ESV Chronological Plan, Day 91 | 1 Samuel 9-11

LOOK | WHAT DOES IT SAY?

Read 1 Samuel 9:1-11:15

THINK | WHAT DOES IT MEAN?

Worrying signs for Saul, in the details. The commentators Fix and Vannoy, having taken some time to go through the text more slowly, see a number of worrying signs about Saul's character right from the start. Their comments are worth posting here at length: 

Despite Saul’s dashing good looks, his character comes into question as the story unfolds in both subtle and not-so-subtle ways. In the Ancient Near East, good kings were likened to shepherds (e.g. Hammurabi’s prologue), which is how we’ll meet David—keeping his father’s sheep (16:11). Furthermore, Israelite kings were forbidden from amassing horses (Hebrew susim; Deut 17:16). Though somewhat ambiguously, Saul’s character comes into question, as he not only comes from a family who is amassing donkeys (ʾatonot), but he also seems to be failing to “keep” them well. In fact, there may be a subtle indication that Saul is “lying about,” as his father has to go to him and tell him to “get up, go look for the donkeys” (1Sam 9:3), a job he doesn’t trust him to do alone (“take one of the young men with you”). It is not clear where Saul and his servant traverse, but it seems that they did not go too far before Saul was ready to give up out of “concern” for his father’s worry about him (9:5). It is no surprise that his servant knows of Samuel’s residence at Ramah (3:20; 7:15–17), but the fact that he has to inform Saul may further imply Saul’s lack of spiritual life, especially given Samuel’s “renown” (from Hebrew kbd) in Israel (9:6). Saul’s lack of ability to lead is further highlighted in his inability to problem-solve their situation, as he needed to be told of Samuel and then slowly persuaded to go to him by Kish’s nameless servant who even offers to pay for Samuel’s help with his own money (9:6–10)... Though some see Saul’s humble disclaimer (9:21) as genuine, in context it appears to be false humility given his good pedigree introduced in the opening of the narrative (9:1–2), and this may be confirmed by his not protesting his royal treatment at the feast (9:22–24). However he got to bed, Saul’s willingness to lay about sleeping seems to be highlighted by the need for Samuel to call up to Saul on the roof, and like Saul’s father in 9:3 he has to tell him to “get up” (9:26).8 As we meet Saul here in chapter 9, his characterization sets forth a stark contrast with the coming “king after the Lord’s heart” in David (13:14), who will better foreshadow the true Shepherd King of Israel, Jesus Christ.

Still, even with these things being true, Saul starts off well. He scores a major military victory and gives credit to the Lord, and he seems to be genuinely humble as he is still working his field after being selected as king. He is merciful towards those who insult him. He inspires his people. What we see is a figure who appears to be a genuinely good king... except Saul continues to have significant character issues which repeatedly pop up. In his own leadership he fears the people and does not fulfill his responsibilities to the Lord; and in his relationship with David we will later find him to be a mad king, wild with growing jealousy.

How many of us have significant character issues that, if they had the opportunity to be expressed, would be as damaging or more damaging than Saul's? Imagine you had to write an autobiography of The Rise and Fall of (Insert Your Name Here). What part of your story, currently, would make sense as the beginning root of that fall? These would be important things to begin to deal with now. Saul did not become a bad king overnight; he merely had some character flaws that finally had a chance to be expressed.

DO | HOW DO WE RESPOND?

How can we respond in our worship, attitude, and actions? IN OUR ACTIONS we can ask a few trusted people, known for their honesty and bluntness, to give us their feedback about troubling issues that they see with our character. Things that may not be a problem now, but that you need to watch out for. Rather than becoming defensive, write those bits of feedback down. Then ask a second person. Then a third. Start with any common areas of concern and then work from there. You might be glad, when you have larger responsibilities or a bigger platform, that you did this kind of work now.

PRAY | HOW DOES THIS BRING US TO GOD?

Whether in response to anything pointed out here, or to something else in your Bible reading time, take a few moments before you close up your Bible to pray in response to God. If you need a format for prayer, both the ACTS, CALL, and PRAY methods are helpful ways to stay consistent.

-Sean

ESV Chronological Plan, Day 90 | 1 Samuel 7-8

LOOK | WHAT DOES IT SAY?

Read 1 Samuel 7:2-8:22

THINK | WHAT DOES IT MEAN?

The problem with kings--right as we're finally about to get one. 

From Genesis up until now, there has been a consistent thread that shows God's plan for a Promised Deliverer from the line of Judah, who will reign as king over his people. Then throughout the book of Judges, we saw that for nearly 400 years the nation was divided and wayward because they did not have such a king. The book of Ruth then showed the story of how God was watching over the line that would eventually produce God's chosen king, from the line of Judah, to rule over the people. But then, all of a sudden, these chapters show us the problem with kings. There are two problems that are shown to us: (1) Like Eli and Samuel, other godly leaders and kings may have children who do not follow in their ways, and who may become corrupt rulers. (2) A human king, to secure himself and safeguard his administration, will take from the people to further his own ends. He will take the peoples' sons, daughters, produce, servants, and flocks, and put them to use--he will provide stability, but the costs of supporting his administration will be significant, even if he is a good ruler. 

It's interesting to look at this. We're about to get David, who seems to finally be the Promised Deliverer. But the narrative is already getting us ready to see that even David has problems. Because David will die, and leave his kingdom to less godly leaders. And David is just a man whose administration has the same drawbacks as anyone else's. And, as we will find out in the coming chapters, David is also a broken and sinful man in need of someone greater to deliver him. Something more is needed.

We need one from the line of Adam, Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Judah, and David who will not die, and who has no need of anything. We need him to be something greater than a man (like David) who is after God's own heart. We need someone who will not be overwhelmed by the darkness of sin as David was, but who can be a light in the midst of that darkness, to bring us to the light. We need the true and better David--Jesus, the Messiah, the Rescuer, God-man, the true and rightful King.

DO | HOW DO WE RESPOND?

How can we respond in our worship, attitude, and actions? IN OUR WORSHIP we can look to Jesus, who does what nothing else in the Old Testament narrative has done up until now. We can't get rid of all the bad people as in the Flood, because we are all touched by brokenness. We can't just wait for a better method or system of rules to follow, or Moses' law would have done the trick. We can't hope for the will of the people and decentralized government to act as checks and balances against corruption, otherwise the time of the Judges would have been peace on earth. And here we are finding out that we can't simply wait for a good human ruler either, because they will die or be tempted to lose their way. We are finding out that the solution to our brokenness, and the state of the world, can only be for God himself to come and to rule as King in our midst. And so in our worship, we can pray and long for him to do so. And we can start by allowing God to rule in us, in our hearts, and in our midst.

PRAY | HOW DOES THIS BRING US TO GOD?

Whether in response to anything pointed out here, or to something else in your Bible reading time, take a few moments before you close up your Bible to pray in response to God. If you need a format for prayer, both the ACTS (Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving, Supplication), CALL (Confess, Ask, Love, Listen), and PRAY (Praise, Repent, Ask, Yield) methods are helpful ways to stay consistent.

-Sean

ESV Chronological Plan, Day 89 | Judges 14-16

LOOK | WHAT DOES IT SAY?

Read Judges 14:1-16:31

THINK | WHAT DOES IT MEAN?

