Short Reflection from Joshua 1-10

[Originally posted in a WhatsApp group (PG) as a daily reading update (reflection) from each chapter of the Bible]

[2:14 pm, 01/01/2022] S.R:

𝕁𝕠𝕤𝕙𝕦𝕒𝟙:𝟙𝟠

"Anyone who rebels against your command and does not obey your words in all that you command him, shall be put to death; only be strong and courageous."

The first chapter of the historical section of the Hebrew Bible emphasizes the value of courage. The last verse repeated that command again. Winston Churchill is right when he said, "Courage is the first of human qualities because it is the quality that guarantees all the others."

As I grow older, I want to be more courageous this year! And I have learned from the Scriptures and by experience that it takes a strong conviction and a strong character to be courageous for God!

 

𝕁𝕠𝕤𝕙𝕦𝕒 𝟚:𝟚𝟜

"They said to Joshua, 'Surely the LORD has given all the land into our hands; moreover, all the inhabitants of the land have melted away before us.'"

Not only was Joshua told to be courageous, but was reported that their enemies have lost their courage!

It's amazing how God has set the stage for Joshua to conquer. I am sure when God requires us to be courageous, He has frightened our opposition. We either conquer them or let them regain their courage and beat us! 😬

 

𝕁𝕠𝕤𝕙𝕦𝕒 𝟛:𝟙

"Then Joshua rose early in the morning; and he and all the sons of Israel set out from Shittim and came to the Jordan, and they lodged there before they crossed."

There seems to be no better portrayal for alertness, readiness, discipline, and excitement than waking up early in the morning!

I am not a morning person, not even a morning aspiring person, but a morning admiring person. I hardly get up early, though several times I try to. I love those who rise early!

As the English poet, John Milton said, "Morning shows the day," Joshua and his men had a great day!

 

𝕁𝕠𝕤𝕙𝕦𝕒 𝟜:𝟚𝟜

"that all the peoples of the earth may know that the hand of the LORD is mighty, so that you may fear the LORD your God forever."

The purpose of a memorial stone. It points to the awesomeness of God. It was made to fear God. To instill the fear of God into the coming generations.

As a leader, I have that same responsibility to instill the fear of God in people. The fear that develops because of the goodness and awesomeness of God!

 

𝕁𝕠𝕤𝕙𝕦𝕒 𝟝:𝟡

"Then the LORD said to Joshua, ‘Today I have rolled away the reproach of Egypt from you.’ So the name of that place is called Gilgal to this day."

Hmm! I have got to improve my vocabulary. I have to look back and see how many Gilgals I should have listed down in my life so far! The Lord is good!

 

𝕁𝕠𝕤𝕙𝕦𝕒 𝟞:𝟙

"Now Jericho was tightly shut because of the sons of Israel; no one went out and no one came in."

Indeed, a man's heart is like a Jericho, especially in this generation. There's no way to transform a man than to let God transform him.

Like Joshua and his men, who did nothing strategic, but seemingly foolish actions of marching around proclaiming what God commanded made Jericho's wall fall down.

Oh! May I be found faithful proclaiming His words, even if it looks like a fool to other 'great' warriors!

 

𝕁𝕠𝕤𝕙𝕦𝕒 𝟟:𝟙𝟡

"Then Joshua said to Achan, 'My son, I implore you, 𝕘𝕚𝕧𝕖 𝕘𝕝𝕠𝕣𝕪 𝕥𝕠 𝕥𝕙𝕖 𝕃𝕆ℝ𝔻, the God of Israel, and give praise to Him; and tell me now what you have done. Do not hide it from me.'"

In effect, Joshua was telling, "tell the truth,” thus, implying telling the truth is one way we glorify God.

If he meant, "confess/admit before God" it implies the same thing, admitting/confession is always the truth.

Achan was given a chance to glorify God while he would be damned! And he did it, but too late. Philippians 2 reminds us that in the end, everyone will bow and confess Jesus is Lord, while some confessing will be damned eternally! No matter what, God shall be glorified by all!

