Second Bible Read Thread

[SarahsKnight]

Day 91: Apr 29

Judges 8 and 9

 

[Multifavs]

Sorry I've been pretty quiet in this thread. I'd love to be more in the discussion but I often can't think of anything interesting to say.

 

[SarahsKnight]

Sorry I've been pretty quiet in this thread. I'd love to be more in the discussion but I often can't think of anything interesting to say.

You're fine, Knightess. I am just glad to see you following along.

 

[SarahsKnight]

Day 92: Apr 30

Judges 10 through 12

 

[SarahsKnight]

Day 93: May 1

First the story of Gideon, now the one of Samson.

Judges 13 through 15

 

[Multifavs]

This chapter has more examples of how we can do little alone, but with God we can do anything. The Lord gave Samson great power over his enemies.

 

[SarahsKnight]

Day 94: May 2

Judges 16 through 18

I was seeking a bit more explanation for what happened and why in Judges 17 and 18, with Micah, his Levite priest, and the Danites, and came across this:
What can we learn from the account of Micah and the idol in Judges?

 

[SarahsKnight]

Day 95: May 3

Judges 19 through 21

Unfortunately, the rather depraved scenes going on in the Israelite judge's time right now doesn't get any better from the last few chapters.

 

[SarahsKnight]

I noticed at the close of the book of Judges that once again there is the sentence, "At that time there was no king in Israel; everyone did what was right in his own eyes."

Pretty much a recurring theme throughout the book, unfortunately, especially here in the last three chapters. Had everyone not done so - what they believed in their own eyes to be right - then perhaps we would not have had folly upon folly heaped on after the initial wicked act of the men of Gibeah (who raped a poor helpless concubine to the point of death in chapter 19), whereupon it would result in a war claiming as much as 75,000 lives from among the various tribes of Israel and especially the Benjamites.

This may be my personal opinion, but I think one such folly may have been the second Levite man (the first one being from Micah's and the Danites' story in the previous two chapters) seizing upon his concubine and literally cutting her to pieces to send as physical proof of the crime committed against her by the men of Gibeah, to the other Israelite tribes. I think it was a bit of an overreaction, and unless I missed it, Scripture doesn't even seem to say that she was already dead for sure after the rape, but close to death. So the Levite husband might have actually killed her in the process, instead of, well, trying to bring her medical help. On top of that, I believe he was the one who gave her up to the men of Gibeah anyway to save himself in the first place. I honestly don't know why, in the case of giving her up to Gibeah, he couldn't have at least tried to save her from succumbing to the trauma and wounds of her rape, and simply called leaders from the other Israelite tribes to come to him and see for themselves the proof of the Benjamite city's heinous crime against her, if the Levite wanted justice. Rather than killing her (assuming she had not already died from the trauma) and sending pieces of her corpse in the "mail" to them.

 

[SarahsKnight]

Day 96: May 4

Excited for today, because here we get to read the entire book of Ruth. This is definitely one of my favorites.

The MEV says that Ruth was likely written somewhere between 1011 and 931 BC, and Jewish tradition credits Samuel as the writer.

 

[Multifavs]

Ruth was a short but very good Book.

The NAB just says that the author is not certain and Ruth was written long after the events happened.

 

[SarahsKnight]

The NAB just says that Ruth was written long after the events happened.

Yes, at least on that the MEV and NAB seem to agree, as I believe the Judges' time in Israel was about three centuries in length preceding 1000 BC, and if Ruth was written by Samuel, who is along with Eli in name the last judge before the time of kings in Israel, then I would say this can still make sense chronologically for Ruth to have been written by him between 1011 and 931, assuming Ruth's time occurred during the time of a judge before Samuel/Eli (and Samuel was simply, as we believe the Bible to have been written, divinely inspired by the Spirit to write Ruth). Which Ruth's time should have, I would say, since Boaz was Rahab's son, the latter of whom was alive way back when Joshua also was alive. And the time of judges did not occur until Joshua and the Israelite generation present at his death both faded away.

Of course, take care that I am saying all of this without really looking it up, Knightess - just mostly going from memory of what I have read in the Bible - so I could be wrong. Mostly just theorizing and discussing for fun.

 

[SarahsKnight]

Day 97: May 5

1 Samuel 1 through 3

 

[SarahsKnight]

Here is the MEV's summary of 1 Samuel =>

The first book of Samuel was likely written sometime after 960 BC. The two books of Samuel were originally one book and were later separated by translators of the Septuigant. Events and figures of 1 Samuel span approximately 100 years, from 1100 to 1000 BC, of Israelite history. Samuel probably wrote it, according to the Jewish Talmud. The setting is Israel, and the theme is the establishment of Israel's monarchy. The book opens with Hannah, the mother of Samuel, pleading with God for a son. God answers her prayer, and the boy grows up to be a prophet and priest. Both Saul and David are introduced in this book, and their history is recounted in great detail, including David's battle with Goliath, Saul's jealousy of David and their continued clashes, and David's friendship with Jonathan, the son of Saul. At the close of the book, both Saul and Jonathan die in battle.

 

[SarahsKnight]

Also something I do not think I had noticed before, i exactly what Hannah even meant when said she would dedicate her child to the Lord if He would but grant her pregnancy, in 1 Samuel 1:11.

The MEV refers to Numbers 6:2-21 to explain the nature of the vow in which Hannah made to the Lord when she prayed to be given a child, that she would dedicate Samuel to the Lord when he was weaned.

 

[SarahsKnight]

Day 98: May 6

1 Samuel 4 through 8

 

[SarahsKnight]

Day 99: May 7

1 Samuel 9 through 12

 

[SarahsKnight]

Day 100: May 8

1 Samuel 13 and 14

There are some odd stories surrounding Saul and the way he leads Israel as king. I really must wonder why Saul makes a rash oath that no one in his army eat any food until the evening after defeating his enemies the Philistines in battle, and even threatens to kill his son Jonathan according to that oath when Jonathan, apparently knowing nothing of the oath, confesses to having taken some honey and eaten it earlier. Thankfully apparently the men with Saul and Jonathan who'd fought against the Philistines that day took pity and entreated Saul to spare him. Jonathan ends up becoming a good and loyal friend to David later, keeping David out of his insanely jealous father's clutches (more than on one occasion if I recall correctly), despite still loving Saul as his father and not wishing to be disobedient to him.

But, I guess this is what you get as a nation when you become impatient for a king in the flesh to rule over you and demand of God to give you one such king, when it had become obvious for centuries that God was more than worthy enough to lead Israel and keep her safe from all enemies and hardships. Was the one King of all kings - especially after all of the mighty works He'd performed for Israel, far more than even the best and most worthy human ruler would be capable of doing - honestly not doing a good enough job? But this time God gave to the children of Israel as they wanted, and let them learn the lesson the hard way.

 

[SarahsKnight]

Day 101: May 9

1 Samuel 15 through 17

 

[SarahsKnight]

Day 102: May 10

1 Samuel 18 through 20

Psalms 11

Psalms 59