CbC July 13-19

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July 13, Sunday

Reading A194 — Deut. 31 — Commissioning of Joshua                    Audio: Deut. 31 (ESV)

An audio recording of the following comments is available below:

Be Strong and Courageous — Three times in this chapter this challenge is given: “Be strong and courageous.”  It came first when Moses said it to the whole congregation of Israel, telling them that Joshua would lead them (v. 6).  It was certainly a time for concern; every person there had known only Moses as their leader, and none of these people had set foot on the west side of the Jordan River except Joshua and Caleb.  Leadership and location were both going to be new, but the one constant thing was God: “… it is the LORD your God who goes with you.  He will not leave you or forsake you” (v. 6).  The second challenge was when Moses formally commissioned Joshua before the people of Israel, telling him, “Be strong and courageous” (v. 7).  In the third challenge, God called Moses and Joshua to meet in the tent of meeting, and there He commissioned Joshua (v. 14), saying, “Be strong and courageous, for you shall bring the people of Israel into the land that I swore to give them.  I will be with you” (v. 23).  We also face unexperienced challenges at times, but God’s same promise applies to us: He “goes with you.  He will not leave you or forsake you.”

July 14, Monday

Reading A195 — Deut. 32 — The Song of Moses                              Audio: Deut. 32 (ESV)

An audio recording of the following comments is available below:

Your Very Life — The Song of Moses, introduced at the end of the previous chapter, is “sung” in today’s reading.  It presents a great contrast between the goodness of God and the unfaithfulness of Israel.  It was Moses’ final “witness” of God’s warning to His people.  The song begins with the greatness of God (vv. 3-4) and is immediately followed by a statement of Israel’s rebellion: “They have dealt corruptly …” (v. 5).  The second contrast is between God’s faithful care for them (vv. 7-14) and their drifting away to other gods (vv. 15-18).  Most of the rest of the chapter describes God’s negative reaction to them, as He “spurned them” (v. 19), would “hide my face from them” (v. 20), and would “heap disasters upon them” (v. 23).  Despite their unfaithfulness, however, God would later have compassion on them (v. 36) and cleanse their land (v. 46).  That is mercy, the same kind of undeserved treatment God gives to us when He forgives and restores us.  It was a song of warning but also a message of life: “For it is no empty word for you, but your very life” (v. 47). 

July 15, Tuesday

Reading A196 — Deut. 33-34 — Moses Blesses and Dies          Audio: Deut. 33-34 (ESV)

An audio recording of the following comments is available below:

Godly and Faithful — Deuteronomy (and the Pentateuch) ends with Moses’ blessing on the tribes of Israel.  Although the blessings begin with Jacob’s firstborn son, Reuben, they don’t continue chronologically.  The last-born son, Benjamin, is listed fourth, and Simeon’s tribe, located and eventually absorbed into the tribe of Judah, is already completely omitted.  Joseph’s tribe was given the highest honor as “Blessed by the LORD” (33:13), “prince among his brothers” (v. 16), and given “the choicest gifts” (v. 13).  This should cause us to think about how the life we are living today is going to influence and be remembered by our children and later descendants.  Being godly and faithful makes the greatest impact.  Moses’ death reminds us of another sobering fact, which is that even forgiven sin often carries lasting negative consequences.  We have read many times so far about how God refused to allow Moses to enter the Promised Land because he dishonored the LORD when he struck the rock instead of speaking to it as he was told.  It is another lesson of the importance of being godly and faithful.

July 16, Wednesday

Reading A197 — Psalm 90-91 — Prayer of Moses                     Audio: Psalm 90-91 (ESV)

An audio recording of the following comments is available below:

Road to Joy — This prayer of Moses in Ps. 91 is the basis of the hymn, “O God, Our Help in Ages Past.”  It reveals a huge contrast in time between God and mankind.  God is everlasting, so He existed before mountains were made (v. 2).  Compared to His eternal timeframe, a thousand years for us is only part of a day to Him (v. 4), and our lifespan of 70-80 years (v. 10) is a blink of His eye.  What should we do with the years we have?  Make them count!  Moses prayed, “…teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom” (v. 12).  We must learn that putting God first should be our very high priority.  Put Him first in your day—every day!  Go to Him for decisions you need to make!  Rejoice in His presence!  Thank Him for the good things that happen to you!  Memorize hymns like, “O God, Our Help in Ages Past,” and sing them as you wash dishes or travel to work!  In doing that, we will “rejoice and be glad all our days” (v. 14).

