A year of expansion is necessarily a year of challenges.
The Book of Joshua shows us how to take possession of our inheritance. The key is found at the begining of the book. It was the key then, it is still the key now.
8 This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success. (Joshua 1:8)
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Book of Joshua Challenge – Day 1 Joshua 1 (Please click on the blue links to be directed to the Readings)
7 Only be strong and very courageous, being careful to do according to all the law that Moses my servant commanded you. Do not turn from it to the right hand or to the left, that you may have good success[a] wherever you go. 8 This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success. 9 Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” (Joshua 1:7-9)
To refuse to take possession of our inheritance because of our fear is a great offense to the Lord. The first generation of Israelites paid dearly with their lives, they all died in the wilderness because they had refused to go into the Promised Land when directed by the Lord to do so. We should be careful not to fall into the trap of lowered expectation, of being too comfortable with the status quo. We need to go all the way after everything that the Lord had promised us.
“Every place that the sole of your foot will tread upon I have given to you, just as I promised to Moses (v. 3). We may be immigrants, strangers in a strange land, but that doesn’t negate the promises of the Lord to us. Since God promises us good success and prosperity wherever we are, it is imperative that we position ourselves to get them. The key is in the verse 8, “Speak the word of God, meditate on it constantly, and do everything that it commands us to do.”
May the Lord richly bless you!
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Book of Joshua Challenge – Day 2 Joshua 2 (Please click on the blue links to be directed to the Readings)
8 Before the spies lay down for the night, she went up on the roof 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. 10 We have heard how the Lord dried up the water of the Red Sea for you when you came out of Egypt, and what you did to Sihon and Og, the two kings of the Amorites east of the Jordan, whom you completely destroyed 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. (Joshua 2:8-11)
The mighty works of the Lord on behalf of his people are testimonies to both God’s people and its enemies. Rahab declared, “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” (v.11). The people also recognized that only God could have done those works. The spies said to Joshua, “The Lord has surely given the whole land into our hands; all the people are melting in fear because of us” (v. 11).
We should desire that God’s presence and power be manifested in our lives, in our families, and our churches. When the message of salvation was proclaimed by the first disciples, God testified to it by signs, wonders and various miracles, and by gifts of the Holy Spirit distributed according to his will (Hebrews 2:4). God is still willing to do the same works in our churches, “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever” (Hebrews 13:8). It is up to us to welcome a great move of the Lord in our midst.
May the Lord richly bless you!
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Book of Joshua Challenge – Day 3 Joshua 3 (Please click on the blue links to be directed to the Readings)
And the Lord said to Joshua, “Today I will begin to exalt you in the eyes of all Israel, so they may know that I am with you as I was with Moses. 8 Tell the priests who carry the ark of the covenant: ‘When you reach the edge of the Jordan’s waters, go and stand in the river.’” (Joshua 3:7-8)
There is a great lesson about leadership in the church to learn from the two verses above (v. 7-8). Pastors and leaders don’t have to fight their way through position and recognition. They don’t have to demand recognition or constantly fighting for men’s credit and approval. The most important thing for leaders to do is to get very close to the Lord, to seek the Lord with all their hearts. The Lord himself will exalt the leaders by showing that he is with him.
When people know that you are friend with God, and that you have great success in prayer, your title or position will not matter much. Seek God, don’t seek recognition. “God is a rewarder of those who seek Him” (Hebrews 11:6).
May the Lord richly bless you!
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Book of Joshua Challenge – Day 4 Joshua 4 (Please click on the blue links to be directed to the Readings)
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.”(Joshua 4:4-7)
There are events of our lives that we need to forget, and there are others that we need to remember. The events that testify of the grace and mercy of the Lord toward us need to be remembered. They need to be remembered not only by us, but also by our children and the children of our children. Just as the children of Israel needed a memorial, we need to setup memorials to help us remember the mighty hand of God.
May the Lord richly bless you!
