With the fall of Jericho we find more battles and more conquest. But what is interesting is how the book ends. In the final chapters Joshua is growing closer to death and he wants to impart some wisdom and some warnings to the people of Israel. He warns them not to marry the Canaanites and he tells them to stay faithful to the Lord and keep Him first in their lives.

So does Joshua have a crystal ball to see into the future. Has God given him a vision of what Israel is going to do in our future readings. No, Joshua is just pretty average at pattern recognition. Worshiping other Gods and turning their back on the Lord is what they have done a bunch of times already and it doesn’t take a person with a degree in statistics to guess that is exactly what they are going to do again.

And before we get too judgey of Israel, we all to often do the same thing. Maybe we don’t kneel in front of a pagan idol carved from wood or fashioned from metal, but we fall prey to other God’s all the time. We worship sports, money, sex, alcohol, power, family. We take things that are neutral or even good and we put them in the place of the one who gave them to us.

Joshua gave a warning to the nation before he passed, but that warning is just as valid for us today.

Day 8: February 2: Joshua 9:1-27 – Well, That’s One Way to Solve the Problem.
Day 9: February 3: Joshua 10:1-15 – And You Thought the Summer Days in Minnesota Were Long…
Day 10: February 4: Joshua 14:1-14 – Caleb Gets the Land That Was Promised
Day 11: February 5: Joshua 20:1-9 – A Place of Refuge
Day 12: February 6: Joshua 23:1-16 – Be Careful Who You Marry
Day 13: February 7: Joshua 24:1-28 – Who Will You Serve?
Day 14: February 8: Joshua 24:29-33 – Joshua Dies

After Moses died, Joshua led the people of Israel for many years, but when Joshua died there was no longer one foundational leader to lead Israel back to God when they strayed, so God raised up the Judges. The Judges were men and women God used to move His plan of salvation forward and to save Israel at the same time.

The regular pattern throughout the book of Judges is that Israel is unfaithful to God, God sends one nation or another to punish Israel and bring them back to Him, Israel then repents and calls to God for help, and finally God sends a Judge to save them. Wash, rinse, repeat.

We see in Judges that God takes sin seriously but that He takes true repentance just as seriously. God’s punishments are meant to bring Israel and us back to Him and His forgiveness.

Day 15: February 9: Judges 1:1-28 – I Gave You One Job!
Day 16: February 10: Judges 2:1-5, 11-15 – Israel Forgets Who Brought Them This Far.
Day 17: February 11: Judges 3:12-30 – This is Why You Don’t Trust Left Handed People.
Day 18: February 12: Judges 4:1-24 – You Will Never Look at Camping Equipment the Same Way.
Day 19: February 13: Judges 6:1-24 – Gideon: The Least of the Least
Day 20: February 14:  Judges 6:25-40 – That Took Guts.
Day 21: February 15: Judges 7:1-24 – You Sure You Only Want Me to Take 300 Guys?!?!?

Week 4 – The next two weeks are perfect examples of how God uses the most unlikely people to accomplish His plan. This week we will read about Samson. Samson was a Judge of Israel who was given amazing strength by God. He was a Nazarite who was supposed to let his hair grow long to show his complete commitment to the Lord. However, even though his physical gifts were from God, Samson struggled to keep his heart focused on Him. Samson’s story warns us against playing with temptation but it is also a story of redemption.

Day 22: February 16: Judges 8:22-35 – Gideon Dies
Day 23: February 17: Judges 13:1-25 – The Judge With the Awesome Hair
Day 24: February 18: Judges 14:1-20 – Samson Gets Married – What Could Go Wrong?!
Day 25: February 19: Judges 15:1-8 – Well, That’s One Way to Commit Arson.
Day 26: February 20: Judges 15:9-20 – With Friends Like These….
Day 27: February. 21: Judges 16:1-22 – Samson and Delilah
Day 28: February 22: Judges 16:23-31 – Not a Bad Way to Go Out

This week is a prefect contrast to the account of Samson. Again, we see God using the most unlikely character in the person of Ruth. Ruth the complete opposite of Samson. Samson was a man and she was a woman, samson was always making the wrong moral choices and Ruth was a virtuous woman. But there is even a larger difference and that is that she comes from outside the chosen people of God. She was a Moabite, a people who had been enemies of Israel from the earliest days. Nonetheless, God still used her in His plan by making her King David’s great-grandmother and, more importantly, one of Jesus’ ancestors. In her we see that God’s plan is to save all nations.

