Joshua 22 - Judges 9: The left-handed warrior & the runt warrior

- Come back, Joshua:  I'm already missing Joshua. The people were more tuned into God, then. Joshua was a strong leader and kept the people on the right track. Judges? It's a shock. A dark and dangerous time, with just a few bright spots. "Then another generation grew up that didn't know anything of God or the work he had done for Israel" (Judges 2:10).
- The people were "stubborn as mules"  (Judges 2:18-19) and engaged in evil practices. They didn't clear out all of the land's occupants, as they were instructed, and the remaining peoples led them back into Baal and Ashtoreth worship. God's anger blazed.

- Where did my knife go?  Ehud was a left-handed Benjaminite warrior who decided to take down Eglon, a fat king who was oppressing the Israelites. He crafted a short, two-edged sword and strapped it to his thigh under his clothes. He asked for a private meeting with Eglon, then said "I have a word of God for you." He plunged his knife into Eglon's belly, hilt and all. Eglon died and the people were released. Interesting note: the current Israeli defense minister is named Ehud Barak.
- Woman warrior:  Deborah was a wife, mother, prophet, and judge over Israel. She went into battle with her general, Barak. "Isn't God marching before you?" she told Barak (Judges 4). He was, and they routed the enemy.
- Jael, a wild mountain goat of a woman, was also an assassin and took out the enemy general, Sisera, with a tent peg. Deborah's song said this: "Most blessed of all women is Jael" (Judges 5:24-27).
- A lovely blessing after a war:  "Thus may all God's enemies perish, while his lovers be like the unclouded sun" (Judges 5:31).
- A runt saves Israel:  Gideon was commissioned by God to save Israel. He couldn't believe it. "I'm the runt of the litter from the weakest clan, and you want me to do what????" (Judges 6:15). But he did. The Angel who delivered the message started with this: "God is with you, O mighty warrior" (Judges 6:12).

Elena's verse of the day:  "The next generation did not know the Lord or any of the things he had done for Israel" (Judges 2:10).

Joshua 9 - 21: Woodcutters & water carriers, giant hailstones, and happily ever after

- Woodcutters & water carriers:  Joshua and the people of Israel were outwitted by some locals in hobo outfits. They were tricked into signing a covenant. When the ruse was discovered, Joshua sentenced the tricksters to work as woodcutters and water carriers. Interesting story, that.

- Chapters and chapters of Joshua's conquests. One key battle included a day the sun stood still, along with God flinging giant hailstones from the sky. The Israelites won.
- Balaam, the old sorcerer with the talking donkey, was finally killed by Israel in battle. Notice his name, an homage to the pagan god Baal (Joshua 3:15-22).
- Happily ever after (at least for a while):  "God gave Israel the entire land that he had solemnly vowed to give to their ancestors. They took possession of it and made themselves at home in it....everything came out right" (Joshua 21:43-45). Lord, I want that for my life. Please make everything come out right.

Elena's verse of the day:  "When the priest, Joshua, and leaders of the families met to divide up the land, the Lord showed them how to do it" (Joshua 14:5).

Deuteronomy 30 - Joshua 8: A harlot, a warrior angel, and life & good

- "Choose life," began one of Moses' last admonitions to the people before he died. Just before, God said this through Moses:

"Look at what I've done for you today: I've placed in front of you Life and Good [or] Death and Evil....Choose life so that you and your children will live. And love God, your God, listening obediently to him, firmly embracing him. Oh yes, he is life itself" (Deuteronomy 30:15-20).

- An amazing promise to hang on to today: "God, your God, will cross the river ahead of you..." (Deut 31:3)

- When things look terrible and you are scared out of your wits:  "Be strong. Take courage. Don't be intimidated. Don't give them [your enemies] a second thought because God, your God, is striding ahead of you. He's right there with you. He won't let you down; he won't leave you" (Deut 31:6)
- Historical note:  The Israelite people had been "landless" for 500 years and these words of admonition by God through Moses are directed to them just as they are about to claim the Promised Land. The land was "an unremarkable stretch of territory sandwiched between two massive and already ancient civilizations," explains Eugene Peterson. Those two civilizations were Egypt and Mesopotamia. But that piece of land, promised to Abraham and his descendants, was about to become very important through God's plan for his people.
- Angelic armies afoot:  Joshua encounters the commander of God's army--an angel, who looked like a man, holding a drawn sword (Joshua 5:13-15).
- The harlot:  Rahab, a harlot in Jericho, housed and protected two Israelite spies. As a result she was saved from destruction, along with all of her family (Joshua 2, 6). She later married an Israelite man named Salmon, and she is listed in the New Testament genealogies as one of Jesus' ancestors. Ancient literature rarely names women as they were not considered very important, but here we have the name of a common woman with great faith, courage, and wisdom. Love this story!

Elena's verse of the day:  "I've commanded you to be strong and brave. Don't ever be afraid or discouraged! I am the Lord your God" (Joshua 1:9).

Numbers 14 - 25: A talking donkey, ripe almonds, & the gathering

This morning I set out to do my reading and I was distracted by the newspapers lying on the table. For some reason, the newspapers beckoned and I had a hard time concentrating. This was my first day of being really tempted to break my vow of reading my Bible first and leaving the papers until the end of the day, if I have time. I did not give in to temptation! But it was a struggle.

The reading today was extremely intense. Lots of death and disobedience. I got a real sense of the struggle against sin and the difficulty of living a holy life in those times.

- Back to slavery?  The Israelites were in an uproar when the scouting party returned with their report after surveying the Promised Land. Rumors abounded regarding the power of the land's occupants. The Israelites lost their nerve and wanted a new leader. "Let's head back to Egypt," they said (Numbers 14:4). This shocked me. Head back into their oppressive slavery under a brutal pharoah?
- Voices of courage:  But Joshua and Caleb, two of the scouts, spoke up and vouched for God's plan. They believed the Israelites could take the land from the occupants: "They have no protection and God is on our side," they said. "Don't be afraid of them!" (Num 14:6-9).

- Cycles of disobedience:  I could not believe how, time after time, the Israelites forgot God's supremacy and decided to go their own way. Each time, God's anger flared and Moses had to intercede for them. Some of the results of their disobedience: the current generation of adults would not get to enter the land, they were sentenced to wander in the wilderness for 40 years, and at one point the earth opened up and swallowed a group of insurgents, along with their families. God also used lightning to destroy 250 men who were part of a conspiracy to get rid of Moses. (Numbers 16).
- Almonds from a staff:  God caused Aaron's staff to sprout buds, blossoms, and ripe almonds as a demonstration that he was God's chosen priest. A beautiful story of life coming from something quite dead (Numbers 17).
- The gathering:  When the time came for Aaron's death, God directed him to ascend Mount Hor, explaining that "Aaron will be gathered there." What a great way to describe a godly person's death (Numbers 20:26).
- Talking donkey:  Love, love, love the story of Balaam and the talking donkey (Numbers 22). It also appeared that Balaam was a godly man chosen and used as a prophet, even though he was not an Israelite (Num 23:26). Balaam blessed Israel and said this about God: "Only what he speaks, I speak."
- Wow:  I don't know what else to say about the story of Phinehas. It's in chapter 25, and I don't remember ever reading it before. Suffice it to say that you could not make this story up. It really came alive in the Message version.

Elena's Verse of the day:  "Show us your great power, Lord. You promised that you love to show mercy and kindness" (Numbers 14:17-8 CEV)