Joshua 15 , Bible Reading and Daily Devotionals

Max Lucado Daily: A Place Where Healing Happens - April 20, 2022

Find a congregation that believes in confession. Avoid a fellowship of perfect people—you won’t fit in anyway. Just seek one where members confess their sins and show humility, where the price of admission is simply an admission of guilt. Healing happens in a church like this.

Followers of Christ have been given authority to hear confession and proclaim grace. Jesus said, “If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained” (John 20:23). The Bible also says, “If we say we have no sin, we’re fooling ourselves, and the truth is not in us. But if we confess our sins, he will forgive our sins, because we can trust God to do what is right. He will cleanse us from all the wrongs we have done” (1 John 1:8-9). Not he might cleanse us, could, would, or has been known to cleanse us. He will cleanse us! Oh the sweet certainty of his words.

Joshua 15

Judah

The lot for the people of Judah, their clans, extended south to the border of Edom, to the wilderness of Zin in the extreme south.

2-4 The southern border ran from the tip of the Salt Sea south of The Tongue; it ran southward from Scorpions Pass, went around Zin and just south of Kadesh Barnea; then it ran past Hezron, ascended to Addar, and curved around to Karka; from there it passed along to Azmon, came out at the Brook of Egypt, ending at the Sea. This is the southern boundary.

5-11 The eastern boundary: the Salt Sea up to the mouth of the Jordan.

The northern boundary started at the shallows of the Sea at the mouth of the Jordan, went up to Beth Hoglah and around to the north of Beth Arabah and to the Stone of Bohan son of Reuben. The border then ascended to Debir from Trouble Valley and turned north toward Gilgal, which lies opposite Red Pass, just south of the gorge. The border then followed the Waters of En Shemesh and ended at En Rogel. The border followed the Valley of Ben Hinnom along the southern slope of the Jebusite ridge (that is, Jerusalem). It ascended to the top of the mountain opposite Hinnom Valley on the west, at the northern end of Rephaim Valley; the border then took a turn at the top of the mountain to the spring, the Waters of Nephtoah, and followed the valley out to Mount Ephron, turned toward Baalah (that is, Kiriath Jearim), took another turn west of Baalah to Mount Seir, curved around to the northern shoulder of Mount Jearim (that is, Kesalon), descended to Beth Shemesh, and crossed to Timnah. The border then went north to the ridge of Ekron, turned toward Shikkeron, passed along to Mount Baalah, and came out at Jabneel. The border ended at the Sea.

12 The western border: the coastline of the Great Sea.

This is the boundary around the people of Judah for their clans.

13 Joshua gave Caleb son of Jephunneh a section among the people of Judah, according to God’s command. He gave him Kiriath Arba, that is, Hebron. Arba was the ancestor of Anak.

14-15 Caleb drove out three Anakim from Hebron: Sheshai, Ahiman, and Talmai, all descendants of Anak. He marched up from there against the people of Debir. Debir used to be called Kiriath Sepher.

16-17 Caleb said, “Whoever attacks Kiriath Sepher and takes it, I’ll give my daughter Acsah to him as his wife.” Othniel son of Kenaz, Caleb’s brother, took it; so Caleb gave him his daughter Acsah as his wife.

18-19
When she arrived she got him
    to ask for farmland from her father.
As she dismounted from her donkey
    Caleb asked her, “What would you like?”
She said, “Give me a marriage gift.
    You’ve given me desert land;
Now give me pools of water!”
    And he gave her the upper and the lower pools.

* * *

20-32 This is the inheritance of the tribe of the people of Judah, clan by clan.

The southern towns of the tribe of Judah in the Negev were near the boundary of Edom:

Kabzeel, Eder, Jagur,

Kinah, Dimonah, Adadah,

Kedesh, Hazor, Ithnan,

Ziph, Telem, Bealoth,

Hazor Hadattah, Kerioth Hezron (that is, Hazor),

Amam, Shema, Moladah,

Hazar Gaddah, Heshmon, Beth Pelet,

Hazar Shual, Beersheba, Biziothiah,

Baalah, Iim, Ezem,

Eltolad, Kesil, Hormah,

Ziklag, Madmannah, Sansannah,

Lebaoth, Shilhim, Ain, and Rimmon—

a total of twenty-nine towns and their villages.

33-47 In the Shephelah (the western foothills) there were:

Eshtaol, Zorah, Ashnah,

Zanoah, En Gannim, Tappuah, Enam,

Jarmuth, Adullam, Socoh, Azekah,

Shaaraim, Adithaim, and Gederah (or Gederothaim)—

fourteen towns and their villages.

Zenan, Hadashah, Migdal Gad,

Dilean, Mizpah, Joktheel,

Lachish, Bozkath, Eglon,

Cabbon, Lahmas, Kitlish,

Gederoth, Beth Dagon, Naamah, and Makkedah—

sixteen towns and their villages.

Libnah, Ether, Ashan,

Iphtah, Ashnah, Nezib,

Keilah, Aczib, and Mareshah—

nine towns and their villages.

