Today’s reading includes Joshua 7:16-9:2, Luke 16:1-18, Psalm 82:1-8, Proverbs 13:2-3.

In today’s reading we see the danger of hidden things.  This is just after the story of Rahab, who is remembered for her “holy hiding”.  She hid the Israelite spies, which resulted not only in their safety, but in the victory for the Israelites.  This was an act of obedience and she was honored throughout history because of it.  She even was chosen to be in the lineage of Jesus.

But today’s story of “hidden things” was an altogether different story.  Joshua and the Israelites defeated their enemies in Jericho.  The place was burned to the ground and the only plunder that was taken were the things made from gold, silver, bronze, or iron.  Those things were set aside for the Lord—an offering to the treasury in the house of the Lord.  Joshua declared that the curse of the Lord be on anyone who tried to rebuild Jericho—as well as their family.

A man by the name of Achan stole some of the sacred things—gold and silver–that were set aside for the Lord, as well as a beautiful robe from Babylon.  He hid these in the ground with the silver hidden the deepest.  He was found out and was killed for his sin, along with his family.

In our world today, this seems extremely harsh.  Why did God judge Achan so severely?  First of all, in his act of disobedience, he broke 3 of the 10 commandments.  He stole, he associated with an idol, as represented by the robe from Babylon, and he coveted.  The sin started with the eyes, as it often does.  He saw the goods, just as Eve saw the apple.  What he saw with his eyes, he coveted in his heart. What he coveted in his heart, he took in his possession.  Because it was wrong—he actually stole from the Lord Himself when he took the silver and gold—he had to hide.  In fact, he hid so well, hid so deeply, it became the “foundation” of his house.  He hid it deep beneath his tent and actually lived upon the sin.

For nothing is hidden that will not become evident, nor anything secret that will not be known and come to light.

                                                               Luke 8:17

As always, the hidden things were eventually revealed, and Achan suffered greatly for his sin, along with his family.  Our sin never remains just with us, even if it is hidden.  It affects those around us, especially our families.  Why do we hide our sin?  This goes back to Adam and Eve.  When they sinned, they hid from God.

⁸ Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the Lord God as he was walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and they hid from the Lord God among the trees of the garden. ⁹ But the Lord God called to the man, “Where are you?”

          Genesis 3:8

Of course, the Lord knew where they were, but He wanted them to recognize where they had fallen.  You can’t hide from God.  No sin is so deep, that it can be hidden from God.  But no sin is so deep that it is out of reach of the Redeemer’s hand.  Achan died for sin.  Jesus died for ours.  As we approach the sacred time of Easter, let us rejoice that nothing is hidden from God, and nothing is unredeemable by God.

Today’s reading includes Joshua 5:1-7:15, Luke 15:1-32, Psalm 81:1-16, Proverbs 13:1.

As we continue our study of Joshua, I find myself still back in Joshua 3-4. Early in the morning, Joshua and all the people set out and traveled to the Jordan River. They camped by the river for three days. The significance of the number is subtle revelation of what was to come through these chosen people. Three days for them until they cross into the long-awaited Promise Land. Three days until they experienced the land flowing with milk and honey. Fast forward to their most precious Descendent….three days in the tomb before the Resurrection. Three days of death before the victory over death forever. After three days in the grave, the Savior conquered spiritual slavery and wandering and death forever to those who will receive what has been won on their behalf. The Ultimate Promise Land, ours for the asking. But like the Israelites, we must cross the Jordan River. We cross the Jordan into faith receiving abundant life in the here and now. And, in the end, our final crossing will be more than we can imagine for all eternity.

The Jordan River for the Israelites was a roadblock. It stopped the progression of the promise. After all the years of wandering and wondering, they were so close, they could feel it! They could smell it! They were finally at the borders of the promise, but they weren’t there yet. There was one more river to cross, but it was a doosey! At that time of year the Jordan River was at flood stage. Maybe a few of the strongest could forge the River. The spies made it across and back. But Joshua had the holy assignment of getting all of the people across the flood waters of the Jordan River, 40,000 heads of households, plus women, children, and animals. With the tradition of that day of multiple wives and many children, historians believe that the number could have been close to 2 million people in all.

