Month: September 2017

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9/23 Reading (Joshua 16-18; Psalms 36-37)

Joshua 16: Chapter focuses on the land given to the tribe of Joseph, specifically Ephraim. 

Joshua 17: Chapter focuses on the land given to another part of the tribe of Joseph, specifically Manasseh. Actually, the land described here is given to the half of this group who didn’t get land on the other side of the Jordan river by Moses. 

Joshua 18: Chapter begins with discussion of representatives from the seven remaining tribes to pretty much do a survey of the land that is still available and do a report for Joshua. The remaining of the chapter focuses on what was given to Benjamin. 

Psalm 36: This psalm is a prayer for help from the wicked. The psalmist asks God to help them. 

Psalm 37: According to the notes from the CEB study bible, this psalm is “usually identified as a wisdom psalm, and may have been what we might call today a teaching sermon” (CEB Study Bible, p. 879 OT). We learn about the importance of not getting angry or upset when wicked people appear to prosper. I find this challenging since this seems to happen all the time. We are supposed to trust in God that all will be ok in the end. This is definitely tough and something that I want to discuss further with others. 

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9/22 Reading (Joshua 13-15; 2 Thessalonians 3)

Joshua 13: This chapter is the start of the process of distributing land to the 12 tribes of Israel. We first learn what land is still unconquered. The text then reminds us what land was already allotted by Moses before they crossed the Jordan river (east of the river). 

Joshua 14: Now we get into the allotment of land west of the river. The first to get land is Caleb, of the tribe of Judah, who was one of the original 12 spies sent to Canaan by Moses in Numbers. 

Joshua 15: Chapter describes in detail the borders of the land that the tribe of Judah was given. I thought this last verse was interesting: “But the people of Judah couldn’t remove the Jebusites who lived in Jerusalem. So today the Jebusites still live along with the people of Judah in Jerusalem” (Joshua 15.63; CEB study bible). According to the notes in the NRSV bible, this was here to point out that the people failed to conquer Jerusalem. 

2 Thessalonians 3: Paul asks the people to pray for them as they continue doing their ministry. He also “confronts the issue of those who refuse to work and urges the readers to shun those who refuse to follow his teaching” (NRSV version, p. 2083). 

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9/21 Reading (Joshua 10-12; 2 Thessalonians 2)

Joshua 10: Chapter is all about Israel’s victories in the south over the five kings. The kings are all executed. One question I do have comes from this verse: “Isn’t this written in the Jashar scroll?” (CEB Study Bible, p. 343 OT; Joshua 10.13) What’s the Jashar scroll? According to the notes it is “an ancient source mentioned also in 2 Samuel 1:18. The origin and contents of the scroll are unknown, but apparently it contained at least these two poems and perhaps others” (p. 343 OT).

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9/20 Reading (Joshua 7-9; 2 Thessalonians 1)

Joshua 7: Israel loses to Ai in battle all because Achan took what belonged to God. For this, Achan, his family, and all of his possessions were killed and destroyed. WOW! Such harsh punishment. The sins of one person directly impact everyone and lead to the death of an entire family.

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9/19 Reading (Joshua 4-6; 1 Thessalonians 5)

Joshua 4: God commands the people to pick up 12 stones from the river that will be used to represent them crossing the river. These stones will be used to remind the next generations what happened. Everyone finishes crossing and they set up the stones.

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9/18 Reading (Joshua 1-3; 1 Thessalonians 4)

It’s interesting how closely the stories in Joshua mirror the actions of Moses. The spies and crossing the Jordan river in these three chapters.

Introduction to Joshua: I don’t have a lot to say, but I do want to include a pretty interesting quote from the intro to historical books section of NRSV study bible:

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9/16 Reading (Deuteronomy 34; Psalm 35)

I had very little to say today.

Deuteronomy 34: Moses dies in this chapter. I think he got a raw deal. God had him go on top of a mountain to look at the land that he was forbidden to enter. Moses was an impressive leader.

Psalm 35: This psalm is a prayer for deliverance from enemies. The Fee and Stuart book says this psalm is an appeal to “Yahweh as Divine Warrior against malicious slanderers.” It is an interesting read. I did find myself wanting to add up all the psalms that ask for God to attack the psalmist’s enemies.

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9/15 Reading (Deuteronomy 31-33; 1 Thessalonians 3)

I find each of the three chapters in Deuteronomy to be interesting. One part is the consistent reference to future failures among the people. That must’ve been hard to hear.

Not much else to say here.

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9/14 Reading (Deuteronomy 28-30; 1 Thessalonians 2)

I’m using multiple sources throughout this process: the NRSV study bible, the CEB study bible, and Bible Gateway (www.biblegateway.com). This allows me to read more while at work or elsewhere. As a member I can also read all of the study guides they have. This includes How to Read the Bible Book by Book by Gordon Fee and Douglas Stuart as well as the NIV Study Bible Notes. I want to share something interesting I read in the Fee and Stuart book below.

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9/13 Reading (Deuteronomy 25-27; 1 Thessalonians 1)

Deuteronomy 25: We learn about corporal punishment, how to handle oxen when they are working, improper touching by a woman when she is defending her husband in a fight (her hand is to be cut off is she grabs the other man’s genitals), and honest business practices.

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