DAY 90    Read Judges 1 through 3.

Today's reading:  From the account of Israel's victorious conquest of Canaan we turn to one of the darkest portions of Holy Writ--the history of the judges.  How soon after their settlement in the land the Israelites forgot God and turned to heathen practices!

Memory gem:  "Then they cried unto the Lord in their trouble, and he delivered them out of their distresses"  (Psalm 107:6).

Thought for today:
The Bible depicts men just as they are.  It does not try to cover up the faults of good men, God's men, as a merely human book would do.  It records Adam's fall, Noah's drunkenness, Abraham's lie, Moses' anger, David's impurity, Peter's denial.  The Book tells the truth to make the record clear, but that's not the way man would do it.  A famous portrait of Alexander the Great was painted with his head resting on his hand as if he were in deep thought, but really it was to hide an ugly scar on his cheek.  Wilhelm, emperor of Germany, was photographed and painted in such a position that his withered arm would not show.

So it is with men, but the Bible paints men just as they are.  It tells the truth.  With its marvelous prophecies proved true by history, its fearless depiction of human character, its unbreakable unity, the Bible is the miracle Book of he ages, the inspired Book of God's word to men.  John Randolph said that it would have been as easy for a mole to write Sir Isaac Newton's treatise on optics as for uninspired men to write the Bible.

DAY 89    Read Psalm 105 through 107.

Today's reading reviews, by three poetic passages, God's dealings with Israel from the Exodus to the days of the judges.

Memory gem:  "Thou calledst in trouble, and I delivered thee; I answered thee in the secret place of thunder: I proved three at the waters of Meribah"  (Psalm 81:7).

Thought for today:
When you are in trouble, remember the Bible record of God's care for His people Israel.  Read again the story of their deliverance from Egypt--the escape at the Red Sea--the bitter waters turned sweet--the guidance of the cloudy pillar--the miracle of the manna diet and water out of the rock.  This is just a part of the story, but it's encouraging to keep in mind that these deliverances took place in the wilderness--in a desert land--a lonesome, gloomy, dangerous, desolate wasteland--a place where no human help was possible.  Read it all over again, and you will find comfort in God's dealings with wandering Israel.  When the waters are bitter to you and the thunders of trouble seem to roll about your head, you can turn to the secret place and find help in time of need.

Israel called when in trouble, and God answered "in the secret place of thunder."  They cried to Him in their bitter bondage as slaves, and He answered in thunder and lightning in the plagues of Egypt.

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Difficult or obscure words:
Psalm 105:22.  "Bind"--better: instruct.
Psalm 105:22.  "Senators"--literally: elders.

DAY 88    Read Joshua 22 through 24.

Today's reading:  We come to the end of another dedicated man's life.  Joshua's farewell address sounds a challenge down through the ages to our own time.

Memory gem:  "Choose you this day whom ye will serve;...but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord"  (Joshua 24:15).

Thought for today:
What multitudes of people need to hear today is the call of Joshua, who said to the people of his time: "Choose you this day whom ye will serve;...but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord"  (Joshua 24:15).

It was a compromise with the state and with pagan practices that brought the church into the great apostasy of the Dark Ages.  It was compromise that brought ecclesticism into the church and destroyed the life of faith.  Apostate Christianity and the ancient pagan Roman state were united in adulterous union.  The emperors claimed to be Christians and by force compelled acceptance of religious doctrines.  Christianity was poured into the grooves of pagan thought, rites, images, idols, and ceremonies.

Let me put the question directly to you, friend: Are you willing to be separated to God, to Christ?  Are you willing to be His child?  It is not always easy from a human standpoint.  It means something to be a Christian.  It means a change of life.  It means a turning away from sinful practices.  It often means being different.  But here is the word of Christ, the warning of Christ, "Repent; or else I will come unto thee quickly"  (Revelation 2:5).

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Difficult or obscure words:
Joshua 24:2, 14, 15.  "Flood"--Hebrew word used here in reference to the Euphrates River--not to Noah's Flood.

DAY 87    Read Joshua 19 through 21.

