sbbreflections

[sbbreflections]

JOSHUA

6. Joshua

This book immediately follows the death of Moses, with Joshua as Israel’s new dedicated leader. Joshua is a faithful and diligent warrior, following the instructions of The Lord and of Moses to the letter. God inspires Bravery, Strength, & Obedience in Joshua. Under his leadership and the steadiness of his spear AND with trust & obedience, the Israelites defeated all* the nations of the land God promised them.

My Favorite Takeaway - “Foot on Necks”

“Don’t ever be afraid or discouraged,” Joshua said to his men. “Be strong and courageous, for the Lord is going to do this to all of your enemies.” - Joshua 10:22-25

While Joshua never seemed to question whether/how the Lord would make the way, and the people seemed to, for the most part, follow and commit to their covenant with the Lord through Joshua’s reign - there were two notable disruptions in the journey:

1. The Israelite soldiers who moved on Ai as they believed was God’s will (when God was not in fact with them), were attacked because a community member broke the covenant. Achan stole from the Lord during the previous battle (which TMH knew, of course) and after confessing, his family is punished in order to restore Israel’s covenant with God. (Joshua 7:1-5; 7:24-26)

2. In chapter 9, Joshua is deceived by a group of tribesmen (the Gibeonites) he intended to destroy, and the deception passes ✅ because Joshua did not consult with the Lord at that time. Luckily for Israel (& Joshua), those people stood by their word and were also willing to accept & serve the Lord, God of Israel (& his people, the Israelites), so their treaty was good.

God fulfilled His promise to give the land of Canaan to the descendants of Jacob (Joshua 21:43-45). Some tribes remained (or returned after victory) to the east of the Jordan river. Among the Israelites were foreign followers who were also expected to maintain their covenant with the Lord. No mention of a new appointed leader is made before Joshua’s death at 110 years of age.

It is also notable that God instructs Joshua throughout the journey, but that Joshua never communes with God or speaks with Him directly. Joshua does pray for repentance and learns about the stolen goods that were meant to be set apart for the Lord (Joshua 7:6-13), and shown whom the culprit was (Joshua 7:16-23), but he otherwise mentions no outgoing calls or requests. Joshua exhibits an undeniable and unshakable faith that God will do what He says.

Judges is next.

Original Post Dated March 27, 2024

Written x SP

[sbbreflections]

DEUTERONOMY

5. Deuteronomy

Okay. So here at 119-120 years in age, the loyal and faithful Moses (healthy as ever) addresses Israel in a final series of speeches and written instructions before the people would cross the Jordan into the promised land. He reminds, reaffirms, and expounds on the miracles performed and the covenant made between them and The Father.

Moses would die on a mountain in Moab, and it is written that the Lord buried him in an unspecified place (near Beth-peor), leaving Joshua to lead the Israelites under God’s command.

I don’t have much else to say about this chapter right now, but will share a few scriptures I highlighted:

- Warning Against Idolatry. Deut 4:29-31

- Call to Remembrance & Obedience. Deut 8 + Deut 10:12-11:7

- Choice of Life or Death. Deut 30:11-20

- The Lord Predicts Israel’s Disobedience. Deut 31:14-29

- The Death of Moses. Deut 34

Joshua is next.

Original Post Dated March 19, 2024

Written x SP

[sbbreflections]

NUMBERS

4. Numbers

Tbh, I always thought Numbers would be boring. At first glance it appears to be just a census, as it would change over the time it took for the Israelites to defeat pagan tribes and take their land, after they were brought out of Egypt. Essentially it is that, but there are some deep messages there, too. God showed a lot of mercy to the people because of Moses’s faithfulness, but there came a few times where The Lord simply “put His foot down,” so to speak.

Moses, in distress, asks God for mercy as he doesn’t know how to lead and carry the people - it’s a burden he didn’t feel equipped for. Their wining and complaining and weariness of faith was too much! And so The Lord grants 70 elders/leaders a portion of the Spirit that He blessed Moses with so that they may also prophesy and assist in carrying the burden of the people. Now, in a way, he would share his gift and his responsibility.

The Lord was dissatisfied with the people (who were rescued but) who still craved “the meat” from Egypt - so much so that they would curse Him & wish to go back. So God sends so much meat that the faithful would be fulfilled and those who were the gluttons would die for their sin.

