Psalm 46

Ah, the power and majesty of God! This was the inspiration for Martin Luther's classic hymn, "A Mighty Fortress Is our God" and it inspired Luther through the dark days of the Reformation. It is the musical telling of Satan not being able to overthrow the Church. God and His power would not allow it. God alone is our refuge. He is the stronghold which protects us and He is the source of inner strength as well. God prevents harm from us, and when He allows it, He is the One to see us through it.

While the first stanza stresses God as our refuge, at verse 4 we see the picture of Jerusalem under attack, yet the supply of fresh water (the river whose streams make glad the city of God) flows in toward the Temple (the holy place). Even in time of calamity, God is providing what is needed.

Boice agrees with most that this psalm was written about Sennacherib's assault on Jerusalem during the reign of King Hezekiah. Yet the situation really matters not, especially in the third stanza where we see that God will have His way on the earth, despite the wars of man. He will not negotiate peace, He will proclaim it as a conquerer.

The call to "be still, and know that I am God" is really not a call for us to contemplate who God is and wait for Him to act. Instead it calls us to accept what God has already proclaimed. Be still. Shut up. He is God. I am not.

The chorus of verses 7 and 11 emphasize that God is the Lord Almighty. It is He who is the power. We also see that God is the God of Jacob -- the deceiver who took his whole life to finally trust in God fully. He is our God as well.

Genesis 32-35

Jacob now departs as well, headed for a meeting with Esau. Jacob is scared to death of the brother he had cheated and prepares to "soften him up" a bit with a stream of gifts. Interesting that in his prayer of 32:11-12, Jacob feared for not only himself, but for the mothers and children also. Yet Jacob remembers the promise God made to him. in 32:10, he remembers how much more he has than the last time he made this trip, some twenty years earlier.

The night before the big meeting, Jacob wrestles with "a man" who is later known to be God. Jacob wants to know the wrestler's name -- it is to be a hollow victory for Jacob if he could find out his opponent's name. Instead, Jacob receives a new name, Israel. Instead of being "the deceiver", he is to be known as the one who "wrestles with God". It is interesting how the narrator uses this new name sparingly for Jacob. After all, his old instincts as a deceiver continue to play out in his life.

Jacob now has a limp because of a damaged hip tendon. I wonder the significance of God doing this. The Jews saw something almost deserving of respect for this tendon in other animals as well... another weird reaction.

By chapter 33, Jacob sees Esau coming, so he divided up the family into groups with the most expendible put in the most vulnerable position. The concubines and their children were placed first. Leah and her children were behind them, then Rachel and Joseph (Jacob's greatest treasures) as far away from harm as possible. But the preparations prove unnecessary as Esau comes in friendship, accepting Jacob's gifts only at his brother's insistence.

Jacob still is deceiving Esau as he sends him back home, promising to come. Instead Jacob travels to Succoth instead of to Seir. Eventually he settles near Shechem, where he buys a plot of ground.

The story of Dinah in chapter 34 is ugly no matter how you look at it. When Shechem violates Dinah, it is considered tanamount to rape by her brothers. The Bible is silent on Dinah's willingness in all of this, but that could be nothing. In any case, Shechem falls in love with the woman he has violated and now has his father try to broker a deal for her. The brothers take after Dad and trick the men of Shechem (the city) to be circumcised. While they are still sore from the procedure, Dinah's brothers exact their revenge by killing all the men in the town and plundering all that is left. Soon, God tells Jacob to go back to Bethel, and the family left for that place. According to 35:5, God prevented anyone from the surrounding towns to go after Jacob's family because of the whole affair with Dinah and Shechem.

Jacob's response to the brother's revenge is odd. His fear is for himself and his household, not for the honor of his daughter. His sons obviously disagree with Jacob's sentiments.

God appeared to Jacob again at Bethel in 35:9-12. He again pronounces the name change from Jacob to Israel and speaks the promise which was given to Abraham.

The death of Rachel in 35:19 also marked the birth of Jacob's last son. The boy Rachel had called Ben-Oni, meaning "son of my trouble", his father renamed Benjamin, or son of my right hand. A marker was set up to mark Rachel's grave on the road to Bethlehem. How horrible it must have been for Jacob to see his beloved die, especially in childbirth. The other women of the promise lived to old age, but Rachel would not.

Jacob is finally called Israel by the narrator in 35:21. Has Rachel's death changed the deceiver?

A strange story of Reuben sleeping with his father's concubine, assumedly either Zilpah or Bilhah, is mentioned in passing at 35:22. Jacob mentions it again at the time of his blessings to the family in 49:4.

Finally Isaac dies at the age of 180 and is buried by both Esau and Jacob. In the passage where Jacob steals his father's blessing, Isaac is portrayed as old and feeble (and indeed blind) at that time. Yet he lives at least another twenty years more -- probably many more years than 20.

Romans

Chapter 1-2

Again, there is a whole host of things to deal with in this passage. However, I'm going to try to keep my observations limited to what really stood out for me this time through. Paul spends some time expressing his desire to visit Rome to preach the Gospel personally. It's amazing that a Christian community could grow and flourish in Rome with Ceasar claiming to be a god and everything. Just flying under the radar, I suppose.

Anyway we see God's wrath against the godlessness and wickedness -- not precisely against those who practice it. Of course it is because they have rejected God and God "let them go" (giving them over to a corrupt heart, a depraved mind and their sinful desires). I hadn't noticed before that there is no specific reference to atheism here. These people have "gods" of one sort of another. Images which look like people or birds or animals are mentioned specifically here, although at one point in Scripture Paul writes about the people whose "god is their stomach" so the idea of living like there is no God exists. Still it seemed that everyone had their own god. It could be argued that today's atheists have a god as well -- themselves.

Here also we have the condemnation of homosexuality which so many try to skip past or twist it's meaning. Perversion is how that "alternate lifestyle" is described. Any attempt to justify homosexuality must deal honestly with this passage.

Beginning with chapter two, Paul tears into people who are hypocritically judging others. They are not practicing what they preach. They overlook their own sins while denouncing the sins of others -- even when the sins are the same. Here we get the discussion of the Law written on our hearts. Conscience. That inner knowledge that what you're doing is wrong. This is where the Bible expressly talks about it, saying that even those who don't have the Law (or haven't heard about Jesus) still know right from wrong. How does this play out in terms of eternal judgment? Will a person who has never heard of Jesus go to heaven? Paul writes that they have a Law unto themselves, or that they are judged by a different standard. To those people who do not have the light of Christ is an inner leading which directs not only their morality, but also points them toward Christ. When a person truly seeks out more light than they have, more light will be given. I'm sure that the landing of missionaries all over the world has been physical answers to prayers of people seeking more light.

Finally Paul addresses the Jews who consider themselves special because of circumcision or their godly ancestor. Their hypocrisy, he writes, disgraces God. I think about all the people who run God's name through the mud because of the ridiculous public sins. Pat Robertson may be a committed Christian, but he really hurts the cause of Christ when he sticks his foot in his mouth
on a weekly basis!

But Paul says that circumcision is a sign that you accept the Law. Yet if you break the Law, cirucumcision means diddly-squat (loose translation). Faith is something inside which shows up on the outside. Thinking of faith as being an act of obedience, whethercircumcision or baptism or church attendance, is wrong. Christianity is based inside of us.

Chapter 3-4

Paul answers what is essetially a stupid question to head up chapter 3. "Should we sin more to show how much better God is than us?" No. We don't need to make God look good or faithful or sinless or forgiving or anything else we try to excuse our own behavior with. God is faithful. We are not. God is righteous. We are not. No one understands. No one seeks Him. And no one will be declared righteous by observing the law, as Paul points out. The law is there to show us that we are sinners in need of a Savior.

That's where Christ comes in. We all sin and fall short, but God presented Christ as our sacrifice of atonement, though faith. That fulfills justice. So we have nothing to brag about in salvation. Our justification has nothing to do with our observation of the law. Jew or Gentile.

Paul's discussion of Abraham being justified by faith is a beautiful description of how we are saved in the same manner as the father of the Israelites.

God calls things that are not as though they were. God's knowledge of the future is being discussed here, over the objection of the open theists.

Chapter 5-6

Romans always "reads better" when you can take a little time and go straight through Paul's argument. One section leans so heavily upon another. His style is familiar. The use of the argument which goes, "If this is so, how much more will there be if this is true also," is extensive, especially in chapter five. "Since we have now been justified by his blook, how much more shall we be saved from God's wrath through him!" If something terrible happens because of man, how much better it can be made with a perfect God. Jesus used the same style in His teachings as well. Much of the Adam/Jesus - Death/Alive passages are based on that rhetorical style.

It's hard not to stop at my favorite passages like 5:3-5 where we learn that suffering produces perseverance, character and hope which does not disappoint.

At 6:19, Paul writes that he's putting "this in human terms because you are weak in your natural selves". I assume that means the examples he's using are geared especially for his audience.

The slavery to sin/slavery to Christ concept is something I don't think most people (myself included) really gets. Maybe because the idea of slavery is so abhorrant to us. We value our "freedom" way too much.

Chapter 7-8

Another important passage, but then there's not a lot of "dead wood" in Romans! Paul begins by explaining our freedom from the law by comparing us to a woman whose marriage vow lasts only until her husband passes away. So too, we are bound to the law only until we die to the law through the body of Christ. Those who claim the need for us to follow Hebrew law miss the point of this passage. The law makes us aware of our sin and drives us to a Savior.

Paul draws a line between slavery to sin and slavery to Christ. Slavery to sin a part of our sinful nature, yet spiritually we are slaves to Christ. Paul's wonderful discussion of "I don't do what I want..." in 7:14-28 gives hope to us! Well, to me anyway. This fight within continues although as Christians we are controlled by the Spirit. Yet the body still retains the sin nature. And we are obligated to the Spirit, not to sin. And although we deserve death, there is no condemnation for us if we are in Christ Jesus.

