365 Reflections

Joshua is a book about the judgment of God on the nations that were given hundreds of years to repent and turn to Him. They did not. Yet the book starts with the mention of three "days three" times in the first two chapters followed by the salvation of a prostitute even before the judgment upon those nations takes place. It is really an interesting beginning to what is essentially a record of warfare. It is clear the text is pointing to the larger picture of the Bible: God has given the nations to His Son who rose again on the third day and was first greeted with by a woman from a terrible past upon His resurrection. Joshua 3 begins telling the story of Israel's triumph through the Jordan river and into the national territories which Israel will possess. The whole episode represents for us a beautiful picture of the work of the church which is empowered by the work of Jesus on our behalf. First, the ark of the covenant - which represented the presence of the Lord ...

Joshua 2:1–4 (ESV) And Joshua the son of Nun sent two men secretly from Shittim as spies, saying, “Go, view the land, especially Jericho.” And they went and came into the house of a prostitute whose name was Rahab and lodged there. 2 And it was told to the king of Jericho, “Behold, men of Israel have come here tonight to search out the land.” 3 Then the king of Jericho sent to Rahab, saying, “Bring out the men who have come to you, who entered your house, for they have come to search out all the land.” 4 But the woman had taken the two men and hidden them. And she said, “True, the men came to me, but I did not know where they were from. I just had this thought. A prostitute is used to bringing strangers into their home. In this case, that ancient practice on Rahab's part became the very tool that God used to save her. Was it the most sanitized means of bringing her into the people of God? No. But the end result proved one thing was for sure: God can use your past to prepar...

Joshua must have been worried about taking command of the Lord's armies. God repeatedly tells him in the first 9 verses of Joshua 1 to not be afraid and to be bold and strong. Leading anything after a man named Moses led it would be intimidating to anyone of us. But as soon as the Lord empowers Joshua with encouragement, he takes charge quickly and dynamically. What's really interesting is Joshua's first consideration for how they will fight going forward: Joshua 1:12–15 (ESV)   And to the Reubenites, the Gadites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh Joshua said, 13 “Remember the word that Moses the servant of the Lord commanded you, saying, ‘The Lord your God is providing you a place of rest and will give you this land.’ 14 Your wives, your little ones, and your livestock shall remain in the land that Moses gave you beyond the Jordan, but all the men of valor among you shall pass over armed before your brothers and shall help them, 15 until the Lord gives rest to your ...

Joshua 1:8–11 (ESV) This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success. 9 Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” 10 And Joshua commanded the officers of the people, 11 “Pass through the midst of the camp and command the people, ‘Prepare your provisions, for within three days you are to pass over this Jordan to go in to take possession of the land that the Lord your God is giving you to possess.’ ” The first Hebrew word in the book of Joshua is "waw", usually translated "and" in English. This is surprising since the usual identification with the book of Joshua is with the Historical books (Joshua - 2 Chronicles) and NOT the Pentateuch (first five of ...

A recent news item reported the most highlighted passage in the YouVersion Bible App in 2017 was the following verse: Joshua 1:6–7 (NLT)   “Be strong and courageous, for you are the one who will lead these people to possess all the land I swore to their ancestors I would give them. 7 Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the instructions Moses gave you. Do not deviate from them, turning either to the right or to the left. Then you will be successful in everything you do. It is clear people need strength and encouragement today. We want to be strong in a world that attacks us in a hundred different ways several times each day. Can we stand strong in our calling and purpose amidst the noise all around us? Welcome to the book of Joshua. The book opens fresh off the death of Moses and launches Joshua into the future with fervency. There will be no more looking back or longing for the good ole' days. God tells Joshua several times to be strong, to be coura...

Deuteronomy 34:1–6 (ESV)   Then Moses went up from the plains of Moab to Mount Nebo, to the top of Pisgah, which is opposite Jericho. And the Lord showed him all the land, Gilead as far as Dan, 2 all Naphtali, the land of Ephraim and Manasseh, all the land of Judah as far as the western sea, 3 the Negeb, and the Plain, that is, the Valley of Jericho the city of palm trees, as far as Zoar. 4 And the Lord said to him, “This is the land of which I swore to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, ‘I will give it to your offspring.’ I have let you see it with your eyes, but you shall not go over there.” 5 So Moses the servant of the Lord died there in the land of Moab, according to the word of the Lord , 6 and he buried him in the valley in the land of Moab opposite Beth-peor; but no one knows the place of his burial to this day. Moses met God in the burning bush on the mountain. Moses heard from God and received the law on the mountain. Moses prayed and won spiritual victory for ...

