Daily Devotions · March 25
Reading for March 25
Read the whole Bible in a year, a few chapters a day.
Joshua 21–22 · Psalm 47 · 1 Corinthians 10
Joshua 21–22 · Psalm 47 · 1 Corinthians 10, Berean Standard Bible
Joshua 21
Now the family heads of the Levites approached Eleazar the priest, Joshua son of Nun, and the heads of the other tribes of Israel 2 at Shiloh in the land of Canaan and said to them, “The LORD commanded through Moses that we be given cities in which to live, together with pasturelands for our livestock.” 3 So by the command of the LORD, the Israelites gave the Levites these cities and their pasturelands out of their own inheritance: 4 The first lot came out for the Kohathite clans. The Levites who were descendants of Aaron the priest received thirteen cities by lot from the tribes of Judah, Simeon, and Benjamin. 5 The remaining descendants of Kohath received ten cities by lot from the tribes of Ephraim, Dan, and the half-tribe of Manasseh. 6 The descendants of Gershon received thirteen cities by lot from the tribes of Issachar, Asher, Naphtali, and the half-tribe of Manasseh in Bashan. 7 And the descendants of Merari received twelve cities from the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and Zebulun. 8 So the Israelites allotted to the Levites these cities, together with their pasturelands, as the LORD had commanded through Moses. 9 From the tribes of Judah and Simeon, they designated these cities by name 10 to the descendants of Aaron from the Kohathite clans of the Levites, because the first lot fell to them: 11 They gave them Kiriath-arba (that is, Hebron), with its surrounding pasturelands, in the hill country of Judah. (Arba was the father of Anak.) 12 But they had given the fields and villages around the city to Caleb son of Jephunneh as his possession. 13 So to the descendants of Aaron the priest they gave these cities, together with their pasturelands: Hebron, a city of refuge for the manslayer, Libnah, 14 Jattir, Eshtemoa, 15 Holon, Debir, 16 Ain, Juttah, and Beth-shemesh—nine cities from these two tribes, together with their pasturelands. 17 And from the tribe of Benjamin they gave them Gibeon, Geba, 18 Anathoth, and Almon—four cities, together with their pasturelands. 19 In all, thirteen cities, together with their pasturelands, were given to the priests, the descendants of Aaron. 20 The remaining Kohathite clans of the Levites were allotted these cities: From the tribe of Ephraim 21 they were given Shechem in the hill country of Ephraim (a city of refuge for the manslayer), Gezer, 22 Kibzaim, and Beth-horon—four cities, together with their pasturelands. 23 From the tribe of Dan they were given Elteke, Gibbethon, 24 Aijalon, and Gath-rimmon—four cities, together with their pasturelands. 25 And from the half-tribe of Manasseh they were given Taanach and Gath-rimmon—two cities, together with their pasturelands. 26 In all, ten cities, together with their pasturelands, were given to the rest of the Kohathite clans. 27 This is what the Levite clans of the Gershonites were given: From the half-tribe of Manasseh they were given Golan in Bashan, a city of refuge for the manslayer, and Beeshterah—two cities, together with their pasturelands. 28 From the tribe of Issachar they were given Kishion, Daberath, 29 Jarmuth, and En-gannim—four cities, together with their pasturelands. 30 From the tribe of Asher they were given Mishal, Abdon, 31 Helkath, and Rehob—four cities, together with their pasturelands. 32 And from the tribe of Naphtali they were given Kedesh in Galilee (a city of refuge for the manslayer), Hammoth-dor, and Kartan—three cities, together with their pasturelands. 33 In all, thirteen cities, together with their pasturelands, were given to the Gershonite clans. 34 This is what the Merarite clan (the rest of the Levites) were given: From the tribe of Zebulun they were given Jokneam, Kartah, 35 Dimnah, and Nahalal—four cities, together with their pasturelands. 36 From the tribe of Reuben they were given Bezer, Jahaz, 37 Kedemoth, and Mephaath—four cities, together with their pasturelands. 38 And from the tribe of Gad they were given Ramoth in Gilead, a city of refuge for the manslayer, Mahanaim, 39 Heshbon, and Jazer—four cities in all, together with their pasturelands. 40 In all, twelve cities were allotted to the clans of Merari, the remaining Levite clans. 41 For the Levites, then, there were forty-eight cities in all, together with their pasturelands, within the territory of the Israelites. 42 Each of these cities had its own surrounding pasturelands; this was true for all the cities. 43 Thus the LORD gave Israel all the land He had sworn to give their fathers, and they took possession of it and settled in it. 44 And the LORD gave them rest on every side, just as He had sworn to their fathers. None of their enemies could stand against them, for the LORD delivered all their enemies into their hand. 45 Not one of all the LORD’s good promises to the house of Israel had failed; everything was fulfilled.
