March 6–Joshua 23-Judges 1

“Then Joshua said to the people, ‘You will not be able to serve the Lord, for He is a holy God. He is jealous God; He will not forgive your transgressions or your sins. If you forsake the Lord and serve foreign gods, then He will turn and do harm and consume you’ “(24:19-20).

Joshua was concerned. Deeply. The next years (recorded in the book of Judges) proved his anxieties justified.

Days before his own death, he gathered Israel to Shechem for a renewal of the covenant. He challenged them to serve the Lord in sincerity (Hebrew, tamim, complete, whole, entire) and truth (Hebrew, emet, firmness, faithfulness). Until we are “all in” and strong in our resolve, we cannot follow Jesus. Part of our heart is not enough.

When the people quickly and easily agreed, it only deepened Joshua’s concern. He feared their assumptions regarding God were too superficial, too polluted by pagan ideas. “You are not able to serve the Lord,” he warns them. In your present condition of mind and heart, without deep change (repentance) you will certainly fail.

In paganism (all man-made religions), there is a thin connection between religion and morality. The duties of pagan religion are largely ceremonial, disconnected from the life of the worshipper. One can go to church, do certain rituals, find assurance and then continue on with uninterrupted sinfulness. Not true of the true God. He will not allow anyone to make His house, “a den of thieves” a place where unrepentant people can go and feel safe. See Matthew 21:13. So long as Israel held these low (and false) ideas, so long as they ignored God’s holiness and jealousy, their service to God would be failure.

I wonder if we warn people enough these days. In an effort to encourage people toward Christ, we sometimes communicate only the benefits. We soften or ignore the very real costs. “If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross daily and follow Me,” says the Lord in Luke 9:23. Part of our task in evangelism is to be honest with people regarding holiness and obedience. Joshua did. Jesus, too.

“Everyone who names the name of the Lord is to abstain from wickedness”(2 Timothy 2:19).

“If it is disagreeable in your sight to serve the Lord, choose for yourselves today whom you will serve. . .but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord” (24:15).

Readers Notes: Some call the book of Judges the “Dark Ages” of Hebrew history. This book covers the period from the death of Joshua to the days just before the ascension of Saul as the first king of Israel. A sad cycle. The nation drifts from God, judgment comes, they cry to God and are delivered, then sink back into sin again. As you read, I pray the Lord will use this story to wake your heart to our own day and the desperate need for repentance and revival.

March 5–Joshua 20-22

“Then the sons of Israel sent to the sons of Reuben (and Gad and the half-tribe of Manasseh). . .’What is this unfaithful act which you have committed against the God of Israel?’ “(22:13-14, 16).

Saying goodbye is hard. After seven years of warfare, forty thousand fighting men of Reuben and Gad and Manasseh left the camp of Israel. Fulfilling an agreement made years before, these brothers-in-arms were dismissed to their homes on the eastern side of the Jordan. Israel was still “one nation under God”, but now separated by significant distance and the psychological barrier of the river Jordan.

Distance is difficult. One of the reasons we are instructed not to, “miss the assembling of ourselves together,” is that unity flourishes in regular contact and communication. To STAY together we need to BE together.

No surprise, then, a disturbing rumor soon circulated through the camp. An altar had been raised by the departing tribes! In the absence of any other explanation, this news was perceived in the worst possible way. (Aren’t rumors usually?) Was this altar an act of idolatry? Were the departing tribes setting up their OWN place of worship in disobedience to God’s instruction? Were they forming a new church?

Following the sad tendency of the human heart, some immediately counseled war! Wisely, Joshua did not over-react. He sent a delegation to express concern and hear explanation. The altar was NOT an act of independence at all. Rather, a witness and reminder of their shared identity! The leaders of Reuben and Gad and Manasseh were measured and wise in their words. See 22:21-29. Thank God for Phineas and his ten-chief committee. Thank God for Joshua and his leadership.

