Main Verse: Deuteronomy 1:1- 2:15

Good morning!

            Joshua who had been Moses’ aid from the day the nation departed Egypt, would become Israel’s leader in place of Moses. The reading today recounts the events leading up to the additional forty years walking circles and the battle with the Raphites, and why Moses’ failure. While to you and me this information may seem unnecessary, to Joshua and the Israelites this information is foundational because, Israel’s conquest had not happened yet. Because it was a new day and time, for Joshua and the young Israelites, the previous generation’s failures had died with the previous generation, and a bright future laid ahead of Israel. The 900LB elephant in the room is the phrase, “If you will learn and remember from the past events, you will not trip over the cornerstone” (Psalms 118:19-23). The cornerstone to our prayers is, “Obedience coupled with faithfulness to the Lord’s commands and precepts and trust in the Lord” (Proverbs 3:1-5).

            As 2025 ends two weeks from now and 2026 is in the offing, just as Joshua and the young Israelites started with a blank page, so it is with the new year. Since I was a little child, adults and peers asked me, “What are your New Year’s resolutions?” Unfortunately, I never honored a single resolution, so I stopped making resolutions and chose instead to commit myself to the Lord each day as part of my daily prayers (Proverbs 16:3). My encouragement for you today is, review the Lord’s commands (Exodus 20:1-10 and Deuteronomy 5) and spend time meditating on them.

I.H.S.

MK