Joshua 17:3
Now Zelophehad the son of Hepher, son of Gilead, son of Machir, son of Manasseh, had no sons, but only daughters, and these are the names of his daughters: Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milcah, and Tirzah.
This verse reminds us of a situation that has been going on since late in the life and ministry of Moses. Four times—according to my quick search—the Old Testament lists the names of these five sisters whose father had no son. Repeatedly in the biblical account, these women are said to have taken their situation to Moses who took their request before God. God provided that these women would not lose their inheritance simply because there was no brother to protect them.
The reason this stands out to me is because it flies in the face of a very false statement that is often made about the Bible and specifically about the Old Testament. I have heard it said many times that women were seen as the property of men in biblical days, or at least during the Old Testament period. But those who make this claim fail to see passages like this one which actually show the great value placed upon women by the word of God. God elevates women to a position unheard of by other cultures of that day.
The proper response here is two-fold. First, it is appropriate to see that God has truly made both men and women in his image. It is good to see that we are to protect those who are often neglected in the world around us. It is good for men to remember that we are here to protect women and never to take advantage of or use them.
It is also good to recognize that such a view has been God’s way from the beginning. God was not late to the party when it comes to the issue of equal worth between men and women. While God defines differing roles for men and women, he most certainly shows that we both have value in his sight. So, please, let none of us make the faulty statement that God did not treasure women or elevate their value far above that of the culture surrounding Israel.
Daily Reading Notes 4/26/2016
Mark 10:43-45
43 But it shall not be so among you. But whoever would be great among you must be your servant,44 and whoever would be first among you must be slave of all. 45 For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”
The context of this passage is Jesus speaking with James and John. These two disciples had come to Jesus, just after Jesus announced his coming sufferings, and had the audacity to ask him to grant them the two highest positions of authority in his kingdom. In responding to them, Jesus showed them that, in the kingdom of God, we do not jockey for position and power. Instead, the ones who truly are great in his kingdom are the ones who are more concerned with serving others.
In verse 45, Jesus uses his own life as the example of perfect service for others. Clearly Jesus is the greatest in the kingdom. Yet, Jesus did not come to earth to be served by others. He did not come to live in comfort and ease, to boss people around and be taken care of by them. Instead, Jesus came to serve others. The ultimate act of Jesus’ service is that he gave his life as a ransom for many.
** Disclaimer – the following couple paragraphs are a theological pondering of mine that this passage led to. These are not always in my daily journaling. They are also quite reformed, so if that is not your position, please do not let them distract you from the things in the passage with which you can agree and from which you can benefit. **
In a quick theological side note, I find Jesus’ use of the word “many” here significant. Jesus could have said that he was giving his life as a ransom for all, but he did not. Only one place in the New Testament is it said that Jesus is a ransom for all, and that is 1 Timothy 2:6, the context of which appears to have more to do with all classes of people rather than with all individuals. Truly, it makes sense that the death of Christ is a ransom only for the saved, as it would make his ransom insufficient for the lost if Jesus died to pay their ransom and still they remained lost. Thus, it seems to me that Jesus’ words here affirm a particularity to his redemptive work.
Now, what does that mean? It means that the ransom of Jesus is perfect. Any person who comes to Jesus in faith has been ransomed by Jesus. That ransom is paid and perfect. This leads us to understand the security of our salvation and the sovereignty of God over our election. It helps us to praise God even more deeply for the fact that Jesus would be our ransom even though we could do nothing to earn it. It leads us to evangelism, as we can know that there are people out there who need to hear the command of Christ to come to him for salvation. It gives us confidence in evangelism, because we know that God will most certainly save those Christ has ransomed. It does nothing to deny human responsibility, as it is incumbent on all to come to Christ for grace—those who come do so because of the grace of God and those who do not refuse because of their own personal desire not to do so. It shows us the absolute perfection of the work of Jesus who fails in nothing.
** Excurses over **
While I find thinking about issues like the previous fascinating, I am not actually most drawn to this passage because of it. What got my attention most is the fact that Jesus makes it plain that the key to greatness in his kingdom is not success in this life. Big houses, recognition, and worldly success are not what make one great in God’s kingdom. Neither do church buildings and large congregations make a minister great in the kingdom of God. What makes one great in the kingdom of God is a willingness to follow God and to lay down our lives for the good of others and the glory of God.
