Joshua 10

Joshua 10: 12-14  

On the day the LORD gave the Amorites over to Israel, Joshua said to the LORD in the presence of Israel:  

“Sun, stand still over Gibeon,
and you, moon, over the Valley of Aijalon.”
So the sun stood still,
and the moon stopped,
till the nation avenged itself on its enemies,
as it is written in the Book of Jashar.  

The sun stopped in the middle of the sky and delayed going down about a full day. There has never been a day like it before or since, a day when the LORD listened to a human being. Surely the LORD was fighting for Israel!


Wow, I find these verses absolutely amazing. “Sun, stand still over Gibeon; and Moon, in the Valley of Aijalon.” So the sun stood still. I wonder what gave Joshua the boldness to ask God for a “favor?” Was it him seeing God’s hand in action that gave Joshua the boldness to ask for an even greater miracle - to keep the day going, to keep the sun from setting, so that Israel had time to accomplish a complete victory before darkness fell?  

Was it truly a battle of light vs. dark? We often talk about it and the Bible of gives us illustrations of the sun and the moon as long standing allies to sin, wickedness, and demonic religion. Why would they (the dark and its sins) allow Joshua to complete this victory over their allies, the Canaanites?

So the sun stood still in the midst of heaven, and did not hasten to go down for about a whole day. And there has been no day like that, before it or after it. How does the length of a day get extended? It could have been a slowing of the earth’s rotation; it could have been a tilting of the earth’s axis; it could have been a miracle of reflection of light; it could simply be that the presence of God is manifested in light. Whatever it means, the result was clear. The sun seemed to stay still in the sky, and Israel was able to complete the victory.

Till the people had revenge upon their enemies: Joshua did not ask God to do the fighting for him, even though God did do some of that. Joshua simply asked that God would miraculously give him the opportunity to fight for Him. So did Joshua finally learn his lesson to seek God before taking action? I think so and hope so…. When we work in partnership with God, then we will see God do amazing things. And as this scripture says “there has been no day like that.”

Joshua 9

Joshua 9 - The one thing that stuck me immediately was that the Israelites did not pray about the strangers and made peace with them. Joshua had made this mistake in previous chapters. Was defeated at God's hand, and  begged and asked for God's mercy to be restored. He is having a hard time learning this lesson of prayer first, action second.

Now the problem with Ai was his failure to pray and seek counsel from God before they deployed the troops to attack the city. The same problem existed here. It was a failure to pray and inquire of God concerning the Gibeonites. They just looked at the outward circumstances. They saw the dry, moldy bread and the ragged clothes, and they just were deceived.

How many times do we found ourselves in ungodly situations because we failed to seek God first. Oh, for sure when we get into these conditions, then we seek God like everything. But if we would only seek God first, we could be spared so many negative experiences in life. So the failure to seek God's guidance led them into this alliance with the Gibeonites.How many bad alliances are we in because we did not seek God's counsel or even another Christian man's counsel.

Lesson: Give God a chance to show us His light, go to God first!

Joshua 8

Joshua 8: 23 - Joshua did not draw back the hand that held out his javelin until he had destroyed all who lived in Ai. (The Hebrew term refers to the irrevocable giving over of things or persons to the LORD, often by totally destroying them.)

The chapter teaches us to follow God and we will receive His reward. It also once again shows us that not obeying the God will result in death, total destruction.

In the verse above shows that Joshua had matured in his relationship in understanding God…I believe this anyway. He knew that what was asked by God, he need to do exactly what God had asked of him. But what is most curious to me when I went back and the verses above nowhere in this version did God ever tell Joshua how long he would need to hold out his javelin. Yet Joshua knew to hold out his arm with the javelin until the battle was over. I wonder if he knew to do this to win the battle or if he was doing this to again show Israel that God’s power is all mighty and if we obey God He will give Israel great victories. They had failed to follow God’s instructions in the past and been dealt His wrath. By doing it and trying to do it by their own ingenuity they failed, by their own abilities. But now directed by God they experienced the victory.

The lesson for Christian men, carry out God’s tasks and charges until God allows you to see (or be blessed by God) that this specific work is completed to God’s standard. We as men must just screw this up daily. Thank the Lord Jesus and our Heavenly Father for their Grace!

