Chapter 21: verse 13, 21, 27, 32, 38... interesting that the Levites were given all these towns of refuge (5 out of the 6 towns of refuge)... it makes sense, I guess that the Levites were the ones who were in charge of these towns, but still I wonder if they did this because it made sense, or because the tribes didn't want to be responsible for these towns and the duties and people that were associated with them... it makes me think about how we can do things, that look like good things, but really they are more about us then about the others that we are doing the things for verse 43-45... God is faithful and trustworthy.
Chapter 22: verse 2... with their history of disobedience, this is a huge thing for Joshua to be able to say!... it would be good for them to take the lesson from it that obedience leads to blessing, but disobedience leads to distruction... I have a feeling they (and us) will not always remember this, though. verse 3-4... I wonder how long they were away from their families, to serve God? makes me think about how we, in society today, want things to be quick and easy and when they aren't, we want to give up... but nothing ever seemed to be quick in the Old Testament... also, I think about how much emphasis is put on people spending time with their families over serving God these days... and yes, I do believe spending time with families is very important, but I think about how these men were away from their families for a very long time, in order to serve God fully, and how maybe we, who stay at home, need to be more understanding and supportive, knowing the cause is worthwhile, while our loved ones are off serving God... God-focused instead of self-focused... victory in God instead of victims for God verse 5... they kind of just had... but good reminder... they really take these words to heart throughout the rest of this chapter, to make sure that there is no forgetting these things later. verse 10-12... funny how they all jumped to conclusions about the whys without knowing all the facts... however, it is good that they had learned their lesson about worshipping and obeying only God and wanted to preserve that... how often do we jump to conclusions about people or situations, based on our fears of the past? how do we overcome that tendancy? verse 13...in light of Numbers 25, and the peoples assumption that these 3 tribes were trying to worship other Gods, like in Peor, they sent Phineas over because he was the zealous guy who killed the 'sinners' back in Peor... Numberse 25:11 says that Phineas caused God's anger to turn away from the Isrealites becuase of his zealous actions of removing the sin... I think they were hoping for the same result here, too. verse 18... not just admonishing for the sake of the other people, but for their own sake, as well... sin can affect many, not just the sinner... is it wrong to want to keep yourself out of sin, then, too? is it a wrong motive to try to get others to stop sinning so that you will not be hurt by it? I don't think so necessarily... first, we know that God is just and knows everything, but we also know our human weakness and by allowing sin around us, we are more tempted to join in at some point... God will not punish us without deserving it, but the liklihood is we will deserve the punishment soon enough if we allow ourselves to be surrounded by sin... second, remember Cain who asked God, 'am I my brother's keeper?'... if we have the ability to help another become aware of their sin and turn from it, but we do nothing, then aren't we sinning by ommission?... some things to think about, I think...
verse 19... nice of them to give the tribes a way out and to give them some benefit of doubt... they had just served alongside these men, so they would have had to know their character and were willing to give grace in that maybe the land they were living in was leading them astray... they were willing to inconvenience themselves in order to help the other tribes keep from sinning further... are we willing to inconvenience ourselves in order to help someone keep from sinning? will we stand by them when they go to a party and refuse to drink, too, so they don't have to be the only one saying no? will we pick up a friend who has no license so they don't have to be tempted to drive illegally? will we keep from renting movies with nudity (no matter how funny our friend says it is) so that our husbands aren't tempted to think impure thoughts?... the list could go on and on... really, it comes down to the matter of who do we put first in our lives, and what does that priority mean to us? verse 22... I love how they hold fast to what they know is true, despite the judgemental speculations from others... they let God be their judge as they know that He truly knows their heart verse 24-28... I think its cool how they love God so much that they want to make sure that nothing and noone stands in the way of them remembering and worshipping God. verse 29-33... funny how the very thing that the other people thought was a sign against God, is actually a sign of the love these people have FOR God... when we jump to conclusions we can end up being so wrong... and can cause so much pain and unneccessary heartache... just think how bad things could have gotten if they had gone to war without waiting for an explanation... think about how the 3 tribes were probably so happy to show their love, but then so frustrated when they were accussed of their symbol of love being a sign of evil... let us be cautioned to ask before we jump to conclusions... but, it is good to be confirmed and encouraged of the goodness and love that our fellow believers have for God, too... so, by finding out all the facts, we can rejoice together when we learn of the mutual love we have in/for God... instead of trying to reconcile over hurt feelings, we can save the waste of time and just go right into worshipping God together... verse 34... accurate name, but really long... poor name chiseler guy. :)
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. Will comment soon...