Put emotions in their proper place. Throughout the account of Samson, we see someone who is passionate and fiery, who goes with the flow and does what he feels in the moment--a description that these days, we find troubling when applied to a man, and empowering when applied to a woman. But the truth is that for both men and women, for all Christians alike, Samson's story is a cautionary tale. The person who reacts out of hot anger, falls madly in love at first sight, satisfies their urges whenever they have them, reveals sensitive information to get people off his back, shoves people away and becomes bitter when they don't respond to him afterwards, wanders the land without commitments like a free spirit, and likes to blow off steam by picking a good fight--these are all character traits of Samson's, and all of them are negative things that need to be avoided. Emotions are God-given parts of our humanity that deserve to be acknowledged in their proper place. But we don't live out of our emotions. We live out of what God has revealed to us, what he's shown us, and what we know to be right. Then we lean into the way of life that we have chosen, with all of our emotions and passion and excitement. We can celebrate, laugh, love, and wonder better than Samson could ever dream of! But we don't lead ourselves out of our eyes, our stomache, or our hearts--we follow God first, and then we let all those other things come in afterwards.

DO | HOW DO WE RESPOND?

How can we respond in our worship, attitude, and actions? IN OUR ATTITUDES we might respond to this reading by being a little more reflective, choosing not to say or do what we feel in the moment, but first seeking the Lord. However, emotions are a big part of who we are. Once we know the direction that God is pointing us in, we should enjoy that with all the emotion and passion that God has given us.

PRAY | HOW DOES THIS BRING US TO GOD?

Whether in response to anything pointed out here, or to something else in your Bible reading time, take a few moments before you close up your Bible to pray in response to God. If you need a format for prayer, both the ACTS (Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving, Supplication), CALL (Confess, Ask, Love, Listen), and PRAY (Praise, Repent, Ask, Yield) methods are helpful ways to stay consistent.

-Sean

ESV Chronological Plan, Day 88 | Judges 19-21, 12-13

LOOK | WHAT DOES IT SAY?

Read Judges 19:1-21:25 and 12:8-13:25

THINK | WHAT DOES IT MEAN?

The chronology seems a little strange here. One of the parenthetical remarks in Judges 20:27 says that Phinehas the son of Eleazar was the High Priest at this time--this reflects a time not long after the wilderness journeys had been concluded, and is obviously much earlier in Israel's history than the "300 years" between the conquering of the land and the time of Jephthah that we saw in previously in Day #86. Steinmann seems to have made some kind of mistake here.

They did what they thought was the right thing. One interesting thing to me is the constant refrain, repeated after the most horrible episodes in Judges, that the people were doing what they thought was right. The absolute worst things in the entire book of Judges were done by people who were trying to be moral. Isn't that horrible? Jephthah's tragic sacrifice of his daughter was based on what he culturally believed was the right thing to do. The leaders' convoluted decision-making, which resulted in the "best solution" being to slaughter an innocent village and abduct their daughters in order to provide wives for the wicked people of Benjamin, was similarly tragic. If they continued on this way, they would have eventually killed the whole project of Israel on their own, and the epitaph on their national tombstone would have been, "they were trying to do the right thing." This is what the result is for us every time that we try to proceed from something other than the Word of God which he has given to us. We do not have the wisdom apart from God that we think we do. Knowing this should make us, as a group, a "Bible people"--people who put a premium on seeking God through accurate knowledge of his Word (worship through learning), putting what he has revealed into action (worship through morality), and then thanking him for his guidance (worship through experience)--with all of these put together, all defined by God, and not by us. This is how we find God's blessing: by seeking a tombstone that says "he sought the Lord all his days," instead of one that says "they were trying to do the right thing."

"We shall surely die, for we have seen God" (the Angel of the LORD). In Judges 13, the identity of the stranger is slowly revealed. First he comes as a "man of God." Then we are told that he is "the angel of the LORD." Then when asked, he says that his name is "too wonderful" to speak--which is strange, because we know the names of at least two biblical angels, those being Michael and Gabriel. Something is going on here. Finally when he goes up with the flames to heaven, those who see him announce that "we have seen God" and that the man/angel is to be identified as "the LORD... [who] announced to us such things as these" (Judges 13:22-25). The text allows this identification to stand, and provides no corrective comment asserting the contrary. This means that not only did Manoah and his wife think that God physically appeared to them as a man, but so (apparently) did the final author/editor of the book of Judges. This is the one who is with God (distinct from him), and yet mysteriously is God (identified as him), who many years later would eventually "become flesh and dwell among us" (John 1:14). GotQuestions.org states that "The precise identity of the 'angel of the Lord' is not given in the Bible. However, there are many important 'clues' to his identity. There are Old and New Testament references to 'angels of the Lord,' 'an angel of the Lord,' and 'the angel of the Lord.' It seems when the definite article 'the' is used, it is specifying a unique being, separate from the other angels. The angel of the Lord speaks as God, identifies Himself with God, and exercises the responsibilities of God." How this works would eventually give rise within Judaism to "two powers" or "Jewish binitarian" theology in the time before Jesus, and within the Christian Scriptures would become the foundation for the doctrine of the Trinity. He is present, not just in the pages of the New Testament, but also pops up and makes appearances throughout the Old Testament as well.

DO | HOW DO WE RESPOND?

How can we respond in our worship, attitude, and actions? IN OUR WORSHIP this reading should cause us to turn to God and seek his wisdom, his presence, his blessing, and his Word. Let's not just merely settle for doing whatever we think is best. Let's seek the Lord together.

PRAY | HOW DOES THIS BRING US TO GOD?

Whether in response to anything pointed out here, or to something else in your Bible reading time, take a few moments before you close up your Bible to pray in response to God. If you need a format for prayer, both the ACTS, CALL, and PRAY methods are helpful ways to stay consistent.

-Sean

ESV Chronological Plan, Day 87 | 1 Samuel 4-6

LOOK | WHAT DOES IT SAY?

Read 1 Samuel 4:2-7:1

THINK | WHAT DOES IT MEAN?

God is sovereign; he will not be controlled by us. In 1 Samuel 4-6, I see an attempt by a spiritually confused people to try to summon God and get him on side with their plans. But don't we still do this today? So often, we relate to God as if we have a contract, dictated by us, under which God is supposed to to render physical and spiritual blessings in return for some form of worship to be determined by us (moral worship, conditioned by our own personal or cultural standards, if we are fairly conscientious people; emotional worship, centered around the music, art, geography, and expressions that we connect to best, if we tend to lean more towards the experiential; worship through study and learning, if we prefer to pull things apart and put them back together, the final form of which will be determined by us and what we find sensible). We determine what battles God should bless, and then we haul our own personal emblem of God's iron-bound duty to us -whether that be our Greek Bible, our church tax receipt, or our tambourine- onto that battle field and expect God to do what we require. But God is sovereign. God is self-determining. God sees more than you and me. God will not be contained in a box, or summoned by us. He will show himself to be God in allowing our defeat for trying such a thing, and then he alone will win the day over the forces of Satan, sin, death, and hell, in ways that will show that he alone is mighty to save. This is what he does in the reading above. It shows us that God will indeed win the battle, but not on our behalf, when we insist on setting the terms. So let's come to God in humility, with a posture of submission based on a foundation of trust. When we acknowledge God as sovereign -as King- we will see him move forward, with us following in his trail, to see him do more than we would have ever even thought to ask.

DO | HOW DO WE RESPOND?

