Joshua 4-6 & Psalm 53

Psalm 53

Too bad we didn't read this Psalm a week ago on April Fool's Day..."The fool has said in his heart, 'There is no God.'" That is an utterly foolish statement...for there is a God. And He created the heavens and the earth. There is a God and He sustains all creation with rain and sunshine. There is a God for the birds follow His command and fly south for the winter and they are coming back now that spring has arrived. There is a God...and He loves you so much that He gave His son as a sacrifice for your sins so you can have eternal life in heaven. Take some time out and ponder upon the reality of God. Thank Him for being God...don't be a fool...believe in the God who loves you today!

Joshua 4-6

Considering the second battle Israel will face...Jericho...God wanted to ensure that they were all "right" with God. I have heard that expression "right" with God and I have wondered, "What does that mean?" I think I have figured it out as I have read through Joshua. After crossing the Jordan River, God instructs all of Israel to be circumcised. This was a "sign" proving that they were God's people. Why God didn't pick a different sign, I do not know. Back in Genesis 17, Abraham is told to be circumcised...and he did-he and all the males in his house. In Exodus 4, Moses is about to go to Egypt to plead to Pharaoh to let Israel go, and on the way the anger of the Lord burned against him for he had not been circumcised. Here the people who had been born in the wilderness have not yet been circumcised. So God instructs them to do so. It seems kind of a foolish sign in our eyes...but what about repentance? To say to God I am sorry for what wrong I have done...to make right what I have wronged, and make every effort not to do that wrong again....how foolish does that sound to the ears of a non-believer? In their minds, it might sound weird to "say you are sorry to a God you cannot see..." Or to go and make right what you have wronged...wouldn't it be easier to just not do it again...and not worry about what has been done in the past? Well, yes it would be easier...but we would not have made ourselves right before God. Besides...who can really right themselves...hasn't that already been done for us. God did that...by giving His son to die on the cross for us...so if He asks us to do something that may seem foolish in the eyes of man...then so be it. He is my God and I want to follow Him.

Joshua 1-3 & Psalm 52

Well its been nearly a month since I last posted some thoughts about our daily Bible reading...I hope you have not given up yet! We are nearly through the genealogies and divisions of the tribes of Israel. Deuteronomy summed up the Law of Moses one last time for us. We will have a brief summary of the law in Joshua with another division of the Promised Land at the end of Joshua as well. Stick with it! We are nearly one-third of the way through the year. Keep with your commitment and fulfill the challenge of reading through the Bible in a year!

Psalm 52

In this psalm, David contrasts one who follows and trusts God and one who does his own thing without God in his life. The result...God always wins. You can never expect to get through life working it yourself and against God. God will succeed and His people will always succeed with Him too!

Joshua 1-3

At the end of Deuteronomy, Moses dies, leaving the position for leadership of Israel vacant. God chooses one of the only men who crossed the Red Sea and is still alive. Joshua was one of the original spies who gave a report of the promised land back in Numbers 13-14. God allowed Joshua to live and enter the promised land contrary to everyone else who crossed the Red Sea. Can you imagine being asked by God to lead the people of Israel...their complaining...their rebellion...God is going to lead Israel into the land which He promised to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob...and He will use Joshua to lead the people to live righteous lives as well. God tells Joshua...he must be "strong and courageous". Three times God gives this encouragement to Joshua. God will prove Himself through the Israelites in a manner which removes all doubt that God is with them.

Their first battle...the Jordan River. Not a wide river by any means...however, during the harvest season, it floods making it very swift moving and deep in the certain places. It would have been impossible for more than 2 million people to cross it. So Joshua tells them to follow God (the ark of the covenant was where God's presence dwelt). They were to follow God (in the ark) from a distance of about 2000 cubits (or about 1/2 mile). This ensured that they truly followed God and not pass Him or go a different direction from where He is going. Think about this in your life...do you truly follow God...or are you leading attempting to have Him follow? Do you consult God every time you need something? Do you spend time with God in prayer before making a decision? Do you seek the Scriptures to determine if you life matches up? OR do you attempt life on your on?

The next battle...Jericho. We have heard this story a dozen times...they circle the city 7 times and on the 7th day they circle it 7 more times and the walls come tumbling down. Again, all they do is follow God and God ensures them a victory. It reminds me of what God encouraged Joshua..."be strong and courageous"....for what God is going to do is succeed by unnatural (but supernatural) means. Do you trust God to work in your life? Are you letting Him lead your life?