And here we go... catching up on blogging about Joshua...
The "Invitation to Joshua" says that the author of the book is not identified, but that the book takes its name from the main character, Joshua (Moses's successor) The Date that is was written is suggested to be somewhere between 1405 to 1250 BC The Theme that is given is: "Victory through a long obedience"... my personal note: this idea of a theme made me think about how victories can be granted during 'short' obedience, but how much more can God accomplish through us when we actively choose to be obedient to Him on a regular basis instead of on a 'feel-like-it' time frame? Some Historical reminders... Joshua was one of only two spies who had originally believed that the Israelites could overtake the Promised Land with God's help... that was before the 40 years of wandering... and I sometimes struggle with obedience for a whole day... I'm sighing at my weakness right now!... but also finding comfort in the memory of Paul's similar 'head battle' in Romans 7:14-25. Characteristics (copied from Bible intro page): "The book has inspired many hymns and spirituals because of the 'good news' character of Joshua's successful leadership of Isreal and because of God's active involvement in history. [Side thought... even though Joshua is seen as a 'successful leader' and Moses was not, at least on some levels because the people did not get into the Promised Land on his watch... we have to remember that this was all part of God's plan... sometimes we can get down on ourselves because we don't feel like we are being as 'successful' in our lives as someone else is...this could be on so many levels... but we have to remember that God made us for a specific purpose... and it was not to be 'the other guy'... it was to be 'ourselves'... Moses, although maybe not labeled 'successful', was very 'successful', as he was a great leader, and the only one who God chose to lead the people as far as they had gone... Moses was perfect to lead the people out of Egypt, across the desert, and through the desert, even in the wandering in the desert... why?... because that is what God made him to do... God created him for that very purpose... and when we accomplish the purpose God made us for, then we truly are successful! see Psalm 139, too.] ... sorry for the long side note... so, to continue with "Characteristics"..."We see this most obviously in the 'Book of War' (ch 1-11) [PS answer to a previous question in Exodus, maybe]... which chronicles a series of battles, with victory going to the strong and courageous (a theme repeated at least eight times in God's call to Joshua). When the Israelits do what God calls them to do, they defeat the enemy. When they disobey, they are unable to win. The less action-packed 'Book of Distribution' (ch 12-24) mostly details allocation of the conquered land." [Yippee]
Chapter 1: verse 5... when God calls you to His work, He promises to be with you... to help you through it all (see also Isaiah 59:19, preferrable in the KJV) verse 6... "be strong and courageous"... I love how God says this to Joshua so MANY times (both here and in Deuteronomy)... it makes me smile.... I can almost see Joshua starting to panic as God is commissioning him and God keeps having to break from the 'ceremony' to remind Joshua to stop freaking out. :) So typical of me... I must remember that God is with me... It must be such a human nature thing to be 'fearful' and 'weak'... it must be such a human nature thing to forget that God is the one doing it and all we need to do is trust Him so we can be 'strong and courageous'... this encourages me, in that God understands when I am feeling a bit nervous about things... He doesn't want me to camp there, but He does understand. It also makes me think about how important encouragement is... encouragement of other Christians... encouragement of missionaries... encouragement of our leaders... encouragement even to people we don't know... we can all use an 'atta-boy/girl' now and then... probably more like 'now and then'... maybe something we should think more about how to implement since it is so important... also makes me think how the opporite could be disasterous... I've read stories about missionaries and pastors and even 'regular' Christians who lost faith, lost hope, lost souls for Christ, and even in some cases lost their lives, simply because no one thought enough about encouragement, or them, to give them a rousing reminder to 'be strong and courageous'... it doesn't just say 'suck it up', it is also a reminder that we are not alone and that we are very much loved... so, 'be strong and courageous' friend!!! (or as it says in verse 7, 'be strong and VERY courageous'!) also, in comment to verse 6, 'the land I swore'... made me think about how God is trustworthy and faithful... He WILL do what He says... we just need to be patient and 'cool our jets'. :) I got a great e-mail today about waiting on God's timing (and trusting in it)... my favorite part is as follows: "When Habakkuk became depressed because he didn't think God was acting quickly enough, God had this to say: "These things I plan won't happen right away. Slowly, steadily, surely, the time approaches when the vision will be fulfilled. If it seems slow, do not despair, for these things will surely come to pass. Just be patient! They will not be overdue a single day!" Habakkuk 2:3 A delay is not a denial from God. Remember how far you've come, not just how far you have to go. You are not where you want to be, but neither are you where you used to be. God isn't finished with you, so keep on moving forward. Even the snail reached the ark by persevering!" verse 8... how do we become successful... by remaining in God and meditating on His Word! verse 10... Joshua accepts his calling and obeys... sometimes this is a crucial step that we forget to take... then, we wonder why 'its' not working?... just a thought verse 13-15... we may have our salvation, but our work is NOT done... we must still help others get to the 'Promised Land'... There is a place of rest for us, we just can't enjoy it just yet, because our brothers/sisters need our help still. verse 16... joyful obedience... we could all use a lesson in this at some point, I think... at least a refresher anyway. verse 17... we follow authority becuase of our love of/for God... see Ephesians 6:5-8 verse 18... men of God reiterate God's Word
