tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-349025112012-01-27T09:48:15.728-05:00A secular humanist reads the BibleJuliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02605546292851678763noreply@blogger.comBlogger3041100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34902511.post-26492666713977270152008-12-09T08:11:00.000-05:002008-12-09T08:12:23.583-05:00

Two rather surprising facts from our most recent reading. First, if you want to humiliate someone, Old Testament style, what you need to do is shave off half their beards and cut their clothes at the buttocks. I mean, who wouldn't be humiliated by something like that? (2 Sam. 10:4)Second, if you thought your hat was heavy, consider the plight of the ex-king of Rabbah, whose crown weighed a talent

Juliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02605546292851678763noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34902511.post-67800515880802149922008-12-08T08:32:00.000-05:002008-12-08T08:33:30.483-05:00

We might remember from 1 Samuel that David's best friend was Jonathan, Saul's son. Jonathan died at the end of 1 Samuel, but he left behind a crippled son named Mephibosheth. In 2 Samuel 9, David finds out about Mephibosheth and wants to show him kindness for the sake of his father, David's best friend. Mephibosheth is understandably worried, knowing that his grandfather Saul was David's enemy.

Juliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02605546292851678763noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34902511.post-3073009402194625082008-12-07T10:53:00.001-05:002008-12-07T10:53:27.233-05:00

(Today's passage covers David's many conquests; his kindness towards Mephibosheth, Jonathan's son; his defeat of the Ammonites and Syrians; his affair with Bethsheba, and the aftermath thereof.)In today's passage, we see the odd reasoning of David's mind. It seems he acts first and rationalizes later, trying to do what's right, but when that fails, doing what's necessary.Perhaps an example is in

Juliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02605546292851678763noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34902511.post-9192870484443907882008-12-06T11:48:00.001-05:002008-12-06T11:48:43.150-05:00

In 2 Samuel 7, David is feeling guilty: he has a beautiful cedar palace, and the ark (God's house) is housed in a tent. He asks Nathan, God's prophet, whether he should build a house for God. In a dream, God replies to Natahan that David should do no such thing. Instead, he promises to establish David's "seed" and "establish the throne of his kingdom for ever. I will be his father, and he shall

Juliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02605546292851678763noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34902511.post-36377661001848549942008-12-05T08:04:00.001-05:002008-12-05T08:04:56.049-05:00

In 2 Samuel 4, for the second time in as many readings, we encounter a case of regicide. Two of Ishbosheth's captains, Rechab and Baanah, see which way the wind is blowing and decide to take matters into their own hands. They go into Ishbosheth's house during the king's midday nap on the pretence of fetching wheat, and then they stab the king through the belly. The decapitate the corpse and bring

Juliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02605546292851678763noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34902511.post-87908793656579773212008-12-04T08:33:00.000-05:002008-12-04T08:36:31.563-05:00

(Today's passage covers Ishbosheth's murder, David's conquest of Jerusalem and some Philistine armies, the return of the Ark to Jerusalem, and God's promise to David that he'll establish his line forever.)As 2 Samuel 5 opens, David is the undisputed king over all Israel. All the tribes have pledged their allegiance to him, and all that remains is for him to set himself up in proper kingly style.

Juliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02605546292851678763noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34902511.post-88680955282168209432008-12-03T08:31:00.000-05:002008-12-03T08:32:45.367-05:00

In 2 Samuel 3:1-5, we find out that after settling in Hebron, David had six sons by six different women. The first two were by his two wives, Ahinoam and Abigail, but we don't know whether David was married to the other four. Regardless, when Abner decides to defect to David's side (see the latest essay), one of David's conditions is that Abner bring him Michal, Saul's daughter and David's first

Juliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02605546292851678763noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34902511.post-25899887939934995762008-12-02T08:28:00.000-05:002008-12-02T08:29:04.800-05:00

At the very beginning of 2 Samuel (1:1-16) that we read a second account of Saul's death, this time as it was told to David. We read in 1 Sam. 31 that Saul had been wounded by arrows, asked his armour-bearer to finish him off, and when the latter refused, Saul fell on his own sword. Now we read that, in fact, it was an Amalekite who killed Saul when he was fatally wounded. How do we know? Because

Juliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02605546292851678763noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34902511.post-81994728765031983962008-12-01T08:11:00.001-05:002008-12-01T08:11:08.841-05:00

(Today's passage covers David's anointment over Judah, the civil war between the houses of David and Saul, especially as played out through their generals Abner and Joab.)Welcome back to Daily Breadcrumbs. I know it's been a while, but we're now ready to pick up where we left off, with Saul dead and David poised to inherit the kingdom. After all, Samuel had anointed him way back in 1 Samuel 16,

Juliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02605546292851678763noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34902511.post-46063791403239326142008-06-10T10:48:00.000-04:002008-06-10T10:52:29.931-04:00

Hello, all my faithful readers. I know it's been longer than the two weeks I promised in my last post. In fact, I seem to have lost my motivation for Daily Breadcrumbs. I will continue to do my private readers, and I will occasionally update Daily Breadcrumbs if something particularly relevant strikes me. For the time being, though, I'm putting Daily Breadcrumbs on semi-permanent hiatus.

Juliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02605546292851678763noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34902511.post-4467016388913945402008-04-30T08:41:00.000-04:002008-04-30T08:42:01.032-04:00

First, a big thank you to all my readers. I appreciate the time you're devoting to reading along with me.However, my life has gotten quite hectic lately. I started a new job this week, and I'm trying to get myself used to the new schedule. Because of this, Daily Breadcrumbs is going on hiatus for a few weeks (or maybe longer) while I adjust. I hope to be back soon so we can delve into 2

Juliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02605546292851678763noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34902511.post-10389967577450319272008-04-29T07:24:00.000-04:002008-04-29T07:26:10.648-04:00

When David and his men go back to Ziklag, the town granted to them by King Achish, they find that Amalekites have burned the buildings and run off with their wives. This cannot be tolerated. David takes 400 of his men in pursuit (200 were so weary they couldn't go with the main force). Thanks to a chance encounter with an Egyptian ex-slave of the Amalekites, David gets led straight to the

Juliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02605546292851678763noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34902511.post-47319016320733950032008-04-28T08:14:00.000-04:002008-04-28T08:15:43.600-04:00