Lord, I thank you for the fact that greatness in your kingdom is not about any measure of greatness that this world recognizes. I ask that you help me to love the family and flock that you have given me. Help me to serve you by giving of myself for your glory and the good of others. Help me to remember that nobody in the world needs to know my name so long as you know it.
I also thank you, Jesus, for giving your life to ransom me. I deserve judgment. You took it in my place and bought me into your family. Help me to be a part of taking this grace to others. I know that you have made it clear that all people everywhere are commanded to repent and turn to you for mercy. I ask that you will give me the chance to share this call with all I possibly can. I ask that you allow me to see people come to you in faith. And, I acknowledge that any success that I will ever see in evangelism is because you have already done the work and thus you are worthy of all of the glory.
Some Tips on Journaling
Journaling, writing something down about what you have read in Scripture, is thought by many to be a helpful spiritual discipline. It certainly is for me. Of course, all of us are different. Some will love writing while others will find it a chore. The Bible does not command that we journal, so this is not a spiritual requirement.
However, if you would like to give journaling during your time in God’s word a try, I want to share with you a model that is easy to learn and helpful to me. This is how I’ve been journaling for years, and I recently saw it defined with a nice acronym in the book Growing Up: How to be a Disciple who Makes Disciples by Robby Gallaty. Gallaty uses the word “H.E.A.R.” to help us to remember four categories of writing:
· H – Highlight
· E – Explain
· A – Apply
· R – Respond
Highlight – The first thing that I do when journaling is, after reading, highlight the one verse or passage that most got my attention during the reading. I write that verse down (well, copy and paste from my Bible program) at the top of the page for my journal for the day.
Explain – I will next write a paragraph or a few simply explaining the verse. I’ll try to give a little context and a little summarization of what is going on or being said. I may also point specifically to what made the verse stand out to me.
Apply – Once I have explained the verse, I will write about what major spiritual truth is coming through to me because of the passage. This is different than simply explaining what the author meant. Now I want to write about how this impacts believers today. Sometimes the application is obvious, the following of a direct command. Sometimes the application is more broad as I find a general truth in a passage.
Respond – Finally, I will try to write something of a response to the passage. It may be something I specifically intend to do or to think differently because of the passage. I might write a prayer that is a response to a truth that God has shown me in his word.
Truly, these categories are only there to be helpful. Sometimes explanation and application will blur. Sometimes sections will be longer or shorter. And, remember, God never commanded us to journal at all, much less did he command us to journal in a particular way. So, do not let yourself feel any requirement to follow this pattern or follow the categories slavishly.
If you would like to see examples of my daily reading journal entries, visit my personal blog site: http://pastortravislv.com . Most of the entries on that site are entries from my daily readings. I often will journal only on weekdays and leave weekend reading to be a little more restful, but others will find that they journal most on Saturday. Certainly do not think you need to do what I do. However, if any of this is helpful, take it and put it to use as you are helped.
A Glimpse of God’s Sovereignty in Joshua (Joshua 11:18-20)
Joshua 11:18-20
18 Joshua made war a long time with all those kings. 19 There was not a city that made peace with the people of Israel except the Hivites, the inhabitants of Gibeon. They took them all in battle. 20 For it was the Lord’s doing to harden their hearts that they should come against Israel in battle, in order that they should be devoted to destruction and should receive no mercy but be destroyed, just as the Lord commanded Moses.
In this chapter, we see the end of the major battles between the Hebrews and the inhabitants of the land. God had commanded that his people drive out of the Promised Land all who lived there. And, over the past couple of chapters, we have seen that God miraculously worked with his people to bring about these victories.
Here, we see that all of the kings of the land eventually came out against the Israelites for battle. Not one of them thought to make peace with Israel except for the leaders of the Gibeonites who tricked the leaders of Israel in Joshua 9.
