Year 4, Day 212: Luke 3

Theological Commentary: Click Here 

Discipleship Focus: Challenge

• Challenge: God does not merely wish us to be in relationship with Him as we are.  He challenges us to grow, stretch, and transform as we take on the mantle of being His representatives to this world.

When I think of John the Baptizer, I think of challenge.  Just look at all the ways that he teaches.  In the theological commentary linked to above, I give the following breakdown:

• John taught community: Share your tunics. 
• John taught honesty: Don’t rip people off. 
• John taught contentedness: Do an honest job and accept an honest pay for it. 
• John taught humility: There is one for whom I am not worthy to even stoop at his feet. 
• John taught truth: Be careful, the winnowing fork is in His hand to gather up the wheat and sort out the chaff.

John didn’t teach a feel-good-religion.  It is not human nature to share, or to be content with a certain wage when other people are getting more through dishonest means, or to do an honest job when a few shortcuts could save some time and money, or to humble oneself when there is no personal gain, or even to change just because we might be chaff in some unseen God’s eyes!  John pushed the people around him into a place of discomfort.  John tried to get them to see their lifestyle as being in conflict with what God really wanted from them.

John also tried to prepare them for Jesus.  He knew that if Israel was a spiritual wilderness, then they would miss the coming of Christ completely.  He didn’t want that for his people.  So he tries to prepare them.  But even in that, preparing people for change is inherently a task in which challenge rises to the top.

So what do you think about John the Baptizer?  What do you think about his version of challenge?  Do you agree with him?  Is life lived better when we give up our human desires and instead seek godly desires?  Are you willing to push ahead with that?

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Year 4, Day 211: Luke 2

Theological Commentary: Click Here 

Discipleship Focus: Calling

• Calling asks whether or not God has called the person to the particular work at this point in their life.

Luke 2 gives us several cool moments of calling stories.  At the beginning of this chapter we see Joseph called upon to protect his bride and her unborn son while they traveled to Bethlehem.  Joseph was called to ensure that Jesus was born in Bethlehem as the Scripture indicated.  He was called to keep them safe.  In Matthew’s Gospel we hear about their flight to Egypt and know that Joseph lived up to his calling very well.

Then we hear about the shepherds.  Common people – actually, lower than common people – who receive a message of hope from God.  They are called to go witness Jesus’ birth.  They are obedient to this calling.  They go forth, find Jesus, and then afterwards they go into Bethlehem testifying to what they’ve seen and what has happened to them.

Then there is Simeon.  Here is a prophet who has been told that he will not die before seeing the Lord’s Messiah.  When Jesus is presented at the table, God calls him to have a prophetic moment over Jesus.  He lives up to his calling.  He is obedient.  He gives praise and glory to God for what God is doing.

We don’t want to forget Anna.  Here is a woman who has been devoted to the temple – devoted to the presence of God.  When Jesus is brought into her midst she begins to give God glory and praise His name.  She is sensitive to the Spirit and called to live out of her prophetic sensitivity.

None of these people were particularly significant.  Joseph is just a normal carpenter.  The shepherds were in some of the lowest social strata around.  Simeon was a priest, but a fairly old and normal one at that.  Anna was just a simple widow who hung around the temple praising God.  These are the people through whom God chose to work.  These are the people who were sensitive to the calling of the Lord. 

I think that’s worth pondering today.  When God’s Messiah comes into a place, common people are called and used by God.  You don’t have to be special in the world to have a special calling in the kingdom of God.

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Year 4, Day 210: Luke 1

Theological Commentary: Click Here 

Discipleship Focus: Guidance

• Guidance: God grants us His guidance.  Sometimes this guidance is God leading us away from temptation.  Sometimes this guidance is helping us to follow in a direction for which He has chosen.  Our default position should be to wait for God’s guidance and then follow when it comes.

As I looked at this chapter, I struggled to choose a single discipleship theme.  I could have chosen obedience: certainly Mary and Elizabeth and even Zechariah display obedience to God.  I could have chosen one of the discipleship positions around the discipleship square as Mary clearly comes and learns from Elizabeth.  But in the end, I chose guidance.  I think this chapter is a wonderful analogy to the guidance we ask from God in the Lord’s Prayer as Jesus taught us to pray.

I think we see guidance all over this passage.  Take a look at the big picture.  This is the story of Jesus.  Jesus came to guide us back into a relationship with the Father.  Jesus came to be a model for the godly life and a sacrifice for our sins.  This whole Gospel of Luke is about guidance!

