David Bahn – Reflections

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These devotions are part of the Follow the Word Bible reading program at St. John Lutheran Church in Cypress, Texas. This year we are reading through the Scriptures together, listening for how God speaks through his Word day by day. I hope you will join me on this journey.

Today’s readings are Judges 3-5, Psalm 98.

Psalm 98

Oh sing to the LORD a new song,
    for he has done marvelous things!
His right hand and his holy arm
    have worked salvation for him.
² The LORD has made known his salvation;
    he has revealed his righteousness in the sight of the nations.
³ He has remembered his steadfast love and faithfulness
    to the house of Israel.
All the ends of the earth have seen
    the salvation of our God.

⁴ Make a joyful noise to the LORD, all the earth;
    break forth into joyous song and sing praises!
⁵ Sing praises to the LORD with the lyre,
    with the lyre and the sound of melody!
⁶ With trumpets and the sound of the horn
    make a joyful noise before the King, the LORD!

⁷ Let the sea roar, and all that fills it;
    the world and those who dwell in it!
⁸ Let the rivers clap their hands;
    let the hills sing for joy together
⁹ before the LORD, for he comes
    to judge the earth.
He will judge the world with righteousness,
    and the peoples with equity.

The familiar cycle continues to unfold in these chapters of Judges: God’s favor, Israel’s faithfulness, their turning away, the Lord’s judgment, their repentance, and once again his gracious deliverance. We are regaled with accounts of a two-edged sword plunged into the belly of a fat king, a tent peg driven through the temple of another enemy, Deborah’s spiritual and political leadership, and finally a song of praise celebrating Israel’s victories.

We know, however, that the cycle will continue. Soon we will read again, “the people of Israel again did what was evil in the sight of the Lord.” In fact, that refrain appears only a couple more times in the remaining chapters of Judges. By the end, the pattern itself begins to unravel, and we are left with this sobering summary: “In those days there was no king in Israel. Everyone did what was right in his own eyes” (Judges 21:25).

The psalm for today, Psalm 98, was not written for a single historical moment but for the ongoing worship of God’s people. It celebrates the Lord’s saving work – likely reflecting Israel’s experience of deliverance and restoration – and looks forward to the day when all nations and all creation will rejoice in his righteous reign.

The contrast with the time of the Judges is striking. There the nation staggers in immaturity and instability. Here, the horizon widens: God’s faithfulness, justice, holiness, majesty, and steadfast love come into clearer view, and the nations themselves are drawn into the song -“all the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God.”

Today, that salvation has been made fully known in Jesus Christ. What the psalm anticipates, we now see: God has revealed his righteousness to the nations in his Son. This is cause for the whole earth to rejoice. We look back to his death and resurrection, and forward to his coming again to judge the world in righteousness and vindicate those who trust in him.

And yet, like Israel, we know the pattern of wandering and return. But the Lord remains faithful. He works even through weakness and failure to accomplish his purposes. He is creating a people for his glory – and that glory is now revealed in Jesus, who in his grace calls us again and again to repentance and to a life of faith in him.

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Click here for an audio version of this blog post.

These devotions are part of the Follow the Word Bible reading program at St. John Lutheran Church in Cypress, Texas. This year we are reading through the Scriptures together, listening for how God speaks through his Word day by day. I hope you will join me on this journey.

Today’s readings are Joshua 24, Judges 1-2, Psalm 97.

Joshua 24:14-18

“Now therefore fear the Lord and serve him in sincerity and in faithfulness. Put away the gods that your fathers served beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve the Lord. ¹⁵ And if it is evil in your eyes to serve the Lord, choose this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your fathers served in the region beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”

¹⁶ Then the people answered, “Far be it from us that we should forsake the Lord to serve other gods, ¹⁷ for it is the Lord our God who brought us and our fathers up from the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery, and who did those great signs in our sight and preserved us in all the way that we went, and among all the peoples through whom we passed. ¹⁸ And the Lord drove out before us all the peoples, the Amorites who lived in the land. Therefore we also will serve the Lord, for he is our God.”

