Mon.’s Devo - Joshua Takes Over

Read: Deuteronomy 34:1-Joshua 2:24; Luke 13:22-14:6; Psalm 79:1-13; Proverbs 12:26 God took Moses on top of Mt. Nebo and showed him all the land that the children of Israel would inherit. Moses died at the age of 120. His eyesight was clear and he was as strong as ever. The Lord buried him in the valley near Beth-poor. The people mourned for him thirty days. *** Joshua became the leader who was filled with God’s wisdom. God told him to be strong and courageous and promised to go with him. He would give him all the land his feet walked upon. *** Joshua told all the leaders of the tribes to get their people ready to cross the Jordan. He met with the leaders of Gad and Reuben and the half tribe of Manasseh and reminded them of their promise to fight for the land of the other tribes. They were ready and willing. *** This time Joshua didn’t send out 12 spies. He sent out 2. Last time only 2 of them had anything good to say, so he sent 2. They went over into the land and ended up staying at a prostitute’s house named Rahab. She hid them that night and when the officers of the king came to ask her to turn them over, she lied and told them they had left. She had really hid them on her roof. They stayed there till night and promised that when they came back, they would save her and her household only if she left a scarlet rope handing from her window. She promised she would and they left. *** In Luke, a man asked Jesus if there would be a long season or a short season where people could be saved. Jesus didn’t answer his question but explained that there would come a time when the gate would be shut and no one would be able to enter, so now was the time of salvation. Then they would see that those who seemed unimportant on earth, would be the greatest then, and some that are the most important in this world would then be the least. *** Then a Pharisee came to him and told him that he better leave because Herod would kill him. Jesus told him to tell Herod that he casts out demons and heals the sick and he will be perfected on the third day. But today, he would keep going to Jerusalem because that is where they kill the prophets. They would never see him again until they say, “Blessings on the one who comes in the name of the Lord!” *** On the Sabbath, Jesus went to eat at one of the leaders of the Pharisees. A man was there whose arms and legs were swollen. Jesus asked if it was permitted by the law to heal on the Sabbath. They refused to answer, so he healed the man. Then Jesus asked them, “Which one of you wouldn’t pull his cow from a pit if her fell in to it on the Sabbath?” They kept silent. Anything they would have said would have revealed their hard hearts so they had nothing to say. Lord, help us to see clearly, to love mercy and to walk humbly with you. Show us your promise land for us and may we fearlessly take our land.