Last night I made stir fry again, this time using peanut butter in place of the almond butter. We liked the almond butter sauce better.
Chopping the veggies, I noticed this cute center to one of the bell peppers. I’ve never seen anything like it! The colors were really pretty.
I didn’t have too many thoughts on today’s reading (1 Samuel 3 through 15). I did mark a couple texts as interesting, though.
And it was so, that when he [Saul] had turned his back to go from Samuel,
God gave him another heart:
and all those signs came to pass that day
1 Samuel 10:9.
This verse jumped out at me because of the phrase “God gave him another heart.” That sounds kind of like God causing Pharaoh’s heart to harden. I’m definitely going to have to study this topic more after I’m done with the 90 days.
The other text that stuck out to me was 1 Samuel 11:6.
And the Spirit of God came upon Saul when he heard those tidings, and his anger was kindled greatly.
This addresses a question that has come up in our Bible study several times, if anger is considered a sin. In this text, the Spirit of God came upon Saul and his anger was kindled. Obviously, that means that some types of anger or reasons for anger are not sinful, or else the Spirit of God would not have caused those feelings in Saul. Just a thought I had today.
I completed another two books of the Bible today. The reading covered Judges 15 through 1 Samuel 2.
The author of Judges (believed to be Samuel) is forced to admit that:
In those days there was no king in Israel,
but every man did that which was right in his own eyes
Judges 17:6.
The problem with doing what is right in one’s own eyes is that there is no standard. Even though God did not want Israel to have a king, setting up an earthly government gave Israel a set of enforced rules and laws. It wasn’t enough for the Israelites to have God’s rules and commandments; they wanted an earthly king. But until the king was designated by God, each man determined on his own what qualified as “right.”
I hope that I will always be open to learning the truth about falsehood, sin, and error. I don’t want to be found doing what is right “in my own eyes.” Instead, I want to do what’s right according to God for there is “none holy as the Lord: for there is none beside thee: neither is there any rock like our God” (1 Samuel 2:2).
Today’s reading (Judges 4 through 15) went much easier than yesterday. I read about some of the first judges and how Israel responded when each judge died. For most of the judges, there is very little information listed. Then we get to Samson…
I had a very negative view of Samson until my hubby and I started reading through the Old Testament together last year. When I was younger, the stories I heard about Samson made him seem to be an evil man who is used by God to help Israel during their bondage. I was under the impression that Samson had poor choice in wives, that he was reckless, and that he was extremely violent.
When I actually read the stories for myself, I was shocked. The Bible says that Samson’s first marriage was “of the Lord” (Judges 14:4). Samson didn’t disregard God’s council and marry a Philistine; God wanted him to marry a Philistine woman. And yes, the stories about Samson are kind of violent. But Samson wasn’t being violent just for the sake of violence; God was using Samson as an instrument to punish the Philistines for acts they committed against the Israelites! “The Spirit of the Lord came mightily upon him” in several instances (Judges 14:6, 15:14). No wonder Samson was listed in the faith chapter. I finally understand why.
I have to admit that I really struggled to finish today’s reading (Joshua 15 through Judges 3). Most of the chapters covered the dividing of Canaan and how it was distributed to each of the tribes. There were a LOT of cities listed.
Judges records the beginnings of Israel’s wavering.
1 – The Israelites are following God.
2 – The last judge/leader dies.
3 – The Israelites start worshiping other gods.
4 – The Lord is angry with Israel and allows other peoples to start ruling over them.
5 – Israel cries because of their bondage.
6 – God hears and sends a judge to save them.
7 – The Israelites are following God.
8 – The last judge/leader dies.
9 – The Israelites start worshiping other gods.
Lather, rinse, repeat.
After reading about the first of many rebellions, an earlier promise begins to feel very relevant.
But if from thence thou shalt seek the Lord thy God, thou shalt find him, if thou seek him with all thy heart and with all thy soul. When thou art in tribulation, and all these things are come upon thee, even in the latter days, if thou turn to the Lord thy God, and shalt be obedient unto his voice; (For the Lord thy God is a merciful God;) he will not forsake thee, neither destroy thee, nor forget the covenant of thy fathers which he sware unto them
Deuteronomy 4:29-31.
I am very grateful that God is a merciful God and that He continued to love the Israelites. Because of these stories, I am reassured that God continues to love me even when I fall over and over again.
I invited hubby to read with me this afternoon. I don’t think he fully realized just how much I read every day. We covered Joshua 1 through 14.
These chapters raised more questions than answers. One of the biggest objections to religion, to belief in God, concerns the stories of the Israelites conquering Canaan. People argue that God could not be so cruel and mean as to order the killing of thousands of people.
It’s a valid question. I’ve been studying it off and on for the past year and I still don’t have an answer.
As the Lord commanded Moses his servant, so did Moses command Joshua, and so did Joshua; he left nothing undone of all that the Lord commanded Moses
Joshua 11:15.
For it was of the Lord to harden their [the Canaanites] hearts, that they should come against Israel in battle, that he might destroy them utterly, and that they might have no favor, but that he might destroy them, as the Lord commanded Moses
Joshua 11:20.
So Joshua took the whole land, according to all that the Lord said unto Moses; and Joshua gave it for an inheritance unto Israel according to their divisions by their tribes. And the land rested from war
Joshua 11:23.
