Other comments on this day's readings can be found here.
Reading 1 - Jos 15
"Judah was the imperial tribe, and it was fitting that he
should be planted in a conspicuous territory. Even if the republic had not been
destined to give place to the monarchy, some preeminence was due to the tribe
which had inherited the patriarchal blessing, and from which he was to come in
whom all the families of the earth were to be blessed. Judah and the sons of
Joseph seem to have obtained their settlements not only before the other tribes,
but in a different manner. They did not obtain them by lot, but apparently by
their own choice and by early possession. Judah was not planted in the heart of
the country. That position was gained by Ephraim and Manasseh, the children of
Joseph, while Judah obtained the southern section. In this position his
influence was not so commanding at first as it would have been had he occupied
the centre. The portion taken possession of by Judah had belonged to the first
batch of kings that Joshua subdued, the kings that came up to take vengeance on
the Gibeonites. What was first assigned to Judah was too large, and the tribe of
Simeon got accommodation within his lot (Jos 19:9). Dan also obtained several
cities that had first been given to Judah (compare Jos 15:21-62; 19:40-46). In
point of fact, Judah ere long swallowed up a great part of Simeon and Dan, and
Benjamin was so hemmed in between him and Ephraim that, while Jerusalem was
situated within the limits of Benjamin, it was, for all practical purposes, a
city of Judah" (Expositor's Bible).
Reading 2 - Isa 21
Isa 21 is a very difficult prophecy, but it appears to be
about an especially significant Passover deliverance -- and this accords well
with the great destruction of the Assyrian army (described in Isa 36; 37) which
is at the heart of the whole prophecy.
"The twilight I longed for" (Isa 21:4), or "the night of my
pleasure" (AV), looks like an allusion to Passover, the only holy observance
kept at nighttime, and the time of the overthrow of Sennacherib's Assyrian army
(Isa 31:5; 30:29; 29:1; 26:20; 33:20; 52:12).
In v 5, there are other Passover allusions: the setting of the
tables, the eating and drinking. The command to "oil the shields" (or "anoint
the shield": AV) MIGHT be translated, as does the Septuagint, "anoint the
doorposts", referring to the smearing of the blood of the Lamb on the door
frames of faithful Jews in Egypt (Exo 12:22). Likewise, the lookouts -- watching
at night (vv 6,8) -- suggest the nighttime vigil of Passover: a waiting both for
destruction of one's enemies, and for deliverance.
The word that finally comes, about the fall of "Babylon",
could be a reference to the devastation of the Assyrian army outside Jerusalem
-- because at the time of Hezekiah the two names, Assyria and Babylon, seem to
have been used interchangeably for the same basic power (Assyria had previously
conquered and controlled the city of Babylon, and Assyrian kings were quite
proud of this accomplishment.)
So also, the called-out question of v 11, "Watchman, what is
left of the night?", suggests a high anxiety in a time of distress: the Passover
night of fear and death, culminating in the morning of deliverance (Isa
37:36).
Reading 3 - Phm
"The little letter to Philemon introduces us to two men. One
is the writer, an old man in chains. Contrary to all outward appearance and
though in prison, he was really free. Once, in his youth, he thought he was
free, but he was really in chains to the law of sin. But when Christ came into
his life he threw away his chains. Then, though in bonds, his spirit was as free
as the winds of heaven. He was free to rejoice, and he was at peace. The other
man is Onesimus. As a runaway slave, he escaped in the hope of finding freedom.
He learned that the world was not as he imagined. His experience of earthly
freedom was bitter: Rome's streets were not gold, and the cobblestones were
hard. Disillusioned, with empty pockets, in rags, he sought out the ecclesia in
Rome. And where did he find true freedom? In the prison cell, from an old man in
chains! He found help, sympathy, love and the Truth. From Paul the prisoner he
found true freedom!" (Walter Draper)