I recently purchased one of those chronological bibles that puts the events of the bible in the order in which it occurred. I find it interesting that God has me in this part of the bible at this particular point in time because of the things He's been showing me lately. (I will return to my study in Isaiah later)

Jos 1:1  Now after the death of Moses the servant of the LORD it came to pass, that the LORD spake unto Joshua the son of Nun, Moses' minister, saying,

The first thing I didn't realize is that when Moses died, God was the one who buried him.

Deu 34:5  So Moses the servant of the LORD died there in the land of Moab, according to the word of the LORD.
Deu 34:6  And he buried him in a valley in the land of Moab, over against Bethpeor: but no man knoweth of his sepulchre (burial place) unto this day.

Additionally, Joshua's name was changed by Moses.

Hosea or Hoshea or Oshea = "salvation"
1) family name of Joshua, the son of Nun

 Nun = "fish" or "posterity"
1) father of Joshua the successor of Moses

Joshua or Jehoshua = "Jehovah is salvation"
1) son of Nun of the tribe of Ephraim and successor to Moses as the leader of the children of Israel; led the conquest of Canaan

It seems it wasn't so much of a change, but more of a refinement to the name. It became more defined, as opposed to being sort of a generalization. I also find it interesting that his father's name means "fish" and "posterity," and both words are synonymous here; ie: "fishers of men." It's almost as if having no fish, or no fishing to do, would leave one without "posterity." It speaks of purpose.

And, being that Joshua was one of the two spies of the twelve sent, that gave a good report; I wondered about the meaning of Caleb's name, and did that speak to why he was not the one chosen as Moses' successor. And yes, I think his name is at least one indicator. Despite the name of the tribe he comes from, his father's name, and his especially, does not suit a leader for the Lord.

Judah = "praised"
1) the son of Jacob by Leah
2) the tribe descended from Judah the son of Jacob

Caleb = "dog"
1) the godly son of Jephunneh and the faithful spy who reported the Promised Land favourably and urged its capture

Jephunneh = "He will be facing"
1) a Kenezite and father of Caleb the spy from the tribe of Judah

And mind you, Moses' name did not have a specific spiritual meaning here, so I'm not saying that this is required. I just always find the meanings interesting, and I think it gives a bit of background on the person because of the fact that names have specific meanings, and that speaks to me of purpose also, or even direction.

Moses = "drawn"
1) the prophet and lawgiver, leader of the exodus

We are continuing with the list of the curses against those who refuse to serve the Lord, per the book of Deuteronomy.

Deu 28:36  The LORD shall bring thee, and thy king which thou shalt set over thee, unto a nation which neither thou nor thy fathers have known; and there shalt thou serve other gods, wood and stone.

All of this information was written back in Moses' time, and prophesied constantly to the people of Israel, particularly in Jeremiah and Ezekiel. And sure enough, in that time, it happened just as this verse says. Their king was taken by the Babylonian king, and was disposed of. His wickedness was repaid via God's servant, the Babylonian king.

I realize that it may seem absurd that I said that the Babylonian king was God's servant, but he was. God sent him against His own people because they refused to harken unto the word of the Lord.

Deu 28:37  And thou shalt become an astonishment, a proverb, and a byword, among all nations whither the LORD shall lead thee.

I don't know about any other period in time yet, but I'd say that the holocaust was definitely a period of time in which the Jews became an "astonishment," or that the world was astonished by what was happening to them.

Deu 28:38  Thou shalt carry much seed out into the field, and shalt gather [but] little in; for the locust shall consume it.
Deu 28:39  Thou shalt plant vineyards, and dress [them], but shalt neither drink [of] the wine, nor gather [the grapes]; for the worms shall eat them.
Deu 28:40  Thou shalt have olive trees throughout all thy coasts, but thou shalt not anoint [thyself] with the oil; for thine olive shall cast [his fruit].

I believe that all of this was occurring during the time of the captivity to the Babylonians. I'm still reading on some of that info, but I know they were in devastation.

These verses are also a statement about income and economic situation. They will have the appearance of prosperity, but basically, will be in deficit or debt, because they will have invested (ie: planted) but will never reap and will lose even that which they planted. This is sounding strangely familiar. Anyone else seeing the U.S. in this picture?

