A Lack of Drive.

Judges 1

The LORD was with the people of Judah, and they took possession of the hill country. But they failed to drive out the people living in the plains because the people there had iron chariots. ­– Judges 1:19 NLT

The first three chapters of the book of Judges will paint of picture of why this period in Israel's history was even necessary. The book forms a bridge from the time in which Israel was ruled by God (a theocracy) to the time in which they would demand rule by a king (a monarchy). As we read we will see Israel move from success to failure. They will go from victory to defeat. All due to their disobedience and unfaithfulness to keep the commands of God. But the primary purpose of the book of Judges seems to be to show the sovereign grace of God in preserving Israel in spite of Israel. God will remain faithful in spite of their increasing unfaithfulness.

Chapter one sets the stage for what is to come. Joshua has died and God does not replace him with another military style leader. Now the individual tribes are expected to continue to process of conquering the land and inhabiting it. We read in verse 19 that Judah had the presence of God with him as he and his tribe fought against the Canaanites. But in spite of God's presence, they were unable to defeat the inhabitants of the hill country. The excuse given for their failure is the advanced weaponry of their foes (iron chariots). But was that the real reason for their failure? As we continue to read in the days ahead we will discover that the real issue was their disobedience. Rather than fight, they were making allegiances and alliances with the people and worshiping their gods. The people of God had become highly selective in their obedience to God's command. They were making executive decisions about what they would and would not do. And as a result, they were experiencing limited success. In fact, verses 27-36 record failure after failure on the part of Israel in driving the inhabitants from the land.

…Manasseh did not take possession of Beth-shean…

…but they did not drive them out completely…

…Neither did Ephraim drive out the Canaanites…

…Zebulun did not drive out the inhabitants of Kitron…

…Ahser did not drive out the inhabitants of Acco…

…Napthali did not drive out the inhabitants of Beth-shemesh…

And on it goes. The situation in the Promised Land will continue to degrade until God has to intervene and rescue His people yet again – time and time again. The book of Judges is a record of the period of the judges. Who were these individuals? Were they prophets, pseudo-kings, or military leaders? To help us get a better grasp on the role these people played in the lives of Gods people, take a few minutes to read what John Bright has to say about them:

Though the judge enjoyed great prestige, he was in no sense a king. His authority was neither absolute, nor permanent, nor in any case hereditary; it rested solely in those personal qualities (the charisma) that gave evidence that he was the man of Yahweh's spirit. It was a type of authority perfectly expressive of the faith and constitution of early Israel: the God-King's direct leadership of his people through his spirit-designated representative. . . .

The judges were by no means men of identical character. Some (e.g., Gideon) rose to their task at the behest of a profound experience of divine vocation; one (Jephthah) was no better than a bandit who knew how to strike a canny bargain; one (Samson) was an engaging rogue whose fabulous strength and bawdy pranks became legendary. None, so far as we know, ever led a united Israel into battle. All, however, seem to have had this in common: they were men who, stepping to the fore in times of danger, by virtue only of those personal qualities (charisma) which gave evidence to their fellows that Yahweh's spirit was upon them, rallied the clans against the foe. – John Bright, A History of Israel

So as we read through the book of Judges, keep your eyes open for God's faithfulness. Look out for examples of His sovereign grace and mercy. Watch how He rescues His own even in the midst of their rebellion. He is faithful. And look at the ways in which he uses ordinary men to accomplish extraordinary tasks. Just like He longs to do today.

Father, as we read through the book of Judges, give us eyes to see You. Don't let us read it as ancient history, but as an up-to-date glimpse into Your heart. You are still gracious and merciful. We are still rebellious and disobedient. And You continue to rescue us from the results of our own unfaithfulness. Make that reality come alive to us in the days ahead.  Amen

When Good Intentions Are Not Enough

Joshua 24

So honor the LORD and serve him wholeheartedly. Put away forever the idols your ancestors worshiped when they lived beyond the Euphrates River and in Egypt. Serve the LORD alone. ­– Joshua 24:14 NLT

I think they meant well. The Israelites that is. They had been challenged by Joshua to serve God and serve Him alone, and their response was a strong affirmative. They all gave Joshua a thumbs up and said, "Far be it from us that we should forsake the Lord to serve other gods." (Joshua 24:16 NASB). Twice in chapter 24 they swear to worship God alone – even after Joshua somewhat pessimistically warns them, "You are not able to serve the LORD, for he is a holy and jealous God. He will not forgive your rebellion and sins" (Joshua 24:19 NLT). But they assure him that they will. And I think they meant it. They sincerely wanted to serve God alone. But the problem was that they still had idols they were worshiping in place of or in addition to God. I think it is interesting that they never seem to come right out and say that they are willing to worship GOD alone. While a few of the translations add this word, it does not seem to appear in the original manuscripts. So the people seem to conveniently leave out the word "only" or "alone" when assuring Joshua that they will serve God. They seem to be leaving themselves an out – a way to keep their existing gods while assuring Joshua that they will serve Yahweh as well.

Joshua seems to sense this when he tells them to, "destroy the idols among you, and turn your hearts to the LORD, the God of Israel" (Joshua 24:23 NLT). He knew that they were going to have a hard time giving up their idols, their substitutes for the one true God. They wanted both. They wanted the freedom to worship God, but also keep their alternative gods carefully tucked away in their tents – just in case. It's kind of like us saying that we will trust God to provide for us, but all the while we keep checking on the status of our 401k or mutual fund, just to make sure that we have something else to fall back on in case God doesn't come through for us. Sure, we'll worship God, but we want to make sure we have other options when it comes to meeting our daily needs.

Joshua warned the people that God is a holy God and a jealous God. He doesn't like to play seconds. He doesn't like being an option. He wants His people to serve Him wholeheartedly, in sincerity and truth, totally committed, showing loyalty and not allowing anyone or anything else to compete for our love or attention. But we allow so many things to stand as replacements for God. We put all kinds of things in His place, turning to them for comfort, assurance, hope, help, power, rescue, joy, contentment, and a sense of peace. God made it clear in the opening verses of this chapter all that He had done for the people of Israel. Over and over again He said, "I gave," "I sent," "I brought," "I delivered," and "I destroyed." From the day He had called Abraham out of Ur, He had been leading, guiding, protecting and providing for them in incredible ways. He deserved their sold-out allegiance, their non-distracted commitment to Him and Him alone. But they would struggle with faithfulness for generations to come. Just as we do. James gives us a powerful warning in his letter about allowing anything to come between our love for God. He is as jealous for us as He was for the people of Israel. "You adulterers! Don’t you realize that friendship with this world makes you an enemy of God? I say it again, that if your aim is to enjoy this world, you can’t be a friend of God. What do you think the Scriptures mean when they say that the Holy Spirit, whom God has placed within us, jealously longs for us to be faithful?" (James 4:4-5 NLT).

So are you friendly with the world? Is your aim to enjoy this world and all it has to offer? If so, then James says you can't be a friend of God. Sound a bit harsh, doesn't it? But God jealously longs for us to be faithful and He knows how easily it is for us to become distracted by the things of this world. Maybe its time for a reality check. What ARE we worshiping other than God? What are the idols in our life? Are we willing to remove them?

Father, I say I worship You and You alone, but the truth is, I have so many things that compete for my love and attention. They show up as the things I worry about, think about, stress over, and spend my time with. In giving them my valuable time and attention, I am in essence worshiping them. I am giving them something of value that I should be reserving for You. Give me the ability to recognize the idols in my life and the strength to remove them. Amen

Cling to the Lord.

Joshua 22-23

But you are to cling to the LORD your God, as you have done to this day. ­– Joshua 23:8 NASB

Joshua is growing old. The people are in the land, but have yet to take possession of all that God has given them. Several times in these two chapters Joshua refers to the land "which remains." God had given them enough land to take over as their numbers grew. He had taken into account their future as well as their present needs. But because they had not yet occupied all the land, there were still other nations remaining in those areas. Joshua warns the people not to grow intimate with these people. "So be strong! Be very careful to follow all the instructions written in the Book of the Law of Moses. Do not deviate from them in any way. Make sure you do not associate with the other people still remaining in the land. Do not even mention the names of their gods, much less swear by them or worship them" (Joshua 23:6-7 NLT). Joshua knew that the people would be tempted to not only allow these other nations to remain, but to grow comfortable with their presence and even learn to accept their ways and their worship. So he strongly warns them of the consequences of their actions.

