Live with Courage

 DEVOTION

JOSHUA

LIVE WITH COURAGE

Josh 8:1-8

8:1 Then the LORD said to Joshua, "Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged. Take the whole army with you, and go up and attack Ai. For I have delivered into your hands the king of Ai, his people, his city and his land. 2 You shall do to Ai and its king as you did to Jericho and its king, except that you may carry off their plunder and livestock for yourselves. Set an ambush behind the city." 3 So Joshua and the whole army moved out to attack Ai. He chose thirty thousand of his best fighting men and sent them out at night 4 with these orders: "Listen carefully. You are to set an ambush behind the city. Don't go very far from it. All of you be on the alert. 5 I and all those with me will advance on the city, and when the men come out against us, as they did before, we will flee from them. 6 They will pursue us until we have lured them away from the city, for they will say, 'They are running away from us as they did before.' So when we flee from them, 7 you are to rise up from ambush and take the city. The LORD your God will give it into your hand. 8 When you have taken the city, set it on fire. Do what the LORD has commanded. See to it; you have my orders."

NIV

The LORD spoke to Joshua, and his first words were, “Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged”. From Genesis to Revelation, the phrase, “Do not be afraid” appears sixty-nine times. God told Abraham, Moses, Joshua, and Elijah. Daniel, David, Joseph, Mary, the disciple, Paul, not to be afraid, just to name a few. Six times the phrase, “do not be discouraged” appears, with the word courage showing up twenty-one times. We learn here that we should live without ever being afraid or becoming discouraged about anything, but instead live with courage, for the Lord is with us. There are two ways we could understand, “The Lord is with us”. First, if the Lord is with us that would mean he is not against us. It would be like if we were a group of men and we had to choose sides for a game of sports, we would ask who is with us, step forward, those who are not with us will be against us. Therefore we can have confidence the Lord is on our side, or we could say we are on his side, either way, the Lord is with us. Second, we could see the Lord being with us, as being within us. We have been given the Holy Spirit who dwells within us. He is the third person of the Triune Godhead; therefore we would be right to think God dwells within us. That should shake us to the core, yet at the same time give us great comfort, knowing we have nothing to fear,  no reason to be afraid or discouraged, but rather free to live a life of courage. The other phrase, “Listen carefully” appears six times, with “Listen” showing up over two hundred times. This would give us a clue as to why we could not be afraid or discouraged, but instead, be free to live with courage. Listening carefully to the word of the Lord.  It is one thing for the Lord to be with us, and dwell within us, but if we close our ears, and more importantly our hearts to his voice, we will not fully grasp the truth about living without being afraid or discouraged, and we will not live freely with courage. Let us listen carefully and not be afraid, but live with courage. 

No hiding from God

 DEVOTION

JOSHUA

NO HIDING FROM GOD

Josh 7:13-26

13 "Go, consecrate the people. Tell them, 'Consecrate yourselves in preparation for tomorrow; for this is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: That which is devoted is among you, O Israel. You cannot stand against your enemies until you remove it. 14 "'In the morning, present yourselves tribe by tribe. The tribe that the LORD takes shall come forward clan by clan; the clan that the LORD takes shall come forward family by family; and the family that the LORD takes shall come forward man by man. 15 He who is caught with the devoted things shall be destroyed by fire, along with all that belongs to him. He has violated the covenant of the LORD and has done a disgraceful thing in Israel!'" 16 Early the next morning Joshua had Israel come forward by tribes, and Judah was taken. 17 The clans of Judah came forward, and he took the Zerahites. He had the clan of the Zerahites come forward by families, and Zimri was taken. 18 Joshua had his family come forward man by man, and Achan son of Carmi, the son of Zimri, the son of Zerah, of the tribe of Judah, was taken. 19 Then Joshua said to Achan, "My son, give glory to the LORD, the God of Israel, and give him the praise. Tell me what you have done; do not hide it from me." 20 Achan replied, "It is true! I have sinned against the LORD, the God of Israel. This is what I have done: 21 When I saw in the plunder a beautiful robe from Babylonia, two hundred shekels of silver and a wedge of gold weighing fifty shekels, I coveted them and took them. They are hidden in the ground inside my tent, with the silver underneath." 22 So Joshua sent messengers, and they ran to the tent, and there it was, hidden in his tent, with the silver underneath. 23 They took the things from the tent, brought them to Joshua and all the Israelites and spread them out before the LORD. 24 Then Joshua, together with all Israel, took Achan son of Zerah, the silver, the robe, the gold wedge, his sons and daughters, his cattle, donkeys and sheep, his tent and all that he had, to the Valley of Achor. 25 Joshua said, "Why have you brought this trouble on us? The LORD will bring trouble on you today." Then all Israel stoned him, and after they had stoned the rest, they burned them. 26 Over Achan they heaped up a large pile of rocks, which remains to this day. Then the LORD turned from his fierce anger. Therefore that place has been called the Valley of Achor ever since.

NIV

This is the rest of the story. Although they came tribe by tribe, family by family, and man by man, the LORD knew exactly who he would call out and his name. Achan was the man the LORD was waiting for a confession of guilt. What happened is not part of our lives as we live under grace. We do not need to be concerned that the church will take us outside and stone us and then burn all our possessions, in fact, that is so far from how we live by faith today. Yet, there is this one idea that causes us to ponder. First, Achan coveted this robe from Babylonia and about five pounds of silver and about one and a half pounds of gold and he took them and buried them in the ground within his tent. We wonder what good that silver and gold would be if it was buried in the ground. Was it that Achan just knew he had it and that was enough? But the truth here is about coveting. We live in a culture where we are exposed to so many things. We can shop in any store in the world in our pajamas when we scroll the internet. We can see so much we would like to have that we do not even recognize we are coveting. Yet, are we disobeying God, as Achan did? The Israelites were specially commanded not to take anything, but to destroy everything which included all that is devoted to destruction. We are simply told not to covet what belongs to someone else, whether that is his salary, education, or fame. We cannot allow ourselves to be jealous of someone’s good looks, the car they have, or the position in the body of Christ. However, are we wrong to want what we see in the store when we have the funds to buy it? Is that coveting? It is just a thought. Yet, the other truth that is staring at us is the idea that Achon tried to hide his sin. The Lord knew who it was before the confession took place. There is nothing hidden from the Lord God Almighty, for if there could be anything hidden from him he would not be the Lord God Almighty. We can hide things, even our sins from other people, but we cannot hide anything from our Lord. We might try to bury something deep within our hearts, as men can only see our exterior, while God sees deep within our hearts. David knew this truth when he penned Psalm 139. He asked the Lord to search him for He knows him, and that the Lord knows when we sit and when we rise and He perceives our thoughts from afar. The Lord discerns our going out and our lying down and the Lord is familiar with all our ways. He knows before a word is on our tongue. David knew the lord knows us completely. We cannot hide anything, even our thoughts from the Lord. Let us be aware of the grace we live within, however, we also need to be aware of living with the Living God Almighty who dwells within us as the Holy Spirit, who knows everything about us, although we do not need to live in fear of God, yet in reverence of him because of grace. Let us never even attempt to hide anything from God.