In 1 Sam. 29, the Philistines are gearing up for a massive offensive against the Israelites. In their ranks are David and his men, loyal followers (theoretically) of King Achish. However, the Philistine princes are getting a bit anxious. Isn't David an Israelite? Isn't he the very one from the songs that say, "David slew his 10,000s?" Is it really wise to keep him here? they ask. What if he

Juliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02605546292851678763noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34902511.post-61521420233261287652008-04-27T08:50:00.000-04:002008-04-27T08:53:28.511-04:00

(Today's passage covers Saul consultation with a witch, David's destruction of some Amalekites, and Saul's death.)In these final chapters of 1 Sam., Saul finally loses it, both metaphorically and literally. First, he loses contact with God. We've known for some time that God has abandoned Saul in favour of David, but Saul finally acknowledges this in 1 Sam. 28. He acknowledges it, but he

Juliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02605546292851678763noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34902511.post-70970802204032480702008-04-26T08:13:00.001-04:002008-04-26T08:13:24.912-04:00

At the end of 1 Sam. 25, we find out that David has taken two new wives: Abigail (wife of the now-deceased Nabal), and Ahinoam of Jezreel. But what about David's first wife, Michal? We might recall that David married Michal, Saul's younger daughter, in 1 Sam. 18. But now it seems that Saul has voided the marriage and given Michal to Phalti, the son of Laish. We have no news about why the

Juliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02605546292851678763noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34902511.post-64775399669524038432008-04-25T08:47:00.001-04:002008-04-25T08:47:38.933-04:00

In 1 Sam. 25:1, we find out that Samuel died. And that's it, really. The people lamented him, buried him and Ramah, and moved on with their lives, all in the course of a single verse. Surely, the protagonist of the first half of the book, in fact it's namesake, deserves better than a single verse of mourning. And yet, that's all Samuel gets. At least it seems he died in his sleep, and not

Juliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02605546292851678763noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34902511.post-11545802738469784932008-04-24T09:27:00.000-04:002008-04-24T09:29:34.095-04:00

(Today's passage covers David's racketeering in Carmel, another near-murder of Saul, and his defection to the Philistines.)In today's reading we get to see three sides of David, all of them ambiguous. Story #1 (1 Sam. 25): David is in Carmel with his men, who are starting to get hungry again. (Who would have thought you need to feed an army of 600?) David decides that Nabal, a rich local, is

Juliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02605546292851678763noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34902511.post-39156197060823511082008-04-23T09:29:00.001-04:002008-04-23T09:29:44.065-04:00

As he runs away from Saul, one of David's companions is Abiathar, the son of priest Ahimelech (you might recall that Doeg killed his entire city on Saul's orders). When David wants to consult with God, he has Abiathar get his ephod, a priestly robe. When Abiathar's wearing the ephod, David can suddenly receive God's word -- in this case, that Saul is coming and the citizens of Keilah will give

Juliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02605546292851678763noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34902511.post-54297335662356564672008-04-22T10:34:00.001-04:002008-04-22T10:34:11.946-04:00

Early on in our narrative, David runs away into the land of Gath. It turns out, though, that King Achish has heard of David's battle-prowess. David gets worried at this point, perhaps because he thinks Achish will see him as a potential rival. So when the servants drag him before the king, he pretends to be a madman, writing on doorposts and drooling into his beard. The king falls for it hook

Juliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02605546292851678763noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34902511.post-61994219540191291792008-04-21T10:13:00.000-04:002008-04-21T10:17:07.332-04:00

(Today's passage covers David and his crew running away from Saul, and Saul pursuing them.)You've got to hand it to David; he's one sneaky guy. Over the course of these four chapters, he successfully scams a bunch of people and smooth-talks his way into getting an apology (yes, again) from Saul.To start at the beginning. When last we left our intrepid hero, he'd just kissed goodbye to his best

Juliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02605546292851678763noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34902511.post-66822819876599095912008-04-20T12:54:00.001-04:002008-04-20T12:54:43.791-04:00

I'd like to thank all of my devoted readers, and even my less-devoted readers, for coming back day after day and reading my take on the Bible. You guys encourage me to keep writing, even when sometimes life gets a bit hectic.And, to show my gratitude, I've got a question for you: do you read any other blogs or websites on similar topics to Daily Breadcrumbs? If so, please let me know! I'm

Juliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02605546292851678763noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34902511.post-85789828488182910552008-04-20T09:45:00.000-04:002008-04-20T09:46:50.022-04:00

Back in 1 Sam. 10, we found out the source of an apparently proverbial saying, "is Saul also among the prophets?" Back then, it was because of one of Samuel's signs that Saul would be king: Saul prophesied with a group of singing prophets on his way back to his father's house. In 1 Sam. 19, we're given an alternate explanation: when Saul finally gets fed up with sending incompetent assassins

Juliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02605546292851678763noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34902511.post-20306657809705314762008-04-19T11:17:00.001-04:002008-04-19T11:17:37.560-04:00

You've got to wonder about Jonathan and David. In chapter 18, Jonathan loves David "as his own soul." They make a covenant, and Jonathan gives David all of his clothes. (1 Sam. 18:1-4) Throughout the rest of the book, it seems that the two are (at the very least) best friends. Jonathan hides David when Saul is trying to kill him, reasons with his dad to bring David back into the fold, and

Juliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02605546292851678763noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34902511.post-39648245019112048782008-04-18T08:56:00.000-04:002008-04-18T08:59:45.570-04:00

(Today's passage covers Jonathan and David's deepening friendship, and Saul's deepening jealousy towards David.)Things were going so well. David, the poster-child for Israelite can-do power, was in King Saul's good books, carrying his armour and playing the harp. And then -- boom! -- Saul decides to kill the kid. And we're not talking a half-hearted attempt, either: over the course of these

Juliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02605546292851678763noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34902511.post-57851248132910240122008-04-17T09:52:00.000-04:002008-04-17T09:53:10.129-04:00

Some of you might remember from my breadcrumb a few days ago that Samuel prophesied Saul's kingdom wouldn't continue because of his disobedience at Gilgal. In 1 Sam. 15, the message is hammered home again. Saul was supposed to go completely wipe out Amalek for their oppression of Israel during the Exodus. Saul does this... mostly. But he saves King Agag and the best animals to sacrifice to

Juliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02605546292851678763noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34902511.post-66073356081897526422008-04-16T08:59:00.000-04:002008-04-16T09:01:06.858-04:00

1 Sam. 16 and 17 present us with a bit of a conundrum. You see, it appears that Saul meets David in chapter 16, presented to him as Jesse's son and a good harp player. Saul gets along great with David and makes him his armour-bearer. However, in the very next chapter (featuring Goliath), Saul claims never to have met David before, and needs to send Abner, captain of the host, to find out who

Juliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02605546292851678763noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34902511.post-88291549029545316612008-04-15T07:17:00.000-04:002008-04-15T07:19:48.397-04:00

(Today's passage covers God's rejection of Saul and his appointment of David. Also, it relates the story of David and Goliath.)It's probably one of the best-known stories outside of the Pentateuch: David and Goliath. The story has inspired countless paintings, larger-than-life statues, and even a few Simpsons gags. So instead of relating the events to you, as I've been doing for a lot of the

Juliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02605546292851678763noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34902511.post-48270066634277145042008-04-14T09:43:00.001-04:002008-04-14T09:43:58.030-04:00

Even though there's a war going on, it looks like there are no smiths in Israel to make swords or spears for the soldiers. Instead, the men are left to fend for themselves, sharpening their ploughshares, sickles, axes, and mattocks into weapons. Of course, like I said, there were no smiths in Israel. So where's a soldier to go to get a farm implement sharpened? The Philistines, of course!

Juliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02605546292851678763noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34902511.post-54013830380680093162008-04-13T08:26:00.001-04:002008-04-13T08:26:53.177-04:00

When Samuel appointed Saul king, he told him to go down to Gilgal and wait for him before making the ritual sacrifices. So Saul goes, along with his army, and waits. He waits seven days, but Samuel never shows up. Finally, the men grumble and start leaving, and Saul decides to take things into his own hands. He offers the sacrifice and... you guessed it, Samuel shows up just as he's finishing

Juliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02605546292851678763noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34902511.post-21444993900626053502008-04-12T09:27:00.000-04:002008-04-12T09:29:35.419-04:00

(Today's passage covers some battles against the Philistines, featuring the exploits of Saul's son, Jonathan.)Now that Saul has had some initial military success, he decides to tackle the remaining problem, the Philistines camped at Michmash. (Don't you love those Bible names?) After a preliminary victory in 1 Sam. 13, in which it appears Saul's son, Jonathan, did most of the fighting, Saul is

Juliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02605546292851678763noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34902511.post-13148546597081418432008-04-11T09:53:00.000-04:002008-04-11T09:54:09.378-04:00

1 Sam. 12 is Samuel's farewell speech. (Even though he reappears throughout the book, he gives his official retirement speech early.) One of the things he makes sure to point out is that asking for a king is, in no uncertain terms, still a bad idea. He even sends thunder and rain at harvest-time, just to show the people what a bad idea it is. He softens the blow only slightly by telling the

Juliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02605546292851678763noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34902511.post-64599933451732178132008-04-10T10:00:00.001-04:002008-04-10T10:00:50.383-04:00

One of Samuel's three signs to mark Saul's appointment as king is that Saul will meet a group of singing, music-making prophets, and that he will prophesy with them. In fact, this actually happens, to the amazement of Saul's acquaintances, to the point where "is Saul also among the prophets?" becomes a proverbial saying. But at this juncture we have to ask ourselves, how many prophets were

Juliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02605546292851678763noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34902511.post-86791507109782999382008-04-09T10:20:00.000-04:002008-04-09T10:21:01.929-04:00

(Today's passage covers Saul's selection as king, his rescue of the city of Jabesh Gilead, and Samuel's farewell speech.)We've known for some time that the Israelites have wanted a king, so that the terrors of the era of Judges could be put to an end. Also, so that the Israelites could be a nation like any other, and thus maybe avoid being conquered every twenty years or so. Samuel, the prophet

Juliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02605546292851678763noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34902511.post-27123572302002526092008-04-08T08:16:00.001-04:002008-04-08T08:16:28.371-04:00

After the unfortunate incident with the ark, the Israelites decide what would really solve the problem would be for them to have a king and be like everyone else. Samuel tries to talk them out of it by telling them how a king would behave. Specifically, he says a king would conscript their sons into his army; conscript their daughters to be his cooks; and take their land, produce, cattle, and

Juliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02605546292851678763noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34902511.post-67565337557253579592008-04-07T09:05:00.001-04:002008-04-07T09:05:58.894-04:00

After the first battle against the Philistines, Eli (the high priest) finds out that the Philistines have killed his two sons and captured the ark. He is so distraught that he falls over. Unfortunately, he's 98 years old, and the fall breaks his neck. On the other hand, when his very pregnant daughter-in-law hears the news, she immediately goes into labour. After a hard delivery, she decides

Juliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02605546292851678763noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34902511.post-75359928321599385922008-04-06T10:00:00.001-04:002008-04-06T10:00:10.762-04:00

(Today's passage covers the Philistine capture of the ark, its eventual return, the battle against the Philistines, and Israel's request for a king.)Today's lesson: sometimes the safe bet... isn't.Before Samuel whips the Israelites into shape, they have yet again fallen under the sway of foreign powers, this time the Philistines. The Israelites, desperate to throw off the Philistine yoke, send

Juliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02605546292851678763noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34902511.post-8350668564051410022008-04-05T09:12:00.000-04:002008-04-05T09:13:36.326-04:00

When God calls Samuel for the first time, Samuel goes rushing to Eli, thinking that it was the old priest who summoned him. Eli, confused, tells him that it wasn't him, and orders Samuel to go back to bed. This happens a second time, and then a third. Finally, Eli realizes that Samuel must be hearing the voice of God, and tells him not to come running the next time it happens. On the fourth

Juliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02605546292851678763noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34902511.post-28294062117671511182008-04-04T09:00:00.001-04:002008-04-04T09:00:29.660-04:00

