41 Now when all the nation had finished crossing the Jordan , the Lord spoke to Joshua , saying , 2 " Take for yourselves twelve e men from the people , one man from each e tribe , 3 and command them, saying , 'Take up for yourselves twelve e stones from here out of the middle of the Jordan , from the place where the priests' feet are standing firm , and carry them over with you and lay them down in the lodging place where you will lodge tonight .' " 4 So Joshua called the twelve e men whom he had appointed from the sons of Israel , one man from each e tribe ; 5 and Joshua said to them, "Cross again to the ark of the Lord your God into the middle of the Jordan , and each of you take up a stone on his shoulder , according to the number of the tribes of the sons of Israel . 6 "Let this be a sign among you, so that when your children ask later , saying , 'What do these stones mean to you?' 7 then you shall say to them, 'Because the waters of the Jordan were cut off before e the ark of the covenant of the Lord ; when it crossed the Jordan , the waters of the Jordan were cut off .' So these stones shall become a memorial to the sons of Israel forever e ." 8 Thus the sons of Israel did as Joshua commanded , and took up twelve e stones from the middle of the Jordan , just as the Lord spoke to Joshua , according to the number of the tribes of the sons of Israel ; and they carried them over with them to the lodging place and put them down there . 9 Then Joshua set up twelve e stones in the middle of the Jordan at the place e where the feet of the priests who carried the ark of the covenant were standing , and they are there to this day .
10 For the priests who carried the ark were standing in the middle of the Jordan until everything was completed that the Lord had commanded Joshua to speak to the people , according to all that Moses had commanded Joshua . And the people hurried and crossed ; 11 and when all the people had finished crossing , the ark of the Lord and the priests crossed before the people . 12 The sons of Reuben and the sons of Gad and the half-tribe e of Manasseh crossed over in battle array before the sons of Israel , just as Moses had spoken to them; 13 about 40,000 e equipped for war , crossed for battle before the Lord to the desert plains of Jericho . 14 On that day the Lord exalted Joshua in the sight of all Israel ; so that they revered him, just as they had revered Moses all the days of his life . 15 Now the Lord said to Joshua , 16 "Command the priests who carry the ark of the testimony that they come up from the Jordan ." 17 So Joshua commanded the priests , saying , "Come up from the Jordan ." 18 It came about when the priests who carried the ark of the covenant of the Lord had come up from the middle of the Jordan , and the soles of the priests' feet were lifted up to the dry ground , that the waters of the Jordan returned to their place , and went over all its banks as before . 19 Now the people came up from the Jordan on the tenth of the first month and camped at Gilgal on the eastern edge of Jericho .
20 Those twelve e stones which they had taken from the Jordan , Joshua set up at Gilgal . 21 He said to the sons of Israel , "When your children ask their fathers in time to come , saying , 'What are these stones ?' 22 then you shall inform your children , saying , 'Israel crossed this Jordan on dry ground .' 23 "For the Lord your God dried up the waters of the Jordan before e you until you had crossed , just as the Lord your God had done to the Red e Sea , which He dried up before e us until we had crossed ; 24 that all the peoples of the earth may know that the hand of the Lord is mighty , so that you may fear the Lord your God forever e ."
51 Now it came about when all the kings of the Amorites who were beyond the Jordan to the west , and all the kings of the Canaanites who were by the sea , heard how e the Lord had dried up the waters of the Jordan before e the sons of Israel until they had crossed , that their hearts melted , and there was no spirit in them any longer because e of the sons of Israel . 2 At that time the Lord said to Joshua , "Make for yourself flint knives and circumcise again the sons of Israel the second time ." 3 So Joshua made himself flint knives and circumcised the sons of Israel at Gibeath-haaraloth e . 4 This is the reason why Joshua circumcised them: all the people who came out of Egypt who were males , all the men of war , died in the wilderness along the way after they came out of Egypt . 5 For all the people who came out were circumcised , but all the people who were born in the wilderness along the way as they came out of Egypt had not been circumcised . 6 For the sons of Israel walked forty years in the wilderness , until all the nation , that is, the men of war who came out of Egypt , perished because they did not listen to the voice of the Lord , to whom the Lord had sworn that He would not let them see the land which the Lord had sworn to their fathers to give us, a land flowing with milk and honey . 7 Their children whom He raised up in their place , Joshua circumcised ; for they were uncircumcised , because they had not circumcised them along the way . 8 Now when they had finished circumcising all the nation , they remained in their places in the camp until they were healed . 9 Then the Lord said to Joshua , "Today I have rolled away the reproach of Egypt from you." So the name of that place is called Gilgal to this day .