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Book of Joshua Challenge – Day 5 Joshua 5 (Please click on the blue links to be directed to the Readings)
13 When Joshua was near the town of Jericho, he looked up and saw a man standing in front of him with sword in hand. Joshua went up to him and demanded, “Are you friend or foe?”14 “Neither one,” he replied. “I am the commander of the Lord’s army.”At this, Joshua fell with his face to the ground in reverence. “I am at your command,” Joshua said. “What do you want your servant to do?” 15 The commander of the Lord’s army replied, “Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy.” And Joshua did as he was told. (Joshua 5:13-15)
In the Kingdom of God leaders are servant. In whatever position they may be, they recognize that they are not the number one. They report to the number one, they report to the Lord. The Lord is in charge, and if they let him have his way, they will obtain great success. Joshua naturally thought that he was the commander of the Lord’s army, until “the commander of the Lord’s army” introduced himself to him.
A Pastor may naturally see himself as the shepherd of his church. But people in position in the Kingdom of God will always have the “under” in their titles. Pastors are “Under Shepherds” reporting to the Chief Shepherd, the Lord Jesus (1 Peter 5:1-4). Fathers and mothers need to recognize that their children are the Lord’s. We all have a Father in Heaven. If we leaders let the Lord do the heavy lifting, everything will turn out ok.
May the Lord richly bless you!
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Book of Joshua Challenge – Day 6 Joshua 6 (Please click on the blue links to be directed to the Readings)
12 Then Joshua rose early in the morning, and the priests took up the ark of the Lord. 13 And the seven priests bearing the seven trumpets of rams' horns before the ark of the Lord walked on, and they blew the trumpets continually. And the armed men were walking before them, and the rear guard was walking after the ark of the Lord, while the trumpets blew continually. 14 And the second day they marched around the city once, and returned into the camp. So they did for six days.
15 On the seventh day they rose early, at the dawn of day, and marched around the city in the same manner seven times. It was only on that day that they marched around the city seven times. 16 And at the seventh time, when the priests had blown the trumpets, Joshua said to the people, “Shout, for the Lord has given you the city. (Joshua 6:12-16)
Our biggest temptation will always be whether or not we can trust the world of the Lord even when it doesn’t make any sense to us. Logically one army commander would not tire his army right before a battle, but this is exactly what the Lord did. The day of the great battle, the Israelites were commanded to walk around the city seven times. God placed them in a situation that they had to depend on him for victory. Probably tired, without siege equipment to conquer a walled city such as Jericho, they made a big shout on to the Lord. And the wall came tumbling down.
Let us make a joyful noise unto the Lord for he has given us victory (Psalms 100).
May the Lord richly bless you!
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Book of Joshua Challenge – Day 7 Joshua 7 (Please click on the blue links to be directed to the Readings)
But the children of Israel committed a trespass in the accursed thing: for Achan, the son of Carmi, the son of Zabdi, the son of Zerah, of the tribe of Judah, took of the accursed thing: and the anger of the Lord was kindled against the children of Israel. (Joshua 7:1)
5 And the men of Ai smote of them about thirty and six men: for they chased them from before the gate even unto Shebarim, and smote them in the going down: wherefore the hearts of the people melted, and became as water. (Joshua 7:5)
One of the images of the church in the Bible is a body. In a living body every member is interconnected. Harm to one part of the body causes the whole body to suffer. That is why one must resist the extreme individualist of personal salvation. It is true that “the soul who sins shall die” (Ezekiel 18:20). But in daily living, no one pays for the consequences of his sin alone. What we do affect everyone near us.
The Christian life is called to be lived in community, with responsibility and sincerity. Achan sinned against the Lord, but the whole community brought the consequences. His sin caused thirty six men to lose their lives, and put the very survival of the nation in jeopardy. We must always remember that our actions touch every other members of the body of Christ.
May the Lord richly bless you!
