Read Through the Bible in a Year 2018 Day 90: David and Goliath

Good afternoon, everyone!

Today I read 1 Samuel 15-17.

I'm going to skip over the next thing Saul does wrong, and get right into Goliath's story.

So, Goliath is a giant Philistine warrior, who challenges anyone in Israel to come and fight him. But none can stand against him.

Now, Samuel has just anointed Jesse's youngest son, David, as the next king over Israel. David is just a young shepherd boy, but he has already killed both a lion and a bear that stole lambs from his flock, through God's help.

So, as per his father's wishes, David goes to see how the battle is going and to bring his brothers some food.

There, he hears Goliath's challenge.

And David says "who is this uncircumcised Philistine, that he should taunt the armies of the living God?" - 1 Samuel 17:26

David goes to Saul, who has promised his daughter's hand in marriage to the man who can slay the giant, and tells him that he will go out against the Philistine warrior.

Saul tries to give David his own armor and sword (in those days not everyone would have their own), but they don't fit, and David refuses them.

He says that he only needs God, who has already delivered him from the hand of the bear and the lion.

He takes his sling, and five smooth stones, and goes out against Goliath.

And when Goliath taunts him, David says this:

1 Samuel 17:45 - Then David said to the Philistine, "You come to me with a sword, a spear, and a javelin, but I come to you in the name of the LORD of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have taunted. This day the LORD will deliver you up into my hands, and I will strike you down and remove your head from you..."

Goliath rushes David, but he stands firm.

Whoosh. Whoosh. Whoosh, goes his sling.

And then he lets one stone fly. It hits Goliath between the eyes, and he falls to the ground. 

And so David won the battle against the Philistine who had struck such terror into the hearts of the Israelites, without even a sword in his hand.

Then, David cuts off Goliath's head, and the Israelite army rushes to fight the remaining Philistines.

It doesn't matter how big you are, or how much experience you have. It doesn't matter how big your enemy is or how much experience they have. Remember how big your God is, and that when He fights for you, no one can stand against you. That doesn't mean there will never be challenges. Only that He will see us through them.

Remember David's story when you're in the midst of trouble. Remember that he only believed that his God was bigger than the giant he faced, that his God could, and would see him through the challenge and give him what he needed.

I hope you'll join me tomorrow when I read 1 Samuel 18-20.

Read Through the Bible in a Year 2018 Day 89: Saul's Foolishness

Good evening, everyone.

Today I read 1 Samuel 13-14.

I feel like I might have been "hating on" Saul a little too much yesterday, and I wanted to tone it down today.

So, Saul is God's chosen king. He is a mighty warrior. And he fights a lot of Philistines.

Which is a good thing.

But then Saul messes up. Big time.

See, Saul is a people-pleaser. He and his armies are about to go out against the Philistines, and Samuel is late. The people are freaking out and running away. So, Saul takes it upon himself to offer the burnt offerings to God.

And that's a big no-no. Only the priest was allowed to make offerings to God on behalf of the people. If a person brought their offerings, a priest had to be present.

This was a big deal.

Saul cared more about pleasing the people, than pleasing God. He was moved by the number of people he could see running away, rather than by the might of God.

And when Samuel arrives, he has to tell Saul that what he did was foolish, and because of it, his kingdom will not endure, but God will appoint a new king, "a man after His own heart."

But it gets worse.

So, Saul is fighting the Philistines, and his son Jonathan is with him. Jonathan and his servant go off on their own for a bit, and, with God's help, win a great victory over the Philistines. 

And Saul says this: "Cursed be the man who eats food before evening, and until I have avenged myself on my enemies" (1 Samuel 14:24).

Oh, Saul. What's wrong with you?

So, Jonathan doesn't hear this command, and eats honey from the land (the spoils of war). And the Bible says his "eyes were brightened" because he ate some of the food from the land they'd won from their enemies.

I think this means that not only did the honey nourish him, but it also solidified his victory and gave him more hope and courage.

But then, Saul finds out that Jonathan ate the honey. And he says that Jonathan must surely die, because of the oath Saul made.

But the people intervened because they did not want to see their beloved prince die.

Now, this brings me back to something I talked about in one of my previous posts: we must be very careful with our words; even more so with our vows, and the kinds of curses we can put on ourselves or other people.

Saul almost lost his son Jonathan because he made a reckless and foolish declaration in the heat of the moment.

Okay, so maybe I was a little harsh on Saul again today, but sometimes it's hard not to be. So many people in the Bible are great role models, even though they are flawed. I feel like there's a lot we can learn from Saul, but I wouldn't personally call him a great role model.

Do you have any thoughts about Saul? Do you see something that I'm missing? Let me know in the comments.

I hope you'll join me tomorrow when I read 1 Samuel 15-17!

Read Through the Bible in a Year 2018 Day 88: Israel Gets a King

Good morning, everyone!

Today I read 1 Samuel 9-12.

In today's reading, a young man named Saul, from the tribe of Benjamin, goes in search of his lost donkeys. When Saul is ready to give up and go home, his servant suggests going to seek wisdom from Samuel, the prophet.

When Saul arrives, God tells Samuel that he is the king God has chosen to reign over His people. So, Samuel invites Saul to join the feast, and to eat with him. He anoints Saul king, and he sends Saul on his way with a word from God, telling him that he will find his lost donkeys.

A little while later, Samuel has to publicly choose Saul as king. So, first he picks the tribe of Benjamin. Then, the Matrite family. Then Saul, the son of Kish is chosen.

But Saul cannot be found anywhere, because he is hiding among the baggage.

Now, my question is "Why?" Why was Saul hiding? And my best guess right now, is that it's a foreshadowing of his character. Deep down, I think he's a coward.

And there's something that happens that sort of confirms this.

So, Saul has been chosen king of Israel. Now, this wasn't random. God chose Saul as king for a reason, but Israel demanded the king.

So, most of Israel worships God and reveres Samuel. And they also pay homage to Saul, by giving him gifts.