Both Samson and Ruth show us that God can use us for His purposes no matter where we come from or what our past has been. The defining factor is never how great we are but how great is the God that is working through us.

Day 29: February 23 – Ruth 1:1-18 – Ruth and Naomi
Day 30: February 24 – Ruth 1:19-22 – Some Days it Just Feels Like God Hates You.
Day 31: February 16: Ruth 2:1-22 – Get That Man a White Horse!
Day 32: February 26: Ruth 3:1-18 – It’s a Cheaper Way to Ask Someone to Marry You Than a Ring.
Day 33: February 27: – Ruth 4:1-12 – The Death of Moses
Day 34: February 28: Ruth 4:13-22 – Spies Sent to Jericho
Day 35: March 1: Matthew 1:1-6 – The Pieces are Starting to Fit Together

This week the plagues continue and finally culminate with the angel of death. Before the last plague strikes though, God gives instructions to His people for the Passover meal. The Passover meal was a meal in which a lamb was sacrificed and its blood was painted over the doorways of the Israelite families as a sign to the angel of death that the families inside the house were the Lord’s. When the angel of death saw the mark, he would “pass over” that house. This Passover meal and sacrifice was to be repeated every year to remind the Israelites what God had done for them.

The Passover lamb was also a hint at God’s ultimate plan for humanity’s rescue from sin. At the first Passover the lamb was sacrificed so that the family would be spared from physical death. That first sacrifice foreshadowed Jesus death on Good Friday when He was sacrificed for us as the perfect Passover Lamb to save us from Eternal death. Because of Christ’s blood, eternal death and damnation pass over us and we are saved.

John the Baptist saw this connection when he excitedly pointed to Jesus and told everyone, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!”  (John 1:29) The whole point is driven home even further by the fact that Jesus’ death takes place as the nation of Israel is celebrating Passover. Jesus even institutes communion while He and the disciples are having the Passover meal; pointing them to the fact that they are to be saved by His blood.

Day 57: November 3 – Exodus 9:8-35 – More plagues

Day 58: November 4 – Exodus 10:1-29 – Even more plagues

Day 59: November 5 – Exodus 11:1-10 – Plague of darkness and firstborn

Day 60: November 6 – Exodus 12:1-30 – The Passover

Day 61: November 7 – Exodus 12:31-13:16 – Israelites leave Egypt

Day 62: November 8 – Exodus 13:17-14:31 – Israel crosses the Red Sea

Day 63: November 9 – Exodus 15:22-27 – The grumbling begins

In this week’s readings God continues to provide for His people by bringing them food, water, and victory. But God is not just concerned about His people’s physical needs. He is even more concerned about their spiritual needs, so He gives them His law. These are not rules that they need to keep to become God’s people, these are the way they are to live because God has already made them his people. This Law not only includes the Ten Commandments, but it also includes all the ways Israel was to live, work, and worship as God’s people.

God’s Law is a curb to keep us on the right path, a mirror to show us our sin and a guide for our lives; however, because of our sinful nature it is impossible for us to keep the Law perfectly as God demands. God’s plan solved our failure to keep the law by having Christ live the law perfectly for us and giving us His perfection through faith. Christ is the fulfillment of the law given at the top of the mountain. (Romans 10:4)

Special note: Our readings will include the giving of the 10 commandments but do not include the directions on how to make the Ark of the covenant (the embodiment of God’s presence with His people), the tabernacle (The mobile temple and where God’s presence resides in the middle of their camp), or many other instructions and laws that can be found in Exodus 21-31,35-40. There is a great deal to be gained by reading these descriptions and laws but we passed by them at this time because we will focus on many of the same themes when we read parts of Leviticus next week. However, you are still encouraged to read them.

