Sat.’s Devo - Jephthah

Read: Judges 11:1-12:15; John 1:1-28; Psalm 101:1-8; Proverbs 14:13-14 Israel needed a brave warrior to lead them into battle against the Ammonites. There was a man named Jephthah which means “he will open”. He was the son of a prostitute and his half brothers had run him out of town. Now they came looking for him to be their commander. They promised he would be the nation’s leader if he won. Jephthah agreed to help them if they would be faithful to their promise and sent a letter to the king of Ammon giving him their history with them. They had not let Israel pass through their land when they were coming out of Egypt into Canaan, so they had gone around. The king of Moab also refused to let them pass through their land. King Sihon of the Ammonites had attacked Israel and God had given them the victory and their land. They had now lived in that land for 300 years. He told them that God had given them their land; they could keep whatever their god Chemosh have them and they would keep whatever their God gave them. He reminded them what happened to Balak when he tried to take back their land. The king of Ammon ignored Jephthah’s message. Jephthah went throughout the land of Gilead and Manasseh and gathered an army to go against the Ammonites. Jephthah vowed to the Lord to sacrifice the first thing that came out of his house if He would give them the victory. God did give Jephthah a great victory and when he returned home, his daughter was the first thing that came out of his house. He was devastated because she was his only child. She told her father he had to fulfill his vow, she just wanted 2 months to go up in the mountains and mourn the fact that she would never love a man or have children. Then she came home and he fulfilled his vow. Child sacrifice was common among the heathen nations and even in Israel when they worshipped Molech and Baal. So as horrific as this practice is to us, it was not looked at it the same to them. The men of Ephraim got mad that Jephthah didn’t ask them to fight just like they got mad a Gideon for not inviting them. Jephthah responded that he did ask them to fight and they refused. They seemed to make excuses for not fighting often then acted offended later. Jephthah’s men attacked the Ephraimites and killed them then took command of the main crossing of the Jordan. They tested everyone who crossed by asking them to pronounce Shibboleth. The Ephramites had a speech impediment and couldn’t pronounce their “sh’s”. If they couldn’t pronounce it, they were killed. They killed 42,000 there. Jephthah judged Israel for six years, then Ibzan from Bethlehem judged Israel for seven. Elon was next from Zebulun and when he died Abdon from Ephraim judged Israel for eight years. John was the book to the Church and opens like Genesis. It takes us back to the beginning of time when Jesus and God created the world. Jesus is called The Word because everything was created with words. God created everything through Him. John the Baptist was sent to testify about the light of Jesus. He was the true light that when God spoke, ‘Let there be light’ it was Jesus he was referring to. Jesus came as a man into the world that he created to be a human and relate to his creatures. Sadly, the world didn’t recognize him and his own people rejected him, but anyone who did believe in had the privilege of becoming his child. Jesus was full of unfailing love and faithfulness. Moses brought us the law, but Jesus brought love and heart. When John was questioned by the priests and men from the Temple, he told them that he was not the Messiah, Elijah, or the Prophet, but he was to prepare the people’s heart for the Messiah. John was a voice. He baptized with water but there was one standing among them who that was preferred above him. The leaders of the law believed that Elijah would appear in bodily form before the Messiah came. They also believed that a prophet would come which was mentioned in De 18:15. They weren’t sure if the prophet was the Messiah or a separate person. John came in the spirit of Elijah and was a prophet. Jesus was Prophet, Priest and King. Lord, thank you for your loving kindness. Thank you for being a kind and loving creator and Father. Thank you that we are your children.

Fri.’s Devo - The Good News

Read: Judges 9:22-10:18; Luke 24:13-53; Psalm 100:1-5; Proverbs 14:11-12 Abimelech ruled over Israel for three years when God stirred up strife between Abimelech and the men of Shechem. God wanted to judge them for assisting Abimelech in killing Gideon’s 70 sons. The citizens revolted against Abimelech and set up an ambush to catch him. but Abimelech was warned about it. Abimelech lived in Arumah but had left Zebul in charge of Shechem. A newcomer came to live in Shechem named Gaal which means “loathing servant”. He stirred up the city to rebel against Abimelech. Zebul sent word to Abimelech to come and attack the city before he lost it to Gaal. Abimelech led his men and arrived in Shechem at the early light. He divided his army into four groups. Gaal and Zebul were standing at the city gates when Abimelech’s army ascended on the city. Gaal saw them but Zebul tried to tell him he was only seeing shadows. By the time they were almost on the city Zebul asked him where his big mouth was now. Gaal had little time to rouse the men of Shechem to fight. As the men of Shechem ran out of the gates to fight, another group of Abimelech’s surrounded them and wouldn’t let them back into the gates. The other groups fought in the fields. Abimelech’s army fought all day and captured the city, killed the people and leveled Shechem and scattered it with salt so it couldn’t be planted again. Some of the leading citizens had hid in the temple of Baal-berith. Abimelech locked them in and burned the temple killing 1,000 people who had lived in its tower. Abimelech also attacked the town of Thebez and captured it. They had a tower also that the people fled to. Abimelech prepared to burn it down also but a woman dropped a milestone out of the top of the tower on Abimelech’s head. He knew he was going to die so he told a soldier to kill him so it would’t be said of him that a woman killed him. Abimelech and the people of Shechem got exactly what they deserved and the curse of Jotham was fulfilled. The next two judges were Tola who ruled for 23 years and Jair who ruled for 22. Then Israel went back into idolatry and served Baal and Ashtoreth. God turned them over to the Philistines and the Amorites who oppressed them for 18 years. Finally, Israel cried out to the Lord and he sent them back to cry out to their gods. They got rid of their gods and continued to beg the Lord for help. The armies of Ammon came to Gilead and the people of Israel assembled at Mizpah. The leaders of Gilead announced that whoever would lead the attack against the Ammonites would be their ruler. In Luke, people were leaving the city after the Passover to go back to their home towns. Jesus disguised himself and walked up to two of his followers. Jesus asked them what they were talking about and they told him all that had happened in Jerusalem to the man they had hoped was the Messiah. They relaid the story of the women who found his tomb empty and were wondering if he was truly alive like some believed. Jesus then took them through scripture and showed them how the law and the prophets all pointed to what had just happened. Jesus had fulfilled the scriptures. When they got to Emmaus, their home town, they begged Jesus to stay with them. He went in to eat with him. When Jesus took the bread in his hands and blessed it and broke it, their eyes were opened and they realized who he was. He then vanished. They were so excited they went back to Jerusalem to tell the disciples. As they were telling their story, Jesus appeared among them. He explained to his disciples the things he had told the two on the road. He had fulfilled his mission to start in Jerusalem and with the help of the Holy Spirit, they would carry his testimony to the ends of the earth. He led them to Bethany and as they watched, he was taken up to heaven. Lord, may we continue your commission to tell the world about you. May we do that in everything we do.

Thurs.’s Devo - Resurrection

Read: Judges 8:18-9:21; Luke 23:44-24:12; Psalm 99:1-9; Proverbs 14:9-10 Before Gideon killed the Midianite kings Zebah and Zalmunna, he asked them to describe the people he killed at Tabor. The described them as looking like the sons of a king. According to my commentator, this would be the characteristics of great beauty, majesty of appearance, uncommon strength, and grandeur of form. Gideon then knew that his relatives had been killed. Gideon announced the death sentence for them and wanted his son to kill them. He was too young to want to kill them so Gideon did it himself. The Israelites wanted to make Gideon their ruler but he refused to become their king. He did ask that they give up one golden earring a piece of the plunder. They gladly did and he made an ephod which he would wear as their judge. It was not meant to be worshipped but eventually was used for idol worship. Gideon returned home and with his many wives and concubines, had 70 sons. One of his concubines lived in Shechem and they had a son named Abimelech. Gideon died and the people had experienced 40 years of peace because of him. When he died, the people went into idolatry and worshipped Baal-berith, “the lord of the covenant.” They forgot the Lord and Gideon. Abimelech aroused the men of Shechem and led a revolt against his brothers, the sons of Gideon and had them all killed but one. Jotham, the youngest son escaped and came back to give a speech that was more of a parable. In it he described different trees that were asked to be king and refused. He was referring to Abimelech as the thornbush. He asked them if they believed they were honoring Gideon and all he did for them by killing his sons and exalting one of his concubine’s sons to be their leader. He pronounced a curse of fire on them if they had not acted honorably. Then he escaped to Beer. In Luke, as Jesus hung on the cross the sun dial struck noon and darkness fell upon the earth for three hours. The curtain in the sanctuary in the Temple separating the people from the Holy of Holies, the presence of God, was torn from top to bottom. No longer could a curtain keep the people from God’s presence; it was know available to all. When the light came back on, Jesus gave up his spirit and died. The Roman officer in charge of the crucifixion exclaimed that surely Jesus was an innocent man. The people observing the crucifixion went home grieved. Joseph of Arimathea was a member of the Jewish council who did not approve of killing Jesus. He went to Pilate and asked for Jesus’ body. He wrapped his body in linen and laid him in his own tomb that had been carved out of rock. The women who had been observing from afar followed to see where Jesus would lay. The next day was the Sabbath so they stayed home and observed it. Early the next day, the women told spices to the tomb and found that the stone had been rolled away. The tomb was empty and as they stood looking into he tomb, an angel appeared to them. He asked them why they were looking among the dead from someone who was alive. Then he told them the same thing Jesus had told them. He had to be betrayed into the hands of sinful men and be crucified so he could rise again on the third day. They remembered what Jesus had said and ran to tell the disciples. When Peter heard, he ran to the tomb to see for himself. He was filled with wonder and amazement. Lord, thank you for the empty tomb. Thank you for resurrection and life.

