tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-343324502024-03-19T05:00:32.745-05:00New Every MorningGod's mercies are new every morning, not necessarily the contents of this blog! I'm constantly amazed at the insights God provides in his word -- I'll share some of them here!Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger650125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34332450.post-89641236570812752102024-03-19T05:00:00.001-05:002024-03-19T05:00:00.157-05:00Bible in a Year March 19 - Judges 14-16<p> </p><p class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">March
19 - Judges 14-16<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">The story of Samson is almost too crazy! Lions, bees,
riddles, jawbones, foxes, and more. He doesn’t seem to be the kind of person
God would choose – he’s brash, disrespectful, overbearing, and egotistical. And
God used those characteristics to confront the Philistines in a way that was
unexpected and yet successful.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">You have to wonder how wise he was, though, with all the
tricks Bathsheba pulled. Verse 16:16 says she nagged him “until he was tired to
death.” It’s hard to understand why he didn’t just leave.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Did you see the last verse that said his brothers came to
get his body? I’m hoping that means his mother was able to conceive and give
birth to other children.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">TOMORROW’S TEXT: Judges 17-19<o:p></o:p></span></p><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"></span></b><p></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34332450.post-12050415393744070272024-03-18T05:00:00.001-05:002024-03-18T05:00:00.134-05:00Bible in a Year March 18: Judges 10 – 13<p> </p><p class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">March
18: Judges 10 – 13<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Today’s reading covers more than 134 years! At least 58
of those years the Israelites were oppressed by others.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">The terminology used when God is frustrated with the
disobedience of the people is often the word ‘mkr’, which means to sell or
betray to others. Almost all derivatives of the word related to trade. If indeed
this was a trade of sorts, I wonder what the conquerors got out of the deal.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Several of the judges mentioned had a LOT of children!
Twice we see that they rode on donkeys, which were considered a symbol of
royalty at the time. Perhaps God chose these men because they were already
successful leaders, unlike Gideon.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">A few things that really stuck out to me today:<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">1) Why did the Israelites wait so long (18 – 40 years) to
cry out to God?<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">2) Verse 10:16 says that God “could bear Israel’s misery
no more”. Our God is patient and caring. He waits for us to learn our lesson,
but at some point our pain hurts him more than it does us.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">3) Jephthah made a horrible vow! But he honored God
enough to follow through. Did he really provide his daughter as a burnt sacrifice?
Who or what did he truly expect to walk out the door? Because the Law of Moses
prohibited human sacrifice, most scholars believe that Jephthah was able to
instead dedicate her to service at the tabernacle as a perpetual virgin.
Because of this vow, regardless of the way it was fulfilled, Jephthah would
have no more descendants.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">4) Wow, the people of Ephraim must have really liked
fighting! Just like they did with Gideon, they were angry that Jephthah didn’t
invite them to participate in the action. However this time they apparently got
the fight they wanted and suffered because of it. This is the first time we see
Israelites fighting against each other.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">5) I love that Manoah and his wife wanted advice on
raising their son. I do wish the author had told us his wife’s name, though.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">TOMORROW’S TEXT: Judges 14-16<o:p></o:p></span></p><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"></span></b><p></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34332450.post-25237647297977987932024-03-17T05:00:00.001-05:002024-03-17T05:00:00.141-05:00Bible in a Year March 17 – Judges 8-9<p> </p><p class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">March
17 – Judges 8-9<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Poor Gideon – everyone seems to be against him! The name
Jerub-Baal<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>stuck for the rest of his
life. The Ephraimites are mad he didn’t call them to fight early on in the
battle, and the residents of Succoth refuse to feed his troops. Succoth was a
city east of the Jordan and was the tribe of Dan’s territory, but it most
likely remained in non-Israelite possession. Peniel was also east of the Jordan
and was the location where Jacob wrestles with an angel in Genesis 32.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Gideon created a relic of sorts from the gold that had
been collected, and the Israelites worshiped it instead of God. Gideon’s life
changed significantly after this battle -- he ended up having 70 sons with
several wives and another named Abimelech , the son of his concubine from
Shechem. Gideon was no longer the weak, hesitant man he once was.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">After 40 years of peace, Gideon died and Abimelech got a
bit power hungry. The name Abimelech actually means ‘my father is king’, and he
seemed to think it was his right to take over once Gideon died. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After killing 69 of his brothers and garnering
a large support group, he actually governed Israel for three years. After much
trauma and drama, Shechem was once again destroyed and more than 1000 people
were burned alive before Abimelech was killed.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">How does someone kill all his brothers? Was Abimelech
seen as a bastard child by the others? And who gave him the name ‘my father is
king’, Gideon? It seems a bit grandiose to me.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">TOMORROW’S TEXT: Judges 10 – 13<o:p></o:p></span></p><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"></span></b><p></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34332450.post-29748183830002780422024-03-16T05:00:00.001-05:002024-03-16T05:00:00.152-05:00Bible in a Year March 16 - Judges 6-7<p> <b><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">March 16 - Judges 6-7</span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">The story of Gideon is fascinating. He is the weakest man
in the weakest tribe, and yet God used him to save Israel. When we first see
him, he’s threshing wheat in a winepress to keep it hidden from the Midianites
(which also means he had a very small harvest). He was probably stomping on the
grain as one would grapes for wine.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">This is the only time in Judges that we see the Angel of
the Lord approach a judge himself to announce his role. Gideon is incredibly
hesitant and even after seeing miraculous fire from a rock he fulfills the
request to tear down false altars, but does it in the middle of the night. The
next day the Spirit of the Lord comes upon him and he calls together an army.