Judges 2:16-23

Then the Lord raised up judges, who saved them out of the hand of those who plundered them. ¹⁷ Yet they did not listen to their judges, for they whored after other gods and bowed down to them. They soon turned aside from the way in which their fathers had walked, who had obeyed the commandments of the Lord, and they did not do so. ¹⁸ Whenever the Lord raised up judges for them, the Lord was with the judge, and he saved them from the hand of their enemies all the days of the judge. For the Lord was moved to pity by their groaning because of those who afflicted and oppressed them. ¹⁹ But whenever the judge died, they turned back and were more corrupt than their fathers, going after other gods, serving them and bowing down to them. They did not drop any of their practices or their stubborn ways. ²⁰ So the anger of the Lord was kindled against Israel, and he said, “Because this people have transgressed my covenant that I commanded their fathers and have not obeyed my voice, ²¹ I will no longer drive out before them any of the nations that Joshua left when he died, ²² in order to test Israel by them, whether they will take care to walk in the way of the Lord as their fathers did, or not.” ²³ So the Lord left those nations, not driving them out quickly, and he did not give them into the hand of Joshua.

The saga of God’s people will continue like this until the end of time. We receive God’s grace, recognize his great deliverance (think Easter), promise to follow him at all times and in every way. Then after only a little while we discover some distraction or another. The challenge of remaining faithful becomes more difficult. The enticement of other ways to happiness and success turns us away from his ways. We wander from the paths of righteousness. Trouble ensues.

We like to make the distinction between discipline and punishment. We like to say that God disciplines his people, but he does not punish them. We read Hebrews 12:11, “For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.” But we don’t like the idea of punishment. We would rather say, “God does not punish his children for their sins – Christ has borne that punishment. But he does discipline them in love, often through the consequences of sin and the hardships of life, in order to call them to repentance and strengthen their faith.

In the Old Testament – as in this passage from Judges – God’s dealings with his people could be described as punishment because they involved real temporal judgment under the covenant. Yet even then, for those who believed, these were not acts of final condemnation but of covenant discipline. With the coming of Christ, we now see clearly that all punishment for sin has been borne by him, and what remains for believers is the loving discipline of a Father.

But…sigh… How is it possible that we – just like the people of Joshua’s day – can be so hot and cold? One day we’re worshiping God in fervor and glorious celebration. The next day we’re falling off the path (that’s the meaning of trespassing, by the way).

Whether it’s the consequences of sin or the hardships of life in a fallen world, the attacks of Satan which God may allow (all within his boundaries!) or the visitation of fleshly thorns: God’s intent is always to bring us back to him. His desire always is to forgive, bless, nurture, guide, and save.

Rather than saying – almost bragging, “we will do everything you have commanded,” we should rejoice that Jesus says, “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven,” (Matthew 5:3) and live in daily repentance and faith in Christ’s kingdom of grace, truth, love, and life.

One final note: It will be very helpful to watch the Bible Project video summary of the book of Judges. We’re in for some disturbing, brutal, and sad tales in these 21 chapters. All this, remember, is prelude to the ultimate deliverance of God by his Own Son, our Lord Jesus Christ. We must keep this in mind always!

Click on the graphic to watch the video.

Click here for an audio version of this blog post.

These devotions are part of the Follow the Word Bible reading program at St. John Lutheran Church in Cypress, Texas. This year we are reading through the Scriptures together, listening for how God speaks through his Word day by day. I hope you will join me on this journey.

Today’s readings are Joshua 21-23, Psalm 96.

