Category: Devotional

Conquest & Compromise

Today’s passage has us reading about the land allotments for Judah, Ephriam, and Manasseh. While passage like this with an inventory of town names that mean little to those among us who have never been to Israel or studied ancient geography. But! There is a very interesting pattern that emerges in today’s chunk.

Judah received their allotment of land, but could not drive the Jebusites out of Jerusalem. And this despite the fact that the King of Jerusalem had already been captured and killed along with, presumably, many of his fighting men. Ephriam and Manasseh were also unable to remove the Canaanites from their allotments of land. Curiously, however, they were eventually able to subjugate the people as slaves.

Did the Israelites forget the command God gave them?

But in the cities of these peoples that the LORD your God is giving you for an inheritance, you shall save alive nothing that breathes, 17 but you shall devote them to complete destruction, the Hittites and the Amorites, the Canaanites and the Perizzites, the Hivites and the Jebusites, as the LORD your God has commanded,
Deuteronomy 20:16-17

Did the Israelites forget what they were able to do in Egypt despite being slaves? Did they forget what happened to Achar? Compromise might be a good way to mediate a dispute, but it is a terrible way to serve God! Watch over the coming months how things go with the Judges, and then the Kings, and then the Captivity. It’s so sad to watch the fall of the chosen people of God.

As a Christian, compromise is a concession to defeat. To compromise is to the wave the white flag at Satan and drop the drawbridge. It’s either conquer with Christ or be conquered by death. To compromise is to choose the latter.

Choose wisely.

Joshua 15:20-17:18 | 086-365

The Long, Long Awaited Promise

When Moses sent in his 12 spies, only two of them came back with a good report. Caleb and Joshua. Joshua took the mantle of leadership from Moses while Caleb was passed over for that role. But when the time came to send in spies again, Caleb was called on once more. And once more he believed the Lord.

40 years passed between these two incidences. 40 years.

After the first show of faith, Caleb was promised (Num 13:24) to inherit the land that his fellow spies didn’t believe God could give them, and then he had to wait. And wait. And wait.

This is how it can feel sometimes, isn’t it? we feel like God is leading us somewhere, we get a glimpse of our own “Promised Land” and then we are asked to wait. Doors close in front of us. I, myself, feel like this happened to me for about 4 years while God was preparing to bring me back into ministry. But while the wait for God’s faithfulness to come through often feels… long, He knows better than we do why the fulfilment of that promise will come when it does.

Israel had to wait through 400 years of prophetic silence for John the Baptist to show up on the scene and herald their long-awaited messiah. Abraham was shown told about the Promised Land — again — 400 years before his descendants would actually possess it WELL after his death.

What I am saying is that while the waiting is indeed the hardest part, it is worth it. When the fulfillment finally comes it is incredible to look back at the path you’ve come down and how thoroughly it has prepared you for what lies ahead.

Be blessed today, friends.

Joshua 12:7-15:12 | 085/365

The Sun Stood Still… Really?

One of the most contested passages in the entire canon of Scripture. It reads:

Then Joshua speaks to YHWH in the day of YHWH’s giving up the Amorites before the sons of Israel, and he says before the eyes of Israel, “Sun—stand still in Gibeon; and moon—in the Valley of Ajalon”; and the sun stands still, and the moon has stood—until the nation takes vengeance [on] its enemies; is it not written on the Scroll of the Upright, “and the sun stands in the midst of the heavens, and has not hurried to go in—as a perfect day?” And there has not been like that day before it or after it, for YHWH’s listening to the voice of a man; for YHWH is fighting for Israel.
Joshua 10:12-14, Literal Standard Version

I chose the most literal English translations I could find to talk about this passage. Theories to explain this phenomenon abound but I will briefly touch on the five most common ones, why I think rigid literalism is dangerous, and which one I find the most compelling.

