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First Reading: Joshua Chapter 5 and 6Joshua 5
5:1 The Second Generation Circumcised
So it was, when all the kings of the Amorites who were on the west side of
the Jordan, and all the kings of the Canaanites who were by the sea, heard that
the LORD had dried up the waters of the Jordan from before the children of Israel
until we had crossed over, that their heart melted; and there was no spirit
in them any longer because of the children of Israel.
2 At that time the LORD said to Joshua, "Make flint knives for yourself,
and circumcise the sons of Israel again the second time." 3 So Joshua made
flint knives for himself, and circumcised the sons of Israel at the hill of
the foreskins. 4 And this is the reason why Joshua circumcised them: All the
people who came out of Egypt who were males, all the men of war, had died in
the wilderness on the way, after they had come out of Egypt. 5 For all the people
who came out had been circumcised, but all the people born in the wilderness,
on the way as they came out of Egypt, had not been circumcised. 6 For the children
of Israel walked forty years in the wilderness, till all the people who were
men of war, who came out of Egypt, were consumed, because they did not obey
the voice of the LORD to whom the LORD swore that He would not show them
the land which the LORD had sworn to their fathers that He would give us,"a
land flowing with milk and honey." 7 Then Joshua circumcised their sons
whom He raised up in their place; for they were uncircumcised, because they
had not been circumcised on the way.
8 So it was, when they had finished circumcising all the people, that they stayed
in their places in the camp till they were healed. 9 Then the LORD said to Joshua,
"This day I have rolled away the reproach of Egypt from you." Therefore
the name of the place is called Gilgal to this day.
10 Now the children of Israel camped in Gilgal, and kept the Passover on the
fourteenth day of the month at twilight on the plains of Jericho. 11 And they
ate of the produce of the land on the day after the Passover, unleavened bread
and parched grain, on the very same day. 12 Then the manna ceased on the day
after they had eaten the produce of the land; and the children of Israel no
longer had manna, but they ate the food of the land of Canaan that year.
13 The Commander of the Army of the LORD
And it came to pass, when Joshua was by Jericho, that he lifted his eyes and
looked, and behold, a Man stood opposite him with His sword drawn in His hand.
And Joshua went to Him and said to Him, "Are You for us or for our adversaries?"
14 So He said, "No, but as Commander of the army of the LORD I have now
come."
And Joshua fell on his face to the earth and worshiped, and said to Him, "What
does my Lord say to His servant?"
15 Then the Commander of the LORD's army said to Joshua,"Take your sandal
off your foot, for the place where you stand is holy." And Joshua did so.
Joshua 6
6:1 The Destruction of Jericho
Now Jericho was securely shut up because of the children of Israel; none went
out, and none came in. 2 And the LORD said to Joshua: "See! I have given
Jericho into your hand, its king, and the mighty men of valor. 3 You shall march
around the city, all you men of war; you shall go all around the city once.
This you shall do six days. 4 And seven priests shall bear seven trumpets of
rams' horns before the ark. But the seventh day you shall march around the city
seven times, and the priests shall blow the trumpets. 5 It shall come to pass,
when they make a long blast with the ram's horn, and when you hear the sound
of the trumpet, that all the people shall shout with a great shout; then the
wall of the city will fall down flat. And the people shall go up every man straight
before him."
6 Then Joshua the son of Nun called the priests and said to them, "Take
up the ark of the covenant, and let seven priests bear seven trumpets of rams'
horns before the ark of the LORD." 7 And he said to the people, "Proceed,
and march around the city, and let him who is armed advance before the ark of
the LORD."
8 So it was, when Joshua had spoken to the people, that the seven priests bearing
the seven trumpets of rams' horns before the LORD advanced and blew the trumpets,
and the ark of the covenant of the LORD followed them. 9 The armed men went
before the priests who blew the trumpets, and the rear guard came after the
ark, while the priests continued blowing the trumpets. 10 Now Joshua had commanded
the people, saying, "You shall not shout or make any noise with your voice,
nor shall a word proceed out of your mouth, until the day I say to you, 'Shout!'
Then you shall shout." 11 So he had the ark of the LORD circle the city,
going around it once. Then they came into the camp and lodged in the camp.
12 And Joshua rose early in the morning, and the priests took up the ark of
the LORD. 13 Then seven priests bearing seven trumpets of rams' horns before
the ark of the LORD went on continually and blew with the trumpets. And the
armed men went before them. But the rear guard came after the ark of the LORD,
while the priests continued blowing the trumpets. 14 And the second day they
marched around the city once and returned to the camp. So they did six days.