Joshua 23:1-9

A long time afterward, when the Lord had given rest to Israel from all their surrounding enemies, and Joshua was old and well advanced in years, ² Joshua summoned all Israel, its elders and heads, its judges and officers, and said to them, “I am now old and well advanced in years. ³ And you have seen all that the Lord your God has done to all these nations for your sake, for it is the Lord your God who has fought for you. ⁴ Behold, I have allotted to you as an inheritance for your tribes those nations that remain, along with all the nations that I have already cut off, from the Jordan to the Great Sea in the west. ⁵ The Lord your God will push them back before you and drive them out of your sight. And you shall possess their land, just as the Lord your God promised you. ⁶ Therefore, be very strong to keep and to do all that is written in the Book of the Law of Moses, turning aside from it neither to the right hand nor to the left, ⁷ that you may not mix with these nations remaining among you or make mention of the names of their gods or swear by them or serve them or bow down to them, ⁸ but you shall cling to the Lord your God just as you have done to this day. ⁹ For the Lord has driven out before you great and strong nations. And as for you, no man has been able to stand before you to this day. 

There are actually two dangers regarding staying true to God’s word. One is to abandon the truth or water it down so that the truth is no longer true. This is the grave warning Joshua is giving to the people as he nears the end of his life. Don’t turn to the right or the left. Keep on the straight and narrow. Don’t water down this religion you have been given. Don’t let the influences of the foreign nations turn you from the path that you have been given. It is a path centered in the grace of God and his deliverance from oppression and slavery. It is a path away from slavery. It is a path of victory and promise. It is a path of the God who has revealed himself to them as YAHW, LORD, The One Who is.

The distraction from this path would be to forget God’s deliverance. It would be to turn to strange gods who demand payment and appeasement in order to gain their favor. It is to trade the sovereign God for an idol who has no true power. It would be to turn aside from a path of blessing to a path of futility and folly.

Why would they do this? Sometimes we are tempted away from God’s ways because we are led to doubt his goodness and forget his grace. Sometimes God’s works seem so far in the past that we forget his past blessings. Sometimes the ways of the other gods can entice – though theirs is a fools gold.

Our faith is centered in God’s mighty deliverance from sin, death, and the devil by One even greater than Moses and Joshua. Jesus, God’s own Son has redeemed us, conquered death, and promises forgiveness, life and salvation. We just celebrated that deliverance yesterday on Resurrection Sunday. “Jesus Christ is risen,” we proclaimed. “He is risen indeed! Alleluia!” Through faith in him we have eternal life.

Sadly, however, there is another danger regarding purity that for some may sound even more compelling than simple faith in Jesus. The Pharisees had that down pat. They were devoted to religious rules that had the appearance of purity, but squeezed the grace out of God’s truth. There are also recognizable departures from the Christian faith, and we must be on guard against them. We must avoid any teaching that diminishes Jesus as God’s only Son, God in the flesh. So too, we turn away from false religions and ideologies—paganism, materialism, atheism, and Islam—which draw hearts away from the living God.

The danger is not only abandoning the truth, but replacing it with something that looks religious yet empties Christ of his grace. Stay on the path—fix your eyes on Jesus, who alone is our righteousness, our life, and our salvation.

These devotions are part of the Follow the Word Bible reading program at St. John Lutheran Church in Cypress, Texas. This year we are reading through the Scriptures together, listening for how God speaks through his Word day by day. I hope you will join me on this journey.

Today’s readings are Joshua 18-20, Psalm 95.

Psalm 95

Oh come, let us sing to the Lord;
    let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation!
² Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving;
    let us make a joyful noise to him with songs of praise!
³ For the Lord is a great God,
    and a great King above all gods.
⁴ In his hand are the depths of the earth;
    the heights of the mountains are his also.
⁵ The sea is his, for he made it,
    and his hands formed the dry land.