Book of Joshua Challenge – Day 8 Joshua 8 (Please click on the blue links to be directed to the Readings)
And the Lord said to Joshua, “Do not fear and do not be dismayed. Take all the fighting men with you, and arise, go up to Ai. See, I have given into your hand the king of Ai, and his people, his city, and his land. 2 And you shall do to Ai and its king as you did to Jericho and its king. Only its spoil and its livestock you shall take as plunder for yourselves. Lay an ambush against the city, behind it.” (Joshua 8:1-2)
One of the determinants of a great relationship is time. To have great relationships friends have to spend time together. When people spend time together there is a natural flow of sharing that solidifies the relationships. This is true for our earthly relationships, it is also true for our relationship with our Father in Heaven. The surest way to spiritual maturity is to spend time with God in worship and prayer.
In prayer, we talk to God and God talk back to us. There are moments in life that only a direct word from the Lord will get us out of a difficult situations. God knows the past, the present and the future. His counsel will always be the very best we can get. Joshua got the battle plan from God himself, his victory was thus a done deal. May it be the same for us!
May the Lord richly bless you!
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Book of Joshua Challenge – Day 9 Joshua 9 (Please click on the blue links to be directed to the Readings)
14 So the men took some of their provisions, but did not ask counsel from the Lord. 15 And Joshua made peace with them and made a covenant with them, to let them live, and the leaders of the congregation swore to them. (Joshua 9:14-15)
Some decisions seem so simple that even true God’s fearing leaders sometimes fall in the temptation of making their own decisions without inquiring of the Lord. This always proves to be a mistake. Joshua and the leaders of the congregation consented to befriend the Gibeonites without first asking the Lord. This was a deviation from the pattern of leadership that was clearly delineated for Joshua by Moses in the book of Numbers.
“He (Joshua) is to stand before Eleazar the priest, who will obtain decisions for him by inquiring of the Urim before the Lord. At his command he and the entire community of the Israelites will go out, and at his command they will come in” (Numbers 27:21). In the case of the covenant with the Gibeonites, Joshua did not consult the Lord first, he failed to follow proper protocol. That was a grave mistake that the whole congregation will regret later on.
All of us should learn from Joshua’s mistake, no decision is too small to acknowlege in it. “Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.” (Proverbs 3:5-6)
May the Lord richly bless you!
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Book of Joshua Challenge – Day 10 Joshua 10 (Please click on the blue links to be directed to the Readings)
7 So Joshua marched up from Gilgal with his entire army, including all the best fighting men. 8 The Lord said to Joshua, “Do not be afraid of them; I have given them into your hand. Not one of them will be able to withstand you.”
9 After an all-night march from Gilgal, Joshua took them by surprise. 10 The Lord threw them into confusion before Israel, so Joshua and the Israelites defeated them completely at Gibeon. Israel pursued them along the road going up to Beth Horon and cut them down all the way to Azekah and Makkedah. 11 As they fled before Israel on the road down from Beth Horon to Azekah, the Lord hurled large hailstones down on them, and more of them died from the hail than were killed by the swords of the Israelites. (Joshua 10:7-11)
Many modern people cannot pass the blockage that the Book of Joshua presents to their sensitivity. However, one thing we must keep in mind when we read the stories of the annihilation of entire cities by the Israelites is, it was the Lord fighting for Israel. Another consideration is that the Lord had been very patient with those nations. It was their refusal to turn away from their detestable acts of worship and their false dealings with their neighbors that caused their doom.
10 Let no one be found among you who sacrifices their son or daughter in the fire, who practices divination or sorcery, interprets omens, engages in witchcraft, 11 or casts spells, or who is a medium or spiritist or who consults the dead. 12 Anyone who does these things is detestable to the Lord; because of these same detestable practices the Lord your God will drive out those nations before you. (Deuteronomy 18:10-12)
May the Lord richly bless you!
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Book of Joshua Challenge – Day 11 Joshua 11 (Please click on the blue links to be directed to the Readings)
6 The Lord said to Joshua, “Do not be afraid of them, because by this time tomorrow I will hand all of them, slain, over to Israel. You are to hamstring their horses and burn their chariots.”
