Day 88 of My 4th Bible Study Journey - 28 March 2024 reflections
Day 88, 28 March 2024
1) Joshua 22 - 24
Joshua 22-24
JOSHUA 22
The Eastern Tribes Return Home
1 Then Joshua summoned the Reubenites, the Gadites,
and the half-tribe of Manasseh.
2 (Jos 1:12-18) He said to them, "You have done everything that Moses
the servant of the Lord commanded you and have obeyed me in everything
that I have commanded you.
3 You have not left your brothers these many days down to this day,
and you have observed the obligations
of the commandment of the Lord your God.
4 (Jos 13:8) Now the Lord your God has given rest to your brothers,
as He had said to them. So now, turn and go to your homes,
to the land of your possession, which Moses the servant of the Lord
gave you on the other side of the Jordan.
5 (Dt 6:17; 11:22) Only carefully obey the commandment
and the law that Moses the servant of the Lord commanded you:
to love the Lord your God, to walk in all His ways, to obey
His commandments, to cling to Him, and to serve Him
with all your heart and soul."
6 (Jos 14:13; Ge 47:7) Joshua blessed them and sent them off,
and they went to their tents.
7 (Jos 17:1-12) Moses had assigned land in Bashan
to half the tribe of Manasseh, and to the other half Joshua
assigned land among their brothers on the west side of the Jordan.
When Joshua sent them also to their homes and blessed them,
8 (Nu 31:27; 1Sa 30:24) he said, "Return home with great wealth,
much livestock, silver, gold, copper, iron, and great quantities of clothing.
Divide the spoil of your enemies among your brothers."
9 (Nu 32:26; 32:29) So the Reubenites, Gadites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh
left the children of Israel at Shiloh in the land of Canaan to go
to the land of Gilead, the land of their possession, according to the word
of the Lord through Moses.
10 The tribes of Reuben, Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh came
near the Jordan in the land of Canaan and built a very large altar
by the Jordan.
11 (Dt 13:12-14) The children of Israel heard someone say,
"The tribes of Reuben, Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh
have built an altar by the land of Canaan by the Jordan
on the Israelite side."
12 When the children of Israel heard this, they assembled
the whole congregation of the children of Israel at Shiloh
to go up against them in war.
13 (Nu 25:7; Ex 6:25) Then the children of Israel sent Phinehas,
son of Eleazar the priest, to the sons of Reuben, to the sons of Gad,
and to the half-tribe of Manasseh, into the land of Gilead,
14 (Nu 1:4) and with him ten chiefs, one chief each for each father's
household of every tribe of Israel; and each one of them was the head
of his father's house among the thousands of Israel.
15 They came to the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh
in the land of Gilead and said to them,
16 "The whole congregation of the Lord says,
'What is this trespass you have committed against the God of Israel?
Today you have turned from following the Lord
by building yourselves an altar to rebel against Him!
17 Is the sin of Peor, from which we have still not purified
ourselves even today, not enough for us, which brought a plague upon
the congregation of the Lord
18 (Nu 16:22; Jos 22:16) that today you have turned away
from following the Lord?
" 'If today you are rebelling against the Lord, then tomorrow
He will be angry with the whole congregation of Israel!
19 (Jos 18:1) If indeed your own land is unclean, then cross over
to the land of the Lord where the tabernacle of the Lord stands
and take land among us. Yet do not rebel against the Lord or rebel
against us by building an altar other than the altar of the Lord our God.
20 (Jos 7:1; 7:5) Did not Achan son of Zerah commit a trespass in the things
under the ban, and wrath fall on all the congregation of Israel?
And that man did not perish alone in his iniquity.' "
21 Then the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh answered
and said to the heads of the Israelite clans,
22 (Dt 10:17; 1Ki 8:39) "The Lord God of gods, the Lord God of gods,
He knows, and may Israel know-if we have acted in rebellion
or disloyalty against the Lord, do not spare us today.
23 (Dt 18:19; 1Sa 20:16) If we have built an altar to turn away
from following the Lord, to offer burnt offerings and grain offerings
or make peace offerings upon it, may the Lord Himself demand an account.
24 (Jos 4:6) "We did this deed because we were worried that in the future
your descendants might say, 'What have you to do with the Lord God of Israel?
25 The Lord made the Jordan a boundary between us and you,
the descendants of Reuben and Gad. You have no share in the Lord!'
In this way your descendants might make our descendants
to stop worshipping the Lord.
26 "So we said to each other, 'Let us build this altar, not for burnt
offering or sacrifice,
27 (Jos 24:27; Ge 31:48) but as a witness for us, for you,
and for the generations after us, that we may perform
the service of the Lord before Him with our burnt offerings,
sacrifices, and peace offerings, and in the future your descendants
will not be able to say to our descendants,
"You have no share in the Lord!" '
28 "Therefore we said, 'In the future, if they say this to us or to our
descendants, we will say, "Look at the replica of the altar of the Lord
that our fathers made, not for burnt offerings or sacrifices,
but as a witness between you and us." '
29 (Dt 12:13-14; Jos 24:16) "God forbid that we should rebel against
the Lord by turning from following the Lord today by building
an altar for burnt offerings, grain offerings, and sacrifices
other than the altar of the Lord God that stands before His tabernacle!"
30 (Jos 22:33) When Phinehas the priest, the leaders of the congregation,
and the heads of the Israelite clans who were with him heard
what the descendants of Reuben, Gad, and Manasseh said, it pleased them.
31 (Lev 26:11-12; 2Ch 15:2) Phinehas son of Eleazar the priest said
to the descendants of Reuben, Gad, and Manasseh, "Today we know
that the Lord is in our midst because you did not violate your obligations
to the Lord in this matter. Indeed, you have delivered the children of Israel
from the judgment of the Lord."
32 Then Phinehas son of Eleazar the priest and the leaders returned
from meeting the descendants of Reuben and Gad in the land of Gilead
to the children of Israel in the land of Canaan. They brought back a report.
33 (1Ch 29:20; Da 2:19) This report was good in the eyes of the children
of Israel, and the children of Israel blessed God.
They decided not to make war against the descendants
of Reuben and Gad to ruin the land in which they lived.
34 (Jos 22:27) The descendants of Reuben and Gad named the altar Witness,
"For it is a witness between us that the Lord is God."
Joshua 22
[1] Then Joshua called the Reubenites, and the Gadites, and the half tribe
of Manasseh,
[2] And said unto them, Ye have kept all that Moses the servant of the LORD
commanded you, and have obeyed my voice in all that I commanded you:
[3] Ye have not left your brethren these many days unto this day, but have
kept the charge of the commandment of the LORD your God.
[4] And now the LORD your God hath given rest unto your brethren, as he
promised them: therefore now return ye, and get you unto your tents, and
unto the land of your possession, which Moses the servant of the LORD gave
you on the other side Jordan.
[5] But take diligent heed to do the commandment and the law, which Moses
the servant of the LORD charged you, to love the LORD your God, and to walk
in all his ways, and to keep his commandments, and to cleave unto him, and
to serve him with all your heart and with all your soul.
[6] So Joshua blessed them, and sent them away: and they went unto their
tents.
[7] Now to the one half of the tribe of Manasseh Moses had given possession
in Bashan: but unto the other half thereof gave Joshua among their brethren
on this side Jordan westward. And when Joshua sent them away also unto their
tents, then he blessed them,
[8] And he spake unto them, saying, Return with much riches unto your tents,
and with very much cattle, with silver, and with gold, and with brass, and
with iron, and with very much raiment: divide the spoil of your enemies with
your brethren.
[9] And the children of Reuben and the children of Gad and the half tribe of
Manasseh returned, and departed from the children of Israel out of Shiloh,
which is in the land of Canaan, to go unto the country of Gilead, to the
land of their possession, whereof they were possessed, according to the word
of the LORD by the hand of Moses.
[10] And when they came unto the borders of Jordan, that are in the land of
Canaan, the children of Reuben and the children of Gad and the half tribe of
Manasseh built there an altar by Jordan, a great altar to see to.
[11] And the children of Israel heard say, Behold, the children of Reuben
and the children of Gad and the half tribe of Manasseh have built an altar
over against the land of Canaan, in the borders of Jordan, at the passage of
the children of Israel.
[12] And when the children of Israel heard of it, the whole congregation of
the children of Israel gathered themselves together at Shiloh, to go up to
war against them.
[13] And the children of Israel sent unto the children of Reuben, and to the
children of Gad, and to the half tribe of Manasseh, into the land of Gilead,
Phinehas the son of Eleazar the priest,
[14] And with him ten princes, of each chief house a prince throughout all
the tribes of Israel; and each one was an head of the house of their fathers
among the thousands of Israel.
[15] And they came unto the children of Reuben, and to the children of Gad,
and to the half tribe of Manasseh, unto the land of Gilead, and they spake
with them, saying,
[16] Thus saith the whole congregation of the LORD, What trespass is this
that ye have committed against the God of Israel, to turn away this day from
following the LORD, in that ye have builded you an altar, that ye might
rebel this day against the LORD?
[17] Is the iniquity of Peor too little for us, from which we are not
cleansed until this day, although there was a plague in the congregation of
the LORD,
[18] But that ye must turn away this day from following the LORD? and it
will be, seeing ye rebel to day against the LORD, that to morrow he will be
wroth with the whole congregation of Israel.
[19] Notwithstanding, if the land of your possession be unclean, then pass
ye over unto the land of the possession of the LORD, wherein the LORD's
tabernacle dwelleth, and take possession among us: but rebel not against the
LORD, nor rebel against us, in building you an altar beside the altar of the
LORD our God.
[20] Did not Achan the son of Zerah commit a trespass in the accursed thing,
and wrath fell on all the congregation of Israel? and that man perished not
alone in his iniquity.
[21] Then the children of Reuben and the children of Gad and the half tribe
of Manasseh answered, and said unto the heads of the thousands of Israel,
[22] The LORD God of gods, the LORD God of gods, he knoweth, and Israel he
shall know; if it be in rebellion, or if in transgression against the LORD,
(save us not this day,)
[23] That we have built us an altar to turn from following the LORD, or if
to offer thereon burnt offering or meat offering, or if to offer peace
offerings thereon, let the LORD himself require it;
[24] And if we have not rather done it for fear of this thing, saying, In
time to come your children might speak unto our children, saying, What have
ye to do with the LORD God of Israel?
