Navigating the Worlds of Science and Religion
Joshua 19: We learn about the land given to Simeon, Zebulun, Issachar, Asher, Naphtali, and finally Dan. This chapter ends by sharing that the people gave Joshua the city Timnath-serah in the highlands of Ephraim as was commanded by God.
Continue reading “9/25 Reading (Joshua 19-21; 1 Corinthians 1 & 2)”
I wanted to take a moment to just reflect on the experience up to this point. We are in the 14th week of our year long study and I’ve experienced a range of emotions throughout this time. I thought it would be helpful for me to just write about how I’ve felt throughout this process. Kind of like a little reset and kick in the butt moment. Overall I’ve really enjoyed the experience and I’ve learned a lot. I’ve learned that this is really challenging. I knew it would be tough, but I didn’t realize that it would be this tough. I’ve learned the Bible has a lot more in it than I expected. The Bible addresses some interesting topics. I’ve also learned some things about myself that I never anticipated.
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 didnāt 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 āusually identified as a wisdom psalm, and may have been what we might call today a teaching sermonā (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.
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: āBut the people of Judah couldnāt remove the Jebusites who lived in Jerusalem. So today the Jebusites still live along with the people of Judah in Jerusalemā (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 āconfronts the issue of those who refuse to work and urges the readers to shun those who refuse to follow his teachingā (NRSV version, p. 2083).
Joshua 10: Chapter is all about Israelās victories in the south over the five kings. The kings are all executed. One question I do have comes from this verse: āIsnāt this written in the Jashar scroll?ā (CEB Study Bible, p. 343 OT; Joshua 10.13) Whatās the Jashar scroll? According to the notes it is āan 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 othersā (p. 343 OT).
Continue reading “9/21 Reading (Joshua 10-12; 2 Thessalonians 2)”
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.
Continue reading “9/20 Reading (Joshua 7-9; 2 Thessalonians 1)”
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.
Continue reading “9/19 Reading (Joshua 4-6; 1 Thessalonians 5)”
Itās 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 donāt 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:
Continue reading “9/18 Reading (Joshua 1-3; 1 Thessalonians 4)”
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 āYahweh as Divine Warrior against malicious slanderers.ā It is an interesting read. I did find myself wanting to add up all the psalms that ask for God to attack the psalmistās enemies.
I find each of the three chapters in Deuteronomy to be interesting. One part is the consistent reference to future failures amongĀ the people. That mustāve been hard to hear.
Not much else to say here.
Continue reading “9/15 Reading (Deuteronomy 31-33; 1 Thessalonians 3)”