today's meditation (Jdg.5) Personally Sing to the Lord

(Dear Lord Jesus, guide me and give me insight as I read and study Your word...)

(Judges 5:1-31) Then Deborah and Barak the son of Abinoam sang on that day, saying,

2 “For the leaders leading in Israel,
    For the people volunteering,
    Bless the Lord!
3  Hear, you kings; listen, you dignitaries!
    I myself—to the Lord, I myself will sing,
    I will sing praise to the Lord, the God of Israel!
4  Lord, when You went out from Seir,
    When You marched from the field of Edom,
    The earth quaked, the heavens also dripped,
    The clouds also dripped water.
5  The mountains flowed with water at the presence of the Lord,
    This Sinai, at the presence of the Lord, the God of Israel.

6 “In the days of Shamgar the son of Anath,
    In the days of Jael, the roads were deserted,
    And travelers went by roundabout ways.
7  The peasantry came to an end, they came to an end in Israel,
    Until I, Deborah, arose,
    Until I arose, a mother in Israel.
8  New gods were chosen;
    Then war was in the gates.
    Not a shield or a spear was seen 
    Among forty thousand in Israel.
9  My heart goes out to the commanders of Israel,
    The volunteers among the people;
    Bless the Lord!
10 You who ride on white donkeys,
    You who sit on rich carpets,
    And you who travel on the road—shout in praise!
11 At the sound of those who distribute water among the watering places,
    There they will recount the righteous deeds of the Lord,
    The righteous deeds for His peasantry in Israel.
    Then the people of the Lord went down to the gates.

12 “Awake, awake, Deborah;
    Awake, awake, sing a song!
    Arise, Barak, and lead away your captives, son of Abinoam.
13 Then survivors came down to the nobles;
    The people of the Lord came down to me as warriors.
14 From Ephraim those whose root is in Amalek came down,
    Following you, Benjamin, with your peoples;
    From Machir commanders came down,
    And from Zebulun those who wield the staff of office.
15 And the princes of Issachar were with Deborah;
    As was Issachar, so was Barak;
    Into the valley they rushed at his heels;
    Among the divisions of Reuben 
    There were great determinations of heart.
16 Why did you sit among the sheepfolds,
    To hear the piping for the flocks?
    Among the divisions of Reuben 
    There were great searchings of heart.
17 Gilead remained across the Jordan;
    And why did Dan stay on ships?
    Asher sat at the seashore,
    And remained by its landings.
18 Zebulun was a people who risked their lives,
    And Naphtali too, on the high places of the field.

19 “The kings came and fought;
    Then the kings of Canaan fought 
    At Taanach near the waters of Megiddo;
    They took no plunder in silver.
20 The stars fought from heaven,
    From their paths they fought against Sisera.
21 The torrent of Kishon swept them away,
    The ancient torrent, the torrent Kishon.
    My soul, march on with strength!
22 Then the horses’ hoofs beat 
    From the galloping, the galloping of his mighty stallions.
23 ‘Curse Meroz,’ said the angel of the Lord,
    ‘Utterly curse its inhabitants,
    Because they did not come to the help of the Lord,
    To the help of the Lord against the warriors.’

24 “Most blessed of women is Jael,
    The wife of Heber the Kenite;
    Most blessed is she of women in the tent.
25 He asked for water, she gave him milk;
    In a magnificent bowl she brought him curds.
26 She reached out her hand for the tent peg,
    And her right hand for the workmen’s hammer.
    Then she struck Sisera, she smashed his head;
    And she shattered and pierced his temple.
27 Between her feet he bowed, he fell, he lay;
    Between her feet he bowed, he fell;
    Where he bowed, there he fell dead.

28 “Out of the window she looked and wailed,
    The mother of Sisera through the lattice,
    ‘Why does his chariot delay in coming?
    Why do the hoofbeats of his chariots delay?’
29 Her wise princesses would answer her,
    Indeed she repeats her words to herself,
30 ‘Are they not finding, are they not dividing the spoils?
    A concubine, two concubines for every warrior;
    To Sisera a spoil of dyed cloth,
    A spoil of dyed cloth embroidered,
    Dyed cloth of double embroidery on the neck of the plunderer?’
31 May all Your enemies perish in this way, Lord;
    But may those who love Him be like the rising of the sun in its might.”

