Dear Manna Family, We are studying Bible characters. Today’s lesson is about two women, one honored, the other obscure. They are sisters-in-law, and they couldn’t be more different. Their names are Orpah and Ruth, and their stories are found in the book of Ruth. This story takes place during the period of Israel’s history called the Judges which lasted from the death of Joshua to the crowning of King Saul. The book of Ruth opens by describing a drought and a famine in Judah. As a result of this famine, a man named Elimelech and his wife Naomi move with their two sons to the neighboring country of Moab. Soon after Elimelech dies, and Naomi’s two sons marry Moabite women. After ten years, both sons die, and now Naomi and both her daughters-in-law are widows. Ruth 1: 6 Then she arose with her daughters-in-law to return from the land of Moab, because she had heard in the land of Moab, that the LORD had visited His people by giving them food. Vs 8 But Naomi said to her two daughters-in-law, “Go, return each of you to your mother’s house. May the LORD deal kindly with you as you have dealt with the dead and with me. Vs 9 May the LORD grant that you may find a place of rest, each one in the house of her husband.” Then she kissed them, and they raised their voices and wept. Vs 14…….Orpah kissed her mother-in-law, but Ruth clung to her. Vs 15 Then she said, “Behold your sister-in-law has gone back to her people and her gods; return after your sister-in-law.” Vs 16 But Ruth said, “Do not urge me to leave you or turn back from following you; for where you go, I will go, and where you lodge, I will lodge. Your people shall be my people, and your God, my God. Vs 17 Where you die, I will die, and there I will be buried. May the LORD do so to me, and worse, if anything but death separates me from you. We see two different decisions and two different destinies. One returned to her homeland, the other ventured by faith into a new land. Orpah chose to go back to her own country, her own family, her own religion and her own culture. But Ruth had seen enough of the God of Israel that she wanted to know and follow Him. Ruth was willing to abandon everything she had known in order to follow the God of Naomi. This was more than love for her mother in law; it was hunger for God. This is faith on display. Ruth was like Abraham who left his family and friends, neighbors and nation in order to follow God into a land that he did not know. The truth is that Elimelech and Naomi should never have left Israel, which was the land of promise. They should have trusted God to provide for them instead of moving into a pagan idol worshipping nation. As a result, their sons married outside the Jewish faith. There is no record that they prayed about this decision to move away from God’s community of faith. But despite their bad decisions, God was at work. God had a divine plan for Ruth and Naomi. Ruth married a godly man from Judah named Boaz, and had a son named Obed. Obed was an ancestor of King David through whom would come Jesus, the Savior of the world. All of that hinged on this one single decision Ruth had to make: go back home to Moab, or by faith, go forward and follow where God was leading. God calls us to follow Him everyday, and He often calls us to follow Him into new places and new experiences. Following God always requires faith because we’re not in control. When you follow God, you will discover that He has a much better future planned for you than you had planned for yourself. The Bible doesn’t tell us what happened to Orpah when she turned back from following God. But the short book of Ruth reveals that following God one day at a time produces a life filled with faith, hope and love. It’s a picture of God’s love for us, and shows us how we can love each other. Remember, God designed us to ‘do life together.’ Love and prayers, Brad ••• Subscribe to listen each week as the Manna class learns and grows together through their in-depth study of God's Word. This comprehensive, expository series is taught by Brad Hannink, a gifted communicator of the Bread of Life. Manna is a Bible study life group that meets at Valley Baptist Church, located at 4800 Fruitvale Ave. in Bakersfield, California. Manna believes in doing life together. If you’re in need of prayer, email us your request at mannabiblepodcast@gmail.com and our class will be happy to add it to our prayer list. Members of Manna get together each week to pray for those on the prayer list. For more information, visit mannapodcast.com. ©2018, 2019, 2020, & 2021 - Brad Hannink - All Rights Reserved

