To The Word – Day 55

₁After the death of the LORD's servant Moses, the LORD spoke to Moses' helper, Joshua son of Nun. ₂He said, “My servant Moses is dead. Get ready now, you and all the people of Israel, and cross the River Jordan into the land that I am giving them. ₃As I told Moses, I have given you and all my people the entire land that you will be marching over. ₄Your borders will reach from the desert in the south to the Lebanon Mountains in the north; from the great River Euphrates in the east, through the Hittite country, to the Mediterranean Sea in the west. ₅Joshua, no one will be able to defeat you as long as you live. I will be with you as I was with Moses. I will always be with you; I will never abandon you. ₆Be determined and confident, for you will be the leader of these people as they occupy this land which I promised their ancestors. ₇Just be determined, be confident; and make sure that you obey the whole Law that my servant Moses gave you. Do not neglect any part of it and you will succeed wherever you go. ₈Be sure that the book of the Law is always read in your worship. Study it day and night, and make sure that you obey everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful. ₉Remember that I have commanded you to be determined and confident! Don't be afraid or discouraged, for I, the LORD your God, am with you wherever you go.”

₁₀Then Joshua ordered the leaders to ₁₁go through the camp and say to the people, “Get some food ready, because in three days you are going to cross the River Jordan to occupy the land that the LORD your God is giving you.”

₁₂Joshua said to the tribes of Reuben and Gad and to half the tribe of Manasseh, ₁₃“Remember how Moses, the LORD's servant, told you that the LORD your God would give you this land on the east side of the Jordan as your home. ₁₄Your wives, your children, and your livestock will stay here, but your soldiers, armed for battle, will cross over ahead of their fellow-Israelites in order to help them ₁₅until they have occupied the land west of the Jordan that the LORD your God has given them. When he has given safety to all the tribes of Israel, then you may come back and settle here in your own land east of the Jordan, which Moses, the LORD's servant, gave to you.”

₁₆They answered Joshua, “We will do everything you have told us and will go wherever you send us. ₁₇We will obey you, just as we always obeyed Moses, and may the LORD your God be with you as he was with Moses! ₁₈Whoever questions your authority or disobeys any of your orders will be put to death. Be determined and confident!”

₁Then Joshua sent two spies from the camp at Acacia with orders to go and secretly explore the land of Canaan, especially the city of Jericho. When they came to the city, they went to spend the night in the house of a prostitute named Rahab. ₂The king of Jericho heard that some Israelites had come that night to spy out the country, ₃so he sent word to Rahab: “The men in your house have come to spy out the whole country! Bring them out!”

_4-6“Some men did come to my house,” she answered, “but I don't know where they were from. They left at sunset before the city gate was closed. I didn't find out where they were going, but if you start after them quickly, you can catch them.” (Now Rahab had taken the two spies up on the roof and hidden them under some stalks of flax that she had put there.) ₇The king's men left the city, and then the gate was shut. They went looking for the Israelite spies as far as the place where the road crosses the Jordan.

₈Before the spies settled down for the night, Rahab went up on the roof ₉and said to them, “I know that the LORD has given you this land. Everyone in the country is terrified of you. ₁₀We have heard how the LORD dried up the Red Sea in front of you when you were leaving Egypt. We have also heard how you killed Sihon and Og, the two Amorite kings east of the Jordan. ₁₁We were afraid as soon as we heard about it; we have all lost our courage because of you. The LORD your God is God in heaven above and here on earth. ₁₂Now swear by him that you will treat my family as kindly as I have treated you, and give me some sign that I can trust you. ₁₃Promise me that you will save my father and mother, my brothers and sisters, and all their families! Don't let us be killed!”

₁₄The men said to her, “May God take our lives if we don't do as we say! If you do not tell anyone what we have been doing, we promise you that when the LORD gives us this land, we will treat you well.”

₁₅Rahab lived in a house built into the city wall, so she let the men down from the window by a rope. ₁₆“Go into the hill country,” she said, “or the king's men will find you. Hide there for three days until they come back. After that you can go on your way.”