Deu 28:41  Thou shalt beget sons and daughters, but thou shalt not enjoy them; for they shall go into captivity.

I see two types of captivity in this. The first one, would be the type in which the children are taken; which happens a lot more in this country than we'd like to believe; whether by predators or even slave traders.

However, I also see this in regards to economic slavery. In other words, we have all been living on credit, way beyond our means to the point of being in slavery to our debt.

I see another type of captivity in which children have to go to work earlier and earlier because of the debt of their families, and therefore, basically, the family disintegrates, because no one has time to see anyone due to constantly working. Both the parents and the children are captive to their jobs to help the family they never see and enjoy.

Deu 28:42  All thy trees and fruit of thy land shall the locust consume.
Deu 28:43  The stranger that [is] within thee shall get up above thee very high; and thou shalt come down very low.
Deu 28:44  He shall lend to thee, and thou shalt not lend to him: he shall be the head, and thou shalt be the tail.

This is speaking of the wealth of the land. I see America in this. This is happening now. The stranger that is within our country that is getting up above us very high...that is the Japanese, who are purchasing everything in this country.

We are in debt to so many countries, and yet certain parties in our government still act under the delusion that we (Amer'cans) are still a world power and can police the nations; or better yet, that we can afford to send what little money or resources we have overseas to help some other nation.

We have no resources to send. We live in a consumer driven, fiat based economy that is failing due to the greed of a small percent of the populace, which has bred a debt centered theology and economy. This small group of people don't seem to understand that by hoarding everything for themselves, and being unwilling to give economically towards the rest of the masses; they are effectively cutting off their own foot.

You can't expect to profit or even survive for that matter, in a consumer driven economy, if you don't pay people well enough to afford to purchase anything. Eliminating the middle class is the elimination of the main purchasing power that drives the US economy.

Deu 28:45  Moreover all these curses shall come upon thee, and shall pursue thee, and overtake thee, till thou be destroyed; because thou hearkenedst not unto the voice of the LORD thy God, to keep his commandments and his statutes which he commanded thee:
Deu 28:46  And they shall be upon thee for a sign and for a wonder, and upon thy seed for ever.
Deu 28:47  Because thou servedst not the LORD thy God with joyfulness, and with gladness of heart, for the abundance of all [things];

2Ch 34:23  And she answered them, Thus saith the LORD God of Israel, Tell ye the man that sent you to me,
2Ch 34:24  Thus saith the LORD, Behold, I will bring evil upon this place, and upon the inhabitants thereof, [even] all the curses that are written in the book which they have read before the king of Judah:
2Ch 34:25  Because they have forsaken me, and have burned incense unto other gods, that they might provoke me to anger with all the works of their hands; therefore my wrath shall be poured out upon this place, and shall not be quenched.

I realize that many of you may have seen these already, or at least know where they are, but I decided to go ahead and put the curses that the king had read about, right here for all to see; for the benefit of those who have never seen it, and I'm going to split it between several posts.

Deu 28:15  But it shall come to pass, if thou wilt not hearken unto the voice of the LORD thy God, to observe to do all his commandments and his statutes which I command thee this day; that all these curses shall come upon thee, and overtake thee:
Deu 28:16  Cursed [shalt] thou [be] in the city, and cursed [shalt] thou [be] in the field.

A city from 05782  (a place guarded by waking or a watch) in the widest sense (even of a mere encampment or post).

1) excitement, anguish
    a) of terror
2) city, town (a place of waking, guarded)
    a) city, town

1) field, land
    a) cultivated field
    b) of home of wild beasts
    c) plain (opposed to mountain)
    d) land (opposed to sea)

Your city could be your own body, because the body has systems which comprise of similar types of functions. However, the mention of fields here, indicates that this has more to do with a place you watch over, or guard. We only do that with things that we have "cultivated." So in this case, this is a reference to the life you build and your home.

Deu 28:17      Cursed [shall be] thy basket and thy store.

Basket:
1) basket - from an unused root probably meaning to weave.

Store:
1) kneading trough or bowl - from 07604 in the original sense of swelling

These are a reference to whatever you put your effort into.

Deu 28:18  Cursed [shall be] the fruit of thy body, and the fruit of thy land, the increase of thy kine, and the flocks of thy sheep.