But look specifically at Zechariah.  Gabriel comes and guides Zechariah into knowing that God has heard his plea.  Yes, Zechariah doubts and feels a bit of punishment for that.  But in the end, Zechariah is guided into an understanding that not only will he have a son but that his son will guide people to God’s Messiah.

Gabriel also visits Mary.  Gabriel begins to guide this young lady through the process of a virgin birth.  Gabriel begins to guide her through the idea that she will bear God’s Messiah.  Gabriel begins to spread the message that God is about to do something amazing.

Finally, we have Mary and Elizabeth.  Mary comes to Elizabeth to experience the last few months of child-bearing as well as to be there for the birth of John.  I have no doubt that Elizabeth – old in years – guided Mary –likely still in her teens – through many aspects of life.  Elizabeth was there when Mary needed her.  We often think it is the young Mary who came to help Elizabeth in the latter part of her pregnancy, but I rather think it is Elizabeth who guided Mary in her deeper time of need.  After all, Mary was not only having a baby at a young age but also preparing for a new marriage!  Imagine how God could have used Elizabeth to guide Mary!

In all cases, this chapter is clearly a place where God’s guidance abounds.  He leads His people away from temptation and into His great plan of grace.

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Year 4, Day 209: Joshua 24

Theological Commentary: Click Here 

Discipleship Focus: Invitation

• Invitation: God is always inviting us into relationship with Him. He desires that we know Him and we know His desires for us.

Yesterday I spoke about challenge.  Don’t be fooled.  There is a high amount of challenge in this chapter.  The verses after following the most famous quote in Joshua are almost all challenge.  Joshua knows how tough it will be for the people to stay obedient to God.  The challenge is not being one of those people.

However, there is a tremendous amount of invitation in this chapter as well.  The whole set of opening verses are invitation.  Joshua reminds the people that they have taken possession of a land for which God did most of the fighting.  They are taking possession of trees they did not plant, vineyards they did not tend, cities they did not build, stone they did not quarry, wells they did not dig, etc.  This is a huge amount of invitation given by Joshua.  He reminds the people that they are welcome to come into God’s provision for their life.

Furthermore, Joshua literally invites them to choose.  He reminds them that they do not have to obey.  They are not under an obligation to follow God.  They can choose disobedience if they want.  Admittedly, in choosing disobedience they are likewise choosing death.  But they have that choice.  They are invited to choose.

So what is it for you?  Do you feel the invitation by God to come into a life you did not earn?  What will you choose?

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Year 4, Day 208: Joshua 23

Theological Commentary: Click Here 

Discipleship Focus: Challenge

• Challenge: God does not merely wish us to be in relationship with Him as we are.  He challenges us to grow, stretch, and transform as we take on the mantle of being His representatives to this world.

Joshua 23 and the following chapter are full of challenge.  Joshua is about to die.  His work is complete.  But notice something rather interesting in this chapter.  Joshua doesn’t focus upon what’s about to happen to him.  He doesn’t bemoan his approaching death.

Rather, Joshua knows that it is time to pass on the mantle of leadership to the people.  He can’t walk them through life forever.  They need to step up and do it themselves.  So Joshua begins into a great farewell speech full of challenge.

Listen to Joshua’s two main points of challenge, though.  They’re not hard to hear in his words.  If you obey God, He will fight for you.  If you disobey God’s ways, don’t expect God to fight for you at all.  It’s really a simple message, but it is such a message of high challenge.

Do you have what it takes to be obedient to God?  When things in your life are crumbling, do you have what it takes to admit where you have fallen away from God?  When things are going well for you, do you have what it takes to be challenged into giving God the glory for His great work?  He wants to transform our lives and change the world around us through us.  Are you able to be challenged into relationship with Him so that He can work through you?

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Year 4, Day 207: Joshua 22

Theological Commentary: Click Here 

Discipleship Focus: Character (Abide, see note below)

• Character: Having the interior life that is necessary to support the work that God sets before a person.  It is hearing from God and obeying.  It is doing the right thing when nobody is looking.

In Joshua 22 we have a great story.  On the way home from completing their work faithfully, the 2 ½ Transjordan tribes build an altar.  They build the altar as a monument of peace between the Hebrew people.  They don’t build the altar in order to stop making sacrifices before God; they build it to remind everyone that the people on one side of the Jordan are devoted to the same God as the people on the other side of the Jordan.