Joshua 22
Then Joshua summoned the Reubenites, the Gadites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh 2 and told them, “You have done all that Moses the servant of the LORD commanded you, and you have obeyed my voice in all that I commanded you. 3 All this time you have not deserted your brothers, up to this very day, but have kept the charge given you by the LORD your God. 4 And now that the LORD your God has given your brothers rest as He promised them, you may return to your homes in the land that Moses the servant of the LORD gave you across the Jordan. 5 But be very careful to observe the commandment and the law that Moses the servant of the LORD gave you: to love the LORD your God, to walk in all His ways, to keep His commandments, to hold fast to Him, and to serve Him with all your heart and with all your soul.” 6 So Joshua blessed them and sent them on their way, and they went to their homes. 7 (To the half-tribe of Manasseh Moses had given land in Bashan, and to the other half Joshua gave land on the west side of the Jordan among their brothers.) When Joshua sent them to their homes he blessed them, 8 saying, “Return to your homes with your great wealth, with immense herds of livestock, with silver, gold, bronze, iron, and very many clothes. Divide with your brothers the spoil of your enemies.” 9 So the Reubenites, the Gadites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh left the Israelites at Shiloh in the land of Canaan to return to their own land of Gilead, which they had acquired according to the command of the LORD through Moses. 10 And when they came to Geliloth near the Jordan in the land of Canaan, the Reubenites, the Gadites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh built an imposing altar there by the Jordan. 11 Then the Israelites received the report: “Behold, the Reubenites, the Gadites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh have built an altar on the border of the land of Canaan, at Geliloth near the Jordan on the Israelite side.” 12 And when they heard this, the whole congregation of Israel assembled at Shiloh to go to war against them. 13 The Israelites sent Phinehas son of Eleazar the priest to the land of Gilead, to the Reubenites, the Gadites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh. 14 With him they sent ten chiefs—one family leader from each tribe of Israel, each the head of a family among the clans of Israel. 15 They went to the Reubenites, the Gadites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh in the land of Gilead and said to them, 16 “This is what the whole congregation of the LORD says: ‘What is this breach of faith you have committed today against the God of Israel by turning away from the LORD and building for yourselves an altar, that you might rebel against the LORD this day? 17 Was not the sin of Peor enough for us, from which we have not cleansed ourselves to this day? It even brought a plague upon the congregation of the LORD. 18 And now, would you turn away from the LORD? If you rebel today against the LORD, tomorrow He will be angry with the whole congregation of Israel. 19 If indeed the land of your inheritance is unclean, then cross over to the land of the LORD’s possession, where the LORD’s tabernacle stands, and take possession of it among us. But do not rebel against the LORD or against us by building for yourselves an altar other than the altar of the LORD our God. 20 Was not Achan son of Zerah unfaithful regarding what was set apart for destruction, bringing wrath upon the whole congregation of Israel? Yet it was not only Achan who perished because of his sin!’” 21 Then the Reubenites, the Gadites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh answered the leaders of the clans of Israel: 22 “The LORD, the Mighty One, is God! The LORD, the Mighty One, is God! He knows, and may Israel also know. If this was in rebellion or breach of faith against the LORD, do not spare us today. 23 If we have built for ourselves an altar to turn away from Him and to offer burnt offerings and grain offerings on it, or to sacrifice peace offerings on it, may the LORD Himself hold us accountable. 24 But in fact we have done this for fear that in the future your descendants might say to ours, ‘What have you to do with the LORD, the God of Israel? 25 For the LORD has made the Jordan a border between us and you Reubenites and Gadites. You have no share in the LORD!’ So your descendants could cause ours to stop fearing the LORD. 26 That is why we said, ‘Let us take action and build an altar for ourselves, but not for burnt offerings or sacrifices. 27 Rather, let it be a witness between us and you and the generations to come, that we will worship the LORD in His presence with our burnt offerings, sacrifices, and peace offerings.’ Then in the future, your descendants cannot say to ours, ‘You have no share in the LORD!’ 28 Therefore we said, ‘If they ever say this to us or to our descendants, we will answer: Look at the replica of the altar of the LORD that our fathers made, not for burnt offerings or sacrifices, but as a witness between us and you.’ 29 Far be it from us to rebel against the LORD and turn away from Him today by building an altar for burnt offerings, grain offerings, or sacrifices, other than the altar of the LORD our God, which stands before His tabernacle.” 30 When Phinehas the priest and the chiefs of the congregation—the heads of Israel’s clans who were with him—heard what the descendants of Reuben, Gad, and Manasseh had to say, they were satisfied. 31 Phinehas son of Eleazar the priest said to the descendants of Reuben, Gad, and Manasseh, “Today we know that the LORD is among us, because you have not committed this breach of faith against Him. Consequently, you have delivered the Israelites from the hand of the LORD.” 32 Then Phinehas son of Eleazar the priest, together with the other leaders, returned to the Israelites in the land of Canaan and brought back a report regarding the Reubenites and Gadites in the land of Gilead. 33 The Israelites were satisfied with the report, and they blessed God and spoke no more about going to war against them to destroy the land where the Reubenites and Gadites lived. 34 So the Reubenites and Gadites named the altar Witness, for they said, “It is a witness between us that the LORD is God.”
