Bible Read 2010

Judges

So Joshua died and once again, the people turned their backs on the Lord and did evil in his sight.  However, the Lord was compassionate and sent judges.  These men and women weren't judges like we think of the term.  They were mainly military leaders sent to deliver the Israelites from harm - at least in the local area of the specific judge.

Othniel - overpowered the King of Aram and gave the land 40 years of peace

Ehud - the left-handed man.  Eglon, the fat king of the Moabites, was now in charge and Ehud was sent to kill him.  So he did and plunged a knife into the king's belly and "the fat closed in over it," (Judges 3:22).  The Israelites captured the Moabites and the land had 80 years of peace.

Shamgar - killed some Philisitines.

Deborah - was ruling over Israel after Ehud (even the verse before says Shamgar came after Ehud - not sure which is correct).  With Barak commanding the armies, she helped him to kill Sisera and his people.  However, because of Barak's doubt and refusal to go without Deborah, a woman had the honor of killing Sisera.  Sisera sought shelter in the tent of Jael - which she gave him.  And then subsequently "drove a tent peg through his temple" (4:21).

Gideon - It's interesting how sometimes God will answer the doubt.  Gideon is known for having faith but he also needed to test God multiple times.  First with and offering and then two times with the fleeces.  But God understood what Gideon needed and provided what was necessary to convince him.  Gideon started with 32,000 men but the Lord said that was too many.  So when asked, 22,000 thousand up and went home like a bunch of cowards.  The 10,000 was then culled down to 300 by the drink at the water test.  So from 32,000 to 300 just like that - and this was how the Lord would demonstrate his glory.  And then after all that, Gideon made an ephod and "All Israel prostituted themselves by worshiping it there," (8:27).

Abimelech - he was one of 71 sons of Gideon.  He killed 69 of his brothers.  There is then some long diatribe but eventually he is killed by some woman dropping a stone on his head.

Tola - 33 years

Jair - 22 years.  Had sons that rode donkeys.

Jephtah - this is the guy who makes the most foolish of oaths - once again not trusting the Lord and feeling the need to make an oath - one of those "if you'll just do this for me Lord then I'll do that".  Jephtah said, "If you give the Ammonites into my hands, whatever comes out of the door of my house to meet me when I return in triumph from the Ammonites will be the Lord's, and I will sacrifice it as a burnt offering," (11:30-31).  What did this guy think would come out, some stray dog or maybe a sheep.  So who should come out but his only child, his daughter.  

Ibzan, Elon, and Abdon - some more donkey riders and such

Samson - probably the most famous of the judges.  We all know the story of Samson so I will just toss in some interesting tidbits I find.  His mom was sterile until Samson and Samson was to be a Nazrite - no alcohol and no cutting of the hair (and I'm sure other stuff too).  What's up with some bees making honey inside a dead lion - wouldn't the scavengers have eaten the lion up?  

Samson tells them a riddle and they can't answer it - so they convince his new wife to tell them.  And according to Samson, this is called "plowing with my heifer."  His wife is then given to a friend - which of course doesn't make Samson too happy.  So he burns their fields up.  They in turn burn her and her father to death.  After Samson kills 1,000 men with a jawbone, he is thirsty.

March 23 - March 24

Joshua

Joshua is now to lead the Israelites into the Promised Land.  This must be a scary moment for Joshua - he has been under Moses for many years and now it is his turn.  In Joshua 1:5, the Lord reassures Joshua, "As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake you."  Very comforting to get these words from the Lord.

Chapter 2 is the story of Rahab of Jericho the prostitute/innkeeper (my Bible notes indicate she could also be a innkeeper).  She is faithful to a Lord she does not know because she has heard what he has done for his people.  The people of the land are afraid and this encourages the spies.  

The Lord has the priests walk the ark of the into the Jordan, and as he did at the Red Sea, the water stop flowing from upstream and the people are able to cross on dry ground.  It would be awesome to see an event like this.  Whether the Lord did it supernaturally or used some physical means, it was done at his command.

