tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-343324502024-03-29T05:00:33.791-05:00New 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.comBlogger660125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34332450.post-5777527488909298572024-03-29T05:00:00.001-05:002024-03-29T05:00:00.129-05:00Bible in a Year March 29: 1 Samuel 18-19, Psalm 59<p><b style="font-family: Arial, "sans-serif"; font-size: 16px;">March 29: 1 Samuel 18-19, Psalm 59</b> </p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">As mentioned yesterday we are switching to a chronological format for the rest of the Old Testament. First, an overview of the Psalms:<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">This book is a collection of 150 songs and prayers that
are divided into five sub-books. The collection is considered poetry, and we
lose a lot of the beauty of the work when it gets translated out of Hebrew.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">David wrote 73 of these, Asaph 12, Sons of Korah 11,
Solomon 2, and even one is attributed to Moses. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Some scholars have suggested that Psalm 118:8, which reads, "It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in humans," could be seen as a key verse for the book of Psalms because it emphasizes the idea of seeking God's protection and guidance rather than relying on human strength or wisdom. However, this verse is not universally recognized as the key verse of Psalms, and many other verses throughout the book express similar themes and messages.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial, "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Related to today's text: </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial, "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Imagine being in a pasture watching the sheep one day,
and a short time later being hailed as a hero by all of Israel! David moves
directly from the battlefield to the castle where he again plays the harp, but
this time he’s recognized by everyone, is successful at huge assignments, and
must be wondering when it’s his turn to be king.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">However, the king has become violent and angry, and David
must be a bit confused. David finally gets the offer of marriage promised
before he killed Goliath, but he turns it down. Yet when a second offer is
made, he accepts. Since it says Michel was in love with him, we can presume he
was aware of her affections and perhaps felt the same way. But as a shepherd he
didn’t have the typical payment that was made to a family in exchange for a
wife (death of Goliath not withstanding). Saul expects the requirement he sets
to result in David’s death, but instead David provides twice the expected
payment. What a messy ‘treasure’ that must have been.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">When threatened with death, David runs to Samuel. There
is no evidence that the two have been working together, but David may have been
seeking answers. Don’t you wonder what all the prophesying was about in
19:20-23? The word used here, ‘nabi’ indicates they were in a prophetic trance,
unable to act on their own accord. Were they perhaps telling of the downfall of
Saul and rise of David?<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">We see David’s first published psalm at this time. He is
obviously a devout follower of the Lord and relies on Him for strength. David’s
confusion at the situation is apparent, too. It is estimated that David is no
more than 20 years old, and he has no idea the way this situation will change
his life for the next decade or so.<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: 1 Samuel 20 – 21; Psalms 56, 34<o:p></o:p></span></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34332450.post-88538483914589892892024-03-28T05:00:00.001-05:002024-03-28T05:00:00.254-05:00Bible in a Year March 28 - 1 Samuel 16-17<p> <b style="font-family: Arial, "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">March 28 - 1 Samuel 16-17 </b></p><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">I wonder what Jesse and David thought about David’s
assignment to Saul as harpist? Was David always fearful that Saul would find
out that he’d been chosen as the next king? It definitely gave David a chance
to see the roles and responsibilities of a king. And it is disturbing that God
gave Saul an evil spirit that overwhelmed him. We know that God is incapable of
evil, so he must have given permission for an evil spirit to overtake Saul.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">According to the National Geographic website, a rock shot
from an ancient slingshot could be as deadly as a .44 Magnum! David was
obviously experienced with this weapon that was known be accurate more than 600
feet away. The story of David and Goliath is one of the most famous in the
Bible, but I find I can’t read it without hearing the voice of Junior Asparagus
in my head (from the Veggie Tales show “Dave and the Giant Pickle”).<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">I noticed some things for the first time as I read it and
I wonder if you found some new items, too. First there was the interaction with
David’s brother, Eliab. Was he was jealous that David had been chosen to become
king? Had David flaunted that a bit? Second, this was the first time I ever
remember noticing that Goliath had a shield bearer in front of him. How did he
play out in the story? Was he considered guilty of not protecting Goliath
effectively? Often shield bearers were killed (or killed themselves) if they
failed in battle. Third, it appears that Goliath might not have died
immediately from the stone imbedded in his forehead. Verse 17:51 indicates
David might have killed Goliath as he lie on the ground before he cut off his
head. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Was there anything new for you in today’s reading?<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: 1 Samuel 18-19, Psalm 59 (<o:p></o:p></span><span style="font-family: Arial, "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">We are switching things up a bit and will be reading passages somewhat chronologically for a while to minimize duplication)</span></p><div><span style="font-family: Arial, "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></div><p></p><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><b style="font-family: Arial, "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;"></b><p></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34332450.post-84362635275701894432024-03-27T05:00:00.001-05:002024-03-27T05:00:00.140-05:00Bible in a Year March 27 - 1 Samuel 14-15<p> <b><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">March
27 - 1 Samuel 14-15</span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">It’s hard to comprehend that Saul doesn’t seem the least
bit upset that he will kill his son, especially after Jonathan’s heroics.
