Victory in the Lord! - Ruminating in the Word of God

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him today and what came to my heart and mind in Joshua 12:7,

"Here is a list of the kings of the land that Joshua and the Israelites conquered on the west side of the Jordan, from Baal Gad in the Valley of Lebanon to Mount Halak, which rises toward Seir. Joshua gave their lands as an inheritance to the tribes of Israel according to their tribal divisions."

Israel was victorious over her enemies. The victories they enjoyed were victories the Lord brought about. The military superiority of the Israelites did not come from within them but from the Lord, not from physical might, not from military strategy, not from superior combat equipment. The Lord subdued Israel's enemies. He brought about Israel's victories!

The Lord was the strength of the Israelite victories. He was the One who brought them. When the northern kings banded together to fight against Israel's incursion into Palestine, it was the Lord who enabled Israel to subdue them, "The Lord said to Joshua, 'Do not be afraid of them, because by this time tomorrow I will hand all of them, slain, over to Israel. You are to hamstring their horses and burn their chariots.'" Joshua 11:6.

I am reminded that the victories we enjoy in our lives are brought by the Lord as well. The greatest victory for the people of God is our victory over death itself! In speaking of our coming resurrection, Paul says, "I declare to you, brothers and sisters, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable. Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed— in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. For the perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality. When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true: 'Death has been swallowed up in victory.' 'Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?' The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ." 1 Corinthians 15:50-57.

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!

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A Very Meaningful List! - Ruminating in the Word of God

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him today and what came to my heart and mind in Joshua 11:1, 7,

"These are the kings of the land whom the Israelites had defeated and whose territory they took over east of the Jordan...", "Here is a list of the kings of the land that Joshua and the Israelites conquered on the west side of the Jordan..."

In this chapter the two kings east of the Jordan River and the thirty-one on the west side that Israel conquered are all listed. This list is not simply minutia to fill up a chapter in the book of Joshua. It is of significant worth and consequence.

The list is important to us today to be grounded in what the Lord had done through Israel at this time. The list was important to Israel at that time as they celebrated their victories, recognized the Lord's hand in it all, and learned something of their God.

I love how the Quest Study Bible characterizes this listing, "This list of kings and territories is really a statistical praise song declaring the message: 'Look at all God has done. Behold the once proud kings who fell to our God!' To the Israelites, this impressive roster was courtroom evidence that the Lord is an awesome God."

Remembering, documenting, celebrating! All important things for the people of God as we celebrate him!

Here is why "Team Cain" is so busy with their "cancel culture" initiative with all the rewriting of history, the destruction of monuments, the "book-burnings", etc. in our day, We can't have anyone thinking God has done great things in and through America!

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!

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The Miracles of the Lord - Ruminating in the Word of God

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him today and what came to my heart and mind in Joshua 10:12-14,

"On the day the Lord gave the Amorites over to Israel, Joshua said to the Lord in the presence of Israel: 'Sun, stand still over Gibeon, and you, moon, over the Valley of Aijalon.' So the sun stood still, and the moon stopped, till the nation avenged itself on its enemies, as it is written in the Book of Jashar. The sun stopped in the middle of the sky and delayed going down about a full day. There has never been a day like it before or since, a day when the Lord listened to a human being. Surely the Lord was fighting for Israel!"

Joshua's long day prevented the Amorites from regrouping as they were being pursued and destroyed by Israel. "There has never been a day like it before or since, a day when the Lord listened to a human being."

That was not the only miracle the Lord performed on behalf of the Israelites that long day. We are told the Lord threw the Amorites into confusion and he rained down large hailstones on them as well. We are told more Amorites were killed by the hailstones than were by the swords of the Israelites.

I love reading about the miracles of God. I am always reminded that he who established the laws of physics, the Creator who designed the creation we live in, is certainly very capable of overriding those laws and clearly free to do so. Just don't ask me how he does it - but I do know he does.

As I think about Joshua's long day, I am also reminded of the miracle that the sun itself exists, that it shines on us in a pattern that points to earth's rotation. Just because we may know how what we might consider "the routine" operates, does not make it any less of a miracle that it exists.

To me, just being here where I am writing this is a miracle in itself! It is a miracle we exist at all!

Yes, I recognize the miracles of God! I love and celebrate them! How about you?

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!

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Reflecting on Oaths - Ruminating in the Word of God

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him today and what came to my heart and mind in Joshua 9:19,

"We [the leaders of Israel] have given them [the Gibionites] our oath by the Lord, the God of Israel, and we cannot touch them now."

Merriam-Webster defines "oath" as, "a solemn usually formal calling upon God or a god to witness to the truth of what one says or to witness that one sincerely intends to do what one says; a solemn attestation of the truth or inviolability of one's words".