[25] For the LORD hath made Jordan a border between us and you, ye children
of Reuben and children of Gad; ye have no part in the LORD: so shall your
children make our children cease from fearing the LORD.
[26] Therefore we said, Let us now prepare to build us an altar, not for
burnt offering, nor for sacrifice:
[27] But that it may be a witness between us, and you, and our generations
after us, that we might do the service of the LORD before him with our burnt
offerings, and with our sacrifices, and with our peace offerings; that your
children may not say to our children in time to come, Ye have no part in the
LORD.
[28] Therefore said we, that it shall be, when they should so say to us or
to our generations in time to come, that we may say again, Behold the
pattern of the altar of the LORD, which our fathers made, not for burnt
offerings, nor for sacrifices; but it is a witness between us and you.
[29] God forbid that we should rebel against the LORD, and turn this day
from following the LORD, to build an altar for burnt offerings, for meat
offerings, or for sacrifices, beside the altar of the LORD our God that is
before his tabernacle.
[30] And when Phinehas the priest, and the princes of the congregation and
heads of the thousands of Israel which were with him, heard the words that
the children of Reuben and the children of Gad and the children of Manasseh
spake, it pleased them.
[31] And Phinehas the son of Eleazar the priest said unto the children of
Reuben, and to the children of Gad, and to the children of Manasseh, This
day we perceive that the LORD is among us, because ye have not committed
this trespass against the LORD: now ye have delivered the children of Israel
out of the hand of the LORD.
[32] And Phinehas the son of Eleazar the priest, and the princes, returned
from the children of Reuben, and from the children of Gad, out of the land
of Gilead, unto the land of Canaan, to the children of Israel, and brought
them word again.
[33] And the thing pleased the children of Israel; and the children of
Israel blessed God, and did not intend to go up against them in battle, to
destroy the land wherein the children of Reuben and Gad dwelt.
[34] And the children of Reuben and the children of Gad called the altar Ed:
for it shall be a witness between us that the LORD is God.
JOSHUA 23
Joshua's Charge to the Leaders
1 (Jos 13:1; 21:44) A long time later, after the Lord had given Israel rest
from all their enemies around them, Joshua was old and advanced in years.
2 (Jos 24:1; Dt 31:28) Joshua called for all Israel, their elders,
clan heads, judges, and officials, and said to them,
"I am old and advanced in years.
3 (Ex 14:14; Jos 10:14) You have seen all that the Lord your God did to
all these peoples before you, for it is the Lord your God who has waged
war for you.
4 (Jos 13:2; 13:6-7) See, I have allotted to you as an inheritance the land
of these peoples who remain, along with the land of the peoples
whom I defeated, from the Jordan to the Mediterranean Sea in the west.
5 (Ex 33:2; 34:11) The Lord your God will drive them out and dispossess
them from before you, and you will inherit their land,
as the Lord your God told you.
6 (Dt 5:32; 28:14) "Now be very strong to observe and enact all that is
written in the Book of the Law of Moses, so that you do not deviate
from it to the right or the left.
7 (Ex 23:13; Ps 16:4) Do not assimilate with these peoples remaining
among you. Do not invoke the names of their gods, nor swear by, serve,
or worship them.
8 (Dt 10:20; 11:22) Instead, cling to the Lord your God, as you have done
until today.
9 (Dt 11:23; Jos 1:5) "For the Lord has dispossessed before you great
and mighty peoples, and as for you, not a single man has been able
to stand against you until today.
10 (Lev 26:8; Dt 3:22) One man from among you can make a thousand flee,
for it is the Lord your God who wages war for you, as He told you.
11 (Jos 22:5) Now be careful, therefore, to love the Lord your God!
12 (Dt 7:3) "For if you should turn and cling to the remainder
of these peoples who are left with you, and you intermarry
and assimilate with them, and they with you,
13 (Dt 7:16; Ex 23:33; Nu 33:55) know for certain that the Lord your God
will no longer drive out these nations from before you. But they shall
be snares and traps to you, a whip on your sides and thorns in your eyes,
until you perish from off this good ground that the Lord your
God has given you.
14 (1Ki 2:2) "Now, I am going the way of all the earth. You know
in all your hearts and souls that not a single word has failed out
of all the good things that the Lord your God has said concerning
you. All came true for you. Not a single word among them failed.
15 (Dt 28:15-68) So just as every good thing that the Lord your God
said to you came to be, even so the Lord can bring every bad thing
upon you until He has destroyed you from this good land that
the Lord your God gave you.
16 If you break the covenant of the Lord your God that He commanded you,
and go and serve other gods and worship them, the anger of the Lord
will burn against you, and you will quickly perish from
the good land that He gave you."
Joshua 23
[1] And it came to pass a long time after that the LORD had given rest unto
Israel from all their enemies round about, that Joshua waxed old and
stricken in age.
[2] And Joshua called for all Israel, and for their elders, and for their
heads, and for their judges, and for their officers, and said unto them, I
am old and stricken in age:
[3] And ye have seen all that the LORD your God hath done unto all these
nations because of you; for the LORD your God is he that hath fought for
you.
[4] Behold, I have divided unto you by lot these nations that remain, to be
an inheritance for your tribes, from Jordan, with all the nations that I
have cut off, even unto the great sea westward.
[5] And the LORD your God, he shall expel them from before you, and drive
them from out of your sight; and ye shall possess their land, as the LORD
your God hath promised unto you.
[6] Be ye therefore very courageous to keep and to do all that is written in
the book of the law of Moses, that ye turn not aside therefrom to the right
hand or to the left;
[7] That ye come not among these nations, these that remain among you;
neither make mention of the name of their gods, nor cause to swear by them,
neither serve them, nor bow yourselves unto them:
[8] But cleave unto the LORD your God, as ye have done unto this day.
[9] For the LORD hath driven out from before you great nations and strong:
but as for you, no man hath been able to stand before you unto this day.
[10] One man of you shall chase a thousand: for the LORD your God, he it is
that fighteth for you, as he hath promised you.
[11] Take good heed therefore unto yourselves, that ye love the LORD your
God.
[12] Else if ye do in any wise go back, and cleave unto the remnant of these
nations, even these that remain among you, and shall make marriages with
them, and go in unto them, and they to you:
[13] Know for a certainty that the LORD your God will no more drive out any
of these nations from before you; but they shall be snares and traps unto
you, and scourges in your sides, and thorns in your eyes, until ye perish
from off this good land which the LORD your God hath given you.
[14] And, behold, this day I am going the way of all the earth: and ye know
in all your hearts and in all your souls, that not one thing hath failed of
all the good things which the LORD your God spake concerning you; all are
come to pass unto you, and not one thing hath failed thereof.
[15] Therefore it shall come to pass, that as all good things are come upon
you, which the LORD your God promised you; so shall the LORD bring upon you
all evil things, until he have destroyed you from off this good land which
the LORD your God hath given you.
[16] When ye have transgressed the covenant of the LORD your God, which he
commanded you, and have gone and served other gods, and bowed yourselves to
them; then shall the anger of the LORD be kindled against you, and ye shall
perish quickly from off the good land which he hath given unto you.
JOSHUA 24
Covenant Renewed at Shechem
1 (Jos 23:2; 1Sa 10:19) Joshua called for all the Israelite tribes
at Shechem and summoned the elders, clan heads, judges,
and officials of Israel. They presented themselves before God.
2 (Ge 31:53; 31:30) Joshua said to all the people, "Thus says the Lord
God of Israel: Long ago your fathers-Terah father of Abraham and Nahor
-lived beyond the Euphrates (Euphrates River). and served other gods.
3 (Ge 12:1-4; 21:2-3) I took your father Abraham from beyond the Euphrates,
(Euphrates River). brought him through all the land of Canaan,
and gave him many descendants. To him I gave Isaac.
4 (Dt 2:5; Ge 36:8) To Isaac I gave Jacob and Esau,
and to Esau I gave Mount Seir for his inheritance,
but Jacob and his descendants went down into Egypt.
5 (Ex 3:10; 7:1-12) "I sent Moses and Aaron, I struck Egypt down
with all I did in their midst, and afterward I brought you out.
6 I brought your fathers out of Egypt, then you came to the sea.
The Egyptians pursued your fathers with chariots and horsemen to the Red Sea.
7 (Ex 14:20; 14:10) Your fathers cried out to the Lord, and He placed darkness
between you and the Egyptians. He made the sea come upon them and cover them.
Your own eyes saw what I did to Egypt, and you lived in the wilderness
a long time.
8 (Nu 21:21-35) "I brought you to the land of the Amorites who lived
on the other side of the Jordan. They waged war against you,
but I gave them into your hand so that you might inherit their land,
and I destroyed them before you.
9 (Jdg 11:25) Then Balak son of Zippor, king of Moab, arose and waged
war against Israel. He called for Balaam son of Beor to curse you,
10 but I refused to listen to Balaam. Therefore he blessed you still,
and I delivered you out of his hand.
11 (Jos 3:14-17; 4:10-12) "You crossed the Jordan and came to Jericho.
The leaders of Jericho, along with the Amorites, Perizzites, Canaanites,
Hittites, Girgashites, Hivites, and Jebusites, waged war against you,
but I gave them into your hand.
12 (Ex 23:28; Dt 7:20) I sent the hornet and drove out the two Amorite kings
from before you, but not with your sword or your bow.
13 (Jos 11:13'0 I gave you a land for which you did not work,
and cities that you did not build. You live in them, and you are eating
from the produce of vineyards and olive groves you did not plant.
14 (Jos 24:23; Dt 10:12; 1Sa 12:24) "Now fear the Lord, and serve Him
with sincerity and faithfulness. Put away the gods your fathers
served beyond the River (Euphrates River.) and in Egypt. Serve the Lord.
15 (Jdg 6:10; 1Ki 18:21) If it is displeasing to you to serve the Lord,
then choose today whom you will serve, if it should be the gods
your fathers served beyond the River (Euphrates River.)
or the gods of the Amorites' land where you are now living.
Yet as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord."
16 The people answered and said, "God forbid that we forsake
the Lord and serve other gods!
17 For it is the Lord our God who brought us and our fathers out from slavery
in the land of Egypt and performed these great signs in our sight and guarded
us all the way that we went and among all the peoples through whom we passed.
18 The Lord drove out before us all the people, even the Amorites,
who lived in the land. So we will indeed serve the Lord, for He is our God."
19 (Ex 20:5; 23:21) Then Joshua said to the people, "You are not able to serve
the Lord, for He is a holy God. He is a jealous God, and He will not forgive
your transgressions nor your sins.
