Day 114 Bible Readings – Joshua 5: 13-15 (ESV)

Joshua 5:13-15, Joshua 6, Joshua 7, Luke 22:39-62, Psalm 69:13-28

Joshua 5: 13-15 (ESV)

“When Joshua was by Jericho, he lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, a man was standing before him with his drawn sword in his hand. And Joshua went to him and said to him, “Are you for us, or for our adversaries?” And he said, “No; but I am the commander of the army of the Lord. Now I have come.” And Joshua fell on his face to the earth and worshiped and said to him, “What does my lord say to his servant?” And the commander of the Lord's army said to Joshua, “Take off your sandals from your feet, for the place where you are standing is holy.” And Joshua did so.”

In verses 13 and 14 from Joshua, Joshua met a man with a drawn sword in his hand who told him that he was the commander of the army of the Lord.  The authors of my study Bible noted that this man was a “pre-incarnate” appearance of Jesus Christ. Joshua immediately knew this man was from God, and he immediately started worshipping him and following his commands. I love thinking of Christ as the commander of God’s army, and how he showed himself to Joshua and was immediately recognized as coming from God. These verses tell us that God is always ready to fight for us and will send help to us when needed. Jesus was not only willing to help us fight our battles, but he later was born on earth as a man to help us fight the greatest battle of all – our battle with our sinful nature. Christ died for our sins so we would no longer have to face the punishment of succumbing to sin, and he sent the Holy Spirit to us to help battle our sinful nature in our every day lives.

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.