Dear Manna Family, We are studying the lives of Bible characters who are not famous, and todays lesson is about a woman named Hagar. Her story is told in Genesis 16 and 21. Context: God promised Abraham that he would father a son, even through he was 75 years old, and his wife Sarah was 65. After waiting 10 years, Sarah became impatient, and decided that God needed her help. She advised Abraham to take her maidservant Hagar as a second wife or concubine, and have a child through her. This practice of surrogate motherhood was not an uncommon practice at this time and Abraham follows Sarah’s advice. When Hagar becomes pregnant, she begins to despise Sarah, who cannot become pregnant. Sarah then blames Abraham for the problem that her suggestion created in the first place! Abraham tells Sarah to do whatever she thinks is right, and Sarah begins to treat Hagar harshly. Hagar then runs away into the wilderness. Genesis 16:7 Now the angel of the LORD found her by a spring of water in the wilderness, by the spring on the way to Shur. Hagar was alone in the desert running away from Sarah when God found her. You may not know where you are, but God always knows where you are, and that’s comforting. Vs 8 And He said, ‘Hagar, Sarai’s maid, where have you come from and where are you going?’ And she said, “ I am fleeing from the presence of my mistress, Sarai.” Vs 9 Then the angel of the LORD said to her, “Return to your mistress, and submit yourself to her authority. Vs 11 “…..you shall bear a son; and you shall call his name Ishmael, because the LORD has given heed to your affliction.” Jesus is the Good Shepherd who knows His sheep by name. The Good Shepherd knew that His lamb Hagar was not in the sheepfold where she belonged. She was running away from God’s plan for her life. God told her to go back and submit to Sarah’s authority, even though Sarah was harsh. God had plans for her and her son. The name Ishmael means “God hears”, and God promised to make him into a great nation. Vs 13 Then she called the name of the LORD who spoke to her, “You are a God who sees”; for she said, “Have I even remained alive here after seeing Him?” It seems as though she not only heard God speak, she actually saw Him, obviously in a veiled form. Fourteen years later, Isaac was born. Sarah then demanded that Abraham send Hagar and Ishmael away, and God told Abraham to listen to Sarah. Hagar gets lost in the wilderness, and her water is all gone. She and Ishmael are literally dying of thirst, when God calls her name for the second time. Genesis 21: 17 God heard the lad crying; and the angel of God called to Hagar from heaven and said to her, “What is the matter with you, Hagar? Do not fear, for God has heard the voice of the lad where he is. Vs 18 Arise, lift up the lad, and hold him by the hand, for I will make a great nation of him.” God hears us whenever we call, no matter where we are, and He always has the perfect solution to our problems. God opened her eyes to see a well of water which saved their lives. The text says that God was with Ishmael, and he grew and became an archer. Applications: Abraham and Sarah made multiple poor decisions, yet God used them to bless the world. Life often includes a wilderness, where everything seems hopeless and lost. Even though we may be lost, God always knows where we are. He finds us because He loves us, even if we are not rich and famous. God has a good plan for your future, regardless of your past. On two separate occasions, God found and spoke to an Egyptian slave woman by name. God heard Ishmael, even in the middle of a wasteland, when he was near death, and He will always hear you when you call out to him. Never forget, God is only a prayer away. Remember, God designed us to ‘do life together!’ Love and prayers, Brad ••• Subscribe to listen each week as the Manna class learns and grows together through their in-depth study of God's Word. This comprehensive, expository series is taught by Brad Hannink, a gifted communicator of the Bread of Life. Manna is a Bible study life group that meets at Valley Baptist Church, located at 4800 Fruitvale Ave. in Bakersfield, California. Manna believes in doing life together. If you’re in need of prayer, email us your request at mannabiblepodcast@gmail.com and our class will be happy to add it to our prayer list. Members of Manna get together each week to pray for those on the prayer list. For more information, visit mannapodcast.com. ©2018, 2019, 2020, & 2021 - Brad Hannink - All Rights Reserved

