Pastor Billington's Blog

Proverbs 12-13

There’s a lot here. The explanations provided are to help with any verses you may have trouble understanding. Please use it as a resource as you read the passage and try not to feel overwhelmed! Maybe check out 12:20-21, and 13:22-23.

(12:1) The purpose of reproof, rebuke, or discipline should be instruction, and we should want instruction in our lives. We should desire to learn to do what is right! When we don’t do what is right, the consequences catch up with all of us, both the righteous and the wicked.

(12:2) We establish ourselves in God’s kingdom by following Him. Whether we think, plan, or daydream, our thoughts should be about good and godly things. Only then will we grow!

(12:4) It would be very easy to read our culture back into verse 4, but we need to remember something very important. Much of Proverbs is written like a message from a father to a son. It’s only natural that the proverb should read like it does! The important message is that we need to be careful who we marry. Since we become one flesh, whatever one partner does affects the other. The message for those of us who are married is to make sure we live in such a way that others say, “What a lucky girl/guy!”

(12:5) The righteous think right and convey that right thinking to others. When we seek advice we need to make sure that we seek out the righteous, because the counsel of the wicked is fraudulent. It may sound good at the beginning, but it ends up being wrong and rotten!

(12:6-7) Words can hurt. Gossip, slander, hateful speech, lies…the list can go on and on. The upright are careful with their words. They avoid the bad and stick to the good! Ultimately, those who choose to be hateful and bitter will be judged, both in this life and in the life to come. We show whose we are by how we behave!

(12:8) Normally, if you do good you are respected, and if you do evil you are disliked. However, in the world we live in we often find it reversed! That’s because the culture is anti-God and unbiblical. When we want to know how to live, we need to make sure that we look to the Bible and to the righteous for guidance.

(12:9) Humility goes a long way in this world. I’ve known people who felt that they were too good for certain jobs. Inevitably they ended up struggling, while those who were willing to work ended up doing much better.

(12:10) Mercy works itself out in the life of a Christian by being kind to animals as well. Don’t beat the livestock! By showing mercy to animals we are like God, since God loves all His creation. But, even when acknowledging that, we recognize that mankind is the most precious of all His works.

(12:11) You can have some fun in life, but if you neglect your work you’ll starve!

(12:12) The wicked desire to do wicked deeds and to gain from wickedness, but their gain is ultimately loss. The righteous want to do what is right, and it leads to growth and blessing.

(12:13) There are a lot of Proverbs about the mouth, because our mouths cause us a lot of trouble. Ever been caught in a lie? Then don’t lie! Use your mouth to speak wisdom, truth, and to build others up.

(12:14-15) Building others up with your words will bring satisfaction when you see the good that you have done. The same can be said of the good results that come from work, but could even more be going on here? Those who believe in “karma” think that what you do/accomplish on this earth affects your return, i.e. reincarnation. Although believers understand the wrong thinking behind that philosophy, there is a type of “karma” that happens in our lives. The way God made this world there is a certain “reciprocity” that takes place:

Job 4:8 (WEB) “According to what I have seen, those who plow iniquity and sow trouble, reap the same.”

So, whatever good or bad that you do, you can expect a certain amount of it in return, even if it’s only in the way others respond to you. If you’re smart, you’ll listen to this advice and try to do good. However, if you aren’t willing to listen to others, you’re just a fool and you’ll end up sowing trouble!

(12:16) When a fool gets upset, he lets everyone know it. In contrast, someone who is clever keeps things to themselves.

(12:17) Do you want to be a faithful witness or a false witness? The answer is simple. Speak the truth and stay out of trouble!

(12:18-19) We see here perhaps the strongest words yet on the power of our words/mouth/tongue. We need to think before we speak, otherwise our words are destructive. We need to use our words for good, not evil! One way we do that is by speaking the truth. Truthfulness is one of the hallmarks of the godly. One way we use the truth to promote healing is by sharing the gospel of truth!

