AUG 27 READ GENESIS 6-10

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Genesis 6 brings us to the 3rd “generations”: 6:9 the records of the generations of Noah: Noah was a righteous man, blameless in his time; Noah walked with God.  Noah 10 Noah became the father of three sons: Shem, Ham, and Japheth.”

First issue to be discussed:Who were the “sons of God” and who were the “daughters of men” that they married. The Book of Enoch said that the sons of God were angels who came down, married earthly women and bore a race of giants, the Nephilim. Here’s AI about the book of Enoch:

The Book of Enoch states that a group of 200 angels called “Watchers” lusted after human women, descended to Earth, and took them as wives. This illicit sexual union defiled the women, introduced forbidden magic, and produced a race of violent giant offspring known as the Nephilim.

The Descent of the Watchers
Two hundred angels swore an oath on Mount Hermon to leave heaven and find human wives.
Led by figures like Semiaza and Azazel, they coupled with the women and defiled themselves.

Corruption and Forbidden Knowledge
The angels taught women charms, sorcery, making weapons coosmetics.
This spread immense wickedness and lawlessness across the earth.

The Offspring (The Nephilim)
The women gave birth to giants 300 cubits tall (450 feet).
These giants consumed the food of mankind and
eventually turned on humans and animals to devour them and drink their blood.

Divine Judgment
God condemned the rebellious angels, having them bound and imprisoned in the depths of the earth until the final judgment.
He also sent a great flood to cleanse the earth of the destruction caused by the giants.

  • Not in Standard Bibles: The text is not part of the standard Hebrew Bible or mainstream Christian Old/New Testaments.It was not written by Enoch who did not die but was carried to heaven. It was probably written between 3rd century BC and 1st century AD. The fact that the book of Enoch says that the women gave birth to giants 450 feet tall makes it pretty unbelievable and mythological.
  • Ethiopian Canon: It is accepted as canonical scripture only within the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church and Eritrean Orthodox Church.
  • Historical Influence: Early Jewish and Christian writers read the book widely, and the New Testament book of Jude directly quotes a line from 1 Enoch. Fragments of it were also discovered among the Dead Sea Scrolls.

Could angels come down to earth and have sex with earthly women? Jesus said in Matthew 22:30 that angels do not marry but it doesn’t say they could not marry. I guess anything is possible but I think that the “sons of God” were the descendants of the line of Seth who worshipped the one true God. Genesis 4:26 To Seth, to him also a son was born; and he called his name Enosh. Then men began to call upon the name of the Lord.” They began to marry the ungodly descendants of Cain which led to widespread moral decay. That produced a race of giants (Nephilim), a race of “men of renown”, or at least a race of powerful tyrannical rulers.The 10 spies reported seeing Nephilim. Numbers 13:33 There also we saw the Nephilim (the sons of Anak are part of the Nephilim); and we became like grasshoppers in our own sight, and so we were in their sight.” So it does seem that the Nephilim were giants like Goliath. If the sons of God were the descendants of Seth and not angels, why would their marriage to the daughter descendants of Cain produce giants? That might make us lean toward the sons of God being angels but I just don’t believe angels came down and had sex with women. Also these sons of God married the daughters of men. That implies that they were on earth long enough to establish marriages instead of just one-time sexual relations and then head back to heaven. So, I can’t explain how the descendants of Seth marrying the daughters of men created a race of giants. It is interesting that “Gotquestions.org”, which is usually pretty conservative, says that the sons of God were fallen angels! It comments: “Early Jewish interpreters and apocryphal and pseudepigraphal writings are unanimous in holding the view that fallen angels are the sons of God mentioned in Genesis 6.” Of course, he is including the book of Enoch in that comment which is not accepted as authentic by most Christian scholars.

That brings up another question that bothers me. Did the flood wipe out all the giants on the earth? It seems for certain that the flood wiped out all the Nephilim (whoever they were) on thee land wiped out by the flood. But then after the flood there are still giants like Goliath (and his brothers) and the Nephilim that the spies saw in Canaan. Where did they come from if giants over the entire earth were wiped out by the flood? Apparently there were giants on places like Easter Island who created and moved statues weighing 12-14 tons and 13 feet tall (some much heavier and taller). Hod did giants come to live on Easter Island. There were only 8 people surviving the flood (Noah, his wife, his 3 sons and their wives). How could giants come from one of those 8 people? Some have suggested that one of Noah’s daughter in laws had the genes to produce giants but that is pure speculation. There is another theory that might sound like heresy but here it is! Is it possible that Noah’s flood only wiped out the people in the Mesopotamian valley of the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers and not all people all over the earth? But didn’t God say that He was going to blot out man whom I have created from the face of the land? Yes, He did, but that language might not be strictly speaking of all mankind on all the continents of the earth. AI discusses this possibility:

Yes, biblical scholars and linguists argue that phrases like “all the earth” and “all the people” in Noah’s flood can be interpreted as a local or regional flood rather than a planet-wide cataclysm.

Arguments for Local Language

  • Hebrew Word Meanings: The Hebrew word erets translated as “earth” or “land,” frequently refers to a specific local territory, country, or region (like the “land” of Egypt) rather than the physical globe.
  • Universal Idioms (Hyperbole): Biblical writers often use universal terms like kol (“all” or “whole”) as hyperbole or naked-eye observation to mean “all within the writer’s known horizon or experience”. For instance, Exodus 9:25 says “all the trees of the field were broken” by hail in Egypt, yet Pharaoh’s crops elsewhere survived. Or the gospel would be preached to the whole world by 70 AD (Matthew 24:14), which it was according to Paul (Colossians 1:23) the “gospel that you have heard, which was proclaimed in all creation under heaven,” The apostles did preach the gospel to the whole Roman Empire, but not to every person on earth as the language might imply.
  • Contextual Clues: Scholars pointing to a regional event note that Genesis 8:5 mentions mountaintops becoming visible while the surrounding “earth” remained flooded, which fits a regional Mesopotamian basin view better than a globe-spanning ocean.

Arguments Against Local Language

  • Repetition and Emphasis: Traditional interpreters argue that Genesis repeatedly uses comprehensive modifiers—such as “all the high mountains under the whole heaven”—to deliberately rule out a mere local event. But counter: does that language necessitate all the mountains over the whole earth?
  • The Logic of the Ark: Critics of the local theory ask why God would command Noah to spend decades building a massive ark and gathering regional/flying animals instead of simply telling him to migrate to a safe region. But counter: the flood could have been local but large enough to kill animals and people in the Mesopotamian Valley and requiring that Noah build such a large ark. If animals had to come from all over the earth, then that is possible but difficult to see animals coming from all the continents of earth coming even if pangea is still the case when the flood came.
  • New Testament and Covenant: Passages like the rainbow promise or Jesus and Peter’s comparisons treat the event as a total, universal judgment, which opponents argue is undermined by recurring local floods. But counter: The judgement Peter predicted in 2 Peter 3: 7 But by His word the present heavens and earth are being reserved for fire, kept for the day of judgment and destruction of ungodly men” is actually only predicting the judgment on the Jews in 70 AD and a spiritual new heavens and earth (not literal) that was fulfilled in the new Messianic system. Peter’s language also sounds like he is predicting universal destruction of the heavens and earth but he is only referring to a local judgment. So when he refers to the Noah destruction of the heavens and earth and ungodly men, he could also be referring to a local Noah flood. Counter on the rainbow point: The rainbow is indeed seen all across the earth and it is a promise not to ever do a flood as extensive (even if it was just a local flood) Mlike the Noah flood (even though there have been many local floods) but that doesn’t necessarily mean the Noah flood was universal.

