Josh1Eight

Scripture: Luke 1:18-19, 42-45 "18 Zechariah said to the angel, “How can I be sure this will happen? I’m an old man now, and my wife is also well along in years. 19 Then the angel said, “I am Gabriel! I stand in the very presence of God. It was he who sent me to bring you this good news! 20 But now, since you didn’t believe what I said, you will be silent and unable to speak until the child is born. For my words will certainly be fulfilled at the proper time...42 Elizabeth gave a glad cry and exclaimed to Mary, “God has blessed you above all women, and your child is blessed. 43 Why am I so honored, that the mother of my Lord should visit me? 44 When I heard your greeting, the baby in my womb jumped for joy. 45 You are blessed because you believed that the Lord would do what he said.” Observations: In Luke's account of the events building up to the coming of Christ, he recounts Zecharaiah and Mary's response as two very different responses to God's plan. Zechariah had n...

Scripture: Luke 1:30-33, 38 "30 “Don’t be afraid, Mary,” the angel told her, “for you have found favor with God! 31 You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you will name him Jesus. 32 He will be very great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his ancestor David. 33 And he will reign over Israel forever; his Kingdom will never end!...38 Mary responded, “I am the Lord’s servant. May everything you have said about me come true.” And then the angel left her. Observatiions: One day the angel Gabriel out of nowhere just shows up in Nazareth to an unsuspecting teenage girl named Mary and fills her in on God's plan to save the world and how it was about to directly affect her life and exactly what it would cost her to be involved in it. Although Mary couldn't have known the full weight of what she was agreeing to upfront, she did understand what was required of her if she planned to do what God was asking of her. Having a bab...

Scripture: Numbers 21:4-5,25-26, 34-35 "But the people grew impatient with the long journey, 5 and they began to speak against God and Moses. “Why have you brought us out of Egypt to die here in the wilderness?” they complained. “There is nothing to eat here and nothing to drink. And we hate this horrible manna!”25 So Israel captured all the towns of the Amorites and settled in them, including the city of Heshbon and its surrounding villages. 26 Heshbon had been the capital of King Sihon of the Amorites. He had defeated a former Moabite king and seized all his land as far as the Arnon River...So the people of Israel occupied the territory of the Amorites...35 And Israel killed King Og, his sons, and all his subjects; not a single survivor remained. Then Israel occupied their land." Observations: I'm amazed at how the Israelites were so repeatedly rebellious against God and never seemed to learn their lesson. Every time they complained and rebelled God judged them, and yet...

Scripture: Numbers 19:17-19 "17 To remove the defilement, put some of the ashes from the burnt purification offering in a jar, and pour fresh water over them. 18 Then someone who is ceremonially clean must take a hyssop branch and dip it into the water. That person must sprinkle the water on the tent, on all the furnishings in the tent, and on the people who were in the tent; also on the person...19 On the third and seventh days the person who is ceremonially clean must sprinkle the water on those who are defiled. Then on the seventh day the people being cleansed must wash their clothes and bathe themselves, and that evening they will be cleansed of their defilement." Observations: Regarding the Laws of purification that were required when someone become "unclean" (unable to approach God's presence) by coming into contact with a dead body or just touching someone or something that was unclean, God made provision for any Israelite to qualify as the other "so...

Scripture: Numbers 16:1-2, 32-35 "One day Korah son of Izhar, a descendant of Kohath son of Levi, conspired with Dathan and Abiram...2 They incited a rebellion against Moses, along with 250 other leaders of the community, all prominent members of the assembly...32 The earth opened its mouth and swallowed the men, along with their households and all their followers who were standing with them, and everything they owned. 33 So they went down alive into the grave, along with all their belongings. The earth closed over them, and they all vanished from among the people of Israel. 34 All the people around them fled when they heard their screams. “The earth will swallow us, too!” they cried. 35 Then fire blazed forth from the Lord and burned up the 250 men..." Observations: It didn't take long in the wilderness for the Israelites to grow disconent after God condemned them to wander around aimlessly for the rest of their lives before someone started looking for someone to blame f...