August 5 -- "When God Changes Leaders"

Today’s Reading: Joshua 4 & 5 

"When God Changes Leaders"

Jesus taught us that “Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.” (Matthew 23:12)  In today’s reading we have an example of a humble man who was exalted by God. 

There is a critical moment in every transition from one leader to his/her successor.  That moment is characterized by whether or not the people will accept and follow the replacement.  In many countries, the change of a political leader often results in chaos and confusion, especially when that leader is removed unwillingly. But in today’s passage, we see one of the smoothest transitions of power ever recorded. 

Moses, of course, has now passed from the scene.  He had been revered and respected by the people of Israel as their God-chosen leader for forty years. Moses had made it clear near the end of his life, that Joshua the son of Nun had been chosen by God to take over when he was gone.  The people heard it.  They knew it.  But did they accept it?  Would Joshua be afforded the same respect and loyalty that Moses had?

When the LORD exalts a new leader, He makes certain that the people will indeed recognize him as God’s choice for leadership.  In this case, Joshua’s “stock rose” when the people passed over the Jordan River on dry ground.  God had stepped in and miraculously made a way for the people to achieve their lifelong goal of conquering the Promised Land. This miracle gave the people’s faith a much-needed boost and simultaneously caused them to recognize Joshua as their new leader.  God miraculously exalted Joshua.

When God changes leaders, expect to see signs from Him that bear witness to the new leader’s role.  Perhaps not the parting of the Jordan, but strong signs of His calling.  When a church loses their beloved Pastor for example, it is often very difficult for his replacement to garner widespread acceptance.  At least at first.  But over time, God will exalt that Pastor.  He will anoint his words with the Spirit of life and guide his decisions with God-given wisdom.  In due time, that new Pastor who humbles himself, will be exalted in the eyes of the people.

August 4 -- "Crossing Our Jordan"

Today’s Reading: Joshua 2 & 3

"Crossing Our Jordan"

The LORD now appears in such a way, and works in such a manner, as to leave no doubt concerning His presence, or His power, or of His love to Israel.  Even as God parted the Red Sea for the previous generation, He now stops the Jordan River in flood season so His chosen people can cross over to the Promised Land. 

This section of Scripture is ripe with application to our spiritual lives. We began our life’s journey in spiritual “Egypt” – representing the pre-Christ life of sin and bondage.  In Egypt, our hearts cried out for deliverance from the emptiness and futility of life.  We wallowed in the anguish of an un-regenerated heart.  But then the day came when we crossed the “sea” into a new life in Christ.  On that day, the Lord orchestrated the circumstances of our life in such a way that we called upon Him in faith and were quickened by the Holy Spirit. We were born again!  We emerged from Egypt into a new life in Christ. 

When we started our journey with Christ, most of us had no idea how long it would take or the troubles we would face in our “wilderness.”  After all, we were promised a life of victory, joy, peace, and safety.  We looked forward to that deep fellowship with our Creator in the Promised Land of life in the Spirit.  

But something went wrong.  We soon discovered that our fallen human nature had come along for the ride.  We entered a spiritual wilderness experience complete with rebellion, complaining, and unbelief.  Our faith was tested.  Our pride broken. We struggled with intensified temptation and spiritual attacks.  At times, we lost sight of our destination and chose to wallow in the pain.  God, of course, never left us.  He remained by our side as trials and struggles tested us.

But then the day comes when our unbelief gives way to a new faith. By faith, we take God at His word and emerge from the wilderness into the life of promise. Crossing the Jordan represents coming into a new relationship with God by faith.  As followers of Christ, we have been promised a life of victory, peace, and spiritual fulfillment.  The only way to enter into that life is by faith.  

The Israelites entered the Promised Land for one reason – by faith they expected God to do a miracle.  In fact, the leading priests stepped into the flowing waters of the Jordan BEFORE God blew even back the water and opened up a pathway on dry ground. You too, will only cross over into the promised life of joy, peace, victory and spiritual fulfillment when you stop relying on your self and, by faith, expect God to do a miracle in your life.  He will appear in such a way, and work in such a manner, as to leave no doubt concerning His presence, or His power, or of His love to you!

August 3 -- "Speak. Meditate. Do."

 Today’s Reading: Joshua 1

"Speak. Meditate. Do."

After the death of Moses, the LORD began speaking to Joshua, Israel’s new leader.  He begins by giving Joshua a great commission – he must lead God’s people into the Promised Land.  Go over the Jordan River and take the Land.  Take all of it from the wilderness to Lebanon, from the Euphrates River to the Mediterranean Sea.  Divide the Land amongst the tribes of Israel.  Do not turn to the right or left.  He is telling Joshua to “stay on mission.”

Before he goes though, God gives Joshua a command regarding the Book of the Law.  He tells him that if he wants his mission to succeed – if he wants his progress to be prosperous – he must do three things with the Word of God.  He must speak it, meditate on it, and do it.  If you do these three things, Joshua, “you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success” (V8). The LORD is making it clear, in no uncertain terms, that Joshua's success as Israel’s new leader depends entirely upon what he does with God’s Word.