How can we respond in our worship, attitude, and actions? IN OUR WORSHIP this reading shows me how completely in control of things God is, even when we don't see that in real time. In the world of the Israelites, they probably thought that God had lost: after all, he didn't come through by fighting their battle for them. The truth is, God was more victorious than they ever imagined: in time God would show himself to be miraculously victorious over Israel's enemies and oppressors--and victorious over Israel as well.

PRAY | HOW DOES THIS BRING US TO GOD?

Whether in response to anything pointed out here, or to something else in your Bible reading time, take a few moments before you close up your Bible to pray in response to God. If you need a format for prayer, both the ACTS, CALL, and PRAY methods are helpful ways to stay consistent.

-Sean

ESV Chronological Plan, Day 86 | Judges 10-12

LOOK | WHAT DOES IT SAY?

Read Judges 10:6-12:7

THINK | WHAT DOES IT MEAN?

Piecing together the story of Israel's wandering from God. It seems noteworthy that during the time when the priesthood was corrupt (see yesterday's reading in 1 Samuel 1-4) and around the time when King Jerubbaal and his men were leading Israel into idolatry (Judges 8:27), in that context "the people of Israel again did what was evil in the sight of the LORD and served the Baals and the Ashtaroth" (Judges 10:6). I can understand why they wandered in the context of that kind of spiritual climate at that time in history. By this time it had been over 300 years (Judges 11:26) since Israel had entered into the Promised Land--which is a very long time; it's almost twice as long as Canada has been a country all the way from its beginning up until our own time. But alongside all the religious corruption, there had been no Promised Deliverer, no final victory over the people of Canaan, no king from the line of Judah, and for the people it might have been thinking, "so, is this all there is?" about the Promised Land. They had grown to forget the troubles of slavery, and had reached dissatisfaction, and in the context of a broken religious system that did not reflect God's wishes -they did not know that God was actively dealing with the corruption at the heart of it, or that he was slowly raising up the family of the coming King- they wandered. A couple of things: (1) What we're seeing here is some of the downstream impact of the decisions of Jerubbaal, Hophni, and Phinehas--when we see the spiritual impact that their actions had on the people, it becomes clearer why God dealt with them, noticeably, as he did. (2) The responsibility is not solely on the bad leaders, though. God holds the people personally accountable for their actions regardless of what other factors are involved (Judges 10:10-14). We might share the blame when we do wrong, but though we might be able to justifiably spread the blame, that does not mean that God considers it any more diminished in our own case.

In the absence of God, unity breaks down. It is during this time of religious breakdown that Israel fights its first real, protracted civil war. There had been close calls before which had always been averted by a shared unity around an identity of being God's people. But now when that bond is the weakest we see the ambitious Ephraimites, jealous for their own glory, going to war with the people of Gilead, leading to a death toll that was in the tens of thousands. When we lose our unity around God, we begin to compete with each other for the glory that should belong to God, or which can only be given by God. We compete with and battle against one another, and fight battles of personality over who gets the most recognition or whose authority should be the most respected. Without the Lord, God's people -all people- are a people divided.

In the absence of God, what makes sense to man ruins many lives. There are many decisions in today's reading, and throughout the book of Judges (as well as beyond), which demonstrate unbelievable decisions that made sense to people who weren't working with God's Word. Jephthah's decision to maintain his integrity and morality by burning his daughter alive is high up there on the list--there is a certain amount of inspiration because of the dedication of both Jephthah and his daughter to attempt to honor the Lord, but it is mixed with sadness and horror combined with the knowledge that this was an abomination that God never wanted.

DO | HOW DO WE RESPOND?

How can we respond in our worship, attitude, and actions? IN OUR ATTITUDES I think that this chapter helps to illustrate pretty well what is also true in our own day. There have been some things in North American Christianity that have led a whole generation to walk away from Christianity as a bunch of controlling nonsense used by people in power, who don't apply its commands to themselves, regarding a God who hasn't done anything interesting lately (unless, like in the days of the Judges, you happen to take the time to look). The result is a fracturing of society, socially and morally, and a sense of restlessness and anxiety as people wander around aimlessly and try to do the best they can with the insight that they have. What is the solution? It's to return to God, regardless of what might be done by people who seem to be his major representatives (like Eli and his sons, God is likely dealing with the modern equivalents in ways you and I can't see). As we come closer to him, he brings us closer to each other as well. As we seek him, he gives us wisdom that is better than our own. It all starts with leaning in to God and casting our cares on him.

PRAY | HOW DOES THIS BRING US TO GOD?

Whether in response to anything pointed out here, or to something else in your Bible reading time, take a few moments before you close up your Bible to pray in response to God. If you need a format for prayer, both the ACTS, CALL, and PRAY methods are helpful ways to stay consistent.

-Sean

ESV Chronological Plan, Day 85 | 1 Samuel 1-4

LOOK | WHAT DOES IT SAY?

Read 1 Samuel 1:1-4:1

THINK | WHAT DOES IT MEAN?

The value of reading chronologically. There are a lot of ways to read through the Bible in a year, and each of them brings out something a little bit different. It's good to mix it up each year because each plan will help you see different things. Reading canonically (from Genesis straight through to Revelation, in order) will give you the chance to form a little bit of a relationship with each book of the Bible at a time as you walk through the plan. It will also keep you from bouncing around between genres too much; it will give you most of the history first, then the devotionally rich wisdom books, then the more difficult to understand prophets, and then finally the New Testament Gospels, Acts, and Letters (and Revelation, whose final chapters are a fantastic send-off). You could also go through a themed plan that will generally try to break up the Old Testament, with some New Testament material stuck in between. This keeps you from having to go 2/3rds of the year before you get to the Gospels. I like this, and I have my own plan that usually starts with Mark, goes into the Torah (Genesis-Deuteronomy), uses that material to help us understand Hebrews and Matthew, goes back into the Old Testament histories, then hits the four major prophets before jumping into Revelation, the Gospel of John, and John's letters, then finishes up the minor prophets before hitting Luke and Acts (with the rest of the New Testament letters inserted or coming afterwards, chronologically). There is also a great value to doing what we are doing here, reading the Bible chronologically. In this plan, we are starting to see how different events relate to each other in a way that we wouldn't understand any other way. So the idolatrous and fratricidal legacy of the maniacal King Jerubbaal (otherwise known as Gideon!) and his son -who he named "my daddy's the king!" Abimelech- in Judges sets the stage for the love story of Ruth, through which God is slowly bringing to fruition the bloodline of his chosen King, the initial representation of which will be David who will be raised up by Samuel, who we are just now meeting in 1 Samuel, which will bring an end to the leaderless days in which "everyone did what was  right in his own eyes, for there was no king in Israel" (Judges 17:6). Doesn't that just enrich the story in an entirely different way from what you normally get? Then when we jump back into some of the really dark stories ahead in Judges, we'll read them in a different way knowing that God is already at work at this time getting people ready for David. This format will also be very helpful for putting the prophets and their ministries in context, which Steinmann's chronological Bible reading plan does better than any of the other ones, as well as giving us a fuller picture with information from all the Gospels of Jesus' earthly ministry and the situations that gave rise to Paul's letters.

