Daily Readings (Page 195)

The third joy has to do with the Child to be born.  Who is this Child and what will he do?

The second reason for joy is that enemies will be defeated soundly.  Who are these “enemies” today?

Isaiah explains the overflowing joy in vv4-7.  The first has to with breaking of all human oppression.  How are humans oppressed today and what can we do about them?

How will the nation be multiplied and what will characterise them?

Who were the “people who walked in darkness” and how would they be surprised?

Why was there gloom?  What has this to do with the coming of the Messiah?

A solution was seemingly found to the Benjamites problem; but v25 summed up with the comment that revealed the actual reality faced by the people of Israel then.  How may this help in our own reflection of our relationship with God?

There were certainly plenty of “gaps” in this story of “breaking the oath” which were the results of disobedience to God.  What lessons may we learn from this?

When an oath is made without a clear understanding of its implications, a mess is the outcome.  How did the Israelites try to solve their own problem?

See Josh 6:17-18; 10:28, 35, 39, 40-41; 11:11, 20.  This phrase: “devoted to destruction” was used to wipe out Canaanite cities in Joshua’s military campaigns, but what was different about Jabesh-gilead?