In her deep anguish Hannah prayed to the Lord, weeping bitterly.
Judges 19:30
Such a thing has never been seen or done, not since the day the Israelites came up out of Egypt.
The Levite of Ephraim, 1837
Alexandre-François Caminade (1789–1862)
(Le Lévite d’Ephraïm méditant de venger sa femme morte victime de la brutalité des Benjamites), oil on canvas, 60 x 81 cm
Musée des Beaux-Arts de Lyon, Lyon, France.
Judges 18:27
Then they took what Micah had made, and his priest, and went on to Laish, against a people at peace and secure. They attacked them with the sword and burned down their city.
Micah confronts the Danites (Judges 18, 22 - 26). Wood engraving, published in 1886. My own colourisation.
Judges 16:12-13
"All this time you have been making a fool of me and lying to me. Tell me how you can be tied."
Solomon Joseph Solomon - Samson, c. 1887.
Oil on canvas.
Judges 11:35
Jephthah's Foolish Vow.
Anton Robert Leinweber - Jephthah's daughter comes out to meet her father, from Hulbert's Story of the Bible published by The John Winston Company, 1932
Judges 9:53-54
"Draw your sword and kill me! Don't let it be said that a woman killed Abimelech!" So the young man ran him through with his sword, and he died.
The Death of Abimelek
Kevissimo, 2012
https://twitter.com/kevissimo
https://www.kevissimo.com/pr-judges/the-death-of-abimelech
I don't often post work by living artists, out of respect for their copyright and terms of use. But @kevissimo's work shows that Biblical art is live and well, and powerful as ever.
Judges 4:22
Just then Barak came by in pursuit of Sisera, and Jael went out to meet him. "Come," she said, "I will show you the man you're looking for." So he went in with her, and there lay Sisera with the tent peg through his temple — dead.
Gustav Doré - Jael and Sisera, 1866, my own colourisation.
Joshua 24:23
"Now then," said Joshua, "throw away the foreign gods that are among you and yield your hearts to the Lord, the God of Israel."
Joshua 23:14
Now I am about to go the way of all the earth. You know with all your heart and soul that not one of all the good promises the Lord your God gave you has failed.
Every promise has been fulfilled;
not one has failed.
Joshua 22:5
Keep the commandment and the law that Moses the servant of the Lord gave you: to love the Lord your God, to walk in obedience to him, to keep his commands, to hold fast to him and to serve him with all your heart and with all your soul.
'God the Father', oil on canvas.
Painting by a follower of Giovanni Lanfranco (Italian, 1582–1647)
We know that the law is spiritual; but I am unspiritual, sold as a slave to sin.
I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do, I do not do. But what I hate, I do.
So this is the principle I have discovered: When I want to do good, evil is right there with me. For in my inner being I delight in Gods law. But I see another law at work in my body, warring against the law of my mind and holding me captive to the law of sin that dwells within me.
Walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.
Galatians 5:16, Proverbs 4:23.
It can be done.
Joshua 13:32-33
These are the inheritances that Moses distributed in the plains of Moab, beyond the Jordan east of Jericho.
But to the tribe of Levi Moses gave no inheritance; the Lord God of Israel is their inheritance, just as he said to them.
Frederic Edwin Church, 1826-1900, American painter
Moses Viewing the Promised Land, 1846
25.4 x 31.8 cms | 10 x 12 1/2 ins
Oil on academy board
Joshua 12:1
Joshua takes possession of the land beyond the Jordan.
Joshua Commanding the Sun to Stand Still.
Doré Bible Illustration. 19th century. Coloured.
Joshua 10:12-13
The sun stopped in the midst of heaven and did not hurry to set for about a whole day.
There has been no day like it before or since, when the Lord heeded the voice of a man, for the Lord fought for Israel.
John Martin - Joshua Commanding the Sun to Stand Still upon Gibeon, 1816, oil on canvas, 150x231 cm (59 1/16 x 90 15/16 in.) National Gallery of Art.
Joshua 9:22-23
Joshua called together the Gibeonites and said, "Why did you lie to us? Why did you say that you live in a distant land when you live right here among us? May you be cursed! From now on you will always be servants who cut wood and carry water for the house of my God."
