Joshua 22:21-23:16, Luke 20:27-47, Psalm 89:14-37, Proverbs 13:17-19
Today is the 21st day of April, welcome to the Daily Audio Bible. I’ Brian, it is awesome, it is awesome to have a place to go and gather around the Global Campfire and just be here, together and let the Scriptures speak into our lives. So, what a joy to take the next step forward, which leads us back into the Book of Joshua, which I believe we will conclude tomorrow. But we were kind of left with a cliff hanger. The children of Israel have settled into the Promised Land. There is peace from their enemies. They have divided up the land and the two and a half tribes have been sent back across to the east side of the Jordan River, where their land had previously been given to them by Moses. And on their way back, when they neared the Jordan River, they erected an alter in the Promised Land before crossing over to the other side. Word got back, of course, that the people who met in Shiloh, their capital, and discussion of going to war with their brothers. Like, civil war is on the table and a delegation has been sent to confront this two and a half tribes. That’s where we pick up the story today, Joshua chapter 22 verse 21 through 23 verse 16.
Commentary:
Okay, so as we near the end of the Book of Joshua and start making preparations to move forward from there, we see how this talk of civil war is quelled. The reason that Reuben, Gad and the half tribe of Manasseh built that alter was not to dishonor God or to create another place of worship against what God had commanded. It wasn’t really there to be an alter or a functioning alter, in any way. It was there to be a memorial. It was there to be a reminder, a remembrance. It was there to stand as a witness between the people on the east side of the Jordan and on the western side of the Jordan so that, everyone would remember on both sides that they were brothers and sisters and that they each had claim to worship the God of Israel, their God. This is one of the many instances in the Bible that when we see something like this, some type of witness, some type of stones piled up so that, when people pass by those stones, they ask the question, “Why are those stones there?” And a story can be told, “This is what happened here, and these stones are here as a witness to what happened here and as a memorial so that, we will never forget.” It’s a common occurrence in the Bible and we do similar things today, things that we buy and put places or whatever to remember so, we won’t forget. Or something that we got from someone who is no longer with us, but we treasure that, cause it’s a little point of connection in our memory. We remember them. Even the institution of the Eucharist, right at the Last Supper. Communion is, do this in remembrance of me. And so, the idea that we should insert things into our lives that will assist us with actually being rooted in what God has done, instead of just hard charging forward as fast as we can in some sort of direction that we hope is good. When we could actually look back at our path and see that we have been rooted, we have witnesses, we have memorials, we have remembrances, then we can easily see the path that we have walked and God’s involvement in that path. And so, there are probably many ways to do that in your life in anyway that you want to do that in your life. But one way that’s certainly a common way to pile up some rocks, so that when you pass that way again you can look at them and there is a witness, there is a story there, is to journal. Journal your way through the bible, journal your way through well, life. But through a year in the Bible, and all that the Lord speaks to you and all that was going on in your life, then that little journal, perhaps written in your own hand, is a reminder for you but is a memorial and a witness for future generations of your people. Your people. There are people, when we think about things, we think yes, I will have, well, my children are the future, generation, their children, my grandchildren are the future of…of the human race. And all that has gone before but what we are mostly centered in what’s going on right now and we’re not often thinking about, what will the generation, what will my family line look like in 300 years. Who will they be? Because they will exist because I existed. And what my life represented how, will there be a witness if I don’t leave one. And so, we encourage, we participate, we do this. It’s not really a super big pitch for journaling, although journaling is a way of methodically piling up those rocks, that tell the story of our ups and downs and God’s faithfulness. And so, we have all the stuff for journaling in the Daily Audio Bible Shop, right down to the best pencils you can get in the world. I journal with a pencil myself, just fell in love with it when my mom got sick. So, it’s been like 5 years but since then, I like sharpening a pencil and writing with my own hand. It’s not typing or in some kind of digital journal that I really don’t go back to. To have some type of routine, understanding that we’re piling up the rocks. We’re creating a witness. It can be really, really helpful on our journey through the Scriptures.
Prayer:
And so, Father, we thank You for Your word. And we thank You for all of the nuances and all of…all of the ways that it touches everything about us. We thank You that the good and the bad are in there, the struggle is in there, the hardship is in there. We’re not reading some kind of fantasy. We’re reading about people who put their trust in You and we’re also reading about people who did not. And we get to see where those pathway lead in great detail and we thank You for that because it informs our own path. And so, we thank You for these examples of witnesses or memorials being set up. Reminding us that some of these are very, very valuable because a lot happens in life and we forget most of it. And so, come, Holy Spirit, we pray, in the name of Jesus. Amen.
Announcements:
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And that’s it for today, I’m Brian, I love you and I will be waiting for you here, tomorrow.
