Tag Archive | JOshua

#2024GOAL – Reading Through The Bible Chronologically, day 82

Mar22

    Day 82—  Now that we’ve passed Day 66, we have established a “habit.” So CELEBRATE our habit of daily Bible reading! We are in the THIRD month so far! Praise God!

   Day 82 – Joshua 1 – 4  (Commissioning & command of Joshua, Spies & Rahab, Crossing the Jordan, Memorial stones)

Today we begin the 7th book so far, and move from the Torah (& Job) to the Historical books. In the First Chapter, God commissions Joshua to take over the leadership of Israel. He encourages him by telling Joshua that;

  • 1) his campaign to conquer will be successful,
  • 2) that He, Himself will be with Joshua and will not forsake him.
  • 3)  that this success and prosperity will come as he meditates day and night in the Law of the LORD, and obeys everything he reads.

God commands him to “Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.”

Joshua’s first order is for the people to prepare to cross the Jordan River and enter the Promised Land in three days.  He reminds the Eastern-settling 2.5 tribes, of their promise to fight and conquer the land WITH their brothers.

In Chapter 2, Joshua sends two spies out to “view the land, especially Jericho.”  They obey (and as God led them) entered the house of Rahab. She was a prostitute, but also possibly a “hotel” owner. Her house was on the wall that surrounded the city and was accessible.  She hides the two Israeli spies when the king’s men come looking for them, and sends those soldiers on a “wild goose chase,” while sending the spies on a different route.

Why? Why would this female, pagan prostitute help enemy spies? Verses 8-12 explains that she KNOWS that the LORD has given the land to Israel. Everyone is in terror because of them. They’ve all heard about Israel’s miraculous crossing of the Red Sea and their successes with Kings Sihon and Og and their hearts are melting.  Then her proclamation of faith: “The LORD your God, He is God in the heavens above and on the earth beneath.”  

She then requests, that for her helping them to escape, that they will save her and her family when they attack.  The spies agree, with one caveat. She and all of hers must stay within the house, and she must hang a red rope from her window down the outside of the wall.  When Israel sees that red cord, they will pass over her house, and save her and hers alive.

The spies report back to Joshua that the LORD has indeed given all the land into their hands. And the hearts of all the inhabitants “melt away because of us.”

In Chapter 3, Israel crosses the Jordan River into Canaan, much like they crossed the Red Sea out of Egypt. Except, it is the action of the Levitical priests carrying the Ark of the Covenant, who step into the water, that God  uses it to stop it flowing and open a way through. So, as the “soles of the feet” of the priests carrying the Ark stepped into the water, it bunched up in a heap. The priests/Ark stood in the middle of the dry river bed until ALL OF ISRAEL passed over into the land.

Chapter 4 describes how Joshua, at God’s command, had a representative from each tribe take twelve stones from the river bed, and carry them to Gilgal where they were to camp and laid them down. Joshua set them up as a memorial, something these people would tell their children about in years to come.

When the priests & the Ark followed the people out of the river bed, all the water came rushing back again.  And it was the first day of the preparation for Passover.  (Fitting, huh?)

#2024GOAL – Reading Through The Bible Chronologically, day 81

Mar21

    Day 81—  Now that we’ve passed Day 66, we have established a “habit.” So CELEBRATE our habit of daily Bible reading! We are in the THIRD month so far! Praise God!

   Day 81 – Deuteronomy 32 – 34, Psalm 91  Song of Moses, Moses’s final blessing on each tribe, Moses death, Israel’s refuge)

God commanded Moses to write a song that would be taught to all Israel, so whenever they sang it, they would REMEMBER. It would be a witness for God.

In 43 verses and 10 stanzas of Chapter 32, Moses wrote the song of Israel’s glorious past, their hopeful present on the cusp of entering the Promised Land, and the disastrous future when they turn from God to worship other gods, who are not gods at all. And a glimpse of His everlasting love for them and restoration when the turn again.

“Rejoice with Him, O heavens;
bow down to Him, all gods,
for He avenges the blood of His children
and takes vengeance on His adversaries.
He repays those who hate him, 
and cleanses His people’s land.”

