Joshua 1-5 & 2 Samuel 12-14

I've got a great read-through-the-Bible-in-a-year plan that mixes up the Bible into different categories for different days of the week. It's really great cuz you get a lot of variety and you're never just reading Psalms for a very long time!:P The printable plan can be found HERE.

Tuesday is History day in the Bible reading plan. So I read about Joshua. I like him. In chapter 2, he sent 2 spies to check Jericho out, and they met Rahab the prostitute. BUT the king of Jericho found out there were spies in the land, so he sent some people to flush them out (makes me wonder how he found out, and how the guys knew they were at Rahab's!). So the officials stalked up to Rahab's house, and said, "Bring out those two spying fellows that came to your house!" She had hidden them on her roof but she told the men hat they had left. After the scary officials left, she went up to the roof and told the spies, "Your God has given this land to you because everyone here is afraid of you and your God. We have heard how the LORD dried up the water of the Red Sea when you came out of Egypt, and what you did to Sihon and Og, whe you completely destroyed them. Everyone's courage failed because of you."

Can't you just hear that conversation? The news would broadcast that Israel had moved near their city, then everybody would go, "Hey Jim, did you hear about the Israelites coming?"

"Yeah, I did. That's awful! Did the king set up some weapons for us?"

"Wouldn't help if he did! You know what their God did to the Red Sea!"

"Heheh. Well... I-I dunno if I believe that one."

"Well, you should at least believe that Sihon and Og are wiped out! Everyone knows that!"

"Well, yeah. Who on earth could do a thing like THAT?"

"Nobody on earth. Their God is something pretty powerful!"

"Yeah, and they just have one! That's so weird!"

"Well, apparently it works! Let's face it Jim: We're in their way and their God is with them and we're dead."

"Oh, come on Frank! What do you think He'll do, knock our walls down for them?"

"Yep."

"What? Really?"

"Yep."

Anyway, the spies made a deal with Rahab that they would rescue her and her family for helping them. And because she protected the spies, she was blessed and was even in the line of Jesus! Whoa.

Today in the adventurous life of David, Nathan showed up. I think David must have at least suspected that what he had done with Bathsheeba was of questionable righteousness. So maybe he wasn't entirely pleased to hear that Nathan wanted to see him. When he saw the prophet, he was probably relieved when Nathan started talking about... sheep. His story went something like this:

"There once was a man.

A very rich man.

He had a lot of sheep.

He had a lot of land.

He thew a lot of parties

(And I don't remember this line)

Yes, there once was a very rich man.

There once was a man.

A very poor man.

He had next to nothing

just a little lamb.

But he loved it like a son

and he fed it from his hand.

Yes, there once was a very poor man.

Then one day,

there was a guest at the house of the rich man.

What did he do-

have ya guessed to feed the guest of the rich man?

He took the lamb of the poor man.

He took the lamb of the poor man.

The rich man took to feed his guest

the very very poor man's lamb."

David was infuriated (probably had forgotten all about Bathsheeba now). He said, "As surely as the LORD lives, this man deserves to die! He must pay for that lamb 4 times over!"

Then Nathan said, "YOU ARE THE MAN! You struck down Uriah the Hittite and took his wife to be your own! You killed him with the sword of the Ammonites." I thought that was interesting. Though David didn't kill him with his own hand, he killed him with the sword of the Ammonites. He still did it, and God was pointing that out. Then David acknowledged that he had sinned against the LORD, and Nathan said that the LORD would punish him by taking away the son that had just been born to him. Sure enough, the baby got sick. David fasted and prayed and spent the nights lying on the ground. But the son did die. David servants were afraid to tell him, but when he found out, he got up, showered, and ate. Everyone was confused. They asked him why he was doing this. David said, "While the child was alive, I fasted and wept. I thought, 'Who knows? The LORD may be gracious to me and let the child live.' But now that he is dead, why should I fast? Can I bring him back again? I will go to him, but he will not return to me." I've always liked that line!!!! It is so true. But soon enough - David had another son named Solomon!