TODAY’S BIBLE READING CHALLENGE:
Joshua 11:1-12:24
Luke 17:11-37
Psalm 84:1-12
Proverbs 13:5-6
Joshua 11:6 — Interesting to note God’s warning against trusting in chariots and horses. In Deuteronomy 17:16, God commanded that the kings of Israel should not multiply horses. In Deuteronomy 11:4, Moses reminds the Israelites that God took care of the Army of Egypt and their horses and chariots. In today’s reading, Joshua faces a number of horses and chariots (Joshua 11:4), but God says that Joshua will hough (“to hamstring”) their horses. Not capture but disable. In 2 Samuel 8:4, David houghed most of the horses, but not all. In 2 Samuel 15:1, Absalom prepared for himself chariots and horses. In 1 Kings 4:26, Solomon built stables for 40,000 horses (a clear violation of Deuteronomy 17:16), and even worse, they were Egyptian horses (1 Kings 10:28 and Deuteronomy 17:16)! However, God is not against horses – He happens to have chariots of fire (2 Kings 6:17).
Luke 17:19 — Because of the faith of the unclean Samaritan leper, he not only had physical healing, but he also had spiritual healing too!
Luke 17:34-36 — From Jimmy DeYoung:
At the Rapture those who are Christians will be “taken” into the heavenlies to join Jesus, forever. However, when a passage is referring to the Second Coming the ones “taken” are the ones who go to “judgment” and the ones “left” will “rule and reign” with Christ in His Kingdom to come.
To better understand this principle Jesus gives us the last verse in Luke 17. When asked where the people would be “taken” the Lord said, to “where the eagles be gathered together”, verse 37.
In that context, you may want to read Job 39:27-30 which explains that where the “eagles gather together is a place of judgment.” Therefore, those “taken” in Matthew 24, Mark 13, Luke 17 and 21 are all taken to judgment.
The ones “left” are the ones who will join Jesus to rule and reign. At the Rapture, a different event from the Second Coming, separated by at least seven years, the ones “taken” are the Christians.
Psalm 84:2 — What is your heart longing for?
Proverbs 13:6 — There doesn’t seem to be a middle way between righteousness and wickedness.
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