Judges 1, Proverbs 9, 2 Timothy 2

Is God satisfied? The Lord told Moses and Joshua--and both men told the people--that God would give them all the land and that they should drive out all the inhabitants. But for some reason, the Israelites stopped short. A few excuses are mentioned, such as "chariots of iron" and determination on the part of the inhabitants of certain cities or regions. But that's all they were - excuses. Since when is God limited by mere facts? It can be easy to get most of the way through a difficult project, become comfortable with the victory so far, and rationalize putting off any further actions. "I just need to rest a while," we think. But that thought can turn into "This is enough for me. I'm satisfied." The question ought to be, "Is God satisfied?"

Is God pleased? Wisdom works hard. Folly drinks stolen water. Wisdom fears the Lord and gets to know Him. From a personal, loving relationship flows the desire to please God, to do whatever He asks. Wise people are students of the Bible who learn from God.

Is God finished? There is no half-way or almost-there stopping point with Jesus Christ. Warriors, athletes, and farmers all know this. The real truth is found in verse 12. "If we endure, we shall also reign with Him." Also, "Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth." (verse 15) Jesus Christ completed His work on the cross and His will is for us to stay faithful to Him for the rest of our lives, no matter what happens or how hard life becomes.

Joshua 12, Psalm 146, 1 Thessalonians 3

Pure victory. All-out, absolute, unequivocated, complete, total, without-a-doubt victory. That was the end result of the battles Moses and Joshua fought. If God is for us, indeed, who can be against us? Thirty-one kings and their armies were completely wiped out. The land belonged to the Israelites.

Who is the King of the land? The Lord is. "Do not put your trust in princes, nor in a son of man, in whom there is no help." (verse 3) Don't put your trust in earthly princes because they'll let you down every time. The Lord is a wise, righteous, benevolent ruler.

Paul was on pins and needles of anxiety over the Thessalonians until he found out that they had remained faithful to the gospel. It seems in verses 1-4 that his physical afflictions had left him so scarred that he was afraid for the Thessalonians to see him. That maybe they would be disheartened by seeing him. But warriors do bear scars. Paul heard back from Timothy that they were still living proof of the victory of salvation.

Victory. It requires trusting the Lord as your general, and engaging in battle ourselves. It can also mean physical persecution and certainly does mean spiritual and emotional persecution by Satan. We will be wounded and we will have scars. But scars, while recalling the wounding experience, indicate healing. We can trust the Lord to bring us through to complete victory.

Deuteronomy 34, Psalm 134, Ephesians 5

When Moses died, it was the end of an era. The slavery experience, deliverance, wilderness experience, and tabernacle construction were finished. It was time to move on with a new leader. New beginnings are fresh starts, but they're even better than the first start because of the wisdom gained from what has gone before.

Yes, bless the Lord - the God of new beginnings. By standing in the house of the Lord at night, it indicates round-the-clock devotion and prayer and praise. Difficult times and good times should both drive us to our knees and lift our hands before our God.

Ephesians five can be summed up in two words: love and wisdom. If we love God and each other and pray day and night for wisdom, our new beginnings in Christ will be light-filled.

The Moses era was like night. Taking the Promised Land was a new day. When we are saved we pass from darkness to light. The Psalm passage is that--the passage--from dark to light.