“Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go” (Joshua 1:9 ESV). When God called Joshua to lead Israel after Moses, He didn’t give him a strategy manual or a long list of instructions. Instead,
“Thus the Lord became king in Jeshurun, when the heads of the people were gathered, all the tribes of Israel together” (Deuteronomy 33:5 ESV). This verse comes at the beginning of Moses’ final blessing to the tribes of Israel. Before speaking to each tribe, Moses affirmed a central truth: the Lord became King in Jeshurun.
“Go up this mountain of the Abarim, Mount Nebo, which is in the land of Moab, opposite Jericho, and view the land of Canaan, which I am giving to the people of Israel for a possession. And die on the mountain which you go up, and be gathered to your people…” (Deuteronomy 32:49–50 ESV). God
‘Then Moses summoned Joshua and said to him in the sight of all Israel, “Be strong and courageous, for you shall go with this people into the land that the Lord has sworn to their fathers to give them, and you shall put them in possession of it”‘ (Deuteronomy 31:7 ESV). Moses, at 120 years
“So that the blood of all the prophets, shed from the foundation of the world, may be charged against this generation, from the blood of Abel to the blood of Zechariah, who perished between the altar and the sanctuary. Yes, I tell you, it will be required of this generation” (Luke 11:50–51 ESV). Jesus told
“For as Jonah became a sign to the people of Nineveh, so will the Son of Man be to this generation” (Luke 11:30 ESV). The religious leaders in Jesus’ day were constantly demanding signs to prove who He was. Yet Jesus pointed them to one powerful sign that foreshadowed His ultimate mission: the sign of
“And there you shall build an altar to the Lord your God, an altar of stones. You shall wield no iron tool on them; you shall build an altar to the Lord your God of uncut stones” (Deuteronomy 27:5-6 ESV). Moses instructed Israel to build an altar of natural, “uncut stones” after they crossed the
“No Ammonite or Moabite may enter the assembly of the Lord, even to the tenth generation. None of them may enter the assembly of the Lord forever” (Deuteronomy 23:3 ESV). The law was clear: no Moabite could enter the assembly of the Lord. The Moabites had a history of opposing Israel, particularly when they refused
“You shall make yourself tassels on the four corners of the garment with which you cover yourself” (Deuteronomy 22:12 ESV). God commanded the Israelites to wear tassels on their garments as a visual reminder of His commandments and their covenant relationship with Him (Num. 15:38-40). These tassels symbolized holiness, obedience, and God’s authority. I was
“For he who is least among you all is the one who is great” (Luke 9:48 ESV). Jesus corrected His disciples’ understanding of greatness. For they had been arguing about who among them was the greatest. Instead of rebuking them harshly, Jesus used a child as an illustration. In that culture, children had little status,