We read in Leviticus 5:4-5, "if anyone thoughtlessly takes an oath to do anything, whether good or evil (in any matter one might carelessly swear about) even though they are unaware of it, but then they learn of it and realize their guilt— when anyone becomes aware that they are guilty in any of these matters, they must confess in what way they have sinned." The Quest Study Bible points to this verse as explaining it would have been a sin for Israel to break their oath to establish a treaty with the Gibeonites, (under false pretenses on behalf of the Gibeonites).

Jesus taught, "Again, you have heard that it was said to the people long ago, 'Do not break your oath, but fulfill to the Lord the vows you have made.' But I tell you, do not swear an oath at all: either by heaven, for it is God's throne; or by the earth, for it is his footstool; or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the Great King. And do not swear by your head, for you cannot make even one hair white or black. All you need to say is simply 'Yes' or 'No'; anything beyond this comes from the evil one." Matthew 5:33-37.

It seems to me that when Jesus spoke the above in his Sermon on the Mount, he was referring to oaths on a personal level. I'm not sure he had in mind oaths to provide surety for treaties among nations, but don't quote me on that. In any event, I'm certain what he said is for me. Oaths are out.

I suspect it is the rare person these days who has the level of reverence and fear of the Lord to be overly concerned about breaking an oath invoking God's name. Just look at all the divorces within the church!

"[Groom], do you, in the presence of God and these assembled witnesses promise to love and to cherish in sickness and in health, in prosperity and in adversity, this woman whose hand you now hold? Do you promise to be to her in all things a true and faithful husband, to cleave unto her and her only as long as life shall last?"

Would it be better to skip the vows made before God in a wedding ceremony?

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!

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Using the Lord Without Checking In With Him - Ruminating in the Word of God

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him today and what came to my heart and mind in Joshua 9:14-15,

"The Israelites sampled their [the Gibeonites] provisions but did not inquire of the Lord. Then Joshua made a treaty of peace with them to let them live, and the leaders of the assembly ratified it by oath."

The people of Gibeon had heard what Israel had done to Jericho and Ai. They were also aware of how Israel defeated Sihon king of Heshbon, and Og king of Bashan, who reigned in Ashtaroth. They also knew about the events in Egypt. Knowing their number was coming up they deceived Israel with a rouse. It was a brilliant strategy on their part.

They sent a delegation and persuaded the Israelites they were from far away and wanted a treaty. The Israelites checked out their provisions, etc. and were convinced these people must have come from a distant land. However, as we read in the above verse, the Israelites didn't inquire of the Lord. So, the leaders of Israel made a treaty with them.

When the leaders were confronted by the Israelites as to why they made a treaty with a people they were to have destroyed (at God's command) they told them, "We have given them [the Gibeonites] our oath by the Lord, the God of Israel, and we cannot touch them now." They went on to say that they would be used as woodcutters and water carriers for the Israelites for perpetuity.

The Israelites got themselves into this jam because they used the Lord in their oath as their surety, their guarantee, when making a treaty without checking in with him first. 

Using the Lord without checking with him first... does that still happen today? What do you think? 

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!

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Getting Us Set in the Right Direction - Ruminating in the Word of God

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him today and what came to my heart and mind in Joshua 8:2,

"You shall do to Ai and its king as you did to Jericho and its king, except that you may carry off their plunder and livestock for yourselves."

After an initial false start, the Israelites were told by God to destroy the second city in the promised land, Ai. The first attempt failed because an Israelite had disobeyed the Lord when they conquered Jericho.

When Joshua commanded the army to destroy Jericho, he told them, "The city and all that is in it are to be devoted to the Lord." Joshua 6:17. One of the men, Achan, kept some of the booty for himself which resulted in the Lord's judgment of them as seen in Israel's initial defeat when attacking Ai.

Now, however, the fighting men of Israel were told to keep the spoils of the war for themselves. Why was it not okay to do so at Jericho and, then, okay at Ai?

In speaking of the plunder at Jericho, the Quest NIV Bible says "... the Israelites honored the Lord by giving the first victory to him." I think also that the Lord wanted to set Israel on a straight path at the very beginning by teaching them the object lesson of the importance of following him. They experienced victory when following the Lord and they experienced defeat when they failed to do so. The Lord taught that lesson at the outset.

It causes me to wonder if that isn't a feature in some of our lives today. Might it be that some initial failure at doing something for the Lord is his way of getting us set to do it in a proper direction? I suspect some just shrug their shoulders and abandon what they were doing for the Lord when an initial failure took place - when it might just have been the Lord wanting them on the right path in doing whatever it was in service to him?

Anyway, something to consider...

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!

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What A Strategy! - Ruminating in the Word of God

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him today and what came to my heart and mind in Joshua 8:4-7,

"You are to set an ambush behind the city. Don't go very far from it. All of you be on the alert. I and all those with me will advance on the city, and when the men come out against us, as they did before, we will flee from them. They will pursue us until we have lured them away from the city, for they will say, 'They are running away from us as they did before.' So when we flee from them, you are to rise up from ambush and take the city. The Lord your God will give it into your hand."