Joshua 7

Joshua 7

I don't have any one verse that stands out more than the other tonight. But what caught my attention was that God had said that He was going to punish those of Israel who took the devoted things from the previous chapter. But in the end it was Joshua who would lead the people of Israel who had not sinned against God to punish Achor and his family.

Reading back over the text I wonder if when God told Joshua to "stand up" if he was really telling him to "man up" and lead the people of Israel. How many times have I question myself . How many times have I have been told to lead and did not man up or let someone do the task or let the task just past away in my Christian walk as a believer and/or as a mentor?

So the question becomes for practical life application... Are we going to take God's command to "stand up" and deal with the situations at hand. We won't be stoning people but can we even man up to have the correct Christian conversation with those who are falling or with those who need lifting up. Secondly, even though this is an OT story, and we know Jesus received his training via the OT, how many times did Jesus have to (have to, not need to) challenge his disciples...just as we have to be reminded today? Jesus knew this story, but yet his disciples needed reminding or prodding just as Joshua, just as us. So my question remains, as Christian leaders, how do we fail and fall into this same complacent trap throughout our walks of having to be reminded of our purpose to love each other and build disciples?

God wants the victories of our lives to be for him. If we are not giving those victories to God, he will certainly take them away and humble us.

There is much to think about, learn and be challenged from this Chapter.

Joshua 6

Joshua 6:18

But keep away from the devoted things, so that you will not bring about your own destruction by taking any of them. Otherwise you will make the camp of Israel liable to destruction and bring trouble on it.

 

Joshua had to command the people of Israel to stay away from the idols and things associated with the demonic and depraved worship of the people of Canaan. The severe judgment that is brought against Jericho and all of Canaan didn’t come because they were in the “way” of God’s people. It came because this was a people who were in total rebellion against God as occult society, as the artifacts recovered from this period demonstrate.

 

Can we imagine the wrath of God for those, even our acquaintances that are in rebellion against God and Jesus? We have a huge responsibility to step out and share His Word to as many as we can or so many will suffer, in part, due to our failure. I wonder if we get measured, how are we measured when it comes to being a disciple and sharing His Word? Can we ever do enough save God’s people? We know that many will never understand and accept God, just as the warning to Israel declares faith or non-faith.

 

I read that all the silver and gold, and vessels of bronze and iron, are concsercrated to the Lord: All the valuables belong to God; Jericho is the "first fruits" city of Cannan, and so the valuables are set aside to the treasury of the Lord.

 

Joshua 5

The act of being circumcised makes most men cringe; it does me, what about you? Then a military man waiting to go to war for his country must really be anxious over this. But as stated in the 2nd paragraph it was the most power act of dying to self and living to God.

Joshua 5: 2-8
At that time the LORD said to Joshua, “Make flint knives and circumcise the Israelites again.” So Joshua made flint knives and circumcised the Israelites at Gibeath Haaraloth. Now this is why he did so: All those who came out of Egypt—all the men of military age—died in the wilderness on the way after leaving Egypt. All the people that came out had been circumcised, but all the people born in the wilderness during the journey from Egypt had not. The Israelites had moved about in the wilderness forty years until all the men who were of military age when they left Egypt had died, since they had not obeyed the LORD. For the LORD had sworn to them that they would not see the land he had solemnly promised their ancestors to give us, a land flowing with milk and honey. So he raised up their sons in their place, and these were the ones Joshua circumcised. They were still uncircumcised because they had not been circumcised on the way. And after the whole nation had been circumcised, they remained where they were in camp until they were healed.

Now imagine being told in our society today to go and make flint knives for yourself, and circumcise the sons of Israel again the second time (to the sons, not each man again). Apparently, all during the forty years of waiting in the wilderness, none of the sons born during that time had been circumcised. Now God commanded that this be done. Then Joshua circumcised their sons. Circumcision was always a powerful act of consecration to God. In it, an Israelite said “I’m not like the other nations. I listen to God and do what He says I should do.” It was stepping out in faithful obedience and identifying yourself as one of the LORD’s people. It was renouncing the flesh and the world. It was dying to self and living to God. They stayed in their places in the camp till they were healed: Obviously, this was suicidal from a military standpoint. All the men of fighting age were made completely vulnerable and unable to fight. So, not only did Israel cross over the Jordan at a militarily undesirable place (right in front of Jericho, the strongest military outpost of the Canaanites), they also incapacitated their army for several days. They did this because they trusted God, and His directions, instead of their own wisdom.



