Reference links:
Old Testament
Monday means quickies!
When all the Amorite kings west of the Jordan and all the Canaanite kings who lived along the Mediterranean coast heard how the Lord had dried up the Jordan River so the people of Israel could cross, they lost heart and were paralyzed with fear because of them.
Who told them about it? Was there a crowd watching the Israelites? Did they have the internet?
At that time the Lord told Joshua, “Make flint knives and circumcise this second generation of Israelites.” So Joshua made flint knives and circumcised the entire male population of Israel at Gibeath-haaraloth.
As the footnote says, “Gibeath-haaraloth means ‘hill of foreskins.'” Eww!
You and your fighting men should march around the town once a day for six days. Seven priests will walk ahead of the Ark, each carrying a ram’s horn. On the seventh day you are to march around the town seven times, with the priests blowing the horns. When you hear the priests give one long blast on the rams’ horns, have all the people shout as loud as they can. Then the walls of the town will collapse, and the people can charge straight into the town. … [it happens] … The men who had been spies went in and brought out Rahab, her father, mother, brothers, and all the other relatives who were with her.
Given that Rahab’s home was built into the town wall (Joshua 2:15) I highly doubt she and her family survived the collapsing of the town walls.
Israel has sinned and broken my covenant! They have stolen some of the things that I commanded must be set apart for me. And they have not only stolen them but have lied about it and hidden the things among their own belongings.
Hardly into the holy land and the covenant is already being broken. I suspect this is the start of the pattern.
New Testament
In the same way, there is more joy in heaven over one lost sinner who repents and returns to God than over ninety-nine others who are righteous and haven’t strayed away!
I sometimes wonder if it is passages like this that make some Christians want to see themselves as terrible sinners and see small deviations as terrible transgressions. They want heaven to rejoice over them.
Two more parables convey the same lesson.
Psalms and Proverbs
Today’s psalm: God is so awesome, and if the Israelites had only listened to him then everything would have gone perfectly for them.