Just musing here, but this strategy is fascinating to me. Not only was it very effective in taking the city of Ai, it made the previous humiliating loss at Ai appear to be part of this plan.

The first attempt at Ai involved about 3,000 soldiers. Israel attacked Ai and the men of Ai routed them and coming out of the city, they chased the Israelites, killing thirty-six of them. This was due to sin in the Israeli camp which resulted in the Lord causing them to fail when attacking Ai.

This second attempt capitalized on the loss of the first attempt. Joshua took 30,000 men, secretly setting an ambush of 5000 fighters behind the city. When Joshua approached the city from the front with the rest of the men, the men of Ai stormed out of the city to lay waste to the Israelites like they did at the first attempt.

When the men of Ai stormed out of the city to chase Joshua and his men, they left its gates wide open, the hidden 5,000 Israeli men behind the city, ran into it, destroyed it and then came out and attacked the men of Ai from the rear. As the ambush came out of the city, Joshua turned to fight the men of Ai from the front. The men of Ai were surrounded and destroyed.

It was an ingenious plan the Lord gave Joshua. I note that the prior humiliating defeat of Israel by the men of Ai would have looked like an ingenious ploy by the Israelites, the first fight setting up a defeat of Ai in the second.

A thread found in the accounts of Israel taking the promised land was the importance of Israel's appearance to be indomitable among the nations they were to defeat. The Lord did a number of things within Israel to that end. Rahab in Joshua 2:9-11 said of them, "I know that the Lord has given you this land and that a great fear of you has fallen on us, so that all who live in this country are melting in fear because of you. We have heard how the Lord dried up the water of the Red Sea for you when you came out of Egypt, and what you did to Sihon and Og, the two kings of the Amorites east of the Jordan, whom you completely destroyed. When we heard of it, our hearts melted in fear and everyone's courage failed because of you, for the Lord your God is God in heaven above and on the earth below."

Here in this account of Ai we see the Lord accomplishing both: humiliating Israel in their own eyes when they disobeyed him while maintaining an appearance of unstoppable military might among the Canaanites.

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!

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Doing It God's Way - Ruminating in the Word of God

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him today and what came to my heart and mind in Joshua 7:12b,

"I will not be with you anymore unless you destroy whatever among you is devoted to destruction."

In Joshua 1:2-6 the Lord told Joshua to cross the Jordan and take the promised land from its current inhabitants. He told Joshua, "Be strong and courageous, because you will lead these people to inherit the land I swore to their ancestors to give them." Verse 6.

However, he also told Joshua, "Be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses gave you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, that you may be successful wherever you go." Joshua 1:7. Joshua and Israel were to obey the Lord as they carried out what the Lord wanted them to do. As long as Israel obeyed the Lord they would be successful. If they were to disobey the Lord, they would lose the Lord's help and support and ultimately fail to take the promised land.

When Israel took the first city, Jericho, one of the men kept some of the "devoted things" (items that were to be devoted to God, at his request) as booty for himself, hiding them in his tent. When Israel attacked the second city, Ai, Israel was defeated by a very small force that protected it. The Lord told Joshua that as long as there was disobedience, they would not have the Lord's help and support and would surely be defeated in their effort to take the land from the Canaanites. Joshua and the Israelites would have to make it right, and they did so.

What I learn from this is that just because I might be pursuing what it is the Lord wants me to do, I cannot disregard how the Lord wants me to go about it.

I have heard on several occasions where nationally known evangelists have knowing lied about something just to make their presentation sound more powerful. When confronted, they would shrug off the criticism and point to the people that responded to their message.

It makes you wonder how many more might have responded to their messages at evangelistic events had they heeded the message Joshua and all Israel discovered at Jericho and Ai.

Just because we set out doing the Lord's work doesn't give us leave of our responsibility to do things God's way.

No, the ends never justify the means. God is more than capable to do anything and he delights in kindness, justice and righteousness. If we want his involvement in what we do, we best do it God's way.

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!

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Needful Reflection in Seeking God's Help - Ruminating in the Word of God

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him today and what came to my heart and mind in Joshua 7:1,

"But the Israelites were unfaithful in regard to the devoted things; Achan son of Karmi, the son of Zimri, the son of Zerah, of the tribe of Judah, took some of them. So the Lord's anger burned against Israel."

As Joshua sent men to destroy the second city (Ai) in their conquest of the promised land, they suffered a humiliating defeat. Although Ai was small, and required only a few thousand soldiers to conquer, the Israeli contingent was scattered and chased from the city with about thirty-six of them being killed.