 

𝕁𝕠𝕤𝕙𝕦𝕒 𝟠:𝟙

"Now the LORD said to Joshua, 'Do not fear or be dismayed. Take all the people of war with you and arise, go up to Ai; see, I have given into your hand the king of Ai, his people, his city, and his land.'"

Had Joshua been a brave man, there wouldn't be this many commandments to him to be brave!

Another guy in the New Testament, who was not brave is Timothy! Timothy was warned by Apostle Paul.

I don't want to be like them, but I haven't even set my foot on their battlefield yet.

 

𝕁𝕠𝕤𝕙𝕦𝕒 𝟡:𝟙𝟜

"So the men of Israel took some of their provisions, and did not ask for the counsel of the LORD."

What a tragedy!

In some ways, I find it relevant to my walk. Any day I decide to go out of my room without a prayer, trouble is not far!

 

𝕁𝕠𝕤𝕙𝕦𝕒 𝟙𝟘:𝟙𝟛

"So the sun stood still, and the moon stopped, Until the nation avenged themselves of their enemies. Is it not written in the book of Jashar? And the sun stopped in the middle of the sky and did not hasten to go down for about a whole day."

I think it's good to recall the mighty acts of God like this one and pray in trying circumstances for God's intervention!

Short Reflection from Deuteronomy 18-34

[Originally posted in a WhatsApp group (PG) as a daily reading update (reflection) from each chapter of the Bible]

[1:18 pm, 22/06/2022] S.R:

𝔻𝕖𝕦𝕥𝕖𝕣𝕠𝕟𝕠𝕞𝕪 𝟙𝟠:𝟙𝟟-𝟙𝟠

"The LORD said to me, ‘They have spoken well. I will raise up a prophet from among their countrymen like you, and I will put My words in his mouth, and he shall speak to them all that I command him.’"

Indeed, Jesus had to conceal His glory in His incarnation. Or no man would survive seeing the full glory of God.

 

[7:12 am, 23/06/2022] S.R: 𝔻𝕖𝕦𝕥𝕖𝕣𝕠𝕟𝕠𝕞𝕪 𝟙𝟡:𝟙𝟛

"You shall not pity him, but you shall purge the blood of the innocent from Israel, that it may go well with you."

There's a counterfeit for everything. There's counterfeit justice, counterfeit mercy, and counterfeit compassion.

 

𝔻𝕖𝕦𝕥𝕖𝕣𝕠𝕟𝕠𝕞𝕪 𝟚𝟘:𝟙𝟘

"When you approach a city to fight against it, you shall offer it terms of peace."

There's an option for peace.

 

𝔻𝕖𝕦𝕥𝕖𝕣𝕠𝕟𝕠𝕞𝕪 𝟚𝟙:𝟚𝟚-𝟚𝟛

"If a man has committed a sin worthy of death and he is put to death, and you hang him on a tree, his corpse shall not hang all night on the tree, but you shall surely bury him on the same day (for he who is hanged is accursed of God), so that you do not defile your land which the LORD your God gives you as an inheritance."

Civility even in Punishment!

Even Jesus wasn't hung up there all night. He was taken down by the evening.

 

𝔻𝕖𝕦𝕥𝕖𝕣𝕠𝕟𝕠𝕞𝕪 𝟚𝟚:𝟠

"When you build a new house, you shall make a parapet for your roof, so that you will not bring bloodguilt on your house if anyone falls from it."

Government should not dictate how a Christian Church should be built and looking like. However, Christians should obey government instructions in certain things for safety protocol, like fire safety, earthquake strategy, etc...

 

𝔻𝕖𝕦𝕥𝕖𝕣𝕠𝕟𝕠𝕞𝕪 23:7

"You shall not detest an Edomite, for he is your brother; you shall not detest an Egyptian, because you were an alien in his land."

To remember the humble background! To consider the importance and significance of the past in present times!

 

𝔻𝕖𝕦𝕥𝕖𝕣𝕠𝕟𝕠𝕞𝕪 𝟚𝟜:𝟚𝟙

"When you gather the grapes of your vineyard, you shall not go over it again; it shall be for the alien, for the orphan, and for the widow."