    And the land was at rest for forty years.

TODAY'S THOUGHTS AND MEDITATION:

The angels ("the stars" in heaven) did their part in fighting the battle against the enemies, and a lot of the Israelites stepped up to join in the battle.  At their victory, they sang praises.

Whether or not everyone joins in the battle, or joins in the praises, we should be searching and determining in our own hearts to personally join in serving, and join in the singing of praises to the Lord!  It is a personal decision to be on the Lord's side.  And we can be confident that strength, blessings and victory is found in Jesus!

today's mediation (Jdg.4) Stepping Up to Serve

(Dear Lord Jesus, guide me and give me insight as I read and study Your word...)

(Judges 4:1-24) Then the sons of Israel again did evil in the sight of the Lord, after Ehud died. 2 So the Lord sold them into the hand of Jabin king of Canaan, who reigned in Hazor; and the commander of his army was Sisera, who lived in Harosheth-hagoyim. 3 The sons of Israel cried out to the Lord; for he had nine hundred iron chariots, and he oppressed the sons of Israel severely for twenty years.

4 Now Deborah, a prophetess, the wife of Lappidoth, was judging Israel at that time. 5 She used to sit under the palm tree of Deborah between Ramah and Bethel in the hill country of Ephraim; and the sons of Israel went up to her for judgment. 6 Now she sent word and summoned Barak the son of Abinoam from Kedesh-naphtali, and said to him, “The Lord, the God of Israel, has indeed commanded, ‘Go and march to Mount Tabor, and take with you ten thousand men from the sons of Naphtali and from the sons of Zebulun. 7 I will draw out to you Sisera, the commander of Jabin’s army, with his chariots and his many troops to the river Kishon, and I will hand him over to you.’” 8 Then Barak said to her, “If you will go with me, then I will go; but if you will not go with me, I will not go.” 9 She said, “I will certainly go with you; however, the fame shall not be yours on the journey that you are about to take, for the Lord will sell Sisera into the hand of a woman.” Then Deborah got up and went with Barak to Kedesh. 10 Barak summoned Zebulun and Naphtali to Kedesh, and ten thousand men went up with him; Deborah also went up with him.

11 Now Heber the Kenite had separated himself from the Kenites, from the sons of Hobab the father-in-law of Moses, and had pitched his tent as far away as the oak in Zaanannim, which is near Kedesh.

12 Then they told Sisera that Barak the son of Abinoam had gone up to Mount Tabor. 13 Sisera summoned all his chariots, nine hundred iron chariots, and all the people who were with him, from Harosheth-hagoyim to the river Kishon. 14 Then Deborah said to Barak, “Arise! For this is the day on which the Lord has handed Sisera over to you; behold, the Lord has gone out before you.” So Barak went down from Mount Tabor with ten thousand men following him. 15 And the Lord routed Sisera and all his chariots and all his army with the edge of the sword before Barak; and Sisera got down from his chariot and fled on foot. 16 But Barak pursued the chariots and the army as far as Harosheth-hagoyim, and all the army of Sisera fell by the edge of the sword; not even one was left.

17 Now Sisera fled on foot to the tent of Jael the wife of Heber the Kenite, because there was peace between Jabin the king of Hazor and the house of Heber the Kenite. 18 And Jael went out to meet Sisera, and said to him, “Turn aside, my master, turn aside to me! Do not be afraid.” So he turned aside to her into the tent, and she covered him with a rug. 19 And he said to her, “Please give me a little water to drink, for I am thirsty.” So she opened a leather bottle of milk and gave him a drink; then she covered him. 20 And he said to her, “Stand in the doorway of the tent, and it shall be if anyone comes and inquires of you, and says, ‘Is there anyone here?’ that you shall say, ‘No.’” 21 But Jael, Heber’s wife, took a tent peg and a hammer in her hand, and went secretly to him and drove the peg into his temple, and it went through into the ground; for he was sound asleep and exhausted. So he died. 22 And behold, while Barak was pursuing Sisera, Jael came out to meet him and said to him, “Come, and I will show you the man whom you are seeking.” So he entered with her, and behold, Sisera was lying dead with the tent peg in his temple.