(12:20-21) I think that we’ve covered this before, but it’s important to say again. Proverbs are not promises, they are probabilities. They are things that are most likely to be true, and we can usually see how they would come to pass. If you steal, say nasty things about others, or commit adultery, you have a much greater chance of problems in your life! Conversely, if you don’t, your life will be better because of all the trouble you avoid. When we read, “no mischief shall happen,” we understand that to be a statement of what is most likely to happen, not an absolute promise. If we take it as a promise, we’ll either be very frustrated when bad things happen to us that we don’t think are deserved, or we’ll be constantly examining our lives with a microscope trying to find out why we’re being punished. So, having said that, what do we have here? If we promote peace and try to get along with others, we’re much more likely to have joy in our lives. If we try to deceive others and plot against them, it will probably bring calamity into our lives. If we’re honest, we can see how both are true, even if God doesn’t intervene directly!

(12:22-23) As we’re going to see repeatedly in Proverbs, we shouldn’t speak when we don’t know what we’re talking about. Sometimes we seem the wisest when we say the least! But when we do speak, we should always be honest and faithful. Gossip, slander, and lying are evil and an abomination before God.

(12:24) In general, industry is rewarded, while laziness isn’t. But punished with forced labor? Well, if you’re lazy enough to look for a shortcut like stealing, forced labor is where you will end up!

(12:25) Anxiety, worry, and stress have all been scientifically shown to have negative effects on the body. Did we really need science to teach us that?!?!?! We all need the hope and help that kind, gentle, or encouraging words can bring. We may not always get it from others, but we can always look to God’s Word to find comfort, guidance, hope and joy.

(12:26) Who we choose as friends is vital. Those closest to us have a profound influence on our lives. While we certainly should try to reach out to the unrighteous, we should make sure that we surround ourselves with and listen to godly people, otherwise we can be led astray. Led astray to sin. Led astray in our spiritual understanding

(12:27) Laziness can lead to hunger. If we don’t work, we won’t have! We won’t have food. We won’t have possessions. We won’t have a home. Those things come from industry.

(12:28) Once again we can see an earthly as well as a spiritual application here. Do good, stay out of trouble, and you have a better life! Do bad, get in trouble, and serious enough trouble leads to death. But the “way of righteousness” should remind us of Jesus, who died on the cross so that He could be our righteousness and we could have spiritual life through Him!

(13:1) A wise child will understand the practical and spiritual warnings that come from physical or spiritual parents and pay attention. A foolish child refuses to listen and makes fun of godly wisdom.

(13:2-3) What comes out of your mouth comes from within. Good begets good. A good heart brings forth good speech which brings good outcomes. A bad heart brings forth bad speech and brings rotten results. And sometimes the smartest thing to do is to keep your mouth shut! A wise person knows when to speak and when not to, thereby bringing life and not ruin.

(13:4-5) It doesn’t matter how much you want something if you aren’t willing to work for it! Unfortunately, your desire could drive you to do something wrong or illegal, which means that you may get rewarded initially, but you will end up a “shameful disgrace” with nothing to show for it. The diligent get what they desire because they are willing to work for it, and they don’t engage in anything “false” to get it.

(13:6-7) Poor and rich is about more than money. Spiritual wealth is much more important than material possessions, and spiritual riches start with a relationship with Jesus Christ! Trusting in riches is a form of wickedness and it leads to sin, while living with integrity and trusting and following God brings righteousness.

(13:8-9) There are some advantages to being poor – you’ll never have to worry about being kidnapped! The underlying idea is that rich people have problems too, sometimes even greater problems than the poor. Wealth doesn’t solve everything. That’s why righteousness is so important. When we have a right relationship with God it leads to wisdom, peace and joy. Wickedness leads to darkness, both literally (perhaps through idleness) and figuratively (because of the end result of refusing to follow God).

(13:10) You’re smart if you listen to and are willing to take advice. You’re dumb if you don’t. And it’s worse than that. If you refuse to listen to others it often leads to discord and dissension.

(13:11) How many lottery winners do you know that continue to grow a fortune and end up business tycoons? Most stories revolve around how a person won millions of dollars and ended up squandering it. Riches gained quickly are often lost, but money earned slowly can be easier to hold on to, most likely because of the work that went into gaining it!