Theory 1: The Earth LITERALLY Stopped Rotating

Is this possible? Yes. Of course it is. Any Christian who thinks this is not possible grossly underestimate God. He created the universe, including all the laws of physics that would send a suddenly-stopped earth into chaos the likes of which humanity has never seen before. He could certainly pause all of that as well. Yes this is unequivocally possible! BUT the sheer number of Christians I have seen who say that if you believe anything OTHER than a literal interpretation, you are denying the existence of miracles and therefore the resurrection of Christ and therefore Christianity itself… is staggering to me! If that’s you, please just take a beat and think about this for a moment. My thoughts about any one thing are not equally applied to all things of that type. If I think a patent-leather dress show looks great with a tux, that does not mean I feel the same way about Crocs. Every shoe is no more the same than every miracle is the same.

Again, this is certainly possible for God, but I think it is unnecessary in scope to explain the evidence.

Theory 2: Appearance of Extended Sunlight Only

This theory essentially says that time proceeded as normal, and the miracle that happened was the appearance of extended sunlight to those fighting the battle. Of course if we factor in that verse 9 tells us Joshua attacked in the morning… why would Joshua be asking the Lord for more daylight in the morning? Did he already know that the battle would go on for longer than the typical daylight hours?

This is also possible, but I don’t find this theory especially compelling.

Theory 3: A Solar Eclipse

This is pretty far-fetched to me. Joshua asks the sun to stand in Gibeon and the moon in the valley of Ajalon. Gibeon is to the east and Ajalon is to the west. These are on opposite ends of the sky. This is about as far away from a solar eclipse as we can get, yet we are told that “God listened” to Joshua. By giving him the opposite of what he asked for? This is highly doubtful to me.

Theory 4: Figurative Language

This theory basically holds that the language of Joshua is poetic and symbolic rather than literal. There are times when we see things attributed directly God which are more likely indirectly attributable to God. Perhaps this is another one of those times. Recognizing that things went well in that battle and rightly thanking God for His provision and leadership. This would turn the events into a glorious abstract attribution to God of the victory over their foes. And if I’m honest, I can see why this is so appealing. It neatly sidesteps actually dealing with the problem presented by the text. We no longer need to do the work of sorting out what has happened, and we can instead just say, “God was with Israel” and move on.

But that easy way out is the very reason I also find this theory un-compelling.

Theory 5: A Bad Omen

This theory takes the reader from a 21st century AD world of cosmology and physics into a 14th century BC world of symbols and omens. Joshua, not given to omens but knowing his opponent is, looks into the sky and sees the sun over Gibeon and the full moon over Ajalon. This would have been a fantastic sign to Israel’s enemies that they would be successful in battle… if this were the 14th day of the month. Any other day of the month and this would be a terrible sign. Joshua knew that and also knew that the sun and the full moon would only be visible in the sky together for about 4 minutes. His prayer was that God would hold those things in place long enough for Israel’s enemies to see them and become demoralized by them. If you are interested in additional reading about this theory, a more robust treatment can be found here.

This is my preferred theory. I think it makes the most sense of all the data…. and I love the idea of Joshua and the Lord using the omens and signs and superstitions of their enemies against them. Something very poetic about that in my mind.

In conclusion, feel free to adopt whichever theory you believe makes the best sense of the Biblical data. This is very much a secondary issue. One on which believers can disagree in good faith. Be blessed today my friends!

Joshua 10:1-12:6 | 084/365

Exercising Control In Order To Yield It

All to Jesus I surrender,
All to Him I freely give;
I will ever love and trust Him,
In His presence daily live.

I surrender all, I surrender all;
All to Thee, my blessed Savior,
I surrender all.
All To Jesus I Surrender // Judson W. Van DeVenter (1896)

This old hymn exemplifies what I want to focus on in today’s passage. The story of Achan. Israel is given the city of Jericho and Achan decides to keep for himself some of the things to be set aside for consecration to the Lord. Dude literally steals from God.

Steals.

From God.