Speak it.  “This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth.”  The language of the leader must be the language of God.  When he speaks, his words must always be saturated with God’s words.  When the people hear the words coming out of his mouth, they must hear of God’s truth.  It should be said of God’s leader that he/she is a person who speaks truth.

Meditate on it. “You shall meditate on it day and night.”  This refers to Joshua’s “alone time” with God.  To meditate means to think deeply and focus one’s mind; to muse and contemplate.  Not only should Joshua’s verbal expressions be God’s words, his thoughts must be God’s thoughts.  Meditating upon God’s truth would keep Joshua’s mind clear and focused on God’s ways.  He must make time daily to saturate his mind with truth.

Do it.  “That you may observe to do according to all that is written in it.” Joshua, listen up!  It’s not just words to ponder or words to speak.  My Law are the words you must obey and you must lead my people to obey.  Whatever I have commanded you through my servant Moses, you must be very careful to put into practice. 

We, too, must take the Word of God seriously.  We must speak it. Meditate on it. And do it. Only then will our way be prosperous and only then will we have good success.

August 2 -- "The Shadow of the Almighty"

Today’s Reading: Deuteronomy 34 & Psalm 91

"The Shadow of the Almighty"

The “Midrash,” an ancient Jewish commentary on Hebrew Scriptures states that Psalm 91 was composed by Moses on the day he completed the building of the Tabernacle in the desert.

In this Psalm, Moses paints a fabulous picture of what it means to find God’s protection in the midst of danger.  The Psalm list various threats that faced the Israelites as they traveled for 40 years through the hot middle-eastern desert. 

Among these threats were the snare of the fowler (V3), deadly pestilence (V3), plague (V10), terror of the night (V5), arrows at night (V5) the lion, (V12) and the adder – a venomous snake (V12).  Moses’ key point in this Psalm is that it doesn’t matter what dangers or threats come upon you, God’s protecting power is greater than them all!

We can apply this Psalm as a symbol of the Christian journey. Similar to the Israelites in the wilderness, a Christian is certainly a “stranger and pilgrim” (1 Peter 2:11) traveling through a dangerous place towards our heavenly home.  On this journey, our enemy (Satan) will repeatedly assault us with various spiritual threats.  In 1 Peter 5, Satan is described as a “roaring lion” and in Genesis 1 as a “serpent.”  All along our journey, this enemy is seeking to destroy us by attempting to strike us with threats on all sides.  His goal: to prevent us from entering God’s eternal kingdom.

But Satan is no match for the Almighty LORD of Lords!  And here in this Psalm, God promises that those who turn to Him for protection and shelter will be kept from all these dangers. Psalm 91 goes on to say of the LORD, that He will deliver you (V3), He will cover you (V4), and He will command His angels to guard you (V11).  These are powerful promises of God’s mighty protection.

The imagery of dwelling in the shadow of the Almighty suggests being in close proximity to God's divine presence, finding safety, security, and protection under His care. It implies that those who seek refuge in God and remain close to Him will experience His divine protection and provision.

There is a “catch” though.  To receive God’s mighty protection, you must dwell in His shelter, abide in His shadow, trust in Him, know His name, and “hold fast” to Him in love (V14). You must intentionally make the LORD your “dwelling place” (V9).  If you do, there is not a single danger or threat from your enemy that will have any power over you!  In the same way that stepping out of the sun into a nearby shadow can save a weary, sunburned desert traveler from destruction, we must step out of Satan’s dark shadows and get ourselves under the “shadow of the Almighty”!

August 1 -- "The Everlasting Arms"

 Today’s Reading: Deuteronomy 33

"The Everlasting Arms"

The first phrase of this verse mentions the “eternal” God.  The next part talks about His “everlasting” arms.  These two terms are nearly synonymous, but in the original Hebrew language have a slight variation in meaning.

“Eternal” (Hebrew: עַד, ad) means without beginning and without ending and refers to something that always was and always will be.  God is eternal.  God Is infinite – He is Self-Existing, Without Origin. He has always been and will always be.  He is without beginning and without end.

“Everlasting” (Hebrew: עוֹלָם, olam) on the other hand speaks of what will be in the future.  It means to last forever.  It emphasizes an unbounded duration, going beyond the limitations of time and space. It denotes a state of being continual, infinite, or unending. Our God is both eternal and everlasting.

God’s arms are everlasting.  Does God have arms? Actually, our Heavenly Father is an invisible Spirit who has no physical body – “God is Spirit” (John 4:24).  Although He has no body, the Bible often refers to Him using the physical characteristics of human beings such as His face, eyes, nose, hands, and feet as a means of communicating aspects of Him in a way that we can relate to.  In the Bible, the “arm of the Lord” is a vivid image of God’s saving power. The picture suggests a little child, wrapped up in the strong arms of a father who is able to withstand all storms and dangers.  As an expression of his love and protection, a father puts his arm around his child when it is in danger. His arms are strong and safe.

