bible reading July 4th weekend

Bible reading for July 4-5 weekend.

Joshua 6-7.

"So the people shouted, and the trumpets were blown. As soon as the people heard the sound of the trumpet, the people shouted a great shout, and the wall fell down flat, so that the people went up into the city, every man straight before him, and they captured the city." (Joshua 6:20)

SUCCESS, THEN FAILURE. By God's miraculous intervention the walls of Jericho fell. Seven is the number of the days of creation and rest. The nature religions (e.g., polytheism, paganism) recognized the annual (solar) and monthly (lunar) cycles, which were the observable rhythms of nature. The seven-day cycle (the week) is a biblical revelation and an Israelite observance, signifying that the nation was serving the God who created all things. Point: success in this battle was the Lord's doing! Rahab and her family are spared. So far, so good! But they suffer defeat in the next battle. Compare Achan's sin (7:20-21) with Eve's (Gen 3:6) and David's (2 Sam 11:2). The Apostle John writes, "Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world - the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride in possessions - is not from the Father but is from the world" (1 Jn 2:15-16). Much grief comes not only to us but also to others when we yield to temptation (James 1:14-15; 4:1-3).

THE WALLS OF JERICHO. The most recent excavations at Jericho appear to confirm the biblical report of the fall of the city. Read some of the findings here.

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Psalms 135-138.

"Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever." (Psalm 136:1)

STEADFAST LOVE (Ps 136). In every verse, for a total of twenty-six times, we are told that the steadfast love of the Lord, that is, his covenantal, kind, compassionate, faithful love toward them would endure forever. The repetition of this phrase may indicate that it was sung responsively in the temple (i.e., call and response). But the point for us -- made twenty-six times -- is that God will never forsake those who trust him (Rom 8:35-39)!

Due to my schedule today I was not able to get more written for this weekend's post! Do enjoy reading the psalms, and pray for our nation on its birthday, that God would grant mercy and peace, along with justice for our country. Ask God to grant an advance of his gospel, so that many would become members of Christ's kingdom!

Image credit: Graphic courtesy Faithlife (2011) and Logos Bible Software.
We are following the Robert Murray M'Cheyne (RMM) two-year reading schedule, as arranged by D. A. Carson.
Scripture quotations, unless otherwise noted, are from The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
The NET Bible is a free, online resource, and a ministry of bible.org.

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