Today's reading completes the dividing of the Land of Canaan, and then names the six cities of refuge and the other cities given to the Levites throughout the land.

Memory gem:  "In the fear of the Lord is strong confidence: and his children shall have a place of refuge"  (Proverbs 14:26).

Thought for today:
The safety afforded by the city of refuge did not depend upon its wall, gates, or guards, but solely upon the divine appointment.  So it is the word of God that gives us all safety in Christ, "for him hath God the Father sealed"  (John 6:27).

All who flee to Christ will be received.  All races, all classes, all kinds of people are invited--yes, urged to come.  The Saviour says, "All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out"  (John 6:37).

As it was the death of the high priest which made the prisoner in the city of refuge free, so the death of our Lord Jesus Christ upon the cross was for us, and it sets the believer free from condemnation.  God cannot overlook sin, the transgression of His commandments (see 1 John 3:4).  Divine justice must be done, and the righteous sentence must be pronounced; but Christ Himself pays the debt and the sinner is set free.

My friend, are you in God's city of refuge?  It is the only safe place in the world today.  Has Psalm 142:4 been your experience?  "I looked on my right hand, and beheld, but there was no man that would know me: refuge failed me; no man cared for my soul."

Has human refuge failed you?  Have there been times when it seemed that no man cared for your soul?  Well, there is a refuge--there is one Friend who cares.  Just read the next verse: "I cried unto thee, O Lord: I said, thou art my refuge and my portion in the land of the living"  (verse 5).  There it is: the Lord is our refuge.  As we read in another place: "In the fear of the Lord is strong confidence: and his children shall have a place of refuge"  (Proverbs 14:26).

That's what a man needs when he is in trouble--"strong confidence" and a "place of refuge."  And that's what you will find in Christ.  I have found it so, and thousands--yes, millions--testify to the same blessed truth.

DAY 86    Read Joshua 15:20 through chapter 18.

Today's reading continues the description of tribal boundaries.  In the midst of this territorial business we find a brief mention of setting up the tabernacle in a permanent location.

Memory gem:  "The whole congregation of the children of Israel assembled together at Shiloh, and set up the tabernacle of the congregation there"  (Joshua 18:1).

Thought for today:
"Heretofore Gilgal had been the headquarters of the nation and the seat of the tabernacle.  But now the tabernacle was to be removed to the place chosen for its permanent location.  This was Shiloh, a little town in the lot of Ephraim.  It was near the center of the land, and was easy to access to all the tribes.  Here a portion of country had been thoroughly subdued, so that the worshipers would not be molested.  'And the whole congregation of the children of Israel assembled together at Shiloh, and set up the tabernacle of the congregation there.'  The tribes that were still encamped when the tabernacle was removed from Gilgal followed it, and pitched near Shiloh.  Here these tribes remained until they dispersed to their possessions.

"The ark remained at Shiloh for three hundred years, until, because of the sins of Eli's house, it fell into the hands of the Philistines, and Shiloh was ruined.  The ark was never returned to the tabernacle here, the sanctuary service was finally transferred to the temple at Jerusalem, and Shiloh fell into insignificance.  There are only ruins to mark the spot where it once stood.  Long afterwards its fate was made use of as a warning to Jerusalem, "Go ye now unto my place which was Shiloh,' the Lord declared by the prophet Jeremaiah, 'where I set my name at the first, and see what I did to it for the wickedness of my people Israel....Therefore will I do unto this house, which is called by my name, wherein ye trust, and unto the place which I gave to you and to your fathers as I have done to Shiloh.'  Jeremiah 7:12-14."--Patriarchs and Prophets, pp. 514, 515.

DAY 85    Read Joshua 13 through 15:19.

Today's reading, concerned as it is with dividing the Land of Canaan among the tribes, contains a heartwarming story about faithful old Caleb and his family.

Memory gem:  "Well done, good and faithful servant; thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord"  (Matthew 25:23).