7 So Joshua and his whole army came against them suddenly at the Waters of Merom and attacked them, 8 and the Lord gave them into the hand of Israel. They defeated them and pursued them all the way to Greater Sidon, to Misrephoth Maim, and to the Valley of Mizpah on the east, until no survivors were left. 9 Joshua did to them as the Lord had directed: He hamstrung their horses and burned their chariots. (Joshua 11:6-9)
When the Lord is fighting for us, no matter what the odds are, there is no need to be afraid. Israel was outnumbered, “They came out with all their troops and a large number of horses and chariots—a huge army, as numerous as the sand on the seashore” (Joshua 11:4). But it did not matter, for the Lord was fighting for them. They defeated the enemies completely.
The Lord Jesus has given us, his disciples, authority to drive out impure spirits and to heal every disease and sickness (Matthew 10:1). Will we embrace our God’s giving responsibilities?
May the Lord richly bless you!
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Book of Joshua Challenge – Day 12 Joshua 12 (Please click on the blue links to be directed to the Readings)
Now these are the kings of the land whom the people of Israel defeated and took possession of their land beyond the Jordan toward the sunrise, from the Valley of the Arnon to Mount Hermon, with all the Arabah eastward:
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6 Moses, the servant of the Lord, and the people of Israel defeated them. And Moses the servant of the Lord gave their land for a possession to the Reubenites and the Gadites and the half-tribe of Manasseh. (Joshua 12:1-6)
God had promised Canaan to the whole nation of Israel, but the Reubenites and the Gadites and the half-tribe of Manasseh preferred to settle outside of the Promised Land. They had a lot of flocks, and were contented with receiving their inheritance outside of Canaan. Economically it seemed, at the time, to be a good decision when they went to Moses to request that they stayed beyond the river (Numbers 32:1-5). But spiritually it led to disaster, they became the first tribes to go into captivity (1 Chronicles 5:25-26).
We should be careful not to settle only on earthly blessings. Let’s keep our eyes fixed on heaven and the rewards reserved to those who persevered till the end (Matthew 10:22, Revelation 2:10, 1 Peter 5:4).
May the Lord richly bless you!
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Book of Joshua Challenge – Day 13 Joshua 13 (Please click on the blue links to be directed to the Readings)
33 But to the tribe of Levi Moses gave no inheritance; the Lord God of Israel is their inheritance, just as he said to them. (Joshua 13:33)
Everyone would love to be self-sufficient, to be financially independent. Money and possession give people the illusion of security. We say illusion because any security built on material things is transitory. We all can name some very rich dictators by example who had so much money and wealth, but ended up at the end of their lives in total destitution. True security is found only in God.
The tribe of Levi were the priests of the people of Israel, the Lord was their inheritance. Humanly speaking it was a very scary way to live, they could never be self-sufficient. Also as Christians, a Kingdom of priests for God (Revelation 1:6), we can never be self-sufficient. Our confidence is not on things of this world, but on God who is our inheritance. We should be able to say with the psalmist in Psalms 16:5, “Lord, you alone are my inheritance, my cup of blessing. You guard all that is mine.”
May the Lord richly bless you!
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Book of Joshua Challenge – Day 14 Joshua 14 (Please click on the blue links to be directed to the Readings)
10 “Now then, just as the Lord promised, he has kept me alive for forty-five years since the time he said this to Moses, while Israel moved about in the wilderness. So here I am today, eighty-five years old! 11 I am still as strong today as the day Moses sent me out; I’m just as vigorous to go out to battle now as I was then. 12 Now give me this hill country that the Lord promised me that day. You yourself heard then that the Anakites were there and their cities were large and fortified, but, the Lord helping me, I will drive them out just as he said.” (Joshua 14:10-12)
How long should we wait for a promise? Caleb waited for forty-five years without being discouraged. The promise was made when he was forty, and now as an eighty-five years old man he is ready to claim the fulfillment of the promise. The interesting thing is that because of the promise, there was an eighty-five years old man in a forty-year old body. Caleb stayed strong and vigorous because he had a promise to hold on to, and an inheritance to look forward to.
