Joshua 9

Now I remember why the Old Testament is so difficult for me to read. I realize that God knew the big picture,so when the people of Israel were told to completely obliterate a people, that was the right thing for them to do. It's just very difficult to read. I prefer the Sermon on the Mount, the Beatitudes, the Epistles of the New Testament. I have to force myself to read these books of the Old Testament by softening them with passages a little less violent. This morning on KLOVE they challenged the listeners to read a chapter of Proverbs every day during the month of October because Proverbs has thirty-one chapters. That will be my plan for the month. I will finish Joshua and Judges this month too, but I will temper them with the wisdom of Solomon. At the introduction in The Message, Peterson states that wisdom is the biblical term for this on-earth-as-it-is-in-heaven everyday living. I could use some wisdom right now. As I've come to realize in my "mature years," I need to live the promised life. To do that I have to make sure I stay connected. If I unplug this computer from the internet, this blog won't post. If I unplug myself from God, the evidence that I live for Jesus will not be clear to others.
My pacifist leanings come out strongly when I am reading the passages about war and destruction. I can't stand to hear that we need to send more troops into harm's way, but if I had a son somewhere that needed more troops, I would want help for my son. War is a catch 22. Peace may be the thing I most look forward to about heaven.
I'm so thankful for the New Covenant. I'm so thankful that we live under grace. In the passages I have been reading this week, the people had to follow the letter of God's instruction or they faced dire consequences. Aren't we glad that is not how we live today. I would have dropped dead about five minutes after I reached the age of accountability.