Thought for today:
"Before the distribution of the land had been entered upon, Caleb, accompanied by the heads of his tribe, came forward with a special claim.  Except for Joshua, Calen was now the oldest man in Israel.  Caleb and Joshua were the only ones among the spies who had brought a good report of the Land of Promise, encouraging the people to go up and possess it in the name of the Lord.  Caleb now reminded Joshua of the promise then made, as the reward of his faithfulness....He therefore presented a request that Hebron be given him for a possession.  Here had been for many years the home of Abrahaam, Isaac, and Jacob; and here, in the cave of Machpelah, they were buried.  Hebron was the seat of the dreaded Anakim, whose formidable appearance had so terrified the spies, and through them destroyed the courage of all Israel.  This, above all others, was the place which Caleb, trusting in the strength of God, chose for his inheritance.

"His claim was immediately granted.  To none could the conquest of this giant stronghold be more solely entrusted.

"Caleb's  faith now was just what it was when his testimony had contradicted the evil report of the spies....Caleb did not ask for himself a land already conquered, but the place which above all others the spies had thought it impossible to subdue.  By the help of God he would wrest this stronghold from the very giants whose power had staggered the faith of Israel.  It was no desire for honor or aggrandizement that prompted Caleb's request.  The brave ole warrior was desirous of giving the people an example that would honor God, and encourage the tribes fully to subdue the land which their fathers had deemed unconquerable.``--Patriarchs and Prophets, pp. 511-513.

DAY 84    Read Joshua 10 through 12.

Today's reading condenses into three chapters the account of Joshua's campaigns to conquer the whole of Canaan.  It includes the famous episode of the long day.

Memory gem:  "There was no day like that before it or after it, that the Lord hearkened unto the voice of a man: for the Lord fought for Israel"  (Joshua 10:14).

Thought for today:
We owe our present calendar to the Romans, as is clearly shown by the Latin names given to the twelve months.  Although several different systems of calendation have been and still are used in the world, yet the continuity of the cycle of the seven-day week has been preserved without disruption, and in perfect synchronization by nations around the world.

In Bible times the Jews had a sacred or ecclesiastical year which began in the month Abib, about our April, and civil year which began six months later in the fall.  New Year's day might fall on any day of the week, just as our January 1 may come on Sunday, Monday, or any other day of the week.  The seven-day cycle of days has come down to us unaltered from the beginning of history.  It has been unaffected by the many changes that have otherwise taken place in the calendar.

Dates may change; new calendars, new calendar arrangements come and go, but they have not broken the weekly cycle.  Yesterday, today, and tomorrow are established in their natural order: Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday go on their way, unmovably and fixedly.  As the seventh-day Sabbath is in this changeless weekly cycle, men have never lost track of it.

Note:  Nothing in the record of the long day indicates any disruption of the weekly cycle.  The day is measured by the complete period between one sunset and the next.  The extension of daylight several extra hours simply delayed the beginning of the next day; therefore, the order of the days of the week was not altered.

DAY 83    Read Joshua 8 and 9.

Today's reading tells of a quick plunge from the flush of victory (under the Lord's direction) to the chagrin of falling into a clever deception (without consulting the Lord).

Memory gem:  "Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding"  (Proverbs 3:5).

Thought for today:
"The Gibeonites had pledged themselves to renounce idolatry, and accept the worship of Jehovah; and the preservation of their lives was not a violation of God's command to destroy the idolatrous Canaanites.  Hence the Hebrews had not by their oath pledged themselves to commit sin.  And though the oath had been secured by deception, it was not to be disregarded.  The obligation to which one's word is pledged--if it does not bind him to perform a wrong act--should be sacred.  No consideration of gain, of revenge, or of self-interest can in any way affect the inviolability of an oath or pledge.  'Lying lips are an abomination to the Lord.'  Proverbs 12:22.  He that 'shall ascend into the hill of the Lord,' and 'stand in his holy place,' is 'he that sweareth to his own hurt, and changeth not.'  Psalm 24:3; 15:4.

