Joshua

Joshua / chapter 24 (read the chapter)

Here we find Joshua’s famous words to the Israelites: “Now fear the Lord and serve him with all faithfulness. Throw away the gods your ancestors worshiped beyond the Euphrates River and in Egypt, and serve the Lord. But if serving the Lord seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.” (vs 14-15) Continue Reading »

Joshua / chapter 23 (read the chapter)

I just love how, sometimes, the tiniest things jump out at me. Here’s one for today: “Be very strong; be careful to obey all that is written in the Book of the Law of Moses, without turning aside to the right or to the left.” (vs 6)  Here’s something that’s hard for us to remember sometimes: Every road has two ditches—one on the left and one on the right. God doesn’t want us to end up in either of them. He wants us to travel the middle of the road, where He is. Continue Reading »

Joshua / chapter 22 (read the chapter)

I have recently written on this blog about God’s penchant for evidence. He doesn’t arbitrarily make judgments, nor does He jump to conclusions. He always examines the evidence. So, it seemed fitting to bring out this point about God in contrast to how the Israelites were behaving in this chapter of Joshua. Continue Reading »

Joshua / chapter 21 (read the chapter)

The end of Joshua 21 reads like this: “Not one of all the Lord’s good promises to Israel failed; every one was fulfilled.” (vs 45)  There are two simple things I love about this verse. First, all of the Lord’s promises are good. And second, He fulfills every one. Continue Reading »

Joshua / chapter 20 (read the chapter)

So, the cities of refuge are finally established in Israel—you know, the places a person could flee if they had accidentally caused a person’s death and were on the run from the blood avenger. In the city of refuge, they would find a haven where they would be safe; there, they would be given the opportunity for a hearing on the incident in question. Continue Reading »

Joshua / chapter 19 (read the chapter)

If you’re like me, you’re probably starting to wonder, what is the big deal with all these land allotment details? It’s one thing to say that Israel inherited the Promised Land. It’s quite another thing to devote chapters and chapters to detailing every single boundary of every single tribe in Israel. Continue Reading »

Joshua / chapter 18 (read the chapter)

Here’s how Joshua 18 begins: “The whole assembly of the Israelites gathered at Shiloh and set up the tent of meeting there.” (vs 1) Finally, the Tabernacle of the Lord was assembled in the Promised Land—at Shiloh. It remained there for more than 200 years, until the Ark of the Covenant was captured by the Philistines. Continue Reading »

Joshua / chapter 17 (read the chapter)

Ah, now the failures of Israel are coming back to bite them. By turns, before going into the Promised Land, the Lord told the Israelites that they should not make any treaties with the people living there, but that they should be completely driven out. First, God promised to drive them out Himself. When the Israelites didn’t want to go along with that (but instead wanted to fight), God told them they must destroy the nations they conquered. Continue Reading »

Joshua / chapter 16

Did you think the lottery was a modern invention? Well, it isn’t. At least not according to the Bible. It dawned on me today, as I was reading Joshua 16, that the parcels of land in Canaan were being doled out to the various tribes via a lottery (or, the casting of lots). It seems that the Israelites did this quite a bit, and it was a practice still in use when the Roman soldiers famously cast lots for Jesus’ clothing as He hung on the cross. Continue Reading »

Joshua / chapter 15 (read the chapter)

One of my all-time favorite Bible verses has always been Jeremiah 29:11—”For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” I always thought that the “plans” meant a whole series of sequenced events, intended to make my life into a sweeping, glorious tapestry from start to finish. And perhaps that’s exactly what it means. Continue Reading »