Psalm 47
For the choirmaster. A Psalm of the sons of Korah. Clap your hands, all you peoples; shout unto God with a voice of triumph. 2 How awesome is the LORD Most High, the great King over all the earth! 3 He subdues nations beneath us, and peoples under our feet. 4 He chooses our inheritance for us, the pride of Jacob, whom He loves. Selah 5 God has ascended amid shouts of joy, the LORD with the sound of the horn. 6 Sing praises to God, sing praises; sing praises to our King, sing praises! 7 For God is King of all the earth; sing to Him a psalm of praise. 8 God reigns over the nations; God is seated on His holy throne. 9 The nobles of the nations have assembled as the people of the God of Abraham; for the shields of the earth belong to God; He is highly exalted.
1 Corinthians 10
I do not want you to be unaware, brothers, that our forefathers were all under the cloud, and that they all passed through the sea. 2 They were all baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea. 3 They all ate the same spiritual food 4 and drank the same spiritual drink; for they drank from the spiritual rock that accompanied them, and that rock was Christ. 5 Nevertheless, God was not pleased with most of them, for they were struck down in the wilderness. 6 These things took place as examples to keep us from craving evil things as they did. 7 Do not be idolaters, as some of them were. As it is written: “The people sat down to eat and drink and got up to indulge in revelry.” 8 We should not commit sexual immorality, as some of them did, and in one day twenty-three thousand of them died. 9 We should not test Christ, as some of them did, and were killed by snakes. 10 And do not complain, as some of them did, and were killed by the destroying angel. 11 Now these things happened to them as examples and were written down as warnings for us, on whom the fulfillment of the ages has come. 12 So the one who thinks he is standing firm should be careful not to fall. 13 No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; He will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, He will also provide an escape, so that you can stand up under it. 14 Therefore, my beloved, flee from idolatry. 15 I speak to reasonable people; judge for yourselves what I say. 16 Is not the cup of blessing that we bless a participation in the blood of Christ? And is not the bread that we break a participation in the body of Christ? 17 Because there is one loaf, we who are many are one body; for we all partake of the one loaf. 18 Consider the people of Israel: Are not those who eat the sacrifices fellow partakers in the altar? 19 Am I suggesting, then, that food sacrificed to an idol is anything, or that an idol is anything? 20 No, but the sacrifices of pagans are offered to demons, not to God. And I do not want you to be participants with demons. 21 You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons too; you cannot partake in the table of the Lord and the table of demons too. 22 Are we trying to provoke the Lord to jealousy? Are we stronger than He? 23 “Everything is permissible,” but not everything is beneficial. “Everything is permissible,” but not everything is edifying. 24 No one should seek his own good, but the good of others. 25 Eat anything sold in the meat market without raising questions of conscience, 26 for, “The earth is the Lord’s, and the fullness thereof.” 27 If an unbeliever invites you to a meal and you want to go, eat anything set before you without raising questions of conscience. 28 But if someone tells you, “This food was offered to idols,” then do not eat it, for the sake of the one who told you and for the sake of conscience— 29 the other one’s conscience, I mean, not your own. For why should my freedom be determined by someone else’s conscience? 30 If I partake in the meal with thankfulness, why am I denounced because of that for which I give thanks? 31 So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all to the glory of God. 32 Do not become a stumbling block, whether to Jews or Greeks or the church of God— 33 as I also try to please everyone in all I do. For I am not seeking my own good, but the good of many, that they may be saved.
Scripture from the Berean Standard Bible (BSB), dedicated to the public domain.
How to SOAP
Grab a journal and a pen. Read the chapters above and watch for the verse that stops you. Then take it through four steps.
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Scripture
Write out the verse that stood out to you.
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Observation
What is it saying? Who is speaking, and to whom?
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Application
What does it mean for your life today? Be specific.
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Prayer
Talk to God about it. Ask Him to help you live it.
Your SOAP journal
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Why daily devotions?
Devotions are time set aside each day to read God's Word and let Him speak. The point isn't checking off chapters. It's meeting with Him.
Ten or fifteen minutes is enough to start. Pick a time and a place and keep the appointment. Mornings work well for a lot of us, before the phone and the day start talking.
Missed a day? Don't start over. Read today's chapters and keep going.