Joshua spends a good part of his address to the people reminding them of all that God has done for them. The Lord had given them rest from all their enemies on every side. It was the Lord who had been fighting for them all this time. God would continue to give them victory over their enemies as long as they remained faithful to Him, keeping His commands and expressing love to Him through their obedience. God had remained faithful, but He expected Israel to do the same.

"If Israel does not do her part, then God will not do his. Here is the danger of freedom. God seeks man's free response of love. God does his part to deserve and receive such love. God does not force his attentions upon man. But the man who ignores God's claims finds God's punishment." – Trent C. Butler, Joshua

Because we live in a dispensation of grace, we sometimes fail to realize how serious God is about faithfulness in His people. We relish His grace and count on His constant forgiveness. We love the idea that our future salvation is guaranteed and we can't do anything to screw it up. But that assurance can lead to a kind of complacence. We can become casual in our obedience and a little too familiar with this world. Joshua warned the Israelites of how dangerous this would be for them. But is it any less dangerous for us? No, we will not lose our salvation, but we can miss out on all that God has promised for us. John warns us as believers, "Stop loving this evil world and all that it offers you, for when you love the world, you show that you do not have the love of the Father in you. or the world offers only the lust for physical pleasure, the lust for everything we see, and pride in our possessions. These are not from the Father. They are from this evil world." (1 John 2:15-16 NLT). Jesus Himself prayed on our behalf, "I’m not asking you to take them out of the world, but to keep them safe from the evil one. They are not part of this world any more than I am. Make them pure and holy by teaching them your words of truth." (John 17:15-17 NLT).

We are not to grow cozy with the world in which we live. We are not to take on the characteristics of this world system. Instead, we are to be set apart. We are to be in the world, but not of it. We are to be agents of influence, not the influenced. Like the Israelites, we are to be God's representatives in a land where He is not worshiped or esteemed. We are to be His people, living according to His will and illustrating what it means to walk according to His way. No, we need not fear His cursing of us, but we should fear living outside of His will. Falling in love with the world should be the farthest thing from our minds when we consider all that He has done, is doing, and has promised to do for us in the future. Even in the midst of all the temptations and influences to be unfaithful, we should cling to the Lord. He is our help, our hope, and our faithful God.

Father, I want to learn to cling to You. But instead I tend to cling to the things this world offers up as replacements for You. Forgive me for my lack of faithfulness and my complacency. I have become far too casual in my relationship with You. I don't want Your love for me to cause me to lose my respect and awe of You. Never let me grow so casual that I become complacent. Amen

The Faithfulness of God.

Judges 20-21

Not one of the good promises which the Lord had made to the house of Israel failed; all came to pass. ­– Joshua 21:45 NASB

Sometimes we fail to recognize the faithfulness of God. In fact, we oftentimes doubt it and complain that God is not doing His part. We take a look at our circumstances and determine that God has not done for us what we assumed He could or should do. If we find ourselves going through difficulty, we assume that it is NOT from God, and therefore He has dropped the ball and inadvertently allowed the difficulty to take place. At other times we may feel like God is nowhere to be found. He is absent or preoccupied with other things and too busy to help us. Or perhaps we think that God is angry with us and has decided to punish us for something we have done or haven’t done. In all these cases, we fail to understand the unfailing faithfulness of God. The end of chapter 21 of Joshua is a welcome reminder that we serve a faithful God who never fails to follow through on His promises.

Joshua reminds his readers that God had done all He had promised to do. “So the Lord gave to Israel all the land he had sworn to give their ancestors, and they took possession of it and settled there. And the Lord gave them rest on every side, just as he had solemnly promised their ancestors. None of their enemies could stand against them, for the Lord helped them conquer all their enemies” (Joshua 21:41-44 NLT). Now the reality was that they had not yet occupied ALL the land. There were not enough Israelites available to take possession of all the land that existed. But they had taken possession of great portions of the land, and as the previous chapters indicate, they had divided up the land between all the tribes, including the Levites. Now it was up to the Israelites to do their part. God had done His. In verse 45 Joshua seems to be illustrating the fact that God had been faithful to His promises up to that point in time. He had promised possession of the land, rest on every side, and victory over enemies. And the truth was, Israel had experienced all of these to some degree. God had been faithful to the “good promises” He had made to them when they had prepared to cross the Jordan (Joshua1:1-9).

God had been faithful and would continue to be so. The only reason the Israelites would not take possession of some of the land would be due to their own infidelity, not God’s. Any future conflicts with their enemies in the land would be their own fault, not God’s. God had given them the land and victory over their enemies. It was up to the Israelites, by faith, to make it a reality. But they would prove to be unfaithful. Just like we tend to be. We don’t lack peace and joy because God is unfaithful to provide it, but because we turn to anything and everything else to get it, other than God. It is ours for the taking, but we will only find it in Him. Chapter 21 tells how the Israelites gave portions of their land and cities to the Levites, the priestly family. This assured that priests were close by all throughout the land. The priests were to instruct the people in regard to the Law of God and help them keep it. In Shiloh, the tabernacle was erected, the place where God’s presence dwelt. Shiloh was in the middle of the Promised Land. So God’s presence was always in the middle of the people of Israel. God’s priests were always close at hand. They had no excuse for not following God. But they would do so any way, and on a regular basis. But so do we. God has given us His Word, He has provided us with places of worship and ministers to instruct us in His Word. But we still turn to other things for comfort, happiness, and significance. God has been faithful to us, but we regularly reveal our unfaithfulness to Him. If only we could open our eyes and recognize His presence and power in our midst. He is there. He is faithful.

Father, help me grow in my awareness of Your unfailing faithfulness. I have no reason to doubt You. You are a constant presence in my life – whether I see You or not. You are there and You care. Your promises are as good as fulfilled. Even your promise of eternal life. It is a done deal. Nothing can change it. Thank You. Amen

Possess the Land.

Joshua 18-19

How long will you put off entering the land which the Lord, the God of your fathers, has given you? – Joshua 18:3b NASB

The land had been promised by God. Now all they had to do was take possession of all that had been given to them. Without doing so the inheritance would remain unofficial. It had to be received, possessed, and appreciated. But seven of the 12 tribes still stood around waiting to take what had been given to them by God. The land had been subdued (Joshua 18:1), but unoccupied. So Joshua confronts the remaining tribes and asks them a somewhat uncomfortable question: “How long will you put off entering the land which the Lord, the God of your fathers, has given you? (Joshua 18:3b). “What are you waiting for?,” he seems to ask them. “Why are you procrastinating?” “What’s keeping you from enjoying what God has already given you?

Those same questions could be asked of you and me today. Like the Israelites, we have incredible promises made to us by God. We are heirs of God with access to everything from peace and joy to abundant life and contentment. We have the promise of His constant presence through the indwelling Spirit. We have the promise of His power. We have the promise of His provision. Yet we fail to take advantage of all the promises of God. We live like paupers instead of princes in the land. There is so much waiting for us, yet we seem content to settle for less. We have learned to accept a weak and powerless brand of Christianity that is far from what God has promised. That may be why so many of our lost friends, neighbors, and co-workers are turned off by what we offer up as the “good news” to them. There is far more at our disposal than we are taking advantage of. We have become satisfied with a steady diet of beans and weenies when we have a sumptuous banquet right at our fingertips. We have put off entering the land.

It’s interesting that right in the midst of all this, we read about the tent of meeting or tabernacle being set up in Shiloh. The name literally means, “place of rest.” God had given His people the promise of His abiding presence. And His presence was to dwell wherever the tabernacle was erected. So when they set it up in Shiloh, the place of rest, there seems to be a not-to-subtle reminder that God’s presence and rest go hand in hand. The sanctuary of God was to be right in the middle of the people of God. So they set up the tabernacle in the central hill country – smack dab in the middle of the land allotments to the various tribes. The presence of God should bring the peace and rest of God. He is with us. He will never leave us or forsake us. He is there to empower us.

When we fail to “possess the land” we fail to enjoy the full extent of His presence and peace. We live in weakness and fear. We fall prey to the powers and the worries of this world. He is there, but we do not sense or see Him. He is with us, but instead of the peace of His presence, we suffer from a feeling of aloneness and emptiness. Both of these we attempt to fill with other things. But God is offering us a place of rest. He is offering us the power of His presence. He is offering us joy in the midst of the battle. But we must take possession of what He has given us – in faith.

Father, forgive me for failing to take possession of what You have already provided. I don’t enjoy Your peace. I fail to live with a sense of contentment and joy. I don’t recognize and utilize the power You have made available to me through the Holy Spirit. I live too often like a pauper instead of a prince. I act like a squatter in the land instead of an heir of the king with the full rights and privileges that come as one of Your sons. Help me to step out in faith and take hold of all that You have put at my disposal. Let it begin today. Amen

When Almost Isn't Enough.

