Read it... working on reading Romans, too, so I can be ready to talk to my friend about it on Thursday... will comment on Joshua chapters as soon as possible.
Chapter 23: sounds similar to Deuteronomy 31 when Moses commissions Joshua and gives his farewell... both explain that it is time for the leader to move on because of old age; both remind the successors to be courageous, strong, and obediently love God; to trust in God since He hasn't let them down yet; and to obey all the things that God has told them to do, and not forget any of what has happened or been told. verse 1... Joshua must have been REALLY old, since God told he was really old already way back in Chapter 13 verse 11... 'dont bite the hand that feeds you' kind of thing, I think... plus, why wouldn't they want to love the God who has so lovingly provided for them in so many ways?... why do we forget this sometimes in our own lives? how can we remember better? (bind it on our foreheads?... write in on our hearts?... or at least on our mirrors and fridges and dashboards?) verse 12... so there were survivors? why? verse 13... ok, the mental image of 'thorns in my eyes' is enough to make me not want to stray... yet, the image fades and I do stray at times... I so can relate to Paul in Romans 7:7-25!... reminder, too, that the Lord can give, but the Lord can take away, too (Job 1:21)... we should never become so content and comfortable with our lives that we forget who gave it to us and for what purpose (Ecclesiastes 12:11-14, Mark 12:29-30, and Joshua 22:5) verse 15... if you can trust God to fulfill His promised blessings, you can also trust God to fulfill His other promises, even if they are curses... God is faithful, we just choose which thing He will be faithful in with our actions of obedience or disobedience?
Chapter 24: overview of all that God had done to bring them to this point, and a reminder as to why they should continue to love and obey God... verse 1...Study Notes mention that it was significant that the people gathered at Shechem for this reconfirmation of the covenant because this is where God told Abram (in Genesis 12:6-7) that He would give Abram's decendent's this land... kind of a nice way to tie the whole story together :) ... although I suppose that it really doesn't surprise me any to know that it was significant for them to be there in Shechem for this ceremony... all the things God does and requests for people to do have a purpose and are deliberate.... I suppose I should just start looking into the whys behind each and every detail given, because none are done so haphazardly. verse 2... see Genesis 12... also a reminder that God called them (and us) before we knew who He was, and before we followed Him (see also Romans 5:8)... God didn't wait for us to notice Him, He came to us... we can take comfort in this because it means that we don't have to be perfect before we come to God... it makes sense, too, because if we could be perfect before we come to God, why would we need to come to God?... it is the sheer fact that we cannot be perfect that we need to come to God, and why He sent Jesus to be our perfect sacrifice to take away our sins, since we can't do it ourselves.... why do we ever believe the lie that we aren't good enough for God to love us? He started out loving us when we weren't good enough, so why do we think that He won't love us know for the same reason? verse 10... I guess I thought that Balaam wanted to bless the Isrealites, but really, God told him he had to bless them and wouldn't take a 'no blessing' for an answer... it is always God who makes things good, and it is always He who turns the bad into good for our behalf... so, why do we ever worry, when we know that God is always working for our good in all things? (Romans 8:28) veres 12-13... remember who gave you all you have, lest your forget, and unrightfully boast... don't want to go around puffing yourself up or try to boast to a big bully about your 'bad' self without God getting your back, or you'll end up flat on your backside, deflated :) verse 14 and 23... do they still have them... or is he meaning to even throw away the thought of them... sometimes we get rid of the symblance of the 'idol' but we forget to get rid of the thought of it, too... we then think so much about the idea of the idol that we may as well not have gotten rid of the tangible at all, because we are in just as bad a place as if it had still be with us physically... that is why the New Testament tells us to get rid of all the intangibles of sin, too, since it is our heart that matters, not our actions, as our actions are just an outpouring of our hearts (Ephesians 4:31, Romans 12:1-2, Luke 6:43-46, Mark 12:30)