 

Get Rid of Them

 DEVOTION

JOSHUA

GET RID OF THEM

Josh 7:6-12

6 Then Joshua tore his clothes and fell facedown to the ground before the ark of the LORD, remaining there till evening. The elders of Israel did the same, and sprinkled dust on their heads. 7 And Joshua said, "Ah, Sovereign LORD, why did you ever bring this people across the Jordan to deliver us into the hands of the Amorites to destroy us? If only we had been content to stay on the other side of the Jordan! 8 O Lord, what can I say, now that Israel has been routed by its enemies? 9 The Canaanites and the other people of the country will hear about this and they will surround us and wipe out our name from the earth. What then will you do for your own great name?" 10 The LORD said to Joshua, "Stand up! What are you doing down on your face? 11 Israel has sinned; they have violated my covenant, which I commanded them to keep. They have taken some of the devoted things; they have stolen, they have lied, they have put them with their own possessions. 12 That is why the Israelites cannot stand against their enemies; they turn their backs and run because they have been made liable to destruction. I will not be with you anymore unless you destroy whatever among you is devoted to destruction.

NIV

We are still in the portion where some devoted things, false gods, and hidden things from the plunder of Jericho are the main topics of this chapter. Because the fighting men were routed by their enemy, Joshua and the elders prostrated themselves before the ark of the LORD. But the Lord told Joshua to stand up and informed him there were things in the camp devoted to destruction and unless they were destroyed, Israel would not be able to stand; in fact, the Lord will no longer be with Joshua or the people. That is harsh, and it seems easy to glean a truth for our lives. We know that Jesus said that he would never leave us nor forsake us and that we have the Spirit dwelling within us, however, there is something we need to ponder. Is it possible that we have anything that we have hidden from the Lord? Are we putting value in or on something that takes our face from the Lord? We know we are warned in Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians about eating the communion unworthily, which caused many of them to be sick and even some fell asleep, or died. We are to examine ourselves before we take communion and see if we have any unconfessed sin in our lives before we partake in the Lord’s supper. However, what about our daily lives? Why are there not massive amounts of healing in the church? Oh, we see scenes from some churches where hundreds are under the influence of the Spirit, and many healings are happening, but is it real, or are the people under the influence of some false teacher? Still, we do wonder why we do not see many healings in our local churches. Are we hiding anything from the Lord? Are we trusting in anything more than the Lord? Have we put more value on anything than on Jesus? Is the Lord our utmost important focus in our lives? This is not to say we cannot enjoy things, but what or who is the reason we have those things? We are told to seek first the kingdom of God, that is our first and foremost focus is supposed to be on the Lord and His kingdom, our spiritual journey being influenced by the Spirit. We are told to forget what is behind us and strain toward our goal, the prize, the kingdom of God. Yes, we have to live in this world and engage in daily activities, some of which may not appear religious or spiritual, but that does not mean we have forgotten or should not mean we should forget the presence of our Lord. Maybe, just a thought, not a judgment, if we faced the Lord instead of some hidden thing, we would see more healing. God told them to rid themselves of anything of destruction, and we might consider if we have anything in our lives we need to get rid of. 

A Treacherous Act

 DEVOTION

JOSHUA

A TREACHEROUS ACT

Josh 7:1-5

7:1 But the Israelites acted unfaithfully in regard to the devoted things; Achan son of Carmi, the son of Zimri, the son of Zerah, of the tribe of Judah, took some of them. So the LORD's anger burned against Israel. 2 Now Joshua sent men from Jericho to Ai, which is near Beth Aven to the east of Bethel, and told them, "Go up and spy out the region." So the men went up and spied out Ai. 3 When they returned to Joshua, they said, "Not all the people will have to go up against Ai. Send two or three thousand men to take it and do not weary all the people, for only a few men are there." 4 So about three thousand men went up; but they were routed by the men of Ai, 5 who killed about thirty-six of them. They chased the Israelites from the city gate as far as the stone quarries and struck them down on the slopes. At this the hearts of the people melted and became like water.

NIV

Chapter seven deals with the unfaithful act of one man who took some of the plunder from Jericho and hid it under the ground of his tent. We will find out all about that as we go further into this chapter, but we can now see that unfaithfulness has a cost. Instead of three thousand fighting men taking the city of Ai, they were routed and about thirty-six of them were stuck down, and then the men of Ai chased the Israelites and struck them down on the slopes. We would think that means all the rest of the two or three thousand Israelites leaving none of them alive. We do live in the age of grace because God sent Jesus to reconcile himself to his creation and to redeem us. However, even though our sins are forgiven, there is a difference between sin and unfaithfulness. When we examine the Hebrew word translated as unfaithful, ma’al, its direct meaning, is to betray trust, which we think would be a purposeful choice to be unloyal or disobedient to God. However, isn’t all sin we commit a choice we make? Do we not know what sin is? Of course, we do because we know the word of God and what is right and wrong in the eyes of the Lord. Still, is it possible for us to live free of all sin? That is doubtful, and we can be sure that we sin, that we do that which we do not want to do, and that we do not do that which we should do. Even the Apostle Paul struggled with that same issue. Yet it is a treacherous act when it is a decision of our will, knowing something is wrong to simply say to ourselves, we don’t care, we want to do this thing or act this way, think these thoughts, or say these words anyway. Sure, we all make mistakes and we seek the Lord’s forgiveness. But to willfully act against God, and keep that a secret, hiding in the ground under our tent, so to speak, as we will find out what happened, is where we run into danger, into the dark side, not allowing the light of God to expose our sin. Let us try, with the strength of the Lord, and the power of the Spirit to always walk in the light so that our sins are covered by the blood of Jesus. Let us never commit a treacherous act against God. 

Promised Homeland

 DEVOTION

JOSHUA

PROMISED HOMELAND

Josh 6:22-25

22 Joshua said to the two men who had spied out the land, "Go into the prostitute's house and bring her out and all who belong to her, in accordance with your oath to her." 23 So the young men who had done the spying went in and brought out Rahab, her father and mother and brothers and all who belonged to her. They brought out her entire family and put them in a place outside the camp of Israel. 24 Then they burned the whole city and everything in it, but they put the silver and gold and the articles of bronze and iron into the treasury of the LORD's house. 25 But Joshua spared Rahab the prostitute, with her family and all who belonged to her, because she hid the men Joshua had sent as spies to Jericho — and she lives among the Israelites to this day.

NIV

Of course, Rahab lived among the Israelites to this day, as they lived in their Promised Land, their true homeland. She was to become the mother of Boaz, the kinsman redeemer. Still, more importantly, he was the father of Obad who was the father of Jesse, who was the father of David, whose throne would be the throne forever, as Jesus came through the line of David, and thus through the line of Rahab who was spared when Jericho was completely destroyed. Let us use this to see that we are now in the line of Jesus, because He is in us. We are in Him, as He has stated as John records in his gospel. Jesus also said that if we remain in Him, He will remain in us. He are co-heir with Jesus and we could then say that we are in the same family, as we are in the family of God, with the right to be called children of God. In some sense, we are in the line of Rahab, but it goes back much farther, as we are in the line of Abraham, Noah, and Adam, unlike those before us who died, we will live forever with our Lord Jesus. We all have a human heritage, an ancestral line that some can trace back perhaps five, six, or even maybe ten generations. Most of us are proud of our ancestry with the ability to know our ancestral homeland, and when they migrated to this country. However, we are both proud and humbled that we are true ancestral line is in Jesus. Our humility comes from the fact our salvation is a free gift from God because of what Jesus did on the cross. But we should also be more proud of being in the line of Jesus, than all our other ancestors. He came from the true homeland that we will someday live in, as He is coming back to take us where He is so that we will live with Him. That is the Promised Land, our Promised Homeland, for we already live in the kingdom of God. Rahab was saved and lives with Israel to this day, and we are saved and will live forever in our promised homeland.