20 (1Ch 28:9; Ac 7:42) If you forsake the Lord and serve foreign gods,
then He will turn, bring disaster upon you, and finish you off,
after having been good to you."
21 The people said to Joshua, "No, we will serve the Lord!"
22 (Ps 119:173) Joshua said to the people, "You are witnesses a
gainst yourselves, that you have chosen the Lord, to serve Him."
Then they said, "We are witnesses."
23 (Jos 24:14) "Now then," he said, "put away the foreign gods
in your midst, and stretch out your hearts to the Lord God of Israel!"
24 The people said to Joshua, "It is the Lord our God we will serve,
and His voice that we will obey."
25 (Ex 15:25; 2Ki 11:17) So that day Joshua made a covenant
for the people and established regulations and laws for them at Shechem.
26 (Jdg 9:6; Ge 35:4) Joshua wrote these words in the Book of the Law of God.
He took a large stone and set it up
under the oak by the sanctuary of the Lord.
27 (Jos 22:34; Dt 31:19) Joshua said to all the people, "See, this stone
will be a witness for us, for it has heard all the words of the Lord
that He spoke to us. It will be a witness for us, lest you deny your God."
28 (Jdg 2:6) Then Joshua sent the people away, each man to his inheritance.
Joshua 24
[1] And Joshua gathered all the tribes of Israel to Shechem, and called for
the elders of Israel, and for their heads, and for their judges, and for
their officers; and they presented themselves before God.
[2] And Joshua said unto all the people, Thus saith the LORD God of Israel,
Your fathers dwelt on the other side of the flood in old time, even Terah,
the father of Abraham, and the father of Nachor: and they served other gods.
[3] And I took your father Abraham from the other side of the flood, and led
him throughout all the land of Canaan, and multiplied his seed, and gave him
Isaac.
[4] And I gave unto Isaac Jacob and Esau: and I gave unto Esau mount Seir,
to possess it; but Jacob and his children went down into Egypt.
[5] I sent Moses also and Aaron, and I plagued Egypt, according to that
which I did among them: and afterward I brought you out.
[6] And I brought your fathers out of Egypt: and ye came unto the sea; and
the Egyptians pursued after your fathers with chariots and horsemen unto the
Red sea.
[7] And when they cried unto the LORD, he put darkness between you and the
Egyptians, and brought the sea upon them, and covered them; and your eyes
have seen what I have done in Egypt: and ye dwelt in the wilderness a long
season.
[8] And I brought you into the land of the Amorites, which dwelt on the
other side Jordan; and they fought with you: and I gave them into your hand,
that ye might possess their land; and I destroyed them from before you.
[9] Then Balak the son of Zippor, king of Moab, arose and warred against
Israel, and sent and called Balaam the son of Beor to curse you:
[10] But I would not hearken unto Balaam; therefore he blessed you still: so
I delivered you out of his hand.
[11] And ye went over Jordan, and came unto Jericho: and the men of Jericho
fought against you, the Amorites, and the Perizzites, and the Canaanites,
and the Hittites, and the Girgashites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites; and I
delivered them into your hand.
[12] And I sent the hornet before you, which drave them out from before you,
even the two kings of the Amorites; but not with thy sword, nor with thy
bow.
[13] And I have given you a land for which ye did not labour, and cities
which ye built not, and ye dwell in them; of the vineyards and oliveyards
which ye planted not do ye eat.
[14] Now therefore fear the LORD, and serve him in sincerity and in truth:
and put away the gods which your fathers served on the other side of the
flood, and in Egypt; and serve ye the LORD.
[15] And if it seem evil unto you to serve the LORD, choose you this day
whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on
the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye
dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.
[16] And the people answered and said, God forbid that we should forsake the
LORD, to serve other gods;
[17] For the LORD our God, he it is that brought us up and our fathers out
of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage, and which did those great
signs in our sight, and preserved us in all the way wherein we went, and
among all the people through whom we passed:
[18] And the LORD drave out from before us all the people, even the Amorites
which dwelt in the land: therefore will we also serve the LORD; for he is
our God.
[19] And Joshua said unto the people, Ye cannot serve the LORD: for he is an
holy God; he is a jealous God; he will not forgive your transgressions nor
your sins.
[20] If ye forsake the LORD, and serve strange gods, then he will turn and
do you hurt, and consume you, after that he hath done you good.
[21] And the people said unto Joshua, Nay; but we will serve the LORD.
[22] And Joshua said unto the people, Ye are witnesses against yourselves
that ye have chosen you the LORD, to serve him. And they said, We are
witnesses.
[23] Now therefore put away, said he, the strange gods which are among you,
and incline your heart unto the LORD God of Israel.
[24] And the people said unto Joshua, The LORD our God will we serve, and
his voice will we obey.
[25] So Joshua made a covenant with the people that day, and set them a
statute and an ordinance in Shechem.
[26] And Joshua wrote these words in the book of the law of God, and took a
great stone, and set it up there under an oak, that was by the sanctuary of
the LORD.
[27] And Joshua said unto all the people, Behold, this stone shall be a
witness unto us; for it hath heard all the words of the LORD which he spake
unto us: it shall be therefore a witness unto you, lest ye deny your God.
[28] So Joshua let the people depart, every man unto his inheritance.
Joshua's Death and Burial
29 (Jdg 2:8) After these events took place, Joshua son of Nun,
the servant of the Lord, died at the age of one hundred and ten.
30 (Jos 19:50) They buried him in the territory of his inheritance
in Timnath Serah, which is in the hill country of Ephraim
north of Mount Gaash.
31 (Jdg 2:7; Dt 11:2) Israel served the Lord all the days of Joshua
and of the elders who outlived Joshua and had known
all the deeds that the Lord had done for Israel.
32 (Ge 33:19; 50:25) They buried the bones of Joseph, which the children
of Israel had brought out of Egypt, in Shechem in the part of the field
that Jacob bought from the descendants of Hamor the father of Shechem
for one hundred pieces of silver.Heb. a hundred kesitahs;
a kesitah was a coin of unknown weight and value.
It became an inheritance of the descendants of Joseph.
33 (Ex 6:25; Jos 22:13) Eleazar son of Aaron died, and they buried him
at Gibeah, the town of Phinehas his son,
which was in the hill country of Ephraim.
[29] And it came to pass after these things, that Joshua the son of Nun, the
servant of the LORD, died, being an hundred and ten years old.
[30] And they buried him in the border of his inheritance in Timnath-serah,
which is in mount Ephraim, on the north side of the hill of Gaash.
[31] And Israel served the LORD all the days of Joshua, and all the days of
the elders that overlived Joshua, and which had known all the works of the
LORD, that he had done for Israel.
[32] And the bones of Joseph, which the children of Israel brought up out of
Egypt, buried they in Shechem, in a parcel of ground which Jacob bought of
the sons of Hamor the father of Shechem for an hundred pieces of silver: and
it became the inheritance of the children of Joseph.
[33] And Eleazar the son of Aaron died; and they buried him in a hill that
pertained to Phinehas his son, which was given him in mount Ephraim.
2) Our Daily Bread for 28 March 2024 titled
A New Command to Love
John 13:3-5,12-15,31-35
3 (Jn 8:42; Mt 11:27) Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things
into His hands and that He came from God and was going to God,
4 (Lk 12:37; 22:27) rose from supper, laid aside His garments,
and took a towel and wrapped Himself.
5 (Lk 7:44; Ge 18:4) After that, He poured water into a basin
and began to wash the disciples' feet and to wipe them with the towel
with which He was wrapped.
[3] Jesus knowing that the Father had given all things into his hands, and
that he was come from God, and went to God;
[4] He riseth from supper, and laid aside his garments; and took a towel,
and girded himself.
[5] After that he poureth water into a bason, and began to wash the
disciples' feet, and to wipe them with the towel wherewith he was girded.
12 (Jn 13:7) So when He had washed their feet, and put on His garments,
and sat down again, He said to them, "Do you know what I have done to you?
13 (1Co 12:3; Php 2:11) You call Me Teacher and Lord. You speak accurately,
for so I am.
14 (1Pe 5:5) If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet,
you also ought to wash one another's feet.
15 (Mt 11:29) For I have given you an example, that you should do
as I have done to you.
[12] So after he had washed their feet, and had taken his garments, and was
set down again, he said unto them, Know ye what I have done to you?
[13] Ye call me Master and Lord: and ye say well; for so I am.
[14] If I then, your Lord and Master, have washed your feet; ye also ought
to wash one another's feet.
[15] For I have given you an example, that ye should do as I have done to
you.
31 (Jn 7:39; 14:13) When he had gone out, Jesus then said,
"Now is the Son of Man glorified, and in Him God is glorified.
32 (Jn 12:23; 17:1) If God is glorified in Him, God will also glorify Him
in Himself and will immediately glorify Him.
33 (Jn 7:33-34; 1Jn 2:1) "Little children, yet a little while I am with you.
You will seek Me. And as I said to the Jews, so now I tell you,
'Where I am going, you cannot come.'
34 (Lev 19:18; Eph 5:2) "A new commandment I give to you,
that you love one another, even as I have loved you,
that you also love one another.
35 (Jn 17:21) By this all men will know that you are My disciples,
if you have love for one another."
[31] Now is the judgment of this world: now shall the prince of this world
be cast out.
[32] And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me.
[33] This he said, signifying what death he should die.
[34] The people answered him, We have heard out of the law that Christ
abideth for ever: and how sayest thou, The Son of man must be lifted up? who
is this Son of man?
[35] Then Jesus said unto them, Yet a little while is the light with you.
Walk while ye have the light, lest darkness come upon you: for he that
walketh in darkness knoweth not whither he goeth.
In a tradition starting as early as the thirteenth century, members of the
royal family in the United Kingdom give gifts to people in need on Maundy
Thursday, the day before Good Friday. The practice is rooted in the meaning
of the word maundy, which comes from the Latin mandatum, "command."
The command being commemorated is the new one that Jesus gave to His friends
on the night before He died:
"Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another"
(John 13:34).
Jesus was a leader who took on the role of a servant as He washed His friends'
feet (v. 5). He then called them to do the same: "I have set you an example
that you should do as I have done for you" (v. 15). And in an even greater
act of sacrifice, He lay down His life, dying on the cross (19:30).
Out of mercy and love, He gave Himself that we might enjoy the fullness of life.