Joshua 16-17

But the descendants of Manasseh were unable to occupy these towns. They could not drive out the Canaanites who continued to live there. Later on, however, when the Israelites became strong enough, they forced the Canaanites to work as slaves. But they did not drive them out of the land. – Joshua 17:12-13 NLT

They couldn't drive out the Canaanites. That little statement speaks volumes. Their inability or unwillingness to completely exterminate the Canaanites from the land would come back to haunt them. It didn't really matter that they would occasionally make them slaves. They were supposed to purge them from the land. And they didn't. However big or small this remnant of Canaanites was, they would continue to have a negative influence on the people of Israel. It would be like attempting to break a nasty drug habit all the while keeping an assortment of drugs in your pantry. The likelihood of you remaining "drug free" would be minimal at best. The same was going to prove true for the Israelites. They would find themselves constantly harassed and negatively impacted by the presence of these people. No matter how much Israel may have felt that they had the Canaanites conquered, their presence would prove to be a continual problem.

What a reminder to you and me about the sin in our own lives. We can learn to tolerate it and live with it – rationalizing it away. But sin is sin and its presence will have consequences. That is why it is so critical for us to deal with it seriously and often. Which is why John encourages us, "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness" (1 John 1:9 NASB).

Father, forgive me for the many times I have allowed the "Canaanite" toremain the land. Help me see the seriousness and the danger of sin in my life. Don't allow me to grow complacent of comfortable with it – no matter how small I may think it is. Help me to see it, acknowledge it, and confess it on a regular basis. Give me the strength to remove it from my life with Your help. Amen

Dripping With Devotion to God.

Joshua 14-15

Nevertheless my brethren who went up with me made the heart of the people melt with fear; but I followed the LORD my God fully. – Joshua 14:8 NASB

Remember Caleb? He was the one, who along with Joshua, went in to spy out the land more than 40 years earlier. Twelve men were sent by Moses to check out the condition of the Promised Land prior to them taking possession of it. But ten of the spies came back with a bad report. They said there were giants in the land. Their report scared the people so badly, that they refused to go in. "Where can we go up? Our brethren have made our hearts melt, saying, 'The people are bigger and taller than we; the cities are large and fortified to heaven. And besides, we saw the sons of the Anakim there'" (Deuteronomy 1:28 NASB). The result was that God condemned them to wandering in the wilderness until that generation died off. Caleb and Joshua were the only two spies who recommended that the people obey God and enter the land – in spite of the presence of the Anakim or giants. These two men trusted God and now, more than four decades later, Caleb is coming to Joshua to claim his inheritance. God had said, "Caleb the son of Jephunneh; he shall see it, and to him and to his sons I will give the land on which he has set foot, because he has followed the LORD fully" (Deuteronomy 1:36 NASB).

The amazing thing is that Caleb is now 85 years old! But his faith and determination have not weakened over the years. In fact, he claim, "I am as strong now as I was when Moses sent me on that journey, and I can still travel and fight as well as I could then" (Joshua 14:11 NLT). Not only does he want to inherit the land God had promised, he wants to occupy the land of the Anakim – the giants whose presence scared off the first generation 40 years earlier. At 85 years of age, Caleb is ready to take on the Anakim and their fortified cities. He says to Joshua, "So I’m asking you to give me the hill country that the LORD promised me. You will remember that as scouts we found the Anakites living there in great, walled cities. But if the LORD is with me, I will drive them out of the land, just as the LORD said" (Joshua 14:12 NLT).

Caleb got his wish. He was given the city of Hebron and the hill country surrounding it as his inheritance. But he still had to go out and conquer and occupy it. Which he did. Then after all that, Caleb would willingly give the city he fought and won to the Levites as a city of refuge. He would then live in the pasture lands surrounding it (Joshua 21:12).

What a picture of devotion to God. Caleb is the epitome of what we should look like when it comes to our love and devotion to God. He followed the Lord FULLY. That word is rich in meaning. It conveys the idea that he was wholehearted in his devotion to God. He gave himself totally to God. In other words, he loved God with all his heart, soul, mind, and strength. His was not a wishy-washy relationship with God, but a totally sold-out, lay-it-all-on-the-line kind of relationship that flowed from every pore of his body. His devotion to God didn't diminish with age, it got stronger. Years of wandering and waiting in the wilderness didn't staunch his passion, it increased it. One of the possible meanings of the word "fully" is that Caleb was literally "dripping with" devotion to God. He was soaked through and through. He was brimming over with his commitment to and love for God. Nothing would stand in his way when it came to following after God. And that's exactly the kind of mindset we need today. God is looking for more Calebs – men and women who are His fully devoted followers – sold out and dripping with devotion to Him. Age, income, education, upbringing, talent – none of it matters. Nothing stands in the way of someone who is willing to follow God FULLY. Their devotion to God is full, drenched, running over, complete, wholehearted, and overflowing. Does that describe you?

Father, I have to admit or confess that my devotion to You is far from full. I am not dripping with devotion to You. I find that it is sometimes in short supply. Circumstances, time, and the cares of this life take their toll. I find myself devoted to a lot of other things, including my own agenda or my own comfort and convenience. But I want to be a Caleb. I want to follow You fully, not half-heartedly. I want to be defeating the giants in the land when I'm in my 80s, not resting in some retirement home or driving golf balls into the high grass in an attempt to wile away the waning days of my life. Give me the heart and passion of Caleb so that I might give all that I have to You. Amen

Still Work To Be Done.

Joshua 12-13

Now Joshua was old and advanced in years when the LORD said to him, "You are old and advanced in years, and very much of the land remains to be possessed." – Joshua 13:1 NASB

Joshua is probably 80 years old at this point in time. Since entering the Promised Land, he has been a busy guy. He has led the people of God in their conquest of the land and helped them defeat 31 different kings. But they are far from done. After seven years of fighting the people of God occupied very little of the land. "Very much" of it remained for them to possess. Now it was going to be up to the individual tribes to finish what Joshua has begun. There would be no more large-scale battles involving the combined forces of Israel. Instead, each tribe would be responsible for the lands allotted to it. While the major cities and military threats had been taken care of, there were still going to be serious work required to purge the land of its remaining inhabitants. The goal was not to completely eliminate other people groups from the land, but to ensure that Israel was in control and had eliminated all remaining threats to its rightful possession of the land.

The next chapters are going to relate the dividing up of the land to the various tribes. That was the easy part. Now the real work would be the actual taking possession of the various territories by each of the tribes. This was going to require real faith. The people of God were not to be content with the conquests of Jericho and Ai, or the defeat of the 31 kings mentioned in chapter 13. They had much more to do. This is all about the inheritance that God had promised them. He had given them this land, but they were the ones who would have to conquer and colonize it with God's help.

"Resisting the temptation to skip over this section of Joshua [chs. 13—21] can result in an appreciation of important features of God's covenant with Israel. Beyond the obvious detail of the content of these chapters and the means by which God blessed those who remained faithful in the conquest of the land, this passage also addresses the question why the land formed so significant a part of God's promises to the patriarchs and remained a key feature of the covenant." – Richard S. Hess, Joshua: An Introduction and Commentary

Eleven different times in chapter 13 the word "inheritance" is used in speaking of the land. This land was God's gift to His people, but they had to take possession of it. They had to conquer it. They had to colonize it. This was going to require effort on the part of the people. It would not be easy. The inhabitants of the land did not roll over and play dead. They were going to put up a fight. The same is true for us as believers. We have been promised abundant life, not just in the future, but now. But to experience and enjoy it requires that we "take possession" of it. We must purge our lives of the remnants of sin that remain.

"…throw off your old evil nature and your former way of life, which is rotten through and through, full of lust and deception." – Ephesians 4:22 NLT

"Do not lie to one another, since you laid aside the old self with its evil practices." – Colossians 3:9 NASB

"We know that our old man was crucified with him so that the body of sin would no longer dominate us, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin." – Romans 6:6 NET

"Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires." – Galatians 5:24 NIV

"So put to death the sinful, earthly things lurking within you. Have nothing to do with sexual sin, impurity, lust, and shameful desires. Don’t be greedy for the good things of this life, for that is idolatry." – Colossians 3:5 NLT

For most of us, "very much of the land remains to be possessed." We are not experiencing the fullness of life promised by God and made possible by Christ. Why? Because we have allowed a lot of our sinful habits to remain. We have not remained faithful to work alongside the Holy Spirit allowing Him to purge our lives of our old sin nature. Like Israel, we have failed to finish the task at hand. "But the Israelites failed to drive out the people of Geshur and Maacah, so they continue to live among the Israelites to this day" (Joshua 13:13 NLT). Let's allow God to finish what He has begun.