Where does Pangea come into all this? Pangea was a giant supercontinent that joined all of Earth’s landmasses together into one single land piece. That does appear to be true when you look at a map of how the continents could seem to fit together. Genesis 1 suggests that the land on earth was one piece: Genesis 1:9 Then God said, “Let the waters below the heavens be gathered into one place, and let the dry land appear”; and it was so. 10 God called the dry land earth, and the gathering of the waters He called seas; and God saw that it was good.” If Pangea is true, then when did the continents separate? Old earth advocates say they separated one inch at a time over 100’s of millions of years, but I am a young earth (a 6,000 year old earth: see the blog article on Genesis 1-5) so I can’t accept that. I think the continents separated at the flood. The flood could have been local but large enough to separate them b/c it says the all the fountains of the great deep burst open (Genesis 7:11) so that could have produced the shift in the tectonic plates that would separate the continents. That would explain why scientists found identical plant and animal fossils on continents that are now separated by wide oceans.and matching rock layers and mountain ranges appear across different sides of the Atlantic Ocean. That would also explain how animals and people (if the flood was a local flood killing only the people in the Mesopotamian Valley) came to be on all the continents. If it was a local flood, there were still people and animals on the continents as they quickly were separated and you would have people and animals in all the continents not destroyed by the flood. Universal flood advocates say that after the flood, people and animals migrated to the separated continents by drifting across on rafts or land bridges across temporary shallow seas, but I find that hard to believe. Noah’s flood was around 2350 BC. The tower of Babel was about 100 years after the flood when those surviving the flood and their descendants were not separated across the earth. Even a very conservative estimate is that early Mayan civilizations were present around 2,000 BC. Think about all the people and animals just in South America coming about by drifting on rafts across the ocean within a few hundred years after the Noah flood. I find that implausible. It makes more sense to me that the people and animals living when the continents separated were simpy carried to their new continent locations and continued to thrive and reproduce. After all, it appears that God was angry with a specific group of the descendants of Seth and descendants of Cain and not angry with people in South America (or other distant locations) So why would God destroy all the people in Pangea with a flood? BTW if the Noah flood was local but extensive, and if the fountains of the deep opened up causing the continents to separate, that would have produced massive flooding over the continents as they separated. That might explain how young earth advocates find signs of floods all over the earth. But there could be flooding all over the earth at the time of Noah’s local flood without destroying all men and animals on all the earth. That could also explain why there are so many flood myths of different cultures. There are about 300 flood myths all over the earth (like the Babylonian Epic of Gilgamesh which dates to around 2,000 BD). Many of them have details similar to Noah’s local flood. If continents separated at Noah’s flood, then people on all the continents would have some knowledge perhaps of the Noah local flood and then added their own myths and gods to the Noah flood story. Likewise with the people at the tower of Babel who separated across Europe, Asia, and Africa after the tower of Babel. Those people certainly knew about Noah’s flood but were rebellious and God confused their languages which caused them to migrate to Europe, Asia, and Africa. They simply added their own myths and gods to the original Noah flood story. Why do we believe that the Noah flood story is not just a myth like the other 300 flood stories? Many Bible believers would simply say, “B/c Moses in Genesis said it happened.” But I point to the fact that Jesus said that it happened. Matthew 24:37 For the coming of the Son of Man will be just like the days of Noah. 38 For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, 39 and they did not understand until the flood came and took them all away; so will the coming of the Son of Man be.” Jesus was the Son of God and we can trust what he says. He was also with the Father all through the Old Testament history, so He was actually watching the flood as it happened. The Holy Spirit inspired apostle Peter also said the Noah flood really happened. BTW Jesus is predicting his coming in judgment on the Jews in 70 AD which was only a local judgment and not a judgment of all the people on all the continents. 1 Peter 3:18 For Christ also died for sins once for all, the just for the unjust, so that He might bring us to God, having been put to death in the flesh, but made alive in the spirit; 19 in which also He went and made proclamation to the spirits now in prison, 20 who once were disobedient, when the patience of God kept waiting in the days of Noah, during the construction of the ark, in which a few, that is, eight persons, were brought safely through the water.” 2 Peter 2:5 and did not spare the ancient world, but preserved Noah, a preacher of righteousness, with seven others, when He brought a flood upon the world of the ungodly.”

But what about the dinosaraurs? Were there dinosaurs on the ark? Scientists tell us that dinosarus died out 60 million years ago and modern man only appeared 300,000 years ago. But the Bible says that God created both man and land animals on day 6, so according to the Bible dinosaurs and man co-existed and lived the same time. There is plenty of evidence of that. Many drawings made by ancient peoples that clearly show dinosaurs that they saw. There are many legends about dinosaurs over the past 2,000 years that appear to be factua firsthand sightings of dinosaurs. So yes there were dinosaurs on the ark. The book of Job (Job 40) even mentions 2 dinosaurs, Behemoth and Leviathon, that God created. So what happened to the dinosaurs? Scientists say a comet somehow wiped out all the dinosaurs but not all the other animals but that is wild speculation. They just became extinct like 2,500 other species of animals have become extinct over the past 2,000 years.

Most of the Genesis 6-10 account of the flood is easy to understand so I won’t review it all. A few points. Critics refute that all the animals could not fit on the ark, but the ark was massive (as the Ark Museum in Kentucky shows) and had the space of 550 railway box cars. Plus Noah only took “kinds” of each animal, so they could indeed all fit on the ark. They were on the ark about one year. God allowed man to eat meat after the flood (before the flood they only ate vegetables). Capital punishment was demanded by God for murder. He makes no distinction between premeditated murder and manslaughter like Moses did in the Law later. The rainbow is indeed a beautiful reminder that the flood did occur (whether universal or local). After they got off the ark, Noah planted a vineyard, got durnk, and got naked! Ham saw his father’s nakedness and told the brothers, but did nothing to remove the embarrassment of this incident. Shem and Japheth covered Noah’s nakedness. Strange story. What actually did Ham do that was so wrong? Did he mock his father and gossip about it to his brothers? Is there something more perverse to what he did as some suggest? It just seems that he “saw and told” and was guilty of disrespect. But what about Noah getting drunk? The man who saved the world got drunk and set a terrible example for his family. Some suggest that he was unfamiliar with the effects of alcohol, but shouldn’t he have realized the effects after drinking a few sips? Some suggest that he was suffering from post tramatic stress from years of building the ark and spending a year on the ark with all those animals! I guess we could understand that if that was the case! Also weird is that Noah didn’t accept any blame for getting drunk and naked. Instead he cursed, not Ham, but Ham’s son Canaan to be a servant to the descendants of Shem and Japheth. A lot of weird stories in the Bible!

Noah lived 350 years after the flood for a total of 950 years. He was 500 when he had his 3 sons and about 600 when the flood began. I close with a few slides that might interest you.

I know that’s a lot and I left a lot unanswered questions and gave some speculation. I hope it didn’t cause more confusion than necessary. Keep reading. Catching up on Genesis.

AUG 26. READ GENESIS 1-5

On By nrfaughtLeave a comment

I only started the 5 chapters/day and matching blog articles late so I wanted to catch up on the ones I missed. Maybe, if you are currently on schedule with the daily readings, you might want to do some binge reading on the ones I messed starting in Genesis 1 and read these catch up blogs that I will be dong!

What is the best outline of Genesis? I have seen many good ones, but the best is the one Moses used.

Notice that Abraham, a main character, does not have his own “generations”. He (as well as Isaac) falls under generations of Terah, his father. Same with Joseph, who has 13 chapters devoted to him. His generations fall under Jacob.

Genesis 1. The big debate is over the length of the days in Genesis 1 and the age of the earth. But before we dig into that, let’s not fail to praise God for His creation of all things. He spoke all things into existence from nothing. For a long time, scientists belileved that the universe was eternal. But then the 2nd Law of Thermodynamics says that everything is always moving into a higher state of entropy or disorder. Things wear out. Stars are burning out. So if the universe was eternal, it would have already deteriorated into chaos and not the design that we see in the universe and life itself. But scientists now believe that the earth had a beginning when there was nothing and that the earth (and the universe) somehow created itself from nothing. But then the 1st Law of Thermodynamics says that all matter and energy in the universe is constant. If there was ever nothing, there would still be nothing. Scientists admit these inconsistencies in their theories and say, “Science will figure it out some day.” They are asking you to trust science. But Moses said, “Here is how God did it!” But if every effect must have an adequate cause (the law of causality), then someone will say, “If God created everything, then who created God?” Creationists believe that God was (is) a supernatural cause of all things. Yes, that takes faith. But the alternative is that the universe created itself from nothing, and that is totally unscientific. Which theory is more reasonable and plausible? It helps that God gave so many predictive prophecies in the Old Testament that all came true with 100% accuracy. It helps that God did many miracles (but of course science rejects miracles). It helps a lot that God raised Jesus from the dead. Acts 17:31 says that God gave “proof” that Jesus is the judge of all by the resurrection of Jesus. Then there is the incredible design of the universe and life that simply could not happen by mere chance. The design of all the systems in the human body, the periodic table with each element adding one proton to its nucleus, the over 30 physical constants that must be finely tuned for life to exist, the complexity of the cell, the complexity of DNA, etc. Design demands a designer. If you see a new hosue, you think, “Someone built it and someone designed it”. The evidence for “intelligent design” is so overwhelming that Paul said in Romans 1:20 For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse.” There is no excuse for a person to be an atheist. It has to be his pride and intellectual arrogance that keeps him/her from believing in God.

It’s interesting how many times the Psalms praise God for his creation of the universe and evertything in it. Then add Revelation 4.

  • Psalm 8: Reflects the creation of humanity and order of the cosmos, echoing Genesis 1.
  • Psalm 19: Celebrates the heavens declaring the glory of God and the order of day and night.
  • Psalm 33: Depicts creation by God’s spoken word (“he spoke, and it came to be”), directly mirroring Genesis 1.
  • Psalm 74: Recalls God crushing sea monsters and establishing light, day, and night.
  • Psalm 104: Provides a grand poetic sweep of the creation account, matching the specific order and elements of Genesis 1 (light, waters above, mountains, animals, and seasons).
  • Psalm 136: Praises God for making the heavens, earth, sun, moon, and stars with “understanding.”
  • Psalm 148: Calls all created elements, cosmic bodies, and creatures to praise the Lord.
  • Revelation 4:11 “Worthy are You, our Lord and our God, to receive glory and honor and power; for You created all things, and because of Your will they existed, and were created.”
  • Nehemiah 9:5“Arise, bless the Lord your God forever and ever! O may Your glorious name be blessed and exalted above all blessing and praise! 6 “You alone are the Lord. You have made the heavens, The heaven of heavens with all their host, The earth and all that is on it, The seas and all that is in them. You give life to all of them and the heavenly host bows down before You.

So now for the debate. In order to get the millions and billions of years into their atheistic evolutionary teaching, many say that the days in Genesis were millions of years long and not 24 hour days. Here’s are 2 slides that settle that IMO.

