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Bible Time Period: Conquest and Judges
You led Israel triumphantly into the Promised Land. They failed to teach their children, and instead did what was right in their own eyes: Help me to keep my eyes on you and teach others what is truly right.
Reflection
Before Joshua died, he reminded the people that God is with them and will continue to be so, if only they will love and obey Him. God freed them from Pharaoh so they could serve Him; now it will be up to them to choose Yahweh over the gods of the Canaanites. The book of Judges shows how they live up to this challenge. As you read, you will follow a cycle in which Israel sins; falls into servitude; turns to God in supplication; experiences salvation at the hand of a God-sent judge; and then falls into a period of silence before the cycle begins again. By the end of the period they will be fed up and will ask God to give them a king.
Today’s Reading
Today’s Question
Pay close attention to Judges 2:6-23. What do you learn?
Join the discussion below!
Loving all the insightful comments/posts about the old testament,and of course the programes the great adventure and 90 day challenge that have greatly improved my appreciation of the bible,a long way from the sanitised version taught to us in bible history at school in the 1940-50s.
How much different is reading and studying this time around when doing so with faith…
And don’t forget we are adults now and WANT to read and study. A big difference.
Bravo!
Wow!! Bob you mean 1940, I’m not yet born. Welcome and perhaps we could call your, our “father” here.
Bob you hit the nail on the head. Our parents generation (the Greatest Generation) wanted us Depression/War Babies and Baby Boomers so they sanitised everything. They wanted us to have what they did not Peace and Prosperity. Instead we trashed their ideals and turned to drugs and licentiousness
Barbara, I know what you mean. Our parents’ generation worked hard so we could have the opportunities for a better life. They wanted us to have the finer things. But it backfired. The present generation has become so spoiled and has such a sense of entitlement. No one wants to work hard anymore. Also, we have become bombarded by the media with alluring idols of “things” we must have.
I find it ironic that we were told how strong the economy in the 1990s. Everyone was spending money. But the problem was, they were buying things, but paying with credit, not with cash on hand. Everybody loved how much money was being spent, and the banks were lending out more and more money, driving people deeper and deeper into debt. And for what?
We have to remember when we pray to also pray for our country. And for those with a special devotion to our Blessed Mother, we can pray to Our Lady of Guadalupe, who was designated as “Patroness of the Americas” and “Protectress of Unborn Children” by Pope JP2.
I do pray daily for our Nation and for our President. I love Mary as the Lady of Guadalupe. My nativity set features Mary as the Virgin of Guadalupe and Joseph is dressed in Juan Diego’s rose covered robe. It is the only image of Mary dressed not as a first century Jewish matron but in another dress. It says she is bringing Jesus to all peoples
That sounds just beautiful Barbara! Can you show us a picture?
I had the image of Our Lady of Guadalupe over Thanksgiving week. As I was sitting in my usual spot on the second day and praying, I looked out the window and across the street a tree had fallen in the woods and made a wooden cross THAT WAS NEVER THERE BEFORE! It’s been a couple months, but it’s still there.
The nativity set is packed away with other Christmas items. That is a very beautiful picture Have you noticed how the other trees branches go out like rays from the cross.
No I hadn’t, but that’s a pretty cool observation! Christ is our Light…
You thought it was sanitized then. One can only wonder what it is like now
The cycle of sinning and praying for forgiveness and then sinning again and praying again, etc. seemed to be in each chapter so far that I read in this day’s challenge. “And the people of Israel did what was evil in the sight of the Lord and served the Baals…” Judges 2: 11 “And the people of Israel again, did was evil in the sight of the Lord…” Judges 3:12. “And the people of Israel did again what was evil in the sight of the Lord…” Judges 4: 1
When reading the book of Judges the stage was being set for the life and times of the conquering Israelites existing in the promised land. This was a crucial part of God’s covenant. I saw Joshua’s warning become a reality for the Israelites. Was this group of people ignorant about what they had learned from the older generations, or were they so ecstatic to be somewhere they cold really call home and set up their own rules?
They did not follow God’s covenant. The Israelites lived among the Canaanites and adapted their ways of worshiping false deities. They cried to God for assistance time and time again and God doled out some fierce punishments to them, but would rescue the Israelites and would give them Judges to guide them towards God again.