Sometimes we made poor decision because of the desperation of time, we feel that time is passing us by. We cut corners because we feel that our biological clock is ticking away. However, all that we need to remember is that God is the master of time. He will slow the clock down for us in order that his promise may be fulfilled in our lives. We don't have to rush into ungodly compromises because we are getting old. God will make it up to us.
May the Lord richly bless you!
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Book of Joshua Challenge – Day 15 Joshua 15 (Please click on the blue links to be directed to the Readings)
Judah could not dislodge the Jebusites, who were living in Jerusalem; to this day the Jebusites live there with the people of Judah. (Joshua 15:63)
What kept the tribe of Judah from dislodging the Jebusites? The biblical writer did not give us an explanation for Judah’s failure. Nevertheless, from what we have learned from the previous chapters, we can venture to say they failed because of unbelief and disunity. It was unbelief, because the Lord had stopped fighting for them. It was a lack of unity, because they were trying as a tribe, not as the nation of Israel, to dislodge the Jebusites.
The Israelites were successful in their previous conquests simply because the Lord was fighting for them, not because they had a better army or were better equipped than their enemies. Under the direct command of the Lord no one was able to resist them. If we want to be victorious in our fights against the world, the flesh and Satan, we need to let God do the fighting for us. We need to hold fast to our faith in God, and be totally obedient to his word.
May the Lord richly bless you
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Book of Joshua Challenge – Day 16 Joshua 16 (Please click on the blue links to be directed to the Readings)
10 They did not dislodge the Canaanites living in Gezer; to this day the Canaanites live among the people of Ephraim but are required to do forced labor. (Joshua 16:10)
In the previous chapter we saw that the tribe of Judah failed to dislodge the Jebusites. We find the same refrain in this chapter, but in a worst light. They did not dislodge the Canaanites living in Gezer; to this day the Canaanites live among the people of Ephraim but are required to do forced labor (v. 10). The two tribes, Manasseh and Ephrahim, failed to dislodge the enemies because of greed. They kept them around so they can get forced labor out of them. Their greed kept them from obeying the command of the Lord to get rid of the Canaanites.
Wall Street may say that greed is good, but we know that greed is very bad for the soul. “For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows” (1 Timothy 6:10).
May the Lord richly bless you!
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Book of Joshua Challenge – Day 17 Joshua 17 (Please click on the blue links to be directed to the Readings)
14 The people of Joseph said to Joshua, “Why have you given us only one allotment and one portion for an inheritance? We are a numerous people, and the Lord has blessed us abundantly.”
15 “If you are so numerous,” Joshua answered, “and if the hill country of Ephraim is too small for you, go up into the forest and clear land for yourselves there in the land of the Perizzites and Rephaites.”
16 The people of Joseph replied, “The hill country is not enough for us, and all the Canaanites who live in the plain have chariots fitted with iron, both those in Beth Shan and its settlements and those in the Valley of Jezreel.”
17 But Joshua said to the tribes of Joseph—to Ephraim and Manasseh—“You are numerous and very powerful. You will have not only one allotment 18 but the forested hill country as well. Clear it, and its farthest limits will be yours; though the Canaanites have chariots fitted with iron and though they are strong, you can drive them out.” (Joshua 17:14-18)
The tribes of Joseph recognized that they had been blessed by God. But instead of walking in the blessings of the Lord, to go from blessings to blessings, they preferred to look at the natural instead of the supernatural. “And all the Canaanites who live in the plain have chariots fitted with iron” was one of the excuses they gave to Joshua for not conquering the territory allocated to them.
Joshua would have none of it. Ephraim and Manasseh were more capable than they thought of themselves. Joshua reminded them that they had to look beyond the fact that the enemies had “chariots fitted with iron.” With God fighting for them, no one could resist them. It is the same truth for us Christians, we have no excuses for not walking in victory, no excuses for not walking from glory to glory. We have the Holy Spirit living inside of us, we can do all things through Christ who strengthens us (Philippians 4:13).
May the Lord richly bless you!
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Book of Joshua Challenge – Day 18 Joshua 18 (Please click on the blue links to be directed to the Readings)
Then the whole congregation of the people of Israel assembled at Shiloh and set up the tent of meeting there. The land lay subdued before them.
