The wicked flee when no one pursues,
    but the righteous are bold as a lion.

2 When a land transgresses, it has many rulers,
    but with a man of understanding and knowledge,
    its stability will long continue.

3 A poor man who oppresses the poor
    is a beating rain that leaves no food.

4 Those who forsake the law praise the wicked,
    but those who keep the law strive against them.

5 Evil men do not understand justice,
    but those who seek the Lord understand it completely.

6 Better is a poor man who walks in his integrity
    than a rich man who is crooked in his ways.

7 The one who keeps the law is a son with understanding,
    but a companion of gluttons shames his father.

8 Whoever multiplies his wealth by interest and profit
    gathers it for him who is generous to the poor.

9 If one turns away his ear from hearing the law,
    even his prayer is an abomination.

10 Whoever misleads the upright into an evil way
    will fall into his own pit,
    but the blameless will have a goodly inheritance.

11 A rich man is wise in his own eyes,
    but a poor man who has understanding will find him out.

12 When the righteous triumph, there is great glory,
    but when the wicked rise, people hide themselves.
13 Whoever conceals his transgressions will not prosper,
    but he who confesses and forsakes them will obtain mercy.

14 Blessed is the one who fears the Lord always,
    but whoever hardens his heart will fall into calamity.
15 Like a roaring lion or a charging bear
    is a wicked ruler over a poor people.

16 A ruler who lacks understanding is a cruel oppressor,
    but he who hates unjust gain will prolong his days.

17 If one is burdened with the blood of another,
    he will be a fugitive until death;
    let no one help him.

18 Whoever walks in integrity will be delivered,
    but he who is crooked in his ways will suddenly fall.

19 Whoever works his land will have plenty of bread,
    but he who follows worthless pursuits will have plenty of poverty.

20 A faithful man will abound with blessings,
    but whoever hastens to be rich will not go unpunished.

21 To show partiality is not good,
    but for a piece of bread a man will do wrong.

22 A stingy man hastens after wealth
    and does not know that poverty will come upon him.

23 Whoever rebukes a man will afterward find more favor
    than he who flatters with his tongue.

24 Whoever robs his father or his mother
    and says, “That is no transgression,”
    is a companion to a man who destroys.

25 A greedy man stirs up strife,
    but the one who trusts in the Lord will be enriched.

26 Whoever trusts in his own mind is a fool,
    but he who walks in wisdom will be delivered.

27 Whoever gives to the poor will not want,
    but he who hides his eyes will get many a curse.

28 When the wicked rise, people hide themselves,
    but when they perish, the righteous increase.
 
Meditation
The crystalized contrast between the wise and foolish, wicked and righteous, and those who fear the Lord and those who harden their hearts; compels believers to seek the treasury of wisdom who is Jesus Christ (Colossians 2:3). Grace makes a way for us to return to God’s way of wisdom.
 
“Blessed is the one who fears the Lord always,” what we know as the beginning of wisdom (1:7). “But whoever hardens their heart will fall into calamity” (14). The contrasts cascade throughout the passage, highlighting distinction as it offers invitation for believers to know the blessing of walking in God’s wisdom. Jesus’ teaching amplifies the opportunity- “seek first the kingdom of God, and everything else will be added…” (Matthew 6:33). Those who walk in wisdom will “abound in blessings” (20) and “be enriched” in every way (25).
 
The solid footing of wisdom leads believers to be bold as a lion (1), sustained in what we set our hearts to do (2). When we seek the Lord, we will have complete understanding (5, 7), walking blamelessly to leave a godly inheritance (10). As highlighted in various ways throughout the chapter, rejecting wisdom welcomes ruin. But “he who walks in wisdom will be delivered” (26), “find favor” (23), and “obtain mercy” (13) for restoration and renewal.
 
The contrast of various descriptions of wisdom and foolishness calls us to confess where we have trespassed, walking outside of God’s ways of wisdom (13), as we welcome rebuke from the family of God for correction and cultivation of godliness (23).
 
Richly Dwelling
-Which of the contrasts that cascade throughout the passage resonates with you the most? Why?
 