10 While the sons of Israel camped at Gilgal they observed the Passover on the evening of the fourteenth e day of the month on the desert plains of Jericho . 11 On the day after the Passover , on that very day , they ate some of the produce of the land , unleavened cakes and parched grain. 12 The manna ceased on the day after they had eaten some of the produce of the land , so that the sons of Israel no longer had manna , but they ate some of the yield of the land of Canaan during that year .
13 Now it came about when Joshua was by Jericho , that he lifted up his eyes and looked , and behold , a man was standing opposite him with his sword drawn in his hand , and Joshua went to him and said to him, "Are you for us or for our adversaries ?" 14 He said , "No ; rather I indeed come now as captain of the host of the Lord ." And Joshua fell on his face to the earth , and bowed down , and said to him, "What has my lord to say to his servant ?" 15 The captain of the Lord'S host said to Joshua , " Remove your sandals from your feet , for the place where e you are standing is holy ." And Joshua did so .
61 Now Jericho was tightly shut because e of the sons of Israel ; no one went out and no one came in. 2 The Lord said to Joshua , "See , I have given Jericho into your hand , with its king and the valiant warriors . 3 "You shall march around the city , all the men of war circling the city once e . You shall do so for six days . 4 "Also seven priests shall carry seven trumpets of rams' horns before the ark ; then on the seventh day you shall march around the city seven times , and the priests shall blow the trumpets . 5 "It shall be that when they make a long blast with the ram's horn , and when you hear the sound of the trumpet , all the people shall shout with a great shout ; and the wall of the city will fall down flat , and the people will go up every man straight ahead ."
6 So Joshua the son of Nun called the priests and said to them, "Take up the ark of the covenant , and let seven priests carry seven trumpets of rams' horns before the ark of the Lord ." 7 Then he said to the people , "Go forward , and march around the city , and let the armed men go on before the ark of the Lord ." 8 And it was so, that when Joshua had spoken to the people , the seven priests carrying the seven trumpets of rams' horns before the Lord went forward and blew the trumpets ; and the ark of the covenant of the Lord followed e them. 9 The armed men went before the priests who blew the trumpets , and the rear guard came after the ark , while they continued to blow the trumpets . 10 But Joshua commanded the people , saying , "You shall not shout nor let your voice be heard nor let a word proceed out of your mouth , until the day I tell you, 'Shout !' Then you shall shout !" 11 So he had the ark of the Lord taken around the city , circling it once e ; then they came into the camp and spent the night in the camp . 12 Now Joshua rose early in the morning , and the priests took up the ark of the Lord . 13 The seven priests carrying the seven trumpets of rams' horns before the ark of the Lord went on continually , and blew the trumpets ; and the armed men went before them and the rear guard came after the ark of the Lord , while they continued to blow the trumpets . 14 Thus the second day they marched around the city once e and returned to the camp ; they did so for six days . 15 Then on the seventh day they rose early at the dawning of the day and marched around the city in the same manner seven times ; only on that day they marched around the city seven times . 16 At the seventh time , when the priests blew the trumpets , Joshua said to the people , " Shout ! For the Lord has given you the city .
17 "The city shall be under the ban , it and all that is in it belongs to the Lord ; only Rahab the harlot and all who are with her in the house shall live , because she hid the messengers whom we sent . 18 "But as for you, only keep yourselves from the things under the ban , so that you do not covet them and take some of the things under the ban , and make the camp of Israel accursed and bring trouble on it. 19 " But all the silver and gold and articles of bronze and iron are holy to the Lord ; they shall go into the treasury of the Lord ." 20 So the people shouted , and priests blew the trumpets ; and when the people heard the sound of the trumpet , the people shouted with a great shout and the wall fell down flat , so that the people went up into the city , every man straight ahead , and they took the city . 21 They utterly destroyed everything in the city , both e man and woman , young and old , and ox and sheep and donkey , with the edge of the sword . 22 Joshua said to the two men who had spied out the land , " Go into the harlot's e house and bring the woman and all she has out of there , as you have sworn to her." 23 So the young men who were spies went in and brought out Rahab and her father and her mother and her brothers and all she had; they also brought out all her relatives and placed them outside e the camp of Israel . 24 They burned the city with fire , and all that was in it. Only the silver and gold , and articles of bronze and iron , they put into the treasury of the house of the Lord . 25 However, Rahab the harlot and her father's household and all she had, Joshua spared ; and she has lived in the midst of Israel to this day , for she hid the messengers whom Joshua sent to spy out Jericho . 26 Then Joshua made them take an oath at that time , saying , " Cursed before the Lord is the man who rises up and builds this city Jericho ; with the loss of his firstborn he shall lay its foundation , and with the loss of his youngest son he shall set up its gates ." 27 So the Lord was with Joshua , and his fame was in all the land .