July 17, Thursday

Reading A198 — Joshua 1-2 — Joshua and Rahab                     Audio: Joshua 1-2 (ESV)

An audio recording of the following comments is available below:

Faith vs. Fear — We see another contrast as we begin reading the book of Joshua today.  The first chapter emphasizes the need for strength and courage.  Four times, Joshua was challenged with these words: “Be strong and courageous” (1:6, 7, 9, 18).  Why?  He was replacing the magnificent man of God, Moses, as the leader of over two million people who were about to enter the land promised to Abraham over 400 years earlier.  It was not a task for the faint-hearted.  This was not a “you-can-do-it” challenge to Joshua as much as it was a promise that God can do it.  These repeated statements are coupled with assurances of God’s involvement; it was “the land that I am giving … to the people of Israel” (v. 2), that “I promised to Moses” (v. 3), and that “I will be with you.  I will not leave you or forsake you” (v. 5, cf. vv. 9, 17).  What Israel failed to see 40 years earlier because of their lack of courage, they would now experience because of Joshua’s trust in Yahweh.  We can have the same kind of assurance today.  God is with us in an even more personal way; He dwells within each of us believers.  The second chapter stresses the opposite human attitude for those on the west side of the Jordan River.  Those people were terrified.  Rahab told the two spies, “I know that the LORD has given you the land, and that the fear of you has fallen upon us” (2:9a).  Three times, the word “melt” is used to describe their fear: “…all the inhabitants of the land melt away” (v. 9b), “our hearts melted, and there was no spirit left in any man” (v. 11), and “all the inhabitants of the land melt away” (v. 24).  What will be your attitude today, faith or fear?

July 18 Friday

Reading A199 — Joshua 3-4 — Crossing the Jordan                      Audio: Joshua 3-4 (ESV)

An audio recording of the following comments is available below:

The Second Crossing — Crossing the Jordan River was almost like their parents crossing the Red Sea under Moses’ leadership.  Moses announced in advance that God was going to perform a miracle, saying, “Fear not, stand firm, and see the salvation of the LORD, which he will work for you today” (Ex. 14:13).  Joshua also announced coming miracles when he said, “Consecrate yourselves, for tomorrow the LORD will do wonders among you” (Josh. 3:5).  An amazing miracle did happen as the waters of the Jordan River abruptly stopped flowing for hours to allow several million people with their tents, belongings, and livestock to cross to the other side “in haste” (4:10b).  It was an experience to remember, and God told them to set up a monument of 12 stones on the Jericho-side of the river to commemorate the miracle.  When their children would ask them later about the monument, they could explain what God had done (vv. 6-7; 21-23).  It would also be a sign left “so that all the peoples of the earth may know that the hand of the LORD is mighty” (v. 24).  We also need to celebrate and announce the mighty things God has done for us.  We could put a symbol at our front door that would mark the occupants as dedicated followers of Jesus.  It might give us an opportunity to share with some visitor about the miracle that God performed in our life to bring us from the dry, meaningless wilderness to a vibrant, purposeful, and satisfying life of faith.

July 19, Saturday

Reading A200 — Joshua 5-6 — Beginning the Conquest              Audio: Joshua 5-6 (ESV)

An audio recording of the following comments is available below:

The Second Exodus — As we have read earlier in Joshua, we also find in chapters 5-6 several connections to Moses and the Exodus from Egypt.  As Moses had all Israelite males circumcised after crossing the Red Sea, so Joshua reinstated the practice after crossing the Jordan River (5:5) because it was to be a continuous sign of the close relationship between God and His people.  Also, the time for the annual Passover meal, instituted just before leaving Egypt, came just after Israel entered the Promised Land.  They celebrated it there for the first time.  The next day, a significant disconnect occurred when the 40-year daily distribution of manna abrupted ended (v. 12).  The wilderness experience was now completely behind them and the conquest had begun.  As God had met Moses at the burning bush, so He met Joshua in the form of “the commander of the army of the LORD” (v. 14), who also told him to remove his sandals because he was “standing on holy ground” (v. 15, cf. Ex. 3:5).  The way Jericho fell was also miraculous.  It was primarily accomplished by God, who melted the hearts of the Canaanites, made the priests and the ark of the covenant the center of the marching, and made the walls fall when the trumpets blew a signal and the army shouted.  How big was Jericho?  Archeologists have located the site with evidence of the fallen walls.  It measured about 10 acres (4 hectares) in size, equivalent to a square of 696 yards (636 m) on each side, or 0.4 miles (0.6 km) per side.  It was not large in size, but it had a big fall.