The tradition of the British royal family serving people in need continues as
a symbol of following Jesus' great example. We may not have been born into a
place of privilege, but when we place our faith in Jesus, we become members
of His family. And we too can show our love by living out His new command.
As we depend on God's Spirit to change us from within, we can reach out
to others with care, affirmation, and grace.
By: Amy Boucher Pye
Reflect & Pray
How have you observed or embodied servant leadership?
In what ways could you "love one another" today?
My great Savior, what a gift of love You give!
Thank You for being the ultimate Servant, laying down Your life for me.
3) Daily verses taken from Billy Graham Evangelical Organisation
Words in Season Scripture Memory Tools
Week 4 - The Blessings of Grace Day 5 - 1 John 1:9
9 (Ps 32:5; Pr 28:13) If we confess our sins, He is faithful
and just to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive
us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
"If God already knows everything about me, everything I've done,
then why do I need to confess it?" Grant struggled with a common
dilemma for many Christians. Indeed, God, knew all his sin - much
better than Grant did himself. But Grant needed to confess,
not for God's benefit, but for his own. Grant needed to agree with God
that his sin was wrong, and put himself in a position to receive God's
grace in forgiveness.
1 John 1:9 make the process quit clear. We confess,
and God forgives and cleanses. Many of us, however, want to take on
God's part as well. We confess, agreeing with God that our sin is wrong.
But then we proceed to try to 'clean up our act,'bargaining with God,
promising that if he will forgive us just this once,
we won't ever to it again.
The problem is, we can never keep such a promise.
We probably will do it again, and then we are back where we started,
begging for forgiveness, and trying once more to cleanse
ourselves for our unrighteousness.
God offers freedom from such futile performance. He says, "Just confess.
Agree that you sinned. Submit yourself to me. Then I'll take over from there."
God's grace does not give us freedom to keep on sinning, of course - we need
to cooperate with the work of his Spirit in our lives and do all we can
to avoid sin. But we do not have to beg God for forgiveness - forgiveness
is offered to us freely.
We do not have to clean up out act before God will accept us; God can make
the necessary changes in our lives. When we confess, submit ourselves to God,
and allow him to work within us, he is able both to forgive us and to cleanse
us from unrighteousness.
Application
a) In what ways have I bartered with God and tried to "Clean up my act"
in order to deserve his forgiveness?
b) What is my part in confession? What is God's response?
Why it is important for me to recognize God's part in my
confession and forgiveness?
c) What spiritual truths can I see now that I could not see
when I lived in darkness?
4) From Prosperity Promises - Kenneth Copeland
Luke 12:21
21 "So is he who stores up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God."
21 So is he that layeth up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.
5) From a Book called God's Promises for you:
When you are Impatient
James 5:7-11
Patience and Prayer
7 Therefore be patient, brothers, until the coming of the Lord.
Notice how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth
and is patient with it until he receives the early and late rain.
8 You also be patient. Establish your hearts,
for the coming of the Lord is drawing near.
9 Do not grumble against one another, brothers, lest you be condemned.
Look, the Judge is standing at the door.
10 My brothers, take the prophets, who spoke in the name of the Lord,
as an example of suffering and patience.
11 Indeed we count them happy who endure.
You have heard of the patience of Job
and have seen the purpose of the Lord,
that the Lord is very gracious and merciful.
7 Be patient therefore, brethren, unto the coming of the Lord. Behold,
the husbandman waiteth for the precious fruit of the earth, and hath long
patience for it, until he receive the early and latter rain.
8 Be ye also patient; stablish your hearts: for the coming of the Lord
draweth nigh.
9 Grudge not one against another, brethren, lest ye be condemned:
behold, the judge standeth before the door.
10 Take, my brethren, the prophets, who have spoken in the name of the Lord,
for an example of suffering affliction, and of patience.
11 Behold, we count them happy which endure. Ye have heard of the patience
of Job, and have seen the end of the Lord; that the Lord is very pitiful,
and of tender mercy.
Remember God's promises when You pray
The Lord's prayer
Matthew 6:9-13
9 "Therefore pray in this manner:
Our Father who is in heaven,
hallowed be Your name.
10 (Mt 3:2; 4:17) Your kingdom come;
Your will be done
on earth, as it is in heaven.
11 (Pr 30:8; Isa 33:16) Give us this day our daily bread.
12 (Ex 34:7; Ps 32:1) And forgive us our debts,
as we forgive our debtors.
13 (1Co 10:13; Jn 17:15) And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.
For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen."
9 After this manner therefore pray ye:
Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name.
10 Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.
11 Give us this day our daily bread.
12 And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.
13 And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil:
For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.
6) This come from Praying for Muslims in Canada 2015 (Is there a 2021 edition?)
Saskatchewan
Quick facts on Muslims in Saskatchewan
Saskatchewan 2015 population 1125400
est Muslim Population 17279
CNMM Networks: Saskatoon
Saskatoon has seen quick growth in its Muslim population over the past
5 years, which maybe as high as 5000 today. Islamic leaders have
focused specifically on this city , having twice already sent cohorts
of about 70 families to start mosques. There are now 7 Islamic centres
of worship and an Islamic madrassah (school) located right next to a
Christian school.
Of particular concern recently is the number of young adults who grew up
in evangelical churches and converted to Islam. Most of these are young
women who were wooed by Muslim man and became emotionally bonded.
Both prior to and after marrying, these women are known to convert to Islam.
Agree in prayer with us for:
- entire congregations and individual believers to catch God's heart
and passion for reaching Muslims in Saskatoon and the other growing
Muslim population centres of Saskatchewan.
- for the eyes and understanding of Canadian youth to be opened to the
spiritual reality of Islam, and not deceived nor manipulated into
converting to a religion which cannot offer assurance of salvation.
- for the few workers among Muslims now engaged there, and for many more
to be raised up into effective witness.
- for prayer and training events that are starting in Saskatoon
to spread and grow to other cities.
Adding further
Pray for the Turkmen of Iran
Psalms 2:10-11
10 (Ps 42:3; Joel 2:17) Now then, you kings, be wise;
be admonished, you judges of the earth.
11 (Ps 42:5; 43:5) Serve the Lord with fear; tremble with trepidation!
[10]Be wise now therefore, O ye kings: Be instructed, ye judges of the earth.
[11] Serve the LORD with fear, And rejoice with trembling.
At the bus station in Gorgan, the main town of Golestan, we take a taxi to
the settlement area. The taxi driver turns out to be Turkmen. He is very
hospitable and invites us to his home for Iftar - the evening meal for ending
the Ramadan fast. After breaking the fast, we talk about God and the meaning
of faith for Muslims and Christians. It is a conversation with high regard
for each other. It seems this family is meeting people who follow
the Messiah for the first time.
The Turkmen in northeastern Iran live mainly in the Golestan district,
east of the Caspian Sea. You will immediately recognize the Turkmen by their
colourful clothes and their distinct culture. Sadly, they have very few ties
with the Turkmen in next door Turkmenistan. The Turkmen learn Persian
at school, since their own language, Turkmen, is not taught. Therefore,
they can neither read nor write in their mother tongue,
and they often have trouble finding high-paying jobs.
There are no known disciples of Jesus among the approximately 1 million
Turkmen in this province. It is challenging to gain a foothold among them
as a Christian from another culture. To the outside eye, it may seem that
the Turkmen minority of Iran have gone unnoticed. But God sees them
and wants to build His kingdom among them.
How to Pray
Pray that God will speak to village leaders in visions and dreams.
Pray for good spiritual conversations between villagers
and Christ-followers who are passing through their towns.
Ask God that complete villages of people will come to faith in Jesus,
spreading the Good News from town to town,
from the mountain tops to the valleys below.
7) Prayers for the nation (Canada) coming from Prayer map of Canada
http://www.ehc.ca
Day 28 of the Month
a) Pray for new Canadians, that they will have opportunity to hear
and respond to the Gospel and place their faith in Jesus Christ.
(
John 5:24
24 (Jn 3:18; 1Jn 3:14; Jn 3:36) "Truly, truly I say to you, whoever
hears My word and believes in Him who sent
Me has eternal life and shall not come into condemnation,
but has passed from death into life."
24 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word,
and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life,
and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life.
)
b) Pray for God's kingdom to come in the life of someone you
know today . (
The Lord's prayer
Matthew 6:9-13
9 "Therefore pray in this manner:
Our Father who is in heaven,
hallowed be Your name.
10 (Mt 3:2; 4:17) Your kingdom come;
Your will be done
on earth, as it is in heaven.
11 (Pr 30:8; Isa 33:16) Give us this day our daily bread.
12 (Ex 34:7; Ps 32:1) And forgive us our debts,
as we forgive our debtors.
13 (1Co 10:13; Jn 17:15) And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.
For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen. "
9 After this manner therefore pray ye:
Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name.
10 Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.
11 Give us this day our daily bread.
12 And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.
13 And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil:
For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.
)
Conclusion:
Pray to the Lord and pray to serve the Lord and Keep His covenant.
Pray to the Lord: "My great Savior, what a gift of love You give!
Thank You for being the ultimate Servant, laying down Your life for me."
Pray to the Lord and pray to confess your sins.
Pray to the Lord and pray to be rich before the Lord.
Pray to the Lord and pray for patience to lead the way in your life.
Agree in prayer with us for:
- entire congregations and individual believers to catch God's heart
and passion for reaching Muslims in Saskatoon and the other growing
Muslim population centres of Saskatchewan.
- for the eyes and understanding of Canadian youth to be opened to the
spiritual reality of Islam, and not deceived nor manipulated into
converting to a religion which cannot offer assurance of salvation.
- for the few workers among Muslims now engaged there, and for many more
to be raised up into effective witness.
- for prayer and training events that are starting in Saskatoon
to spread and grow to other cities.
Pray that God will speak to village leaders in visions and dreams.
Pray for good spiritual conversations between villagers
and Christ-followers who are passing through their towns.
Ask God that complete villages of people will come to faith in Jesus,
spreading the Good News from town to town,
from the mountain tops to the valleys below.
Pray for new Canadians, that they will have opportunity to hear
and respond to the Gospel and place their faith in Jesus Christ.
Pray for God's kingdom to come in the life of someone you
know today .
Pray that churches in the United Arab Emirates will continue to faithfully
proclaim the Gospel despite governmental prohibitions.