Many teach that the Genesis creation account is just a myth. Even many Christians teach that. But Jesus believed it was an historically accurate event. Matthew 19:4 And He answered and said, “Have you not read that He who created them from the beginning made them male and female, 5 and said, ‘For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh’? 6 So they are no longer two, but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together, let no man separate.” The apostles Paul by inspiration of the Holy Spirit said that Adam was a the first man, a real person through whom sin entered the world: 1 Corinthians 15:45 So also it is written, “The first man, Adam, became a living soul.” Moses compared the 6 days of creation to the six 24 hour days each week that men work before honoring the Sabbath: Exodus 20:11 For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh day; therefore the Lord blessed the sabbath day and made it holy.” Also on day 4 God created the sun and the moon and said, Genesis 1:16 God made the two great lights, the greater light (the sun) to govern the day, and the lesser light (the moon) to govern the night; He made the stars also.” That is obviously a 24 hour day. BTW that would mean that, at the minimum, days 4, 5,and 6 were 24 hour days. It is on days 5 and 6 that God created all the animals and man on 2 consecutive days, and not the millions of years that evolutionists claim was required for man and animals to evolve. Even “theistic evolutionists” try to make days 5 and 6 millions of years long to try to get their unproven theories of evolution to fit in the Genesis account. God created everything full-grown. Life did not evolve from a single cell. In conclusion, I believe that the 6 days of creation were 24 hour days.

What about the age of the earth? Is it 6 billion years old or 6,000 years old? I don’t believe this is a “heaven/hell doctrine”. We Christians can even disagree on the age of the earth. Many strong Bible believing Christians believe that the earth is 6 billion years old. They cite their scientific proofs and young earth advocates cite their proofs. Here is what I believe. I believe that the Bible claims that the earth is about 6,000 years old based on the genealogical accounts in Genesis 5, 11, and Matthew 1. In Genesis 5 and 11 there are about 2,000 years from Adam to Abraham. In Matthew 1 there are about 2,000 years (42 generations of about 40-50 years each) from Abraham to Jesus. Then there are 2,000 yeas from Jesus to today. That’s 6,000 years from Adam to today, i.e. the Biblical age of the earth. It’ impossible to refute that the Bible claims a 6,000 year old earth even if you dn’t believe that is true.

I’m sure many atheists and Theistic Evolutionists would disagree with this, but to me they are disagreeing with what the Bible clearly claim, i.e. a young earth. If we can’t trust the genealogies in Genesis, why should we trust the rest of Genesis? Why should we trust the miracles in the Old Testament if we can’t trust the creation account in Genesis? Atheists point to radiometric dating to prove a 6 billion year old earth. But, without going into great detail, radiometric dating is based on one big, unprovable, assumption. You have to assume that you know the amount of the mother element that existed in the original sample before you can use the half lives of the decay of the daughter elements to determine how old the sample is. Radiometric dating is unreliable. I think I will stick with the reliable word of God!

Genesis 2 begins with a summary of the creation week. Many people make a big deal about how this summary supposedly contradicts the Genesis 1 account but I don’t believe that it does. Here is a good AI on the supposed contradicion:

Critics often claim a contradiction in the order of creation—specifically regarding animals and plants—between the two chapters. However, these are resolved by looking closely at Hebrew grammar and literary structure:

  • The Creation of Animals (Genesis 2:19): A surface reading of some English translations suggests God formed the animals after making Adam. However, in Hebrew grammar, the verb translated as “formed” can accurately be rendered in the pluperfect tense as “had formed.” This means Genesis 2:19 is not describing a second, later creation of animals, but rather a flashback or summary explaining that God had already created the animals (as stated in Genesis 1) and now brought them to Adam to be named.
  • The Creation of Plants (Genesis 2:5–9): Genesis 2 mentions that certain shrubs and cultivated plants had not yet grown because there was no man to till the ground. This passage refers specifically to the localized agricultural environment of Eden rather than a global re-creation of all botanical life from Day 3 of Genesis 1.
  • Whether we can fully explain all this, I believe Moses wrote Genesis and I can’t fathom him contradicting his Genesis 1 account immediately after he gives it. Instead, the two chapters are widely viewed as complementary narratives with different literary styles and focal points. AI: “‘Genesis 2 functions as a localized, intimate “zoom-in” or close-up on the sixth day. It skips the broad cosmic timeline to focus specifically on humanity, the Garden of Eden, human relationships, and moral responsibility.”

Moving on the the main part of Genesis 2. 1) The command to not eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. 2) The creation of woman to be a helper for Adam and the first marriage. Jesus fully believe that this was a real, historical account. Matthew 19:4 And He answered and said, “Have you not read that He who created them from the beginning made them male and female, 5 and said, ‘For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh’? 6 So they are no longer two, but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together, let no man separate.” There are several “eternal” principles given in this. God created 2 genders: male and female. The current debate over gender identity is so unbiblical. I can’t even imagine the factors that led to all the confusion. It is pretty obvious how God made man and woman to “fit” together in the sex act. Any homosexual activity is condemned in the Old and New Testaments. Some try to say that the Greek words for “homosexual” where Paul condemns such in 1 Corinthians 6 and 1 Timothy 1 only mean sexual acts with minors. I simply carry them to Romans 1 where there is no ambiguity: Romans 1:26 For this reason God gave them over to degrading passions; for their women exchanged the natural function for that which is unnatural, 27 and in the same way also the men abandoned the natural function of the woman and burned in their desire toward one another, men with men committing indecent acts and receiving in their own persons the due penalty of their error.” Case closed. Debate over. Homosexuality is a sin. Gay marriages are sinful. Marriage is between a man and a woman according to Moses and Jesus. The fact that God said “a man shall leave his father and mother and cleave to his wife” says that is an eternal rule for marriage since leaving father and mother wouldn’t even apply to Adam. You are born male or female, period. To change your gender through surgery is going against how God made you, period. One other point. Eve was created as a “helper” for Adam. No “suitable helper” was found for Adam among the animals (tough a dog is a man’s best friend, right?). She would meet his needs for companionship, love, and sexual procreation. But “helper” says that the woman was the helper, not the head person. An electrician’s helper or apprentice is not the one in charge. Paul stated that in Ephesians 5 when he said that the husband is the head of the wife and the wife should be in “submission” to the husband. In 1 Timothy 2 Paul said that women were not to “usurp authority over the men (at least in church affairs) b/c Adam was the first one created and then Eve. But let’s be clear: the husband is to love, cherish, and nourish his wife. He is to appreciate the role God gave her and not take advantage of that. She needs love, appreciation, and support in what she does, especially as she takes the main role in birthing the children and raising them. Conclusion: if we just followed God’s pattern set up in Genesis 2, we wouldn’t be in this moral mess we are in today. We are in this mess b/c many don’t believe that the Bible is the inspired word of God. Also, if you believe the Genesis account of creation is a myth, none of thse principles really exist.

Genesis 3 The fall of man. The serpent was Satan. Revelation 20: 2 And he laid hold of the dragon, the serpent of old, who is the devil and Satan. When did Satan enter or become a serpent? Where did Satan come from? We think that he was a beautiful angel who fell from heaven due to pride (Ezekiel 28). In his discussion with the woman, Satan questioned the reason God gave the rule not to eat of rhe forbidden tree. He said God just didn’t want Adam and Eve to be like God, knowing good and evil. Satan has always tried to tell people that God’s laws are simply to deprive us of joy and pleasure. But God’s laws might test our obedience to God, but they are also for our own good. Deuteronomy 6: 24 So the Lord commanded us to observe all these statutes, to fear the Lord our God for our good always and for our survival, as it is today.” They are for our good in giving us eternal life in the next life if we obey God, but they are also for our good in this life. Living just to satisfy the lusts of the flesh and of the eye and the pride of life does not bring true happiness, only misery. It’s interesting that it was Eve who first sinned by eating from the forbidden tree but Paul says that sin entered the world through one man, Adam (Roans 5:12). Is that b/c Adam failed in not leading his wife in opposing Satan and thus Adam is responsible for the fall? It is also interesting that Paul says that Eve was deceived by the devil’s lies, but Adam wasn’t (1 Timothy 2:12ff). That means that he heard the same lies as Eve did, so why didn’t he step up and help his wife resist?

Then come the curses on the serpent, on Eve, and on Adam. The most notable one is Genesis 3:15 And I will put enmity
Between you and the woman,
And between your seed and her seed;
He shall bruise you on the head,
And you shall bruise him on the heel.”

The seed of Satan will deliver a minor blow (to the heel) to the seed of woman (referring to Jesus) but the seed of woman (Jesus) will deliver a major blow to the seed of Satan. Indeed, Jesus came to destroy the works of the devil (1 John 3:8). He came tro cast Satan into the lake that burns with fire and brimstone (Revelation 20:19). The devil did give a blow to Jesus when he persuaded the Jews and the Romans to crucify Jesus, but Jessu arose from the dead after that so the blow was not fatal. But Jesus delivered a major blow to Satan and his power.

I find it interesting that God already planned to send Jesus to save sinners even before the creation of man. 1 Peter 1:18 knowing that you were not redeemed with perishable things like silver or gold from your futile way of life inherited from your forefathers, 19 but with precious blood, as of a lamb unblemished and spotless, the blood of Christ. 20 For He was foreknown before the foundation of the world, but has appeared in these last times for the sake of you.” That means that God knew that man, having been given freewill choice, would sin and that a loving God would one day in the distant future send His Son Jesus to die for sinners. God even put that forbidden tree in the garden, knowing that man would eat from the tree and sin and would therefore need salvation from sin b/c the justice of God demands punishment for sin. Why would God put that forbidden tree in the garden if He knew Adam and Eve would eat from it and sin? If God had not put that forbidden tree in the garden, would Adam and Eve have lived forever in a perfect garden, and if so, what would mankind after Adam and Eve be like? A lot of unanswered questions that I leave with your imagination. But it is what it is. We all sin like Adam and Eve did. Jesus died for our sins. Praise God.

