Welcome to Bible Talk with Jessica! Today my heart hurt a little reading as we said goodbye to Moses. What a guy. He had his faults for sure, but he was also faithful and reliant on the Lord. I’ve learned so many things from him and I’m so glad God chose to include him in the bible. But with the end of one chapter starts the beginning of a new chapter, and that is the chapter of Joshua’s leadership. I was excited to read about Rahab today (especially since I just read a fiction novel based on Rahab), and the beginning of Joshua’s leadership.
Let’s get started!
Please note – I am not a pastor. I have had no bible training, gone to bible school, or anything like that. I do not consider myself a bible scholar at all. I am just someone who loves the Lord, loves reading the bible, and would love to talk with others about it. This is a place for me to do that. We may not agree on everything I post. I ask that all comments remain polite, and honoring to the Lord. I am just here sharing what the Lord lays on my heart, what I’ve learned, and what jumps out at me as I read. I hope you’ll join me in reading your bible as well and share what you’ve learned!
Scripture Reading for Today
Deuteronomy 33:1 – 34:12
Joshua 1:1 – 2:24
Verse of the Day
Have not I commanded thee? 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
Bible Talk
This is probably one of my top ten favorite verses of the bible. Though the Lord is speaking to Joshua, I think He is also speaking to every one of us. The Lord told Joshua several times to be strong and of a good courage. He reminded Joshua that He was right there with him. We, too, need to be of this mindset. Let’s break it down little by little.
Be strong – My Strong Concordance tells me this was the word chazaq. It means to fasten upon or to seize. I think when we put it with the rest of the verse it makes sense – we are to fasten upon the Lord. Cling tight to Him. He is the one who provides our strength, even when we don’t realize it.
Of a good courage – Strong says this was originally amats. It means to be alert, strengthen, be courageous. In order to be strengthened, we need to be in God’s Word. We need to study it, over and over again so that when the time comes, we can be strong and courageous – because of God’s help and His Word that we have hidden in our hearts.
Be not afraid – this is based off the word arats which means to dread. God doesn’t want us to be in dread of anything. In fact, with Him on our side, we have no reason to. My Pastor says that fear is the opposite of faith, and he is absolutely right. We need to have faith that God will get us through whatever situation we are in, and not be afraid of any outcome.
Neither be thou dismayed – Dismayed comes from the word chathath. It means to break down, discourage. Discouragement is a hard thing to avoid for sure. It can bring our entire demeanor down and put us in a spot mentally and spiritually that we ought not to be. God tells us not to be dismayed (discouraged). With Him we have no reason to because He provides everything that we need!
For the Lord thy God is with thee withersoever thou goest – Withersoever comes from the term kol, which means all, every, whole. This means that God is with us everywhere and anywhere. It means He is always with us.
When you put it all together, it’s a life verse that we should take with us and remind ourselves daily. We don’t have any reason to fear or be discouraged, because God is always with us no matter what. How comforting is that!? I cannot tell you how much I needed that reminder today. Honestly, I am a fearful person. I fear over silly things as much as I do the big things. But I don’t need to. God’s got this and whatever situation I am facing. I just need to give my fears over to Him. I encourage you to do the same.
What did you learn from today’s reading?