Bible

 

Josue 24

Studie

   

1 At pinisan ni Josue ang lahat ng mga lipi ng Israel sa Sichem, at tinawag ang mga matanda ng Israel at ang kanilang mga pangulo, at ang kanilang mga hukom, at ang kanilang mga pinuno; at sila'y nagsiharap sa Dios.

2 At sinabi ni Josue sa buong bayan, Ganito ang sabi ng Panginoon, ng Dios ng Israel, Ang inyong mga magulang ay tumahan nang unang panahon sa dako roon ng Ilog, na dili iba't si Thare, na ama ni Abraham at ama ni Nachor: at sila'y naglingkod sa ibang mga dios.

3 At kinuha ko ang inyong amang si Abraham mula sa dako roon ng Ilog at pinatnubayan ko siya sa buong lupain ng Canaan, at pinarami ko ang kaniyang binhi at ibinigay ko sa kaniya si Isaac.

4 At ibinigay ko kay Isaac si Jacob at si Esau: at ibinigay ko kay Esau ang bundok ng Seir upang ariin; at si Jacob at ang kaniyang mga anak ay bumabang pumasok sa Egipto.

5 At aking sinugo si Moises at si Aaron, at sinalot ko ang Egipto, ayon sa aking ginawa sa gitna niyaon: at pagkatapos ay inilabas ko kayo.

6 At inilabas ko ang inyong mga magulang sa Egipto: at kayo'y naparoon sa dagat; at hinabol ng mga taga Egipto ang inyong mga magulang, ng mga karo at ng mga nangangabayo hanggang sa Dagat na Mapula.

7 At nang sila'y dumaing sa Panginoon ay nilagyan niya ng kadiliman ang pagitan ninyo at ang mga taga Egipto, at itinabon ang dagat sa kanila, at tinakpan sila; at nakita ng inyong mga mata kung ano ang aking ginawa sa Egipto at kayo'y tumahan sa ilang na malaon.

8 At ipinasok ko kayo sa lupain ng mga Amorrheo, na tumatahan sa dako roon ng Jordan, at sila'y nakipagbaka sa inyo; at ibinigay ko sila sa inyong kamay, at inyong inari ang kanilang lupain: at nilipol ko sila sa harap ninyo.

9 Nang magkagayo'y tumindig si Balac na anak ni Zippor, na hari sa Moab, at dumigma laban sa Israel; at siya'y nagsugo at tinawag si Balaam na anak ni Beor, upang sumpain kayo:

10 Nguni't hindi ko dininig si Balaam; kaya't binasbasan nga niya kayo: gayon iniligtas ko kayo sa kaniyang kamay.

11 At kayo'y tumawid sa Jordan at dumating sa Jerico: at ang mga tao sa Jerico ay nakipaglaban sa inyo, ang Amorrheo, at ang Pherezeo, at ang Cananeo, at ang Hetheo, at ang Gergeseo, ang Heveo, at ang Jebuseo, at ibinigay ko sila sa inyong kamay.

12 At sinugo ko ang malalaking putakti sa unahan ninyo, na siyang nagtaboy sa kanila sa harap ninyo, sa makatuwid baga'y sa dalawang hari ng mga Amorrheo: hindi sa pamamagitan ng inyong tabak, ni ng inyong busog.

13 At aking binigyan kayo ng lupain na hindi ninyo binukid, at ng mga bayang hindi ninyo itinayo, at inyong tinatahanan; at mga ubasan at mga olibohan na hindi ninyo itinanim ay inyong kinakain.

14 Ngayon nga ay matakot kayo sa Panginoon, at paglingkuran ninyo siya sa pagtatapat at sa katotohanan: at inyong alisin ang mga dios na mga pinaglingkuran ng inyong mga magulang sa dako roon ng Ilog at sa Egipto; at inyong paglingkuran ang Panginoon.

15 At kung inaakala ninyong masama na maglingkod sa Panginoon, ay piliin ninyo sa araw na ito kung sino ang inyong paglilingkuran; kung ang mga dios ng inyong mga magulang na pinaglingkuran sa dako roon ng Ilog, o ang dios ng mga Amorrheo na ang lupain nila ay inyong tinatahanan: nguni't sa ganang akin at ng aking sangbahayan ay maglilingkod kami sa Panginoon.

