Other comments on this day's readings can be found here.
Reading 1 - Jos 16
"The record continues the listing of inheritances, as Joshua
sets out the landmarks that constitute the gift of Yahweh to His people. This
chapter sets out the inheritance of Joseph who has two sons, Ephraim and
Manasseh, and consequently stood as recipient of the divine firstborn, receiving
a double portion of inheritance. Joseph was elevated to the firstborn instead of
Reuben (1Ch 5:1). So Joshua sets out: [1] The general borders: vv 1-4. [2]
Ephraim's border: vv 5-9. [3] Ephraim's failure: v 10. The rest of the
inheritance of Joseph's sons continues in Jos 17.
"As with the other tribes, so with Ephraim: they failed to
fulfil the instruction of their commander: see Jos 16:10. It seems that although
Joshua ejected the main power of the Canaanites, they returned to their former
cities, whilst he completed the campaign elsewhere. This required that each
tribe make its own effort to obtain its individual holding, although the land as
a whole had been won for Israel. In like manner Christ has opened the way to
life eternal, but we each must conquer our individual inheritance" (GE
Mansfield).
Reading 2 - Isa 22:7-11
"And you looked in that day to the weapons in the Palace of
the Forest; you saw that the City of David had many breaches in its defenses;
you stored up water in the Lower Pool. You counted the buildings in Jerusalem
and tore down houses to strengthen the wall. You built a reservoir between the
two walls for the water of the Old Pool..." --
Now here comes the key point, the "punch line", so to speak...
--
"...but you did not look to the One who made it, or have
regard for the One who planned it long ago" (Isa 22:7-11).
At the threatened attack of the Assyrian enemy, Judah -- and
Jerusalem -- began to strengthen every conceivable defense, and take every
conceivable precaution. They looked to their weapons, and their walls, and their
water. They looked to everything they possible could... EXCEPT the God of
Israel!
At other times, the Israelites trusted in altars (Isa 17:7),
in defensed cities (Isa 37:26), in Egypt (Isa 31:1), or in Syria (2Ch
16:7-9).
But they did not, or could not, or refused to, trust in the
God of Israel (Isa 8:17; Jer 33:2,3; Mic 7:7).
"Men cry out under a load of oppression; they plead for relief
from the arm of the powerful. But no one says, 'Where is God my Maker, who gives
songs in the night, who teaches more to us than to the beasts of the earth and
makes us wiser than the birds of the air?' " (Job 35:9-11).
In the midst of all the preparations for the defense of the
ultimately defenseless city of Jerusalem; in the midst of the crying and
hand-wringing and desperate, foolish planning; in the midst of the silly,
midnight-hour frenzy to "eat and drink... for tomorrow we die!" (v 13), it
remained for two men -- the king and the prophet -- to ask the nation the only
question it had not asked itself: "Where is our God?"
Reading 3 - Heb 1:8
"But about the Son he says, 'Your throne, O God, will last for
ever and ever, and righteousness will be the scepter of your kingdom' " (Heb
1:8).
Jesus comes in the glory of the Father (Mat 16:27), and he
sits on a throne appointed him by the Father (Psa 110:1), which therefore could
be called God's throne. Also, one who acts on behalf of God may be called "God",
as a title: this is true of:
angels: Gen 16:13; 18:13; Exo 23:20,21; Hos 12:3,5;
and men: Exo 22:28;
Exo 22:6 and 21:8 (elohim); Psa 138:1; Joh 10:34 (quoting Psa
82:1,6).