Joshua 22-24.  “In the World, not of the World”          “I have given them your word.  And the world hates them because they do not belong to the world, just as I do not.  I do not ask You to take them out of the world, but to keep them from the evil one.” – John 17:14-15         The Israelites failed to fully wipe out the Canaanites from the land.  Thus, the survivors of these nations were livin...  Read More

Joshua 19:49-21:45; 1 Chronicles 6:54-81.  “The Merciful and Gracious God”          Our God is a god of justice and righteousness who cannot allow sin to go unpunished.  This has been very evident in the readings of the law where we see God’s high standards of holiness and moral living.  However, our God is also “the merciful and gracious God.”  He is “slow to anger and rich in unfailing love and ...  Read More

Joshua 18:1–19:48.  “Future Blessing” Right now, you and I are living as foreigners or aliens in this world.  We long for the day when our Savior will call us home.  The Israelites taking possession of the Promised Land can be viewed as a picture of our future entrance into Heaven.  Their time in the wilderness then would be parallel to our time in this broken and fallen world.  Their crossing of ...  Read More

Joshua 15:20–17:18.  “Contentment” In Joshua 17:14 – 18, the tribes of Ephraim and Manasseh, who are descended from Joseph, come to Joshua to complain about the amount of land they have received.  To me it seems as though Joshua is very considerate in his response, giving them a couple of options and then encouraging them to drive out the remaining Canaanites in order to receive more land.I don’t ...  Read More

Joshua 12:7–15:19. “Slaying Giants” The theme for this week is “living as foreigners.”  In John 17:14, Jesus says that we who are His followers are not of this world.  We are going to explore some of the ways in which Israel’s early years living in the Promised Land parallels our experience of living as God’s children in a broken and sinful world that is not our home.          45 years after givi...  Read More

The theme for this week is “living as foreigners.”  In John 17:14, Jesus says that we who are His followers are not of this world.  We are going to explore some of the ways in which Israel’s early years living in the Promised Land parallels our experience of living as God’s children in a broken and sinful world that is not our home.  Read More

Joshua 10:1-12:6.  “Lessons Learned”          Joshua’s list of conquests is quite impressive.  But as you read the list you see they were truly God’s conquests.  Time and again you read of how “the LORD fought for Israel.”         The land was promised for Israel, but the inhabitants chose to stay and fight.  God brought judgment on the wicked and fought for His chosen.  Eventually, “the land fina...  Read More

Joshua 7-9; 1 Chronicles 2:7.  “Repercussions of Our Sins”          Thirty-six men died for the sin of Achan, not to mention the death of his family.  Achan disobeyed, and stole plunder that had been set apart for the LORD.         In fact, his actions and the disaster he brought on Israel are recorded in the book of the Chronicles, one thousand years after it happened.  Not only did the sins of A...  Read More

Joshua 3-6.  “Admiring God’s Handiwork”          Although I was a small child, I remember listening to a conversation my grandpa was having with a man.  “It’s been said,” the man hypothesized, “that the depth of the Red Sea where Israel crossed was only two inches deep.”  Grandpa replied, “Well, praise the Lord, God could drown a whole army in two inches of water.”         The miracle of Israel cr...  Read More

Deuteronomy 33-34; Joshua 1-2.  “Leadership Transitions”          “Moses, the man of God” (Dt. 33:1).  “Moses, the servant of the LORD” (34:5).  “Israel mourned 30 days for Moses” (34:8).  “There has never been another prophet like Moses, whom the LORD knew face to face” (34:10).  “The LORD sent Moses to perform all the miraculous signs and wonders in the land of Egypt against Pharaoh” (34:11).  “...  Read More

Deuteronomy 31:30-32:52; Psalm 90.  “Songs of Obedience”          Music plays an amazing part in our life.  We listen to it as we drive, as we relax at home, as we watch a movie and it plays in the background. We hum melodies as we work, and we worship through music each week.         I have found myself sitting in a restaurant singing the words to a song playing over the speaker that I have not h...  Read More

Deuteronomy 29:2-31:29.  “True to Your Promise”          In this passage are written Moses’ last words.  More than just words, they were challenges for the people.  Moses petitioned Israel to commit to following God.  He reminded them they had made a covenant with God; a contract to obey Him.         When you consider a relationship with God today, do you think of it as casual or compelling?  Woul...  Read More

