Reformed Doctrine Daily Devotions

Today’s devotion comes from Judges Chapter 7.  Here is a link to this Scripture – https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Judges+7&version=NASB

I quote only the following verses.

“1 Then Jerubbaal (that is, Gideon) and all the people who were with him, rose early and camped beside the spring of Harod;  and the camp of Midian was on the north side of them by the hill of Moreh in the valley.

2 The Lord said to Gideon, “The people who are with you are too many for Me to give Midian into their hands, for Israel would become boastful, saying, ‘My own power has delivered me.’  3 Now therefore come, proclaim in the hearing of the people, saying, ‘Whoever is afraid and trembling, let him return and depart from Mount Gilead.’”  So 22,000 people returned, but 10,000 remained.

4 Then the Lord said to Gideon, “The people are still too many;  bring them down to the water and I will test them for you there.  Therefore it shall be that he of whom I say to you, ‘This one shall go with you,’ he shall go with you; but everyone of whom I say to you, ‘This one shall not go with you,’ he shall not go.”  5 So he brought the people down to the water.  And the Lord said to Gideon, “You shall separate everyone who laps the water with his tongue as a dog laps, as well as everyone who kneels to drink.”  6 Now the number of those who lapped, putting their hand to their mouth, was 300 men;  but all the rest of the people kneeled to drink water.  7 The Lord said to Gideon, “I will deliver you with the 300 men who lapped and will give the Midianites into your hands;  so let all the other people go, each man to his home.”

…

19 So Gideon and the hundred men who were with him came to the outskirts of the camp at the beginning of the middle watch, when they had just posted the watch; and they blew the trumpets and smashed the pitchers that were in their hands.  20 When the three companies blew the trumpets and broke the pitchers, they held the torches in their left hands and the trumpets in their right hands for blowing, and cried, “A sword for the Lord and for Gideon!”  21 Each stood in his place around the camp; and all the army ran, crying out as they fled. 22 When they blew 300 trumpets, the Lord set the sword of one against another even throughout the whole army;  and the army fled as far as Beth-shittah toward Zererah, as far as the edge of Abel-meholah, by Tabbath.”  Judges Chapter 7:  Verses 1-7 and 19-22.

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Today’s Scripture gives another example of the Lord controlling events to make sure that He gets all the credit and glory.  “The Lord said to Gideon, “The people who are with you are too many for Me to give Midian into their hands, for Israel would become boastful, saying, ‘My own power has delivered me.’”  Verse 2.

Other doctrine proudly boasts “My own power has delivered me.  I was wise and strong.  My wisdom and free-will to choose Christ was the determining factor of why I was saved.”

But, Reformed Doctrine humbly starts with “Total Depravity”, the “T” of “TULIP”, the Five Points of Calvinism, the Reformed Doctrine of Salvation and with bowed head confesses that man is dead in sin and hostile to God and does not seek God.

Rather than boast of anything that man contributed, Reformed Doctrine boasts “God alone saved me!  It was a miracle!  It was miraculous like the victory that God gave to Gideon and his 300 men over the Midianites “as numerous as locusts”, because I was so foolish and weak.  Maybe even more miraculous than that victory, because I was dead in sin.”   And so, Reformed Doctrine joyfully embraces the next point, “Unconditional Election”, the “U” of “TULIP”, the Five Points of Calvinism, the Reformed Doctrine of Salvation as its only chance of salvation.

“For consider your calling, brethren, that there were not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble;  but God has chosen the foolish things of the world to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to shame the things which are strong, and the base things of the world and the despised God has chosen, the things that are not, so that He may nullify the things that are, so that no man may boast before God.  But by His doing you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification, and redemption, so that, just as it is written, “Let him who boasts, boast in the Lord.”  1 Corinthians 1:22-31.

Today’s devotion comes from Judges Chapter 5.  Here is a link to this chapter – https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Judges+5&version=NASB

I quote only the following verses.