In marriage and family, in congregational life and politics, if unity is the goal, communication is the necessary skill. Honest conversation can be difficult, but when done with a heart of humility, it can preserve unity and prevent great damage. Do you have brothers/sisters with whom you need to talk? When unity is threatened, and before you react, shouldn’t you hear their story and heart?

“Therefore I, the prisoner of the Lord, implore you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you were called. . .being diligent to preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace”(Ephesians 4:1,3).

“If your brother sins, go and show him his fault in private; if he listens to you, you have won your brother”(Matthew 18:15).

March 4–Joshua 16-19

” ‘ If you are a numerous people, go up to the forest and clear a place for yourselves.’ . . The sons of Joseph said, ‘The hill country is not enough for us, and all the Canaanites who live in the valley have chariots of iron’ “(17:16).

“O, do not pray for easy lives. Pray to be stronger men”(Phillips Brooks).

There is a person inside of me. Not the real me, not the created-in-Christ me. Even so, a man present often enough that I recognize his whiney voice. He sees problems rather than solutions. When challenges come, he tends to complain, to make excuses, to retreat.

God has an important lesson for my inner “Eyore”. He calls me to courage when life is not easy. God’s grace is free but requires faith and effort and discipline from the believer.

When God gave the sons of Joseph a new home, there were forests to be cleared (see v 15) and enemies to be defeated. A gift is not less valuable because hard work is required. Just the opposite, actually.

It is the same with the gift of salvation. In order to possess it fully, I need to walk in the Spirit with great patience and courage. Discouragement at work? Trouble in my family? Weariness and stress? He calls me to be “more than a conqueror”. He promises to help, but I must be willing to face the struggle. Feelings of timidity do not come from Him. See 2 Timothy 1:7.

Earlier in the story, God prepared Israel for this reality. “I will not drive them out before you in a single year, that the land may not become desolate and the beasts of the field become too numerous for you. I will drive them out before you little by little, until you become fruitful and take possession of the land” (Exodus 23:29-30). God makes no plan for our progress to be quick and easy!

Friend, is God asking you to face a particular challenge? Is there a task (of mind, of hand, of heart) that must be accomplished in order for you to possess all that God has given you in Christ? If it is not easy, if it takes time, will you walk with the Lord in courage-forward faith?

“Is life so wretched? Isn’t it rather your hands which are too small, your vision which is too muddled? You are the one who must grow up” (Dag Hammarskjold).

“Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance, and let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing” (James 1:2-3).

March 3–Joshua 12-15

“The Lord said to Joshua, ‘You are old and advanced in years, and very much of the land remains to be possessed’ ” (13:1).

“I am eighty-five years old today. I am still as strong today as I was in the day that Moses sent me (to spy out the land forty-five years ago). . .now, give me this hill country . . .perhaps the Lord will be with me, and I will drive them out as the Lord has spoken”(14:10-12).

As a senior-adult follower of Christ, I must pay careful attention to Scripture. Old age doesn’t disqualify me from service to the King. Some limitations must be faced, but many responsibilities and opportunities are still mine.

Joshua is an old man. Advanced in years (Hebrew, bo, “to enter or come in”). There is, however, still work to do. “Only one person could ever say, ‘It is done,’ ” says Alexander Maclaren. No senior adult has the privilege to retire or retreat. The work continues.

Seeing his own limited time, Joshua distributed the remaining land to the tribes so that they could continue the work of possessing it. Like David collecting supplies for the soon-to-be-built temple, senior adult believers must ask themselves, “What can I do to prepare and encourage the leaders who will come after me?”.

Courage is still required. When Caleb appears before the land distribution committee, he tells his story and makes a courageous request. Having followed God fully (40 years before), he now asks personal privilege to possess and conquer Hebron. Still strong and faithful, still willing to trust and to sacrifice, at eighty-five years old, Caleb wants an assignment! Old soldiers are some of the best!