Still hesitant, though he requires two signs (and 48 hours) to be sure he heard
correctly.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">It is shocking that 2/3rds of the army is frightened and
returns home! These folks hadn’t been in war situations and weren’t well
trained, and obviously they were terrified of the Midianites.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">God’s love and patience is so persistent in this passage.
Even after the proofs he’d seen, God knew Gideon was still scared and hesitant
(I imagine he wanted to be first in line when the others returned home). Yet
God allows him to hear the fear of the Midianites!<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Whenever we feel inadequate, it would be good to remember
that God led just 300 men to overwhelm the Midianites with just trumpets, clay
pots, and torches! Surely he can help each of us to overcome the battles we are
fighting.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p>
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">TOMORROW’S TEXT:
Judges 8-9</span></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34332450.post-58893611393608773942024-03-15T05:00:00.001-05:002024-03-15T05:00:00.140-05:00Bible in a Year March 15 - Judges 3 – 5<p> </p><p class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">March
15 - Judges 3 – 5<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">God apparently allowed many Canaanites to stay both to
test the Israelites devotion AND to train the new generation to fight. After
the Israelites began worshipping other gods and doing evil, God lifted up
Caleb’s nephew/son-in-law, Othniel, and filled him with the Spirit. (Side note
– the Bible only mentions three other judges who were filled with the Spirit –
Gideon, Jephthah, and Samson. It doesn’t mean others weren’t, but it is
significant that only these names are mentioned). Othniel leads the Israelites
in war and the land has peace for 40 years.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Ehud is the next judge, and the fact that he is
left-handed is obviously significant. He
was from the tribe of Benjamin, and it seems Benjamites are mostly
characterized as being either left-handed or ambidextrous. After Ehud kills
Eglon, who caused problems for the Israelites for 18 years, the land had peace
for 80 years.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Shagmar is next, and we don’t know much about him except
that he killed 600 Philistines with an oxgoad. This was a pointed rod used for
driving cattle. I’m picturing Chuck Norris with a giant stick!<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Then one of my favorite stories is that of Deborah and
Jael. one of the things I find so fascinating is that Jael’s husband (who was
related to Zipporah, Moses’ wife) was on good graces with Jabin the king. Was
Jael in disagreement with her husband’s politics (since Sisera was commander of
Jabin’s army), or did she have some specific gripe against Sisera himself? Oh,
and did you notice that her tent was set up under that ‘great tree’ in
Zaanannim that we talked about back in Joshua 19?<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">After these events the land had peace for another 40
years.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">TOMORROW’S TEXT: Judges 6-7</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></b></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34332450.post-40217183658189217292024-03-14T05:00:00.001-05:002024-03-14T05:00:00.140-05:00Bible in a Year March 14: Joshua 24; Judges 1-2<p> <span style="color: #050505; font-family: Arial, "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">March 14: Joshua 24; Judges 1-2</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #050505; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">JUDGES<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #050505; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">The
book of Judges begins at the time of Joshua’s death. The Israelites have
settled peacefully into the Promised Land and have started building up their
cities and falling into a routine life. But with comfort unfortunately comes
complacency. There isn’t a strong leader to fill Joshua’s shoes and the
Israelites begin a cycle of rebellion, judgment, and deliverance through a
series of judges ordained by God. Some say it’s a series of hero stories that
demonstrate both God’s compassion and the weakness of the leaders. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #050505; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">There
is a cycle to the book that establishes a framework for these stories<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="text-align: left; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="color: #050505; line-height: 115%; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">1.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span><span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> 1.</span></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><span style="color: #050505; font-family: Arial, "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; text-indent: -0.25in;">People do evil things
and worship other gods</span><br /><span style="color: #050505; font-family: Arial, "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; text-indent: -0.25in;">2.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><span style="color: #050505; font-family: Arial, "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; text-indent: -0.25in;">God gets angry and
allows other nations to invade</span><br /><span style="color: #050505; font-family: Arial, "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; text-indent: -0.25in;">3.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><span style="color: #050505; font-family: Arial, "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; text-indent: -0.25in;">Israel cries for help</span><br /><span style="color: #050505; font-family: Arial, "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; text-indent: -0.25in;">4.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><span style="color: #050505; font-family: Arial, "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; text-indent: -0.25in;">God raises up a judge
who delivers the people from their enemies</span><br /><span style="color: #050505; font-family: Arial, "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; text-indent: -0.25in;">5.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><span style="color: #050505; font-family: Arial, "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; text-indent: -0.25in;">Israel again returns
to foreign gods.</span><!--[if !supportLists]--></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #050505; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span><span style="color: #050505; font-family: Arial, "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">It is traditionally
considered that Samuel wrote this book, and it was written after the
establishment of kingship. Some believe that perhaps Nathan and Gad, the
prophets, participated in the editing of the book during the reign of David.</span></p><p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 0in; mso-add-space: auto;"><span style="color: #050505; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span><span style="color: #050505; font-family: Arial, "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Key verses are Judges
2:11-12 and Judges 21:25.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #050505; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">It’s
a bit sad to say goodbye to Joshua. He’s been a good leader and his farewell
speech is pretty amazing. There has been almost no rebellion in his time and
the Israelites are finally at peace. I imagine his quote, “But for me and my
household, we will serve the Lord” hangs in thousands of homes today. We also
say goodbye to Phineas, who has served the people well as head priest. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #050505; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Joseph’s
bones, which were carried with the Israelites for the last 40 years, were
buried in the tract of land his father bought to pitch his tent back in Gen
33:18. Joseph had slept on that ground during his lifetime, and now the whole
land belonged to his descendants.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #050505; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Did
you have a sense of dejavu when you started reading Judges? I wonder what was
so significant about the story of Acsah that it was repeated? We see another
story of grace toward the people who helped the Israelites invade a city – I’m
glad they kept their promises to those residents.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #050505; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">As
we saw earlier, there were quite a few Canaanites who remained in the land.