Loud Voices

 DEVOTION

JOSHUA

LOUD VOICES

Josh 6:12-21

12 Joshua got up early the next morning and the priests took up the ark of the LORD. 13 The seven priests carrying the seven trumpets went forward, marching before the ark of the LORD and blowing the trumpets. The armed men went ahead of them and the rear guard followed the ark of the LORD, while the trumpets kept sounding. 14 So on the second day they marched around the city once and returned to the camp. They did this for six days. 15 On the seventh day, they got up at daybreak and marched around the city seven times in the same manner, except that on that day they circled the city seven times. 16 The seventh time around, when the priests sounded the trumpet blast, Joshua commanded the people, "Shout! For the LORD has given you the city! 17 The city and all that is in it are to be devoted to the LORD. Only Rahab the prostitute and all who are with her in her house shall be spared, because she hid the spies we sent. 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. 19 All the silver and gold and the articles of bronze and iron are sacred to the LORD and must go into his treasury." 20 When the trumpets sounded, the people shouted, and at the sound of the trumpet, when the people gave a loud shout, the wall collapsed; so every man charged straight in, and they took the city. 21 They devoted the city to the LORD and destroyed with the sword every living thing in it — men and women, young and old, cattle, sheep and donkeys.

NIV

Six days they were to march around the city once and then on the seventh day everything would happen just as the Lord had commanded. Interestingly, the Lord had them work for six days, and then on the seventh, they received the blessing of God. Even though they marched seven times on the seventh day, at the sound of the trumpets, the city walls came down just by their voices, their spoken words, as a loud shout, although we are not sure what that sound was like, it could have been like a war cry. They were also commanded not to take any of the devoted or the Hebrew word, which could mean accursed things, foreign gods within the walls of Jericho. This was a brutal assault on the city killing every living thing, all people, men, women, children, and all livestock. We cannot even imagine the horrific scene this would have been. What lesson can we learn from the narrative of the walls tumbling down? There could be two ways this might be relevant in our lives. First, there was a time when we built a great wall around our hearts and minds. We kept everything inside, and what was there was not devoted to God but to our passions. Yet, by the word of God, and He did not have to shout, although his voice was loud and clear, the walls around our hearts came tumbling down. Jesus entered straight into our hearts and killed everything that was devoted to self, forgiving all our sins, and putting them to death, but unlike the citizens of Jericho, Jesus gave us life. Secondly, we could see this as the walled city of Satan, and the evil of this world. We have the authority to speak to that evil in the name of Jesus and see it crash down. We have the authority to tell Satan, "Get behind me!” and he has no other choice than to obey our words. We also think there might be a third way this shout could be used and that is all the things devoted to this world. There are many loud shouts, or voices in this world that could cause our walls to come tumbling down, but that will never be the case as long as we are safe in the fortress of our God. Their voices may seem loud, but they are mute to us, we cannot hear them anymore, or at least we should not, for if we were to pay attention to the loud shouts of this world, it may not cause the walls to come down, but it might cause us to stumble, to get tripped up, lose our footing, and get off the path of God. Let us only hear the words of our Lord, and we will be safe and sound within the city of God. No matter how loud the world shouts, or how many times it tries to march around us, or blow any trumpets,  we will pay them no attention for we are only going to hear the trumpet of God when Jesus calls us home.

Living By Instructions

 DEVOTION

JOSHUA

LIVING BY INSTRUCTIONS

Josh 6:1-11

6:1 Now Jericho was tightly shut up because of the Israelites. No one went out and no one came in. 2 Then the LORD said to Joshua, "See, I have delivered Jericho into your hands, along with its king and its fighting men. 3 March around the city once with all the armed men. Do this for six days. 4 Have seven priests carry trumpets of rams' horns in front of the ark. On the seventh day, march around the city seven times, with the priests blowing the trumpets. 5 When you hear them sound a long blast on the trumpets, have all the people give a loud shout; then the wall of the city will collapse and the people will go up, every man straight in." 6 So Joshua son of Nun called the priests and said to them, "Take up the ark of the covenant of the LORD and have seven priests carry trumpets in front of it." 7 And he ordered the people, "Advance! March around the city, with the armed guard going ahead of the ark of the LORD." 8 When Joshua had spoken to the people, the seven priests carrying the seven trumpets before the LORD went forward, blowing their trumpets, and the ark of the LORD's covenant followed them. 9 The armed guard marched ahead of the priests who blew the trumpets, and the rear guard followed the ark. All this time the trumpets were sounding. 10 But Joshua had commanded the people, "Do not give a war cry, do not raise your voices, do not say a word until the day I tell you to shout. Then shout!" 11 So he had the ark of the LORD carried around the city, circling it once. Then the people returned to camp and spent the night there.

NIV

We know this story about the walls of Jericho, in fact, there is a children’s song with the Chorus, “Joshua fought the battle of Jericho, Jericho, Jericho, Joshua fought the battle of Jericho and the walls came tumbling down”. Yet there is something in the beginning of this narrative about the walls of Jericho that causes us to reflect on our walk with Jesus. God spoke to Joshua and confirmed what He would do for Joshua and all the people of Israel. God was the one who would deliver the city to Joshua. God is the one who would fight the battle against the walls of the city that were all shut up. Of course, God gave specific instructions for the part that Joshua and all of Israel. Here is where our lives intervene into this narrative, or where we find our life lesson. First, it would be wise on our part to stand still or be still and know He is God. We should know that God has always had a plan and a purpose for our lives. He has spoken to us through several means over the years. First, we have His divine word giving us instructions on how we are to live by accepting Jesus as our Lord and Savior. That is our general style or format of life, but God also has an individual plan for each one of us. This is where we need to stand still or stay in camped or camped out in place until we hear Him tell us to move out, metaphorically speaking. If we agree with God and believe He is the Lamp onto our feet, then we are to follow the path in life that He shines the Light. Just as He led the children of Israel out of Egypt and through the wilderness with a pillar of fire by night and a pillar of smoke in the day. When the pillar stood still, they camped until the pillar moved then they broke camp and moved out following His light. How can we dare make the choice to stay or move without having the Light direct our way? This should apply to the three major aspects of our lives, where we live, work, and worship. On more occasions than we dare count, we have seen believers leave a job, or a church over hurt feelings, putting themselves before the plan of God, who had called them to worship in that particular church. We must always be in accordance with His purpose for us, where and why we live where we do, and why and where we worship, and what gifts He has empowered us with to serve in the body of Christ exactly as He has determined. We must obey His leading, just as Joshua did exactly as God instructed him. Let us always live according to how He instructs us. 

Holy Ground

 DEVOTION

JOSHUA

HOLY GROUND

Josh 5:10-15

10 On the evening of the fourteenth day of the month, while camped at Gilgal on the plains of Jericho, the Israelites celebrated the Passover. 11 The day after the Passover, that very day, they ate some of the produce of the land: unleavened bread and roasted grain. 12 The manna stopped the day after they ate this food from the land; there was no longer any manna for the Israelites, but that year they ate of the produce of Canaan. 13 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?" 14 "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?" 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 so.