Pray to the Lord that to know the Holy Spirit.
and Seek ye first the Kingdom of God and His Righteousness
Remember eternity starts now -
Pray for the direction you take to the Ever lasting loving God
1) Joshua 22 - 24
Joshua 22-24
JOSHUA 22
The Eastern Tribes Return Home
1 Then Joshua summoned the Reubenites, the Gadites,
and the half-tribe of Manasseh.
2 (Jos 1:12-18) He said to them, "You have done everything that Moses
the servant of the Lord commanded you and have obeyed me in everything
that I have commanded you.
3 You have not left your brothers these many days down to this day,
and you have observed the obligations
of the commandment of the Lord your God.
4 (Jos 13:8) Now the Lord your God has given rest to your brothers,
as He had said to them. So now, turn and go to your homes,
to the land of your possession, which Moses the servant of the Lord
gave you on the other side of the Jordan.
5 (Dt 6:17; 11:22) Only carefully obey the commandment
and the law that Moses the servant of the Lord commanded you:
to love the Lord your God, to walk in all His ways, to obey
His commandments, to cling to Him, and to serve Him
with all your heart and soul."
6 (Jos 14:13; Ge 47:7) Joshua blessed them and sent them off,
and they went to their tents.
7 (Jos 17:1-12) Moses had assigned land in Bashan
to half the tribe of Manasseh, and to the other half Joshua
assigned land among their brothers on the west side of the Jordan.
When Joshua sent them also to their homes and blessed them,
8 (Nu 31:27; 1Sa 30:24) he said, "Return home with great wealth,
much livestock, silver, gold, copper, iron, and great quantities of clothing.
Divide the spoil of your enemies among your brothers."
9 (Nu 32:26; 32:29) So the Reubenites, Gadites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh
left the children of Israel at Shiloh in the land of Canaan to go
to the land of Gilead, the land of their possession, according to the word
of the Lord through Moses.
10 The tribes of Reuben, Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh came
near the Jordan in the land of Canaan and built a very large altar
by the Jordan.
11 (Dt 13:12-14) The children of Israel heard someone say,
"The tribes of Reuben, Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh
have built an altar by the land of Canaan by the Jordan
on the Israelite side."
12 When the children of Israel heard this, they assembled
the whole congregation of the children of Israel at Shiloh
to go up against them in war.
13 (Nu 25:7; Ex 6:25) Then the children of Israel sent Phinehas,
son of Eleazar the priest, to the sons of Reuben, to the sons of Gad,
and to the half-tribe of Manasseh, into the land of Gilead,
14 (Nu 1:4) and with him ten chiefs, one chief each for each father's
household of every tribe of Israel; and each one of them was the head
of his father's house among the thousands of Israel.
15 They came to the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh
in the land of Gilead and said to them,
16 "The whole congregation of the Lord says,
'What is this trespass you have committed against the God of Israel?
Today you have turned from following the Lord
by building yourselves an altar to rebel against Him!
17 Is the sin of Peor, from which we have still not purified
ourselves even today, not enough for us, which brought a plague upon
the congregation of the Lord
18 (Nu 16:22; Jos 22:16) that today you have turned away
from following the Lord?
" 'If today you are rebelling against the Lord, then tomorrow
He will be angry with the whole congregation of Israel!
19 (Jos 18:1) If indeed your own land is unclean, then cross over
to the land of the Lord where the tabernacle of the Lord stands
and take land among us. Yet do not rebel against the Lord or rebel
against us by building an altar other than the altar of the Lord our God.
20 (Jos 7:1; 7:5) Did not Achan son of Zerah commit a trespass in the things
under the ban, and wrath fall on all the congregation of Israel?
And that man did not perish alone in his iniquity.' "
21 Then the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh answered
and said to the heads of the Israelite clans,
22 (Dt 10:17; 1Ki 8:39) "The Lord God of gods, the Lord God of gods,
He knows, and may Israel know-if we have acted in rebellion
or disloyalty against the Lord, do not spare us today.
23 (Dt 18:19; 1Sa 20:16) If we have built an altar to turn away
from following the Lord, to offer burnt offerings and grain offerings
or make peace offerings upon it, may the Lord Himself demand an account.
24 (Jos 4:6) "We did this deed because we were worried that in the future
your descendants might say, 'What have you to do with the Lord God of Israel?
25 The Lord made the Jordan a boundary between us and you,
the descendants of Reuben and Gad. You have no share in the Lord!'
In this way your descendants might make our descendants
to stop worshipping the Lord.
26 "So we said to each other, 'Let us build this altar, not for burnt
offering or sacrifice,
27 (Jos 24:27; Ge 31:48) but as a witness for us, for you,
and for the generations after us, that we may perform
the service of the Lord before Him with our burnt offerings,
sacrifices, and peace offerings, and in the future your descendants
will not be able to say to our descendants,
"You have no share in the Lord!" '
28 "Therefore we said, 'In the future, if they say this to us or to our
descendants, we will say, "Look at the replica of the altar of the Lord
that our fathers made, not for burnt offerings or sacrifices,
but as a witness between you and us." '
29 (Dt 12:13-14; Jos 24:16) "God forbid that we should rebel against
the Lord by turning from following the Lord today by building
an altar for burnt offerings, grain offerings, and sacrifices
other than the altar of the Lord God that stands before His tabernacle!"
30 (Jos 22:33) When Phinehas the priest, the leaders of the congregation,
and the heads of the Israelite clans who were with him heard
what the descendants of Reuben, Gad, and Manasseh said, it pleased them.
31 (Lev 26:11-12; 2Ch 15:2) Phinehas son of Eleazar the priest said
to the descendants of Reuben, Gad, and Manasseh, "Today we know
that the Lord is in our midst because you did not violate your obligations
to the Lord in this matter. Indeed, you have delivered the children of Israel
from the judgment of the Lord."
32 Then Phinehas son of Eleazar the priest and the leaders returned
from meeting the descendants of Reuben and Gad in the land of Gilead
to the children of Israel in the land of Canaan. They brought back a report.
33 (1Ch 29:20; Da 2:19) This report was good in the eyes of the children
of Israel, and the children of Israel blessed God.
They decided not to make war against the descendants
of Reuben and Gad to ruin the land in which they lived.
34 (Jos 22:27) The descendants of Reuben and Gad named the altar Witness,
"For it is a witness between us that the Lord is God."
Joshua 22
[1] Then Joshua called the Reubenites, and the Gadites, and the half tribe
of Manasseh,
[2] And said unto them, Ye have kept all that Moses the servant of the LORD
commanded you, and have obeyed my voice in all that I commanded you:
[3] Ye have not left your brethren these many days unto this day, but have
kept the charge of the commandment of the LORD your God.
[4] And now the LORD your God hath given rest unto your brethren, as he
promised them: therefore now return ye, and get you unto your tents, and
unto the land of your possession, which Moses the servant of the LORD gave
you on the other side Jordan.
[5] But take diligent heed to do the commandment and the law, which Moses
the servant of the LORD charged you, to love the LORD your God, and to walk
in all his ways, and to keep his commandments, and to cleave unto him, and
to serve him with all your heart and with all your soul.
[6] So Joshua blessed them, and sent them away: and they went unto their
tents.
[7] Now to the one half of the tribe of Manasseh Moses had given possession
in Bashan: but unto the other half thereof gave Joshua among their brethren
on this side Jordan westward. And when Joshua sent them away also unto their
tents, then he blessed them,
[8] And he spake unto them, saying, Return with much riches unto your tents,
and with very much cattle, with silver, and with gold, and with brass, and
with iron, and with very much raiment: divide the spoil of your enemies with
your brethren.
[9] And the children of Reuben and the children of Gad and the half tribe of
Manasseh returned, and departed from the children of Israel out of Shiloh,
which is in the land of Canaan, to go unto the country of Gilead, to the
land of their possession, whereof they were possessed, according to the word
of the LORD by the hand of Moses.
[10] And when they came unto the borders of Jordan, that are in the land of
Canaan, the children of Reuben and the children of Gad and the half tribe of
Manasseh built there an altar by Jordan, a great altar to see to.
[11] And the children of Israel heard say, Behold, the children of Reuben
and the children of Gad and the half tribe of Manasseh have built an altar
over against the land of Canaan, in the borders of Jordan, at the passage of
the children of Israel.
[12] And when the children of Israel heard of it, the whole congregation of
the children of Israel gathered themselves together at Shiloh, to go up to
war against them.
[13] And the children of Israel sent unto the children of Reuben, and to the
children of Gad, and to the half tribe of Manasseh, into the land of Gilead,
Phinehas the son of Eleazar the priest,
[14] And with him ten princes, of each chief house a prince throughout all
the tribes of Israel; and each one was an head of the house of their fathers
among the thousands of Israel.
[15] And they came unto the children of Reuben, and to the children of Gad,
and to the half tribe of Manasseh, unto the land of Gilead, and they spake
with them, saying,
[16] Thus saith the whole congregation of the LORD, What trespass is this
that ye have committed against the God of Israel, to turn away this day from
following the LORD, in that ye have builded you an altar, that ye might
rebel this day against the LORD?
[17] Is the iniquity of Peor too little for us, from which we are not
cleansed until this day, although there was a plague in the congregation of
the LORD,
[18] But that ye must turn away this day from following the LORD? and it
will be, seeing ye rebel to day against the LORD, that to morrow he will be
wroth with the whole congregation of Israel.
[19] Notwithstanding, if the land of your possession be unclean, then pass
ye over unto the land of the possession of the LORD, wherein the LORD's
tabernacle dwelleth, and take possession among us: but rebel not against the
LORD, nor rebel against us, in building you an altar beside the altar of the
LORD our God.
[20] Did not Achan the son of Zerah commit a trespass in the accursed thing,
and wrath fell on all the congregation of Israel? and that man perished not
alone in his iniquity.
[21] Then the children of Reuben and the children of Gad and the half tribe
of Manasseh answered, and said unto the heads of the thousands of Israel,
[22] The LORD God of gods, the LORD God of gods, he knoweth, and Israel he
shall know; if it be in rebellion, or if in transgression against the LORD,
(save us not this day,)
[23] That we have built us an altar to turn from following the LORD, or if
to offer thereon burnt offering or meat offering, or if to offer peace
offerings thereon, let the LORD himself require it;
[24] And if we have not rather done it for fear of this thing, saying, In
time to come your children might speak unto our children, saying, What have
ye to do with the LORD God of Israel?
[25] For the LORD hath made Jordan a border between us and you, ye children
of Reuben and children of Gad; ye have no part in the LORD: so shall your
children make our children cease from fearing the LORD.
