Reading for December 8th

 Read 3.12-31. In 3.12--30 Ehud. In verse 13: The city of palms is Jericho. In verses 15-16: That Ehud was left-handed lets him hide his short sword (with two edges for stabbing) in an unexpected place on his right thigh. In verse 20:Eglon rose from his seat, expecting to hear a divine oracle. In verse 24: Readers would enjoy rough humor at the expense of their enemies. The delay gives Ehud time to escape and raise a rebellion. In verse 28: Holding the fords of the Jordan prevented the enemy from escaping back across to Moab. In verse 31: Shamgar. Since 4.1 refers to Ehud, this mysterious figure (compare 5.6) is not part of the book system of judges. since son of indicates membership in a group or class and Anath was a war goddess, Shamgar may have been a mercenary. Comments or Questions..

Reading for December 7th

 Read Judges 3.7-11. In 3.7-11: Othniel. In verse 7: Apostasy begins the cyclical pattern set forth in 2.11-19. The plural Baals and Asherahs denotes the worship of these divinities at multiple local shrines. Asherah was worshipped as the consort of Baal or Yahweh and represented by a wooden pole (6.25). In verse 8: Subjugation follows. Cushanrishathaim is otherwise unknown and sounds like a feature of folklore rather than history (Cushan of Double Wickedness). Aram-naharaim refers to northwestern Mesopotamia. In verse 9: The pattern is completed by Israel's cry to the Lord and deliverance. In verse 10: The spirit of the Lord is a force that empowers chosen heroes to perform extraordinary deeds of strength and leadership. In verse 11: The individual judges are unified by a chronological structure (see also v. 8) that reaches to 1 Kings 6.1. Comments or Questions..

Reading for December 6th

 Read Judges 2.20-3.6. In 2.20-3.6: The nations left in the land. In 2.20-23: Israel's failure to complete the conquest was both a punishment (vv. 20-21) and a test of obedience (vv. 22-23; 3.1, 4). In 3.2: Another explanation is offered: they remined to train Israel for war. In 3.6: Intermarriage unavoidably entangled Israel in idolatry (Deut 7.3-4). Comments or Questions..

Reading for December 5th

 Read Judges 2.6-19. In 2.6-19: The cyclical pattern.  In verses 6-9: This statement is duplicated in Josh 24.28-31. The dismissal seems to close the assembly described in Josh 24.1-27, thereby skipping back over Judg 1.1-2.5. In verse 10: In contrast to the elders of v. 7, the ignorance of another generation sets in motion a repeated pattern of events. In verses 11-13: First Israel would abandon the Lord for other gods. Baals (vv.11, 13) and Astartes (v. 13) represents Canaanite religion as a whole (10.6). In verses 14-15: This would in turn lead to the Lord's anger and oppression by enemies. In verses 16-18: The Lord would then send judges (military leaders) to deliver Israel. In verse 19: But each time, the people would revert to the worship of other gods, and begin the cycle again. Comments or Questions..

Reading for December 4th

 Read Judges 2.1-6. In 2.1-5: The angel of the Lord appears. In verse 1: The angel of the Lord is a manifestation by which the Lord appears directly to humans (6.11; 13.3). The Hebrew word "mal'ak" can also be translated "messenger." Gilgal, Joshua's former headquarters, abruptly reappears without explanation. In verses 2-3: because Israel has failed to keep aloof from native population (Ex 34.12-13; Deut 7.2, 5), the Lord has implemented the punishment anticipated in Josh 23.13. In verse 5: This tradition originally explained the name of a sanctuary. Comments or Questions..

Reading for December 3rd

 Read Judges 1.22-36. In 1.22-36: Failures of the northern tribes. In verses 22-36: The capture of Bethel is the only success reported. In verses 27-29: This information is duplicated in Josh 16.10; 17.11-13. These cities did not become part of Israel until the reigns of David and Solomon. In verse 34: For the saga of the Danites, see Judg 18. Comments or Questions..