NIV

On the surface, it appears that when they were able to eat from the land of Canaan, the Lord would no longer feed them. However, on a deeper level, it is the Lord who promised Abraham and his descendants this land and once the Israelites entered it, all the food of the land was from the hand of God. We might sometimes think that we do not see God providing for us because we can provide our daily needs and even our needs for years to come. We wonder why Jesus wanted us to include, “Give us this day our daily bread” in the prayer he taught his disciples if we can get our own daily bread. Just as he stopped sending manna as soon as they were able to eat their daily bread from the land. However, he led them there so they could possess the land, and enjoy the fruits of the land, which may be seen as holy ground. We know the land of Israel is rich in agriculture even to this day. But what we learn here is that all we do have is still from the hand of God. He brought us to where we are and has given us gifts and talents so that we might enjoy the fruits of the place where we live. Of course, that is not taking a world view, but simply a view of our own lives, as we believe Joshua and the Israelites were only seeing their lives based on where they were at the moment, as they followed God. They did need to live on faith, believing He would take them to the promised land. We too must live by faith believing Jesus will come and take us to the promised land, the true place of holy ground, for the Lord will be present. We also still look to the Lord for all our daily needs, for our very life. We are forever thankful and praise His Holy Name for all that He has provided for us. The second truth is regarding this commander of the LORD’s army and his presence before Joshua. From what we gather from the statement of this person who stood before Joshua, he was not a created angel, but none other than the person of Jesus Christ, the Captain, the Prince of all the army of Yahweh. Just as when Yahweh first appeared to Moses in that burning bush, the place where Jesus stood was holy ground, and like Moses, Joshua was told to take off his sandals. We wonder as we spend our personal time with the Lord, or even when we gather together in the sanctuary and especially when we sing, “This is holy ground, we’re standing on holy ground, for the Lord is present and where he is, is holy. This is holy ground, we’re standing on holy ground for the Lord is present and where he is, is holy”, if we should not take off our sandals, for the place we are standing is holy ground.

Exposed to God

 DEVOTION

JOSHUA

EXPOSED TO GOD

Josh 5:1-9

5:1 Now when all the Amorite kings west of the Jordan and all the Canaanite kings along the coast heard how the LORD had dried up the Jordan before the Israelites until we had crossed over, their hearts melted and they no longer had the courage to face the Israelites. 2 At that time the LORD said to Joshua, "Make flint knives and circumcise the Israelites again." 3 So Joshua made flint knives and circumcised the Israelites at Gibeath Haaraloth. 4 Now this is why he did so: All those who came out of Egypt — all the men of military age — died in the desert on the way after leaving Egypt. 5 All the people that came out had been circumcised, but all the people born in the desert during the journey from Egypt had not. 6 The Israelites had moved about in the desert 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 that he had solemnly promised their fathers to give us, a land flowing with milk and honey. 7 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. 8 And after the whole nation had been circumcised, they remained where they were in camp until they were healed. 9 Then the LORD said to Joshua, "Today I have rolled away the reproach of Egypt from you." So the place has been called Gilgal to this day.

NIV

Several truths ring out for our attention. The first is when the kings west of the Jordan heard how the LORD had dried up the Jordan before the Israelites until they crossed over, their hearts melted and they no longer dared to face the Israelites. We wonder if we, the people of faith, were to see that kind of miracle God did for the Israelites the people of the world would not have the courage to face us. As it is now the voices of the world scream out against all the Lord, and thus us, stand for. However, if God were to do mighty things in our lives, in our churches, and the people of the world heard about what God did, just maybe their hearts would melt and they would no longer have any courage to face us, or they would cross over and join us. Secondly, we see this was the time Joshua needed to circumcise all the fighting men or adults because they had not been circumcised during those forty years of wandering in the wilderness. Here again, the story breaks into our lives. We all started out in the right place, where God formed us in the womb, but from birth, our lives became all about us, our wants, or desires. How old we were when we responded to the wooing of the Spirit would depend on how many years we walked in the wilderness of this world. However, when we heard of the Lord and responded to His call on our lives, He melted our hearts first. In essence, He broke us, melted us, molded us, and is using us. The primary point is that after wandering, or navigating the challenges of this world, we require a form of circumcision; not one of the flesh, but of the heart. The Apostle Paul wrote about this in his letter to the Roman Christians, or the church in Rome that was made up of Jews and Gentiles who accepted Jesus as Savior. He made the point that a Jew is not one who has just been circumcised in the flesh, but a Jew is someone who is one inwardly and their circumcision is of the heart, by the Spirit, not the written code. It was not uncommon for Jews to receive the praise of other Jews regarding the physical circumcision. Look how special we are, having this covenant of circumcision with God. However, we who have been circumcised in our hearts, by the Spirit, live as the true Jews, true Israel, true children of God. We wonder when the scripture speaks about all of Israel will be saved, which means all who have undergone circumcision of the heart. Yet, the fact remains, just as physical circumcision removes something, circumcision of our heart removes that which covered it or shielded it from the truth of God. He is also merciful and allows us time to heal from all the wounds of the circumcision of our hearts. But now we live fully exposed to the Lord, so that He can do all that He intends to do in, for, and through us. Therefore, we can say, we live exposed to God.

 

 

 

 

By God's Hand

 DEVOTION

JOSHUA

 BY GOD’S HAND

Josh 4:14-18

14 That day the LORD exalted Joshua in the sight of all Israel; and they revered him all the days of his life, just as they had revered Moses. 15 Then the LORD said to Joshua, 16 "Command the priests carrying the ark of the Testimony to come up out of the Jordan." 17 So Joshua commanded the priests, "Come up out of the Jordan." 18 And the priests came up out of the river carrying the ark of the covenant of the LORD. No sooner had they set their feet on the dry ground than the waters of the Jordan returned to their place and ran at flood stage as before.

NIV

There are two lessons for us in this little portion of the narrative regarding the crossing of the Jordan. First, it is the work of God, another miracle showing the absolute authority over nature. First, He held back the raging water of the Jordan, piling it up way upstream near the town of Adam. We wonder what those people in Adam must have thought seeing the waters of the Jordon in a great pile, stopped completely from flowing. The waters remained piled up as long as the priests carrying the ark of the covenant were in the middle of the riverbed. As soon as they stepped out of the middle and set foot on the dry ground on the other side, God caused the river to start flowing at flood stage once more. This tells us that God Almighty is in total control of everything in nature, or that nature is subject to the will of God would be a better way of expressing his authority. Are there natural events that are simply part of how he set everything in motion, and He may or may not override an event just to prove himself again, and again. Yet, the truth is that God has the authority over the earth and everything in it, which means that we humans have no authority unless He has so given to us. We can plant seeds and expect a harvest. We can tame beasts of the field, or tend the garden, as he gave that instruction to Adam. But we cannot change the climate, or make the weather any different. We cannot change anything God has established. The second lesson is more personal, in that we note Joshua was exacted by God, and he was revered by the people. First, to revere can mean to fear, to be afraid of Joshua. Second, it was because God had exacted or magnified him in front of all the people. We do not believe God meant for the people to fear Joshua, but people might fear someone who God uses in a mighty way, or people might exalt that person, lift them up, honor them, making them special in their eyes. Here is where we come into this story. Jesus told us that the proud will be brought low and the humble will be exacted. He told that parable about being invited to a feast and to take the lowest seat instead of the highest. If we took the highest, and someone more honorable came we would be asked to take the least important seat humiliated instead of first being humble and asked to move up to a better position. Jesus told us to learn from him for he is gentle and humble in heart. We are told over and over again to humble ourselves before the Lord and He will lift us up. God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble. Let us live humbly before God and men, for what do we have to be prideful about. If we attempt to exalt ourselves, boasting about our accomplishments, we look foolish rather than wise. We all are sinners saved by grace, and if God wants to lift us up and give us something, or put us in some position in life, it will all be for His glory, not ours. We should never boast in ourselves, other than our weakness, but only boast in Christ Jesus, who is our strength. We must always live in and by God’s hand. 