"The Gibeonites were permitted to live, but were attached as bondmen to the sanctuary, to perform all menial services.  'Joshua made them that day hewers of wood and drawers of water for the congregation, and for the altar of the Lord' [Joshua 9:27].  These conditions they gratefully accepted, conscious that they had been at fault, and glad to purchase life on any terms.  'Behold, we are in thine hand,' they said to Joshua; 'as it seemeth good and right unto thee to do unto us, do [Joshua 9:25].  For centuries their descendants were connected with the service of the sanctuary....

"They had adapted the garb of poverty for the purpose of deception, and it was fastened upon them as a badge of perpetual servitude.  Thus through all their generations their servile condition would testify to God's hatred of falsehood."--Patriarchs and Prophets, pp. 506, 507.

DAY 82    Read Joshua 5 through 7.

Today's reading recounts the dramatic fall of Jericho and the results of Acha's tragic sin.

Memory gem:  "Take heed, and beware of covetousness: a man's life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth"  (Luke 12:15).

Thought for today:
Covetousness is a "respectable" sin.  It is a sin we are afraid to mention.  It is like pride.  Even church members can be guilty of it and not know it.  No doubt many who are covetous do not realize that they are.  That is why they never confess their sin of covetousness.  It is deceitful and prevalent.


Covetousness dries up the resources of the church, holds back the gospel, paralyzes foreign missions.  Covetousness deadens the soul to the influence of the Holy Spirit, dries up the milk of human kindness.  Covetousness, being a form of idolatry, sets up another god in the heart (see Colossians 3:5).  This is why it is such a great sin--it takes the place of the true God and Jesus Christ, our Lord.  Covetousness caused the fall of Lucifer and made the cross necessary.  Covetousness has ruined churches and homes and nations.  It has blighted millions.  Covetousness, the original sin of Lucifer in heaven and Eve in Eden, is the fundamental rebellion against God.

God gave heaven's greatest gift for our salvation.  Jesus Christ, our Lord, gave Himself for our redemption.  The cure of covetousness is true regeneration and conversion by the power of the Spirit of God.  Then, those who are born as the sons of God may walk in the Spirit of the Lord Jesus Christ, who, though He was rich, became poor that we through His poverty might become rich (see 2 Corinthians 8:9).

Let us seek God for victory over selfishness and the sin we are afraid to mention.

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Difficult or obscure words:
Joshua 6:9.  "Rereward"--an obsolete English word meaning rear guard.

DAY 81    Read Joshua 1 through 4.

Today's reading includes Joshua's initiation as the new leader, the episode of the two spies in Jericho, and the dramatic crossing of Jordan.

Memory gem:  "Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest"  (Joshua 1:9).

Thought for today:
In a real Christian home the children have the right to hear the voice of prayer, to hear Father and Mother pray for them, and to be taught to pray.  When Robert Burns wrote his famous poem, "The Cotter's Saturday Night," in which he describes the scene of family worship in a humble cottage of Scotland, family prayers were commonplace.  Read that wonderful poem again for yourself, and if you can do it with dry eyes, I'll be surprised.  A real home should have family worship.  It holds Father and Mother together, it makes every home a house of prayer.

When the people of Israel came into the Holy Land, they were instructed to destroy the military fortresses of Jericho.  Only one family was saved, a family that lived in a house on the city wall.  Here are the instructions to the head of that house.  They are found in Joshua 2:18: "Behold, when we come into the land, thou shalt bind this line of scarlet thread in the window which thou didst let us down by: and thou shalt bring thy father, and thy mother, and thy brethren, and all thy father's household, home unto thee."

Let us notice this one point: The folks who came to that home and shut the doors about them in wicked old Jericho were safe when the scarlet thread was in the window.  And so every true home is a place of safety when the scarlet thread of Christ's blood is in the window, and where those in charge of the home are Christians whose hope is in the sacrifice of Jesus upon Calvary.  When the home is protected by this scarlet thread, there is safety within.  Gather the children in, fathers and mothers, grandfathers and grandmothers, and protect them with the scarlet thread of faith in Christ as our Redeemer.  That is the only hope of a lost and ruined world, but it is a gloriously sufficient hope.