verse 15... I can almost see this said in a sarcastic way... like, who would choose to follow a lump of metal that never did anything for them, when they could choose to follow a loving God who really works in their lives and has blessed them in immeasurable ways?... do we ever make the stupid choice?... also, so this is where the plaque gets its words 'As for me and my house we will serve the Lord.'... I never knew it was from Joshua.... go figure, you seek and you will find... your study and you will learn :) verse 16... good answer!... I have to smile and say "final answer?", too, partly in jest, but also partly because they are going to falter on this again... I am so thankful that we serving a forgiving and merciful God, as I falter on my definitive answer sometimes, too. verse 19... wow, ouch... harsh... but, sometimes the truth has to be said in order to bring the reality to the situation, so that they words and actions can be steadfastly given and not just flippantly stated. verse 21-24... reminds me of the time in Exodus 24 when Moses confirmed the covenent with the people, and they said 'everything the Lord commands we will do'... but then a few chapters later (Exodus 32), they completely turn away from everything and start worshipping a self-made calf idol.... I hope this time is not the same, but I say that knowing that is will be very similar I'm afraid... that must be partly why God said we have to forgive 70 times 7 (Matthew 18:21-22) because God knows our tendancy to forget our promises of goodness and how many times we will have to seek foregiveness for our sins (not necessarily 490 times, but a whole bunch, anyway)... He's just giving us a heads up about human nature since He knows what we can expect and doesn't want us to be surprised about what we'll need to be ready to do as far as forgiveness goes... God's like, 'been there, done that, invented the t-shirt' verse 25-26... same laws, decrees, and Book of Laws as Moses had done? verse 26-27... is this the large stone that was in accordance with the command in Deuteronomy 27? Although I thought Joshua had done this in Joshua 8, so maybe this is just a reconfirmation of things, since they were finally all established now. verse 29... Joshua dies at age 110 verse 31... good to hear verse 32... fulfillment of request in Genesis 50:25, and they had been carrying them since Exodus 13:19... the land had been bought back in Genesis 33:19... but I did not realize until now that the land bought from Hamor was land that would have been bought from the same people who defiled Jacob's daughter, Dinah (Genesis 34)... crazy connection... sorry I guess I'm kind of slow on the uptake verse 33... Eleazar the priest dies, too.... so who is overseeing Isreal now? the elders? the tribal heads? how are they staying united, or are they?... I can just hear the words being said to me now 'Dont anticipate!' :)
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... working on reading Romans, too, so I can be ready to talk to my friend about it on Thursday... will comment on Joshua chapters as soon as possible.
ReplyDeleteChapter 23: sounds similar to Deuteronomy 31 when Moses commissions Joshua and gives his farewell... both explain that it is time for the leader to move on because of old age; both remind the successors to be courageous, strong, and obediently love God; to trust in God since He hasn't let them down yet; and to obey all the things that God has told them to do, and not forget any of what has happened or been told.
ReplyDeleteverse 1... Joshua must have been REALLY old, since God told he was really old already way back in Chapter 13
verse 11... 'dont bite the hand that feeds you' kind of thing, I think... plus, why wouldn't they want to love the God who has so lovingly provided for them in so many ways?... why do we forget this sometimes in our own lives? how can we remember better? (bind it on our foreheads?... write in on our hearts?... or at least on our mirrors and fridges and dashboards?)
verse 12... so there were survivors? why?
verse 13... ok, the mental image of 'thorns in my eyes' is enough to make me not want to stray... yet, the image fades and I do stray at times... I so can relate to Paul in Romans 7:7-25!... reminder, too, that the Lord can give, but the Lord can take away, too (Job 1:21)... we should never become so content and comfortable with our lives that we forget who gave it to us and for what purpose (Ecclesiastes 12:11-14, Mark 12:29-30, and Joshua 22:5)
verse 15... if you can trust God to fulfill His promised blessings, you can also trust God to fulfill His other promises, even if they are curses... God is faithful, we just choose which thing He will be faithful in with our actions of obedience or disobedience?
Chapter 24: overview of all that God had done to bring them to this point, and a reminder as to why they should continue to love and obey God...