This reading is a wake up call! I can see me as one of the Israelites making excuses for not following all of God’s commandments. I can even feel the complacency in myself hunker down and take the most comfortable seat inside me and formulate these outlandish excuses not to include God’s commandments to each and every minute of my day. I am beginning to think that this complacency is like an evil cancer that can overtake my soul at any given time. Where did I stop being God’s warrior? Where did this ‘why should I care’ attitude come from? The book of Judges is going to be a page turner for me so that I may use what was written as a teaching tool to recharge my spiritual warrior stance against the devil who loves to create this state of flux in my life!
And through all of that, God still loves me! What an amazing and formidable God He is! I love you, Father!
Well said. I am so thankful that we serve such an awesome God who never gives up on us.
Thank you so much for your most elucidated writing. It touch everyones hearts. Here is soothing song: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KkxKZTX-Jww
Jose, I listened to this as soon as I came home from work. The best present ever on a busy Friday afternoon. Thank you and may God hold you in the “palm of His Hand”.
You’re very much welcome. With a little touch we can make someone happy, the secret of making peace to someone that can make the whole world peaceful and worth living.
Good is “full” LOVE, and that makes Him patient with His creatures, forgiving us “seventy times seven”. However, every time we go to reconciliation, we MUST try harder not to fall again, so, step by step we’ll be closer to perfection, the one we could offer to our Father.
God never give up on us. God is a forgiving God who wants us to be obedient and do his will. He gives a lot of chances but he wants us to worship him alone.
For me I see the nature of man. We are blinded by that around us and eagerly join in the fringes until we are drowning and call out for help from God. Thank you Father for giving us your Son our Lord, Jesus so that we can be strengthened every second and purified by His grace.
By not putting God first in our life, there will always be temptation that makes us stumble. If we are to have true success and peace (rest) in our life, we must serve only the one true God who will lead us not into temptation and will deliver us from evil.
Men cherish and indulge their corrupt appetites and passions; therefore God justly leaves them to themselves, under the power of their sins, which will be their ruin.
The reading sadly reminded me of the failure within the Catholic Church in the last few generations. Many parishes, schools and parents failed to teach and live the faith, consequently numerous generations are missing from a lot of parish churches and more pews are empty than filled. Children of practising Catholics are a tiny minority in our Catholic schools. Both the Church and Israelites failed to pass on the faith and each managed to survive due to God’s loving mercy and forgiveness.
In the last 12 years, I have seen valiant attempts to move parishes forward but the strongholds to overcome were difficult. Now individual parishes are banding together under the diocese to renew the battle with everyone discerning where God wishes them to serve e.g. at diocesan or parish level. For me, this is God drawing his dispersed and lost people together, moving them “little by little”, helping them become fruitful, giving them the skills and materials to rebuild the Church and to turn the whole Church into one strong nation that will destroy the false idols and gods in our world. This is one of my daily prayers because I could not bear the thought of anyone journeying home and discovering that their home was now a car park.
I also see a renewed effort in the Church to get back to basics and get the Holy Spirit moving in our churches. I would add that just as it is God’s plan that it takes a mom and a dad (spouses) working together to raise their children to maturity, it takes the Holy Spirit AND the Blessed Mother (also spouses) to raise God’s family to spiritual maturity. The Holy Spirit doesn’t act without his spouse. May we always remember to ask Mary to help us get the Holy Spirit in our life as she did, being “full of grace” and the spouse of the Spirit. Being the good Mother as she is, she will never lead us astray, as individuals or as a Church as a whole.
Thank you Jesus for giving us your Mother Mary as our guide, our consolation and our our resource for prayer!
It is really sad to see lots of these Parishes in the U.S. are closing or bankrupt. I noticed their Liturgies were obsolete and their policies were outdated. Perhaps they were too busy to effectively implement the documents of Second Vatican Council. After attending three Masses in my Parish, I requested an appointment with the Parish Priest to talk about my observation, about ten points, to enliven the Eucharistic celebration and encourage more participation of the faithful. I am doing it as former leader from other Diocese.
I applaud you Jose for keeping the fire burning. Well done. We need someone like you to revive the church in our little village – where I’m spending time with my elderly parents. Everyone is afraid to speak to the Priest. If the parishioners are not being fed – they look/go elsewhere. Tradition has got to be passed on.
Thanks Jacqueline, mass should not be boring, it must be done more creative and as happy as Christ resurrection. Of course the solemn part should be observe rightly. Proclamation of the Word ought to be coming from the bosom not merely from lips. Our liturgy should be attractive and lively and be able to attract youngsters to attend from the street corners. The mass celebration should be talk of the town for its beauty and fullness to regain back our separated brothers and sisters in Christ.
outdated Liturgies? What Liturgies are you talking about?
