Today we're opening the 8th book of the Bible - Judges! And wow… the story takes a turn pretty quickly.

Israel is in the Promised Land, but they don't fully obey God. They begin to compromise, forget Him, and turn toward the gods of the people around them. And then we see the cycle that will repeat throughout Judges: they turn away, they cry out, and God rescues them.

Over and over again.

As we open this new book together, let's talk about some questions along the way:

· Why was Israel's partial obedience such a big deal?

· How does compromise slowly pull them away from God?

· And perhaps most importantly - what do these first chapters show us about God's faithfulness?

Because even when Israel keeps forgetting, God keeps rescuing them.

For the full episode show notes, please go to https://mfahring.com/judges-1-3/

Today on OOBT, we wrap up Joshua 22-24, AND we're also finishing our 7th book of the Bible together… cue the confetti! 🎉🎉🎉

We begin in Joshua 22 with a tense misunderstanding between the tribes that quickly starts heading toward conflict. But instead of going to war, they slow down, talk it through, and realize it was never rebellion at all - just a miscommunication - and unity gets restored.

In Joshua 23, Joshua is near the end of his life and gathers the leaders to remind them that God has been completely faithful. Every promise has come through. But he also gives a pretty direct warning: don't drift, don't compromise, and don't slowly pick up the practices of the nations around you now that you're settled in the land.

Then in Joshua 24, all the tribes gather at Shechem for one final moment. Joshua walks them through their whole story - from Abraham all the way into the Promised Land - and brings everything to a clear turning point: choose whom you will serve. The people commit, a covenant is renewed, and Joshua's life comes to an end.

And with that, we close the book of Joshua.

But the next step in the story comes fast… in our next episode of OOBT, we step into Judges, and the tone shifts in a pretty noticeable way as we start to see what happens when God's people begin to forget and drift away from what they just said they would do. Oh my.

For the full episode show notes, please go to https://mfahring.com/joshua-22-24/

We're covering a lot of ground in this episode—Joshua 19–21—but don't miss what's really happening here.

After years of waiting, wandering, and fighting, God's people are finally stepping into what was promised. Tribe by tribe, family by family, the remainder of the land is being assigned. What started as a promise to Abraham generations ago is now becoming reality.

But in the middle of all the details, a few things stand out: The Land Given to Simeon. Joshua's Leadership to the Very End. Cities of Refuge. The Towns Given to the Levites.

And by the time we reach chapter 21, everything comes together.

The land is assigned.
The people are settled.
The promise is fulfilled.

And we're left with this powerful truth:
Not one of all the Lord's good promises failed. Every single one was fulfilled.

Not in part.
Not almost.
Every one.

This episode is a reminder that God is faithful not just in the big moments—but in the details, in the waiting, and in the in-between.

If He said it… He will do it. ❤❤❤

For the full episode show notes, please go to https://mfahring.com/joshua-19-21/