However, the Cisjordan tribes get worried.  They remember what happened at Peor.  They probably also remember what happened at Sinai with the Golden Calf.  They get nervous because the Transjordan people are acting out of character.  So they come and check it out.

We have three great displays of character.  First of all, the Transjordan tribes display character in remaining faithful to God.  The Cisjordan tribes display character by remaining faithful to God and their brothers by checking out their actions and testing the motivation behind the altar.  Finally, we have faithfulness on both sides when the tribes do get together, do actually have a rational conversation, and do seek truth rather than their own agenda.  What a great chapter in which we see character rising to the surface in human action!

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Note: While I focused on character in this devotion, it is also quite possible to focus on abiding as well.  Given what was said yesterday about abiding after the work is done, this is actually what we see happening here in the opening part of this chapter.  The people of the Transjordan tribes faithfully bear the fruit that is asked of them when the Hebrew people go to war against the Canaanites.  Then they are pruned of the task and are told to go home and abide.  It’s another great example of the semi-circle rhythm at work.

Year 4, Day 206: Joshua 21

Theological Commentary: Click Here 

Discipleship Focus: Abide

• Abide: This is a moment, day, or even a season when we focus on God.  It is a time when we are rejuvenated by God.  It is the time for us to gather up what we will need for the coming growth after a season of pruning.  However, abiding is not the end.  We abide so that we can grow, bear fruit, prune, and abide again.

At the end of this chapter we have a really cool moment.  The land has been mostly conquered.  The native inhabitants have been mostly removed.  The divisions of the land have been accomplished.  The work is winding down.  And what do we see the people doing?  They get a moment to rest.

This is a really cool reminder of the rhythms of life.  We know that the proper rhythm is abide > grow > bear fruit > prune > abide.  We abide so that we have what it takes to do the work of God.  But so often we forget that when the work is over we need to prune and rest, too.  It makes sense to rest before we work, but it is easy to forget to abide after we’re done.

Abiding after we work helps us to process what we’ve done.  It helps us process what God said to us through our obedience.  It helps us feel the joy from having a job well done.  Abiding after the job is done is natural, healthy, and a part of the godly rhythm.

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Year 4, Day 205: Joshua 20

Theological Commentary: Click Here 

Discipleship Focus: Forgiveness

• Forgiveness: Forgiveness is when our sins are absolved by God.  We do not deserve this forgiveness, but God grants it to us anyway.  We cannot earn forgiveness, but God gives it to us anyway.  As we are forgiven by God, He also asks us to forgive others.  In fact, Jesus Himself teaches us to pray for our forgiveness in the Lord’s Prayer when He says, “Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.”

This is a really neat chapter to speak about forgiveness.  We know that God is a loving and forgiving God.  Yes, we also know that God recognizes our sin and holds us accountable.  But ultimately He is gracious and merciful and allows us a means to escape our guilt through Jesus Christ.

This idea is truly reflected in this chapter as well.  The cities of refuge speak to merciful justice.  Here we have people who have been a part of a horrible action, but not intentionally so.  The cities of refuge allow such people to plead their case and then be freed of any guilt.  Granted, they still have to live within the city until the death of the high priest that oversaw their case.  But the reality is that the vindicator cannot take vengeance upon the person who unintentionally kills.

This is a sample of how God’s love truly works in us.  We find ourselves pardoned frequently – pardoned of things far worse than unintentional sin, even!  Yes, we still have to deal with the consequences.  Sometimes our life is difficult because of our sinfulness.  But the reality is that because of the death of our great high priest – Jesus – we can go back to our regular life forgiven and ready to move forward with God’s agenda in our life.

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Year 4, Day 204: Joshua 19

Theological Commentary: Click Here 

Discipleship Focus: Character, Competency

• Character: Having the interior life that is necessary to support the work that God sets before a person.  It is hearing from God and obeying.  It is doing the right thing when nobody is looking.
• Competency: Being able to accomplish what one is called to do.

The ending of this chapter has always been a great passage for me to read.  This is such a great understanding of Joshua and who he really was.  What we hear is that he waits to claim his own inheritance until all the other tribes are settled.

Do you remember the story of the messengers of the Lord coming to Abraham under the oaks of Mamre?  It’s found in Genesis 18.  In Genesis 18:8 we hear that Abraham prepares a meal for the messengers of the Lord and stands by them to make sure their needs are taken care of before he ever thinks of himself.  That’s exactly what Joshua does here.  Joshua mimics the servant leadership style that was so prominent in Abraham, the father of his people.

