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Over Jordan

Links for today’s readings:

Read: Joshua 3 Listen: (2:45) Read: Romans 16 Listen: (3:30)

Scripture Focus: Joshua 3.14-17

14 So when the people broke camp to cross the Jordan, the priests carrying the ark of the covenant went ahead of them. 15 Now the Jordan is at flood stage all during harvest. Yet as soon as the priests who carried the ark reached the Jordan and their feet touched the water’s edge, 16 the water from upstream stopped flowing. It piled up in a heap a great distance away, at a town called Adam in the vicinity of Zarethan, while the water flowing down to the Sea of the Arabah (that is, the Dead Sea) was completely cut off. So the people crossed over opposite Jericho. 17 The priests who carried the ark of the covenant of the Lord stopped in the middle of the Jordan and stood on dry ground, while all Israel passed by until the whole nation had completed the crossing on dry ground.

Reflection: Over Jordan

By John Tillman

Crossing the Jordan has been a spiritual metaphor for centuries, but it took special meaning for slaves in the American South. It symbolized an escape from slavery, shelter in place of homelessness, and fruitfulness in place of a barren desert.

In the story of Israel’s failure to enter due to fear, and their return in faith after wandering for 40 years, the Jordan symbolizes a place at which faith and courage are required.

In the story of the transition from Moses to Joshua, from Elijah to Elisha, and from John the Baptist to Jesus, the Jordan symbolizes a change in leadership.

And of course, the Jordan represents entering the promised land, with Canaan standing in as the eternal land we are destined for in Heaven.

On one side of the river is the desert, the unforgiving land, the land of trials, the land of sin, the land of rebellion, the land of suffering.

On the other side of the river is the land that is promised, the land of blessing, the land of freedom, the land of rest, the land of satisfaction and plenty.

The Jordan also represents the final crossing of death—both a time of judgment and a time of cleansing. For Christians, the waters of the crossing hold no terror. We do not enter them alone. Someone else marches in with us. His nail-pierced feet touch the waters and they pile up, inviting us to cross without muddying our clothes.

We cross the Jordan not with priests carrying the Ark of the Covenant, but with Christ, our High Priest. When we cross over the Jordan with Christ, the land has no enemies to be defeated. It has no cities to march around and no battles to be fought. For, there too, Christ has gone before us, preparing a place for us. It is there that we will be fed by the tree that grows in the river that comes from the throne of God. It is there that we will take from that tree healing for the nations.

“Our home is over Jordan.” It is over Jordan that our tears will be wiped away.


Music: “Our home is over Jordan.” “Deep River” — Marian Anderson

Divine Hours Prayer: The Call to Prayer

Search for the Lord and his strength; continually seek his face. — Psalm 105.4

– Divine Hours prayers from The Divine Hours: Prayers for Summer
by Phyllis Tickle

Read more: Healthy Patriotism

Rarely are nations totally evil or good…Healthy patriotism, like healthy Christianity, celebrates good while lamenting and resisting evil.

Healthy Patriotism
Read more: Jeremiah, the Unpatriotic Prophet

The most patriotic thing Christians can do is see the problems of our nation and speak the gospel to them.

Jeremiah, the Unpatriotic Prophet

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Becoming Part of the Promise

Links for today’s readings:

Read: Joshua 2 Listen: (3:49) Read: Romans 15 Listen: (4:32)

Scripture Focus: Joshua 2.8-11

8 Before the spies lay down for the night, she went up on the roof 9 and said to them, “I know that the Lord has given you this land and that a great fear of you has fallen on us, so that all who live in this country are melting in fear because of you. 10 We have heard how the Lord dried up the water of the Red Sea for you when you came out of Egypt, and what you did to Sihon and Og, the two kings of the Amorites east of the Jordan, whom you completely destroyed. 11 When we heard of it, our hearts melted in fear and everyone’s courage failed because of you, for the Lord your God is God in heaven above and on the earth below.

Reflection: Becoming Part of the Promise

By John Tillman

Those who feel powerless to stop sexual victimization will often attempt to profit from it and Rahab had carved a place for herself in the power structure of Jericho.