But what is interesting is that this one guy — out of a nation of more than 1 million members — decides to go rogue and cuts off the blessing of the Lord for everyone! The Apostle Paul gives this analogy in his first letter to the Corinthians:

Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one receives the prize? So run that you may obtain it. Every athlete exercises self-control in all things. They do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable. So I do not run aimlessly; I do not box as one beating the air. But I discipline my body and keep it under control, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified.
1 Corinthians 9:24-27

One rogue member of our body NOT under submission can jeopardize everything. Your hands, eyes, mouth, heart, mind? Is everything ‘disciplined’? Satan only needs a foothold, he is patient and willing to play the long game. He’s not likely to jump out and challenge you to abandon God, but rather take our uncontrolled mouth and use it as a vector for attack that will rob us of the blessing of God. And slowly, insidiously, he will rob us of our imperishable reward. And just like Achar, that one area that went unchecked will disqualify us from receiving the prize that had been waiting for us.

Don’t let any part of you be an Achar, bring every part of you under control. So that you can indeed surrender all to our blessed Saviour.

Joshua 7-9; 1 Chronicles 2:7 | 083/365

Let’s Try That Again

This is the testimony of Rahab in Joshua 2:9-11:

I know that the Lord has given you this land and that a great fearof you has fallen on us, so that all who live in this country are melting in fear because of you. We have heard how the Lord dried up the water of the Red Sea for you when you came out of Egypt, and what you did to Sihon and Og, the two kings of the Amorites east of the Jordan, whom you completely destroyed. When we heard of it, our hearts melted in fearand everyone’s courage failed because of you, for the Lord your God is God in heaven above and on the earth below.

Note the two things cited by Rahab of Jericho. 1) Crossed the sea on dry land and 2) Completely destroyed the kingdoms of Sihon and Og. Step 1, part the sea. Step 2, conquer.

Here is Joshua 3 we see the very fears of the people of Jericho realized. Step 1 has come to pass. And the Jerichoians… Jerrricans? Jerichoites? Jerichoers? The citizens of Jericho know that step 2 is coming. The smart ones will have fled beforehand, and those who chose to stand their ground would have to contend with the God of Joshua, Moses, Joseph, and Jacob.

God once again had Israel cross the sea on dry land and step into the promise He had been holding for them the last 40 years (or 400, depending when you started counting). And there’s no reason God can’t do it again for you. Let him move you. Step into the water of the overflowing river and watch Him make a way where there was no way before. Your enemies are only as big as you think they are if God is with you.

Joshua 3-6 | 082/365

The Power of Positive Thinking

I don’t want to get all “Joel Osteen” on everyone, but I think it’s worth comparing how Moses’ sending of the spies and Joshua’s sending of the spies came out quite differently and what conclusions we might draw.

Back in Numbers 13 we read about the 12 spies who went into the Promised Land and when they returned, 10 of them stoked fear, uncertainty, and doubt amongst the Hebrew people. This ultimately led to God’s judgement and 40 years of wandering about in the wilderness. There were only 2 holdouts who had faith in God: Caleb and Joshua.

Here at the beginning of Joshua’s book we instead read that one of those faithful spies would send out spies of his own, but just two of them. And unlike Moses’ account, Joshua does not name the spies who were sent. While we can never be certain about their identities, the Jewish Midrash claims they were Caleb – the other original spy – and Phinehas our spear-wielding friend from a few chapters back. This seems entirely plausible to me. So these spies return with a favourable account. They are terrified of us! They heard about what happened in the Red Sea!

Wait… what? The citizenry of Jericho was scared of Israel because of what happened at the Red Sea? Are they more scared NOW than they were 40 years ago? Doubtful. Rather, the original spies had an idea about how this was going to go and their confirmation bias only allowing them to see the problems rather than the path. How often do we do this? We come up with a bunch of reasons why we can’t do a thing, rather than looking to the God who can do anything.

(Probably also worth noting that this time the leader only chose 2 men who were trustworthy and had adopted the vision of leadership. We should not invest in the council of people who don’t even believe in what we’re doing.)

Let’s not defeat ourselves before God even gets a chance to come through. Push past the lies that try to keep you mired in complacency and watch God make you say “WOW!”