“Lord, Thou knowest better than myself, I am growing old and will soon be old. Keep me from becoming too talkative, from the habit of thinking I must say something on every subject and at every opportunity. . .Make me sympathetic without being sentimental, helpful but not bossy” (Prayers of an Anonymous Abbess).

“It is not how old you are, it is how you are old” (Jules Renard).

“Grow old with me! The best is yet to be, the last of life for which the first was made” (Robert Browning).

March 2–Joshua 9-11

“Because it was certainly told your servants that the Lord your God had commanded His servant Moses to give you all the land, and to destroy all the inhabitants. . .therefore, we greatly feared for our lives” (Joshua 9: 24).

Sometimes people outside the church understand the message better than those inside. With unbiased ears and uncluttered hearts, outsiders often hear what is being claimed and commanded more clearly than those who are familiar with the message and dulled to its urgency and obligation.

It is a truth our Lord often noted. “I have not found such great faith in Israel,” said our Savior as He observed a Roman centurion. See Matthew 8:10.

In Joshua 9, the Gibeonites (a tribe in Canaan) heard the story of God and the declaration of His judgement. Hearing this truth, they FEARED! An entirely appropriate response! BELIEVING what they heard, they also took action, made a wise and urgent plan and followed through with it. The definition of Biblical faith is to believe God and to respond accordingly. Doing so saved the Gibeonites lives! Faith always does.

We offer no justification for the dishonesty involved in this story. We are, however, reminded of the parable in Luke 16 in which Jesus praises a dishonest manager for being shrewd. Often, “the sons of this age are more shrewd in relation to their own kind than the sons of light,” says the Lord with a warning to all insiders.

The mental alertness of the Gibeonites exposes the shame of God’s people who grow lax and undisciplined. Without prayer or God’s counsel, the men of Israel accept the offered story. Who believed God better on this day? As is often the case, it was the outsiders.

Friend, when we make decisions without turning to God in prayer, when we hear the truth of a holy God (in a sermon or a whispered word of the Spirit’s conviction) but do nothing with it, aren’t the Gibeonites our betters?

“So often we give God a partial obedience. We do not dare to disobey, but we do not care to obey fully. So we compromise. We do some of what we should, thus removing the stigma of disobedience. But we refrain from the most difficult or objectionable or uncomfortable part, and thus try to get the best of both worlds” (Ebenezer Erskine).

“Because you are lukewarm, neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth” (Revelation 3:16).

March 1–Joshua 6-8

“Shout! For the Lord has given you the city”(6:16).

“I will not be with you anymore unless you destroy the things under the ban from your midst” (7:12).

As I read the Bible, I must be aware of the instructions God communicates through stories. Logically, God could have crumbled the walls of Jericho in a thousand different ways. Lightning strike. Earthquake. The fact that He did so at the SHOUT of His people should cause us to consider the clear lesson.

Enthusiasm is required! While it is possible for God to use halfhearted people, He chooses not to. We are emotional beings. Part of His work in the believer is to call forth a high investment of emotion and commitment. Particularly true of praise! No inhibition or reserve is allowed when Christ is the subject. He doesn’t want me to whisper, He wants me to shout! The outcome of the battle depends on it. Praise opens prison doors. It also crumbles fortress walls.

“Enthusiasm is one of the most powerful engines of success. When you do a thing, do it with all your might. Put your whole soul into it. . .Be active, be energetic, be enthusiastic. . .and you will accomplish your object. Nothing great was ever achieved without enthusiasm”(Ralph Waldo Emerson).

There is, however, a second city, a second story, a second lesson. If Jericho teaches us to SHOUT, Ai teaches us to avoid SIN. Holiness is not optional. The sad story of Achan (chapter 7) is the reminder.

“When God is with us, Jericho is not too strong to be captured; when He is driven from us by our sin, Ai is not too weak to defeat us” (Alexander Maclaren).

On February 8, 2023, the students at Asbury University in Wilmore, Kentucky, stayed behind after the weekly chapel service. In the hours and days that followed, confession of sin, repentance, restitution and dedication sparked a revival. It was a “movement of God”, certainly, but it is equally accurate to see this event is a “movement of God’s people” back to Him. He is holy. We must be.