Her work filled a niche in the economy and her brothel filled a niche in the wall. Powerful men knew her well and came to her not only for sex but for intelligence.

Her brothel, situated strategically in the wall of the city and near the gate, was a natural place to search for unsavory, shifty spies in the land. The leaders knew that if there were trouble-makers, Rahab would have seen them. If there was trouble coming, Rahab would have heard of it.

She had heard of trouble, probably from the bedside whispers of some of these same men. The rumors coming out of the desert told of a people whose God fought for them. A God so powerful that his people couldn’t be cursed. Armies fled before them. Canaanite gods were powerless.

Sending the leaders away with a plot of misdirection, Rahab plotted a new direction in life as she climbed up to the spies hiding on her roof.

I imagine her sitting on the roof with Abraham’s promised children, not yet equal in number to the stars they sit under. There, she delivers to their ears the pillow talk of her clients. The powerful kings of Jericho and surrounding towns were melting with fear. Rahab asks to be accepted by this powerful God who is not only in the heavens but active upon the Earth.

In this act, Rahab the Canaanite prostitute becomes a part of the Abrahamic promise. The promise itself would pass through her womb as one of the Canaanite grandmothers of Jesus. God who promised Abraham these children, numbered like stars, would fulfill to an infinite degree the promise he made to Abraham to bless the nations, through the fruit of Rahab’s womb.

No situation is hopeless and no person is doomed to destruction who turns to God. No matter what niche of the economy we feel trapped in or what political citadel demands our loyalty, like Rahab, we can climb on the roof, look to the stars, and join the children of the promise. We can help birth God’s promise on Earth to benefit others.

Divine Hours Prayer: The Request for Presence

Test me, O Lord, and try me; examine my heart and mind.
For your love is before my eyes; I have walked faithfully with you.
I have not sat with the worthless, nor do I consort with the deceitful.
I have hated the company of evildoers; I will not sit down with the wicked.
I will wash my hands in innocence, O Lord, that I may go in procession round your altar,
Singing aloud a song of thanksgiving and recounting all your wonderful deeds. — Psalm 26.2-7

– Divine Hours prayers from The Divine Hours: Prayers for Summer
by Phyllis Tickle

Read more: Jericho’s Wall

Many scriptures say how terrified everyone in Canaan was of Israel, but none say they taunted Israel or made fun of God’s plan of marching around the city.

Jericho’s Wall :: Readers’ Choice
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Sing Your Song

Links for today’s readings:

Read: Deuteronomy 32 Listen: (7:10) Read: Romans 12 Listen: (2:58)

Links for this weekend’s readings:

Read: Deuteronomy 33-34 Listen: (4:43) Read: Romans 13 Listen: (2:35)
Read: Joshua 1 Listen: (3:11) Read: Romans 14 Listen: (3:28)

Scripture Focus: Deuteronomy 32.44-50

44 Moses came with Joshua  son of Nun and spoke all the words of this song in the hearing of the people. 45 When Moses finished reciting all these words to all Israel, 46 he said to them, “Take to heart all the words I have solemnly declared to you this day, so that you may command your children to obey carefully all the words of this law. 47 They are not just idle words for you—they are your life. By them you will live long in the land you are crossing the Jordan to possess.” Moses to Die on Mount Nebo 48 On that same day the Lord told Moses, 49 “Go up into the Abarim Range to Mount Nebo in Moab, across from Jericho, and view Canaan, the land I am giving the Israelites as their own possession. 50 There on the mountain that you have climbed you will die and be gathered to your people, just as your brother Aaron died on Mount Hor and was gathered to his people

Reflection: Sing Your Song

By John Tillman

“What would you do if you knew today was your last day to live?” This question is popular with motivational speakers, counselors, and others who want to draw their listeners’ attention to what is truly important in life.

Most of us would probably say that on our last day we’d talk with people we love, do good things for others, and, if we are Christians, tell people about Jesus.

We don’t know our last day but Moses did. So, what did Moses do when he knew it was his last day to live? He spoke to those he loved, did good things for others, and told people how to faithfully follow God. Moses spent his last day speaking words of life to set up the next generation for success.