Ekron with its towns and villages;

From Ekron, west to the sea, all that bordered Ashdod with its villages;

Ashdod with its towns and villages;

Gaza with its towns and villages all the way to the Brook of Egypt.

The Great Sea is the western border.

48-60 In the hill country:

Shamir, Jattir, Socoh,

Dannah, Kiriath Sannah (that is, Debir),

Anab, Eshtemoh, Anim,

Goshen, Holon, and Giloh—

eleven towns and their villages.

Arab, Dumah, Eshan,

Janim, Beth Tappuah, Aphekah,

Humtah, Kiriath Arba (that is, Hebron), and Zior—

nine towns and their villages.

Maon, Carmel, Ziph, Juttah,

Jezreel, Jokdeam, Zanoah,

Kain, Gibeah, and Timnah—

ten towns and their villages.

Halhul, Beth Zur, Gedor,

Maarath, Beth Anoth, and Eltekon—

six towns and their villages.

Kiriath Baal (that is, Kiriath Jearim) and Rabbah—

two towns and their villages.

61-62 In the wilderness:

Beth Arabah, Middin, Secacah,

Nibshan, the City of Salt, and En Gedi—

six towns and their villages.

63 The people of Judah couldn’t get rid of the Jebusites who lived in Jerusalem. The Jebusites stayed put, living alongside the people of Judah. They are still living there in Jerusalem.

Our Daily Bread reading and devotion   
Wednesday, April 20, 2022

Today's Scripture
John 21:15–19

Do You Love Me?

15     After breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these?”

“Yes, Master, you know I love you.”

Jesus said, “Feed my lambs.”

16     He then asked a second time, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?”

“Yes, Master, you know I love you.”

Jesus said, “Shepherd my sheep.”

17–19     Then he said it a third time: “Simon, son of John, do you love me?”

Peter was upset that he asked for the third time, “Do you love me?” so he answered, “Master, you know everything there is to know. You’ve got to know that I love you.”

Jesus said, “Feed my sheep. I’m telling you the very truth now: When you were young you dressed yourself and went wherever you wished, but when you get old you’ll have to stretch out your hands while someone else dresses you and takes you where you don’t want to go.” He said this to hint at the kind of death by which Peter would glorify God. And then he commanded, “Follow me.”

Insight

The two verbs translated “love” in the Greek New Testament are phileo (“to be a friend of” [person or object] or to “have tender affection for”) and agapao (“love founded in admiration, veneration, esteem”).

Both words are used in John 21:15–16. Jesus uses agapao while Peter uses phileo. In verse 17, however, both Jesus and Peter use phileo. Some scholars find significance in the use of these two different words in John 21 while others don’t. Commentator Craig Keener notes: “The two Greek words for ‘love’ here are used interchangeably elsewhere in John.”

Peter had denied Christ three times (see John 18:15–18, 25–27). How gracious of Jesus to prompt him to affirm his love three times. Was Peter’s love authentic? Yes, authentic enough for him to live a life and die a death by which he would glorify God (see 21:18–19). By: Arthur Jackson

Love Is Worth the Risk

If you love me, keep my commands.
John 14:15

After a friend ended our decade-long friendship without explanation, I began slipping back into my old habit of keeping people at arms’ length. While processing my grief, I pulled a tattered copy of The Four Loves by C. S. Lewis off my shelf. Lewis makes a powerful observation about love requiring vulnerability. He states there’s “no safe investment” when a person risks loving. He suggests that loving “anything [will lead to] your heart being wrung and possibly broken.” Reading those words changed how I read the account of the third time Jesus appeared to His disciples after His resurrection (John 21:1–14), after Peter had betrayed Him not once but three times (18:15–27).

Jesus said, “Simon son of John, do you love me more than these?” (21:15).

After experiencing the sting of betrayal and rejection, Jesus spoke to Peter with courage not fear, strength not weakness, selflessness not desperation. He displayed mercy not wrath by confirming His willingness to love.

Scripture reveals that “Peter was hurt because Jesus asked him the third time, ‘Do you love me?’ ” (v. 17). But when Jesus asked Peter to prove his love by loving others (vv. 15–17) and following Him (v. 19), He invited all His disciples to risk loving unconditionally. Each of us will have to answer when Jesus asks, “Do you love me?” Our answer will impact how we love others. By:  Xochitl Dixon

Reflect & Pray

Why would a loving God ask His beloved children to risk being hurt for the sake of loving others like Jesus did? How can an intimate relationship with God help you feel safe enough to risk loving?

Loving God, please break down every wall that keeps me from being vulnerable so I can love You and others with Spirit-empowered courage, compassion, and consistency.

My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers
Wednesday, April 20, 2022

Can a Saint Falsely Accuse God?