While initially they were servants to the Israelites, it only took one
generation for the people to be influenced by that culture.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #050505; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">One
of the key verses is in our reading today:<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #050505; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">“</span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span class="text Judg-2-11" style="background-color: white;"><span class="versenum" style="display: inline; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Ubuntu, Cantarell, "Noto Sans", sans-serif, Arial; font-size: 1.2rem; font-weight: 700; line-height: normal; position: relative; top: auto; vertical-align: text-top;">11 </span><span style="font-family: arial;">Then the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the <span class="small-caps divine-name" style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: small-caps; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal;">Lord</span>, and served the Baals; </span></span><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="background-color: white;"></span><span class="text Judg-2-12" id="en-NKJV-6558" style="background-color: white;"><span class="versenum" style="display: inline; font-size: 1.2rem; font-weight: 700; line-height: normal; position: relative; top: auto; vertical-align: text-top;">12 </span>and they forsook the <span class="small-caps divine-name" style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: small-caps; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal;">Lord</span> God of their fathers, who had brought them out of the land of Egypt; and they followed other gods from <i>among</i> the gods of the people who <i>were</i> all around them, and they bowed down to them; and they provoked the <span class="small-caps divine-name" style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: small-caps; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal;">Lord</span> to anger.</span>”<sup> </sup></span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">(NIV)<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p>
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">TOMORROW’S TEXT:
Judges 3 – 5</span></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34332450.post-21406449959278980212024-03-13T05:00:00.001-05:002024-03-13T05:00:00.158-05:00Bible in a Year March 13: Joshua 21:13 – 23:16<p> <b><span style="color: #050505; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">March 13: Joshua 21:13
– 23:16</span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #050505; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Lots
more town names today. Did you notice the town of Shechem in the inheritance of
the Kohathite clans? Their relative, Levi, was one of the two sons of Jacob
that killed all the men there after they raped Dinah. They obviously knew the
story – I wonder what they thought as they took over that town. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #050505; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">I
love verse 21:45 – every one of God’s promises were fulfilled! Oh what a
wonderful time that must have been for the people of Israel!<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #050505; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">As
the Reubenites, Gadites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh are finally sent home,
Joshua’s advice if pertinent to them and to us: be careful to follow the
commandments to “love the Lord your God, to walk in all his ways, to obey his
commands, to hold fast to him and to serve him with all your heart and all your
soul.” (Joshua 22:5). But then comes a huge miscommunication/misunderstanding. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #050505; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">How
quickly we jump to conclusions without seeking the truth! The rest of the
Israelites were ready to wipe them out for building an altar, presuming they
were already worshipping other gods. While I commend the Israelites for their
avid defense of God, if they would have just asked about it there would have
been much less drama. And if the residents of the east side of the Jordan would
have communicated their intent that would have avoided a lot of chaos.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #050505; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">So
the men of these three tribes were on the west side of the Jordan for at least
5 years. Did they get time off to go see their families? How did the rest of
those tribes, who remained on the west, get by without the men in the prime of
their lives? How difficult was it for everyone to adjust having them back?<o:p></o:p></span></p><p>
<span style="color: #050505; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">TOMORROW’S TEXT: Joshua 24; Judges 1-2</span></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34332450.post-41582206191896667052024-03-12T05:00:00.001-05:002024-03-12T05:00:00.239-05:00Bible in a Year March 12 - Joshua 18:1 – 21:12<p> </p><p class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #050505; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">March 12 - Joshua 18:1
– 21:12<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #050505; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Well,
this was another day of skimming for me. So many town names that don’t really
mean much, but I did look at the map again – it’s </span><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><a href="https://www.swagbucks.com/?f=51&q=map+of+land+allocation+to+israelites"><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">here</span></a></span><span style="color: #050505; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> if you want it.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #050505; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">I
wonder what the tribe of Benjamin thought of receiving the town of Jericho?
Joshua had put a curse on anyone who built the town up (see Joshua 6:26), so
essentially that would remain a shambles.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #050505; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">It
was interesting to see that the inheritance for the tribe of Simeon came out of
the allocation already given to Judah because it was bigger than Judah needed.
I wonder how that came about – did the tribe of Judah offer it up, or were they
perhaps a bit miffed to be losing some of the land they had already received?<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #050505; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">I
giggled a little when I read verse 19:33 – the boundary for Naphtali went from
“Heleph and the large tree in Zaanannim…”. I guess it was a really large tree
for everyone to know where it was!<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #050505; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">The
cities of refuge were established, too. Were there so many accidental deaths
that these were so necessary? If someone were killed accidentally, how much
time did the person have to escape to a city, or could vengeance be taken while
he/she was on the way? I guess with the ‘eye for an eye’ law people might have
wanted to seek retribution right away.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I
don’t remember any stories of someone needing to take sanctuary, but I’ll be
watching for it as we continue to read.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #050505; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">TOMORROW’S
TEXT: Joshua 21:13 – 23:16<o:p></o:p></span></p><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #050505; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span></b><p></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34332450.post-47492143136208127262024-03-11T05:00:00.001-05:002024-03-11T05:00:00.250-05:00Bible in a Year March 11 Joshua 15 – 17<p> </p><p class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #050505; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">March 11 Joshua 15 –
17<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #050505; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Unless
you have a map of the region that shows how these land allotments actually
look, today’s reading is pretty impossible to comprehend. You can get a bit of
a picture </span><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><a href="https://www.swagbucks.com/?f=51&q=map+of+land+allocation+to+israelites">here</a></span><span style="color: #050505; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">: <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #050505; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">There
is an interesting tidbit in 15:16 – 19. In loving paternal fashion, Caleb
offers his daughter Acsah in marriage to whoever attacks and captures the town
of Kiriath Sepher. This ancient town was located near Hebron in the West Bank.