What stands out to me, however, is the fact that God is completely clear in this passage that the reason that all the kings wanted to war with Israel was because God hardened their hearts to lead them to do so. God, by his sovereign power and for his perfect and holy purposes drew these leaders of cities to war. God moved their hearts to do the things that God had planned for them to do, and God accomplished his plan.
It is, in my mind, significant that we see this clear depiction of God’s sovereignty at work. This is a passage that is more about the history of what has been done than it is about the theology of man’s free will or God’s sovereignty. Yet, in the very way that the Bible tells us the history of Israel, we see that God is sovereign over his creation, and that sovereignty includes the hearts of men.
Did God lead the kings to do something they did not want to do? Nothing in the text says that to us. There is no indication of a set of men who were, deep down, wanting to run away or make peace. There is nothing to indicate that they wanted to avoid a fight but just had an overwhelming desire to battle that they could not control. No, there is simply the statement that God hardened their hearts.
What, then, did God do? God worked in these men his will by strengthening or perhaps changing their desires. He can do that, you know. Were they all already aimed at fighting Israel? We do not know. What we do know is that God makes a claim here to have interfered with the workings of these men’s desires in such a way that their own actual desires were to battle against Israel in order that God might sovereignly oversee his plan’s accomplishment.
By the way, this is actually the same thing that I believe God did with me in order to bring about my salvation. I believe that, according to Scripture, I had a heart that was dead in sin and fully opposed to the things of God. I would not, on my own, have ever chosen God, as I lacked in myself the very goodness to do so. Yet God, because of his own will, moved my heart from death to life. God granted me the desire to come to him, drawing me to himself. Only he could have done this. And so, I, out of a strong desire to come to Jesus, confessed my sin, trusted in Christ, and asked for forgiveness and salvation. God granted that salvation. The desires were mine, yet I also know that those desires were ultimately given to me by God.
Some would now want to stop and judge the morality of God working his will by hardening or softening human hearts toward himself. But, as Paul said to the Romans, who are we to question God? His actions are right, because he is the Holy One. His ways are not our ways. His thoughts are not our thoughts. His actions are right by definition, because he is the Creator and Lord over all.
This passage is a strong reminder for me of the power and sovereignty of God. He is good and mighty. He can change the hearts of men, of kings. He can move entire peoples and entire nations. Thus, I need not fear that his will is ever to be thwarted. God is over all. He cannot lose.
This passage in Joshua encourages me, like Joshua, to continue the mission that God has given me. He calls me to preach the word, to love the church, to make disciples, and so much more. I can know that God will empower his work to be done. I can know that people will come to faith in Christ and will follow God’s plan because I know that God is sovereign even over human hearts. I also know that some will oppose the work of God, and such are the kinds of people God will use still to accomplish his plan as we see in Joshua. Thus, in all this, I am called to trust the Lord and press on for his glory.
Daily Reading Notes 4/22/2016
Joshua 9:14-15
14 So the men took some of their provisions, but did not ask counsel from the Lord. 15 And Joshua made peace with them and made a covenant with them, to let them live, and the leaders of the congregation swore to them.
In Joshua 9, we see a really interesting development in the taking of the land of Israel by God’s people. The people of Gibeon, a group of people that God had commanded Israel drive out of the land, trick the nation. They convince the leaders of the nation that they have come to them from far off in order to make peace. And the leadership buys it. The leaders examine the evidence in front of their eyes—the clothing and supplies of the Gibeonites—but they do not enquire of the Lord to find out what God thinks of the matter.
Later, we find out that the vow that the people of Israel made to the Gibeonites was a mistake. They had been tricked. But, even though the vow was rash and foolish, it was a vow that had truly been made. God held the Israelites to it, and even judged the people years later after King Saul had broken that vow.
By means of application, the call here I think is for us to see that finding out what God thinks of a matter is far more important than our best reasoning. There will be times in our lives in which things will appear to be right based on our best assessment of the evidence. However, our reasoning is not always the same as God’s plan. We need to look to God to find out about his opinion of choices that we would make.
Now, in Joshua’s day, the enquiring of the Lord was something that was a very direct thing. Joshua, like Moses, has a pretty direct line of voice to voice communication with the Lord. Today, I believe that God has given us a different means of communicating with him, namely his word. Yes, the Lord will guide our desires as we seek his glory and ask for wisdom in prayer. But, the best way to know if something is truly allowed or not allowed by God is to prayerfully read and rightly apply the Scripture, God’s perfect and sufficient word.