23 So God subdued Jabin the king of Canaan on that day before the sons of Israel. 24 And the hand of the sons of Israel pressed harder and harder upon Jabin the king of Canaan, until they had eliminated Jabin the king of Canaan.

TODAY'S THOUGHTS AND MEDITATION:

We can see from this scripture that God is not chauvinistic, as Deborah was not only a prophetess, but was also a judge over Israel.  This does not conflict with God telling us in His word that women should not be pastors over men.  We all are to step up and humbly use the gifts that God has given us to serve Him and each other.  

As spiritual leaders, men are to lead by example... NOT lording their positions over others.  Jesus made it very clear that the first shall be last and the last should be first...

(Matthew 20:25-28)  But Jesus called them (His disciples) to Himself and said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles domineer over them, and those in high position exercise authority over them. 26 It is not this way among you, but whoever wants to become prominent among you shall be your servant, 27 and whoever desires to be first among you shall be your slave; 28 just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many.”

today's meditation (Jdg.3) Being Tested

(Dear Lord Jesus, guide me and give me insight as I read and study Your word...)

(Judges 3:1-31) Now these are the nations that the Lord left, to test Israel by them (that is, all the Israelites who had not experienced any of the wars of Canaan; 2 only in order that the generations of the sons of Israel might be taught war, those who had not experienced it previously). 3 These nations are: the five governors of the Philistines and all the Canaanites and the Sidonians, and the Hivites who lived on Mount Lebanon, from Mount Baal-hermon as far as Lebo-hamath. 4 They were left to test Israel by them, to find out if they would obey the commandments of the Lord, which He had commanded their fathers through Moses. 5 The sons of Israel lived among the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites; 6 and they took their daughters for themselves as wives, and gave their own daughters to their sons, and served their gods.

7 So the sons of Israel did what was evil in the sight of the Lord, and they forgot the Lord their God and served the Baals and the Asheroth. 8 Then the anger of the Lord was kindled against Israel, so that He sold them into the hand of Cushan-rishathaim, king of Mesopotamia; and the sons of Israel served Cushan-rishathaim for eight years.

9 But the sons of Israel cried out to the Lord, and the Lord raised up a deliverer for the sons of Israel to set them free, Othniel the son of Kenaz, Caleb’s younger brother. 10 And the Spirit of the Lord came upon him, and he judged Israel. When he went to war, the Lord handed over to him Cushan-rishathaim king of Mesopotamia, so that he prevailed over Cushan-rishathaim. 11 Then the land was at rest for forty years. And Othniel the son of Kenaz died.

12 Now the sons of Israel again did evil in the sight of the Lord. So the Lord strengthened Eglon the king of Moab against Israel, because they had done evil in the sight of the Lord. 13 And he gathered to himself the sons of Ammon and Amalek; and he went and defeated Israel, and they took possession of the city of the palm trees. 14 And the sons of Israel served Eglon the king of Moab for eighteen years.

15 But when the sons of Israel cried out to the Lord, the Lord raised up a deliverer for them, Ehud the son of Gera, the Benjaminite, a left-handed man. And the sons of Israel sent tribute by him to Eglon the king of Moab. 16 Now Ehud made himself a sword which had two edges, a cubit in length, and he strapped it on his right thigh under his cloak. 17 Then he presented the tribute to Eglon king of Moab. Now Eglon was a very fat man. 18 And it came about, when he had finished presenting the tribute, that Ehud sent away the people who had carried the tribute. 19 But he himself turned back from the idols which were at Gilgal, and said, “I have a secret message for you, O king.” And the king said, “Silence!” And all who were attending him left him. 20 Then Ehud came to him while he was sitting in his cool roof chamber alone. And Ehud said, “I have a message from God for you.” And he got up from his seat. 21 Then Ehud reached out with his left hand and took the sword from his right thigh, and thrust it into his belly. 22 The hilt of the sword also went in after the blade, and the fat closed over the blade because he did not pull the sword out of his belly; and the refuse came out. 23 Then Ehud went out into the vestibule, and shut the doors of the roof chamber behind him, and locked them.

24 When he had left, the king’s servants came and looked, and behold, the doors of the roof chamber were locked; and they said, “Undoubtedly he is relieving himself in the cool room.” 25 So they waited until it would have been shameful to wait longer; but behold, he did not open the doors of the roof chamber. So they took the key and opened them, and behold, their master had fallen to the floor dead.

