“Joshua then read to them all the blessings and curses Moses had written in the Book of Instruction. Every word of every command that Moses had ever given was read to the entire assembly of Israel, including the women and children and the foreigners who lived among them” (Joshua 8:34-35 NLT).
Moses gave Israel the Word that the Lord had given to him. And Joshua, after Moses had died, gave the people the Word that Moses had passed to him. Joshua did not leave out a single word, but passed it on whole to all of Israel, even to the “children” and “foreigners” living with them. It was the Word of God that shaped their language and their beliefs. It shaped them personally and gave them a unity greater than any nation before them.
We are called to make the Scriptures known today. As the apostle Paul instructed Timothy, “Until I come, devote yourself to the public reading of Scripture.” (1 Tim. 4:13). The Scripture is like the anvil and the Spirit is like the hammer that reshapes our thinking. We need both.
Today, we have access to multiple English translations and versions of the Bible. We have them leather bound and digitally searchable. We can read it from a book or from our smart phones. We can even listen to it as we drive. Yet our generation is one of the most biblically illiterate in America’s history. Why? Because we have forsaken our responsibility to read and teach the Bible to everyone.
The key to passing the faith on to the next generation is that we are faithful to give them the Word that was given to us.
PRAYER: Dear Father, thank You for the gift of Your Word. It is precious to us. Forgive us for not immersing ourselves in it more fully and giving it out more broadly. We see the result of our neglect. Help us to get the Word out to everyone. In Jesus’ name, amen.