Day 64: November 10 – Exodus 16:1-17:16 – Manna, quail, water and victory

Day 65: November 11 – Exodus 19:1-25 – Israel at Mt. Sinai

Day 66: November 12 – Exodus 20:1-21 – Ten Commandments

Day 67: November 13 – Exodus 24:1-18 – God confirms the covenant

Day 68: November 14 – Exodus 32:1-35 – The Golden Calf

Day 69: November 15 – Exodus 33:1-34:10 – God remakes the broken covenant

Day 70: November 16 – Exodus 40:1-38 – The tabernacle is set up and the Lord resides with His people

Leviticus is a “How to” book on how Israel was to worship and live. It is highly structured and it reveals that our God is a God of order and a God who cares about how His people live and worship.

But Leviticus is much more than just a “How to” book. It is also a wonderful foreshadowing of God’s plan to save His people. The sheep and lambs that were sacrificed as sin offerings pointed, just as the Passover lamb did, to the Savior who was the ultimate Sacrifice for us. The same Savior who was promised to Adam and Eve, who was the fulfillment of the covenant made with Abraham, and who came from the people that God saved through Moses.

The fact that these laws foreshadow Christ is also important for us because, since these laws have found their complete fulfillment in Christ, we no longer sacrifice animals or follow the other ceremonial laws in Leviticus and elsewhere. Christ fulfilled them for us. He was and is the perfect sacrifice that was made once and for all. (Hebrews 10)

Day 71. November 17 – Leviticus 1:1-17 – Laws for burnt offerings

Day 72. November 18 – Leviticus 16:1-22 – The Day of Atonement

Day 73. November 19 – Leviticus 19:1-18 – The Lord is holy so love your neighbor

Day 74. November 20 – Leviticus 20:1-9 – Do not sacrifice children or turn to mediums

Day 75. November 21 – Leviticus 20:22-27 – The Lord is holy so we should be different than those around us.

Day 76. November 22 – Leviticus 23:9-14 – Giving the first fruits to God.

Day 77. November 23 – Leviticus 24:10-23 – Blasphemy and God puts limits on retribution

The story of the Exodus is not only contained in the book of Exodus. The book of Leviticus contains the laws and ceremonies given to Moses on Mount Sinai and many accounts of the journey included in the books of Numbers and Joshua.

So this week we will continue our journey with the nation of Israel in the book of Numbers and we will see that even though Israel was God’s chosen nation, that doesn’t mean that Israel always listened to God. This week’s readings show us that even after Israel had been saved from Egypt and had seen countless miracles, they still doubted God; doubt that would ultimately result in a punishment that would last for 40 years. We will also see that even Moses is not free from rebelling against God.

This weeks readings cover over 40 years but in those years, even though God is punishing them He never abandons them. God is faithful to His people even when they are unfaithful to Him. It is important to remember as you read about the punishments that God imposes on Israel that these are not eternal punishments. Israel is punished with 40 years in the desert before they can enter the Promised Land and Moses is forbidden from entering it, but neither of them are cut off from God. Just as a good parent disciplines a child but still continues to love that child, God disciplines Israel but He continues to love them. Because of God’s plan of salvation, their eternal home is still with the Lord; a fact that is very comforting for us as we struggle with the sometimes very serious consequences of our own mistakes and sins.

Day 78. November 24 – Numbers 13:1-3 & 25-33 & 14:1-10 – Twelve spies

Day 79. November 25 – Numbers 14:11-34 – Israel rebels and is punished with 40 years in the wilderness

Day 80. November 26 – Numbers 20:2-13 – Moses disobeys God

Day 81. November 27 – Numbers 21:4-9, John 3:14-15 – The Bronze Serpent and Jesus explains what it foreshadowed

Day 82. November 28 – Deuteronomy 34:1-12 – The death of Moses

Day 84. November 29 – Joshua 1:1-3 & 2:1-24 – Spies sent to Jericho

Day 85. November 30 – Joshua 6:1-25 – The fall of Jericho

After the fall into sin, the world plunged farther and farther from God; ultimately bringing God to the brink of destroying it all. However, because of God’s great love for us and His promise to send a Savior, God saved humanity through Noah. The flood would remake the face of the earth, but God’s people were saved.