Deuteronomy 33-24; Joshua 1-2 | 081/365

The Praise of the Punished

A simple but challenging thought today. God tells Moses he will not be allowed to go to the promised Land because, like his brother, he “broke faith” (NIV) with God. Moses appealed his conviction, but God’s mind was made up. Moses would not be successful in his advocacy as he had been in the past.

Then Moses writes two songs, one recorded in Psalms, and one recorded in Deuteronomy. While we don’t know exactly when the Psalm was written, do do know — based on it’s placement in Deuteronomy — that the other was near the end of his life. Just before he was to die. So close and yet so far from the promise toward which he had been leading the Lord’s people for the last 4 decades.

And how does this man, facing punishment and denied the Promised Land describe the God who punished and denied him?

Great, Perfect, Just, Upright, Maker, Feeder, Nourisher, Rock, Saviour, Life.

Oh to have that perspective! Lord help me to see you as you are even when I am facing the earned consequences of my own actions. Thank you Jesus. Thank you for your justice as well as your mercy. Help me to understand that I deserve the former and have done nothing to earn the latter. Help me to rejoice in the hope you have given me in the next life, even if I am subject to You wrath in this one. Though You slay me, yet will I trust in You (Job 13:15)

Deuteronomy 31:30-32:52; Psalm 90 | 080/365

Do Babies Go To Hell?

A number of years ago I was recruited by an outgoing youth pastor to join the transition team. My role was to mentor/advise the younger people on the team who were actually running the Jr/Sr High Youth Groups as well as to run the grade 6-12 Sunday School. It was one single class and so required some experience to wrangle.

Anyhow, on my first day I did a get-to-know-you exercise with the 80+ students where they had to tell me their first name, favourite movie, and give me one question they have always had about God, church, or faith. The questions were mostly outstanding. But one in particular has been asked many, many times before.

“Do aborted babies go to hell?”

As soon as the question was asked, the whole assembly demanded I answer it. I initially said that the Bible does not address this topic directly, so we can’t say definitively how God judges this group. You could almost FEEL the tension in the room! But I went on to say that what we know of God’s character as revealed in the Bible leads me to say that there is an ‘age of accountability’ (which is likely different for different people). And before that God will extend grace. I think that those babies will be in heaven with God.

The reason I share this story is because of what we read today. There are two applicable passages:

The secret things belong to the Lord our God, but those that are revealed belong to us and our descendants forever, so that we might obey all the words of this law.
Deuteronomy 29:29 (NET)

Gather the people—men, women, and children, as well as the resident foreigners in your villages—so they may hear and thus learn about and fear the Lord your God and carefully obey all the words of this law. Then their children, who have not known this law, will also hear about and learn to fear the Lord your God for as long as you live in the land you are crossing the Jordan to possess.”
Deuteronomy 31:12-13 (NET)

We can see that there are things that God has not revealed to us, the implication is that we are not accountable for those things because we are ignorant of them. Moreover, God asks that the law be read every seven years “so [the people] may hear and thus learn about and fear the Lord your God”. God wants people to choose to give their lives to Him. So, while He extends grace to those who are unable to understand, He also holds accountable those who have seen/heard/had-access-to the truth. Whether that is the General Revelation of His creation or the Special Revelation of His Word.

In summary: No, I do not believe babies will go to hell. That said, I think we underestimate BOTH God’s Grace as well as God’s Justice.

Deuteronomy 29:2-31:29 | 079/365

Does God Delight in Destruction?

Today’s devotional is a brief apologetic note.

It comes from the blessings and cursing section. The the blessing that is pronounced features some pretty noteworthy warnings, and the curse the is pronounced is… long. Very long. And quite descriptive. And both the blessing and the cursing are conditional on the actions of the people. And before I get to the apologetic note, I want to point out that God is not a blustery wind-bag. He means what He says. So we should expect that if Israel is disobedient in the ways described, the consequences described should come to pass. Moses himself said that this is how you will know a true prophet, right? So let’s keep our eyes on Deuteronomy 28 as we continue to read through the Old Testament together.

