January 13

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January 13

January 13, 2023

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Numbers 13:21–25

21 So they went up, and searched the land from the wilderness of Zin unto Rehob, as men come to Hamath.

22 And they ascended by the south, and came unto Hebron; where Ahiman, Sheshai, and Talmai, the children of Anak, were. (Now Hebron was built seven years before Zoan in Egypt.)

23 And they came unto the brook of Eshcol, and cut down from thence a branch with one cluster of grapes, and they bare it between two upon a staff; and they brought of the pomegranates, and of the figs.

24 The place was called the brook Eshcol, because of the cluster of grapes which the children of Israel cut down from thence.

25 And they returned from searching of the land after forty days.

Biblical Insight

The timeframe of forty days appears several times in the Bible. Moses spent forty days on the mountain with God twice, both before and after the golden calf incident (Exodus 24:18; 34:28). Forty days was the length of time Goliath threatened Israel before David fought and killed him (I Samuel 17:16). When Elijah fled from Jezebel, he spent forty days traveling through the wilderness to Mount Horeb (I Kings 19:4– 8). Jesus famously spent forty days in the wilderness being tempted by the devil (Matthew 4:1–2). While biblical scholars must be careful not to read too much into numerology, the timeframe of forty is frequently used to indicate instances of struggle and decision-making. This trend might reflect that during the spies’ forty days in the promised land, they were struggling to believe God would deliver the land to them.

Daily Devotion

How many choices have you made today?

It is estimated that an adult makes approximately 35,000 conscious decisions each day and 226.7 of those decisions are regarding food (Wansink and Sobal, The 200 Daily Food Decisions We Overlook). Neuroscientists discovered that many of our daily decisions are resolved in approximately ten seconds whereas larger decisions can take months or even years. Researchers have also found asking for opinions can decrease or increase the time it takes to make decisions.

When asking a few, well-informed individuals for advice, decisions are made faster and with greater accuracy. In contrast, the more people one asks, it takes longer to make decisions and the accuracy is greatly diminished.

When facing decisions in life, it is biblical to seek wise counsel (Proverbs 12:15). However, we often seek the counsel of people before seeking the counsel of God. We tend to want instant feedback and affirmation. When facing large decisions, it is important for us to turn to God first. We need to make sure we can differentiate His voice among others.

Think back over your prayer time the last week. Did you make time to listen for the voice of God? Spend some time now being quiet in God’s presence.

January 31

January 31, 2023

Joshua 6:22–25 22 But Joshua had said unto the two men that had spied out the country, Go into the harlot’s house, and bring out thence the woman, and all that she hath, as ye sware unto her. 23 And the young men that were spies went in, and brought out Rahab, and her father, and her mother, and her brethren, and all that she had; and they brought out all her kindred, and left them without the camp of Israel. 24 And they burnt the city with fire, and all that was therein: only the silver, and the gold, and the vessels of brass and of iron, they put into the treasury of the house of the Lord. 25 And Joshua saved Rahab the harlot alive, and her father’s household, and all that she had; and she dwelleth in Israel even unto this day; because she hid the messengers, which Joshua sent to spy out Jericho. Biblical Insight Because of her simple act of faith, Rahab and her family were saved from destruction; Rahab’s devotion to God had a positive impact to save her entire family. Furthermore, they were also fully incorporated into the nation of Israel, where they lived out their days. In His grand foreknowledge, God also knew Rahab’s protection would be significant for Israel, as she would become King David’s great-great-grandmother. Furthermore, she is eternally significant as she is one of the few women mentioned in the genealogy of Jesus in Matthew 1:5. Her faithfulness is also recorded in Hebrews 11:31. Daily Devotion Rahab was making her way through the market on that dry, desert day. She was used to the whispers and dirty looks she would get from the townspeople. She had learned to tune out their banter and their raised eyebrows. She did not have the greatest reputation, but she was trying her best to turn her life around. She knew she was made for more. When she encountered the spies that afternoon, she knew, even though it put her family at risk, that she had to help. So she did. She nervously hid the men, and that became a turning point for her. Her story shifted, and now her lineage would birth the Messiah. Rahab did not let the labels placed upon her by society dictate her future. She stood scarlet-cord strong and through her obedience and decisions, the world would never be the same. How has the world attempted to brand you? You have the choice to follow Jesus, even if those around you believe you are not worthy of the call. Take some time to pray today and allow God to strengthen you in the call He has placed on your life to follow Him.

