Joshua 15-16; Psalm 53; John 1:1-28 "Lamp on a Desk" © by Terri L. Stricker - Original Pencil Sketch on Paper Today in Joshua 15-16, we see the apportioning of the land areas and the definition of tribal boundaries for the Israelites. Here in chapter 15, land is allocated to the tribe of Judah, and in chapter 16, land is assigned to the tribe of Ephraim, a son of Joseph. As Judah was the most populous tribe, its inheritance was of significant size. In verses 13-19, we rea

Joshua 13-14 ; Psalm 52 ; Luke 24:36-53 "Our Garden in Buenos Aires" © by Terri L. Stricker - Original Oil on Canvas Our readings today are especially applicable for us as Christians. In Joshua 13:1-7, we see a brief summary about the land that still remained to be taken by the Israelites. The Lord charges Joshua – now in his old age – to complete this task. Notice, “The LORD said to Joshua, ‘You are very old, and there are still very large areas of land to be taken over

Joshua 11-12 ; Psalm 51:10-19 ; Luke 24:1-35 "Two Little Smith Sisters" © by Eric C. Stricker - Original Acrylic on Canvas Our readings today focus on the promises of God . We come to Joshua 11-12, where we see the historical evidence how God faithfully delivered on His promises to Israel. Chapter 11 opens with “Jabin, king of Hazor, sending word to Jobab, king of Madon, and to a host of other northern kings” to form an alliance with him against Joshua and the Israelites

Joshua 9:16-10:43 ; Proverbs 10:21-30 ; Luke 23:26-56 "Still Life with Vase" © by Terri L. Stricker - Original Oil on Panel Today we come to Joshua 9:16-10:43. In chapter 9 verse 16, we see that “Three days after the Israelites made their treaty with the Gibeonites, they heard that they were neighbors.” A little late to discover this, but “the Israelites had sworn an oath to them by the LORD” … and now “the whole assembly grumbled against the leaders” (verse 18). Here we

Joshua 8:1-9:15 ; Psalm 51:1-9 ; Luke 22:63-23:25 "A Delicate Basket" © by Terri L. Stricker - Original Pencil Sketch on Paper After the humiliating defeat by Ai as a result of Achan’s sin (cf., Joshua 7), Joshua probably had good reason to be discouraged, but in Joshua 8:1, we read, “the LORD said to Joshua, ‘Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged … for I have delivered Ai into your hands …’” (verse 1). In Joshua 8:1-9:15, we see how God blessed Israel after its subseque

Joshua 5:13-7:26 ; Psalm 50:16-23 ; Luke 22:39-62 "Sitzenkirch Barn, I" © by Terri L. Stricker - Original Watercolor on Paper Yesterday, our readings in Joshua 5 informed us about the young males who were born in the desert but who had not undergone circumcision there. I want to touch on that briefly before moving on today. Circumcision was God’s sign of His covenant with Abraham (cf., Genesis 17; Exodus 4:24-26), and it represents the death of the flesh. For a believer

Joshua 3:1-5:12 ; Psalm 50:1-15 ; Luke 22:1-38 "Freizeit Hundersingen" © by Terri L. Stricker - Original Pen & Ink on Paper Today in our readings we come to Joshua 3-5:12, where we read that, “early in the morning, Joshua and all the Israelites set out for the Jordan River, where they camped before crossing over” (verse 1). The Jordan River is a representation of death. For the Israelites, it now characterizes the death of everything they have experienced in the past up t