26 Now Ehud escaped while they were hesitating, and he passed by the idols and escaped to Seirah. 27 And when he arrived, he blew the trumpet in the hill country of Ephraim; and the sons of Israel went down with him from the hill country, and he was leading them. 28 Then he said to them, “Pursue them, for the Lord has handed your enemies the Moabites over to you.” So they went down after him and took control of the crossing places of the Jordan opposite Moab, and did not allow anyone to cross. 29 They struck and killed about ten thousand Moabites at that time, all robust and valiant men; and no one escaped. 30 So Moab was subdued that day under the hand of Israel. And the land was at rest for eighty years.

31 Now after him came Shamgar the son of Anath, who struck and killed six hundred Philistines with an oxgoad; and he also saved Israel.

TODAY'S THOUGHTS AND MEDITATION:

God not only tests us so that we can see how faithful He is, it is also for us to see how faithful we will be.  God knows how faithful we will or will not be, but it is important for us to see for ourselves.  If we struggle, then we'll realize how much more we need to lean on the Lord.  And when we "succeed", then we will have testimonies to share with others about how faithful God is!  

If we don't go through anything, how could we say that God is so faithful?  Therefore, to be tested also means that there has to be a trial.  There will be a challenge!  There has to be.  One cannot have a test without some degree of a challenge.  And the more "work" one does to prepare, the better one does in a test.

In preparation, it is helpful to have faithful people with us to judge, save and lead us, but people are only human, and they come and go.  Thankfully, Jesus is our perfect and eternal Judge, Savior and Leader.  So in order to prepare for challenges and in order to get through challenges, it is always about looking to Jesus every time, all the time!

 

today's meditation (Jdg.2:6-23) We Need God!

(Dear Lord Jesus, guide me and give me insight as I read and study Your word...)

(Judges 2:6-23)  When Joshua had dismissed the people, the sons of Israel went, each one to his inheritance, to take possession of the land. 7 The people served the Lord all the days of Joshua, and all the days of the elders who survived Joshua, who had seen all the great work of the Lord which He had done for Israel. 8 Then Joshua the son of Nun, the servant of the Lord, died at the age of 110. 9 And they buried him in the territory of his inheritance in Timnath-heres, in the hill country of Ephraim, north of Mount Gaash. 10 All that generation also were gathered to their fathers; and another generation rose up after them who did not know the Lord, nor even the work which He had done for Israel.

11 Then the sons of Israel did evil in the sight of the Lord and served the Baals, 12 and they abandoned the Lord, the God of their fathers, who had brought them out of the land of Egypt, and they followed other gods from the gods of the peoples who were around them, and bowed down to them; so they provoked the Lord to anger. 13 They abandoned the Lord and served Baal and the Ashtaroth. 14 Then the anger of the Lord burned against Israel, and He handed them over to plunderers, and they plundered them; and He sold them into the hands of their enemies around them, so that they could no longer stand against their enemies. 15 Wherever they went, the hand of the Lord was against them for evil, as the Lord had spoken and just as the Lord had sworn to them, so that they were severely distressed.

16 Then the Lord raised up judges who saved them from the hands of those who plundered them. 17 Yet they did not listen to their judges, for they committed infidelity with other gods and bowed down to them. They turned aside quickly from the way in which their fathers had walked in obeying the commandments of the Lord; they did not do the same as their fathers. 18 And when the Lord raised up judges for them, the Lord was with the judge and 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 tormented and oppressed them. 19 But it came about, when the judge died, that they would turn back and act more corruptly than their fathers, in following other gods to serve them and bow down to them; they did not abandon their practices or their obstinate ways. 20 So the anger of the Lord burned against Israel, and He said, “Because this nation has violated My covenant which I commanded their fathers, and has not listened to My voice, 21 I in turn will no longer drive out from them any of the nations which Joshua left when he died, 22 in order to test Israel by them, whether they will keep the way of the Lord to walk in it as their fathers did, or not.” 23 So the Lord allowed those nations to remain, not driving them out quickly; and He did not hand them over to Joshua.

TODAY'S THOUGHTS AND MEDITATION:

We live in a broken world - so we all need God!  Whether we have struggles as consequences because of our own sin, or whether we have struggles as a result of someone else's sin... the key is always to seek after God's will, and strive to be obedient in God's will.  