This is talking about your children, and your money, or what you own that has value.

Deu 28:19  Cursed [shalt] thou [be] when thou comest in, and cursed [shalt] thou [be] when thou goest out.
Deu 28:20  The LORD shall send upon thee cursing, vexation, and rebuke, in all that thou settest thine hand unto for to do, until thou be destroyed, and until thou perish quickly; because of the wickedness of thy doings, whereby thou hast forsaken me.
Deu 28:21  The LORD shall make the pestilence cleave unto thee, until he have consumed thee from off the land, whither thou goest to possess it.
Deu 28:22  The LORD shall smite thee with a consumption, and with a fever, and with an inflammation, and with an extreme burning, and with the sword, and with blasting, and with mildew; and they shall pursue thee until thou perish.

What's interesting is the word "inflammation" here. The extreme burning refers to a fever. I'm also surprised to see "mildew" here as well. It's funny how we think so many things have been discovered in the current or last century. I had no idea that inflammation was known about or referenced in that time period by that name. The same applies to "mildew." I thought these things were modern day problems.

However, understand the effect of rampant inflammation in the body, as well as mildew in your home. Both conditions can cause prolonged, achy, painful or very uncomfortable problems in the body, and can manifest if untreated, into far more serious problems health wise.

Deu 28:23  And thy heaven that [is] over thy head shall be brass, and the earth that is under thee [shall be] iron.
Deu 28:24  The LORD shall make the rain of thy land powder and dust: from heaven shall it come down upon thee, until thou be destroyed.

Deu 28:25  The LORD shall cause thee to be smitten before thine enemies: thou shalt go out one way against them, and flee seven ways before them: and shalt be removed into all the kingdoms of the earth.

Deu 28:26  And thy carcase shall be meat unto all fowls of the air, and unto the beasts of the earth, and no man shall fray [them] away.
Deu 28:27  The LORD will smite thee with the botch of Egypt, and with the emerods, and with the scab, and with the itch, whereof thou canst not be healed.
Deu 28:28  The LORD shall smite thee with madness, and blindness, and astonishment of heart:

I was wondering what an emerod is, and I discovered that it is tumors, hemorrhoids, or piles. The botch of Eygpt is boil, inflamed spot, inflammation, eruption, and is of man, leprosy, of man and beast.

Deu 28:29  And thou shalt grope at noonday, as the blind gropeth in darkness, and thou shalt not prosper in thy ways: and thou shalt be only oppressed and spoiled evermore, and no man shall save [thee].
Deu 28:30  Thou shalt betroth a wife, and another man shall lie with her: thou shalt build an house, and thou shalt not dwell therein: thou shalt plant a vineyard, and shalt not gather the grapes thereof.
Deu 28:31  Thine ox [shall be] slain before thine eyes, and thou shalt not eat thereof: thine ass [shall be] violently taken away from before thy face, and shall not be restored to thee: thy sheep [shall be] given unto thine enemies, and thou shalt have none to rescue [them].
Deu 28:32  Thy sons and thy daughters [shall be] given unto another people, and thine eyes shall look, and fail [with longing] for them all the day long: and [there shall be] no might in thine hand.
Deu 28:33  The fruit of thy land, and all thy labours, shall a nation which thou knowest not eat up; and thou shalt be only oppressed and crushed alway:
Deu 28:34  So that thou shalt be mad for the sight of thine eyes which thou shalt see.
Deu 28:35  The LORD shall smite thee in the knees, and in the legs, with a sore botch that cannot be healed, from the sole of thy foot unto the top of thy head.

All of this happened in lieu of the prophesy of the birth of Josiah, and the fulfillment of this prophesy. Despite all of this, Israel was still in trouble, and Josiah knew it. So what did he do? First Josiah sought out a prophetess and then he acted according to the word she gave him, fulfilling prophesy in the process; but he should have paid a bit more attention to some of the prophesies and events surrounding them, because it foreshadowed things to come based on decisions made to obey or go against the will of the Lord.