Deuteronomy 21:10-25:19.  “Random Acts of Kindness” In each of these various passages this week there is a constant theme: Obedience.  There are illustrations for us as to what obedience produces, and in turn, what disobedience produces.         There are also lessons on leadership, lessons on communication, lessons on consequences and their “ripple effect,” and lessons on the sovereignty of God. ...  Read More

 In each of these various passages there is a constant theme: Obedience.  There are illustrations for us as to what obedience produces, and in turn, what disobedience produces.            There are also lessons on leadership, lessons on communication, lessons on consequences and their “ripple effect,” and lessons on the sovereignty of God.          In its entirety, it produces a week truly focusing on the impact of our choices, and describing the necessity for those choices being in-line with God’s desires and instructions.  Read More

Deuteronomy 21:10-25:19.  “Random Acts of Kindness” Today’s reading was full of a variety of laws and regulations for Israel to do when they entered the Promised Land.  All of these laws were important for them to remember as they prepared to cross the Jordan River and experience a new beginning.As I read through this passage, a seemingly insignificant command really jumped out at me.  In Deuteron...  Read More

Deuteronomy 16:18-21:9.  “Wisdom does not Guarantee Obedience” Deuteronomy 17:14-20 outlines the guidelines for the future kings of Israel.  If you are familiar with the history of Israel, then you know that most of them failed to live up to this standard.  In fact, if you look at 1 Kings 10:14-11:13 you will see that one king, Solomon, disobeyed all three of the prohibitions given to Israelite ki...  Read More

Deuteronomy 13:1-16:17.  “Canceling of Debts” Every seven years Israel was to have a fresh start or a new beginning financially.  It was not a total reversal of someone’s financial outlook, but it was an opportunity for them to have a fresh start.  This was accomplished in two ways: the first was the canceling of financial debts that a fellow Israelite had incurred.  The second was granting of fre...  Read More

Deuteronomy 10-12.  “Place of Worship” Why was God so concerned with having a centralized location for worship?  I think that there were two main reasons for this.  First, the sacrificial system foreshadowed the coming sacrifice of Christ and having the sacrifices performed in a central location made it less likely for changes or variations to take place which would cause it to lose this great mea...  Read More

Deuteronomy 6-9.  “Living by God’s Grace” God’s grace is a wonderful and beautiful gift.  Deuteronomy 9:4-6 is a picture for us of God’s gracious gift.  The Promised Land for Israel was God’s blessed gift to His chosen people.  And it is for us a foreshadowing of our future in Heaven.  Israel in the Promised Land was God’s chosen people living in a ‘perfect’ land, with God Himself dwelling among t...  Read More

Deuteronomy 3:21-5:33.  “Whom He Loves He Disciplines” Deuteronomy 4:26-31 foreshadows the future collapse of Israel and subsequent captivity in Babylon.  God’s covenant faithfulness toward Israel is so great that He does not abandon them even when they are in violation of the covenant.  What a comfort it is to know that God does not abandon those whom He loves.  And yet even though He does not ab...  Read More

During this week you will read over two thirds of Deuteronomy.  Some of it will be repetitive to portions of Exodus and Leviticus.  This is where the name for the book comes from.  In Greek deutero means second, and nomos means law, therefore the name Deuteronomy means second law or second giving of the law.            And our theme for this week is New Beginnings, for as Moses reiterates the law, Israel is on the verge of a grand new beginning in the Promised Land.  Read More

First, you are doing great in your reading!  Keep up the good work and you will be rewarded. Romans 10:17 reminds us that our faith will be strengthened as we read and hear God’s Word.During this week you will read over two thirds of Deuteronomy.  Some of it will be repetitive to portions of Exodus and Leviticus.  This is where the name for the book comes from.  In Greek deutero means second, and ...  Read More

Numbers 34-36.  “God’s View” Envision the most analytical person you know (it may be you—it’s not me).  Everything has a place and everything is in its place.  Everything is planned out and scheduled right down to the minute.The chapters today remind us that God had things extremely planned out.  God was meticulously concerned with and involved in the distribution of the Promised Land.  God had sp...  Read More

Numbers 32-33.  “God and Me” Until recently, my parents and my wife’s parents lived in the same homes we grew up in.  My children will not be able to say the same thing.  We have moved several times, but nothing compared to the list in chapter 33.  The Israelites wandered in the wilderness from place to place to place.  From verses 5-49 a variety of locations are listed.  Yet, what caught my eye m...  Read More