Joshua 3:5-7 tells us that “Joshua told the people, “Consecrate yourselves, for tomorrow the Lord will do amazing things among you.” Joshua said to the priests, “Take up the ark of the covenant and pass on ahead of the people.” So they took it up and went ahead of them. And the Lord said to Joshua, “today I will begin to exalt you in the eyes of all Israel, so they may know that I am with you as I was with Moses.”

You, see Joshua was new to this leadership thing. Moses had just died, and maybe the people did not fully trust Joshua yet. I wonder if it was hard to believe that the Lord would do something extraordinary in his life, despite his past. But God said, “It’s coming!” After 3 days, the time had come. Joshua called for preparation. He told the people “Consecrate yourselves, for tomorrow the Lord will do amazing things among you.” (Joshua 3:5) I imagine him saying, “Get ready, people! I know you can’t see it; I know that you don’t remember right now all the other mighty things that He has done for us. I know that to some of you these are just stories told to you by your fathers and grandfathers. I know that none of you were there when the Lord sent the plagues, or when we were delivered from the slavery of Egypt, or when we crossed the Red Sea. But I was there. I remember. Caleb remembers, too. Ask him. I know you have never known life without manna, but I’m here to tell you, that is not the norm! I remember the days when we toiled and labored for what little food we had. I remember the first time I tasted manna. I remember. And that is why I know. I know that He is up to something! And when He says get ready, we must get ready! He is the Great I Am; He is the Covenant God, the Keeper of the Promise. And He has promised that He will lead us into this Promise Land. I believe Him, because I remember.”

The people got ready. They consecrated their outward selves, while at the same time prepared and consecrated their inward selves. They cleansed themselves completely. They prepared heart and soul and body. And then they waited. And nothing happened at first. At first, the priests got wet.

“Tell the priests who carry the Ark of the Covenant: ‘When you reach the edge of the Jordan’s waters, go and stand in the river.’”              Joshua 3:8

They had to take that giant step of faith into the flooded waters of the Jordan River. We, too, sometimes have to take that step of faith before we see the results. Hebrew 11:1 says, “Faith is the substance of things hoped for, and the evidence of things not seen.”

What were the priests thinking when they felt the water soaking their sandals? When the clothing that had lasted for 40 years, but had not worn out, began to be heavy with moisture? But then it happened. What are the sounds of a great body of water peeling back? It piled up in a heap a great distance away, at a town 20 miles upstream. And the priests kept walking, carrying the ark of the Lord with them. They kept walking to receive all the great promises that they had waited so long to receive, for He who promises is faithful–always.

The priests who carried the ark of the covenant of the LORD stood firm on dry ground in the middle of the Jordan, while all Israel passed by until the whole nation had completed the crossing on dry ground. Joshua 3:17

The priests went first because they were carrying the ark of the covenant. This was a beautiful gold box. And what was in the ark? Several holy things were in there, all which represented the presence of God. Of course, God is omnipresent, and we can’t keep him in a box, but there was a reigned-in holiness surrounding that box, because it was a concentrated portion of God’s presence. Remember that this was before Jesus completed his work on the cross. Now we don’t need an ark. Now, God dwells in the hearts of men. We, too, can stand firm, no matter the trial or difficulty or even joy, if we remain in the presence of God. And as the priests stood firm in the middle of the Jordan, strengthened with the presence of God, the people followed. Were they afraid that the water would fall back on them? Did they run across in fear or walk quickly across in amazement? Regardless of their emotions at the time, they did just what the priests had done. They took that step of faith and kept going.