⁶ Oh come, let us worship and bow down;
    let us kneel before the Lord, our Maker!
⁷ For he is our God,
    and we are the people of his pasture,
    and the sheep of his hand.
Today, if you hear his voice,
⁸     do not harden your hearts, as at Meribah,
    as on the day at Massah in the wilderness,
⁹ when your fathers put me to the test
    and put me to the proof, though they had seen my work.
¹⁰ For forty years I loathed that generation
    and said, “They are a people who go astray in their heart,
    and they have not known my ways.”
¹¹ Therefore I swore in my wrath,
    “They shall not enter my rest.”

Take a look at the Bible Project graphic of Joshua below. Notice what it says about chapters 13-22: BORING. I guess that’s true except for those who received the allotments of land. It surely must have been exciting for them! These chapters describe some necessary business following the initial conquest of the Promised Land. To that end we can identify. There are things we must do now that our salvation has been won. And while in a sense we are still wandering in the wilderness waiting for the final deliverance into the Life of the World to Come, we’re celebrating today – remembering Jesus’ death for us and rejoicing in his resurrection. So we sing this beautiful Te Deum – this hymn of praise to God!

Christ is risen! He is risen indeed. Alleluia! O come let us sing to the Lord! Let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation!

Jesus is the rock who is no longer held in the tomb by the stone that covered the entrance. He truly is is a great God, and a great King above all gods.

Oh come, let us worship and bow down; let us kneel before the Lord, our Maker! AND LIVING SAVIOR!

I hope you will worship him with your fellow redeemed ones today!

Click here for an audio version of this blog post.

These devotions are part of the Follow the Word Bible reading program at St. John Lutheran Church in Cypress, Texas. This year we are reading through the Scriptures together, listening for how God speaks through his Word day by day. I hope you will join me on this journey.

Today’s readings are Joshua 12-14, Psalm 93.

Psalm 93

The Lord reigns; he is robed in majesty;
    the Lord is robed; he has put on strength as his belt.
Yes, the world is established; it shall never be moved.
² Your throne is established from of old;
    you are from everlasting.

³ The floods have lifted up, O Lord,
    the floods have lifted up their voice;
    the floods lift up their roaring.
⁴ Mightier than the thunders of many waters,
    mightier than the waves of the sea,
    the Lord on high is mighty!

⁵ Your decrees are very trustworthy;
    holiness befits your house,
    O Lord, forevermore.

Joshua 12–14 looks back in time and forward to the future at the same time. It recounts the kings defeated under Moses and Joshua, marking God’s faithfulness in giving victory, and then begins the distribution of the land among the tribes according to God’s promise. Joshua himself acknowledges that he is advancing in years and nearing the end of his life, even as much land remains to be possessed. This raises the sense of urgency and recognizes the ongoing nature of God’s work. In the midst of this, Caleb stands out as an example of enduring faith, confidently claiming the inheritance promised to him years earlier, trusting that the Lord will continue to give what he has pledged.

I noticed the word inheritance coming up 20 times in these chapters. An inheritance is something you receive from someone who has died. It may be a reward for one’s special care or as a recognition of the special place in the heart of the one giving it. But an inheritance by definition requires death. In these chapters no one has died.

Some might say this land distribution was a different kind of inheritance. But I wonder. I’m thinking of the deaths that were a part of Joshua’s conquest and the promised allotments of land in the Promised Land. I think of the Passover Lamb that was sacrificed, and the various animal sacrifices through the 40 years of wandering in the wilderness. And there’s the matter of the Israelites who died in their unsuccessful bid to take the city of Ai; not to mention the deaths of the peoples of the cities and kings Moses and Joshua conquered. There were plenty of deaths.

Then I think of Hebrews 9:15:

Therefore Jesus is the mediator of a new covenant, so that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance, since a death has occurred that redeems them from the transgressions committed under the first covenant.

That takes me to Good Friday. Jesus is sacrificed on the cross as the atoning sacrifice for the sins of the world. All the Old Testament sacrifices pointed forward to This One Sacrifice: the death of the Son of God. He has died for the remission of our sins. Thanks be to God!