“1 Then Deborah and Barak the son of Abinoam sang on that day, saying,

2 “That the leaders led in Israel,
That the people volunteered,
Bless the Lord!
3 “Hear, O kings; give ear, O rulers!
I—to the Lord, I will sing,
I will sing praise to the Lord, the God of Israel.
4 “Lord, when You went out from Seir,
When You marched from the field of Edom,
The earth quaked, the heavens also dripped,
Even the clouds dripped water.
5 “The mountains quaked at the presence of the Lord,
This Sinai, at the presence of the Lord, the God of Israel.

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

12 “Awake, awake, Deborah;
Awake, awake, sing a song!
Arise, Barak, and take away your captives, O son of Abinoam.

…

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

…

31 “Thus let all Your enemies perish, O Lord;
But let those who love Him be like the rising of the sun in its might.”  Joshua Chapter 5:  Verses 1-12 and 24-27 and 31.

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The following verses in Psalm Chapter 68 reminds me of today’s Scripture.

“1  Let God arise, let His enemies be scattered,
And let those who hate Him flee before Him.
2 As smoke is driven away, so drive them away;
As wax melts before the fire,
So let the wicked perish before God.
3 But let the righteous be glad; let them exult before God;
Yes, let them rejoice with gladness.
4 Sing to God, sing praises to His name;
Lift up a song for Him who rides through the deserts,
Whose name is the Lord, and exult before Him.”

…

7 O God, when You went forth before Your people,
When You marched through the wilderness, Selah.
8 The earth quaked;
The heavens also dropped rain at the presence of God;
Sinai itself quaked at the presence of God, the God of Israel.

…

11 The Lord gives the command;
The women who proclaim the good tidings are a great host:
12 “Kings of armies flee, they flee,
And she who remains at home will divide the spoil!” 

…

19 Blessed be the Lord, who daily bears our burden,
The God who is our salvation. Selah.
20 God is to us a God of deliverances;
And to God the Lord belong escapes from death.
21 Surely God will shatter the head of His enemies,
The hairy crown of him who goes on in his guilty deeds.”  Psalm Chapter 68:  Verses 1-4 and 7-8 and 11-12 and 19-21.

Other doctrine portray a passive Santa Claus-like god who loves everyone.

Reformed Doctrine portrays the Almighty Sovereign God of Scripture Who only loves and delivers the righteous (His elect) and Who shatters the heads of all His enemies. 

Today’s devotion comes from Judges Chapter 4.

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

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

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

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

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

23 So God subdued on that day Jabin the king of Canaan before the sons of Israel.  24 The hand of the sons of Israel pressed heavier and heavier upon Jabin the king of Canaan, until they had destroyed Jabin the king of Canaan.”  Judges Chapter 4.

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The LORD did indeed “sell Sisera into the hands of a woman” as Deborah prophesied in verse 9.  Both women, Deborah and Jael, deserve some of the honor.  And, the following chapter, Judges Chapter 5, honors both in a song.

Tomorrow, God willing, our devotion will come from Judges Chapter 5.

But, for now, the following Psalm Chapter 149 seemed like a good preface to that song.  It is good to “Praise the LORD!”.  It is good to sing to the LORD a new song.  It is good to rejoice.

We also note from today’s Scripture that God will use certain individuals to either lead or contribute (sometimes by unexpected individuals and sometimes in unexpected ways) in the language of the following Psalm Chapter 149 to “execute vengeance on the nations And punishment on the peoples, To bind their kings with chains And their nobles with fetters of iron, To execute on them the judgment written;  This is an honor for all His godly ones.  Praise the Lord!”

“1 Praise the Lord!
Sing to the Lord a new song,
And His praise in the congregation of the godly ones.
2 Let Israel be glad in his Maker;
Let the sons of Zion rejoice in their King.
3 Let them praise His name with dancing;
Let them sing praises to Him with timbrel and lyre.
4 For the Lord takes pleasure in His people;
He will beautify the afflicted ones with salvation.

