SCRIPTURE UNION DISCOVERY DEVOTIONAL (USA)
Scripture Union Discovery 3rd February 2025 Devotional Message for Monday
TOPIC: Ready for Battle
Opening Prayer
Almighty God, you have created the universe and sustain everything it contains, yet you are mindful of me—you even love me! In your Son, you have given me what I don’t deserve and shower me with mercy. Accept my thanksgiving and praise today!
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Read JOSHUA 4:10–5:1
10 Now the priests who carried the ark remained standing in the middle of the Jordan until everything the Lord had commanded Joshua was done by the people, just as Moses had directed Joshua. The people hurried over, 11 and as soon as all of them had crossed, the ark of the Lord and the priests came to the other side while the people watched. 12 The men of Reuben, Gad and the half-tribe of Manasseh crossed over, ready for battle, in front of the Israelites, as Moses had directed them. 13 About forty thousand armed for battle crossed over before the Lord to the plains of Jericho for war.
14 That day the Lord exalted Joshua in the sight of all Israel; and they stood in awe of him all the days of his life, just as they had stood in awe of Moses.
15 Then the Lord said to Joshua, 16 “Command the priests carrying the ark of the covenant law to come up out of the Jordan.”
17 So Joshua commanded the priests, “Come up out of the Jordan.”
18 And the priests came up out of the river carrying the ark of the covenant of the Lord. No sooner had they set their feet on the dry ground than the waters of the Jordan returned to their place and ran at flood stage as before.
19 On the tenth day of the first month the people went up from the Jordan and camped at Gilgal on the eastern border of Jericho. 20 And Joshua set up at Gilgal the twelve stones they had taken out of the Jordan. 21 He said to the Israelites, “In the future when your descendants ask their parents, ‘What do these stones mean?’ 22 tell them, ‘Israel crossed the Jordan on dry ground.’
23 For the Lord your God dried up the Jordan before you until you had crossed over. The Lord your God did to the Jordan what he had done to the Red Sea[a] when he dried it up before us until we had crossed over. 24 He did this so that all the peoples of the earth might know that the hand of the Lord is powerful and so that you might always fear the Lord your God.”
5 Now when all the Amorite kings west of the Jordan and all the Canaanite kings along the coast heard how the Lord had dried up the Jordan before the Israelites until they[b] had crossed over, their hearts melted in fear and they no longer had the courage to face the Israelites.
Reflect
Remind yourself today that Jesus not only died but rose again. He has defeated sin, Satan, and death and now reigns victorious in heaven. And we reign with him.
We may not like to think of the Christian life as a battle, but it is. Our struggle is not against people, as Paul reminds us, but against principalities and powers, demonic forces who represent the kingdom of Satan (Ephesians 6:12).
Crossing the Jordan, although miraculous, was in some ways the easy part. Capturing the land would be much harder and would not happen without a fight. The Canaanite tribes would not surrender their land meekly but would contest the advance of Israel. That is why, when Israel crosses over, they are ‘ready for battle’ with about 40,000 men prepared for war (4:12, 13).
We are reminded of Paul’s vivid description of the armor of God that we are to wear as we face our own spiritual foes (Ephesians 6:13–17) and his call to face suffering ‘like a good soldier of Christ Jesus’ (2 Timothy
2:3).
Prior events validated Joshua’s leadership credentials and established him as commander of the armies of Israel. In this he is like Jesus, the exalted head of the church and our victorious leader.
Apply
In what ways are you aware of the spiritual battle? Where do you see Satan’s activity in the world, and how does he come against you?
Closing prayer
Lord God, today I put on your belt of truth, your breastplate of righteousness, the shoes of the gospel of peace, and the helmet of salvation. I take up the shield of faith, and the sword of the Spirit, your Word—all that I need to stand against Satan’s wiles.
Scripture Union Discovery 3rd February 2025 © 2025 Scripture Union U.S.A. All rights reserved.