“If My people, called by My name, will humble themselves and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, I will hear and heal their land” (2 Chronicles 7:14).

“Therefore, confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another so that you may be healed” ( James 5:16).

Friend, is enthusiasm your response to God? When God tells you to shout, do you? Do you confess sin? Deal honestly with it, even those attitudes and actions you believe to be secret? Will you?

February 28–Joshua 2-5

“Now it came about after the death of Moses. . .that the Lord spoke to Joshua. . .’Moses my servant is dead; now therefore arise, cross the Jordan, you and all this people, to the land which I am giving them’ ” (Joshua 1-1-2).

As you walk with God there will be BIG moments! Breakthroughs!

Life is not static. God’s plan unfolds over time. Old circumstances end. New chapters begin. He expects us to trust and to follow.

In the timing of God, the day came for the children of Israel to cross the Jordan river. With His help, they would now get over on the other side of this once impossible obstacle. Friend, do you see this pattern of God at work in your own life? Are you standing at a place and time, ready for God to help you cross over into a new season?

Things were never the same for Israel. The manna stopped. They were now required to find and grow food. Joshua was exalted (lifted high in respect) as a new leader. Open to change (and we must always be), the people learned new skills, built new homes and faced new challenges.

The Lord marked the new day. “Today I have rolled away the reproach of Egypt from you”(5:8). The shame and failure of the previous story was removed, washed away. God viewed them with new eyes and wanted them to view themselves in the same way.

Retirement has been a “Jordan crossing” for me. Almost immediately, I felt like Dorothy. “Toto, I don’t think we are in Kansas, anymore.” The gifts and calling of the Lord were the same, but the assignments and the lessons were different. Even now, in a new season of challenge and blessing, I feel a DEEP reordering of my inner priorities. A new chapter is changing me. I am growing. I thank God.

Did you notice Joshua’s insightful command in 3:3-4? “When you see the ark of the covenant of the Lord. . .then you shall set out from your place and go after it. Do not come near it, that you may know the way. . .for you have not passed this way before.” Step back! Get some perspective! See where God is going and go with Him! Wisdom for Israel. Wisdom for us, as well.

“Keep on holding on, there’s gonna be a breakthrough. Keep on holding on, don’t stay buried in that grave. If He can roll the stone, He can send the darkness running. It might feel like Friday, but your Sunday’s coming” (Zach Williams).

Friend, how would you walk today if you KNEW that God was preparing you for an absolutely new chapter of life? Will you trust Him today, leaving the timing of the break-through to Him? When the time arrives, will you follow forward without hesitation or fear?

February 27–Deuteronomy 33-34, Joshua 1

“Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous! Do not tremble or be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go”(Joshua 1:9).

He would need courage! No question. Joshua was called by God, commissioned by Moses and accepted by the nation. None of it would matter, however, if he failed to be courageous. He was to see the problems, to face them without complaint or fear. He was to be God-confident.

The reader will notice it is a COMMAND from God, an obedient CHOICE from the believer. “Do not let your heart be troubled,” said the Savior, suggesting that when my heart fills up with fear, I have allowed it to happen. I am not a victim. The will to obey is the first victory in the human heart.

Joshua knew by experience the outcomes of fear. As a member of the “spy committee” (Numbers 13), he witnessed the destructive power of anxiety in the camp after the other members of taskforce disintegrated in fear. “We are not able,” they cried. “We became as grasshoppers in our own sight.” God judged them for this failure of faith.

Occasionally, the devil whispers that I am more than I actually am. “You will not die, you will become like God.” This is PRIDE. Just as often, he whispers that I am less than I am. “This is impossible.” “You are not able.” This is FEAR. Against this second sin, God warns Joshua and us.

When I first became a Pastor, I quickly realized that, even in the face of fear or uncertainty, I did not have the luxury of not leading. Could I seek counsel? Yes. Could I shrink back from decision? No. In those moments, I often heard the call of Christ to courage.