Chapter 2: interesting note that Rahab is considered a 'woman of faith'... this makes me think about how we really do need to be aware of not judging because only God knows a person's heart... all we see is their exterior, and we all know the old adage "you can't judge a book by its cover" verse 1... interesting note that the word 'prostitute' can apparently also be translated 'innkeeper'... I wonder if this applies to other references of 'innkeepers'?... just curious verse 11... 'for the Lord your God is God in heaven above and on earth below.'... if this is obvious to others and it makes their hearts 'melt' because they are God's 'enemies', shouldn't this make us have the 'strong courageousness' in knowing that we are God's 'friends/allies'... how come sometimes others know/recognize and trust in what we've got more than we ourselves do? verse 14... is this upholdable because of the laws of life for life, tooth for tooth, etc (see Deuteronomy 19:21 and others)... those laws are for punishment, but couldn't the same principle be used for reward, too? verse 15... how convenient... nothing is too small of a detail to be overlooked by the eye and foresight of God!... also, I wonder if this is why the men chose her home to begin with and if that is how they first got in? or maybe she lives in a high section of the wall? who knows verse 17-21... God is always willing to bless us, but we do have to take some action and responsiblity for some of it ourselves... He doesn't just bless those who sit as 'lumps' and 'wait' for something good to happen... but also, nothing good happens aside from the blessing of God. verse 24... good report from the spies this time (as compared to Numbers 13-14)... maybe the people are learning their lesson... one can only hope, huh
The IDEA: Romans 1:12-That we may be mutually strengthened, encouraged, and comforted by each others faith. Have you ever read the whole Bible before? We have never done it. We want to share God’s Word, but how can we if we do not know it.
The PLAN: Ecclesiastes 4:12-One person is easily overcome, but two can stand together and conquer. Three is even better, though, as a triple-braided cord is not easily broken. With each others help we can succeed-So, let us team up and read the Bible in a year.
The DATE: We will start Dec 26, 2009 - Dec 26, 2010.
The FYI: We will read 3-4 chapters each day, starting in Genesis, and post thoughts daily. If you do not have a Bible, you can access many translations at www.biblegateway.com. You can also download an audio for each chapter at: http://www.audiotreasure.com/webindex.htm
Read it and will comment later.
ReplyDeletesandJ
And here we go... catching up on blogging about Joshua...
ReplyDeleteThe "Invitation to Joshua" says that the author of the book is not identified, but that the book takes its name from the main character, Joshua (Moses's successor)
The Date that is was written is suggested to be somewhere between 1405 to 1250 BC
The Theme that is given is: "Victory through a long obedience"... my personal note: this idea of a theme made me think about how victories can be granted during 'short' obedience, but how much more can God accomplish through us when we actively choose to be obedient to Him on a regular basis instead of on a 'feel-like-it' time frame?
Some Historical reminders... Joshua was one of only two spies who had originally believed that the Israelites could overtake the Promised Land with God's help... that was before the 40 years of wandering... and I sometimes struggle with obedience for a whole day... I'm sighing at my weakness right now!... but also finding comfort in the memory of Paul's similar 'head battle' in Romans 7:14-25.
Characteristics (copied from Bible intro page): "The book has inspired many hymns and spirituals because of the 'good news' character of Joshua's successful leadership of Isreal and because of God's active involvement in history. [Side thought... even though Joshua is seen as a 'successful leader' and Moses was not, at least on some levels because the people did not get into the Promised Land on his watch... we have to remember that this was all part of God's plan... sometimes we can get down on ourselves because we don't feel like we are being as 'successful' in our lives as someone else is...this could be on so many levels... but we have to remember that God made us for a specific purpose... and it was not to be 'the other guy'... it was to be 'ourselves'... Moses, although maybe not labeled 'successful', was very 'successful', as he was a great leader, and the only one who God chose to lead the people as far as they had gone... Moses was perfect to lead the people out of Egypt, across the desert, and through the desert, even in the wandering in the desert... why?... because that is what God made him to do... God created him for that very purpose... and when we accomplish the purpose God made us for, then we truly are successful! see Psalm 139, too.]