2Ch 34:19  And it came to pass, when the king had heard the words of the law, that he rent his clothes.
2Ch 34:20  And the king commanded Hilkiah, and Ahikam the son of Shaphan, and Abdon the son of Micah, and Shaphan the scribe, and Asaiah a servant of the king's, saying,
2Ch 34:21  Go, enquire of the LORD for me, and for them that are left in Israel and in Judah, concerning the words of the book that is found: for great [is] the wrath of the LORD that is poured out upon us, because our fathers have not kept the word of the LORD, to do after all that is written in this book.
2Ch 34:22  And Hilkiah, and [they] that the king [had appointed], went to Huldah the prophetess, the wife of Shallum the son of Tikvath, the son of Hasrah, keeper of the wardrobe; (now she dwelt in Jerusalem in the college:) and they spake to her to that [effect].

Huldah = "weasel"
1) a prophetess in the time of Josiah whom Josiah asked for an authoritative opinion on the book of the law which Hilkiah found.

Shallum = "retribution"

Husband of Huldah the prophetess in the reign of king Josiah of Judah. Maybe the  uncle of Jeremiah the prophet.

Tikvath or Tikvah = "hope"

Father of Shallum, the husband of the prophetess Huldah in the time of king Josiah of Judah

Hasrah = "lack"

Grandfather of Shallum who was the husband of Huldah, the prophetess; also spelled 'Harhas'

You know, Huldah's name meaning was troubling to me. I mean I had to wonder, did her parents realize...did they know they were naming her after an animal that does not have a necessarily favorable reputation?

I mean, its a wonder these days, what people name their children. They cough up the most ludicrous names simply because they themselves are seeking an identity, but they don't realize the identity they are sometimes subjecting their children to. There is power in a name.

So I was quite puzzled. Why did the parents of this prophetess name her "weasel?" By today's standards, that makes absolutely no sense, because a weasel by today's standards often refers to a sly or underhanded person.

Considering that I'm talking about a prophetess of God, this is somewhat disserting because we are talking about a person that is representing Him. However, in those days the reference was actually to the animal, which actually is a small carnivorous animal with a long body and tail, short legs, and brown fur that in northern species may turn white in winter. It comes from the genus Mustela.

When I went to look up the weasel to see what scripture had to say about them, this one scripture is all I found.

Lev 11:29    These also [shall be] unclean unto you among the creeping things that creep upon the earth; the weasel, and the mouse, and the tortoise after his kind,

1Ki 13:24    And when he was gone, a lion met him by the way, and slew him: and his carcase was cast in the way, and the ass stood by it, the lion also stood by the carcase.
1Ki 13:25    And, behold, men passed by, and saw the carcase cast in the way, and the lion standing by the carcase: and they came and told [it] in the city where the old prophet dwelt.
1Ki 13:26    And when the prophet that brought him back from the way heard [thereof], he said, It [is] the man of God, who was disobedient unto the word of the LORD: therefore the LORD hath delivered him unto the lion, which hath torn him, and slain him, according to the word of the LORD, which he spake unto him.
1Ki 13:27    And he spake to his sons, saying, Saddle me the ass. And they saddled [him].
1Ki 13:28    And he went and found his carcase cast in the way, and the ass and the lion standing by the carcase: the lion had not eaten the carcase, nor torn the ass.
1Ki 13:29    And the prophet took up the carcase of the man of God, and laid it upon the ass, and brought it back: and the old prophet came to the city, to mourn and to bury him.
1Ki 13:30    And he laid his carcase in his own grave; and they mourned over him, [saying], Alas, my brother!
1Ki 13:31    And it came to pass, after he had buried him, that he spake to his sons, saying, When I am dead, then bury me in the sepulchre wherein the man of God [is] buried; lay my bones beside his bones:
1Ki 13:32    For the saying which he cried by the word of the LORD against the altar in Bethel, and against all the houses of the high places which [are] in the cities of Samaria, shall surely come to pass.

I actually am not all that surprised that it was a lion that got him because truthfully, he had already encountered the lion when he met up with the old prophet.

The problem as I see it, is that we so often get a victory, after fulfilling God's word to us and walking it out by faith, and then get relaxed, and that is the exact moment that the deceiver is waiting for.

It's almost as if a victory to us, signals a vacation. Our guard comes down, and we are so happy and relaxed after defeating our enemy, that we give him almost an open invitation to hit us with a surprise attack.

"However, by this God intended to warn all those whom he employs strictly to observe their orders, at their peril." 