I love verses thirteen through fifteen. So can we be a leader like Joshua in our daily walks for the Lord? Lead yet be lead and have a servant’s heart?


Joshua 5; 13-18
Now when Joshua was near Jericho, he looked up and saw a man standing in front of him with a drawn sword in his hand. Joshua went up to him and asked, “Are you for us or for our enemies?” “Neither,” he replied, “but as commander of the army of the LORD I have now come.” Then Joshua fell facedown to the ground in reverence, and asked him, “What message does my Lord have for his servant?” The commander of the LORD’s army replied, “Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy.” And Joshua did so.

Here Joshua met Jesus, Jesus the Captain of the Lord's nation army, having submitted to the Father, a man under authority, yet having authority himself. A man who recognized what true authority is. Oh, that we would realize that we don't have any right to rule unless we ourselves are ruled. So Joshua, the leader over the people and yet being led. "What do you want me to do Lord?" The real heart of a servant. So the Lord didn't have much for him to do, "Just take your shoes off. The ground where you're standing is holy." So much as the Lord spoke to Moses out of the burning bush, the command to remove his sandals, so also to Joshua.

Joshua 4

Joshua 4:4-8
4 So Joshua called together the twelve men he had appointed from the Israelites, one from each tribe, 5 and said to them, “Go over before the ark of the LORD your God into the middle of the Jordan. Each of you is to take up a stone on his shoulder, according to the number of the tribes of the Israelites, 6 to serve as a sign among you. In the future, when your children ask you, ‘What do these stones mean?’ 7 tell them that the flow of the Jordan was cut off before the ark of the covenant of the LORD. When it crossed the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan were cut off. These stones are to be a memorial to the people of Israel forever.”  8 So the Israelites did as Joshua commanded them. They took twelve stones from the middle of the Jordan, according to the number of the tribes of the Israelites, as the LORD had told Joshua; and they carried them over with them to their camp, where they put them down. 9 Joshua set up the twelve stones that had been[a] in the middle of the Jordan at the spot where the priests who carried the ark of the covenant had stood. And they are there to this day.

Now the interesting thing to me about this is when they came to the Red Sea, Moses stretched forth his rod and the Red Sea was parted. They went through on dry land, but with the Jordan the Lord is now testing their faith and developing their faith. He let the priests get their feet wet. Walking right into the edge of the river, getting their feet in the water, stepping out now really in faith.

So this is very important for every one of us to really develop in that full relationship with God, it has to be that relationship of faith…FULL FAITH. God is bringing them/us into a new relationship of faith. Before they sought, before they stepped in, they saw the sea parted, but now God is letting them take one step further and saying, "Go ahead and step out in faith. Get your feet wet."

I really like the verses thru the Chapter about the stones. They were commanded to take these stones out of the bottom of the Jordan River, where the priests were standing holding the Ark of the Covenant. When they came up on the other side, they were to put these stones in a heap. And As God and Joshua had commanded. That this may be a sign among you that when your children (or the disciples we are to be growing as Christian men) ask their fathers (or friends) What’s the importance of these stones? You can tell them, that the waters of Jordan were cut off before the ark of the covenant of the Lord and these stones shall be a memorial unto the children of Israel for ever. And so the children of Israel did as Joshua commanded.

It is interesting to me that God desires that His power and His truth be carried to future generations via a pile of rocks. That we never forget what God has done for us. Again, this is our charge as Christian men to spread God’s word. I also thin about how many times rocks, stones, foundation or cornerstone terminology is used in the Bible to illustrate an event, a teaching, etc.?