Wed.’s Devo - Signs

Read: Judges 7:1-8:17; Luke 23:13-43; Psalm 97:1-98:9; Proverbs 14:7-8 Gideon and his army came to the spring of Herod which means “trembling”. There God told him to send home all who were trembling with fear, and 22,000 left. There were 10,000 still there and God said it was too many because he didn’t want them to be able to boast that they brought their victory. He wanted them to know that it was Him who gave them victory. So he too them down to the brook and told them to drink. Only 300 men drank with their hands and God chose them. Gideon sent the others home and they went to where he could see the Midianite camp in the valley below. God told Gideon that if he was still afraid he should go down into the camp at night and listen. He took Purah and did that. When they got there two men were talking and one was telling the dream he had just had. He dreamed a cake of barley rolled down and knocked over one of their tents. The other interpreted it as Gideon’s army completely defeating them. Gideon was ready to fight. He went back up and woke up his army and told them that God had given them the victory. He divided them into three groups and gave them all a ram’s horn and a clay jar with a torch in it. They reached the camp just after midnight at the changing of the guards and surrounded the camp. They blew their horns, broke their clay jars exposing the fire and shouted, “A sword for the Lord and for Gideon.” They just stood and watched as the Midianites panicked and killed each other. Some escaped and fled. Gideon called for the armies of Naphtali, Asher, and Manasseh to chase them. He called for the Ephraimites of the hill country to help them also. They captured Oreb and Zeeb the two Midianite commanders. Oreb means “a raven” and Zeeb means “a wolf”. The people of Ephraim were mad that they weren’t called to help till now. Gideon told them how important what they had done by capturing Oreb and Zeeb and they were contented. Gideon and his men continued chasing the kings of Midian, Zebah and Zalmunah. THey stopped in Succoth for some food for his army but they wouldn’t give them any until they had captured the kings. Gideon told them that when he returned he would take down their tower. Towers were occultist structures like obelisks. God gave Gideon success and he captured the kings and their armies. Returning he ran into a man from Succoth and made him write down the names of the 77 officials of Succoth. When he came to the town he took the men whose names where on the lists out to the wilderness and whipped them with thorns and briars He also tore down the tower and killed all the men in the town. In Luke, Herod and Pilate examined the lamb of God and found him innocent and not worthy of death. Pilate said he was going to flog him and then release him. The crowd went wild and called for him to release Barabbas instead and crucify Jesus. Pilate finally released Barabbas and turned Jesus over to the people to do what they wanted to do. They led Jesus away to be crucified and grabbed Simon of Cyrene to carry his cross for him. A mob of angry people followed Jesus along with greif-stricken women. Jesus turned and spoke to them. He spoke of a day that would be worse than this one. Jesus was led to a place called “the Skull” and there was nailed to the cross. Other criminals were dying that day. One was placed on his left and one on his right. Jesus prayed that God would forgive them for they didn’t understand what they were doing. They mocked him and put up a sign that said, “This is the King of the Jews.” One of the criminals beside him mocked him but the other honored him and prayed that Jesus would remember him when he came to his Kingdom. Jesus assured him that he would be with him in Paradise. Thank you Lord for all the encouragement and signs you gave to Gideon. It gives us courage to ask for signs for ourselves. You never get mad when we ask for signs along the way…signs are your language. Lead us in the way we should go today. Let us see your signs and follow them.

Tues.’s Devo - God Delivers

Read: Judges 6:1-40; Luke 22:54-23:12; Psalm 95:1-96:13; Proverbs 14:5-6 The Israelites went into idolatry so God turned them over to the Midianites who were so cruel that the Israelites had to hide in the rocks for safety. Whenever they would plant their crops, the raiders from Midian, Amalek and the people of the east would attack and steal their harvest. They stripped the land bare like locusts. When the children of Israel cried out to the Lord, he sent a prophet to tell them why all this was happening to them. Then God sent an angel to Gideon and told him he would be the one to lead the Israelites against the Midianites. Gideon objected to being the leader since he saw himself as poor and the least in his family. The Lord didn’t care about any of that, Gideon had found grace in God’s eyes. Gideon wanted to see a sign that this conversation was real and not just a dream or crazy vision. He went and brought a kid goat, unleavened bread and broth. (He had no wine.) The angel told him to lay it on a rock and then consumed it with fire. The angel then disappeared. Then the Lord talked to Gideon and he was listening. He told him to offer one of his father’s bulls on the altar, then offer his father’s bull that was seven years old (the same number of years they had been attacked by the Midianites). But, first he was to break apart the altar his father had to Baal and the Ashterah pole beside it. He was to use the wood of the pole for the sacrifice. The next morning, the people of the town realized what had happened and went to Gideon’s house to kill Gideon. Gideon’s father said to let Baal defend his own altar and kill Gideon himself. He saved Gideon’s life. Soon, the armies of Midian and Amalek returned to fight against Israel. The Spirit of the Lord clothed Gideon with power and he blew the ram’s horn to call the people to arms. He also sent messengers throughout Manasseh, Asher, Zebulun and Naphtali to send warriors. They all responded. Gideon went to the Lord for another sign that he was going to help them defeat the Midianites. God gave him two signs. In Luke, Jesus was arrested and sent to the home of the high priest where he was given a mock trial. Peter had followed and was sitting outside in the courtyard by the fire. He was asked by three people if he knew Jesus and denied it all three times. When the rooster crowed he remembered the words of Jesus and wept bitterly. Inside the house, Jesus was beat and mocked. He was led before the Jewish council to give an answer for himself. They asked him if he was the Messiah and he told them that if he told them he was, they wouldn’t believe him. Then he told them that from now on the Son of Man would be seated in the place of power at God’s right hand. They got all upset that he was referring to himself as God’s son. They then took Jesus to Pilate, the Roman governor. They accused Jesus of leading the Jewish people to not pay their taxes to Rome and claimed he was the Messiah and king. Pilate asked Jesus if this was true. Jesus said that he had said that. Pilate proclaimed that Jesus was innocent but the Jews became insistent. They claimed that Jesus caused riots wherever he went - all over Judea, from Galilee to Jerusalem. When Pilate realized he could get out of this since those places were not in his jurisdiction, he sent him to Herod Antipas who was over Galilee. Herod had heard of Jesus and was glad to finally meet him. He had hoped to see a miracle. Herod was the one who had killed John the Baptist. Jesus refused to answer any of his questions. Herod’s soldiers joined the Jewish leaders in mocking Jesus. They put a royal robe on him and sent him back to Pilate. Herod and Pilate who had been enemies, became friends that day. (A picture of Satan’s demons joining together against Jesus.) Lord, help us to be courageous in our own battles against the enemy and his plans. Thank you that you are our strength and our redeemer.

Mon.’s Devo - Victory Again

Read: Judges 4:1-5:31; Luke 22:35-53; Pslam 94:1-23; Proverbs 14:3-4 After Ehud died, Israel went into sin again so God turned them over to King Jabin of Hazor. He ruthlessly oppressed Israel 20 years till they cried out to the Lord for help. God sent them Deborah who was a prophet and a judge. She set up her judgment seat in Ephraim but sent for Barak in Naphtali to lead the army against Jabin’s commander Sisera. She told Barak that he was the lead Israel in battle against Sisera. Barak told Deborah that he wouldn’t go without her. Since he depended on a woman, she said a woman would get the victory. Barak led the army of Israel against Sisera and the Lord gave him such a victory, that none of Sisera’s warriors survived. Sisera fled and came to the tent of Jael. She tricked him and gave him milk then put him to sleep. She was suppose to watch out for any of Israel’s army and tell them he was not there. Instead, she took a tent peg and drove it through his temple while he slept. When Barak reached her, she sent him into her tent to find Sisera dead. Jael got the credit for the victory because she killed the leader. Deborah sang a song about the whole event. She admonished the tribes of Ephraim, Benjamin, Zebulun, Issachar and Naphtali for fighting for Israel, but rebuked Reuben and Dan for staying home. She mentioned Barak but gave the greatest honor to Jael. Deborah spoke of Sisera’s wife as she anxiously waited in vain for her husband’s return and the things he would bring her with the spoil. After Deborah’s victory there was peace in Israel for 40 years. In Luke, Jesus warned them of a shift. Before, they didn’t need to take provision or weapons with them. But the time when darkness would reign was coming and they would need to be prepared. People wouldn’t be so trusting and it would be dangerous for his followers once he was gone. Jesus went alone to pray and prayed so fervently that he sweat drops of blood. This was Gesemene - Jesus hardest battle because it was the one of surrender to God’s plan. God sent an angel to strengthen him for what he was about to endure. The disciples kept falling asleep but the time came when Jesus would be betrayed. Judas showed up and pointed Jesus out with a kiss. Jesus asked him why he would betray him with a kiss. This had to hit Judas in the heart. The disciples wanted to fight and took out their two swords. Peter even cut off the ear of the high priest’s assistant. Jesus put it back on and healed him. It was not the time to fight with swords. Jesus asked the leading priest why they chose to arrest him at night instead of in the Temple. He ended with “this is your moment, the time when the power of darkness reigns.” Lord, thank you that our sword is your Word. May we wield it to fight until we see the victory.

Sun.’s Devo - The Judges

Read: Judges 2:10-3:31; Luke 22:14-34; Psalm 92:1-93:5; Provers 14:1-2 Once Joshua died, the next generation did not acknowledge the Lord or remember the mighty things he had done for Israel. They served the gods of the people around them. So God was angry with Israel and fought against them. They had their possessions stolen. When they did cry out for the Lord, he sent judges to rescue them from their enemies, but as soon as the judge died, they returned to their idolatry. Those nations had been left in the land to test the people but they always failed the test. The first judge that God sent was Othniel, Caleb’s nephew who had married his daughter. His adversary was King Cushan-rishathaim of Aram. He had kept Israel in bondage for 8 years. This king’s long name means “of double wickedness”. The Lord gave Othniel victory over him and they had peace for 40 years. When Othniel died, the people turned back to their idols and God sent the judge Ehud. His name means “undivided; united”. His adversary was King Eglon which means “the bull calf”. He was an extremely fat man. Ehud stabbed him with a foot long knife that got stuck in his belly and the fat covered it so that he could not bring it back out. He fled to Seirah where he blew a trumpet to call the Israelites to war. They took control of the Jordan River so no Moabites could escape and killed 10,000 of their stronger warriors. None escaped. They had peace in the land for 80 years. Shamgar was the third judge. His adversaries were the Phillistines. He killed 600 with an ox goad. In Luke, Jesus told his disciples that he was eager to eat this meal with them because he would not eat it again until its meaning was fulfilled in the Kingdom of God. He then walked them through the symbolism of Passover and what it represented. The bread represented his body which would be crucified for them and us. The cup represented the new covenant between God and his people which would be confirmed with his blood sacrifice. Then, Jesus exposed that one of them would betray him. They couldn’t believe it. Instead, they argued among themselves who would be the greatest in Jesus’ kingdom. He told them that in the world it is the one served who is greater, but in God’s kingdom it is the one who serves. Because the disciples had stayed with him during his greatest trials, they would given the right to eat and drink at his table and have individual thrones in the Kingdom. Jesus turned to Peter and told him that Satan had wanted to take him but Jesus had prayed for him to remain strong. He told him when he had repented that he needed to be the one to strengthen his brothers. Peter had no idea what he was talking about so he proudly told him he was ready to go to prison for him or die for him. Jesus told Peter that before the rooster crowed in the morning he would have denied knowing Jesus three times. How like Peter we are…so sure we would stand for Jesus when we are very weak. Our only strength is what the Lord gives us for every situation. We need a daily dose of Jesus and his grace to make it through the day, the hour, and sometimes the minute of our lives. Lord, give us victory over our enemies and the strength to stand when we feel very weak.