Dressed for Battle

 DEVOTION

JOSHUA

DRESSED FOR BATTLE

Josh 4:8-13

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 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. 10 Now the priests who carried the ark remained standing in the middle of the Jordan until everything the LORD had commanded Joshua was done by the people, just as Moses had directed Joshua. The people hurried over, 11 and as soon as all of them had crossed, the ark of the LORD and the priests came to the other side while the people watched. 12 The men of Reuben, Gad and the half-tribe of Manasseh crossed over, armed, in front of the Israelites, as Moses had directed them. 13 About forty thousand armed for battle crossed over before the LORD to the plains of Jericho for war.

NIV

Joshua put the twelve stones down as a remembrance to all who saw them of the wonder and mighty power of God holding back the waters of the Jordan. A battle is about to take place and just as they were ordered the fighting men from the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh crossed over armed, in front of the Israelites. We cannot image what forty thousand armed men would look like, it must have been a sight to behold. Some of us in the Army or Marine Corps can remember what a battalion or so of men looked like, but that would have only been about eleven hundred or so fighting men.  Before our time in WWII, there were about one hundred and fifty thousand American troops who stormed the beaches of Normandy. Although forty thousand did not compare to the invasion at Normandy, it was a great number plus the rest of all the fighting men from the other tribes, would have increased the number drastically. What has all that to do with us? We have a gigantic fighting force going before us throughout our walk with our Lord, for the battle is not ours but God’s. Just as he told the Israelites when they faced a vast army from Moad coming to drive them out of their land. The battle is the Lord’s when it comes to that evil one who comes to attempt to drive us out of our promised land. The Lord may even send a legion or two of angels to go before us, although even they could not match the power of the Lord. Ultimately He will destroy the Anti-Christ by the words of his mouth at that upcoming battle at Armageddon. Yet, in our daily walk against the forces of evil, God has outfitted us with his full armor so that we can take our stand against the forces of evil. The battle has already been won, still, the battle continues to rage on, with the evil one never wanting to concede the battle. However, God is before us, with us, and behind us, surrounding us with his great hedge of protection, keeping us secure under his wings. Lord remains in us, as long as we remain in him, for without him we can do nothing, so we get dressed for battle each day and stand our ground, in the army of God, watching the Lord fight the battle giving us the victory. 

A living Memorial

 DEVOTION

JOSHUA

A LIVING MEMORIAL

Josh 4:1-7

4:1 When the whole nation had finished crossing the Jordan, the LORD said to Joshua, 2 "Choose twelve men from among the people, one from each tribe, 3 and tell them to take up twelve stones from the middle of the Jordan from right where the priests stood and to carry them over with you and put them down at the place where you stay tonight." 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."

NIV

Twelve stones to be a reminder of what the LORD God had done. A sign of the Jordan River's waters being stopped so the whole nation of Israel could cross the Jordan on dry ground. They were to tell their children when they asked what those stones were. Do we have any signs and wonders that our children, or anyone, asks us about? Do we have any memorial that will last forever? We do know the Spirit will last forever, and He is also a sign of the covenant God made with us. He promised that if we believe in Jesus Christ we will be saved. Of course, now that we have believed, we understand the depth of this covenant. Jesus paid the price for our sins, died, was buried, rose from the dead, and ascended back to heaven and he is coming back again for us. He sent the Spirit as a sign or a guarantee of the covenant. However, the Israelites could see those stones and remember the work God did at the Jordan. We know that someday we will receive a white stone with our new name written on it, but the question still causes us to ask what the sign is others can see and ask us about. It has to be the Spirit, but that would mean the sign should be evident to others. We should be bearing the fruit of the Spirit that others could see, but the Spirit also gives gifts as he determines. That would mean one or more of the gifts of the Spirit would be present in us thus showing his divine influence in and through our lives. Are we a living memorial of the work of God making the way for us to cross over from darkness into light, from wandering in the wilderness to crossing over into a promised land? It is easy to just say we are Christians, but never express the evidence of the indwelling of the Spirit. Some of them never even set foot within a church, or if they do would it preach the truth of the gospel. To be a child of God should mean something and be evident to others, showing the work of Jesus and the influence of the Spirit as a memorial to all people forever. Simply put, let us shine the light of Jesus, being a living memorial. 

Faith and Obedience

 DEVOTION

JOSHUA

FAITH AND OBEDIENCE

Josh 3:14-17

14 So when the people broke camp to cross the Jordan, the priests carrying the ark of the covenant went ahead of them. 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 (the Salt 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 stood firm on dry ground in the middle of the Jordan, while all Israel passed by until the whole nation had completed the crossing on dry ground.

NIV

The people had consecrated themselves, setting themselves apart for God, and were expecting the Lord to do amazing things among them. We learned that lesson already that if we set ourselves apart for God, we could see God do amazing things among us. This narrative continues telling us of the amazing thing God did in their midst. We have already researched and found pictures of the Jordan River at flood stage and it is a raging torrid of water spilling over rocks and maybe even its banks at places. We cannot be sure of the exact location of the crossing but it was close to where the city of Jericho lies on the other side. Nevertheless, here are the priests carrying the ark of the covenant which through research of theologians it was determined it must have weighed about six hundred or so pounds. Just thinking how the front priests must have felt holding onto that heavy sacred ark and stepping into that raging water, gives us an example of both faith and obedience. Maybe they could tell the exact place where their feet touched the water, which was very shallow, but then if the river was at the flood stage and raging along, carrying with it mud and debris, it would have been difficult to see anything through the water. Faith and obedience had to be the key to their stepping into the water's edge, and their faith and obedience were rewarded for God did that amazing thing that only God could do, holding back all the water, much the same as he did for their parents at the Red Sea, except there he divided the waters. Our lesson for us is to be a person of faith and obedience and we just might see God doing another amazing thing in our lives. Of course, how amazing is the fact he sent Jesus to pay the price for our sins? How amazing is the fact Jesus sent the Holy Spirit to dwell within us and give us power from on high? How amazing is the fact that God has given us so many blessings we do not have room enough to contain them? Speaking personally, if I were to give an account of all the amazing things God has done for me, it would take a book to fully explain them all. Can we say that we have always been a person of faith? Yes. Can we say we have always been obedient? Not so much, no matter how much I want to. However, that should be the goal of all us believers, to be people of faith and obedience. Trust and obey for there’s no other way to be happy in Jesus than to trust and obey. 