1 Samuel 10:27 - But certain worthless men said, "How can this one deliver us?" And they despised him and did not bring him any present. But he kept silent.

But he kept silent.

Saul has trouble confronting people who don't like him. In this respect, he is a coward.

Now, I know this can be hard for everyone. I don't like it either. But bear with me. Saul has just been chosen as king over Israel. The people wanted a king. They begged God for a king. So, He gave them one.

And yet, still some people won't accept Saul, even though he is the Lord's anointed.

Now, I can understand wanting people to like you...to an extent. But these people are not only disrespecting Saul by not giving him gifts. They are disrespecting God.

And the Spirit of God has been with Saul since his anointing. And yet, Saul is still a coward and won't confront these people.

This is only the beginning, however. If you've already read Saul's story, you'll know what I'm talking about.

But I digress.

Saul can be a coward and won't stand up to people. But he's not a coward in battle.

The men of Jabesh-gilead are being set upon by the Ammonites, and they need help. When Saul hears of it, the Spirit of God comes upon him, and he is angry at the treatment of God's people. So, he calls upon Israel to go up and fight. And they defeat the Ammonites, with Saul leading them.

So, in battle, he is a valiant warrior.

And that's the beginning of Saul's story.

I hope you'll join me tomorrow when I read 1 Samuel 13-14. 

Read Through the Bible in a Year 2018 Day 87: All Bow Down

Good afternoon, everyone!

Today I read 1 Samuel 4-8.

And there is a lot I could cover about these chapters, but I want to focus on just one thing today.

So, the Philistines are fighting the Israelites, and they are winning. So the Israelites make the decision to bring the Ark of the Covenant into their camp so they will win.

But it backfires.

The Philistines capture the Ark of the Covenant.

And that's bad for the Israelites. Worse for the Philistines.

They take the Ark and place it in the temple of their god, Dagon. In the morning, when they checked on it, Dagon was face-down on the floor in front of the Ark. The put him in his place again, upright. And the next day, he is again face-down on the floor before the Ark of the Lord. But this time, his head and hands have been broken off.

I find this to be truly amazing.

The Lord God of Israel is the Lord of lords, King of kings, and God over all gods. No one can stand before Him. Not even other gods. Because He is the One and Only.

So, the Philistines are starting to freak out again.

And with good reason. See, God is angry.

And tumors and other horrible things start to happen to the Philistines in Ashod.

When they ask for advice, the adviser tells them to make offerings to God, and return the Ark, all the while remembering Egypt and what happened there.

And then the Philistines make offerings to God. Proper offerings. Guilt offerings. And they return the Ark to its proper place.

No one can make God do anything. No one can steal from Him. Even other gods cannot stand before Him. Even people who don't serve Him, will stand in awe of His might.

I hope you'll join me tomorrow when I read 1 Samuel 9-12.

Read Through the Bible in a Year 2018 Day 86: When God Calls to Us

Good evening, everyone!

Today I read 1 Samuel 1-3.

Let me break down the story for you.

Hannah is barren and wants children. She promises that if God gives her a son, she will dedicate him to the service of God.

She has a son, whom she names Samuel. She dedicates him to God's service, and visits him once a year when she and her husband go to the temple to offer their sacrifices.

Eli is the old priest who is to teach Samuel.

But Eli's sons are wicked, and do not know God or His laws.

Samuel is a young boy in the temple, and one night he hears a voice calling for him.

Thinking it is Eli, he goes to ask what he wants. Eli thinks the boy was dreaming so he sends him back to bed.

Three times.

After that, Eli figures out that it's God calling to Samuel, and tells him what to say the next time he hears the voice.

Samuel obeys, and God speaks to him, telling him prophetic things concerning Eli and his wicked sons.

Eli wants to know what God said, but Samuel doesn't want to upset him. Eli gently insists.

So, Samuel tells him all that God said.

God told Samuel that because of the wickedness of Eli's sons, his family will no longer be priests to God once Eli's sons are dead. In fact, Eli's sons are bringing an early destruction upon themselves.

And so Samuel becomes God's anointed prophet, though he is still a young boy.

And what I learned today is: when God calls, we must answer Him.

Sometimes it's easy to lose God's voice amid all the others that we hear, or to believe it is someone or something else calling to us. But it's important to take time to be still and listen, so that we can discern God's voice. Then, when we've had practice listening for and to Him, it will be easier to hear His voice even amid the voices of Fear, Chaos, Doubt, and others.

So, that's what I learned today.

I hope you'll join me tomorrow when I read 1 Samuel 4-8.

Read Through the Bible in a Year 2018 Day 85: Ruth

Good morning, everyone!

Today I read Ruth 1-3. That's actually the entire book of Ruth.

And I love to read this story. There are so many different elements even though it's so short.

So, the story begins and Elimilech and his wife Naomi move to Moab to escape the famine in Israel. They have two sons: Mahlon and Chilion.

Elimilech dies. 

The two sons marry Moabite women: Orpah and Ruth.

The sons die.

Naomi decides to go back to her homeland, where God has provided for His people.

Long dialogue short: Naomi encourages her daughters-in-law to return to their families. Orpah leaves, but Ruth stays.

And Ruth says this famous quote:

Ruth 1:16-17 - But Ruth said, "Do not urge me to leave you or turn back from following you; for where you go, I will go, and where you lodge, I will lodge. Your people shall be my people, and your God, my God. Where you die, I will die, and there I will be buried. Thus may the LORD do to me, and worse, if anything but death parts you and me."

To be honest, part of it is left out when most people quote it, but I think the whole thing is great.

Ruth is an amazing example of love, loyalty, and family responsibility.

So, they travel to Bethlehem and Ruth goes to glean in the fields, which was completely acceptable in those days.

A man named Boaz takes notice of her and orders his servants not to touch her, and to drop more than the usual amount of grain for her. He tells her to glean only in his field, because he has instructed his servants to make sure no harm comes to her. He even invites her to eat with him and the workers.

When Ruth tells Naomi of his kindness, Naomi informs her that Boaz is their nearest kinsman, and bids Ruth to go tell him that.