We are sons and daughters of God. Adoption. Heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ. With the priviledges come the sufferings and we get to share it all. And as serious as the sufferings can be, all the greater are the rewards. One of the rewards is the intercession of the Spirit -- even when we cannot figure out how to pray.

Through it all, God works it all for our good. Somehow. Some way. We are called according to His purpose and we are to be like Him. Were we predestined individually or predestined because we were in Christ or both? Or neither. Who can know the mind of God? In any case, if God is for us, who can be against us? Can anything separate us from Christ's love? Not the physical troubles of 8:35, nor the spiritual of 8:38-39.

Chapter 9-10

What a way to follow up the first eight chapters! Paul discusses the sovereignty of God as it pertains to allowing Gentiles into the Kingdom of God. It is not because of physical decending that places people in the Kingdom, but upon God's choice. Most take this as an individual call, but it can also be read as a "class election" of sorts. God has called those who choose to trust in Christ for salvation. Many Jews chose not to believe and face the consequences. God chooses to uphold justice for all. The cornerstone has become a stumbling stone, and it remains so for so many to this day.

Calling on the name of the Lord is the "ticket" to salvation. It is a head AND heart thing -- Confess with your mouth (action), and believe in your heart (faith) for salvation. That Gospel must be given, not just to the Jews, but to the Gentile world as well.

Chapter 11-12

Romans 11 is an intimidating chapter because it is hard to understand Paul's reasoning. Is he saying that Israel is saved apart from Christ Jesus? Obviously not, based on other Scripture, yet verse 26 says that "all Israel will be saved." It appears that this is not a reference to spiritual Israel, since the context has Paul speaking of a hardening of Israel until the full number of Gentiles has come into the Kingdom. So something is still to be accomplished with Israel -- a mass turning to Jesus?

Paul points out that not all Israel is hardened, since he, for one, is a Christian. There have been other Jewish converts to Christ over the years as well. God hardens who He wants to harden. Yet there appears to be a choice for Jews today, just as there is a choice for Gentiles. And since a Jew has the Old Testament background, as it were, to the faith, re-grafting them into the Kingdom is relatively easy according to Paul.

The doxology of 11:33-36 is breathtaking, frustrating, awe-inspiring and humbling all at the same time.


Romans 12 is a masterpiece of application of Paul's first eleven chapters. Beginning with the first two verses, Paul exhorts the follower of Christ to live out the doctrines preached by the Master. Offering our bodies as living sacrifices is an incredible visual image of what taking up our cross is like. And with God's mercy as the reason, why shouldn't we offer Him everything? Our worship is the offering of our very selves, and when we do so, we won't be made in the image of the world, but we will be transformed. Our minds will be different. We won't think like the world thinks. Why are we so surprised when the world has different priorities than Christians? Why are we shocked when the world rejects and mocks the Church?

Perhaps the reason lies in verse three, where we are told not to think too highly of ourselves. It is far too easy to go from "forgiven" to "superior" in our minds. We can reject the renewal of our minds and try to crawl down in the gutter with the world once again; communicating on their level.

When we are transformed, we seek to serve Him. We look for ways to use the gifts given us. We search for ways to express our love for Christ and for others. And we don't try to live in conflict with others. We seek peace when possible. Evil is overcome with good. How hard that is to practice!

Chapter 13-14

God sets up the governments. We assume the bad ones are included as well as the good ones. However, 13:1-7 is written to almost endorse the governing officials. We must take that principle and apply it even to the bad governments. It's hard to understand God setting up Hitler or Hussein, but He can use all these situations for His own glory.

Our debt to one another is to love one another. This is the fulfillment of the Law. This is how Jesus fulfilled the Law -- by love... perfect love. And now is the time for us to show that love, as the time before we leave this earth is getting closer by the day. So to show love, our behavior should be decent. The list of sins of 13:13 are selfish sins (as most sins are). Sex and booze, fighting and jealousy. That's not how we are to be. That is self-gratification.

Chapter 14 is a plea for the infighting to stop among the Romans. This call for unity (or at least a lack of divisiveness) is rooted in the debateable issues arguments. Chiefly is the issue of food. Some Jews would have insisted on a kosher diet, while others would remember not only Peter's vision, but also the words of Jesus that food doesn't make a person unclean.

Still we are not to flaunt our understanding -- EVEN IF WE ARE CORRECT! That's a tall order for us. Paul teaches that dietary restrictions are not binding, but above all we are not to try to force our understanding upon those who are convinced that we are wrong. Don't goad a man into trying a little ham. The issue of sabbath is mentioned in passing in 14:5.

The key is that whatever we do, we are to do it to the Lord. If we abstain from meat, we are to do it as a sign of our love for God. If we worship on Tuesday, it is to be a sign of our love for God. In 14:22, Paul even tells us to keep our beliefs to ourselves on these subjects! How much does that go against the grain!

Chapter 15-16

Chapter 15 begins with the application of the teaching of bearing with one another's weaknesses. We are to look to build up our neighbor. A nice summary of the purpose of Scripture is given at 15:4. "For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through endurance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope." The Bible is to give us hope. And we are to be unified in this hope. Jew or Gentile. Man or woman. Accepting one another brings praise to God.

Paul recounts his use as minister to the Gentiles beginning with 15:14. Paul has desired to be the trail-blazer, bringing Christ to places where no one has yet heard. Because of that desire, he has not been able to come to Rome. But he hopes to change that by stopping off in Rome on his way to Spain. We know today that Paul never made it to Spain, but that desire is impressive. However, Paul still has a trip back to Jerusalem to make, and trouble will surely find him there. But Paul's love for the people of the Roman church is apparent from this passage in chapter 15, as well as the lengthy list of greetings in chapter 16.

Paul asks for specific prayers that he may be rescued from the unbelievers in Judea and that his service in Jerusalem may be acceptable to the church there. I often think of Paul as a free spirit guided by the Holy Spirit, but Paul was a working part of the Church. He held the elders in Jerusalem with high regard.

Many of the names of chapter 16 are strange to us. Priscilla and Aquila have settled in Rome, though -- reason enough for their old student to want to come see Rome.

Paul's final warning is against devisive people within the church, twisting doctrines and setting up a legalistic system. That temptation to draw attention to onesself by uniquely interpreting the Gospel has not died with the Apostolic age.

Romans 15-16

Chapter 15 begins with the application of the teaching of bearing with one another's weaknesses. We are to look to build up our neighbor. A nice summary of the purpose of Scripture is given at 15:4. "For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through endurance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope." The Bible is to give us hope. And we are to be unified in this hope. Jew or Gentile. Man or woman. Accepting one another brings praise to God.

Paul recounts his use as minister to the Gentiles beginning with 15:14. Paul has desired to be the trail-blazer, bringing Christ to places where no one has yet heard. Because of that desire, he has not been able to come to Rome. But he hopes to change that by stopping off in Rome on his way to Spain. We know today that Paul never made it to Spain, but that desire is impressive. However, Paul still has a trip back to Jerusalem to make, and trouble will surely find him there. But Paul's love for the people of the Roman church is apparent from this passage in chapter 15, as well as the lengthy list of greetings in chapter 16.

Paul asks for specific prayers that he may be rescued from the unbelievers in Judea and that his service in Jerusalem may be acceptable to the church there. I often think of Paul as a free spirit guided by the Holy Spirit, but Paul was a working part of the Church. He held the elders in Jerusalem with high regard.

Many of the names of chapter 16 are strange to us. Priscilla and Aquila have settled in Rome, though -- reason enough for their old student to want to come see Rome.

Paul's final warning is against devisive people within the church, twisting doctrines and setting up a legalistic system. That temptation to draw attention to onesself by uniquely interpreting the Gospel has not died with the Apostolic age.

Psalm 45

A wedding song. How out of place this looks at first glance! Yet the psalm tells the story of Messiah dressed as the bridegroom, coming for His bride. Without that realization, Psalm 45 makes no sense. Even with that realization it is sometimes hard to follow the storyline. It helps to know that the wedding celebration of ancient times began with the groom leaving his own house and parading to his bride's home, bringing her out, then parading back to the groom's home where the weeklong party would take place. Psalm 45 is written almost in play-by-play fashion.

After a verse of introduction, the narrator addresses the groom -- the most excellent of men, blessed by God forever. The description in verse 4 is of one riding "in behalf of truth, humility and righteousness." What a great summary of the Christian life.

The attention turns to the bride in verse 10, with words of advice for her. She is brought out to meet her betrothed for the return trip. The final two verses concern the legacy of the groom -- "the nations will praise you for ever and ever."

No one knows for whom the psalm was written originally. The psalmist certainly didn't understand all the parallels within the text. The adjectives seem to speak of Solomon, with all the mentions of riches and splendor, but we don't know for sure. However the allusions to Christ are much easier to spot from our position on this side of the cross.

Matthew 20-22

Jesus tells a parable at the outset of chapter 20 - The Parable of the Workers in the Vineyard. Even the workers who were still standing around an hour before quitting time were paid for a day's work. Rather hard for us to conceive of a convicted murderer's deathbed confession and repentance allowing him entrance to the same reward I am awaiting, but then again I was one of the first few workers. Who am I to complain? I'm going to heaven! What a great parable for the longtime, crusty family of God member! The first will be last and the last will be first.

In 20:17-19, Jesus clearly lines out what will be happening in the next few weeks. Here, Matthew gives no reaction from the disciples. Likely it was like the other accounts we have -- disbelief and even telling Jesus not to talk like that. It's easy for us to see with 20/20 hindsight, but it's still tough to figure out how the twelve missed this.

Matthew gives us the fullest accounting of the request of James and John for the best seats in heaven. They sent their mother? Why would mom get involved? Was it her idea or did the boys put her up to it? We're not told. Elsewhere we are just told that James and John were asking and we don't hear about the intermediary. It is extremely difficult to overcome pride. In his later days, I'm sure John had to work to keep it down. We love to think of ourselves as important.

Jesus' answer must have sounded confusing to the Zebedee family. The boys had exlaimed their willingness to drink the cup, but Jesus told them that drinking the cup wouldn't put them in the choice thrones. That Someone else was putting out the placecards was odd enough for them.