Dear Manna Family, We are studying the lives of everyday people in the Bible. Today we are looking at a woman named Abigail, and her story is told in I Samuel 25. Context: God has chosen David to succeed Saul as king over Israel. Saul is paranoid and tries to kill David, so David hides out in the southern desert of Israel. David and his band of 600 men have been protecting the flocks of a very rich but evil man called Nabal. If you didn’t protect your flocks, bandits would kill your shepherds and steal your herds. When Nabal had his annual sheep shearing feast, David sends messengers to ask Nabal if he would share food from his feast as payment for their services. Nabal insults them and refuses to give them anything. David becomes furious and promises to kill every male in Nabal’s household. I Samuel 25:3 now the man’s name was Nabal, and his wife’s name was Abigail. And the woman was intelligent and beautiful in appearance, but the man was harsh and evil in his dealings, and he was a Calebite. Talk about beauty and the beast! It must have been an arranged marriage! Abigail has gotten word of David’s goodness, and her husband’s insulting behavior. She prepares a substantial gift of food for David and his men. David and four hundred armed men are traveling to Nabal’s camp, when Abigail intercepts them. Vs 24 And she fell at his feet and said, “On me alone, my lord, be the blame. And please let your maidservant speak to you, and listen to the words of your maidservant. Vs 25 Please do not let my lord pay attention to this worthless man, Nabal, for as his name is so is he. Nabal is his name and folly is with him….. She is physically powerless against 400 armed men, but she humbly appeals to David to listen to her proposal. She acknowledges that her husband is a fool, and asks David to pay no attention to what he says or does. Her words may sound disloyal, but in fact, she is interceding to save Nabal’s life. She takes the blame for Nabal’s bad behavior. Vs 28 Please forgive the transgression of your maidservant; for the LORD will certainly make for my lord an enduring house, because my lord is fighting the battle of the LORD, and evil shall not be found in you all your days. Vs 30 And it shall come about when the LORD shall do for my lord according to all the good that He has spoken concerning you, and shall appoint you ruler over Israel, Vs 31 that this will not cause grief or a troubled heart to my lord, both by having shed blood without cause and by my lord having avenged himself. When the LORD shall deal well with my lord, then remember your maidservant.” She knows that God will keep His promise to make David king over Israel. She appeals to David to not do anything in the heat of anger today, that he will regret after he becomes king. Killing Nabal and his men for refusing to share food would be murder. David recognizes that God has sent Abigail to him. Vs 32 Then David said to Abigail, “Blessed be the LORD God of Israel, who sent you this day to meet me, Vs 33 and blessed be your discernment, and blessed be you, who have kept me this day from bloodshed, and from avenging myself by my own hand. The giving and taking of life are God’s prerogative, not man’s. So is vengeance. "Vengeance is Mine”, says the LORD, “I will repay.” And God did. When Abigail told Nabal how she had saved his life, he had a stroke, and ten days later, God took his life and he died. Lessons: 1. It is always wise to encourage people to honor God and avoid sin. 2. Don’t make major decisions when you’re angry: pray, cool off, sleep on it, think, and listen to Godly counsel, like David did to Abigail. 3. Don’t retaliate; trust God to enforce justice; His justice is perfect and ours is often corrupt. 4. When you see one of God’s children straying from the truth, get involved like Abigail did. She saw how a decision made today would harm David in the future. That’s seeing like God sees and acting like God acts. Remember, God designed us to “do life together!” Love and prayers, Brad ••• Subscribe to listen each week as the Manna class learns and grows together through their in-depth study of God's Word. This comprehensive, expository series is taught by Brad Hannink, a gifted communicator of the Bread of Life. Manna is a Bible study life group that meets at Valley Baptist Church, located at 4800 Fruitvale Ave. in Bakersfield, California. Manna believes in doing life together. If you’re in need of prayer, email us your request at mannabiblepodcast@gmail.com and our class will be happy to add it to our prayer list. Members of Manna get together each week to pray for those on the prayer list. For more information, visit mannapodcast.com. ©2018, 2019, 2020, & 2021 - Brad Hannink - All Rights Reserved