Luckily the other men jump in and save Jonathan. It’s also hard to understand
that God would punish Jonathan for unknowingly breaking the king’s command when
the other men knowingly broke God’s command. I have to wonder if God truly was
in the casting of the lot this time.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">In yesterday’s reading we see that God takes away Saul’s
legacy for a kingdom of all time. Now he rejects Saul as king – but he doesn’t
remove him from the throne. In addition to disobeying God’s instruction, Saul
has gone from a coward who hides behind the baggage to a braggart who sets up a
monument in his own honor. When he hears that God has rejected him, he begs for
another chance.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Just like Moses when he disobeyed, God’s decisions are
final. I found it interesting that God grieved that he had made Saul king.<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 important to note that God did not change his mind
about Saul – in his omniscience he knew all along that Saul would disobey. He
continued on with his original plan. We see that Samuel mourned the rejection
of Saul – I imagine he felt a bit of guilt for not working harder with Saul to
ensure he was obedient. But of course Samuel didn’t know the whole story. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Today’s reading includes four separate texts that are
covered in detail in a book called <u>Hard Sayings of the Bible</u>. You might
want to see if you can find this book for a lot more information about these difficult
passages.<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: 1
Samuel 16-17</span></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34332450.post-41202374603240200252024-03-26T05:00:00.001-05:002024-03-26T05:00:00.216-05:00Bible in a Year March 26 - 1 Samuel 11-13<p> <b><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">March
26 - 1 Samuel 11-13</span></b></p><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">If your Bible has study notes or text notes, you might
want to look them over as you begin chapter 13. Apparently there have been some
transcription errors over the years and different Bible versions deal with them
in a variety of ways. The NIV says Saul was 30 years old when he started to
reign, but some early translations do not have this information. Also, there is
some confusion about whether the text says “he reigned over Israel for 42
years” (NIV, NLT, NASB, HCSB) or “when he had reigned for two years over
Israel” (ESV, NKJV, ASV). According to the Bible Knowledge Commentary, the earliest
recorded Hebrew is literally “Saul was years old when he began to rein and he
reigned two years over Israel.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If you
are into the history of the Bible, you may want to investigate this further!<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><o:p> </o:p></span><span style="font-family: Arial, "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">So, we will presume this battle took place two years
after he was named king. We see mention of his son Jonathon for the first time,
and he had to be experienced enough to lead 1000 men into battle. It seems,
therefore, that Saul must have married early. Saul heads to Gilgal, something
that was told him during his first meeting with Samuel (see ch 10:9). Obviously
Saul remembered that discussion because he knew to wait seven days. He moves
forward with what he thinks is the right thing to do, but he is so wrong.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><o:p> </o:p></span><span style="font-family: Arial, "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Have you ever stepped out thinking you were doing the
right thing but forgot to ask God about it first? Because of this Saul would
lose the establishment of his kingdom for all time. Oh, this brings up
questions for me! We were told back in Genesis 49:10, when Jacob blesses Judah,
that the “scepter will not depart from Judah, nor the ruler’s staff from
between his feet, until he comes to whom it belongs and the obedience of the
nations is his.” Was Samuel not given this information? We know God himself
chose Saul (a Benjamite), and we know God knew Saul would mess up and his
descendants wouldn’t reign eternally. Did the Israelites demand a king before
David was old enough? Obviously more questions to ask when I get to Heaven.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><o:p> </o:p></span><span style="font-family: Arial, "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Lots more interesting stuff in today’s passage, but I’ve
gone on long enough. What was most interesting to you?</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><o:p> </o:p></span><span style="font-family: Arial, "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">TOMORROW’S TEXT: 1 Samuel 14-15</span></p><b><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-45593037165665387482024-03-25T05:00:00.001-05:002024-03-25T05:00:00.140-05:00Bible in a Year March 25: 1 Samuel 8-10<p> <b><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">March