Sat.’s Devo - Failures -

Read: Judges 1:1-2:9; Luke 21:29-22:13; Psalm 90:1-91:16; Proverbs 13:24-25 In Judges we go back and see the take over of the land and how it ended up. Judges, Chapter One is the chapter of failures. It lists the tribes who failed to drive out the people in their territories even though the Lord had promised to do that for them. At the end of the chapter the angel of the Lord spoke to the people at Bochim and told them he would no longer drive out the people living in their land because they refused to obey the Lord. They had made covenants with the people of the land and didn’t destroy their altars. They would now be constant thorns in their sides and their gods would be a constant temptation to you. One of the examples of this was in the descendants of Joseph (vs. 21-26). They sent a spy to Bethel which was then known as Luz. Luz means “perverseness”. They made a covenant with one of the men in the town to save him if he would show them a way into the city. He did and they allowed him to live. He went down the road and rebuilt the city and named it Luz. All he did was to take his perverseness to the land of the Hittites. The people wept when they heard his words but it did not reach their hearts. They offered sacrifices to the Lord and served the Lord till Joshua and the leaders who outlived him and had experienced the Lord’s hand. Most of the people they couldn’t take over, ended up living among them. They taught the people of Israel about their gods and their way of worship. In Luke, Jesus had just given them a picture of what the world would look like just before he came back. He warned them that when they saw these signs they were not to just keep living their lives drinking and carrying on, but to pray for strength to go through what was coming. Many people think we are living in that time but that is not what I see coming. Instead of destruction, I see a wonderful picture about to unfold. Wickedness and evil is being exposed so we can repent and get rid of it. This is the greatest time in history so far. We will have such stories to tell our grandkids and great grandkids about the day that we overcame the enemies in our land and drove them out. We have many battles ahead but we need to be courageous and strong because God is giving us back our land. We just need to be careful to drive out every power and principality of evil and not leave any living among us. It was nearing the time of Jesus’ departure from earth so he was diligent to teach every day and pray all night. Passover was approaching so everyone was gathering at Jerusalem to celebrate. Satan entered Judas Iscarot and he went to the leading priests and together they plotted how to kill Jesus. Judas was promised money to give them Jesus in a time when the crowds were not there. Jesus sent Peter and John ahead of them to prepare the Passover meal. God had angels to lead them to the place he had arranged for them to meet. Lord, may we learn from our failures and become stronger. May we defeat the enemies of Satan with the power of the Holy Spirit. Thank you for going before us and being our Captain and Lord.

Fri.’s Devo - Choose You This Day Who You Will Serve -

Read: Joshua 24:1-33; Luke 21:1-28; Psalm 89:38-52; Proverbs 13:20-23 Joshua called the leaders, elders, judges and officers of all the tribes to Shechem. He gave a speech telling them all God had done for them. He made sure they understood that God did this, not them. It wasn’t their swords or bows that had brought them victory over their enemies, it was God. It was not them who built the towns they were living in or planted the vineyards and olive groves they were enjoying. God gave them to them. Joshua asked them who they wanted to serve, the God who had done all this for them or the gods they had left in Egypt. Joshua told them that he and his household were going to serve God. They all agreed that they did too. Joshua told them to get rid of all their idols and turn their hearts to the Lord. They promised to do this. Joshua made a covenant with the Lord for him and the people that they would follow the decrees and regulations of the Lord. As a reminder he took a huge stone and rolled it beneath the terebinth tree beside the tabernacle of the Lord. He told them that this stone had heard everything the Lord said to the and would be a witness against them if they went back on their word. They stayed true to the Lord as long as Joshua and the elders who had personally experienced all that the Lord had done for Israel. They buried the bones of Joseph in Shechem which was a city of refuge. Eleazar died and was buried in Ephraim also but in the town of Gibeah. In Luke, Jesus commended the small gift of the women who gave all she had, over the large gifts of the Pharisees who gave for attention and the honor of men. The disciples got distracted by the beauty of the Temple and its huge stonework and decorations on the walls. Jesus told them in the end it would all be destroyed. He described what the world would be like right before he returned. Everything in the universe will be disrupted and dysfunctional. People will live in terror at what they are seeing. Then, Jesus will come on a cloud with power and great glory. To those who are living at this time, he said to stand and look up, for your salvation is near! Lord, thank you for salvation. We choose to serve you and not the gods of this world. This world is not our home. Thank you for the promise of heaven.

Thurs.’s Devo - Answers

Read: Joshua 24:1-33; Luke 21:1-28; Psalm 89:38-52; Proverbs 13:20-23 The people of Reuben, Gad and half of Manasseh had built altar in their land and the other tribes caught up with them to find out why they built it. They were ready to fight them for building an altar when God specifically told them not to do that. They explained that they built it as a memorial not an altar. They never planned to offer sacrifices or worship there. It was to remind them that they were a part of the children of Israel on the other side of the Jordan and it was to remind the tribes on the other side of the Jordan that they were a part of God’s inheritance also. They didn’t want to ever not be able to cross over and worship the Lord at Shiloh or wherever the tabernacle was. When the other tribal leaders heard their explanation they were satisfied and rejoiced rather than going to war. They named the altar “Witness”. Years passed and Joshua was getting old and knew his days were few. He called together the elders, leaders, judges, and officers from all the tribes. He reminded them of all the Lord had done for them and how the Lord had fought against their enemies and helped them conquer their land. There was still land yet to conquer. He warned them to keep following the law of the Lord and worshipping him. He told them not to even mention the names of the gods their enemies worshipped. God had driven those nations out who were stronger and bigger than them. One of the Israelites would put the flight a thousand of the enemy, so they should never be afraid. But, just as sure as God’s good promises are if you obey, so sure are his curses if you disobey. If you disobey, He will banish you from the good land he has given you. In Luke, the Sadducees came to Jesus to trick him with a question. They didn’t believe in the resurrection and wanted to find out what he believed about it. Instead of asking him out right they came up with a story. Jesus saw right through the story and answered their question about the resurrection. He told them that if you were worthy of being raised from the dead, you would not marry nor would you ever die again. You would be a child of the resurrection. Jesus went on to prove his point. He said that Moses spoke of the Lord of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob as if they were alive. God was the god of the living. The other leaders of the law who believed in the resurrection gave his answer an “Amen.” They had regularly argued with the Sadducees about the resurrection. Then Jesus gave them a question to think about. He asked them why the Messiah was said to be the son of David when David called the Messiah his Lord. How could he both son and Lord? Jesus then turned to his disciples and warned them of the hypocrisy of the teachers of the law. They liked to look important but they shamelessly cheated widows out of their property. They would be severely punished. Lord, may we follow You in all your laws and remember all your promises to us.

Wed.’s Devo - Our Authority

Read: Joshua 21:1-22:20; Luke 20:1-26; Psalm 89:1-13; Proverbs 13:15-16 The Levites had to ask for their towns which reminds me of the scripture, ‘You have not because you ask not.’ They asked for what had been promised to them and got it. They were suppose to get towns in each of the tribes to live among them and teach them the law of the Lord. The Kohathites were given 13 towns in Judah, Simeon and Benjamin and 10 towns in Epharim, Dan and half of Manasseh. The Gershonites were given 13 towns in Issachar, Asher, Naphtali and the other half of Manasseh. The clan of Merari were given 12 towns in Reben, Gad, and Zebulun. The names of the towns were given. The Lord fulfilled his promise to give them all the land he had allotted for them and they had peace on every side. Not a single one of all the good promises the Lord had given them was left unfulfilled; everything he had spoken came true. Joshua then called all the tribes living on the east side of the Jordan (Reuben, Gad and half of Manasseh) and commended them for helping the other tribes get their land. He told them they were released to go back home and enjoy their inheritance. They went home with much spoil from the enemy. That is our promise! On the way home they decided to build an altar in Geliloth near the Jordan. When the other tribes heard of their altar they were very upset. They remembered all the times Israel sinned and what it cost them. They were prepared to go to war against them but Eleazar the high priest went to talk to them first and hear them out. In Luke, the religious leaders and leading priests came to ask Jesus who gave him the authority to do what he was doing. Jesus answered them with a question. He asked them if John’s authority to baptize came from heaven or if it was merely human. They talked it over and realized that if they said it was from heaven, he would ask them then why didn’t they accept it. If they said it was not from heaven the people would be upset with them and stone them. So, they said they couldn’t give him an answer. Jesus told them that he wouldn’t answer their question either. That made them boiling mad. They were not used to dealing with people they couldn’t intimidate but John the Baptist and Jesus knew who they were and who had sent them. If they weren’t mad enough, Jesus gave them a parable about himself. He was the son of the wealthy landowner. The Pharisees were the tenants who were put in charge of God’s Temple. They had no respect for God or his son and they would prove it by their actions. Jesus was the stone that they stumbled over and it would end up breaking them to pieces. They realized Jesus was telling the story about them and they were the wicked farmers which made them want to kill Jesus right then, but their fear of the people kept them from it. They next tried to trick him about Roman government hoping to get them on their side. But Jesus answered so wisely it blew their plans. They were silenced by his answer. Today’s reading was an encouragement to us to not be afraid to ask for what you know is yours and not to be intimated by Satan. We have authority over him because of Christ. Lord, help us to walk in your authority and take our inheritance and believe all of your promises. Your promises are good!