5 Let the godly ones exult in glory;
Let them sing for joy on their beds.
6 Let the high praises of God be in their mouth,
And a two-edged sword in their hand,
7 To execute vengeance on the nations
And punishment on the peoples,
8 To bind their kings with chains
And their nobles with fetters of iron,
9 To execute on them the judgment written;
This is an honor for all His godly ones.
Praise the Lord!”  Psalm Chapter 149.

Today’s devotion comes from Judges Chapter 3.  Here is a link to this chapter – https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Judges+3&version=NASB

I quote only the following verses.

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

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

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

15 But when the sons of Israel cried to the Lord, the Lord raised up a deliverer for them, Ehud the son of Gera, the Benjamite, a left-handed man.  …

…

29 They struck down at that time about ten thousand Moabites, all robust and valiant men; and no one escaped.  30 So Moab was subdued that day under the hand of Israel.  And the land was undisturbed for eighty years.

31 After him came Shamgar the son of Anath, who struck down six hundred Philistines with an oxgoad;  and he also saved Israel.”  Judges 3: Verses 7-15 and 29-31.

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Time after time, when the sons of Israel cried to the Lord, the Lord raised up a deliverer for them.

In the following Psalm Chapter 107, we read this pattern of Israel crying out to the LORD in their trouble, and the LORD delivering them out of their distresses, time after time.

“6 Then they cried out to the Lord in their trouble;
He delivered them out of their distresses.
7 He led them also by a straight way,
To go to an inhabited city.
8 Let them give thanks to the Lord for His lovingkindness,
And for His wonders to the sons of men!
9 For He has satisfied the thirsty soul,
And the hungry soul He has filled with what is good.

10 There were those who dwelt in darkness and in the shadow of death,
Prisoners in misery and chains,
11 Because they had rebelled against the words of God
And spurned the counsel of the Most High.
12 Therefore He humbled their heart with labor;
They stumbled and there was none to help.
13 Then they cried out to the Lord in their trouble;
He saved them out of their distresses.
14 He brought them out of darkness and the shadow of death
And broke their bands apart.
15 Let them give thanks to the Lord for His lovingkindness,
And for His wonders to the sons of men!
16 For He has shattered gates of bronze
And cut bars of iron asunder.

17 Fools, because of their rebellious way,
And because of their iniquities, were afflicted.
18 Their soul abhorred all kinds of food,
And they drew near to the gates of death.
19 Then they cried out to the Lord in their trouble;
He saved them out of their distresses.
20 He sent His word and healed them,
And delivered them from their destructions.
21 Let them give thanks to the Lord for His lovingkindness,
And for His wonders to the sons of men!
22 Let them also offer sacrifices of thanksgiving,
And tell of His works with joyful singing.

23 Those who go down to the sea in ships,
Who do business on great waters;
24 They have seen the works of the Lord,
And His wonders in the deep.
25 For He spoke and raised up a stormy wind,
Which lifted up the waves of the sea.
26 They rose up to the heavens, they went down to the depths;
Their soul melted away in their misery.
27 They reeled and staggered like a drunken man,
And were at their wits’ end.
28 Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble,
And He brought them out of their distresses.
29 He caused the storm to be still,
So that the waves of the sea were hushed.
30 Then they were glad because they were quiet,
So He guided them to their desired haven.
31 Let them give thanks to the Lord for His lovingkindness,
And for His wonders to the sons of men!
32 Let them extol Him also in the congregation of the people,
And praise Him at the seat of the elders.”  Psalm 107:6-32.

Let us too cry to our LORD in our trouble and trust our LORD to save us out of our distresses.

Let us too praise and glorify our LORD this Sabbath day in the congregation of the people.

Let us too give thanks to our Lord every day for His lovingkindness, and for His wonders to us! 

Today’s devotion comes from Judges Chapter 2.  Here is a link to this chapter – https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Judges+2&version=NASB

I quote only the following verses.