11 Inasmuch as many have undertaken to compile an account of the things [1] accomplished among us, 2 just as they were handed down to us by those who from the beginning [2]were eyewitnesses and [3] servants of the [4]word , 3 it seemed fitting for me as well , having [5]investigated everything carefully from the beginning , to write it out for you in consecutive order , most excellent Theophilus ; 4 so that you may know the exact truth about the things you have been [6] taught .
5 In the days of Herod , king of Judea , there was a priest named [7]Zacharias , of the division of [8]Abijah ; and he had a wife [9]from the daughters of Aaron , and her name was Elizabeth . 6 They were both righteous in the sight of God , walking blamelessly in all the commandments and requirements of the Lord . 7 But they had no child , because Elizabeth was barren , and they were both advanced in [10]years . 8 Now it happened that while he was performing his priestly service before God in the appointed order of his division , 9 according to the custom of the priestly office , he was chosen by lot to enter the temple of the Lord and burn incense . 10 And the whole multitude of the people were in prayer outside at the hour of the incense offering. 11 And an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing to the right of the altar of incense . 12 Zacharias was troubled when he saw the angel, and fear [11]gripped him. 13 But the angel said to him, " Do not be afraid , Zacharias , for your petition has been heard , and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son , and you will [12]give him the name John . 14 "You will have joy and gladness , and many will rejoice at his birth . 15 "For he will be great in the sight of the Lord ; and he will drink no e wine or liquor , and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit [13]while yet in his mother's womb . 16 "And he will turn many of the sons of Israel back to the Lord their God . 17 "It is he who will go as a forerunner before Him in the spirit and power of Elijah , TO TURN THE HEARTS OF THE FATHERS BACK TO THE CHILDREN , and the disobedient to the attitude of the righteous , so as to make ready a people prepared for the Lord ." 18 Zacharias said to the angel , "How e will I know this for certain? For I am an old man and my wife is advanced in [14]years ." 19 The angel answered and said to him, "I am Gabriel , who [15] stands in the presence of God , and I have been sent to speak to you and to bring you this good news . 20 "And behold , you shall be silent and unable e to speak until the day when these things take place , because e you did not believe my words , which will be fulfilled in their proper time ."
(Read Luke 1:1-4)
Luke will not write of things about which Christians may safely differ from one another, and hesitate within themselves; but the things which are, and ought to be surely believed. The doctrine of Christ is what the wisest and best of men have ventured their souls upon with confidence and satisfaction. And the great events whereon our hopes depend, have been recorded by those who were from the beginning eye-witnesses and ministers of the word, and who were perfected in their understanding of them through Divine inspiration.
(Read Luke 1:5-25)
The father and mother of John the Baptist were sinners as all are, and were justified and saved in the same way as others; but they were eminent for piety and integrity. They had no children, and it could not be expected that Elisabeth should have any in her old age. While Zacharias was burning incense in the temple, the whole multitude of the people were praying without. All the prayers we offer up to God, are acceptable and successful only by Christ's intercession in the temple of God above. We cannot expect an interest therein if we do not pray, and pray with our spirits, and are not earnest in prayer. Nor can we expect that the best of our prayers should gain acceptance, and bring an answer of peace, but through the mediation of Christ, who ever lives, making intercession. The prayers Zacharias often made, received an answer of peace. Prayers of faith are filed in heaven, and are not forgotten. Prayers made when we were young and entering into the world, may be answered when we are old and going out of the world. Mercies are doubly sweet that are given in answer to prayer. Zacharias shall have a son in his old age, who shall be instrumental in the conversion of many souls to God, and preparing them to receive the gospel of Christ. He shall go before Him with courage, zeal, holiness, and a mind dead to earthly interests and pleasures. The disobedient and rebellious would be brought back to the wisdom of their righteous forefathers, or rather, brought to attend to the wisdom of that Just One who was coming among them. Zacharias heard all that the angel said; but his unbelief spake. In striking him dumb, God dealt justly with him, because he had objected against God's word. We may admire the patience of God towards us. God dealt kindly with him, for thus he prevented his speaking any more distrustful, unbelieving words. Thus also God confirmed his faith. If by the rebukes we are under for our sin, we are brought to give the more credit to the word of God, we have no reason to complain. Even real believers are apt to dishonour God by unbelief; and their mouths are stopped in silence and confusion, when otherwise they would have been praising God with joy and gratitude. In God's gracious dealings with us we ought to observe his gracious regards to us. He has looked on us with compassion and favour, and therefore has thus dealt with us.