15 But it came to pass on the seventh day that they rose early, about the dawning
of the day, and marched around the city seven times in the same manner. On that
day only they marched around the city seven times. 16 And the seventh time it
happened, when the priests blew the trumpets, that Joshua said to the people:
"Shout, for the LORD has given you the city! 17 Now the city shall be doomed
by the LORD to destruction, it and all who are in it. Only Rahab the harlot
shall live, she and all who are with her in the house, because she hid the messengers
that we sent. 18 And you, by all means abstain from the accursed things, lest
you become accursed when you take of the accursed things, and make the camp
of Israel a curse, and trouble it. 19 But all the silver and gold, and vessels
of bronze and iron, are consecrated to the LORD; they shall come into the treasury
of the LORD."
20 So the people shouted when the priests blew the trumpets. And it happened
when the people heard the sound of the trumpet, and the people shouted with
a great shout, that the wall fell down flat. Then the people went up into the
city, every man straight before him, and they took the city. 21 And they utterly
destroyed all that was in the city, both man and woman, young and old, ox and
sheep and donkey, with the edge of the sword.
22 But Joshua had said to the two men who had spied out the country, "Go
into the harlot's house, and from there bring out the woman and all that she
has, as you swore to her." 23 And the young men who had been spies went
in and brought out Rahab, her father, her mother, her brothers, and all that
she had. So they brought out all her relatives and left them outside the camp
of Israel. 24 But they burned the city and all that was in it with fire. Only
the silver and gold, and the vessels of bronze and iron, they put into the treasury
of the house of the LORD. 25 And Joshua spared Rahab the harlot, her father's
household, and all that she had. So she dwells in Israel to this day, because
she hid the messengers whom Joshua sent to spy out Jericho.
26 Then Joshua charged them at that time, saying,"Cursed be the man before
the LORD who rises up and builds this city Jericho; he shall lay its foundation
with his firstborn, and with his youngest he shall set up its gates."
27 So the LORD was with Joshua, and his fame spread throughout all the country.
1 Corinthians 1
1:1 Greeting
Paul, called to be an apostle of Jesus Christ through the will of God, and
Sosthenes our brother,
2 To the church of God which is at Corinth, to those who are sanctified in Christ
Jesus, called to be saints, with all who in every place call on the name of
Jesus Christ our Lord, both theirs and ours:
3 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
4 Spiritual Gifts at Corinth
I thank my God always concerning you for the grace of God which was given to
you by Christ Jesus, 5 that you were enriched in everything by Him in all utterance
and all knowledge, 6 even as the testimony of Christ was confirmed in you, 7
so that you come short in no gift, eagerly waiting for the revelation of our
Lord Jesus Christ, 8 who will also confirm you to the end, that you may be blameless
in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9 God is faithful, by whom you were called
into the fellowship of His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.
10 Sectarianism Is Sin
Now I plead with you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that
you all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you, but
that you be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment.
11 For it has been declared to me concerning you, my brethren, by those of Chloe's
household, that there are contentions among you. 12 Now I say this, that each
of you says, "I am of Paul," or "I am of Apollos," or "I
am of Cephas," or "I am of Christ." 13 Is Christ divided? Was
Paul crucified for you? Or were you baptized in the name of Paul?
14 I thank God that I baptized none of you except Crispus and Gaius, 15 lest
anyone should say that I had baptized in my own name. 16 Yes, I also baptized
the household of Stephanas. Besides, I do not know whether I baptized any other.
17 For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel, not with
wisdom of words, lest the cross of Christ should be made of no effect.
18 Christ the Power and Wisdom of God
(cf. Isa 29:14)
For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but
to us who are being saved it is the power of God. 19 For it is written:
"I will destroy the wisdom of the wise,And bring to nothing the understanding
of the prudent."
20 Where is the wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the disputer of this age?
Has not God made foolish the wisdom of this world? 21 For since, in the wisdom
of God, the world through wisdom did not know God, it pleased God through the
foolishness of the message preached to save those who believe. 22 For Jews request
a sign, and Greeks seek after wisdom; 23 but we preach Christ crucified, to
the Jews a stumbling block and to the Greeks foolishness, 24 but to those who
are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of
God. 25 Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of
God is stronger than men.
26 Glory Only in the Lord
For you see your calling, brethren, that not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called. 27 But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty; 28 and the base things of the world and the things which are despised God has chosen, and the things which are not, to bring to nothing the things that are, 29 that no flesh should glory in His presence. 30 But of Him you are in Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God and righteousness and sanctification and redemption 31 that, as it is written, "He who glories, let him glory in the LORD."
Bible BackgroundSUPER HEROES OF THE BIBLE
JOSHUA
Joshua was of the tribe of Ephraim. Joshua is the Hebrew form of the name Jesus. He had been a personal attendant of Moses throughout the 40 years of wilderness wandering. He was with Moses in the Mount and was one of the original 12 spies. He and Caleb were the only ones of their generation to cross the Jordan River into the promised land because of their faithful and fearless report as spies.
Joshua was not only a ruler over Israel but also a military leader. He trusted in God in his military campaigns against the idol worshipping Canaanites. He displayed courage in every aspect of his life. He is best known for his declaration to the Israelites:
"But as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD." Joshua 24:15 (NIV)
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