Joshua 3

Joshua 3:15-17
15 Now the Jordan is at flood stage all during harvest. Yet as soon as the priests who carried the ark reached the Jordan and their feet touched the water’s edge, 16 the water from upstream stopped flowing. It piled up in a heap a great distance away, at a town called Adam in the vicinity of Zarethan, while the water flowing down to the Sea of the Arabah (that is, the Dead Sea) was completely cut off. So the people crossed over opposite Jericho. 17 The priests who carried the ark of the covenant of the LORD stopped in the middle of the Jordan and stood on dry ground, while all Israel passed by until the whole nation had completed the crossing on dry ground.

The verses above and some of the prior verses in Chapter 3 are showing us a teaching. A teaching from God about faith and trust. He was showing the people for a second time how powerful his promise and protection is. The first time was at the Red Sea with Moses. Now with Joshua and the 12 from the tribes of Isreal carrying the ark. God is showing that he will deliver on his promises if His people will just believe in Him. The 12 priest carrying the ark must step in the Jordon by their faith first, then God will part the waters. Thus the lesson: your faith in God will receive His promise. And trust by Isreal in God is developing. Is it 100% yet? Im not sure. But s/ we not trust God regardless of our hardship. It is a "full faith in scenario" or not? Why isn't it that simple?"

Joshua 2

1.Joshua 2:9 - and said to them, “I know that the LORD has given you this land and that a great fear of you has fallen on us, so that all who live in this country are melting in fear because of you.

Joshua 2:11 - When we heard of it, our hearts melted in fear and everyone’s courage failed because of you, for the LORD your God is God in heaven above and on the earth below.

2.Joshua 2:24 - They said to Joshua, “The LORD has surely given the whole land into our hands; all the people are melting in fear because of us.”
 
I picked up on the melting in fear and hearts melting. What a story of God's wrath for those that don't believe vs. those that do, meaning His people. But think of what these phrases, this type of information must had meant to the spies for the eventual battle - it must have been like getting vital information, military secrets. And other parts of the scripture, the bond that was made between strangers - the spies and Rahab. What does that tell us about being in community and fellowship with Christ?!!! Yes, there were "terms of engagement" for the pact but that in itself is an amazing story of how God will work in our lives daily. He can work in our lives immediately, on the spot.

Wednesday - Joshua 1

Joshua 1:6-9 
Be strong and courageous, because you will lead these people to inherit the land I swore to their ancestors to give them. “Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses gave you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, that you may be successful wherever you go.  Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful. Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go.”

Three times Joshua is reminded to be strong and courageous. And in verse 9 God emphatically makes the point. He is lifting Joshua up to be the leader of God's people. The leader that must follow after Mose's death. Joshua must lead God's people back towards the promise land yet keep them on task as instructed that they can only go so far on this journey home. God is very clear in his instructions to Joshua (just as Jesus was clear in His instructions to the disciples and ultimately even to us...): be strong and courageous, be careful to obey the law of Moses. Stay in the middle of the road, do not fall in the left ditch or the right ditch. Always have the Law ready and pray on it daily, follow it strictly, do not be afraid or discouraged because God is with you wherever you go.

Sounds like a text conversation we just had a couple of days ago about living in confidence with Jesus. But more importantly, the Gospel gives us this same message from Jesus...be strong, courageous in your faith, steadfast in your practice.

Revelation 22

Rev 22:11 - Let the one who does wrong continue to do wrong; let the vile person continue to be vile; let the one who does right continue to do right; and let the holy person continue to be holy."

Jesus is coming very soon and there is no more time for people to change and repent, the time is now or never. What if someone has read all of Revelations like we have and stilL is not ready to accept Christ, there is no hope for them now...


Rev 22:18-21 - I warn everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this scroll: If anyone adds anything to them, God will add to that person the plagues described in this scroll. And if anyone takes words away from this scroll of prophecy, God will take away from that person any share in the tree of life and in the Holy City, which are described in this scroll. He who testifies to these things says, "Yes, I am coming soon." Amen. Come, Lord Jesus. The grace of the Lord Jesus be with God's people. Amen.

Another warning from God and Christ but this time it is to anyone who may try to tamper or twist the scripture in Revelations. They will be cursed with the plagues and removed from the tree of life and not allowed to enter the Holy City. I assume that means they will be damned to the lake of fire for eternity. Think of all the warnings in Revelation, yet there will be some that never accept Christ. I pray for them all.