Every believer must rise to this call. God has not given us a Spirit of timidity! Prayerless indecision and cowardly pursuit of safety are never the way of Christ. If, even in our mistakes, He promises to provide and work things together for good, then we must find courage to get forward without fear.

“Courage doesn’t always roar. Sometimes courage is the little voice at the end of the day that says I’ll try again tomorrow”(Mary Anne Radmacher).

“The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the defense of my life; whom should I dread?”(Psalm 27:1).

February 26–Deuteronomy 31-32

“So Moses wrote this song the same day, and taught it to Israel”(31:22).

A few times, in my journey as a Pastor, I have arrived at a moment to preach a last sermon. Not a “last supper”, but not entirely unlike it in emotion and urgency. On the day of last sermon, you stand before people who are your friends and your faith-family. SO many memories flood your heart. Shared experiences of blessing and challenge.

Perhaps you will remember Paul’s words to the elders at Ephesus in Acts 20. In Deuteronomy 31-32, Moses is doing something similar.

With his last sermon, Moses wrote a song and taught it to the people. Instructed by the Lord to do so, Moses set his last thoughts to melody and rhythm. Scientists confirm that we often remember songs much longer than speech alone. Both theology and art, Moses’ song is a great summary of Israel’s history.

It is a song of God’s greatness. “The Rock!” says v. 32:4. The One who never changes or fails.

It is a song of human sin. He sings (and teaches them to do the same) that Israel grew fat and ungrateful. See 32:15. How grieved our hearts should be for our contamination by sin! How great His grace to love us despite our failures.

It is a song of harsh discipline. “The Lord saw this and spurned them because of the provocation of His sons and daughters” (32:19).

It is also a song of hope. “For the Lord will vindicate His people and will have compassion on His servants” (32:36). In the end, the victory of God is certain. He will redeem! Saved people will be His heritage. The redemption of a sinful human is the greatest miracle, the greatest proof of God’s love.

For a moment today will you read/sing Moses’ song? Do you know and freely love the God portrayed in it? As you are renewed in mind, will you allow your emotions to soar upward to God in praise?

“Speaking to one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody with your heart to the Lord”(Ephesians 5:19).

“This is my story, this is my song, praising my Savior all the day long”(Fanny Crosby).

February 25–Deuteronomy 28-30

“It shall come about that as the Lord delighted over you to prosper you. . .so the Lord will delight over you to make you perish”(28:63).

Did Moses realize what he was writing? I think he did.

God delights! The Hebrew word is suws, “to rejoice”. In ALL His ways, ALL His decisions, our great God is joyful, quiet, calm, certain. He has no uncertainty or moral ambiguity. Heaven is a place of JOY. “There is a river whose streams make GLAD the city of God, the holy dwelling places of the Most High” (Psalm 46:4). There are no tears in heaven. And no regrets.

Challenging idea! If God delights when He extends mercy, He also delights when He acts in holy justice. Read 28:63. As hard as it is for us to imagine, He delights when He offers mercy to those who come to Him by faith. He also delights when He judges those who refuse Him. The secular mind suggests that God should be ashamed for judging anyone. Truth is He isn’t ashamed, at all!

Friend, in a world as anxious and fearful as this one, do you imagine Heaven as a place of great joy? Will you? Morally certain. Radiant. Beautiful. Uncompromising. Mercy offered and judgement rendered without regret. A pure and joyful center of the universe!

As you walk with God, dear one, are you learning this holy joy? Will you rest in His certainty and shout gratitude to the Delightful One who calls us to Himself?

“Mortals, join the mighty chorus, which the morning stars began; God’s own love is reigning o’er us, joining people hand in hand. Ever singing, march we onward, victors in the midst of strife; Joyful music leads us sunward in the triumph song of life” (Henry Van Dyke).

“Well done, good and faithful servant. . .enter into the joy of your Lord”(Matthew 25:23).