Keep reading!  Even if you miss a day or two, just pick up where you left off.  There is so much the Lord wants to teach us, and it is through His Word that our lives are transformed.

April 19:  Joshua 19:1-20:9, Luke 19:28-48, Psalm 88:1-18, Proverbs 13:12-14.

April 20:  Joshua 21:1-22:20, Luke 20:1-26, Psalm 89:1-13, Proverbs 13:15-16.

April 21:  Joshua 22:21-23:16, Luke 20:27-47, Psalm 89:14-37, Proverbs 13:17-19.

April 22:  Joshua 24:1-33, Luke 21:1-28, Psalm 89:38-52, Proverbs 13:20-23.

April 23:  Judges 1:1-2:9, Luke 21:29-22:13, Psalm 90:1-91:16, Proverbs 13:24-25.

April 24:  Judges 2:10-3:31, Luke 22:14-34, Psalm 92:1-93:5, Proverbs 14:1-2.

April 25:  Judges 4:1-5:31, Luke 22:35-53, Psalm 94:1-23, Proverbs 14:3-4.

April 26:  Judges 6:1-40, Luke 22:54-23:12, Psalm 95:1-96:13, Proverbs 14:5-6.

April 27:  Judges 7:1-8:17, Luke 23:13-43, Psalm 97:1-98:9, Proverbs 14:7-8.

April 28:  Judges 8:18-9:21, Luke 23:44-24:12, Psalm 99:1-9, Proverbs 14:9-10.

April 29:  Judges 9:22-10:18, Luke 24:13-53, Psalm 100:1-5, Proverbs 14:11-12.

April 30:  Judges 11:1-12:15, John 1:1-28, Psalm 101:1-8, Proverbs 14:13-14.

Today’s reading includes Joshua 16:1-18:28, Luke 19:1-27, Psalm 87:1-7, Proverbs 13:11.

I haven’t posted for three days.  It’s not that I didn’t want to, nor was it that I couldn’t find the time.  It was a strange feeling I had in my heart.  After Good Friday, I realized that there was silence.  God’s followers did not hear a thing.  All was silent—as silent as the grave.  And I felt that I needed to be silent, too.

So many analogies come to mind.

It is darkest just before the dawn.

Or even more applicable, in the middle of the tornado tunnel there is peace. It is the outer edges that are so dramatic.  But in the middle, there is silence.  My thoughts liken that to the Day of Silence in between the cross and the resurrection.  There was the great destruction to the body of Christ, who bore our sin and shame.  Then, there was the great destruction of the entity of sin and death, for those who trust in Christ.  But in the middle, there was silence.  And I felt that for a few days, I was to be silent, too.

Often, we feel the silence of God.  Especially after storms of life have wreaked havoc on our hearts and emotions.  We think He has forgotten us.  Or worse, we think He is purposefully ignoring us.  But that is not the case.  He is continually working on our behalf, even in the silence.  The silence of the grave gave way to the greatest event in history—the resurrection of our Savior.  He is altogether trustworthy, even on the silent days, even if we don’t see Him or feel Him.  For that is what faith is, anyway.

Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see. 

                                                                                                Hebrews 11:1

In today’s passage, we read of the process of dividing the Promise land between the tribes of Israel.  We will discuss that more tomorrow, but today a simple verse caught my eye.

Then Joshua asked them, “How long are you going to wait before taking possession of the remaining land the Lord, the God of your ancestors, has given to you?

                                                                                    Joshua 18:3

God has given us all we need for an abundant life—all we need for a life of strength and holiness and goodness.  How long are we going to wait to take possession of what is already ours?  The great Day of Silence is over.  The resurrection occurred.  Jesus rolled away the stone and walked away from the cave of death, so that we could, too.  But we must take possession of what He has done for us.  We must claim it as ours.  How long are we going to wait?

Today’s reading includes Joshua 9:3-10:43, Luke 16:19-17:10, Psalm 83:1-18, Proverbs 13:4.