When the priests carrying the arc of the covenant of the Lord got to the middle of the Jordan, they stood there until the whole nation had completed the crossing on dry ground. Scripture says, “they stood firm on dry ground in the middle of the Jordan”. They stood firm in what was now their personal experience, not just the experience of their forefathers. My mother used to always say, “God doesn’t have grandchildren, just children.” We can’t rely on our parents’ faith. We learn from them, but eventually we have to make it our own personal experience. The priests could stand firm because the ark of the Lord was holding the presence of the Lord Himself. So it was the Lord who held the waters back while the people crossed on dry land. The middle of the Jordan was surely the most dangerous spot to be. The Lord Himself remained in the place of danger, on their behalf, until all were safely on the other side. This is one of many, many examples that show that He is our refuge. He is our shelter from every storm. He is our safety. He alone can do extraordinary things on the behalf of ordinary people.

Just as the priests held the Presence of God, so we as sons of God carry the Presence of God in our very hearts and souls. Therefore, we, too, can stand firm in every dangerous and difficult place. We, too, can “Be still, and know that He is God”, as the Psalm says.

When the whole nation had finished crossing the Jordan River, the Lord had another significant assignment. He told Joshua to select 12 men, one from each tribe, and instruct them to go back to the middle of the Jordan River. They must go back to take up twelve stones from the middle of the river from right where the priests stood firm. They were to then carry them over to the people. So Joshua obeyed. He called 12 men from the 12 different tribes, symbolizing that God’s promises were for all the people, and that the generational covenant still was intact. The priests took the twelve stones from the Jordan and brought them up out of the middle of the river.

That day the LORD exalted Joshua in the sight of all Israel; and they revered him all the days of his life, just as they had revered Moses. Then the LORD said to Joshua, “Command the priests carrying the ark of the Testimony to come up out of the Jordan.” So Joshua commanded the priests, “Come up out of the Jordan.” And the priests came up out of the river carrying the ark of the covenant of the LORD. No sooner had they set their feet on the dry ground than the waters of the Jordan returned to their place and ran at flood stage as before.

Joshua 4:14-18

The slave was not only free, but exalted! The ordinary was used in an extraordinary way, despite the hardships and struggles and fear that he had had to work through. What was the purpose of the stones? They were stones of remembrance. At the Lord’s command, Joshua said to the people… “In the future when your descendants ask their fathers, ‘What do these stones mean? Tell them, ‘Israel crossed the Jordan on dry ground.’ For the Lord your God dried up the Jordan before you until you had crossed over. The Lord your God did to the Jordan just what he had done to the Red Sea when he dried it up before us until we had crossed over.” Joshua 4:21-23 Why did the Lord want them to take the stones from the Jordan? Because he knew them so well. They were a forgetful people. They were forgetful about Who He is, what He can do, what He requires. And I am forgetful, too. That is what this book is all about…it is about remembering. And as we remember who He is and what He has done and what He will do, He will begin to do extraordinary things. Why? So that all will know that God is powerful and wonderful and kind and merciful and loving. When they see us, and what God does despite our ordinary-ness, God alone will be glorified.

“He did this so that all the peoples of the earth might know                      that the hand of the Lord is powerful and so that you might                 always fear the Lord your God.”

Joshua 4:24

Today’s reading includes Joshua 3:1-4:24, Luke 14:7-35, Psalm 80:1-19, Proverbs 12:27-28.

Today, I find my thoughts still back in Joshua 2.  It is important to note an important story in that chapter because it tells the story of the black sheep of the lineage of Jesus.  I just love that God chose imperfection to be part of the Perfect Son, the one who would make all things new, even in His own family and certainly in ours.  What if we do sin?  Is all then lost?  Where is the hope?  We must know and believe that our Covenant God is a Redeemer.  He loves to restore that which is lost or damaged.  He will restore when repentance comes.  Total restoration.  Total redemption.  That is the beauty of the gospel.  To examine the truth of this, we can look at the beautiful story of Rahab.

Joshua sent spies to check out the land—especially Jericho.  They went to the house of Rahab, a prostitute, and hid there.  Why would these holy men on a mission from God want to associate with a prostitute? Whatever the earthly reasons for selecting Rahab’s house, it becomes clear in history that God had already selected her house.