Lord, I thank you for your word. I thank you for giving me what I need to know your will. I thank you for the privilege of praying to you and for your promise of wisdom. I ask that you will help me to not make assumptions about the world around me without first looking to your word for your ways and your wisdom.
Eternal Eyes (Mark 8:31-34)
Mark 8:31-34
31 And he began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders and the chief priests and the scribes and be killed, and after three days rise again. 32 And he said this plainly. And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. 33 But turning and seeing his disciples, he rebuked Peter and said, “Get behind me, Satan! For you are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of man.”
Peter, when he hears that Jesus expects to die, pulls him aside. He wants Jesus to stop talking like that. Peter does not like this plan.
Jesus, for his part, strongly rebukes Peter. He tells Peter that Peter is more concerned about the things of men than the things of God.
Of course Jesus was right. His death was to be the means through which God would rescue all who are forgiven. Without Jesus going to the cross, we all go to hell. There is no hope for humanity without the sacrificial and substitutionary death of Jesus. So, Peter was speaking against a huge good even though there was a temporary and tragic hardship.
Now, here is the question: How often is this us? How often do we look at life, tell God how it should go, and never consider the things of God. There very well may be an eternal good present in a short-term hardship for us.
Perhaps we need for the Lord to remind us that, when we face pain and trouble, that he is in control. Perhaps we need for the Lord to remind us that his plans are bigger than our present comfort. Perhaps we need to have a lot more “your will be done” in our prayers than prayers begging not to face what looks difficult.
For sure, we need to talk to God honestly. We should make our requests known to God. But we also should recognize that not all our requests have eternal eyes. We also need to ask for eternal eyes to see that God is in control and that God will not lose.
So, will God turn America to himself? Maybe or maybe not. Either way, eternally, God will be glorified. Will God give my family health? I hope so, and I pray for it, but I need to know that his will is best. Will God grow our church? Maybe he will—I certainly ask him to—but I know that however large or small God’ makes our church, he will accomplish his will for his glory.
Lord, I pray for eternal eyes. Help me to think of the things of God more than the things of man. Help me not to be so limited in my perspective that I cannot see your hand at work, even in the hard things.
Daily Reading Notes 4/20/2016
Joshua 1:8
This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success.
As God commissions Joshua for his new role as leader of the nation of Israel, God gives him the command above. Joshua is to meditate on the law of God every day, day and night. In fact, Joshua’s success is directly tied to his obedience to the word of God as he learns it and remembers it daily.
This is a good reminder for us that God has called us to know his word. We do not learn God’s word because we want financial success. We are not health, wealth, and prosperity preachers. But, there is no doubt that we love God better, obey God better, and find greater joy when we are regularly in the word of God, loving him by hearing his voice in Scripture, and glorifying him through obedience.
Joshua 2:17-19
17 The men said to her, “We will be guiltless with respect to this oath of yours that you have made us swear. 18 Behold, when we come into the land, you shall tie this scarlet cord in the window through which you let us down, and you shall gather into your house your father and mother, your brothers, and all your father’s household. 19 Then if anyone goes out of the doors of your house into the street, his blood shall be on his own head, and we shall be guiltless. But if a hand is laid on anyone who is with you in the house, his blood shall be on our head.”
Note the glimpse of the gospel that is here. Rahab had hidden the spies from the people of Jericho. The spies promise her that her life and the lives of her family will be spared when the army of Israel takes the city. But, this will only be true if two things happen. First, it will only happen if Rahab ties the scarlet chord in her window. Second, the only people who will be safe are those who stay in Rahab’s house during he taking of the city.
I’ve never been one for reading great symbolism into Scripture. I do not generally make every red thing into an image of the blood of Christ. But I wonder if this might not be a good place for me to make an exception. Like the blood of Jesus, the scarlet chord points us to a place of safety, of mercy. As in the gospel, perfect provision is made for all who will be rescued. Like the gospel, those who wish to be rescued must enter the place of safety; there is no other place of safety.