Genesis 4. Cain and Abel. My question on Cain and Abel is this: why did God reject Cain’s offering of fruit? Was it b/c he offered fruit instead of Abel’s firstlings of his flocks? Was it b/c he lacked the sincere faith by which Abel offered a “better sacrifice” than Cain (Hebrews 11:4)? How was Abel’s sacrifice “better”? Better b/c of Abel’s attiude or b/c it was an animal? 1 John 3 tells us a little more about Cain: 3:11 For this is the message which you have heard from the beginning, that we should love one another; 12 not as Cain, who was of the evil one and slew his brother. And for what reason did he slay him? Because his deeds were evil, and his brother’s were righteous.” He did not love his brother Abel. He was envious of Abel pleasing God. But he did not want to repent and ask God what he should do to please God. Instead, he became angry and his countenance (his facial expression and body language) had fallen. God told him, “5:7 If you do well, will not your countenance be lifted up? And if you do not do well, sin is crouching at the door; and its desire is for you, but you must master it.” Life lesson: Isn’t sin always crouching at the door with us, waiting to catch us at a weak moment? There was no mention of the devil tempting Cain. His own lusts caused him to become envious and commit murder. But we must “master” sin and show it who is boss, who is in control. Do you have a lust you have trouble saying no to? Has sin caused your countenance to fall and make you angry, bitter, envious, unforgiving, unloving, etc.?

Ok, where did Cain get his wife? The critics of the Bible always ask that! It says he went to Nod and had relations with his wife. It doesn’t say he found her in Nod. Cain had to have married a niece or sister or cousin. Adam and Eve hand many children after Cain and Abel (Genesis 5:4). You had to marry a relative to populate the earth. Tubal-cain was the great great great great gandson of Cain and he was the forger of al instruments of bronze and iron (5:22). Adam lived 930 years and Tubal-cain was born before Adam died. Point being, within about 1,000 years of the creation of Adam there was forging or iron and bronze instruments. There was no “milions” of years of primitive man who could not speak a language, who used crude tools. The first men were civilized, could speak intelligently, and could make and use tools. They could play lyres and harps (5:21). Chapter 4 closes with the birth of Seth to replace Abel. The seed line of Jesus would come through Seth.

Chapter 5. Notice 5:1 this is the book of the generations of Adam (the 2nd “generations” of the outline given at the first of this blog Here is a slide of this chapter. Jesus would come from Seth. Enoch walked with God and God took him (he did not die). Methuselah lived the longest, 969 years.

Here is that slide again showing how much their lives overlapped!

Chapter 5 ends: 5:32 Noah was five hundred years old, and Noah became the father of Shem, Ham, and Japheth.” We are getting close to Noah and the flood!

Getting caught up! Keep reading every day.

OCT 8 READ JUDGES 5-9

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Judges 5. The song of Deborah and Barak. This is a victory song that I assume was actually sung to some tune. I would love to hear the original and maybe one day we can get Deborah to sing it for us! In the meantime, I found this rendition of the song of Deborah using the exact words in Judges 5 so please listen to it. Notice vs 8: Barak’s men had “no shield or spear”, maybe his men got the weapons from the panicking army of Sisera after their chariots were swept away by the flooding waters of the Kishon River (flooding rains that God sent); vs 9-11 the volunteer, peasant army of Barak; vs 18 Zebulun and Naphtali were especially praised as Judges 4:6 states that the main army of 10,000 men came from those two tribes; vs 21-22 the torrent waters of Kishon that mired and immobilized the 900 iron chariots of Sisera; vs 21-24 the heroic efforts of Jael deceiving Sisera and then driving a tent peg through his temple; vs 28-30 a little imagination, Sisera’s mom wondering why Sisera hasn’t returned victorious from the battle. Judges 4:7 somehow Deborah drew Sisera’s men and chariots to the Kishon River and then God sent rains to flood the river. 5:31 “And the land was undisturbed for forty years.” Now listen to this rendition of Deborah’s song using the exact words in Judges 5.

Judges 6-8 Gideon defeats the Midianites who had oppressed Israel for 7 years. Here is a good AI summary:

Background and Calling

  • Midianite Oppression: Israel faced seven years of poverty and raids by the Midianites because of their disobedience to God.
  • The Angel’s Visit: God called Gideon while he was threshing wheat in a winepress to hide it from enemies. An angel called him a “mighty warrior,” though Gideon felt weak and insignificant. The angel consumes with fire an offering prepared by Gideon.
  • Destroying Idols: God told Gideon to tear down his town’s altar to the pagan god Baal. Gideon obeyed at night, earning the nickname Jerubbaal. The men of the city wanted to kill Gideon for doing this but Gideon’s father said to them, “Can;t Baal contend for himself?”
  • The Fleece Sign: Doubting his ability, Gideon asked God for proof by testing a wool fleece with dew. God proved Himself by making the fleece wet and the ground dry, then vice versa.

The Defeat of Midian

  • The 300 Soldiers: God reduced Gideon’s army of 32,000 down to just 300 men so Israel would know the victory came from God, not human strength. 22,000 of the 32,000 were allowed to leave b/c they were afraid, leaving 10,000 who were tested with how they drank water and 9,700 of those were seent away, leaving 300. The Midianites had 135,000 men!
  • The Night Attack: Armed only with trumpets, clay jars, and torches, the 300 men surrounded the enemy camp at night. They blew the trumpets, smashed the jars, and shouted.
  • The Victory: Panic struck the Midianite army, causing them to turn on and fight each other, allowing Israel to win the battle. Gideon’s men killed 120,000 of the 135,000 Midianite army. Gideon chased down the 2 kings of Midian and the last 15,000 Midianites, killing them. Gideon killed many of the men of Succoth who had refused to help Gideon capture the 2 kings and their armies.

Later Life

  • Refusing Kingship: Grateful Israelites asked Gideon to rule as king, but he refused, stating that God alone ruled over them.
  • The Ephod: Gideon later made a religious object called an ephod out of gold from the spoils of war, which unfortunately became an idol trap for the Israelites and a snare to Gideon..
  • Peaceful Era: Israel enjoyed 40 years of peace during the remainder of Gideon’s lifetime. Gideon had 70 sons by his many wives and a son named Abimelech by his concubine.

My comments on Gideon. There are a lot of heroic leaders of Israel and heroic judges like Deborah, but Gideon is the reluctant, fearful judge. He is beating out his wheat in a winepress in fear of the Midianites. He said the Lord had abandoned Israel, citing the oppression of the Midianites and the lack of current miracles. He makes an excuse that he is too young to lead Israel. He asks for a sign from the angel talking to him and the angel consumes his offering with fire. He obeys God by destroying his father’s altars to Baal and Asherah but he does so at night out of fear of being caught. He twice asks for more signs with the fleece. He had to be terrified when God reduced his army of 32,000 to 300 to go against 135,000 Midianites. God tells him that if he is still afraid to go down to the Midianite camp for another sign which was a dream a Midianite man had predicting the defeat of the Midianites. Maybe Gideon is finally ready to trust God! 7:15 When Gideon heard the account of the dream and its interpretation, he bowed in worship. He returned to the camp of Israel and said, “Arise, for the Lord has given the camp of Midian into your hands.” He has gone from a reluctant, fearful, doubting potential leader to a courageous leader who defeats 135,000 Midianites with 300 men. I thought these AI comments were good: Divine Patience: Instead of rebuking Gideon for his skepticism, God gently met him in his fear and provided the confirmation he needed to transition from paralyzing anxiety to obedient action. Grace for Weak Faith: The narrative illustrates that God is willing to work through deeply flawed, frightened individuals, transforming their reluctant obedience into strength.”

Life Lesson: I can relate to Gideon. I have always been a fearful person. I blame it on my mom’s fearful disposition. I went to a school of preaching b/c I was afraid of going to Vietnam (I did think I would still have to go after my 2 years at the SOP, but I really was afraid to go to Vietnam). I was afraid when we went to Trinidad to do mission work, but I went b/c I always tried to obey God even if I was afraid. I was afraid of so many challenges in my 37 years of Christian education. Someone would threaten me with a lawsuit (as did happen) and I would fall apart. I almost had a nervous breakdown over an incident at a school where I was principal of the school. I could go on! But I say this not to brag, but to give God the glory. God has used fearful me and my wife to do many good things for His cause. God took me, a fearful, reluctant young man with an engineering degree and used me. I am so thankful for that. I could have possibly spent working for Alabama Power for 40 years and retired nicely but I would have missed all those wonderful opportunities to serve God and convert several people, train leaders in Trinidad, and establish relationships with young people through Christian education. Praise God. What about you? What are your fears? How do you think that God is calling you to do battle for him? Have you ever asked for signs to confirm God’s plans for you? Do you truly believe that God will answer you and show you His will for you? Does the story of Gideon help you find the courage to step out in faith to lead others? Do you feel, like Gideon did, unworthy to lead? I hope this story of Gideon will help you find courage.

Judges 9 Abimelech. Back to Gideon’s son Abimelech by his concubine. Abimelech was not one of the judges. He was an usurper who made himself ruler. Here is a good summary of Abimelech from AI:

Abimelech was an ambitious and ruthless son of the Bible judge Gideon who violently seized power and served as a self-proclaimed king over Shechem for three years. His tragic and bloody story is recorded in Judges Chapter 9.

Rise to Power

  • Appealing to family: After Gideon died, Abimelech went to his mother’s relatives in Shechem. He asked if they wanted to be ruled by all seventy of Gideon’s sons or by just one man who was their own flesh and blood.
  • Slaughtering his brothers: The leaders of Shechem gave Abimelech seventy pieces of silver from a pagan temple. He used the money to hire reckless men, went to his father’s house in Ophrah, and murdered sixty-nine of his half-brothers on a single stone.
  • Jotham’s escape: Gideon’s youngest son, Jotham, escaped the massacre by hiding. Jotham mocked the people of Shechem with a prophetic parable about trees foolishly choosing a useless, destructive bramble (Abimelech) to reign over them. The olive and fig trees and grape vines had refused to let Abimelech rule over them.