Okay. Pause for a moment. What does that mean?

Well, there's a term: kinsman-redeemer. It means that the nearest relative could marry the widow and thus prevent her husband's property from being sold outside the family, and also would provide for her. I'm going to come back to this later with something interesting, so remember it.

So, Ruth goes to where he is sleeping on the threshing floor, uncovers his feet, and lays down by them. He wakes up and sees her there, and when she tells him that, he praises her for not seeking out a younger man, but for doing what was proper.

He has to admit, however, that there is another kinsman closer than he is. So, he goes to speak with him the next day.

Now, I found this part of the story interesting.

Basically, Boaz catches him walking through town, and bids him sit down with himself and several elders.

And he starts the story by talking about the land and the property that the man can redeem. And the man is interested. And then Boaz casually mentions, "Oh, but you'd have to marry the widow Ruth, the Moabitess." And then the other man declares that he can't do it otherwise he might "jeopardize my own inheritance" (Ruth 3:6).

As per custom, the man took off his shoe and gave it to Boaz as a sign of their agreement, and Boaz charges the elders as witnesses to it.

So, Boaz marries Ruth, and she and Naomi are provided for.

Now, Ruth has a son. And they name him Obed.

And Obed was the father of Jesse.

Jesse was the father of David.

So Ruth was the great-grandmother of David, God's anointed king.

God brought a Moabitess into the family of Israel so that she could marry Boaz and begin the lineage of a king.

Also the lineage of The King.

Did you know Jesus was born into the family of David's line? Joseph, Mary's husband, was a descendant of David.

Isn't that amazing?

Now, back to the kinsman-redeemer point. Jesus is our kinsman-redeemer.

Boaz redeemed the line of Elimilech by marrying Ruth.

Jesus redeemed all of us by taking our sins upon Himself, even though He didn't have to.

I love how much I learn from the book of Ruth. And there is still more that I didn't even cover. I encourage you to read it for yourself. Ask God for revelation. And don't stop learning.

I hope you'll join me tomorrow when I read 1 Samuel 1-3.

Read Through the Bible in a Year 2018 Day 84: Civil War

Good afternoon, everyone.

Today I read Judges 19-21.

And it gets weird.

So, a Levite and his concubine fight and she goes back to her family. He goes to get her and they end up travelling through the territory of the tribe of Benjamin. It's late and dark, so a man gives them shelter in his home.

These ruffians show up and want to rape the man. Instead the owner of the home gives them his virgin daughter and the Levite's concubine.

I know. It's awful.

Bear with me.

So, the concubine dies and the Levite is upset. Naturally. So he cuts her body into 12 pieces, and sends it to all the tribes of Israel to entreat them to come make war against the people who did this.

The tribes agree, and civil war breaks out.

So, at first they are losing, but they entreat God, and He gives their enemies into their hands. They destroy the whole city.

And the sons of Israel are sad because of their "lost" kinsman. So, they provide for the tribe so that it won't be completely lost, by deciding that the survivors should marry some virgins they captured from outside the Israelites.

And chapter 21, verse 25 ends: In those days there was no king in Israel; everyone did what was right in his own eyes.

And we all know that's not a good thing.

So, that's what I read today.

I hope you'll join me tomorrow when I begin reading the book of Ruth. It's one of my favorite books in the Bible, so I am very excited!

Read Through the Bible in a Year 2018 Day 83: Samson & Delilah

Good afternoon, everyone.

Today I read Judges 16-18.

And today we get to the story of Samson and Delilah.

Only it's not exactly the story we are taught as children. Yes, Delilah tricks Samson. Yes, he tells her his secret. Yes, she cuts off his hair. Yes, he loses his strength. Yes, he triumphs in the end with God's help against the Philistines.

However, we miss a big part of the story when that's all we know.

For example: Delilah does not ask one time. Or even two. 

She asks Samson many times about his secret. There's no way he couldn't have known what was going on. But he had a weakness for beautiful women.

And in the end, the loss of his strength, his capture, and his death, was as much his own fault as hers.

At least, I think so.

That's kind of a downer, huh?

Sorry. I didn't realize I was going to feel this way about Samson's story.

But at least I'm honest, right?

I don't expect people in the Bible to be perfect. In fact, I've mentioned many times how much I learn about God, His plan, and His mercy through the imperfect people in the Bible.

I guess I just paid closer attention this time and was irritated because I sometimes feel like Samson is portrayed as a superhero. And he's not. He was human. Just like all the other flawed people that God chose, and still chooses, for His service.

And I think it's okay to teach that to our kids. Maybe tone down how much Samson liked women for the younger ones, but it's okay to portray him as flawed. It wasn't completely Delilah's fault. Samson had a part to play in his own downfall. And that's okay too.

Sometimes we are our own worst enemies.

And I don't think it's wrong to teach our children that. It's okay to have weaknesses and to fail. We just also have to teach them to rely on God, who has no weaknesses and who never fails.

Samson's capture turns around because he cries out to God to save him, to give him strength one last time.

And God listened. Because He loves His people. And He wants us to cry out to Him in our weaknesses and troubles.

So, I guess that's what I learned today.

If you're still with me, I hope you'll join me tomorrow when I read Judges 19-21.

Read Through the Bible in a Year 2018 Day 82: Samson

Good evening, everyone!

Today I read Judges 13-15.

And today we begin Samson's story.

And to be honest, as his story begins, he seems rather spoiled. Which I guess makes sense. His mother was barren until God visited and told her she would have a son, and she had to consecrate him to God.

Oh, and his head was never to be shaved. But more on that later.

So, Samson, despite seeming spoiled to me, was a great judge over Israel.

He defeated many Philistines. 

But first, he married a Philistine woman. And on the way to pick her up, he slew a lion, and on his way back, he found honey inside the lion (a miracle from God) and brought it back.

So, he marries his wife, but before the feasting is even over, he decides he doesn't want her. Just wait.