Dear Manna Family, We are studying the lives of less well-known characters in the Bible. One of the them is named Gehazi, and his story is told in 2 Kings 5. Context: The nation of Israel and their neighbor Aram are constantly raiding each other’s territory. The captain of the Aramean army was named Naaman, and he was a leper. The Arameans had captured a small Israelite girl who waited on Naaman’s wife. This young slave girl told Naaman’s wife that if Naaman were with the prophet Elisha in the city of Samaria, he would be healed from his leprosy. It is remarkable that a slave girl would wish for her master to be healed. It’s even more remarkable that Naaman acted on her advice. When Naaman comes to Elisha’s house, Elisha sends a message to wash himself in the Jordan River seven times and he would be healed. Naaman had expected a personal meeting with Elisha, and so he became angry and left. Naaman was used to preferential treatment, and he was offended that Elisha would not treat him like a V.I.P. Besides Naaman said, the Jordan River is muddy and dirty. However, his servants persuaded him to do the simple thing that Elisha said, and when he did, he was completely healed from his leprosy. God’s gracious healing was designed to reveal to Naaman that the God of Israel was superior to all other gods. The God of the Bible want’s people to know and trust Him. Naaman acknowledges that the God of Israel is the only true God, but then he tries to pay Elisha for his healing. If Elisha accepted payment for God’s gift, he would be saying that God’s miracles can be bought with money. However, God’s miracles are gifts, and so Elisha refused Naaman’s presents. However, Elisha has a servant named Gehazi, who is greedy. 2 Kings 5:20 But Gehazi, the servant of Elisha the man of God, thought, “Behold, my master has spared this Naaman the Aramean, by not receiving from his hands what he brought. As the LORD lives, I will run after him and take something from him.” Vs 21 So Gehazi pursued Naaman. When Naaman saw one running after him, he came down from his chariot to meet him and said, “Is all well?” Vs 22 He said, “All is well. My master has sent me, saying, “Behold, just now two young men of the sons of the prophets have come to me from the hill country of Ephraim. Please give them a talent of silver and two changes of clothes.” Vs 23 Naaman said, “Be pleased to take two talents.” And he urged him, and bound two talents of silver in two bags with two changes of clothes and gave them to two of his servants; and they carried them before him. Vs 24 When he came to the hill, he took them from their hand and deposited them in the house, and he sent the men away, and they departed. Vs 25 But he went in and stood before his master. And Elisha said to him, “Where have you been Gehazi?” And he said, “Your servant went nowhere.” Vs 26 Then he said to him, “Did not my heart go with you, when the man turned from his chariot to meet you? Is it a time to receive money and to receive clothes and olive groves and vineyards and sheep and oxen and male and female servants? Vs 27 Therefore, the leprosy of Naaman shall cling to you and to your descendants forever.” So he went out from his presence a leper as white as snow. Gehazi’s greed led him to lie to both Naaman and Elisha. Gehazi lied to Naaman about why Elisha had changed his mind about receiving a present in exchange for being healed. Naaman doubled the present and then Gehazi took the presents and hid them in his own house. When Elisha asked Gehazi where he had been, Gehazi lies again and said, “I didn’t go anywhere.” It’s amazing that Gehazi thinks that he can deceive a prophet through whom God just miraculously healed a terminally ill man. Greed blinds us to the truth, and also to the consequences. Gehazi coveted Naaman’s wealth and he got what he wanted. He got to keep Naaman’s silver, but because he lied about the character of God, God also gave him Naaman’s leprosy. God’s grace is not for sale. It is the gift of God. Remember, God designed us to ‘do life together!’ Love and prayers, Brad ••• Subscribe to listen each week as the Manna class learns and grows together through their in-depth study of God's Word. This comprehensive, expository series is taught by Brad Hannink, a gifted communicator of the Bread of Life. Manna is a Bible study life group that meets at Valley Baptist Church, located at 4800 Fruitvale Ave. in Bakersfield, California. Manna believes in doing life together. If you’re in need of prayer, email us your request at mannabiblepodcast@gmail.com and our class will be happy to add it to our prayer list. Members of Manna get together each week to pray for those on the prayer list. For more information, visit mannapodcast.com. ©2018, 2019, 2020, & 2021 - Brad Hannink - All Rights Reserved