It turned out the reason for their defeat at the second city was due to sinning against the Lord when they took the first city, Jericho. Some of the "devoted things" had been taken by a man from the tribe of Judah, Achan. "It is true! I have sinned against the Lord, the God of Israel. This is what I have done: When I saw in the plunder a beautiful robe from Babylonia, two hundred shekels of silver and a bar of gold weighing fifty shekels, I coveted them and took them. They are hidden in the ground inside my tent, with the silver underneath." Verses 20-21.

It was important for Israel to take the promised land from the Canaanites, but this sin against the Lord by one man brought it all to a stop. It was an object lesson to teach the Israelites that if they wanted God's help and support, it was important they followed him.

How about us today? Are there things that might be preventing us from accessing God's help in one form or another due to our own disobedience to him? Might he be withholding his hand because he is wanting us to acknowledge him in the things we think, do and say?

It seems to me some reflection in this regard is always needful.

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!

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Fear of the Lord Inspired by God's Holiness - Ruminating in the Word of God

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him today and what came to my heart and mind in Joshua 5:15,

"The commander of the Lord's army replied, 'Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy.' And Joshua did so."

After Israel crossed the Jordan, and as Joshua was near Jericho, the first city in the promised land for Israel to conquer, he came across the "commander of the army of the Lord." Joshua asked him if he was for Israel or for Israel's enemies. The commander replied, "Neither". When the commander identified himself as the commander of the army of the Lord, Joshua fell facedown to the ground, "in reverence and fear."

The commander told Joshua to take off his sandals, the place he was standing in was "holy." We read in the Zondervan Illustrated Bible Dictionary, "In the OT the adjective holy is a distinctly religious term and is used exclusively in relation to God. It may refer either to God himself or to what has been sanctified by him. Primarily, however, it is God who is holy (Exod. 15:11; Isa. 6:3). There is no holiness unassociated with him. Holiness is not a human quality, nor is it an impersonal concept. Its divine provenance is everywhere insisted on in the OT."

Joshua's response by falling on his face in reverence and fear expressed clearly he recognized that God was leading this military campaign through his commander. The ground was holy.

At times I wonder if this reverence and fear of the Lord that God's holiness brings is somewhat lost in our day. I suspect that is a condition that will find itself rectified in a future not too distant.

What do you think?

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!

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When We Don't Need It - Ruminating in the Word of God

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him today and what came to my heart and mind in Joshua 5:10-12,

"On the evening of the fourteenth day of the month, while camped at Gilgal on the plains of Jericho, the Israelites celebrated the Passover. The day after the Passover, that very day, they ate some of the produce of the land: unleavened bread and roasted grain. The manna stopped the day after they ate this food from the land; there was no longer any manna for the Israelites, but that year they ate the produce of Canaan."

When the Israelites left Egypt and began their forty year sojourn in the wilderness, the Lord provided them manna from heaven. It was a miraculous provision from the Lord to sustain them on their sojourn. In Exodus 16:4 we read, "Then the Lord said to Moses, 'I will rain down bread from heaven for you.'"

Here in Joshua 5, when Israel entered the promised land and ate the produce from it, the manna from the Lord stopped. Now that the Israelites could eat what the promised land provided, the manna was no longer necessary for them. They no longer need it. The Lord stopped providing it.

The Lord is our great provider. In Matthew 6:31-33 we read, "So do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.'"

There are times I'm sure I need this or that. When I don't have it, apparently, I don't need it! Contentment can be found in realizing that if the Lord didn't provide something, or stopped providing something, maybe I just don't need it.

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!

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Stopped In It's Tracks - Ruminating in the Word of God

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him today and what came to my heart and mind in Joshua 4:18,

"And the priests came up out of the river carrying the ark of the covenant of the Lord. No sooner had they set their feet on the dry ground than the waters of the Jordan returned to their place and ran at flood stage as before."

The Lord had done an amazing thing. When it was time for the Israelites to take possession of the promised land, they had to cross the Jordan River to enter into it. To accomplish this, the Lord caused the Jordan, at flood stage because of the time of year, to stop flowing and pile up so the Israelites could pass through. It is reminiscent of the parting of the Red Sea when Moses led Israel out of Egypt.

In the previous chapter we read that when the feet of the priests, who were carrying the ark of the covenant and leading the Israelites, touched the Jordan, the river stopped flowing, "Now the Jordan is at flood stage all during harvest. Yet as soon as the priests who carried the ark reached the Jordan and their feet touched the water's edge, the water from upstream stopped flowing. It piled up in a heap a great distance away, at a town called Adam in the vicinity of Zarethan, while the water flowing down to the Sea of the Arabah (that is, the Dead Sea) was completely cut off. So the people crossed over opposite Jericho. The priests who carried the ark of the covenant of the Lord stopped in the middle of the Jordan and stood on dry ground, while all Israel passed by until the whole nation had completed the crossing on dry ground." Joshua 3:15-17.