So, he has a riddle for her Philistine family, who are at this feast. And the bet is high. So, when they can't figure it out, they send his wife to weep and beg and get the answer from him.

And she does. He can't keep secrets from pretty, wheedling women.

So the Philistines guess the riddle and Samson loses the bet. And gets upset with his wife, and he leaves the party. But he wasn't necessarily leaving her.

So, when his wife "was given to his companion who had been his friend" (Judges 14:20), Samson gets angry and goes down to fight the Philistines who had tricked him.

And the way he does this really irritates me.

He ties a torch in between two foxes' tails and sends them into the Philistine's grain stores.

And the Philistines burned Samson's wife and her father alive.

And Samson takes revenge on the Philistines.

Now...I have to say, that the Philistines were not a nice people. At all.

However, this is part of the reason I say Samson was spoiled. He didn't get what he wanted: the Philistines tricked him in the bet, and he left in a huff.

Then he played a trick on them that burned their stores and when they retaliated (admittedly in a horrible way), he attacked them.

Now, this is the part that gets interesting.

The Philistines come up to Judah to take Samson. And the men of Judah are angry with Samson because the Philistines are "rulers over" them (Judges 15:11).

So, it is clear that Israel is in bondage to another nation. Again. And so they need rescuing. And this is where Samson's story really begins. Where it really becomes apparent why he is judge over Israel. Why he is God's chosen.

Maybe I was too harsh on him earlier, but the fox thing really got to me. So, my opinions on his personality aside, here's the rest of the story.

The Philistines come to take Samson, and the men from Judah collect him to take him to the Philistines. He makes them swear not to kill him. They agree, but bind him with two brand new ropes.

Now, for anyone who doesn't know: new ropes are really stiff and sturdy. There's not as much chance of escape.

So, the Philistines take Samson to kill him, but God's Spirit is still with Samson, and "the ropes that were on is arms were as flax that is burned with fire, and his bonds dropped from his hands. He found a fresh jawbone of a donkey, so he reached out and took it and killed a thousand men with it" (Judges 15:14-15).

A thousand men. 1,000.

With a jawbone from a donkey. Wow. Just wow.

It always amazes me when God moves. Remember the Philistines were oppressing His people.

It always astounds me too, to read about how the people in the Bible were as flawed as I am. It's comforting too, somehow.

Samson was arrogant and probably spoiled. David and his son Solomon got in trouble because they took too many wives. (Hint: Only 1 is allowed.) Moses got in trouble because he didn't treat God as holy when he should have.

Flawed people.

Just like me. Just like all of us.

God can still use us for great things.

I hope you'll join me tomorrow when I read Judges 16-18, when we learn more about Samson's weakness.

Read Through the Bible in a Year 2018 Day 81: The Judges

Good morning, everyone!

Today I read Judges 10-12.

The story begins with the Israelites being oppressed by the Philistines because they've turned away from God and begun worshiping other gods.

When they cry out to God to deliver them and repent, God chooses a new judge to deliver them.

Now, it was interesting reading about this judge.

But what was really interesting was the foolish vow he made. You can read it for yourself. I don't feel like I understand his story well enough to talk about it in depth.

But it reminded me of how serious vows are. Promises and vows, especially to God, are unbreakable. When you make a vow to God, you must keep it, no matter what it is. So be very careful what you promise or vow.

If you say "God, if you'll deliver me from this situation, I'll start going to church every week," then you'd better do it. You can't renege on a promise to God. Because He doesn't forget what we've promised. So don't make your vows in vain. Say what you mean, and mean what you say.

And don't make any foolish vows.

Moving on from that point, today's reading went on to list several more judges for the Israelites.

I know at some point we'll get to Samson's story, but I'm not sure exactly where it's located in Judges.

I hope you'll join me tomorrow when I read Judges 13-15.

Read Through the Bible in a Year 2018 Day 80: Abimelech

Good afternoon, everyone!

Today I read Judges 8-9.

In today's reading, Gideon messes up. As we all do.

After one of his battles, he demands gold earrings for spoils, and creates an ephod, and takes it to his city, where all of Israel "played the harlot with it there, so that it became a snare to Gideon and his household" (Judges 8:27).

Still, Israel has 40 years of peace while Gideon is alive.

But when he dies, one of his sons, Abimelech, decides to rule over his people. He kills his brothers, seventy in total (Gideon had many concubines), and rules for a time.

However, Abimelech did evil in the sight of God, and ruled only 3 years before God sent an evil spirit to come between him and the men of Shechem, who then betrayed Abimelech. He went to take a city, but a woman dropped a stone out the window of the tower where the people had taken refuge, and his skull was crushed. He asked his armor bearer to kill him so that people wouldn't say he was killed by a woman (Judges 9:54).

Judges 9:56-57 - Thus God repaid the wickedness of Abimelech, which he had done to his father in killing his seventy brothers. Also God returned all the wickedness of the men of Shechem on their heads, and the curse of Jotham the son of Jerubbaal (Gideon) came upon them.

God repays wickedness. It might not be right away, but He does. God does not allow His people to remain in slavery and oppression. When we cry out to Him, He will deliver us. Always. Even if it isn't right away, because He has a bigger purpose.

I hope you'll join me tomorrow when I read Judges 10-12.

Read Through the Bible in a Year 2018 Day 79: Gideon

Good afternoon, everyone!

Today I read Judges 6-7, which is Gideon's story.

Now Gideon wasn't anyone very important. He was the youngest son in the least family of the half-tribe of Manasseh.

No one really knew who he was. By all accounts, he was a nobody. But not to God. God knew exactly who he was. And God knew something else too. In the midst of all the unfaithful people in Israel, Gideon was faithful to God and His laws.

So, an angel of the LORD appears to Gideon one day and tells him to go up against the Midianites, who are oppressing Israel.

And get this.

Gideon tests God. But not in a bad way. He wants to make sure that God is actually asking this of him. First, he asks the angel of the Lord to wait, and goes to get an offering. Then, he takes meat and unleavened bread and places it on a rock near the angel. The offering is consumed by fire, and the angel vanishes.

