Closer To Heaven
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BONO REGION, GHANA – Ghana Adventist Health Services (GAHS) is facing a severe shortage of healthcare workers as its facilities expand their capacity while nurses and other personnel leave the country or seek transfers to areas closer to home, as reported in ChannelOne TV News. GAHS, a faith-based healthcare provider under the Christian Health Association […] Source: https://atoday.org/more-beds-fewer-nurses-ghana-adventist-health-services-faces-staffing-crisis/
The Biblical Person of the Day
Othniel – Israel’s first judge with a courageous heart
Profile
Short StoryOthniel was a man from the tribe of Judah and belonged to Caleb’s family. He lived during the time when Israel was taking possession of the Promised Land and had to learn how to live faithfully with God in that land.
Othniel showed courage early in his life. Caleb promised his daughter Achsah in marriage to the man who would capture Kiriath-Sepher. Othniel accepted the challenge and conquered the city.
As a result, he became Achsah’s husband and part of a family known for faith, determination, and trust in God’s promises.
Later, Israel fell into a severe spiritual crisis. The people did what was displeasing to the Lord, forgot God, and served foreign gods.
As a result, Israel was given into the power of Cushan-Rishathaim, king of Mesopotamia. For eight years, the people suffered under this oppression.
When Israel cried out to the Lord, God raised up Othniel as a deliverer. The Spirit of the Lord came upon him, and he became a judge in Israel.
Othniel led the people to deliverance, and the land had rest for forty years. His story shows that in times of distress, God can call people who act courageously and allow themselves to be led by His Spirit.
The Decisive MomentThe Spirit of the Lord comes upon Othniel, and he becomes Israel’s first judge and deliverer.
7 Special Things About Othniel
Strengths & Weaknesses
courageous
obedient
led by the Spirit of God
willing to take responsibility for the people
little is recorded about his personal inner life
lived during a time of great spiritual unfaithfulness in Israel
The Mistake That Defined HimThe Bible does not report any particular personal wrongdoing on Othniel’s part.
His life is shaped above all by courage, deliverance, and the guidance of the Spirit of the Lord.
Key Verse“And the Spirit of the Lord came upon him, and he judged Israel.” (Judges 3:10)
The Life LessonTrue deliverance does not come through human courage alone, but through people who allow themselves to be led by the Spirit of God.
Application for TodayAsk God not only for courage, but also for His Spirit, so that in difficult times you may act rightly and be willing to take responsibility.
Question for YouWhere is God calling you today not to remain passive, but to take a courageous step in trust in His Spirit?
ContextOthniel lived after Israel’s conquest of the land and became the first deliverer of the people during the early period of the judges.
ConnectionOthniel is connected with Caleb, Achsah, and the first phase of the period of the judges, when Israel repeatedly turned away from God and was delivered through judges.
Othniel shows that God uses people who act courageously and allow themselves to be led by His Spirit. Through him, God gave His people deliverance and a long period of rest.
See you tomorrow with the next biblical person!
The Life Story The Life Story of Othniel – Courage, the Spirit, and Deliverance 
A Man from Caleb’s FamilyOthniel came from the tribe of Judah and belonged to Caleb’s family. He therefore stood in a line of people known for faith and courage.
Caleb had trusted God when many others shrank back in fear before the giants of Canaan. This attitude shaped the environment in which Othniel came to prominence.
Othniel was not a man who merely heard stories of faith from the past. He had to show for himself whether he was willing to act courageously.
The Challenge of Kiriath-SepherCaleb presented a special challenge: whoever captured Kiriath-Sepher would receive his daughter Achsah as his wife.
This task required more than words. It demanded readiness to fight, trust, and determination.
Othniel accepted the challenge and conquered the city. In doing so, he showed that courage is not merely an attitude of the heart, but something that must become visible at the decisive moment.
Achsah and the InheritanceThrough his victory, Othniel became Achsah’s husband. She was a woman of clear insight and a courageous heart who later asked her father Caleb for springs of water.
Thus Othniel’s life became connected with a family in which faith, inheritance, and the future played an important role.
His connection with Achsah reminds us that God’s ways often concern not only individuals, but whole families and future generations.
Israel Forgets the LordAfter the conquest of the land, a difficult period began. Israel lived in the Promised Land, but the heart of the people did not always remain faithful to God.
The Bible reports that the Israelites did what was displeasing to the Lord. They forgot the Lord and served foreign gods.
This was not merely a religious mistake, but a breaking of relationship with the God who had delivered them from Egypt and brought them into the land.
Eight Years of OppressionAs a result of their unfaithfulness, Israel came under the power of Cushan-Rishathaim, king of Mesopotamia. For eight years, the people had to suffer under this foreign rule.
This period was a bitter reminder that freedom without faithfulness to God becomes fragile.
But in their distress, Israel began to cry out to the Lord. The people who had forgotten God turned back to Him in their suffering.