I think this is a profound understanding for people who want to become spiritual leaders and disciple-makers.  Abraham, Moses, Joshua, Samuel, Paul, and especially Jesus were all servant leaders.  I’m sure I left of a number of other examples.  But the point is that in order to truly follow God one must have the servant mindset.  One has to be accustomed to putting God’s agenda ahead of one’s own agenda.  As long as a person is going that far, it makes sense to be willing to put other people’s needs before your own, too.

This ultimately comes down to a character and competency question.  Does a person have the character to set aside their own needs in order to help another with their needs all while knowing that God will take care of their own?  Isn’t that how Christ lived?  Then the question is, does a person have the competency to accomplish this for the right reasons?  Joshua did, and he was a great spiritual leader of the Hebrew people.

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Year 4, Day 203: Joshua 18

Theological Commentary: Click Here 

Discipleship Focus: Provision

• Provision: God gives us what we truly need.  God knows our needs better than we can know them.  We learn to trust God to provide for us.

In this chapter we see the people of Benjamin receive their inheritance.  This is a neat chapter to again return to this idea of provision.  God gives out this inheritance near the top of the list of the tribes, showing its importance.

Within the boundaries of Benjamin is Jerusalem.  The tribe of Benjamin receives one of the most important cities in the history of the world.  God has provided them with an incredible provision!

That being said, we know that the people of Benjamin also struggle to capture Jerusalem.  In fact, it is David who will capture the city and make it his own.  Although God has given an incredible provision, it does not mean that the people have an easy stroll into God’s provision.

The message of these inheritance chapters is that God can provide, empower, equip, and conquer.  But it isn’t necessarily easy.  And it isn’t at all simple.  Neither is it a quick process to get to where God is calling us.  But it is worth it.  It is worth the struggle.  And it is absolutely worth understanding that God’s provision is incredible and all that we need.  Just like God giving the people of Benjamin the greatest city in the history of the world, so is God’s provision for us in Christ.

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Year 4, Day 202: Joshua 17

Theological Commentary: Click Here 

Discipleship Focus: Power

• Power: This is the natural outcome when we truly get our authority from the king.  When our authority is from God, we are equipped with His power to accomplish His will.  We act on His behalf in a world that He desperately loves.

One of the things that I really like about the Old Testament is that we can truly learn from the examples of other people.  The Old Testament is very honest about what the people did well and what the people did poorly.  It is also very honest about why this happens, too.  This is one of the reasons why I think the Bible is true, actually.  People aren’t usually this honest about their successes and failures when writing a history book about their own nation.

For example, take the people of Manasseh.  They are unable to drive out the Canaanites within their land.  But then with the rest of the family of Joseph they come and ask for more land!  Joshua gives them more land, but they complain about it.  They say that they are not strong enough to defeat the Canaanites who have iron chariots.

They’re right, by the way.  They are not powerful enough.  If their authority to accomplish tasks is coming from themselves, they are not powerful enough.  The Hebrew people were a Bronze Age people.  Bronze Age people struggled against Iron Age people until they became Iron Age people themselves.  If their authority was coming out of their own ability, they weren’t powerful enough.

But they were also God’s people!  Had God not just delivered Jericho into their midst?  Had God not just delivered Ai and all the following cities into their midst?  If their authority had actually been coming from God, does it make sense that God wouldn’t make them powerful enough to succeed?  If God fights with us, is it ever right to say “I’m not powerful enough?”

There’s a great point to ponder today.  Where does my power come from?  Does my power come through the authority that God has given to me in His kingdom?  What about you?

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Year 4, Day 201: Joshua 16

Theological Commentary: Click Here 

Discipleship Focus: Obedience

• Obedience: Genuine and satisfying obedience comes out of our identity.  Our true identity comes only from Father.

Today we are reminded of a blast from the past.  Remember the end of the Genesis?  We met Joseph.  Joseph was handed over by his own brothers and sold into slavery.  Eventually he finds his way into Potiphar’s house.  Potiphar’s wife hands Joseph over into prison, where he meets a cup bearer and a baker.  That eventually gets Joseph out of prison where he is able to save his family from famine.  Joseph is obedient to God in spite of incredible circumstances rising up against him.

Flash forward through about 500 years of Egyptian bondage and wandering through the wilderness.  When the land in the Promised Land is being allotted, Joseph’s sons are allotted land in the second and third positions.  Of course the first position is Judah, out of whom the Messiah will come.  Essentially, Joseph’s family gets their allotment only after the family that will eventually produce the Messiah.