You see, Rahab believed.  She was not a believer—yet—but she did believe.  Despite her sinful life, she recognized the holiness and the power of God.  She was more fearful of God, whom she did not even follow, than the leaders of Jericho, who would surely take her life if she was found out.

She knew what the risks were—she could lose her home, her family, her very life.  But her sinful existence paled in comparison to the hope she felt upon meeting these holy spies.  They truly had presence evangelism. We do not know what they spoke to her, but it appears that their very presence gave her more hope and more courage.  A glimmer of truth began to shine, and she could no longer deny it nor escape it.

Even though she had not yet taken the Lord as her God, she could not deny the truth of who He is.  This knowledge gave her hope she had never experienced before.  It gave her a reason to risk everything.

And recognizing the truth of who He is motivated another emotion we would not normally associate with a prostitute—love.  Her boldness was motivated by truth and by love.  She loved her family.  Her courage to confront these holy men and make a deal with them was fueled by realizing the truth of who God is and what He is capable of doing and by love for her family.  This courage had to be extreme, for she was a mere woman.  In those days, a woman was barely higher than a slave in the social and influential ladder.  And she was a poor, tainted woman, which plunged her even further down this ladder.  But love motivated her to ask for favor on behalf of her family.

All of these observations make me wonder: how did she come to be a prostitute anyway? Was it love for her family that plunged her into this hopeless lifestyle?

We won’t know these answers this side of heaven, but my guess is based on what I have seen in others like her.  No one leads such a desperate, hopeless life unless they feel they have no other choice.  Maybe that is the only way she could think of to deal with her hardships.

But then the holy spies came.  When she saw and believed the truth, it sparked the hope that perhaps there was another way.  Perhaps deliverance could come to lift her out of the dirty water of life in which she was slowly drowning.  She had heard the stories.

She had heard how the Lord had dried up another dirty body of water, the Jordan River. She had heard about all the other miracles as well.  She thought that if their God could do something as impossible as those miracles, maybe the favor of that God could dry up her own helpless situation, and she too could walk away on dry land. Maybe she wouldn’t drown after all. Maybe He could deliver her from the desperate life that held her captive.

Can you relate to her situation?  Have you ever felt trapped in a sinful existence?  Maybe there are reasons why—maybe life seems to have dealt an unfair hand to you.  Regardless of all of the reasons you are there, regardless of where you try to place the blame, the fact is you are trapped.  You are now a prisoner to a life of sin or depression or hardship, and it appears there is nothing you can possibly do about it.  But listen very carefully.  I have good news for you.

In Isaiah 61:1-3, we find this prophecy of the coming Savior.  Jesus declared in his first sermon that He was the fulfillment of the prophecy and I can testify that He has done this in my life:

The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is on me,

              because the LORD has anointed me

              to preach good news to the poor.

            He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,

             to proclaim freedom for the captives

             and release from darkness for the prisoners,

            to proclaim the year of the LORD’s favor

             and the day of vengeance of our God,

            to comfort all who mourn,

             and provide for those who grieve in Zion—

            to bestow on them a crown of beauty

             instead of ashes,

            the oil of joy

             instead of mourning,

            and a garment of praise

             instead of a spirit of despair.

            They will be called oaks of righteousness,

             a planting of the LORD

            for the display of his splendor.

What if you have already found the Deliverer, as I have?  Where does that leave you in your responsibilities to others who are still drowning and trapped? Can you allow the Holy Spirit to use you to spark hope, even if it is only through your presence?  As Saint Francis of Assisi said, “Preach the gospel at all times, and if necessary use words.”  Please don’t give up on people.  Please don’t assume that you or anyone else is too far-gone.  Sometimes those who appear furthest away are really the ones closest to the cross, just a step away from accepting the love of the Savior.

In the end, Rahab married Salmon from the tribe of Judah.  She was the mother of Boaz, and the great-great grandmother of King David.  Praise God for His redemptive plan.