There is a rare word used of Israel in Moses' blessing found in Deuteronomy 33. It's actually used 2 times. The word is " Jeshurun ." It means "beloved." And this word is translated into the greek and applied to Jesus (Ephesians 1:6) and the Church  (Col. 3:12; 1 Thes. 1:4; 2 Thes. 2:3; Jude 1). The point God wants to instill in Israel before they enter the promised land? That He loves them. This will be their NAME. This will be their identity moving forward. How will they fight strong and mighty after Joshua? By understanding their primary identity is the love of God for them and therefore anyone's disapproval of them means very little. Let's look at the passages in Moses' blessing first: Deuteronomy 33:5 (ESV) Thus the LORD became king in Jeshurun , when the heads of the people were gathered, all the tribes of Israel together. Deuteronomy 33:26 (ESV)  “There is none like God, O Jeshurun , who rides through the heavens to your help, thr...

Deuteronomy 33:20–21 (ESV)   And of Gad he said, “Blessed be he who enlarges Gad! Gad crouches like a lion; he tears off arm and scalp. 21 He chose the best of the land for himself, for there a commander’s portion was reserved; and he came with the heads of the people, with Israel he executed the justice of the Lord , and his judgments for Israel.” In the blessing of Moses there is one tribal  blessing that most resembles Jacob's original from Genesis 49. It is this blessing for the tribe of Gad. Notice Jacob's blessing: Genesis 49:19 (ESV)   “Raiders shall raid Gad, but he shall raid at their heels. Jacob knew Gad was destined to increase.  Moses saw this too. Interestingly, "Gad" means good fortune.  Notice the blessing here in Deuteronomy 33. It seems selfish of Gad to choose the best land, to want a "commander's portion"... but in the end, Gad does get what he wants out of life.  The tribe of Gad is one of three "trans-Jordan...

Have you ever been cursed? It's not pretty. It hurts. It can stick with you for a while. If you're not careful, you can pass it on to your children and their children after them. What's crazy is to see the people of the Bible, even some of the great heroes be in the cursing business. You may remember from way back in the early days of Israel's story, Jacob is on his last days and decides to bless his sons before death just as Moses does here in Deuteronomy 33. But his first three sons are not blessed at all, they are in fact denounced and cursed. Listen especially to what Jacob said about his firstborn, Reuben: Genesis 49:3–4 (ESV) “Reuben, you are my firstborn, my might, and the firstfruits of my strength, preeminent in dignity and preeminent in power. 4 Unstable as water, you shall not have preeminence, because you went up to your father’s bed; then you defiled it—he went up to my couch! Unstable as water is a tough one. You can't get much less stable t...

In Deuteronomy 33, Moses is called up to the mountain to die and the final act of his faith is to bless all the tribes of Israel. It's really incredible to think this man can find it in his heart to bless the very people who caused his failure at the rock and led to him missing out on the promised land. But again, this all points us to Christ's death for the sins of the people. Deuteronomy 33:1–5 (ESV) This is the blessing with which Moses the man of God blessed the people of Israel before his death. 2 He said, “The LORD came from Sinai and dawned from Seir upon us; he shone forth from Mount Paran; he came from the ten thousands of holy ones, with flaming fire at his right hand. 3 Yes, he loved his people, all his holy ones were in his hand; so they followed in your steps, receiving direction from you, 4 when Moses commanded us a law, as a possession for the assembly of Jacob. 5 Thus the LORD became king in Jeshurun, when the heads of the people were gathered, all the tribes...

Just after Moses gives the people God's law, God then tells him to go up on a mountain and die. It's quite interesting the order of events and the abruptness of the transition. Deuteronomy 32:46–51 (ESV) he (Moses) said to them, “Take to heart all the words by which I am warning you today, that you may command them to your children, that they may be careful to do all the words of this law. 47 For it is no empty word for you, but your very life, and by this word you shall live long in the land that you are going over the Jordan to possess.” 48 That very day the LORD spoke to Moses, 49 “Go up this mountain of the Abarim, Mount Nebo, which is in the land of Moab, opposite Jericho, and view the land of Canaan, which I am giving to the people of Israel for a possession. 50 And die on the mountain which you go up, and be gathered to your people, as Aaron your brother died in Mount Hor and was gathered to his people, 51 because you broke faith with me in the midst of the people of ...