Father, You are not finished in my life. But I can easily become content with where I am. I can grow complacent in my faith journey and become perfectly fine with the status quo. But You have called me to more. You have promised more. Never allow me to remain satisfied with less than Your best for me. Amen

War Before Rest.

Joshua 10-11

So Joshua took control of the entire land, just as the LORD had instructed Moses. He gave it to the people of Israel as their special possession, dividing the land among the tribes. So the land finally had rest from war. – Joshua 11:23 NLT

The Promised Land turned out to be one tough place. The original spies were right. It was a land filled with formidable enemies. From the first day Joshua and the people had set foot in the land, it had been one conflict after another. God had given them a miraculous victory over Jericho, but then it had become one war after another. They had been routed at Ai, then turned around and returned the favor after having purged the sin from their camp. Next, a group of Amorite nations form a coalition against the cit of Gibeon, because they had made a covenant with Israel. Joshua is forced to defend the city because of the treaty he had made with them. God miraculously destroys the armies of the coalition and then Joshua and his forces destroy their cities in a clean-up operation. The move from city to city, destroying everything and everyone. In spite of the Lord's presence, this would have been a wearying endeavor. They were having to march across vast amounts of land to accomplish their task. But Joshua and the people were able to capture all the kings and their cities because the Lord, the God of Israel, was fighting for them (Joshua 10:42).

But their victories led to more battles. The kings of the northern cities of Canaan heard about Israel's conquests and formed a coalition against them. And the size of their combined armies was massive. "All these kings responded by mobilizing their warriors and uniting to fight against Israel. Their combined armies, along with a vast array of horses and chariots, covered the landscape like the sand on the seashore" (Joshua 11:4 NLT). The Jewish historian, Josephus said that the northern armies had 300,000 infantry, 10,000 cavalry, and 20,000 chariots. That's some army! Yet we are told, "the LORD gave them victory over their enemies. The Israelites chased them as far as Great Sidon and Misrephoth–maim, and eastward into the valley of Mizpah, until not one enemy warrior was left alive" (Joshua 11:8 NLT). Joshua went on to capture every city within the enemy coalition, destroying, burning, and plundering them. Joshua and his forces march throughout the land, from city to city, fighting and taking the land into their possession. It wasn't just handed to them. Yes, God was involved and performed significant miracles to make their job easier, but the people of God still had to do their part. They even went on to destroy the Anakim, the giants who had terrorized the spies more than 40 years earlier (Numbers 33). Joshua and the people conquered the entire land and its inhabitants. In doing so, they were being obedient to the call of God to Moses. But it required hard work and determination. We are told that "Joshua waged war a long time with all these kings" (Joshua 11:18 NASB). We tend to read these condensed versions of these stories and lose the significance of the energy and effort expended in order for victory to be accomplished. Taking the Promised Land had turned out to be hard work. Even dangerous at times.

But all their effort turned out for the best. Their obedience resulted in rest. Because they had done what God had commanded them to do, "the land had rest from war" (Joshua 11:23 NASB). There was a time when the battles ceased and the people could rest. Their efforts were rewarded with rest. The fighting stopped and they could enjoy the fruits of their labor – without fear of attack. So what does this have to do with you and me? Well, we have to realize that we too are in a battle. We live in the midst of a spiritual war where the enemy is attacking constantly, trying to destroy us every chance he gets. John 10:10 records the words of Jesus warning us that the enemy comes to steal, kill, and destroy. Satan is out to annihilate us. We, like the Israelites, are invading his land. He wants to stop the advancement of God's people and His kingdom. And he will do everything in his power to make that happen.

But we want rest. We want peace. We want to enjoy ourselves and have fun. We have lost sight of the reality of the spiritual war in which we find ourselves. This is NOT heaven. We do have God presence and power available to us, but we are also under attack. Which is why we are encouraged to put on arm ourselves for battle. It is why we are admonished to fight. Paul encouraged Timothy to "fight well in the Lord’s battles" (1 Timothy 1:18 NLT). Paul reminds us that, "We use God’s mighty weapons, not mere worldly weapons, to knock down the Devil’s strongholds. With these weapons we break down every proud argument that keeps people from knowing God. With these weapons we conquer their rebellious ideas, and we teach them to obey Christ" (2 Corinthians 10:4-5 NLT). He also warns us to "Stay alert, stand firm in the faith, show courage, be strong" (1 Corinthians 16:13 NET). Why? Because we are at war. We live in difficult days. This is no time for the feint-hearted. We fight for the Lord. We are part of His army and represent His kingdom on this earth. We are part of His invasion force, taking back what rightfully belongs to God. We have a job to do. Rest will come. But first we must do the work He has called us to do.

Father, forgive me for wanting rest before I've even fought the good fight. I have a peacetime mentality in a time of war and nothing could be more dangerous. The enemy tries to convince me that there is no war. He wants to make peace with me like the Gibeonites did with Joshua. He attempts to deceive and delude me. Open my eyes to the reality of the war being waged all around me. Give me the strength I need to fight the good fight of faith. You've promised me rest, but that does not mean I don't have to fight and do my part. Amen

Taking God For Granted.

Joshua 8-9

So the Israelite leaders examined their bread, but they did not consult the LORD. – Joshua 9:14 NLT

Once the Israelites had purged the sin from their camp, they easily defeated the city of Ai – mainly because purging of sin had restored the presence and power of God. He was with them once again and He gave the city into their hands. Word of their subsequent defeat and destruction of the city of Ai, coupled with their victory over Jericho, had gotten around. A group of Canaanite nations joined forces to fight against Israel. They had seen what had happened to Jericho and Ai, and knew that their only hope was in an alliance against the people of Israel.

The Gibeonites, another Canaanite nation, took a slightly different approach. They decided to use deception. They used the "if-you-can't-beat-them-join-them" approach. They sent a group of emissaries to seek peace with Israel, but they dressed them in worn-out clothes and gave them old provisions and dried-out wine skins to carry. They were to tell Joshua that they were from a far-off country and head heard of the power of Israel. Their goal was to seek a peace treaty or covenant with Israel. It was perfectly acceptable for Israel to make covenants with distant cities, but they had been commanded by God to destroy ALL Canaanite cities. The city of Gibeon was just 6.5 miles from Ai!

Joshua and the leaders of Israel took the bait. They bought the lie. And the writer of the book of Joshua makes it painfully clear why they were so easily deceived. They did not seek the counsel of God. They just assumed He was with them, so they didn't bother to ask Him. This is especially odd considering all the times Joshua had seen Moses ascend the mountain to talk with God. He should have known better. He should have realized that no matter was too small to consult with God about. It was never safe to assume that God's input was unnecessary. Joshua had even been given clear instructions how to seek the will of God in any matter. "When direction from the LORD is needed, Joshua will stand before Eleazar the priest, who will determine the LORD’s will by means of sacred lots. This is how Joshua and the rest of the community of Israel will discover what they should do" (Numbers 27:21 NLT).

I see two truths revealed in this chapter. First of all, the enemies of God's people will always align themselves against us. They will join forces in an attempt to defeat the kingdom of God. But they will also use deception and alliances to get us to accept them as they are. They will make peace treaties with us and encourage us to allow them to live with us in the land. Which is exactly what Joshua did. He failed to seek God's will and so he bought the lie of the Gibeonites and made a covenant with them. When he discovered his mistake, he attempted to correct it by making the people of Gibeon slaves of Israel. But while this sounds like a fitting punishment for their deception, it allowed the people of Gibeon to remain alive and infiltrate the nation of Israel. Their presence would have long-lasting influence over the people of Israel. This allegiance would lead to future problems for the people of Israel. Years later, King Saul would attempt to wipe out the Gibeonites as part of a purge. In doing so, he would violate the covenant. The result would be famine in the land. "During David’s reign there was a famine for three consecutive years. So David inquired of the Lord. The Lord said, 'It is because of Saul and his bloodstained family, because he murdered the Gibeonites'" (2 Samuel 21:1 NET).

God tells us, "Good advice and success belong to me. Insight and strength are mine" (Proverbs 8:14 NLT). We are to seek His counsel about any and all matters. But it is so easy to assume that some things are just up to us. We can easily fall prey to the idea that we can make decisions on our own, without seeking His advice. The world is out to deceive us. It is constantly trying to trick us and cause us to make false alliances with it. Compromise is a constant threat to God's people. Which is why we need to seek His face. We need His counsel each and every day for each and every circumstance. It is when we get comfortable making decisions without Him that we are in real danger.