[26] Therefore we said, Let us now prepare to build us an altar, not for
burnt offering, nor for sacrifice:
[27] But that it may be a witness between us, and you, and our generations
after us, that we might do the service of the LORD before him with our burnt
offerings, and with our sacrifices, and with our peace offerings; that your
children may not say to our children in time to come, Ye have no part in the
LORD.
[28] Therefore said we, that it shall be, when they should so say to us or
to our generations in time to come, that we may say again, Behold the
pattern of the altar of the LORD, which our fathers made, not for burnt
offerings, nor for sacrifices; but it is a witness between us and you.
[29] God forbid that we should rebel against the LORD, and turn this day
from following the LORD, to build an altar for burnt offerings, for meat
offerings, or for sacrifices, beside the altar of the LORD our God that is
before his tabernacle.
[30] And when Phinehas the priest, and the princes of the congregation and
heads of the thousands of Israel which were with him, heard the words that
the children of Reuben and the children of Gad and the children of Manasseh
spake, it pleased them.
[31] And Phinehas the son of Eleazar the priest said unto the children of
Reuben, and to the children of Gad, and to the children of Manasseh, This
day we perceive that the LORD is among us, because ye have not committed
this trespass against the LORD: now ye have delivered the children of Israel
out of the hand of the LORD.
[32] And Phinehas the son of Eleazar the priest, and the princes, returned
from the children of Reuben, and from the children of Gad, out of the land
of Gilead, unto the land of Canaan, to the children of Israel, and brought
them word again.
[33] And the thing pleased the children of Israel; and the children of
Israel blessed God, and did not intend to go up against them in battle, to
destroy the land wherein the children of Reuben and Gad dwelt.
[34] And the children of Reuben and the children of Gad called the altar Ed:
for it shall be a witness between us that the LORD is God.
JOSHUA 23
Joshua's Charge to the Leaders
1 (Jos 13:1; 21:44) A long time later, after the Lord had given Israel rest
from all their enemies around them, Joshua was old and advanced in years.
2 (Jos 24:1; Dt 31:28) Joshua called for all Israel, their elders,
clan heads, judges, and officials, and said to them,
"I am old and advanced in years.
3 (Ex 14:14; Jos 10:14) You have seen all that the Lord your God did to
all these peoples before you, for it is the Lord your God who has waged
war for you.
4 (Jos 13:2; 13:6-7) See, I have allotted to you as an inheritance the land
of these peoples who remain, along with the land of the peoples
whom I defeated, from the Jordan to the Mediterranean Sea in the west.
5 (Ex 33:2; 34:11) The Lord your God will drive them out and dispossess
them from before you, and you will inherit their land,
as the Lord your God told you.
6 (Dt 5:32; 28:14) "Now be very strong to observe and enact all that is
written in the Book of the Law of Moses, so that you do not deviate
from it to the right or the left.
7 (Ex 23:13; Ps 16:4) Do not assimilate with these peoples remaining
among you. Do not invoke the names of their gods, nor swear by, serve,
or worship them.
8 (Dt 10:20; 11:22) Instead, cling to the Lord your God, as you have done
until today.
9 (Dt 11:23; Jos 1:5) "For the Lord has dispossessed before you great
and mighty peoples, and as for you, not a single man has been able
to stand against you until today.
10 (Lev 26:8; Dt 3:22) One man from among you can make a thousand flee,
for it is the Lord your God who wages war for you, as He told you.
11 (Jos 22:5) Now be careful, therefore, to love the Lord your God!
12 (Dt 7:3) "For if you should turn and cling to the remainder
of these peoples who are left with you, and you intermarry
and assimilate with them, and they with you,
13 (Dt 7:16; Ex 23:33; Nu 33:55) know for certain that the Lord your God
will no longer drive out these nations from before you. But they shall
be snares and traps to you, a whip on your sides and thorns in your eyes,
until you perish from off this good ground that the Lord your
God has given you.
14 (1Ki 2:2) "Now, I am going the way of all the earth. You know
in all your hearts and souls that not a single word has failed out
of all the good things that the Lord your God has said concerning
you. All came true for you. Not a single word among them failed.
15 (Dt 28:15-68) So just as every good thing that the Lord your God
said to you came to be, even so the Lord can bring every bad thing
upon you until He has destroyed you from this good land that
the Lord your God gave you.
16 If you break the covenant of the Lord your God that He commanded you,
and go and serve other gods and worship them, the anger of the Lord
will burn against you, and you will quickly perish from
the good land that He gave you."
Joshua 23
[1] And it came to pass a long time after that the LORD had given rest unto
Israel from all their enemies round about, that Joshua waxed old and
stricken in age.
[2] And Joshua called for all Israel, and for their elders, and for their
heads, and for their judges, and for their officers, and said unto them, I
am old and stricken in age:
[3] And ye have seen all that the LORD your God hath done unto all these
nations because of you; for the LORD your God is he that hath fought for
you.
[4] Behold, I have divided unto you by lot these nations that remain, to be
an inheritance for your tribes, from Jordan, with all the nations that I
have cut off, even unto the great sea westward.
[5] And the LORD your God, he shall expel them from before you, and drive
them from out of your sight; and ye shall possess their land, as the LORD
your God hath promised unto you.
[6] Be ye therefore very courageous to keep and to do all that is written in
the book of the law of Moses, that ye turn not aside therefrom to the right
hand or to the left;
[7] That ye come not among these nations, these that remain among you;
neither make mention of the name of their gods, nor cause to swear by them,
neither serve them, nor bow yourselves unto them:
[8] But cleave unto the LORD your God, as ye have done unto this day.
[9] For the LORD hath driven out from before you great nations and strong:
but as for you, no man hath been able to stand before you unto this day.
[10] One man of you shall chase a thousand: for the LORD your God, he it is
that fighteth for you, as he hath promised you.
[11] Take good heed therefore unto yourselves, that ye love the LORD your
God.
[12] Else if ye do in any wise go back, and cleave unto the remnant of these
nations, even these that remain among you, and shall make marriages with
them, and go in unto them, and they to you:
[13] Know for a certainty that the LORD your God will no more drive out any
of these nations from before you; but they shall be snares and traps unto
you, and scourges in your sides, and thorns in your eyes, until ye perish
from off this good land which the LORD your God hath given you.
[14] And, behold, this day I am going the way of all the earth: and ye know
in all your hearts and in all your souls, that not one thing hath failed of
all the good things which the LORD your God spake concerning you; all are
come to pass unto you, and not one thing hath failed thereof.
[15] Therefore it shall come to pass, that as all good things are come upon
you, which the LORD your God promised you; so shall the LORD bring upon you
all evil things, until he have destroyed you from off this good land which
the LORD your God hath given you.
[16] When ye have transgressed the covenant of the LORD your God, which he
commanded you, and have gone and served other gods, and bowed yourselves to
them; then shall the anger of the LORD be kindled against you, and ye shall
perish quickly from off the good land which he hath given unto you.
JOSHUA 24
Covenant Renewed at Shechem
1 (Jos 23:2; 1Sa 10:19) Joshua called for all the Israelite tribes
at Shechem and summoned the elders, clan heads, judges,
and officials of Israel. They presented themselves before God.
2 (Ge 31:53; 31:30) Joshua said to all the people, "Thus says the Lord
God of Israel: Long ago your fathers-Terah father of Abraham and Nahor
-lived beyond the Euphrates (Euphrates River). and served other gods.
3 (Ge 12:1-4; 21:2-3) I took your father Abraham from beyond the Euphrates,
(Euphrates River). brought him through all the land of Canaan,
and gave him many descendants. To him I gave Isaac.
4 (Dt 2:5; Ge 36:8) To Isaac I gave Jacob and Esau,
and to Esau I gave Mount Seir for his inheritance,
but Jacob and his descendants went down into Egypt.
5 (Ex 3:10; 7:1-12) "I sent Moses and Aaron, I struck Egypt down
with all I did in their midst, and afterward I brought you out.
6 I brought your fathers out of Egypt, then you came to the sea.
The Egyptians pursued your fathers with chariots and horsemen to the Red Sea.
7 (Ex 14:20; 14:10) Your fathers cried out to the Lord, and He placed darkness
between you and the Egyptians. He made the sea come upon them and cover them.
Your own eyes saw what I did to Egypt, and you lived in the wilderness
a long time.
8 (Nu 21:21-35) "I brought you to the land of the Amorites who lived
on the other side of the Jordan. They waged war against you,
but I gave them into your hand so that you might inherit their land,
and I destroyed them before you.
9 (Jdg 11:25) Then Balak son of Zippor, king of Moab, arose and waged
war against Israel. He called for Balaam son of Beor to curse you,
10 but I refused to listen to Balaam. Therefore he blessed you still,
and I delivered you out of his hand.
11 (Jos 3:14-17; 4:10-12) "You crossed the Jordan and came to Jericho.
The leaders of Jericho, along with the Amorites, Perizzites, Canaanites,
Hittites, Girgashites, Hivites, and Jebusites, waged war against you,
but I gave them into your hand.
12 (Ex 23:28; Dt 7:20) I sent the hornet and drove out the two Amorite kings
from before you, but not with your sword or your bow.
13 (Jos 11:13'0 I gave you a land for which you did not work,
and cities that you did not build. You live in them, and you are eating
from the produce of vineyards and olive groves you did not plant.
14 (Jos 24:23; Dt 10:12; 1Sa 12:24) "Now fear the Lord, and serve Him
with sincerity and faithfulness. Put away the gods your fathers
served beyond the River (Euphrates River.) and in Egypt. Serve the Lord.
15 (Jdg 6:10; 1Ki 18:21) If it is displeasing to you to serve the Lord,
then choose today whom you will serve, if it should be the gods
your fathers served beyond the River (Euphrates River.)
or the gods of the Amorites' land where you are now living.
Yet as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord."
16 The people answered and said, "God forbid that we forsake
the Lord and serve other gods!
17 For it is the Lord our God who brought us and our fathers out from slavery
in the land of Egypt and performed these great signs in our sight and guarded
us all the way that we went and among all the peoples through whom we passed.
18 The Lord drove out before us all the people, even the Amorites,
who lived in the land. So we will indeed serve the Lord, for He is our God."
19 (Ex 20:5; 23:21) Then Joshua said to the people, "You are not able to serve
the Lord, for He is a holy God. He is a jealous God, and He will not forgive
your transgressions nor your sins.