Today’s psalm points us toward an important truth regarding Jesus’ death on the cross. Jesus has said that when he was lifted up he would draw all people to himself. He was lifted – you might even say exalted – on the cross. There are some very interesting connections between Jesus’ exaltation, his reign as the King of Grace when he hung on the cross.

So read that psalm again. And when you read about the king being clothed, remember that Jesus was stripped. And yet he reigned for he remained faithful. And let the One who was crucified for your sins and mine reign in your heart forever, live under him in his kingdom. Serve him in eternal righteousness, innocence, and blessedness – even as he is risen from the dead, and lives and reigns for all eternity – clothed now in majesty, splendor, and glory for all time. He lives and reigns for all eternity. This is most certainly true!

Click here for an audio version of this blog post.

These devotions are part of the Follow the Word Bible reading program at St. John Lutheran Church in Cypress, Texas. This year we are reading through the Scriptures together, listening for how God speaks through his Word day by day. I hope you will join me on this journey.

Today’s readings are Joshua 9-11, Psalm 92.

Joshua 10:12-21

At that time Joshua spoke to the Lord in the day when the Lord gave the Amorites over to the sons of Israel, and he said in the sight of Israel,

“Sun, stand still at Gibeon,
    and moon, in the Valley of Aijalon.”
¹³ And the sun stood still, and the moon stopped,
    until the nation took vengeance on their enemies.

Is this not written in the Book of Jashar? The sun stopped in the midst of heaven and did not hurry to set for about a whole day. ¹⁴ There has been no day like it before or since, when the Lord heeded the voice of a man, for the Lord fought for Israel.

¹⁵ So Joshua returned, and all Israel with him, to the camp at Gilgal.

¹⁶ These five kings fled and hid themselves in the cave at Makkedah. ¹⁷ And it was told to Joshua, “The five kings have been found, hidden in the cave at Makkedah.” ¹⁸ And Joshua said, “Roll large stones against the mouth of the cave and set men by it to guard them, ¹⁹ but do not stay there yourselves. Pursue your enemies; attack their rear guard. Do not let them enter their cities, for the Lord your God has given them into your hand.” ²⁰ When Joshua and the sons of Israel had finished striking them with a great blow until they were wiped out, and when the remnant that remained of them had entered into the fortified cities, ²¹ then all the people returned safe to Joshua in the camp at Makkedah. Not a man moved his tongue against any of the people of Israel.

I’ve often said that the Old Testament shows us, again and again, what does not finally bring about the life God intends. Consider:

• A perfect creation, a garden full of good gifts, and only one prohibition—and yet it is undone by Adam and Eve’s sin.
• God judges the world’s wickedness through the flood, cleansing the earth—yet afterward, Noah falls into drunkenness, and sin rises again within his own family.
• God rescues his people from slavery in Egypt—yet they grumble, long to return, and that generation forfeits the promise.
• Joshua defeats cities and kings—and for a time there is peace… but only for a time.

Military victories, dramatic rescues, decisive judgments—even a perfect beginning—do not bring the fullness of God’s reign and rule. That is yet to come.

And yet, these same events reveal what is sure:

• God is the Creator of all things—and what he makes is good.
• God is mighty and gracious—rescuing his people and confounding his enemies.
• God does not ignore evil, yet provides a way of salvation for his people—flawed as they are.
• God hears even bold prayers, showing his power over all creation.

So while these accounts show what does not finally accomplish God’s purpose, they clearly show who God is—and in that we take comfort.

The final answer comes not through greater displays of power, but through something altogether different. This is what we remember this week.

God’s saving work is carried out in Jesus—through his life, teaching, miracles, betrayal, suffering, death, and resurrection. And it will be completed when Christ returns and gathers his people into the eternal Promised Land of light and joy.

On Maundy Thursday, a woman anoints Jesus in preparation for his burial. He shares the Passover with his disciples. In the garden, he prays while they sleep. Judas betrays him with a kiss. Jesus is arrested.