2 There remained among the people of Israel seven tribes whose inheritance had not yet been apportioned. 3 So Joshua said to the people of Israel, “How long will you put off going in to take possession of the land, which the Lord, the God of your fathers, has given you? (Joshua 18:3)
“How long will you put off going in to take possession of the land, which the Lord, the God of your fathers, has given you (v. 3)? A similar question can be put to most of us Christians. In Ephesians 1:3, we read: “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places.” The fact is that God has already given us every blessing that we will ever need. All we need to do is to take possession of the blessings that God has already given us.
May the Lord richly bless you!
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Book of Joshua Challenge – Day 19 Joshua 19 (Please click on the blue links to be directed to the Readings)
49 When they had finished distributing the several territories of the land as inheritances, the people of Israel gave an inheritance among them to Joshua the son of Nun. 50 By command of the Lord they gave him the city that he asked, Timnath-serah in the hill country of Ephraim. And he rebuilt the city and settled in it.
51 These are the inheritances that Eleazar the priest and Joshua the son of Nun and the heads of the fathers' houses of the tribes of the people of Israel distributed by lot at Shiloh before the Lord, at the entrance of the tent of meeting. So they finished dividing the land. (Joshua 19:49-51)
Can New Testament believers use lot to make decision as Old Testament believers did? Casting of lots was used only once in the New Testament. The Apostles sensing that the place that was occupied by Judah should not be left empty cast lots to select between Justus and Matthias. And they cast lots for them, and the lot fell on Matthias, and he was numbered with the eleven apostles (Acts 1:26).“ We never heard of Matthias again in the New Testament.
For a New Testament church there is no need to turn to casting of lots for sound decisions since we have the Holy Spirit to guide us. The church can hear the voice of the Holy Spirit in making its decision. “While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, “Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them (Acts 13:2).” There is a big difference between a map and a GPS, better to have a driver who has made the trip multiple times than to have a GPS.
The Holy Spirit will lead us into all truth. (John 16:13)
May the Lord richly bless you!
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Book of Joshua Challenge – Day 20 Joshua 20 (Please click on the blue links to be directed to the Readings)
9 These were the cities designated for all the people of Israel and for the stranger sojourning among them, that anyone who killed a person without intent could flee there, so that he might not die by the hand of the avenger of blood, till he stood before the congregation. (Joshua 20:9)
The Death Penalty law for murderers was stipulated by God to Noah right after the deluge. ““Whoever sheds the blood of man, by man shall his blood be shed, for God made man in his own image” (Genesis 9:6). God’s concern in that law is primary for his glory. Every attack on a human being is an attack on the glory of God, for God made man in his own image.
It is with great sadness that we witness in this present age how little respect that a lot of men give to the sacredness of the life of another human being. People go to the extreme of killing their own loved ones, and then killing themselves afterwards. No one can get away with murder, “And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment” (Hebrews 9:27).
Even in the New Testament, the status of a murderer is death, “…you know that no murderer has eternal life residing in him” (1 John 3:15). To escape the death that we all deserve because of our sin, we must find a refuge in Jesus. For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. (Romans 6:23).
May the Lord richly bless you!
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Book of Joshua Challenge – Day 21 Joshua 21 (Please click on the blue links to be directed to the Readings)
43 So the Lord gave Israel all the land he had sworn to give their ancestors, and they took possession of it and settled there. 44 The Lord gave them rest on every side, just as he had sworn to their ancestors. Not one of their enemies withstood them; the Lord gave all their enemies into their hands. 45 Not one of all the Lord’s good promises to Israel failed; every one was fulfilled. (Joshua 20:9)
The verses above are a quick summary of the conquest of the Promised Land. They explained why the Israelites were successful in taking possession of the land. It was not because they had a superior army, only because God gave it to them. God is faithful, he fulfilled to the letter his promises to the descendants of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
In Genesis 13, God told Abraham, ““I will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. 3 I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.” Through our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ we are partaker of the blessing of eternal life. Salvation is from the Jews (John 4:22).