Miriam (Aaron & Moses’ sister) & Aaron spoke against the most humble - Moses - and his relationship with God, claiming they too have spoken for Him directly. Right?! While there were prophets in the midst, God set Moses apart because of his trustworthy character.

TMH revealed Himself and spoke face-to-face with Moses rather than giving him visions or riddles or difficult work. He instructed Moses and miracles were performed THROUGH him in his obedience. They knew that, but spoke out of jealousy, upsetting TMH (who sees/hears everything). So the siblings (Miriam specifically, due to Aaron’s priesthood and the need for him to remain ceremonially clean?) were briefly punished before they could proceed on their journey - Miriam had a bout with leprosy and was healed within a few days.

The people rebelled against Moses and Aaron repeatedly, and so they rejected and rebelled against God who led them. They continued to complain and show lack of trust & faith in the Lord, despite all His miracle work and protection, so He told the Israelites that their children would be saved, but that they themselves would be left to die in the wilderness. They tried to move forward anyways, claiming they knew they sinned and were ready for the promised land. But God would not allow it nor would he be with them. They abandoned Him, so He abandoned them.

Korah and his gang of 250 approach Aaron and Moses claiming that all Israelites are set apart and that the Levites weren’t special. When they brung this test to the Lord, 250 men were burned and 2 families were swallowed whole and alive by the Earth, then returned, again proving God’s mighty power.

The people rebel again, this time over water. Complaining still. At this time, Moses (and Aaron, too) seals his own deal and is sentenced to death by The Lord - meaning that he would also die in the wilderness - because he was not obedient. God gave clear instruction and maybe for a split second, Moses lacked faith or understanding. Maybe he was just frustrated and acted in haste. He took an action that was not according to God’s will and so, neither of these leaders would enter the promised land.

When the people listened to and trusted in the Lord (and His appointed mouth piece), they received their blessings. Joshua (Hosea), who was Moses’ assistant, was also a faithful and humble servant of the Lord. Joshua would live through the wilderness while everyone else (from the initial exodus generation) died by God’s command, and was assigned to take Moses’ position as the Leader of Israel at the time of Moses’ death.

key takeaways from this book in all:

1. to whom much is given, much is required.

2. obedience is better than sacrifice.

Next is Deuteronomy.

Original Post Dated March 6, 2024

Written x SP

[sbbreflections]

LEVITICUS

3. Leviticus

The Lord, through Moses, further solidifies His relationship and covenant with the Israelites, and outlines His list of non-negotiable rules - along with blessings for those who obey, and punishments for those who would disobey Him. It is a call to Holy Living through choice and action.

This is the book where proper practices for making Holy Sacrifices and Offerings to God are detailed. A major thing of note that casts a sort of shadow on Leviticus is the “Sin Offering” which at the time needed to be done on occasion of specified sin as well as on a yearly ritualistic basis to cleanse the people. If I understand correctly, this particular offering practice would become obsolete when Jesus was crucified and died for our sins.*

Also defined are:

1. Clean and Unclean Animals (which should and should not be eaten/touched),

2. Particular Purification Rituals,

3. Prohibitions regarding Sexual Practices and the handling of Blood, and

4. Personal Holiness/Conduct (how one sets themselves apart as “holy” and in reverence to The Most High) {Leviticus 19}

Some of the ordinances set in this chapter had not been mentioned previously and that means to me that God was capable of not only creation and destruction, but also of awareness and modification. It’s almost as if he utilized the SWOT analysis after each Human Hiccup. I believe that the Lord set these laws with the Israelites as a continued test of faith and loyalty to Him. “Before we go any further, hear me and hear me well.” I mean, yes He would want to see his children prosper, but He didn’t mind executing with fury, as well. If His people could rebuke the sins of those who they lived with before, and refuse the sins of those who they would come into contact with BECAUSE GOD SAID, they would of course find favor in His eyes.

Think in Morgan Freeman’s epic voice: “I have saved these {people} and given them food, water and protection. Still, they are capable of doing what they want because I have also given them free-will. I give them what they need, and still, they consistently find new ways to defy me - even after I tell them what should not be done and what will happen if they do… when I show them my Glory, they fear me awhile and turn back to their wits soon enough. They are either brave or stupid. But at least if I tell them *everything* they need to know not to do, their punishments (or rewards) would be justified. They will worship me, for I am the Lord their God, or they will perish.”

