Posts Tagged: ‘Esther’

Being Prepared

[A ‘Tuesday Challenge‘ originally prepared for the congregation of Horley Baptist Church during February 2026]

And Joshua the son of Nun sent two men secretly from Shittim as spies, saying, “Go, view the land, especially Jericho.” And they went and came into the house of a prostitute whose name was Rahab and lodged there.
Joshua 2 v1 [ESVUK]

Is it not a little curious that these two men should choose such a place for their overnight stay? Surely, it is not what we would expect from men who were undertaking a mission from God.
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Contributor: Steve Humphreys

In The Tenth Month

[A ‘Tuesday Challenge‘ originally prepared for the congregation of Horley Baptist Church during September 2025]

It happened in the ninth year of his reign, in the tenth month, in the tenth day of the month, that Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came with all his army against Jerusalem, and laid siege to it.
Jeremiah 52 v4 [NIVUK]

Have you ever wondered why our tenth month is called October when ‘octo’ is a prefix that is usually associated with the number eight? A similar question could be asked about Septem(7)ber, Novem(9)ber and Decem(10)ber.
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Contributor: Steve Humphreys

The Supporting Cast

[This is one in a series of devotional reflections prepared for Horley Baptist Church during April 2024]

When we look back at the events of Easter we can picture the central characters of the story: Pilate, Herod, the chief priests, the indifferent soldiers, the frightened disciples, the manipulated mob and, of course, Jesus himself. However, as Dazz reminded us,[1] there are many characters whose role seems secondary but yet without whom the story would be incomplete. (more…)

Contributor: Steve Humphreys