Joseph’s obedience to the Lord is not forgotten.  When everything was going wrong, Joseph still got his identity from God.  When Joseph could have given up and abandoned God, instead Joseph remained obedient.  His obedience has him being remembered in the inheritance.  Truth be told, his obedience is still being remembered to this day.  His obedience should continue to inspire us all.

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Year 4, Day 200: Joshua 15

Theological Commentary: Click Here 

Discipleship Focus: Imitation

• Imitation: This is the second over-arching step of the discipleship process.  First we gain information, then we imitate our spiritual mentor.  Imitation leads to innovation of spirituality in our own life.

Today I’m going to look hard at the relationship between Ohniel and Caleb.  I will begin by confessing that I am going to make some basic assumptions.  I’m going to assume that Caleb and his nephew were on good relations.  I think this is a fair assumption as Caleb offers up his daughter for marriage to Othniel.  I’m also going to make the assumption that Othniel was a pretty decent guy, which I think is supported in general by the fact that Othniel is the first judge we meet in the book of Judges.  Of course, we don’t need to assume anything about Caleb’s character.  We spoke at length about that yesterday.

I think that it is a really cool testimony that we get here between Othniel and Caleb.  Remember the chain of influence here.  Moses was the original leader.  Joshua and Caleb liked, listened to, and served underneath Moses.  Joshua became the next spiritual leader.  Caleb liked, listened to, and served under Joshua.  Then Caleb got his allotment and became a person of influence.  We find Othniel in the circle of Caleb’s influence.  Othniel appears to like and listen to Caleb.  We know here in this story that he is willing to serve Caleb.

This is a pattern we will see all throughout scripture.  Elijah and Elisha.  Daniel and his three friends.  Jesus and His disciples.  Barnabas and Paul.  Paul and Timothy.  Paul and Titus.  Paul and Luke.  Peter and Mark.  These are just the easiest examples to point out, but they are not the only ones.

The reality is that all throughout the Bible we find that great leaders in the faith are born out of relationship and submission to other great leaders in the faith.  In order to become greater than just a “Bible Theologian” and actually become a disciple-maker, we need to learn to submit to others.  We need to put ourselves into a place where we can learn to imitate those of faith around us.  This step is usually the most overlooked, and it is also one of the worst steps to overlook.

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Year 4, Day 199: Joshua 14

Theological Commentary: Click Here 

Discipleship Focus: Provision

• Provision: God gives us what we truly need.  God knows our needs better than we can know them.  We learn to trust God to provide for us.

This is a great chapter with which we can speak about provision.  Today we get to look at Caleb.  Here is a man who was a part of the initial scouting of the Promised Land, yet he was outvoted 10-2 about going into the Promised Land.  He wandered for 40 years while God meted out punishment upon the unfaithful Hebrews.

Caleb knew that God would provide for him.  Yet, Caleb’s provision didn’t come immediately.  Caleb had to wait 40 years for his faith to be rewarded.

Sometimes patience is required.  God will deliver us into the Promised Land, but it’s not always today.  It’s also not always tomorrow, either.  Sometimes God’s provision is 40 years in coming.

But Caleb waited.  Caleb was faithful.  Caleb was willing to stand by God in the wilderness and walk among the unfaithful in order to get to God’s provision.  How patient are you to get the provision God has for you?

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Year 4, Day 198: Joshua 13

Theological Commentary: Click Here 

Discipleship Focus: Calling, Competency

• Calling asks whether or not God has called the person to the particular work at this point in their life.
• Competency: Being able to accomplish what one is called to do.

It is interesting to read through the stories of Moses and Joshua.  We think about Moses as the guy that God called to get the Hebrew people into the Promised Land.  But in reality, Moses just got the people to the edge of the Promised Land.  It was Joshua who took them in.  With respect to Joshua, we think of Joshua as the guy who completed the conquest of the Promised Land.  In reality, the Promised Land was continuing to be conquered all the way through David and Solomon!

This really helps us look at calling and competency.  We know that Moses was called to lead the people out of Egypt and bring them into the Promised Land.  We know that Joshua was called to deliver the Promised Land into the hands of the people.  What does it say about Moses and Joshua that they themselves didn’t see their calling fully through to completion?