Daily Reading Notes 4/19/2016
Mark 7:5, 9 (ESV)
5 And the Pharisees and the scribes asked him, “Why do your disciples not walk according to the tradition of the elders, but eat with defiled hands?”
9 And he said to them, “You have a fine way of rejecting the commandment of God in order to establish your tradition!
The encounter here between Jesus and the religious leaders of Israel is interesting. Mark points out to us in the first verses that the religious leaders had developed many rituals that were based, not on the word of God, but on their traditions. One such tradition had to do with a type of ceremonial washing before meals.
Many would here try to talk about the details of the washings. I’m not so concerned about how they washed or whether or not such washing was effective for health. What I find interesting is that the religious leaders found a practice to be helpful. However, instead of simply implementing that practice into their own lives as a helpful tool for personal use, they developed that practice into a rule to which they would hold others.
Later, in his response to the religious of his day, Jesus made it quite clear that these men were elevating the tradition of their elders above the word of God itself. And Jesus has no tolerance for such a thing. He does not affirm the practices that the scribes and Pharisees put in place. This is not because washing was not OK. Rather, the reason that Jesus was opposed to their practices was that they developed rules that God did not make, and then they acted against others who did not hold to their rules.
It would be wise for us to recognize that we are very likely to have the tendency of the Pharisees and scribes here. All of us, as we mature, will develop mental lists of things we consider to be right and things which we consider to be wrong. In many instances, these lists of ours will be directly influenced by the word of God and thus binding. For example adultery is always going to be wrong, because God’s word condemns it. Breaking the law—where that law is not in violation of the word of God—is always going to be wrong for us, because God’s word commands that we obey the laws of the land. Gathering with Believers for worship is always going to be a right thing for believers to do, because God’s word commands us not to forsake the practice of assembling together. Such rules are right because they are Scripture.
But, we will also develop rules and practices that are not required by God. For example, the Bible does not command multiple Sunday worship services. Should we then look down on those who come on Sunday morning to a service but who do not make a Sunday evening Bible study? The Bible forbids drunkenness. Should we then forbid the drinking of alcohol in any form? The Bible forbids adultery. Should we then not permit men to speak with women who are not their spouses?
How about a simple discussion of modesty? We all know that women (and men) should not dress in sexually provocative ways, ways that might cause lust in others. Does this then give us, as believers, the right to expect all other believers to agree with us on what is and is not modest? Unfortunately, this will not be possible. Clearly, God did not intend it to be possible, or he would have made a clear standard for hem lines and neck lines. It seems that God intends us to be wise, loving, and careful without developing a standard to which we hold others.
Of course, in that last paragraph, I am not saying that a family should not make standards that they follow as a household. A dad has every right to tell his children what they are allowed to wear. But, the dad will be in violation of biblical principle if he declares his standard to be the demand of God’s word if that demand is not actually present in the word of God.
As Larry Osborne declares, it is very easy for us to accidentally become Pharisees. We look at the rules God has given us, we find them to be less clear than we want, and we try to help God out. But we cannot help God here. God’s word is perfect. God’s standards are perfect. The freedoms God has given us are perfect. And we must not pretend that God’s law says something it does not say.
Instead, we need to be gracious and wise. Yes, we can determine what we will and will not do. Some Christians will decide never to drink alcohol. Some will decide that drinking in moderation is OK. Some Christian women will wear clothes that never expose their legs above the knees. Others will choose not to make skirt length a law while still being careful not to present themselves in a way that would lead someone to stumble. Some Christians will choose to live in the smallest homes they can handle in order to have more funds to give to missions. Other Christians will live in larger homes and use those as tools for the glory of God in showing hospitality. In all these cases, people will choose to honor God in obedience to his commands. At the same time, we need the wisdom not to make our solution to hard-to-define rules be that we develop a standard for ourselves and then demand that all good people everywhere agree with us.
Lord, I pray for wisdom here. I want to obey your commands. I also want to develop wise standards for myself and my family where your word is less clear. Help me to do so, but to also be gracious toward those whose standards do not match my own. Help me to be gracious, but never to accept sin as OK. God, only you and your Spirit living in me can give me what I need here. I trust you for the wisdom I will need.