The other ten were understandably upset with James and John. Finally Jesus has to lecture them about the proper way to "become great." Knowing that it was a completely upside-down teaching for the disciples (and the rest of us) Jesus used Himself as an example -- the ultimate servant. Why we revert back to seeking fame and fortune the world's way instead of Jesus' way is to be blamed on our own reliance upon our sinful nature.

The two beggars near Jericho would not quit yelling for mercy, even when the crowd tried to shut them up. Jesus had compassion on them. He asked them what they wanted Him to do for them. I wonder if they had thought up any other answers to that question.

Palm Sunday arrives at the beginning of chapter 21. The disciples are sent for donkeys and Jesus makes His entrance on the "kingly" donkey's colt. A crowd is in front of Him and another crowd comes behind Him. I've heard so many opinions on what this procession actually looked like. In a huge city like Jerusalem, swollen with people for the Passover, how many would have noticed His entrance? I'm guessing a very small percentage.

He heads for the temple -- not His first trip there, so He knows what happens at the temple -- and cleanses the place, quoting the Psalms as He does. He is not arrested. The only time He encounters the authority figures, they are mad over the shouts of praise from the children! There seems to be no outrage in Matthew's account of the priests and scribes from Jesus' table-flipping activities. After things settle down, and Jesus is through healing those who were there, He goes back to Bethany for the night.

The account of the fig tree seems a bit out of character for Jesus. I've always wondered about this one. Was it Jesus being tired and stressed out? Was there a teaching moment in cursing a tree without fruit? It eventually became an opportunity for Jesus to teach the twelve about the power of prayer and the need for faith. The point is not so we can throw mountains around or kill off fig trees. Instead we are to do greater works -- change hearts. Anything we ask in prayer must be in line with God's will to be answered. If we are asking for something God doesn't want, it will not happen. Jesus is not giving us carte blanche to do anything, but to line up our own will with His.

The questioning begins anew in 21:23 with Jesus coming back to the temple courts. The first trick question Jesus deflects with a typical rhetorical construct of the day. "I'll answer your question if you answer mine." To the chief priests, Jesus' question was a bit trickier than theirs. The priests feared the people above all. They could not afford an uprising, especially at Passover. Common thought among the people about John the Baptist was that he was a prophet, yet the priests rejected him. That put the whole subject of John the Baptist on the dangerous list. Jesus pushed the issue and the priests backed down.

Then Jesus goes further. The Parable of the Two Sons is aimed at those who reject Jesus and the Parable of the Tenants is even more pointed. The lesson of the fruit tree is repeated here, this time pertaining to the establishment religiosity -- the chief priests and Pharisees. They knew it and conspired to find a time for an arrest, but they had to beware the people.

The parables continue into chapter 22. "For many are invited, but few are chosen." Same idea.

The Pharisees and Saducees play tag-team offering trick questions designed to turn the crowd against Jesus. The logical place to begin is something the people hold as a hot-button issue - paying taxes to Rome. Then the Sadducees pose a question to try to show the correctness of their position (saying there is no resurrection) and the ridiculousness of other teachings. Jesus isn't confused, but turns the conversation and accusation back on the Sadducees. "You don't know the Scriptures or the power of God." That claim is true for many people today as well.

The Pharisees try again and Jesus fires back with the Greatest Commandment, with which the Pharisees cannot logically argue. Jesus wraps up the entire Old Testament application into three verses. Finally he tweaks the Pharisees by showing from the Psalter about who the Son of David really was supposed to be.

And from that day on, no one dared to ask Him any more questions.

Indeed.

Psalm 44

Now here we have an honest psalm which should resonate with most everyone. Boice compares it to Romans 8, but I kept thinking about Job as I read it. Here we have a time when it seems like God is sleeping, or not paying any attention. Of course we know that's not true, but we naturally wonder when all seems to be going wrong.

The psalm begins with a recounting of all that God has done for Israel. The first three verses detail the victories of long ago, followed by the recent victories. The psalmist gives God full credit for these victories. Israel knows that it wasn't their own power which allowed them to conquer everyone from the Egyptian captors to the native Canaanites.

But by verse 9, we see a problem. The battles are not going Israel's way. They are being defeated. They are retreating. Other nations are mocking them and their God. And at verse 17 we see that this isn't the typical Israelite defeat. We're so used to God giving them the victory if they are obedient and defeating them when they turn away (which happens quite often). But here the psalmist claims they haven't turned away. And at verse 21 he claims that if they had deserted God, that God would have discovered it -- not just that God would know, but that He would have informed the Israelites in no uncertain terms.

"Awake, O Lord!" is the psalmist's call of verse 23. It seems like God nodded off and in the meantime, Israel was being defeated. It wasn't making sense. It makes no more sense to us today when "bad things happen to good (or God's) people." It would be easy for us if the good always prospered and the evil always failed. But that's not God's way. He rewards the good in ways that we don't always see. Maybe that we don't often see -- especially when viewed from the outside.

The psalm doesn't really provide an answer for what is going on in Israel. That's probably because the psalmist doesn't know what is happening. The situation remains terribly confusing. But the final verse gives us our way through the pain and difficulties. "Redeem us because of Your unfailing love." God's love for us doesn't ever end. He has not forgotten. As Longfellow put it in I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day, "God is not dead, nor doth He sleep." His love goes on forever. And that is where our hope lies.

Psalm 42-43

It is hard to separate these two psalms, as they have the same theme and seem to share the same musical chorus. The refrain is found in 42:5, 42:11 and again at 43:5.

"Why are you downcast, O my soul?
Why so disturbed within me?
Put your hope in God,
for I will yet praise him,
my Savior and my God."

The theme is one of overcoming depression, or at least a time of being downcast.

At the outset, the psalmist, one of the Sons of Korah, is in need of feeling God's presence. The historical background could have been the exile, but that really isn't the important part. The psalmist is feeling separated from God -- an experience which most of us feel at one time or another. He needs God like a thirsty deer pants for water. The illustration is one of extreme need. It has caused a severe depression for the psalmist, remembering how things used
to be but cannot be now.

After the first chorus, the psalmist realizes that with a depressed soul, he should remember God. Certainly God has not left him. Yet by 42:9, the feelings of abandonment have returned. It has even caused physical pain. Then he sings the familiar refrain.

Psalm 43 begins with a prayer to God for rescue. He recaps his feelings, but at the same time asks for guidance and hope. Before the final chorus, the psalmist has resolved to go to God and to praise Him.

Is this an example of a man working his way out of spiritual depression? Possibly, but it may also simply be a roadmap for others trying to cope with such feelings.

Isaiah 40-44

Finally, another familiar chapter of Isaiah as we come to chapter 40. And what a chpater it is! Comfort is coming for Israel in the person of Jesus Christ, but first comes the one preparing the way. Israel has paid for her sins -- double in fact. Now the herald is calling out that the deliverer is coming. Even though man is just a temporary life on earth, God's word doesn't die. It doesn't fade. Now is the time to see the Lord coming in power.

We go from the power of God in 40:10 to the tender, caring shepherd in 40:11, then into a description of the incredible God beginning again in 40:12. This passage is reminiscent of God's speech at the end of the book of Job. The nations are but nothing. Idols are a waste of gold and wood. God is beyond anything else imagined. His holiness is called to mind in 40:16, His majesty in 40:22, His power in 40:23-24. There is no one like our God.

Not only is He powerful, but He is our hope. Our strength is renewed in Him. So many people use 40:31 as their life verse, urging a constant faith and hope in the One who strengthens us.

At chpater 41 we see the power of God intimidating the idol worshipers of the islands. Although they encourage one another, the fight is in vain. God has come for His Israel. Poigniant is 41:10, "So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand." This is the God who was
King David's strength and shield. This is the God who takes up Israel's cause.

The image of God creating water and shade in the desert for a hot and thirsty people dominates 41:17-20. The God who provides.

Next is a taunting of false gods in 41;21-24. The God who judges justly.

The Suffering Servant makes His entrance in chapter 42. He is not a conquering hero, but a quiet judge. He will destroy those who trust in idols, but will uplift those who call on Him. God has sent tragedy upon Israel for their sins were great. But in chapter 43 redemption comes and Israel is gathered together once again.

At 43:10b we have a statement of God's uniqueness, "Before me no god was formed, nor will there be one after me, I even I, am the Lord, and apart from me there is no savior." It is all plain to see.

Even as Israel is being gathered, we see the nature of God's mercy. He is a forgiving God, remembering sins no more. Israel did not earn mercy -- indeed one cannot earn mercy -- for the people have been sinful and unfaithful since day one.

Again in 44:6b we see that there is but one God and no other. This is a common theme throughout this section of Isaiah. We shall see more in coming chapters. Also in 44:8 we have another instance. The prophecy then turns to a discourse about the foolishness of idols. This has always seemed like the obvious argument to me -- you use half the wood for a fire and the other half you worship? Foolish. God is redeeming Israel and as chapter 44 is closing we see that Jerusalem will spring back to life as well as the Temple of the Lord.

Psalm 41

David is again sick. It's a familiar theme in the past few psalms. So is his confidence that God will deliver him. In this psalm, he makes the case for mercy -- not because David thinks he deserves mercy (by definition, mercy is undeserved), but he asks for mercy anyway.

He begins by expanding upon what Jesus would later encapsulate into one of the Beatitudes. Blessed are those who show mercy, for they will be shown mercy. David knows that he has lived a life showing mercy to others. I think of the many times he could have killed King Saul who was pursuing him, but showed mercy instead. David has lived that kind of life. Still his call for mercy is not because he feels God owes him. He simply is asking for mercy.

David lays out his situation. Not only is his horribly sick, but people are waiting for, and hoping for his death. This "vile disease" (v. 8) is something which sickens both his body and his spirit. Yet his confidence remains. His close friend has deserted him. Friends come to call and go through all the niceties, but they leave spreading gossip of David's upcoming demise.

David's call to "repay them" in verse 10 should be seen as a king guarding the kingdom from traitors, rebels and revolutionaries rather than a simple revenge for treating David badly.