-Where have you trespassed, walking outside of wisdom’s ways, needing to confess for forgiveness and a fresh start?
 
-How does the finished work of Jesus compel you to seek wisdom and her ways above all other ways in the world? Be specific in naming a next step for you to fear the Lord, walking in His ways.
 
Key Verse
14 Blessed is the one who fears the Lord always, but whoever hardens his heart will fall into calamity.

​“Man who is born of a woman
    is few of days and full of trouble.

2 He comes out like a flower and withers;
    he flees like a shadow and continues not.

3 And do you open your eyes on such a one
    and bring me into judgment with you?

4 Who can bring a clean thing out of an unclean?
    There is not one.

5 Since his days are determined,
    and the number of his months is with you,
    and you have appointed his limits that he cannot pass,
6 look away from him and leave him alone,
    that he may enjoy, like a hired hand, his day.
7 “For there is hope for a tree,
    if it be cut down, that it will sprout again,
    and that its shoots will not cease.
 
8 Though its root grow old in the earth,
    and its stump die in the soil,
9 yet at the scent of water it will bud
    and put out branches like a young plant.

10 But a man dies and is laid low;
    man breathes his last, and where is he?

11 As waters fail from a lake
    and a river wastes away and dries up,
12 so a man lies down and rises not again;
    till the heavens are no more he will not awake
    or be roused out of his sleep.

13 Oh that you would hide me in Sheol,
    that you would conceal me until your wrath be past,
    that you would appoint me a set time, and remember me!

14 If a man dies, shall he live again?
    All the days of my service I would wait,
    till my renewal should come.

15 You would call, and I would answer you;
    you would long for the work of your hands.

16 For then you would number my steps;
    you would not keep watch over my sin;
17 my transgression would be sealed up in a bag,
    and you would cover over my iniquity.
 
18 “But the mountain falls and crumbles away,
    and the rock is removed from its place;
19 the waters wear away the stones;
    the torrents wash away the soil of the earth;
    so you destroy the hope of man.

20 You prevail forever against him, and he passes;
    you change his countenance, and send him away.
21 His sons come to honor, and he does not know it;
    they are brought low, and he perceives it not.

22 He feels only the pain of his own body,
    and he mourns only for himself.”
 
Meditation
Jesus is the ultimate… trash man? Every week you take your trash out. Every week your trash is taken away. Job helps us see this routine as a reminder of gospel truth: when we confess our sin, Jesus seals our sins in a bag, takes them away forever, and cleanses us from all unrighteousness.
 
Job’s mountain of misery helps us see the freedom of honesty with sin and resulting death.
Ecclesiastes compares life to a vapor. Job’s complaint continues with temporary images: life is like flowers that wither (1), shadows that flee (3), troubles and transient realities (4-6). The despair goes deeper to lament death, final for people more so than plants and trees (7-12).
 
Light shines in the darkness, hope in God demonstrated in willingness to wait on Him and His work. Job is willing to wait IN death until renewal comes (14b). Job knows if his sin could be dealt with, tied up in a garbage bag to be thrown away (17) and “covered up” (17b), he could live a life free from death. Before he knew the hope of Jesus, Job longs for the Lord to be the ultimate garbage man, to take away sin once and for all, and make him clean to live freely in His grace.
 
Job returns to lament and misery (18-22) but Christians need not join him. The powerful gospel truth is that Jesus has come as the ultimate garbage man!
 
Richly Dwelling

• What stands out to you about Job’s honesty about sin leading to death and his hope of resurrection?
• Job returns to misery and discouragement. Do you do the same or do you trust Jesus for forgiveness and new life in Him?

 

• What does it look like for you to live freely, forgiven by Jesus and free from shame? What is holding you back from living with this level of gospel authority and power?