Father, I confess that there are so many times I do not seek Your counsel. I either don't think I need it or I just don't want to take the time. I also probably fear that if I ask Your advice, You will contradict the decision I have already made. But it is clear that living my life apart from Your input is dangerous. I am easily deceived. I am prone to make decisions that will have long-lasting implications on my life. Teach me to seek Your face in all things – big and small. Amen

Sin in the Camp.

Joshua 5-7

Get up! Command the people to purify themselves in preparation for tomorrow. For this is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: Hidden among you, O Israel, are things set apart for the LORD. You will never defeat your enemies until you remove these things. – Joshua 7:13 NLT

These three chapters offer us two extremes. On one hand we see the incredible, miraculous victory of God over the fortified city of Jericho. In a strangely fable-like story, the walls of Jericho fall after the people spend seven days marching around them and simply shouting. But then we see a demoralizing defeat take place against the much smaller city of Ai. In a matter or days, the people go from ecstasy to agony, from victory to defeat. What happened? Sin in the camp. They had disobeyed God. But not everyone. Just one man had decided to ignore God's command not to covet and take anything under the ban.

Do not take any of the things set apart for destruction, or you yourselves will be completely destroyed, and you will bring trouble on all Israel. Everything made from silver, gold, bronze, or iron is sacred to the LORD and must be brought into his treasury. – Joshua 6:18-19 NLT

They were to completely destroy the city, its inhabitants, and everything in it. Only the gold, silver, bronze and iron were to be given to the Lord's treasury. Nothing else was to be taken by the people. But someone decided to take matters into his own hands. And his disobedience led to the defeat at Ai. "But Israel was unfaithful concerning the things set apart for the LORD. A man named Achan had stolen some of these things, so the LORD was very angry with the Israelites. Achan was the son of Carmi, of the family of Zimri, of the clan of Zerah, and of the tribe of Judah" (Joshua 7:1 NLT). Isn't it interesting that chapter seven starts off with the phrase, "But Israel was unfaithful"? Even though one man had sinned, the whole nation was held guilty. While only Achan had ignored the ban and disobeyed God, the entire nation was being held responsible.

There was sin in the camp. And as long as there was sin in the camp, there would be no victory. The presence and power of the Lord would no longer be available to them. "That is why the Israelites are running from their enemies in defeat. For now Israel has been set apart for destruction. I will not remain with you any longer unless you destroy the things among you that were set apart for destruction" (Joshua 7:13 NLT).

God wanted them to purge the camp. He wanted them to expose the sin and remove it from their midst. Until they did, they would continue to suffer defeat. ""Rise up! Consecrate the people and say, ‘Consecrate yourselves for tomorrow, for thus the LORD, the God of Israel, has said, "There are things under the ban in your midst, O Israel. You cannot stand before your enemies until you have removed the things under the ban from your midst." (Joshua 7:13 NLT). In our day, we have decided that faith is an individualized thing. It is something that is simply between God and myself. What I do is my own business. But we have lost sight of the reality of the fact that we are part of the body of Christ, and our sins have impact on everyone, not just ourselves. Our individual sins have corporate consequences. The power of God is limited by the presence of sin in the camp. And we seem content to tolerate it. To turn our heads at the sins being committed by the people of God that end up preventing the power of God to be displayed among us. This is not a call for a witch hunt, but a reminder that God takes sin seriously and so should we. We cannot afford to wink at sin and tolerate its presence. It is serious business and has serious consequences. Defeat is a result of disobedience. God is ready to give us victory, but first we must purge the sin from the camp.

Father, show us the sins that exist in our camp. Open our eyes and let us see where we are being disobedient to You. Maybe it is our love affair with the world. Perhaps it is the sins of immorality that exist among us. But whatever it is, help us to see it and deal with it. To confess it and allow You to cleanse us so that we can experience the full extent of Your presence and power. Amen

The Crossing.

Joshua 3-4

Today you will know that the living God is among you. – Joshua 3:10a NLT

This day has been long in coming. For more than 40 years, the people of God have been waiting for this moment to take place – the crossing over into the land of Canaan, the long-awaited Promised Land. This is the event that all their decades of wandering has been leading to. They are getting ready to move from the wilderness to living in the land that was flowing with milk and honey. But before they could get there they were going to have to cross the Jordan. Once again, the people of God found themselves faced with a daunting task – somehow getting the tens of thousands of their people, not to mention livestock, from one side of the Jordan to the other. And at the time of year when the Jordan was at its highest and widest.

It is no coincidence that they had arrived at the Jordan when they did. This was God's timing. The Israelites were to cross the Jordan when the river was at its widest, deepest, and swiftest, in late April or early May. At this time of year, the snow on Mt. Hermon melts and the rainy season ends. The Jordan rises to a depth of 10-12 feet and floods to a width of 300-360 feet at this point even today. This was not going to be easy. But God never said it would be. This was going to be an opportunity to see God work. It was going to be a chance for God to prove the reality of His presence.

The plan was simple. The Levites would carry the Ark of the Covenant into the waters of the Jordan. When they stopped in the middle of the river, the waters would cease to flow and the the people would walk across on dry land. This wasn't just a miracle, as amazing as it was. It was a statement of God's presence and a reminder of His covenant promise to deliver the people of Israel to the Land of Promise. The Ark was a visual representation of God. "The ark is the very symbol of the covenant of the Lord. Thus the full light falls on the redemptive significance of the event. No mere recalling of a miracle is envisaged. The miracle is to be viewed as an expression of covenant fidelity" (Martin H. Woudstra, The Book of Joshua). God was fulfilling His promise. He was doing what He said He would do.

Getting from one side of the Jordan to the other was an event. It was a day worthy of remembering and that is exactly why Joshua had the people set up two memorials. One in the middle of the river and one on the far bank of the river. One would be seen for generations and serve as a reminder of God's covenant faithfulness. God does what He says He will do. God is present with His people. His power protects and provides for His people. The other memorial would be under the water of the Jordan – invisible to human eyes– except in times of drought. But even then, it would be a reminder that God is with them.

The conquest of the land had to begin with the crossing of the river. If they didn't get over the river, they would never take possession of the land. It all began with God. That's the way it has to be. Even for us. Our victories in this life all begin and end with God. He must go ahead of us, providing what we need every step of the way. God wants to prove that He is among us, even today. He wants to show His power. He wants to reveal His presence to us. He is still the covenant keeping God.

Father, You go ahead of me every day. You provide the way when there is no way. You do signs and wonders – even though sometimes I don't even notice them. You are at work in my world. You are parting the waters of my life. Open my eyes so that I can see more clearly Your presence. Amen

Yahweh Saves.

Joshua 1-2

Moses my servant is dead. Get ready! Cross the Jordan River! Lead these people into the land which I am ready to hand over to them. – Joshua 1:2 NET

The Book of Joshua, like all other books of the Bible, is primarily a book of theology. Through it God has revealed himself and continues to do so. – Donald H. Madvig, The Expositors Bible Commentary

As we begin a new book, we begin a new chapter in the lives of the Israelites. They have a new leader in Joshua. They have a new generation. The old generation – the one that refused to go into the Promised Land 40 years earlier – has died off. Moses and Aaron are now dead. Joshua has been commissioned by God to serve in Moses' place. "Then the LORD commissioned Joshua son of Nun with these words: "Be strong and courageous! You must bring the people of Israel into the land I swore to give them. I will be with you" (Deuteronomy 31:23 NLT).

Interestingly enough, the man who God chose to lead His people into the Promised Land was named Joshua. His name means, "Yahweh Saves." Joshua is the Hebrew name that translates into Aramaic as Jesus. Yahweh, God Himself, was going to save His people, but He was going to do it through a man named Joshua. God was going to use this man to lead the people of God into the blessing of His promises for them. Just as Jesus, the God-man was going to lead those whom God has chosen into the blessings of His promise of eternal life and life more abundantly. While the book of Joshua is an historical account, it is more than that. It is a revelation of God's will. It is a picture of God's interaction with men as they attempt, sometimes unsuccessfully, to accomplish His will in a land rife with trials, temptations, and powerful forces that stand in opposition to them. So in a lot of ways, the book of Joshua is a glimpse into the very lives we lead as the people of God today. We have been given a Promised Land. We have been promised abundant life. We have been warned that there will be battles in the days ahead. But like the Israelites, we have been assured of God's presence and of access to His power.