The Bible lays out for God's people to be generous, not greedy; to be merciful not to be a miser; to be contented not maximal profit.

 

𝔻𝕖𝕦𝕥𝕖𝕣𝕠𝕟𝕠𝕞𝕪 𝟚𝟝:𝟙𝟟-𝟙𝟠

"Remember what Amalek did to you along the way when you came out from Egypt, how he met you along the way and attacked among you all the stragglers at your rear when you were faint and weary; and he did not fear God."

Are Christians supposed to forgive and forget wicked people all the time? Are Christians supposed to be merciful to wicked people?

Well, allow not the heathens to dictate what we should and shouldn’t do. Even Satan uses the Scriptures to destroy the saints of God and the very Son of God!

 

𝔻𝕖𝕦𝕥𝕖𝕣𝕠𝕟𝕠𝕞𝕪 𝟚𝟞:𝟙𝟘-𝟙𝟙

"Now behold, I have brought the first of the produce of the ground which You, O LORD have given me. And you shall set it down before the LORD your God, and worship before the LORD your God; and you and the Levite and the alien who is among you shall rejoice in all the good which the LORD your God has given you and your household."

Gratefulness to God is accompanied by Generosity to the other classes (top and bottom) of the society: the Levites and the aliens.

 

𝔻𝕖𝕦𝕥𝕖𝕣𝕠𝕟𝕠𝕞𝕪 𝟚𝟟:𝟡

"Then Moses and the Levitical priests spoke to all Israel, saying, ‘Be silent and listen, O Israel! This day you have become a people for the LORD your God.’"

We do praise God from the top of our voices but it's appropriate to silence ourselves before Him too.

 

𝔻𝕖𝕦𝕥𝕖𝕣𝕠𝕟𝕠𝕞𝕪 𝟚𝟠:𝟞𝟛

"It shall come about that as the LORD delighted over you to prosper you, and multiply you, so the LORD will delight over you to make you perish and destroy you; and you will be torn from the land where you are entering to possess it."

The description concerning the curse is much longer than the blessings. Humans are often motivated by warnings than privileges!

 

𝔻𝕖𝕦𝕥𝕖𝕣𝕠𝕟𝕠𝕞𝕪 𝟚𝟡:𝟚𝟡

"The secret things belong to the LORD our God, but the things revealed belong to us and to our sons forever, that we may observe all the words of this law."

Not to waste time thinking about things that will not make one more godly or Christlike.

 

𝔻𝕖𝕦𝕥𝕖𝕣𝕠𝕟𝕠𝕞𝕪 𝟛𝟘:𝟙𝟙

"For this commandment which I command you today is not too difficult for you, nor is it out of reach."

To those who love God, His commandments aren't burdensome. People would rather love the world than God.

 

𝔻𝕖𝕦𝕥𝕖𝕣𝕠𝕟𝕠𝕞𝕪 𝟛𝟙:𝟚𝟙

"Then it shall come about, when many evils and troubles have come upon them, that this song will testify before them as a witness (for it shall not be forgotten from the lips of their descendants); for I know their intent which they are developing today, before I have brought them into the land which I swore."

God is not surprised with what's going on. Nor is he mad about it. Everything is under His control. This is the God who from before the foundation of the world has seen the eternal hell and has chosen me to be His. Nothing I do surprises Him nor will make me utterly go astray.

 

𝔻𝕖𝕦𝕥𝕖𝕣𝕠𝕟𝕠𝕞𝕪 𝟛𝟚:𝟛𝟞

"For the LORD will vindicate His people, And will have compassion on His servants, When He sees that their strength is gone, And there is none remaining, bond or free."

#Vindication. #Compassion.

 

𝔻𝕖𝕦𝕥𝕖𝕣𝕠𝕟𝕠𝕞𝕪 𝟛𝟛:𝟚𝟟

"The eternal God is a dwelling place, And underneath are the everlasting arms; And He drove out the enemy from before you, And said, 'Destroy!"