 
Key Verse
17 my transgression would be sealed up in a bag, and you would cover over my iniquity…

A long time afterward, when the Lord had given rest to Israel from all their surrounding enemies, and Joshua was old and well advanced in years, 2 Joshua summoned all Israel, its elders and heads, its judges and officers, and said to them, “I am now old and well advanced in years.3 And you have seen all that the Lord your God has done to all these nations for your sake, for it is the Lord your God who has fought for you. 4 Behold, I have allotted to you as an inheritance for your tribes those nations that remain, along with all the nations that I have already cut off, from the Jordan to the Great Sea in the west. 5 The Lord your God will push them back before you and drive them out of your sight. And you shall possess their land, just as the Lord your God promised you. 6 Therefore, be very strong to keep and to do all that is written in the Book of the Law of Moses, turning aside from it neither to the right hand nor to the left, 7 that you may not mix with these nations remaining among you or make mention of the names of their gods or swear by them or serve them or bow down to them, 8 but you shall cling to the Lord your God just as you have done to this day. 9 For the Lord has driven out before you great and strong nations. And as for you, no man has been able to stand before you to this day. 10 One man of you puts to flight a thousand, since it is the Lord your God who fights for you, just as he promised you. 11 Be very careful, therefore, to love the Lord your God. 12 For if you turn back and cling to the remnant of these nations remaining among you and make marriages with them, so that you associate with them and they with you, 13 know for certain that the Lord your God will no longer drive out these nations before you, but they shall be a snare and a trap for you, a whip on your sides and thorns in your eyes, until you perish from off this good ground that the Lord your God has given you.
14 “And now I am about to go the way of all the earth, and you know in your hearts and souls, all of you, that not one word has failed of all the good things that the Lord your God promised concerning you. All have come to pass for you; not one of them has failed. 15 But just as all the good things that the Lord your God promised concerning you have been fulfilled for you, so the Lord will bring upon you all the evil things, until he has destroyed you from off this good land that the Lord your God has given you, 16 if you transgress the covenant of the Lord your God, which he commanded you, and go and serve other gods and bow down to them. Then the anger of the Lord will be kindled against you, and you shall perish quickly from off the good land that he has given to you.”
 
Meditation
Christians forfeit the gift of enjoying God and experiencing His blessings when we give our hearts to loves other than Jesus. The perfectly obedient life of Jesus and His sacrificial death on our behalf opens the way for believers to return to God to enjoy Him forever.
 
Joshua admonishes Israel to respond to God’s sovereign grace by embracing the benefit of God’s promised blessings (1-2), following God’s word and ways (2-16). Jesus says it this way, “As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Abide in my love. If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love…” (John 15:9-10)
 
God gave victory to Israel and through Joshua distributed Israel’s inheritance, so Israel must obey the Lord (4-8). God fought for Israel, making every warrior unstoppable and driving out the enemy nations, so Israel must remain devoted to God alone, “being careful to love the Lord your God” (9-11). Joshua is getting ready to die, but in order for enjoyment of God’s blessings to live on then Israel must resist the temptation to love things in the land more than The One who redeemed them and will bring them into the promised land (12-16).
 
The blessings of God’s covenant faithfulness are available for His people to enjoy. Grace invites us to return to God to enjoy Him and His blessings. Jesus endured to death on the cross giving us a foundation of forgiveness, so when we have not endured in enjoying God and embracing His blessings we can turn from empty loves and return to Him.
 
Richly Dwelling
-What stands out to you about God’s gracious instruction and invitation to enjoy Him and His blessings in the promised land?
 
-What were the hurdles for Israel, causing them to trip up and miss the opportunity to enjoy God and His blessings? Where do you identify?
 
-How does the finished work of Jesus fuel your desire to embrace God’s grace by returning to God to enjoy Him? What do you need to remove from your life to return to God with all your heart?
 