This book is going to be a sometimes uncomfortable reflection of our own struggle with believing God. He has given us our own Promised Land to possess, but it is occupied by enemy forces. It is filled with formidable foes who make it appear as if the promises of God are false. We face the constant temptation to allow fear to replace faith. We have to daily fight the urge to give up on God and give in to the desire to compromise with enemies rather than conquer them. God is going to be highly visible and active in this book. He will be behind the scenes working His plan and fulfilling His promises to His people. But they will be active as well – stumbling, bumbling, failing, and falling – as they attempt to live as God's people in the land He has promised to give them.

They will experience victories and defeats. They will have moments when they obey and moments when they rebel. They will succeed and they will fail. They will listen to God, but then they will have times when they refuse to even hear His voice. Sound familiar? It should. Their story is our story. We are going to see ourselves in the lives of the people of God as they cross over the Jordan and attempt to possess what God has promised.

Father, make this book come alive to me. May I see You clearly in its pages. May I learn more and more about You and how You work. But may I also see me and my tendency to live like the Israelites – with limited faith and a seemingly unlimited propensity to disobey and doubt You. Show me the reality of Your promises and the barriers to enjoying them. Amen

Greater Than Moses.

Deuteronomy 34; Psalm 91

There has never been another prophet like Moses, whom the LORD knew face to face.. – Deuteronomy 34:10 NET

Well, this is the final chapter – of the book of Deuteronomy and of Moses' life. Here we have recorded the last days of this mighty prophet of God. Because he had struck the rock in anger in the wilderness of Zin, failing to show respect and reverence for God, Moses had been denied the privilege of taking the people into the Promised Land (Numbers 20). Instead, Moses was only able to go to the very edge of the land, and view it from a distance. God took the life of Moses on Mount Nebo. He was old, but not in bad health. "Moses was 120 years old when he died, yet his eyesight was clear, and he was as strong as ever" (Deuteronomy 34:7 NLT). This great leader died in the land of Moab and went to be with the Lord. His death is marked by 30 days of mourning and a statement commemorating his role as God's chosen spokesman:

There has never been another prophet like Moses, whom the LORD knew face to face. The LORD sent Moses to perform all the miraculous signs and wonders in the land of Egypt against Pharaoh, all his servants, and his entire land. And it was through Moses that the LORD demonstrated his mighty power and terrifying acts in the sight of all Israel. – Deuteronomy 34:10-12 NLT

Yet as great as Moses was, there would be someone greater. Not Joshua, his replacement. But Jesus Christ. He would be a prophet not unlike Moses in His role as deliverer and shepherd of God's people. He would be the spokesman for God. He would be God's representative, performing great signs and miracles as proof of His power and validation of His words. The book of Hebrews makes it clear that Jesus was greater than Moses himself.

And so, dear brothers and sisters who belong to God and are bound for heaven, think about this Jesus whom we declare to be God’s Messenger and High Priest. For he was faithful to God, who appointed him, just as Moses served faithfully and was entrusted with God’s entire house. But Jesus deserves far more glory than Moses, just as a person who builds a fine house deserves more praise than the house itself. For every house has a builder, but God is the one who made everything. Moses was certainly faithful in God’s house, but only as a servant. His work was an illustration of the truths God would reveal later. But Christ, the faithful Son, was in charge of the entire household. And we are God’s household, if we keep up our courage and remain confident in our hope in Christ. – Hebrews 3:1-5 NLT

Jesus deserves far more glory than Moses. Moses was a foreshadowing of who was to come. He as an illustration of the truths God would reveal later. While Moses was a deliverer, Jesus was the deliverer. Moses could provide release from captivity to Egypt. Jesus provides release from captivity to sin and death. Moses could only provide the law written on tablets of stone, outlining the requirements of God, but incapable of providing the power to keep those requirements. The law pointed out the sin of man but could not prevent it. Jesus came to fulfill the law and provide mankind with a way to satisfy the righteous requirements of God and stand before Him as sinless and pure. Moses could only lead the people to the Promised Land, but Jesus would provide a true Promised Land marked by eternal life with God the Father.

Jesus is greater. But like the people of Israel, we can run the risk of failing to listen to the words of Jesus just as they did the words of Moses. We can rebel against the leadership of Jesus, just as they did the leadership of Moses. So the writer of Hebrews warns us:

That is why the Holy Spirit says, "Today you must listen to his voice. Don’t harden your hearts against him as Israel did when they rebelled, when they tested God’s patience in the wilderness. There your ancestors tried my patience, even though they saw my miracles for forty years. So I was angry with them, and I said, ‘Their hearts always turn away from me. They refuse to do what I tell them.’ So in my anger I made a vow: ‘They will never enter my place of rest.’" Be careful then, dear brothers and sisters. Make sure that your own hearts are not evil and unbelieving, turning you away from the living God. You must warn each other every day, as long as it is called "today," so that none of you will be deceived by sin and hardened against God. For if we are faithful to the end, trusting God just as firmly as when we first believed, we will share in all that belongs to Christ. But never forget the warning: "Today you must listen to his voice. Don’t harden your hearts against him as Israel did when they rebelled." – Hebrews 3:7-14 NLT

Today you must listen to His voice.

Father, You have sent Your Son Jesus as the greater prophet. He has brought us words of truth directly from You. He speaks to us daily through Your Word. He reveals to us Your will. But we tend to disobey and rebel, rejecting His words and refusing to believe. Forgive us for treating Him just as the people of Israel did Moses. Forgive us for the many times we have refused to listen to His words and keep His commands. But thank You for Your patience and kindness. And thank You for sending Your Son as our deliverer and redeemer. Amen

A Song Worth Singing!

Deuteronomy 32-33

"See now that I, indeed I, am he!” says the Lord, “and there is no other god besides me. I kill and give life, I smash and I heal, and none can resist my power." – Deuteronomy 32:39 NET

Have you ever had one of those songs that you just can't seem to get out of your head? The kind that just keeps coming up no matter how hard you try to get rid of it? Usually, it's some worthless little ditty with meaningless lyrics and a less-than-memorable tune, but for some reason it takes up residence in your head and it won't go away.

In chapter 32 of Deuteronomy Moses teaches the people of Israel a song that he wants them to get stuck in their heads. It's a song that God had give him. In fact, God tells Moses, "Now write down for yourselves the following song and teach it to the Israelites. Put it into their very mouths so that this song may serve as my witness against the Israelites!" (Deuteronomy 31:19 NET). God wanted the people to learn this song and to sing it to themselves relentlessly as a reminder of their rebellion and disobedience against Him. This song paints a picture of God as the faithful One. It sings of His power and might, His justice and faithfulness.

He is the Rock; his work is perfect. Everything he does is just and fair. He is a faithful God who does no wrong; how just and upright he is! (Deuteronomy 32:4)

Look now; I myself am he! There is no god other than me! I am the one who kills and gives life; I am the one who wounds and heals; no one delivers from my power! (Deuteronomy 32:39)

But this song also tells of the wrath of God and His anger with the people of Israel because of their constant rebellion and unfaithfulness. It's a tune that tells the sad story of man's turning away from God in order to give their love and allegiance to false gods.

They have roused my jealousy by worshiping non–gods; they have provoked my fury with useless idols. Now I will rouse their jealousy by blessing other nations; I will provoke their fury by blessing the foolish Gentiles. (Deuteronomy 32:21)

This song tells of a people who had been blessed by God, but as a result of their abundance they had become "fat and happy." They had gotten satisfied and complacent in their relationship with Him. Instead of recognizing their prosperity as the handiwork of God, they began to take credit for their successes and become self-sufficient and developed a habit of unfaithfulness.

But Israel soon became fat and unruly; the people grew heavy, plump, and stuffed! Then they abandoned the God who had made them; they made light of the Rock of their salvation. They stirred up his jealousy by worshiping foreign gods; they provoked his fury with detestable acts. (Deuteronomy 32:15-16)

This wasn't exactly a Christmas carol with a catchy tune and light-hearted lyrics. It was at the same time an anthem to God's greatness and a lament to Israel's unfaithfulness. It is a timeless picture of God and mankind, and a chilling reminder of our inability to live the life He has called us to live without His help. We are prone to wander and leave the God we say we love. We are wired to rebel and turn away from the very One who created us. But this song does have a happy ending. It tells us of God's mercy and grace. It reminds us that, in spite of our rebellion, God restores. He continually shows us compassion.