Jericho - the Lord tells Joshua in 6:2, "See, I have delivered Jericho into your hands.along with its king and its fighting men."  I wonder if Joshua thought this the least bit funny.  The Lord demonstrates his great power by having the walls of the city fall down.  Only Rahab and her family are spared in the city and Rahab became more than just the prostitute who helped the spies, she joined the lineage of Christ as documented in Matthew 1.

And form battle number 1, the Israelites begin disobeying.  Achan takes some things from the city and thus causes battle number to be a loss.  Achan gets caught and he and his whole family are stoned and then burned - the burning is a new addition to the traditional stoning.  The Lord was really upset this time.

March 22

Deuteronomy 32-34 and Psalm 91

Chapter 32 is the Song of Moses.  Here are a few excerpts.

    "Oh, praise the greatness of our God! He is the Rock, his works are perfect, and all his ways are just."

    "Is he not your Father, your Creator, who made you and formed you?"

    "You deserted the Rock, who fathered you; you forgot the God who gave you birth."

New Testament authors quotes this song a few different times - Romans 10:19, Hebrews 10:30, and Romans 12:19.

"And Moses the servant of the Lord died there in Moab, as the Lord has said," (34:5).  "Since then, no prophet has risen in Israel like Moses, whom the Lord knew face to face, who did all those miraculous signs and wonders the Lord sent him to do in Egypt," (34:10).  Until Jesus, there were none like Moses and none superior to him.

Psalm 91 - possibly written by one of the Temple personnel

Psalms are interesting to read - they can be very encouraging and comforting.  However, we must remember that statements made here are not absolutes.  Such as in verse 9, "If you make the Most High your dwelling - even the Lord, who is my refuge - then no harm will befall you, no disaster will come near your tent."  While this may be true some of the time, and while we definitely should make our dwelling in the Lord, we aren't guaranteed to have perfect lives with no harm befalling us.

Verses 11-12 are quoted by Satan when tempting Jesus in the desert, "For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways; they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone."

March 21

Deuteronomy 30-31    

The beginning of 30 has the Lord reiterating his promises to the Israelites.  He is encouraging to remain faithful even after they are dispersed - because he knows this is going to happen.  The Lord wants to delight in his chosen but it's not unconditional.  "The Lord will again delight in you and make you prosperous, just as he delighted in your fathers, if you obey the Lord your God and keep his command and decrees that are written in this Book of the Law and turn to the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul," (30:9-10).

Chapter 30 verses 11-14 have some interesting words concerning understanding of the Word of God.  From Moses, "Now what I am commanding you today is not too difficult for you or beyond your reach. It is not up in heaven...No, the word is very near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart so you may obey it."  These words are quoted by Paul in Romans 10:6-10 as an application to the availability of the word.  We don't have to be heroic or have supernatural powers, understanding and believing is possible.

Moses conveys to the people that he will not go with them into the Promised Land and Joshua will be his successor.  Good communication so the people knew for sure who was in charge.  The Lord even officially commissioned Joshua at the Tent of Meeting.  So it was not just from Moses, but also from the Lord.  It would be nice for the Lord to officially anoint our leaders.

March 20 - Blessing and Curses

Deuteronomy 28-29

The Lord promises to bless his people if they obey him but oh the curses if they do not.

Blessings for Obedience

Crops of their land and the young of their livestock.  Blessed coming and going.  Blessed against their enemies.  Barns and storehouses will be blessed.  They will be granted abundant prosperity.  The heavens will be opened and all the work of their hands will be blessed.

Curses for Disobedience

Crops and livestock will be cursed.  Everything will be destroyed and plagues will be sent.  The rain will turn to dust.  They will be stricken with wasting disease.  They will be defeated by their enemies.  Their carcasses will be food for the birds.  They will be oppressed and robbed day after day.  Someone will take and ravage their women.  Oxen will be slaughtered.  Sons and daughters will be given to another nation.  Locust will devour their crops.  