Tues.’s Devo - The Last Allotments

Read: Joshua 19:1-20:9; Luke 19:28-48; Psalm 88:1-18; Proverbs 13:12-14 Simeon was given their allotment right in the middle of Judah’s land because Judah had too much land and needed help settling it. The town of Beersheba was in Simeon’s land. Beersheba was where Abraham dug a well and made a covenant with Abimelech. Later Isaac returned to this place and dug up the well of Abraham and made another covenant with Abimelech (probably the son of the Abimelech Abraham had covenanted with). Zebulun’s territory was surrounded by Asher, Naphtali, Issachar and Manasseh. The Bethlehem in Zebulun was not the one that Jesus was born in. That Bethlehem was in Judah. Issachar’s territory included Jezreel which means “God scatters.” It was here that the kings of Israel often had homes. This is where Elijah met with Ahab, Jehu and Bedkar and where Jehu executed God’s wrath on the house of Ahab. (1 Kings 18 Josh 18:45; 21:1 2 Kings 9:30). Asher’s allotment was along the coast of the Mediterranean Sea. It had the famous Tyre in its territory. Naphtali was to the east of Asher. The seventh allotment went to Dan. Eshtaol was in their territory where Samson spent his childhood. Dan had trouble taking his land so they attacked the town of Laish and settled there. Laish or Leshem means “unto desolation”. I see the tribe of Dan being a type of Judas Iscarot. Dan means “judged”. They were known for their idolatry and rebellion. After every tribe had their land, Joshua chose to live in Timnath-serah in Ephraim. It was known for its hills and valleys. Then God had him designate six cities of refuge strategically placed in the land where people could access them easily. These were for fair courts for the innocent accused of murder. In Luke, God provided a donkey for the king to ride into Jerusalem. People were coming to Jerusalem from all directions and they would sing the Hallel which are found in Psalms 113-118. They were singing this as they saw Jesus and began singing it about him. The Pharisees were incensed and told Jesus to have them stop but Jesus told them that if they kept quiet the stones would sing it. Jesus proclaimed the destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple because they had not recognized the time of their visitation. The next thing he did was to cleanse the temple of the money changers who used Passover as a way to con the people and take their money. Jesus taught boldly in the Temple while the jealous religious leaders met to plan his death. Lord, may we recognize the time we are living in and our visitation. We take a stand against evil in our land and we will possess the land once again. We pray for America and all the nations who are fighting the evil in their land. May your kingdom come to earth as it is in heaven.

Mon.’s Devo - Kingdom Multiplication

Read: Joshua 16:1-18:28; Luke 19:1-27; Psalm 87:1-7; Proverbs 13:11 The next land allotted went to Ephraim. Ephraim was Joseph’s oldest son and Manasseh was his youngest. Jacob adopted them as his own and prophesied that Manasseh would be greater than Ephraim. If you look at a map of Manasseh’s land it is the largest area of land other than Judah. Manasseh means “causing to forget” which shows that God really wants us to forget our past so he can bless our future. Ephraim’s land was right in the middle of the promised land surrounded by Manasseh in the north and Dan, and Benjamin to the south which hadn’t received their inheritance yet. They were unable to drive out the Canaanites from the town of Gezer so they made the people their slaves. Manasseh was given land on both sides of the Jordan River. Manasseh had six sons. His fifth son was Hepher which means “pit of shame”. One of his descendants, Zelophehad had no sons, but 5 daughters. His name means “shadow of fear”. Theses five women came to Joshua and wanted land and were granted it. There were five towns the tribe of Manasseh was unable to occupy because the Canaanites were determined to stay there. Interestingly, one of them was the town of Endor which was the only place Saul could find a witch when they had been driven out of the land. She had refused to leave also. The men of Manasseh eventually made them slaves. When the people of Joseph realized they needed more territory than they had been given because they were so many, they asked Joshua for more. Joshua gave them the forests of the hill country and told them to clear out as much land as they wanted. The Perizzites and the Rephaites lived there and the tribes of Joseph complained that they were too strong for them. Joshua told them to drive them out even though they were strong and had iron chariots. Joshua remembered what the Lord had promised them. God had told them that he would help them drive them out even though they were stronger and more in number. Israel met at Shiloh and made it their meeting place for the Tabernacle. There were seven tribes who had not yet taken their land. Joshua reprimanded them and told them to send spies and map out the rest of the land so he could determine borders for the remaining tribes. They did this and the next lot went to Benjamin. His land fell between the tribes of Judah and Joseph. In the land that Benjamin got was a town called Jebus which means “he will be trodden down”. It became Jerusalem. Jesus said the same thing of this city. In Luke, Jesus came to Jericho where the chief tax collector of the region lived. His name was Zacchaeus. His name means “one of my pure ones”. How interesting that the most hated man among men would be one that God saw as pure. God always sees what we are going to become not what we are before Jesus. Zacchaeus had climbed a tree to see Jesus since he was so short. Jesus called him by name out of the tree and was told he would host Him. This flew in the faces of the Pharisees who knew who Zacchaeus was. Zacchaeaus so changed that he wanted to give back 4 times what he had stolen from the people. Jesus proclaimed that salvation had come to his home and Zacchaeus had shown him self to be a true son of Abraham. Jesus gave them a parable to encouraged them to keep working once he was gone. Zacchaeus came to the Lord and lost much in the world’s kingdom to gain much in God’s. Lord may we invest in your kingdom with our time, talents and possessions.

Sun.’s Devo - Eyes to See

Read: Joshua 15:1-63; Luke 18:18-43; Psalm 86; 1-17; Proverbs 13:9-10 Today we read of the boundaries and inheritance of Judah’s land. His territory was the most southern land in Canaan. In his land there were 113 towns mentioned that he took. Caleb was in that tribe and asked for the land of the Anakites. He drove out three groups of them and when he came to the town of Debir, he promised the warrior who led the attack and captured it would get his daughter, Acsah in marriage. His nephew, Othniel took the challenge and won the prize. Acsah means “anklet”. These Anakites were the ones who wore neck chains so their necks would be long. Joshua had made his officers put their foot on the necks of the kings of Canaan as a prophetic sign they would overpower the demonic forces in the land. Acsah wore a chain around her ankle and they wore chains on their necks. Her people put their feet on the enemies’ neck and won. Othniel means “the force of God.” He led the attack which gave them the victory. He got the land he conquered which had upper springs. Acsah also asked for the land that had the springs below it so they would have water all year long. In Luke, a religious leader asked Jesus what he must DO to inherit eternal life. The religious believed it was all in their power - their own self-righteousness. When Jesus took him beyond the law into acts of self-sacrifices he was not interested. Jesus told him to sell all he had because he knew that riches was his stumbling block. The religious leaders taught that God showed who he favored by what they had. If he sold everything then everyone would think he was not one of God’s favorite. He loved the praises of man more than the praises of God. Jesus was trying to show him that true riches don’t come from earth. They are heavenly. When Jesus told his disciples that it was very hard for a rich man to enter heaven, Peter was quick to point out the sacrifices they had made to follow Jesus. But, they had no idea what sacrifices Jesus was about to give in a very short time. He tried to warn them, but they didn’t understand. They couldn’t “see”. Jesus then healed a blind man that could “see” spiritually. He believed before he could see and was given natural sight as well. Lord, give us eyes to see, ears to hear and a heart to understand and believe.

Sat.’s Devo - Dividing the Land

Read: Joshua 13:1-14:15; Luke 18:1-17; Psalm 85:1-13; Proverbs 13:7-8 The land in the south which was to become Judah’s land had not been conquered yet. It was the land of the Philistines and the Geshurites. Philistines means “to wallow in self-pity”. David fought them, then lived among them. He had to deal with his own self-pity in his life. Geshurites stood for the proud. The Avvites were the “perverters”. All of the “ites” in the Promised Land stood for enemies they had to face in their lives and the enemies we have to face in our lives to take the promises God has given us. The land was mapped out and they stayed within the boundary that the Lord had given them, except for the land they acquired east of the Jordan. The Lord added that to their territory. When they took that land they killed Balaam the sorcerer who had used magic to curse them. It hadn’t worked because God turned their curses into blessings. Rueben, Gad and half of the tribe of Manasseh received land east of the Jordan. The other tribes, except Levi, received land allotted to them by Joshua and Eleazar. They chose the land by lots as the Lord directed them. The Levites were given towns within all the tribes with the pastureland around the city for their animals. Many of their cities became cities of refuge. Caleb came to Joshua to remind him of the promise the Lord gave him concerning the land he had scouted out on the first scouting mission. Joshua told him he could have it. Because Caleb had obeyed the Lord and followed after him, he had remained strong and healthy as he was when he first came to Canaan. He was now 85 and felt like a young man. Caleb wanted Hebron which was four cities where giants lived. They were the Anaks which were famous for the chains they put around their neck to make their neck grow long. In Luke, Jesus gave two examples of how to pray and how not to pray. When you are praying for others, you pray until you see the result, like the women who wore the judge out with her request. The second story was about a man who thought he was more righteous than anyone else. He boasted to God about all he had done for the Lord. He was not justified. But, the tax collector who was humble and recognized his sin was justified and exalted before God. Jesus used the children as examples of those who would receive the Kingdom of God. Their faith was simple and pure. Lord, may we have the faith of children who believe you hear them and trust you completely.