After Israel had crossed over, we read the above passage, that as soon as the priests carrying the ark came up out of the dry river bed, now following the Israelites, that as soon as their feet came up onto the other side, out of the river bed, the Jordan returned to flowing at flood stage as before.

The point of the miracle was to enable Israel to cross the Jordan. Also, the miracle let all know the Lord was with his people and would provide for them as they took the land from the Canaanites. I'm also convinced a further purpose was to insure all the peoples in the area would realize that the God who devastated Egypt forty years earlier and parted the Red Sea for his people was again afoot, providing a demoralizing picture for the Canaanites. The Canaanites were well aware of what had happened in Egypt, and this particular miracle might have helped them make that connection.

Another thought strikes me about this miracle. Please indulge me on this as it may just be my own fanciful imagination - but I throw it out there for whatever it is worth:

The flow of humanity is at times pictured as waters. Sometimes when strife and conflict, rebellion against God and dissension are in view. Such a passage might be Psalm 69 where David calls out to God for help as he faces, "Those who hate me without reason outnumber the hairs of my head; many are my enemies without cause, those who seek to destroy me." Verse 4. In verses 14-15, he says, "Rescue me from the mire, do not let me sink; deliver me from those who hate me, from the deep waters. Do not let the floodwaters engulf me or the depths swallow me up or the pit close its mouth over me."

Another possible example is Psalm 18:16-18 where David recounts how the Lord delivered him from his foes, "He reached down from on high and took hold of me; he drew me out of deep waters. He rescued me from my powerful enemy, from my foes, who were too strong for me. They confronted me in the day of my disaster, but the Lord was my support."

In any event, the ark the priests carried into the Jordan contained the law. When their feet touched the water, the river was stopped in its tracks. The flow stopped until the priests, carrying the ark with the law, came up out of the river bed. I'm not sure why, but I have this thought that since the law of God represents his judgment, forming the basis of the indictment against lost and fallen mankind, it will, certainly in that day of judgment, stop mankind in its tracks - just like the Jordan was stopped in its tracks.

Don't press my figurative thoughts too far though, as it wouldn't pass the scrutiny of examining all the particulars that could be raised. I'm just thinking out loud this morning.

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!

If you have someone you would like to receive these ruminations, send me their email address. I'm happy to add them to the list. If you are receiving this and would like to be removed from the list, just reply and let me know.

Importance of Remembering: Monuments - Ruminating in the Word of God

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him today and what came to my heart and mind in Joshua 4:5b-7,

"Each of you is to take up a stone on his shoulder, according to the number of the tribes of the Israelites, to serve as a sign among you. In the future, when your children ask you, 'What do these stones mean?' tell them that the flow of the Jordan was cut off before the ark of the covenant of the Lord. When it crossed the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan were cut off. These stones are to be a memorial to the people of Israel forever."

Twelve men, one from each tribe of Israel, were selected to carry a stone from where the priests carrying the ark were standing in the Jordan River when God stopped its flow so Israel could cross over to the promised land. They were instructed to carry the stones out and set them up as a memorial at Gilgal.

The Quest Study Bible has a great comment on this, "Stone monuments usually outlive the people who erect them. They keep memories alive long after the original players who could tell the stories are gone. These stones were meant to remind the people of God's faithfulness at the beginning of their conquest of Canaan. Together, these 12 stones were also meant to remind them of their national unity."

As history was being made, a history of the wonderful and remarkable works of God, the physical documentation of it was likewise being made as with this monument (along with the documentation the Scriptures provided that were now being produced - starting with Moses). 

In Acts 17:26, we read that God makes all nations and determines their times and borders. I firmly believe in God's hand being intimately involved with the founding of our nation. No wonder the Marxists of our day (who march to the drummer of the dark side) seek to scrub the history of this nation, God's providential hand in it, through the tearing down of monuments, the renaming of institutions, buildings and landmarks, and the rewriting of our history.

I'm quite certain that someday they will be coming for our Bibles as well, as it will be determined they are a dangerous source of whatever. Documentation of truthful history is just not tolerated by the dark side!

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!

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Consecrated Before God - Ruminating in the Word of God

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him today and what came to my heart and mind in Joshua 3:5,

"Joshua told the people, 'Consecrate yourselves, for tomorrow the Lord will do amazing things among you.'"

Just prior to crossing the Jordan River and beginning the task of taking the promised land from the Canaanites, Joshua told the people to consecrate themselves. God would do amazing things, such as stopping the flow of the river when they crossed, and the people needed to be acceptable to God, prepared for use by him.

The term "consecrate" refers to being prepared and set apart for sacred service to God, being made holy or purified for his use. Our sinful condition requires it. We read in Exodus 19:10-15 of the need of the Israelites to consecrate themselves just prior to Moses meeting with God on Mt. Sinai to receive the law. Consecration was had by abstaining from sexual relations and washing both themselves and their clothing.