Moses was deliverer, law-giver and prophet. And in Deuteronomy 32 he delivers for the people the prototypical prophecy with the same themes found throughout the later day Old Testament prophets. Where did they learn to see calamity and distress as signs of God's wrath for abandoning the covenant? They saw it first here in Moses. Reading through Deuteronomy 32 is like reading a passage in Jeremiah or Isaiah. It is a clear lesson for us still today. Those who would claim to speak for God must already know what God has said in the past. Deuteronomy 32:39 (ESV) “‘See now that I, even I, am he, and there is no god beside me; I kill and I make alive; I wound and I heal; and there is none that can deliver out of my hand. One of the key themes for Israel in this song filled with dark themes is the fact that nothing will happen to them beyond the purposes of their God. God had blessed them: Deuteronomy 32:13 (ESV) He made him ride on the high places of the land, and he ate the pro...

Deuteronomy 31 is not a cheery chapter. In it, God makes clear He knows Israel will depart from His ways very quickly and very extremely. It's as if there's nothing that could stop their disobedience and inevitable downfall. Consider that the main ramification of Moses' death would be vast disobedience nation-wide. Deuteronomy 31:16 (ESV) And the LORD said to Moses, “Behold, you are about to lie down with your fathers. Then this people will rise and whore after the foreign gods among them in the land that they are entering, and they will forsake me and break my covenant that I have made with them. Deuteronomy 31:18 (ESV)  And I will surely hide my face in that day because of all the evil that they have done, because they have turned to other gods. There is a way to read this passage on the surface without knowledge of Christ which makes you ask of God, "Then why even give the law?" But God's work of redemption was not finished in giving the law, i...

Deuteronomy 31:9–13 (ESV) Then Moses wrote this law and gave it to the priests, the sons of Levi, who carried the ark of the covenant of the LORD, and to all the elders of Israel. 10 And Moses commanded them, “At the end of every seven years, at the set time in the year of release, at the Feast of Booths, 11 when all Israel comes to appear before the LORD your God at the place that he will choose, you shall read this law before all Israel in their hearing. 12 Assemble the people, men, women, and little ones, and the sojourner within your towns, that they may hear and learn to fear the LORD your God, and be careful to do all the words of this law, 13 and that their children, who have not known it, may hear and learn to fear the LORD your God, as long as you live in the land that you are going over the Jordan to possess.” Look at this command. God had Israel gather together every seventh year to release all slaves and cancel all debts. At that same time, during the feats of tabernac...

Don't believe the lie that doing what God wants is impossible. So often people want to say obedience is impossible to justify their disobedience. But God put it writing for His people so that they could bank on His promise - YOU CAN DO WHAT HE SAYS! Look at Deuteronomy 30: Deuteronomy 30:11–14 (ESV) “For this commandment that I command you today is not too hard for you , neither is it far off. 12 It is not in heaven, that you should say, ‘Who will ascend to heaven for us and bring it to us, that we may hear it and do it?’ 13 Neither is it beyond the sea, that you should say, ‘Who will go over the sea for us and bring it to us, that we may hear it and do it?’ 14 But the word is very near you. It is in your mouth and in your heart, so that you can do it. Before we go any further, please do not take this to mean you will be sinless. All have sinned. All have fallen short. There is no one who does good except Christ! But the words of this book are not mean to destroy your will,...

God will have a people for Himself. Even human sin and Divine wrath cannot thwart His purpose in this regard. Consider well that after the long chapter of warning in Deuteronomy 28 and the reinforcement of the Covenant in chapter 29, Deuteronomy 30 follows with one of the most HOPE-filled passages in all the Pentateuch: Deuteronomy 30:1-8 (ESV) "And when all these things come upon you, the blessing and the curse, which I have set before you, and you call them to mind among all the nations where the LORD your God has driven you, 2 and return to the LORD your God, you and your children, and obey his voice in all that I command you today, with all your heart and with all your soul, 3 then the LORD your God will restore your fortunes and have mercy on you, and he will gather you again from all the peoples where the LORD your God has scattered you. 4 If your outcasts are in the uttermost parts of heaven, from there the LORD your God will gather you, and from there he will take you. ...