20 (1Ch 28:9; Ac 7:42) If you forsake the Lord and serve foreign gods,
then He will turn, bring disaster upon you, and finish you off,
after having been good to you."
21 The people said to Joshua, "No, we will serve the Lord!"
22 (Ps 119:173) Joshua said to the people, "You are witnesses a
gainst yourselves, that you have chosen the Lord, to serve Him."
Then they said, "We are witnesses."
23 (Jos 24:14) "Now then," he said, "put away the foreign gods
in your midst, and stretch out your hearts to the Lord God of Israel!"
24 The people said to Joshua, "It is the Lord our God we will serve,
and His voice that we will obey."
25 (Ex 15:25; 2Ki 11:17) So that day Joshua made a covenant
for the people and established regulations and laws for them at Shechem.
26 (Jdg 9:6; Ge 35:4) Joshua wrote these words in the Book of the Law of God.
He took a large stone and set it up
under the oak by the sanctuary of the Lord.
27 (Jos 22:34; Dt 31:19) Joshua said to all the people, "See, this stone
will be a witness for us, for it has heard all the words of the Lord
that He spoke to us. It will be a witness for us, lest you deny your God."
28 (Jdg 2:6) Then Joshua sent the people away, each man to his inheritance.
Joshua 24
[1] And Joshua gathered all the tribes of Israel to Shechem, and called for
the elders of Israel, and for their heads, and for their judges, and for
their officers; and they presented themselves before God.
[2] And Joshua said unto all the people, Thus saith the LORD God of Israel,
Your fathers dwelt on the other side of the flood in old time, even Terah,
the father of Abraham, and the father of Nachor: and they served other gods.
[3] And I took your father Abraham from the other side of the flood, and led
him throughout all the land of Canaan, and multiplied his seed, and gave him
Isaac.
[4] And I gave unto Isaac Jacob and Esau: and I gave unto Esau mount Seir,
to possess it; but Jacob and his children went down into Egypt.
[5] I sent Moses also and Aaron, and I plagued Egypt, according to that
which I did among them: and afterward I brought you out.
[6] And I brought your fathers out of Egypt: and ye came unto the sea; and
the Egyptians pursued after your fathers with chariots and horsemen unto the
Red sea.
[7] And when they cried unto the LORD, he put darkness between you and the
Egyptians, and brought the sea upon them, and covered them; and your eyes
have seen what I have done in Egypt: and ye dwelt in the wilderness a long
season.
[8] And I brought you into the land of the Amorites, which dwelt on the
other side Jordan; and they fought with you: and I gave them into your hand,
that ye might possess their land; and I destroyed them from before you.
[9] Then Balak the son of Zippor, king of Moab, arose and warred against
Israel, and sent and called Balaam the son of Beor to curse you:
[10] But I would not hearken unto Balaam; therefore he blessed you still: so
I delivered you out of his hand.
[11] And ye went over Jordan, and came unto Jericho: and the men of Jericho
fought against you, the Amorites, and the Perizzites, and the Canaanites,
and the Hittites, and the Girgashites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites; and I
delivered them into your hand.
[12] And I sent the hornet before you, which drave them out from before you,
even the two kings of the Amorites; but not with thy sword, nor with thy
bow.
[13] And I have given you a land for which ye did not labour, and cities
which ye built not, and ye dwell in them; of the vineyards and oliveyards
which ye planted not do ye eat.
[14] Now therefore fear the LORD, and serve him in sincerity and in truth:
and put away the gods which your fathers served on the other side of the
flood, and in Egypt; and serve ye the LORD.
[15] And if it seem evil unto you to serve the LORD, choose you this day
whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on
the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye
dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.
[16] And the people answered and said, God forbid that we should forsake the
LORD, to serve other gods;
[17] For the LORD our God, he it is that brought us up and our fathers out
of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage, and which did those great
signs in our sight, and preserved us in all the way wherein we went, and
among all the people through whom we passed:
[18] And the LORD drave out from before us all the people, even the Amorites
which dwelt in the land: therefore will we also serve the LORD; for he is
our God.
[19] And Joshua said unto the people, Ye cannot serve the LORD: for he is an
holy God; he is a jealous God; he will not forgive your transgressions nor
your sins.
[20] If ye forsake the LORD, and serve strange gods, then he will turn and
do you hurt, and consume you, after that he hath done you good.
[21] And the people said unto Joshua, Nay; but we will serve the LORD.
[22] And Joshua said unto the people, Ye are witnesses against yourselves
that ye have chosen you the LORD, to serve him. And they said, We are
witnesses.
[23] Now therefore put away, said he, the strange gods which are among you,
and incline your heart unto the LORD God of Israel.
[24] And the people said unto Joshua, The LORD our God will we serve, and
his voice will we obey.
[25] So Joshua made a covenant with the people that day, and set them a
statute and an ordinance in Shechem.
[26] And Joshua wrote these words in the book of the law of God, and took a
great stone, and set it up there under an oak, that was by the sanctuary of
the LORD.
[27] And Joshua said unto all the people, Behold, this stone shall be a
witness unto us; for it hath heard all the words of the LORD which he spake
unto us: it shall be therefore a witness unto you, lest ye deny your God.
[28] So Joshua let the people depart, every man unto his inheritance.
Joshua's Death and Burial
29 (Jdg 2:8) After these events took place, Joshua son of Nun,
the servant of the Lord, died at the age of one hundred and ten.
30 (Jos 19:50) They buried him in the territory of his inheritance
in Timnath Serah, which is in the hill country of Ephraim
north of Mount Gaash.
31 (Jdg 2:7; Dt 11:2) Israel served the Lord all the days of Joshua
and of the elders who outlived Joshua and had known
all the deeds that the Lord had done for Israel.
32 (Ge 33:19; 50:25) They buried the bones of Joseph, which the children
of Israel had brought out of Egypt, in Shechem in the part of the field
that Jacob bought from the descendants of Hamor the father of Shechem
for one hundred pieces of silver.Heb. a hundred kesitahs;
a kesitah was a coin of unknown weight and value.
It became an inheritance of the descendants of Joseph.
33 (Ex 6:25; Jos 22:13) Eleazar son of Aaron died, and they buried him
at Gibeah, the town of Phinehas his son,
which was in the hill country of Ephraim.
[29] And it came to pass after these things, that Joshua the son of Nun, the
servant of the LORD, died, being an hundred and ten years old.
[30] And they buried him in the border of his inheritance in Timnath-serah,
which is in mount Ephraim, on the north side of the hill of Gaash.
[31] And Israel served the LORD all the days of Joshua, and all the days of
the elders that overlived Joshua, and which had known all the works of the
LORD, that he had done for Israel.
[32] And the bones of Joseph, which the children of Israel brought up out of
Egypt, buried they in Shechem, in a parcel of ground which Jacob bought of
the sons of Hamor the father of Shechem for an hundred pieces of silver: and
it became the inheritance of the children of Joseph.
[33] And Eleazar the son of Aaron died; and they buried him in a hill that
pertained to Phinehas his son, which was given him in mount Ephraim.
2) Our Daily Bread for 28 March 2024 titled
A New Command to Love
John 13:3-5,12-15,31-35
3 (Jn 8:42; Mt 11:27) Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things
into His hands and that He came from God and was going to God,
4 (Lk 12:37; 22:27) rose from supper, laid aside His garments,
and took a towel and wrapped Himself.
5 (Lk 7:44; Ge 18:4) After that, He poured water into a basin
and began to wash the disciples' feet and to wipe them with the towel
with which He was wrapped.
[3] Jesus knowing that the Father had given all things into his hands, and
that he was come from God, and went to God;
[4] He riseth from supper, and laid aside his garments; and took a towel,
and girded himself.
[5] After that he poureth water into a bason, and began to wash the
disciples' feet, and to wipe them with the towel wherewith he was girded.
12 (Jn 13:7) So when He had washed their feet, and put on His garments,
and sat down again, He said to them, "Do you know what I have done to you?
13 (1Co 12:3; Php 2:11) You call Me Teacher and Lord. You speak accurately,
for so I am.
14 (1Pe 5:5) If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet,
you also ought to wash one another's feet.
15 (Mt 11:29) For I have given you an example, that you should do
as I have done to you.
[12] So after he had washed their feet, and had taken his garments, and was
set down again, he said unto them, Know ye what I have done to you?
[13] Ye call me Master and Lord: and ye say well; for so I am.
[14] If I then, your Lord and Master, have washed your feet; ye also ought
to wash one another's feet.
[15] For I have given you an example, that ye should do as I have done to
you.
31 (Jn 7:39; 14:13) When he had gone out, Jesus then said,
"Now is the Son of Man glorified, and in Him God is glorified.
32 (Jn 12:23; 17:1) If God is glorified in Him, God will also glorify Him
in Himself and will immediately glorify Him.
33 (Jn 7:33-34; 1Jn 2:1) "Little children, yet a little while I am with you.
You will seek Me. And as I said to the Jews, so now I tell you,
'Where I am going, you cannot come.'
34 (Lev 19:18; Eph 5:2) "A new commandment I give to you,
that you love one another, even as I have loved you,
that you also love one another.
35 (Jn 17:21) By this all men will know that you are My disciples,
if you have love for one another."
[31] Now is the judgment of this world: now shall the prince of this world
be cast out.
[32] And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me.
[33] This he said, signifying what death he should die.
[34] The people answered him, We have heard out of the law that Christ
abideth for ever: and how sayest thou, The Son of man must be lifted up? who
is this Son of man?
[35] Then Jesus said unto them, Yet a little while is the light with you.
Walk while ye have the light, lest darkness come upon you: for he that
walketh in darkness knoweth not whither he goeth.
In a tradition starting as early as the thirteenth century, members of the
royal family in the United Kingdom give gifts to people in need on Maundy
Thursday, the day before Good Friday. The practice is rooted in the meaning
of the word maundy, which comes from the Latin mandatum, "command."
The command being commemorated is the new one that Jesus gave to His friends
on the night before He died:
"Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another"
(John 13:34).
Jesus was a leader who took on the role of a servant as He washed His friends'
feet (v. 5). He then called them to do the same: "I have set you an example
that you should do as I have done for you" (v. 15). And in an even greater
act of sacrifice, He lay down His life, dying on the cross (19:30).
Out of mercy and love, He gave Himself that we might enjoy the fullness of life.