Conflict and Downfall

  • Rebellion in Shechem: God sent an evil spirit to stir up division between Abimelech and the men of Shechem. Tired of his rule, the citizens turned against him and supported a new leader named Gaal.
  • Destruction of the city: Abimelech discovered the revolt, attacked Shechem, captured the city, slaughtered its people, and burned down its tower where people had taken refuge, killing 1,000 men and women.
  • Death at Thebez: While attacking a nearby tower at Thebez, an anonymous woman dropped a heavy millstone from the roof, fracturing Abimelech’s skull. To avoid the shame of dying by a woman’s hand, he quickly ordered his armor-bearer to run him through with a sword.

On a side note, Jotham’s Parable of the Bramble was one of my mom’s favorite parables in the Bible. I have no idea why she like it so much, but she was a great student of the Old Testament. The story of Abimelech ends: 9:55 When the men of Israel saw that Abimelech was dead, each departed to his home. 56 Thus God repaid the wickedness of Abimelech, which he had done to his father in killing his seventy brothers. 57 Also God returned all the wickedness of the men of Shechem on their heads, and the curse of Jotham the son of Jerubbaal came upon them.” A sad story about a murderous usurper. Sometimes God lets us have bad leaders. But remember that it was the men of Shechem who chose him to lead. Often we elect people to rule over us who are not godly people, and often we pay the price later on.

Nice place to stop before going on to the next judge in chapter 10.

OCT 7 READ JOSHUA 24; JUDGES 1-4

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Joshua 24. Ch 23 and 24 are Joshua’s farewell address. He is in his late 80’s and will die soon. In chapter 24 Joshua revews the history of Israel from Abraham to the conquest of Canaan. 13 I gave you a land on which you had not labored, and cities which you had not built, and you have lived in them; you are eating of vineyards and olive groves which you did not plant.’ Joshua told them to choose whom they would serve, either Yahweh or the gods of the Canaanites. They said, “We will only serve Yahweh”. Joshua, said, “No you won’t!” I think he knew that down deep the people were still not completely committed to following Yahweh, and that prediction came true shortly after Joshua died. Joshua set up a stone at an ok by the tabernacle as a witness to their promise. Joshua made his personal pledge, “as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.” (24:15). Joshua died at the age of 110 so he still lived several years after his farewell address. 24:31 Israel served the Lord all the days of Joshua and all the days of the elders who survived Joshua, and had known all the deeds of the Lord which He had done for Israel.” They buried the bones of Joseph in the cave of Machpelah just as Joseph had made them swear to do. Thus we end the book of Joshua.

We now enter the 7th period of Old Testament history, the period of the Judges.

Judges 1 describes the capture of several cites but also names the cities they failed to conquer.

Judges 2. An angel rebukes Israel for not driving out and destroying all the Canaanites as God had commanded. So now they will become as thorns in your sides and their gods will be a snare to you.’ (2:3). 7 The people served the Lord all the days of Joshua, and all the days of the elders who survived Joshua, who had seen all the great work of the Lord which He had done for Israel. Joshua died. 2:10 All that generation also were gathered to their fathers; and there arose another generation after them who did not know the Lord, nor yet the work which He had done for Israel.” Joshua then describes the vicious cycle repeated over and over in the period of the judges.

Judge 3. The unconquered nations were a “test” to see if Israel would obey God. Just as Joshua predicted, they did not obey God. They lived among the Canaanites, intermarried with them, and served the Baals and Ascheroth. Judges 3 then gives the first three judges.

No need to tell all the stories of each judge. Ehud is memorable b/c he stabbed a “very fat” Moabite King Eglon with a two-edged 18 inch long sword and Eglon was so fat that his fat completely covered the whole sword! Ehud just left the sword in him and fled. Shamgar is memorable b/c he killed 600 Philistines with an oxgoad.

Judges 4. Deborah and Barak defeat Jabin and Sisera of the Canaanites. Deborah was the only woman judge. Apparently no men were stepping up to bed judges at that time and deliver Israel from the 20 year long oppression of the Canaanites. Barak reluctantly agreed to help her. Sisera had 900 iron chariots and Israel would have had none. But the Lord took care of that. He sent rain to flood the River Kishon and the chariots mired in the mud and could not move any further. Israel routed Sisera army and Barak chased Sisera. He came to what he thought was an ally in Jael the wife of Heber the Kenite. She tricked him into going to sleep in her tent and then drove a tent peg through his temple into the ground. Ouch! So now we have two heroic women, Deborah and Jael. We don’t know why Jael turned on Sisera since they were supposed to be allies.

Life Lesson: Of course I am going to discuss the role of female leadership. It is obvious that God expected the men to take the lead in Israel and in the church today. Elders were to be the “husbands of one wife”. But that didn’t mean that women could not use the gifts God gave them to edify the church. In 1 Corinthians 11 Paul told the women that they could pray (out loud) and prophesy in the midst of men as long as they wore a veil (a custom back then to show submission to the men). I’m sure the early church assemblies were full of both men and women speaking in tongues and prophesying. The women were told not to “usurp authority or teach over the men” (1 Timothy 2:12) but that command did not keep them from using their gifts in a mixed gender assembly. Yes the women were told to “keep silent” in the churches (1 Corinthians 14:34) but that command can’t contradict that they were allowed to speak as long as they veiled (1 Corinthians 11). So Paul must have been speaking to some unruly women who were usurping the authority of the male leaders and causing a disturbance in the assemblies. Some have tried to make that a general rule that women cannot pray in a mixed gender assembly and I think that is sad b/c it limits us from being edified by the beautiful, heart-felt prayers of the ladies. I would be against having women elders and preachers b/c elders and preachers will sometimes need to rebuke men in the congregation and thus “usurp authority” over the men. The qualifications for elders are for men only. I believe women should be allowed to lead prayers, lead songs, read Scriptures, and give short teachings in the assemblies. Often churches allow those things in Bible classes and small groups but forbid them in the “worship assembly”, but there are not different rules for small groups vs big assemblies. Also, women can step up to lead if the men won’t (as with Deborah). It was both Aquila and his wife Priscilla who taught Apollos about correct baptism. I’m sure many women took the lead in house churches when no men were stepping up. Nympha hosted a house church in her home (Colossians 4:15). Phoebe was a “deaconness” (Romans 16:1). Junia is described by Paul in Romans 16:7 as “outstanding among the apostles,” indicating a high-level commissioning in the early movement.

The Judges cycle will be repeated many times.

OCT 6. READ JOSHUA 19-23

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Chapter 19 continues with the last allotment of land portions to the tribes. Here again is the map.

Chapter 20 gives the 6 cities of refuge. Someone guilty of manslaughter (not premeditated murder) could go to a city of refute for protection from the blood avenger of the person he/she killed. He/she would have to live in that city until the high priest died and then he could go back to his home city.

Chapter 21 is the 48 Levitical cities. AI: “They were distributed across the nation so Levites could teach God’s laws and assist with worship. Each city included surrounding common land measured out 1,000 cubits from the city wall for livestock and herds. Larger tribes provided more cities and smaller tribes gave fewer, averaging about 4 cities contributed by each of the 12 tribes.”

Chapter 21 ends with a very important statement. 21:43 So the Lord gave Israel all the land which He had sworn to give to their fathers, and they possessed it and lived in it. 44 And the Lord gave them rest on every side, according to all that He had sworn to their fathers, and no one of all their enemies stood before them; the Lord gave all their enemies into their hand. 45 Not one of the good promises which the Lord had made to the house of Israel failed; all came to pass.” God made the original promise to give Abraham the land while he was in Ur. God repeated the land promise to Abraham while he was in Haran (Genesis 12:1-3). He affirmed that promise to Isaac and Jacob. These verses say that Israel received all the land that God had promised them. AI: “Many biblical scholars and theologians state that ancient Israel never fully occupied or controlled all the territory described in the biblical promises made to Abraham. According to passages like Genesis 15:18, the Promised Land stretched from the “river of Egypt” (often identified as the Wadi of Egypt or Nile region) to the Euphrates River, encompassing vast territories well beyond modern borders. Historians and biblical scholars note that even at the height of the united monarchy under David and Solomon, Israel’s actual political control and military occupation covered a much smaller geographic area. They never ruled the entire expanse from the Nile to the Euphrates, Many evangelical and literalist theologians believe the unfulfilled boundaries mean the promise remains valid and will be completely fulfilled in a future prophetic or millennial reign.” But regardless of those points, 21:43-45 states clearly that Israel got all the land the God promised them. Not one of the. promises failed to come to pass. Period. Case closed. Now the bigger discussion will come later when the prophets predict that Israel will be restored to the land in the Messianic Age. Is that literal or figurative? We will save that discussion for later when we read the prophets. But don’t let anyone tell you Israel never got the promised land.

Chapter 22 is mainly about an altar that the 2 1/2 tribes who settled east of the Jordan built. The 9 1/2 tribes west of the Jordan were so angry that they gathered at Shiloh to attack the 2 1/2 tribes. The 9 1/2 tribes were afraid that the Lord would get angry with all 12 tribes b/c of the altar and punish them at at Peor or as He did with Achan. They accused the 2 1/2 tribes of rebelling against the Lord. The 2 1/2 tribes explained to them that they were not building the altar to offer sacrifices, which would have been a sin since all sacrifices were only to be made at the tabernacle in Shloh. They said they were just building the altar as a “witness” to future generations that they were following Yahweh just like the 9 1/2 tribes, a witness that they were still part of the nation. Phinehas the high priest and the elders of the 9 1/2 tribes were satisfied with that explanation and called off the attack plans. Civil war averted!