(13:12-13) Hope is powerful. Hope makes is possible for us to carry on, even in difficult circumstances. Thank God that we have hope because of our relationship with Jesus Christ! We know that there is greater and better to come. And the hope that we hold on to is given to us through the Word of God. Without the Word we wouldn’t know about Jesus. Without the Word we wouldn’t know the promise of our future inheritance. Without the Word we wouldn’t have hope! We need to read the Word. We need to love the Word. We need to obey the Word. Without it, we face despair and destruction.

(13:14-15) When you give wise advice, people appreciate you. When you listen to good advice, it makes your life better. When you follow bad advice, watch out!

(13:16) The Hebrew word underlying “prudent” means to be cunning or clever. If you gather wisdom and act on it then you’ll look smart. However, it’s very easy to tell when a person is unwilling to listen to good advice or act upon it. They do dumb things!

(13:17) Imagine a ruler sends a message, only to have the wrong message arrive or to not have a message arrive at all. Disaster! A faithful messenger makes sure the correct message gets there, which is vital for the health and well-being of the community. In our own lives it speaks to the importance of making sure we pass on correct information. It is also a reminder of the importance of being a faithful envoy for the King of Kings and Lord of Lords! We need to live the way He wants us to live and speak the truth He wants us to share.

(13:18) If you accept advice and instruction you are much more likely to end up with a life that is honored and blessed. If you don’t, you’re going to end up in trouble!

(13:19) The righteous desire what is good, and the blessing that follows is “sweet to the soul.” A fool won’t listen, won’t follow, won’t turn away from evil, and will never experience that sweetness. In fact, a fool is so warped in their thinking that they actually abhor turning away from evil. What an indictment!

(13:20-21) We become like those we hang around, which is why we have to be careful. That doesn’t mean that we can’t be a witness to others, but we have to be sure that we are influencing them, and not the other way around! We want to experience good (prosperity), not evil (misfortune).

(13:22-23) There are multiple ways these proverbs could be understood. The first proverb probably isn’t simply referring to the idea that we should make sure that we leave something for our children. The principle behind it is probably the idea of industry again. If you work hard, all things being equal, you’ll do well and end up leaving an inheritance. Those that don’t work, or perhaps engage in illicit activities, won’t have anything to leave behind, or will end up with what they do have being taken away. Unfortunately, all things are not equal. A poor person could work hard, be righteous, and someone could come along who is unjust and take it all away. That’s why proverbs are probabilities. They even warn us that things don’t always work out in this life. An alternative view is that, if you work hard, you end up with abundant food. However, the evil person may find that God takes his away. And, as part of the retribution, God gives it to those who are righteous. Finally, there may also be a spiritual component at work here. A good person leaves a moral inheritance to their children and grandchildren. An evil person doesn’t, and the lessons that are supposed to be learned by their offspring are never learned. That “inheritance” of learning goes to the offspring of the righteous!

(13:24) Without getting into a big discussion about corporal punishment, the issue in verse 24 is discipline, which is made clear in the second half of the verse. If we aren’t willing to discipline our children, we don’t love them, because we aren’t helping them prepare for life. When we discipline our children, we show them the difference between right and wrong, and the fact that there are consequences for actions. Hebrews even uses the issue of discipline to show that God is our Father and that He loves us!

(13:25) The righteous will be taken care of either because of their good morals and habits, or because God is the one taking care of them. The wicked come up empty!

Thought for the day: Again, proverbs are probabilities. But very great probabilities. You’ll have a much better life if you listen to good advice.

Proverbs 1:8-9 (WEB) “My son, listen to your father’s instruction, and don’t forsake your mother’s teaching; for they will be a garland to grace your head, and chains around your neck.”

Proverbs 11

There’s a lot here. The explanations provided are to help with any verses you may have trouble understanding. Please use it as a resource as you read the passage and try not to feel overwhelmed!

(1-2) Although speaking about commerce, the message for everyday life is clear: don’t try to cheat people. And not only is honesty important, so is humility!

(3-4) How do we learn integrity? By the Word of God! God shows us how to live. In contrast, a lack of integrity is destructive, both in this life and in the life to come. When you stand before God in the judgment, it doesn’t matter how much money you have, or how famous you are, or how much power you have. All that matters is your relationship with Jesus Christ, and that relationship is shown by how you live your life.