Yes, GOD will judge his people, but oh how compassionately he'll do it. When he sees their weakened plight and there is no one left, slave or free. (Deuteronomy 32:36)

The lyrics of this song don't exactly roll right off the tongue and I don't know if it would be easy to sing even with a great tune behind it, but the message is one we all need to remember. We need to have it stuck in our heads and we need to sing it from the roof tops. This is the message of God and His relationship with mankind. It is about rebellion and redemption, sin and salvation, helplessness and hopefulness. It is the story of our plight and God's plan. The song of salvation through Jesus Christ.

Father, we have something to sing about. We can sing of Your greatness and grace. We can sing of Your mercy in the midst of our sinfulness. You have provided a way – the Way – Your Son Jesus Christ. You have made it possible for us to sing about salvation in spite of our sin and rebellion. Never let us stop singing the reality of who You are and what we would be without You. Amen

Be Strong and Courageous!

Deuteronomy 31

Be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid of them! The LORD your God will go ahead of you. He will neither fail you nor forsake you. – Deuteronomy 31:6 NLT

We live in a time filled with fear and apprehension. We are filled with questions and doubts about the future. What is going to happen to the economy? What is going to happen to the environment? What is going to happen to our culture? What about my 401k? My kids? My job? My marriage? The world appears unstable and insecure. Nothing seems to be reliable or lasting anymore. It's hard to trust anyone or anything. And it is at times like these that we, as Christians, can run the risk of trying to look some place other than God for our hope, peace, security, comfort, strength, and direction. That is exactly what the Israelites faced as they stood on the edge of the Promised Land preparing to go in. Moses was not going with them. God had already made it clear that he would not be joining them in their conquest of the land, but would die in the wilderness. The people were scared. They were filled with apprehension and doubt. How in the world were they going to be able to pull this off? They were not a military power, but a rag-tag bunch of runaways from captivity in Egypt. Yet God was calling them to boldly take over a land occupied by nations bigger and badder than themselves.

So Moses steps in one last time to remind the people where to place their trust. In God. He tells them once again that their God can be trusted. There is no reason to fear or faint. He puts it simply and succinctly. "Be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid of them! The LORD your God will go ahead of you. He will neither fail you nor forsake you" (Deuteronomy 31:6 NLT). Be strong and courageous. Those four words appear throughout this chapter. Moses tells Joshua, his replacement, "Be strong and courageous! For you will lead these people into the land that the LORD swore to give their ancestors. You are the one who will deliver it to them as their inheritance" (Deuteronomy 31:7 NLT). He reminds Joshua that God is going to go ahead of him, and will be with him every step of the way. God will not fail in His responsibilities or forsake His people, so there is no reason to fear. Once again, at Joshua's commissioning, God Himself uses these same four words to launch this new leader's ministry. "Be strong and courageous! You must bring the people of Israel into the land I swore to give them. I will be with you" (Deuteronomy 31:23 NLT).

As the people of God stood facing the unknown, they were encouraged to be strong and courageous. As Joshua contemplated his new role as leader of the motley group of stubborn and rebellious wanderers, he is told be strong and courageous. Why? How? The answer is found in God Himself. He is our strength. He is our source of courage. Like then, He still goes ahead of His people, preparing the way, working His plan, and accomplishing His will. He is with us and will not forsake us. We have no reason to fear. Even though God knew that the people of Israel were going to rebel against Him, rejecting His authority and turning to other gods, He was going to be a constant source of strength and power throughout it all. All they had to do was turn to Him and trust Him. He would do all that He said He would do. He would be all that He said He would be. God is telling you and me the same thing today. Paul even picks up on this theme in his letter to the Corinthians. "Be on guard. Stand true to what you believe. Be courageous. Be strong" (1 Corinthians 16:13 NLT). We are called by God to be ready, faithful, courageous and strong. We have His presence with us at all times. We have His power at our disposal at all times. We have His promises to encourage us at all times. He is with us and will not forsake us. So be strong and courageous!

Father, it is easy to be fearful. It is easy to turn to anything and anyone else other than you during times of fear and doubt. But don't let us forget that You are with us and will not forsake us. You can do what You say You will do. You always have and always will. Give us the strength to trust You more. Give us the courage to step out in faith, trusting in You and You alone. Amen

Choose Life!

Deuteronomy 29-30

Today I have given you the choice between life and death, between blessings and curses. I call on heaven and earth to witness the choice you make. Oh, that you would choose life, that you and your descendants might live! – Deuteronomy 30:19 NLT

It's really quite simple. Choose life or choose death. Choose death or choose destruction. Choose blessing or choose cursing. In chapters 29-30, we have God making His commands quite clear to the people of Israel. Choose life so that you and your descendants might live. There were a lot of things about God the people did not understand. There were mysteries about Him they would never be able to explain or comprehend. But what He wanted from them was perfectly clear. "There are secret things that belong to the LORD our God, but the revealed things belong to us and our descendants forever, so that we may obey these words of the law" (Deuteronomy 29:29 NLT). He had revealed His law. He had given them His instructions. Now all they had to do was choose – to obey or disobey. This was not nuclear science.

"This command I am giving you today is not too difficult for you to understand or perform. It is not up in heaven, so distant that you must ask, ‘Who will go to heaven and bring it down so we can hear and obey it?’ Nor is it beyond the sea, that you should say, ‘Who will cross the sea for us to get it for us and make us hear it, that we may observe it?’ The message is very close at hand; it is on your lips and in your heart so that you can obey it." – Deuteronomy 30:11-14 NLT

They knew perfectly well what God wanted. Now it was a matter of choice. "Now listen! Today I am giving you a choice between prosperity and disaster, between life and death" (Deuteronomy 30:15 NLT). They could choose to obey and experience the life He had promised them or they could choose to disobey and experience an existence void of blessings. You see to choose a life that is missing God is to choose no life at all. To live outside of His will and apart from His presence isn't life, it's death. Yet, even today, people will choose to live their lives apart from God and then learn that the life they seek is non-existent. The blessings they desire are unattainable. The joy they desire is nowhere to be found. To choose God is to choose life. To reject God is to reject His blessings. It's that simple.

Over in the book of Romans, Paul quotes from this very passage in Deuteronomy when talking about the Jewish people and his desire that they choose life through Jesus Christ. "Dear brothers and sisters, the longing of my heart and my prayer to God is that the Jewish people might be saved. I know what enthusiasm they have for God, but it is misdirected zeal. For they don’t understand God’s way of making people right with himself. Instead, they are clinging to their own way of getting right with God by trying to keep the law. They won’t go along with God’s way. For Christ has accomplished the whole purpose of the law. All who believe in him are made right with God. For Moses wrote that the law’s way of making a person right with God requires obedience to all of its commands" (Romans 10:1-5 NLT). Paul goes on to quote directly from Deuteronomy 30 when he says, "But the way of getting right with God through faith says, "You don’t need to go to heaven" (to find Christ and bring him down to help you). And it says, "You don’t need to go to the place of the dead" (to bring Christ back to life again). Salvation that comes from trusting Christ––which is the message we preach––is already within easy reach. In fact, the Scriptures say, 'The message is close at hand; it is on your lips and in your heart'" (Romans 10:6-8 NLT). The message was simple. Paul was preaching it. Choose life. Choose Christ. It was that simple. The gospel message is incredibly simple. Choose life through Christ. Jesus Himself said, "I am the resurrection and the life. Those who believe in me, even though they die like everyone else, will live again" (John 11:25 NLT). He is life everlasting. And He is offering it to all who will accept it. And He offers it to those of who are already His followers – on a daily basis. He came that we might have life to the full. He said, "My purpose is to give life in all its fullness" (John 10:10 NLT). Full life. Abundant life. Choose life. Choose to make Christ your Lord and Savior. It's really that simple.

Father, we try to make everything too difficult. We want to understand all mysteries. We want to be able to explain who You are and how everything in the universe works. But what we really want is life and You offer it through Your Son. While we're busy looking for answers, we tend to walk right past the solution to all of life's problems. The abundant life we seek is found in Jesus, not in knowing more and more. It's so simple, but we try to make it so complex. Open our eyes. Help us see that to choose Jesus is to choose life. Amen

Obedience and Blessing.