₁₇The men said to her, “We will keep the promise that you have made us give. ₁₈This is what you must do. When we invade your land, tie this red cord to the window you let us down from. Get your father and mother, your brothers, and all your father's family together in your house. ₁₉If anyone goes out of the house, his death will be his own fault, and we will not be responsible; but if anyone in the house with you is harmed, then we will be responsible. ₂₀However, if you tell anyone what we have been doing, then we will not have to keep our promise which you have made us give you.” ₂₁She agreed and sent them away. When they had gone, she tied the red cord to the window.

₂₂The spies went into the hills and hid. The king's men looked for them all over the countryside for three days, but they did not find them, so they returned to Jericho. ₂₃Then the two spies came down from the hills, crossed the river, and went back to Joshua. They told him everything that had happened, ₂₄and then said, “We are sure that the LORD has given us the whole country. All the people there are terrified of us.”

₁The next morning Joshua and all the people of Israel got up early, left the camp at Acacia, and went to the Jordan, where they camped while waiting to cross it. ₂Three days later the leaders went through the camp ₃and said to the people, “When you see the priests carrying the Covenant Box of the LORD your God, break camp and follow them. ₄You have never been here before, so they will show you the way to go. But do not get near the Covenant Box; stay about a kilometre behind it.”

₅Joshua said to the people, “Purify yourselves, because tomorrow the LORD will perform miracles among you.” ₆Then he told the priests to take the Covenant Box and go with it ahead of the people. They did as he said.

₇The LORD said to Joshua, “What I do today will make all the people of Israel begin to honour you as a great man, and they will realize that I am with you as I was with Moses. ₈Tell the priests carrying the Covenant Box that when they reach the river, they must wade in and stand near the bank.”

₉Then Joshua said to the people, “Come here and listen to what the LORD your God has to say. ₁₀As you advance, he will surely drive out the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Hivites, the Perizzites, the Girgashites, the Amorites, and the Jebusites. You will know that the living God is among you ₁₁when the Covenant Box of the Lord of all the earth crosses the Jordan ahead of you. ₁₂Now choose twelve men, one from each of the tribes of Israel. ₁₃When the priests who carry the Covenant Box of the LORD of all the earth put their feet in the water, the Jordan will stop flowing, and the water coming downstream will pile up in one place.”

_14-15It was harvest time, and the river was in flood.

When the people left the camp to cross the Jordan, the priests went ahead of them, carrying the Covenant Box. As soon as the priests stepped into the river, ₁₆the water stopped flowing and piled up, far upstream at Adam, the city beside Zarethan. The flow downstream to the Dead Sea was completely cut off, and the people were able to cross over near Jericho. ₁₇While the people walked across on dry ground, the priests carrying the LORD's Covenant Box stood on dry ground in the middle of the Jordan until all the people had crossed over.

₁Dear Theophilus:

In my first book I wrote about all the things that Jesus did and taught from the time he began his work ₂until the day he was taken up to heaven. Before he was taken up, he gave instructions by the power of the Holy Spirit to the men he had chosen as his apostles. ₃For forty days after his death he appeared to them many times in ways that proved beyond doubt that he was alive. They saw him, and he talked with them about the Kingdom of God. ₄And when they came together, he gave them this order: “Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift I told you about, the gift my Father promised. ₅John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.”

₆When the apostles met together with Jesus, they asked him, “Lord, will you at this time give the Kingdom back to Israel?”

₇Jesus said to them, “The times and occasions are set by my Father's own authority, and it is not for you to know when they will be. ₈But when the Holy Spirit comes upon you, you will be filled with power, and you will be witnesses for me in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” ₉After saying this, he was taken up to heaven as they watched him, and a cloud hid him from their sight.

₁₀They still had their eyes fixed on the sky as he went away, when two men dressed in white suddenly stood beside them ₁₁and said, “Galileans, why are you standing there looking up at the sky? This Jesus, who was taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way that you saw him go to heaven.”