(5-6) Sin traps us and causes us to fall and fail. Righteousness leads to salvation and serenity!

(7) Not only can’t you take it with you, even if you could, it wouldn’t help you!

(8) The righteous avoid trouble and obtain life because they are wise enough to do what is right. The unrighteous are more than happy to recklessly head into trouble.

(9) Speech can destroy. However, a righteous person who is slandered will be able to handle and counteract it, and/or a righteous person who hears slander will recognize it as such and not engage in it!

(10) Even though verse 10 is given in the context of a godly community, we can see how it works today. Those who emulate the standards and values of the day are celebrated when they do well, and those who do not are celebrated when they fall! We should make sure that within our communities of faith we rejoice when the righteous do well, and we should probably recognize that there can even be a certain satisfaction (and perhaps even sorrow) when those who sin get their just rewards.

(11-12) Liars and slanderers affect communities. Those who build up are a blessing. But, even beyond that, a family, a city, a county, a state, or a nation can all benefit from sound, godly advice. However, bad advice destroys. Sometimes you may wonder why it’s important to know how a person running for office will vote on a certain subject, particularly when it may never come up (like in a local election). What a person believes about a certain issue will probably help you understand their reasoning and decision-making process. It can reveal if they are upright or wicked!

(13) Can you be trusted with a secret? A righteous person doesn’t go around spreading private information about other people.

(14) Although we have the Scriptures and the Spirit, we sometimes need additional help understanding what God wants us to do. Maybe Scripture doesn’t address it specifically. Maybe something could be interpreted in different ways. That’s when other godly people can help us. And if it’s important for us, think about how important it is for those who are running a nation!

(15) Be careful before you cosign a loan. If they default, you’re the one who has to repay it!

(16-17) In our day and age much would be made of the juxtaposition between generous women and ruthless men! Should we read something into it here? Men in that culture did have a much greater opportunity to seize wealth, and that may be why it reads the way it does. Ultimately, the thought behind it is that being generous is right and good, while being greedy is wrong. Kindness brings blessing, while cruelty ultimately ends up costing the one who is cruel. Coupling the two together we could say, “Being generous and kind brings blessing and honor, but being ruthless, cruel, and greedy causes you to harm yourself.”

(18-19) Yes, you can still earn a living by being deceptive and even stealing. But the danger of getting caught is always there. It’s much better to earn a living by being honest and hardworking. That brings a genuine, carefree reward. Once again, righteousness leads to life, but pursuing evil brings consequences and death.

(20) If we want to delight God, we have to make sure that our hearts are pure. We shouldn’t harbor evil inside, because what’s inside eventually comes out. Blamelessness starts within!

(21) Does what we do affect our offspring? Yes, to a point. We protect ourselves and stay out of trouble when we’re righteous, and that protects our families too! Also, when we are good examples and teach righteousness and morality, our children have a head start on pleasing God. Alternatively, we end up in trouble if we make evil choices, and we influence our children negatively with our bad example. What we do has profound impact on the lives of our children and grandchildren. Ultimately, how they end up living is their choice, but our good choices can help protect them for a time.

(22) You can be pretty on the outside and get lots of attention. In fact, this world and human nature drive us to make judgements that are “skin deep.” But what if what was on the inside was readily apparent? What if your nature could be seen? Then it wouldn’t matter what you put on the outside. If you were ugly on the inside and it could be seen, a gold ring wouldn’t do anything to make it better! The warning here is that we need to focus on being beautiful on the inside. Part of that beauty is having discretion or being discerning. In practical terms that means we study to have the knowledge to make right decisions and have godly attitudes. But then we also need to carry through to make and exhibit them!

(23) Does this refer to judgment or desire? Do righteous people desire to do good and wicked people desire to stir up trouble, or do righteous people end up receiving good from God while the wicked can expect judgment (both now and in the age to come)? Perhaps both are meant to be true!

(24) God blesses those who help others, sometimes materially, and certainly spiritually. Here the emphasis seems to be on the physical, revealing that God blesses those who give so that they can give more!

