From Joshua to Zedekiah

Think about where we have come since the beginning of July. From Joshua to Zedekiah: we have seen the hope of crossing the Jordan as well as the failure resulting in the exile of the Northern and Southern Kingdoms by Assyria and Babylon respectively.

The cycle that we see is frustratingly consistent. Several times throughout the reading I felt the despair and agony of the seemingly fruitless project that is Israel (indeed, us as well). However, I ask, as a final favor, that you read Leviticus 26 after you have finished 2 Kings. Notice the consistency with which God treats the people of Israel. Also pay attention to what God promises after exile, “Yet for all that, when they are in the land of their enemies, I will not spurn them, neither will I abhor them so as to destroy them utterly and break my covenant with them, for I am the LORD their God. But I will for their sake remember the covenant with their forefathers, whom I brought out of the land of Egypt lin the sight of the nations, that I might be their God: I am the LORD” (Leviticus 26:44-45).

The key to understanding the early prophetic writings is the faithfulness of God in the midst of human unfaithfulness.

On Monday, we will begin our second read-through. Here is the worksheet.

Check-in and Reflection

At this point we are through 2 Samuel, moving onward through the final stretch of the early prophetic writings. Rather than writing a blog about some aspect of 2 Samuel, I wanted to take a moment to check-in with everyone. I have found that this section of Scripture is particularly difficult to get through without constantly being reminded of the purpose for reading it.

For those of you who are participating in this read-through, would you be willing to share the following in the comment section:

1.     What is your purpose for engaging in this reading plan?

2.     What has been your favorite section to read so far? What title did you give to it?

3.     Have you had any insights along the way?

4.     What is the most memorable scene so far?

I will go first:

1.     My purpose for engaging in this reading plan is: 1) to grow in my knowledge of the God of Israel; 2) to learn to wisely bear witness to the acts of God in difficult passages of Scripture; and 3) to worship the God who has verified this testimony as a faithful witness.

2.     My favorite section so far has been Judges 3:7-8:35. The Saturday-morning-cartoonish quality of the stories always captures my attention. The title I gave it is: “Joshua-ing Israel after Joshua”. (Joshua means something close to “save” or “Savior”, so this is my way of remembering what precedes the section as well as what is coming up next. God is attempting to save Israel from conforming to the nations surrounding it.)

3.     I find it wonderfully ironic that God appoints the first king of Israel (Saul) from Gibeah of Benjamin (1 Samuel 9-10), a city that was infamous for instigating the first major civil war that almost wiped Benjamin out (Judges 19-21).

4.     The most memorable scene for me, by far, is Ehud’s “house call” to Eglon, the King of Moab. Moral of the story: when you are patting someone down to check for weapons, assume that they might draw from the right or the left. Now that is some good ol’ biblical wisdom for you.

Here is the worksheet for 1 and 2 Kings. Since they are so closely bound together, I just made one sheet.