Reading for December 2nd

Read Judges 1.1-21. In 1.1-21: Successful conquests by Judah and Simeon. In verse 1: In contrast to the complete conquest described in Joshua (Jos 11.23; 21.43-45), Judges 1 portrays an on gong conquest that continued after the death of Joshua. In verse 2: Judah's success contrast with the comparative failures of the northern tribes (vv. 22-36). Divine guidance in tactics and an assurance of victory were elements of holy war tradition. In verse 3: The tribes Judah and Simeone are personified as individuals. In verse 8: This assertion is in tension with v. 21. Jerusalem first becomes Israelite under David (2 Sam 5.6-9). In verse 10: These accomplishments are credited to Caleb in v. 20 (and Josh 15.14). In verses 11-15: The story of Achsah is duplicated in Josh 15.13-19. She argues that she needs pools because she has received and land (metaphorically, land of Negeb). In verse 16: The Kenites were a foreign group associated with Israel (5.24; 1 Sam 15.6).  They settled with the "people" Israel. In verse 17: Hormah is a wordplay on the Hebrew word "herem," the holy war ban inflicted on it when Judah and Simeon devoted it to destruction. In verse 19: Chariots with iron fittings gave battlefield superiority outside the broken terrain of the hill country. In verse 21: Native Jebusites remained a distinct group in Jerusalem even after David's capture of the city (2 Sam 24.18). Comments or Questions..

Reading for December 1st

 Read James 12-20. In 12-18: More on speech. In verse 12:This simplification of oaths resembles Jesus' curtailment of them (Mt 5.34-37; 2 Cor 1.19-20). In verses 13-14: While some speech is controlled, other speech is urged at all times, such as prayer and praise. prayer for the sick entails anointing by elders. In verses 15-16: The author may understand illness here as caused by sinfulness, because he encourages confession of sins and mutual prayer for healing. In verses 16-18: Elijah illustrates the claim about the effective prayer of the righteous. His first prayer stopped all rain (1 Kings 17.1), whereas his second prayer started it again (1 Kings 18.1). In 19-20: Saving others. In a world of social and geographical immobility, wandering suggested deviance. But good shepherding of the lost yields great rewards for both the lost sheep and the shepherd. Comments or Questions..

Reading for November 30th

Read  James 5.7-11. In 5.7-11: Patience unto Judgment. The exhortation to patience comes in two parts: vv. 7-8 and 10-11. Patience, moreover, awaits the greater judgment, both its coming (vv. 7-8) and the appearance of the great Judge. In verse 7: James reflects agricultural patterns in the Middle East with the winter and the spring rains. In verse 9: The warning against judgments connects with similar remarks in 4.11-12 and echoes Mt 7.1-5. In Rev 3.20 Jesus the Judge stands at the door, although the Judge here is more likely God. In verses 10-11: Like the examples in 2.21-26, the prophets exemplify endurance and faithfulness in difficult times. The premier example is Job. This is the only mention of Job in the New Testament. Comments or  Questions..

Reading for November 29th

 Read James 4.13-5.6. In 4.13-5.6: Pride of the rich. The criticism of the rich in 1.10-11 and 2.1-4 returns. In 4.13-15: Evil speech expresses arrogance focused on getting rich. In contrast virtuous entrusts one's life and prosperity to God. In verses 16-17: Boasting another form of evil speech, expresses pride in a repeat of "faith and works" (2.14-26), wholeness is lost when someone knows the right thing to do but fails to do it. In 5.1-14: Continuing his censure of the rich, James firsts devalues clothing and jewelry as corruptible (Mt 6. 19-21). Then, echoing the popular saying that the wealthy are all thieves, he notes that they withhold wages from laborers. In verses 5-6: Finally, the fruits of injustice simply make the wealthy fat for judgment's slaughter, James' next topic . Comments or Questions..