Once again, David has admitted that he is a sinner, but this sickness is not seen as divine punishment. It is simply something which the Lord will see him through.

It is God who upholds David in his integrity. If I want to live a life of integrity, I cannot do it alone. I need God's strength to life that kind of life. David admits this freely.

This psalm, and the first book of the Psalms, ends with an outburst of praise to God. Amen and Amen.

Judges 12-16

One final episode with Jephthah begins chapter 12. The men of Ephraim became insulted that they weren't called into the fight with the Ammonites. For some reason they took great offense and threatened to burn down Jephthah's house with him in it. Jephthah claimed that he had called on Ephraim, but that they had ignored the call. The men of Gideon are called out to go to war against Ephraim. They surround Ephraim. Those who tried to escape were tested. For some reason, Ephraimites couldn't say "Sibboleth". We are not told if God orchestrated this test or if it was a matter of a regional accent. In any case Ephraim paid dearly for attacking Jephthah -- 42,000 Eprhaimites were killed.

After Jephthah came Ibzan with 30 sons with foreign wives and 30 daughters with foreign husbands (outside his own clan, that is). He led Israel for seven years. Next up was Elon's ten year reign. Then came Abdon for eight years. The text gives an interesting picture of Abdon's 40 sons and 30 grandsons who rode on 70 donkeys! When Jesus rode into Jerusalem on a donkey's colt, it was seen as a sign of a king. Still it doesn't seem too impressive a sight to see the leader and his 70 offspring riding donkeys!

At chapter 13's beginning, Abdon is gone and Israel has left God again. So they have been taken over by the Philistines for 40 years. Enter Manoah and his unnamed wife from Zorah of the Danites. His wife was sterile, but is promised a son by the angel of the Lord. He is to be a Nazirite -- set apart to God, with a set of rules to live by. When the wife tells Manoah about the angel of the Lord's visit, he prays to learn how to raise the boy. God had to be pleased with such a prayer.

The wife gets another visit and she calls Manoah in also. The Angel gives the requested instructions, although He doesn't mention anything about the boy's hair in the recorded text. Manoah wants the Angel's name, still unaware of the identity of their visitor. The sacrifice is offered in front of the Angel, and the Angel ascends to heaven in its flames. Manoah finally figures out who had been sitting with he and his wife! His reaction, like so many others, is fear of dying. His wife pointed out that they would be dead already if that were so.

The story of Samson itself is odd (as is much of Judges). God is apparently using Samson to torment the occupying Philistines, and Samson is not only gifted in strength, but also has the presence of the Holy Spirit at most times. However, he still seems to be acting out of pure selfishness. God is using this flaw in Samson to accomplish His purposes.

Samson's bride is picked from among the Philistines over his parents' objections. Still the marriage is made. The story of the lion, its carcass and the honey is interesting in that there is so much detail given which seems unnecessary to us. Certainly this was written by someone living within a different culture, but we would normally miss that Samson gave the honey to his parents without telling them he retrieved it from a carcass. That was unclean, and giving it to his parents made them ceremonially unclean. Things like that seem so out of place in this book.

Samson makes a bet, sure that he will win, by posing a riddle to his companions about the honey and the lion's carcass. Four days into the bet, the men go to Samson's bride to get her to get the answer. They threaten her father's household and his property if she refuses to help. So she starts to whine to Samson, "You don't really love me..." and such to try to wheedle the answer from him. Samson's interesting answer to her is that since he hasn't told his own parents the answer, he certainly isn't going to share it with her! He has put his wife "in her place" so to speak. Finally on the last day Samson gives in and tells her. She tells the men and they solve the riddle. Samson knows exactly what has happened, so he went to town, killed 30 men and took their possessions and gave them to the men as payment of the bet. Then he stormed back to his father's house. In the meantime, the father of the bride gives Samson's wife to his best man from the wedding.

When Samson goes to visit his wife again, he finds that she has been given to "his friend" and is offered his wife's sister instead. Samson instead wants revenge (as usual) and burns most everything which can be burned by starting fires with torches tied to foxes' tails. Nobody could invent this stuff!

The Philistines want re-revenge so they try to capture Samson from the men of Judah, who know where Samson is. Samson agrees to go with them, bound. Yet when the Philistine see Samson, they run at him, Samson breaks the ropes easily then picks up a donkey skull which is conveniently lying around and uses it to kill 1000 Philistines. He even sings a little song about it afterward. He is worn out and pathetically calls out to God for water, which is provided for him.

When we hit chapter 16, we find the Philistines still after Samson, almost catching him as he sleeps with a prostitute in Gaza. Still Samson gets away early, tears down the city gates and carries them to a hill outside of town. The Philistines were terribly intimidated by this man they couldn't figure out how to outsmart, and that they couldn't overpower.

Enter Delilah. Samson's weakness for manipulating women gets him in trouble again. His weakness for nagging shows up again as well. The Philistines need to find some way to neutralize Samson's strength, so they enlist Delilah to get at the truth. Delilah sounds much like Samson's wife from chapter 14 as she asks for Samson's secret. He gives her three wild goose chases, apparently hoping she'll tire of asking. Her accomplices who had been trying to overpower
the strong man had apparently given up, as Delilah had to reassure them that the fourth time was the charm.

One would think that Samson would have seen this coming after three attacks. He figured out what had happened with the riddle easily enough. Still he indulged Delilah. Why? Selfishness?

This is the first we see a mention of the reason for Samson's strength when he "tells her everything" in 16:17. Interesting that Samson wore his hair in seven braids. Seven is one of those "biblical numbers" so I wonder about the significance of the number. In any case, the braids are shaved and Samson is captured. His eyes are gouged out and he is shackled with the strongest stuff available -- bronze shackles. The proud warrior is made into an entertainer, to amuse the leaders of the Philistines.

At the last banquet, Samson delivers a show for the enemy. One wonders what kind of a performance he would put on if he was still thought to have lost his strength. Still the show brings the house down (pun intended). He loses his life in what Samson called an act of revenge on the Philistines for the loss of his eyes.

In all the dedication to the Lord and in all the ways that the Holy Spirit came upon him in power, Samson sure had precious little to say about God. His prayers were selfish in nature. His actions were the same. He appears as a spoiled brat -- an athlete who was never told "no". And he was the leader of Israel for 20 years. Of course, who was going to defeat him or tell him "no"?

Psalm 40

From out of the slimy pit, David has been pulled by God. In a psalm foreshadowing Jeremiah's experience in a muddy cistern, David recalls his rescue by the Lord from a situation so deep he didn't think he would ever get out of. We don't know what situation that was, but there are many times when we find ourselves in a slimy pit where we don't think we'll ever emerge. Sometimes it's because of our own sins and bad habits. Sometimes it's the pit of depression. At other times it's a series of circumstances, not of our own doing, which have us seemingly trapped. But David's testimony is that God has pulled him out of this mucky pit and placed him on solid ground.

Beginning in verse 4, David expands upon the life of one who trusts in the Lord. We are to trust in Him, not to the proud and worldly. We can see what He has done and knowing that He does not change, we can expect more of the same. He opens our ears (as v. 6) and allows us not only to hear with our ears, but also with our heart. As such, our lives and our speech should conform. At verse 9, we see that the words God has put in our hearts should not be covered up or denied. What a testimony to proclaim to the world!

Yet as we hit verse 11, we see that even though David is out of the pit, the troubles are not gone forever. Neither is David's sinfulness. Still David is unashamed to call on the Lord to vindicate him and bring glory to Himself.

In spite of our poor and needy circumstances, we are always in the sight of God who is our help and our deliverer.

Genesis 28-31

We resume Jacob's story as he is sent off to find a wife by his parents, although Rebekah's reason to send Jacob away is to save his life from his brother, Esau. Jacob is sent back to Laban, his uncle, to find a wife from his daughters. Of course Jacob winds up with two of Laban's daughters, but that comes later. Even Esau buys the story of looking for a "family" wife, as he takes another -- this one from the family of his relative Ishmael. On the tip to Paddan Aram, Jacob stops for the night and is given a vision of a staircase or ladder reaching from earth to heaven with angels ascending and descending on it. Then above it was the Lord, who affirmed the covenant with Abraham and designated it to Jacob, promising him to watch over him and bring him back to the land he is to inherit. Jacob thinks this is the gate of heaven itself and calls it Bethel -- house of God. He vows to make God his God since he has been promised safety and care. He also promises a tithe, although I have no idea how he is planning to offer this tithe to God.

When Jacob finally arrives in chapter 29, he is immediately taken with Rachel. Laban comes out to greet Jacob and welcomes him. After a month, Laban tells Jacob to stop working for free and to name his wages. Jacob then asks for Rachel in exchange for seven years' work. It seems like Laban is taking advantage of Jacob at this point, and probably is. He gets seven years worth of labor for his daughter. Meanwhile at the wedding feast, Daddy Laban pulls the old switcheroo and instead sneaks in the daughter with the "weak eyes" without Jacob's knowledge. How it was that Jacob didn't figure out it was the wrong sister until after a honeymoon night with her is mysterious. However there was some poetic justice in that Jacob was deceived just as Jacob had deceived his own father. Jacob could only be partly outraged. He had reaped as he had sown.

Leah was put in a no-win situation. She was immediately the unwanted wife. She was likely put up to it by her father. Had she not done so, she would have been shamed in Paddan Aram and wound up an old maid. But she was now married to a man who would take good care of her. And she had children -- six boys and a girl. However in the naming of the boys, Leah reveals that she is still seeking her husband's favor, which she never really gets.

A week after the first wedding comes the second and Jacob finally has his Rachel. The first seven years worked to get her seemed like only a few days. In 29:30 we are explicitly told that Jacob loved Rachel more than Leah. From his actions throughout his lifetime, it is obvious that Rachel is the ONE for him.

