Thursday, April 2   Joshua 9-13; Luke 16

Joshua 9: Why did the Gibeonites resort to a ruse?

Joshua 10: Why did the sun still, and what was so unusual about this (in addition to the sun standing still!)

Joshua 11: What did Joshua and the Israelites do when they defeated a kingdom? How long did this conquering go on for?Who are the Anakim?

Joshua 12 & 13: Who were the Rephaim?

Luke 16:  What do you think the meaning of the parable of the Shrewd Manager is?  What does Jesus say about the Law?

Joshua 9: It seems like out of fear of being conquered, they set up the ruse that they were foreigners seeking protection or an alliance.  They had heard about Joshua’s success

Joshua 10: Joshua asked God to stop the sun in commemoration of the battle won at Gibeon.

Joshua 11: When Joshua and the Israelites defeated a kingdom they killed everyone, plundered the cities, hamstrung the horses and burned the chariots. Joshua waged war for a long time.  (No actual amount of time is specified.) They let the Hivites in Gibeon live Anakim. Anakim (Hebrew: עֲנָקִים ‘Ǎnāqîm ) were described as a race of giants, descended from Anak, according to the Tanakh. They were said to have lived in the southern part of the land of Canaan, near Hebron (Gen. 23:2)

Joshua 12: Og, king of Bashan, killed in battle under Moses’ leadership was described as the last of the Rephaim – a race of giants in the land (Deuteronomy 3:11), and his bed was thirteen feet long and six feet wide.

Luke 16:  I’m not sure what this parable means. It seems incongruous with verse 10.  From reading commentaries, it seems that Jesus is teaching that we need to make a plan and we can use resources to that end.  I’d love your perspective.

Jesus says that the Law, in its entirety, is of great value – so much so that it would be easier for heaven and earth to disappear.