16 At ang bayan ay sumagot at nagsabi, Malayo nawa sa amin na aming pabayaan ang Panginoon sa paglilingkod sa ibang mga dios:

17 Sapagka't ang Panginoon nating Dios ay siyang nagsampa sa atin at sa ating mga magulang mula sa lupain ng Egipto, mula sa bahay ng pagkaalipin, at siyang gumawa ng mga dakilang tandang yaon sa ating paningin, at iningatan tayo sa lahat ng daan na ating pinaroonan, at sa gitna ng lahat ng mga bayan na ating dinaanan:

18 At itinaboy ng Panginoon sa harap natin ang lahat ng mga bayan, ang mga Amorrheo na tumahan sa lupain: kaya't kami ay maglilingkod din sa Panginoon; sapagka't siya'y ating Dios.

19 At sinabi ni Josue sa bayan, Kayo'y hindi makapaglilingkod sa Panginoon; sapagka't siya'y isang banal na Dios; siya'y mapanibughuing Dios; hindi niya ipatatawad ang inyong pagsalangsang ni ang inyong mga kasalanan.

20 Kung inyong pabayaan ang Panginoon, at maglingkod sa ibang mga dios: ay hihiwalay nga siya at gagawan kayo ng kasamaan at lilipulin kayo pagkatapos na kaniyang nagawan kayo ng mabuti.

21 At sinabi ng bayan kay Josue, Hindi: kundi kami ay maglilingkod sa Panginoon.

22 At sinabi ni Josue sa bayan, Kayo'y mga saksi laban sa inyong sarili na inyong pinili sa inyo ang Panginoon, upang paglingkuran siya. At sinabi nila, Kami ay mga saksi.

23 Ngayon nga'y alisin ninyo, sabi niya, ang ibang mga dios na nasa gitna ninyo at ikiling ninyo ang inyong puso sa Panginoon, na Dios ng Israel.

24 At sinabi ng bayan kay Josue, Ang Panginoon nating Dios ay aming paglilingkuran, at ang kaniyang tinig ay aming didinggin.

25 Sa gayo'y nakipagtipan si Josue sa bayan nang araw na yaon, at nilagdaan niya sila ng palatuntunan at ng ayos sa Sichem.

26 At sinulat ni Josue ang mga salitang ito sa aklat ng kautusan ng Dios; at siya'y kumuha ng malaking bato, at inilagay sa lilim ng encina na nasa tabi ng santuario ng Panginoon.

27 At sinabi ni Josue sa buong bayan, Narito, ang batong ito ay magiging saksi laban sa atin, sapagka't narinig nito ang lahat ng mga salita ng Panginoon, na kaniyang sinalita sa atin: ito nga'y magiging saksi laban sa inyo, baka ninyo itakuwil ang inyong Dios.

28 Sa gayo'y pinapagpaalam ni Josue ang bayan, bawa't isa sa kaniyang mana.

29 At nangyari, pagkatapos ng mga bagay na ito, na si Josue, na anak ni Nun na lingkod ng Panginoon, ay namatay na may isang daan at sangpung taon ang gulang.

30 At inilibing nila siya sa hangganan ng kaniyang mana sa Timnath-sera, na nasa lupaing maburol ng Ephraim sa hilagaan ng bundok ng Gaas.

31 At naglingkod ang Israel sa Panginoon sa lahat ng mga araw ni Josue, at sa lahat ng mga araw ng mga matandang natirang nabuhay kay Josue at nakilala ang lahat na gawa ng Panginoon, na kaniyang ginawa sa Israel.

32 At ang mga buto ni Jose, na isinampa ng mga anak ni Israel mula sa Egipto ay inilibing nila sa Sichem, sa putol ng lupa na binili ni Jacob sa mga anak ni Hemor na ama ni Sichem ng isang daang putol na salapi: at mga naging mana ng mga anak ni Jose.

33 At namatay si Eleazar na anak ni Aaron; at inilibing nila siya sa burol ni Phinees na kaniyang anak na nabigay sa kaniya sa lupaing maburol ng Ephraim.

   

Komentář

 

Exploring the Meaning of Joshua 24

Napsal(a) New Christian Bible Study Staff, Julian Duckworth

Joshua 24: The covenant at Shechem and the death of Joshua.

In the beginning of this final chapter, Joshua recounts God’s work for Israel in great detail, spanning the time before Abraham through Isaac and Jacob, the Israelites’ time as slaves in Egypt, and the exodus through the wilderness for many years, culminating with crossing the Jordan and taking Jericho.

Joshua then told the people of Israel that they were to choose whom they would serve: the gods of their fathers, or the Lord God of Israel. The people strongly affirmed that they would follow the Lord and be faithful to Him. They repeated this several times. Then Joshua told them that they were witnesses of their choice, and he renewed the covenant with them there, at Shechem. To mark the covenant, Joshua took a large stone and set it up as a witness to remind the Israelites of what they had sworn that day.