In conclusion, "If you do not carefully follow all the words of this law ... the Lord will send fearful plagues on you and your descendants, harsh and prolonged disasters, and severe and lingering illnesses," (28:58).  The Lord was not joking around with the Israelites.  He promised great blessings but even worse curses - it was their choice as to how he would treat them.  

I'm not sure what application to take from these words.  We aren't promised blessings or curses based on our obedience.  

March 19 - Don't Touch my Junk

Deuteronomy 24-27

The Way it should Be

"If a man has recently married, he must not be sent to war or have any other duty laid before him.  For one year he is to be free to stay at home and bring happiness to the wife he has married," (24:5).  We all know what that means - no work and just sex for the first year of marriage.  Nice.

Keep your Hands off my Junk

"If two men are fighting and the wife of one of them comes to rescue her husband from the assailant, and she reaches out and seizes him by his private parts, you shall cut off her hand.  Show her no pity," (25:11)

March 17 to 18 - Moses is a Tree Hugger and other Cool Stuff

Deuteronomy 17 - 23

At the beginning of chapter 17, Moses is talking about the consequences of doing evil in the sight of the Lord - such as worshiping other gods.  The consequences are, of course, stoning.  The reason I am commenting about this though is that "the hands of the witnesses must be the first in putting him to death, and then the hands of the people," (17:7).  So to be a witness that put someone to death meant you had to be the first one to throw a stone.  Tough.

The end of chapter 17 talks about a king for Israel.  Moses knows they are going to want a king, even though God is their king.  Moses does set some conditions that later Solomon will greatly violate these rules.  A king is not to have many horses, he is not to take many wives, and he must not accumulate lots of gold and silver.  Solomon does all these things.

OT Environmentalism

"When you lay siege to a city for a long time, fighting against it to capture it, do not destroy its trees by putting an ax to them, because you can eat their fruit.  Do not cut them down." (20:19).

Rough

So what are we parents supposed to do with sons that are bad?  Stone them - isn't that the default penalty in the OT.  Take the boy to the elders and say, "'This son of ours is stubborn and rebellious.  He will not obey us.  He is a profligate and a drunkard.'  Then all the men of his town shall stone him to death," (21:20-21).

How does a girl's parents prove her virginity?  Unfortunately the BIble does not give us that information but apparently that is something parents of a female have to know.  Thank goodness I have three boys.

March 16 - the day of my birthday

Deuteronomy 14-16

Animals that are detestable - pig, camel, rabbit, coney, eagle, vulture, falcon, horned owl, hawk, heron, flying insects that swarm, or carrion.

Set aside a tenth to give to the Lord (14:22).  I've spoken about this earlier here, introduction of tithing, where Jacob has his dream about a stairway to heaven.  But for the Israelites, this was the least of what they were to give to the Lord - not the max.  Add in all the other sacrifices and stuff they had to give and who knows how much it added up to.  I guess it depends on how much you sinned.

"There will always be poor people in the land.  Therefore I command you to be openhanded toward your brothers and toward the poor and needy in your land," (15:11).  God commands the Hebrews to be generous to the needy.  He doesn't just ask them, he commands them.  And when God command the Hebrews to set free their fellow Hebrew slaves in the seventh year, he tells them to "supply him liberally from your flock, your threshing floor and your winepress.  Give to him as the Lord your God has blessed you," (15:14).  We are to be generous - that is clear.

March 15 - the day before my birthday

I've got to make up for a couple of days, so - Deuteronomy 5-13

Deut. chapter 5 repeats the 10 commandments.  Not only did God write them on two stone tablets, he first spoke them to the Israelites - so they heard the voice of God giving these 10 core laws.  The 10 commandments were the basis for the entire Law.  If you want to read my take on the 10 commandments, go see my previous post from Exodus - My Take on the 10 Commandments.  God gave Moses many other commands, decrees, and laws but these 10 were the ones he spoke to all and you can make a claim that they helped to form a moral basis for the Western world.

The Shema - Hebrew for "Hear"

"Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength," (Deut 6:4-5).  The Jewish confession of faith.