The fight over the children in chapter 30 seems so bizarre to a monogamous man like myself. Bartering for who gets to sleep with the husband is strange. So is the practice of giving a woman's maidservant to be her husband's concubine. In today's culture, that's almost instant divorce! But this is a blended family. Four birth mothers, two wives who are sisters to one another, two servants who have slept with the master, and children everywhere. Only Dinah is mentioned, but it seems that there are some unmentioned daughters in the household as well.
Eleven of the sons are there with only Benjamin yet to come as Rachel dies in childbirth in chapter 35.

After Jacob's fourteen years of service to Laban are up, Laban manipulates him into staying in Paddan Aram, as Laban has gotten richer with God blessing Jacob's efforts. So Jacob outfoxes the fox and through some mystery of animal breeding, builds his own flocks while Laban's power is diminished. Jacob found (or is told) a way to insure that flocks would have streaked, speckled or spotted offspring by using tree branches cut in a certain way. The stronger animals he would
breed to produce offspring for himself and the weaker animals would be bred to produce offspring for Laban. Jacob became rich and powerful and Laban and his servants were resentful.

In 31:3, God tells Jacob to get back home, so Jacob calls the wives to the fields and explains the situation. Here we see that Laban has been trying to get the best of the deal for years, but only Jacob knows the secrets. This is payback for Laban's dirty dealing. The more he tries to manipulate, the more he fails.

Jacob and family and their entourage while Laban is off shearing sheep. Rachel also, for some unknown reason, steals a "household idol" from her father. By the time Laban gets back home, Jacob and company have been gone for three days. Laban goes off in pursuit for seven days until he catches up to Jacob. But on the night before he met with the family, Laban was given a dream telling him to behave himself, essentially.

At the meeting, Laban pleaded for the folks to return. He complained that they sneaked off without notice and didn't allow him to kiss the kids or have a big sendoff party. Certainly Laban was lying about his intentions, as he would have never willingly let anybody get away. He had tried hard to get his sister, Rebekah, to not go with Isaac. In 31:29, Laban says that he has the power to harm Jacob but is only holding off because of his dream from God. But there is one thing Laban thinks he can be indignant about -- his missing "god". Jacob is sure no one stole it, not knowing that his beloved had done it -- and swears to kill anyone who took it.

Laban searches everywhere. Everywhere except the camel's saddle which Rachel was sitting on. Rachel had hidden the idol there and claimed not to be able to get up to let Laban search because she was on her period! It actually worked!

Now Jacob is tired of Laban's excuses and recounts all the injustices he has suffered at the hands of Laban. Laban still doesn't get it, calling the wives, the children and the flocks belonging to Jacob as "mine" in 31:43. However, he does get the fact that he is without any power and offers to draw up a covenant to keep the two families from hostilities. Jacob's oath is in the name of the
Fear (capitalized) of his father Isaac. Back in 31:42, Jacob referred to "the God of Abraham and the Fear of Isaac" as well. I need to do a word study on the Fear of Isaac.

The two families depart in peace concluding chapter 31.

Psalm 39

David begins here by telling about his need to get something off his chest -- his own despair of a short life. He has tried to keep quiet about it around those who are God's enemies, but at last he must speak. When he bares his heart beginning in verse 4, he contemplates the brevity of life. "Each man's life is but a breath."

So what does a person do, realizing that he is only granted a little bit of time to walk the earth? His daily tasks are so meaningless in the grand scheme of things. What does one look for? David answers in verse 7, "My hope is in you." Is there a better summary?

He calls upon God to cleanse him, to take away the guilt and suffering for his sins. God is David's only hope.

The psalm's final verse is reminiscent of Job's cries, "Look away from me, that I may rejoice again before I depart and am no more." David, as Job did before him, wants God to take away the burden of punishment from him so he can have a little peace before he dies. David is sure this is the end for him, although it's just a feeling. The thought is that he cannot bear any more
suffering.

Job 15-20

Eliphaz steps back to the plate to begin chapter 15. He again accuses Job of sin, in fact accusing him of admitting it. Eliphaz is repeating the wisdom of old, and claims that the elders agree with him. Indeed the Temanite is truly repeating the things he was taught growing up. However, he doesn't stop to consider whether or not they are true. He seems to confuse Job's plea of righteousness with the righteousness of God. While Job only confesses that he is not guilty of enough to warrant this punishment, Eliphaz assumes that Job is claiming to be perfect.

Eliphaz paints an interesting picture of the evil man who is constantly tormented by God and by all kinds of suffering. While it is true that everything for the evil man is not as well as he lets on, even the evil man is usually unaware of any torment going on until disaster actually does strike. He is not haunted by horrible sounds in his ears, as Eliphaz would have us think.

Job retorts in chapter 16, "Will your long-winded speeches never end?" I begin to wonder the same thing, realizing that we're not halfway through this book yet! But Job has tired of the argument. Even if he wins the argument, he is still in misery. He goes into detail how God is attacking him at every turn. Then in 16:19 Job cries,

"Even now my witness is in heaven; my advocate is on high, My intercessor is my friend as my eyes pout out tears to God; on behalf of a man he pleads with God as a man pleads for his friend."

In chapter 18, Bildad resumes the conversation. He also calls for an end to the long speeches, of which Job keeps lapsing into. Mostly it's because Job is not listening to (or agreeing with) their long-winded speeches! But again Job's condition is compared to the fabled condition of evil people of old. Since they were evil and suffered such a fate, then Job must also be evil.

At the start of Job's reply in 19:5-6, he continues a hypothetical that if the three friends were actually better than Job, then God has indeed wronged Job. It's an odd argument, which almost looks like Job is accusing God of wrongdoing (which we know isn't the case from God's speech at the end). He continues his lament of his condition detailing everything down to his bad breath in 19:17. It is interesting that intimate friends and family would turn away from a man
in such a desperate condition.

Finally, Job declares again of his Redeemer and that He will eventually triumph over all the earth. Job is looking forward to the time when he will see God face to face, assumedly to ask for an explanation of why this has happened to him.

When Zophar speaks again, he regurgitates (pun intended) the same tale of the evil eating up the property of others, but God not letting him enjoy if before making him vomit it back again. It's a different twist to the same argument each friend has been trying to make. They are making Job seem like an incredibly evil person, which just brings Job all the more further down in spirit.

Psalm 38

Here we see a terribly sick David calling out for help to God. It sounds like Psalm 6 -- in fact the beginning sounds exactly like Psalm 6. Boice speculates that the two were written near the same time with Psalm 38 coming first because the end sees David continuing to wait while Psalm 6 ends with the assurance that God has heard his prayer.

The poem itself begins with a three-verse prayer, asking God not to punish out of anger, although God has every right to do so. We see admissions of guilt in verses 4 and 5, and it seems that God has pointed this out to David as the cause of his sickness. "My sinful folly," are David's words and those words ring true in many sinful situations in my own life. David describes his illness at length and turns a short prayer of petition toward heaven again in verse 9 before returning to the description of his physical state.

His is rejected by friends and enemies alike in this debilitated state, and lonliness kicks in. Another quick prayer at verse 15 emphasizes the theme: waiting upon the Lord. Boice speculates that Psalm 38 is placed after Psalm 37 because of the theme of waiting. The psalmist who tells us to wait in 37 is actually having to do the waiting in 38.

David again confesses his sin in verse 18 and concludes by asking for mercy. Certainly David knows he deserves any punishment which God wants to give. Still he asks for mercy.

Romans 13-14

God sets up the governments. We assume the bad ones are included as well as the good ones. However, 13:1-7 is written to almost endorse the governing officials. We must take that principle and apply it even to the bad governments. It's hard to understand God setting up Hitler or Hussein, but He can use all these situations for His own glory.

Our debt to one another is to love one another. This is the fulfillment of the Law. This is how Jesus fulfilled the Law -- by love... perfect love. And now is the time for us to show that love, as the time before we leave this earth is getting closer by the day. So to show love, our behavior should be decent. The list of sins of 13:13 are selfish sins (as most sins are). Sex and booze, fighting and jealousy. That's not how we are to be. That is self-gratification.

Chapter 14 is a plea for the infighting to stop among the Romans. This call for unity (or at least a lack of divisiveness) is rooted in the debateable issues arguments. Chiefly is the issue of food. Some Jews would have insisted on a kosher diet, while others would remember not only Peter's vision, but also the words of Jesus that food doesn't make a person unclean.

Still we are not to flaunt our understanding -- EVEN IF WE ARE CORRECT! That's a tall order for us. Paul teaches that dietary restrictions are not binding, but above all we are not to try to force our understanding upon those who are convinced that we are wrong. Don't goad a man into trying a little ham. The issue of sabbath is mentioned in passing in 14:5.

The key is that whatever we do, we are to do it to the Lord. If we abstain from meat, we are to do it as a sign of our love for God. If we worship on Tuesday, it is to be a sign of our love for God. In 14:22, Paul even tells us to keep our beliefs to ourselves on these subjects! How much does that go against the grain!

Matthew 17-19

Matthew's account of the Transfiguration includes another time when men heard God's voice from heaven. The voice terrified them here, as opposed to no real reaction being given at Jesus' baptism. I love the line in 17:8 that when they looked up, they saw no one but Jesus. Wouldn't that be so much easier if all we saw was Jesus? Instead we keep looking in the mirror, trying to satisfy that person.

The epileptic boy's demon could not be driven out by the twelve. "Except by prayer and fasting" it says in the notes. I'll note that Jesus didn't seem to pray or fast before exorcizing it. It was likely an ego check for the disciples who, according to Luke, had been so excited that they could order demons to come out of people. Jesus explains it as having such little faith. If they had the faith to drive out other demons, why did they suddenly lack faith? Was it because they lost sight of who was doing the exorcisms?

Matthew records Jesus telling the disciples reacting with grief upon hearing that Jesus would have to die and be raised to life.

The temple tax must have been a use tax to help pay the costs of the construction. Jesus paid for Himself and Peter. Apparently the other eleven had to come up with their own tax money.

The theme of becoming like a child to inherit the Kingdom begins chapter 18. The image of the child is an important one for us. Certainly we like to think of ourselves as adults, but God sees us as His children. The accompanying warning of not causing people to sin isn't talked about much. Peer pressure and the like are very real, especially in certain segments of society.