25: 1 Samuel 8-10</span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">I smiled a little at the conversation Saul had with the
girls coming out of town. We know that Saul was an “impressive young man
without equal among the Israelites - a head taller than any of the others”, but
we don’t really know what he looked like. I can just hear these girls gabbing
on about where to find the seer – they could have just said, “You will find him
as you enter the town”. But instead they gave lots of details – were they
flirting a bit, or were they just chatty?<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"> </span><span style="font-family: Arial, "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">What it would be like to have someone tell you not only
about your history but also about your future? Samuel mentions a great tree,
but this is not the same one we’ve seen in the past. The ESV Bible states it
was an oak tree, yet another indication of how God is in the details.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"> </span><span style="font-family: Arial, "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Saul sees all the prophecies come true, and even
prophesies himself when the Holy Spirit overtakes him. Yet he still hides when
it comes time for him to be named king. It reminded me a bit of when Moses
begged to be let out of his role. Have you ever felt the call of God to do
something that seemed really out of place for you, and you tried to ignore it
and hide?</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"> </span><span style="font-family: Arial, "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">TOMORROW’S TEXT: 1
Samuel 11- 13</span></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34332450.post-17859649854378924742024-03-24T05:00:00.001-05:002024-03-24T05:00:00.132-05:00Bible in a Year March 24: 1 Samuel 4-7<p> <b><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">March
24: 1 Samuel 4-7</span></b></p><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Did the Israelites treat the Ark like an idol? I wonder
if they sat that as God instead of just his resting place. It seems they
thought that bringing it, instead of praying to God, would save them. When it
doesn’t, and the Philistines capture it, I imagine they saw it as a
demonstration that their god, Dagon, was more powerful than the true God. Do
you think the Israelites thought they’d be struck dead when the Ark was taken?<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">The Philistines quickly realize that taking the Ark was a
mistake, and they attempt a test to see if God would direct it back to Israel.
They realize an offering must be made, but gold tumors and rats? Ewww. Some
scholars believe the illness suffered by the Philistines was actually the
plague (which we now know is spread by fleas on rats) – maybe they recognized a
rat infestation was of God.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">The returned Ark is received with great celebration by
the people of Beth Shemesh. I thought it was interesting that it stopped by the
field of Joshua. Of course this is not the Joshua from the days in the desert,
but the name does mean “The Lord Saves”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I imagine the Philistines didn’t cover the Ark appropriately, and some
70 people were killed because they looked upon it. Were all the people killed,
or just the ones who wanted a chance to view it up close? Surely those who
treated it appropriately, covering it and transferring it to safety, were safe
(I hope).<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Have we as Christians ever treated the cross as an idol,
turning to it instead of God?<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: 1 Samuel 8-10<o:p></o:p></span></p><b><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-19176926727928041392024-03-23T05:00:00.001-05:002024-03-23T05:00:00.140-05:00Bible in a Year March 23: 1 SAMUEL 1-3<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
23: 1 SAMUEL 1-3<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%;">1 and 2 Samuel were originally one book in early Hebrew
manuscripts. Apparently when the books were translated into Greek (for a
document called the Septuagint) the scrolls weren’t big enough so it had to be
divided into two sections. We don’t know who wrote them, but it is likely that
Samuel either wrote parts of them or at least supplied information for the
sections before his death.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">1 Samuel takes us through the time of Samuel’s
leadership, the establishment of the kingship of Saul and up to Saul’s death. Samuel
is a strong leader as a judge, prophet, and priest and he pulls the Israelites
back to God. The book provides a lot of history and demonstrates God’s
sovereignty over all things and how he delegates that to the leaders of the
nation.<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 verse is probably 1 Samuel 8:6-7 <span style="background: white; color: #081c2a;">“But when they said, ‘Give us a king to
