Joshua 15-16

Joshua 15-16

This year, I plan on reading the Old Testament of the Bible within the 2012 calendar year. Follow me on this journey!

Scripture Thought (What I Learned):

Chapter 15: Judah Gives Inheritance

                Judah gives inheritance in Canaan. Jebusites dwell with Judah at Jerusalem. This chapter goes into the detail of the land given to the tribe of Judah, except the land of Hebron which was only given to Caleb.

                Joshua 15:13-19 - outlines a story about Caleb when he was conquering the land, he came to Kiriath Sepher and promised his daughter's (Acsah) hand in marriage to anyone who could attack and capture it. Othniel was able to do it and he received Caleb's daughter's hand in marriage. Othniel or Acsah later asked Caleb for more land (an additional field) where they could have additional springs of water, so Caleb gave it to them.

                In verse 15:63- tells us that men of the tribe of Judah were unable to remove the Jebusites who lived in Jerusalem.

Chapter 16: Children of Joseph

                Children of Joseph (Ephraim and Manasseh receive their inheritance some Canaanites continue to dwell among Ephraimites.

Joshua 13-14

Joshua 13-14

This year, I plan on reading the Old Testament of the Bible within the 2012 calendar year. Follow me on this journey!

Scripture Thought (What I Learned):

Chapter 13: Inheritance: Reuben, Gad and Manasseh

                The Israelites are following the commandments of God and are doing well, however there is land to still be taken. Joshua at this point is "...old and stricken in years..." (Joshua 13:1). The lands are yet to be possessed, and some of the inhabitants are yet to be expelled and/or killed. The Inheritances of Reuben, Gad and half of the tribe of Manasseh are outlined.

                The Divison of the Land east of Jordan (13:8-33)

Chapter 14: Land Divided

                The Land is divided (by lot) among nine and a half tribes. Caleb, for its faithfulness receives the land of Caleb as a reward.

                Joshua 14:6-15 - Caleb was part of the original spies who were sent into the promised land, Caleb reminds Joshua that he brought back good news, saying that with the Lord they could conquer the people, while the other spies brought back an evil report. Because of this Caleb is rewarded.

Joshua 11-12

Joshua 11-12

This year, I plan on reading the Old Testament of the Bible within the 2012 calendar year. Follow me on this journey!

Scripture Thought (What I Learned):

Chapter 11: Joshua and Israel Conquer

                Joshua and the armies of the Israelites go up to Hazor, Madon, Shimron, Dor, Mizpeh and Achshaph and utterly destroy all of their inhabitants.

                The Lord commands Joshua to kill everyone, and burn the cities and their chariots, and with the horses, the Lord commands Israel to "hough" the horses, or in other words; cut the hamstrings of the horses.

Chapter 12: Cities Conquered

                All of the kings west of Jordan (31) are conquered and 2 more kings on the west side of Jordan. They are conquered by Israel.

                The list of the Kings that were conquered; Joshua 12:9-24.

Joshua 9-10

Joshua 9-10

This year, I plan on reading the Old Testament of the Bible within the 2012 calendar year. Follow me on this journey!

Scripture Thought (What I Learned):

Chapter 9: Joshua Makes Servants

                The Gibeonites, after hearing about the success of Israel and in some small part out of fear, make a league with all Israel. That they would become servants unto them. They do this, to avoid being destroyed in the future, as they know that their neighbors will be wiped off from the face of the earth.

Chapter 10: Stones from Heaven

                The Gibeonites come to Joshua and tell him that they are about to be destroyed by the 5 kings of the Amorites and their people. So Joshua sends an army to help out their new "league" and they smite them heavily with the sword, and as they retreated the Lord sent a storm with a giant hail storm, with "stones" large enough to kill a man. In fact most of the armies of the 5 kings of the Amorites were killed by the stones then by the swords of the Israelites.

                The Israelites catch the 5 kings in a cave and end up hanging all of them. A lost book of the Bible is mentioned in verse 13; the Book of "Jasher" - which we actually have in our possession today! I will be writing about that book much later, possibly towards the end of this year?

                Anyways... the cities of the Amorites are completely destroyed with the help of the Lord and his armies!

Joshua 7-8

Joshua 7-8

This year, I plan on reading the Old Testament of the Bible within the 2012 calendar year. Follow me on this journey!

Scripture Thought (What I Learned):

Chapter 7: Disobedience to the Lord

                While in Jericho some of the men of Israel disobey the rules that were outlined by God and took more spoils then they were supposed to. It doesn't detail exactly what the men did, except that they violated the commandment set forth by the Lord. So the Lord punishes them by have the people of Ai, who were very small and outnumbered defeat the Israelites.