Reading for November 28th

 Read James 4.11-12. In 4.11-12: Evil speech again. Continuing 1.19 and 3.1-12, James resumes his censure of internal division (3.14-18; 4.1-2). Again, James focuses on wrong speech; speak evil against one another and speak evil against the law and the judges. Such people lack wholeness, judging the law but not doing it. This concludes with a reference to God, who both gave the law and will be its judge; see 2.8-15. Comments or Questions..

Reading for November 27th

 Read James 4.1-10. In 4.1-10: Friendship with the world, hatred of God. In verses 1-3: The question and answer format, James describes the genesis of evil. Conflicts that spring up from envy (3.13, 16) and lead either to murder or covetousness. In verse 4: Using contrasts, he juxtaposes friendship with enmity, humility with pride, and God with the devil. friends of the world are God's enemies, and God friendship means enmity with the world. In verses 5-6: God's jealousy refers to God's desire to protect what is God's; it is the opposite of the "envy" in 3.16, which seeks to hurt another. Prov 3.34 proves that God resists the proud and enriches the humble, a theme found frequently in James. In verses 7-8: Using spiritual metaphors, James urges his addressees to flee from the devil and draw near to God. The path to purity means cleansing one's hands and purifying one's heart, being wholly in God's service. Impurity lies inbeing double-minded, or mixing contradictory things. In verses 9-10: A return to the theme of humility (v.6) now with a strong call to repentance. Comments or Questions.

Reading for November 26th

 Read James 3.13-18. In 3.13-18: Evil envy. Continuing his juxta position of evil and good, James contrasts two types of wisdom: True wisdom from above is both practical and pure; it yields meekness, peace, and mercy, which are manifested in the practice of a good life. In contrast, false wisdom is earthly, unspiritual, and devilish; it manifests itself in highly aggressive behavior, such as envy, ambition, and disorder. One is reminded of the description of lowliness in 2.5. Comments or Questions..

Reading for November 25th

 Read James 3.1-12. In 3.1-12: Unbridled tongue equals pollution. Echoing 1.19, James again urges control of bodily orifices. In verses 2-4: Perfection comes from making no mistakes with the tongue. He refers here to strong control of the mouth, noting how a mere bridle guides the horse, as a rudder does a ship. In verses 5-6: The destruction of a large forest by a tiny fire illustrates the power of an uncontrollable tongue. In the world of purity concerns, something so small as a tongue can stain the whole body, the way yeast was thought to corrupts flour. In verses 7-8: He likens the tongue to the one animal never tamed, the snake. Both contain poison in their mouths. In verses 9-12: Since holiness is curing; one cannot bless God and curse others. Wholeness applies to natural examples. Springs cannot yield both pure and brackish water; fig trees produce figs, not olives, and grapevines yield grapes, not figs. Comments or Questions..

Reading for November 24th

 Read James 2.14-26. In 2.14-26: Perfection of active faith. James performs here like a teacher, anticipating objections and answering them. In verses 14-17: Some object that faith alone counts: James counters that faith which does not feed the hungry and clothe the naked is dead or unclean. perfection then, means wholeness: both faith and works. In verses 18-20: To those who boast of their works, James counters that faith can be manifested only by works, but without works it is useless. mere understanding of God's supremacy counts for nothing, unless faithful obedience follows. In verses 21-26: As proof, James cites from the Bible male and female examples of perfect faith. Abraham, a righteous believer (Gen 15.6) showed perfect faithfulness by offering Isaac as a sacrifice (Gen 22); obedient actions brought faith to completion. Rahab, who extended hospitality to Israelite spies (Jos 1.12), is considered holy in spite of being a prostitute. In conclusion, James labels the position of faith without works as the ultimate pollution, death. Comments or Questions.. 