Fri.’s Devo - Victory

Read: Joshua 11:1-12:24; Luke 17:11-27; Psalm 84:1-12; Proverbs 13:5-6 The four kings of the north banned together to fight the Israelites. They lived in the land allotted to Asher, Naphtali, Zebulun, Issachar and Manasseh. These kings were principalities over intelligence, witchcraft, and strife which was evident by what their names mean. Their combined armies covered the landscape like the sand on the seashore. They gathered near Merom to fight Israel. God told Joshua not to be afraid of them because by this time tomorrow He would hand them all over to Israel as dead men. Then they were to cripple their horses and burn their chariots. This happened just as the Lord said it would. Joshua and his army continued taking land and killing the inhabitants as the Lord had instructed him to do. No one made peace with them because God hardened their hearts and caused them to fight the Israelites so they could destroy them. Only the men of Gibeon made peace with Israel. Joshua conquered the land God had promised them and could finally rest from war. They defeated 31 kings that occupied the land. In Luke, Jesus was on his way to Jerusalem when he encountered 10 lepers. They cried out to him for mercy and Jesus told them to go and show themselves to the priests. As they went they were healed. One was a Samaritan who had no priest in Israel and would not have been given entrance to see the priests. He returned to Jesus to thank him. Jesus asked him where the others were. None of them returned to give thanks to the real priest. He told the Samaritan to start his walk because his faith had made him healed. This man had been healed on the inside and the outside. The Pharisees asked Jesus when the Kingdom of God would come but Jesus told them that His Kingdom was not a visible kingdom and it had already come and was there among them. He was referring to himself but couldn’t say it outright. He wanted them to see it in their hearts. Jesus then talked to his disciples about his return. He said that people would long to see his return and not see it. It would be like the days of Noah when everyone was partying and no one was paying attention to what Noah was doing or saying. No one was heeding the warnings. They were caught by surprise by the flood. The people of Lot experienced the same thing. They were busy doing their wickedness and had no idea they were about to be destroyed by God’s angels. When they asked him where this would happen, Jesus gave them a cryptic answer. It would be where the vultures gathered. It would happen at the place of greatest evil and death. Lord, may we heed the signs of our time and walk in faith trusting in You as the Author and finisher of our faith.

Thurs.’s Devo - Battle of the Kings

Read: Joshua 9:3-10:43; Luke 16:19-17:10; Psalm 83:1-18; Proverbs 13:4 The Israelites were three days journey from the large town of Gibeon which was larger than Ai and full of strong warriors. It would surely be Israel’s next target and the men of Gibeon had heard that the Lord had given Israel all the land and were told to kill its inhabitants so they resorted to deception. They sent men with old wineskins, worn out clothes and moldy bread to the camp of Israel. They told Joshua that they were from a very far land and had heard of their might and their God. They wanted to make a treaty of peace and protection with Israel. The Israelites looked at their evidence but did not ask the Lord about it. Instead, they made a treaty with them and they went back to their town. The king of Jerusalem, King Adone-zedek heard about the treaty and enlisted the help of four other kings to attack Gibeon together. The men of Gibeon immediately sent for Israel to help fight with them. Israel was irate when they learned that Gibeon was so close and that they had been tricked by them but they had sworn in the Lord’s name and they had no choice but to help them. Joshua took his best warriors and set out for Gibeon. The Lord told him not to be afraid because He would give them victory. They rode all night and took the enemy by surprise. They chased them down the road where the Lord destroyed those that go away with a terrible hailstorm from heaven. Joshua prayed that the sun would stand still over Gibeon and the moon would stand still over the valley of Aijalon. (Let this sink in…the sun moves and the moon moves. Joshua didn’t tell the earth to stop rotating around the sun. The truth is it is the opposite.) The five kings hid in a cave where Joshua had the entrance filled with rocks. After the battle, Joshua brought them out and told his commanders to put their feet on the kings’ necks and they obeyed. Joshua told his men to not every be afraid or discouraged because God was going to do this to all their enemies. Then Joshua killed the kings and impaled them on poles where they hung till evening. When the sun went down he had the bodies thrown into the cave they had hidden in and they sealed the opening with rocks. Joshua led his army to the towns of every king that had attacked them and they took their towns then returned to Gilgal. In Luke, yesterday we read where Jesus addressed the Pharisees about wealth. He had made the point that their money did not make them righteous. Righteousness came from God and it manifested out of a heart who was given over to God. He went on to tell the story about a man named Lazareth. Lazareth in the Greek means Eleazar which was the name of the high priest during Moses’ time and the high priest during David’s time. In this story, Jesus depicts Lazareth as a poor man who laid at the gate of a rich man and ate his scraps. The dogs would lick his open sores. Both men died, but Lazareth was carried by angels to sit beside Abraham at the heavenly banquet. The rich man went to the place of the dead where there was an uncrossable chasm between them. The rich man cried out to Abraham to let Lazareth give him a drop of water but Abraham told him no one could cross the chasm separating them. So the rich man asked Abraham to send Lazareth to his family to tell them about the place of torment he was in. Abraham told him that they had the words of Moses and the prophets and they could read them. But the man persisted that if someone was sent from the dead, they would believe. Abraham answered that if them wouldn’t listen to Moses and the prophets, they would wouldn’t believe if someone rose from the dead. Jesus was talking about them. They were the rich man and He was the one who would rise from the dead and they still wouldn’t believe. Jesus told his disciples one day that all will be tempted but just be sure you are not the tempter. Live in forgiveness and you won’t become the tempter. They asked Jesus how to increase their faith and he told them to not just do what they were told but to go beyond serving as a duty. Seek the kingdom first and all these things will be added. Lord, help us to not be tempted with wealth or the things of this world. Help us to live for the kingdom.

Wed.’s Devo - From Curse to Blessing

Read: Joshua 7:16-9:2; Luke 16:1-18; Psalm 82:1-8; Proverbs 13:2-3 All of the tribes had come before the Lord and He singled out the tribe of Judah. From the tribe of Judah, Achan was chosen. Joshua told him to confess what he had done and Achan did. He had taken 200 silver coins, a bar of gold and a beautiful robe from Babylon and hidden them beneath his tent. They took him with all his stolen goods, his sons, daughters, cattle, donkeys, sheep, goats, tent and everything he owned to the valley of Achor. Joshua declared that Achan (which means troubler) had brought trouble on Israel so now God was bringing trouble on him. The people then stoned him and all that was his. Then the Lord turned their curse into a blessing and showed Joshua just how to take Ai. Before they had presumptuously taken 3,000 men. God told them to take ten times that many. He showed them the strategy for Ai would be to have an ambush behind the army who would burn the city after the soldiers chased the first army. It worked and they burned the city to the ground and took the plunder for themselves. God had wanted the first fruit of Jericho and the rest of the cities were the people’s. They killed 12,000 of the people from Ai. Joshua impaled the king of Ai until evening then had his body thrown in front of the town gate where they piled a great heap of stones over him. Then Joshua built an altar to the Lord on Mt. Ebal which was the mountain they had spoken the curses from. Joshua offered sacrifices on the altar then wrote the words of the law on the stones of the altar. The Israelites stood half on Mt. Ebal and half on Mt. Gerizim and the priests brought the Ark to the valley between the two mountains. Joshua read to them all the blessings and curses. When the remaining kings of the land heard about what had happened in Ai, they combined their armies to fight against Joshua and the Israelites. In Luke, Jesus told a story about a wise business man who found out he was going to be fired. He invited all of his bosses creditors into his office and lessened their debt so that when he was fired he would have people who would help him. The owner found out what he had done and commended him for being so shrewd. Jesus said that the people of the earth are shrewder that we are and there are some things we can learn from them. It is wise to help others so that when you are in need others will help you but the real lessons is that if you are faithful with a few things, then you will be faithful with much. We are tested with the small things. If we honor God in small things that don’t seem so important, then we will have the same reaction with larger things. You cannot serve God and money. Jesus explained that until then they had used the law and the words of the prophets to be their guide. Now that the Kingdom had come full of forgiveness and grace, it did not lesson the law. The law stands forever. Jesus gave them the example of what they were doing with their wives. They were putting them away without going through the law to divorce them. This was causing them to commit adultery. This was what they were doing with their laws. They had replaced Moses’ law with the Talmud and the Mishna. They were living by man-made laws causing them to commit adultery towards the Lord. Lord, may we fear you and your words and follow you from a heart of love and obedience.

Tues.’s Devo - Defeating Jericho

Read: Joshua 5:1-7:15; Luke 15:1-32; Psalm 81:1-16; Proverbs 13:1 The Amorites were paralyzed with fear when they heard of how God dried up the Jordan for Israel to cross over. The Lord told Joshua to circumcise the men over twenty since no one had be circumcised since leaving Egypt. All of the circumcised had died in the wilderness because of their rebellion and a new group of warriors had arisen. They named the place Gibeath-haaraloth which means “hill of foreskins”. But when they had healed, God called the place Gilgal which means “a wheel” because on that day God rolled their shame of slavery away from them. It was Passover and the next day they celebrated Unleavened Bread from the grains and fruits of the promised land. No longer did they need manna so they never saw manna again. Joshua met a man on his way to Jericho and asked him if he was friend or foe. He answered, neither, he was the commander of the Lord’s army. This was so true; sometimes God used his army to fight with Israel and sometimes against them. Joshua submitted totally to this commander (who was probably Michael) and he gave Joshua the strategy to take Jericho. He was to send the priests with rams’ horns to blow their horns as they marched around the city. The army was to walk silently behind them. They were to circle the city once every day for seven days and on the seventh they were to encircle the city seven times. All the while the priests were blowing their horns. They started at dawn so the people woke up to the sound of horns. How terrifying to wait for an attack day after day. This was intimidating and terrifying for the people of Jericho. On the seventh day, after their seventh time around, the people were to shout as loud as they could and the walls would fall down. They obeyed the Lord’s commands and it happened just as God’s commander had said it would. They were to completely destroy everything living with their swords and save only things made of metal and give them to the Lord’s treasury. Joshua spared Rahab and her relatives. Joshua cursed anyone who would try to rebuild the town of Jericho. They would lose their firstborn son while laying the foundation and their youngest son when setting up its gates. When I went to Israel fifteen years ago, our tour guide told us that a wealthy man decided to rebuild Jericho a few years before this and he lost his oldest son the day he laid the foundation. His youngest son begged his father to stop to save his life and he abandoned the project. Achan secretly kept some of the gold for himself which brought a curse on Israel. The next town they were to take was called Ai. It was small and should have been a piece of cake for them. They sent only 3,000 men to take it and were completely humiliated. Thirty-six men died and Israel was now paralyzed in fear. If others heard of what happened they would ban together and annihilate them. Joshua and the elders went before the Lord and God told them it was because someone had sinned against him and now they had become God’s enemy. They would never win a battle until they had rectified this problem. God told them to meet with him the next morning, along with the leaders of each tribe and He would show them who was guilty. In Luke, the religious leaders complained that Jesus ate with sinners. Jesus gave them three parables explaining the reason he did what he did. One was about a man who lost one in a hundred sheep, the second was about a woman who lost one coin out of ten and the last was the story of a man who had two sons and lost one to sin. In each of the stories he told of the joy of finding the lost sheep, the lost coin and the lost son. The lost son was the greatest joy. Jesus was trying to change their perspective about evangelism and the heart of God. Being found and forgiven is like life from death - it is being born again, which is something to rejoice about! Lord, help us not to be like the prodigal son’s brother and the Pharisees who could only see their worth and not the worth of a person brought out of sin. Help us to rejoice with You because salvation is a gift we have all been given freely.