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

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

16 Then the Lord raised up judges who delivered them from the hands of those who plundered them.  17 Yet they did not listen to their judges, for they played the harlot after other gods and bowed themselves down to them.  They turned aside quickly from the way in which their fathers had walked in obeying the commandments of the Lord;  they did not do as their fathers.  18 When the Lord raised up judges for them, the Lord was with the judge and delivered them from the hand of their enemies all the days of the judge;  for the Lord was moved to pity by their groaning because of those who oppressed and afflicted them.  19 But it came about when the judge died, that they would turn back and act more corruptly than their fathers, in following other gods to serve them and bow down to them;  they did not abandon their practices or their stubborn ways.”  Judges 2:6-19.

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Today’s Scripture reminds us of the sad history of Israel so panoramically displayed in vivid detail in Psalm Chapter 78 that we read in the devotion two days ago.  Despite all that the LORD did for Israel, Israel forgot and forsook the LORD:  “they did not abandon their practices or their stubborn ways.”  Verse 19.

Today’s Scripture should be a warning.  But, there are those who still stubbornly cling to man’s alleged goodness and alleged free-will.  They preach and teach:  “Man just needs to learn more.  Man just needs to try harder.”

But, there is hope!

Reformed Doctrine preaches and teaches so that its listeners will know the true LORD, not the god of their desires.  Reformed Doctrine preaches and teaches what the LORD has done. 

Reformed Doctrine humbles man and exalts God.  Reformed Doctrine humbles man by preaching and teaching man’s “Total Depravity”, the “T” of “TULIP”, the Five Points of Calvinism, the Reformed Doctrine of Salvation.  Reformed Doctrine exalts God by preaching and teaching what God has done for His elect from “Unconditional Election” to “Limited Atonement” to “Irresistible Grace” to “Preservation of the Saints”, the “U”, “L”, “I”, and “P” of “TULIP”, the Five Points of Calvinism, the Reformed Doctrine of Salvation.

Reformed Doctrine best helps us focus on the LORD and trust Him and His righteousness and His salvation.

“1 Listen to me, you who pursue righteousness,
Who seek the Lord:
Look to the rock from which you were hewn
And to the quarry from which you were dug.
2 “Look to Abraham your father
And to Sarah who gave birth to you in pain;
When he was but one I called him,
Then I blessed him and multiplied him.”
3 Indeed, the Lord will comfort Zion;
He will comfort all her waste places.
And her wilderness He will make like Eden,
And her desert like the garden of the Lord;
Joy and gladness will be found in her,
Thanksgiving and sound of a melody.

4 “Pay attention to Me, O My people,
And give ear to Me, O My nation;
For a law will go forth from Me,
And I will set My justice for a light of the peoples.
5 “My righteousness is near, My salvation has gone forth,
And My arms will judge the peoples;
The coastlands will wait for Me,
And for My arm they will wait expectantly.
6 “Lift up your eyes to the sky,
Then look to the earth beneath;
For the sky will vanish like smoke,
And the earth will wear out like a garment
And its inhabitants will die in like manner;
But My salvation will be forever,
And My righteousness will not wane.
7 “Listen to Me, you who know righteousness,
A people in whose heart is My law;
Do not fear the reproach of man,
Nor be dismayed at their revilings.
8 “For the moth will eat them like a garment,
And the grub will eat them like wool.
But My righteousness will be forever,
And My salvation to all generations.”  Isaiah 51:1-8.

Today’s devotion comes from Judges Chapter 1.  Here is a link to this chapter – https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Judges+1&version=NASB

I quote only the following verses.

“Now it came about after the death of Joshua that the sons of Israel inquired of the Lord, saying, “Who shall go up first for us against the Canaanites, to fight against them?”  The Lord said, “Judah shall go up;  behold, I have given the land into his hand.”  Judges 1:1-2.