Her cousin Othniel captures the town and they are married. Acsah was apparently
pretty wise and wanted to settle down. Her father had given her land in the
Negev and she wanted springs of water, too, which he granted. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #050505; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">1
Chronicles 2:49 tells us that Caleb’s first wife died and he remarried. He also
had two concubines, and one of them was Acsah’s mother. He also had several
sons.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #050505; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Othniel
became the first judge in Israel. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #050505; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">We
also see that the daughters of Zelophehad finally received their land.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #050505; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Unfortunately
there were some people groups that could not be completely dislodged. You can
bet they will cause trouble in the future!<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #050505; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">TOMORROW’S TEXT: Joshua
18:1 – 21:12</span></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34332450.post-39997409833364056092024-03-10T05:00:00.001-05:002024-03-10T05:00:00.130-05:00Bible in a Year March 10 Joshua 11:10 – 14:15<p> </p><p class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #050505; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">March 10 Joshua 11:10
– 14:15<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #050505; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Lots
of place and people names in today’s reading! After all the battles, the land
finally had rest from war.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #050505; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">I’m
still wondering about details, though. What happened to all the bodies? I’m
presuming they weren’t buried – it would take way too long. Very few of the
cities were burned, but did they perhaps burn the bodies? All the people were
killed, so there was no one left in those cities to take care of them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’m sure the smell pervaded the land. When
the Israelites finally moved into these cities, did they have to clean up all
the bones? Did animals run wild through the towns? I’m sure the women had a lot
of work to do to clean out the houses that were left; I can’t comprehend what a
difficult job that must have been.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #050505; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">It’s
nice to see Caleb again! At 85 he was still able to fight and he finally got
the land he was promised. We don’t know exactly how long all the battles took,
but at this point Caleb has been in the Promised Land for 5 years.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #050505; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">TOMORROW’S
TEXT: Joshua 15 – 17<o:p></o:p></span></p><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #050505; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span></b><p></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34332450.post-78000505788258150462024-03-09T05:00:00.001-06:002024-03-09T05:00:00.248-06:00Bible in a Year March 9: Joshua 8:24 – 11:9<p> </p><p class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #050505; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">March 9: Joshua 8:24 –
11:9<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #050505; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Another
day of hard reading. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #050505; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">After
messing up and making a treaty with the Gibeonites, the Israelites seemed to
learn their lesson and always inquired of the Lord before taking action. It’s
actually kind of amazing that God didn’t punish them for that act of
disobedience – perhaps because they were deceived.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #050505; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">I
know the Israelites did as they were told, and earlier we read that God was
eradicating all the people of the land because of their despicable practices,
but I have to wonder what effect all the killing had on the Israelite soldiers.
Especially when they killed women, children, and animals. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #050505; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Why
would God have them hamstring the horses and burn the chariots? Couldn’t they
use them in future battles? There are a few reasons suggested in various
commentaries. First, cutting the hamstring of a horse causes it to be
ineffective for military use or other useful work. This would prevent an enemy
to use them against the Israelites in the future. Another suggestion was that
the Israelites were not trained to use horse and chariots, so it was easier to
destroy them than take the time to become proficient. A third reason, and
perhaps the best, was that without this type of help in battle the Israelites
would learn to depend on the Lord and give him credit for their success.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #050505; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Suffice
it to say that the first months in the Promised Land were full of messy
battles. Why do you think God made the Israelites fight for the land instead of
just wiping out the populations with disease or having the other people groups
just fight each other?<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #050505; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">TOMORROW’S TEXT: Joshua
11:10 – 14:15</span></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34332450.post-50174123544349436732024-03-08T05:00:00.001-06:002024-03-08T05:00:00.141-06:00Bible in a Year March 8: Joshua 5:1 - 8:23<p> </p><p class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #050505; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">March 8: Joshua 5:1 -
8:23<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #050505; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Once
the Israelites had crossed, the God’s first request for obedience was to
“circumcise the sons of Israel a second time”.
The Israelites did not practice circumcision while in the desert, so
this was a ‘second’ circumcision on the whole group to bring everyone into the
covenant originally established with Abraham. That caused me to wonder why they
didn’t do it before crossing the river, since there were efforts on the eastern
side of the Jordan to consecrate themselves before crossing. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #050505; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">The
group then celebrated Passover, another matching ‘bookend’ to the desert trip.
The next day the Israelites ate food from the land, and the manna stopped. From
this point on they ate what they harvested.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #050505; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">The
passage moves quickly from this point as the Israelites are told the plan for
taking Jericho. I can only imagine the looks on the faces of the warriors as
Joshua told them what they were to do! Encyclopedias state that Jericho was
about 10 acres in size, so at most it was about a quarter mile walk around it.