God will punish unbelievers, and will allow them to go through things as a wake up call for them to see their need for Him.  For believers (His children), He will discipline us when needed.  As well, He will give us tests, which remind us that we still need Him...

(Exodus 15:2)  The Lord is my strength and song, And He has become my salvation; This is my God, and I will praise Him; My father’s God, and I will exalt Him.

(2 Corinthians 12:9-10)  And He has said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness.” Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me.  Therefore I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in distresses, in persecutions, in difficulties, in behalf of Christ; for when I am weak, then I am strong.

today's meditation (Jdg.1:1-2:5) Giving Our Whole Heart

(Dear Lord Jesus, guide me and give me insight as I read and study Your word...)

(Judges 1:-36)  Now it came about after the death of Joshua that the sons of Israel inquired of the Lord, saying, “Who shall go up first for us against the Canaanites, to fight against them?” 2 The Lord said, “Judah shall go up; behold, I have handed the land over to him.” 3 Then Judah said to his brother Simeon, “Go up with me into the territory allotted me, and let’s fight the Canaanites; and I in turn will go with you into the territory allotted you.” So Simeon went with him. 4 Judah went up, and the Lord handed over to them the Canaanites and the Perizzites, and they defeated ten thousand men at Bezek. 5 They found Adoni-bezek in Bezek and fought against him, and they defeated the Canaanites and the Perizzites. 6 But Adoni-bezek fled; and they pursued him and caught him, and cut off his thumbs and big toes. 7 And Adoni-bezek said, “Seventy kings with their thumbs and their big toes cut off used to gather up scraps under my table; as I have done, so God has repaid me.” So they brought him to Jerusalem, and he died there.

8 Then the sons of Judah fought against Jerusalem and captured it, and struck it with the edge of the sword, and set the city on fire. 9 Afterward, the sons of Judah went down to fight against the Canaanites living in the hill country, and in the Negev, and in the lowland. 10 So Judah went against the Canaanites who lived in Hebron (the name of Hebron was previously Kiriath-arba); and they struck Sheshai, Ahiman, and Talmai.

11 Then from there he went against the inhabitants of Debir (the name of Debir was previously Kiriath-sepher). 12 And Caleb said, “Whoever attacks Kiriath-sepher and captures it, I will give him my daughter Achsah as a wife.” 13 Now Othniel the son of Kenaz, Caleb’s younger brother, captured it; so he gave him his daughter Achsah as a wife. 14 Then it happened that when she came to him, she incited him to ask her father for a field. Then later, she dismounted from her donkey, and Caleb said to her, “What do you want?” 15 She said to him, “Give me a blessing: since you have given me the land of the Negev, give me springs of water also.” So Caleb gave her the upper springs and the lower springs.

16 Now the descendants of the Kenite, Moses’ father-in-law, went up from the city of palms with the sons of Judah, to the wilderness of Judah which is in the south of Arad; and they went and lived with the people. 17 Then Judah went with his brother Simeon, and they struck the Canaanites living in Zephath, and utterly destroyed it. So the name of the city was called Hormah. 18 And Judah took Gaza with its territory, Ashkelon with its territory, and Ekron with its territory. 19 Now the Lord was with Judah, and they took possession of the hill country; but they could not drive out the inhabitants of the valley, because they had iron chariots. 20 Then they gave Hebron to Caleb, as Moses had promised; and he drove out from there the three sons of Anak. 21 But the sons of Benjamin did not drive out the Jebusites who lived in Jerusalem; so the Jebusites have lived with the sons of Benjamin in Jerusalem to this day.

22 Likewise the house of Joseph went up against Bethel, and the Lord was with them. 23 The house of Joseph had men spy out Bethel (the name of the city previously was Luz). 24 And the spies saw a man coming out of the city, and they said to him, “Please show us the entrance to the city, and we will treat you kindly.” 25 So he showed them the entrance to the city, and they struck the city with the edge of the sword, but they let the man and all his family go free. 26 Then the man went to the land of the Hittites and built a city, and named it Luz, which is its name to this day.

27 But Manasseh did not take possession of Beth-shean and its villages, or Taanach and its villages, or the inhabitants of Dor and its villages, or the inhabitants of Ibleam and its villages, or the inhabitants of Megiddo and its villages; so the Canaanites persisted in living in this land. 28 And it came about, when Israel became strong, that they put the Canaanites to forced labor; but they did not drive them out completely.

