Day 17 of 90 Devotion

Dearest e-votees-

Day seventeen of our cover to cover voyage through the Bible. We complete Joshua (6 down, 60 to go) and begin Judges.

If you want to see the readings for our trip through the Bible you can follow this link:

www.christthegoodshep.org/biblein90days.html

Peace,
Karl

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Day 17 Readings: Joshua 15:1-Judges 3:27

It seems that the point of today's reading (and, in fact, much of scripture) is that God will deliver on the promises God has made. The people who survived the trip and the various rebellions are now being brought into the Promised Land and given tribal regions. God has done what God had said. By the time we are done with Joshua the peoples are more or less settled into the lands--as promised.

The other point and part of the relationship is that people, with best intentions or not so much so, do not keep up their end of the covenant. There is instruction to wipe out pre-existing people groups which happens to varying degrees. There is instruction to abide by God's laws and requirements which happens to varying degrees. There is instruction to live as holy and set apart people, as God's people, which happens to varying degrees.

Perhaps this mirrors our own lives. God makes promises. God has delivered on those promises through the life, death and resurrection of Jesus. God has done what God has said (although often not in the way that we heard nor expected). We are more or less settled into the places God has promised for us.

How are we doing with our end of the covenant? Are we loving God with all our hearts, souls, strengths and minds? Are we loving our ourselves? Are we loving our neighbors as ourselves?

As we read about how our spiritual ancestors struggled to live into the promises of God perhaps we can look at them through a sympathetic lens and at ourselves through an honest mirror. We aren't so very different.


God, help us know the goodness and truth of promises from you delivered through Jesus. Change our hearts, souls, minds and strengths that we might abide more faithfully in your covenant. Amen.