The tradition of the British royal family serving people in need continues as
a symbol of following Jesus' great example. We may not have been born into a
place of privilege, but when we place our faith in Jesus, we become members
of His family. And we too can show our love by living out His new command.
As we depend on God's Spirit to change us from within, we can reach out
to others with care, affirmation, and grace.
By: Amy Boucher Pye
Reflect & Pray
How have you observed or embodied servant leadership?
In what ways could you "love one another" today?
My great Savior, what a gift of love You give!
Thank You for being the ultimate Servant, laying down Your life for me.
3) Daily verses taken from Billy Graham Evangelical Organisation
Words in Season Scripture Memory Tools
Week 4 - The Blessings of Grace Day 5 - 1 John 1:9
9 (Ps 32:5; Pr 28:13) If we confess our sins, He is faithful
and just to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive
us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
"If God already knows everything about me, everything I've done,
then why do I need to confess it?" Grant struggled with a common
dilemma for many Christians. Indeed, God, knew all his sin - much
better than Grant did himself. But Grant needed to confess,
not for God's benefit, but for his own. Grant needed to agree with God
that his sin was wrong, and put himself in a position to receive God's
grace in forgiveness.
1 John 1:9 make the process quit clear. We confess,
and God forgives and cleanses. Many of us, however, want to take on
God's part as well. We confess, agreeing with God that our sin is wrong.
But then we proceed to try to 'clean up our act,'bargaining with God,
promising that if he will forgive us just this once,
we won't ever to it again.
The problem is, we can never keep such a promise.
We probably will do it again, and then we are back where we started,
begging for forgiveness, and trying once more to cleanse
ourselves for our unrighteousness.
God offers freedom from such futile performance. He says, "Just confess.
Agree that you sinned. Submit yourself to me. Then I'll take over from there."
God's grace does not give us freedom to keep on sinning, of course - we need
to cooperate with the work of his Spirit in our lives and do all we can
to avoid sin. But we do not have to beg God for forgiveness - forgiveness
is offered to us freely.
We do not have to clean up out act before God will accept us; God can make
the necessary changes in our lives. When we confess, submit ourselves to God,
and allow him to work within us, he is able both to forgive us and to cleanse
us from unrighteousness.
Application
a) In what ways have I bartered with God and tried to "Clean up my act"
in order to deserve his forgiveness?
b) What is my part in confession? What is God's response?
Why it is important for me to recognize God's part in my
confession and forgiveness?
c) What spiritual truths can I see now that I could not see
when I lived in darkness?
4) From Prosperity Promises - Kenneth Copeland
Luke 12:21
21 "So is he who stores up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God."
21 So is he that layeth up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.
5) From a Book called God's Promises for you:
When you are Impatient
James 5:7-11
Patience and Prayer
7 Therefore be patient, brothers, until the coming of the Lord.
Notice how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth
and is patient with it until he receives the early and late rain.
8 You also be patient. Establish your hearts,
for the coming of the Lord is drawing near.
9 Do not grumble against one another, brothers, lest you be condemned.
Look, the Judge is standing at the door.
10 My brothers, take the prophets, who spoke in the name of the Lord,
as an example of suffering and patience.
11 Indeed we count them happy who endure.
You have heard of the patience of Job
and have seen the purpose of the Lord,
that the Lord is very gracious and merciful.
7 Be patient therefore, brethren, unto the coming of the Lord. Behold,
the husbandman waiteth for the precious fruit of the earth, and hath long
patience for it, until he receive the early and latter rain.
8 Be ye also patient; stablish your hearts: for the coming of the Lord
draweth nigh.
9 Grudge not one against another, brethren, lest ye be condemned:
behold, the judge standeth before the door.
10 Take, my brethren, the prophets, who have spoken in the name of the Lord,
for an example of suffering affliction, and of patience.
11 Behold, we count them happy which endure. Ye have heard of the patience
of Job, and have seen the end of the Lord; that the Lord is very pitiful,
and of tender mercy.
Remember God's promises when You pray
The Lord's prayer
Matthew 6:9-13
9 "Therefore pray in this manner:
Our Father who is in heaven,
hallowed be Your name.
10 (Mt 3:2; 4:17) Your kingdom come;
Your will be done
on earth, as it is in heaven.
11 (Pr 30:8; Isa 33:16) Give us this day our daily bread.
12 (Ex 34:7; Ps 32:1) And forgive us our debts,
as we forgive our debtors.
13 (1Co 10:13; Jn 17:15) And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.
For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen."
9 After this manner therefore pray ye:
Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name.
10 Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.
11 Give us this day our daily bread.
12 And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.
13 And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil:
For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.
6) This come from Praying for Muslims in Canada 2015 (Is there a 2021 edition?)
Saskatchewan
Quick facts on Muslims in Saskatchewan
Saskatchewan 2015 population 1125400
est Muslim Population 17279
CNMM Networks: Saskatoon
Saskatoon has seen quick growth in its Muslim population over the past
5 years, which maybe as high as 5000 today. Islamic leaders have
focused specifically on this city , having twice already sent cohorts
of about 70 families to start mosques. There are now 7 Islamic centres
of worship and an Islamic madrassah (school) located right next to a
Christian school.
Of particular concern recently is the number of young adults who grew up
in evangelical churches and converted to Islam. Most of these are young
women who were wooed by Muslim man and became emotionally bonded.
Both prior to and after marrying, these women are known to convert to Islam.
Agree in prayer with us for:
- entire congregations and individual believers to catch God's heart
and passion for reaching Muslims in Saskatoon and the other growing
Muslim population centres of Saskatchewan.
- for the eyes and understanding of Canadian youth to be opened to the
spiritual reality of Islam, and not deceived nor manipulated into
converting to a religion which cannot offer assurance of salvation.
- for the few workers among Muslims now engaged there, and for many more
to be raised up into effective witness.
- for prayer and training events that are starting in Saskatoon
to spread and grow to other cities.
Adding further
Pray for the Turkmen of Iran
Psalms 2:10-11
10 (Ps 42:3; Joel 2:17) Now then, you kings, be wise;
be admonished, you judges of the earth.
11 (Ps 42:5; 43:5) Serve the Lord with fear; tremble with trepidation!
[10]Be wise now therefore, O ye kings: Be instructed, ye judges of the earth.
[11] Serve the LORD with fear, And rejoice with trembling.
At the bus station in Gorgan, the main town of Golestan, we take a taxi to
the settlement area. The taxi driver turns out to be Turkmen. He is very
hospitable and invites us to his home for Iftar - the evening meal for ending
the Ramadan fast. After breaking the fast, we talk about God and the meaning
of faith for Muslims and Christians. It is a conversation with high regard
for each other. It seems this family is meeting people who follow
the Messiah for the first time.
The Turkmen in northeastern Iran live mainly in the Golestan district,
east of the Caspian Sea. You will immediately recognize the Turkmen by their
colourful clothes and their distinct culture. Sadly, they have very few ties
with the Turkmen in next door Turkmenistan. The Turkmen learn Persian
at school, since their own language, Turkmen, is not taught. Therefore,
they can neither read nor write in their mother tongue,
and they often have trouble finding high-paying jobs.
There are no known disciples of Jesus among the approximately 1 million
Turkmen in this province. It is challenging to gain a foothold among them
as a Christian from another culture. To the outside eye, it may seem that
the Turkmen minority of Iran have gone unnoticed. But God sees them
and wants to build His kingdom among them.
How to Pray
Pray that God will speak to village leaders in visions and dreams.
Pray for good spiritual conversations between villagers
and Christ-followers who are passing through their towns.
Ask God that complete villages of people will come to faith in Jesus,
spreading the Good News from town to town,
from the mountain tops to the valleys below.
7) Prayers for the nation (Canada) coming from Prayer map of Canada
http://www.ehc.ca
Day 28 of the Month
a) Pray for new Canadians, that they will have opportunity to hear
and respond to the Gospel and place their faith in Jesus Christ.
(
John 5:24
24 (Jn 3:18; 1Jn 3:14; Jn 3:36) "Truly, truly I say to you, whoever
hears My word and believes in Him who sent
Me has eternal life and shall not come into condemnation,
but has passed from death into life."
24 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word,
and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life,
and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life.
)
b) Pray for God's kingdom to come in the life of someone you
know today . (
The Lord's prayer
Matthew 6:9-13
9 "Therefore pray in this manner:
Our Father who is in heaven,
hallowed be Your name.
10 (Mt 3:2; 4:17) Your kingdom come;
Your will be done
on earth, as it is in heaven.
11 (Pr 30:8; Isa 33:16) Give us this day our daily bread.
12 (Ex 34:7; Ps 32:1) And forgive us our debts,
as we forgive our debtors.
13 (1Co 10:13; Jn 17:15) And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.
For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen. "
9 After this manner therefore pray ye:
Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name.
10 Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.
11 Give us this day our daily bread.
12 And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.
13 And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil:
For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.
)
Conclusion:
Pray to the Lord and pray to serve the Lord and Keep His covenant.
Pray to the Lord: "My great Savior, what a gift of love You give!
Thank You for being the ultimate Servant, laying down Your life for me."
Pray to the Lord and pray to confess your sins.
Pray to the Lord and pray to be rich before the Lord.
Pray to the Lord and pray for patience to lead the way in your life.
Agree in prayer with us for:
- entire congregations and individual believers to catch God's heart
and passion for reaching Muslims in Saskatoon and the other growing
Muslim population centres of Saskatchewan.
- for the eyes and understanding of Canadian youth to be opened to the
spiritual reality of Islam, and not deceived nor manipulated into
converting to a religion which cannot offer assurance of salvation.
- for the few workers among Muslims now engaged there, and for many more
to be raised up into effective witness.
- for prayer and training events that are starting in Saskatoon
to spread and grow to other cities.
Pray that God will speak to village leaders in visions and dreams.
Pray for good spiritual conversations between villagers
and Christ-followers who are passing through their towns.
Ask God that complete villages of people will come to faith in Jesus,
spreading the Good News from town to town,
from the mountain tops to the valleys below.
Pray for new Canadians, that they will have opportunity to hear
and respond to the Gospel and place their faith in Jesus Christ.
Pray for God's kingdom to come in the life of someone you
know today .
Pray that churches in the United Arab Emirates will continue to faithfully
proclaim the Gospel despite governmental prohibitions.
Pray to the Lord that to know the Holy Spirit.
and Seek ye first the Kingdom of God and His Righteousness
Remember eternity starts now -
Pray for the direction you take to the Ever lasting loving God
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