Today’s reading includes Deuteronomy 34:1-Joshua 2:24, Luke 13:22-14:6, Psalm 79:1-13, and Proverbs 12:26.

Today, we will experience a new journey in the life of God’s people.  We will see them finally reach the Promise land.  They will be led by Joshua and they will continually have to remember three things:  Reach Up, Reach Out, and Remember. Joshua continually learned the value of these three simple objectives.  Reaching Up to God is the first and foremost, and should be a goal throughout our lives. When we first hear of Joshua, we find out that he was a former slave of Egypt, an aide of Moses, and that he spent much of his time in the tent of meeting, worshiping God. This time of worship was preparation for the great purpose that God had for him later in his life. But in order to be equipped to handle the purpose that God had for him, he had to spend much time in worship. He reached up to God.

Joshua is a person in whom I can relate. Joshua outwardly appears so strong and courageous, yet inwardly must deal with fear and insecurity, confusion and discouragement. Repeatedly, God tells Joshua, “Be strong and courageous, do not be terrified, and do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” In the first chapter of the book of Joshua we see that God told Joshua three different times to “Be strong and courageous”, and three different times God reminded Joshua that He would be with him, and that He would never leave him or forsake him. And that is just in the first chapter! Now why would God have to tell him so many times? I think it is because Joshua was an ordinary man, called to an extraordinary job by his extraordinary God. And because he was ordinary, just like me and you, he waxed and waned between great seasons of faith, courage and confidence, and fear, doubt, and discouragement. But he knew where to go. Courage is not the absence of fear, but it the ability to press on despite the fear. And true courage comes from the Source of all good things…God. Joshua knew that.

Joshua learned to overcome his fear through reaching up to God, which equipped him with the courage, strength, and confidence to reach out to others. We see many evidences of Joshua just doing what he was called to do. He worshipped, he fought battles, and he was an aide to Moses. He did the work that God prepared for him. And sometimes the calling changed….He went from being a slave to being an aide to being a leader. We, too, need to first reach up to God, so that then we are equipped to reach out to others through whatever giftedness or circumstances God provides for us. Ephesians 2:10 says, “For you are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” The Greek for the word, “workmanship”, often has the connotation of a “work of art”. This signifies that you are God’s masterpiece! And that he has created you for a very extraordinary work!

As Joshua kept on faithfully reaching up to God, then reaching out to others, he was also asked to go one step further…he was called to Remember. We find out in Deuteronomy that throughout their years of wandering, the Israelites faced many obstacles. One battle, in particular, was a very difficult one to fight. We will talk about that more in another chapter, but everyone had a particular role in this battle, and Joshua’s role was to lead the fighting. After the battle was won, through a miraculous series of events, God told Moses the following: “Then the Lord said to Moses, ‘Write this on a scroll as something to be remembered and make sure that Joshua hears it, because I will completely blot out the memory of Amalek from under heaven.’ Moses built an altar and called it The Lord is my Banner. He said, ‘For hands were lifted up to the throne of the Lord. The Lord will be at war against the Amalekites from generation to generation.” Exodus 17: 14-15 Why do you think that they wanted Moses to make sure Joshua heard all of the details of the victory? Because God knew what the future held for Joshua. He knew how He would use Joshua to finally lead the people into the Promise Land. He knew that Joshua would face these enemies again. He knew that this was an extraordinary job, and He knew that Joshua was ordinary. Joshua needed to remember, in order to have the courage and strength to face the days ahead. After many, many years all the fearful, unbelieving generation had died off, and just the children of that generation remained…all except Joshua and Caleb. In all that time, the Bible tells us that God fed them with manna, which faithfully fell everyday. And neither their clothes nor their sandals ever wore out in all those years. And He never left them. After 40 years of wandering in the desert, their time of cleansing and preparation was over.

