Category: Bible Reflection

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

Joshua 10: Chapter is all about Israelā€™s victories in the south over the five kings. The kings are all executed. One question I do have comes from this verse: ā€œIsnā€™t this written in the Jashar scroll?ā€ (CEB Study Bible, p. 343 OT; Joshua 10.13) Whatā€™s the Jashar scroll? According to the notes it is ā€œan 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).

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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)

Itā€™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 donā€™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 ā€œYahweh 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 psalmistā€™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 amongĀ the people. That mustā€™ve been hard to hear.

Not much else to say here.

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

Iā€™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 manā€™s genitals), and honest business practices.

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9/12 Reading (Deuteronomy 22-24; Acts 28)

Definitely a lot to say about this reading.

Deuteronomy 22: This chapter covers a wide range of topics. The first part focuses on various moral and religious responsibilities of citizenship (i.e. duties toward a neighbor, cross dressing, eating animals from two generations, what to add to a roof, how to treat your vineyard, donā€™t plow with two different species, donā€™t wear clothes made of wool and linen, and what to do with your cloak). Funny side note, this makes me think of the years we had gender bender days during homecoming week in high school. They were hilarious.

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9/11 Reading (Deuteronomy 19-21; Acts 27)

Two interesting sources to read along with this reading (here and here):

These above sources directly relate to Deuteronomy 20. Scientists have found what happened to the Canaanites: they werenā€™t destroyed. At least not completely. DNA evidence shows that ā€œ90 percent of the genetic ancestry of people in Lebanon came from the Canaanitesā€ (Washington Post article). Thatā€™s cool. I also think itā€™s cool that this came out while Iā€™m reading the Bible. I think I wouldā€™ve paid attention to this story, but it wouldnā€™t have meant as much to me as it does now if I werenā€™t doing this Bible study.

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