Key Verse
6 Therefore, be very strong to keep and to do all that is written in the Book of the Law of Moses, turning aside from it neither to the right hand nor to the left,

​So Moses continued to speak these words to all Israel.2 And he said to them, “I am 120 years old today. I am no longer able to go out and come in. The Lord has said to me, ‘You shall not go over this Jordan.’ 3 The Lord your God himself will go over before you. He will destroy these nations before you, so that you shall dispossess them, and Joshua will go over at your head, as the Lord has spoken.4 And the Lord will do to them as he did to Sihon and Og, the kings of the Amorites, and to their land, when he destroyed them. 5 And the Lord will give them over to you, and you shall do to them according to the whole commandment that I have commanded you. 6 Be strong and courageous. Do not fear or be in dread of them, for it is the Lord your God who goes with you. He will not leave you or forsake you.”
7 Then Moses summoned Joshua and said to him in the sight of all Israel, “Be strong and courageous, for you shall go with this people into the land that the Lord has sworn to their fathers to give them, and you shall put them in possession of it. 8 It is the Lord who goes before you. He will be with you; he will not leave you or forsake you. Do not fear or be dismayed.”
The Reading of the Law
9 Then Moses wrote this law and gave it to the priests, the sons of Levi, who carried the ark of the covenant of the Lord, and to all the elders of Israel. 10 And Moses commanded them, “At the end of every seven years, at the set time in the year of release, at the Feast of Booths,11 when all Israel comes to appear before the Lord your God at the place that he will choose, you shall read this law before all Israel in their hearing. 12 Assemble the people, men, women, and little ones, and the sojourner within your towns, that they may hear and learn to fear the Lord your God, and be careful to do all the words of this law, 13 and that their children, who have not known it, may hear and learn to fear the Lord your God, as long as you live in the land that you are going over the Jordan to possess.”
Joshua Commissioned to Lead Israel
14 And the Lord said to Moses, “Behold, the days approach when you must die. Call Joshua and present yourselves in the tent of meeting, that I may commission him.” And Moses and Joshua went and presented themselves in the tent of meeting. 15 And the Lord appeared in the tent in a pillar of cloud. And the pillar of cloud stood over the entrance of the tent.
16 And the Lord said to Moses, “Behold, you are about to lie down with your fathers. Then this people will rise and whore after the foreign gods among them in the land that they are entering, and they will forsake me and break my covenant that I have made with them. 17 Then my anger will be kindled against them in that day, and I will forsake them and hide my face from them, and they will be devoured. And many evils and troubles will come upon them, so that they will say in that day, ‘Have not these evils come upon us because our God is not among us?’ 18 And I will surely hide my face in that day because of all the evil that they have done, because they have turned to other gods.
19 “Now therefore write this song and teach it to the people of Israel. Put it in their mouths, that this song may be a witness for me against the people of Israel. 20 For when I have brought them into the land flowing with milk and honey, which I swore to give to their fathers, and they have eaten and are full and grown fat, they will turn to other gods and serve them, and despise me and break my covenant. 21 And when many evils and troubles have come upon them, this song shall confront them as a witness (for it will live unforgotten in the mouths of their offspring). For I know what they are inclined to do even today, before I have brought them into the land that I swore to give.” 22 So Moses wrote this song the same day and taught it to the people of Israel.
23 And the Lord commissioned Joshua the son of Nun and said, “Be strong and courageous, for you shall bring the people of Israel into the land that I swore to give them. I will be with you.”
24 When Moses had finished writing the words of this law in a book to the very end, 25 Moses commanded the Levites who carried the ark of the covenant of the Lord, 26 “Take this Book of the Law and put it by the side of the ark of the covenant of the Lord your God, that it may be there for a witness against you. 27 For I know how rebellious and stubborn you are. Behold, even today while I am yet alive with you, you have been rebellious against the Lord. How much more after my death! 28 Assemble to me all the elders of your tribes and your officers, that I may speak these words in their ears and call heaven and earth to witness against them. 29 For I know that after my death you will surely act corruptly and turn aside from the way that I have commanded you. And in the days to come evil will befall you, because you will do what is evil in the sight of the Lord, provoking him to anger through the work of your hands.”
The Song of Moses
30 Then Moses spoke the words of this song until they were finished, in the ears of all the assembly of Israel:
 
Meditation
In the 1960s, the BBC faced a strong current of secularism. A young producer suggested discontinuing religious programming to add more profitable shows. Lord Reith, BBC founder and then President, stopped the discussion and direction abruptly saying, “The church will stand at the grave of the BBC.” The tide of secularism will rise and fall- God’s authority will endure.
 
