60IN60 Day 43 - Mon Aug 17

It's Day 43 and we're in Joshua 11.

Is the Bible an old dusty book? Nope - ". . . the Word of God is living and active . . ." (Hebrews 4:12). Dig into today expecting it to speak to you. 

Where God Spoke To Me:
- Verses 18-19 - We all remember the miraculous intervention by God at Jericho, but the majority of the conquest of the land happened by long, hard battles.

Help:
- Verse 20 - I presume that the sinfulness of the people in the land is what led God to do this. I don't think He's just be arbitrary in His actions.

If you want to read the chapter online, here's a link.

If you have a question or comment, email me at butcher@ymail.com.

Your Questions and Comments:

- "In the New Testament we have the black and red print to allow us to read Jesus's words but we do not see that in the Old Testament when the Lord speaks. Is there a reason behind the differences?" - Interesting question. The original text does not have the black and red print in it. The "words in red" are something that some publishers/translations have added to help readers. So if a publisher/translator decided it would be helpful to add red to the Old Testament words of the Lord, they could do that as well. This is all similar to the chapter and verse divisions in our Bibles. Those are also not in the original manuscripts. They were added to translations later just so it would be easier to reference a certain passage and everyone would know exactly where you were at. In these cases, these are just attempts to make the Bible easier to understand, which is acceptable. If someone tried to change what the Bible says, that would be an unacceptable change.

- A comment from a 60IN60 participant: "Yes, it is a brutal passage, this wholesale slaughter. But if memory serves, God had given this particular nation plenty of time to repent. Instead, they went deeper in sins such as child sacrifice and other unspeakable things. God is holy and He  wanted his chosen people to be holy as well.  Had they not engaged in wholesale slaughter, had they left the women with their children,  what would have occurred would have been what always occurred when Israel didn't obey: intermarriage, introduction of foreign gods, foul practices, etc. God intended to keep Israel set apart no matter what the cost. Remember what happened to Solomon when he took foreign wives. Israel was torn apart. it was a high cost, but so was the crucifixion."

- A comment from a 60IN60 participant: Joshua 8. "I had to research to discover that Shinar is a synonym for Babylon. Archeology has discovered ancient fragments of such richly woven fabrics that enticed Achan. We humans have always desired the "better" things of life, often to our detriment."

- A comment from a 60IN60 participant. Joshua 7. "Fascinating to learn that Ai was dangerous, even back then. Here the scapegoats are not sheep, and we see both the cost and the value. The Lord knows that if His people go to war primarily for plunder, they will never succeed in taking the Promised Land. From a military standpoint, their disobedience can be and was catastrophic. Military commanders even in modern times, have used scapegoating (often euphemized as 'teaching a lesson') as a way of disciplining their own troops and/or conquered populations. It’s ugly, it’s unfair, but often it works. This is God portrayed as brutally pragmatic and morally difficult to understand."

60IN60 Day 42 - Sun Aug 16

It's Day 42 and we're in Joshua 10.

Where God Spoke To Me:

- Nothing really jumped out to me in this chapter.

Help:
- Verses 12-13 - This is a miraculous intervention by God.
- Verse 13 - "the Book of Jashar"- This is a book that didn't make it into the Bible but is a historic document.
- Verses 28, 35, 40 - Israel doesn't just kill the men who meet them in battle, but they kill everyone in the city: men, women, teens, children, babies. There are some explanations that are often given: the guilt of these people was great; it was necessary for all the people to be gone for Israel to succeed in this land; this was Israel's God-granted land; they chose to fight rather than to flee. All of them get at part of the issue, but in the end I still struggle with such wholesale slaughter in the name of God. It's one of the Biblical issues to which I have not yet found an explanation that fully satisfies me.

If you want to read the chapter online, here's a link.

If you have a question or comment, email me at butcher@ymail.com.

60IN60 Day 41 - Sat Aug 15

It's Day 41 and we're in Joshua 9.

Where God Spoke To Me:
- Verse 14 - We get in trouble when we don't ask God.

If you want to read the chapter online, here's a link.

If you have a question or comment, email me at butcher@ymail.com.

60IN60 Day 40 - Fri Aug 14

It's Day 40 and we're in Joshua 8.

What's the Bible say about the book you're reading today? We have the Word so that as believers we can be "equipped for every good work" (2 Timothy 3:17). Read the Word so you're ready for what life throws at you. 

Where God Spoke To Me:
- Nothing really jumped out to me in this chapter.

Help:
- Verse 25 - This is an issue in several of the upcoming chapters. Israel doesn't just kill the men who meet them in battle, but they kill everyone in the city: men, women, teens, children, babies. There are some explanations that are often given: the guilt of these people was great; it was necessary for all the people to be gone for Israel to succeed in this land; this was Israel's God-granted land; they chose to fight rather than to flee. All of them get at part of the issue, but in the end I still struggle with such wholesale slaughter in the name of God. It's one of the Biblical issues to which I have not yet found an explanation that fully satisfies me.

If you want to read the chapter online, here's a link.

If you have a question or comment, email me at butcher@ymail.com.

Your Questions and Comments:

- A comment from a 60IN60 participant: Joshua 7. "My big take away comes from vv. 11-12.  I feel it is example of how a 'pet sin', hidden or otherwise, clearly permeates a family or those around us. We don’t know the hearts of all the family, but the Lord does. Maybe the seed of greed was a family trait. But I do trust that the Lord knew hearts then and He knows hearts now.  I see it as a call to eliminate sin before it destroys your family.  Sin promises pleasure but delivers destruction.  Sometimes it is necessary to cut off the rotten part to save the healthy."  

60IN60 Day 39 - Thurs Aug 13

It's Day 39 and we're in Joshua 7.

Where God Spoke To Me:

- Verse 7 - Our first instinct when things don't go well is to blame God. Usually, as is true here, the problem lies with us.

Help:
- Verse 1 - We read in Joshua 6:17-19 that the Lord specifically told them not to take any of this stuff.
- Verse 24 - This is a hard verse for me. I understand the guilt of the people who hid the treasure, but why their whole families had to die leaves me speechless. I do not have a good answer to that.

If you want to read the chapter online, here's a link.

If you have a question or comment, email me at butcher@ymail.com. 

Your Comments and Questions:

- A comment from a 60IN60 participant: Mark 16. "I'm pretty sure they misinterpreted verse 18 and the original manuscript said "The only good snake is a dead snake."

60IN60 Day 38 - Wed Aug 12

It's Day 38 and we're in Mark 16.

What's the Bible say about the book you're reading today? "All Scripture is inspired by God . . ." (2 Timothy 3:16). So reading the Bible helps me know how God sees things. 

Where God Spoke To Me:
- Verse 6 - That's pretty good news!

Help:
- Verses 9-20 - The earliest and best manuscripts don't have these verses, so they are probably a later addition. That's good because I really don't want to have to explain verse 18 as authentic.

If you want to read the chapter online, here's a link.

If you have a question or comment, email me at butcher@ymail.com. 

60IN60 Day 37 - Tues Aug 11

It's Day 37 and we're in Mark 15.

Where God Spoke To Me:
- Verse 8 - This must have seemed like an answer to prayer to Pilate. He wants to release Jesus but is afraid of the religious leaders. What's he going to do? Then the crowd asks for a prisoner to them because of the Feast. I wonder if he thought, "A way out! I can declare Jesus guilty to satisfy the religious leaders but then release him so I won't be guilty of killing an innocent man." Just a reminder that not every "open door" is from God.

If you want to read the chapter online, here's a link.

If you have a question or comment, email me at butcher@ymail.com.