Eli breaks my heart. To me, Eli is the most tragic out of all of the people in the Bible, because he falls under the clear judgment of God even though it is clear that he loves the Lord very much. But after Eli rebukes his sons for their awful corruption (1 Samuel 2:22-25), God confronts him for still being too "hands off" in dealing with his sons, saying "you scorn my sacrifices... and honor your sons above me... those who despise me shall be lightly esteemed... [so] the days are coming when I will cut off your strength and the strength of your father's house, so that there will not be an old man in your house... in distress you will look with an envious eye on all the prosperity that shall be bestowed on Israel, and there shall not be an old man in your house forever. The only one of you whom I shall not cut off from my altar shall be spared to weep his eyes out to grieve his heart, and all the descendants of your house shall die by the sword of men" (1 Samuel 2:29-33). So, this is not just a light sort of judgment. In fact, the text goes on to imply that the surviving line of Eli's house will not only universally die young, but that they shall be continually despised and impoverished. And Eli, because he loves the Lord, humbly accepts this judgment: "It is the LORD. Let him do what seems good to him" (1 Samuel 3:18). Why is the judgment so severe on someone who clearly loved the Lord so much? Because Eli, as the high priest, had the authority to deal with his sons in the manner that was appropriate for two corrupt, sexually predatorial, thieving, abusive leaders who were (under their father) occupying the highest office in the land--the sentence was death, which would have been personally painful for him. It also likely would have wiped out his own blood line, and necessitated adopting someone to raise up in their place--someone like Samuel, who God had already provided. (1 Chronicles 6:16-29 already considers Samuel, descended from the tribe of Ephraim, to be a Levite based on his relationship with Eli.) But Eli, in not dealing with the situation for personal reasons, showed in his actions that despite his deep love for God, in practice he valued his sons, and his own continued family name, above the wellbeing of the people and above the name of God. I think there's a good caution here for leaders in the church, and for parents, and for anyone in significant areas of responsibility--God will not hold those guiltless who turn a blind eye to the evil done by others, especially when they are in the position to do something about it.

DO | HOW DO WE RESPOND?

How can we respond in our worship, attitude, and actions? IN OUR ATTITUDES I think that the first reflection would give us more of a hunger to read through the Bible, not just once but many times, knowing that there are a whole variety of ways that we can glean new things from what we see in there. The second reflection would also make us more wary of keeping our mouth shut and averting our gaze when it is in our power to make a difference for good--God may hold us personally responsible for the brokenness that we permit to continue, especially when it is in our power to change it. IN OUR WORSHIP the first reflection would increase our sense of awe that God, through multiple different authors, languages, genres, locations, and times, would weave such an intricately structured book that we could draw so much from it by looking at it in so many different ways--and yet be completely unified, without error or contradiction. The second reflection would give us a healthy respect for God. He does not hold us guiltless when it is within our power to do right. IN OUR ACTIONS the first reflection would cause us to make time to read Scripture more eagerly. There are many plans and systems that work for different people, so you can find the one that works the best for you. The second reflection may lead you to think of a situation that you can deal with that you know you've been putting off. If you can make a difference, but you have been neglecting to do so for personal reasons (i.e. you know you would succeed but you're not sure you want to disappoint/offend/hurt someone or be thought of negatively), ask whether God might be holding you responsible to do something about it.

PRAY | HOW DOES THIS BRING US TO GOD?

Whether in response to anything pointed out here, or to something else in your Bible reading time, take a few moments before you close up your Bible to pray in response to God. If you need a format for prayer, both the ACTS, CALL, and PRAY methods are helpful ways to stay consistent.

-Sean

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P.S. Whether or not you are regularly following along with this reading plan, I hope that the LOOK, THINK, DO, PRAY format is helpful. If you decide to adopt this in your own reading practice, let me know how it works for you. If you change it up, let me know what you've found helpful in adapting it!

ESV Chronological Plan, Day 84 | Judges 9-10 and Ruth 1-4

LOOK - What Does it Say?

Read Judges 9:1-10:5 and Ruth 1:1-4:22

THINK - What Does it Mean?

(A) The book of Ruth is an illustration of the Gospel. This is no side story. The book of Ruth is the connective tissue between the book of Judges (Ruth 1:1) and the kingly line of David (Ruth 4:17). Ruth was a Moabite woman who lived in Israel during the time of the Judges, when some of the most disturbing situations in all of Scripture were happening regularly in Israel. This was a dark time. And it was dangerous. And Ruth and her mother-in-law Naomi were hungry. And so she was in need of kindness, or favor. But the book of Ruth also shows how even during that time, God was slowly enacting his rescue plan for his people through the story of Ruth and Boaz. And that's why the book of Ruth wraps up with a genealogy, which says: "Nahshon fathered Salmon, Salmon fathered Boaz, Boaz fathered Obed, Obed fathered Jesse, and Jesse fathered David." Despite the reigns of Jerubbaal (Gideon) and Saul, David was the first "true" king of Israel, descended from the line of Judah, the one through whom the Messiah would come. But why, out of all of those names in the genealogy at the end of Ruth, did God want Ruth and Boaz's story to end up in our Bibles? Why not the Tales of Obed? Why not the book of Salmon, Boaz's father? (Well, maybe something about the story of Boaz's dad would have seemed a little fishy.) I believe that the story of Boaz and Ruth is in our Bibles, because in God's wisdom, he knew that this particular story would point us to Jesus. Take a look at how this book illustrates the Gospel for us. Boaz, the one from whom Jesus descended, comes from Bethlehem. He is God's chosen kinsman-redeemer. In Boaz's union with Ruth, just like in the saving work of Jesus, both Jew and Gentile are grafted in together and become one people, even part of the royal family of God. Boaz, like Jesus, comes out into his harvest field and, finding someone living under the curse (which the Moabites were under), who is willing to leave all else behind, shows favor/grace to them, and takes them into his household and makes them part of his family.

(B) God gives us a new identity. Take a look at Ruth 2 specifically here. The people that Ruth comes from, the Moabites, are part of a people who were under the curse and judgment of God. But Ruth shows us that, to all who seek God’s favor, even those who were once far from God or under judgment, there is room in God’s family for them. So many times in this passage, Ruth is not called “foreigner.” She’s not called “cursed woman.” She’s not called “sinner.” What is she called, by both Naomi and Boaz? She’s called daughter. And that’s a picture of the Gospel for sure. That though we were far from God, though we sought answers in all the wrong things, though we were by nature under a curse, though we were experiencing spiritual famine in the midst of dark times, Jesus—God in human flesh, descended in his humanity from the line of Boaz, found us out in his harvest field and he brought us in. He showed us favor. He wrapped his arm of protection around us. He gave us the best of what He had. He pronounced blessing over us. He called us his children. He redeemed us. He sought us. Jesus, the true and greater Boaz, has done for each of us, us Ruths, what we could not have done for ourselves. He is the one in whom we find favor, and we may find our rest in Him.

DO - What Is Our Part?

How can we respond in our worship, attitude, and actions? In our attitude, I think this would give us a greater sense that our identity is not in the things that we have done, or that have been done to us. But God gives us a new identity that is centered around what our relationship is to him. In the end that is the thing that matters most.

PRAY - How Does This Bring Us to God?

Whether in response to anything pointed out here, or something else in your reading, take some time before you close up your Bible to pray in response to God.

ESV Chronological Plan, Day 83 | Judges 6-8

LOOK | WHAT DOES IT SAY?

Judges 6:1-8:35

THINK | WHAT DOES IT MEAN?