Actually, it says a lot about their competency.  You see, they were competent to do what God asked them to do.  Sometimes we like to evaluate people as to whether the job got finished or not.  In reality, though, we should evaluate Joshua and Moses by whether they were able to accomplish the job God actually asked them to do.  God doesn’t seem to mind letting Joshua take over after Moses’ largely faithful service.  God doesn’t seem to mind letting the leaders after Joshua continue the conquest of the Promised Land.

God judges Moses and Joshua on the faithfulness of their service, not solely based on the end product.  I think that is valuable to see as we consider topics like calling and competency.

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Year 4, Day 197: Joshua 12

Theological Commentary: Click Here 

Discipleship Focus: Obedience

• Obedience: Genuine and satisfying obedience comes out of our identity.  Our true identity comes only from Father.

There isn’t much in this chapter except the list of conquered kings.  We hear about the kings that Moses defeated.  We hear about the kings that Joshua defeated.  That’s just about the sum of the chapter.

As I speak about in the theological commentary from three years back, Moses is given a very interesting title in this chapter: the servant of the Lord.  I make the case that it is one of the best titles that any of us could ever hope to possess.  But I can’t help but wonder, what does it take to arrive at such a title?

I think the answer is fairly obvious.  In order to become a servant of the Lord, one must be obedient.  One’s identity must come from the Lord.  One must give up chasing their own identity and instead chase the identity that God has given to them.  When we spend our life chasing God and His ways instead of ourselves and our own ways – then we truly are a servant of the Lord.

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Year 4, Day 196: Joshua 11

Theological Commentary: Click Here 

Discipleship Focus: Invitation, Challenge

• Invitation: God is always inviting us into relationship with Him. He desires that we know Him and we know His desires for us.
• Challenge: God does not merely wish us to be in relationship with Him as we are.  He challenges us to grow, stretch, and transform as we take on the mantle of being His representatives to this world.

I am going to go a little outside of the box today.  Usually when we think about invitation and challenge we talk about people who are already in a positive relationship with one another.  I believe that is actually the proper context.  Invitation and challenge are best calibrated through the lens of relationship.

Certainly this chapter is not about relationship.  The Hebrew people and the northern kings are not in relationship with each other.  In fact, they are at war.

That’s actually my point.

Those northern kings are not in a position to even hear the invitation and challenge of God.  God would welcome relationship with them, but they are not in a place to hear the invitation.  God would teach them how to become His people, but they are not in a place to respond to the challenge.  They are by default closed to relationship with God.  That is why God has brought war to their doorstep.

It is next to impossible to speak invitation and challenge into people unless there is relationship to support the message.  For us, the lesson is indeed rather simple.  Our task is to put ourselves daily into the place where we can hear the invitation and challenge of God our Father.  We do not want to be like those Canaanite kings.

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Year 4, Day 195, Joshua 10

Theological Commentary: Click Here 

Discipleship Focus: King

• King: This is the pinnacle of the Kingdom Triangle.  When we look towards God’s position in the universe, we acknowledge that He is an omnipotent king.  Authority comes from Him.  Power comes through His authority.  He is looking for representatives for His kingdom.

If we look at the end of this chapter, we hear about many towns that fall to Joshua.  Each one falls, one after another.  The inhabitants of each one are put to the sword.  Joshua utterly annihilates the residents of Canaan.

However, take a look at what the Bible tells us is the power behind Joshua.  With each city that falls, we hear that the Lord gave the city and the kings into the hands of Joshua.  Joshua may have been a great military strategist.  He may have been a strong leader full of conviction.  But the Bible is clear on this point.  The only reason he has success is because God gives the Canaanites into His hand.

God is the King.  Authority and power come from Him.  It’s that simple, really.  Each and every town in this chapter that falls attests to this very fact.

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Year 4, Day 194: Joshua 9

Theological Commentary: Click Here 

Discipleship Focus: Obedience

• Obedience: Genuine and satisfying obedience comes out of our identity.  Our true identity comes only from Father.

What an interesting chapter through which we can view the lens of obedience.  First, we look to the Canaanite people.  They all have no interest in obedience to God.  Most of them band together and come against the Hebrew people.  This is the wrong tactic.  They are defeated.  God is victorious.

The second lens is through the Gibeonites.  From a worldly perspective they seem rather shrewd, don’t they?  They make peace so that they can live.  But that’s all they are interested in.  They aren’t interested in obeying God.  They aren’t interested in becoming Hebrew.  They just want peace so that they can live their own life.  I find this despicable in the world, and we hear it most often in the politically correct phrases of today’s culture.  “Can’t we all just get along?”  “Live and let live.”  “Unity.”  “Coexist.”  Our world is a pluralistic culture that wants you to believe that peace is a higher goal than obedience to God.  The world wants you believe it is best to live this life however you want and let eternity sort itself out.  That’s just not the perspective of God, or Jesus Christ for that matter.