Chapter 23 Joshua’s farewell address. It’s too bad we have to break up the two chapters, 23 and 24, that contain Joshua’s farewell address. Joshua is in his upper 80’s at this time. He warns Israel to finish the job of conquering the rest of the land in Canaan that they had not yet conquered. If they did not finish the conquest, “they will be a snare and a trap to you, and a whip on your sides and thorns in your eyes, until you perish from off this good land which the Lord your God has given you.” 23:14 “Now behold, today I am going the way of all the earth, and you know in all your hearts and in all your souls that not one word of all the good words which the Lord your God spoke concerning you has failed; all have been fulfilled for you, not one of them has failed.” (the same as 21:43-45).

We will finish Joshua’s farewell address tomorrow with chapter 24, the last chapter of Joshua.

OCT 5 READ JOSHUA 14-18

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Joshua 14. Caleb, the other of the two spies who gave a good report in Numbers 14 when they spied out the land of Canaan (the other was Joshua), was 85 at this time and till very strong and fit. He asked to be given the hill country where the Anakim giants lived. So Joshua gave Hebron, where the Anakim lived, to Caleb. Caleb then drove out the Anakim. He offered his daughter to be the wife of anyone who could conquer another city of the Anakim, Kiriath-sepher, and Othniel did that. “A small group of survivors escaped to coastal Philistine cities like Gaza, Gath, and Ashdod. Many biblical scholars believe later giants mentioned in Scripture, such as Goliath of Gath, descended from these surviving Anakim.”

Joshua 15-18 describes the dividing of Canaan among the 12 tribes so you can skim through those chapters. The Levites received 48 cities scattered throughout the land but did not receive a land portion like the other tribes. Joseph’s two sons, Ephraim and Manassseh, got a land portion so that makes up the 12 land portions. Here is a map that shows the division of the land.

Wow, getting close to the end of Joshua.

OCT 4 READ JOSHUA 9-13

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Joshua 9. Do you remember in Deuteronomy that God told Israel to totally annihilate all the inhabitants of all the cities in Canaan but they could make a peace treaty with cities outside of Canaan, letting them live if they would become servants to Israel. So the Gibeonites came to Joshua with worn out sandals and clothes, telling him they were from far off and wanted to make a peace treay. Joshua agreed and only 3 days later found out they had deceived him. Gibeon was very close to Gilgal where Israel camped. But Joshua said that he would keep his word and not destroy the Gibeonites, only make them servants.

Joshua 10. Five of the Canaanite kings attacked Gibeon for making this peace treaty with Israel b/c they thought it would weaken the coalition of Canaanite kings willing to fight Israel. They didn’t know that the Gibeonites had deceived Israel. So Joshua marched all night with his army to rescue the Gibeonites. The armies of the 5 kings were slaughtered with the Lord killing many with hailstones (more than the Israelites killed). Joshua needed more time to finish chasing down and killing the Canaanites, so he asked God to make the sun and moon stand still until they finished teh slaughter, and God did so. 9:13 Is it not written in the book of Jashar? And the sun stopped in the middle of the sky and did not hasten to go down for about a whole day. 14 There was no day like that before it or after it, when the Lord listened to the voice of a man; for the Lord fought for Israel. I do believe that this happened. I can’t explain how it happened. I know that scientifically the sun doesn’t even really move across the sky although it looks that way to us and the Bible speaks of it that way in accommodation language. But the Lord who made the sun from nothing and set in motion the laws of planetary orbits could make it stay daylight for an extra day. They finish the slaughter and Joshua killed the 5 Canaanite kings.

Life Lesson: If you were Joshua and you needed more hours of daylight to finish a complete slaughter of the Canaanites, would you have ever thought to ask God to make the sun stand still and give you an extra day of daylight? Have you ever asked God for something really crazy, something really out of the ordinary, something almost miraculous if not miraculous? Don’t be afraid to ask. James says “you have not b/c you ask not”. Think of something that you would really like God to do. Maybe it’s helping you find a mate. Maybe it’s working out a big issue in your marriage. Maybe it’s a major illness or injury that your loved one is facing. Mabye it’s a career change. I’m thinking of something that I want to see happen but there will need to be some big changes first. I’m going to ask God to make it happen and then trust Him, His will be done.

Chapter 10 then describes the conquest of southern Palestine. Chapter 11 describes the conquest of northern Palestine. Chapter 12 names the 31 kings that Joshua and the Israelites defeated and killed.

Chapter 13 begins: 13:1 “Now Joshua was old and advanced in years when the Lord said to him, “You are old and advanced in years (probably in his late 80’s), and very much of the land remains to be possessed.” He is told to give the land of Canaan west of the Jordan River to the 9 1/2 tribes (the half of the tribe of Manasseh) and to give the land east of the Jordan to the 2 1//2 tribes of Reuben, Gad, and half of the tribe of Manasseh. Here is a great map of the land that Israel had not yet conquered as Joshua neared the end of his life. As you can see, there was still a lot of land to be conquered. Unfortunately, they did not finish conquering those lands. Notice they did not conqueer the Philistines and the Philistines will be a major thorn in their side in the future just as God predicted.

The next thing will be the actual division of the parts of Canaan that they did conquer.

OCT 3. READ JOSHUA 4-8

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Here is a map of the land of Canaan at the time of Joshua to help see where the different cities are.

Joshua 4 The memorial stones from the crossing of the Jordan River. That crossing with the ark held by the. priests in the middle while the waters were held back and all Israel crossed over cand best be summed up by Joshua 4:14 On that day the Lord exalted Joshua in the sight of all Israel; so that they revered him, just as they had revered Moses all the days of his life.” Moses had brought the Israelites out of Egypt with miraculous signs and wonders, had parted the Red Sea and drowned the Egyptian chariots, and had led Israel 40 years in the wilderness. It was important for God to confirm that Joshua had been appointed by God to take Moses’ place and lead the people to conquer Canaan. So they took 12 stones from Jordan River bed, one for each tribe, and made a memorial so they could tell their children that God had dried up the water of the Jordan just like God parted the Red Sea. Life Lesson: If you have children, are you teaching your children the Bible stories about the amazing acts of God in history? It is our responsibility as parents to teach our children what God has done. Don’t leave it to the Sunday school teachers at church, although that is a great supplement. You should teach them at home. Read Bible stories and pray with them. I am so thrilled to hear about Eastern European Mission printing hundreds of thousands of children’s Bible story books and giving them out all across eastern Europe and to the Ukraine. I hear so man wonderful stories of children so excited about getting one of the books. Praise God for the work of EEM. $5 can print and distribute one children’s Bible story books. That’s a cup of coffee at Star Bucks!

Joshua 5 Circumcision and Passover. When the Canaanite kings heard how God dried up the Jordan and thatBut Israel had crossed over the Jordan, their hearts melted with fear. But there was something that Israel needed to do before beginning the conquest of Canaan. Apparently they had not circumcised any of the male babies born during the 40 years in the wilderness, so they had a mass circumcision. This was risky. Do you remember when Simeon and Levi convinced all the men of Shechem to be circumcised so they could presuamably marry into Jacob’s family? It was a cunning, deceptive plot. When the circumcised men of Shechem were “laid up” after the circumcisions, they were unable to fight and Simeon and Levi came in and killed them all as revenge for the ruler Shechem raping their sister Dinah. So Israel was taking a big risk by getting circumcised. The Canaanite kings could have heard about that and attacked the newly circumcised Israelite men while they were weak from the circumcision. 5:9 Then the Lord said to Joshua, “Today I have rolled away the reproach of Egypt from you.” So the name of that place is called Gilgal (which means “rolling”) to this day.” The place was also called Gibeath-haaraloth (which means “hill of foreskins”). You can imagine the mound of foreskins from 600,000 men! Gross.

While camped at Gilgal, they observed the Passover on the 14th day of the 1st month of the Hebrew calendar. This was a big deal. Apparently they had not celebrated the Passover since they were at Sinai in the 2nd year after coming out of Egypt. That’s 39 years of no Passover. Those born during that 39 years were never circumcised and you couldn’t eat the Passover if you weren’t circumcised. Those over 20 were destined to die in the wilderness and probably didn’t even care if they did the Passover. Not only that, but Acts 7 tells us, 7:42 But God turned away and delivered them up to serve the host of heaven; as it is written in the book of the prophets, ‘It was not to Me that you offered victims and sacrifices forty years in the wilderness, was it, O house of Israel? 43 You also took along the tabernacle of Moloch and the star of the god Rompha, the images which you made to worship.’ The Israelites over 20 who were destined to die in the 40 years were worshipping false gods so they would not have been interested in keeping the Passover.

The “captain of the Lord’s hosts” came as a man to meet Joshua. He told Joshua to take off his sandals b/c he was standing on holy ground, i.e. in the presence of the Lord Himself in the form of a man, possibly the pre-incarnate Jesus. Do you remember that Moses was told the same thing at the burning bush in Exodus 3:5? This man is the one doing the speaking in chapter 6.