How about believers in our day? How are we made holy for use by God? In Hebrews 10:10 we read, "And by that will, we have been made holy through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ once for all." And again in verse 14, "For by one sacrifice he has made perfect forever those who are being made holy."

The sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the cross, appropriated by us through embracing him in faith, makes us holy, sets us apart for use by God, consecrates us for service to God. It is a permanent perfection we now possess in our standing with God. 

We may still have all kinds of blemishes and wrinkles in our lives that the Lord is working with us on, but on his part, we have a standing of perfection before him. It is not a standing based on our performance before him, but an imputed one based  on the performance of our perfect matchless Savior, Jesus Christ!

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!

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Israel: God's Vehicle of Redemption - Ruminating in the Word of God

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him today and what came to my heart and mind in Deuteronomy 34:4,

"Then the Lord said to him [Moses], 'This is the land I promised on oath to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob when I said, "I will give it to your descendants." I have let you see it with your eyes, but you will not cross over into it.'"

At the end of Israel's forty year sojourn in the wilderness, just before they were to enter into the land promised Abraham's descendants, the Lord showed it to Moses. Moses was not allowed to enter into the land with Israel, but he did get a view of it from the Lord.

Why did the Lord give this land to Abraham's descendants? Why did he choose Abraham's descendants to be his own chosen people, a people he would do unique things through?

Paul speaks of the many unique things God did to and through Israel. The answer to the above questions are found within it. "Theirs [the people of Israel] is the adoption to sonship; theirs the divine glory, the covenants, the receiving of the law, the temple worship and the promises. Theirs are the patriarchs, and from them is traced the human ancestry of the Messiah, who is God over all, forever praised! Amen." Romans 9:4-5.

The Lord had decided to redeem a people from all the nations of earth for himself. This he did before time began, knowing of mankind's fall in the Garden of Eden that would take place. Because of Adam's and Eve's rebellion, all mankind enters life as members of a lost and fallen race, separated from God and doomed to eternal death. It is this eternal death God decided to provide redemption from.

God determined to provide a substitute for us - to take on our punishment, on our behalf, that would free us to eternal life. He sent his Son, Jesus Christ, as that substitute to die on a cross. He determined that all who would choose him by embracing him in faith would be redeemed, his death being credited to our account in God's court.

Consequently, God needed a vehicle to bring his Son into the world. He needed a people to speak to all mankind through (the prophets who wrote the Scriptures) as well as to provide non verbal communication through to aid our understanding of what he was doing (Israel's religious calendar, temple worship, etc.). The history of Israel we read of in the Scriptures is the account of how the Lord developed this people to be what he wanted for when Jesus Christ was to come into the world two thousand years ago. Not a perfect people by any account, but perfect for God's redemptive purposes.

God found in Abraham the kind of faith he would require from all who want eternal life. Creating a nation from Abraham and giving them the promised land to develop their national identity fulfilled God's need of that vehicle for his plan of redemption. 

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!

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Moses and Jesus - Ruminating in the Word of God

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him today and what came to my heart and mind in Deuteronomy 34:10-12,

"Since then, no prophet has risen in Israel like Moses, whom the Lord knew face to face, who did all those signs and wonders the Lord sent him to do in Egypt—to Pharaoh and to all his officials and to his whole land. For no one has ever shown the mighty power or performed the awesome deeds that Moses did in the sight of all Israel."

Moses had an important role to play in the Lord's plans. He was the first and prototypical prophet to bring God's word into the world. No one had written Scripture prior to Moses. He wrote the first five books of our Bibles. This chapter, detailing his death, was probably written by Joshua, who would lead Israel into the promised land afterward.

This passage speaks of the signs and wonders the Lord enabled Moses to do, illustrating the "mighty power" and the "awesome deeds" Moses had performed.

Moses was a great man and he told the people the Lord would raise up another, "The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me [Moses] from among you, from your fellow Israelites. You must listen to him. For this is what you asked of the Lord your God at Horeb on the day of the assembly when you said, 'Let us not hear the voice of the Lord our God nor see this great fire anymore, or we will die.' The Lord said to me: 'What they say is good. I will raise up for them a prophet like you from among their fellow Israelites, and I will put my words in his mouth. He will tell them everything I command him. I myself will call to account anyone who does not listen to my words that the prophet speaks in my name.'" Deuteronomy 18:15-19.

This prophet Moses spoke of would be the Son of God himself. The writer of Hebrews compares the two, "Therefore, holy brothers and sisters, who share in the heavenly calling, fix your thoughts on Jesus, whom we acknowledge as our apostle and high priest. He was faithful to the one who appointed him, just as Moses was faithful in all God's house. Jesus has been found worthy of greater honor than Moses, just as the builder of a house has greater honor than the house itself. For every house is built by someone, but God is the builder of everything. 'Moses was faithful as a servant in all God's house,' bearing witness to what would be spoken by God in the future. But Christ is faithful as the Son over God's house. And we are his house, if indeed we hold firmly to our confidence and the hope in which we glory." Hebrews 3:1-6.