(A) The second appearance of the Angel of the Lord in Judges 6. This strange figure shows up again in this passage, for the second out of three appearances in the book of Judges. This messenger (the word "angel" means "messenger") seems to appear in the form of a man. He sits (v. 11), speaks (v. 12), and has a hand in which he carries a walking staff (v. 21). However, both his words and the text identify him as God. More subtle than his usual references, he says to Gideon "I send you... I will be with you..." (v. 14-16), taking on himself personally the sending and equipping authority of God. But if that is not as convincing, the text itself goes on to identify him directly as "the LORD" (v. 14, 16). Gideon also seems to understand that this is God in the form of a man because he worries about whether he can really have seen his face and still live (v. 22), which was a common fear of those who believed they had beheld God in some form of theophany, or "God appearance" (see Jacob's amazement at still being alive after a similar encounter in Genesis 32:30). The translators of the Hebrew Bible into Greek before Jesus also understood the implications of this reference--the ESV footnote for verse 14 says that the translators of the Greek Septuagint changed "the LORD" to instead read "the angel of the LORD," very likely because they recognized that the text appears to be calling this seemingly human figure "God," and they wanted to correct this. By attempting to alter the passage in translation, the Jewish translators of the Septuagint in the days before Jesus (approximately 3rd-2nd century BC) have actually witnessed that this passage seems to be talking about God appearing to Gideon in human form. The next mention of the angel of the Lord Judges 13 will be even more clear than this. But for us, I believe that this recurring pattern of appearances by the angel of the Lord--who comes as God in a physical appearance, and both refers to God in third person and yet clearly identifies as God, is one of the ways in which the Old Testament witnesses to Jesus.

(B) Gideon's character weakness. Gideon seems to start off well, with the caveat that he takes a lot of convincing to fulfill his God-chosen role as judge, and initially is only willing to do even the smallest acts for God by secret at night. His acceptance of God's summons comes after a lot of questioning, a lot of half obedience, and a lot of testing (Judges 6). Then, immediately after that is concluded, we see that he publicly is known by the name "Jerubbaal" which means "Baal shall contend"--Baal being the name of a false deity (Judges 7:1). After winning a victorious battle, he then seems to have Israelite men killed at Penuel for having earlier denied to give his army bread (8:4-17). He does things out of cruelty and anger (8:18-21). He first makes a show of saying that he will not be king over his people, but this is false humility, as he later has many wives and concubines and names his son Abimelech, which means "my dad is the king" (Judges 8:29-31). In the same chapter, he also leads his people into idolatry. He is a terrible Judge all around, as we see increasingly through the narrative. God can use someone who is deficient in character. In fact, to show his own glory through weak vessels, he may often do so. But we should not confuse success or skill or fruitfulness with godliness. We can glorify God in providing those things. But the person to whom it is provided can only show that they are genuine over time, through many different little decisions.

RESPOND | WHAT IS OUR PART?

How can we respond in our worship, attitude, and actions? In our worship we can see God already descending to make himself knowable to man through the appearances of the angel of the Lord (only clearly in the books of Genesis-Judges, so far as I can tell). He desires relationship with us. In our attitudes we should look for anything in us that, given the opportunity, could show itself in ways that would bring sadness to the heart of God.

PRAY | HOW DOES THIS LEAD US TO CONNECT WITH GOD?

Whether in response to anything pointed out here, or something else in your reading, take some time before you close up your Bible to pray in response to God.

ESV Chronological Plan, Day 82 | Judges 4-5, 17-18

LOOK | WHAT DOES IT SAY?

Read Judges 4:1-5:31 and 17:1-18:31

THINK | WHAT DOES IT MEAN?

(A) A ministry of encouragement. Deborah's form of leadership in the book of Judges is unique, in that God primarily uses her, in Judges 4-5, to encourage a man who was unconfident in his role (Barak) to listen to the voice of God by embracing the leadership role that he had been given. He seems incredibly hesitant to go to war, however, and asks her to come along with him, so she again practices her ministry of encouragement by going with him. (Side note: I always thought that Deborah went with Barak into the battle itself. Apparently she only went with him to Mount Tabor, where she again encouraged Barak in Judges 4:14, and then Barak went down from Mount Tabor by himself to go into the battle in the same verse--Deborah is not mentioned again until she and Barak sing a song of victory together after the battle in Judges 5:1.) The result was that "the LORD routed Sisera and all his chariots and all his army before Barak by the edge of the sword... And Barak pursued the chariots and the army... and all the army of Sisera fell by the edge of the sword; not a man was left" (Judges 4:15-16). Although Deborah's name would not be mentioned again outside of this account in Judges 4-5, Barak's name would be remembered in both Testaments (1 Samuel 12:11; Hebrews 11:32)--and whenever the story was told about how God delivered Israel through the leadership of Barak, the story of Deborah and her ministry of encouragement must not have been far out of the minds of those who recounted the story. We too can be part of many incredible things that God wants to do by being encouragers to those who God is raising up. I have benefited from others' ministries of encouragement myself!

(B) God initiates, we respond, God works through our response. Although Barak was incredibly hesitant to go into battle against Sisera and his "900 chariots of iron" (Judges 4:3, 13), God gave him victory once he actually went out into the field of battle. God initiated by calling Barak to lead Israel. Then he initiated again by sending Deborah to him. Then, once Barak responded, God caused Sisera to make a series of terrible strategic decisions by first abandoning his army (leaving them vulnerable without leadership, Judges 4:15-16) and then fleeing on foot before entering alone into the tent of the woman who killed him, not noticing concerning signs that should have tipped him off such as her giving him heavy milk instead of water to quench his thirst (Judges 4:19, 5:25). We have seen this before: God causing the rulers of the cities of Canaan to make bad strategic decisions without which Israel could have never taken all these cities. The battle was not won by the superior military might of Israel. Instead, the battle was only won when God's people stepped out in faith, and when God worked through their response.

(C) Or, we could work through human wisdom alone, like Judges 17-18. The counterpart to the story of Deborah and Barak is this story in Judges 17-18. Instead of responding to God's call, the people of Dan decide that what God is calling them to do is too difficult. They abandon their allotted portion of land (leaving a people who would continually be a thorn in the side of Israel throughout the rest of its history), and instead brutally conquer the easier-to-take land of a peaceful people who had done no wrong. Then they also set up idols in their midst, after stealing them from a spiritually wayward Bethlehemite. They probably thought they had accomplished their mission, but we will see as we journey throughout the rest of Israel's history that their clever maneuver created devastating ripples of spiritual and physical destruction on Israel for centuries afterwards. The whole story of Judges 17-18 is a lesson in how far human wisdom gets us: remember, in those days "everyone did what was right in their own eyes" (Judges 17:6).

RESPOND | WHAT IS OUR PART?

How can we respond in our worship, attitude, and actions? In our attitudes we should remember to encourage others in the roles that God has given them; we should confidently step out in faith and expect that God will work in us as we respond to him; and we should be wary of replacing God's plan with our own human plans as the wayward people of Dan did in Judges 17-18.

PRAY | HOW DOES THIS LEAD US TO CONNECT WITH GOD?

Here is a suggested prayer prompt: "God, I know that you are at work in the world, and that you will not leave your people alone. Help me to see through your Word and through prayer what you want to accomplish today. Help me to be an encouragement to those who you are raising up. Help me to respond to you in faith as well. And God, help me not to abandon the plan you have for me just because the path seems difficult to walk on. Instead, help me to draw upon the strength that you give, knowing that you are currently working on a thousand thousand variables that I would never know on my own, to bring about the result that you have intended."