Now, in the morning, Gideon does something else God commanded. He tears down his father's altar to Baal and builds one for God.

Now, Gideon wants to make sure that God will deliver Israel as He said. So, Gideon places a fleece on the ground, asking for the morning dew to only be on the fleece, and the ground to be dry.

It happens as Gideon asks.

Third, Gideon places the fleece on the ground again. This time, he asks for the fleece to be dry and for the ground to be wet with dew.

Again, it happens as Gideon asks.

So, he calls men to him, and they go out to fight the Midianites. But God tells him that he has too many men, and they will say that they defeated the Midianites in their own power. So everyone who was afraid was allowed to go home: 22,000 people returned home.

And out of the 10,000 who remained, God told Gideon to narrow it down more. When they arrived at the water, only those who drank water out of their hands, rather than with their tongue like a dog, were chosen.

Thus, Gideon went to war with only 300 men.

And God delivered the Midianites into their hands.

It always amazes me how God takes care of His people. Even when they are unfaithful to Him, He still cares. And when they begin to cry out to Him, He still listens.

And what truly impressed me in this story is that Gideon, by his own admission, was no one special. He was an ordinary man. The youngest son. From the least family. In one of the half-tribes.

God does not choose those who are impressive to people. He chooses those who are faithful to Him.

Gideon did not feel qualified to do what God asked, but he did it anyway. Because he was faithful and obedient to God. Because he remembered what God had done for His people.

Amazing. I love the story of Gideon.

I hope you'll join me tomorrow when I read Judges 8-9.

Read Through the Bible in a Year 2018 Day 78: Deborah

Good afternoon, everyone!

Today I read Judges 3-5.

And the Israelites are at it again. They've turned away from God, and are doing evil left and right.

Thus, God gives them into the hands of their enemies.

The only time they prosper and have peace is when they listen to the judges God appoints to them. But as soon as the judges die, the Israelites go right back to disobeying God. And they would have a time of war and slavery before finally crying out to God, who would then save them by appointing another judge.

This cycle goes on for a long time!

In chapter 4, we meet Deborah, a judge over Israel, who is...you guessed it, a woman! She was a priestess before God appointed her to be a judge.

And I want to talk about her for a minute.

Now, I don't know a lot about her story, though I'm sure I could find some material to research.

The Israelites are in trouble again, so God appoints Deborah to be a judge over Israel.

And she summons Barak, son of Abinoam, to go into battle against their enemies. And he asks Deborah to go with them.

She agrees, but says "I will surely go with you; nevertheless, the honor shall not be yours on the journey that you are about to take, for the LORD will sell Sisera into the hands of a woman" (Judges 4:9).

Now, this makes me laugh. Just a bit.

Historically speaking, most men did not like to be one-upped by a woman. Even today that can be true sometimes.

But Deborah was a judge, so this guy really wanted her to be with the army.

So, at first it made me laugh. But then we read further in the chapter that Sisera escapes and seeks refuge with Jael, the wife of Heber the Kenite, and there was peace between the house of Heber and Jabin the king of Hazor (Judges 4:17).

But she tricks him and kills him. Thus, Sisera is delivered into the hands of a woman, and Israel is safe once again.

I don't have a great insight today. But I found it important to mention Deborah. She was a priestess for God, and He appointed her to be a judge over all Israel.

Sometimes the women's stories can slip through the cracks when we focus on Moses, Joshua, Daniel, or even David.

But there are so many amazing women in the Bible. Esther. Ruth. Mary, the mother of Jesus. Elizabeth, Mary's cousin. Deborah. And many more.

I look forward to learning more about them with you.

Tomorrow I'll be reading Judges 6-7. I hope you'll join me.

Read Through the Bible in a Year 2018 Day 77: A New Generation

Good morning, everyone.

Today I read Judges 1-2.

So, we begin our first chapters after Joshua's death with Israel continuing to capture the cities and lands that God promised to them.

But they make a mistake. And they should have known better.

Joshua and all the men who served with him have died, and a new generation has risen in Israel.

And they don't drive out all the nations as God instructed. Rather, they make covenants with them, and allow them to live among them.

As such, they become influenced by the outside cultures and foreign gods.

Because Joshua and the priests have died, God sends a judge to teach Israel and to lead them.

And while the judge was alive, the Israelites won battles and conquered their enemies.

Yet when the judge died, Israel turned back and would "act more corruptly than their fathers, in following other gods to serve them and bow down to them; they did not abandon their practices of their stubborn ways" (Judges 2:19).

God becomes angry because His people have turned from Him, and He turns away from Israel. They no longer conquer other nations or win their battles, as they did in the day of Moses and Joshua.

And this is going to cause a major problem later on.

When we don't teach younger generations about God, about His goodness, His mercy, His faithfulness...when we don't give them a reason to follow God, they won't. If they don't know who God is, what He has done for His people, they won't have a reason to follow Him.

So we must be diligent in living our lives in a way that pleases God, so that other people can see what He has done for us. And for those of us who are teachers, we must be careful to teach our students about who God is, and what He has done. If they don't know God, how can they follow Him?

I hope you'll join me tomorrow when I read Judges 3-5.

Read Through the Bible in a Year 2018 Day 76: The End of Joshua

Good afternoon, everyone!

Today I read Joshua 22-24.

Joshua lets the tribes who settled beyond the Jordan return to their homes, since the fighting is now over: Reuben, Gad, and Manasseh.

Once the tribes get there, they build an altar to God.

The other tribes think they're not planning to return to God's tabernacle to make sacrifices, that they're planning to turn away from God (which got a lot of Israelites in trouble). So, they head over to talk to them. Armed.

The tribes beyond the Jordan explain, however, that the altar is only symbolic. A reminder to both sides of where they came from, and a reminder to the main group of tribes not to forget their brothers across the Jordan, or to exclude them from the temple of the Lord.

So the scuffle is prevented.

Now, we reach the end of Joshua's life. He addresses the Israelites, and reviews their history, reminding them of all God has done for them, and charging them with remaining faithful to Him.