Dwelling place: defense

Drove out: offense

Destroy: immense

 

[6:37 am, 08/07/2022] S.R: 𝔻𝕖𝕦𝕥𝕖𝕣𝕠𝕟𝕠𝕞𝕪 𝟛𝟜:𝟞

"And He buried him in the valley in the land of Moab, opposite Beth-peor; but no man knows his burial place to this day."

Very cool to be buried by the Lord. But I might not want to die where my body will not be found... 😬

Short Reflection from Deuteronomy 1-17

[Originally posted in a WhatsApp group (PG) as a daily reading update (reflection) from each chapter of the Bible]

[9:35 pm, 05/06/2022] S.R:

𝔻𝕖𝕦𝕥𝕖𝕣𝕠𝕟𝕠𝕞𝕪 𝟙:𝟚𝟟

"and you grumbled in your tents and said, 'Because the LORD hates us, He has brought us out of the land of Egypt to deliver us into the hand of the Amorites to destroy us.’"

Hmm! Regarding (treating) the love of God to be the hatred of God, I could see the relevance of this incident in many areas of life!

 

𝔻𝕖𝕦𝕥𝕖𝕣𝕠𝕟𝕠𝕞𝕪 𝟚:𝟙𝟞-𝟙𝟠

"So it came about when all the men of war had finally perished from among the people, that the LORD spoke to me, saying, 'Today you shall cross over Ar, the border of Moab.’"

Surely, God didn't mind killing every sinner. He did wait for everyone from the first generation to die off before letting them enter the promised land.

He did drown the whole world. Even if a majority of the churches across the world in our time affirm false and compromised doctrines such as affirming homosexuality, etc., God will not, and shall wipe away those churches as Jesus has warned in the book of Revelation. To be alone with God is better than to be with the majority of the opinions and favors of the world!

 

𝔻𝕖𝕦𝕥𝕖𝕣𝕠𝕟𝕠𝕞𝕪 𝟛:𝟚𝟝

"Let me, I pray, cross over and see the fair land that is beyond the Jordan, that good hill country and Lebanon."

Moses did want to go to the promised land, the land of his ancestors Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the land of milk and honey. God didn't grant his request. God declined his prayer! Hmmm!

 

𝔻𝕖𝕦𝕥𝕖𝕣𝕠𝕟𝕠𝕞𝕪 𝟜:𝟚𝟜

"For the LORD your God is a consuming fire, a jealous God."

Moses and Prophets, Jesus and Apostles kept warning people that God is a consuming fire. Modern day preachers don't seem to get the message of the Bible.

 

𝔻𝕖𝕦𝕥𝕖𝕣𝕠𝕟𝕠𝕞𝕪 𝟝:𝟞

"I am the LORD your God who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery."

The Christians of this generation are too uneducated biblically. How many would be able to remember the 10 commandments? The church itself has forgotten to catechize the basics of Christianity.

 

𝔻𝕖𝕦𝕥𝕖𝕣𝕠𝕟𝕠𝕞𝕪 𝟝:𝟙𝟠

'You shall not commit adultery."

Westminster Larger Catechism of Faith says in Q&A 139 that "undue delay of marriage is a violation of this seventh commandment" hmmm! 😆

 

𝔻𝕖𝕦𝕥𝕖𝕣𝕠𝕟𝕠𝕞𝕪 𝟞:𝟛

"O Israel, you should listen and be careful to do it, that it may be well with you and that you may multiply greatly, just as the LORD, the God of your fathers, has promised you, in a land flowing with milk and honey."

Better to be over-careful than careless. Btw, Pharisees were rebuked not for their religious duties but for their satisfaction in their duties (work-based self-righteousness).

 

𝔻𝕖𝕦𝕥𝕖𝕣𝕠𝕟𝕠𝕞𝕪 𝟞:𝟡

"You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates."

Sure, there are some scripture portions we do and should paste on our wall, door, and refrigerator!

 

𝔻𝕖𝕦𝕥𝕖𝕣𝕠𝕟𝕠𝕞𝕪 𝟟:𝟟

"The LORD did not set His love on you nor choose you because you were more in number than any of the peoples, for you were the fewest of all peoples,"

How low we are and yet, what love is this that God chooses us!