Not only do the arms of God embrace His child—but they are always underneath. That means that we can never sink—for these arms will always be beneath us, wherever we may be found. Sometimes we say the waters of trouble are very deep; like great floods they roll over us. But still and forever, underneath the deepest floods—are these everlasting arms. We cannot sink below them—or out of their clasp!

In the great hymn, Leaning on the Everlasting Arms, we sing these words: “What a fellowship, what a joy divine, Leaning on the everlasting arms; What a blessedness, what a peace is mine, Leaning on the everlasting arms.”  So lean - dear child of God.  His arms are strong.  His arms endure forever.  He is your hiding place and refuge.  Lean on His everlasting arms.  Don’t be afraid to let go because His everlasting arms are underneath you and will keep you from falling.

July 31 -- "There is None Other"

 Today’s Reading: Deuteronomy 32:30-52

"There is None Other"

In the first nineteen verses of this chapter, Moses is speaking as he recites his song for the people.  He refers to God as “He,” “Him,” and “His.”  But then - in verse twenty – Moses turns the “microphone” over to God and begins to record what the LORD has to say.  From this verse on, the personal pronouns “I,” “Me,” and “My” are used to indicate that God is speaking directly to the people.

He speaks very soberly about those who had forsaken Him and followed after other so-called “gods” (who are not really gods at all).  They turned away from the true and living God and turned to “gods” they did not know.  He charges them with forgetting “the God who fathered you.”  He then goes on to elaborate on the consequences they will face for forsaking Him and turning after these fake “gods.”  I will hide My face from you.  I will provoke you to jealousy. I will heap disasters on you. I will judge you. 

The LORD is grieving deeply. He laments their departure with very sad words. He is so longing for them to be wise and understand.  They need to consider their “latter end.”  It breaks His heart that they would so soon turn away from the One who fathered them and protected them and showed them His glory and power.  You can almost hear God’s voice cracking as He weeps over His unfaithful people.

He brings His words to a resounding climax in verse 39, where He declares, “Now see that I, even I, am He, and there is no god besides me.”  There’s not much else one can say after that statement. The LORD, YHWH, Jehovah is the ONLY ONE who is Omniscient, Omnipresent, and Omnipotent.  He alone is Infinite, Immutable, and Self-Sustaining.  He is a Being so superior to any other being that nothing or no one greater than Him exists or ever could exist.  He, alone is Light.  He, alone is Love. He alone is our Protector, Provider, and Guide. He is the only One who has offered salvation to those who trust in Him.  And He alone offers His love and grace to us if we will but forsake our false gods and follow Him alone.

July 30 -- "He is the Rock"

 Today’s Reading: Deuteronomy 32:1-29

"He is the Rock"

Moses is now an old man.  He has lived a long, very hard life.  And he has learned a lot about the LORD, his God during his lifetime.  As he nears his last few hours on earth, he sits down to write a song.  A song about this God he has met and followed. He gathers the people together and recites the words of this song to them.  Today, we call it “The Song of Moses.”

The lyrics of this song paint an amazing picture of who God is, what He has taught the people, and how the people of God should move forward without Moses.  He reminds them of the character of God and the corruption of humanity – exhorting them to remember the great power and kindness of God.  Being aware of the people’s tendency to rebel against God, Moses left with them with this song that he wanted everyone to take to heart. The song reminded the people of God’s loving care for them and of the need for faithfulness on their part towards Him.

It is important to note that Moses refers to God as “The Rock” at least five times in this song. Not just “a” rock, but “THE” Rock.  By one count, the LORD is called “The Rock” some 59 times in the Bible, with Psalm 18:2 being perhaps the most well-known verse, “The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer, My God, my rock, in whom I take refuge; My shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.”

The metaphor of The Rock points to God being strong, solid, steadfast, and consistent, not easily moved or shaken and a refuge for those in need.  To the Israelites, a rock spoke to them as a place of safety and security.  A place to hide from danger.  A rock can provide security, a "fortress" and place of "protection.”  They were well aware that the best place to hide from their enemies was in and amongst the solid protection of a rock.  The expression evokes vivid imagery and a sense of security. God is a trustworthy, rock-solid Savior.  Moses tells them that this same Rock who has brought you this far, will continue to be your Rock as you move forward.  Hide in Him.  Seek safety in His strength. 

Later on, Jesus would build on this imagery and teach that those who listened to His teachings and applied them to their lives were like those who build their house on a rock – a solid foundation.  There are dangers and hazards all around.  Don’t build your life exposed to these hazards.  Build your life on the strong, solid, steadfast, and consistent Rock of your salvation.  This same Rock who has brought you this far, will continue to be your Rock as you move forward in Him.