"The wonderful preservation of his dead body, which was a token of God’s mercy remembered in the midst of wrath. The lion that gently strangled him, or tore him, did not devour his dead body, nor so much as tear the ass, v. 24, 25, 26. Nay, what was more, he did not set upon the travelers that passed by and saw it, nor upon the old prophet (who had reason enough to fear it) when he came to take up the corpse. His commission was to kill the prophet; hitherto he should go, but no further. Thus God showed that, though he was angry with him, his anger was turned away, and the punishment went no further than death." (commentary of Matthew Henry)

It took me a while to figure out what caused the old prophet to tell his sons to bury him with the man of God. The commentary mentioned evil wanting to associate itself with good. However, the thing that made the most sense was the prophesy of the man of God itself. 

1Ki 13:18    He said unto him, I [am] a prophet also as thou [art]; and an angel spake unto me by the word of the LORD, saying, Bring him back with thee into thine house, that he may eat bread and drink water. [But] he lied unto him.
1Ki 13:19    So he went back with him, and did eat bread in his house, and drank water.
1Ki 13:20    And it came to pass, as they sat at the table, that the word of the LORD came unto the prophet that brought him back:
1Ki 13:21    And he cried unto the man of God that came from Judah, saying, Thus saith the LORD, Forasmuch as thou hast disobeyed the mouth of the LORD, and hast not kept the commandment which the LORD thy God commanded thee,
1Ki 13:22    But camest back, and hast eaten bread and drunk water in the place, of the which [the LORD] did say to thee, Eat no bread, and drink no water; thy carcase shall not come unto the sepulchre of thy fathers.
1Ki 13:23    And it came to pass, after he had eaten bread, and after he had drunk, that he saddled for him the ass, [to wit], for the prophet whom he had brought back.

I'm just going to note a few things I see in this story. First of all, ain't it just like the devil to slam one of us with an attack immediately following a great victory?

The man of God had fulfilled his commission to go and prophesy against that evil king, and foretell of the coming of Josiah. We never hear of this prophet again, so I have to conclude that his mission was fulfilled.

Since he was a lesser known prophet, I have to wonder if this was his first and only commission from God. We never heard of this guy before this incident, and we never hear of him afterwards.

Secondly, look at the enemy's attack. First, he uses an old, alleged prophet; one that apparently had fallen by the wayside. His age alone might garner some measure of respect from the younger, and obviously more inexperienced prophet.

The fact that this person stated that he too was a "prophet," like the man of God, gave them a kinship that the younger more inexperienced one would also associate with.

However, regardless of any such associations, one must always check the fruit. Furthermore, if you have been given a command or commission from God and someone else, even a prophet, pastor, or other elder in the church tells you to do something that contradicts or disobeys it, you should seek God first, but ultimately, you should trust in the word that God gave you.

This man of God apparently trusted more in the "association" with this alleged prophet, than he did in the word that God had given him, and I believe that is why he was slain.

"His offence was great, and it would by no means justify him that he was drawn into it by a lie; he could not be so certain of the countermand sent by another as he was of the command given to himself, nor had he any ground to think that the command would be recalled, when the reason of it remained in force, which was that he might testify his detestation of the wickedness of that place." (commentary of Matthew Henry)

Additionally, remember that the man of God had stated to the king that he could not eat or drink in that land; in Bethel, where the king was, yet at this alleged prophet's invitation, he disobeyed the words he had spoken. This put Gods word into question and His integrity as well, and God will not abide his integrity being violated or thrown into question.

"He had great reason to suspect the honesty of this old prophet, who did not himself bear his testimony, nor did God think fit to make use of him as a witness against the idolatry of the city he lived in. However, he should have taken time to beg direction from God, and not have complied so soon. Did he think this old prophet’s house safer to eat in than other houses at Beth-el, when God had forbidden him to eat in any? That was to refine upon the command, and make himself wiser than God. Did he think to excuse himself that he was hungry? Had he never read that man lives not by bread alone?"  (commentary of Matthew Henry)

What I wonder is what did this man of God think, once he realized he was deceived? There is no evidence that he said anything. In fact, it seems like he kept on eating, with no response. I mean, in a moment like that, you gotta wonder what's goin' through the guy's mind.