One Year Bible and Commentary for Saturday, April 16th
Click Here to LIsten to the Readings
Click Here to Listen to Joshua 13-14
Joshua had conquered 31 kings and been obedient to the Lord at every turn. Now that he was getting old the Lord gave him a preview of the remained land that needed to be taken. Again we see that though the Israelites acted in obedience, it was the Lord who did the "heavy lifting".
“I myself will drive these people out of the land ahead of the Israelites. So be sure to give this land to Israel as a special possession, just as I have commanded you." 31:6
The tribes of Reuben and Gad and the other 1/2 tribe of Manasseh were given the land they conquered east of the Jordan, as previously agreed to. And the Levites, though they didn't not inherit anything, were given the Lord as their inheritance. I would say they ended up in pretty good shape.
Instead, the Levites had as their inheritance the offerings that Israel would bring to the LORD. These were their “financial security” in Israel. - Guzik
You might say pastors today receive their inheritance from the Lord too, as most are paid out the sacrificial giving and tithing from the congregation. I can say as a pastor of 25 years that the churches I have served have always provided with me enough of a salary to make a decent living, and I am grateful for that. I know not every pastor isn't blessed like I have been.
Chapter 14 is a review of the land the remaining nine and half tribes split up as directed by Joshua, Eleazar, the priest, and the heads of the tribes of Istael. At the end of the chapter, Caleb approaches Joshua with a specfic request for land pursuant to the promise Moses gave him. He was only of two spies out of 12 who came back with a positive report and a trust in the Lord that they "could take this land!" The other spies spread rumors and caused fear in the camp.
Who was the other spy? None other than Joshua. Here are some good words to describe the type of man Caleb was. He is great model of strength, courage, boldness and complete trust in God's promises.
Caleb calls Joshua back to the promise Moses made in Deuteronomy 1:35-36. When Caleb says I wholly followed the LORD my God, he isn’t being proud – he is just quoting what Moses had said about him. We should imitate Caleb’s boldness in asking for what God promised him. We may find it hard to believe, but God appreciates this kind of boldness. What if all of Israel had the heart of Caleb? What if no one in Israel had the heart of Caleb? Again, Caleb’s secret is clear: he wholly followed the LORD God of Israel. There was a total commitment in Caleb’s life. - Guzik
Parable of the Persistent Widow
One of the most frequently asked questions is, "Why isn't God answering my prayer?" Of course, there are no easy answers, but this parable does give us insight on how God views prayer. The parable Jesus tells is about an unjust judge who often neglects the principles of fairness. But in this case a widow kept on harassing him over and over to the point where he said, "Though I don't fear God because this woman will not stop driving me crazy I will give her justice."
But God is not like the unjust judge for two reasons. One, he does care about those who cry for justice. Throughout the scripture, we see God has a huge heart for orphans, widows and those born with diseases. If the unjust judge has mercy only because he is tired out by the woman's begging, how much more will the God of mercy and love give justice to his chosen ones.
Note sometimes we might not see this justice on earth, or sometimes it takes a longer time than we wish, but justice delayed is not justice denied.
Parable of the Pharisee and Tax Collector
Jesus compares a self righteous Pharisees with a repentant tax collector. On the surface one might think the religious Pharisees was the righteous one is God's eyes, and the tax collector was a lowly sinner. But Jesus turns this perception upside down. What was the Pharisee's issue? Instead of looking in the mirror at his own self righteousness (which God hates as much as anything), he compares himself to a garden variety of sinners ... adulterers, cheaters, sinners and yes this tax collector.
But Jesus sees it differently. He sees two sinners, equally sinful in God's sight. One realizes his sin and cries out to God to have mercy on him. The Pharisee is too busy judging others to experience any remorse over his own sin. The tax collector went home forgiven and in a right relationship with God. The Pharisee couldn't receive mercy for his sin, because he did not realize he needed and thus did not ask for it.
Jesus Blesses the Children
Sometimes we think children are a nuisance in church. The little ones may cry. The young ones may be squirrely. But when anyone complains I say, 'Yeah but isn't it great we have young people in the church!" Some churches are old and dying and would love to have a few young people around.
If you like kids in church you are in good company, because Jesus loved little children. In fact, he loved them so much he said to them that to such as these belongs to the kingdom. Wow! Why to children? Because like the tax collector, they are humble and trusting. They trust those in God until they are given a reason not to!
Do you welcome kids to your church? Do you help young parents with their kids at church and pray for them? Do you offer young parents resources to help them parent "God's way"?
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