Then Joshua died. He was one hundred and ten years old. They buried him.

And then they buried the bones of Joseph, which they had brought up from Egypt.

Then Eleazar, Aaron's son, the priest, died.

And thus ends the book of Joshua.

I hope you'll join me tomorrow when I read Judges 1-2.

Read Through the Bible in a Year 2018 Day 75: God Always Keeps His Promises

Good evening, everyone!

Today I read Joshua 19-21.

We learn more about the territories given to each tribe.

And the cities of refuge are chosen.

Remember?

God said that there would be cities of refuge for someone who accidentally killed someone. They could go to a city of refuge, be tried by the priest, and if it was found that they hadn't premeditated the attack, they would be allowed to stay in that city as long as the priest lived, and no one could seek them out for revenge. After the priest who gave them refuge died, they were allowed to return home.

If someone sought revenge for an accidental death in a city of refuge, they were to be put to death.

And I find the concept of the cities of refuge very interesting.

Perhaps I'll do a more in-depth study after I finish my RBY challenge.

Also, I'd like to share the final verse of my reading today:

Joshua 21:45 - Not one of the good promises which the LORD had made to the house of Israel failed; all came to pass.

God did everything He said He would. He always does.

We can trust Him with everything because He's in charge of everything. And He never breaks His promises.

I hope you'll join me tomorrow when I read Joshua 22-24!

Read Through the Bible in a Year 2018 Day 74

Good evening, everyone!

Today I read Joshua 16-18.

And we begin to get details on which territories each tribe inherited.

Therefore, I must apologize.

I have nothing to say about today's reading. No insight. No questions. Nada.

Still, I hope you'll join me tomorrow when I read Joshua 19-21!

I hope you have a blessed evening.

Read Through the Bible in a Year 2018 Day 73: The Wait Can be Long

Good morning everyone!

Today I read Joshua 12-15.

In today's reading, we get a detailed list of all the kings the Israelites defeated, as well as a list of the division of the land between the tribes.

But what I want to focus on is the discussion between Joshua and Caleb in between that information.

In chapter 14, Caleb reminds Joshua that he had been promised the land at Kadesh-barnea, at the mountain where Joshua and Caleb went to spy for Moses. Because of Caleb's faith that they would be able to take the land, Moses promised it to him.

So, Caleb reminds Joshua of this promise.

But here's the interesting part.

At the time he spied for Moses, Caleb was 40 years old.

And 45 years have passed since that time.

Now, Caleb tells Joshua that he is just as strong at 85 as he was at 40. God has allowed him to live all these years, so that he can claim his inheritance.

And isn't that amazing?

But the other part of my brain is going "That's a long time to wait!"

And it is.

Caleb waited 45 years for his blessing, for the promise of God to be fulfilled in his life.

Sometimes the wait is long. But Caleb never forgot that promise. He never lost hope or faith.

And he didn't stop following God or trusting Him.

And he didn't idle that time away. Caleb was busy helping Joshua to fight Israel's enemies and take back the land God had promised them. And then he was busy helping Joshua to lead the people and divide inheritances.

And I think that's an amazing lesson.

Caleb had to wait a long time for his blessing, but he never wavered in his belief that he would get it. He continued to trust God and to do what he had been called to do.

Sometimes the wait seems long, and it's hard not to despair. But I know that God's timing is perfect, and He always brings our promises about when the time is right.

If you, like me, are waiting for something to happen, waiting for something God has promised, take heart from Caleb's story.

I can't promise that the wait won't be long. But I can promise that it will be worth it. God prepares us in our time of waiting, if we will let Him. And our blessings arrive just on time.

I want to encourage you today. Don't give up. Keep trusting God in your wait. Continue to do what He has called you to do. And have faith. God's timing is perfect. And His promises are worth waiting for.

I hope you'll join me tomorrow when I read Joshua 16-18.

Read Through the Bible in a Year 2018 Day 72: War and Peace

Good morning, everyone!

Today I read Joshua 9-11.

The Israelites are winning victories right and left. No one can stand against them.

Because of this, the Gibeonites disguised themselves as weary travelers in order to deceive the Israelites. They said they had heard of the Lord God and wanted to make a covenant with them.

Now, something interesting happens.

Joshua 9:14-15 - So the men of Israel took some of their provisions, and did not ask for the counsel of the Lord. Joshua made peace with them and made a covenant with them to let them live; and the leaders of the congregation swore an oath to them.

This is where they got into trouble.

Joshua and the leaders acted without God's counsel, and thus were deceived. Now, they can't kill the Gibeonites.

When the deception is found out, they still take the city, but the Gibeonites become their slaves. Their lives are spared, and this allows outside influences, and outside gods to become a part of Israel's culture.

This is something God warned them against.

We must always seek God's counsel, especially during warfare.

Now, of course, for us, I'm speaking of spiritual warfare here. But the Israelites often went into battle. From Joshua to David, there were many warriors among God's people. And the best ones always sought God.

So they've made a pact with the Gibeonites. And while the Israelites are away from their city, five kings join together to attack Gibeon.

The Gibeonites send word to Joshua, who turns back to fight. He seeks God's counsel, and the Lord tells Joshua not to be afraid, because He has given the kings into the hands of the Israelites.

And boy does He ever!

The Israelites are winning. The kings' men are fleeing. And God rains down giant hailstones from Heaven.

No joke. Check this out.

Joshua 10:11-14 - As they fled from before Israel, while they were at the descent of Beth-horon, the LORD threw large stones from heaven on them as far as Azekah, and they died; there were more who died from the hailstones than those whom the sons of Israel killed with the sword. Then Joshua spoke to the LORD in the day when the LORD delivered up the Amorites before the sons of Israel, and he said in the sight of Israel, "O sun, stand still at Gibeon, And O moon in the valley of Aijalon." So the sun stood still, and the moon stopped, Until the nation avenged themselves of their enemies. Is it not written in the book of Jashar? And the sun stopped in the middle of the sky and did not hasten to go down for about a whole day. There was no day like that before it or after it, when the LORD listened to the voice of a man; for the LORD fought for Israel.

