The Bible180 challenge, week 8

The Bible180 challenge, week 8

This week we will finish Judges - that dark, dark record of Israel's history as a very young nation - and then, the book of Ruth.

I've always wondered a little about the book of Ruth. After spending so much time viewing Israel's history from a bird's-eye view, it has always seemed a little strange to suddenly zero in on one small and seemingly irrelevant family - especially when I've just left the cliffhanger that is the end of Judges, which leaves me wondering if there is any hope for Israel at all.

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The Bible180 challenge, week 7

The Bible180 challenge, week 7

We will finish Deuteronomy, Joshua, and half of Judges this week; the twelve tribes will move from Mount Nebo into the land of Canaan, conquer the Canaanites, and redistribute the territory among themselves, as God promised them all the way back in Genesis.

As we saw much of last week, Deuteronomy makes up the constitutional code of the nation of Israel, and as such it's filled with the laws of the land - the moral standard by which Israelites and the sojourners in their midst are expected to live, and the consequences of failing to do so. Sometimes these consequences seem incredibly harsh; false prophets, idolators, people who defy the judgments of the priesthood, prophets who misrepresent the Word of God, harlots, adulterers, and rapists are all condemned to execution for their crimes. With each of these laws comes a recurring phrase: "Purge the evil." {Click "read on" to get this week's schedule}

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