Daily Reading Notes 4/18/2016
Mark 6:30-33
30 The apostles returned to Jesus and told him all that they had done and taught. 31 And he said to them, “Come away by yourselves to a desolate place and rest a while.” For many were coming and going, and they had no leisure even to eat. 32 And they went away in the boat to a desolate place by themselves.
I have just a quick thought from today’s reading. The disciples went out and worked for the sake of the gospel. They returned to Jesus and shared with him the results of their ministry. It has been a busy time. It had been a time of hard work.
What did Jesus do with them? Jesus suggested to his disciples that they all get away for a little while, to rest and recharge. Jesus was recommending a retreat, a little rest and relaxation. Jesus called his disciples to take a vacation.
What’s cool about this is that Jesus did not tell his disciples how sad it is that they needed to get away. He did not bemoan the sin condition of the world that would require such a time away. Nor did Jesus make the disciples feel guilty for not being able to hack another full month of ministry. He just told them to come with him somewhere else.
Now, for those who know the context, the rest that the guys planned was interrupted. But, I do not think that is relevant to the truth that Jesus encouraged his disciples to take a rest and recharge.
God has made people and patterned for us rest. The Lord himself rested from labor on the seventh day, and he made that a practice for humans to model. This was not the result of sin, but simply of goodness. Later, with the nation of Israel, God set a pattern of work and rest. He set a pattern of months of labor followed by celebration and feasting. God is not anti-rest or anti vacation.
Of course, it is quite possible for a person to make an idol of leisure. It is possible to become so into the down time that you have no up time. But, it is important to understand that work and rest are both part of the good human existence.
Lord, I would ask that you help me to work well and to rest well as glorifies your name. Help me to know when I need to press into work and when I need to take time away. Let me be used for your glory in all that I do, at work and at rest.
Daily Reading Notes – 4/15/2016
In my reading this morning, I came across this passage with one of the most misapplied verses in Scripture. I include a good deal of text below, because I want to show it in its context.
Psalm 50:7-15
7 “Hear, O my people, and I will speak;
O Israel, I will testify against you.
I am God, your God.
8 Not for your sacrifices do I rebuke you;
your burnt offerings are continually before me.
9 I will not accept a bull from your house
or goats from your folds.
10 For every beast of the forest is mine,
the cattle on a thousand hills.
11 I know all the birds of the hills,
and all that moves in the field is mine.
12 “If I were hungry, I would not tell you,
for the world and its fullness are mine.
13 Do I eat the flesh of bulls
or drink the blood of goats?
14 Offer to God a sacrifice of thanksgiving,
and perform your vows to the Most High,
15 and call upon me in the day of trouble;
I will deliver you, and you shall glorify me.”
Verse 10 is the misapplied verse: “For every beast of the forest is mine, the cattle on a thousand hills.” Most often, you will hear this verse used by fund raisers and church planters who desire the comfort of knowing that God is rich beyond our wildest imaginings. We want to know that God can and will supply every need that we have. He already has the funds in his account. We have a rich Father, and thus we need not fear financial failure.
By the way, it is most certainly true that God has all the resources we need. He could not possibly lack the ability to provide for us. But, that is not what God is saying in verse 10.
In verse 10, God is talking to the people of Israel who were proud of the sacrifices they were making. God wanted them to know, in no uncertain terms, that he did not need their sacrifices. While sacrificing to God is right, it does not benefit God in any way.
Consider that, in ancient times, people who sacrificed to idols often believed that their sacrifices were food for their gods. The people were feeding their deities. God wants it to be known that he does not need Israel to feed him. He does not eat their meat. Nor would he need them to provide for him if he did. He owns the world and everything in it. No person bringing him a sacrifice is in any way enriching him.
Friends, we should give to God in worship. We should sing his praises, read and obey his word, and give financially to the ministry. These things are right, and they greatly honor God. But do not think for a moment that they enrich God. The Lord is over all. He already owns everything. We do not give because he needs it. We give because we desire to display that God is our God, worthy of our praise and our lives.
Pastor Travis Peterson 