——————-

Judges Chapter 1 shows both the leadership of the tribe of Judah and the greater success over its enemies compared to the other tribes who had more problems driving out their enemies.

Today’s Scripture shows one way in which “He (God) also rejected the tent of Joseph, And did not choose the tribe of Ephraim, But chose the tribe of Judah, Mount Zion which He loved.”  Psalm 78:67-68.

Today’s Scripture also partially fulfilled the prophecy of Jacob:

“8 “Judah, your brothers shall praise you;
Your hand shall be on the neck of your enemies;
Your father’s sons shall bow down to you.
9 “Judah is a lion’s whelp;
From the prey, my son, you have gone up.
He couches, he lies down as a lion,
And as a lion, who dares rouse him up?
10 “The scepter shall not depart from Judah,
Nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet,
Until Shiloh comes,
And to him shall be the obedience of the peoples.”  Genesis 49:8-10.

But, most importantly, today’s Scripture points to Jesus Christ, “the Lion that is from the tribe of Judah”:  “and one of the elders *said to me, “Stop weeping;  behold, the Lion that is from the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has overcome so as to open the book and its seven seals.”  Revelation 5:5.

Jesus Christ, this Lion of the Tribe of Judah, gives us:

“71 Salvation from our enemies,
And from the hand of all who hate us;
72 To show mercy toward our fathers,
And to remember His holy covenant,
73 The oath which He swore to Abraham our father,
74 To grant us that we, being rescued from the hand of our enemies,
Might serve Him without fear,
75 In holiness and righteousness before Him all our days.”  Luke 1:71-74.

Today’s devotion comes from Joshua Chapter 24.  Here is a link to this chapter – https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Joshua+24&version=NASB

I quote only the following verses.

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

19 Then Joshua said to the people, “You will not be able to serve the Lord, for He is a holy God. He is a jealous God;  He will not forgive your transgression or your sins. 20 If you forsake the Lord and serve foreign gods, then He will turn and do you harm and consume you after He has done good to you.”  Joshua 24:16-20.

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Psalm Chapter 78 contains a vivid and detailed history of Israel, and how Israel, despite God’s miracles and wonderful works for Israel, time after time forgot God and rebelled against Him.

But because the chapter is too long, I can only quote herein the following verses from this chapter.  Here is a link to this chapter – https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm+78&version=NASB

“31 The anger of God rose against them
And killed some of their stoutest ones,
And subdued the choice men of Israel.
32 In spite of all this they still sinned
And did not believe in His wonderful works.
33 So He brought their days to an end in futility
And their years in sudden terror.”  Psalm 78:31-33.

But, there is hope!

“65 Then the Lord awoke as if from sleep,
Like a warrior overcome by wine.
66 He drove His adversaries backward;
He put on them an everlasting reproach.
67 He also rejected the tent of Joseph,
And did not choose the tribe of Ephraim,
68 But chose the tribe of Judah,
Mount Zion which He loved.
69 And He built His sanctuary like the heights,
Like the earth which He has founded forever.
70 He also chose David His servant
And took him from the sheepfolds;
71 From the care of the ewes with suckling lambs He brought him
To shepherd Jacob His people,
And Israel His inheritance.
72 So he shepherded them according to the integrity of his heart,
And guided them with his skillful hands.”  Psalm 78:65-72.

Notice that this hope is not that Israel came to their senses or tried harder.

Rather, we read:  “Then the Lord awoke as if from sleep, Like a warrior overcome by wine.”  Psalm 78:65.

And, we read:  “He also rejected the tent of Joseph, And did not choose the tribe of Ephraim, But chose the tribe of Judah, Mount Zion which He loved.”  Psalm 78:67-68.  And, later we read:  “He also chose David His servant” in Psalm 78:70.

This focus on the Lord and His choices should remind of “Unconditional Election”, the “U” of “TULIP”, the Five Points of Calvinism, the Reformed Doctrine of Salvation.

