THE OLD TESTAMENT IN RHYME

  JOSHUA DEFEATS JERICHO (Joshua 5 - 6:25) Joshua was brave and faithful; He led the people into the Promised Land. They fought the city of Jericho, With swords and a trumpet band. When Joshua was near Jericho, A city in the Promised Land, He looked up and saw a man standing, With a drawn sword in his hand. Joshua went up to the man, And asked on which side was he, The man replied “Neither.” He was Commander of God’s army. Joshua fell on his face in reverence, Expecting something profound. The man said, “Take off your sa ndals, For you’re standing on holy ground. Through the man, the Lord said to Joshua, “I’ve delivered Jericho to you.” The war had not yet been fought, But now the time was due. The Jerichonians were afraid; They wanted to be left be. They had heard the amazing story, Of the parting of the Red Sea. The city was walled and tightly shut up; No one went in or out. An ill wind was blowing their way, Of that fact, no one had a doubt. The Lord’s instructions to Joshua, As...

 TWO SPIES AND A HARLOT (Joshua 2-6) Jacob is also called Israel. Twelve tribes made up his nation. Ten were tribes of Jacob’s sons, And two were sons by adoption. After the death of Moses, They camped on the river sand. On the far side of the Jordan lay Canaan, The long-awaited Promised Land. Joshua was the son of Nun, And also Moses’ aide. Through him God kept a promise, That had long ago been made. God told Joshua to cross the Jordan, Into the Promised Land. And if anyone tried to harm him, He would lend a hand. God first encouraged Joshua, To be courageous and strong, To study the law day and night, And be careful to do no wrong. Joshua ordered his officers, To go through the camp far and near, And tell the people to gather their needs; Their day would soon be here. In three days they would cross the river, Which all of the men would be fordin’ The women and children of 2 1/2 tribes, Would stay east of the river Jordan. The people pledged allegiance to Joshua, To obey him until...

LIFE IS ALL ABOUT CHOICES (Deuteronomy 30:13-20) Today I set before you Life and prosperity, Death and destruction. I speak with sincerity. I command you to love the LORD your God, And to always walk in his ways, To keep His commands, decrees and laws; Then He will increase your days. But if your heart turns away If you are not compliant, You will certainly be destroyed, If you remain defiant. I call heaven and earth as witnesses, Life and death I give. I’ve set before you blessings and curses; Choose life so you and your children may live. If you love the LORD your God, You must listen to His voice, Hold fast to him for the LORD is your life; Make life and blessings your choice. Becky Wall “'I have the right to do anything,' you say—but not everything is beneficial." “'I have the right to do anything'—but I will not be mastered by anything." I Corinthians 6:12  But if serving the Lord seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will...

  THE LORD’S TOP TEN CARVED IN STONE (Ex. 20:1-17 & Deut. 5:6-21) You shall have no gods before me. Do not make or pray to an idol. For I am a jealous God, On your heart I want a bridle. Do not misuse my name; In a way without true meaning. I am outraged when my name is exclaimed, I think of it as demeaning. Remember the Sabbath, to keep it holy; Six days you shall do all your work. The seventh day is mine alone, So relax; your work you can shirk. For in six days I made the heavens, And all life in the earth and sea. I rested on the seventh day; I blessed it and declared it holy. Honor your father and mother, So you may live long in the land. Do not murder, be true to your spouse, And do not steal with your hand. Do not lie about anyone. Don’t covet what belongs to your neighbor. If you will keep these commandments, With Me you will find favor. --Becky Wall  

  A CALL TO ARMS (Exodus 17:8-16) Nomads and raiders who killed for pleasure, Attacked the Israelites. Then Moses said to Joshua, “Go fight those Amalekites. For tomorrow I will stand on the hill, With the staff of God in my hands." While he, Brother Aaron and Hur climbed the hill, Joshua followed his commands. As long as Moses held up his arms, the Israelites were winning, But whenever he lowered his arms, The Amalekites were winning. When Moses' arms grew tired, He was given a stone to sit on. Aaron and Hur held up his arms, Until the sun was gone. Joshua won the battle, Then to Moses the Lord God said, "Write this down as something to remember, ‘Til their offspring all are dead." They fought off all of the Amalekites, In a multi-generation campaign. Their descendants were finally killed off, During King Hezekiah’s reign. The story has indeed been remembered; We can read it in the Bible today. This “call to arms” was quite unique, A faith and teamwork display. Beck...

  (Exodus 14) Moses had gone to Pharoah, To say, “Let my people go.” But it took 10 plagues, the last being death, Before Pharoah would stop saying “No!” So the Israelites left Egypt; And they did so in a hurry. They feared that Pharoah would change his mind; That’s why they had to scurry. Sure enough, they hadn’t gone far, When Pharoah chased after them. The Israelites were many, So he brought a large army with him. When the sea faced the Israelites; Again they were no longer free, For the people found themselves trapped, B’tween the devil and the deep Red Sea. The people were ready to quit, Though they had barely started. But when Moses held out his rod, The waters suddenly parted. The Hebrews crossed the great divide, On a path that was fairly wide. And though the ground was dry, A wall of water stood on each side. Once the last Hebrew crossed, Pharoah’s army filled the path. The water came crashing down, And the Egyptians drowned in God’s wrath. So when you face the impossible,...

  PLAGUES & PANDEMICS (Exodus 7:14-11:9) Moses went to Pharoah, And said, “Let my people go.” Pharoah refused and so God sent, Ten different kinds of woe. First, water was turned to blood; The Nile became a red river. For Egypt worshiped water gods, Instead of the true Life Giver. Next came the plague of frogs, On a frog-goddess Egypt relied. Since frogs were a sign of fertility, God made sure they multiplied. Third came the plague of gnats, The first not repeated by a magician. Since none was able to mimic it,  God’s finger got recognition. The fourth plague inflicted was flies, The fly-god and ours were compared. All of Egypt was afflicted, But the Israelite people were spared. The death of livestock was the fifth plague, They could truly say “Where’s the beef?” The people were made vegetarians, Which still didn’t cause enough grief. Painful boils was the sixth plague; Even the magicians had boils. The goddess of epidemics and the gods of healing, Couldn’t help the lowly...