The One Year Chronological Bible - Week 14 Reflection Questions

Week 14 (March 30-April 5): Joshua 22:1-24:33 & Judges 1:1-18:31

As you read through these passages of the Bible, reflect upon these questions individually, through journaling, in pairs, or in small groups...

1. In Joshua 22 as the tribes with land east of the Jordan were released, there was a misunderstanding about the altar that they erected.  The other tribes feared that the altar was against God when in actuality it was erected in faithfulness to God.  What does this teach us about perceptions and assumptions?  What did they do right and what did they do wrong?
2. Joshua 24 is a summary of the Biblical story up to that point.  What is present and what is missing in this summary?  What does this tell us about what was important to the people of God?
3. Memorize Joshua 24:15b, "But as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD."  Incorporate this into your prayer life.
4. Joshua declared that he would serve the LORD and left it to the people to decide if they too would serve the LORD as well.  They chose to do so even after Joshua cautioned them about that choice and the risk involved.  What does it mean for them to have a choice about following the LORD at that point in the story?  What would it have meant for them to have rejected the LORD at that point?
5.When Judah conquered the Canaanites and Perizzites in Judges 1, they captured Adoni-Bezek.  After capturing him, they cut off his thumbs and big toes.  Adoni-Bezek confessed to having done this to 70 kings that he had conquered.  Is this poetic justice, divine punishment, human revenge, or something else?
6. After reading Judges 1:12-15 go back and read Joshua 15:16-19.  What is the significance of this story that it is recorded twice in two different books?
7.  In Judges 1, we learn that Israel did not drive out or fully destroy the Caananites.  Instead, they place large groups of them into forced labor.  Was this disobedience, mercy, failure, or something else?
8. In Joshua 2:10 we read, "After that whole generation had been gathered to their ancestors, another generation grew up who knew neither the Lord nor what he had done for Israel."  In Deuteronomy, we read of how knowledge of the LORD was to be passed down from generation to generation, yet here is a generation who did not know God and verse 11 tells us that they did evil in the sight of the LORD.  Obviously mere knowledge of God does not prevent us from sinning; but how might that knowledge have made things different for the people after Joshua's passing?  How are we passing on our knowledge and what more might we be doing?
9. In Judges 2:20-23 we read, ^"Therefore the Lord was very angry with Israel and said, “Because this nation has violated the covenant I ordained for their ancestors and has not listened to me, I will no longer drive out before them any of the nations Joshua left when he died. I will use them to test Israel and see whether they will keep the way of the Lord and walk in it as their ancestors did.” The Lord had allowed those nations to remain; he did not drive them out at once by giving them into the hands of Joshua." Here we read that the Lord used Israel's enemies to test them.  Does God still use difficult circumstances to test us?  Is that part of the reason why "bad things happen to good people," to test us?
10. Othniel, Caleb's nephew and son-in-law, became Israel's first judge.  What else do we know of Othniel?
11. (3/31) Judges 3: It was Moab who had power over Israel for 18 years.  Ehud took out their king and then overtook Moab. What stands out to you about this?
12. (4/1) Deborah led Israel in Judges 4 and she told Barak that God would deliver Sisera into his hands, but because he would not go without Deborah, he was delivered into the hands of a woman.  What, if anything, does this say to the role of women in the kingdom of God?
13. Note the words of Gideon in 6:15 and the words of Saul...
14. Gideon saw the Lord fact to face in 6:22...
15. Fleece and Dew...
16.

 May the Lord bless and shape us through our individual reading and corporate study of His word this year.