"When you have eaten and are satisfied, praise the Lord your God for the good land he has given you," (8:10).  The basis for me why I thank the Lord continuously - and as a family before meals.  I do not ask the Lord to bless the food because I don't really know what that means.  Just the fact that there is food before me is proof of God's blessing.  However, I am going to thank him for the blessings because I am, for sure, blessed.

Fear the Lord

"And  now, O Israel, what does the Lord your God ask of you but to fear the Lord your God, to walk in all his ways, to love him, to serve the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul, and to observe the Lord's command sand decrees that I am giving you today for your own good?" (10:12-13).  That is all the Lord asks.  Seems easy enough, huh?

Teach the Children and Know the Lord's Words

"Fix these words of mine in your hears and minds; tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads.  Teach them to your children, talking about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up," (11:18-19).  We need to know the word of the Lord - either be it through memorization or just extreme familiarity so the words we search for can quickly be found and referenced.  

The word of the Lord also needs to be a continuous conversation in our households.  Unfortunately, it probably isn't in most households - mine to be included.  We read the Bible each night but don't really talk about it much after that - shame on me.

The Israelites were only allowed to do certain types of worship and sacrifices at the place designated by the Lord - ultimately the Temple that Solomon would build.  This is why Jews do not still offer sacrifices today - there is no Temple.  "You are not to do as we do here today, everyone as he sees fit, since you have not yet reached the resting place and the inheritance the Lord your God is giving you," (12:8).

Many, many times in these chapters and verses, Moses tells the people to keep God's commands and obey him.  For the Jews, this was extremely important.  The Law was their covenant and their blessings depended on their obedience. 

 "Know therefore that the Lord your God is God; he is the faithful God, keeping his covenant of love to a thousand generations of those who love him and keep his commands.  But those who hate him he will repay to their face by destruction; he will not be slow to repay to their face those who hate him.  Therefore, take care to follow the commands, decrees, and laws i give you today," (7:9-11 emphasis added).

March 12

Deuteronomy 3-4

Moses recounts their defeat of Og King of Bashan in the first part of chapter 3.  The Lord is with them and allows to destroy the entire army, to kill all the people, and to plunder all the stuff.  

Moses then makes one last plea to the Lord to let him enter the Promised Land but the Lord tells him, "Do not speak to me anymore about this matter," (3:26).  Of all the decisions the Lord makes, this is one that I don't quite understand.  Moses, of all people, deserved to enter the Promised Land - at least in my mind and Moses'.  He showed such faith through all those years and one misstep, one moment, and the Lord punishes him greatly.  I'm not sure what to take out of that but it does make me think about my obedience and daily moments of faith.

Moses then begins to recount the Law to the Israelites on last time.  He utters this caution though, "Do not add to what I command you and do not subtract from it, but keep the commands of the Lord your God that i give you," (4:2).  There is no command here about interpretation and that would probably be the argument of the Pharisees.  But according God through Moses, his laws were complete - completely.

In verse 6, an explanation for why they must obey the laws is given.  "Observe them carefully, for this will show your wisdom and understanding to the nations, who will hear about all these decrees and say, 'Surely this great nation is a wise and understanding people.'"  And then in verse 7, "What other nation is so great as to have their gods near them the way the Lord our God is near us whenever we pray to him?"  Aren't we just as privileged to have a God that listens to our prayers?  How wonderful that is.

Verse 9, "Teach them to your children and to their children after them."  I believe this is a verse we also have to take to heart - obviously not with respect to the Law, but with respect to what we believe is important in our faith.  The verse does not say for the rabbis to teach the children (in our case, the church), it is spoken to all of Israel.  

Verses 15 to 31 have Moses warning them about the dangers of idolatry.  After telling them about all the bad things that could (and will) happen to them, he encourages them with this, "But if from there you seek the Lord your God, you will find him if you look for him with all your heart and with all your soul...For the Lord your God is a merciful God; he will not abandon or destroy you or forget the covenant with your forefathers," (4:29-31).  The punishment for their sins will be great, but God will be there waiting for their repentance - just like he does with us.  Thank God.