ESV Chronological Plan, Day 81 | Judges 1-3

LOOK | WHAT DOES IT SAY?

Read Judges 1:1-3:31

THINK | WHAT DOES IT MEAN?

We've got some pretty interesting stories as we head into our first chapters of the book of Judges: Othniel the brother of Caleb (which means he was a Canaanite who delivered the people of Israel!), as well as Ehud the Left-Handed Assassin. The deliverers in the book of Judges are an array of unusual characters who would not typically be seen as deliverers, and that is the point--that God saved not because Israel had great leaders, but because he uses whatever people and means that he wants to in order to bring about his purposes. 

(A) How the book of Judges is about Jesus. In the book of Judges we see an increasingly bleak, repeated cycle of corruption, which will eventually be summarized with this longing for God's Promised Deliverer: "In those days there was no king in Israel. Everyone did what was right in his own eyes" (Judges 21:25). The following book, Ruth, will answer that yearning, as the narrative's attention will be paid to a specific offspring of Judah for the first time since the book of Genesis.

(B) God chose Judah in Judges 1:1-2. While Judges is a very dark book, it is here that God continues to highlight the promise that will come through the line of Judah. When Joshua died, God chose Judah to lead the other tribes into battle to conquer the promised land.

(C) Bible difficulty about Jerusalem in Judges 1:8. This verse says that Judah fought against Jerusalem and captured it, but 2 Samuel 5:6-9 says that David conquered the city a long time afterwards. There is no difficulty here: it's clear from Judges 1:21 that the Jebusites resettled the city after the initial conquest.

(D) The Angel of the LORD in Judges 2:1-5. This is a figure that we encountered repeatedly in Genesis, and we also met here and there throughout Israel's time in the wilderness. This figure, called the Angel of the LORD, is distinct from God and yet speaks in first person as God. He is with God, and in some strange way, he is God. As we've already seen in Genesis and Exodus, and will see again in Judges 13, either the text or people within the narrative who see him, identify him as God. Many Bible commentators have identified this figure as an Old Testament appearance of Jesus Christ. For more about this figure, I would recommend this very thorough book.

RESPOND | WHAT IS OUR PART?

How can we respond in our worship, attitude, and actions? In our worship, we can either see our lives in isolation from God's purpose for the world, or we can see how our lives lead up to and are fulfilled by Jesus. Just as Jesus is the fulfillment of every longing that came out of the brokenness of the time of the Judges in Israel, so also Jesus is the fulfillment of every longing that we have. We long for freedom from shame and brokenness, and Jesus died so that we might have that. We long for a world that is at peace, and one day Jesus will bring that to pass. We lament the power of death, which someday Jesus will break and put away. We look at the world around us and see cycles of decay not unlike the ones that were present in the book of Judges, and Jesus promises to come to put an end to that cycle as king. All things lead up to Jesus. He is the hope of every longing heart. He is the King in whom we find peace. He is worthy of worship, and glory, and honor, and power. And he extends his hand out to us to invite us, so that we might come to him.

PRAY | HOW DOES THIS LEAD US TO CONNECT WITH GOD?

Here is a suggested prayer prompt: "Jesus, lead me into your presence. Reveal to me your goodness. Cause me to see the glory of God in your face. Give me rest as I place my hopes in you."

ESV Chronological Plan, Day 80 | Joshua 22-24, Judges 2

LOOK | WHAT DOES IT SAY?

Read Joshua 22:1-24:33 and Judges 2:6-10

THINK | WHAT DOES IT MEAN?

(A) Collective responsibility in Joshua 22:17-20. In these verses, the people of Israel are concerned that the whole community will be held responsible for the potentially idolatrous actions of a small group within it. So they gather together, knowing that they might have to battle with some of their own countrymen who appear to be violating the terms of the covenant. This same ethic is probably what kept the people of Israel (mostly) faithful all the days of Joshua and of the elders who served with him: we need accountability in the community for every member; things go downhill quickly when a community does not hold its members accountable. Too often we are willing to turn a blind eye and a deaf ear to things that, ignored in one generation, result in the breakdown of the community itself in the next. We need what Israel has here: more of an ethic that says we are all responsible to everyone else to make sure that our whole community reaches the goal laid out before us. We are each accountable, and must be willing to be held accountable, to the principles that our community (in the Lord) is founded upon.

(B) Unity around worship of the Lord in Joshua 22:21-34. This section also lays out the kind of unity that we are to build upon. This is a unity around the worship of the Lord. Not around anything else. Not on family ties or how long the various members of the different tribes have known each other. But the unity that counts is unity around the Lord.

(C) Passing on the torch in Joshua 23. (And a lesson about future generations wandering in Judges 2.) Joshua said his last words here, in chapter 23 of the book, knowing that he would die, and that another generation would take his place. He knew that he was fighting for and building up something that someone else was going to enjoy. And he did a good job: Israel served the Lord not only during all of his days, but also during the days of all of the elders who outlived Joshua as well (somewhere around 40 years afterwards--the equivalent of a good leader dying in 1984 and the benefits of his contribution holding the community up all the way up to today). But, Judges 2 tells us, the generation that came after that did not know the Lord. This is a common story. The book Dynamics of Spiritual Life by Richard Lovelace, written in the late 1970s, predicted in the wake of the Jesus Revolution in the 1970s that while the current generation would "catch" the Gospel, the next would "assume" the gospel and fall into cheap grace on one end, and legalism and moralism on the other. That would be followed by another generation which would look at the shallow "assumed" Gospel they were raised in, find it uncompelling, and then would "abandon" the Gospel. And that's pretty much what happened. Not unlike the Israelites, we also need a fresh awakening in every generation, because we too are prone to wander away into distortions of the Gospel. We need to be caught by the message of who Jesus is and what he has done all over again.

RESPOND | WHAT IS OUR PART?

How can we respond in our worship, attitude, and actions? In our actions we can apply this reading in our willingness to be held accountable, as well as to speak ourselves with some gentle but possibly uncomfortable words of correction to other brothers and sisters in Christ when it is needed. We can also promote unity in the Lord (provided that unity is based on following the Lord), overcoming petty differences because what keeps us together is bigger than anything that would pull us apart. And we can work hard to lay a good foundation for those who will come after us, while at the same time not assuming that they need any less winning to Christ than we did. We can also pray for them to encounter Christ anew as we once did (and hope to again).

PRAY | HOW DOES THIS LEAD US TO CONNECT WITH GOD?

Here is a suggested prayer prompt: "God, show yourself through your people. Help us to be a witness to the transforming power of the Gospel. Knock us off our feet, cause us to get out of our man-made sense of comfort, and pull us into a fresh, wild, fulfilling encounter with what you want to do in our own day. Help us to see and confront anything that is holding us back from seeing you do the amazing things today that we used to see you do. And raise up today a generation who has a fresh knowledge and hunger for the things of God. Help us to come alongside them, equip them, encourage them, pray for them, and release them."

ESV Chronological Plan, Day 79 | Joshua 20-21, 1 Chronicles 6

LOOK | WHAT DOES IT SAY?

Read Joshua 20:1-21:45 and 1 Chronicles 6:16-81

THINK | WHAT DOES IT MEAN?