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.
Deuteronomy 28:63(NASB)

Does the Lord really DELIGHT in the destruction of the disobedient? Most people will cite Ezekiel and say that this cannot be true:

Do I have any pleasure in the death of the wicked,” declares the Lord GOD, “rather than that he should turn from his ways and live?
Ezekiel 18:23 (NASB)

It’s worth noting that these are two different words in Hebrew, even though they are the same English word. The word in Deuteronomy means “to be glad or rejoice“. The one in Ezekiel means “to be pleased in or inclined toward“. The latter is indicative of God’s will, desire, or preference. The former shows that God is pleased when justice is done. A worker earns his wages (1 Timothy 5:18), so the question is this: what are you earning? What wage will be paid to you?

It is God’s desire that all should be saved, but He will still rejoice when justice is done. We were told earlier in Deuteronomy to “have no pity for the guilty”. God won’t.

Deuteronomy 26:1-29:1 | 078/365

Excluded from the Kingdom?

If you read Deuteronomy 23:1-8 and are NOT a Biblical savant you probably scratched your head and thought… wut? Seriously. What does this even mean? I’ll put the whole section in here for context:

23:1 A man with crushed or severed genitals may not enter the assembly of the Lord. ²A person of illegitimate birth may not enter the assembly of the Lord; to the tenth generation no one related to him may do so. ³No Ammonite or Moabite may enter the assembly of the Lord; to the tenth generation none of their descendants shall ever do so, ⁴for they did not meet you with food and water on the way as you came from Egypt, and furthermore, they hired Balaam son of Beor of Pethor in Aram Naharaim to curse you. ⁵But the Lord your God refused to listen to Balaam and changedthe curse to a blessing, for the Lord your God loves you. ⁶You must not seek peace and prosperity for them through all the ages to come. ⁷You must not hate an Edomite, for he is your relative; you must not hate an Egyptian, for you lived as a foreigner in his land. ⁸Children of the third generation born to them may enter the assembly of the Lord.

So our list of people who are not allowed to join the assembly of the Lord are 1) eunuchs, 2) a person of illegitimate birth (or their descendants), 3) Ammonites & Moabites (or their descendants, and 4) Edomites & Egyptians (for a little while).

We CAN make sense of this, but it requires a little background knowledge. So let’s look first at what the “assembly of the Lord” is and then why these groups might be excluded.

ASSEMBLY OF THE LORD — I don’t want to belabour this, so let’s do a 10,000-foot overview here. But this does NOT refer to the general Hebrew/Christian/faith community. We see multiple examples of this in Scripture. Not to mention that this passage would then contradict things written both before AND after this passage. Also, while arguments are made for various interpretations of this phrase, I believe that the following is the superior explanation. This “assembly” is a guiding/governing assembly who will direct Israel (cf: Num 16:3; Jud 21:5,8; 1 Ki 12:3; Jer 26:17; Eze 16:40, 23:45-47; Mic 2:5).

So why would these people be excluded from that group?

EUNICHS — There are two primary reasons this group might be excluded. self-castration was closely related to paganism AND since Eunuchs could not have children, I can see why there would be concerns about how they might govern in light of that.

ILLEGITIMATE BIRTH — This was a person born of incest, adultery, or prostitution. These people are from broken homes. God would never exclude these people from his family, He cares for them. But having come from a broken home myself and despite having a dedicated mother who cared deeply about me, I still didn’t understand what made a good father or a healthy family. These people are not in a position to lead a nation. They need to focus on getting themselves straightened out.

AMMONITES & MOABITES — This group proved themselves to be enemies of Israel (as it says in the passage) so they clearly could not be trusted with positions of national leadership!

EDOMITES & EGYPTIANS — Edomites came from Esau, Jacob’s brother and the Egyptians (the people, not the abusive government… always worth remembering that the government ≠ the people) hosted them as sojourners.

Hopefully that helps you understand what I think is the best theory as to why this prohibition is in place AND what it actually IS.

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