The Consolidated "Everything" Post

Getting things posted lately has been a task of mega proportions. Getting ready for a new grandchild, having a new grandchild, helping with the new grandchild's older brother, holding my new grandchild as much as possible, Easter preparations, and waiting while the electric company trapped another squirrel who could turn the gerbil wheel that generates the power to our home all worked against getting this blog updated recently. Okay, I made that last reason up, but it sure seemed to take a long time for them to fix the power outage last week!

Anyway . . . this post covers material that would have appeared last Tuesday (April 3), Saturday (April 7), Monday (April 9), and yesterday so go get a snack and settle into a comfortable chair because this is gonna be a long one.  :)

April 9-15, 2012

Monday, April 9, 2012

Deuteronomy 9, 10

Acts 17

Tuesday, April 10, 2012

Deuteronomy 11-13

I Thessalonians 1

Wednesday, April 11, 2012

Deuteronomy 14-16

I Thessalonians 2

Thursday, April 12, 2012

Deuteronomy 17-19

I Thessalonians 3

Friday, April 13, 2012

Deuteronomy 20-22

I Thessalonians 4

Saturday, April 14, 2012

Deuteronomy 23-25

I Thessalonians 5

Sunday, April 15, 2012

Attend church!

Catch up any readings that were missed.

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Memory Verses

I omitted Galatians 2:20 from last week's list so add it as one of the possibilities this week.

Here are a few verses from this week's reading schedule that you might like to memorize:

• Deuteronomy 10:12
• Deuteronomy 11:19-21
• Acts 17:3
• Acts 17:24-28
• I Thessalonians 4:13-18
• I Thessalonians 5:2
• I Thessalonians 5:1-8

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Timeline

1. We finished reading Numbers and began Deuteronomy last week. This book was written to the younger generation of Israelites as they prepared to take possession of the Promised Land by Moses immediately prior to his death. It was a repetition of the Law, hence the name Deuteronomy, which means "second law" although technically it was not a "second" law but the same that their now-deceased fathers received.

On the timeline of events this book would cover the last month of Moses' life and would have been written in approximately 1400 BC. Most of the Jews at that time were less than 60 years old since anyone over the age of 20 years died in the wilderness after rebelling when the original spies returned with their report. The exceptions were Moses, Joshua, and Caleb but even Moses was about to die at the age of 120 due to his own disobedience. Joshua and Caleb were the only "senior citizens" of the Children of Israel allowed to inherit land in Canaan.

2. In the New Testament we read Paul's epistle to the Galatians following Acts chapter 16 where we were introduced to them during his missionary journey. Paul mentioned in Galatians chapter 1 that he was amazed at how quickly the churches in that region turned from the teaching of grace to that of a perverted gospel.

There are two trains of thought concerning the time that this letter was written. The early theory places the time of writing at about the same time that James wrote his letter to the scattered Jews (c. AD 49) and the later theory places it just a few years afterward (c. AD 55). It is positioned in the schedule according to the early theory.

One of the things that I find interesting about Galatians from a historical perspective is that Paul gave a timeline of his own ministry in chapters 1 and 2 that helps us understand the passing of the years in the book of Acts. He also told of the 430 years between the time that God gave His covenant to Abraham and its fulfilment. We're reading about the fulfilling of that covenant now in our Old Testament assignments.

3. This week we began reading First Thessalonians, which is a letter written by the Apostle Paul, Silas, and Timothy. We read of the missionary journeys to the area in the early part of Acts 17. Not only did Paul and Silas minister in the seaport city of Thessalonica, but Timothy did also (I Thes 3:2). Paul and Silas were run out of town (Acts 17:1-10 and I Thes. 2:12) but they sent Timothy back to establish a church there. The date that has been given for the writing of this epistle is circa AD 51.

I Thessalonians contains some of the most precious scriptures given for understanding the hope that we have of seeing our deceased loved ones again.

But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him. For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep. For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. Wherefore comfort one another with these words.
I Thessalonians 4:13-18

Hallelujah! Amen!