Prayers and Encouragements:
Hey, Daily Audio Bible this is People on the Water from Indiana. And I just would like to reach out to Robby and anybody else. He said he is the possibly the worst Christian talking about how he’s just doing this or that and you know I kind of feel like I’m in that same boat. I used to have a strong stark in my faith, I used to desire God. But that has since falling apart, on my own accord. And it’s, yeah, it’s hard on me. So, that being said, I’m just praying for you brother. I love you and yeah.
Good morning, Daily Audio Bible family this is Jeff calling from Canada. I’m part of the DAB Audio Bible as well as the Daily Audio Bible Kids. It’s the 16th of April and just listening to the prayers, specifically to do with the child from the lady in New York that’s struggling and Ethen, A Work in Progress, your son. I just aw, touched my heart. Going to the Bible with my two sons, one of them is 7-years-old, and I just…I just couldn’t imagine. So, we want to lift them up in prayer. And we believe that God is a miracle working God and He’s gonna do something in each situation. So, Father, we thank You for the boy that’s struggling with anger and hurt. Lord, we ask You to heal his heart and change his situation, in the name of Jesus. Father, we lift up Ethen, oh God, we just thank You Lord, that You are a miracle working God. That Lord, we just speak to his body and we command healing to come, from the top of his head, to the souls of his feet, to the tips of his fingers, Father. Whatever’s causing the degeneration, we ask You for regeneration, in Jesus’ name. We speak to his body and we say be healed, in Jesus’ name. We bind any demonic __ or spirit or principality, anything that is not from You, God. We command it to leave his body, we command it to go. Lord, I thank You even right now for signs of regeneration, that as Work in Progress and her family, sees this young boy, that God, they would just see a change for the better, in Jesus’ name. So, we just ask for the grace to be poured on that family, the strength Father, everyone that is working with children. Whether they be sick, whether they be struggling, we just ask You for the grace to be upon them. So, we just bless them. May You keep them, let Your face and light shine upon them, in Jesus’ name. This is Jeff in Canada from the Daily Audio Bible, Daily Audio Bible Kids family. Be blessed.
Hello my DAB family this is Yours Truly, Debra from the East Coast. Today is Saturday, April 16th. Praying for my mother. I would like you to pray with me. Pray for her healing. She was admitted to the hospital this past Thursday with complications in her abdomen area. But we know God is a healer. Jehovah, our Raffa. Let us pray. Father God, in the name of Jesus, we come before You now Lord, to say thank You. Father God, You said ask in the Saviors name and we come asking in the name of Jesus for a healing for my dear mother on today. We pray that You would heal her body. Give her all that she stands in need of. And Father God, we pray and we believe and we trust You as the ultimate healer. In the name of Jesus. Thank you Brian and family for all that you do on the podcast. Love to each and everyone of you. Jesus loves you and so do I.
Candance from Oregon, it’s Easter morning. Can’t even tell you how grateful I am for all of you, listening to you, being with you this morning. In my 41 years with my husband Brad, we had our ups and downs but Easter morning, you know, sometimes he was out of town and that was just difficult. But I would sing over at the church I go to because of him, because of my husband that’s the church I go to and I still go there and they’re so precious to me. I’m singing with them again this morning. But you know, I was remembering so many Easters with Brad and we would celebrate with artists like Michael Card and John-Michael Talbot and 2nd Chapter of Acts. [Singing] Hear the Bells a ringing. [End Singing] I mean it was just glorious. We would wake up from our sleep and right from our beds start rejoicing in the Lord. And now, I got to do that with you and I’m so glad you were there. My Jewish son-in-law was not offended by my greetings. And I got good texts back even from him. And I’m hoping for text back from all my kids and grandkids, who will not probably be with me, any of them, at the church or at any church. But I pray that soon, one day, they will know the Lord. Thank you for all of your prayers, beloved family.
Good morning, this is Waterman Michael calling from Portugal, originally moved over from West Coast USA, Washington, Oregon and California. I’m asking for prayers, I’ve been in the wilderness for a very long time with my family, my toddler, my 15-year-old teenager. Prayer for, asking the whole DAB family, prayer warriors around the world, join me in prayer for family unity and consistency. We’re struggling financially, crammed into a small apartment, trying to find a bigger space. And just you know, in survival mode. I’ve been going through all kinds of interviews but not landing a new role. And my wife is just struggling to get enough sleep as she works a part-time job and also trying to run a hospitality business. And it just doesn’t seem like it’s enough. I know the Lord’s enough but it’s been really hard. I’m feeling depressed at times, warn out, weary. And we need strength. We need financial stability. We need independence in having our own living space apart from the in-laws we’ve lived with ever since we’ve been married for seven years. And also living with a mentally ill, alcoholic in law, is very, very difficult. So, we just ask for prayers of protection, health, provision, stability; I can’t name them all, I’m sure some of you can. Really appreciate your prayers. Thank you, Daily Audio Bible. Absolutely amazing community. I just, I’m a new listener as of a few months ago. So, God Bless, everyone there. Hello from Portugal. And I really believe in that mighty unity of the power of prayer. God Bless, Brian and your family. Cheers.