Another book finished!

I've finished Joshua.
Each time I complete a book I feel a little mental checkmark go off that marks one more thing done. It's this little accomplishment that I'm one book closer to having read the bible. While Joshua had it's points that were disturbing - all the killing, war and plumaging, it also had it's boring parts - land allotment but it was eventually all worth it in the final chapter. Joshua's farewell before I die speech.
Moses and Joshua both have had these big motivational (don't screw up my lifetime of work by continuing to be selfish idiots) speeches before their death.

A few interesting points in the last few chapters of Joshua.

Joshua 22: 10 When they came to Geliloth near the Jordan in the land of Canaan, the Reubenites, the Gadites and the half-tribe of Manasseh built an imposing altar there by the Jordan. And when the Israelites heard that they had built the altar on the border of Canaan at Geliloth near the Jordan on the Israelite side, the whole assembly of Israel gathered at Shiloh to go to war against them.
Joshua 22:24 “No! We did it for fear that some day your descendants might say to ours, ‘What do you have to do with the LORD, the God of Israel? The LORD has made the Jordan a boundary between us and you—you Reubenites and Gadites! You have no share in the LORD.’ So your descendants might cause ours to stop fearing the LORD. “That is why we said, ‘Let us get ready and build an altar—but not for burnt offerings or sacrifices.’ On the contrary, it is to be a witness between us and you and the generations that follow, that we will worship the LORD at his sanctuary with our burnt offerings, sacrifices and fellowship offerings. Then in the future your descendants will not be able to say to ours, ‘You have no share in the LORD.’


This chapter in Joshua is very interesting because the Reubenites built an alter. They said it's purpose was to have a symbol basically to remind them of God's presence. While the other isrealites were ok with this it does not mention if God approves or not. I am curious if this contributed to the formation and concept of churches. Recreating symbols of God's commitment to us, etc. I'm sure it will talk much more about churches but I'm imagining this to be the start of some very crude form of a church/gatehring location/reminder of man's commitment to God.

In Joshua 24:14 "But as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD.”

HEY!!! Something I've heard and read before! Wahoo!
Kind of a cool quote really.

Good way to wrap up Joshua I think!