(A) God's law ended the right of the avenger of blood in Joshua 20. From  the words of Richard Pratt, "Assyrian documents confirm what was a widespread practice in Joshua’s day, as it is in a number of cultures even today. In cultures outside of Israel, a close relative had the right to seek payment from or even the death of anyone who killed a member of his clan or tribe, even if the act was accidental. In Israel this was not to be the case. The manslayer was to flee to a city of refuge and to explain his situation to the elders. The elders were to give him protection until he was exonerated and after a period of waiting until the current high priest died. Thus, revenge killings were to be eliminated from Israel 'throughout your generations' (Num 35:29)."

(B) Teaching posts for the Levites in Joshua 21. Also  from the words of Richard Pratt, "In this chapter, our author points to another kind of service the Levites provided. They had responsibilities for teaching and applying the Law of Moses to daily life among all the tribes of Israel (see Lev 10:11; Deut 33:10; 2Chr 15:3; 17:7–9; 35:3; Ezra 7:10; Neh 8:7–9; Ezek 44:23–24; Mal 2:6–9). These services required Levites to be scattered throughout the nation so they could have easy access to all the tribes. On the plains of Moab, Moses had given specific instructions for the tribe of Levi to be granted these cities throughout Cisjordan and Transjordan (see 20:1; Num 35:1–8). For this reason, 'the heads of the fathers’ houses of the Levites' (21:1) approached the divinely authorized leaders of Israel, 'Eleazar the priest . . . Joshua . . . and . . . the heads of the fathers’ houses of the tribes' (21:1). They asked for 'cities to dwell in, along with their pasturelands for [their] livestock' (21:3). The Levites not only needed places to live among the tribes, but they also needed 'pasturelands.' Pasturelands were so important that our author mentions them fifty-eight times in this chapter. In fact, Moses gave specific instructions about their size (see Num 35:1–8). Once the other tribes had been allotted their lands, if they were to be faithful to the Lord, the Levites had to be granted these cities."

RESPOND | WHAT IS OUR PART?

How can we respond in our worship, attitude, and actions? In our actions we can apply these things to our own lives. Both of the items above seem to have something to do with the goodness of God's instructions, and the importance of hearing and learning them. So there is a lot that we can do to learn God's Word for ourselves. There are important Study Bible tools that we can make use of. My favourite (now out of print, but you can still find copies) is the NIV Archaeological Study Bible. I also like the ESV Gospel Transformation Study Bible, the Life Application Study Bible, and the NIV Biblical Theology Study Bible. If you are unsure about having all kinds of notes cluttering the bottom of your Bible's pages and distracting you, and you just want to focus on God's Word interpreting itself, I also like The ESV Thompson Chain-Reference Bible which includes a set of chain references next to the words of Scripture so that you can follow the references on throughout the whole of the Bible. You can also join a small group Bible study where you can ask questions and offer your own thoughts as you learn the Bible together with others. You can find good teaching that will show you the riches of God's Word, and take notes during the teaching of things that might stick out to you.

PRAY | HOW DOES THIS LEAD US TO CONNECT WITH GOD?

Here is a suggested prayer prompt: "God, help me to know you through your Word. Show me the way that you made me to best connect with it, whether through study or through some other creative way. But however you have made me to connect with it, draw me close to you through the power of your testimonies."

ESV Chronological Plan, Day 78 | Joshua 19, 1 Chronicles 4 + 7

LOOK | WHAT DOES IT SAY?

Read Joshua 19:1-51 and 1 Chronicles 4:24-25 and 7:1-40

THINK | WHAT DOES IT MEAN?

(A) The true and greater Joshua, based on Joshua 19:49-50. Joshua and Jesus have the same name in Hebrew ("Yehoshua"). Joshua was originally named Hoshea, but Moses renamed him "Joshua" [meaning "the Lord saves"] shortly before he went as one of the original spies of Israel to inspect the land (Numbers 13:16). Why did Moses rename him? Many Christian commentators dating back to the early church have said that this was because Joshua was meant to foreshadow the work of Jesus. Although Joshua brought God's people into the land of rest, only through Jesus can we truly enter into the rest that God has for his people. Although Joshua led his people into an earthly inheritance, Jesus leads us into a heavenly one.

(B) Simeon's inheritance within the inheritance of Judah in Joshua 19:1-9. As we have seen so far in our readings up to this point, even when the tribe of Judah is not in the limelight, God is putting the tribe front and center in various ways of his own. Through the life and leadership of Caleb the Kenizzite, we see Judah as the tribe through which the nations can find an inheritance among God's people. And here in the portioning out of the land, we see Simeon, a tribe of Israel, whose inheritance can be found entirely within the inheritance of the tribe of Judah--showing that within Judah's inheritance (the tribe through which the Promised Deliverer will come) the fullness of Israel will also receive their inheritance. Just like all they had was within the inheritance of the coming King, all that we truly have is within Jesus. 

(C) The tragic story of Dan's inheritance in Joshua 19:40-48. In the words of Richard Pratt, this section of the narrative "focuses on a terrible set of circumstances that took place with the tribe of Dan. Dan’s original allotment was in the south near Judah, but the tribe of Dan was not able to take its originally allotted territories (see Judg 1:34; 18:27–31). So, the people of Dan left that allotment and 'went up and fought against Leshem . . . and settled in it, calling Leshem, Dan' (19:47). It was also called 'Laish' (Judg 18:27, 29)... In all likelihood, our author reports the migration of Dan to call for all the tribes to insist that Dan turn back to the Lord and return to their original inheritance." I think that there is a spiritual lesson here: Dan's inheritance was originally supposed to be in the south, which would have located them near the territory of the tribe of the Messiah. But they failed to take hold of the promise, and so moved on far away from the land of their inheritance, which was near to the throne of God's chosen Messiah, and in their moving on eventually became a people whose story was filled with idolatry and regret.

(D) Valuing the less prominent brother in the section on portioning out the land. This is also from  the words of Richard Pratt, "Future generations of Israel faced many difficulties in maintaining and re-establishing the allotments given to the smaller tribes in Cisjordan, but our author insists that it was their sacred duty to do so. Although these tribes did not have the prominence of Judah, Ephraim, and Manasseh, they were to be counted among the people of Israel. In the Christian church, we must also be careful to honor those who do not receive much prominence. Every manifestation of the firstfruits of the Spirit is essential to the well-being of the body of Christ (see 1Cor 12:1–26), so that 'if one member suffers, all suffer together' (1Cor 12:26). We are also to strengthen the weak and strive for peace in the church to ensure that 'no root of bitterness springs up and causes trouble' (see Heb 12:12–15)."

RESPOND | WHAT IS OUR PART?

How can we respond in our worship, attitude, and actions? In our worship we can apply these things to our own lives by running towards Jesus. In his inheritance, we find our inheritance. By following in his wake, we enter into our true and heavenly rest. Let us not, like the tribe of Dan, turn aside from the difficulty that comes with walking into God's promises, to settle for an easier and less fulfilling inheritance that is far away from the promise of Jesus. And as we run towards Jesus, let us encourage one another to not grow weary and to keep up the pace.

PRAY | HOW DOES THIS LEAD US TO CONNECT WITH GOD?

Here is a suggested prayer prompt: "Dear Jesus, all that I have is in you. You are my rock and my shield. You are my captain. Give me the courage to follow you into every difficulty and battle that I might face in this life, knowing that as long as I am with you, you will lead me into rest."

ESV Chronological Plan, Day 77 | Joshua 16-18, 1 Chronicles 7-8

LOOK | WHAT DOES IT SAY?