Dear Manna Family, Well, 2021 is here. We don’t know what the New Year will bring, but almost everyone is hoping for a different 2021 than what we experienced in 2020. 2020 disrupted almost everything. Most of us prefer the familiar because it is predictable. God has plans for His world, and His plans often involve change and disruption, and sometimes even destruction. Jeremiah 48 records God’s plans to judge and destroy the nation of Moab. Vs 11-13 give us a description of the state of Moab. Jeremiah 48:11 Moab has been at ease since his youth; He has also been undisturbed on his lees, Neither has he been emptied from vessel to vessel,. Nor has he gone into exile. Therefore he has retained his flavor, And his aroma has not changed. Vs 12 “Therefore behold, the days are coming,” declares the LORD, “when I shall send to him those who tip vessels, and they will tip him over, and they will empty his vessels and shatter his jars. Vs 13 “And Moab will be ashamed of Chemosh, as the house of Israel was ashamed of Bethel, their confidence.” Moab, the father of the nation Moab, was born of an incestuous relationship between Lot and his oldest daughter after the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. (Genesis 19) The nation of Moab was often in conflict with Israel. Remember that King Balak of Moab, hired the false prophet Balaam to curse Israel. The Moabites lived east of the Dead Sea on a fertile plateau about 3,000 feet in elevation. Grain crops and vineyards were cultivated as well as grazing herds of cattle, sheep and goats. Moab’s territory measured about 60 miles north to south, and 20 miles east to west. It is located within modern day Jordan. Although often in conflict, Moab had never been conquered, and the nation had inhabited the same territory for more than 700 years. Because Moab had continuously occupied the same territory for centuries, they had grown comfortable, complacent and arrogant. They took the credit for their security and prosperity, and disregarded God. God uses the illustration of lees and wine to illustrate the undisturbed nature of Moab. Lees comes from a word that means to keep or preserve. Winemakers would sometimes leave wine in barrels for years. The fine sediments of the grapes would then settle to the bottom of the barrel. If left long enough, these sediments would form a hard crust, usually called lees or dregs. ‘Wine on the lees’ meant a full bodied wine. It contained all the flavors in the original barrel. Vintners would often pour wine from vessel to vessel to strain off the lees or sediments. This process would produce a more refined wine whose aroma and taste would change with each pouring. The principle here is that undisturbed ease often produces spiritual hardening and pride. Moab had been at ease for so long that they neglected and rejected God. Vs 29 “We have heard of the pride of Moab—he is very proud— Of his haughtiness, his pride, his arrogance and his self exaltation. Vs 7 “For because of your trust in your own achievements and treasures, Even you yourself will be captured; Vs 42 “And Moab will be destroyed from being a people Because he has become arrogant toward the LORD.” God uses four terms to describe Moab’s spiritual condition: very proud, haughty, arrogant and self exaltation. They trusted in their own wealth and power. They even sacrificed their own children to their god Chemosh. As a result of their wickedness, God destroyed the nation of Moab through an invasion by Babylon in 582 B.C. Most of us in the United States are living like Moab. We have been a world power for generations and haven’t been invaded for over 200 years. As a result, we have grown complacent and arrogant towards God. We don’t think we need Him, until a pandemic disrupts, and threatens to destroy our lives. Pandemics call us to action, but first of all they should call us to prayer. When God disrupts our lives, He is teaching us to humble ourselves and trust in Him, and not ourselves. God wants to make us more like Jesus, and that requires divine disruption. So, God’s disruption in our lives is an act of love. Remember, God designed us to ‘do life together!’ Love and prayers, Brad ••• Subscribe to listen each week as the Manna class learns and grows together through their in-depth study of God's Word. This comprehensive, expository series is taught by Brad Hannink, a gifted communicator of the Bread of Life. Manna is a Bible study life group that meets at Valley Baptist Church, located at 4800 Fruitvale Ave. in Bakersfield, California. Manna believes in doing life together. If you’re in need of prayer, email us your request at mannabiblepodcast@gmail.com and our class will be happy to add it to our prayer list. Members of Manna get together each week to pray for those on the prayer list. For more information, visit mannapodcast.com. ©2018, 2019, 2020, & 2021 - Brad Hannink - All Rights Reserved

