samuel 16:7 Physical beauty isn’t a vice, but it is a danger—to both the one who has it and to the one who observes it. The one who has it is susceptible to arrogance and

She found herself working in a field belonging to Boaz.                                                              —Ruth 2:3 You do what you have to do. For Ruth that meant scavenging the

In those days … everyone did as he saw fit.                                    —Judges 17:6 Micah was less than a son should be and his mother less than a mother should be. She hired a silversmith to cast an idol for

Every promise has been fulfilled; not one has failed.                                                 —Joshua 23:14 Have you ever boarded an airplane without knowing the pilot? Climbed into the back seat of a taxi without knowing

How long will you wait before you begin to take possession of the land?                        —Joshua 18:3 Two things must be done to achieve success and happiness. You must let go of the past. There is nothing you can do to change it. You may

(They) did not inquire of the Lord.                       —Joshua 9:14 They lived just twenty-five miles down the road, but lied and said they had come from a distant land and wanted to make a treaty of peace. Their worn-out sandals, threadbare clothes, cracked wineskins, and