It is reported that the walls were about 13 feet high, and approximately 2000
people lived in the city. It is one of the oldest cities in the world, and is
also one of the lowest at 846 feet below sea level!<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #050505; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Unfortunately
one man kept some of the plunder, and the Israelites suffered a loss because of
it. It is hard to understand why his entire family had to suffer stoning
because of his sin, but again we have to trust God and his commands. When you
read the words God said to Joshua as he lay in front of the Ark praying (v
7:10), how did you portray God’s attitude? Patient, frustrated, angry, or
something else?<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #050505; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">TOMORROW’S TEXT: Joshua
8:24 – 11:9</span></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34332450.post-33427276772050381772024-03-07T05:00:00.001-06:002024-03-07T05:00:00.267-06:00Bible in a Year March 7 Joshua 1:10 – 4:24<p> </p><p class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">March
7 </span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #050505; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Joshua 1:10 – 4:24<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #050505; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Oh,
the excitement of the day the Israelites finally get to stand on the land
promised to Abram so many years ago!<o:p></o:p></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #050505; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">The
Jordan River at the point where it is presumed the Israelites crossed is
typically 90 – 100 feet wide and averages 3 – 10 feet deep. Since this was
harvest season and the river was flooded, it was most likely much wider and
deeper. To add a bit of reality to this,
BiblicalPlaces.com reports that “in 1854 an expert swimmer was unable to make
it across the river near Jericho because the river was too wide and the current
too strong.”*<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #050505; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">I’m
sure it took great faith for the Levites who were carrying the Ark of the
Covenant to step into the river as it flowed. References state that the Ark of
the Covenant probably weighed between 330 pounds and 615 pounds and was carried
on poles by four men. That in itself would be awkward even if you weren’t
stepping into a flood. But when their feet hit the water, the water backed up
(actually some 20 miles away at a town called Adam). Inquiring minds want to
know if the flow stopped when the first man stepped in, or did all four have to
get wet?<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #050505; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">The
men stayed in the middle of the river until all the Israelites had crossed.
Some estimate there were about 2.5 million people plus cattle that had to
cross. If one person crossed per second, that would take about 29 days! But
since the river was backed up so far, I’m sure great crowds crossed at once. If
a procession of about 100 people wide crossed at a time it would take about 7
hours. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #050505; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Did
the same four men hold the Ark all that time, or did they ‘tap out’ and relieve
each other? Oh, why do I care about such useless information? One commentary
states that God required the Ark to go first, symbolizing that God was leading
the people. And my study Bible says this signified that the Lord himself
remained in the position of most danger. As the rest of the community crossed
the river, many people got to actually view the Ark, which was usually hidden
away in inner sanctum of the Tabernacle or at the head of the procession when
they relocated.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #050505; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">I
appreciate the symbolism of this journey beginning and ending with a miracle of
a dry river crossing. The vast majority of the crowd had only heard stories of
the Red Sea crossing, and now they had the opportunity to participate in an
identical miracle.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i><span style="color: #050505; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">*BiblicalPlaces.com no
longer exists. I found this information referenced on Neverthirsty.org.<o:p></o:p></span></i></p>
<span style="color: #050505; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">TOMORROW’S TEXT: Joshua 5:1
- 8:23</span></div><p class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #050505; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br /><br /></span></b></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34332450.post-62487415196682645462024-03-06T05:00:00.001-06:002024-03-06T05:00:00.253-06:00Bible in a Year March 6 Dt 32:15 – 34:12; Joshua 1:1-9<p> <b><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">March 6 - Dt 32:15 – 34:12;
Joshua 1:1-9</span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: #050505; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">As I finish the book
of Deuteronomy I am struck by the severity of punishment God promises if the
Israelites disobey. While He is lavish in his rewards for following his law,
the backlash for straying is daunting. When Jesus came we, non-Israelites, were
given a choice to believe or not. The result of our choices has serious eternal
repercussions, but in this world God doesn’t discipline us for not turning to
him (other than typical consequences for our own actions). It seems those born
in an Israelite family didn’t have the option of choice.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: #050505; font-family: Arial, "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">That begs the
question, are current day people of Jewish descent who choose not to follow
Christ still bound by the original covenant? The New Testament tells us that
Jesus is the only way (Jn 14:16), so that presumably nullifies the original
covenant for all. There are VERY devout Jews who are doing their best to obey –
is it all for naught? And are we, Christians, suffering the results of our
disobedience but not realizing that it is God’s wrath? God is loving, but he is
also strict.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: #050505; font-family: Arial, "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Oh, I know this is a
slippery slope, but it makes me want to jump ahead to the New Testament and do
more digging. Dt. 29:29 states “The secret things belong to the Lord our God,
but the things revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may
follow all the words of this law.” God will keep some answers secret forever,
we just have to trust and obey what we know!</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: #050505; font-family: Arial, "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">That said, I don’t
want to ignore the amazing blessings Moses gave to the tribes in his final
speech – oh that all those things would come true for them.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: #050505; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">God then calls Moses,
at 120 years of age, to trudge up a mountain and look over the whole of the Promised
Land before he dies. The word tells us that Moses’ eyesight is still perfect,
and it must have been a very clear day for him to see so far (I have no idea