Jesus uses the expression "enter life" to signify our entrance into eternal life.

Matthew records the Parable of the Lost Sheep, but not the Lost Coin or the Lost Son from Luke 15. I wonder why.

Jesus gives us instructions to restore a sinful brother, but if these steps fail to win him back, it would seem He advocates a form of shunning. More research is needed as to how people usually treated pagans and tax collectors.

Binding and loosing must not be power of judgment or vengeance, as that would conflict with what we know God's job to be.

The "two or three gathered in My name" passage is set in the context of prayer among agreeing people. I am with those who come together in Christ. Assumedly this would mean that the prayer lines up with the One who is there with them.

Forgiveness must come from the heart. The number of times a person is forgiven is irrelevant. I for one am glad of that!

Jesus comes out in chpater 19 as being strictly against divorce. The disciples reaction in 19:10 is almost comical by our standards. It seems they saw no advantage to marriage if you can't just divorce a wife for any reason. Jesus affirms that the single life is better, but that no everyone can handle it. (I know I wouldn't be able to handle it!) Still the one who is gifted in this area should accept it. I know that I could do more for God's Kingdom as a single man -- in theory. Yet my personality and character makes me dependent upon my wife for mental and emotional health. Could God help me overcome that? I'm sure He could, but again it comes back to my own emotional strength.

Jesus' blessing of the little children is by placing His hands on them. I wonder what the exact posture was. Could it have been a simple embrace?

The rich young ruler comes calling at 19:16, although Matthew doesn't identify him as a ruler. The lesson again is one of idolatry. The young man didn't want to part with his money, and Jesus knew it, and called him on it. Again the disciples' reaction is comical. "If the rich can't be saved, then who can?!" Jesus rightfully points out the obvious problem of loyalty to self before loyalty to God when self has a lot of cash. The disciples point out that they have left all things to follow Jesus and ask what awaits them as a reward. Jesus tells them about their twelve thrones and the 100 times more than what each gave up. At 19:30 "many who are first..." specifies that not all, but many of the first shall be last and the last shall be first. Again, it is meant to be a general statement, not a blanket suggestion that all those suffering are righteous.

Psalm 37

Boice calls this psalm the fullest exposition of Jesus' third Beatitude, "Blessed are the meek..." Indeed the first portion of Psalm 37 speaks of Depending upon the Lord. We are to delight in Him, trust in Him, commit our way to Him, and be still before Him among other things. Finally in verse 11 we read that "the meek will inherit the land," which would mean the nation of Israel, although in Jesus' vernacular the meek inherit the earth, which is much less nationalistic and more universal.

Memorable verses abound here. "Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart," is verse 4. Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for Him..." is the beginning of the seventh verse. David is laying out how our life is to be and those instructions are memorable.
However, the focus turns to the wicked by verse 12. God will not let them prosper. Especially when compared to the way of the righteous, the wicked are doomed. The wicked borrow and do not repay, but the righteous give generously. A person is either a giver or a taker. David leaves no doubt which we are to be.

In verse 25, David describes himself as old, meaning this would have been written late in his life. He has never seen the children of the righteous begging for bread, but others certainly have. Still God provides, even if it is through the gifts received through begging.

The generalizations of the wicked being cut off and the righteous being blessed are problematic unless you consider the difference between long-range and short-range. The evil often succeed in the short term and the righteous will often lose the immediate battles, however the long term perspective is usually different -- especially if the long term goal is an eternal, rather than a temporal one. The instructions to "wait for the Lord" shows this perspective.

Isaiah 34-39

More judgment. The Lord is angry with all nations. That's not good. Many images of blood and dismemberment throughout chapter 34. Edom seems to be taking the brunt of the assault. The place will be a wasteland after God gets through with it. Yet by 34:16, we see those in the Lord's favor are protected. Continuing through chpater 35, there is joy for those whom God saves. The ransomed of the Lord will return, singing as they come.

We return to narrative in chapter 36 with the story of Sennacherib's seige of Jerusalem. King Hezekiah has wisely thought ahead to keep his own citizens from getting into a shouting match with the Assyrians. The people on the wall heard the boastful threats of the commander, but said nothing, as per instructions.

The boast were based on Assyria's accumulated victories. If the other gods couldn't stop them, then why would Israel's God be able to? The commander taunts the people on the wall in Hebrew to be sure they understand. He tries to persuade them to turn against Hezekiah. It sounds like the captivity will be better than the current conditions, and perhaps it would have been.

The administrator, the secretary and the recorder report back to the king. Hezekiah sends them to Isaiah the prophet for instructions. The king asks God to avenge those who insulted the Living God. Isaiah's message for the king is to ignore the Assyrians. As prophecied, the Assyrian forces are to be called home to deal with the Cushites. But Sennacherib still tries to convince Hezekiah
to surrender.

Hezekiah prays sincerely and honestly. This is a great example of how we should approach the Living God. The king's answer is a favorable one because of this honest and humble prayer. The angel of the Lord kills 185,000 Assyrian soldiers overnight. Sennacherib broke camp and went home. Assumedly, the troops went as well. Sennacherib, as predicted, is cut down in another battle.

Chapter 38 deals with the king's severe illness -- an infected boil, it appears from 38:21. In any case, Hezekiah's death is imminent until he prays. Isaiah sends word that God has granted the king 15 more years. Hezekiah's prayer of thanksgiving is touching.

I will walk humbly all my years because of this anguish of my soul.

That is compelling. If only we would learn without all the anguish.

The good will party from Babylon is shown everything in the palace. Perhaps Hezekiah is showing off. In any case, Isaiah gives Hezekiah the bad news and the king takes it well -- after all, he thinks, "it's all going to happen after I'm dead." What a poor way to go out. It is not clear whether this punishment is because of Hezekiah's antics, although the way it is phrased, we are led to believe that the particulars of the exile are chosen because of the king's bragging.

Psalm 36

This psalm is abruptly broken into two parts. The first part is called an oracle. This oracle is obviously from God about the sinfulness of the wicked. The first four verses describes the evil person in certain terms. First of all,he has no fear of God. Not simply being scared or having terror, but absolutely no respect or reverence for Him. The reason for not having fear of God is because he has placed himself on God's throne. Self-deception and self-flattery has so infected the mind of the wicked that actual sin goes unnoticed. I can't help but compare this passage to the many who claim that their homosexuality is not sin, despite Scripture to the contrary. He has so deceived himself that he does not feel convicted of sinfulness. There is quite a step between seeing sin in oneself and not doing anything about it and being unable to see sin as sin. It happens over time and with much self-delusion.

The evil person speaks ill of others. The situation gets to the point where he can no longer even do good because his motivation is bad in everything he does. Night and day he plots evil, which contrasts with the righteous man of Psalm 1 who meditates on God's Word day and night. The sinful man chooses the course he takes, accepting the wrong as if it were right.

At verse 5, the tone shifts and David contrasts the evil person with God Himself, and those who take shelter in Him. The poetry of verses 5 and 6 describe God's love, His faithfulness, His righteousness and His justice. Of note, a God cannot be said to be faithful unless He communicates to us. He could not be faithful if He made no promises to live up to.

Those who trust God are then satisfied in His unfailing love. They drink from His river of delights, or joy. They have access to the fountain of life itself, and see light in the light of God. The allusion to light is particularly striking because of the way Jesus used the symbolism of light in His ministry. For that matter, Jesus talked about heaven as "entering into life" according to Matthew's Gospel, and how often does John talk about the unfailing love of God?

God is our shelter from the storm of the wicked.

Nahum

It had been a while since I had read Nahum. Going into it, I knew that Nahum was a prophecy against Nineveh, the capital of the Assyrian Empire. It was the second time a prophet was sent to Nineveh. About 150 years earlier, Jonah had been sent (and eventually went) to give a message of warning. The king and the city repented. This time there was no warning being given. The prophecy was about the coming destruction of Nineveh.

On this reading, I was a little more aware of the picture of God's anger given in the words Nahum carried to Nineveh. He begins with a statement of God's justice and power. A quick note in 1:7 that God is not simply a God of wrath is followed by more words about the coming destruction. Nineveh's sins are seen as plots against the Lord in 1:9.

This is to be a total destruction. There will be no descendants. No survivors. Judah is avenged! Assyria will rise no more.

The battle details of chapter 2 and 3 are verified by history. The Sycthians laid seige to Nineveh for two years. When the flood waters of the Tigris washed away part of the city's wall, the invaders took advantage to gain entrance to the city itself. Everything was destroyed.

God calls to Nineveh in 3:8 and following, reminding them that Thebes, another great city had already fallen, even with the mighty Nile as it's protectorate. Could Nineveh count on the Tigris to protect it? It actually helped the destruction. "Look at your toops -- they are all women!" The taunt of 3:13 sheds some light on the shame of a woman in battle (see Judges 11). "You fight like girls," would be the modern equivalent.

In the end, what no one thought could happen, did. The surprise of the surrounding nations that mighty Nineheh could fall was predicted and fulfilled.

Judges 7-11

We resume the story of Gideon and the Midianites with God forcing the Israelites into admitting that their own strength was not going to win the upcoming battle. God pared the fighting troops down to 300 to take on the combined armies of the Midianites, Amalekites, and the other eastern peoples. In short, God was making sure that His people recognized this victory as a miracle -- something only possible because God was with them.

God was helping Gideon's faith all the way through. The altar, the fleece, the army selection, and now God tells Gideon if he's still feeling skittish about the whole battle to spy on the enemy at their campfire. Of course he hears of the prophecy of he and his army scattering his foes. Interesting symbolism that the dream was of a small barley loaf flattening a tent in the Midianite camp completely. The overheard interpretation was the last piece of the faith puzzle for Gideon, and he returned to rally the 300 for the fight. They do battle by breaking jars and blowing horns -- the confusion is what sets the enemy to fleeing. More tribes join in once the chase is on.