ReplyDeletesandJ
Chapter 21: verse 13, 21, 27, 32, 38... interesting that the Levites were given all these towns of refuge (5 out of the 6 towns of refuge)... it makes sense, I guess that the Levites were the ones who were in charge of these towns, but still I wonder if they did this because it made sense, or because the tribes didn't want to be responsible for these towns and the duties and people that were associated with them... it makes me think about how we can do things, that look like good things, but really they are more about us then about the others that we are doing the things for
ReplyDeleteverse 43-45... God is faithful and trustworthy.
Chapter 22: verse 2... with their history of disobedience, this is a huge thing for Joshua to be able to say!... it would be good for them to take the lesson from it that obedience leads to blessing, but disobedience leads to distruction... I have a feeling they (and us) will not always remember this, though.
ReplyDeleteverse 3-4... I wonder how long they were away from their families, to serve God? makes me think about how we, in society today, want things to be quick and easy and when they aren't, we want to give up... but nothing ever seemed to be quick in the Old Testament... also, I think about how much emphasis is put on people spending time with their families over serving God these days... and yes, I do believe spending time with families is very important, but I think about how these men were away from their families for a very long time, in order to serve God fully, and how maybe we, who stay at home, need to be more understanding and supportive, knowing the cause is worthwhile, while our loved ones are off serving God... God-focused instead of self-focused... victory in God instead of victims for God
verse 5... they kind of just had... but good reminder... they really take these words to heart throughout the rest of this chapter, to make sure that there is no forgetting these things later.
verse 10-12... funny how they all jumped to conclusions about the whys without knowing all the facts... however, it is good that they had learned their lesson about worshipping and obeying only God and wanted to preserve that... how often do we jump to conclusions about people or situations, based on our fears of the past? how do we overcome that tendancy?
verse 13...in light of Numbers 25, and the peoples assumption that these 3 tribes were trying to worship other Gods, like in Peor, they sent Phineas over because he was the zealous guy who killed the 'sinners' back in Peor... Numberse 25:11 says that Phineas caused God's anger to turn away from the Isrealites becuase of his zealous actions of removing the sin... I think they were hoping for the same result here, too.
verse 18... not just admonishing for the sake of the other people, but for their own sake, as well... sin can affect many, not just the sinner... is it wrong to want to keep yourself out of sin, then, too? is it a wrong motive to try to get others to stop sinning so that you will not be hurt by it? I don't think so necessarily... first, we know that God is just and knows everything, but we also know our human weakness and by allowing sin around us, we are more tempted to join in at some point... God will not punish us without deserving it, but the liklihood is we will deserve the punishment soon enough if we allow ourselves to be surrounded by sin... second, remember Cain who asked God, 'am I my brother's keeper?'... if we have the ability to help another become aware of their sin and turn from it, but we do nothing, then aren't we sinning by ommission?... some things to think about, I think...
verse 19... nice of them to give the tribes a way out and to give them some benefit of doubt... they had just served alongside these men, so they would have had to know their character and were willing to give grace in that maybe the land they were living in was leading them astray... they were willing to inconvenience themselves in order to help the other tribes keep from sinning further... are we willing to inconvenience ourselves in order to help someone keep from sinning? will we stand by them when they go to a party and refuse to drink, too, so they don't have to be the only one saying no? will we pick up a friend who has no license so they don't have to be tempted to drive illegally? will we keep from renting movies with nudity (no matter how funny our friend says it is) so that our husbands aren't tempted to think impure thoughts?... the list could go on and on... really, it comes down to the matter of who do we put first in our lives, and what does that priority mean to us?
ReplyDeleteverse 22... I love how they hold fast to what they know is true, despite the judgemental speculations from others... they let God be their judge as they know that He truly knows their heart
verse 24-28... I think its cool how they love God so much that they want to make sure that nothing and noone stands in the way of them remembering and worshipping God.
verse 29-33... funny how the very thing that the other people thought was a sign against God, is actually a sign of the love these people have FOR God... when we jump to conclusions we can end up being so wrong... and can cause so much pain and unneccessary heartache... just think how bad things could have gotten if they had gone to war without waiting for an explanation... think about how the 3 tribes were probably so happy to show their love, but then so frustrated when they were accussed of their symbol of love being a sign of evil... let us be cautioned to ask before we jump to conclusions... but, it is good to be confirmed and encouraged of the goodness and love that our fellow believers have for God, too... so, by finding out all the facts, we can rejoice together when we learn of the mutual love we have in/for God... instead of trying to reconcile over hurt feelings, we can save the waste of time and just go right into worshipping God together...
verse 34... accurate name, but really long... poor name chiseler guy. :)