It does not look like victory. Nothing like Jericho. Nothing like Ai.

But those earlier stories were not the end—and neither is this one.

The history of Israel unfolds in a pattern of grace received, then forgotten, followed by exile, repentance, and restoration—until, after centuries of silence, John the Baptist calls people to prepare the way of the Lord.

Now that same pattern gathers around Jesus—but with one decisive difference:

Jesus remains faithful.

He goes to the cross. He dies. And he rises again.

So we sit in these moments of Maundy Thursday. We hear his new commandment—to love one another. And we wait—not for a possible salvation, but for the salvation Jesus has won for us..

Click here for an audio version of this blog post.

These devotions are part of the Follow the Word Bible reading program at St. John Lutheran Church in Cypress, Texas. This year we are reading through the Scriptures together, listening for how God speaks through his Word day by day. I hope you will join me on this journey.

Today’s readings are Joshua 6-8, Psalm 91.

Joshua 8:30-35

At that time Joshua built an altar to the Lord, the God of Israel, on Mount Ebal, ³¹ just as Moses the servant of the Lord had commanded the people of Israel, as it is written in the Book of the Law of Moses, “an altar of uncut stones, upon which no man has wielded an iron tool.” And they offered on it burnt offerings to the Lord and sacrificed peace offerings. ³² And there, in the presence of the people of Israel, he wrote on the stones a copy of the law of Moses, which he had written. ³³ And all Israel, sojourner as well as native born, with their elders and officers and their judges, stood on opposite sides of the ark before the Levitical priests who carried the ark of the covenant of the Lord, half of them in front of Mount Gerizim and half of them in front of Mount Ebal, just as Moses the servant of the Lord had commanded at the first, to bless the people of Israel. ³⁴ And afterward he read all the words of the law, the blessing and the curse, according to all that is written in the Book of the Law. ³⁵ There was not a word of all that Moses commanded that Joshua did not read before all the assembly of Israel, and the women, and the little ones, and the sojourners who lived among them.

The destruction of Jericho by a band of priests and people marching and blowing trumpets is followed by the sad story of Achan, who took some silver for himself and was executed because he had transgressed the covenant of the LORD and done an outrageous thing in Israel (7:15). This is discovered only because of the ignominious defeat of Israel when they first attacked Ai. When Joshua cried out to the LORD because of this defeat, he learned of Achan’s treachery.

When the time comes to attack Ai – this time at the LORD’s bidding – a plan is devised by which the men of Ai are lured away from the city and ambushed by the men Joshua had positioned for that purpose. God gave Jericho into Israel’s hand by means of the blast of a trumpet. God now gives Ai into Israel’s hand by means of stealth and strategy.

After the victory, Joshua builds an altar to the LORD on Mount Ebal and reads the Law of Moses before the people. He recognizes that both the path behind them and the one ahead of them are the LORD’s. Yet even this points beyond itself. One day another offering would be made on a hill outside the city—the sacrifice of God’s Son to atone for the sins of the world.

Wednesday of Holy Week is much like that – quiet, but not empty. While Jesus continues on the path set before him, hidden plans are unfolding. Judas arranges his betrayal, and the leaders move forward with their scheme – not with noise and spectacle, but with strategy and stealth. No crowds, no miracles, just the quiet working of sin alongside the steady unfolding of God’s purpose. It is a sobering reminder that even in the ordinary and unseen moments, we are either participating in what God is doing or working against it. Yet none of this takes Jesus by surprise. He moves forward willingly, not deterred, but resolved to go to the cross for us.

Sometimes God’s work is miraculous and dramatic, like the walls of Jericho. Sometimes it comes through strategy and stealth, like the second battle of Ai. Our calling is to look to Jesus and seek his ways in all of life. Not every challenge we face is desperate and decisive. But every day we are given opportunities either to participate in what God is doing or to work against it.