And after all of this, Joshua died, and was buried within his inheritance at Timnath Serah. Israel served the Lord all the days of Joshua, and continued to serve the Lord for some time after. And also Eleazar, the chief priest of Israel, died.

The bones of Joseph, which had been carried by Israel since they left slavery in Egypt, were then given their final resting place at Shechem in a plot of land originally bought by the family of Joseph.

The spiritual meaning of this chapter is all about commitment and devotion in our relationship with the Lord. Joshua’s review of events at the beginning is a reminder that the Lord leads us through life, with all its trials and blessings (see Swedenborg’s work, Heaven and Hell 18). In the work of regeneration, a high state of peace and of the Lord’s presence in us is followed by a state where we are in temptation and under attack from hell. In contrast, a state of temptation in which we stand firm and depend on the Lord leads to a state of trust, confidence, and the return of the Lord’s peace (see Swedenborg’s work, Arcana Caelestia 933[2]).

Our spiritual life involves many repeated choices. This is why it is significant that the Israelites repeated their promise to serve the Lord so many times. We may feel that our decision to follow the Lord is a final one, but the reality is that we uphold (or refute) this decision in our actions each and every day. We will need to choose time and time again, even though we believe we would always choose the Lord (see Swedenborg’s work, Divine Providence 321[5]).

A covenant is a formal agreement. Biblical covenants are between people and the Lord. The Lord will always honor his part in the covenant, and we are to ensure that we will honor our part. Spiritually, the covenant is about the empowerment in declaring our commitment to the Lord. ‘This I will do.’ There is no longer any uncertainty or vagueness about our commitment to God. It has been sealed (Arcana Caelestia 1038).

The fact that Joshua commemorates the covenant with a stone also has important spiritual significance for us. A stone represents the strength and durability of truth when it becomes a permanent factor in our life. Committing to follow the Lord’s truths gives us a sturdy foundation in life.

When a story in the Bible mentions death, it always reflects the changing of some state in us. When Joshua and Eleazar the priest die, it is like moving on from a state which has served us well into a new and different state. In our regeneration, the Lord wants us to keep exploring new thoughts and decisions, so that we are always progressing and never complacent (Arcana Caelestia 1382).

The mention of Joseph’s bones at the very end of the chapter is also very significant. These bones of Joseph stand for the continuity of the Lord’s truth, wisdom and providence with us and for us. They also stand for the preservation of all that happens in a person’s life. All of these events make us the people we are, and will always keep shaping our spirit (Arcana Caelestia 6592).

Ze Swedenborgových děl

 

Heaven and Hell # 18

Prostudujte si tuto pasáž

  
/ 603  
  

18. The reason the Lord's divine nature in heaven is love is that love is what is receptive of every heavenly quality - that is, of peace, intelligence, wisdom, and happiness. Love is receptive of everything that is in harmony with it. It longs for such things, it seeks them out, it absorbs them spontaneously because it has the constant purpose of uniting itself with them and being enriched by them. 1 People actually recognize this fact, since the love within them surveys memory, so to speak, and draws out from it the items that agree with it. It gathers these together and arranges them within and beneath itself - within itself so that it may possess them and beneath itself so that they may serve it. It discards and eradicates, though, the items that do not agree with it.

I have been able to see very clearly that love has a full, intrinsic ability to accept elements of truth that suit it and has also a desire of uniting them to itself. This has become clear from observing people who have been transported into heaven. Even people who were simple folk in this world have arrived at angelic wisdom and heavenly happiness in the company of angels. This was because they loved what is good and true for the sake of what is good and true. They had grafted these qualities into their lives and had thereby become capable of accepting heaven and all its indescribable riches.

People caught up in love for themselves and for the world, however, have no such receptive ability. They turn away from such things, discard them, and at their first touch or inflow try to escape them. They ally themselves with people in hell who are caught up in loves like their own.

There were some spirits who doubted that love was so full and wanted to know whether this was really true. In order that they might find out, they were let into a state of heavenly love with all obstacles removed and were brought forward a considerable distance to an angelic heaven. They talked with me from there and told me that they felt deeper happiness than words could express, sorrowing that they would have to return to their former state. Other people as well have been raised into heaven, and the deeper or higher they have been taken, the deeper and higher they have penetrated into intelligence and wisdom, becoming able to grasp things that were incomprehensible to them before. We can see from this that the love that

emanates from the Lord is open to heaven and all its riches.

Poznámky pod čarou:

1. [Swedenborg's footnote] Love includes countless elements, and welcomes into itself everything that is in harmony with it: 2500, 2572, 3078, 3189, 6323, 7490, 7750.

  
/ 603  
  

Thanks to the Swedenborg Foundation for the permission to use this translation.