On Moses’ final day of life, he sang an epic song of testimony, warning, and hope. As Moses sang, he stood beside Joshua, passing the torch to the next generation’s leader. Moses’ song reminded the people how the grace of God had saved them in the past. He warned them that in the future their sins would grieve God, bringing punishment and exile. He encouraged them that, despite their sins, God would still have mercy on them and restore them. He proclaimed that the restoration and healing of Israel would be a testimony to the nations and a reason for all peoples to rejoice in the goodness and justice of God.

What might your song of testimony be? Sing of moments of salvation, healing, release, and escape from danger. Do you have warnings? Sing of moments of failure, struggle, oppression, and hardships. Can you speak of hope? Sing of moments of mercy, promises fulfilled, dreams of the future, and assurances from Holy Spirit.

Don’t wait until your last day to share your song. Invest in the next generation. They need to hear from elders who’ve felt the lashes of oppression, crossed the sea of deliverance, endured the suffering of the desert, learned lessons from the law, experienced victory over enemies, and been sustained by miraculous provision.

Not only should you sing, you should listen to the song of scripture. The words of scripture “are not just idle words for you—they are your life.” Learn the tune, the rhythm, the message of the music of God’s word. Then sing your song of testimony following its pattern.

Divine Hours Prayer: The Call to Prayer

Sing to the Lord a new song, for he has done marvelous things.
With his right hand and his holy arm has he won for himself the victory. — Psalm 98.1-2

– Divine Hours prayers from The Divine Hours: Prayers for Summer
by Phyllis Tickle

Read more: Honey and Grace

Moses uses the image of honey from the rock to describe God’s provision for Israel in their desert journey which has come to an end.

Honey and Grace
Read more: Glimpsing the Promise

Yet, all is not lost…God will be faithful to his purposes for the next generation. God’s grace to us is being able to glimpse it.

Glimpsing the Promise
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Reading As Resistance

Links for today’s readings:

Read: Deuteronomy 31 Listen: (4:57) Read: Romans 11 Listen: (5:23)

Scripture Focus: Deuteronomy 31.9-13

9 So Moses wrote down this law and gave it to the Levitical priests, who carried the ark of the covenant of the Lord, and to all the elders of Israel. 10 Then Moses commanded them: “At the end of every seven years, in the year for canceling debts, during the Festival of Tabernacles, 11 when all Israel comes to appear before the Lord your God at the place he will choose, you shall read this law before them in their hearing. 12 Assemble the people—men, women and children, and the foreigners residing in your towns—so they can listen and learn to fear the Lord your God and follow carefully all the words of this law. 13 Their children, who do not know this law, must hear it and learn to fear the Lord your God as long as you live in the land you are crossing the Jordan to possess.”

Reflection: Reading As Resistance

By John Tillman

If you know something will fail eventually, is there any point trying to delay or prevent that failure?

God revealed to Moses that Israel would fail to fulfill the covenant. Eventually, Israel’s sins would lead to exile and suffering, however, even after banishment, when their hearts turned back to God, God would restore them. However, Moses wasn’t a fatalist. He didn’t shrug his shoulders and say, “It can’t be helped.” Moses had a plan of resistance.

Was it a military campaign? High walls to keep out undesirables? More restrictive laws and more severe penalties? Forsaking all aesthetic pleasures, in case they might lead to sin? No. It was reading scripture.

Moses charged the community to regularly gather and hear the scripture read publicly. The Levites were to keep the writings Moses had collected and created. They would read and explain them to the people every seven years, at the time of canceling debts. It is no accident that reading God’s word is connected to freedom from debts and slavery. Reminding themselves of the debt they owed to God could fuel dutiful obedience and forgiveness among the community.

Israel read scripture to resist the idolatries and ideologies of the land. So must we. Reading scripture is not a task on a spiritual checklist. Reading scripture is an act of resistance. God’s word is an inoculation against the poisoned wisdom of the world that enslaves us to sin. The wisdom of scripture is the truth that sets us free. (John 8.31-34)

Israel, like other cultures of the time, was an oral culture. Few people could read. Even fewer would ever see or hold what Moses wrote and the Levites kept. Israel didn’t have the privileges we do. Those who waited to attend synagogue to hear sections of scripture read or waited seven years to hear the entirety of God’s word read would be shocked that we own personal copies of God’s word. They’d be even more shocked to learn how little we actually read them.