how much you or I could see if we stood on top of Mount Nebo today. You can see
several pictures of the view from </span><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;"><a href="https://www.swagbucks.com/?f=51&q=view+from+peak+of+Mount+Nebo">here</a></span><span style="color: #050505; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">. )</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: #050505; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">I can only imagine his
deep emotions at that moment.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: #050505; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span></p><p>
</p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">JOSHUA<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">It’s time! (An aside to anyone old enough to have watched
VeggieTales – I can’t type that without singing “We didn’t have a lot of fun in
the desert…”.)<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">After emptying the sand out of their shoes every night
for 40 years, the Promised Land is now a reality. The book of Joshua leads us
across the Jordan River and through all the efforts to resettle in the land.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">There is some disagreement about who wrote this book,
when, and when the actual events occurred. You may want to look at the intro to
Joshua in your Bible, but in short many believe it was written mostly by Joshua
himself and updated a bit by others after his death (perhaps Samuel?) or it was
written well into the era of kings. Either way, there are very specific details
included and references to writings by Joshua himself, so he most likely kept a
good journal of the time.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Centuries after God made the promise to Abram, his
descendants are finally entering into the land flowing with milk and honey, and
Joshua is the one to lead them in. Joshua is from the tribe of Ephraim and his
father ,Nun, is the son of the leader of the tribe. He has been an aide to
Moses since his youth. We know he was over 20 years old at the time everyone
left Egypt, so I wonder when he and Moses got together. Was he a young man
living in Midian who followed Moses back to Egypt? Or was he a slave in Egypt
that Moses rescued?<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">In Ex 17, Joshua leads warriors into battle, so we know
he was strong and had some traits of a military commander (although success is
attributed entirely to Yahweh). He alone went with Moses up Mount Sinai for 40
days and nights – we know he is up there when he mistakenly thinks there is a
battle below (Ex32).<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">There are two verses that are considered key – Joshua
1:6-9 and Joshua 24:14-15. These essentially begin and end the book.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">I look forward to learning from his devotion and
leadership.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #050505;">TOMORROW’S TEXT: Joshua 1:10 – 4:24</span></span></p><b><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"></span></b><p></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34332450.post-81472814978103520292024-03-05T05:00:00.001-06:002024-03-05T05:00:00.141-06:00Bible in a Year March 5 Dt 29:1 - 32:14<p> </p><p class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">March
5 Dt 29:1 - 32:14<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Our last full day of Deuteronomy! We’ve almost made it!<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">I was surprised when I saw how many verses I had underlined
or highlighted in today’s reading already. I’m not sure if I marked them during
sermons or as I read this section at other times. There is a lot of
encouragement and lots of warning. While these verses were written specifically
for the Israelites and the first covenant, they also can be applied to us today
if we look at the New Testament covenant instead of the OT one.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Verse29:19 warns against thinking it’s ok to do whatever
we want because we are covered by a covenant. Just because we have the salvation
of the covenant doesn’t mean we can live like we don’t! But there is a lot of
encouragement throughout, 30:11 reminds us that obedience is not too difficult
or beyond our reach, and several times we are told to be strong and courageous.
And one of God’s best promises is in verse 31:8.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">“The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you;
he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be
discouraged.”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">I can imagine it broke Moses’ heart to hear that the
Israelites would indeed become corrupt and suffer disastrous results because of
it. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">TOMORROW’S TEXT: Dt
32:15 – 34:12; Joshua 1:1-9</span></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34332450.post-88901238899770188742024-03-04T04:00:00.001-06:002024-03-04T04:00:00.138-06:00Bible in a Year March 4: Dt. 27:11 – 28:68<p> </p><p class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">March
4: Dt. 27:11 – 28:68<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Oh, my. If the Israelites would have posted the words of
the curses for disobedience on their walls I can’t imagine they would have ever
turned their backs on God! It was hard to really focus on all these curses,
they were so intense.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I imagine Satan
worming his way among the crowd hissing, “God wouldn’t really do THAT…would
he?”<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">And yet it didn’t take long…<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">TOMORROW’S TEXT: Dt. Dt 29:1 - 32:14<o:p></o:p></span></p><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"></span></b><p></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34332450.post-42178464804691694642024-03-03T05:00:00.001-06:002024-03-03T05:00:00.135-06:00Bible in a Year March 3 Dt. 23:15 – 27:10<p> </p><p class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">March
3 Dt. 23:15 – 27:10<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">It’s a shame that Christians in the early days of America
didn’t all abide by Deut 23:15. Our history might have been very different.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Wow – newly married men were given a year to “bring
happiness to their wives”! They couldn’t be sent to war or have other duties
put upon them. Wouldn’t that be cool?<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Have you noticed the number of times God mentions taking
care of widows and orphans? In today’s text he also mentions the
alien/foreigner. I looked it up and the words ‘widow and orphan’ are mentioned
together 30 times! Ten of those times the alien is mentioned, too. God has
really emphasized our responsibility to help others. In our world, I would
presume that many (not all) single parents should be considered ‘widows’. How
can you help someone out today?<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">When the Israelites finally cross the Jordan, did you
notice that they are to write the words of the law on stones? I’m presuming
those have never been found. What words, do you think, did they have to write?
Just the laws of Leviticus? All of the Pentateuch? <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">TOMORROW’S TEXT: Dt.
