Day 113 Bible Readings – Joshua 3: 14-17 (ESV)

Joshua 3-4, Joshua 5: 1-12, Luke 22: 1-38, Psalm 69: 1-12

Joshua 3: 14-17 (ESV)

“So when the people set out from their tents to pass over the Jordan with the priests bearing the ark of the covenant before the people, and as soon as those bearing the ark had come as far as the Jordan, and the feet of the priests bearing the ark were dipped in the brink of the water (now the Jordan overflows all its banks throughout the time of harvest), the waters coming down from above stood and rose up in a heap very far away, at Adam, the city that is beside Zarethan, and those flowing down toward the Sea of the Arabah, the Salt Sea, were completely cut off. And the people passed over opposite Jericho. Now the priests bearing the ark of the covenant of the Lord stood firmly on dry ground in the midst of the Jordan, and all Israel was passing over on dry ground until all the nation finished passing over the Jordan.”

In verses 14 through 16 from Joshua 3, we see God give to Joshua another miraculous water passage so people would know that he was with Joshua. God commanded that Joshua lead the people across the river Jordan during Spring when the banks of the river were very high due to all the rains. Now the priests bearing the ark of the covenant of the Lord stood firmly on dry ground in the midst of the Jordan, and all Israel was passing over on dry ground until all the nation finished passing over the Jordan. Similar to the miracle during the passage through the Red Sea, the people were able to cross the Jordan.

Bible scholars have noted that God not only stopped the river flowing, but he also dried up the riverbed so it was dry when the people crossed. They have also noted that the crossing of the Jordan was a greater leap of faith Joshua and the people of Israel. When Moses led the people across the Red Sea, they were running away from the Egyptians. When Joshua lead his people across the Jordan river, this crossing meant that they were running into danger and not away from danger. Joshua and the people of Israel made the cross with the expectation that they were now going to war with people of Jericho and the whole land of Canaan.

When I read these verses, it made me wonder if I had a similar miracle in my life where God was leading me try something new and not because he was saving me from some calamity or misfortune. It takes a greater trust in God when he wants you to run towards something that may be new and unfamiliar, to leave your comfort and safety to do the fulfill God’s will. My “crossing of the Jordan” miracle happened when the Holy Spirit encouraged me to move to a different state without a job offer on the table. That move was uncomfortable but it lead me to have such a deeper relationship with God.

Day 112 Bible Readings – Luke 21: 25-26 (ESV)

Joshua 1 & 2, Luke 21, Psalm 68: 28-35

Luke 21: 25-26 (ESV)

“And there will be signs in sun and moon and stars, and on the earth distress of nations in perplexity because of the roaring of the sea and the waves, people fainting with fear and with foreboding of what is coming on the world. For the powers of the heavens will be shaken.”

In verses 25 and 26 from Luke 21, Jesus gave his disciples a hint of what would be revealed more in the Book of Revelation. These verses have always made me wonder if Jesus had a vision of the end of the world and when he would return. But it was just a hint because Jesus has always said that even he doesn’t know the will of the father. Did God give Jesus the vision so he could warn the disciples of what to expect when he returned? Did God give John the writer of the Book of Revelation a more complete vision when Jesus would return because too many people were misinterpreting the signs of end of the world?

Throughout my life, I have heard and read of so many people trying to predict the end of the world. So many people want Jesus to come back, and it always bothered me that people wanted to see the world end. But I now have so much compassion for these end-of-the-world types. They truly love Christ and want to see him return in their lifetime. They want to see all the things that John said would come when Jesus returned. It would be such a privilege to be alive to see the return of Jesus, as it was a such privilege to be alive when Jesus was on earth. If you are lucky enough to witness the return of Jesus, it is because God has that plan for your life. So we need to keep listening to the Holy Spirit and trying to discern God’s plan for our lives in the hope that we live to see the return of Christ.

Day 111 Bible Readings – Deuteronomy 34: 10-12 (ESV)

Deuteronomy 33, Deuteronomy 34:1-12, Luke 20:27-47, Psalm 68:21-27

Deuteronomy 34: 10-12 (ESV)

“And there has not arisen a prophet since in Israel like Moses, whom the Lord knew face to face, none like him for all the signs and the wonders that the Lord sent him to do in the land of Egypt, to Pharaoh and to all his servants and to all his land, and for all the mighty power and all the great deeds of terror that Moses did in the sight of all Israel.”

In verses 10 through 12 from Deuteronomy 34, we see how the people thought about Moses. There was no one after Moses until Christ who knew God face to face. Although there were others who did great things, Moses did so many amazing things to free his people from Egypt. Moses freed his people from the bonds of slavery, and Christ freed people from the bonds of sin. Moses also had such a unique background having been raised by an Egyptian princess and learning to fight as a warrior. Moses had a unique destiny which was so opposite to Christ. Moses was raised by royalty, while Christ was born in a stable and raised by humble and poor people. But even though Moses did so much for his people and for God, God would still not let him into the promised land. It is also recorded that no one even knows where Moses was buried, which I think is such a sad ending for so great a man in God’s plan to free the people of Israel from the bondage of slavey.

Day 110 Bible Readings – Luke 20: 22-25 (ESV)

Deuteronomy 31: 30, Deuteronomy 32, Luke 19: 45-48, Luke 20: 1-26

Luke 20: 22-25 (ESV)

“Is it lawful for us to give tribute to Caesar, or not?” But he perceived their craftiness, and said to them, “Show me a denarius. Whose likeness and inscription does it have?” They said, “Caesar's.” He said to them, “Then render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's.”

In verses 22 through 25 from Luke 20, we have the famous verses about the Pharisees trying to entrap Jesus by having him denounce Caesar and Rome. The Pharisees knew that the Jewish people hating paying taxes to the Romans, so they asked Jesus about it. Jesus knew they were trying to entrap him, so he asked them whose likeness was on the coins that people use to pay taxes. They told him that Caesar’s likeness was on the coin, so Jesus told them to give the things to Caesar that belong to Caesar. Jesus knew that we all have the image of God impressed upon them like a coin, so we do not belong to Caesar but to God. The things of the world belong to the world like how money belongs to Caesar. But we belong to God, so we need to give ourselves to God.

I love this answer from Jesus. We are “imago dei”, which in Latin means we are made in the image of God. It has taken me many years to figure out what the phrase “imago dei” meant for my life. Was I really made in the image of God? I couldn’t see God inside of me. It has taken me many years to figure out that my sins have built a wall so I couldn’t see the God inside of me. But not only my sins, but the thousands of things that I had blamed God for in my long life. The Holy Spirit has been asking me for two years to ask God to forgive me for my sins and for the blame I attributed to him. When I was finally able to let go of all the things I blamed God for, I saw the wall between myself and God slowly crumbling and I was finally able to see the image of God inside of me. So I am “imago dei” and I can see and feel it every day. I belong only to God, not to the world and not even to myself.