Hannah, Samuel's mother, was barren for a long time. This wasn't the worst situation for Elkanah (her husband) since he had another wife, Peninnah. Peninnah had many children, and she was constantly provoking Hannah because of her lack. However, once Hannah has her son, Samuel, it seems that the provocations stop. Even though Hannah doesn't keep her son -- she gives him to the temple to be

Juliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02605546292851678763noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34902511.post-47862559484714817612008-04-03T08:28:00.001-04:002008-04-03T08:28:56.323-04:00

(Today's passage covers Samuel's birth and his dedication to God, the wickedness of Eli's sons, and Samuel's call to God.)The first three chapters of Samuel are a study in contrasts between Samuel, the commoner child dedicated at birth to serve God, and the sons of Eli, the high priest, Hophni and Phinehas (yes, another Phinehas). Samuel, from the moment of his birth, is a man of God. His

Juliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02605546292851678763noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34902511.post-79777945890487023772008-04-02T08:45:00.000-04:002008-04-02T08:46:31.792-04:00

When Boaz meets Naomi's other near-kinsman (Ruth 4), he's sneakier than we might expect. He starts by asking the kinsman if he wants to redeem Elimelech's (Naomi's husband's) land. Seeing a chance for an easy profit, the kinsman agrees. Then Boaz throws in the unexpected curveball: if you redeem the land, you'll also be marrying Ruth, Naomi's Moabite daughter-in-law. The kinsman realizes that

Juliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02605546292851678763noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34902511.post-42329619591209849832008-04-01T08:16:00.001-04:002008-04-01T08:16:14.498-04:00

As I mentioned yesterday, Ruth spends the harvest gleaning in Boaz's field, so that she and Naomi can have some food. While this may seem straightforward, it was apparently a more dangerous situation than it originally appears. Boaz specifically tells his men not to touch Ruth. (Ruth 2:9) Later, Naomi confirms the potential danger and tells her to stay in Boaz's field, because elsewhere she

Juliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02605546292851678763noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34902511.post-75377697870901459062008-03-31T12:39:00.001-04:002008-03-31T12:39:55.853-04:00

Would you be interested in talking with me about the Bible face-to-face, in addition to reading about it on Daily Breadcrumbs? I'm thinking of starting up a monthly Montreal-area meet-up. We'll focus on the same texts I'm writing about for Daily Breadcrumbs, and we'll take a similar approach: literary, historical, philosophical, and (sometimes) religious. Everyone will be welcome, regardless

Juliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02605546292851678763noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34902511.post-33092660294049073882008-03-31T09:38:00.001-04:002008-03-31T09:38:13.311-04:00

(Today's passage covers the story of Naomi, Ruth, and Boaz.)If you read yesterday's gripe about the book of Judges, and then read the book of Ruth, you'll understand why I love it so much. I've never read it before, but it has suddenly become one of my favourite books.In a nutshell, for those who haven't had the time to read it yourselves (though I highly recommend that you do), the book of Ruth

Juliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02605546292851678763noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34902511.post-2806200875054437192008-03-30T08:06:00.000-04:002008-03-30T08:09:15.356-04:00

Judges has been quite the emotional roller-coaster. Every time you think it can't get more depraved and bloody, it just keeps getting worse.The first thing we have to realize is despite the title, the "judges" are not in fact judges but war-leaders. Every one of the judges in the text has daring, bloody exploits, and not one of them is shown leading the country in peace-time. In fact, the

Juliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02605546292851678763noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34902511.post-23868678866504553082008-03-29T09:35:00.000-04:002008-03-29T09:36:45.165-04:00

There's nothing worse for a besieging, 400,000-man army than to run out of food just as the battles are about to start. This is why Israel prepares for their war by sending 10% of their army as scouts to gather food for their comrades at Gibeah. (Judg. 20:9-10) This also saves the bulk of the army from gathering up crops themselves. In the end, it probably didn't make much of a difference, as

Juliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02605546292851678763noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34902511.post-73895259790091626352008-03-28T09:51:00.001-04:002008-03-28T09:51:32.267-04:00

In Judg. 20:28, we're right in the middle of the civil war between Israel and Benjamin. The Israelites ask for counsel from God via his priest, Phinehas. Wait a minute, here! This is the same Phinehas who's Aaron's grandson, who was alive during the desert wanderings and the conquest of Israel. But we've read in the book of Judges that whole generations (perhaps as much as 400 years) have

Juliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02605546292851678763noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34902511.post-39101665956025688302008-03-27T08:58:00.000-04:002008-03-27T09:02:03.202-04:00

(Today's passage covers the story of a Levite and his concubine, and how his actions sparked a civil war in Israel that nearly wiped out the entire Benjaminite tribe.)You remember the story of Sodom and Gomorrah, don't you? (Gen. 19) Lot (Abraham's nephew) was staying with some strangers in Sodom, when the men of the village wanted to rape him. Lot's host offered his two virgin daughters, but

Juliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02605546292851678763noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34902511.post-39889684285574351332008-03-26T09:23:00.001-04:002008-03-26T09:23:30.857-04:00

In Judg. 18, we find out that the tribe of Dan still hasn't come into their inheritance. We can only assume it's still in the hands of non-Israelite heathens. It's been several generations since the conquest of Canaan, and everyone seems to have settled down into complacency. So what's a hard-working-but-homeless tribe to do? The obvious answer is to conquer land from your decadent Israelite

Juliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02605546292851678763noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34902511.post-7306360749701558522008-03-25T08:15:00.000-04:002008-03-25T08:16:07.992-04:00

In Judg. 17-18, we read about Micah and his idols. Micah is just a normal guy, a man from Ephraim, who wanted to have some household gods. So he does. His mother pays a founder to make him some graven images, he gets himself an ephod and teraphim (consecrated garments), and has his son act as priest. But what you really need to close the deal is an honest-to-God, descended from the holy tribe

Juliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02605546292851678763noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34902511.post-84363600817320417702008-03-24T11:49:00.000-04:002008-03-24T11:50:01.937-04:00

(Today's passage covers the story of Samson and Delilah, and the story of Micah's idols.)The story of Samson and Delilah is one of the best-known Old Testament stories outside the Pentateuch. Everyone likes to feel bad for Samson, which is strange, because he had all the chances in the world to save himself.The story is told in Judg. 16, and it goes something like this: having escaped death many

Juliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02605546292851678763noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34902511.post-28443961974056017672008-03-23T09:19:00.000-04:002008-03-23T09:20:32.267-04:00

I mentioned in the main essay for these readings that the whole cycle of bloodshed got started when Samson asked his wedding guests a riddle. But what was this impossible riddle? It turns out, it came from events that happened earlier in the chapter. Specifically, on the way to visit his bride-to-be, Samson killed a lion barehanded. Later, he walked by the carcass to find a beehive nested in

Juliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02605546292851678763noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34902511.post-60545101038859475352008-03-22T09:38:00.000-04:002008-03-22T09:39:42.267-04:00

Samson's mother, much like other important women in the Bible (Sarah and Mary, to name a few), encounters an angel who announces her impending birth. The angel tells her that the child will be a Nazarite, that no one should ever cut his hair, and that the mother shouldn't consume wine, alcohol, or unclean food while pregnant. When she tells her husband, he prays that the angel will return.

Juliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02605546292851678763noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34902511.post-78102467329223684172008-03-21T10:10:00.000-04:002008-03-21T10:11:34.835-04:00

(Today's passage covers Samson's birth, his marriage, and his early conflicts against the Philistines.)I remember stories about Samson: strong, brave, mighty. What I don't remember from the stories is that Samson was a blood-thirsty nutcase.In Judg. 14-15, we read about Samson's early conflicts with the Philistines. A brief recap, for those who missed it:The Philistines have conquered Israel

Juliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02605546292851678763noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34902511.post-89720584876344481762008-03-18T08:38:00.000-04:002008-03-18T08:39:35.572-04:00

Sorry for the unintended hiatus. Life has been unexpectedly hectic this last week, and I just haven't had time to write up the next Daily Breadcrumbs essay. I'm hoping to have things back on track by the weekend. Thanks for bearing with me.

Juliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02605546292851678763noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34902511.post-43137153996735390802008-03-13T08:44:00.000-04:002008-03-13T08:45:34.699-04:00

After Jephthah defeats the Ammonites, he has to face a civil war with the Ephraimites, who are insulted that Jephthah didn't call them when he faced the oppressors. Ephraim decides to take out their aggression on Gilead, so Jephtah fights them and kills many. Ephram says that the men of Gilead are no longer welcome within its borders, so Jephtah blocks the passages across the Jordan and kills

Juliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02605546292851678763noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34902511.post-71238382492383563142008-03-12T09:19:00.000-04:002008-03-12T09:24:13.324-04:00

Judges 11:13-28 gives us a dialogue about possession of the Middle East so modern in theme that might have been written in the last few years. The Ammonites have come to claim their ancestral homeland of Gilead. Jephthah counters by saying that the Israelites didn't "take" the Ammonites' land, but that God gave it to them, so it's rightly theirs. Besides, the Israelites have been living in

Juliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02605546292851678763noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34902511.post-22385019113161679382008-03-11T08:29:00.000-04:002008-03-11T08:31:03.187-04:00

(Today's passage covers a few minor judges and the story of Jephthah, who defeats the Ammonites, sacrifices his own daughter, and murder 42,000 Ephraimites.)Everyone knows the story of Abraham's "sacrifice" of Isaac. (Gen. 22) That time, God stepped in at the last minute to save Isaac, Abraham's only son by his wife Sarah. In that story, we have an example of God's mercy, his reward to a

Juliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02605546292851678763noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34902511.post-52795025746762742002008-03-10T08:30:00.001-04:002008-03-10T08:30:51.756-04:00

In Judg. 9:30-38, we are in the middle of political intrigues with at least four different factions. To simplify things, Zebul, the leader of Shechem, has called Abimelech and his army to fight the usurper Gaal. Abimelech arrives by night and sets up his men in an ambush around the city, ready for an early-morning slaughter. Unfortunately, Gaal chooses this moment to go for a midnight stroll

Juliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02605546292851678763noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34902511.post-17287121129518577132008-03-09T10:04:00.001-04:002008-03-09T10:04:43.945-04:00

When Gideon finally has the Midianite kings, Zebah and Zalmunna, in his grasp, he declares he's going to kill them for murdering his brothers. However, in a fit of delegation, he commands his eldest son, Jether, to do it for him instead. Jether, being pretty young and not used to all this drop-of-the-hat killing, hesitates. Zebah and Zalmunna taunt Gideon for not doing the deed himself, which

Juliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02605546292851678763noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34902511.post-41989191332090792602008-03-08T14:01:00.000-05:002008-03-08T14:02:55.298-05:00

(Today's passage covers Gideon's interactions with some unhelpful Israelite cities, and his son Abimelech's intrigues with Gaal and the rulers of Shechem.)While last essay we read about Gideon as a conquering hero, Judges 8 shows us his dark side. Gideon follows the fleeing Midian army across the Jordan and asks the cities of Succoth and Penuel for food to feed his 300 soldiers. They refuse,

Juliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02605546292851678763noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34902511.post-860385422122059572008-03-07T09:30:00.001-05:002008-03-07T09:30:44.169-05:00

Having sent away fully 98% of his army so that he is left with only 300 soldiers, Gideon faces a much larger Midianite force. Instead of attacking head-on, which would be foolishness unless you're Shamgar and you've got an oxgoad, Gideon divides his men into three companies and surrounds the camp. At night, he has his men blow trumpets, break pots, and generally make such a huge amount of noise

Juliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02605546292851678763noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34902511.post-28603045984224142302008-03-06T08:16:00.000-05:002008-03-06T08:17:16.739-05:00

As part of Gideon's initial selection process, God has him destroy his father's altar to Baal. Gideon does this by night, but his neighbours still realize it was him. They come after him with proverbial pitchforks, intending to kill him. Ironically, it is Gideon's father who rescues his son, by saying that Baal is a god and can fend for himself. (Judg. 6:25-32) Of course, Gideon survives and

Juliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02605546292851678763noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34902511.post-88392808739316881082008-03-05T11:44:00.001-05:002008-03-05T11:44:21.493-05:00

Today's reading is Judges 6-7 (read it in the KJV or NIV)Today's passage covers Gideon's selection as God's chosen warrior; his mobilization of the northern Israelite army; and his defeat of Midian.It happened again. The Israelites fell back into corruption and God sent a conquering army to, well, conquer them. In this case, the enemy was Midian, and they reigned over Israel for seven years.

Juliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02605546292851678763noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34902511.post-13996200662258837632008-03-03T08:16:00.001-05:002008-03-03T08:16:57.567-05:00

In Judg. 3:31, we read about Shamgar. He makes a huge impact for his one-verse cameo: he kills 600 Philistines with an oxgoad. What, I asked myself, is an oxgoad? Apparently an oxgoad is a long, pointed stick used to drive oxen. (A picture can be found in the Wikipedia article about it.) In other words, Shamgar speared 600 men to death. To me, that's pretty impressive, even more than

Juliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02605546292851678763noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34902511.post-6568709605069410432008-03-02T08:36:00.000-05:002008-03-02T08:37:02.222-05:00

In the story of Deborah, Barak, Jael, and Sisera (Judg. 4), we are shown Deborah's gift for prophecy. When Barak asks her to accompany him to the front lines, Deborah agrees. But, she says, because of the way he's going about it, God will hand Captain Sisera over to a woman. At the beginning of this chapter, it seems the woman will be Deborah, since she's the only woman mentioned in the story

Juliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02605546292851678763noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34902511.post-29943895766898394292008-03-01T08:32:00.000-05:002008-03-01T08:38:44.086-05:00

Today's reading is Judges 3-5 (read it in the KJV or NIV)Today's passage covers Othniels' fight against Mesopotamia; Ehud's cunning murder of King Eglon of Moab; Deborah and Barak's defeat of Sisera of Canaan's army; Jael's cunning murder of Sisera; and the Song of Deborah.Today we are gifted with two wonderful short stories of deceit and cunning. In fact, it has been quite some time since we

Juliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02605546292851678763noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34902511.post-33652408639200334122008-02-29T08:38:00.001-05:002008-02-29T08:38:51.424-05:00

When the house of Joseph decides to war against Bethel, which was called Luz before its conquest, they needed some intel. They stopped a man leaving the city and asked him how to get in, with a promise that they would treat the man well. The man agreed, revealed the city's defences, and the Israelites promptly conquered it. The man, however, left and built a new city, also called Luz, "which

Juliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02605546292851678763noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34902511.post-7853498201779589952008-02-28T08:31:00.001-05:002008-02-28T08:31:15.755-05:00

When the tribes of Judah and Simeon conquer Bezek, they cut off the thumbs and big toes of her king, Adonibezek. Oddly enough, Adonibezek seems remarkably well-adjusted to this development. He says: "seventy kings with their thumbs and big toes cut off have picked up scraps under my table. Now God has paid me back for what I did to them." (Judg. 1:7, NIV) On the one hand, this punishment

Juliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02605546292851678763noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34902511.post-33820687518807727532008-02-27T10:05:00.001-05:002008-02-27T10:05:53.836-05:00

Today's reading is Judges 1-2 (read it in the KJV or NIV)Today's passage covers conquests of some remaining lands; lands still unconquered; the angel of the Lord at Bokim; and God's punishment of the Israelites for their disobedience.The first books of Judges pick up where Joshua left off: with the Israelites controlling most, but not all, of the Canaanite lands. Unfortunately for the Israelites

Juliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02605546292851678763noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34902511.post-3816331615534028882008-02-26T08:28:00.000-05:002008-02-26T08:32:02.444-05:00

After reading Exodus, it should probably not surprise us that a single book can contain both wonderfully exciting sections alongside mind-numbingly boring ones. Joshua, like Exodus, begins with fast-paced action (Josh. 1-11) and ends with tedium, in this case long lists of land allotments (Josh. 13-21). (In Exodus, we recall the long sections dealing with the construction of the tabernacle.)

Juliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02605546292851678763noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34902511.post-27275362129307757062008-02-25T07:23:00.001-05:002008-02-25T07:23:47.670-05:00

At the end of the book of Joshua, after Joshua had already died, we find out what eventually happened to Joseph's bones. Though his father and forefathers were buried in Canaan, Joseph had been buried in Egypt. It turns out that the Israelites carried Joseph's bones on their 40-year trek through the desert, during their conquest of the promised land, and finally were able to bury him in Shechem

Juliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02605546292851678763noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34902511.post-18768233526034390052008-02-24T10:13:00.000-05:002008-02-24T10:14:33.854-05:00

After things have settled down from the conquest of Canaan, and after the aborted war with the eastern tribes over the new altar, Joshua wants to make sure that the Israelites really do want to serve God, once and for all. He calls all the leaders of Israel together and tells them not to worship with other nations. He reminds them that God fights for them, and they are powerful because of him.

Juliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02605546292851678763noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34902511.post-10391109796143686882008-02-23T08:20:00.000-05:002008-02-23T08:24:32.849-05:00

Today's reading is Joshua 22-24 (read it in the KJV or NIV)Today's passage covers the eastern tribes' return home and their construction of a new altar; the altercation (no pun intended) over it; Joshua's farewell to the leaders; the renewal of the covenant at Shechem; and Joshua's death and burial.The two and a half eastern tribes -- Reuben, Gad, and half of Manasseh -- have been away from home

Juliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02605546292851678763noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34902511.post-48253433842566927412008-02-22T08:47:00.001-05:002008-02-22T08:47:34.683-05:00

Hebron gets yet more fame in Josh. 20-21. My astute readers may recall that in Josh. 14, Hebron was given to Caleb as a reward for his long years of loyal service. In Josh. 21:11-12, the picture is nuanced a bit, as the city is also given to the Levite family of Kohathites. Eventually, it looks like they worked out a deal whereby the Levites got the city proper and the surrounding pastures,

Juliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02605546292851678763noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34902511.post-87721628043184167482008-02-21T08:54:00.000-05:002008-02-21T08:55:14.338-05:00

Josh. 19:32-38 lays out yet another set of land allotments, this time for the tribe of Naphtali. But while most borders to date had been pretty straightforward, demarcated by cities, rivers, and seas, Naphtali throws us for a bit of a loop. Verse 33 in the KJV reads that the coast was "from Heleph, from Allon to Zaanannim." Which sounds wonderfully clear until we realize that "allon" means "

Juliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02605546292851678763noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34902511.post-65393796836567703562008-02-20T09:52:00.001-05:002008-02-20T09:52:53.267-05:00

Today's reading is Joshua 19-21 (read it in the KJV or NIV)Today's passage covers the land allotments for the rest of the tribes and for Joshua; a list of the cities of refuge; and a list of the towns given to the Levites.By the end of Josh. 21, it seems like all the i's have been dotted and t's crossed. Canaan has been conquered, its people put to death, and its lands allotted to the various

Juliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02605546292851678763noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34902511.post-76564258787108513222008-02-19T08:39:00.001-05:002008-02-19T08:39:13.731-05:00

In Josh. 18, we read that the tribe of Benjamin was given control of the area of the former Amorite kings, including Jerusalem. One of the cities under their control is... Jericho. Some of my readers might remember that in Josh. 6, the Israelites completely destroyed Jericho. Furthermore, in Josh. 6:26, Joshua stated that any many who tries to rebuild Jericho would be cursed, laying the

Juliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02605546292851678763noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34902511.post-6609454108931651842008-02-18T10:02:00.001-05:002008-02-18T10:02:40.206-05:00

After the allotments of Judah, Ephraim, and Manasseh, it seemed that things were going too slowly for Joshua's liking. Instead of continuing at a snail's pace, he decided to send out scouts to survey the land for the remaining seven tribes. (Josh. 18:1-10) It seems like there's a lot of scouting in the Bible: Moses sent scouts before attempting to enter the Promised Land (Num. 13-14), Joshua

Juliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02605546292851678763noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34902511.post-78827718377689020842008-02-17T09:02:00.000-05:002008-02-17T09:06:56.872-05:00

Today's reading is Joshua 16-18 (read it in the KJV or NIV)Today's passage covers the land allotment for Ephraim and the half-tribe of Manasseh west of the Jordan; Joshua's sending of scouts into the rest of the land; and the allotment for Benjamin.Though we started discussing the land allotments west of the Jordan in our last set of readings, the trend continues today. One of the things we

Juliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02605546292851678763noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34902511.post-64872043392342211252008-02-16T10:43:00.000-05:002008-02-16T10:44:08.947-05:00

Though we knew this already, Josh. 14:3-4 reminds us that the Levites did not, in fact, receive any land. This is to deal with any confusion that might arise from there being 12 tribes receiving land. If you weren't playing close attention before, you might think that the twelve sons of Jacob (including Levi) correspond to the twelve tribes receiving land, but you would be mistaken. Instead,

Juliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02605546292851678763noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34902511.post-90243279029518752102008-02-15T08:35:00.000-05:002008-02-15T08:36:04.692-05:00

Josh. 13:2-7 lists the lands that the Israelites, despite their long war campaign, have not yet conquered. It is, in fact, a surprising amount of land: the Philistine lands in the south-west (around Gaza), the lands of Geshur (roughly modern-day Golan Heights), all of Lebanon, and various other cities and areas. Nonetheless, Joshua is so confident that the Israelites will conquer them, he

Juliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02605546292851678763noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34902511.post-90725998615690759292008-02-14T08:03:00.000-05:002008-02-14T08:08:06.882-05:00

Today's reading is Joshua 12-15 (read it in the KJV or NIV)Today's passage covers a list of the defeated Canaanite kings; the lands still to be conquered; the division of the lands East of the Jordan (to Reuben, Gad, and half of Manasseh); the giving of Hebron to Caleb and his conquest of it; and the land allotment for Judah.For those following along in the text, I recommend that for this essay

Juliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02605546292851678763noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34902511.post-54337191645475645052008-02-13T09:05:00.000-05:002008-02-13T09:06:39.228-05:00

In Josh. 11, the northern kings of Canaan see that Joshua has completely destroyed their southern neighbours. So they band together, a huge host of armies, "even as the sand that is upon the sea shore in multitude," complete with horses and chariots. (Josh. 11:4) It should therefore come as no surprise that Joshua kills them all in a surprise attack. In fact, it seemed that the only useful

Juliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02605546292851678763noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34902511.post-76432646271797619172008-02-12T08:00:00.001-05:002008-02-12T08:00:47.934-05:00

As part of the conquest of the five Amorite kings' armies, Joshua asked God to make the sun and moon stand still until he could finish wiping out the enemy completely. (Josh. 10:13-14) And, in fact, this is exactly what happened. "There was no day like that before it or after it, that the LORD hearkened unto the voice of a man," says the KJV. In fact, we may never know what actually happened

Juliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02605546292851678763noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34902511.post-61490840018412545362008-02-11T09:53:00.000-05:002008-02-11T09:58:01.015-05:00

Today's reading is Joshua 9-11 (read it in the KJV or NIV)Today's passage covers the Gibeonites' deception of Joshua and the Israelites; and the Israelites' conquest of five Amorite kings, the southern cities, and the northern kings of Canaan.In today's readings, the Israelites really start to ramp up the war effort. In fact, by the end of Josh. 11, they've conquered all of Canaan, and the rest

Juliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02605546292851678763noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34902511.post-43893392887055899112008-02-10T09:11:00.001-05:002008-02-10T09:11:40.286-05:00

After forty years of wandering, you'd probably get a little bored with eating the same thing every day. So once the Israelites reach Canaan, they eat the corn of the land for the Passover. (Josh. 5:11) This is both good news and bad news. Good in that there is now some variety in their diets; bad in that God decides this is the perfect opportunity to stop sending manna. (Josh. 5:12) Now

Juliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02605546292851678763noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34902511.post-33840680870692547222008-02-09T15:06:00.000-05:002008-02-09T15:07:32.968-05:00

In Josh. 5:1-9, we read that all the Israelites were circumcised before they entered Canaan. It seems that, while the men leaving Egypt had been circumcised, no one had thought to circumcise their sons in the desert. This left a great many Israelite men who needed to be circumcised in order to fulfill the covenant with God. They do it all at once at Gilgal, before facing Jericho. More

Juliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02605546292851678763noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34902511.post-83163516143008277692008-02-08T09:01:00.000-05:002008-02-08T09:02:05.366-05:00

