Joshua 8:30-35 - Covenant Renewal on Ebal

Joshua 8:30-35

Then Joshua built an altar to the Lord...just as Moses had commanded...of uncut stones...and they offered burnt offerings....and sacrificed peace offerings, and he wrote there on the stones a copy of the law of Moses...and all Israel....half of them stood in front of Mount Gerizim and half of them in front of Mount Ebal...he read all the words of the law. 

Message: Covenant Renewal on Ebal

Time: Joshua "Yahweh saves" led Israel, under God's command, to victorious conquest of the Promised Land. The book spans about 25 years, beginning about 1406 BC. The conquest of Canaan, numerous military campaigns and regathering of the nation are major components. 

What the Lord is Saying: As expected, after the Lord has led the people to conquer Jericho and Ai, performing a significant work for the Lord, an altar is built to commemorate the event and memorialize this event. Lives had been lost at Ai unfortunately, but now a time of worship was in order. Moses is referenced as the one that directed or commanded this. And they read from the word of the Lord at this event. 

From Tabletalk, "The worship occurred in the valley between Mount Gerizim and Mount Ebal (v. 33). This valley lay twenty miles north of Ai, in the hill country, and the city of Shechem was located there. God appeared to Abram at Shechem centuries earlier, promising to give his descendants the land (Gen. 12:6–7). Jacob later owned land and dwelled near the city of Shechem (33:18–20). God was indeed keeping His promise to give Israel the land of Canaan, for Joshua and the nation stood in the very place pledged to the descendants of the patriarchs.

This event at Mount Ebal was commanded previously in Deuteronomy 27:1-8, "1 Now Moses and the elders of Israel commanded the people, saying, “Keep the whole commandment that I command you today. 2 And on the day you cross over the Jordan to the land that the Lord your God is giving you, you shall set up large stones and plaster them with plaster. 3 And you shall write on them all the words of this law, when you cross over to enter the land that the Lord your God is giving you, a land flowing with milk and honey, as the Lord, the God of your fathers, has promised you. 4 And when you have crossed over the Jordan, you shall set up these stones, concerning which I command you today, on Mount Ebal, and you shall plaster them with plaster. 5 And there you shall build an altar to the Lord your God, an altar of stones. You shall wield no iron tool on them; 6 you shall build an altar to the Lord your God of uncut1 stones. And you shall offer burnt offerings on it to the Lord your God, 7 and you shall sacrifice peace offerings and shall eat there, and you shall rejoice before the Lord your God. 8 And you shall write on the stones all the words of this law very plainly.”

Each Sunday we gather at our churches - to recommit ourselves to the covenant of the Lord, hear the curses for rejecting the Cross, and agreeing with the blessings for obeying it. We are to worship the Lord and be in covenant responsibility toward the Lord always. Each week we commit again to the Lord, our Savior Jesus Christ, trusting Him for eternal life. We think about where we have failed Him and we commit once again to live lives in obedience to Him. 

Summary: Joshua leads Israel to build an Altar at the Mount of Ebal, at Shechem as commanded previously, to worship the Lord, renewing our commitment to Him. 

Promise: All of God’s people—children and adults—should participate in the corporate worship of our God

Prayer: Thank you Lord for reminding me what church is about. It is a time for me each week to gather with other believers and renew my commitment to the Lord. I am to see that You have saved me, that there is a consequence for not committing my life to the Lord and each week I am renewing my covenant before You - to live in a way that honors You. I am reminded of truths and there are many of these truths given to me. At times Lord, I admit feeling overwhelmed by my responsibility to love and honor You. I have trouble grasping it all but keep me centered on your Grace and while I need to remain committed, you shower me with grace and forgiveness and it is you that are working. You began the good work in me and you will complete it. Thank you for living in me and reminding me each week of how you are working. 

Note: If you are interested in other studies/devotions, check out my index of Bible Study's.

John 3:5 - Baptism and Regeneration

John 3:5 - Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit he cannot enter into the kingdom of God."

