Scripture Study for

Many people have been troubled by the thought that God actually directed aggressive military behavior. However, since the Israelites believed that they were God’s special people, they also looked upon their enemies as God’s enemies. In fighting their own battles they would be fighting God’s battles. The support that Moses gets from Aaron and Hur is probably symbolic. Though Joshua and his selected companions ultimately put the Amalekites to the sword, it was  really the prayer of Moses that wins the battle. However, Joshua’s involvement in this victory established him as a trustworthy leader for the future. 

Paul expounds on the excellence of the sacred scriptures (holy writings) and their usefulness in the lives of Christians. Timothy is reminded of those teachers from whom he learned the message of the scriptures, namely his mother, Eunice;  his grandmother Lois; and more recently, Paul himself. Loyalty to his teachers is one reason for Timothy’s own faithfulness to the teaching of the scriptures.  Paul believed that all scripture was inspired by God and that it played a very important role in the lives of believers. Having expounded on the glories of the sacred scriptures, he solemnly charges Timothy to remain faithful to his ministerial responsibilities. 

Jesus draws a very sharp contrast between a judge and a widow who comes to that judge for justice. The judge is described as fearing neither God nor human beings. By his own admission, he is devoid of such devotion. On the other hand, the woman is a widow, a member of one of the most oppressed classes in  Israelite society. Though vulnerable, she is bold, a real match for the judge. He will not give in; she will not give up. The persistence of the woman becomes the model Jesus uses to describe the resoluteness required of God’s chosen ones.  Like the woman, they do not know when God will respond to their pleas, and so they must persist.