Jeanne, I may be wrong in saying obsolete Liturgies in the sense that it is not strictly deviation from standard Ordo Missal, may be their practices. Specifically, I refer to entrance procession, not being consistent, sometimes they do not use the processional cross, Just the bible and not accompanied by processional candle. Their policy on the use of Altar servers, an old concept of boys only, not in consonance with the Second Vatican Council of encouraging more participation of the faithful. The most important part of the Mass of sending out, sometimes, they just say, the mass is ended, in the name of the Father….. The selections of songs were just not very creative and dead. The Celebrant after the Mass, right there, you don’t feel any more Christ from him, he’s gone. The Lector, do not proclaim the word in proper way. You can hear it just coming from lips. The lector do not show proper reverence in the sanctuary. Those that proclaim rightly, I am making an effort to congratulate him/her after the mass. The altar servers do not behave properly in the sanctuary, they were poorly trained. The extra ordinary ministers do not usually wash their hands before taking the Eucharist. There is no introduction of the celebrant to the congregation. The celebrant do not even give thanksgiving to the rest who assisted him in the celebration. There were more others, unable now to remember, for that was over ten years now and i am not in U.S. anymore. The deacon sent by the Priest in his behalf had improve greatly after the celebration from that time on.
Thanks for the explanation. I think you might have used the wrong word. Maybe you meant abuses? I like the TLM myself. I also like your posts. Thanks again
God Bless
You’re welcome, Jeanne. In our own simple way it is a good feeling to share our little talent to our community. May God bless you too and your whole family. More power to all your endeavors.
These recent chapters show that mankind is the same now as then. There is nothing new under the sun, to be sure. We ignore God when things are going good, and get ourselves into trouble and then we cry out to him when we need him. When Jesus says we are to be like children to gain Heaven, I think of how young toddlers get into trouble and cry out to their parents. That part is the same as adults do in regards to God. However, one dissimilarity I see is that little children don’t ignore their parents like we can ignore God. Children always want to be near their parents, playing in the same room as where they are, asking their parents to be part of their little games, etc. As adults, we often ignore God until we need him. I think is where we differ from children. Also, children are quick to be remorseful when they displease us. With age comes stubbornness and increased pride. I wish there was no such thing as concupiscence.
Helana, Little children are very trusting of their parents. Are we as trusting of God our father? I know I have a problem in that area.
Jeanne, Thanks so much for adding that! I totally agree with what you are saying; I didn’t think to mention that part about trust and how it relates to adults vs. children. I think it didn’t cross my mind because when I was reading these scripture passages, the part about ignoring God when things are good, really spoke to me. That must be the part that I’m having trouble with right now in my spiritual journey. Isn’t it neat how the scriptures speak to all of us differently? It’s the LIVING word for all people at all times. God bless!
You are welcome. That is why I like the discussion even if I just read. We all get different things from the readings.
It reminds me of our situations today. Our Parent’s Generation is known as the Greatest Generation. My generation the Depression/War babies and the Baby Boomers were given everything they asked for. We took all the blessings and were ungrateful. We became beatniks and hippies. We turned to drugs when we should have turned to God. Now we see our children suffering for our sins.
Your comments about the generations is right on!
I see that in all cycles The Israelite learned the hard way to be loyal to God when they had plenty they wanted to shield their children from the hard truths so their children “did what was evil in the sight of the Lord” You might want to make a list of the times that this appears in the Book of Judges and beyond. (hint Chapter 4 is not the last time)
I think the telling phrase is “They were quick to stray from the way their fathers had taken, and did not follow their example of obedience to the commandments of the Lord” Even though their actions had consequences, they did not always draw the correct conclusion as to why the Lord withdrew His favor and bad things happened to them, reminds me of someone I know….myself! I also think they did not understand the importance of how they were to show the other nations the way God wanted them to live and instead embraced the other nations’ way. It was probably easier and we know how humans like to choose the easy way.
I think a lot here about how generations today do not carry on what their parents and ancestors gave them– the gift of Faith. I am not sure of the accuracy but I read in a recent study that 1/3 of all individuals brought up in the Catholic faith leave when they reach adult hood. Only 68% carry on this wonderful tradition. How sad yet invigorating for us to even be more faithful to our God and our religion and sing it from the tops of mountains so that we help people find their way back home.