Joshua 6. It is the captain of the Lord’s host who is still speaking to Joshua, and yet it says “The Lord said to Joshua…” So the man was the Lord himself, God taking the form of a man to give Joshua the battle plan for taking Jericho. Think about how crazy this battle plan sounded to Joshua and the fighting men of Israel. March around the city once a day without saying word for 6 days and then march around the city on the 7th day, blow the trumpet, and shout and the walls will come tumbling down! It would take about an hour for the 40,000 men to walk around Jericho. Everyone in the city would have heard the continuous blowing of the trumpets as they marched, which was probably eerie. But then on the 7th day, up to 7 hours of non stop trumpet had to be rattling for the people in the city, as if they knew something big was about to happen. Imagine their horror as they heard this loud shout of 40,000 men and the walls start tumbling down all around the perimeter of the city. That is, all but the part of the wall with Rahab’s house. The 2 spies were told to go rescue Rahab and her family, and they did. A ban was put on taking anything from the city as spoils or booty (remember that). Everyone and everything in the city was to be destroyed and the city burned. A curse was put on anyone rebuilding the city with the loss of his oldest and youngest sons. Hiel of Bethel attempted and completed the rebuilding of Jericho during the reign of King Ahab, according to the biblical account in 1 Kings 16:34. According to the text, Hiel laid the foundation at the cost of his oldest son, Abiram, and set up the gates at the cost of his youngest son, Segub, fulfilling Joshua’s warning. This may interest your from AI:

Archaeologists have found collapsed ancient fortification walls at the site of Tell es-Sultan (ancient Jericho), but how those findings connect to the biblical account remains a subject of ongoing scholarly debate. What Archaeologists Discovered:

Excavations led by figures like John Garstang, Kathleen Kenyon, and more recently Lorenzo Nigro have uncovered extensive ruins at Jericho, revealing a history of massive defensive walls and violent destruction: Scholars debate if these ruins are the actual ruins of the fall of the walls under Joshua.

  • Collapsed Bricks: Excavations found fallen piles of mud-brick retaining walls at the base of the mound, which researchers noted had collapsed outward.
  • Burn Layers: Archaeologists identified a thick layer of ash and burn debris, indicating the city met its end in a massive fire.
  • Stored Provisions: Large jars filled with charred grain were discovered intact, suggesting the city was conquered rapidly rather than starved out during a long siege.

Joshua 7. Chapter 7 is difficult to discuss. Achan violated the ban on Jericho and took gold, silver, and valuable mantle from Jericho and buried them in his tent. B/c of that, Israel was defeated when they sent 3,000 men to take the small city of Ai. At least 36 Israelites were killed and the Israelite force was routed by the man of Ai. Joshua started questioning God about why He had let them lose the battle, how the other Canaanites would hear about the defeat and take courage to fight Israel. God told him there was sin in the camp. Joshua went tribe by tribe, family by family, down to individuals until he found the guilty party, Achan, who confessed. So they took Achan, his sons, his daughters, his livestock, and all his possessions and stoned them to death and burned them. They raised over them a heap of stones and called it the valley of Achor (which means trouble).

BTW there might be a little Life Lesson here. Don’t take success for granted. Joshua was relying on his own knowledge and military reasoning. He thought 3,000 men would be plenty to take Ai, but he never consulted with the Lord, “Lord should we take Ai now?” If he had, the Lord would have told him to deal with the sin in the camp first and then go take Ai. James warned us about that: James 4:13 Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to such and such a city, and spend a year there and engage in business and make a profit.” 14 Yet you do not know what your life will be like tomorrow. You are just a vapor that appears for a little while and then vanishes away. 15 Instead, you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we will live and also do this or that.” 16 But as it is, you boast in your arrogance; all such boasting is evil.” Always consult God before decisions.

But what bothers me are 2 nagging questions. 1) Why was all Israel punished by the defeat at Ai when it was just one man who violated the ban? There doesn’t seem to be any indication that anyone else knew about what Achan did. I really can’t answer my own question! I read where scholars try to explain it as “corporate personality”, i.e. a group stands or falls together as one. All I can say is that God wanted to make an example to Israel of what happens when someone disobeys Him. It is sad that at least 36 innocent men died to make that example. Maybe God is saying that Israel should have been more careful to make sure no one took anything from the city. They could have placed more guards to watch for anyone coming from the city with valuables. What I do know is that God’s people must purge the corporate body of anyone who sins repeatedly and will not repent. In 1 Corinthians 5 Paul tells the church to withdraw fellowship from unrepentant church members, to quit eating and fellowshipping them. 2) Why were Achan’s sons and daughters stoned to death along with Achan for his sin? There is no indication they had anything to do with his sin. Of course if they did know, they should have reported it to Joshua. Deuteronomy 24:16 Fathers shall not be put to death for their sons, nor shall sons be put to death for their fathers; everyone shall be put to death for his own sin.” So it looks like a complete violation of that verse to kill his children, which is why some scholars say that the children must have known about his sin but didn’t report it. Maybe so. For sure, it shows how much responsibility God puts on fathers to lead their families in the right way. I guess I need to quit asking questions that I can’t satisfactorily answer. I wish I could hear your comments as you study this dilemma.

The preacher where I was raised preached a sermon “Sin in the Camp” when I was about 14. He got up and just said “there is sin in the camp here at this church”, and then he sat down. They sang another song and he got back up and finished the sermon, telling about the story of the sin of Achan. That kinda shook us all up a little and I got baptized that morning! Some others came forward also to confess sins. Looking back I totally disagree with what the preacher did but it got me in the water! Of course, I think I was baptize with one thing in mind, “to not go to hell”. I was baptized again at age 21!

Joshua 8. The conquest of Ai. Having dealt with Achan, Joshua set up a plan to ambush the men of Ai and destroyed 12,000 “men and women” in Ai and burned the city. He hanged the king of Ai. So things are back on track to conquer Canaan. Then Joshua had half the 12 tribes stand on Mt Ebal and half on Mt Gerizim. He read the blessings and curses of Deuteronomy 27-28 just as Moses had told the people to do when they entered Canaan. Locate Jericho, Ai, and Gilgal on the map.

OCT 2 READ DEUTERONOMY 33-34; JOSHUA 1-3

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Deuteronomy 33: Moses gives a blessing to each of the 12 tribes.

Deuteronomy 34: The death of Moses. In Deuteronomy 32 Moses was told to go up on Mt Nebo to die, but here he goes to the top of Pisgah. Mount Pisgah and Mount Nebo are closely connected in the Bible, but scholars debate whether they are the exact same peak or two different peaks on the same ridge. Either way, it would have been high enough to see much of the Promised Land since Mt Nebo has an elevation of 3300 feet. 34:1 Now Moses went up from the plains of Moab to Mount Nebo, to the top of Pisgah, which is opposite Jericho. And the Lord showed him all the land,5 So Moses the servant of the Lord died there in the land of Moab, according to the word of the Lord. 6 And He buried him in the valley in the land of Moab, opposite Beth-peor; but no man knows his burial place to this day.” AI: “Known locally by its Arabic name, Siyagha, Mt. Nebo began attracting Christian worshipers in the early fourth century, when Christianity was acknowledged in the Roman Empire as a lawful religion. Its connection to Moses and the Exodus narrative brought in Christian monks, who wanted to live and pray near where Moses was buried, as well as pilgrims, who wished to commemorate the prophet and contemplate God’s promises to his people.” (Biblical Archaeology Society article).

An interessting verse in Jude 1:9 But Michael the archangel, when he disputed with the devil and argued about the body of Moses, did not dare pronounce against him a railing judgment, but said, “The Lord rebuke you!” We don’t know why the devil wanted the body of Moses. AI: “Many scholars suggest that Satan wanted to reveal the location of Moses’ grave so the Israelites would turn his remains into an object of worship or an idolatrous shrine. Another view, supported by scholars like Richard Bauckham, is that Satan laid a legal claim to Moses because Moses was a sinner and a murderer (having killed an Egyptian in Exodus 2:12). Under this theory, Satan argued that Moses stood condemned under the law, giving the devil a rightful claim over his body and soul.” We don’t know why the devil wanted the body of Moses. But Michael rebuked him. Moses was the only man God spoke face to face with. He had his weaknesses, but he ended up serving God for 120 years. The grace of God that saved Abraham and David (Romans 4) would save Moses in spite of his sin at Meribah. He would appear with Elijah on the Mt of Transfiguration making it even clearer that he was in a good place after he died and was not with the devil.

What a great complement is paid to Moses. 34:10 Since that time no prophet has risen in Israel like Moses, whom the Lord knew face to face, 11 for all the signs and wonders which the Lord sent him to perform in the land of Egypt against Pharaoh, all his servants, and all his land, 12 and for all the mighty power and for all the great terror which Moses performed in the sight of all Israel.” He was also the great lawgiver. John 1:17 For the Law was given through Moses; grace and truth were realized through Jesus Christ.” He was the great deliverer of God’s people from slavery, a type of Jesu, the even greater deliverer of God’s people from spiritual slavery (Hebrews 3:1-4).

THE CONQUEST OF CANAAN PERIOD. The 6th period of Old Testament history.

THE BOOK OF JOSHUA

Joshua 1: Still camped on the plains of Moab 3 days before entering Canaan, God tells Joshua 3 times “Be strong and courageous”. He has faith that God will give Israel victory over the fortified cities and stron armies of the Canaanite nations, but he will need courage. He and his Israelires army will be fighting for 7 1/2 years, conquering 31 Canaanite kings.