This week we will also have our first of new testament readings. These will be include occasionally to show the tie between the old and new testaments. For instance, this week on September 19 we will read from 1 Peter where Peter shows that the flood foreshadows the salvation we receive in our Baptism, where God washes us clean from our sins by water and His Word.

Day 8: September 15 – Genesis 6:5-22 – God sees wickedness and commands Noah to build an ark
Day 9: September 16 – Genesis 7:1-24 – God sends the flood and Noah gets on the ark
Day 10: September 17 – Genesis 8:1-12 – God remembers Noah – the dove does not return
Day 11: September 18 – Genesis 8:13-22 – Dry ground again
Day 12: September 19 – Genesis 9:8-17, 1 Peter 3:18-22 – God’s covenant with Noah and how the Ark foreshadows Baptism.
Day 13: September 20 – Genesis 9:18-29 – Noah is sinful too
Day 14: September 21 – Genesis 11:1-9 – Tower of Babel

This week we are going to begin reading about Abraham. Abraham was one of the most important figures in all of history, but he was also a sinful human being who, like you and me, regularly stumbles and occasionally blew it completely. The account of Abraham is the perfect example of grace because, despite Abraham’s failings, God still worked through him. God chose to create a nation through Abraham and to have the Savior come through his offspring, not because of Abraham’s amazing qualities but because of God’s undeserved love.

Abraham’s story also teaches us many things about the Christian life. It shows us that because this is a sinful world, there will always be trials and even the most faithful believer will have tragedy and problems, but our faithful God is with us even in the middle of those problems and He will bring us through. He is a God who always, despite our failures, keeps His promises.

This week we will leave the salvation narrative twice to focus on New Testament texts that explain in light of Jesus what God was doing.

Day 15: September 22 – Genesis 12:1-20 – The call of Abraham
Day 16: September 23 – Genesis 13:1-18 – Family trouble: Abraham and Lot part ways
Day 17: September 24 – Genesis 14:1-12 – Lot is taken captive.
Day 18: September 25 – Genesis 14:13-24 – Abraham rescues Lot and a priest foreshadows Jesus
Day 19: September 26 – Hebrews 6:19-7:17 – The book of Hebrews shows us yesterdays reading points us to Jesus.
Day 20: September 27 – Genesis 15:1-21 – God’s covenant – land and heir
Day 21: September 28 – Romans 4:1-8, 13-25 – Paul explains yesterday’s reading

Week 4 – Abraham continued: This week we are going to continue to follow how God worked through Abraham. Last week we read how Abraham had faith and it was credited to him as righteousness, but that didn’t mean that his faith never faltered or stumbled. He still struggled to see how God was going to fulfill his promise and he tried to make God’s promise happen in his own way and in his own timing rather than just trusting in God’s plan. However, Abraham ultimately trusts in God, even when what God asks doesn’t make any sense to him.

Day 22: September 29 – Genesis 16:1-16 – When you struggle to wait for God things get messy.
Day 23: September 30 – Genesis 17:1-27 – Covenant of Circumcision
Day 24: October 1 – Romans 4:7-16, Colossians 2:9-15 – The implication of Circumcision and the new reality of Baptism.
Day 25: October 2 – Genesis 18:1-33 – 3 visitors and Sarah laughs
Day 26: October 3 – Genesis 19:1-38 – Sodom and Gomorrah ***Warning: Adult themes***
Day 27: October 4 – Genesis 21:1-21 – Isaac is born, Hagar and Ishmael sent away
Day 28: October 5 – Genesis 22:1-24 – Abraham sacrifices Isaac.