The family infighting begins with Ephraim, but Gideon rebuffs them with praise and modesty. Asking for help outside of the nation of Israel proves to be more complicated. The leaders of Succoth and Peniel each refuse to feed and provide for the 300 fighting men, exhausted from chasing the enemy back home. The town leaders even seem to taunt Gideon. Bad idea. He punished the elders of Succoth by apparently beating them with thorns and briars. Then he pulled down the tower of Peniel -- likely the source of pride, as well as a military lookout -- then killed all the men of the town.

Gideon is strong for a while, but his weakness is the ephod he makes from the plunder of earrings. Not only Gideon and his family were tripped up with this idol, but "all Israel prostituted themselves by worshiping it..." What a horrible end to the story. Even more horrible was after Gideon died, Israel went back to its infatuation with Baal. Still more horrible is the rising up of Abimelech, son of Gideon and a concubine, plotting to take power by killing all 70 of his half brothers on one stone. Well not quite all. One son, Jotham, hid and emerged to shout a taunt to Abimelech from atop Mt. Gerizim before going into hiding in Beer. (the place, not the drink.)

Finally it is God who turns the people against Abimelech after three years. Abimelech had another great military victory, but it ended in dishonor as he was struck on the head by a millstone dropped from a tower by a woman inside. Abimelech considered it shameful enough that he asked his armor-bearer to finish him off so no one could say that a woman killed him. Semantics don't change the truth. In 9:57, it is reported that Abimelech's end was the result of Jotham's curse.

Two short mentions of Tola, a judge for 23 years and Jair, a judge for 22 years begin chapter 10. Apparently nothing of significance happened on their watch. Judging from the normal behavior of the people, if there was a strong judge everyone was on their best behavior so we must assume that Tola and Jair were good judges. Next up after another cry from a judgeless Israel for help, is Jephthah, whose story begins chapter eleven.

Jephthah picked up a band of adventurers (probably mercenaries) and was recruited by the leaders of Gilead to lead the army against the Ammonites. Jephthah becomes the leader and begins by trying a little diplomacy with the Ammonite king. In response to that king's declaration that Israel was on Ammonite soil, taken by Joshua and company, Jephthah responds with a history lesson which is basically ignored by the king. So the battle begins.

Jephthah makes an unnecessary vow to God saying that if the Lord grants him victory, he will sacrifice to God the first thing coming out of the door of his house when he returns home from battle. To his dismay, that thing was his daughter, an only child. The girl understands Dad's situation and asks only for two months to be with her friends before she dies. Her father agrees and after those two months, Jephthah sacrifices his daughter to God. The author notes that this began a custom among young Israelite women to go out for four days in commemoration.

What to make of this brutal sacrifice. Well, a vow was a vow, especially one made to God. So Jephthah didn't hold back his only child, just as Father Abraham had done with Isaac. Still the fault lies in the foolish vow. The bearing of punishment by the girl isn't the worst that could have happened to her. Death never is the worst. Death without being reconciled to God is the worst. Still I wonder what must have been going through Jephthah's mind through the whole process, when he killed his daughter, and for the rest of his life.

Psalm 35

An imprecatory psalm of David. These always make people uncomfortable, myself included. The thought of asking God for revenge goes against the peaceful nature of what Jesus taught. But is David really asking for revenge? It seems he is merely asking for justice.

Boice outlines this psalm with a three verse introduction and a three verse conclusion. The introduction lays out David asking for God to be his defense attorney and his champion in battle. Verses 4-10 lay out the battle champion call. The legal case is discussed in verses 11-17. Then both are merged into one argument in verses 18-28. I'm not sure I see the immediate distinctions in all these cases, but it's clear that David uses both the military and the legal situations to plead his case to God.

Mostly, David is asking that God give the accusers a taste of their own medicine. These are people whom David claims he has not wronged, yet still they are out for his blood. God is to be his champion in battle. God is to be his advocate in court, pleading his case. Each of these situations call for a "loser" if David is to be vindicated. David asks that the accusers be put to shame and confustion, clothed with shame and disgrace. In short, he doesn't want them getting what they are after. That sounds pretty normal to me!

Finally, David declares, "My tongue will speak of your righteousnss and of your praises all day long."

Genesis 24-27

We read precious little about Isaac in the Scriptures. This passage contains almost all of the details of his life, aside from the time on Mt. Moriah in chapter 22, and the report of his death in chapter 35. What we find out is hardly impressive.

Chapter 24 deals with the finding and bringing back of Rebekah to be Isaac's wife. A nameless servant of Abraham is given the duty, and his specific prayer request is answered as asked. Abraham has apparently heard from God about where to obtain a wife. Either that or he has great confidence that God will approve of finding a wife for Isaac among Abraham's family rather than among the Canaanites.

One of the more interesting characters in chapter 24 is Rebekah's brother, Laban. Of course we know he'll pop up again, but he's already displaying a need to be in charge of the situation.

The servant gave costly gifts to Rebekah, her mother, and to her brother Laban, but not to her father?

It's interesting that we assume the servant is traveling alone until verse 32 when the other men are mentioned, as well as the number of camels.

Abraham's third wife is mentioned briefly in chapter 25. Six more children, but the entire estate went to Isaac. The other children were packed off and sent away from Isaac. At 25:6, the text mentions "concubines." Hagar was a "wife" according the to earlier text, but could it just have been "marital relations"? Keturah is described as a "wife", so I wonder who we're missing. It is possible that Keturah and Hagar are who is meant, but the text as translated is vague.

The twins are born in chapter 25 as well. It's apparent they aren't identical! It's also apparent they won't be getting along well. The account of the birthright seems so odd. How hungry can a person be? If a bowl of stew means that much, then Esau truly did despise his birthright. Of course I wonder what made Jacob think to ask for the birthright in the first place.

In chapter 26, we see Isaac getting the Promise directly from God, as his father had also. Sadly, we read also that Isaac didn't learn from his father's mistakes. Again a patriarch tries the "she's my sister" line to avoid danger, only to narrowly avoid horrible consequences. We also see that Isaac has his father's financial skills, eventually becoming so powerful that he is sent away as too
big of a threat.

At 26:34-35, we read of Esau's two Hittite wives and that "They were a source of grief to Isaac and Rebekah." Certainly an in-law situation is tough, but it seems that these two women really rubbed Isaac and Rebekah the wrong way -- so much so that Rebekah is the one to be sure that Jacob's wife is from the family.

The thievery of the blessing is a well-told story. The deception of Rebekah foreshadows the trickery of her brother, Laban in the next passage. "Let the curse fall on me," says Rebekah when Jacob fears a curse if Isaac discovers the deception. When Jacob brings in the "tasty food" he lies to his father directly three times: "I am Esau, your firstborn," "The Lord your God gave me success," and "I am [really Esau]." The trick is well thought-out, taking into account Esau's hairiness and his scent -- two things a sightless man would instantly recognize. Only the voice is a giveaway, but still Isaac believes his hands and his nose instead of his ears.

The blessing itself seems irrevokable. Isaac cannot take it back, as he admits in 27:33. The cry to "Bless me -- me too, my father!" is heartbreaking in a way, as Esau has nothing left to hope for. Except revenge. The idea of a blessing or a curse seems so foreign to me... especially one that is irrevokable.

Psalm 34

This psalm comes with a notation about David's experience when it was written. I'm not sure it helps us understand it any better though. Just the knowledge that David had his share of trouble and his prayers were not all answered instantly. Even still, David praised God. I am reminded of Job, who in the depths of his tragedy and grieving, still would not curse God.

David spends a few verses remembering the times when God had saved him. He was delivered from his fears, his troubles and his enemies.

"Taste and see that the Lord is good." What an invitation! Still so few take David up on the offer. I have known of people who have walked away from God after tasting, and I've wondered why they did. A salty taste when they were craving sweets?

Fear the Lord. Ultimate respect and awe. It is the hard-to-define way our relationship with God is to be. In verses 9-14 David urges his listeners to fear Him. The result? Lacking nothing... no good thing. Fear of the Lord is based in obedience: keeping tongue in check, clamping lying and gossipping lips, fleeing all sorts of evil.

David reminds us that God has not turned away from our plights on earth. His eyes are on the righteous. His ears hear their cries. And He delivers them.

A final messianic prophecy in verse 20 about the bones of a righteous man not being broken. The psalm is concluded with a promise that the Lord redeems those who serve Him. We will not be condemned. (See Romans 8:1)

Romans 11-12

Romans 11 is an intimidating chapter because it is hard to understand Paul's reasoning. Is he saying that Israel is saved apart from Christ Jesus? Obviously not, based on other Scripture, yet verse 26 says that "all Israel will be saved." It appears that this is not a reference to spiritual Israel, since the context has Paul speaking of a hardening of Israel until the full number of Gentiles has come into the Kingdom. So something is still to be accomplished with Israel -- a mass turning to Jesus?

Paul points out that not all Israel is hardened, since he, for one, is a Christian. There have been other Jewish converts to Christ over the years as well. God hardens who He wants to harden. Yet there appears to be a choice for Jews today, just as there is a choice for Gentiles. And since a Jew has the Old Testament background, as it were, to the faith, re-grafting them into the Kingdom is relatively easy according to Paul.

The doxology of 11:33-36 is breathtaking, frustrating, awe-inspiring and humbling all at the same time.


Romans 12 is a masterpiece of application of Paul's first eleven chapters. Beginning with the first two verses, Paul exhorts the follower of Christ to live out the doctrines preached by the Master. Offering our bodies as living sacrifices is an incredible visual image of what taking up our cross is like. And with God's mercy as the reason, why shouldn't we offer Him everything? Our worship is the offering of our very selves, and when we do so, we won't be made in the image of the world, but we will be transformed. Our minds will be different. We won't think like the world thinks. Why are we so surprised when the world has different priorities than Christians? Why are we shocked when the world rejects and mocks the Church?

Perhaps the reason lies in verse three, where we are told not to think too highly of ourselves. It is far too easy to go from "forgiven" to "superior" in our minds. We can reject the renewal of our minds and try to crawl down in the gutter with the world once again; communicating on their level.