All the promises of God in Him are Yes, and in Him Amen… —2 Corinthians 1:20

Jesus’ parable of the talents recorded in Matthew 25:14-30  was a warning that it is possible for us to misjudge our capacities. This parable has nothing to do with natural gifts and abilities, but relates to the gift of the Holy Spirit as He was first given at Pentecost. We must never measure our spiritual capacity on the basis of our education or our intellect; our capacity in spiritual things is measured on the basis of the promises of God. If we get less than God wants us to have, we will falsely accuse Him as the servant falsely accused his master when he said, “You expect more of me than you gave me the power to do. You demand too much of me, and I cannot stand true to you here where you have placed me.” When it is a question of God’s Almighty Spirit, never say, “I can’t.” Never allow the limitation of your own natural ability to enter into the matter. If we have received the Holy Spirit, God expects the work of the Holy Spirit to be exhibited in us.

The servant justified himself, while condemning his lord on every point, as if to say, “Your demand on me is way out of proportion to what you gave to me.” Have we been falsely accusing God by daring to worry after He has said, “But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you”? (Matthew 6:33). Worrying means exactly what this servant implied— “I know your intent is to leave me unprotected and vulnerable.” A person who is lazy in the natural realm is always critical, saying, “I haven’t had a decent chance,” and someone who is lazy in the spiritual realm is critical of God. Lazy people always strike out at others in an independent way.

Never forget that our capacity and capability in spiritual matters is measured by, and based on, the promises of God. Is God able to fulfill His promises? Our answer depends on whether or not we have received the Holy Spirit.

Wisdom From Oswald Chambers

We can understand the attributes of God in other ways, but we can only understand the Father’s heart in the Cross of Christ.  The Highest Good—Thy Great Redemption, 558 L

Bible in a Year: 2 Samuel 9-11; Luke 15:11-32

A Word with You, by Ron Hutchcraft
Wednesday, April 20, 2022

Soft Cement - #9203

If you're walking along the street and you see some couples' initials written in the sidewalk cement (isn't that romantic!), you know it wasn't put there today. It's doubtful they spent hours chiseling it into the cement. You know those impressions had to be made when that sidewalk had just been laid. I mean, right before it turned hard. You know that famous theater in Hollywood where they have the footprints of many stars in the sidewalk. They didn't use a jackhammer or chisel. No, they did it in fresh cement; soft enough to write in. If they waited, well it would be pretty tough to leave their mark.

I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "Soft Cement."

Our word for today from the Word of God is in Psalm 78, and David begins here in verse 4, "We will not hide God's commandments from our children; we will tell the next generation the praiseworthy deeds of the Lord, His power and the wonders He has done. He decreed statutes for Jacob and established the law in Israel, which He commanded our forefathers to teach their children so the next generation would know them. Even the children yet to be born and they in turn would tell their children." Now you can see David here is totally focused on the future generations, he wants them to know the Lord as he and the people he knows have known the Lord.

Here's the battle cry, "We will tell the next generation!" Man, that is a battle cry. That's a drum beat. And it's never been more urgent than it is today. With so many young people who are deciding to die by their own hand. With so many who are addicted. With so many who are abused and then becoming abusers as a result of it. They need to know our Jesus and we know that our Jesus can change lives forever.

Now, think about this - over two thirds of people who ever come to Christ do it by the age of 18. So if you see someone walk across that graduation platform without Christ in their life, they're probably going to live and die without Him. And spend eternity without Him. Yeah, we've got to tell the next generation about Jesus when the cement is soft. Any passive response - doing nothing - is equivalent to surrendering to an enemy who is actively engaged in enslaving, and diluting, and deceiving the next generation.

Maybe you say, "Well, what can I do? I mean, how can I make a difference?" Well number one, would you just ask God to break your heart for the young people of your area. Many years ago I prayed that God would break my heart for young people and I've never gotten over the heart trouble that resulted and I never want to. And then you pray regularly, passionately for the young people close to you, when you see them coming out of school, when you see them hanging out at the local store, cruising the mall. And then pray for the Christian young people who try to live for Christ in that school and that community.

And then listen to where kids really are. I mean it's nothing like your teenage experience. We cannot reach these kids like the kids in the '50s or '60s or '70s or '80s or '90s or the early 2000s. Interview your own children, your own grandchildren. Listen to them. Read whatever you can about our young people today. The more you listen to where they are I'm convinced the more your heart will be broken.

And then make a commitment to make a difference. Ask God to show you. Is there any way you could make a difference for one young person; someone to whom you could show the love of Christ, or maybe a group of them. Be an advocate for ministry to young people: in your church, in an organization that's geared to young people, with your local Christian radio station. Be the one who says, "We've got to tell the next generation folks!" Now, you know you may say "Well, I don't think I could have a ministry to a young person." Let me ask you this, do you have the ability to make one person feel important? That's what it takes. If you could make one teenager feel like the only person in the world when they're with you, you'll be an adult they will never forget.

Remember the cement in young hearts is soft for just a short time, and it's turning hard sooner than ever. If we're going to write Jesus on a person's heart, we probably have to do it before they're 18. So let that ancient battle cry become your battle cry, and that of your ministry, and that of your church. "We will tell the next generation!"