Israel was privileged to receive the Law of God. They were set apart from all nations by this law. Their law is the basis for many of our civil laws today. You cannot find another collection of ancient writings that so thoroughly empower a people to grow wise and live long. God tells them this about the law in the beginning of Deuteronomy. Deuteronomy 4:6–8 (ESV) Keep them and do them, for that will be your wisdom and your understanding in the sight of the peoples, who, when they hear all these statutes, will say, ‘Surely this great nation is a wise and understanding people.’ 7 For what great nation is there that has a god so near to it as the LORD our God is to us, whenever we call upon him? 8 And what great nation is there, that has statutes and rules so righteous as all this law that I set before you today? YET... in spite of this great revelation given to the people of Israel, there were some things God was not going to reveal. This would be part of their experience...

Deuteronomy 29:2–9 (ESV)   And Moses summoned all Israel and said to them: “You have seen all that the Lord did before your eyes in the land of Egypt, to Pharaoh and to all his servants and to all his land, 3 the great trials that your eyes saw, the signs, and those great wonders. 4 But to this day the Lord has not given you a heart to understand or eyes to see or ears to hear. 5 I have led you forty years in the wilderness. Your clothes have not worn out on you, and your sandals have not worn off your feet. 6 You have not eaten bread, and you have not drunk wine or strong drink, that you may know that I am the Lord your God. 7 And when you came to this place, Sihon the king of Heshbon and Og the king of Bashan came out against us to battle, but we defeated them. 8 We took their land and gave it for an inheritance to the Reubenites, the Gadites, and the half-tribe of the Manassites. 9 Therefore keep the words of this covenant and do them, that you may prosper in all t...

Deuteronomy 28 is hard to read. God outlines all the curses for disobedience to the law according to the covenant He has made with Israel. If they are to be His people, He is to come first for their lives. Deviating from his direction will only lead to disaster and pain. In the middle of a long list of curses that would come upon them is a hint at what causes people to crumble in their quest for the "good life" without God. Deuteronomy 28:47 (ESV)   Because you did not serve the Lord your God with joyfulness and gladness of heart, because of the abundance of all things, Did you see it? They did not serve the Lord with JOYFULNESS and GLADNESS. And why did they not serve Him with joyfulness and gladness? Because of their "ABUNDANCE of ALL THINGS." I'm firmly convinced of this: It is far more dangerous to be rich than poor. Poverty is visible and challenging. It is demoralizing and terrible in so many respects. We must never belittle the struggle of those...

Deuteronomy 27:9–14 (ESV)   Then Moses and the Levitical priests said to all Israel, “Keep silence and hear, O Israel: this day you have become the people of the Lord your God. 10 You shall therefore obey the voice of the Lord your God, keeping his commandments and his statutes, which I command you today.” 11 That day Moses charged the people, saying, 12 “When you have crossed over the Jordan, these shall stand on Mount Gerizim to bless the people: Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, Joseph, and Benjamin. 13 And these shall stand on Mount Ebal for the curse: Reuben, Gad, Asher, Zebulun, Dan, and Naphtali. 14 And the Levites shall declare to all the men of Israel in a loud voice: We have a beautiful picture of the Gospel in Deuteronomy 27. The priests will stand in the valley between two mountains with half of Israel on either side. On Mount Ebal will stand the tribes who will hear the curses for disobedience. On Mount Gerizim will stand the tribes who will hear the blessings f...

Deuteronomy 27:9–10 (ESV) Then Moses and the Levitical priests said to all Israel, “Keep silence and hear, O Israel: this day you have become the people of the Lord your God. 10 You shall, therefore, obey the voice of the Lord your God, keeping his commandments and his statutes, which I command you today.” Deuteronomy 27-28 outline God's prescribed ceremony for Israel once they come into the land of promise. They are to set up a monument with all the law written upon it. This monument is to be made up of large stones and covered with plaster. The law is written upon these stones which remain uncut by man. The natural shape of the stones will remain as they are built upon one another and then inscribed with the law of the Lord for His people.  Interestingly, 6 tribes will stand on Mount Ebal and the other 6 will stand on Mount Gerizim and the blessing and curses will be recited for the nation as the priests read off the lists from these chapters. Commentators me...