Dear Manna Family, How do you respond to adversity? Adversity comes in many forms; job loss, financial reversal, physical illness, broken relationships, or even death. Most of us would probably agree that a global pandemic qualifies as adversity. However, the real issue is not the trial we face, it’s how we face the trial. Some people collapse in a heap of whining and self-pity when trouble knocks on their door. Others put on their game face and face it with a stiff upper lip. Some try to cope through drugs or alcohol. It’s interesting that the human being who experienced the most adversity in this life, coped with it through……worship. Job was an unusual man. He was both an extremely wealthy and an extremely Godly man who lived after Noah, but before Abraham. God Himself said of Job that ‘there is no one like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, fearing God and turning away from evil.’ Satan told God that Job only loved and served Him because God had prospered him and protected him from trouble and trials. If God took away Job’s possessions, Job would curse God. So, God gave Satan permission to attack Job’s possessions. The Bible records that in the space of a few hours, Job lost all his possessions, due to enemy attacks, and a lightning strike. Far worse, all ten of his children were killed that same day when a tornado struck the house where they were staying. How would you respond if you lost everything, including all your children, in one afternoon? Well, here is what Job did. Job 1:20 Then Job arose and tore his robe and shaved his head, and he fell to the ground and worshipped. Vs 21 He said, “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, And naked I shall return there. The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away. Blessed be the name of the LORD.” Vs 22 Through all this Job did not sin nor did he blame God. Tearing your robe and shaving your head were signs of extreme grief and sorrow. His first act was not to whine, but to worship. Job is not self centered, he is God centered. He knew that whatever problems he faced, God was the solution, and he was now penniless and childless. Job’s perspective of life on earth is radically different than most people’s. Our culture says, ‘the one who dies with the most toys wins.’ The truth is, ‘the one who dies with the most toys……still dies, and leaves all the toys behind.’ Job said, “I came into this world with nothing, and I am going to leave this world with nothing.’ Most people would agree with that statement, at least in theory. After all, hearses don’t pull U hauls behind them. When you leave here, all your stuff stays here. What most people would not say is what Job said next. ‘The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away. Blessed be the name of the LORD.’ Job understood that his adversity was not accidental; God allowed this calamity to occur. He acknowledged that it is God’s prerogative to give and to take away. Furthermore, Job didn’t submit to God’s will with clenched teeth. He blessed God, He exalted, and worshipped God, even in the face of almost unimaginable loss. But it got worse. Satan told God that if Job experienced physical pain and suffering, he would curse God. So, God allowed Satan to attack Job’s body. Later, in the middle of extreme physical pain, Job said Shall we indeed accept good from God and not accept adversity? In all this Job did not sin with his lips. (Job 2:10) Job believed that sovereign God was worthy of worship regardless of circumstances. The Bible says that God is a father who knows what his children need. There are times when adversity is better for us than prosperity, and that is God’s choice. Our choice is how we respond to God’s sovereign control over our lives. Our response to both adversity and prosperity should be the same. We should worship, we should honor and exalt our heavenly Father who always does what is good, because He is a good God who loves us. Remember, God designed us to ‘do life together!’ Love and prayers, Brad ••• Subscribe to listen each week as the Manna class learns and grows together through their in-depth study of God's Word. This comprehensive, expository series is taught by Brad Hannink, a gifted communicator of the Bread of Life. Manna is a Bible study life group that meets at Valley Baptist Church, located at 4800 Fruitvale Ave. in Bakersfield, California. Manna believes in doing life together. If you’re in need of prayer, email us your request at mannabiblepodcast@gmail.com and our class will be happy to add it to our prayer list. Members of Manna get together each week to pray for those on the prayer list. For more information, visit mannapodcast.com. ©2018, 2019, & 2020 - Brad Hannink - All Rights Reserved