I’m not mocking The Lord at all, I assure you. I like movies and this is how I imagined he may have felt during the times. I do pray this is not offensive to anyone who matters.

I can fully understand how this chapter (the one that basically calls most of us all Sinners) could be a trigger for most people in the world today - it is where [who we are] and [what we do] that would have undeniably disappointed our Father in Heaven is written plainly and lives forever. It is where our devilish neighbors pull a line from to demonize the next sinner. While some of the information is outdated and/or simply irrelevant for modern day Christians*, other parts do give us a first glance at right and wrong in the eyes of TMH (and those who walk with Him). And so, it is a very important book to familiarize yourself with if you want to be “good” in the general sense of the word. Because of Jesus’ crucification, we experience wrath and reward much differently from what is written here - as in, punishments are not carried out the same as they were anymore, and some of these regulations no longer apply.

Be wise. Use discernment.

Numbers is next.

Originally post dated February 21, 2024.

Written x SP

[sbbreflections]

EXODUS

2. Exodus.

Whew! This one is long. It was packed.

The Lord displays unparalleled power against His enemy, and mercy for his people, using Moses as messenger. God reveals that He is all knowing and even shines His direct light on Moses, because Moses was righteous and obedient. The Ten Commandments are written (Exodus 20) and altars/tabernacles and proper ways are defined.

Moses did not think he was worthy or prepared for what God set on his path. And what *did* Moses know?

Moses knew that he knew nothing. But he was blessed, and having been granted:

1. the only opportunity to lead his people (whom he’d once oppressed) out of slavery;

2. eye-witness to God’s majesty through his very own body (as God spoke and Moses acted or repeated His words - prophesying God’s will); AND

3. singular, direct access to the glory of God (on numerous occasions!);

he quickly came to understand that all he needed to know was God. Moses was granted these things because God trusted him. God knew Moses’s heart.

He had been blessed and protected from birth, shielded from imminent death (in his infancy!) and given the treasure of a royal upbringing. A Hebrew baby boy, literally sentenced to death by the very people who would raise him in their home.

When he grew up, Moses committed a crime, and God vindicated him. Moses told God that he was not capable to do what He asked of him, and God told him that he had everything he would need. A stick by which some of his miracles would be performed, and his brother, Aaron*…

God knew that His people would move at the sounds of Moses’ and Aaron’s voices. However, Pharaoh was a stubborn man, and God knew that too (of course, right). He knew that it would take many disastrous trials - up to and including the overnight massacre of the first born sons of all the land! - before Pharaoh would allow Israel’s people to depart from Egypt. And he also knew that once the exodus began, given the right moment, an army would pursue Israel in an effort to destroy them. The Lord told Moses, upfront, {Exodus4:21-23} “when you arrive, you will show Pharaoh my power through the miracles I have empowered you with, and I will make it so that he rebukes Me** and refuses to let My firstborn child (Israel) go. And you will tell him, since he has refused, I will now k!ll your first born son.” And that is what He did.

Moses was not shy with God. He asked questions from “Why me?” when presented with his big assignment, to “Can’t you forgive and spare the lives of those same people you have just saved from Egypt - YOUR people?” when Israel’s people became restless and decided to participate in idolatry - which apparently The Lord detests! AND had told them NOT to do***. How could they?! He was ready to wipe them OUT.

Moses had gone to meet with The Lord (for 40 days and nights) so that the law and the covenant could be written, and in his absence, the fools turned up! Listen, even Moses was pissed. So much so that he scolded them and destroyed the mess they made. And BECAUSE MOSES ASKED God to consider the weight of his anger (and reminded Him of his promise to His servants Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob {Exodus32:11-13}) - God punished them but He did spare their lives. And only those who came to Him.

*Moses had an older brother who would speak for him (be his mouthpiece), as Moses spoke God’s words - because his older brother was *of* the people (born and raised Hebrew) and could influence and lead them in a way, as well… meaning the people would listen. As such, Aaron the Levite (Moses brother) would eventually become the first High Priest who would consult with The Most High regarding Israel’s (the peoples) most pressing concerns.

