The COHEN FAMILY

Today’s Reading: Joshua 21

Click scripture link to read online or HERE to listen online (then click the symbol of the audio speaker above the scripture portion on the right-hand side).

Petra is one of the Ancient Wonders of the World and is without a doubt Jordan’s greatest tourist attraction. It is a vast, unique city, carved into the sheer rock face by the Nabataeans, an industrious Arab people who settled here more than 2,000 years ago, turning it into an important junction for the silk, spice and other trade routes that linked China, India and southern Arabia with Egypt, Syria, Greece and Rome. Entrance to the city is through the Siq, a narrow gorge over one km in length, which is flanked on either side by soaring, 80 metre high cliffs. Just walking through the Siq is an experience in itself. The colours and formations of the reddish rocks are dazzling. As you reach the end of the Siq you will catch your first glimpse of Al-Khazneh (Treasury). In ancient times, this was in the area of Edom, mentioned several times in our recent blog readings. Edomites were descendents of Esau, who was the brother of Jacob (Israel).

GOOGLE MAPS – To see where the photo was taken, click HERE.

Key Verse: Joshua 21:45

Not a word failed of any good thing which the Lord had spoken to the house of Israel. All came to pass.

When we come across the Jewish name “Cohen,” we know they are from the line of Kohath, who was the second son of Levi (Joshua 21:20). They are hereditary priests. Moses and Joshua did not give the priests land like the other tribes in order to ensure the distribution of God’s priestly representatives throughout the land in an evenly placed manner. This may have served to retard Israel’s embrace of pagan cultures.

God’s Word will not fail. It may take time, but be assured of eventual fulfillment. Israel failed, not God’s Word. When God promised victory, they ran away in defeat. When God promised prosperity, they broke His rules so that God could not bless them as He wanted to. When God promised to be their leader, they begged for a king like the surrounding nations. When God promised to protect them from their enemies, they made their own unsuccessful battle plans. Are we as foolish as they were? Let us remind ourselves daily that God is totally committed to the fulfillment of all His good promises. Amen!

PRAYER FOR TODAY:

Lord God, I’m well aware that there are promises of judgment as well as blessing. Help me to key in on the blessing promises, obeying You in everything that applies to me as a follower of Jesus. I promise to do this, “So help me God.” Amen!

100 PERSONAL WORDS:

Our photographer, my son Rev. David Reynold Mainse, and his wife Kathy are missionaries based in Gulu, Uganda, Africa. Gulu is a city with 150,000 children under the age of 15. In the 80’s and 90’s, many of these children’s parents had been abducted by the rebel group known as The Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA). They were forced to be child soldiers, and the girls were also used as sex slaves to be raped again and again. I can’t imagine the horror of this, and now Reynold and Kathy have become part of the healing process. Reynold and Kathy have brought together denominational and tribal leaders in unity of purpose, many for the first time ever coming together like this. They have a vision for an outreach to the children and youth called “The Gulu Community Park,” as there are no facilities capable of ministering to thousands of teens and children every day.  Click here for information on what they are up to. Or if you’d like to contact Reynold directly, his email address is reynold@worldembrace.org.

Standing with you on God’s promises of blessing,

David

P.S. I’ll be sharing several of Reynold’s stunning Petra photos over the next few days!

Reynold walking through Petra’s dim, narrow gorge, which winds its way approximately 1.2 km and ends at Petra’s most elaborate ruin, Al Khazneh (The Treasury). Reynold is a one-man crew, so he must have his camera on the tripod functioning automatically. Some believe that Petra is the fortress where God will hide and protect the remnant during the apocalypse.