Israel stood at the border of the promise land as Moses began to execute God’s transition plan, publicly passing authority to Joshua: “Be strong and courageous…” (1-8) Human authority transitions. God’s authority endures as evidenced here by reading of the law (9-13) and hearing from God in the tent of meeting (14-22). God, not Moses, commissioned Joshua to lead the next generation (23).
 
Moses and Joshua are told repeatedly the next generation will be disobedient (16, 20, 27), the depth of depravity witnessed by becoming like the nations they would live among. This made the memorization of Moses song specifically, and the Torah generally, an urgent concern (24-30).
Many Christians are concerned the current of secularism is stronger today than ever, worried our children will be swept away by social pressures. Like ancient Israel, we must double down on being shaped by Scripture, embracing God’s word as our formative authority. Like Lord Reith, we must hold our conviction to the enduring authority of God. Moved by God’s mercy through Jesus, Christians must be strong and courageous to embrace God’s authority evidenced through His word and work.
 
Richly Dwelling
-What stands out to you about the transition of authority for Israel?
 
-Are you more shaped by the authority of our culture or the authority of God’s word?
 
-Jesus died so we can live, freeing us to see His mercy and double down on our commitment to not be conformed to the patterns of this world. Where do you need to embrace His forgiveness and return to the authority of His word and work?
 
Key Verse
6 Be strong and courageous. Do not fear or be in dread of them, for it is the Lord your God who goes with you. He will not leave you or forsake you.”

​Then I saw another mighty angel coming down from heaven, wrapped in a cloud, with a rainbow over his head, and his face was like the sun, and his legs like pillars of fire.2 He had a little scroll open in his hand. And he set his right foot on the sea, and his left foot on the land, 3 and called out with a loud voice, like a lion roaring. When he called out, the seven thunders sounded. 4 And when the seven thunders had sounded, I was about to write, but I heard a voice from heaven saying, “Seal up what the seven thunders have said, and do not write it down.” 5 And the angel whom I saw standing on the sea and on the land raised his right hand to heaven 6 and swore by him who lives forever and ever, who created heaven and what is in it, the earth and what is in it, and the sea and what is in it, that there would be no more delay, 7 but that in the days of the trumpet call to be sounded by the seventh angel, the mystery of God would be fulfilled, just as he announced to his servants the prophets.
8 Then the voice that I had heard from heaven spoke to me again, saying, “Go, take the scroll that is open in the hand of the angel who is standing on the sea and on the land.”9 So I went to the angel and told him to give me the little scroll. And he said to me, “Take and eat it; it will make your stomach bitter, but in your mouth it will be sweet as honey.”10 And I took the little scroll from the hand of the angel and ate it. It was sweet as honey in my mouth, but when I had eaten it my stomach was made bitter. 11 And I was told, “You must again prophesy about many peoples and nations and languages and kings.”
 
Meditation
The shape of gospel suffering is like a “V”: death before life, valleys before mountains,  the cross before resurrection, suffering before victory, and despair before worship (Psalm 22).  The suffering of the saints invites believers into deeper identification and participation with the suffering and victory of Jesus, trusting gospel power to be displayed in God’s transformation of suffering to glory.
 
Four simple sections center on one specific truth: the mystery of God will soon be fulfilled when the suffering of the saints is complete (7). Suffering precedes victory. Commencing what has been promised by the Lord, an angel opens a scroll (1-2), cries out with seven thunders (3-4), a trumpet sounds to signal the consummation of God’s plan for history (6-7), with a renewal of John’s prophetic call (8-11). The parallelism of 10:7 with 6:11 makes the mystery clear, it is God’s will for the persecution of Christians to precede ultimate victory.
 
The mystery of Christ extends from His ascension and exaltation until consummation, emphasized by Paul in Romans 16:24-25. What was hidden will be fulfilled, the suffering of the saints will be complete before the consummation of Christ’s kingdom.
 
The seeming defeat of the suffering saints is a part of God’s plan, a mystery until Christ comes again. And when Jesus returns (and He will!) the mystery will be fully revealed, Christ’s kingdom come in the New Heavens and New Earth being consummated as one.
 