lead us,’ this displeased Samuel; so he prayed to the LORD. And the LORD told
him: ‘Listen to all that the people are saying to you; it is not you they have
rejected, but they have rejected me as their king.’”</span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">However, 1 Samuel 15:22-23 is also important: <span style="background: white; color: #081c2a;">“But Samuel replied: ‘Does the LORD
delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in obeying the voice of
the LORD? To obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed is better than the fat
of rams. For rebellion is like the sin of divination, and arrogance like the
evil of idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the LORD, he has
rejected you as king’".</span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial, "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Hannah is devastated that she has not been able to bear a
child. It doesn’t matter that her husband has finally gotten an heir (more
about that later), she, like so many women, is desperate to feel quickening in
her womb and to hold a child of her own. After years of prayer she gets her
son, only to give him up to the Lord. Do you think she was asking to be let out
of her vow on that long walk to Shiloh when she handed him over to Eli?</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">And while we might be judgmental toward Peninnah and her
torturous taunting of Hannah, she also had a bit of a rough time. She was
chosen as a second wife, most likely brought into the family only because
Hannah was barren, with the sole purpose of providing an heir. She was
successful, but her husband still showed favoritism to Hannah. I have to wonder
how she felt after Hannah, too, had a son. Did she feel more than useless –
especially after Hannah did such a noble thing?<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Which woman can you relate to most?<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">I love that we are able to see Hannah’s prayer of
thanksgiving. I do wonder, however, if verse 2:3 was dedicated to Peninnah!
It’s sweet that Hannah brought Samuel a miniature priest’s outfit each year
when she visited.<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 read 1 Sam 2:26, “And the boy Samuel continued to
grow in stature and in favor with the Lord and with men,” I couldn’t help but
think of Luke 2:52 “And Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God
and men.” Can you think of any other person who has similar text?<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">The call of God on Samuel is also interesting – Samuel
was lying down in the temple of the Lord where the Ark was! Was he actually in
the inner room? Verse 3:10 says God actually came and stood in the room with
Samuel, and that was where he resided in the Tabernacle. We don’t know how old
Samuel was at the time, but he was able to report all that God said when he
reported back to Eli. I imagine I’d be so in awe that I was actually hearing
the voice of God that I’d probably forget everything he said – perhaps divine
visits are imprinted on our brains and hearts. God was with Samuel as he
continued to grow and he ‘let none of his words fall to the ground’. Apparently
Samuel was well respected by all of Israel before the prophecies he’d received
about Eli and his sons came true.<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: 1 Samuel 4-7<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-29779618614050142442024-03-22T05:00:00.001-05:002024-03-22T05:00:00.134-05:00Bible in a Year March 22 - RUTH <p> </p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">March 22- Ruth</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial, "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">The story of Ruth and Boaz gives us a rare glimpse into
the everyday life of the Israelites during a time of peace. Redemption is the
key concept of the book and also reflects Naomi’s transition from despair to
happiness through the actions of her daughter-in-law and kinsman redeemer.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">The key verse, and most famous verse, is 1:16, “But Ruth
replied, “Don’t urge me to leave you or to turn back from you. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Where you go I will go, and where you stay I
will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God.”<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">This book is rather unusual because it is primarily
dialogue – 59 of the 84 verses are conversational.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">This story is probably very familiar to you – I hope to
share somethings that maybe you haven’t thought about before.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">The book of Ruth begins with a famine, which may have
been God’s punishment for Israel’s disobedience. The fact that Elimelech and
his family went to Moab was interesting since that was an area that was seen
with disgust by the Israelites. In addition to the history of not letting the
Israelites pass through the country, they were active worshippers of Chemosh.