The third lens of obedience is the Hebrew leaders.  Again we see them acting without consulting God.  They make peace with the Gibeonites without asking the Lord what is right.  Sure, the Hebrew people pick up some slaves rather than having to fight against them.  But the point is that they don’t take the time to consult God.  They’re simply just not obedient, either.

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Year 4, Day 193: Joshua 8

Theological Commentary: Click Here 

Discipleship Focus: Obedience

• Obedience: Genuine and satisfying obedience comes out of our identity.  Our true identity comes only from Father.

After the failure of Joshua 7, we turn to the success of Joshua 8.  Take a look at the main differences found in this passage versus the prior chapter.  The whole orientation of Joshua – and subsequently the people – has changed.

In chapter 8, God tells Joshua what to do.  The plan comes from God.  His identity comes from God.  His authority comes from God.  Everything that is necessary for success in this world comes from God.

What is of note is how Joshua responds.  After the failure of the prior chapter, Joshua comes forth in this chapter in success.  He listens.  He is obedient.  God triumphs through Joshua because Joshua’s attitude is focused back upon God.  When our identity comes from the Lord, it is far easier to be obedient to the Lord and succeed in the Lord.

Also note how the obedience of the leaders can manifest itself in the community.  An obedient leader will have an easier time helping a community be obedient as well.  A community that does not have an obedient leader will struggle with their own obedience as a community on the whole.  Here in this chapter we see a community return to obedience and have great success out of it.

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Year 4, Day 192: Joshua 7

Theological Commentary: Click Here 

Discipleship Focus: Authority, Power

• Authority: Our calling.  This comes from God as king.  Because He calls us as His representatives, He gives us authority to go and do His will.
• Power: This is the natural outcome when we truly get our authority from the king.  When our authority is from God, we are equipped with His power to accomplish His will.  We act on His behalf in a world that He desperately loves.

Although this chapter is predominantly known for Achan and his sinfulness, I’m going to instead focus on Joshua in this post.  If you want to read more in depth on Achan, see the theological commentary linked to above.

Let’s compare the battle plan from Joshua 6 and Joshua 7.  In Joshua 6, the plan comes from the Lord.  We saw how the people paused and abided in the Lord before attacking.  They took the time necessary to make sure that they were doing the will of the King.  They took time to make sure they had the power and authority from God to conquer Jericho.

However, in the opening verses of Joshua 7 we don’t even hear about God and His involvement.  In fact, the first mention we have of God’s involvement is after things go tragically wrong, people are dead, and Joshua tears his clothing.  Because of the success at Jericho, Joshua becomes overconfident and the plan becomes His own plan.  He doesn’t pause and make sure that he is living out of the authority of God.  He doesn’t stop and make sure that his warriors are taking the battlefield under the power of God.

The soldiers are routed.  They are sent packing.  Only then does Joshua remember what he’s forgotten.  He forgot to check with the Lord and ensure that he is living out of His power and authority!

This is a really neat lesson.  We know that God’s overarching plan is that the Hebrew people should conquer Canaan and take it for their own.  But that doesn’t mean Joshua has carte blanche to do it as he sees fit.  God is willing to step back from endorsing the smaller steps of His plan while still seeing the big picture.  If we walk away from God and start living out of our own power and authority we should expect God to step back and give us the space to fail until we come back to Him.  After all, God has all the time in the world; He’s not on any particular agenda!  It is up to us to remember to walk in God’s power and authority.

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Year 4, Day 191: Joshua 6

Theological Commentary: Click Here 

Discipleship Focus: Kingdom

• Kingdom: We live in God’s creation, but it is fallen.  We do not yet live in the fullness of God’s Kingdom.  But we do know that the Kingdom of God is drawing near.  we do get to see glimpses of the kingdom each and every time that God works in us and through us as He tries to demonstrate Himself to the world.

I can only imagine being Joshua in this battle.  I know how I would have reacted if I had taken all of my warriors and marched them across the Jordan and told them about the strength and valor that was going to be necessary.  I know how I would have reacted had God told me to tell those fighting men to get in line behind the priests.  I know how I would have reacted if God told me to keep the warriors quiet for six whole days while Jericho locked itself up tight like a scared little kid.