Dear Manna Family, In the age of monarchs, the period between reigns or regimes was called an interregnum. Literally, interregnum means interval, interim, or for the moment. It was the gap between reigns, when the old king had died, and the next king had not yet been crowned. It was typically a period of great uncertainty and anxiety, because no one knew what the new regime would do. Today, our interregnum is far more than just political uncertainty. It seems as though much from our familiar past is gone, and there is great uncertainty about what is coming in the future. This uncertainty is creating worry. The Spanish term for worry or distress is zozobra. It’s the picture of a ship that is wobbling from side to side, about to keel over and capsize. A person who experiences zozobra is wobbling between different perspectives. They do not have a clear lens on the realities of life, and they are struggling to stay upright and on course. This seems to describe our culture today. Our world has rejected the Biblical values that have provided reliable guidance in the past. We are intellectually confused and morally lost. We need a fixed point of reference to navigate life accurately. On the open ocean there are no fixed land marks, so sailors used fixed sky marks instead. Polaris, the North Star never moves, so mariners used it to calculate their location and direction. What we need is an accurate map of how the world works, so we can navigate life correctly. Fortunately, we have one. The God who created the world knows how it works, and He wrote the navigation guide for our benefit. The map for navigating a temporal world is the eternal word of God. Jesus said in Matthew 24:35 Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words shall not pass away. Our world is constantly changing, but the God who created the world, never changes, and neither does His instruction manual for life on earth. The Christian views life from God’s perspective, and that is 180 degrees opposite from the world’s perspective. 2 Corinthians 4:18……we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen; for the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal. The Bible tells us that the physical things we can see with our eyes, the things that seem solid, are really temporary and passing away. The spiritual realities that are invisible to our physical senses, are in fact eternal, and will never change. And the eternal realities are absolutely reliable guideposts as we journey through life. It’s like a GPS in your car that guides you as you travel. Years ago, before streaming updates, Maren and I purchased a system that had to be manually updated. We didn’t use it that often so we didn’t update the software. Once we were driving on a freeway near Santa Cruz, and the map told us to make a left turn across a concrete median into four lanes of oncoming traffic. Clearly, the roadways had changed, and our map was out of date. We all carry a mental map of how we think the world works, and we make decisions based on that map. Our map is usually based on our past experience, and the information sources we accept as true. The problem comes when how we think the world should work, is not how the world really works. What we need to do is to update our spiritual navigation system every day by calibrating it with God’s eternally truthful word. We calibrate our lives with God’s word when we discover what the Bible says, and then do it. It’s not enough to know God’s directions, you actually have to follow them, if you don’t want to get lost. When we fail to trust and obey God’s word, we experience zozobra, a wobbling between perspectives. The Biblical term for zozobra is doublemindedness. James 1 tells us that a double minded person does not believe that God’s word is reliable or accurate. So they vacillate between believing God and believing the world, and as a result, they are unstable, confused and disoriented. However, when you believe and do what God says in the Bible, He will get you safely into port, no matter how severe the storm. Bon voyage! Remember, God designed us to ‘do life together.’ Love and prayers, Brad ••• Subscribe to listen each week as the Manna class learns and grows together through their in-depth study of God's Word. This comprehensive, expository series is taught by Brad Hannink, a gifted communicator of the Bread of Life. Manna is a Bible study life group that meets at Valley Baptist Church, located at 4800 Fruitvale Ave. in Bakersfield, California. Manna believes in doing life together. If you’re in need of prayer, email us your request at mannabiblepodcast@gmail.com and our class will be happy to add it to our prayer list. Members of Manna get together each week to pray for those on the prayer list. For more information, visit mannapodcast.com. ©2018, 2019, & 2020 - Brad Hannink - All Rights Reserved

