As March draws to a close, you’re nearing the quarter-way mark in your journey through the Bible in a year. This week, we begin the book of Joshua and explore what it means to ‘possess the land’ that God provides. Today, that ‘land’ represents the abundant blessings we have in Christ—freely given by grace and received through faith. Yet, just as Israel faced battles, we too encounter struggles and challenges along the way.

Meanwhile, in the Gospel of Luke, we follow Jesus into the wilderness, where he is tempted by the devil, and then into the beginning of his ministry, empowered by the Spirit to proclaim and demonstrate that the kingdom of God has come. May your faith be strengthened and your heart encouraged as you read.

week 5: 26 March – 1 April

OT – Deuteronomy 33-Joshua 16

Moses concludes his message of warnings and blessings. He climbs the mountain to see the promised land, and then he dies. Joshua now takes over as leader and we begin the book of Joshua, which is about God’s people entering and possessing the land. In many ways this is a picture of Jesus leading us into our spiritual inheritance, our salvation in him. Joshua’s leadership is to be marked by courage and strength that comes from God’s presence and God’s word. Having sent spies to spy out the land, the people start by crossing the Jordan, a picture of us passing from the old life to our new life in Christ. They then devote themselves to the Lord, shown through the sign of circumcision, and Joshua encounters the holiness of God who will be their captain in the battles to come as they possess the land. There is a great victory at Jericho as they follow the Lord’s lead but then there is defeat at Ai because of the sin of one man. The next chapters are about the various battles the people had had in order to possess the land. These stories are best understood as pictures of us overcoming the different spiritual enemies that seek to rob us of our inheritance in Christ. When they followed the Lord’s leading, they were successful but when they did things their own way they were defeated. God then begins to assign the different parts of the land to various people and tribes. It reminds us that we should accept ‘the lot’ that the Lord assigns us, but the examples of Caleb, his daughter and Zelophehad’s daughters show us the place of bold faith in laying hold of our inheritance.

Mar. 26: Deut 33-34; Josh 1; Mar. 27: Josh 2-4; Mar. 28: Josh 5-7; Mar. 29: Josh 8-9; Mar. 30: Josh 10-11; Mar. 31: Josh 12-14; Apr. 1: Josh 15-16.

You can find a Book Background to Joshua here.

NT – Luke 3:1-6:38

John the Baptist prepares the way for the Messiah to come. He called people to true and deep repentance, getting to the root of sin. When Jesus is baptised the Spirit descends on him like a dove and the Father’s voice comes from heaven declaring his love for his Son. The whole Trinity is involved in our salvation. He is then led by the Spirit into the wilderness where he is tempted by the devil. At the heart of the temptations is to seek power, glory and the kingdoms of the word in the devil’s way rather than the way the Father has prepared for him. He defeat’s the enemy and then comes out of the wilderness in the power of the Spirit, to declare what the Spirit is anointing him to do, his mission. The people react badly when he shows favour to the Gentiles, the first of many times when Jesus hints clearly that his message and his mission is for all nations, not just the Jewish people. He then begins to preach and to heal the sick, and to begin to call his first disciples. But he also often withdrew to quiet places to pray to his Father. He upset and challenged the religious leaders of his day by deliberately healing someone on the Sabbath. Luke’s version of the Sermon on the Mount begins with the startling beatitudes, which reverse all this world’s ideas of what counts as a blessed life, and then on to a core characteristic of his Father’s kingdom – love for enemies.

Mar 26: Luke 3:1-20; Mar. 27: Luke 3:21-38; Mar 28: Luke 4:1-30; Mar 29: Luke 4:31-5:11; Mar 30: Luke 5:12-39; Mar 31: Luke 6:1-26; Apr 1: Luke 6:27-42

As you read about God’s kingdom coming, if you like a deep and long think about important issues, take a look at this article share about how we don’t advance the kingdom.