(25-26) The image is not just of generosity, but of grace. Perhaps there is a famine. Will you hoard your grain, or provide it for others? If you are generous and willing to share, people will speak highly of you and treat you well. If not, they will curse you. And that’s just from an earthly perspective! God will certainly enrich and satisfy the generous, and those who are greedy and stingy will have to face His wrath.

(27-28) You tend to find what you are looking for in this life. If you want to find evil, do evil. If you want favor and acceptance, do good! What are you looking for? And if you think riches will bring favor and acceptance, good luck! If you’re looking for something to trust in, look to God!

(29-30) The issue in verse 29 probably isn’t the inheritance you get, but the inheritance you leave, or the inheritance you have left. If you squander what you have, what will you have to live on? What will you leave behind? The fool who squanders an inheritance ends up being servant to the wise who saves and spends wisely. If the inheritance is more spiritual or intellectual, it may connect with the next verse. If you are a fool in the way you live or think, you leave a fool’s inheritance behind. The righteous leave a good inheritance. Instead of a wasteland, you help people grow and bear fruit on the tree of life! You “capture” the souls of those around you by providing good instruction and a good example.

(31) The difference between the righteous and the wicked concerning eternal judgment is one word: Jesus! The righteous allow Jesus to take the penalty and consequences for their sins, but the wicked choose to pay the price for their disobedience.

Thought for the day: There is a lot in here about money and generosity. We would do well to remember that monetary blessing is for the benefit of God’s kingdom, not our own coffers.

Matthew 6:19-21 (WEB) “Don’t lay up treasures for yourselves on the earth, where moth and rust consume, and where thieves break through and steal; but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust consume, and where thieves don’t break through and steal; for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”

Psalm 19

How awesome is God? Look outside at the beauty of the ice and snowflakes glistening on the branches of the trees. Or see the glow of the sun reflected off the snow as it circles around the earth. Or look up at the sky at night and see the galaxy spread out before you. All of this is just what God has created. If he could create that, how much more glorious is He? Our very existence screams out that there is a creator, and that we should worship Him.

Romans 1:20 (WEB) “For the invisible things of him since the creation of the world are clearly seen, being perceived through the things that are made, even his everlasting power and divinity, that they may be without excuse.”

We move from general revelation (that God is revealed in creation), to special revelation (that God reveals Himself through His Word). God’s Word restores our souls. It makes us wise. It is right, true, and pure. It provides enlightenment. We should desire it more than anything else! It shows us how to live and warns us what to stay away from. Once we know what to stay away from, we should plead with God to help us to stay on the right path and to do and say only right things. Then we will truly exhibit the fear of the Lord, and we will be blessed!

Thought for the day: And God also reveals Himself though His Son!

Hebrews 1:1-4 (WEB) “God, having in the past spoken to the fathers through the prophets at many times and in various ways, has at the end of these days spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, through whom also he made the worlds. His Son is the radiance of his glory, the very image of his substance, and upholding all things by the word of his power, who, when he had by himself purified us of our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high, having become as much better than the angels as the more excellent name he has inherited is better than theirs.”

Psalm 18

Psalm 18 is a royal thanksgiving Psalm that celebrates the establishment of Israel and the defeat of David’s enemies. It is also a repeat. It’s so important that we have it twice (see 2 Samual 22)!

Who is the Lord? He is our protector and deliverer. We can run to Him for safety and help. He is our strength and high tower. Do you remember a time God helped you in the past? Can you imagine Him as a dragon swooping in to help? Can you imagine the crashing power of a thunderstorm as God rides in to save you? This is what He did when he brought you out of the powers of darkness and into His kingdom. This is what He does when He responds to your cries for help and safety.

Has God ever drawn you out of many waters? Do you feel that God delights in you? Maybe you aren’t in the place you think you should be with God. Israel frequently wasn’t, but God continued to be faithful and was always there when they turned back to Him. Why? Because they were His and He delights in His own! Which means God delights in you too.

Psalm 149:4 (WEB) “For Yahweh takes pleasure in his people. He crowns the humble with salvation.”