 

𝔻𝕖𝕦𝕥𝕖𝕣𝕠𝕟𝕠𝕞𝕪 𝟠:𝟚𝟘

"Like the nations that the LORD makes to perish before you, so you shall perish; because you would not listen to the voice of the LORD your God."

God shall judge everyone justly!

 

𝔻𝕖𝕦𝕥𝕖𝕣𝕠𝕟𝕠𝕞𝕪 𝟡:𝟚𝟠

"Otherwise the land from which You brought us may say, ‘Because the LORD was not able to bring them into the land which He had promised them and because He hated them He has brought them out to slay them in the wilderness.’

God's honor is important. God's glory is important. Prayer without a desire or mention to honor and glorify God, I suppose, will not go up beyond the roof of the house!

 

𝔻𝕖𝕦𝕥𝕖𝕣𝕠𝕟𝕠𝕞𝕪 𝟙𝟘:𝟙𝟡

"So show your love for the alien, for you were aliens in the land of Egypt."

Loving strangers, loving neighbors, I wish to see these increase in me.

However, I also do observe that those who proclaim the loudest aren't doing better than the rest of us.

Even those who signal themselves to follow this truth aren't doing anything better.

It's difficult to find faithful people to watch and learn.

 

𝔻𝕖𝕦𝕥𝕖𝕣𝕠𝕟𝕠𝕞𝕪 𝟙𝟙:𝟚𝟟-𝟚𝟠

"the blessing, if you listen to the commandments of the LORD your God, which I am commanding you today; and the curse, if you do not listen to the commandments of the LORD your God, but turn aside from the way which I am commanding you today, by following other gods which you have not known."

Blessings or Curse!

 

𝔻𝕖𝕦𝕥𝕖𝕣𝕠𝕟𝕠𝕞𝕪 𝟙𝟚:𝟠

"You shall not do at all what we are doing here today, every man doing whatever is right in his own eyes;"

We have the book. Let's study it and do it accordingly. Not according to our ideas or desire!

 

𝔻𝕖𝕦𝕥𝕖𝕣𝕠𝕟𝕠𝕞𝕪 𝟙𝟛:𝟡

"But you shall surely kill him; your hand shall be first against him to put him to death, and afterwards the hand of all the people."

Honor killing but not for family or caste but for God?

 

𝔻𝕖𝕦𝕥𝕖𝕣𝕠𝕟𝕠𝕞𝕪 𝟙𝟜:𝟚𝟞

"You may spend the money for whatever your heart desires: for oxen, or sheep, or wine, or strong drink, or whatever your heart desires; and there you shall eat in the presence of the LORD your God and rejoice, you and your household."

Giving with celebration.

 

𝔻𝕖𝕦𝕥𝕖𝕣𝕠𝕟𝕠𝕞𝕪 𝟙𝟝:𝟙𝟙

"For the poor will never cease to be in the land; therefore I command you, saying, 'You shall freely open your hand to your brother, to your needy and poor in your land.'"

It's not right to wait for the poor to catch up with the rich because it's impossible to eradicate poverty. The rich must help the poor.

 

𝔻𝕖𝕦𝕥𝕖𝕣𝕠𝕟𝕠𝕞𝕪 𝟙𝟞:𝟙𝟚

"You shall remember that you were a slave in Egypt, and you shall be careful to observe these statutes."

God reminds the Israelites again and again of their past status and how much we ought to do the same. Not to make us feel bad but to make us feel glad for what God has now made!

 

𝔻𝕖𝕦𝕥𝕖𝕣𝕠𝕟𝕠𝕞𝕪 𝟙𝟟:𝟙𝟠

"Now it shall come about when he sits on the throne of his kingdom, he shall write for himself a copy of this law on a scroll in the presence of the Levitical priests."

People say church and state should be separated. That politician can be secular. That politician can afford to be sinful and get away. Well, not so according to the Bible. This verse is prescribing him to be like the duties and position of a pastor.