Richly Dwelling
-What stands out to you from today’s reading? Why?
 
-Why is the shape of gospel suffering both daunting and encouraging?
 
-How does the finished work of Christ, His suffering to death before resurrecting from the grave, shape your hope in hard times by reminding you the suffering of the saints is not the end of the story?
 
Key Verse
7 but that in the days of the trumpet call to be sounded by the seventh angel, the mystery of God would be fulfilled, just as he announced to his servants the prophets.

Now concerning the collection for the saints: as I directed the churches of Galatia, so you also are to do.2 On the first day of every week, each of you is to put something aside and store it up, as he may prosper, so that there will be no collecting when I come. 3 And when I arrive, I will send those whom you accredit by letter to carry your gift to Jerusalem. 4 If it seems advisable that I should go also, they will accompany me.
Plans for Travel
5 I will visit you after passing through Macedonia, for I intend to pass through Macedonia, 6 and perhaps I will stay with you or even spend the winter, so that you may help me on my journey, wherever I go. 7 For I do not want to see you now just in passing. I hope to spend some time with you, if the Lord permits. 8 But I will stay in Ephesus until Pentecost, 9 for a wide door for effective work has opened to me, and there are many adversaries.
10 When Timothy comes, see that you put him at ease among you, for he is doing the work of the Lord, as I am.11 So let no one despise him. Help him on his way in peace, that he may return to me, for I am expecting him with the brothers.
Final Instructions
12 Now concerning our brother Apollos, I strongly urged him to visit you with the other brothers, but it was not at all his will to come now. He will come when he has opportunity.
13 Be watchful, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong. 14 Let all that you do be done in love.
15 Now I urge you, brothers—you know that the household of Stephanas were the first converts in Achaia, and that they have devoted themselves to the service of the saints— 16 be subject to such as these, and to every fellow worker and laborer. 17 I rejoice at the coming of Stephanas and Fortunatus and Achaicus, because they have made up for your absence, 18 for they refreshed my spirit as well as yours. Give recognition to such people.
Greetings
19 The churches of Asia send you greetings. Aquila and Prisca, together with the church in their house, send you hearty greetings in the Lord. 20 All the brothers send you greetings. Greet one another with a holy kiss.
21 I, Paul, write this greeting with my own hand. 22 If anyone has no love for the Lord, let him be accursed. Our Lord, come! 23 The grace of the Lord Jesus be with you. 24 My love be with you all in Christ Jesus. Amen.
 
Meditation
The gospel frees believers to show and share “the more excellent” way of love (12:31), engaged in relationship centered on “the greatest of what endures” (13:13)- for the benefit of all people in Christ’s Body and the blessing of the places where we live.
 
Love links together all of what Paul has written to the church in Corinth, the simplest comprehensive summary of all ten gospel solutions he has presented for the ten problems facing Corinthian Christians. Tying everything together, Paul encourages the church to do everything in love (14) by pointing Corinthian Christians to six final and practical applications:
 
1- Love gives strategically and generously to Christians in need (1-4). Christians intentionally steward the wealth God has entrusted to us to serve and strengthen struggling saints.
 
2- Love invests in relationship, going to visit others and showing hospitality to brothers and sisters, in hopes of a door opening wide for God’s work (5-12).
 
3- Love is courageous and lives with conviction (13-14).
 
4- Love encourages fellow gospel workers, Christ’s servants who give away their lives to build up the Body and bless the nations (15-18).
 
5- Love sends and shares greetings (19-21).
 
6- Love is left behind after we move forward (22-23), leaving footsteps to follow for a community of disciples.
 
God is love and Christians are imitators of God, His dearly loved children who walk in love as He has loved us and given Himself for us (Ephesians 5:1-2). Christians must do everything in love.
 
Richly Dwelling

• Why is it significant that Paul lands with love, ending his letter to the church centered on love?

 

• Which of the six applications is most inviting for you? Why?

 

• How does the steadfast love of God demonstrated through the work of Jesus compel you to live more lovingly with the church? How? Be specific.

 
Key Verse
14 Let all that you do be done in love…”