First, I am reminded of the story from the Acts of the Apostles, chapter 5:1-11. This story of Ananias and Sapphira initially seems harsh – was their sin so great they merited death? Consider, though, how young and vulnerable the Way (Christian community) was at this point. Their seemingly small transgression could have led the whole community to a sinful place, a watered down faith. The OT accounts of infidelity, of not purging the land of the pagan people, was a situation of allowing their faith to be chipped away by false idols, inculturation. They were not strong enough to withstand the temptations, and so the whole young nation suffered time and again.
Second, I have heard that the faith of a community/nation is only as strong as the next generation. Parents are the first and primary sources of faith for children. These stories are not-so-subtle reminders that we must remain faithful and lead our children through action and words into faith maturity. I can think back, as my children are pretty much grown, and recall my failure in this regard. I can also see the successes – brought about particularly since my own covenant renewal through Scripture studies, increased worship, prayer and participation in the Sacraments.
Indeed parents are the primary teachers of the faith. Some parents think (from the first communion classes where I helped) that it is the sole duty of catechists to do the teaching. The Israelites were reminded again and again to pass on the tradition. I can also relate to the part about your failure to do this when the kids were younger. This is one of my regrets. But I didn’t know then what I known now, and now I’m making sure that they know that Jesus is the centre of all things. My grandchildren, praise God, are well rooted in their prayers and love Jesus. I hope they continue to grow in the faith.
Me too. I could have done more with my own daughter. I thank my mother for her example and the grade school education of a catholic school for my faith.
I was born in the mid 1950s. Did not receive adequate knowledge of my faith. Therefore my children did not either. They have gone away from the faith as I did for a period of time in my life. Only now in my late 50s am I really learning about my faith and it is so exciting! I can’t get my husband, a lapsed Catholic, or my grown children to appreciate their faith. I am wondering who the Lord will raise up to lead the New Evangelization. It looks like Pope Francis is one f those people. And these Bible study programs are also of great benefit. I am just thankful that there is change and I am hoping that when I have grandchildren, I will be able to teach them the faith!
I couldn’t agree more. The Lord knew who we needed now and gave us Pope Francis! As he said, the New Evangelization is for those already baptized.
Hello Karen, I have to congratulate in winning the great battle of deception by the devil, that you are back to faith. It is not too late, we still have hope. Jesus said, for as long as you have faith as small as the mustard seed, it can move mountain (Matthew 17:20). Let me help you some basic of our faith, (If you think these could help you, please take it, meditate on it. If not just disregard them).
Firstly, we make sure we locate the church founded by Christ. The Church founded by Christ has four distinguishing marks or qualities of
his Church. The Church we seek must be one, holy, catholic, and
apostolic.
One: Jesus established only one Church, not a collection of differing churches.
Holy” By his grace Jesus makes the Church holy, just as he is holy.
Catholic: Jesus’ Church is called catholic (“universal” in Greek) because it is his gift to all people.
Apostolic: The Church Jesus founded is apostolic because he appointed the apostles to be the first leaders of the Church, and their successors were to be its future leaders
Our tasks as a Catholic, no matter what your age, are three:
Know our Catholic faith.
We cannot live our faith if you do not know it, and we cannot
share with others what we do not first make your own (CCC 429).
Learning your Catholic faith takes some effort, but it is effort well
spent because the study is, quite literally, infinitely rewarding.
Live our Catholic faith.
Our Catholic faith is a public thing. It is not meant to be left
behind when we leave home (CCC 2472). But be forewarned: Being a public. Catholic involves risk and loss. You will find some doors closed to
you. We will lose some friends. We will be considered an outsider.
But, as a consolation, remember our Lord’s words to the persecuted:
“Rejoice and be glad, for our reward is great in heaven” (Matt. 5:12).
Spread your Catholic faith.
Jesus Christ wants us to bring the whole world into captivity to the
truth, and the truth is Jesus himself, who is “the way, and the truth,
and the life” (John 14:6). Spreading the faith is a task not only for
bishops, priests, and religious—it is a task for all Catholics (CCC
905).
Just before his Ascension, our Lord told his apostles, “Go,
therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name
of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to
observe all that I have commanded you” (Matt. 28:19–20).
If we want to observe all that Jesus commanded, if we want to believe all he taught, we must follow him through his Church.