Mon.’s Devo - Crossing the Jordan

Read: Joshua 3:1-4:24; Luke 14:7-35; Psalm 80:1-19; Proverbs 12; 27-28 The children of Israel came to the Jordan river on the tenth day of Nisan, the first month on the religious calendar. That would be four days before Passover which was the very day the lamb was to be set apart for sacrifice. They were crossing over from death to life and their feast would be eaten in the promised land. God exalted Joshua in the sight of his people and in the sight of their enemies in the land. He also set apart the priests to go a half a mile ahead of the people. They were to carry the Ark on their shoulders and step into the Jordan River a few steps, then stand in the water. Miles up the river, God would stop the water from flowing and it would work its way to them. By the time the people got there the usually overflowing Jordan would be dry and crossable. The priests would then walk into the middle of the riverbed and stop. The people would walk past them to the other side. When they all got to the other side, Joshua had the 12 men he had chosen (one from each tribe) to go back to the middle of the riverbed and choose a stone to represent their tribe. They were to carry it back to the people and set them in a pile as a memorial of what God did for them by stopping the flow of the Jordan and letting them cross. They set up another pile of twelve stones in the middle of the Jordan where the priests had stood. When the priests came out of the water it immediately started flowing again. Joshua reminded them that this was the same thing he had done at the Red Sea forty years earlier. He did this so that all the nations of the earth might know that God’s hand was powerful and that they should fear him. In Luke, Jesus was still at the dinner party of the Pharisee when he noticed many of the people trying to get the best seats. Jesus told them not to try to get the best seat because if someone more distinguished than them arrived, the host might ask them to give your seat to him. Then they would end up in a seat in the back. Instead, he told them to sit in the back and let the host promote you. Jesus told the host that the next time he had a dinner party he should not ask his rich friends who could invite him back, but to invite the poor and needy who would never be able to repay him. Then God would reward him. One of the men sitting with Jesus exclaimed, “What a blessing it will be to attend a banquet in the Kingdom of God!” Jesus then told them a parable about God and his banquet. God prepared his banquet and sent out many invitations. He got excuses in return so he sent him messengers back out to invite the poor, crippled, blind and lame. When he still had room for more, he sent his messengers to the country land and behind the hedges to urge anyone they could find to come. He filled the room. God then said that not one of the first invitees would even get a small taste of his banquet. Jesus then turn to the crowd and told them that if they wanted to be his disciple, they must die to everything in this life and carry their own cross and follow him. First they must fully count the cost and be prepared to lose it all. This was the complete opposite of what the religious leaders taught. They taught that if God approved of you then you would be rewarded with riches here on earth. To prove that they were God’s best, they made sure they had money even if it meant stealing from the people. They were all about appearances but their hearts were wicked and selfish. Lord, thank you for your mighty hand that is powerful against your enemies. May you arise in our midst and defeat our enemies. May we count the cost of following you and receive your invitation with joy.

Sun.’s Devo - Moes Dies, Joshua Arises

Read: Deuteronomy 34:1-Joshua 2:24; Luke 13:22-14:6; Psalm 79:1-13; Proverbs 12:26 Moses climbed Mt. Nebo up to Pisgah Peak where he was able to survey the whole promised land. He was actually standing in the land given to Reuben on the west side of the Jordan. This was the place that Balak took Balaam the second time and Balaam gave the prophecy about the Messiah, the king was among them. Balaam proclaimed from here that God was not a man that he should lie. His commandment was to bless these people and he was to changing his mind. Moses was 120 years old and yet his eyes were not dim or his strength gone. When he left, the people mourned for him for thirty days. There has never been a prophet like Moses that spoke to God face to face. The Lord had sent him to perform mighty miracles against the Pharaoh of Egypt. Joshua rose up full of the spirit of wisdom he had received when Moses laid his hands upon him. The people vowed to follow him like they had followed Moses. God promised Joshua that he would give him all the land his feet touched and no one would be able to stand against him. He told Joshua to be strong and very courageous because God was going with him and he would be successful. Joshua was to meditate on the law day and night and do everything it said to do and he would have complete success. Joshua sent word throughout the camps to get ready because in three days they would cross into their land. He called the leaders of Reuben, Gad and Manasseh and reminded them of their promise to go help them take the land. They were ready to fulfill their commitment. Joshua secretly sent out two spies to spy out the land. He had learned from the last time that only two came back (he was one) with a positive report so this time he only sent two. They came to Jericho and met Rahab, a prostitute in Jericho. She told them how afraid everyone was of them. She hid them from the officers of Jericho and made them promise to save her and her family when they came to take the city. The spies promised if she left the scarlet thread hanging in her window, they would save the people in her house. She agreed and let them down the rope out of the city. She told them to stay in the mountains for three days then go home. The spies returned to Joshua and told them that God had given them the land. The people in the land were terrified of them. This was the report Joshua wanted to hear. In Luke, a man asked Jesus if only a few people would be saved. Jesus told him that we must work hard to enter the door to God’s kingdom because one day it would be too late. There would come a day when the door would be shut. The people who seemed least now would be great in God’s kingdom and the ones who were important now would be the least then. Immediately, some Pharisees tried to scare Jesus to leave by telling him that Herod Antipas wanted to kill him. Here was an important person on earth that Jesus called a “fox”. Jesus had no respect for him. He had killed John the Baptist over a provocative dance. Jesus told them to tell Herod that he would keep doing what he was doing - healing and casting out devils. Jesus knew Herod would not be able to touch him till he came to Jerusalem. Jerusalem was where the prophets were killed. That would be where he would be killed. One Sabbath day, Jesus was eating at the home of the leader of the Pharisees. There was a man, probably planted there by them, who had swollen legs and arms. Jesus knew what they were thinking and asked them if the law said anything about not healing on the Sabbath. None of them could answer because it doesn’t. Jesus turned it back on them and told them that their cow fell into a pit on the Sabbath, they would get it out, so he healed the man. Lord, help us to see the big picture and not stain at the small stuff. Help us to be strong and courageous and take your land back from the devil. May we help those who have fallen into a pit of sin.

Sat.’s Devo - The Tribal Blessings

Read: Deuteronomy 33:1-29; Luke 13:1-21; Psalm 78:65-72; Proverbs 12:25 After God gave them such a depressing song to sing, He blessed them like a father would bless his beloved sons. God sees his hopes for us and blesses us with a good destiny. It is our choice to walk in it and it was Israel’s choice to become their blessing. Moses depicts God as the sun who rose at Mt. Sinai and shed his rays of light all the way to Canaan. Moses named the tribes and gave them specific blessings. Even though Reuben lost its right to the first born, he was blessed to live and not die. At the time Reuben was more numerous than several other tribes but eventually shrunk to a small nomadic tribe. Simeon is not mentioned although scholars who studied the writings of the Septuagint claim that the second part of Reuben’s blessing was for Simeon. It read “…and let not his men be few”. Judah was blessed with strength to fight their enemies. Judah was the tribe that led them into battles. Levi was commended in their faithfulness to the Lord even when it came to killing their own relatives who rebelled against the Lord with the golden calf. Benjamin was favored and given land bordering Jerusalem. Mt. Zion was in Judah, but Mt. Moriah was in Benjamin. Joseph was in the hills rich in wood, water, olives, grapes and figs. Zebulun was given land by the sea and became a commercial place of imports and exports. Issachar chose to live in their towns and were not as adventurous as Zebulun though both became wealthy because of trade. Gad had chosen the rich land east of the Jordan which was larger than their land would have been in Canaan. They stayed true to their promise to fight for the other tribes in Canaan. Dan was described as a young lion leaping. He was given land in the south but when it was too small, he went to the north and established a colony. This could have been his “leap”. Naptali was blessed with fertile territory to the west of lake Merom and Chinnereth with Dan to the south. Asher was blessed with land full of earthly bounty. He would dip his feet in oil, probably referring to pressing out olives. Then it refers to shoes of iron and brass which could refer to the shoes they wore in rocky coasts and during battle. His territory was located on the coast of Carmel and Sidon. Moses concluded with praise to their God. There was no one like Him. They were privileged to have Jehovah God as their God and protector. He had given them this blessed land because of his great love for his people. In Luke, Jesus made the point that everyone is going to die one day. They may not chose how or when they die, but they can choose where they go when they die. Death is a punishment to some but a promotion for God’s people. Jesus gave a parable about Israel, God’s fig tree. In a nutshell, he was giving it another year before he cursed it and cut it down. Jesus healed a crippled woman and the Pharisees were outraged that he did it on the Sabbath. Jesus gave them examples of how they worked on the Sabbath also. They would release their oxen and donkey’s on the Sabbath to get water, wasn’t it right to release a person who had been in bondage for years. This shamed the religious leaders while the people rejoiced. Jesus explained that the kingdom of God was like a little seed, it started with one person then grew and grew. He was that one person and through him the kingdom would grow and grow. Lord, may we walk in your blessings and spread your kingdom.