Before we read God’s Word for October 5, it is good for us to point out some of the important things God is communicating to us in today’s reading because it is one of the most theologically important stories in the whole Bible. There are so many things symbolized and foreshadowed in this true account that it is impossible to list them all here. However, there are some important things to look for. First, the account is an important illustration of trusting in God completely, even when we doubt or don’t understand what He is doing. Secondly, Abraham and Isaac foreshadow where God’s plan of salvation is going in the future. Abraham is a model of our heavenly Father who was willing to sacrifice His son to save us, and Isaac is an example of Christ. The lamb from the account is also a symbol of Christ, as Christ was killed in our place so that we might live.

All through the story there are ties to God’s plan of our redemption, but it is important to remember that even though there is symbolism throughout the story, it is still a historical account that recalls real events.

This week God’s plan continues to unfold as Isaac marries Rebekah, and Jacob and Esau are born to the couple. Through this week’s readings we see that God remains faithful to His promise and continues to work even though God’s people regularly stumble and fall.

Day 29: October 6 – Genesis 23:1-24:27 – The death of Sarah and Abraham sends a servant to find Rebekah
Day 30: October 7 – Genesis 24:28-67 – Isaac marries Rebekah and Abraham dies
Day 31: October 8 – Genesis 25:1-11, 19-34 –Esau and Jacob born, Esau sells his birthright
Day 32: October 9 – Genesis 26:1-35 – Isaac says Rebekah is his sister
Day 33: October 10 – Genesis 27:1-46 – Jacob steals Isaac’s blessing
Day 34: October 11 – Genesis 28:1-22 – Jacob’s ladder
Day 35: October 12 – Genesis 29:1-35 – Jacob and Rachel

The readings assembled for this week cover two generations of Abraham’s descendants. First, we see Jacob and Esau reunited and reconciled and then we are introduced to Jacob’s children; Joseph being the most famous and remembered of Jacob’s kids. In the account of Joseph we see God working even in the midst of family rivalry and deceit.

Day 36: October 13 – Genesis 30-31– This could be a reality tv show
Day 37: October 14 – Genesis 32:1-32 – Jacob wrestles with God
Day 38: October 15 – Genesis 33:1-17 – Jacob meets Esau
Day 39: October 16 – Genesis 35:9-26 & 37:1-11 – Jacob’s name is changed to Israel and Joseph’s dreams
Day 40: October 17 – Genesis 37:12-36 – Joseph is sold by his brothers
Day 41: October 18 – Genesis 39:1-40:23 – Joseph and Potiphar’s wife
Day 42: October 19 – Genesis 41:1-57 – Pharaoh’s dreams

Joseph’s story is a roller coaster of events. Last week he was living the highlife as Jacob’s favorite son and then he was betrayed and sold into slavery by his own brothers. As a slave he rose to the highest position possible in the house of Potiphar and then, after he was falsely accused, he was thrown into prison. Finally, he rises again to a place of prominence. The whole account is an up and down ride with twists and turns around every corner.

The important thing for us to notice for our daily lives is that in all of these readings God is always with Joseph, even in the middle of his mess. God watches over him when he is at home with his family and when he is in prison. God gives him strength when he is tempted, and as we will see this week, God gives Joseph the ability to forgive. Through all these events, God is putting Joseph in a place to make sure Abraham’s descendants survive the famine and His promise of a Savior will be fulfilled.

Day 43: October 20 – Genesis 42:1-38 – The tables turn.
Day 44: October 21 – Genesis 43:1-34 – Joseph’s brothers return to Egypt.
Day 45: October 22 – Genesis 44:1-34 – Joseph prepares a test for his brothers.
Day 46: October 23 – Genesis 45:1-28 – Joseph is reunited with his family.
Day 47: October 24 – Genesis 46:26-47:31 – Joseph’s family settles in Egypt.
Day 48: October 25 – Genesis 48:1-22 – And the blessing goes to……?
Day 49: October 26 – Genesis 49:29-50:26 – The end of the beginning.