This entire passage amazes me.

God threw hailstones on Israel's enemies. And then He stopped the sun, so that the Israelites could fight in daylight until their enemies were defeated.

Because Joshua asked.

That's amazing. God helped His people to take back the land that He had promised them.

And chapter 11 ends like this:

Joshua 11:23 - So Joshua took the whole land, according to all that the LORD had spoken to Moses, and Joshua gave it for an inheritance to Israel according to their divisions by their tribes. Thus the land had rest from war.

God's people did as He commanded. They obeyed Him and Joshua. They took back the land of their inheritance.

And now they have rest from war.

When we've been fighting for a while, it often seems like it will never end.

But God wants to help us. He wants us to cry out to Him, to ask for help.

And He will help us. We just have to listen to His counsel and obey Him. And He will fight for us, and deliver us.

And then we, too, will have rest.

I hope you'll join me tomorrow when I read Joshua 12-15.

Read Through the Bible in a Year 2018 Day 71: Don't Get Cocky

Good evening, everyone!

So today I read Joshua 5-8.

And in today's reading, the Israelites see a stunning victory, followed by a tremendous defeat.

The victory is in Jericho.

You may know the story, or have heard the children's song.

Joshua fought the battle of Jericho, Jericho, Jericho.
Joshua fought the battle of Jericho, and the walls came tumblin' down.

So, God instructed Joshua to march the Israelites around the city once for six days, blowing the trumpets, but the people were to be completely silent.

Then, on the seventh day, they were to march around seven times, and on the final march, they were to shout and blow trumpets and horns.

And when they did, the walls fell flat. And the Israelites took the city.

Now, this may seem to be a strange way to take a city, but can you imagine what the people of Jericho must have thought? I can imagine that the city watch probably taunted them. Might even have thrown stuff at them.

And yet, every day, for seven days, the Israelites came back and marched.

And then the walls crumbled.

Amazing.

I love to read about the ways God shows His power.

So, that was the victory.

But what was the defeat?

Well, God instructed the Israelites to take only gold, silver, bronze, and iron out of the city. This was to be placed into the treasury of the Lord. The rest was to be burned.

Now, Achan took some of the things that belonged in God's temple and hid them in his tent.

But you can't hide anything from God. No matter how long you conceal it from people.

So, because Achan had disobeyed, when the Israelites went up to conquer Ai, they were forced to flee, and 32 of them were killed.

Because of Achan's sin, he was put to death.

And once the stolen items were returned to God's temple, the Israelites went up to Ai again, and this time took the city.

Now, this is an important lesson. When we sin, it is like courting death. We can't win victories when we are in the midst of sin. We have to repent and give God control again.

I found something else interesting, though.

When the spies went up to see Ai, they told Joshua that it would be easy, and that he should only send about 2,000 men.

And they lost. Badly.

But after Achan's sin was found out and dealt with, Joshua sent up a lot more men. 30,000 to be exact.

So, even though God was with them this time, Joshua carefully planned the battle, and sent more men up to take Ai.

This was also something I felt was important today.

Joshua got cocky.

He listened to the spies who said "Meh. We don't need that many men. They're puny."

And the Israelites lost. Big time.

Of course the moral of the story is that God wasn't with them because of the sin in their camp.

However, I want to make another point.

"Don't get cocky, kid." (I love Star Wars!)

We must plan our battles.

We can't just go in with a few resources and expect to win. We can't go off to battle with no training.

No matter how puny the Enemy appears to be, or how insignificant he is in the face of God's power, we can't get cocky. He has lots of tricks that he's developed over time.

And he will use all of them.

Don't go into battle unprepared.

Read God's Word, seek His counsel. Pray. Put on the full armor of God. Don't move outside of God's timing.

And don't get cocky.

I hope you'll join me tomorrow when I read Joshua 9-11.

Read Through the Bible in a Year 2018 Day 70: Rahab

Good afternoon, everyone!

Today I read Joshua 1-4. Yay!

And in today's reading, Joshua begins his leadership of the Israelites.

They move into the promised land to a place called Jericho. 

There, Joshua sends spies to see how they can best take the city. While there, a harlot named Rahab (Biblical words, not mine) hides them under the straw on her roof so the city's guards don't find them.

She helps them escape, in exchange for the promise that they will spare her and her family.

They agree, but only if she ties a red string in her window, and brings her family into her home. If anyone goes outside her home, they are released from their promise. Only the people inside her house will be safe.

Now, what fascinates me most about this story, is that the Bible makes a point of mentioning that Rahab is a harlot. Not a priestess, or a prophetess. Not a Godly woman. A harlot.

But she has heard of all that the Lord has done for the Israelites. In fact, the whole city has heard of everything, from their escape from Egypt, to the parting of the Red Sea, to the cities they defeated along the way.

They have heard of the Israelites. And they have heard of their God.

And how powerful He is.

And that's amazing.

When we obey God, and allow Him to fight our battles for us, taking each step in obedience to Him, even those who are wicked hear of us, and the greatness of our God. And they tremble.

That was my favorite part of this story.

Rahab told the spies that the hearts of the people in Jericho had "melted" with fear when they heard of the Israelites and everything God had done for them.

So, the spies returned to Joshua and said "Surely the Lord has given all the land into our hands; moreover, all the inhabitants of the land have melted away before us" (Joshua 4:24).

I love the stories of Joshua. The stories of his faithfulness, of God's power, of God's faithfulness, of the triumph of God's people.

I can't wait to go through more of them with you.

I hope you'll join me tomorrow when I read Joshua 5-8.

Read Through the Bible in a Year 2018 Day 69: Moses

Good afternoon, everyone!

Today I read Deuteronomy 32-34.

And Moses, nearing the end of his life, writes a beautiful song as a reminder to the people to follow and obey God.

I can only imagine how beautiful it must have been to hear it in the original Hebrew.