January 30

January 30, 2023

Joshua 6:18, 20–21 18 And ye, in any wise keep yourselves from the accursed thing, lest ye make yourselves accursed, when ye take of the accursed thing, and make the camp of Israel a curse, and trouble it. .... . 20 So the people shouted when the priests blew with the trumpets: and it came to pass, when the people heard the sound of the trumpet, and the people shouted with a great shout, that the wall fell down flat, so that the people went up into the city, every man straight before him, and they took the city. 21 And they utterly destroyed all that was in the city, both man and woman, young and old, and ox, and sheep, and ass, with the edge of the sword. Biblical Insight The Hebrew word herem in verse 18 is translated “accursed” in the KJV can also be translated as “banned” or “devoted to the Lord for destruction;” in the Septuagint, the Greek translation of the Hebrew Bible, herem is translated to the Greek anathema, the same word famously found in I Corinthians 16:22. When the people shouted in verse 20, they did so before they had achieved victory, but their act of faith and worship caused the walls to come tumbling down. Daily Devotion Faith is a funny thing. It requires you to be fully and completely reliant on God, even when you cannot see the road ahead of you. Shouting before a victory is just not logical. It really doesn’t make much sense, but God does not always ask for sensical devotion. We know faith to be the substance of things we hope for and the evidence of things not yet seen (Hebrews 11:1). Could we even take the text another step and add that faith is the substance of “things not heard”? Imagine how the Israelites felt. Perhaps some wondered why in the world they were walking around the walls over and over again. And even more so, why were they causing so much racket? The reality is that God knew the victory was on the way, even when they did not. He also knew how they would achieve that success. Their obedience opened the door to triumph. Praising in advance may feel unorthodox, but putting volume behind your faith may be exactly what God is waiting on. Speak to that situation. Shout before the victory. The walls are ready to fall!

January 27

January 27, 2023

Joshua 6:17, 19 17 And the city shall be accursed, even it, and all that are therein, to the Lord: only Rahab the harlot shall live, she and all that are with her in the house, because she hid the messengers that we sent. ... 19 But all the silver, and gold, and vessels of brass and iron, are consecrated unto the Lord: they shall come into the treasury of the Lord. Biblical Insight Everything in Jericho was designated for destruction with two exceptions: Rahab and her family, who feared God and helped the spies exploring Jericho (Joshua 2:1–24); and precious metals to be stored in the Lord’s treasury presumably for Tabernacle worship, for God had designated these precious metals as consecrated and holy. When Achan later sinned by keeping gold and silver from Jericho for himself (Joshua 7:21), perhaps the most severe aspect of his sin was the fact that he was technically robbing from God’s treasury items dedicated to the Lord. Daily Devotion Rahab was labeled a harlot in her day. In the world’s eyes, she appeared to be tainted—both used and unusable. However, her place in the Kingdom was special. Rahab would be part of God’s orchestrated plan for redemption. The woman who deserved a scarlet letter, instead lowered a scarlet cord and was saved along with her household. The beautiful thing to note about this story is that God saw fit to save His most precious jewels—Rahab included. The people of that day tried to steal and devalue what meant so much to the Savior. He saw beauty in what was branded as broken, and He consecrated it unto Himself. He looked past her past and saw the rare gem she would become. What others see as worthless, God may already be setting aside for a greater purpose, even if the story does not make sense in the present.