ReplyDeleteverse 1...Study Notes mention that it was significant that the people gathered at Shechem for this reconfirmation of the covenant because this is where God told Abram (in Genesis 12:6-7) that He would give Abram's decendent's this land... kind of a nice way to tie the whole story together :) ... although I suppose that it really doesn't surprise me any to know that it was significant for them to be there in Shechem for this ceremony... all the things God does and requests for people to do have a purpose and are deliberate.... I suppose I should just start looking into the whys behind each and every detail given, because none are done so haphazardly.
verse 2... see Genesis 12... also a reminder that God called them (and us) before we knew who He was, and before we followed Him (see also Romans 5:8)... God didn't wait for us to notice Him, He came to us... we can take comfort in this because it means that we don't have to be perfect before we come to God... it makes sense, too, because if we could be perfect before we come to God, why would we need to come to God?... it is the sheer fact that we cannot be perfect that we need to come to God, and why He sent Jesus to be our perfect sacrifice to take away our sins, since we can't do it ourselves.... why do we ever believe the lie that we aren't good enough for God to love us? He started out loving us when we weren't good enough, so why do we think that He won't love us know for the same reason?
verse 10... I guess I thought that Balaam wanted to bless the Isrealites, but really, God told him he had to bless them and wouldn't take a 'no blessing' for an answer... it is always God who makes things good, and it is always He who turns the bad into good for our behalf... so, why do we ever worry, when we know that God is always working for our good in all things? (Romans 8:28)
veres 12-13... remember who gave you all you have, lest your forget, and unrightfully boast... don't want to go around puffing yourself up or try to boast to a big bully about your 'bad' self without God getting your back, or you'll end up flat on your backside, deflated :)
verse 14 and 23... do they still have them... or is he meaning to even throw away the thought of them... sometimes we get rid of the symblance of the 'idol' but we forget to get rid of the thought of it, too... we then think so much about the idea of the idol that we may as well not have gotten rid of the tangible at all, because we are in just as bad a place as if it had still be with us physically... that is why the New Testament tells us to get rid of all the intangibles of sin, too, since it is our heart that matters, not our actions, as our actions are just an outpouring of our hearts (Ephesians 4:31, Romans 12:1-2, Luke 6:43-46, Mark 12:30)
verse 15... I can almost see this said in a sarcastic way... like, who would choose to follow a lump of metal that never did anything for them, when they could choose to follow a loving God who really works in their lives and has blessed them in immeasurable ways?... do we ever make the stupid choice?... also, so this is where the plaque gets its words 'As for me and my house we will serve the Lord.'... I never knew it was from Joshua.... go figure, you seek and you will find... your study and you will learn :)
ReplyDeleteverse 16... good answer!... I have to smile and say "final answer?", too, partly in jest, but also partly because they are going to falter on this again... I am so thankful that we serving a forgiving and merciful God, as I falter on my definitive answer sometimes, too.
verse 19... wow, ouch... harsh... but, sometimes the truth has to be said in order to bring the reality to the situation, so that they words and actions can be steadfastly given and not just flippantly stated.
verse 21-24... reminds me of the time in Exodus 24 when Moses confirmed the covenent with the people, and they said 'everything the Lord commands we will do'... but then a few chapters later (Exodus 32), they completely turn away from everything and start worshipping a self-made calf idol.... I hope this time is not the same, but I say that knowing that is will be very similar I'm afraid... that must be partly why God said we have to forgive 70 times 7 (Matthew 18:21-22) because God knows our tendancy to forget our promises of goodness and how many times we will have to seek foregiveness for our sins (not necessarily 490 times, but a whole bunch, anyway)... He's just giving us a heads up about human nature since He knows what we can expect and doesn't want us to be surprised about what we'll need to be ready to do as far as forgiveness goes... God's like, 'been there, done that, invented the t-shirt'
verse 25-26... same laws, decrees, and Book of Laws as Moses had done?
verse 26-27... is this the large stone that was in accordance with the command in Deuteronomy 27? Although I thought Joshua had done this in Joshua 8, so maybe this is just a reconfirmation of things, since they were finally all established now.
verse 29... Joshua dies at age 110
verse 31... good to hear
verse 32... fulfillment of request in Genesis 50:25, and they had been carrying them since Exodus 13:19... the land had been bought back in Genesis 33:19... but I did not realize until now that the land bought from Hamor was land that would have been bought from the same people who defiled Jacob's daughter, Dinah (Genesis 34)... crazy connection... sorry I guess I'm kind of slow on the uptake
verse 33... Eleazar the priest dies, too.... so who is overseeing Isreal now? the elders? the tribal heads? how are they staying united, or are they?... I can just hear the words being said to me now 'Dont anticipate!' :)
sandJ