27:11 – 28:68</span></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34332450.post-81236752472907403652024-03-02T05:00:00.001-06:002024-03-02T05:00:00.257-06:00Bible in a Year March 2: Dt. 20:1-23:14<p> </p><p class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">March
2: Dt. 20:1-23:14<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Verse 21:15 talks about a man having two wives. I started
wondering when God stated that one wife was all a man should have. When looking
at different resources I found two interpretations of this verse. Some said
that monogamy was always the desired state since Genesis 2:20 - 24, but not
always practiced. The first mention of two wives was in Gen 4:19, when Lamech
(great-great-great grandson of Cain) married two women, and of course we know
about Jacob.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Other commentaries stated that the original text stated
“if a man have had” two wives, insinuating that the first one had died. This
would then be giving inheritance rights to the firstborn son, even if the first
wife wasn’t (or was no longer) loved most.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">The only place the Bible uses the term “one wife” is when
referring to deacons and overseers in 1 Tim and Titus.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">When I got to the next paragraph I was slightly horrified
– stoning a son because he was stubborn and rebellious? I can’t imagine ANY
teenage boy (or girl for that matter) would make it past age 17 these days! But
obviously this had to be a case of significant rebellion. I can’t imagine
wanting to have my child put to death because of disobedience. The word ‘evil’
occurs in the passage; perhaps it was significantly egregious behavior.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">From here there are several seemingly random laws, and
several dealing with pre-marital relations/rape. Lots could be said about all
of them; feel free to comment on any that seem interesting to you.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">One final item I saw – v 23:3 states that no Ammonite or
Moabite may enter the assembly of the Lord. As we’ll see later, Ruth was a
Moabite. But I guess women weren’t allowed in the assembly anyway so that
doesn’t necessarily apply.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">TOMORROW’S TEXT: Dt. 23:15 – 27:10<o:p></o:p></span></p><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"></span></b><p></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34332450.post-24320036211159228212024-03-01T05:00:00.001-06:002024-03-01T05:00:00.145-06:00Bible in a Year March 1 - Dt. 16:9 – 19:21<p> </p><p class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">March
1 - Dt. 16:9 – 19:21<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">While many of the holy days God established required
serious reflection and worship, he orders the Israelites to be glad and rejoice
during the Feast of Tabernacles, stating that their joy would be complete at
the end of their harvest. This was to be an all-out celebration!<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Things then take a more serious tone. Twice in our
reading today God mentions that they must purge all evil from Israel by stoning
those who either show contempt for a judge or priest and for those who shed
innocent blood. The reasoning is so that all people will hear and be afraid so
they won’t do those things again. While I am NOT a supporter of stoning or
instant repercussions, I think we could use a little fear in our system these
days – there is far too much innocent blood spilled daily.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">I found it interesting that God demanded that future
kings copy the law themselves and read it daily. I have to wonder if Saul did
that – or any king for that matter. While at that time the law was just a
portion of our current Bible (maybe was only Leviticus?), how different our
world might be if our leaders would do the same!<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">TOMORROW’S TEXT: Dt. 20:1-23:14<o:p></o:p></span></p><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"></span></b><p></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34332450.post-10964305016462088052024-02-29T05:00:00.001-06:002024-02-29T05:00:00.151-06:00Bible in a Year - February 29<p><span style="font-family: arial;"> Today is catch up day! February 29 only comes around every four years, so go out and celebrate!</span></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34332450.post-73705998172982472272024-02-28T05:00:00.001-06:002024-02-28T05:00:00.129-06:00Bible in a Year Feb 28 - Dt. 13: 1-16:8<p> </p><p class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Feb
28 - Dt. 13: 1-16:8<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Verse 13:3 indicates that God will be testing the
Israelites by allowing prophets and fortune tellers to try to persuade them to
worship other Gods. Those prophets or ‘dreamers’ must be put to death. I wonder
what our world would look like, what our religions would look like, if that
command were followed today? I also wonder how much more faithful I would be if
I looked at every temptation as if it were a test from God (although we are
told that God himself will not tempt us, that is different<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>– see James<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>1:13).<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">I smiled when I read 13:6 where it says, ‘or the wife you
love’. Most everything I’ve heard about those days seemed to involve arranged
marriages and didn’t necessarily focus on a love relationship between spouses.
I like that it is specifically added here!<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Why would God have the people destroy the livestock of
those who worshipped other gods? I can understand how the people could
influence them to turn away, but what do you think might have been the reason
for killing the animals (a.k.a. food)?<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">The text about servants who decided to stay with a family
after the seventh year made me cringe. Truthfully I’d have to think long and
hard about my choice if they were going to nail me to a door if I chose to
stay!<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">We’ve made it through TWO MONTHS of Bible reading! Good job!
<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">TOMORROW’S TEXT: Dt. 16:9 – 19:21<o:p></o:p></span></p><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"></span></b><p></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34332450.post-68328404495715312972024-02-27T05:00:00.001-06:002024-02-27T05:00:00.134-06:00Bible in a Year Feb 27 - Dt. 9:22 – 12:32<p> </p><p class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Feb
27 - Dt. 9:22 – 12:32<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">In multiple places throughout the text (not just today’s
reading), Moses says about the law, “Do not add to it or take away from it”
(NIV). According to various
commentaries, this command was important for two reasons. First, God himself
has given these commandments and He will not tolerate human revisions. Second,
it indicates that the work, the law, is complete as it is stated. Over the
generations, we see that the Pharisees definitely added to it (I doubt they
took anything away). From what I understand they justified this by saying they
were ‘clarifying’ the rules, not adding to them. Some of those clarifications
were incredibly restrictive by the time Jesus came!<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Moses also introduces the concept that some things will
change once they cross the Jordan. The means and location of sacrifices will
become very specific. People will have to travel to give their offerings, but
there are some arrangements to make this a little easier for those who live far
away.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Again there is quite a bit of warning to continue to love
the Lord and obey his commands. I particularly liked verses 10:12 – 10:22.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">TOMORROW’S TEXT: Dt.
