Chris and Sarah wrap up Deuteronomy and step into Joshua, highlighting the major transition from Moses to Joshua and the repeated command to be strong and courageous. They trace how God reassures Joshua six times that He will be with him, mirroring the Great Commission’s promise of Christ’s presence. Deuteronomy closes with instructions to publicly read the law every seven years at the Feast of Booths, emphasizing generational discipleship—God’s Word is for men, women, children, and sojourners. Moses presents the Song of Moses, contrasting God’s faithfulness with Israel’s rebellion, and urging Israel to see the law as “your very life.” Moses blesses the tribes, dies on the mountain close to God, and the Pentateuch ends with the declaration that no prophet like Moses ever arose again—setting the expectation for One greater to come.

As Joshua opens, Chris and Sarah show the deliberate Exodus parallels: a new leader, a crossing through water, a rescued Gentile family, and a memorial of stones that testify to God’s power. They explore Rahab’s faith, the red cord as a “Passover” echo, and how Jericho was likely a military outpost rather than a civilian center. The Jordan crossing echoes the Red Sea and invites Israel to trust Yahweh rather than Baal, even during flood season. The 12 stones point both backward (to God’s faithfulness to the tribes) and forward (to Jesus choosing 12 apostles to bless all nations).

In 1 Thessalonians, Paul writes from Corinth with deep affection, speaking of the church as his “crown.” They unpack the city’s loyalty to Caesar and how that heightens the tension of proclaiming Jesus as Lord. Paul celebrates their endurance, addresses sexual ethics in a Greco-Roman culture with very different sexual norms, and frames holiness through the lens of the Pentateuch’s call to be set apart. They walk through the “coming of the Lord” using imperial imagery—the trumpet, the royal arrival, greeting a king outside the city—not as escapism but as the triumphant arrival of Christ to His world. Paul urges them to grieve with hope, live awake and sober, reject false peace offered by empire, and trust that God has destined them not for wrath but for salvation. Psalms 91, 31, and 66 end the week with themes of protection, lament, refuge, and grateful remembrance.