                After the defeat, Joshua cries to the Lord and the Lord responds; "...Get thee up; wherefore liest thou thus upon thy face" (Joshua 7:10)... Essentially saying, why are you crying and praying for help... go and take care of the problem. Kind of like a father telling their child that they have legs (after asking them, let's say, to get something from another room.) and telling them to get it themselves. I learn from this, that God will hear our prayers, but sometimes we just have to do things ourselves. We can pray all we want for money, but unless we look for a job and then earn it... we won't have it!

                In the end the Lord causes that the people who disobeyed to be destroyed!

Chapter 8: Words of the Law of Moses

                Joshua is encourage by the Lord to return to the land of the people of Ai and go back to smite them. So Joshua commands his whole army to go and slay the whole people, just as they had done with the land of Jericho. They end up killing over 12,000 people and finally end the killing by hanging the king in the tree, and leaving him there overnight. The entire city and land was burned and left desolate.

                At the entrance to the city, Joshua built an altar to the Lord and their he read from the "Book of the Law of Moses" (one of the lost books of the Bible). From there Joshua read about the blessings and the cursings that come from either obeying the law of Moses and the commandments of God, or choosing to ignore them and disobey them.

Joshua 5-6

Joshua 5-6

This year, I plan on reading the Old Testament of the Bible within the 2012 calendar year. Follow me on this journey!

Scripture Thought (What I Learned):

Chapter 5: Israel Keeps the Commandments

                Inhabitants of Canaan fear the children of Israel. All the uncircumcised males in  Israel are taken to be circumcised. Israel keeps the commandments and completes the Passover, where they eat the fruit of the land, the Manna that the Lord had given to them ceases. The captain of the Lord's host appears before Joshua.

Chapter 6: Jericho is Destroyed

                Joshua prepares the Israelites for war against Jericho. Seven (7) priests are given seven (7) trumpets of rams' horns. They are to surround the city of Jericho and sound the horns for six (6) days, and on the seventh day to make a long blast with the seven (7) horns to start the war.

                Joshua commands the people: "...Ye shall not shout, nor make any noise with your voice... until the day I bid you shout; then shall ye shout" (Joshua 6:10), here Joshua is telling his people to be quiet until the day that they need to scream. But this reminds me of churches today that scream and dance around... think about it... how can the spirit be there?

                Anyways...  on the seventh day; Joshua speaks to the Israelites and tells them; "...Shout; for the Lord hath given you the city. And the city shall be accursed, even it, and all that are therein, to the Lord: only Rahab the harlot shall live, she and all that are with her house, because she hid the messengers that we had sent. (see Joshua 2)" (Joshua 6:16-17)

                Joshua, as a war rally, tells them to be careful of what they touch, because it is evil within the city. But the silver, gold, brass and iron are to come into the Treasury of the Lord. The people shouted and charged the city, the walls of the city fell flat and all was "utterly destroyed" (Joshua 6:21). Joshua commands the 2 spies from Joshua 2, to go in and get Rahab and her family from the city, before they burn Jericho to the ground.

                Joshua sends a warning and a curse for anyone who decides to rebuild the city of Jericho. The Lord was with Joshua and the fame of him was spread wide throughout the region.

Joshua 3-4

Joshua 3-4

This year, I plan on reading the Old Testament of the Bible within the 2012 calendar year. Follow me on this journey!

Scripture Thought (What I Learned):

Chapter 3: Dry Ground=River Jordan

                Joshua leads the tribes of Israel to Jordan, when the feet of the priests (1 out of every 12 tribes) stepped foot into the waters of Jordan, it became dry and the Israelites were able to pass through the River Jordan on dry ground.

Chapter 4: Twelve Stones

                After the last Israelite passed through the River Jordan on dry ground, the twelve men (1 from each tribe of Israel) who stepped foot into the water, in the last chapter. Is commanded to place a rock where they stood near their camp. These are the 12 stones, that commemorate the crossing of Jordan.

                As the Israelites crossed the river, they saw the presence of God with Joshua as he was magnified as a prophet before them. The fear and understand of the Lord, was once again seen as it was with Moses, through Joshua. Over 40,000 armed Israelites crossed the river, and as the last one crossed the river returned to its normal flow.

                Joshua then tells the congregation, all of Israel to remember this day. Joshua continues, by saying that they all must remember this day and remember the 12 stones that when their children and future generations ask about the stones they can tell them that they were carried through the river Jordan on dry ground just like Moses with the power of God brought them out of bondage from the Pharaoh in Egypt as they crossed the Red Sea on dry ground. This is to be a reminder of the Lord, and his power... that we might respect, follow and fear him, as the Lord God Almighty.