Old Testament reading: Joshua 9-10
“Did you not learn anything from the last time you did this?” Watching people we love repeatedly making the same mistakes can be frustrating, even infuriating depending on the circumstances. I sometimes get frustrated while reading of the mistakes of these great Bible characters — until I realize how fortunate I am that my mistakes haven’t been recorded for all posterity to see and judge. Joshua 9 again illustrates the tragedy of disobedience and the inherent danger of failing to include God in our planning. Apparently learning nothing from the incident and tragedy of Ai, Joshua disobeys a direct command from the Lord by making a treaty with the Gibeonites. These men deceived Joshua into thinking they were from a far away land. Verse 14 makes the following note, “but they did not ask counsel of the Lord.” Once again, had he consulted with God before pursuing this course, the resulting difficulties would have never taken place. Chapter 10 is the well known account of God making the sun stand still as Israel pursued her enemies. Note! For several years there has been an email rumor circulating that scientists had found a missing day. This story is a absolutely false and should not be forwarded on.
New Testament reading: Hebrews 8-13
What would you say if I told you there are some things Jesus couldn’t do? While the thought initially runs contrary to our thinking, Hebrews 7 teaches this very thing. Hebrews 7:11-16 declares Moses’ law had to be changed if Jesus were going to serve as a priest, “for it is evident that our Lord sprang from Judah, which tribe Moses said nothing concerning the priesthood.” Also of note is the restrictive nature of Divine silence when there is specificity in a particular area. God specified Levi as the priestly tribe. In so doing, He did not have to specifically forbid priests from all other tribes. It was understood that in specifying Levi, God excluded all other tribes. In like fashion, God has commanded and specified congregational singing as the form of music for the church (Eph 5:19; Col 3:16). In specifying congregational singing, He excluded all other forms of music, including not only instrumental music, but also “performance worship” (choirs, soloists, small groups, etc).
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