Fri.’s Devo - The Rest of the Song -

Read: Deuteronomy 32:28-52; Luke 12:35-59; Psalm 78:56-64; Proverbs 12:24 God’s song continued: God called the children of Israel “void of counsel”. They didn’t understand their purpose on the earth or the importance of God and his laws. They couldn’t comprehend that their whole fate was in the Lord’s hand and no one could harm them unless God allowed or sent them. Their Rock was Jesus and he was nothing like the rocks other nations worshipped. God’s people grew from God’s vine but their enemies were seeds from the vineyards of Sodom and Gomorrah. They were the seed of Satan. They drank from the grapes of poison and serpents. God’s people were suppose to drink from the wine of the Lord. They would rebel and choose to become like their heathen nations so God would become their enemy for the time. When they lost hope and called out to the Lord for help, he would tell them to ask the gods they had chosen. They would come to know that God is the God of all the gods and he is the only one who gives life and heals and rescues with his powerful hand. God will take revenge on his enemies and repay his own people who rejected him. He will repay those who hated him and cleanse his people’s land. This was the end of the song. I bet it didn’t make it on the top ten of their playlist. Moses gave the song to Joshua and told the people to obey the law because it was their life. Then God told Moses to climb Mt. Nebo where he could see the promised land and there he would die. Aaron had also died on a mountain (Mt. Hor). They had both failed to demonstrate God’s holiness at the waters of Meribah when Moses struck the rock instead of speaking to it. In Luke, Jesus took a great amount of time and examples to tell them to live their lives ready for his return. We are told to serve God and occupy until he comes. We should live awaiting his return as if it is any moment but making the most of every day to serve him. When he comes back he will serve his servants but those who lived their lives unaware or selfishly will be rewarded accordingly. Lord, may we make the most of our time on earth living for our eternal home with you. Remind us that this is not our home.

Thurs.’s Devo - God’s Song

Read: Deuteronomy 31:1-32:27; Luke 12:8-34; Psalm 78:32-55; Proverbs 12:21-23 God told Noah (Genesis 6:3) that man’s days would be shortened to 120 years and Moses lived that exact amount. He stood for the law and that was God’s decree against man. Moses assured them that God would go before them into the land and drive out their enemies before them. Moses called forth Joshua and told him to be strong and courageous as he led the people into the land. He was to be the one to divide the land among the tribes. Moses wrote all the words of the law in a book and gave it to Joshua and told him to read it to the people every seven years during the Feast of Tabernacles. It was time for Moses to die so God called him and Joshua to the Tabernacle where he He appeared to them in a pillar of cloud that stood at the entrance to the tent. God told Moses that the people would turn away from Him and worship foreign gods, abandon God and break his covenant. God told Moses to write down the words of a song and teach it to the people so they would understand what was happening to them when the terrible things God had said would happened occurred. Maybe it would cause them to repent and turn back. This song would be a testimony against them. Moses did what the Lord told him to do and put the book of instructions in the ark for the Levites to carry with them into the land. Chapter 32 is the words of the song. The song calls heaven and earth to testify for the Lord. It explains how wonderful and fair God is. It tells all the things God did for his people and yet how his people turned away from him and were stubborn and rebellious. The song tells of their birth as a nation and how God graciously took them out of a wasteland and brought them to a land filled with mild and honey. God chose them to be his special possession and gave the wonderful land to them. But, Israel forsook the Lord who loved them to follow gods who didn’t know them or have any life. They aroused God’s anger through their actions who brought terrible disasters upon them. The song continues tomorrow. In Luke, Jesus explained that what you profess here on earth stands in heaven. If you profess Jesus, then when you are called to stand trial on earth, heaven will profess through you. A man in the crowd wanted Jesus to make his brother divide their fathers’ estate with him. Jesus answered that he was not their judge but to guard against greed because life was not measured by what you have on earth. He told a parable about a rich man who accumulated much on earth but had no treasures with God. He had no relationship with God. He lost everything when he died suddenly. Jesus tells us not to worry about anything because worrying doesn’t accomplish anything. It only hurts us and our faith. Jesus used the birds and the lilies as examples of things God takes care of because he made them. How much more does he love us who are made in his image - his prized creation? How much more will he take care of us! Jesus ended with, “Whever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be.” Lord, may the desires of our hearts be to love and follow you. We trust you to care for all our needs and use us to further your plan on the earth.

Wed.’s Devo - The Choice is Ours

Moses began his speech reminding them of all the amazing things God had done to the Egyptians to deliver them from their slavery. Then God said He had not given them minds that understand, eyes that see, or ears that hear. God had done miraculous things for them during their 40 years in the wilderness and gave them victory over King Sihon and King Og. This covenant God was giving them would be for them and their ancestors and would either be for their good or bad. They made the choice. God reminded them of the detestable gods of Egypt and the foreign cities they had seen on their travels. He warned them not to join in their worship because it would bear bitter and poisonous fruit. They should not think they are saved just because they are Israelites. Their salvation had to do with their obedience to God’s laws and their worship of him. If they turned away from them, God would erase their names from under heaven. God would separate them from the others and bring the curses on them. If the curses was their fate, other nations would see what happens when God’s people abandon their covenant with Him. God has secrets that we are not held accountable for but the things he reveals to us, we are to obey. If the people experienced the blessings and then the curses and wanted to return to the Lord, they could, and God would restore their fortunes to them. He would bring them back to their land and make them even more prosperous than before. God would give them a heart to love and worship him with all their hearts and He would put all the curses on their enemies. That day, God was giving them the choice between life and death, prosperity and disaster. God called on heaven and earth to be witnesses to their decision. If they chose life they would live long in the land he chose for them. In Luke, Jesus was rebuked because he didn’t do the ritual hand-washing that the Pharisees had made up. Jesus explained that if your heart was clean then everything you touch becomes clean. That was why he could touch a leper and it would become healed instead of himself becoming leprous. Jesus pointed out their hypocrisy. They tithed religiously yet ignored justice and didn’t love God. They loved being the elite of society but were just like billboards that had no life or substance. They looked good on the outside when their hearts were ugly and hard. Their ancestors killed the prophets and they covered it up by building monuments over their graves. They kept the real law from the people and made up laws which were too hard to follow. They removed the key to knowledge - the law - from the people and didn’t follow it themselves. Jesus warned his disciples that one day all the secret sins of the religious leaders would be exposed and all would know their sins. He told them not to fear these leaders who could only kill their flesh but not their spirit. God would take care of them so they need not fear. How applicable was today’s scripture. We can see that many of the leaders and elite of our nation have chosen the curses and everything they have done in secret is being brought out in the open. To those who have continued to trust in God, He is turning our curse into a blessing and we will end up more prosperous than all the previous generations. We need to keep trusting and not faint. Blessings and justice are coming our way and evil is being exposed and dealt with. Lord, thank you that you are the God of justice and rewards. We turn our hearts and expectations to you.

Tues.’s Devo - The Blessings and the Curses

Read: Deuteronomy 28:1-68; Luke 11:14-36; Psalm 77:1-20; Proverbs 12:18 Today we read the whole list of blessings and curses. The curses are the opposite of the blessings. If we read these every day as a nation, I wonder what kind of nation we would have. Who would ever choose the curses? If they obeyed God’s laws and worshipped the Lord alone, God would set them high above all the nations of the world and they would experience all the blessings of God. The list is wonderful and doesn’t leave out one blessing a person could want. They would live prosperously, safely and full of joy and love for one another. Life would be great. But if they refused to listen to God and obey all his commands, all the curses would fall upon them and overwhelm them. They would live in constant want, dread and oppression. Hatred and distrust would rule relationships. Death would be a relief. In Luke, Jesus healed a man that had a spirit of deaf and dumbness. When he began to speak, the Pharisees had to give an explanation because Jesus had just done the third of their requirements of the Messiah. They believed that only the Messiah could heal a Jewish leper, heal a man who was born blind and deliver a man who was deaf and dumb. This was the last one on the list. Jesus had done the others, so as the people looked to the Pharisees to get an explanation they gave Satan the credit. This was when Jesus rejected the Jewish nation. From this time forward, Jesus did not do his miracles in the open but only in houses away from the crowds. He also required that they have faith to be healed or delivered. Jesus identified them as God’s enemies since they were against the son He had sent. Then he schooled them on demons. Demons have to have a person to operate through so when they are cast out of one person, they have to find another living thing to occupy. If they can’t find a human, they will occupy an animal. If a person is delivered from a demon and doesn’t occupy that space with God and His word, the demon will return with a host of other demons. Then the person will be worse off than before. They kept asking Jesus for a sign which you would have to be blind not to see his miracles and hear his teaching and know he was the Messiah. But, they kept asking anyway. He told them that the only sign he would give them would be the sign of Jonah. What happened to him was a sign to the Ninevites. Jonah was resurrected after being dead for three days in the belly of the fish. Jesus would be resurrected after three days in the belly of the earth. The people of Nineveh would testify against the people of Jesus’ day because the people of Nineveh repented. The queen of Sheba would also be a testimony against them because she traveled for miles to hear the wisdom of Solomon and they had one before them with more wisdom than Solomon and they refuse to believe. In the law a person was guilty by the testimony of two witnesses. Jesus explained that how you saw things illuminated your spirit if it was healthy and right, but if it wasn’t then you would be filled with darkness instead. Lord, may the light of your Word and Your Spirit fill us so that we can see the truth. May we walk in your blessings.