God Raises Up a DelivererGod heard the cry of His people. He did not leave Israel in oppression, but raised up Othniel as a deliverer.
Othniel did not become a deliverer simply through natural ability. The Bible explicitly says that the Spirit of the Lord came upon him.
This makes one thing clear: the decisive power in Othniel’s life was not merely his courage, but God’s Spirit empowering him.
The Spirit of the LordThe Spirit of the Lord gave Othniel strength to judge Israel and lead the people into battle. His task was not only military, but also spiritual.
As judge, he was to give direction to the people and lead them out of oppression.
Othniel’s story shows that God not only calls people, but also equips them. Whoever is placed by God into a task may trust in His strength.
Forty Years of RestThrough Othniel, God gave Israel victory over the enemy. Afterward, the land had rest for forty years.
This rest was a sign of God’s mercy. Although the people had forgotten Him, God answered their cry for help with deliverance.
Othniel thus became Israel’s first judge and an example of how God can use one person in dark times to bring deliverance.
The Lasting Message of His LifeOthniel shows that God uses courageous people who allow themselves to be led by His Spirit. His story makes clear that deliverance does not come through human strength alone.
It reminds us that even after times of failure, God can respond to the cry of His people and raise up individuals who are willing to take responsibility.
Final ThoughtOthniel was a man of courage, but the greatest secret of his life was not his own strength. The Spirit of the Lord came upon him.
Through him, Israel was delivered, and the land was allowed to enjoy forty years of rest.
His life story shows: When God’s Spirit fills a person, courage can become deliverance and obedience can become a blessing for many.
Jesus told us to watch and be ready, because His return is nearer than ever before. As the world grows more uncertain, the need to share the everlasting gospel grows even greater. Every day, Amazing Facts reaches people around the world with Bible truth through evangelism, media, and free biblical resources. Your faithful support helps more people prepare for Christ's soon return and find lasting hope in His Word. Together, we can continue proclaiming the three angels' messages until Jesus comes. Read More: https://www.amazingfacts.org/news-events/from-pastor-doug/get-ready-get-ready-get-ready/?segmentCode=SM2608MA Support Here: https://www.amazingfacts.org/donation/get-ready/?segmentCode=SM2608MA Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ALYpCNOXbqs
Daily Lesson for Tuesday 11th of August 2026
Yesterday, we focused on seven things love does; today, we will look into eight things it does not do. Love . . .
Does not envy (zeloō). Zeloō can be used positively as in “desire [zeloō] the higher gifts” (1 Corinthians 12:31, ESV), “desire [zeloō] the spiritual gifts” (1 Corinthians 14:1, ESV), and “desire [zeloō] to prophesy” (1 Corinthians 14:39, ESV). Here, though, as in Acts 7:9, it is negative. It is OK to desire spiritual gifts but not to envy gifted persons. This causes division (1 Corinthians 3:3).
Does not boast (perpereuomai). The verb perpereuomai conveys the idea of arrogance and desire for praise from others. Love, however, is not self-focused like that. This is even clearer in what follows.
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Does not puff up (physioō). The verb physioō occurs in 1 Corinthians 8:1 in Paul’s remarkable statement, “ ‘Knowledge’ puffs up, but love builds up” (ESV). It refers to a person inflated with self-importance.
Does not behave rudely (aschēmoneo). The verb aschēmoneo may have an ample range of meanings. By and large, though, it means acting contrary to social and moral standards in a dishonorable, shameful, indecent, or improper manner. Paul likely is referring to the arrogant and rude behavior of the “strong” party toward the “weak” members in Corinth (1 Corinthians 4:10, 1 Corinthians 8:1-13).
Does not seek (zēteo) its own [rights]. This is similar to what Paul says in 1 Corinthians 10:24: “No one is to seek his own right, but rather that of others” (author’s translation). Love gives up its own rights for the sake of others (see Lesson 5). In a setting in which everyone seeks each other’s rights, all benefit.
Does not get easily irritated (paroxynō). The verb paroxynō suggests an inward state of arousal pointing to someone easily provoked to anger. This means that love is not short-tempered or touchy.
Does not keep records (logizomai) of wrongs. The verb logizomai has an accounting sense here, meaning that love does not take one’s wrongs into account. In other words, love also means to forgive.
Does not delight (chairō) in wrongdoing. Love not only keeps no record of someone else’s wrongs but takes no pleasure in them. When we truly love others, we do not rejoice at their mistakes but, instead, seek to help them.
10 August 2026 | Dear Aunt Sevvy, Ellen White says that in vision she saw the tables of the law with a halo around the fourth commandment. Does that mean that the Sabbath is the most important commandment? Gentle Reader; Let’s be charitable to our Adventist forbears: they were surrounded by Christians of many kinds, […] Source: https://atoday.org/is-the-fourth-commandment-the-most-important-commandment-aunt-sevvy/
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