Today's reading is Joshua 5-8 (read it in the KJV or NIV)Today's passage covers the Israelites' circumcision at Gilgal; the fall of Jericho; the routing of the Israelites by the men of Ai because of Achan's transgression; the ambush and destruction of Ai; and the renewal of the covenant.Despite the Israelites' fierce military reputation, their first few battles show them to be actually quite

Juliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02605546292851678763noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34902511.post-17294686426798831362008-02-07T08:20:00.001-05:002008-02-07T08:20:35.196-05:00

In Josh. 3-4, the Israelites again cross a river and walk on dry land. Just as with the Red Sea back in Exodus, God causes the waters of the flooding Jordan River to part so that the Israelites can cross in safety (and dryness). This time, just as an added reminder, Joshua has twelve men each take a stone from the middle of the river and place them at Gilgal, where they camped. That way, when

Juliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02605546292851678763noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34902511.post-48159744771497587912008-02-06T12:09:00.001-05:002008-02-06T12:09:43.906-05:00

When God gives Joshua his first commands for leading the Israelites, he repeats several times, "be strong and courageous." (Josh. 1:6, 1:7, 1:9) When Joshua insists the Reubenites, Gadites, and Manassehites fight west of the Jordan, they too repeat the phrase, "be strong and courageous." (Josh. 1:18) You have to wonder what sort of temperament Joshua had beforehand, if he needs this many

Juliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02605546292851678763noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34902511.post-70969176752676847562008-02-05T08:59:00.000-05:002008-02-05T09:00:03.232-05:00

Today's reading is Joshua 1-4 (read it in the KJV or NIV)Today's passage covers God's initial commands to Joshua; the two spies in Jericho and their encounter with Rahab; and the crossing of the Jordan River.As the book of Joshua begins, the Israelites are on a war path. Moses is dead, along with the rest of the Israelites who left Egypt. Instead, we have a new, bold nation, headed by 40,000

Juliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02605546292851678763noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34902511.post-22296576487309483322007-09-26T08:41:00.001-04:002007-09-26T08:41:22.441-04:00

Deuteronomy, much like the other books we have looked at so far (except, perhaps, Genesis) is a hodge-podge book. Though it is almost entirely recounted in Moses' voice, its contents are many and varied. The book contains a summary of the Israelites' wanderings to date, a preview of their conquest of Canaan, a recap of various important laws, and snippets of poetry.But, if I had to choose a

Juliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02605546292851678763noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34902511.post-62218775438791957692007-09-25T10:53:00.001-04:002007-09-25T10:53:13.543-04:00

Deut. 34:10-12 makes a point of saying that there was never again another prophet like Moses, "whom the LORD knew face to face." While earlier generations did seem to see God face to face, by Moses' time this was exceedingly rare. It seems that after his death, it was completely unknown. Later prophets received God's words in visions and dreams, but only Moses spoke face-to-face with God.

Juliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02605546292851678763noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34902511.post-63340241070841235422007-09-24T14:25:00.001-04:002007-09-24T14:25:26.910-04:00

In the last chapter of Deuteronomy, Deut. 34, Moses dies and is buried in Moab. The only problem: no one today knows where his grave lies, other than "over against Bethpeor." (Deut. 34:6) There is, in fact, a highly practical reason that no one knows the site of Moses' grave: it must not be allowed to become a place of worship. In Christianity, the graves of martyrs for the faith (ie: saints)

Juliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02605546292851678763noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34902511.post-45781669728232333032007-09-23T15:07:00.001-04:002007-09-23T15:07:54.236-04:00

Today's reading is Deuteronomy 32-34 (read it in the KJV or NIV)Today's passage covers the Song of Moses, Moses' blessings of the tribes, and Moses' death.The "Song of Moses," which God commands in Deut. 31 and is actually written out in Deut. 32, is among the most beautiful passages of the Bible to date. The themes in the song are nothing new; in fact, they seem positively worn-out by this

Juliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02605546292851678763noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34902511.post-30402047813028163892007-09-22T10:21:00.001-04:002007-09-22T10:21:33.370-04:00

Today, Jews read the first five books of the Torah every year, a few chapters at the time. But if Moses had his way, we'd be reading the whole thing, cover-to-cover, in a one-week sitting every seven years. In Deut. 31:9-13, Moses tells the priests that every seven years, during the Feast of Tabernacles (today known as Sukkot), they were to read the law in its entirety to all the people, so

Juliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02605546292851678763noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34902511.post-75635445675935851992007-09-21T10:03:00.001-04:002007-09-21T10:03:34.494-04:00

Deut. 31:2 informs us that Moses is 120 years old as he hands the reins over to Joshua and prepares to be taken up by God. In other words, he was nearly 80 years old when he led the Israelites out of Egypt and began their wanderings in the desert. In that perspective, what Moses did was absolutely remarkable: in his old age, he led a force of 600,000 fighting men, plus women and children, for

Juliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02605546292851678763noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34902511.post-61907909849570139862007-09-20T16:01:00.001-04:002007-09-20T16:01:48.493-04:00

Today's reading is Deuteronomy 30-31 (read it in the KJV or NIV)Today's passage covers a promise to return the Israelites to their homeland if they repent; the offer of life or death; preparations for Joshua to succeed Moses; instructions for reading the law; a prediction of Israel's rebellion; and the prologue to the Song of Moses.In today's readings we have one of the most poetic, moving

Juliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02605546292851678763noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34902511.post-68617786999486946332007-09-16T16:25:00.002-04:002007-09-16T16:26:06.696-04:00

Deut. 29:29 reads, in the KJV: "The secret things belong unto the LORD our God: but those things which are revealed belong unto us and to our children for ever, that we may do all the words of this law." Could this be justification for the saying, "God works in mysterious ways?" After all, if we knew the secret things that only God knows, we might more fully understand his decisions. With

Juliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02605546292851678763noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34902511.post-24368384339848849732007-09-16T16:25:00.001-04:002007-09-16T16:25:53.976-04:00

Deut. 29:10-11 reminds us that it is not only the heads of households, but everyone who must follow God's law. The text notes that captains, elders, officers, men, children, women, strangers, and menial labourers must all obey the covenant. Whereas in some other ancient Mediterranean religions, it was only the household heads who performed rituals to the gods, in the Hebrews' religion, everyone

Juliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02605546292851678763noreply@blogger.com0