Deuteronomy 23-34: As Deuteronomy closes, Moses underscores important laws about worship, uncleanness, lending, divorce, care for the poor, and dwelling in cities together. Keeping God’s commandments was to distinguish them from the nations surrounding them, and if they failed to do so, they were under God’s curse, as pronounced from Mt. Ebal, to be contrasted with the blessings from Mt. Gerazim, which they would pronounce over themselves. If only they had feared the curses and consequences of disobedience and craved the blessings and intimacy with God more! Moses calls them to make a choice to serve God, entering into a covenant with that generation, which is really the original Mosaic covenant renewed with the generation to enter the land. He reviews their history with them, and prophesies a future apostasy, giving them another song as a prophetic utterance to them to teach their children, before commissioning Joshua to take his place and climbing Mt. Nebo to die as commanded.
Joshua 1-6: The commission of Joshua is taken up by the Lord directly after the death of Moses. His job is to be obedient, to meditate continually on the Word of God and to be strong and courageous. In return, the promise is that not a man on earth would be able to withstand him. The people accepted his leadership and they, too, urged him to remain strong and courageous. His point in sending two spies instead of one from each tribe must have been clear: like the two spies who made a good report, make a faithful report of the land now. When Rahab confesses that her people are in terror of the Israelites, they pass this along faithfully to the people. They deal faithfully with Rahab and her family and this Moabite family become part of Israel, ultimately an ancestor of David and even Christ. Unlike the Red See, crossing the Jordan could have been done by the warriors in a practical way. It’s said that it was only about 100 feet wide at its widest part. But God showed His favor on Joshua and the people in a way designed to remind them of their salvation from Egypt.
The fact that this is necessary is shown in the next chapter: at seemingly the very worst time, they had to be circumcised. Even though the commandment was given long before, and even though Moses himself faced danger from God (Exodus 4:24) because of his reluctance to circumcise his sons, the Exodus generation had not done so. It was the fear God gave the the Canaanites that protected them during this time. It’s no coincidence that the prophesied Angel called “Captain of the Lord’s Host” appears at this time. God had told Moses that if the people feared and obeyed Him, God would be an enemy to their enemies, and the conquest of Jericho demonstrates that.
Mark 14:53—16: Jesus is brought to trial, which is a mockery, with false witnesses, wild accusations and twisted quotes. Ultimately the High Priest himself weighs in and breaks the Law by making a scene of tearing his clothes, something expressly forbidden by the Law. Peter follows and denies Jesus. Jesus is examined by Pilate, who gets manipulated into condemning Him. He’s mocked and beaten, then led away for crucifixion. Mark notes that Simon carries His cross, giving the names of his children to indicate he became a believer. I wonder if the centurion who stood by saying, “this man was the Son of God” did. Brief as the resurrection Sunday in Mark is, it records that Jesus’ resurrection was first seen by the women, Peter is specifically called out as someone who needs to be told after his denial. The Great Commission, in a very concise form, is given; and miracles are prophesied and the prophesies are fulfilled.
Luke 1: Luke begins differently from the other Gospels, acknowledging them and that he was supplementing them, although we assume John is not yet written at this point. A 19th-century Scottish archaeologist Sir William Mitchell Ramsay, initially skeptical, concluded after his work in the middle east that “Luke is a historian of the first rank; not merely are his statements of fact trustworthy, he is possessed of the true historic sense … in short, this author should be placed along with the greatest of historians.” (The Bearing of Recent Discovery on the Trustworthiness of the New Testament, 1915).
John the Baptist, living in the desert, must have seemed to come out of nowhere: a righteous revivalist with no known connections to any established group. We have Luke’s account to thank for all this detail about him and his miraculous birth.
Luke also gives us more about Jesus’ birth. As a scholarly Gentile, he fills in details we wouldn’t have otherwise. Luke is said to present Jesus as the Son of Man, as connected to all mankind including the Gentiles.
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