₁₂Then the apostles went back to Jerusalem from the Mount of Olives, which is about a kilometre away from the city. ₁₃They entered the city and went up to the room where they were staying: Peter, John, James and Andrew, Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew, James son of Alphaeus, Simon the Patriot, and Judas son of James. ₁₄They gathered frequently to pray as a group, together with the women and with Mary the mother of Jesus and with his brothers.

₁₅A few days later there was a meeting of the believers, about 120 in all, and Peter stood up to speak. ₁₆“My fellow-believers,” he said, “the scripture had to come true in which the Holy Spirit, speaking through David, made a prediction about Judas, who was the guide for those who arrested Jesus. ₁₇Judas was a member of our group, for he had been chosen to have a part in our work.”

₁₈(With the money that Judas got for his evil act he bought a field, where he fell to his death; he burst open and all his bowels spilt out. ₁₉All the people living in Jerusalem heard about it, and so in their own language they call that field Akeldama, which means “Field of Blood”.)

₂₀“For it is written in the book of Psalms:

_21-22“So then, someone must join us as a witness to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. He must be one of the men who were in our group during the whole time that the Lord Jesus travelled about with us, beginning from the time John preached his message of baptism until the day Jesus was taken up from us to heaven.”

₂₃So they proposed two men: Joseph, who was called Barsabbas (also known as Justus), and Matthias. ₂₄Then they prayed, “Lord, you know the thoughts of everyone, so show us which of these two you have chosen ₂₅to serve as an apostle in the place of Judas, who left to go to the place where he belongs.” ₂₆Then they drew lots to choose between the two men, and the one chosen was Matthias, who was added to the group of eleven apostles.

₁When the day of Pentecost came, all the believers were gathered together in one place. ₂Suddenly there was a noise from the sky which sounded like a strong wind blowing, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. ₃Then they saw what looked like tongues of fire which spread out and touched each person there. ₄They were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to talk in other languages, as the Spirit enabled them to speak.

₅There were Jews living in Jerusalem, religious people who had come from every country in the world. ₆When they heard this noise, a large crowd gathered. They were all excited, because each one of them heard the believers speaking in his or her own language. ₇In amazement and wonder they exclaimed, “These people who are talking like this are Galileans! ₈How is it, then, that all of us hear them speaking in our own native languages? ₉We are from Parthia, Media, and Elam; from Mesopotamia, Judea, and Cappadocia; from Pontus and Asia, ₁₀from Phrygia and Pamphylia, from Egypt and the regions of Libya near Cyrene. Some of us are from Rome, ₁₁both Jews and Gentiles converted to Judaism, and some of us are from Crete and Arabia — yet all of us hear them speaking in our own languages about the great things that God has done!” ₁₂Amazed and confused, they kept asking each other, “What does this mean?”

₁₃But others made fun of the believers, saying, “These people are drunk!”

₁₄Then Peter stood up with the other eleven apostles and in a loud voice began to speak to the crowd: “Fellow-Jews and all of you who live in Jerusalem, listen to me and let me tell you what this means. ₁₅These people are not drunk, as you suppose; it is only nine o'clock in the morning. ₁₆Instead, this is what the prophet Joel spoke about:

₂₂“Listen to these words, fellow-Israelites! Jesus of Nazareth was a man whose divine authority was clearly proven to you by all the miracles and wonders which God performed through him. You yourselves know this, for it happened here among you. ₂₃In accordance with his own plan God had already decided that Jesus would be handed over to you; and you killed him by letting sinful men crucify him. ₂₄But God raised him from death, setting him free from its power, because it was impossible that death should hold him prisoner. ₂₅For David said about him:

₂₉“My fellow-Israelites, I must speak to you plainly about our famous ancestor King David. He died and was buried, and his grave is here with us to this very day. ₃₀He was a prophet, and he knew what God had promised him: God had made a vow that he would make one of David's descendants a king, just as David was. ₃₁David saw what God was going to do in the future, and so he spoke about the resurrection of the Messiah when he said:

₃₆“All the people of Israel, then, are to know for sure that this Jesus, whom you crucified, is the one that God has made Lord and Messiah!”