Amazing Things

 DEVOTION

JOSHUA

AMAZING THINGS

Josh 3:5-17

5 Joshua told the people, "Consecrate yourselves, for tomorrow the LORD will do amazing things among you." 6 Joshua said to the priests, "Take up the ark of the covenant and pass on ahead of the people." So they took it up and went ahead of them. 7 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.'" 9 Joshua said to the Israelites, "Come here and listen to the words of the LORD your God. 10 This is how you will know that the living God is among you and that he will certainly drive out before you the Canaanites, Hittites, Hivites, Perizzites, Girgashites, Amorites and Jebusites. 11 See, the ark of the covenant of the Lord of all the earth will go into the Jordan ahead of you. 12 Now then, choose twelve men from the tribes of Israel, one from each tribe. 13 And as soon as the priests who carry the ark of the LORD-the Lord of all the earth — set foot in the Jordan, its waters flowing downstream will be cut off and stand up in a heap." 14 So when the people broke camp to cross the Jordan, the priests carrying the ark of the covenant went ahead of them. 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 (the Salt 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 stood firm on dry ground in the middle of the Jordan, while all Israel passed by until the whole nation had completed the crossing on dry ground.

NIV

We should break this up, but the contexts will not let us, for this whole narrative needs to be together, although there are several truths we want to explore in detail. First, Consecrating oneself requires setting oneself aside as holy or devoted to God. We are not sure how an entire million people were able to all become so self-devoted to God, with all the requirements of daily life they were experiencing. To regard oneself as holy, set apart for God, in the middle of packing everything up all their belongings, tents, meal utensils, and any extra things they may have had and still consecrate themselves, would have been difficult. But at the same time, they were also expecting the next day to see the Lord do amazing things among them. We wonder if we were to devote ourselves to the Lord as they were told to do, that we would see the Lord do amazing things among us. We would think that if we saw the Lord doing amazing things among us we would certainly find ourselves being more devoted, or consecrated than we may currently be. We ponder on how devoted to our Lord are we at the present time, and that maybe we are not as much as we such be and that is the reason we are not seeing the Lord doing amazing things among us. Although, we have seen the Lord do some amazing things in us and for us throughout our lives. Could we say the Lord stopped up waters for us to cross over on dry ground? We know he makes our path smooth, as the prophet Isaiah said, “The path of the righteous is level, O righteous one, you make the path of the righteous smooth”. We know we have crossed over from death to life, from darkness into the Light of Jesus, and that was as smooth of a transition as it could have ever been. However, we are still living and being transformed into His likeness, and that is an amazing thing. Yet, we must consecrate ourselves daily because we live in a culture that creates so many distractions. The Israelites surely must have had some distractions just trying to live in such a large community. But we have so many more things in this life that we can get caught up doing that we might lose sight of what devoted to the Lord looks like and so we are not seeing Him do amazing things among us. Let us consider rededicating our focus on Jesus, setting ourselves aside for His purpose in our lives, and it just might be possible we will see the Lord do amazing things among us. 

Following

 DEVOTION

JOSHUA

FOLLOWING

Josh 3:1-4

3:1 Early in the morning Joshua and all the Israelites set out from Shittim and went to the Jordan, where they camped before crossing over. 2 After three days the officers went throughout the camp, 3 giving orders to the people: "When you see the ark of the covenant of the LORD your God, and the priests, who are Levites, carrying it, you are to move out from your positions and follow it. 4 Then you will know which way to go, since you have never been this way before. But keep a distance of about a thousand yards between you and the ark; do not go near it."

NIV

We have to start with our story, for as we rise early in the morning it is not Joshua who sets out but us. We set out from our slumber each morning to walk in the light with our Lord. It is not that He left us while we were asleep, but early in the morning He is there with us. Once again, we are reminded of the three days. That phrase of three days is used fifty-four times in the scriptures and it is not by chance, but by the will of God showing beforehand what will happen. The Israelites were to follow the Ark of the Covenant, symbolizing the presence of God among the people and they were to follow it. Jesus is in us and we are in him. We are always in the presence of our Lord and He is always with us, He will never leave us nor forsake us. We have the presence of the Holy Spirit dwelling within us giving the truth of the word, leading us into that truth, and giving us His gifts so we can live a life that is pleasing to God. He manifests His fruit in us so we can live in the world as witnesses of the Almighty God. The Israelites were to follow the ark of the Lord as we are to follow our Lord. The difference with us is that we do not need to maintain a distance from our Lord. They needed to stay a thousand yards, three hundred feet from God, while He walks with us and talks with us along life’s way and He calls us His own. They could not go near it, but God calls us near to Him. However, the one similarity is we both need to follow. They had to follow the ark of the Lord and we need to follow the Lord himself. Of course, for them, the ark symbolized the presence of God. We have the Word of God, but that does not represent His presence, however, the Spirit does. We know God is with us, we feel His presence within us, at least we should. We sing those words, “Draw me nearer, nearer, nearer, blessed Lord, to the cross where Thou hast died; Draw me nearer, nearer, nearer, blessed Lord to Thy precious, bleeding side”. But we do not think we can be drawn any closer to the Lord as He remains in us as we remain in Him. The challenge we face is in our daily walk in the world with all its complications and troubles it throws our way. Do we get distracted enough that we forget He remains in us because it seems at times we are not remaining in Him? Yet, He breaks through those distractions and reminds us we are His own, and He walks with me and he talks with me and he tells me I am his own and the joy we share as we tarry there, none other has ever known. Where he leads we will follow. 

The Oath

DEVOTION

JOSHUA

THE OATH

 

Josh 2:14-24

14 "Our lives for your lives!" the men assured her. "If you don't tell what we are doing, we will treat you kindly and faithfully when the LORD gives us the land." 15 So she let them down by a rope through the window, for the house she lived in was part of the city wall. 16 Now she had said to them, "Go to the hills so the pursuers will not find you. Hide yourselves there three days until they return, and then go on your way." 17 The men said to her, "This oath you made us swear will not be binding on us 18 unless, when we enter the land, you have tied this scarlet cord in the window through which you let us down, and unless you have brought your father and mother, your brothers and all your family into your house. 19 If anyone goes outside your house into the street, his blood will be on his own head; we will not be responsible. As for anyone who is in the house with you, his blood will be on our head if a hand is laid on him. 20 But if you tell what we are doing, we will be released from the oath you made us swear." 21 "Agreed," she replied. "Let it be as you say." So she sent them away and they departed. And she tied the scarlet cord in the window. 22 When they left, they went into the hills and stayed there three days, until the pursuers had searched all along the road and returned without finding them. 23 Then the two men started back. They went down out of the hills, forded the river and came to Joshua son of Nun and told him everything that had happened to them. 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."

NIV

Now that we are at the oath made to Rahab regarding anyone in her house he will be saved from the attack on Jericho. It is her responsibility to see that her family is in her house, and it is by oath the Israelites will not harm that house, the one with the red cord hanging in the window. This was a covenant made between them that saved herself and her family. Is that our truth from this narrative? Is it being in the house to be saved from death? We know it is appointed for all men to die once, but Jesus told us that if we are in Him or remain in Him and He in us, although we die, we will live. In that sense, Jesus is the house, although we call Him our Fortress, our Rock. Because we remain in Jesus our blood in on His hands, He shed His blood so that we do not need to shed ours to be saved. But if we leave Jesus, and go out of him, into the world, then our blood is on our hands, it is going to cost us our lives. Someday those who refuse to get into the house and accept the saving grace of Jesus will melt in fear when they face their judgment. But we live in the place with the red cord, the blood of Jesus hanging over us. No harm will come to us. With all this marvelous truth, there is one more idea that we are brought. When Rahab told them to hide in the hills for three days, and then go back to their camp, we can see the three days Jesus was hiding in the hillside tomb, and after the three days, He returned to His camp with His disciples. We can hear Him tell us, “Surely I have given the whole land, all of heaven into your hands”. Along with that truth, we also note the two spies told Joshua everything that had happened to them. Of course, the Lord already knows everything that has and will happen to us, nevertheless, it would behoove us to always be truthful, be pure of heart before him, and try to not hide anything, any sin, any fault, even our flaws, for in of ourselves we have no righteousness. Let us always remain in Jesus, in the Fortress with the red cord of His blood, in fact, we have sprinkled His blood over the doorpost of our hearts so the death angel will pass over us. We live because of the oath of God. 