Dear Manna Family, We are studying people of the Bible who are not rich and famous. Some of them are virtually unknown. Nevertheless, God wrote their stories in the Bible so we could learn from them. Todays character is a woman whose name was Deborah. The name Deborah means ‘honeybee,’ and her story is found in Judges 4-5. Israel has been in Canaan for about 150 years and they keep repeating the same spiritual cycle. 1. disobedience; they reject God and worship idols. 2. discipline; God allows invaders to oppress them. 3. despair; they cry out for rescue. 4. deliverance; God raises up a judge to save them. 5. downward spiral; they go back to sin. Israel is now being oppressed by Jabin, king of Canaan whose capital was Hazor in northern Israel. After twenty years of severe oppression, Israel cries out to God for relief. God responds through Deborah, who is a mother and a prophetess. Judges 4: 4 Now Deborah, a prophetess, the wife of Lappidoth, was judging Israel at that time. Vs 5 And she used to sit under the palm tree of Deborah…..and the sons of Israel came up to her for judgement. Vs 6 Now she sent and and summoned Barak the son of Abinoam from Kedesh-naphtali, and said to him, “Behold, the LORD, the God of Israel, has commanded, ‘Go and march to Mount Tabor, and take with you ten thousand men from the sons of Naphtali and from the sons of Zebulun. Vs 7 And I will draw out to you Sisera, the commander of Jabin’s army, with his chariots and his many troops to the river Kishon; and I will give him into your hand.’ As a prophetess, Deborah’s job description was to speak for God. She was filled with the Holy Spirit, who spoke God’s word to her and through her. She was also a judge whom God called to be the political and spiritual leader of the nation. This is the only time in Israel’s history, when God chose a woman to lead Israel. God told Deborah to tell Barak, “Go, march to Mount Tabor, and I will deliver him into your hand.” God gave a command and made a promise: “You go and I will deliver.” Barak, whose name means ‘lightning’, is fearful, and accepts the commission only if Deborah goes with him to the battle. She promises him ‘I will surely go with you.’ But she tells him that the honor for the victory will go to a woman. When Sisera, the Canaanite commander, hears that Barak has marched into his territory, he brings his armies to the river Kishon which flows through the valley of Jezreel. Vs 14 And Deborah said to Barak, ‘Arise!’ For this is the day in which the LORD has given Sisera into your hands; behold, the LORD has gone out before you.” So Barak went down from Mount Tabor with ten thousand men following him. This the exact day that God is going to deliver Israel’s enemies into their hands. This was the dry season, and we know from chapter five that God caused a torrential rain storm on that very day which flooded the Kishon river and the Jezreel valley. The battle ground was a muddy quagmire that bogged down the enemy chariots and created chaos and panic. God was the real hero of this battle, not Deborah or Barak. The Canaanite general named Sisera ran away and hid in the tent of a woman named Jael, whose name means “mountain goat.” When he falls asleep exhausted, she takes a tent peg and hammers it through his temple into the ground. She receives the credit for killing Israel’s enemy. Application: 1. God uses ordinary people to accomplish extraordinary things. Deborah was a mom, Barak was fearful, and yet God used them both to free Israel from enslavement. 2. God tells us what we need to do, and when we need to do it. Barak went into battle on the very day God commanded him to go. 3. God often accomplishes His purposes in unexpected ways. No one was expecting a torrential rainstorm in the dry season. No one could have predicted that a common peasant woman would kill an enemy commander. Don’t put God in a box. Trust Him and see what He will do! Remember, God designed us to ‘do life together!’ Love and prayers, Brad ••• Subscribe to listen each week as the Manna class learns and grows together through their in-depth study of God's Word. This comprehensive, expository series is taught by Brad Hannink, a gifted communicator of the Bread of Life. Manna is a Bible study life group that meets at Valley Baptist Church, located at 4800 Fruitvale Ave. in Bakersfield, California. Manna believes in doing life together. If you’re in need of prayer, email us your request at mannabiblepodcast@gmail.com and our class will be happy to add it to our prayer list. Members of Manna get together each week to pray for those on the prayer list. For more information, visit mannapodcast.com. ©2018, 2019, & 2020 - Brad Hannink - All Rights Reserved