1 Samuel 14:13

Jonathan climbed up, using his hands and feet, with his armor-bearer right behind him. The Philistines fell before Jonathan, and his armor-bearer followed and killed behind him.

From Background Notes [BN] for Jan 30th & 31st written by Pastor Bob Brown:

Jonathan and his attendant were foxhole companions. They were small and seemingly inconsequential. A strict chain of command could have bound them to the failed policies of Saul, and yet a stronger covenant bound them to the God of Israel.

1 Samuel 14:12

The men of the outpost shouted to Jonathan and his armor-bearer, “Come up to us and we’ll teach you a lesson.” So Jonathan said to his armor-bearer, “Climb up after me; the Lord has given them into the hand of Israel.”

From Background Notes [BN] for Jan 30th & 31st written by Pastor Bob Brown:

“Let us go” is the equivalent of “move!” Jonathan believes that the will of God is revealed through human initiative not through human inactivity.

1 Samuel 14:6

Jonathan said to his young armor-bearer, “Come, let’s go over to the outpost of those uncircumcised men. Perhaps the LORD will act in our behalf. Nothing can hinder the Lord from saving, whether by many or by few.”

From Background Notes [BN] for Jan 30th & 31st written by Pastor Bob Brown:

Some obstacles of our climb to the summit are long-standing. They are fierce, obstinate opponents, long entrenched in the foothills and on cliffs as we ascend.

Proverbs 23:26

My son, give me your heart and let your eyes delight in my ways

From Background Notes [BN] for Jan 23rd & 24th written by Pastor Bob Brown:

So often our lives can feel aimless, as we rush from one situation to another, from one technique to another in hopes of finding something that will give our lives purpose and meaning. In the 50's it was the power of positive thinking...

Proverbs 23:23

Buy the truth and do not sell it; get wisdom, discipline and understanding.

From Background Notes [BN] for Jan 23rd & 24th written by Pastor Bob Brown:

The book of Proverbs is a collection of wise sayings, tied together by the common thread of God’s superior wisdom.

Luke 14:28

"Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Won’t you first sit down and estimate the cost to see if you have enough money to complete it?"

From Background Notes [BN] for Jan 23rd & 24th written by Pastor Bob Brown:

Not all human investments are about money. To “invest” is synonymous with “to clothe,” from the Latin word investire.

Numbers 13:31

But the men who had gone up with him said, “We can’t attack those people; they are stronger than we are.”

From Background Notes [BN] for Jan 16th & 17th written by Pastor Bob Brown:

“In the providence of God, the tragic failures of one generation can be retrieved in the experiences of the next. The purpose of God cannot ultimately be defeated.”

Numbers 13:28

But the people who live there are powerful, and the cities are fortified and very large. We even saw descendants of Anak there.

From Background Notes [BN] for Jan 16th & 17th written by Pastor Bob Brown:

Jewish traditions have often linked the “Anakim” with the “giants,” a poor translation of nephilim found in Genesis 6 which referred to “super-sized” warrior-kings bred from carefully selected harems. Even Egyptian execration texts...

 

Numbers 13:1-2

The LORD said to Moses, “Send some men to explore the land of Canaan, which I am giving to the Israelites. From each ancestral tribe send one of its leaders.”

From Background Notes [BN] for Jan 16th & 17th written by Pastor Bob Brown:

If Canaan is the summit of the present mountain, then there were many obstacles faced by Israel on the way to the peak.

2 Chronicles 20:29-30

The fear of God came on all the surrounding kingdoms when they heard how the LORD had fought against the enemies of Israel. And the kingdom of Jehoshaphat was at peace, for his God had given him rest on every side.

From Background Notes [BN] for Jan 9th & 10th written by Pastor Bob Brown:

Above all else, the story just told underscores that climbing the mountain is, in the final analysis, God’s idea at His initiative.

2 Chronicles 20:1

After this, the Moabites and Ammonites with some of the Meunites came to wage war against Jehoshaphat.

From Background Notes [BN] for Jan 9th & 10th written by Pastor Bob Brown:

Fear and discouragement are the great obstacles to the necessary climb up the mountain of adversity.  The presence of God and His promise to deliver must stiffen Judah’s resolve in the face of the challenge which awaits them.

Psalm 61:2

From the ends of the earth I call to you, I call as my heart grows faint; lead me to the rock that is higher than I.

From Background Notes [BN] for Jan 9th & 10th written by Pastor Bob Brown:

The poet is literally at his wits end — the ends of the earth, a metaphor for personal extremity. Like him, human beings end up in places they do not wish to be. Don’t we sometimes say, “I’m not in a good place today”?