Mon.’s Devo - How to Pray

Read: Deuteronomy 26:1-27:26; Luke 10:38-11:13; Psalm 76:1-12; Proverbs 12:15-17 When they were settled in their land, they were to bring the first fruits of their harvest to the Lord to the place of worship they had designated. They were to give their basket to the priest and declare their statement to God. In their statement they were to remind God how He brought Jacob as a wandering Aramean to Egypt. His family was small then but became a large and mighty nation. They were slaves in Egypt and oppressed with hardship and work, but God brought them out of Egypt with his powerful hand. With signs and wonders God gave them this land full of milk and honey. Then they were to give the Lord their offering and enter into the celebration of praise and thanksgiving for the provision God had given them. Every third year they were to give a special tithe of their crops to the Levites, foreigners, orphans and widows to provide for them. They were to declare their innocence and the innocence of their offering and ask for God’s continued blessing. That day, they renewed their covenant to obey the Lord and his commands. Moses and the leaders of Israel to set up an altar of stones coated with plaster and wrote on them this whole body of instructions so that they would have them to read. The stones with the curses whould be set up on Mt. Ebal and the stones with the blessing would be set up at Mt. Gerizim. The tribes of Reuben, Gad, Asher, Zebulun, Dan, and Nephtali were to stand on Mt. Ebal and read the curses. The curses they were to read are given us here. When they finished reading each curse, the people were to say “Amen” in agreement. In Luke, Martha complained to Jesus that Mary wasn’t helping her with serving but was more interested in sitting at Jesus feet and listening to his every word. Jesus told Martha that she was so worried about the details when there was only one thing worth concern and Mary had discovered it. How many times do I find myself worried about how God was going to do something instead of just enjoying his presence. The answer always lies in his presence not in worrying and doing. The disciples asked Jesus how they should pray. First they were to acknowledge who God was and what his will was which was to bring his kingdom to earth. Then they were to ask for what they needed for that day. They were to ask to be forgiven in the same way they forgave and to pray for the power to resist temptation. Jesus gave them a parable to show them how to pray for others. For others, you are to be like the man who needed more for his guests. Then you go to God and you ask until it comes. God is the good Father who wants to give us good things and will never withheld his Spirit from us if we ask. Lord, thank you for your instructions that guide us through life. Thank you for your Spirit that is your everlasting presence.

Sun.’s Devo - Compassion

Read: Deuteronomy 23:1-25:19; Luke 10:13-37; Psalm 75:1-10; Proverbs 12:12-14 Castration and illegitimacy all have to do with perversion - the wrong version of God’s intention for mankind. A person born illegitimately was not to enter the assembly of the Lord for 10 generations. Ammonites and Moabites could not enter for ten generations because they had hired Balaam to curse Israel. The Edomites and Egyptians could enter after three generations because the Edomites were their relatives and the Egyptians were just about their relatives since they lived among them for so long. The camp was to be kept clean from any waste that would cause shame since God walked among them to protecte them and to defeat their enemies. Refugees who came to them for safety must be allowed to stay and live wherever they chose. Women who were prostitutes at the pagan shrines were not allowed among them or any earring from their ears was allowed to be brought to the Lord. Earrings showed who you belonged to. Israelites could not charge interest on a loan to another Israelite. They were to keep all their vows, especially those made to the Lord. People were not to take advantage of one another. If a man married a woman who did not please him, he was to write her a document of divorce and make the divorce legal. He was not allowed to remarry her if she had married another man in between. That would be detestable to the Lord. A newly married man could not enter the army until he had enjoyed a year with his wife. When taking a surety for a loan, you were not to take the means of that person’s way of making a living from him or keep his cloak overnight since that would be his source of heat. Those who kidnapped and trafficked other Israelites must die. They were to follow the instructions for leprosy by the book. The poor and destitute should be payed daily for their wages since they lived day-to-day. Parents should not be held responsible for their children’s sins. Foreigners, orphans, and widows should be treated with respect and compassion. They were reminded that they were all once in their shoes in Egypt. They were to remember the poor when they harvested their crops. They were not to go back over their crops a second time but leave any left or dropped for the poor. (Remember Ruth.) If a man was accused rightly of a crime he was to get up to 39 lashes but never 40. Fourty means judged completely. The thirty-nine means that he has a chance to change. If two brothers live together on the same property and one of them dies without an heir, the living brother should marry his brother’s widow and have a son for the dead brother’s name. If he refuses to marry her then she must go to the elders and tell them. The man would then be brought before them and have a chance to do the right thing. If he still refused then she was to take off his sandal and spit in his face and declare that he was the man who refused to provide for his brother with children. His reputation would always be the one whose sandal was removed. (This happened in the story of Tamar and Judah.) They were to be totally honest with each other in business deals, and lastly, they must deal with the Amalekites who attacked them when they left Egypt. Their memory must be removed from the earth. (It was Solomon who would do this.) In Luke Jesus was talking about towns that would not accept his teachings. He cursed towns which had rejected him and his teaching: Korazin, Bethsaida, and Capernaum. He reminded them that the people who rejected them were rejecting Jesus and God. He also reminded them that he saw Satan fall like lighting. Satan has no more power - his power has now been given to Jesus’ followers. We have the power to curse Satan and all his evil spirits because our names are recorded in heaven. Jesus gives us the ability to see with spiritual eyes and hear with spiritual ears. One day and religious expert asked Jesus what he should do to inherit eternal life. He gave Jesus the first and second commandments. The man wanting to justify himself asked who his neighbor was. Jesus told the story of the good Samaritan. It flew in the faces of the religious hierarchy since they were the first two to walk by the hurt man on the road. It was the Gentile who stopped and took care of the hurt Israelite. He was the one who showed mercy. Lord, help us not to be caught up in doing the right thing instead of being the right thing. May we honor you and others with your love and compassion.

Sat.’s Devo - God’s Law -

Read: Deuteronomy 21:1-22:30; Luke 9:51-10:12; Psalm 74:1-23; Proverbs 12:11 When a person was found murdered in a field and the murderer was unknown, the nearest city was to atone for the murder. The elders of that town were to lead a heifer down to a valley that had a stream running through it. There they were to break its neck. The Levitical priest would then step forward and pronounce a blessing. Next, the elders would wash their hands over the heifer and confess that they did not shed this person’s blood or see it happen. Then the people would be absolved of the guilt of this person’s blood. Murder had to be atoned for so the elders acted as the murderer as they broke the heifer’s neck. The Levitical priest acted as Jesus who stepped forward and took the guilt himself before God, pronouncing a blessing and becoming the curse. The elders then washed their hands and were guiltless. Verses 15-17 remind me of the story of Rachel and Leah. Leah had the first son, Rueben, so he was entitled to the birthright even though Jacob loved Rachel the most and favored Joseph. It also reminds me of the story of Jacob and Esau. Jacob stole Esau’s birthright which was to be given by the father. He had to steal the blessing to make it official because the father gives the birthright through the blessing. Even God did not give Esau his blessing. He said later that Esau he hated and Jacob he loved. It makes me wonder what went on in the womb and who was suppose to come out first. I don’t know. In verses 22:1-4 God reminds us not to ignore our responsibilities to our neighbors. There are too many commandments to comment on them all but here are some summaries. God hates mixture: mixing crops, mixing animals, mixing materials, etc. Everything must remain pure and honest. Marriage must be pure and honest with no deception or it will not stand. In Luke it was getting close to Jesus time to die so he set his mind toward Jerusalem. He sent his messengers ahead of him to a Samaritan village but they wouldn’t welcome him because he was on his way to Jerusalem. The disciples wanted to call down fire to destroy their town but Jesus rebuked them for this and they went to the next village. Many confessed that they wanted to follow Jesus but had excuses when it came down to actually doing it. He did chose 72 others and sent them to all the towns and places he planned to visit. They were to see if the town was open to hearing the good news that the Kingdom of God was near them now. If they were receptive they were to accept their hospitality, if they weren’t they were to wipe the dust from their feet to show that they were abandoning them to their fate. Lord, please step forward for the sins of our nation. We repent of all the murdering and sin that has gone untoned for. We pray that your blood would atone for our sins. Thank you for your loving kindness.

Fri.’s Devo - When You Come into the Land…

Read: Deuteronomy 18:1-20:20; Luke 9:28-50; Psalm 73:1-28; Proverbs 12:10 The Levites were to own no land in Canaan and were to be fed by the offerings of the people to the Lord. God was their special possession and their inheritance. The priests were given the shoulder, cheeks and stomach of the animals presented to the Lord. If a Levite chose to move to Jerusalem from his own home town, he would be welcomed by the Levites there and have his share in their offerings. When they entered into Canaan and began to possess the land, they were not to participate with any of the worship of the people there. They offered their children to Molech and practiced fortune-telling, sorcery , interpreted omens and engaged in witchcraft. They cast spells, functioned as mediums and psychics and called forth the spirits of the dead. God promised to raise up a prophet to speak to them through. When they began to possess the land, they were to set up cities of refuge for the innocent who was accused of murder. The more territory they took, the more cities of refuge they were to set up. If a person was guilty of murder, he was to be turned over to the avenger of blood and killed. In that way they would purge Israel from the guilt of murdering innocent people and it would go well with them. They were never to move the boundary markers of others property. No one could be convicted on the word of only one witness. There must be two or three. If a person was found to bring false charges against another, then the sentence he intended for the other person would be imposed on him. In all these cases, no mercy should be shown on the guilty. His sentence was to put fear in the hearts of the people so they didn’t try to do the same crime. When they went out to fight the enemy and they were much greater than them, the priest was to admonish them not to lose heart because the Lord was going with them to fight against their enemies. He would give them the victory. There were four exemptions the officers were to give the men in their army. The first was if they had just built a new house but had not dedicated it yet. The next was if anyone had just planted a vineyard but not yet eaten any of its fruit. The third was if someone had just become engaged to a woman and not yet married her. And the fourth was if anyone was afraid. All of these things would have distracted them from having their whole heart into being a soldier. When they met an enemy town not in the land that God had given them, they were to first give them a chance to make a covenant of peace. If they did, then the people of the town would become their slaves. If they refused, then they were to attack them and take the women, children, and livestock as plunder. If they were towns in the land God had given them they were to completely kill them all. This was to keep them from adopting their worship which was an abomination to God. If the war continued for a long time they were only to chop down the fruitless trees to use for weapons. The trees that bore fruit should be allowed to live. Trees represent people (Psalm 1). Eight days after Peter had proclaimed that Jesus was the Messiah, Jesus took Peter, John and James up on a mountain with him to pray. As he was praying, Jesus transformed into his glorified body. Moses and Elijah appeared with him and they spoke to him about his exodus from this world. The three disciples had fallen asleep and woke up to see this. Peter wanted to make tabernacles as memorials for them. A cloud covered them and God spoke from the cloud, “This is my Son, my Chosen One, Listen to him.” Then they were alone with Jesus. They came down the next day to face a child who was demon-possessed. The disciples had not been able to deliver him. Jesus rebuked the demon and healed him. When he gave the son back to his father, the crowd was in awed. Jesus told his disciples to remember that he was about to be betrayed into the hands of his enemies. His disciples began arguing about who was the greatest. Jesus brought a child to them and told them that the least among them is the greatest.