Marrying Moab women was not forbidden, but it was definitely seen as unwise to
marry a foreign wife. Jewish tradition says the death of Elimilech and his sons
was God’s punishment for leaving Bethlehem.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">I wonder what Ruth’s family life had been like before she
married Mahlon. Widows in Moab were treated about the same as Jewish widows –
they were pretty destitute unless taken in by their parents or in-laws. She
obviously preferred to leave everything she knew to stay with Naomi. Was Naomi
such a wonderful woman, or was the situation dire for Ruth if she stayed? Did
Naomi initially see Ruth, a foreigner, as a bit of a burden? She would not only
be destitute like Naomi, but she would be a target for prejudice in Bethlehem.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">In addition, Ruth was apparently barren (or would have
been considered so).The Bible never her a barren woman, like it does others,
but for whatever reason she was unable to have children with her husband,
Mahlon. Instead of finding another husband, she turns her devotion to her
mother-in-law and sets out to ensure the two of them have enough food to eat.
We see no evidence in her actions to change her situation – she seems satisfied
with her widowhood. Her dedication to Naomi more than to herself resulted in
one of the happiest endings in the Bible.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">The book of Ruth is still read today during the Jewish
festival of Shavout (celebrated in late May), which recognizes the giving of
the Torah at Mount Sinai. The story is seen as a symbol of the relationship
between God and Israel and the importance of remaining faithful to one’s
community and religious beliefs. And Christians see the story as a
foreshadowing of Christ’s love and redemption.<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: 1 Samuel 1-3<o:p></o:p></span></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34332450.post-13096591559878772312024-03-21T05:00:00.001-05:002024-03-21T05:00:00.135-05:00Bible in a Year March 21: Judges 20-21<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
21: Judges 20-21<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Just wow… The Israelites all join together to fight the
inhabitants of Gibeah after they were so evil in yesterday’s reading. Gibeah
was a town of the Benjamites, and they were invited to fight, too, but instead
they chose to fight against the Israelites. The rest of the tribes inquired of
God before going into the battle, but in the first two days of fighting they
lost more than 40,000 even though they vastly outnumbered the Benjamites.
Finally God gave them the battle on the third day. It got a bit confusing there
toward the end of the story because of duplication of information.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">So were you as horrified as I was when the Israelites let
the remaining 200 Benjamites without wives kidnap women from a festival? I
can’t even imagine what those women went through.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">The book ends with a fitting, “everyone did as he saw
fit.”<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: Ruth</span></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34332450.post-9711148901810061042024-03-20T05:00:00.001-05:002024-03-20T05:00:00.148-05:00Bible in a Year March 20 - Judges 17-19<p> </p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><b>March 20 - Judges 17-19</b><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Another day of tough reading. Some of the stories don’t
seem to make logical sense to me – I presume they were more understandable to
the original readers/hearers.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">The first story about Micah and the Levite seem as though
they would have invoked the wrath of God – carved images and idols, household
gods, a descendant of Ephraim installing a priest in his home instead of at the
place God called them to worship…then the Danites taking him to be their priest
along with the household idols, killing unsuspecting people without necessarily
asking God’s direction. I did notice, however, that Moses’ descendants are
named (v 18:30). I guess they did stay with Moses through the desert trek.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">The next story is even more disturbing. I was confused
when the man is referred to as a husband and son-in-law, but the woman is
called a concubine. The word translated as ‘concubine’ is ‘issah’, which has been
translated most times as woman or wife, but also as concubine or prostitute.
Why was it so important to tell that the woman’s father wanted the man to stay
so many days? And of course, just like the story of Lot, it is incomprehensible
to me that the men would offer her and the virgin daughter to the evil Benjamites
in the street. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Oh, how far the Israelites have fallen. Did you notice
that God himself did not show up in todays’ reading?<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 20-21<o:p></o:p></span></p><br /><p></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag: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.com0