Like Israel, you will fall into sin. But that doesn’t mean you give up and give in. Resist by reading scripture and living out its wisdom. (Matthew 7.24) Don’t neglect the incredible gift of God’s word. Give time and attention to reading God’s word individually and with others. Read your Bible like it makes a difference and it will.

Divine Hours Prayer: The Greeting

You are my hiding place; you preserve me from trouble; you surround me with shouts of deliverance. — Psalm 32.8

– Divine Hours prayers from The Divine Hours: Prayers for Summer
by Phyllis Tickle

Read more: Ways of Canaan, Ways of Christ

Seek God’s face and ask him to reveal and remove “ways of Canaan” within you.

Ways of Canaan, Ways of Christ
Read more: Between Gerizim and Ebal

Standing in between Gerizim and Ebal, there is more at stake than personal holiness or individual choices.

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Choosing Life—A Recap of Deuteronomy

Links for today’s readings:

Read: Deuteronomy 30 Listen: (3:12) Read: Romans 10 Listen: (3:21)

Scripture Focus: Deuteronomy 30:19

19 … I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life…”

Reflection: Choosing Life—A Recap of Deuteronomy

By Erin Newton

Choosing life means choosing God. It is both a singular choice to change one’s identity forever and a perpetual choice to choose godliness every day.

God set before his people (within arm’s reach, he adds in vv. 11-14) the guidelines to follow. How does a person choose life? Let’s recap what Deuteronomy has said.

Choosing life means…

  • Following him, even in the land of “giants” (1.22-33).
  • Being kind to your brothers and sisters, even if they are (by definition), a different people (2.2-6).
  • Knowing when God has told you no (3.26-29).
  • Obeying the commands from God without adding your own ideas or ignoring the ones you dislike (4.2).
  • Memorizing the core summary of godliness in ten commandments (chapter 5).
  • Loving God with the entirety of our being—all strength and soul (6.4).
  • Remembering that God’s grace is given to those he loves, not those who deem themselves worthy (7.7-8).
  • Not forgetting God—who he is and what he has done (chapter 8).
  • Remembering the lure of temptation and your weaknesses (9.7-21).
  • Circumcising your heart by adopting the identity of God’s people, becoming like him in the process (10.16)
  • Seeing the creation become fruitful and plentiful, and working with creation in an interdependent relationship: God, humanity, and creation (11.13-15).
  • Worshipping God (chapter 12).
  • Being aware of false prophets and the temptation to worship someone (or something) else (13.1-8).
  • Providing for God’s people and his church financially (14.22-29).
  • Being purposefully and committedly gracious—granting freedom physically and financially to those around you (15.1-18).
  • Remembering the holy days with feasts and festivals and worship (16.1-17).
  • Enacting justice in the community (17.1-13).
  • Testing prophets and those who speak in the name of God (18.14-22).
  • Providing spaces for grace and mercy (19.1-10).
  • Choosing peace before conflict (20.10).
  • Seeking justice and closure when answers are elusive (21.1-9).
  • Being wise in your judgment of others, especially when one party is likely abused (22.26-27).
  • Welcoming the foreigner who chooses to live among God’s people (23.15-16).
  • Not exploiting your neighbors (24.14-18).
  • Finding wisdom in cross-cultural spaces and gleaning its truth for today (25.4).
  • Living sacrificially (26.1-15).
  • Remembering what God has prohibited (27.15-26).
  • Remembering the blessings God has in store (28.1-14).
  • Remaining content in what God has revealed to us and the knowledge he withholds for himself (29.29).

Each chapter has highlighted one or more ways of choosing God—choosing life. Let us also choose life each day, fulfilling the calls from Deuteronomy.

Divine Hours Prayer: The Greeting

Your way, O God, is holy; who is as great as our God? — Psalm 77,13

– Divine Hours prayers from The Divine Hours: Prayers for Summer
by Phyllis Tickle

Read more: The Stretching Arm of Salvation

We pray for those in need of salvation…a prayer for those suffering oppression, injustice, and persecution.

The Stretching Arm of Salvation — A Guided Prayer
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