Message: Baptism and Regeneration

Time: Throughout church history, Christians have consistently attributed this gospel to Jesus' disciple John, the brother of James, the son of Zebedee. John was one of the inner circle of Jesus' most trusted companions. It's most likely that John wrote his gospel while he was in Ephesus, and that he wrote it for an audience that lived outside Palestine, perhaps in Asia Minor. John appears to have had in mind members of a Jewish community who had come to believe that Jesus was the Messiah, but who had continued to worship in the synagogue. John most likely wrote between A.D. 85 and 90. John's purpose in writing he was to confirm the belief that Jesus was both the Christ and the Son of God

What the Lord is Saying: Chapter 3 of the Gospel of John is the "born again" chapter as Jesus speaks to Nicodemus, a Pharisee, about the works that He has been performing and Nicodemus has heard about. Nicodemus wants more information and so Jesus provides it mentioning His central message that every person must be born again and on the heels of making this statement, emphasizing the importance of being born of water and the Spirit. This is a must to enter the kingdom of God. The kingdom of God is the dominion of being among the Called Ones of Christ for all eternity, on earth among the Body of Christ, and in heaven, as sealed ones for eternity with God. 

Thus, we need to emphasize always the importance of baptism. Recently, I had a conversation with a Muslim man and in the conversation as we started to examine scripture he mentioned that Muslims only recognize the Gospel of Matthew and do not recognize Luke, John, or Mark. It makes sense because as I read these words from John and how they clarify further the Gospel of Jesus Christ it seems that people would want to figure out a way to get around this type of thinking so that it would not be applicable to them. It is language that speaks of complete devotion to Jesus and Jesus alone and this is not a doctrine of Muslim teaching. 

This particular mentioning of being affected by water and the Spirit may not at the time have meant the same baptism that we see today. It is hard to say. Jesus had previously been baptized. John could be simply connecting some sort of change in a person in which water, as well as the Spirit of God, is involved. The key point is this water produces a change or regeneration. This concept of regeneration is a significant one in scripture as we see elsewhere how we are encouraged to in many ways be renewed from our birth into Adam and then into a new way of being. I studied this idea of regeneration a little over 3 years ago from Ephesians 2 and talking of being dead and then becoming alive. So it is significant here that water is spoken of by Jesus as connecting these two. 

Titus 3:5 states, "He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness, but according to His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit." Here also is this connecting of renewal through washing (water) and the Holy Spirit. We are cleansed and made new. 

There is prophecy concerning this from Ezekiel 36:25-27 -- "25 Then I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean; I will cleanse you from all your filthiness and from all your idols. 26 Moreover, I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; and I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. 27 I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will be careful to observe My ordinances." -- I realize now that verse 26 is a verse I have prayed for my youngest son Derek very often and I never noticed before that verse that water cleansing precedes it and really speaks of the newness that happens in a person. That newness is shown in water. The context here also refers to the metaphorical death of the Babylonian exile which again speaks of being rescued or renewed or born again. 

This concept of God created something new also occurs in Scripture to speak of a new heaven and new earth as in Isaiah 65:17, "For behold, I create new heavens and a new earth; And the former things will not be remembered or come to mind" and also Revelation 21:1, "Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth passed away, and there is no longer any sea."

Again, the idea is being made new and that is a consistent idea in scripture. And this idea here hinges on water being involved in this regeneration. 

I am impressed with these words and it makes me wonder if we really do emphasize baptism enough and its importance in speaking of this new life in Christ, before God and by the work of the Holy Spirit in our life. That is the message today, of the importance of baptism and how it needs to be a part of our process of witnessing to people and giving them the Good News of Jesus. That visible act needs to occur for the person to see in themselves and for others to see. 

Summary: Baptism has regenerated all who believe in Christ alone for salvation. 

Promise: Jesus connects the Water and the Spirit for newness of life that God produces by His Spirit. Baptism will regenerate His people and we can look to our baptism to be reminded of God's faithfulness to cleanse us from our sin. 

Prayer: O Father God, thank you for bringing home to me this message of regeneration and renewal. Life is about starting anew and afresh with you. I pray that people would recognize this, like the people we spoke to last night at the mall, Hamet, Brian, and also Carlos. I pray Lord these males would have lives that are born again and new again. May your gospel penetrate their lives. Lord, keep me on this path of regeneration continually where I am always examining me and how I need to be renewed in You.