**The Pharoah of Egypt, who sees himself and the ancient gods as “God” with pride and dignity, would surely deny the works of The Most High, so long as they could be disproved with magic… The Lord knew that this embedded system would lead to the Exodus (as well as the destruction) he had planned. He also knew it was a sure way to display His own true majesty for the sake of the Israelites.

***The people feared the presence of The Lord who appeared before them just once (on Mt Sinai), and they understood very well who brought them out of Egypt. God demanded that they remember “to not make idols of silver or gold to rival me.” {Exodus20:22-23}.

****Exodus 18:13-26 Moses’ stepfather advised him to assign helpers so Moses would not bear the burden of ALL of Israel's people on his own shoulders. Moses would then only receive the most pressing issues which might need to be taken to The Lord.

Next is Leviticus.

Original Post Dated February 17, 2024

Written x SP

[sbbreflections]

GENESIS

PART 2 - Because when I started this series, I thought I would only be choosing a segment rather than speaking on the book at large - which is how I handled every book since. So here is the second post on Genesis, for the sake of integrity.

1b. Genesis

The first reflection of Genesis centered around the story of Cain and Abel, but this broad book of the beginnings of time covers much, much more than a message about giving God our best and avoiding hatred to the point of murder...

For instance, we also about the creation of the world. God spoke and all things came to be.

We also learn about Obedience. When Adam and Eve obeyed the Lord, they were joyful and childlike - lacking any pain, shame or worry. But when they chose to follow the voice of the enemy - to see the world and gain knowledge that The Lord deliberately told them to keep away from - they became susceptible to evil in the flesh, essentially dooming mankind to sin. It appears to have been an irrevocable decision - that we would have to experience the world and all of it's torture because of this decision made so long ago. Even wiping out the entire human race would not keep us from reverting to bad behaviors - because we had become exposed to too much already.

For a long time, the human part of me had not been able to let go of the simple question: "why would The Lord make this tree of knowledge of good and evil accessible to them?" to which Holy Spirit seemed to respond "because He granted them freedom under ONE RULE, yet He also gave them freewill." They had a choice, and they chose to disobey their creator.

Sidenote(s): Now, I will reiterate that I am an infant and I know little to nothing in terms of what/why/how/when/where the Lord makes His decisions. I have gotten in the habit of acceptance rather than upset because these are obviously things we were never meant to experience, let alone understand. But since we're here... We should at least be grateful for the Word, and in this day, for Jesus Christ, and attempt to make better choices than our ancestors. No matter the generation, we lose access to God's glory when we choose to follow the world's way and/or the enemy's voice over what The Lord has told us so plainly. For instance: later, when The Lord introduces The Covenant to his chosen people (the Israelites) through Moses, He said they would be covered by his grace as long as they did not break it. He was (is) a very forgiving God, for as they broke the covenant time and again, he would always come back to save them when they came to him in earnest. And while the circumstances are much different now, the same effect applies. If I understand at least this part correctly, eternal life/paradise is accessible to EVERYONE under one condition: faith in Christ.

So boom. Adam and Eve sin. Their eldest child murders his younger brother, who'd found favor with the lord. And a third son is born - his name is Seth.

Years and generations later, The Lord is upset and completely over the dealings of fresh, fleshy humans. They are despicable. And so the Lord plans the great flood and instructs Noah to build the Ark. The hallmark lesson from Noah's story is not only that he and his family were obedient to God's message - despite how crazy he must have seemed at the time - and therefore blessed with the opportunity to "be fruitful and multiply" (Genesis 9:1-4) but also that of the way we should honor our parents. Noah curses his son's lineage because when Ham could have chosen to quietly take care of his father, he chose to dishonor him by exploiting his nakedness. This was the curse of the Canaanites (Genesis 9:18-27), the clans of people who would be in opposition to God's Chosen people down the line.

The Tower of Babel is addressed here (Genesis 11:1-9) as well as the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. During this destruction, we learn that Lot's wife is another one who doesn't listen and she turns into a pillar of salt. Then, his daughters get Lot drunk and become pregnant with his children - Moab and Ben-ammi - the ancestors of the Moabites and Ammonites (Genesis 19:1-38). (FYI, Lot is a nephew of Abraham's.)

The final major message I will share is (some of) the story of Abraham. He was first called "Abram" and his wife Sarah was first called "Sarai".