I think these texts are very clear. The Lord ordered that the people of Canaan be killed when the Israelites entered the land. Joshua 11:20 says that the people of Canaan attacked Israel and that is why they were destroyed. I noticed this in each battle before even reading this chapter. The Canaanites had heard of Israel. They knew that God had taken them out of Egypt and were bringing them to Canaan. They knew that the Israelites were powerful because God was with them and was giving them power. So the Canaanites were forewarned but decided to attack Israel regardless.
So far I understand the stories. But then I see the pesky little phrase “it was of the Lord to harden their hearts.” God also “hardened Pharaoh’s heart.” Almost every single person I’ve discussed this with says that God allowed their hearts to be hardened but didn’t actually cause their hearts to be hardened. Unfortunately, that’s not exactly what the Bible says. What does it mean that “God hardened Pharaoh’s heart?” I don’t know. I’m still looking for answers.
Today’s reading (Deuteronomy 24 through 34) had a continuation of one of yesterday’s themes. Several times I read how Moses instructed the Israelites to choose obedience, to choose God. His pleas culminated in the following verses:
I call heaven and earth to record this day against you,
that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing:
therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live:
That thou mayest love the LORD thy God,
and that thou mayest obey his voice,
and that thou mayest cleave unto him:
for he is thy life, and the length of thy days:
that thou mayest dwell in the land which the LORD sware unto thy fathers,
to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give them
Deuteronomy 30:19-20.
I want blessings, obedience, love, and length of days. I choose life.
I perfected my ramen recipe! It’s quite simple.
Ingredients
Noodles (we use something similar to soba noodles, as they aren’t deep fried like ramen noodles and thus way lower in fat)
1/2 tomato, diced
1 green onion, sliced
1 T. soy sauce
1 T. lemon juice
1/2 T. Sriracha chili sauce (or something similar)
Directions
1. Boil water. Add noodles, tomato, and green onion. Cook for three minutes.
2. While the noodles are cooking, mix soy sauce, lemon juice, and hot sauce in your bowl.
3. Add noodles and boiling water to bowl. Mix. Eat.
We also wanted to try a new stir-fry recipe. We visited Sprouts and picked out all of our fresh veggies. Then I looked around the internet and put together a list of ingredients for a sauce.
Ingredients
1 pint mushrooms
Big handful of fresh green beans
3 bell peppers (we used red and yellow)
Soba noodles
Sauce-
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup soy sauce
2 T. almond butter
Dash crushed red pepper
1 garlic clove, minced
Directions
1. Add 1/2 cup of water to the bottom of the wok. When boiling, add vegetables and cover.
2. Cook soba noodles on the stove according to package directions.
3. In a small pot, mix water, soy sauce, almond butter, crushed red pepper, and garlic. Heat on low until almond butter is melted.
4. When vegetables are cooked, add noodles and sauce to the wok. Stir until heated.
5. Serve and eat. Yum!
Two weeks into this reading challenge and I am already very close to finishing the Pentateuch. Today’s reading was Deuteronomy 8 through 23. One more day of reading and I will be finished with the first five books of the Old Testament.
There was a directive from God that was repeated often in these chapters. The wording varied a bit from verse to verse but the principle was the same.
Observe and hear all these words which I command thee, that it may go well with thee, and with thy children after thee for ever, when thou doest that which is good and right in the sight of the LORD thy God
Deuteronomy 12:28.
Behold, I set before you this day a blessing and a curse;
A blessing, if ye obey the commandments of the LORD your God,
which I command you this day:
And a curse, if ye will not obey the commandments of the LORD your God,
but turn aside out of the way which I command you this day,
to go after other gods, which ye have not known
Deuteronomy 11:26-28.
The children of Israel were given a choice. Obey the Lord and enjoy His blessings or disobey and face the punishment. I believe we are given the same choice today. I can choose to follow God’s commands and enjoy His blessings (though they may not be immediate, but eternal) or I can disobey and face the consequences. It’s up to me if I want to obey.
Today’s reading covered Numbers 33 through Deuteronomy 7.
Moses wrote:
Then I said unto you, Dread not, neither be afraid of them. The Lord your God which goeth before you, he shall fight for you, according to all that he did for you in Egypt before your eyes: And in the wilderness, where thou hast seen how that the Lord thy God bare thee, as a man doth bear his son, in all the way that ye went, until ye came into this place. Yet in this thing ye did not believe the Lord your God
Deuteronomy 1:29-32.
God had directed the Israelites to proceed into Canaan. God promised to do all the work for them. He was going to slowly chase the Canaanites out of Canaan and give the land over to the Israelites as they were able to inhabit it. But the people took one look at the walled cities and the tall men and fled for their lives. They forgot how God had led them in the past and thus lost faith that God would lead them in the future. I pray that I will never forget.
There was also a great promise in today’s chapters.
But if from thence thou shalt seek the Lord thy God, thou shalt find him, if thou seek him with all thy heart and with all thy soul. When thou art in tribulation, and all these things are come upon thee, even in the latter days, if thou turn to the Lord thy God, and shalt be obedient unto his voice; (For the Lord thy God is a merciful God;) he will not forsake thee, neither destroy thee, nor forget the covenant of thy fathers which he sware unto them
Deuteronomy 4:29-31.
This promise comes immediately after Moses tells the people that they will go a-whoring after other gods. They will leave their God and worship idols. But God promised them that if they returned to Him, if they obeyed His commands, He would have mercy on them.
I can claim this promise today. Even though I’ve made mistakes in the past, if I return to God and obey His commands, He will have mercy on me. My God is a merciful God.