Then, Moses pronounces the individual blessings on the tribes.

And then, he goes up to Mount Nebo where he dies, aged 120.

Now, there's something I want to share with you.

Deuteronomy 34:7 - Although Moses was one hundred and twenty years old when he died, his eye was not dim nor his vigor abated.

Isn't that amazing?

Moses was God's chosen prophet. And until the time came that the Israelites reached the border of the Promised Land, Moses led them, living to 120 years old, not growing aged or infirm.

That's just amazing to me.

Now, Joshua takes over the leadership of the Israelites, but before we move on to his story, there is one more verse I need to share.

Deuteronomy 34:10 - Since that time, no prophet has rise in Israel like Moses, whom the Lord knew face to face..."

Now that is a powerful statement. Moses asked to see God face to face, but God covered his face as He passed, so that Moses would not die.

Moses had such an intimate relationship with God. Even though he messed up, even though his task was difficult, he never lost faith, because he spoke with God face to face.

And this is written about him in the Bible. That there has been no prophet like him since, who had such a relationship with God.

That's amazing.

And intimidating.

There is a lot we can learn from Moses. Especially as we remember that God desires to have that kind of relationship with everyone. He wants us to trust Him with everything, to listen when He speaks, and know that He listens when we do. To commune with Him intimately every single day.

I hope you'll join me tomorrow when I begin reading the book of Joshua, the first four chapters.

Read Through the Bible in a Year 2018 Day 68: Do Not Be Afraid

Good evening, everyone!

Today I read Deuteronomy 30-31.

And today, Moses, knowing he is nearing the end of his life, and that he won't see the Promised Land, charges the Israelites to remember the laws, and the blessings they will have if they keep the laws, and the curses which will come upon them if they don't.

He charges them to obey Joshua as if he were Moses, and to obey God.

He also expresses doubt that they will do so.

Understandably.

He doubts they will obey God's laws when Moses isn't there, when they couldn't even do it when Moses was there.

He was 120 at the time.

Today, I want to leave you with a great verse:

Deuteronomy 31:6 - "Be strong and courageous, do not be afraid or tremble at them, for the Lord your God is the one who goes with you. He will not fail you or forsake you."

I hope you'll join me tomorrow when I read Deuteronomy 32-34.

Read Through the Bible in a Year 2018 Day 67: Obedience is Worth It

Good morning, everyone!

Lately I've seen several news articles about people being microchipped for lots of different reasons, from controlling technology, to workplace requirements, to plane and rail passes.

And it freaks me out. Because one day it won't be voluntary. It's coming, but it's not here yet. Let's keep praying and be vigilant. And remember to be obedient to God's Word.

On that note, let's move on to Deuteronomy 28-29.

In today's reading, God details the blessings that His people will have if they obey Him and keep His commandments, including prosperity.

And then He details the calamities that will befall them if they do not, including slavery to other nations.

No matter how pretty the packaging, no matter how much pressure the Enemy puts on us, it is always more beneficial to obey God.

Even if we don't get our reward right now...even if we don't see our reward here on earth...even if it doesn't manifest in monetary gain, the reward for continued obedience to God is always sweeter. Always worth it.

I hope you'll join me tomorrow when I read Deuteronomy 30-31.

Read Through the Bible in a Year Day 66: Provisions for the Widow and the Orphan

Good morning, everyone!

Today I read Deuteronomy 24-27.

And there were some interesting laws today.

I think my favorite was the law about newly married soldiers.

One of God's laws commands that newly married soldiers be given a year off to spend with their wives before returning to duty. To ensure her "happiness."

What a great idea!

There were a lot of other laws too, including ones for the provision of orphans and widows.

I'll summarize here: when you harvest your crops (grapes, olives, wheat) you only go over it once. Anything that falls, or anything that is left, is for the orphan and the widow to pick up so that they will be provided for.

The story of Ruth comes to mind, but we'll get to that later.

I hope you read today's chapters with me today, so that you'll understand better what I'm talking about. Don't just take my word for it.

So that's what I wanted to talk about today.

I hope you'll join me tomorrow when I read Deuteronomy 28-29.

Read Through the Bible in a Year 2018 Day 65: Still Learning

Good afternoon, everyone!

Today I read Deuteronomy 21-23.

And what I learned today is that I still don't understand every part of God's Word. 

And that's okay. I've learned a lot since I first picked up a Bible. More since I started going to church again. And there is more to learn every day.

But I've also learned that it's okay if I don't understand everything yet. There are some things I might not ever understand. Others might require a great deal of research into the history and cultures of the people I read about. And that's okay too.

I learn and grow more every day, even when I don't understand everything.

So, I hope you'll join me tomorrow in reading Deuteronomy 24-27. We can learn and grow together!

Read Through the Bible in a Year 2018 Day 64: Divination, False Prophets, and Warfare

Good morning, everyone!

Today I read Deuteronomy 17-20.

And in these chapters, God instructs the Israelites on how to choose a king once they are settled in their land, gives instructions on how to take care of the Levites, the priests, who do not have their own inheritance, and, He is very clear about the Israelites not practicing divination, witchcraft, or summoning spirits or the dead. He is also very clear about not allowing any foreigners to do so while they are in the Israelites' land.

He also says that if a prophet speaks a word which the Lord has not given to him, that prophet shall die. And we will know when the prophet speaks out of turn because whatever he says will not come true.

Chapter 19 reiterates the law of the cities of refuge.

And chapter 20 talks about the laws of warfare, how the Israelites are to conduct themselves. But I love that it begins with "do not be afraid of them; for the Lord your God, who brought you up from the land of Egypt, is with you." Even if the other side is more numerous than you.

Verse 10 says "When you approach a city to fight against it, you shall offer it terms of peace." If they surrender, they are to become the Israelites' servants, and live in peace. But if they don't surrender, the Israelites are to take the city.

And some people think the Bible is boring.

I found today's reading to be very interesting. What about you?

I hope you'll join me tomorrow when I read Deuteronomy 21-23.