"The Lord had said to Abram, "Leave your native country, your relatives, and your father's family, and go to the land that I will show you. I will make you into a great nation. I will bless you and make you famous, and you will be a blessing to many others. I will bless those who bless you and curse those who treat you with contempt. All the families on earth will be blessed through you." - Genesis 12:1-3 (NLT)

Abraham was counted as righteous because of his faith. He'd asked God what good were all the Lord's blessings when he didn't even have a son, to which the Lord responded that Abraham would have as many descendants as there were stars in the sky (Genesis 15:2-6).

Now, Sarah had done some weird things in the interim, but The Lord most certainly kept his promise and Sarah became pregnant in her old age, bearing Abraham's second son about 14 years after Ishmael (born to Sarah's Egyptian servant Hagar). She was 91 and Abraham was 100. Her son was named Issac (which means "one who laughs or rejoices). Abraham's faith would be tested in a way most would not pass - but he was faithful, so he did everything the Lord had commanded, and was blessed even more for it. Jacob later married Rebekah and fathered Jacob, who was later called Israel.

The Lord also presented the responsibility of circumcision upon Abraham and all of his male descendants (and his servants) as a new term of His covenant - a mark of everlasting covenant (Genesis 17:9-14). He obeyed; clearly, circumcision is still a very regular practice today.

And that's all folks... Wow. Genesis is quite a book. If you've never read it I highly recommend that you do because I still only covered a fraction of the details.

Next is Exodus.

[sbbreflections]

GENESIS

PART 1 - Because when I started this series, I thought I would only be choosing a segment rather than speaking on the book at large - which is how I handled every book since. So I will follow up with a second post on Genesis for the sake of integrity.

1. Genesis.

The ultimate betrayal (of a sibling) (around jealousy/envy) is amongst the very first of things that we learn that God frowns upon. It’s literally the story as old as time and still, it will never not surprise or trigger me to think…

Cain killed Abel, and spat in God’s face when He asked about it. Why? Cain felt shorted by the same God he wouldn’t give his best to. And because his younger brother Abel was accepted and rewarded for his efforts, Cain selfishly spilled his brother’s blood. I wonder if he knew what his action would mean - if this were the first murder in history, would he understand the concept of death? Did the fruit his parents ate give them this knowledge so purely that the first family knew it all? We do know that he knew he was wrong, because he hid & lied, which made God more upset. Cain was so angry and that terrible energy made him susceptible to evil. God could HEAR his child (Abel) crying although he no longer had breath or pulse. And that hurt Him. Who seeks to hurt The Most High, God?

Cain’s curse was issued swiftly. Cain was shunned from God’s presence & made agonizingly immortal. Cain would be insatiable for all his days - thirsty for blood (due to his unwarranted bloodshed) and shielded from vanquish by enemies. God had punished Cain so severely that anyone who came to enforce more punishment or to even kill him would suffer a similar fate. He was the first “vampire” and person to become a demon by God’s command.

I wonder if we should assume that Cain “died” in the flood. The spirit of Cain is still very much so prevalent today. Don’t be a Cain. Be better - give God your best, not your crumbs.

(Written February 13, 2024) x SP

[sbbreflections]

Bible Book Reflections? Reviews?!

In February of this year (2024), I committed to reading the Holy Bible in it's entirety, from cover to cover, and completing it before the end of the year.

So far, I'm pretty much on track. It's July 17th as I create this blog and have made it through Genesis to Isaiah, and am currently reading through the Book of Jeremiah. To be clear, I did NOT read all of Psalms or Proverbs as I am constantly referencing these special books and have another plan for those later. As for all other books of the Old and New Testaments, I am also completing "Book Reviews" upon completion of each individual segment. FYI, I am reading from the New Living Translation (NLT). I started sharing these reviews on Facebook, and have since attempted to sorta move away from the platform for awhile (and maybe even altogether). So I figure - where else better to share long form text (for free) than here on TUMBLR!!! I am going to share the reviews which are already complete, so many of them will appear with the same date, but I will mention the actual date of completion at the end of each post for transparency purposes.

Below is the opening disclaimer I used on each FB post to this point. It still applies here :)...

After I finish reading each Book of the Holy Bible, I will follow up with one topic/takeaway (or a few lol) to discuss and post here. Feel free to share your favorite scripture or lesson from the book at hand, or share your views on the prompt.