Because of man’s “Total Depravity” (the “T” of “TULIP”), and there is no condition that man can supply that could motivate God to save us (because we are dead in sin and hostile to God), the only hope that we have is in God’s  “Unconditional Election”, or simply put, that despite our continual rebellion, God will save His chosen ones.

Today’s devotion comes from Joshua Chapter 23.

“1 Now it came about after many days, when the Lord had given rest to Israel from all their enemies on every side, and Joshua was old, advanced in years, 2 that Joshua called for all Israel, for their elders and their heads and their judges and their officers, and said to them, “I am old, advanced in years.  3 And you have seen all that the Lord your God has done to all these nations because of you, for the Lord your God is He who has been fighting for you . 4 See, I have apportioned to you these nations which remain as an inheritance for your tribes, with all the nations which I have cut off, from the Jordan even to the Great Sea toward the setting of the sun.  5 The Lord your God, He will thrust them out from before you and drive them from before you; and you will possess their land, just as the Lord your God promised you.  6 Be very firm, then, to keep and do all that is written in the book of the law of Moses, so that you may not turn aside from it to the right hand or to the left, 7 so that you will not associate with these nations, these which remain among you, or mention the name of their gods, or make anyone swear by them, or serve them, or bow down to them.  8 But you are to cling to the Lord your God, as you have done to this day . 9 For the Lord has driven out great and strong nations from before you;  and as for you, no man has stood before you to this day.  10 One of your men puts to flight a thousand, for the Lord your God is He who fights for you, just as He promised you. 11 So take diligent heed to yourselves to love the Lord your God.  12 For if you ever go back and cling to the rest of these nations, these which remain among you, and intermarry with them, so that you associate with them and they with you, 13 know with certainty that the Lord your God will not continue to drive these nations out from before you; but they will be a snare and a trap to you, and a whip on your sides and thorns in your eyes, until you perish from off this good land which the Lord your God has given you.

14 “Now behold, today I am going the way of all the earth, and you know in all your hearts and in all your souls that not one word of all the good words which the Lord your God spoke concerning you has failed;  all have been fulfilled for you, not one of them has failed.  15 It shall come about that just as all the good words which the Lord your God spoke to you have come upon you, so the Lord will bring upon you all the threats, until He has destroyed you from off this good land which the Lord your God has given you.  16 When you transgress the covenant of the Lord your God, which He commanded you, and go and serve other gods and bow down to them, then the anger of the Lord will burn against you, and you will perish quickly from off the good land which He has given you.”  Joshua Chapter 23.

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Indeed, Israel knew in all their hearts and all their souls that God was Almighty God and their Faithful Father and that God had fulfilled all of His promises and had abundantly blessed them.

There was no reason why they should rebel against such an Almighty God.  They had seen what He had done to their enemies.

There was no reason why they should rebel against such a Faithful Father.  They had seen that He had fulfilled all of His promises and had abundantly blessed them.

There was no reason why they should disobey the Law.  They knew how holy, righteous, and all around good the Law was.  They also had been warned many times as to the severe consequences of disobedience.

And yet, Israel did indeed transgress the covenant of the Lord your God, which He commanded them, and did go and serve other gods and bow down to them, and the anger of the Lord did burn against you, and they did perish quickly from off the good land which He had given them, except for a remnant.

Today, we know the same things.  And yet, we too disobey, even knowing in addition, what happened to Israel.

But, there is hope!

“7 For if that first covenant had been faultless, there would have been no occasion sought for a second. 8 For finding fault with them, He says,

“Behold, days are coming, says the Lord,
When I will effect a new covenant
With the house of Israel and with the house of Judah;
9 Not like the covenant which I made with their fathers
On the day when I took them by the hand
To lead them out of the land of Egypt;
For they did not continue in My covenant,
And I did not care for them, says the Lord.
10 “For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel
After those days, says the Lord:
I will put My laws into their minds,
And I will write them on their hearts.
And I will be their God,
And they shall be My people.
11 “And they shall not teach everyone his fellow citizen,
And everyone his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’
For all will know Me,
From the least to the greatest of them.
12 “For I will be merciful to their iniquities,
And I will remember their sins no more.”