The Right Place

 DEVOTION

JOSHUA

THE RIGHT PLACE

Josh 2:1-13

2:1 Then Joshua son of Nun secretly sent two spies from Shittim. "Go, look over the land," he said, "especially Jericho." So they went and entered the house of a prostitute named Rahab and stayed there. 2 The king of Jericho was told, "Look! Some of the Israelites have come here tonight to spy out the land." 3 So the king of Jericho sent this message to Rahab: "Bring out the men who came to you and entered your house, because they have come to spy out the whole land." 4 But the woman had taken the two men and hidden them. She said, "Yes, the men came to me, but I did not know where they had come from. 5 At dusk, when it was time to close the city gate, the men left. I don't know which way they went. Go after them quickly. You may catch up with them." 6(But she had taken them up to the roof and hidden them under the stalks of flax she had laid out on the roof.) 7 So the men set out in pursuit of the spies on the road that leads to the fords of the Jordan, and as soon as the pursuers had gone out, the gate was shut. 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 this land to you 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 and everyone's courage failed because of you, for the LORD your God is God in heaven above and on the earth below. 12 Now then, please swear to me by the LORD that you will show kindness to my family, because I have shown kindness to you. Give me a sure sign 13 that you will spare the lives of my father and mother, my brothers and sisters, and all who belong to them, and that you will save us from death."

NIV

Once again, there is much to ponder within this first portion of the narrative regarding Rahab and the two spies, and we have not gotten to the rest of the end of what happened. Nevertheless, the first thing we want to ponder is why these two spies enter Jericho go right to the house of a prostitute, and then stay there. Were they not sent to get the lay of the land? Were they not supposed to check out the city’s defenses, such as how many soldiers, guard towers, type of weapons, or any other information that would be pertinent? From the narrative, all they saw was the house of Rahab, and hiding on her roof. Rahab gave them insight into how the people of Jericho were melting in fear of the Israelites and how they were aware of the miracles their God did for them. All they had to report to Joshua was what Rahab told them.  They did not do much spying on their own but got all the information they needed from the most unlikely of a person, Rahab, the prostitute. What we ponder is the work they were supposed to do as men, failed, but the Spirit of the Lord working through Rahab did all the work for them. Sometimes, we wonder if we look too much at our own abilities and less at the Spirit of the Lord when it comes to our lives. Do we have a place to hide from the world, as the men hide from the men of Jericho who the king sent to search for them? Do we have a place to get all the information we need? Of course, we do as first, we have the word. Second, we have the Spirit who leads us into all truth. The two spies went straight away to the right place, although we are not sure of their motives. However, it had to be the Spirit leading them so that it would be Rahab. It is Rahab who was the mother of Boaz, the kinsman redeemer of Ruth. This puts Rahab in the line of David, thus the line of Jesus. This was the plan of God that these men should enter the house of Rahab. We should always be aware of the Spirit’s leading, so that we are in the right place according to the plan of God, for His purposes far exceed any purpose we might devise. What we know is that we should be in the right place. 

Trust and Obey

 DEVOTION

JOSHUA

TRUST AND OBEY

Josh 1:10-18

10 So Joshua ordered the officers of the people: 11 "Go through the camp and tell the people, 'Get your supplies ready. Three days from now you will cross the Jordan here to go in and take possession of the land the LORD your God is giving you for your own.'" 12 But to the Reubenites, the Gadites and the half-tribe of Manasseh, Joshua said, 13 "Remember the command that Moses the servant of the LORD gave you: 'The LORD your God is giving you rest and has granted you this land.' 14 Your wives, your children and your livestock may stay in the land that Moses gave you east of the Jordan, but all your fighting men, fully armed, must cross over ahead of your brothers. You are to help your brothers 15 until the LORD gives them rest, as he has done for you, and until they too have taken possession of the land that the LORD your God is giving them. After that, you may go back and occupy your own land, which Moses the servant of the LORD gave you east of the Jordan toward the sunrise." 16 Then they answered Joshua, "Whatever you have commanded us we will do, and wherever you send us we will go. 17 Just as we fully obeyed Moses, so we will obey you. Only may the LORD your God be with you as he was with Moses. 18 Whoever rebels against your word and does not obey your words, whatever you may command them, will be put to death. Only be strong and courageous!"

NIV

Within this command of Joshua concerning the Reubenites, the Gadites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh there is a parallel that we cannot ignore. It is their response that we have our takeaway which we use today, or should apply to the way we live. They said, “Whatever you have commanded us we will do, wherever you send us we will go”. Of course, this was all about taking possession of the Promised Land, the land that was promised to Abraham and his descendants. We have another Promised Land, a heavenly home, the place that Jesus has prepared for us, whatever that looks like, we know it is there and someday we will take possession of it. Well, it may not be ours in that sense, but we will take up residence in the place, so in some sense, it is taking possession. However, are we under the same condition the Reubenites, Gadites, and half-tribe of Manasseh are? We know that we are saved by faith, and not by our works, lest anyone of could boast. If we could boast, that would mean we be in a competition in the church to see who can do the most good works. But we don’t need to do that for our salvation is free, by the grace of God, Jesus. Yet, at the same time, we still need to be living under the authority of our Lord, meaning we must obey His commands. Our response should always be, “Whatever you command us we will do, wherever you send us we will go”. We could go through many of the commands that we must follow such as getting rid of all those attitudes and behaviors we are told, bitterness, anger, rage, brawling, slander (gossip), malice deceit, hypocrisy as well as others. Then there is His new command He gives us, to love one another as He loves us, then about loving the Lord our God with all our heart, mind, soul, and body and loving our neighbor as ourselves. We know better not to ask who are neighbor is, for we know everyone is our neighbor, even those who might despise us. However, we must always respond to our Lord, “Whatever you command we will do, wherever you send us we will go” How that looks for each believer we cannot be certain, but what we know, those commands must apply to us. Can we fully obey one hundred percent of the time? That is doubtful but that must be our goal. To trust and obey, when we walk with the Lord in the light of His Word, what a glory He sheds on our way! While we do His good will, He abides with us still and with all who will trust and obey, for there’s no other way to be happy in Jesus, but to trust and obey. 

He Will be With Us

 DEVOTION

JOSHUA

HE WILL BE WITH US

Josh 1:6-9

6 "Be strong and courageous, because you will lead these people to inherit the land I swore to their forefathers to give them. 7 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. 8 Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; 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. 9 Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go."

