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).

Exodus 21-33: Pomegranates, craftsmanship, and when God changed his mind

- He'll be there:  Love this verse from yesterday's reading: "Every place where I cause my name to be honored in your worship, I'll be there myself and bless you" (Exodus 20:22-26). I wonder if this is why I always feel lighter and happier coming out of church? It's so simple--God is there and he blesses me.
- Intent:  I notice that God takes a person's "intent" into consideration when determining punishment for breaking the law. God is fair.
- Slurs against our leaders:  "Don't curse God and don't damn your leaders" (Exodus 22:28). It's tempting to damn leaders from the other political party. Don't.
- Get ready:  God tells the Israelites to get themselves ready for where God is taking them. Am I ready for where God is taking me? Are you?
- Pomegranate:  God designed Aaron's priestly clothing with pomegranate trim (Exodus 32:9-13). I wonder what the significance of the promegranate is? Research says: "The pomegranate, from the abundance of its seeds, was regarding in ancient times as an emblem of fruitfulness."
- Mysterious book:  What is the "book of the Covenant"? (Exodus 24:7). Apparently it's the second set of laws/codes given to Moses on Mt Sinai (the first was the 10 Commandments).
- Called & equipped:  God designed the tabernacle and everything in it, then he filled the craftsmen with the Holy Spirit so they could do the work. He gifted them with the skill, the know-how, and the expertise (Exodus 31:1-4).Please, Lord, do that for me!
- Chutzpah:  Moses pleaded with God and God changed his mind. Wow! (Exodus 32:2-4)

Verse of the day:  "I know you by name" (God speaking to Moses in Exodus 33:17)

Sharing a few thoughts from each day's reading. Feel free to jump in and share your own!

Genesis 1-18: Evil, rainbows & circumcision

I'll share a few notes from each day's reading. Feel free to jump in and share your own!

- Did you notice that God made the light (Day 1) before he made the sun (Day 4). Where did the light come from? Perhaps from God himself?

- Another murder: Five generations after Cain, another murder was committed by one of his descendants, named Lamech. Revenge was the motive. But interesting how sin seemed to run in that side of the family.

- Evil: "Human evil was out of control" is how the Message Bible puts it. But Noah was different. (Gen 6) I'm glad I didn't live in those times.

- The earth is on God's timetable. The seasons, days, and climates will not stop "for as long as the earth lasts." That gives me a lot of hope in times when the environment seems beyond our control. (Gen 8:22)

- "Live Bountifully!" is God's blessing to Noah after the flood. This earth is not our home, but we can still live bountifully and enjoy life here (Gen 9:7).

- Convenants: Already, in just this first day of reading, God has made two covenants with men. 1) With Noah & his descendants, that never again will there be a flood that destroys the earth. Symbol: Rainbow. 2) With Abram, that the Promised Land belongs to him and his descendants forever. Symbol: Circumcision.

Now, I'm about to dig back into Genesis for today's reading. Can't wait!