Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)

(A song for worship.)

Trusting the Lord in Times of Trouble

^34 (A) You had made the Lord angry, and he said:

³⁵ You people of this generation are evil, and I refuse to let you go into the good land that I promised your ancestors. ³⁶ Caleb son of Jephunneh is the only one of your generation that I will allow to go in. He obeyed me completely, so I will give him and his descendants the land he explored.

³⁷ The Lord was even angry with me because of you people, and he said, “Moses, I won't let you go into the land either. ³⁸ Instead, I will let Joshua^[a] your assistant lead Israel to conquer the land. So encourage him.”

³⁹ Then the Lord spoke to you again:

People of Israel, you said that your innocent young children would be taken prisoner in the battle for the land. But someday I will let them go into the land, and with my help they will conquer it and live there.

⁴⁰ Now, turn around and go back into the desert by way of Red Sea^[b] Road.

5 ^(A) Our bodies are like tents that we live in here on earth. But when these tents are destroyed, we know that God will give each of us a place to live. These homes will not be buildings someone has made, but they are in heaven and will last forever. ² While we are here on earth, we sigh because we want to live in that heavenly home. ³ We want to put it on like clothes and not be naked.

⁴ These tents we now live in are like a heavy burden, and we groan. But we don't do this just because we want to leave these bodies that will die. It is because we want to change them for bodies that will never die. ⁵ God is the one who makes all this possible. He has given us his Spirit to make us certain he will do it.