13 When He said, “A new covenant,” He has made the first obsolete. But whatever is becoming obsolete and growing old is ready to disappear.”  Hebrews 8:7-13.

This hope is provided solely by God. 

“Total Depravity”, the “T” of “TULIP”, the Five Points of Calvinism, the Reformed Doctrine of Salvation, helps us understand why Israel then and why we today are so disobedient despite all the above-stated reasons to be obedient.

We need this hope solely provided by God.

Our only chance for salvation is “Unconditional Election”, the “U” of “TULIP”, the Five Points of Calvinism, the Reformed Doctrine of Salvation.

We need a God Who does everything for our salvation from “Unconditional Election” through “Limited Atonement” through “Irresistible Grace” through “Preservation of the Saints”, the “U”, “L”, “I”, and “P” of “TULIP”, the Five Points of Calvinism, the Reformed Doctrine of Salvation.

Our hope is not that we just try harder to obey the Law.  

“For as many as are of the works of the Law are under a curse;  for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who does not abide by all things written in the book of the law, to perform them.”  Now that no one is justified by the Law before God is evident; for, “The righteous man shall live by faith.”  However, the Law is not of faith;  on the contrary, “He who practices them shall live by them.”  Christ redeemed us from the curse of the Law, having become a curse for us—for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree”— in order that in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham might come to the Gentiles, so that we would receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.”  Galatians 3:10-14.

Our hope is that we die to the Law and be joined to Christ and serve “in newness of the Spirit and not in oldness of the letter.”  

“Therefore, my brethren, you also were made to die to the Law through the body of Christ, so that you might be joined to another, to Him who was raised from the dead, in order that we might bear fruit for God.  For while we were in the flesh, the sinful passions, which were aroused by the Law, were at work in the members of our body to bear fruit for death.  But now we have been released from the Law, having died to that by which we were bound, so that we serve in newness of the Spirit and not in oldness of the letter.”  Romans 7:4-6.

Our hope is that we are children of promise.  “And you brethren, like Isaac, are children of promise.”  Galatians 4:28.  “That is, it is not the children of the flesh who are children of God, but the children of the promise are regarded as descendants.”  Romans 9:8.  “For the promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off, as many as the Lord our God will call to Himself.”  Acts 2:39.  “For if the inheritance is based on law, it is no longer based on a promise;  but God has granted it to Abraham by means of a promise.”  Galatians 3:18.

Today’s devotion comes from Joshua chapter  22.  Here is a link to this chapter – https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Joshua+22&version=NASB

I quote only the following verses.

“10 When they came to the region of the Jordan which is in the land of Canaan, the sons of Reuben and the sons of Gad and the half-tribe of Manasseh built an altar there by the Jordan, a large altar in appearance.  11 And the sons of Israel heard it said, “Behold, the sons of Reuben and the sons of Gad and the half-tribe of Manasseh have built an altar at the frontier of the land of Canaan, in the region of the Jordan, on the side belonging to the sons of Israel.”  12 When the sons of Israel heard of it, the whole congregation of the sons of Israel gathered themselves at Shiloh to go up against them in war.

…

21 Then the sons of Reuben and the sons of Gad and the half-tribe of Manasseh answered and spoke to the heads of the families of Israel.  22 “The Mighty One, God, the Lord, the Mighty One, God, the Lord! He knows, and may Israel itself know. If it was in rebellion, or if in an unfaithful act against the Lord do not save us this day!  23 If we have built us an altar to turn away from following the Lord, or if to offer a burnt offering or grain offering on it, or if to offer sacrifices of peace offerings on it, may the Lord Himself require it.  24 But truly we have done this out of concern, for a reason, saying, ‘In time to come your sons may say to our sons, “What have you to do with the Lord, the God of Israel?  25 For the Lord has made the Jordan a border between us and you, you sons of Reuben and sons of Gad;  you have no portion in the Lord.”  So your sons may make our sons stop fearing the Lord.’