Reading for November 23rd

Read James 2.1-13. In verses 1-7: Rich and poor again. Developing 1.9-11, James contrasts the group's reception of poor and rich. In verses 1-4: Favoritism to the wealthy cancels faith in the risen Lord, because it ignores the fact that Jesus, humbled and brought low, was exalted by God. In verse 5: God obviously does not evaluate as we do, for God chooses the poor to be rich (1 Cor 1.26-30). In verses 6-7: In James' world of opposites, the rich are the oppressors and the poor the victims; by siding with the rich, they dishonor members of the group and thus blaspheme God's holy name. In verses 8-13: Wholeness as purity. In verses 8-9: James presents two laws: the general law of love (Mk 12.28-33) and some specific commandments. Love means impartiality (2.1-8; Rom 10.12-13; Acts 10.34) and mercy, In verses 10-11: Twice he emphasizes the seriousness of failing to keep even one commandment: Perfection means being accountable for all. He interprets this in terms of Jewish purity. Failure is like pollution, corrupting what is good. In verses 12-13: Fearing lawlessness, he emphasizes God's law of liberty. Comments or Questions..

Reading for November 22nd

 Read James 1.19-21. In 1.19-21: Ears and mouths. James introduces a topic that will receive detailed treatment in 3.5-12.Since holiness and anger cannot both abide in a pure heart, believers must uproot the weeds to make room for the word of God. In verses 22-27: Ears, eyes, hands, mouth. Continuing the  body metaphor, James encourages bodily wholeness, a basic Jewish purity concept. In verses 22-23: Wholeness requires ears that hear God's word to connect with hands acting on it. In verse 25: God's law does not constrain us, but is a perfect guide bringing liberty, not slavery to passion. In verses 26-27: James contrasts good and bad religion in terms of holiness. An uncontrolled tongue corrupts the whole person, but hands care for the needy indicate pure and undefiled faith. True believers, moreover, keep themselves pure, unstained by the world. Comments or Questions..

Reading for November 21st

 Read James 1.1-18. In 1.1-8: Faith and faithfulness. James announces one of the letter's main themes, faith or faithfulness. In verses 3-4: Faithfulness or endurance in trials leads to maturity; thus adult faith is pure and whole; complete, lacking in nothing. In verses 5-7: Next faith means petitioning God with wholeness of mind. Jewish purity concerns affirm what is whole, but shun what is of two kinds (doubt and faith; see Lev 19.19; Deut 22.9-11). This theme will be developed in 5.13-18. In verses 9-11: Rise of poor, fall of rich. James repeats the tradition that the rich will fail and the lowly rise (Lk 1.51-52; 1 Cor 1.18-29). He likens the fate of the rich to that of desert flowers which quickly wither, thus echoing Jesus' parables (Mk 4.5-6; 1 Pet 1.24-25). In verses 12-18: Temptation and benefaction. In verse 12: James honors with a victor's crown those who faithfully endure trials (2 Tim 4.8). In verses 13-15 Whence come  temptations? Not from God, but from human passions; the human life cycle (conception, birth, fully grown) demonstrates how even a small pollution grows into total depravity. In verse 17: Again God's person and gifts are pure: with God there is no variations, God, who does not tempt, is our best benefactor, whose gift of birth comes through the preaching of the gospel. This is contrasted to the birth of evil in 1.15. Comments or Questions..

Reading for November 20th

 Read Joshua 24.29-33.In 24.29-33: Burial traditions. In verses 29-30: Great age is a sign of exceptional faithfulness (Gen 50.26; Deut 34.7).Timnath-serah was granted to Joshua in 19.49-50. In verse 31: This looks forward to the book of Judges (compare Judg 2.9). In verse 32: These traditions are reported in Gen 33.18-20; 50.24-25; Ex 13.19. In verse 33: Eleazar has played an important role in Joshua (14.1; 17.4; 19.51; 21.1). Comments or Questions..