(Please note: CCC, refers to Catechism of the Catholic Church)
Well said Karen. The lack of knowledge about our faith is a concern of mine and is something that needs improvement so we can teach the next generation and help them appreciate the faith. It is also why I think so many have left the church. I am so glad we have Pope Francis, and he is a guiding light. I am cradle Catholic, but I did not start studying the Catholic faith seriously until I was in my early 30’s. Since I started studying our faith, the benefits to my life and my spiritual life have been incredible. Hopefully, the benefits extend to the people around me. Without adequate knowledge, we begin questioning God’s laws, begin making our own laws, and drifting away from God.
We also have the challenge of living in a secular culture and little by little we take on the values of the secular culture. Without adequate knowledge of scripture and a relationship with God, we become more susceptible to going our own way as did the Israelites. I find that the more I study the bible and pray, I understand the importance of following God’s laws, which often doesn’t make sense to our secular society and to Catholics that have taken on secular values. I am not suggesting that we should separate ourselves from our secular culture. We should strive to be a shining light to others, and I think living in our secular culture can be a blessing to us if we are strong and we keep the faith. Bible studies such as the 90-Day-Journey and reading the discussion responses has been quite a learning experience for me.
Judges 1:27 Is this a symbol of habitual sin? and how we fool ourselves into thinking there is some benefit to continuing in the same way, as in; “forced labor” we won’t get rid of the sin but make it “work for us.” Closing our eyes to the danger of allowing it to stay as part of us..?Judges 1:33 How were these people so different than all the rest they had put to the sword? Did they like them in some way? Have a compassion for them? Were the Canaanites specifically wily and able to evade the israelites? How were they different from all these other peoples that the Israeilites didn’t give a second thought as they wiped them out?
I don’t think we are much different today than the Israelites were back then. We have people all around us that are living lives contrary to God’s laws….and what are we doing about it? We have been “pushed” in the corner and a lot of times are afraid to speak up, for fear we will be called bigots or hate mongers……so, we just go on living our busy days, trying to ignore confronting the evil, in hopes that it won’t affect us. And what about the evil of terrorism that is taking place all around our world, including at times here. We have weak leadership who won’t call it what it is…or confront it. I do believe that we, as a Nation, will be held accountable….and oppressed, for turning away from God and His Commandments. ” If our Nation as a people humble ourselves and pray and seek God’s presence and turn from our evil ways , God will hear them from Heaven and pardon our sins and revive our land.” 2 Chronicles 7:14. But, like the Israelites, we as a Nation will have to face the consequences for our sinfulness.
After reading today’s assignment, I realized that evil existed just as much now as it did back in the biblical times. Keeping focus on God’s Word and obeying His commandments and rules is a perpetual function we all need to work on because it is essential for our spiritual well being.
How many times did God warn the people if they strayed from their allegiance with God? Are the majority of humans so enamored with what pleases them rather than what pleases God? Does the majority of humans put God in the “backseat” and say we will ask for assistance only when we need it, so “keep quiet” so we can “enjoy the instant goodies that give us pleasure?
The question posed today emphasizes how important it is to listen to God. He is our Father. If we don’t listen to Him, then is God saying, “You are on your own!”?? There are times I don’t blame God for getting upset with us (me). The verses 6 to 23 in Judges, Chapter 2 was and is a warning to all of us!
I think at times, I loose sight of the reverence and holiness of Our Lord, My God. In other words, He is my Father but I’m not sure if He likes the name “Pops”.
The key verse to me in Judges 2:6-23 was verse 7, “And the people served the Lord all the days of Joshua, and all the days of the elders who outlived Joshua, who had see all the great work which the Lord had done for Israel.” We read here that the people were obedient to the Lord for the time during which one of the original witnesses was alive and could talk with them first-hand about the Lord and his great works as well as the need to follow his laws and commandments and to avoid the pagan ways of the captives. It is similar in a family, as long as mom or grandpa is alive and can talk first-hand about the days of the Great Depression, we are mindful of our wastefulness and are most frugal but when they pass away we loose the link to frugality and begin to get caught up with the spendthrift attitude of the new generation that is free and amassing material goodies. Our influential variables change and we go another direction.
The Israelites have accepted the Canaanites into their tribes, even if they are forced labor they still bring their own influences. The Israelites will marry Canaanites bringing the Ba’al worship into their tents; the pagan ways of the Canaanites will appear new, different, intriguing and more appealing than the worship of the Lord who is not seen physically nor talked about from personal experience which would have made him more real …. they can see and hold the idols giving them an ownership and direct relationship.
