Day 51 – November 7, 2023: Joshua 4-6 and Acts 4-6

There are less notable Scriptures in these chapters than the previous ones. But we do see the nation of Israel advancing forward to take on Jericho. The battle is curious, it is composed of a marching band that is able to bring the walls down which opens the way for the military to swoop in and take over the city. Did you notice that the Israelites had to be circumcised because those who were getting ready for battle were born in the wilderness and had never been circumcised. That is fascinating to me that the sign of the covenant had been interrupted and even stopped while they were wandering the wilderness.

In Acts we find ourselves with the Apostles once again and they are getting into trouble. I love the figure of Gamaliel in chapter 5 who tells the religious leaders who are threatened by the disciples to wait and see for it will become obvious if the work of these individuals is from God or not. You can tell by whether it lasts or not. That’s powerful. Don’t forget the story of Annanias and Sapphira who lead the charge in the “give or die” stewardship campaign. Yeah, they didn’t get the memo like Barnabas did.