Tues.’s Devo - Our Witness

Read: Joshua 22:21-23;16; Luke 20:27-47; Psalm 89:14-37; Proverbs 13:17-19
Yesterday, we were waiting for the response of Reuben, Gad and Manasseh as to why they built the altar by the Jordan, and today we get that response. They built it so that the other tribes would have it to remind them that the people of Reuben, Gad and Manasseh had an inheritance in the Lord also, even though they were on the other side of the Jordan. They never wanted to be cut off from worshipping the Lord because of the boundary of the Jordan. When the other tribes and the high priest heard their response they were satisfied and there was peace. The altar was named “Witness” to remind them all that God was their God too.
Years later, Joshua knew it was nearing time for him to die so he called all the elders to him. He warned them to follow the law that God had given them and to not associate with the people still living in the land. He told them to not even mention the name of their gods, much less worship them. He reminded them of how God helped them conquer their enemies and what would happen to them if they turned away from God. If they broke the covenant that they had made with the Lord, he would quickly vanish them from the good land he had given them.
In Luke, Jesus continued to be questioned and examined to find any blemish in him. Today, they posed the question about the wife who kept having to marry the brother of his deceased brother. They wanted to know who’s she would be in the resurrection. The question had nothing to do with the woman, but what He believed about the resurrection. The Sadducees were asking the question because they had a standing quarrel about resurrection with the Pharisees. The Sadducees didn’t believe in the resurrection and the Pharisees did.
Jesus set them straight. There was a resurrection and they were going to be judged on that day for the way they cheated the widows out of their inheritance. Jesus reminded them of what David said. David had called the Messiah, “Lord” because the Messiah wasn’t his son, he was his Lord. The Messiah would be the son of God.
Jesus gave them a lot to think about.
Lord, may we remember all you have done for us and not stray from the pure Word of God - it is our Witness.