Léon-Adolphe Belly (1827-1877)
Fellaheen Women by the Nile, 1856
Oil on canvas, H. 0.98 m; W. 1.3 m
https://galerieheim.com/en/stock/fellaheen-women-by-the-nile/
Joshua 6:2-3
And the Lord said to Joshua, "See, I have given Jericho into your hand, with its king and mighty men of valor. You shall march around the city, all the men of war going around the city once. Thus shall you do for six days."
Now the priests bearing the ark of the covenant of the Lord stood firmly on dry ground in the midst of the Jordan, and all Israel was passing over on dry ground until all the nation finished passing over the Jordan.
Israelites In Canaan. After 40 Years of Wandering, the Israelites Cross the Jordan River Into Canaan Under the Leadership of Joshua.
Wood Engraving, 19th Century, after Gustave Doré
Joshua 2:16
"Go to the hills so the pursuers will not find you. Hide yourselves there three days until they return, and then go on your way."
The Flight of the Spies, James Tissot, c. 1896-1902
gouache on board, 11 9/16 x 6 7/8 in
Deuteronomy 32:4
He is the Rock,
his works are perfect,
and all his ways are just.
A faithful God who does no wrong,
upright and just is he.
Deuteronomy 32:2
Let my teaching fall like rain
and my words descend like dew,
like showers on new grass,
like abundant rain on tender plants.
When Your Wife Does Not Believe
I came to Christ in my late 40's, just over two years ago.
My salvation and my yearning for Christ is not shared by my wife.
I'm not sure if this is a rare scenario or just one that people in my position are ashamed to speak about, but it is one of the hardest things to handle when you are committed to your spouse and understand how your marriage must model Christ's love for and commitment to the Church.
The article below is the first I've come across which seems to understand this situation, even at all biblically. I mean I wish it was just that my wife just didn't take my faith seriously, but the truth is that it is a massive bone of contention; something where we are diametrically opposed.
But Almighty God did not give up on Israel despite it's hardness of heart. Christ gave himself whilst we were still sinners. Ephesians 5 doesn't come with caveats: Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, so that he might present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish.
I am convinced that God placed me in this situation for a reason. If it were His will He would bring my wife to Him. I have tried. And there is time. Just because my prayers are not being answered now does not mean they will not be answered. And I know that we are going through other trials which are not lending themselves to the opening of her heart to the Holy Spirit, right now.
But can you imagine having to make a choice between going to Church and honouring your commitment as a husband? Or baptism and your marriage? It is that fundamental. I want to give myself to the Kingdom. But in a word, it ain't that simple.
You may be asking why I don't just put my foot down. I'd ask what kind of marriage would that be.
Yahweh had 400 years to bring Israel round; I don't have that long. There is also childhood trauma and hurt playing into her anger at God. Perhaps I was placed here, now, knowing that it would take time.
When Peter wrote his first letter and addressed wives in the early Church (1 Peter 3:1-2), I believe he was considering the situation where wives were coming to Christ first. He didn't tell them to get indignant, he told them to win their husbands by their behaviour, 'without words'.
And he ended with a note to Husbands, in the same way be considerate as you live with your wives, and treat them with respect as the weaker partner and as heirs with you of the gracious gift of life, so that nothing will hinder your prayers. (1 Peter 3:7)
As I finish writing, I'd appreciate your prayers. It is my fervent wish that God works a wonder in our lives and brings my wife to Him. In His time is fine, but it would be nice if it were sooner rather than later 🙂
In Jesus' name.
[www.americasfamilycoaches.com/blog/2020...](https://www.americasfamilycoaches.com/blog/2020/3/27/ani0idyaa68uoajwev4hqjyp4fm3sn)
Psalm 116:12-14
What can I offer the Lord
for all he has done for me?
I will lift up the cup of salvation
and praise the Lords name for saving me.
I will keep my promises to the Lord
in the presence of all his people.
Deuteronomy 31:8
The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.
Deuteronomy 14:9-10
Seafood that isn't fish, is just weird.
A warning against idolatry.
Suppose there are prophets among you or those who dream dreams about the future, and they promise you signs or miracles, and the predicted signs or miracles occur. If they then say, ‘Come, let us worship other gods’—gods you have not known before— do not listen to them.
The Lord your God is testing you to see if you truly love him with all your heart and soul.
The Intrigue, 1890
James Ensor (Belgian, 1860-1949)