Moses’ promise has been fulfilled: the prophet like him has come – and more than a prophet, he is the Son, the one to whom we must listen. In his death and resurrection he has secured forgiveness, life, and salvation, and he now speaks God’s truth and gives his grace for all – gifts received not by our effort, but by faith because God was at work through him – for our good and the praise of his glorious grace.

Click here for an audio version of this blog post.

These devotions are part of the Follow the Word Bible reading program at St. John Lutheran Church in Cypress, Texas. This year we are reading through the Scriptures together, listening for how God speaks through his Word day by day. I hope you will join me on this journey.

Today’s readings are Joshua 3-5, Psalm 90.

Joshua 3:9-17

And Joshua said to the people of Israel, “Come here and listen to the words of the Lord your God.” ¹⁰ And Joshua said, “Here is how you shall know that the living God is among you and that he will without fail drive out from before you the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Hivites, the Perizzites, the Girgashites, the Amorites, and the Jebusites. ¹¹ Behold, the ark of the covenant of the Lord of all the earth is passing over before you into the Jordan. ¹² Now therefore take twelve men from the tribes of Israel, from each tribe a man. ¹³ And when the soles of the feet of the priests bearing the ark of the Lord, the Lord of all the earth, shall rest in the waters of the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan shall be cut off from flowing, and the waters coming down from above shall stand in one heap.”

¹⁴ So when the people set out from their tents to pass over the Jordan with the priests bearing the ark of the covenant before the people, ¹⁵ and as soon as those bearing the ark had come as far as the Jordan, and the feet of the priests bearing the ark were dipped in the brink of the water (now the Jordan overflows all its banks throughout the time of harvest), ¹⁶ the waters coming down from above stood and rose up in a heap very far away, at Adam, the city that is beside Zarethan, and those flowing down toward the Sea of the Arabah, the Salt Sea, were completely cut off. And the people passed over opposite Jericho. ¹⁷ Now the priests bearing the ark of the covenant of the Lord stood firmly on dry ground in the midst of the Jordan, and all Israel was passing over on dry ground until all the nation finished passing over the Jordan.

Strength and courage writ large today! No staff-waving. No waiting for the winds to blow back the waters of the Red Sea. No dry ground in advance of their advancement. The waters of the Jordan are flowing. The priests carrying the Ark of the LORD step into the river. The waters stop. They pile high while the priests stand in the riverbed and the people of Israel pass through.

I can imagine the trepidation of everyone involved. Will the river waters really stop? Will the priests stay there while everyone passes over into the land? Will the waters stay piled up until everyone is across and the priests finish their duties? I can imagine people down stream waiting and seeing the waters stop flowing so that the pathway is larger and larger. I can imagine people shaking their heads in disbelief – only they are seeing what they can’t believe. I’m shaking my head now as I imagine this scene.

Joshua is being validated as Israel’s new leader. The priests were giving an object lesson of their function: holding back the waters as an image of their duties to stand between God’s judgment and the people. The people were given a lessons in faith, in God’s providential sovereignty over all things, and in his promise to give them the Promised Land. And Joshua was given a booster shot of courage and strength, for he is seeing the strength of God in their behalf. This is how they will overcome their enemies and occupy the land.

This is but a prelude to the next great sign from God when the walls of Jericho will come a-tumblin’ down. God is delivering on a promise he had made to Abraham centuries before. The deed isn’t done yet, but I cannot help but fast-forward into the centuries ahead. Eventually they will lose their land. They will lose their temple. The final Old Testament prophet – John the Baptist – tells the people of his day that their ancestry means nothing apart from God’s favor and grace. He can raise up stones to become his children (Luke 3:8). That’s why there would need some day to come a Savior the True Israel who will lead his people into the eternal promised land.

Let the crossing of the Jordan remind us of our baptism, by which we gain access into the family of God.

Think of the twelve stones as pointing to the living stones which God is using to build a spiritual house for his praise (1 Peter 2:5).