Joshua 2: Jericho sent 2 spies out “secretly” to spy out Canaan, especially Jericho. That was pretty smart. I’m sure he wanted to avoid what happened when the 12 spies went out 40 years ago and caused a rebellion against Moses and God. Most of us know the story of Rahab hiding the 2 spies and then helping them escape the city through a window in her house which was on the outer wall. I want to focus on what made her decide to start following Yahweh, the God of the Israelites. Joshua 1: 9 and said to the men, “I know that the Lord has given you the land, and that the terror of you has fallen on us, and that all the inhabitants of the land have melted away before you. 10 For we have heard how the Lord dried up the water of the Red Sea before you when you came out of Egypt, and what you did to the two kings of the Amorites who were beyond the Jordan, to Sihon and Og, whom you utterly destroyed. 11 When we heard it, our hearts melted and no courage remained in any man any longer because of you; for the Lord your God, He is God in heaven above and on earth beneath. ” The spies came back to Joshua with a different report than the 10 spies did 40 years ago when they spied out the same land. “They said to Joshua, “Surely the Lord has given all the land into our hands; moreover, all the inhabitants of the land have melted away before us.”

Observation: Not just Rahab but all the inhabitants of the land of Canaan heard about the 10 plagues, the parting of the Red Sea, and the defeat of Og and Sihon. They all could have converted to follow Yahweh just like Rahab did. So don’t feel like God is being too harsh in commanding the Israelites to totally destroy all the Canaanite pagan nations. They worshipped other gods for a long time. They had heard of the God of Israel back in the days of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. God even sent Melchizadek as a priest and king of Salem (later Jerusalem) to try to convert some of them but we don’t know if he had any success. An interesting verse, God told Abraham in Genesis 15:16 Then in the fourth generation (of being slaves in Egypt) they (Israel) will return here (to Canaan), for the iniquity of the Amorite is not yet complete.” God was patient with pagan nations up to a certain point. When He decided that a nation was “past the point of no return” He would destroy that nation. “The cup of God’s wrath” would become full and He would exercise justice, which He the just judge of the world has the right and obligation to do.

Joshua 3: The crossing of the Jordan was an important step in showing that God had chosen Joshua to lead the people in the conquest of Canaan. It was what the parting of the Red Sea was to confirm Moses as God’s leader. This of course was not a “parting of the Jordan” but the backing up of a river since it was a river and not a sea. The ark, carried by the priests, would remain in the bed of the Jordan until everyone had crossed over, which would take a long time since there were probably over 1 1/2 million Israelites. As each person crossed over and saw the ark standing by the waters held back, it would have reminded them that their God Yahweh was all powerful. 3:10 Joshua said, “By this you shall know that the living God is among you, and that He will assuredly dispossess from before you the Canaanite, the Hittite, the Hivite, the Perizzite, the Girgashite, the Amorite, and the Jebusite.”

OCT 1. READ DEUTERONOMY 28-32

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Deuteronomy 28: The list of blessings for obeying God that was to be read on Mt Gerizim and the curses for not obeying God that was to be read on Mt Ebal when they entered Canaan. Deuteronomy 27 gave the reading of the curses for disobeying God to be read from Mt Ebal, and Deuteronomy 28 gives more curses to be read. Half the tribes gathered on Mt Ebal and half on Mt Gerizim. The priests and Levites stood between the mountains with the Ark of the Covenant to read the laws, blessings, and curses.Mount Gerizim was historically lush and green, symbolizing life and the rewards of obedience. Mount Ebal was rocky and barren, symbolizing the severe consequences and desolation of turning away from the commandments. Notice how all the blessings and curses were physical in nature. That is the way it was in the old covenant. The new covenant is not like that. In the new covenant believers in Jesus are promised primarily spiritual blessings (the forgiveness of sins, eternal life, spiritual peace, etc.) When you read the Old Testament you have to remember that. If you read the New Testament thinking that we are promised the same physical blessings as in the Old Testament then you will be disappointed in Christianity. Many Christians have died violently at the hands of their enemies in the history of the church.

Deuteronomy 29: While camped on the plains of Moab, Moses renews the same covenant as made at Mt Sinai 40 years earlier. He gives a warning that the nation will scattered if they disobey God.

Deuteronomy 30: God promised to restore the nation back to the Promised Land if they are ever scattered due to disobedience and if they repent. An interesting conclusion after giving all these laws. Someone might say that the requirements of keeping the Law was not possible so why try. 30:11 “For this commandment which I command you today is not too difficult for you, nor is it out of reach. 12 It is not in heaven, that you should say, ‘Who will go up to heaven for us to get it for us and make us hear it, that we may observe it?’ 13 Nor is it beyond the sea, that you should say, ‘Who will cross the sea for us to get it for us and make us hear it, that we may observe it?’ 14 But the word is very near you, in your mouth and in your heart, that you may observe it.” In other words, keeping the Law is “doable” Sure, they would sin but there were sacrifices for the forgiveness of sins that would keep them in good standing with the Law. Someone could actually be called “blameless”, as Paul described himself in Philippians 3:6. Psalm 119:1: “Blessed are those whose ways are blameless, who walk according to the law of the Lord.” Under the new covenant that righteousness by Law keeping could not save someone eternally. Righteousness that comes through faith in Jesus is required for salvation. Paul in Romans 10 contrasts the righteousness that came from the Law with the righteousness that comes through faith in Jesus. The righteousness that come through faith in Jesus is also “doable”. He quotes Deuteronomy 30:11-14 and applies that to the righteousness that comes by faith which is given to believers through simple faith and not strict obedience to even new covenant laws. Romans 10: 5 For Moses writes that the man who practices the righteousness which is based on law shall live [c]by that righteousness. 6 But the righteousness based on faith speaks as follows: “Do not say in your heart, ‘Who will ascend into heaven?’ (that is, to bring Christ down), 7 or ‘Who will descend into the abyss?’ (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead).” 8 But what does it say? “The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart”—that is, the word of faith which we are preaching, 9 that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; 10 for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation. ” Salvation is really simple faith in Jesus. It is not something you have to go up into heaven or down into the abyss to find. It is all right there is the simply proclamation of the gospel. There are new covenant commands that we must obey to be saved, but obedience to those commands is not the basis of our salvation, which is grace through faith in Jesus. We get what Paul called “imputed righteousness” (the righteousness of Jesus put in our spiritual account).

Then follows a great principle of God: 30:15 “See, I have set before you today life and prosperity, and death and adversity; 19 I call heaven and earth to witness against you today, that I have set before you life and death, the blessing and the curse. So choose life in order that you may live, you and your descendants, 20 by loving the Lord your God, by obeying His voice, and by holding fast to Him.” God has given all men freedom of choice in matters of belief and obedience to God. He doesn’t always allow you to choose your circumstances but He always allows you to choose how to respond to your circumstances. God could have made us as programmed robots that are programmed to believe and love him without giving us freedom of choice, but He didn’t. He wanted our love to be voluntary. BTW Calvinism’s doctrine of unconditional predestination of the elect and those to be sentenced to hell does not allow that freedom of choice. Under Calvinism those predestined to hell cannot simply choose to believe and be saved b/c they are “totally depraved”. That is a doctrine that would make us question the love of God. If I could just arbitrarily choose which of my 3 children were going to be saved and which were going to be lost, why wouldn’t I choose all 3 to be saved? Why would I choose any of the 3 to be lost if it was totally up to me and not them? Calvinism would make God like a parent who arbitrarily chooses some of his children to be lost, not giving them a choice.

Deuteronomy 31: Moses gives his last words of warning. He charges his replacement, Joshua, to be “strong and courageous”. God even told Moses that Israel would worship other gods and fall away when they enter the land. The book of all God’s laws was to be kept beside the ark of the covenant in the most holy place in the tabernacle. It contained the final instructions, covenant responsibilities, and warnings delivered by Moses to the Israelites. Moses was told to write a “song” and teach it to Israel. The song, found in Deuteronomy 32, would be a testimony against Israel when they would disobey God in the future after Moses’ death.

Deuteronomy 32: The song.

While Deuteronomy 31 introduces and commands the song, the actual lyrics in chapter 32 outline a “prophetic lawsuit” and history lesson:

  • God’s Faithfulness: Praises God as the perfect, upright, and protective “Rock” who cared for Israel in the wilderness.
  • Israel’s Corruption: Contrasts God’s goodness with Israel’s unfaithfulness, pride, and turning to idolatry once they grew prosperous.
  • Judgment and Mercy: Predicts the natural consequences and disasters brought on by their sin, but concludes with a promise of God’s ultimate compassion and vindication for His people.

Moses is told to go up on Mt Nebo and die! 48 The Lord spoke to Moses that very same day, saying, 49 “Go up to this mountain of the Abarim, Mount Nebo, which is in the land of Moab opposite Jericho, and look at the land of Canaan, which I am giving to the sons of Israel for a possession. 50 Then die on the mountain where you ascend, and be gathered to your people, as Aaron your brother died on Mount Hor and was gathered to his people, 51 because you broke faith with Me in the midst of the sons of Israel at the waters of Meribah-kadesh, in the wilderness of Zin, because you did not treat Me as holy in the midst of the sons of Israel. 52 For you shall see the land at a distance, but you shall not go there, into the land which I am giving the sons of Israel.” Kinda sad being told “go die”. He would be able to see Canaan at a distance as Mt Nebo is just across the Jordan River from Jericho and about 3,300 feet high. From an elevation of 3,300 feet, the naked eye can see a maximum distance of approximately 70.4 miles. Mt Nebo is about 16 miles from Jericho, so Moses could see Jericho and a lot more of Canaan from Mt Nebo even if he wasn’t at the very peak. Is it sad that he won’t be able to enter Canaan? Probably so, but God is doing him a favor. Joshua will lead the Israelite armies to conquer 31 kings over the next 7 years. Is that the way the 120 year old Moses would want to end his years?

We are about to finish Deuteronomy, which might have been a struggle to read at times, but I hope you have found some valuable lessons.