29 And Ephraim did not drive out the Canaanites who were living in Gezer; so the Canaanites lived in Gezer among them.

30 Zebulun did not drive out the inhabitants of Kitron, or the inhabitants of Nahalol; so the Canaanites lived among them and became subject to forced labor.

31 Asher did not drive out the inhabitants of Acco, or the inhabitants of Sidon, or of Ahlab, or of Achzib, Helbah, Aphik, or of Rehob. 32 So the Asherites lived among the Canaanites, the inhabitants of the land; for they did not drive them out.

33 Naphtali did not drive out the inhabitants of Beth-shemesh, or the inhabitants of Beth-anath, but lived among the Canaanites, the inhabitants of the land; and the inhabitants of Beth-shemesh and Beth-anath became forced labor for them.

34 Then the Amorites forced the sons of Dan into the hill country, for they did not allow them to come down to the valley; 35 yet the Amorites persisted in living on Mount Heres, in Aijalon and Shaalbim; but when the power of the house of Joseph grew strong, they became forced labor. 36 The border of the Amorites ran from the ascent of Akrabbim, from Sela and upward.

(Judges 2:1-5)  Now the angel of the Lord came up from Gilgal to Bochim. And He said, “I brought you up out of Egypt and led you into the land which I have sworn to your fathers; and I said, ‘I will never break My covenant with you, 2 and as for you, you shall not make a covenant with the inhabitants of this land; you shall tear down their altars.’ But you have not obeyed Me; what is this thing that you have done? 3 Therefore I also said, ‘I will not drive them out from you; but they will become like thorns in your sides, and their gods will be a snare to you.’” 4 Now when the angel of the Lord spoke these words to all the sons of Israel, the people raised their voices and wept. 5 So they named that place Bochim; and there they sacrificed to the Lord.

TODAY'S THOUGHTS AND MEDITATION:

When the Israelites inquired of the Lord about who should be first to go fight the Canaanites, the Lord answered that Judah should lead the way.  The Lord also said that He would hand over the land to Judah, giving them success in their battles... although the tribe of Judah ran into problems in the very last territory.  Meanwhile, most of the other tribes didn't even bother trying to rid their land of their enemies.  

So did God not hold up His end?  Well... when the Israelites had a face-to-face meeting with God (the angel of the Lord), we find out that not only did they allow the Canaanites to live among them, they also didn't rid their land of all the false religions and cult practices.

God does not honor those who are disobedient, and God was and is looking to bless the nation of Israel as a whole.  When you have "family members" who are not doing as they should, it impacts the entire family unit.  And even those, like the tribe of Judah, who are only obedient to a point will only be so and so effective.

Even as individuals, God wants our whole heart.  He wants us to trust Him wholly, in everything, meaning - when He says something, it means something!  We cannot just pick and choose which advice we want to follow.  And because it is all too easy to do this, it is important to always be evaluating our hearts - to see what things need to go, and what things need changing in our lives.

today's meditation (Jsh.24) Looking Back to Move Forward

(Dear Lord Jesus, guide me and give me insight as I read and study Your word...)

(Joshua 24:1-33)   Then Joshua gathered all the tribes of Israel at Shechem, and called for the elders of Israel, their heads, their judges, and their officers; and they presented themselves before God. 2 Joshua said to all the people, “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel says: ‘From ancient times your fathers lived beyond the Euphrates River, namely, Terah, the father of Abraham and the father of Nahor, and they served other gods. 3 Then I took your father Abraham from beyond the Euphrates River and led him through all the land of Canaan, and multiplied his descendants and gave him Isaac. 4 To Isaac I gave Jacob and Esau, and to Esau I gave Mount Seir, to possess it; but Jacob and his sons went down to Egypt. 5 Then I sent Moses and Aaron, and I plagued Egypt by what I did in its midst; and afterward I brought you out. 6 So I brought your fathers out of Egypt, and you came to the sea; and Egypt pursued your fathers with chariots and horsemen to the Red Sea. 7 But when they cried out to the Lord, He put darkness between you and the Egyptians, and brought the sea upon them and covered them; and your own eyes saw what I did in Egypt. And you lived in the wilderness for a long time. 8 Then I brought you into the land of the Amorites, who lived beyond the Jordan, and they fought with you; but I handed them over to you, and you took possession of their land when I eliminated them before you. 9 Then Balak the son of Zippor, king of Moab, rose up and fought against Israel, and he sent messengers and summoned Balaam the son of Beor to curse you. 10 But I was not willing to listen to Balaam. So he had to bless you, and I saved you from his hand. 11 You crossed the Jordan and came to Jericho; and the citizens of Jericho fought against you, and the Amorite, the Perizzite, the Canaanite, the Hittite, the Girgashite, the Hivite, and the Jebusite. Therefore I handed them over to you. 12 Then I sent the hornet before you and it drove out the two kings of the Amorites from you—not by your sword nor your bow. 13 And I gave you a land on which you had not labored, and cities which you had not built, and you have lived in them; you are eating of vineyards and olive groves which you did not plant.’