Deuteronomy 27-28

If you fully obey the LORD your God by keeping all the commands I am giving you today, the LORD your God will exalt you above all the nations of the world. – Deuteronomy 28:1 NLT

Blessings and curses. These two chapters are filled with both. And the key to enjoying one and escaping the other is the same: obedience. God calls His people to live lives of willful obedience. The benefits are staggering. The penalty for failing to obey are devastating. Over and over again, Moses stresses the importance of obeying God's commands, of keeping His laws. God tells him to erect large stones, white wash them, then write the laws on them as a reminder of what they are supposed to do once they arrive in the land. Any future disobedience on the part of the Israelites was not going to be a case of pleading ignorance. God was making it perfectly clear what His expectations were. The people would have no excuse. Obedience and disobedience are always a choice – a decision of the will. And God makes the ramifications of both quite clear. The burden was on the people to obey what God had commanded them to do. And we know how it all turned out. We know the rest of the story. What is predicted here actually takes place. The people fail to keep God's commands, and end up in exile. Everything Moses predicts comes about. The curses come about with chilling accuracy – from the sieges to the peoples' ultimate exile in foreign lands.

But here's the good news. We don't live under the curse of the law. Paul makes that point clear. "But those who depend on the law to make them right with God are under his curse, for the Scriptures say, 'Cursed is everyone who does not observe and obey all these commands that are written in God’s Book of the Law.' Consequently, it is clear that no one can ever be right with God by trying to keep the law. For the Scriptures say, 'It is through faith that a righteous person has life.' How different from this way of faith is the way of law, which says, 'If you wish to find life by obeying the law, you must obey all of its commands.' But Christ has rescued us from the curse pronounced by the law. When he was hung on the cross, he took upon himself the curse for our wrongdoing. For it is written in the Scriptures, 'Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree.'" (Galatians 3:10-13 NLT).

Christ has rescued us from the curse of the law. We don't have to keep to the law to keep God satisfied. Christ has satisfied His righteous demands by doing what no other man could do: keep the law perfectly. He alone could satisfy the demands of God. He alone could obey the righteous law of God. We are now free to enjoy the blessings of God, not because we have kept the law, but because Jesus did. And because He has paid the penalty required by the law for our disobedience. His death satisfied God's demand for justice. So now we obey, not out of a sense of fear or to avoid the curse, but out of a sense of gratitude and love. Jesus said that if we love Him we will keep His commandments (John 14:15). Obedience is the result of love, not the antidote for cursing. We love Him because He first loved us (1 John 4:19). And an expression of our love is our obedience.

Father, You have already blessed us in so many ways and it has nothing to do with our obedience. It has to do with Christ's obedience. Because He obeyed You fully, we are blessed completely. And as a result, we should desire to obey you willingly. Open my eyes so that I might see just how blessed I really am. Let me understand more completely with each passing day the reality of what Christ has done for me. He has freed me from having to keep the law in order to keep my relationship with You right. He has made me right with You permanently and perfectly. Amen

Gratitude for God's Magnitude.

Deuteronomy 25-26

The LORD has declared today that you are his people, his own special treasure, just as he promised, and that you must obey all his commands. And if you do, he will make you greater than any other nation. Then you will receive praise, honor, and renown. You will be a nation that is holy to the LORD your God, just as he promised. – Deuteronomy 26:18-19 NLT

We take a lot for granted as God's people. Sometimes even our salvation itself can become "old hat." We can get so used to the fact that we have been saved by God through Jesus Christ that it loses its significance. The Israelites faced this same problem. As God's chosen people, they ran the risk of forgetting the significance of their position. With all the talk about rules and regulation, laws and legal requirements, they could very easily begin to think it was all about what they were doing for God instead of all that God had done for them. But God wanted them to remember. He wanted them to constantly recall the reality of their situation and the significance of their calling. Their lives and their keeping of God's laws were to be a response to all that God had done for them. He had taken an insignificant group of people, placed them in the land of Egypt, multiplied and blessed them, rescued them from the slavery imposed on them by the Egyptians, led them across the wilderness, provided for all their needs for more than 40 years, and given them an incredibly fertile land in which to live. Their response should have been one of gratitude. They should have been willing to give back to God a portion of what He had given to them – out of thankfulness for His grace and generosity.

And the same should be true of us. Not only does God shower us each and every day with all kinds of physical blessings, He has made us His own possession. We are His people, His treasured possession. He has set us apart as His own and given us His promise of eternal life. Peter reminds us of this very fact. "But you are the ones chosen by God, chosen for the high calling of priestly work, chosen to be a holy people, God's instruments to do his work and speak out for him, to tell others of the night-and-day difference he made for you--from nothing to something, from rejected to accepted" (1 Peter 2:9-10 MSG). We are blessed. We belong to God and He has chosen to make us His instruments to accomplish His purposes here on this earth. And our attitude should be one of gratitude. Gratefulness for God's incredible goodness and grace.

Father, thank You for all You have done. Forgive me for the many times I take Your grace for granted. Too often I fail to remember all that You have done for me. Never let me forget the greatness of Your goodness. Amen

He Walks Among Us.

Deuteronomy 23-24

For the Lord your God walks about in the middle of your camp to deliver you and defeat your enemies for you. Therefore your camp should be holy, so that he does not see anything indecent among you and turn away from you. – Deuteronomy 23:14 NET

Like the two chapters that precede them, chapters 23-24 contain what seems to be a wide range of topics that don't seem to fit together. But they all have something to do with the presence of God. They each reflect an awareness that God is in the midst of His people. As a result, He has different standards and He expects His people to live differently than the nations around them. We may view some of these restrictions as unnecessarily harsh, but God had a reason for them. He was illustrating for His people His own holiness and set-apartness. Even when the people of God went out on manuevers as an army, they had to remain holy. They couldn't cut corners or excuse themselves from following God's commands. "When you go out as an army against your enemies, guard yourselves against anything impure" (Deuteronomy 23:9 NET). Personal and corporate purity were to be a priority – at all times. Even when it came to personal hygiene, they were to practice purity. When an army was out in the field, each of the men was to cover his waste products, not leave it out in the open like a latrine. Why? Because God would be walking about their camp. He would be in their midst. Not only did this result in good hygiene, it resulted in a constant awareness of God's presence. God's people should ALWAYS conduct themselves in view of God's presence among them.

This is a huge need in the church today. So often we fail to sense God's presence among us. We act as if He is nowhere to be found. Which results in a flippant, casual kind of attitude about our thoughts and actions. Over in his letter to the Ephesian church, Paul says, "Let there be no sexual immorality, impurity, or greed among you. Such sins have no place among God’s people. Obscene stories, foolish talk, and coarse jokes––these are not for you. Instead, let there be thankfulness to God" (Ephesians 5:3-4). We are to remove these things from our community. We are NOT to live like the rest of the world. Our homes are NOT to have in them the same kind of things the rest of the world has. We are NOT to watch the same kind of movies and TV shows. We are NOT to listen to the same music. We are NOT to have the same kinds of conversations. Because we are better? No, but because the holy, righteous God walks in our midst. He walks among us. I remember one time having a conversation with my oldest son about his use of the Internet. I warned him about the dangers of pornography available online. I tried to tell him that there would be temptations to look at things he knew he was not supposed to look at. But the thing that made the greatest impact on him was when I told him to consider what it would be like if he was surfing the Internet and decided to click on a site he knew was inappropriate – and I was sitting next to him when the improper images appeared on the screen. I remember the uncomfortable look on his face. I asked him if he would ever click on something inappropriate or improper on the Internet if I was sitting next to him and he said, "No!" Then I told him to consider the fact that God Himself was sitting next to Him at all times. The holy, righteous God of the universe was with Him every second of every day. So if he did end up clicking on that site in order to look at images he knew were wrong for him as a believer, he would be doing so right in front of God.

But most of us don't seem to believe that God is with us at all times. We don't recognize that He walks in our midst. So we tolerate all kinds of "uncleanliness" in our midst. Rather than bury our filth, we allow it to remain in the open, subjecting God to our sin and uncleanness. Sexual immorality, impurity, greed, obscene stories, foolish talk, and coarse jokes. Sounds like a description of prime-time TV doesn't it? Yet as we sit on the couch taking it all in, God is there with us. He is in our midst. His presence is there whether we feel it or not. Yet we live like the nations around us – ignoring His presence and pursuing a lifestyle that has no place among God's people. "GOD, your God, strolls through your camp; he's present to deliver you and give you victory over your enemies. Keep your camp holy; don't permit anything indecent or offensive in GOD's eyes" (Deuteronomy 23:14 MSG).

Father, You are in our midst, but we live like You are not there. We allow all kinds of uncleanness to exist in our camp, ignoring Your commands for holiness and purity. We resemble the world around us more than the God among us. We have lost our distinctiveness. Forgive us Father and remind us once again of our uniqueness as Your people. You walk among us. You have placed Your Spirit within us. We belong to You and not this world. Make us increasingly aware of Your presence so that we might willingly remove any and all things in and around our lives that have no place in the life of a believer. Amen