Deuteronomy 32:43

In Chapter 33, in the mode of Jacob when he blessed his sons, Moses now gives a “blessing” to the tribes of Israel, beginning with Reuben, and covering, Judah, Levi, Benjamin, Joseph (Ephraim & Manasseh), Zebulun, Issachar, Gad, Dan, Naphtali, and Asher.

Only Simeon is missing. Why? Because later, Simeon is assimilated into the tribe of Judah. (See Joshua 19:9 – “The inheritance of the people of Simeon formed part of the territory of the people of Judah. Because the portion of the people of Judah was too large for them, the people of Simeon obtained an inheritance in the midst of their inheritance.”)

(It might be interesting to compare Moses’ blessing on the tribes with Jacob’s blessings on his sons in Genesis 49.)

Chapter 34, tells of the death of Moses, written perhaps by Joshua.  Moses ascends Mt. Nebo and the LORD shows him the Promised Land. And there “the servant of the LORD died, and He (God) buried him in the valley in the land of Moab, but no one knows to place of his burial to this day.

Moses was 120 years old when he died. His eye was undimmed and his vigor unabated. And Israel mourned for him for thirty days.” 

And then… Joshua, the son of Nun (full of the spirit of wisdom) took over. And the people of Israel obeyed him and did as the LORD had commanded Moses.

“And there has not arisen a prophet since in Israel like Moses, whom the LORD knew face to face, none like him for all the signs and wonders that the LORD sent him to do in the land of Egypt…. and for all the mighty power and all the great deeds of terror that Moses did in the sight of all Israel.”

 

(Alas, Moses DID get to enter the promised land, in the day when Jesus (“the prophet like himself”) was “transfigured.” Both he and Elijah stood with Jesus and encouraged the Savior about His upcoming death.  Luke 9 28-31.)

Psalm 91 is a glorious hymn, beginning with the familiar “He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty.”

It goes on to encourage its readers (Israel) that HE is their protection against all the ever-present dangers and terrors that surround them.

“A thousand may fall at your side, ten thousand at your right hand, but it will not come year you.”

 

(A wonderful Psalm for any believer to read, why not go there now, and hold to the promises of God to those who love Him.)

 

#2024GOAL – Reading Through The Bible Chronologically, day 80

Mar20

    Day 80 —  Now that we’ve passed Day 66, we have established a “habit.” So CELEBRATE our habit of daily Bible reading! We are in the THIRD month so far! Praise God!

   Day 80 – Deuteronomy 30 – 31 (Repentance & hope, Choose life, Joshua commissioned, Command to read, a song written)

Moses’s life is winding down. He’s “mopping up” his leadership and readying himself and Joshua to pass the baton. Moses has been with these millions of people for over 40 years. He’s all the leader that some of them have ever know. What will it be like without him?

At 120 years old, Moses is ready to brush his hands of this people and “go home.”

In chapter 30, he tells the people he knows they will fail in all the commands and love toward God. He knows they will experience the really hard discipline of God, but  if/when they repent, return to the LORD, and obey his voice with all their heart and soul…. the gracious, long-suffering, and merciful LORD their God will have compassion on them and restore them.  And at that time, He will “circumcise their HEARTS so they will love him with heart and soul and LIVE.

Moses challenges them, saying, “But the word is very near to you. It is in your mouth and in your heart so you CAN do it!”  Moses sets before them life and death, blessing and curse. “Choose life, that you and your offspring may LIVE, loving the LORD your God, obeying His voice, and holding fast to him…..for He IS your life.”

In Chapter 31, Moses calls aside Joshua and encourages him, “Be strong and courageous. Do not fear or be in dread of THEM, for it is the LORD your God who goes with you. He will not leave or forsake you.” He then sets Joshua before the people and says the same thing.  This is your leader now. God will go before you and be with you and not forsake you.  Before all the people Moses officially commissions Joshua with the job, and the LORD, in a pillar of cloud, affirms it.

Moses finishes writing the words of the law in a book “to the very end.”  He commands that the Levites put it by the side of the ark of the covenant, and read the whole thing to the people every SEVEN YEARS, in the “year of release” when they all gather in the fall for the Festival of Booths/Harvest.

Then Moses (at God’s word) writes a song to teach to Israel, as a witness for God.  He wrote it in one day and taught it to the people of Israel.

(The song will be in tomorrow’s reading.)