David seems to indicate that the way we relate to God determines the way he relates to us. Jesus echoes this when He says, “For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you” (Matthew 6:14, WEB). Most of the statements here are positive, except “with the crooked you will show yourself shrewd” (18:26). At the beginning of the Psalm, David says that he is writing in response to God saving him from his enemies and specifically mentions Saul. Could David have Saul in mind with that statement? Saul was corrupt, and he ended up having a “torturous” (literal translation of shrewd) relationship with God. If we are pure, mature, and merciful, there is nothing we can’t handle, because God promises He will be our light and our fortress!

While God may not be preparing us for physical battle as He did with David, we ARE involved in a spiritual battle that He equips us for. Each day we deal with thoughts, forces, and even people that want us to forsake God and His Word. We should be like David and use what God has given us if we want to see victory.

Thought for the day: What can we take from a message that is so tailored to David? It should be a reminder to us of the final victory that we will be a part of, and an encouragement to praise God for all that He has done and all that He will do for us!

Revelation 21:22-27 (WEB)“I saw no temple in it, for the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb are its temple. The city has no need for the sun or moon to shine, for the very glory of God illuminated it and its lamp is the Lamb. The nations will walk in its light. The kings of the earth bring the glory and honour of the nations into it. Its gates will in no way be shut by day (for there will be no night there), and they shall bring the glory and the honour of the nations into it so that they may enter. There will in no way enter into it anything profane, or one who causes an abomination or a lie, but only those who are written in the Lamb’s book of life.”

Psalm 16-17

In Psalm 16:1-6, David reminds us that we need to rely totally on God. There is nothing and no-one more important than Him in our lives! As such, we have a special relationship with others who think like we do. Although we do reach out, we should be wary of those whose beliefs and morals are different than ours, and we should prefer the company of believers. And one reason is the bond we share and the contentment we have in common. We are thankful for God’s care, blessing, and our current and future inheritance!

1 Peter 1:3-5 (WEB) “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to his great mercy caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an incorruptible and undefiled inheritance that doesn’t fade away, reserved in Heaven for you, who by the power of God are guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.”

In 16:7-11, we have a reference to the coming Messiah, Jesus Christ!

Acts 13:34-38 (WEB) “Concerning that he raised him up from the dead, now no more to return to corruption, he has spoken thus: ‘I will give you the holy and sure blessings of David.’ Therefore he says also in another psalm, ‘You will not allow your Holy One to see decay.’ For David, after he had in his own generation served the counsel of God, fell asleep, was laid with his fathers, and saw decay. But he whom God raised up saw no decay. Be it known to you therefore, brothers, that through this man is proclaimed to you remission of sins.”

Just as Jesus was resurrected from the dead, so we too look forward to a resurrection. It’s promised. It’s assured! God is always at our right hand, and that’s why we have joy forever more.

John 5:28-29 (WEB) “Don’t marvel at this, for the hour comes in which all who are in the tombs will hear his voice and will come out; those who have done good, to the resurrection of life; and those who have done evil, to the resurrection of judgement.”

In Psalm 17:1-7, David cries out to God for vindication based on his own righteousness. We may be tempted to do the same. “God, help me because I’m righteous. Look at me and reward me!” However, we understand that it’s not our own righteousness that we should plead, but Christ’s righteousness. All our righteousness is as filthy rags. We receive mercy because of Jesus Christ:

Romans 8:33-34 (WEB) “Who could bring a charge against God’s chosen ones? It is God who justifies. Who is he who condemns? It is Christ who died, yes rather, who was raised from the dead, who is at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us.”

And maybe this gives us some additional insight into praying in Jesus’ name. Perhaps the reminder is that God owes us nothing, but Jesus died so that God could give us everything! We pray in His name, remembering His sacrifice, and asking for God’s mercy.

In the rest of the Psalm, David calls out for God to preserve and bless Him again. Do we have a little eschatological enlightenment here? Every Israelite understood that they couldn’t see God and live (Exodus 33:20). So how can David say that He will be satisfied waking up and seeing God’s form? If sleep is likened to death, then David is looking forward to the time he will be with God in eternity!

How about David’s plea to continue to be the apple of God’s eye? Or the description of a baby bird under the wings of a mother? Perhaps Jesus had this in mind when he said:

Matthew 6:26 (WEB) “See the birds of the sky, that they don’t sow, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns. Your heavenly Father feeds them. Aren’t you of much more value than they?”