26 “Therefore we said, ‘Let us build an altar, not for burnt offering or for sacrifice;  27 rather it shall be a witness between us and you and between our generations after us, that we are to perform the service of the Lord before Him with our burnt offerings, and with our sacrifices and with our peace offerings, so that your sons will not say to our sons in time to come, “You have no portion in the Lord.”’ 28 Therefore we said, ‘It shall also come about if they say this to us or to our generations in time to come, then we shall say, “See the copy of the altar of the Lord which our fathers made, not for burnt offering or for sacrifice;  rather it is a witness between us and you.”’

…

30 So when Phinehas the priest and the leaders of the congregation, even the heads of the families of Israel who were with him, heard the words which the sons of Reuben and the sons of Gad and the sons of Manasseh spoke, it pleased them. 31 And Phinehas the son of Eleazar the priest said to the sons of Reuben and to the sons of Gad and to the sons of Manasseh, “Today we know that the Lord is in our midst, because you have not committed this unfaithful act against the Lord; now you have delivered the sons of Israel from the hand of the Lord.”

32 Then Phinehas the son of Eleazar the priest and the leaders returned from the sons of Reuben and from the sons of Gad, from the land of Gilead to the land of Canaan, to the sons of Israel, and brought back word to them.   33 The word pleased the sons of Israel, and the sons of Israel blessed God;  and they did not speak of going up against them in war to destroy the land in which the sons of Reuben and the sons of Gad were living. 34 The sons of Reuben and the sons of Gad called the altar Witness;  “For,” they said, “it is a witness between us that the Lord is God.”  Joshua Chapter 22:  Verses 10-12 and 21-28 and 33-34.

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I have a wooden piece that I placed on the mantle above the inside part of the front door of my home.  On it are the words:  “As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”  We neither worship there nor pray there.  But, it is a witness to others who see it in our home that we serve the Lord.  It is also a reminder to us, the residents of the home, that we serve the Lord.

You also have your own things that serve as a witness and reminder.

Israel itself should have remembered a similar witness and reminder when they crossed the Jordan.  It was also close to the frontier of the land of Canaan.

“Now the people came up from the Jordan on the tenth of the first month and camped at Gilgal on the eastern edge of Jericho.  Those twelve stones which they had taken from the Jordan, Joshua set up at Gilgal.  He said to the sons of Israel, “When your children ask their fathers in time to come, saying, ‘What are these stones?’ then you shall inform your children, saying, ‘Israel crossed this Jordan on dry ground.’   For the Lord your God dried up the waters of the Jordan before you until you had crossed, just as the Lord your God had done to the Red Sea, which He dried up before us until we had crossed;  that all the peoples of the earth may know that the hand of the Lord is mighty, so that you may fear the Lord your God forever.”  Joshua 4:19-24.

Israel did not offer burnt offerings at those twelve stones nor otherwise worship there.  But, it was a witness and reminder:  “that all the peoples of the earth may know that the hand of the Lord is mighty, so that you may fear the Lord your God forever.”

But, as a witness and reminder, we have more than twelve stones or a wooden piece on the front door mantle:  “but you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you;  and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth.”  Acts 1:8.

“But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I said to you.”  John 14:26.

God is in our midst!  God dwells within us!  God uses His Holy Spirit to bear fruit within us and causes us to be witnesses and brings to our remembrance all that He said to us!

“Then he said to me, “This is the word of the Lord to Zerubbabel saying, ‘Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,’ says the Lord of hosts.  ‘What are you, O great mountain?  Before Zerubbabel you will become a plain;  and he will bring forth the top stone with shouts of “Grace, grace to it!”’”  Zechariah 4:6-7.