May the Lord richly bless you!
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Book of Joshua Challenge – Day 22 Joshua 22 (Please click on the blue links to be directed to the Readings)
24 “No! We did it for fear that some day your descendants might say to ours, ‘What do you have to do with the Lord, the God of Israel? 25 The Lord has made the Jordan a boundary between us and you—you Reubenites and Gadites! You have no share in the Lord.’ So your descendants might cause ours to stop fearing the Lord.
26 “That is why we said, ‘Let us get ready and build an altar—but not for burnt offerings or sacrifices.’ 27 On the contrary, it is to be a witness between us and you and the generations that follow, that we will worship the Lord at his sanctuary with our burnt offerings, sacrifices and fellowship offerings. Then in the future your descendants will not be able to say to ours, ‘You have no share in the Lord.’
28 “And we said, ‘If they ever say this to us, or to our descendants, we will answer: Look at the replica of the Lord’s altar, which our ancestors built, not for burnt offerings and sacrifices, but as a witness between us and you.’ (Joshua 22:24-28)
We usually sing the song “I have decided to follow Jesus” during our baptism service. During the migration of the Israelites to the Promised Land, God opened the Red Sea and the Jourdan in front them. Those miracles demonstrated the power of God and created fear in the heart of the enemies. They also demonstrated to the people of God that there was a total separation between their former lives and the new life ahead of them. They cannot go back.
We need to avoid the errors of the Reubenites and the Gadites. It is impossible to have one foot in the kingdom of God and one foot in the world. Our baptism is a sign of complete separation from the world. No coming back, no coming back.
May the Lord richly bless you!
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Book of Joshua Challenge – Day 23 Joshua 23 (Please click on the blue links to be directed to the Readings)
8 But you are to hold fast to the Lord your God, as you have until now.
9 “The Lord has driven out before you great and powerful nations; to this day no one has been able to withstand you. 10 One of you routs a thousand, because the Lord your God fights for you, just as he promised. 11 So be very careful to love the Lord your God. (Joshua 23:8-11)
The love of a man for a woman, the love of a parent for his children, and the love of man for God are all different kinds of love. Joshua told the Israelites to be very careful to love the Lord your God (v. 11). Can we force ourselves to love God? The answer is obviously yes, otherwise we will not be commanded to do it, both in the Old Testament and in the New Testament.
Jesus reiterated the greatest commandment in Matthew 22:37, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.” This kind of love is a choice, it starts with obedience. It grows out of faith, not of feelings (2 Corinthians 5:6). It involves discipline. If ye love me, keep my commandments (John 14:15). The fear of the Lord leads to love for the Lord.
May the Lord richly bless you!
Hello:
We have reached the end of the Book of Joshua Challenge, tomorrow we will start the Book of Judges Challenge.
Book of Joshua Challenge – Day 24 Joshua 24 (Please click on the blue links to be directed to the Readings)
Then Joshua assembled all the tribes of Israel at Shechem. He summoned the elders, leaders, judges and officials of Israel, and they presented themselves before God. (Joshua 24:1)
For the last 24 days Maranatha Grace Church has been reading the book of Joshua as a preparation to go to 982. We have grown considerably on our understanding of the mighty power of the Lord on behalf of his people. God wants his people to be blessed. He wants them to have a testimony. A testimony of his goodness, of his grace, of his faithfulness toward them. My question to us is the following: Do you have a testimony? Joshua 24 shows us how we should testify.
There are two key points regarding a good testimony.
This is what the Lord, the God of Israel says, “His testimony.” God started by enumerating all that he has done for the Israelites. His reminder was not a reproach but rather an opportunity for them to respond positively, to testify. He delivered them from false gods. He delivered them from slavery, he delivered them from very powerful enemiel. He delivered them from lack into abundance.
There is a choice to be made: 14 “Now fear the Lord and serve him with all faithfulness.” The fear of the Lord is a treasure (Isaiah 33:6). It is also the key to God’s treasure. It leads to obedience, then to faith, and to love.
May the Lord richly bless you!