Reading for November 19th

 Read Joshua 24.14-28. In 24.14-28: Joshua insists on religious fidelity. In verses 14-15: Three types of gods had proven to be ineffective. Abraham was taken away from the territory of the gods beyond the River (v. 3), and the the gods of Egypt and of the Amorites could not protect their worshippers (vv. 5-7 and 8-13). In verses 19-20: With a rhetorical jolt, Joshua warns Israel of the difficulties and dangers implicit in their commitment: You cannot serve the Lord. The obstacle is God's basic nature as a jealous God, one who is passionately determined to be Israel's only God. In verse 23: Incline your heart calls for personal conviction, not just outward conformity (1 Kings 8.58). The demand to put away the foreign gods may reflect a ceremony of burying idols at Shechem (compare Gen 35.2-4). In verses 25-26: Joshua performed three actions to give structure and effectiveness to Israel's commitment. He made a covenant, wrote down its rules in the book of the law, and set up a witness stone under the oak (see Judg 9.6). In verse 27: The stone is a witness in the sense of being a visible public reminder (compare 22.27, 34), but also because it was present when all the words of the Lord (that is, vv. 2-13) were proclaimed. Comments or Questions..

Reading for November 18th

 Read Joshua 24.1-13. In 23.1-13: The saving acts of God. In verse 1: A long list of participants emphasizes that all the tribes of Israel appeared before God, that is, at the the sanctuary of Shechem. In verse 2; Thus says the Lord indicates that Joshua is speaking as a prophet. In verse 3: The River is the Euphrates. In verse 7: This protective darkness is mentioned in Ex 14.20. In verses 9-10: The story of Balaam is reported in Num 22-24. In verse 11; The detail that the citizens of Jericho fought relies on a tradition different from that of Joshua 6. In verse 12: Hornet (Deut 7.20) may be a metaphor for panic (compare 10.10), In verse 13: This description of the land reflect Deut 6.10-11. Comments or Questions.. 

Reading for November 17th

 Read Joshua 23.1-//16. In 23.1-16: Joshua's farewell. Joshua's great age (13.1) motivates an exhortation to faithfulness and a warning about the future. Rest signals the end of the conquest (21.44; 22.4). In verse 1: In spite of many victories, some enemy nations still remain. They represent both opportunities to further success (v. 5) and dangerous enticements to infidelity (vv. 7, 12-13). In verse 6: Future success requires that the whole nation show the same undeviating obedience to the book of the law (Deuteronomy) that was enjoined on Joshua in 1.7-8. In verse 12: Intermarriage would establish complex relationships between families resulting in religious disloyalty (Deut 7.3-4). In verse 13: The metaphors of a snare and a trap signify loss of freedom, and scourge communicates political oppression (1 Kings 12.11). Exile from this good land is threatened three times (vv. 13, 15, 16). In verses 14-15: The Lord has been trustworthy in keeping past promises (see 21.45), but this means that the Lord's threatened punishment's are equally certain to take place. Comments or Questions..

Reading for November 16th

 Read Joshua 22.10-34. In 22.10-34: The altar of witness. In verse 10: The story presupposes that only one altar for sacrifice is permissible. Dissension focuses on whether this altar by the Jordan is evidence of apostasy (vv. 16-20) or actually a token of loyalty (vv. 22-29). Its great size relates to its intended function as a visible witness (vv. 27-28, 34). In verse 12: The story is told from the perspective of the western tribes, describing them as the Israelites to the exclusion of the eastern tribes (also vv. 12, 33). In verse 17: the incident at Peor is reported in Num 25. In verse 18; The principle of collective responsibility means the whole nation is endangered by the rebellion of some (compare v. 20). In verse 19: Territory outside Canaan might be ritually unclean, a place where loyalty to the Lord would be impossible. In verse 22: The eastern tribes begin with a confessional exclamation (compare 1 Kings 18.39) and a hypothetical self-condemnation that asserts their fidelity in the strongest terms. In verse 27: The eastern tribes repeatedly cite lists of sacrifices (vv. 23, 26, 29) to deny that they intend to offer them at the newly built altar. In verse 28: The altar's purpose is finally revealed. It is only a copy, a replica pointing to loyal service at the legitimate altar at Shiloh. In verse 34: The altar's name does not appear in the Hebrew text. What is important is its function as a witness between us, that is, between the eastern and western tribes. Comments or Questions..