13: 1-16:8</span></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34332450.post-43745752635428099882024-02-26T05:00:00.001-06:002024-02-26T05:00:00.138-06:00Bible in a Year Feb 26: Dt 6:16-9:21<p> </p><p class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Feb
26: Dt 6:16-9:21<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Really? Today’s text begins AND ends in the middle of a
paragraph (in my Bible). I hate that!!<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Moses is truly lecturing the Israelites as if they were
children, reminding them over and over again to obey God’s commands because God
is good. They have seen wonderful miracles, have travelled without wear and
tear to their clothes or bodies, and will soon be accepting a land fully built
up and farmed without having to do the work. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">But there are so many temptations – to collect gold and
silver from idols, to intermingle with other cultures, and to presume they are
obtaining all this because they are worthy. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">While we often feel stretched financially these days, we
live incredibly easy lives compared to many on our planet. How do you avoid
becoming complacent or prideful that you have attained what you own by your
efforts alone?<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">TOMORROW’S TEXT: Dt. 9:22 – 12:32<o:p></o:p></span></p><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"></span></b><p></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34332450.post-86204944873083533782024-02-25T05:00:00.001-06:002024-02-25T05:00:00.127-06:00Bible in a Year Feb 25- Dt. 4:1 – 6:15<p> </p><p class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Feb
25- Dt. 4:1 – 6:15<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">There are so many verses in today’s text that offer
wisdom and advice for being a follower of God! I found several that I have
underlined at previous times and more that I marked today.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">What was your favorite verse from today’s reading? Why?<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Mine is Dt. 4:29-31. This is true for both Jewish and Christian
readers and provides both hope and instruction for tough days.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">TOMORROW’S TEXT: Dt 6:16-9:21<o:p></o:p></span></p><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"></span></b><p></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34332450.post-25606864368731043092024-02-24T05:00:00.001-06:002024-02-24T05:00:00.159-06:00Bible in a Year Feb 24: Deuteronomy 1:16 – 3:29<p> </p><p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Feb 24: Deuteronomy 1:16 – 3:29</span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; text-transform: uppercase;">Deuteronomy<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">We are in the final book of the Pentateuch! You are doing
a fabulous job – stick with it.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">‘Deuteronomy’ means ‘repetition of the law’. I know –
that sounds like such an exciting book to read, especially if you struggled
with the FIRST reading of the law! But we can do this – it’s only eleven days
–and I’m sure there are some pearls of wisdom we will learn along the way.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Moses is proclaimed to be the author by almost all scholars,
however we know someone else probably wrote the preamble and obviously the part
after Moses dies. There are over 100 references to Deuteronomy in the New
Testament, including quotations Jesus used. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">This is considered Moses’ farewell address, and it’s
believed this is a series of ‘sermons’
he gave over the course of several days, knowing he would soon be going to his
death. It is essentially al covenant renewal and is full of the love
relationship between God and His people. Overall it is a call to commitment and
obedience.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">The key verses are probably Dt 6:4-7 “<span class="text"><b><sup><span style="background: white;">4 </span></sup></b><span style="background: white;">Hear, O Israel: The </span></span><span class="small-caps"><span style="background: white; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: small-caps; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal;">Lord</span></span><span class="text"><span style="background: white;"> our God, the </span></span><span class="small-caps"><span style="background: white; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: small-caps; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal;">Lord</span></span><span class="text"><span style="background: white;"> is one.<b><sup>5 </sup></b>Love the </span></span><span class="small-caps"><span style="background: white; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: small-caps; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal;">Lord</span></span><span class="text"><span style="background: white;"> your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with
all your strength.</span></span><span style="background: white;"> <span class="text"><b><sup>6 </sup></b>These commandments that I give you today
are to be on your hearts.</span> <span class="text"><b><sup>7 </sup></b>Impress
them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk
along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.”</span></span><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Moses is now an old man (about 120 years old), and he is
remembering the journey the Israelites have been on. However, it seems to me
his memory is fading a bit! Did you notice the way he’s changed the story?<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Verse 19 is the only time I’ve seen any reference to the
difficulty of the journey when he refers to the ‘vast and dreadful desert’. But
then he talks to the new generation of Israelites as if they were the original
travelers. In 1:22 he blames them for wanting to send out spies to investigate
the Promised Land, yet Numbers 13:1-3 states it was God’s command. God selected
the 12 men to go, not Moses.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">A little later, in 1:37, Moses blames the Israelites for
keeping him from seeing the Promised Land. Hmmm, that’s not how Numbers 20:9-13
tells it! Even later in our text, Dt 3:26, Moses refuses to take responsibility
for his rash actions. He has begged God to let him step foot in the land, but
God stands firm. He does, however, allow Moses to view it from the top of a
mountain.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">With these inconsistencies, does it mean that we can’t
trust the Bible? Of course not! How many times do we see others remember things
incorrectly after just a few days, much less 40 years (of course, we ourselves
NEVER do that…). Honestly, I think this gives more credibility to the Bible.
These words most likely came from a journal Moses kept and were recorded just
as he wrote them instead of being corrected to ensure absolute consistency. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">The little historical references that interrupt his
speech are interesting, too, and add a lot of validity to the story. The items
he mentions can be validated archaeologically when artifacts exist. My favorite
reference, though, is to the size of King Og’s bed!<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Oh, wouldn’t it be amazing to read his journal?<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">TOMORROW’S TEXT: Dt.
4:1 – 6:15</span></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0