The Lord wisely appoints judges to help shepherd the Israelites; while these judges have good control over the people, they cannot provide the same type of leadership required and shown by Moses and Joshua as well as the early priests. As we all know, the battle has just begun for the hearts of Israel and their unfaltering love and obedience to God.
The passages brought to my mind how at times we can feel abandoned by God. When we feel this way we often go to other “gods” . I have noticed that this is true of some of my friends who have abandoned the Catholic Church for some of the “feel good” New Age pseudo-Christian religions. Many tell of a real crisis that brought them back to the Church. So it is with nations. So it is with the Church. We are so fortunate to have two great saints, St John XXIII and St John Paul II, who have lead the renewal of the Church.
I think catechist in the 60’s was very poor. People educated after that did not really know their faith. The bishops have insisted on some changes and there is a big improvement in the programs. So many things have contributed to the need for a new evangelization. We are affected by our culture and our culture is pagan and we digest so much of it in the media. No wonder God wanted to shield the people from the pagan practices of the lands they conquered because it is natural to be affected by our culture. I have been reading Pope Francis envcyclical Evangelli Gaudeum and he discusses the many ways we need to evangelize our society. It is a big task but we begin by letting Christ’s shine in us as St. Francis said preach Christ always and if necessary use words.
This chapter Judges 6:23, will stay in my mind and heart for a very long time, which is good. Since I am new to all these readings I don’t know if there is another time in the Bible that depicts so strong of a lesson from God. The cycle of the Israelites spirituality had to be so baffling, as each generation evolved and as God’s generation of Judges came and went. I can understand why God finally presented to the people his only begotten son, Yet, Jesus had to suffer such a horrible sacrifice to free the virtues of “sin” once again. For his divine body to suffer the torture and agonizing pain of hanging on the cross until his last breath, I’m sure wasn’t God’s wish to happen either, and for Jesus’ Blessed Mother, another divine being, to take such piercing pains in her heart, as she watched her son die before her eyes. As we witness this Passion this coming Easter, I will think of this chapter 6:23, and beg on my knees for Our Almighty Father, to once again forgive us, “for we do not know what we have done.”
Things never change. This is a cycle. They abandoned their former fidelity, after Joshua and the elders were no more, and in consequence were severely punished. Upon their repentance, God showed them mercy again and again, as He always has. The loss and continued absence of a leader over all of Israel’s tribes seems to introduce the period of the judges in Israel. We then have a transition from Israel’s failure in the more distant past following the death of Joshua to the fallout of that failure in the more recent past.
These verses describe a cycle that repeats itself and probably will over the next several centuries of Israelite history: spiritual apostasy; judgment and suffering in the wake of that apostasy; calling out to Yahweh for forgiveness and deliverance; and Yahweh’s raising up of a leader (or a “judge”) to deliver His people.
If the conquest had been incomplete, it was because God had not delivered the Canaanites into their hands. But I suggest that God, In order to test the faithfulness of the Israelites, chose not to immediately annihilate the nations as Verse 3 shows. God acted like a person who distrusted the fidelity of his servant, and left something in his way to see if we would steal it. Israel, however, quickly failed the test; again.
Saint Josephine Bakhita, c. 1868–1947 Pray for us! Name means “the fortunate one.” Born in southern Sudan region of Darful, kidnapped as a child. Sold into slavery. Then, she worked for wealthy family in Italy. She became a Daughter of Charity of Canossa or Cannosian Sister after she was baptized in 1890 and given name of Josephine. She is an inspiration for all those abused and enslaved in the modern world. We pray to her for an end to modern day child, women, and men trafficking.
I am seeing why God was so strict about putting the “Ban” on certain groups or Cities and brutally/completely wiping them all out… He knew how easy it is to corrupt his people.
I am getting the feeling that God is not being quite as strict in this time frame as he was earlier, especially with requiring his people to wipe out the Canaanites, Amorites, etc. peoples who would assuredly lead them astray…
It is almost as if God is showing them “See what happens?”
Like others have said here, the cycles of the Israelites faithfulness or lack-of-faithfulness, back then is not that unlike our own lives today…
Oh how we must keep our younger generation aware of our God early on. It is our duty to lead them in his direction before they are left in the hands of false believers, leaders, and in a different path than God. All of Joshua’s hard work to keep them with God quickly was off task. Today’s world continues as such; I have seen in an instance how enticing people can be to get others to believe in what they say or do. We know God is a loving and forgiving God today; in the Old Testament it did not seem as though that was the case. If it was still that way Earth would be a desolate place to live in today’s life of so much sin.