... sorry for the long side note... so, to continue with "Characteristics"..."We see this most obviously in the 'Book of War' (ch 1-11) [PS answer to a previous question in Exodus, maybe]... which chronicles a series of battles, with victory going to the strong and courageous (a theme repeated at least eight times in God's call to Joshua). When the Israelits do what God calls them to do, they defeat the enemy. When they disobey, they are unable to win. The less action-packed 'Book of Distribution' (ch 12-24) mostly details allocation of the conquered land." [Yippee]
Chapter 1: verse 5... when God calls you to His work, He promises to be with you... to help you through it all (see also Isaiah 59:19, preferrable in the KJV)
ReplyDeleteverse 6... "be strong and courageous"... I love how God says this to Joshua so MANY times (both here and in Deuteronomy)... it makes me smile.... I can almost see Joshua starting to panic as God is commissioning him and God keeps having to break from the 'ceremony' to remind Joshua to stop freaking out. :) So typical of me... I must remember that God is with me... It must be such a human nature thing to be 'fearful' and 'weak'... it must be such a human nature thing to forget that God is the one doing it and all we need to do is trust Him so we can be 'strong and courageous'... this encourages me, in that God understands when I am feeling a bit nervous about things... He doesn't want me to camp there, but He does understand. It also makes me think about how important encouragement is... encouragement of other Christians... encouragement of missionaries... encouragement of our leaders... encouragement even to people we don't know... we can all use an 'atta-boy/girl' now and then... probably more like 'now and then'... maybe something we should think more about how to implement since it is so important... also makes me think how the opporite could be disasterous... I've read stories about missionaries and pastors and even 'regular' Christians who lost faith, lost hope, lost souls for Christ, and even in some cases lost their lives, simply because no one thought enough about encouragement, or them, to give them a rousing reminder to 'be strong and courageous'... it doesn't just say 'suck it up', it is also a reminder that we are not alone and that we are very much loved... so, 'be strong and courageous' friend!!! (or as it says in verse 7, 'be strong and VERY courageous'!)
also, in comment to verse 6, 'the land I swore'... made me think about how God is trustworthy and faithful... He WILL do what He says... we just need to be patient and 'cool our jets'. :) I got a great e-mail today about waiting on God's timing (and trusting in it)... my favorite part is as follows: "When Habakkuk became depressed because he didn't think God was acting quickly enough, God had this to say: "These things I plan won't happen right away. Slowly, steadily, surely, the time approaches when the vision will be fulfilled. If it seems slow, do not despair, for these things will surely come to pass. Just be patient! They will not be overdue a single day!" Habakkuk 2:3 A delay is not a denial from God. Remember how far you've come, not just how far you have to go. You are not where you want to be, but neither are you where you used to be. God isn't finished with you, so keep on moving forward. Even the snail reached the ark by persevering!"
verse 8... how do we become successful... by remaining in God and meditating on His Word!
verse 10... Joshua accepts his calling and obeys... sometimes this is a crucial step that we forget to take... then, we wonder why 'its' not working?... just a thought
verse 13-15... we may have our salvation, but our work is NOT done... we must still help others get to the 'Promised Land'... There is a place of rest for us, we just can't enjoy it just yet, because our brothers/sisters need our help still.
verse 16... joyful obedience... we could all use a lesson in this at some point, I think... at least a refresher anyway.
verse 17... we follow authority becuase of our love of/for God... see Ephesians 6:5-8
verse 18... men of God reiterate God's Word
Chapter 2: interesting note that Rahab is considered a 'woman of faith'... this makes me think about how we really do need to be aware of not judging because only God knows a person's heart... all we see is their exterior, and we all know the old adage "you can't judge a book by its cover"
ReplyDeleteverse 1... interesting note that the word 'prostitute' can apparently also be translated 'innkeeper'... I wonder if this applies to other references of 'innkeepers'?... just curious
verse 11... 'for the Lord your God is God in heaven above and on earth below.'... if this is obvious to others and it makes their hearts 'melt' because they are God's 'enemies', shouldn't this make us have the 'strong courageousness' in knowing that we are God's 'friends/allies'... how come sometimes others know/recognize and trust in what we've got more than we ourselves do?
verse 14... is this upholdable because of the laws of life for life, tooth for tooth, etc (see Deuteronomy 19:21 and others)... those laws are for punishment, but couldn't the same principle be used for reward, too?
verse 15... how convenient... nothing is too small of a detail to be overlooked by the eye and foresight of God!... also, I wonder if this is why the men chose her home to begin with and if that is how they first got in? or maybe she lives in a high section of the wall? who knows
verse 17-21... God is always willing to bless us, but we do have to take some action and responsiblity for some of it ourselves... He doesn't just bless those who sit as 'lumps' and 'wait' for something good to happen... but also, nothing good happens aside from the blessing of God.
verse 24... good report from the spies this time (as compared to Numbers 13-14)... maybe the people are learning their lesson... one can only hope, huh