Read Joshua 16:1-18:28 and 1 Chronicles 7:6-29 and 8:1-40

THINK | WHAT DOES IT MEAN?

(A) Archaeological connection. In this reading, the people of Joseph are given the forest land of the Perizzites, but they decline to go up out of fear of "chariots of iron," specifically in "Beth-Shean and its villages" as well as in the Valley of Jezreel. We see a mirror of this in the letters of the Canaanites to the Pharoah in Egypt. Letter EA 289 from the Amarna Tablets, written by Abdi-Heba the servant of Pharaoh at Jerusalem, also mentions "the garrison at Bitsanu" (Bit-Sanu = Beth-Shean) acting as a protection of that area against the Habiru. In both these tablets, and in the pages of Scripture, there is no indication at this time that the city was ever taken.

(B) Not a process driven by man. Joshua, as part of the people of Joseph and the tribe of Ephraim, would have naturally been inclined to give his own tribe the best land. But this process was not driven by the will of man. Joshua, as a leader, had to submit his desires and wishes to what God wanted him to do--even if the result was strained relationships with those whom he was close with (the tribes of Ephraim and Manasseh) and that he cared about.

(C) What God commands, God will enable. The people of Joseph in Joshua 17 neglected to go into the land of the Perizzites, because they feared the garrison and the chariots of iron that were stationed at Beth-Shean. But if they had gone up, God would have enabled them to carry out their mission. Either he would have given them the exact right tactic to use, or he would have caused some kind of miraculously timed natural disaster, or he would have turned the enemy against themselves, or he would have caused them to abandon their city and chase after a portion of the people of Israel foolishly to leave their city undefended--all of these are things that he had done at other times. An old pastor of mine used to talk about getting "under the waterfall of grace," which meant to get moving in a certain direction and see what doors God opened up along the way. If we stay put until we have everything all worked out, then we're not getting under the waterfall. But if we go, and we're attentive, we can often see God begin to do amazing things that we had never anticipated.

RESPOND | WHAT IS OUR PART?

How can we respond in our worship, attitude, and actions? In our worship we can apply these things to our own lives. For (A) We can see the truth of God's Word through all the other little things that line up with it, and this can increase our trust in God and ability to walk with him by faith. For (B) We can trust God even when he calls us to accept circumstances that we don't like, or rules that we don't want to follow. The tribe of Ephraim that complained in Joshua's time went on to become the most prominent tribe of Northern Israel. They did well for themselves. And even more than this, God's specific division of the land ended up helping in many situations throughout Israel's history. (C) In "getting under the waterfall of grace," we are specifically leading our lives in such a way that we expect God to be active and working in our own lives. We can worship God knowing that he is watching over us.

PRAY | HOW DOES THIS LEAD US TO CONNECT WITH GOD?

Here is a suggested prayer prompt: "God, help me to worship you with an expectant faith. Give me certainty that you are watching over all my ways. Give me the peace to accept things from you that I don't understand. Move in my heart, and help me to know you to such a degree that my life wouldn't make sense if I did not know you."

ESV Chronological Plan, Day 76 | Joshua 14-15, 1 Chronicles 2 + 4

LOOK | WHAT DOES IT SAY?

Read Joshua 14:1-15:63 and 1 Chronicles 2:5-55 and 4:1-23

THINK | WHAT DOES IT MEAN?

(A) Teaching about fairness. Just by reading these lists, you can see the land that God divided up for Israel by lot wasn't divided equally. More and better land was given to some tribes (more on that in a minute), and a smaller and less desirable portion of land was assigned to others. The temptation here for some tribes would have been to look over at the lands received by other tribes and to complain. But the truth is that God had adequately provided for everyone. In the words of one famous comedian, speaking in a more serious moment, "The only time you look in your neighbor's bowl is to make sure that they have enough. You don't look in your neighbor's bowl to see if you have as much as them."

(B) Love for the foreigner. Caleb the son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite, the only man besides Joshua to live throughout the entire journey in the wilderness and enter the Promised Land (Numbers 32:12), and the man who led the tribe of Judah during that time (Numbers 34:18-19), was not an Israelite. He was actually a Canaanite (see Genesis 15:19; Numbers 32:12; Joshua 14:14). For unknown reasons, Salmon the son of Nahshon "the prince of the sons of Judah" (1 Chronicles 2:10) was not a leader of the tribe in those days, and so the tribe of Judah selected this foreign Canaanite man and elevated him up to the place of leader in their midst as one of their own, sometime between Numbers 10:14 and Numbers 13:6. This man left his home and heritage to worship God and be united to his purpose, and God moved the hearts of the people to prophetically elevate his testimony within the literal family of Jesus. The account of Joshua 14:6-15 proves that for all those who are far off, if they unite themselves to God, they too will be given a portion in the Kingdom of God. It also shows us, as God's people, that we are not to consider anyone to be an "outsider" because they don't share our background: After all, the most faithful Israelite, besides Joshua, was Caleb the Canaanite.

(C) Jesus is hidden in the boring parts of the story. At this time in history, Judah was just another tribe of Israel, led by a man who was not even an Israelite. The prophecy of the Promised Deliverer throughout Genesis, who was foretold in Genesis 49 to descend from the line of Judah, did not seem to be likely to come any time in the future. But then we have this list of the portioning out of the land in today's reading. And do you know who God overwhelmingly blesses, over and above the other tribes? The tribe of Judah. In the words of Richard Pratt, "Judah received more land than any other tribe. This list draws attention to the far-reaching boundaries within which every family of Judah received its portion... Our author continues to exalt Judah by noting that a total of 112 cities were given to Judah’s clans. He also repeats ten times that Judah received 'cities with their villages,' cities that were large enough to have villages around them (15:32, 36, 41, 44, 51, 54, 57, 59, 60, 62; see also 18:24, 28; 19:6, 7, 15, 16, 22, 23, 30, 31, 38, 39, 48). He does this to raise Judah’s profile as the tribe that the Lord blessed beyond measure (see 24:2–13)." Included in this inheritance was the city of Hebron, where the patriarchs and matriarchs of Israel were buried. It was big enough to be its own country, and eventually that's what it became. This was obviously the land of the leading tribe of Israel--though Joshua of the tribe of Ephraim was leading at this time. This was God's way of showing that he was still working to bring the Promised Deliverer to the world out of the tribe of Judah.

RESPOND | WHAT IS OUR PART?

How can we respond in our worship, attitude, and actions? In our attitudes we can apply this reading to ourselves. (A) We can be thankful for the things that God has blessed us with, and choose not to be jealous of how God has blessed someone else. (B) We can accept those who are outsiders, not only as people in our midst to be thrown some care to every once in a while, but as those who might even teach, bless, and challenge us as leaders in our midst. (C) We can be encouraged that God works in the details. Even when it seems like the world is going one way, God is at work to bring things around to his purposes.

PRAY | HOW DOES THIS LEAD US TO CONNECT WITH GOD?

For the last few days, we've explored a few different formats for prayer. I liked this one so much that I wanted to use it again, one more time, before we move on to the next.

C = Confess. Confess your trust in God, and your need for him.

A = Ask. Ask God to move--there is nothing that he can't do.

L = Love. Thank God for the many ways that he shown his providential grace.

L = Listen. Ask God to bring to mind a necessary word (thought, Scripture, idea) for you today.