Imagine Rahab the harlot as foreshadowing of the woman taken in adultery whom Jesus forgave and sent her on her way to a new life (John 8:10-11).

Realize that just as the walls of Jericho fell when the people marched around the city and blew their trumpets at God’s command, just so, the stone in front of Jesus’ grave rolled away at his command and the Champion of Grace, Truth, Love, and Faith will rise. His reign will never end!

This is Holy Week. We’ll see Jesus at every turn even in these Old Testament accounts. Thanks be to God!

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These devotions are part of the Follow the Word Bible reading program at St. John Lutheran Church in Cypress, Texas. This year we are reading through the Scriptures together, listening for how God speaks through his Word day by day. I hope you will join me on this journey.

Today’s readings are Deuteronomy 34, Joshua 1-2, Psalm 89.

Deuteronomy 26:16-19

After the death of Moses the servant of the Lord, the Lord said to Joshua the son of Nun, Moses’ assistant, ² “Moses my servant is dead. Now therefore arise, go over this Jordan, you and all this people, into the land that I am giving to them, to the people of Israel. ³ Every place that the sole of your foot will tread upon I have given to you, just as I promised to Moses. ⁴ From the wilderness and this Lebanon as far as the great river, the river Euphrates, all the land of the Hittites to the Great Sea toward the going down of the sun shall be your territory. ⁵ No man shall be able to stand before you all the days of your life. Just as I was with Moses, so I will be with you. I will not leave you or forsake you. ⁶ Be strong and courageous, for you shall cause this people to inherit the land that I swore to their fathers to give them. ⁷ Only be strong and very courageous, being careful to do according to all the law that Moses my servant commanded you. Do not turn from it to the right hand or to the left, that you may have good success wherever you go. ⁸ This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success. ⁹ Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”

God must be serious about Joshua’s need to be strong and courageous. Three times in these opening verses the command is repeated. “Be strong and courageous,” God tells Joshua, “for you shall cause this people to inherit the land that I swore to their fathers to give them” (v. 6). Then again: “Only be strong and very courageous, being careful to do according to all the law that Moses my servant commanded you” (v. 7). And once more: “Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go” (v. 9).

Moses is dead. The words land with a jarring finality. The great leader who brought Israel out of Egypt, through the Red Sea, and across the wilderness now stands at the edge of the Promised Land no longer. He endured complaints and rebellion, stood between God and the people, and spoke with the Lord face to face. But now he is gone. Joshua is the anointed leader. He is in charge. And into that moment comes God’s command: be strong and courageous.

The very next verse adds another dimension. Joshua must be strong and courageous not only to lead, but to remain faithful – to do all that Moses had commanded according to God’s Word. Following the Lord’s ways – especially as a leader – is no small task. Jesus himself speaks of the narrow way. Faithfulness requires strength of heart and courage of spirit. Sometimes that means resisting temptation; other times it means standing firm against pressure. Such courage is essential, especially for those who lead God’s people.

Then comes the third command – this time anchored in a promise: “Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” This is the foundation of it all. The call to courage is never given apart from the promise of God’s presence. Just as the Lord was with Moses, so he will be with Joshua (v. 5). The command and the promise belong together.

God is at work in each of us. Some are called to visible and demanding vocations – soldiers, EMTs, firefighters, police officers. As a pastor, I have needed strength and courage to lead God’s people. But all of us are called, in our own places, to stand firm and act faithfully. Whether resisting the temptation to drift from God’s mission or standing against pressures that pull us away from his ways, we hear these words and take courage from his promise: he is with us wherever we go.

And above all, we look to Jesus. He faced every temptation, yet without sin. Though he is the Son of God, he did not turn inward in self-preservation, but gave himself fully – even to the suffering of the cross. Where we falter and fail, he stands firm for us. He is our true and faithful leader, who has gone before us and now leads us into the Promised Land of life with God.