Reading for November 15th

 Read Joshua 22.1-9. In 22.1-9: The eastern tribes return home. In verse 4: Because rest has been achieved (21.44), the commitments made in 1.13, 15 can now be fulfilled. Go to your tents reflects traditional language for the dispersal of the national assembly (1 Kings 12.16) or tribal militia. In verse 7: Manasseh's situation is unique, with territory both east  and west of the Jordan. In verse 8: Sharing out the spoil of conquest corresponds to Israel's traditional custom (1 Sam 30.21-25). Comments or Questions..

Reading for November 14th

 Read Joshua 21.20-42. In verse 32: because the source list (vv. 13-19) contained thirteen towns, Naphtali contributes only three towns instead of the usual four in order to achieve the ideal total of forty-eight (v. 41): All has been achieved (v. 43) and all promises fulfilled (v. 45). Rest on every side (v. 44) means war has been replaced by peace (1.13, 15; 22.4) Comments or Questions..

Reading for November 13th

 Read Joshua 21.1-19: In 21.1-42: Cities for the Levites. In verse 2: Although Levi receives no allotment for agriculture, the tribe is assigned residence towns and grazing land. For this command, see Num 35.2-8. Inverse 4-7: The Levitical cities appear in four divisions. Levi was divided into three clans, and the Kohathites were further subdivided into the descendants of Aaron (v. 4; the priests) and and those not of the priestly descent. In verses 13-19: The thirteen towns for the descendants of Aaron reflect an older source list. The other three lists were created by collecting names from Joshua 13.16-17, 19, and 20. Comments or Questions..

Reading for November 12th

 Read Joshua 20.1-9. In 20.1-9: Cities of refuge. In verses 2-3: Murders were avenged by a near relative of the victim, the avenger of blood (see v. 50). Easily accessible cities of refuge prevented any miscarriage of justice in cases of unintentional manslaughter (Num 35.13-28; Deut 19.1-13). In verses 7-8: Cities are designated for six regions, three on each side of the Jordan. Comments or Questions..

Reading for November 11th

 Read Joshua 19.24-51. In verses 24-31: The boundary description for Asher is confusingly mingled with items from a town list. In verse 32-39: The boundary description for Naphtali (vv. 33-34) is followed by a town list (vv. 35-38). In verses 40-48: Dan is described on the basis of a town list (vv. 41-46). Dan's move north to anew home is reported in Judges 18. In verse 51: The priest Eleazar cast the lot at the tent of meeting which emphasizes that all was done in accordance with God's will. Comments or Questions..

Reading for November 10th

 Read Joshua 19.1-23. In 19.1-51: The other six lots. In verses 1-9: Because its territory lies inside that of Judah (vv.1, 9). Simeon has no boundary description. Its towns are listed in two districts (vv. 2-6 and 7). In verses 10-16: For Zebulun, a detailed boundary description (vv. 10-14) is followed by a town list (v. 15). The south border is traced westward from Sarid (vv, 10-11), the eastward from the same town (v, 12). The east border is given in v. 13 and the north border in v. 14. In verses 17-23: Issachar is described by a town list (vv. 18-21) followed by a small portion of north boundary (v. 22). Comments or Questions..

Reading for November 9th

 Read Joshua 18.11-28. In 18.11-28: The lot of Benjamin. In verses 12-13: Its boundaries are described in a counter-clockwise direction (vv. 11-20). The north border parallels that of Ephraim (16.1-3). In verses 15-19: The south border parallels 15.5-9 (Judah's north border) but is given in the reverse direction (west to east). In verses 21-24: Benjamin's two districts came from the same source as those of Judah (15.21-62). Benjamin was split by the breakup of Israel after Solomon's death (1 Kings 12). This district describes towns located in the northwestern kingdom. In verses 25-28: This district consists of towns located in the kingdom of Judah. Comments  or Questions..