Once again, Joshua found himself at the banks of the Jordan River. And once again, he sent spies out to scout out the territory. When the spies returned, the news was good. They said to Joshua, “The Lord has surely given the whole land into our hands; all the people are melting in fear because of us.” Joshua must have thought, “Good. That’s good news… Then why is my heart pounding so?” He must have told himself over and over, “Remember. Remember what Moses said. Remember what the Lord Himself told me….”Be strong and courageous, for you must go with this people into the land that the Lord swore to their forefathers to give them, and you must divide it among them as their inheritance. The Lord Himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.” No wonder the Lord had to repeat the statement over and over. Be strong. Be courageous. Do not be terrified. Do not be discouraged. How can a former slave, now leader, overcome such fear? “Because I Am”, says the Lord. “The Great I Am is with you. I Am promises to never leave you, nor forsake you. Don’t forget Who I Am!”

We, too, must reach up, reach out, and remember as we walk forward to all the promises God has for us.

Today is catch-up day for me.  Traveling out of town prevented a post yesterday, so I will try to catch up today.  Yesterday’s reading included Deuteronomy 32:28-52, Luke 12:35-59, Psalm 78:56-64, and Proverbs 12:24.

We made it through another book of the Old Testament!  As you know by now, this year I am focusing my studies on the Old Testament, though I am reading the New Testament and the Psalm and Proverbs.  Next year, I plan to focus on studying the New Testament.  I believe that studying the Old Testament will make the New Testament much clearer.  And visa versa.  So, let’s keep pressing on through all the confusing text, knowing that God has a plan and purpose through all of it.

So, in this last chapter of Deuteronomy, what do we see?  We see that Moses ends his days with a song of praise.  The gist of the song is this:  God is great, His ways are perfect, He is faithful though His creation is not.  This song begins as a praise and ends as a prophesy.  It is a recounting of the lessons Moses learned and an admonition to the current and future generations.

Let us begin our day with this same praise.  Say it aloud as a prayer:

I will proclaim the name of the Lord.
    Oh, praise the greatness of our God!
⁴ He is the Rock, his works are perfect,
    and all his ways are just.
A faithful God who does no wrong,
    upright and just is he.

Moses wants the people to reflect and remember.

Remember the days of old;
    consider the generations long past.

                                                Vs 7

He wants the people to reflect on their propensity to wander from God, the Rock and salvation.  We, too, have that propensity to wander.  “Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it; prone to leave the One I love.”

Jeshurun^[c] grew fat and kicked;

    filled with food, they became heavy and sleek.

They abandoned the God who made them
    and rejected the Rock their Savior.

They abandoned the God who made them
    and rejected the Rock their Savior.
¹⁶ They made him jealous with their foreign gods
    and angered him with their detestable idols.
¹⁷ They sacrificed to false gods, which are not God—
    gods they had not known,
    gods that recently appeared,
    gods your ancestors did not fear.
¹⁸ You deserted the Rock, who fathered you;
    you forgot the God who gave you birth.

                                                Vs. 15-18

He wants the people to remember that our Rock is not like the rock (foundation) of the rest of the world.  The world’s rock (foundation) is based on many lesser things—rock, with a lower case r.  Our Rock is a person, with a capital R.  Our Rock is steady and sure and everlasting.  The scripture in the New Testament that even the demons understand who Jesus is—and tremble.

For their rock is not like our Rock,
    as even our enemies concede.

                                    Vs. 31

And Moses ends his prayer song, his prophetic words, his life’s work with these important words:

⁴⁵ When Moses finished reciting all these words to all Israel, ⁴⁶ he said to them, “Take to heart all the words I have solemnly declared to you this day, so that you may command your children to obey carefully all the words of this law. ⁴⁷ They are not just idle words for you—they are your life.

                                                Vs 46-47

He said take to heart—hide them in their hearts that they may not sin against God.  Hide them in their hearts so that their children would learn—and live.  Hide them in their hearts because these are not just idle words, they are the life of the people.  May we apply this truth, too.  May we know that these words found in the Bible are not just idle words—they are our life.