14 “Now, therefore, fear the Lord and serve Him in sincerity and truth; and do away with the gods which your fathers served beyond the Euphrates River and in Egypt, and serve the Lord. 15 But if it is disagreeable in your sight to serve the Lord, choose for yourselves today whom you will serve: whether the gods which your fathers served, which were beyond the Euphrates River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you are living; but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”

16 The people answered and said, “Far be it from us that we would abandon the Lord to serve other gods; 17 for the Lord our God is He who brought us and our fathers up out of the land of Egypt, from the house of slaves, and did these great signs in our sight and watched over us through all the way in which we went and among all the peoples through whose midst we passed. 18 The Lord drove out from before us all the peoples, even the Amorites who lived in the land. We also will serve the Lord, for He is our God.”

19 Then Joshua said to the people, “You will not be able to serve the Lord, for He is a holy God. He is a jealous God; He will not forgive your wrongdoing or your sins. 20 If you abandon the Lord and serve foreign gods, then He will turn and do you harm and destroy you after He has done good to you.” 21 And the people said to Joshua, “No, but we will serve the Lord.” 22 So Joshua said to the people, “You are witnesses against yourselves that you have chosen for yourselves the Lord, to serve Him.” And they said, “We are witnesses.” 23 “Now then, do away with the foreign gods which are in your midst, and incline your hearts to the Lord, the God of Israel.” 24 And the people said to Joshua, “We will serve the Lord our God and obey His voice.” 25 So Joshua made a covenant with the people that day, and made for them a statute and an ordinance in Shechem. 26 And Joshua wrote these words in the Book of the Law of God; and he took a large stone and set it up there under the oak that was by the sanctuary of the Lord. 27 Then Joshua said to all the people, “Behold, this stone shall be a witness against us, because it has heard all the words of the Lord which He spoke to us; so it shall be a witness against you, so that you do not deny your God.” 28 Then Joshua dismissed the people, each to his inheritance.

29 Now it came about after these things that Joshua the son of Nun, the servant of the Lord, died, being 110 years old. 30 And they buried him in the territory of his inheritance, in Timnath-serah, which is in the hill country of Ephraim, on the north of Mount Gaash.

31 Israel served the Lord all the days of Joshua and all the days of the elders who survived Joshua, and had known every deed of the Lord which He had done for Israel.

32 Now they buried the bones of Joseph, which the sons of Israel brought up from Egypt, at Shechem, in the plot of land which Jacob had bought from the sons of Hamor the father of Shechem for a hundred pieces of money; and they became the inheritance of Joseph’s sons. 33 And Eleazar the son of Aaron died; and they buried him at Gibeah, the town of his son Phinehas, which was given to him in the hill country of Ephraim.

TODAY'S THOUGHTS AND MEDITATION:

As the Israelites were about to start a new chapter in their lives, they were reminded of everything the Lord had done for them.  They were also reminded of their past struggles, and how God turns that around when they turn back to Him.  So because God is faithful, and because God desires to bless them, they were encouraged to continue doing away with sin, and encouraged to continue serving and obeying the Lord.  

As we enter a new year, let us not look at this simply as a fresh new start.  Let us not ignore the struggles that we've had, but let us deal with them in God's will, and learn from that.  As well, let us remember and build on God's goodness and blessings as we move forward, serving and obeying the Lord.