Today’s reading had lots of interesting parts.  We could talk of the people of Gibeon and how they tricked the Israelites.  We could talk of how the Israelites failed to consult God and only relied on their own observations.  We could talk about how the Israelites kept their word to the men of Gibeon, even when it was painful to do so—and God honored them for it.  God gave them victory over the Amorites and miraculously stopped the sun’s progression.  I love how that story was summed up:

There has never been a day like this one before or since, when the Lord answered such a prayer.  Surely the Lord fought for Israel that day!

                                                                                    Joshua 10:14

Up until that point in the journey of God’s people there had never been a day like that one.  But there was a day to come that would even be better–more amazing, more miraculous.  And what happened next was a reflection of that most glorious day to come.

Joshua found out that the five kings of their enemies had escaped and were hiding in a cave at Makkedah.  When Joshua found out, he issued this command:

“Cover the opening of the cave with large rocks and place guards at the entrance to keep the kings inside.”  Later, Joshua commanded that the stones be removed from the mouth of the cave.

²² Then Joshua said, “Remove the rocks covering the opening of the cave, and bring the five kings to me.” ²³ So they brought the five kings out of the cave—the kings of Jerusalem, Hebron, Jarmuth, Lachish, and Eglon. ²⁴ When they brought them out, Joshua told the commanders of his army, “Come and put your feet on the kings’ necks.” And they did as they were told.

²⁵ “Don’t ever be afraid or discouraged,” Joshua told his men. “Be strong and courageous, for the Lord is going to do this to all of your enemies.” ²⁶ Then Joshua killed each of the five kings and impaled them on five sharpened poles, where they hung until evening.

                                                                                    Joshua 10:22-26

This passage is a profound mirror image of what was to come.  I say mirror image because even though the reflection is the same, some of the elements are backward.  First, we have a cave with kings inside.  Next, we have stones covering the cave, forming a human graveyard.  The soldiers guarded the entrance for extra assurance of their victory over these kings.  Then, comes the command to roll away the stones and out comes the kings, alive and well.  Only their life would soon be taken from them by a holy one.  He crushes their neck and head with their feet and then hang them on a pole where they hung until evening.  As gruesome as this sounds, it was a righteous judgement for those cultural times.

Fast forward to the darkest and greatest day in history.  God allowed Jesus, the Righteous One, to carry the sins for an unrighteous people.  He hung on a tree and had to be removed before nightfall.  In doing this, He fulfilled the first prophesy of the coming Savior.

¹⁴ Then the Lord God said to the serpent,

“Because you have done this, you are cursed
    more than all animals, domestic and wild.
You will crawl on your belly,
    groveling in the dust as long as you live.
¹⁵ And I will cause hostility between you and the woman,
    and between your offspring and her offspring.
He will strike^[b] your head,
    and you will strike his heel.”

Genesis 3:14-15

At the cross, Jesus stomped the head of Satan, defeating his kingship forever.  For three days, he was in the grave.  This was a cave with a large rock put at the entrance, with soldiers guarding the entrance.  When He entered that cave, that grave, He was literally unrighteous.  It hurts my heart to write that.  But He was not unrighteous with His own sin, He was unrighteous with mine.  When He rose again, He was once again reinstate to perfect righteousness.  He had shaken off my sin and defeated it forever.  He did not have to wait for a righteous one to roll away the stone, the great King inside who had defeated every other unrighteous king, rolled away the stone Himself when He rose again from the dead.  The Righteous One who carried our sins so that we could stand in His righteousness, is no longer in the cave.  The King of King has rolled away the stone, stomped Satan’s headship, and offered us life eternal.

Today is Good Friday.  When I was younger, I couldn’t understand why they called it good.  But now I get it.  This passage in Joshua was a reflection of what would come.  It was a hopeful preview.  But we have already seen and experienced the feature story.  It has already happened.  In our glancing back, we know the end of the story.  We know that it is Good Friday, because that was not the end of the story.  It may be Friday, but Sunday is coming!  Indeed, that glorious Resurrection has already come and we can rejoice that our King is the King of all kings and the Lord of all Lords.  Remember the grave today.  Let’s grieve for what He had to go through, what He had to endure for us.  But let’s not grieve as those who have no hope.  We know the end of the story.  We are recipients of that glorious ending.  Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty, the One who was and is and is to come!

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