₃₇When the people heard this, they were deeply troubled and said to Peter and the other apostles, “What shall we do, brothers?”

₃₈Peter said to them, “Each one of you must turn away from your sins and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ, so that your sins will be forgiven; and you will receive God's gift, the Holy Spirit. ₃₉For God's promise was made to you and your children, and to all who are far away — all whom the Lord our God calls to himself.”

₄₀Peter made his appeal to them and with many other words he urged them, saying, “Save yourselves from the punishment coming on this wicked people!” ₄₁Many of them believed his message and were baptized, and about 3,000 people were added to the group that day. ₄₂They spent their time in learning from the apostles, taking part in the fellowship, and sharing in the fellowship meals and the prayers.

₄₃Many miracles and wonders were being done through the apostles, and everyone was filled with awe. ₄₄All the believers continued together in close fellowship and shared their belongings with one another. ₄₅They would sell their property and possessions, and distribute the money among all, according to what each one needed. ₄₆Day after day they met as a group in the Temple, and they had their meals together in their homes, eating with glad and humble hearts, ₄₇praising God, and enjoying the good will of all the people. And every day the Lord added to their group those who were being saved.

₁One day Peter and John went to the Temple at three o'clock in the afternoon, the hour for prayer. ₂There at the Beautiful Gate, as it was called, was a man who had been lame all his life. Every day he was carried to the gate to beg for money from the people who were going into the Temple. ₃When he saw Peter and John going in, he begged them to give him something. ₄They looked straight at him, and Peter said, “Look at us!” ₅So he looked at them, expecting to get something from them. ₆But Peter said to him, “I have no money at all, but I give you what I have: in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth I order you to get up and walk!” ₇Then he took him by his right hand and helped him up. At once the man's feet and ankles became strong; ₈he jumped up, stood on his feet, and started walking around. Then he went into the Temple with them, walking and jumping and praising God. ₉The people there saw him walking and praising God, ₁₀and when they recognized him as the beggar who had sat at the Beautiful Gate, they were all surprised and amazed at what had happened to him.

₁₁As the man held on to Peter and John in Solomon's Porch, as it was called, the people were amazed and ran to them. ₁₂When Peter saw the people, he said to them, “Fellow-Israelites, why are you surprised at this, and why do you stare at us? Do you think that it was by means of our own power or godliness that we made this man walk? ₁₃The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the God of our ancestors, has given divine glory to his Servant Jesus. But you handed him over to the authorities, and you rejected him in Pilate's presence, even after Pilate had decided to set him free. ₁₄He was holy and good, but you rejected him, and instead you asked Pilate to do you the favour of turning loose a murderer. ₁₅You killed the one who leads to life, but God raised him from death — and we are witnesses to this. ₁₆It was the power of his name that gave strength to this lame man. What you see and know was done by faith in his name; it was faith in Jesus that has made him well, as you can all see.

₁₇“And now, my fellow-Israelites, I know that what you and your leaders did to Jesus was due to your ignorance. ₁₈God announced long ago through all the prophets that his Messiah had to suffer; and he made it come true in this way. ₁₉Repent, then, and turn to God, so that he will forgive your sins. If you do, ₂₀times of spiritual strength will come from the Lord, and he will send Jesus, who is the Messiah he has already chosen for you. ₂₁He must remain in heaven until the time comes for all things to be made new, as God announced through his holy prophets who lived long ago. ₂₂For Moses said, ‘The Lord your God will send you a prophet, just as he sent me, and he will be one of your own people. You are to obey everything that he tells you to do. ₂₃Anyone who does not obey that prophet shall be separated from God's people and destroyed.’ ₂₄And all the prophets who had a message, including Samuel and those who came after him, also announced what has been happening these days. ₂₅The promises of God through his prophets are for you, and you share in the covenant which God made with your ancestors. As he said to Abraham, ‘Through your descendants I will bless all the people on earth.’ ₂₆And so God chose his Servant and sent him first to you, to bless you by making every one of you turn away from your wicked ways.”