Thought for the day: We are the apple of God’s eye through salvation, and we should want to be the apple of God’s eye by our behavior.

Matthew 10:29-31 (WEB) “Aren’t two sparrows sold for [a copper] coin? Not one of them falls to the ground apart from your Father’s will. But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Therefore don’t be afraid. You are of more value than many sparrows.”

Joshua 24

With victory secured and the land allotted the people renew their covenant with God. After a reminder of God’s blessing and a stipulation of their responsibilities, the people respond with an unequivocal affirmation of their obedience. “We will obey,” they cry! And they do, at least until after Joshua’s death, and Joseph’s bones are buried in the same place where they reaffirmed their covenant with God.

Thought for the day: There are times in our own lives when it’s appropriate to rededicate ourselves to God. Perhaps before or after an important event. Perhaps in response to God’s blessing in our lives. Maybe even at the beginning of every day! But it’s certainly necessary whenever we have failed Him.

Luke 9:23 (personal translation) “And He said to all, ‘If anyone desires to come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily, and follow me.’ “

1 John 1:9 (WEB) “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and righteous to forgive us the sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

Joshua 23

Here Joshua gives his final address to the nation. Have you ever considered how rare a leader he is? Even Moses had an issue that kept him out of the promised land! Joshua was a faithful leader and a follower of God. He encourages the nation to keep the covenant and to keep from idolatry. And he reminds them of God’s faithfulness, but he does it in a way that provides a warning to them as well:

Joshua 23:14-16 (WEB) “You know in all your hearts and in all your souls that not one thing has failed of all the good things which Yahweh your God spoke concerning you. All have happened to you. Not one thing has failed of it. It shall happen that as all the good things have come on you of which Yahweh your God spoke to you, so Yahweh will bring on you all the evil things, until he has destroyed you from off this good land which Yahweh your God has given you, when you disobey the covenant of Yahweh your God, which he commanded you, and go and serve other gods, and bow down yourselves to them.”

Thought for the day: God is faithful with us too. He has promised good things, but He has promised “bad” as well. But is it really bad?

Hebrews 12:5-6 (WEB) “And you have forgotten the exhortation which speaks to you as to sons: ‘My son, do not despise the chastening of the Lord, nor be discouraged when you are rebuked by Him; for whom the Lord loves He chastens,
and scourges every son whom He receives.’ “

Joshua 22

The eastern tribes go to their inheritance, but they recognize that their distance from the other tribes and the tabernacle may pull them and their children into idolatry over time. That’s why they build the altar: as a witness to their relationship with God (and to the rest of the tribes). The other tribes are concerned and send representatives to challenge them. Will this be war!?!?!? The eastern tribes explain their intent, and all is well. That’s the official story anyway. Could it be that their motives weren’t so pure, but they realized their mistake once they were challenged? Perhaps that’s too much supposition, but building an altar as a monument seems very specific (and possibly suspicious)!

Thought for the day: We can find ourselves distanced from God in many ways. Being in an ungodly relationship. Experiencing difficult circumstances. Or literally being away from our home and our home church. Staying close to Jesus is the key to avoiding sin, trusting God, and growing in our faith.

John 15:5 (WEB) “I am the vine. You are the branches. He who remains in me and I in him bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.”

Joshua 21

The Levites are scattered throughout the nation. Scattered or strategically placed? The placement of the Levites ensured that every tribe would have some who were specially acquainted with the Law and would be able to teach it. Monks were not allowed! Finally, they can rest. Sort of. Their own sinfulness and the people they left in the land will continue to be a problem.

Thought for the day: This passage should serve as an important reminder for both ministers and laity today. God requires us to be involved in the lives of others, as messy as that is, even while we are living for Him.

John 17:14-19 (WEB) “I have given them your word. The world hated them because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. I pray not that you would take them from the world, but that you would keep them from the evil one. They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. Sanctify them in your truth. Your word is truth. As you sent me into the world, even so I have sent them into the world. For their sakes I sanctify myself, that they themselves also may be sanctified in truth.”