When the author of Deuteronomy 34 wrote that no prophet performing such signs and wonders displaying the awesome power Moses performed had been seen in Israel since his day, Jesus had not yet come into the world. How fascinating to read of those signs and wonders Jesus performed, his mighty power and awesome deeds in the four gospels we have in our Bibles!

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!

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The Majesty of the Lord: Riding the Clouds! - Ruminating in the Word of God

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him today and what came to my heart and mind in Deuteronomy 33:26,

""There is no one like the God of Jeshurun, who rides across the heavens to help you and on the clouds in his majesty."

The Lord riding the clouds is a motif (a recurring salient thematic element) seen in a number of places in Scripture:

"'Look, he [Jesus Christ] is coming with the clouds,' and 'every eye will see him, even those who pierced him'; and all peoples on earth 'will mourn because of him.' So shall it be! Amen." Revelation 1:7.

"Sing to God, sing in praise of his name,
    extol him who rides on the clouds;
    rejoice before him—his name is the Lord." Psalm 68:4.

"The Lord wraps himself in light as with a garment;
    he stretches out the heavens like a tent
and lays the beams of his upper chambers on their waters.
He makes the clouds his chariot
    and rides on the wings of the wind." Psalm 104:2-3.

This motif speaks to me of the power and glory of the Lord.

When Jesus was arrested and brought before the Sanhedrin, the high priest asked him if he was the Messiah, the Son of God. Jesus said, 'You have said so,' Jesus replied. 'But I say to all of you: From now on you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Mighty One and coming on the clouds of heaven.'" Matthew 26:64. In Matthew 24:30 Jesus said, "Then will appear the sign of the Son of Man in heaven. And then all the peoples of the earth will mourn when they see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven, with power and great glory."

In a passage that points to the majestic splendor of Jesus Christ, we read, "In my vision at night I looked, and there before me was one like a son of man, coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient of Days and was led into his presence. He was given authority, glory and sovereign power; all nations and peoples of every language worshiped him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and his kingdom is one that will never be destroyed." Daniel 7:13-14.

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!

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Myriads of Angels! - Ruminating in the Word of God

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him today and what came to my heart and mind in Deuteronomy 33:,

"The Lord came from Sinai
    and dawned over them from Seir;
    he shone forth from Mount Paran.
He came with myriads of holy ones
    from the south, from his mountain slopes.
Surely it is you who love the people;
    all the holy ones are in your hand.
At your feet they all bow down,
    and from you receive instruction,
the law that Moses gave us,
    the possession of the assembly of Jacob." Deuteronomy 33:2-4.

In this blessing of Moses for the tribes of Israel, he mentions "myriads of holy ones". The Quest Study Bible reports that these "holy ones" were angels that accompanied God when he gave the law to Moses forty years earlier.

Myriads of angels with God in their midst! What a sight to think of!

In Galatians 3:19 Paul says, "Why, then, was the law [of Moses] given at all? It was added because of transgressions until the Seed [Jesus Christ] to whom the promise referred had come. The law was given through angels and entrusted to a mediator." Here Paul talks about the involvement of angels when the law was given to Moses.

The writer of Hebrews tells us, "For since the message spoken through angels was binding, and every violation and disobedience received its just punishment, how shall we escape if we ignore so great a salvation?" Here the writer tells us of the message of angels that was binding upon men. It is another reference to the "myriads" of angels that accompanied the giving of the law to Moses.

What an amazing thing Moses experienced on Mt. Sinai! Meeting with God together with a myriad of angels!

It calls to my mind another view, in heaven, of myriads of angels we read of in Revelation 5:11. John says, "Then I looked and heard the voice of many angels, numbering thousands upon thousands, and ten thousand times ten thousand. They encircled the throne [in heaven] and the living creatures and the elders."

Can you imagine the sight?! God together with millions of angels!

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!

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Choose Wisely! We've Been Invited! - Ruminating in the Word of God

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him today and what came to my heart and mind in Deuteronomy 32:21,

"They made me jealous by what is no god
    and angered me with their worthless idols.
I will make them envious by those who are not a people;
    I will make them angry by a nation that has no understanding."

This verse comes from the song the Lord gave Moses to teach to the Israelites. He foresaw how the Israelites would abandon him and the song was to be a witness for the Lord against Israel. One day the Lord would make Israel envious and angry by "those who are not a people" and "a nation that has no understanding."

Paul quotes this verse in Romans 10:19. The larger passage is as follows, "But not all the Israelites accepted the good news. For Isaiah says, 'Lord, who has believed our message?' Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word about Christ. But I ask: Did they not hear? Of course they did: 'Their voice has gone out into all the earth, their words to the ends of the world.' Again I ask: Did Israel not understand? First, Moses says, 'I will make you envious by those who are not a nation; I will make you angry by a nation that has no understanding.' And Isaiah boldly says, 'I was found by those who did not seek me; I revealed myself to those who did not ask for me.' But concerning Israel he says, 'All day long I have held out my hands to a disobedient and obstinate people.'" Romans 10:16-21.