I don’t know how Joshua was feeling inside when God was unveiling His battle plan.  But I do know that he was absolutely obedient.  God spoke, Joshua did.  For the record, Joshua spoke and the people obeyed, too!  This is absolutely a great time to pat the people on the back for obedience.

But I believe there is a deeper lesson in this today.  The people marched around Jericho for 7 days, most of it in utter silence except for the trumpets.  They didn’t build siege weapons; they brought a box on poles and set it between four priests while they marched behind it.  This trip around Jericho – the first city to fall in the Promised Land – is about the Kingdom of God coming to Canaan.  This first battle is about God’s presence and God’s rule.  This first battle plan is about doing it God’s way.  This first time for plunder is about devoting everything to God.  This story of Jericho is completely about the Kingdom of God advancing upon the world and the obedience of the people to this advancing Kingdom.

This battle isn’t about Joshua’s will being done.  It is completely about God’s will being done on earth as it is in heaven.  God’s Kingdom is worth pursuing.

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Year 4, Day 190: Joshua 5

Theological Commentary: Click Here 

Discipleship Focus: Abide

• Abide: This is a moment, day, or even a season when we focus on God.  It is a time when we are rejuvenated by God.  It is the time for us to gather up what we will need for the coming growth after a season of pruning.  However, abiding is not the end.  We abide so that we can grow, bear fruit, prune, and abide again.

I haven’t spoken much about abide in this blog so far.  But I think coming off of yesterday’s reading and knowing about all the conquering that is ahead of us in Joshua, this is an opportune time to talk about abiding.  There is a fair amount of abiding in the passage, but it doesn’t necessarily look like abiding.

God asks the people to circumcise themselves after crossing over into the Promised Land.  Think about this for a second.  Joshua is on the verge of war.  Yet he voluntarily takes his fighting men and circumcises them, essentially putting them out of fighting condition for no insignificant amount of time.  God puts Joshua in a position of forcing the Hebrew people to abide as they come into the Promised Land.  Joshua focuses them stop and realize that everything comes from the Lord.

Once the people are circumcised, God tells Joshua to hold the Passover feast.  On that day, they ate fruit of the land.  The manna stopped.  God is looking to the people and telling them that their time of abiding has come to an end.  It has been a good time for abiding in God’s provision.  But the coming days would bring about growth in the Lord and fruit under His power.

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Year 4, Day 189: Joshua 4

Theological Commentary: Click Here 

Discipleship Focus: Abide, Bear Fruit

• Abide: This is a moment, day, or even a season when we focus on God.  It is a time when we are rejuvenated by God.  It is the time for us to gather up what we will need for the coming growth after a season of pruning.  However, abiding is not the end.  We abide so that we can grow, bear fruit, prune, and abide again.
• Bear Fruit: We bear fruit after we grow.  Bearing fruit is ultimately the goal of abiding and the goal of being called into the Kingdom of God.  However, while bearing fruit is our calling, it is not the end.  We bear fruit so that we can then prune, abide, grow, and bear more fruit in another season.  Bearing fruit is not the end, but rather only a portion of the whole rhythm of life into which God has called us.

I think it would be easy for the Hebrew people to come through the Jordan and simply abide.  After all, wouldn’t crossing the Jordan be a great experience?  Imagine watching all the waters stop flowing.  Imagine knowing that they are held back while you see the ark in the middle of the river.  Imagine being present as you watch the laws of physics being twisted and perhaps even broken.  What an incredible moment.  How easy would it have been to stop and say, “Wow, we’ve arrived!”

God doesn’t let Joshua stay there.  For the record, Joshua doesn’t let the people stay there either.  Joshua looks to the people and says, “We’ve got a land to conquest.  Get some stones so that as we grow and spread through this land we can remember this day.  We may be in a spiritual moment of abiding, but we’ve got some growing to do.  We’re going to conquer this land and bear some spiritual fruit.  We’re going to declare to our children and our neighbors just how great this God is.”

Joshua understands the rhythm of life.  Life isn’t about finding a spiritual high and staying there.  Life is about understanding the cycle.  We abide in the spiritual moments.  We grow after abiding.  We bear fruit after growing.  We prune after bearing fruit.  We abide once more having completed the healthy rhythm of God’s calling.  Joshua gets it.  He doesn’t let the people stay forever in abiding.  He prepares them for the growth and fruit ahead.

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