When we are transformed, we seek to serve Him. We look for ways to use the gifts given us. We search for ways to express our love for Christ and for others. And we don't try to live in conflict with others. We seek peace when possible. Evil is overcome with good. How hard that is to practice!

Psalm 33

Boice calls this psalm, "A Praise Psalm for Everyone," because it is not written exclusively for the nation of Israel. Yet in verse 12 we read, "Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord, the people He chose for His inheritance." Certainly the psalmist likely meant Israel, but the promise is meant for all. Now I truly don't believe that the USA has a god outside of freedom, so I don't apply that promise for Americans today. However to deny that we as Americans have been richly blessed is foolish. Of course the Romans of Jesus' day were richly blessed also.

In verse two we have instruments mentioned for the first time in the psalter. The harp and ten-stringed lyre were to be played skillfully. I wonder why mentions like this are not convincing for the Church of Christ and others who deny instruments in worship because the New Testament doesn't make mention of musical instruments. Odd.

God's word is right and true. He is faithful, He loves righteousness and justice. These statements are indications of God's character. He also is active in the world: "the earth is full of His unfailing love."

He spoke and it came to be. Even the psalmist was familiar with the Genesis Creation narrative. Created from nothing by just a word.

"The eyes of the Lord are on those who fear Him." We should know that, but sometimes we forget -- especially in times of trouble. Our hope is in the Lord. We must wait for Him.

Joshua

Joshua 1-5:

Themes I picked up in these chapters:

(1) The elevation of Joshua as leader. How odd it must have been for Israel to even think about going anywhere without Moses! But he was gone and the mantle fell on the shoulders of Joshua. The "pep talk" in chapter one where God tells Joshua to be strong and courageous repeatedly tells me that Joshua had a little struggle with doubt. The people wanted Moses, and Joshua probably wanted Moses as well, but there was no Moses. In 4:14 we finally see that Joshua was elevated to "Moses" status among the Israelites. In fact, Joshua probably had less open rebellion and grumbling to deal with than his predecessor.

(2) The careful leading by God of the Israelites. Everything was laid out, step by step. Each step was to be an obedient one. Everything was to be done a certain way so that all would benefit. It was and they did.

After staying 1000 yards away from the Ark at all times, I wonder how the people felt when they had to pass by it while walking across the dry bottom of the flood-stage Jordan.

(3) The establishment of an ebenezer. God wanted a memorial set up so that the people would never forget what had happened. Twelve stones, one for each tribe, were pulled from the dry river bed and were set up at Gilgal to serve as a reminder and a teaching tool.

What kind of ebenezers do we set up today? Are they remembrances of God or of man? Many churches have inscribed plaques honoring past members. What do we have to honor God in the same way?

Another reminder was the renewal of the call to circumcision in chapter 5. You wouldn't think that the best way to prepare for battle would be cutting in private areas, but God had a purpose. Over and over again we are reminded of God's love and His activity. God wanted to make sure we (they) didn't forget. Of course, they did forget...

And what about Rahab and those spies. Here is a woman who had her prayer for deliverance answered unexpectedly. I wonder how much of the Jericho wall was left standing for Rahab's "house in the wall" to remain intact with her whole family inside.

Joshua 6-10:

A whole lot of bloodshed in these five chapters! We begin at Jericho with the march around the wall for seven straight days. I guess one of those days would have had to have been a Sabbath, right? I wonder if the Pharisees thought about all that "work" their ancestors performed.

Destoying cities everywhere. Jericho completely destroyed except for Rahab and her family, who were given a place to live outside the camp of Israel. Also Achan's stolen booty was from Jericho, although it was eventually found. Interesting detail that the silver was on the bottom and the gold and robe on top. I wonder what the significance of that was.

Ai wins one because of Israel's disobedience. Then Israel sets the ambush "behind" the city. Joshua's force came from the north, but the ambush force came from the west, not the south. I guess either Joshua didn't head for the front gates or there is something in the geography that would make west "behind" the city. Or possibly the ambush force went 90 degrees around the city to enter it. I doubt that one will ever be cleared up.

Joshua reinforces the Covenant after the victory at Ai. The people gathered before the two mountains and Joshua read every word of the Law. Repetition. Reminders.

The folks from Gibeon pull a fast one on Joshua and the elders. Still I wonder how they knew that Joshua would live up to his oath. Certainly someone who had apparently been so bloodthirsty wouldn't necessarily honor an oath made by deception. Probably the only chance they thought they had. The moldy bread was a nice touch.

Then comes bloody chapter ten. The five kings attack Gibeon and Israel comes to their aid. Probably a convenient reason to go off to take care of those nations. The armies are routed and only a few escape. The five kings who had been hiding in a cave were brought out to face Joshua. The Israelite army commanders were told to step on the necks of the kings in symbolic domination. Then Joshua repeats the instructions which he was given in chapter one. "Be strong and courageous." Joshua is passing along the wisdom. He has obviously found it useful.

The longest day passage reads like a heroic story with God as the mightiest warrior. As Joshua had summoned the sun to remain in the sky until the battle was over, I was reminded of Moses holding his arms aloft (and eventually held up by Joshua) as the Israelites were fighting before the crossing of the Jordan. Even the notation of Joshua's outstreached javelin in 8:26 runs this familiar theme.

Finally, the cities of the five kings are utterly destroyed as well as a few other nations before Joshua brings the troops home. Why would God want so many "innocent" people killed? Well, they were hardly innocent. This was God's judgment upon peoples who engaged in horrible practices like child sacrifice and other horrid things. These were not people who were essentially good. God used the armies of Israel in judgment just as He used foreign armies to bring judgment upon Israel and Judah years later.

Oh, and I'm guessing that Israelites didn't move a lot of rocks. How many notations of rocks "being there to this day" were in this passage. (Then add the rocks from the Jordan set up at Gilgal in the previous section. Ebenezers. Monuments. Remember. We cannot overlook the history of God's provision for Israel or for us.

Joshua 11-15:

Finally at chapter eleven, it seems that all the remaining nations team up to try to expel Israel from the land. The king of Hazor initiates the action as "head of all these kingdoms" according to 11:10. Joshua turned back to take out Hazor and kill the king. Again, the Israelites were used as the instruments of God's justice to exterminate the evil nations.

I wonder what the purpose of hamstringing horses would be. Would a hamstrung horse still be useful? For breeding perhaps, but beyond that it would seem easier to kill them along with everything else.

The land finally had peace at the end of chapter eleven, although it wasn't until Caleb did away with the people around Hebron that we see peace declared again at the end of chapter fourteen.

Caleb must have been quite the 85 year old! He asked for what he was promised. He seemed to even be asking for a challenge -- a place where the enemies were larger than normal. But conquer them, he did. The section of chapter 15 is odd in its inclusion. I suppose it is just a more detailed part of the land distribution.

The rest of this passage would be useful in making a map and is more understandable if you have a map sitting beside you. Even still, it's tough to get past all the names of towns which are long since gone or now carry different names.

Joshua 16-20:

This passage reads a little like someone is describing a detailed wall map. Land for Judah has already been allotted, then in chapter 16, the half-tribes of Ephraim and Manasseh are assigned land. These are to be the first two tribes set up on this side of the Jordan. The rest are drawn by lot by Joshua back at Shiloh.

Interesting that the Canaanites living among the two half-tribes of Joseph were never fully exterminated, although they eventually became slaves. The two half-tribes came complaining about the size of their allotments, but were told to conquer the forested hill country. The tribesmen pled for a break since the Canaanites had iron chariots, which I assume means they would be tough to conquer militarily. Joshua simply sends them back, telling them that they will be able to do it -- although he doesn't mention that the Lord would be the one fighting for them at this point.

A female named Noah? See 17:3.

In chapter 18, Joshua seems a little disturbed that the tribes haven't taken possession of the land to this point. He organizes the surveying crew, then brings the tribal chiefs back to cast lots for the plots of land.

Joshua took the town of Timnath Serah (Timnath Heres - Judges 2:9) for his allotment. Cities of refuge were Kadesh, Shechem, Hebron, Bezer, Ramoth and Golan. An interesting concept which assumes that families will be out for avenging dead loved ones, vigilante style.

I wonder how long the whole process took for the Israelites to conquer the land, to subdue the land, to split up the land, and to settle the land.

Joshua 21-24:

Now that the other tribes have been allotted land, the tribe of Levi are designated towns to live in, as prescribed by God. The are given towns and surrounding lands for pasture. Of all the towns given to the Levites, five of the six cities of refuge are included (all but Bezer). Perhaps it was best for those with priestly functions to also serve as protectors of those falsely accused.
Eventually the eastern tribes get to go back across the Jordan to the lands they had been given previously. Their families were already settled. The men were bringing back a part of the spoils of war to share with those who were not able to join the fight. These two and a half tribes built an altar as a monument to the unity in God between the twelve tribes. Rumors start to fly and the other tribes are convinced that Gad and Reuben are trying to break away and worship some other God. The "rest of the story" is finally related when the other tribes come for a showdown. If anything the incident seems to further bond the tribes together.

Fast forward to years later. Twenty-five years later if Joshua and Caleb were the same age. Joshua gives his farewell to the leaders, reminding them to stay the course without turning aside. Then all of the tribes are assembled as Joshua ends his leadership by issuing an ultimatum: "Choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve." He speaks about getting rid of the idols now within the nation, although it seems that this is more a precautionary warning than a situation similar to the confrontation with Achan back in chapter 7. This was a renewal of the covenant. Joshua issued the vow that he and his house had made their choice already for the Lord.

It almost reads like he is trying to talk the Israelites out of committing to the Lord, offering them warning after warning. "You are not able to serve the Lord. He is a holy God; he is a jealous God..." Indeed we cannot serve Him properly and Israel would prove Joshua right even though they promised they would not stray from the terms of the covenant.

Finally, Joshua goes home to die at the age of 110. Joseph's bones, brought from Egypt are finally buried. Then Eleazar the priest son of Aaron dies and the book of Joshua comes to a close. Then it all starts falling apart.