Paul's point is that Israel had all she needed to embrace Jesus Christ in faith. As we can see that God anticipated Israel's unfaithfulness prior to entering the promised land, so she did when Jesus Christ came to her. They did not respond to the gospel ("the word about Christ"). This they did when they had ample opportunity.

The Israelites made their choice in the days they entered the promised land and they made their choice when Jesus Christ came. Both horrific choices. They could have embraced the Lord and they chose not to.

God's choice is that he wants all those who will embrace him in faith. This is God's choice and God's election. The elect of God are all those who have chosen him, who have embraced him in faith.

Choose wisely! He has invited us all!

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!

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God's Grace and Mercy in the Midst of Curse! - Ruminating in the Word of God

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him today and what came to my heart and mind in Deuteronomy 27:26,

"Cursed is anyone who does not uphold the words of this law by carrying them out."

This verse is quoted by Paul in Galatians 3:10. There he makes the point that all who rely on the law are under a curse since no one can be justified by the law. People simply can't keep it. In Galatians 2:21 Paul says, "I do not set aside the grace of God, for if righteousness could be gained through the law, Christ died for nothing!"

Paul's point in quoting Deuteronomy 27:26 is to show that God's word tells us that if we don't keep the law we will be cursed, and yet, since no one can keep the law, all will be cursed. The point of this is to demonstrate the need for God's grace and mercy, expressed in the sacrifice Jesus Christ made on our behalf. That grace and mercy is accessed by faith, "We who are Jews by birth and not sinful Gentiles know that a person is not justified by the works of the law, but by faith in Jesus Christ. So we, too, have put our faith in Christ Jesus that we may be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the law, because by the works of the law no one will be justified."Galatians 2:15-16.

How wonderful is this?!

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!

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No Need to Fret! - Ruminating in the Word of God

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him today and what came to my heart and mind in Deuteronomy 25:17-19,

"Remember what the Amalekites did to you along the way when you came out of Egypt. When you were weary and worn out, they met you on your journey and attacked all who were lagging behind; they had no fear of God. When the Lord your God gives you rest from all the enemies around you in the land he is giving you to possess as an inheritance, you shall blot out the name of Amalek from under heaven. Do not forget!"

The Lord, through Moses, told the Israelites to not forget the way the Amalekites had treated them during their sojourn in the wilderness. The Amalekites had no fear of the Lord (verse 18) and attacked the Israelites who lagged behind while on their journey. For this, the Lord determined the Amalekites should be destroyed to the point they ceased to exist on the face of the earth, "you shall blot out the name of Amalek from under heaven."

The Amalekites were eventually totally destroyed in the time of Hezekiah, 1 Cronicles 4:43, some seven centuries later. King Hezekiah was one of the good kings in Judah, one who did "what was good and right and faithful before the Lord his God", 2 Chronicles 31:20. We are told a group of Simeonites during his reign (about 715 to 686 BC.) killed the remaining Amalekites.

What captures my attention this morning is that when the Lord has determined to hold culprits accountable, it may not be immediate, but the freight train of God's judgment is headed down the tracks on his timing.

It reminds me of Psalm 37:10-15:

"A little while, and the wicked will be no more;
    though you look for them, they will not be found.
But the meek will inherit the land
    and enjoy peace and prosperity.

The wicked plot against the righteous
    and gnash their teeth at them;
but the Lord laughs at the wicked,
    for he knows their day is coming.

The wicked draw the sword
    and bend the bow
to bring down the poor and needy,
    to slay those whose ways are upright.
But their swords will pierce their own hearts,
    and their bows will be broken."

Because of this the psalmist says,

"Do not fret because of those who are evil
    or be envious of those who do wrong;
for like the grass they will soon wither,
    like green plants they will soon die away.

Trust in the Lord and do good;
    dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture.
Take delight in the Lord,
    and he will give you the desires of your heart.

Commit your way to the Lord;
    trust in him and he will do this:
He will make your righteous reward shine like the dawn,
    your vindication like the noonday sun.

Be still before the Lord
    and wait patiently for him;
do not fret when people succeed in their ways,
    when they carry out their wicked schemes.

Refrain from anger and turn from wrath;
    do not fret—it leads only to evil.
For those who are evil will be destroyed,
    but those who hope in the Lord will inherit the land." Psalm 37:1-9.

No need to fret! Their day is coming! And... so is ours!

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!

If you have someone you would like to receive these ruminations, send me their email address. I'm happy to add them to the list. If you are receiving this and would like to be removed from the list, just reply and let me know.