NIV

We know about being strong and having courage but now we consider not turning from the right or the left, that we may be successful wherever we go. We should have the word of God in our mouths, and meditate on it day and night. It is almost unbelievable how much mush comes out of the mouth of us believers as we talk about the weather, some sports team, our aches and pains, troubles, someone else’s troubles, gossip, the economy, politics, or political issues, and whatever else we can find to chat about except the word of God. That would almost seem like turning to the right or left because we do not have the word of God on our lips, and that may be because we are not meditating on the word day and night. None of the stuff, the things, or the ways of the world will give us life, only Jesus gives us life. How much more can we be prosperous and successful than having life. We do not have to be terrified or discouraged about anything in this life, as Jesus will also give us an abundant life, both eternal and our life here on earth. However, the condition is not turning from the word to the right or left. There are voices out there, even those who are supposed to be Christian who speak untruths, words from the right or left deceiving people for their own personal gain. It is up to us, each of us to read, to mediate, to listen to God’s word as it resides in our hearts, which gives us the strength and courage to live prosperously and successfully without being terrified or discouraged. The result of never having the word of God depart from our mouths, meditating on it day and night is that our Lord will be with us wherever we go. He walks with me, and He talks with me, and He tells me I am His own, and the joy we share as we tarry there, none other, has ever, known! He will be with us.

 

Be Strong and Courageous

 DEVOTION

JOSHUA

BE STRONG AND COURAGEOUS

Josh 1:6-9

6 "Be strong and courageous, because you will lead these people to inherit the land I swore to their forefathers to give them. 7 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. 8 Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; 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. 9 Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go."

NIV

There is so much in what God told Joshua that applies to us today that we might have to camp out on this portion. The first we need to deal with is what God kept repeating, “Be strong and Courageous”. Three times God told him that, except once He said “Very courageous” We know Joshua was not a weak man, as we would believe all the men of that era who walked miles and miles every day of their lives, were men of strength and endurance. However, Joshua was given a special assignment to lead the people across the Jordan into the promised land. We must understand that we too have all been given a special assignment from the Lord. If the only thing that we all need to be strong and courageous about is loving each other, Oh, it might be easy to do that within the local church if it is a small little church, but what about if the local church has over five hundred or even a thousand and we cannot be excepted to know them all personally. But what about the people we come in contact with daily? Shouldn’t we love them? Even if we have some enemies, we are to love them. That might take strength and courage. But the takeaway here is that we need to be strong and courageous in our walk with the Lord, learning from him, living in the world but not giving in to its ways. That would include the pleasures or the love of success, money, and possessions, with include, greed, lust, bitterness, rage, anger, slander(gossip), and malice. “Be strong and courageous” and “Be strong and very Courageous” we are told many times in the revelation given to John, to the church, “to him that overcomes” It takes strength and courage to overcome, however, but our strength and courage come from the Lord. We may not be like the strong men of old, and God may call us to a task that we have no skill, or ability so that all the praise will go to Him.  Jesus told us apart from him we can do nothing, but with Him, if we remain in Him, we can ask anything, we can ask for His strength and His courage to live according to His plan and purpose for us, to lead others to the promised land. Speaking personally, I need His strength and courage to fulfill the calling on my life, as we all should, for each has been called to do His will. We still need to explore the result of the promises, but first, let us all live being strong and courageous. 

I will Be with You

 DEVOTION

JOSHUA

I WILL BE WITH YOU

Josh 1:1-5

1:1 After the death of Moses the servant of the LORD, the LORD said to Joshua son of Nun, Moses' aide: 2 "Moses my servant is dead. Now then, you and all these people, get ready to cross the Jordan River into the land I am about to give to them — to the Israelites. 3 I will give you every place where you set your foot, as I promised Moses. 4 Your territory will extend from the desert to Lebanon, and from the great river, the Euphrates — all the Hittite country — to the Great Sea on the west. 5 No one will be able to stand up against you all the days of your life. As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake you.

NIV

This is the first time we have worked through this narrative so it is going to be interesting what the Lord has for us to learn. From the very start, we can know that God was speaking to Joshua. We know God spoke often to Moses, personally and up close, even from the first calling at the burning bush. Now that God took Moses up on Mount Nebo, He talks with Joshua the new leader of the children of Israel taking them into the promised land. The greatest part or promise in this narrative is that God told Joshua, ‘I will be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake you”. God repeated that promise many times, and the pastor/preacher of Hebrews quoted this phrase so it is still relevant to the New Testament church. Jesus promised to his disciples, as He commanded them to go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, that he would be with them always, to the very end of the age. Hence, we can be assured that God, the Father, Jesus, the Son, and the Holy Spirit who dwells within us, will be with us until the end of this age. We are never alone, God is always walking and talking with us throughout our daily lives. The best part of that is God speaks to us just as he did with Moses and Joshua. If we think that God does not speak verbally or in a vision, then we have missed the truth of the whole account of man and God throughout the entirety of the scripture. Of course, the whole scripture reveals the character of God, but it also reveals God's relationship with His creation, us. This relationship is not a silent one, but it is made up of our talking with Him and our listening when He speaks to us. He will tell us what to do, as He leads us to green pastures. He will never leave us alone, to struggle through this life on our own, and because He is there with us, He is the leader and we follow his directions. But the truth we glean here is that God will always be with us and always speak to us in one way or another. Joshua did what God commanded him, and we should be no different. We should not try to live our own lives, making our own way when we have God leading our way. Joshua listened and obeyed because he knew God. We know God, and we should be listening for his voice because He will never leave us, nor forsake us.

 

Speaking Kindly

 DEVOTION

GENESIS

SPEAKING KINDLY

Gen 50:15-26

15 When Joseph's brothers saw that their father was dead, they said, "What if Joseph holds a grudge against us and pays us back for all the wrongs we did to him?" 16 So they sent word to Joseph, saying, "Your father left these instructions before he died: 17'This is what you are to say to Joseph: I ask you to forgive your brothers the sins and the wrongs they committed in treating you so badly.' Now please forgive the sins of the servants of the God of your father." When their message came to him, Joseph wept. 18 His brothers then came and threw themselves down before him. "We are your slaves," they said. 19 But Joseph said to them, "Don't be afraid. Am I in the place of God? 20 You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives. 21 So then, don't be afraid. I will provide for you and your children." And he reassured them and spoke kindly to them. 22 Joseph stayed in Egypt, along with all his father's family. He lived a hundred and ten years 23 and saw the third generation of Ephraim's children. Also the children of Makir son of Manasseh were placed at birth on Joseph's knees.   24 Then Joseph said to his brothers, "I am about to die. But God will surely come to your aid and take you up out of this land to the land he promised on oath to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob." 25 And Joseph made the sons of Israel swear an oath and said, "God will surely come to your aid, and then you must carry my bones up from this place." 26 So Joseph died at the age of a hundred and ten. And after they embalmed him, he was placed in a coffin in Egypt.

NIV

We have come to the end of this story from the creation through Adam and then the story of the flood, Noah, the ark, and then through the lives of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and now Joseph. We notice how the brothers are now more afraid of Joseph since their father died and are at his mercy. Two portions of truth could be our lesson. The first is in the words of Joseph regarding being in the right place because God intended him to be there for good. It was the purpose of God for Joseph to be where he was. It would behoove us to inquire of God that we are in the place where He has intended us to be for the good of others and the kingdom. We could be where we are not of our own choice, such as Joseph did not have a choice to be taken to Egypt. However, it seems in our culture we mostly make many of our own decisions as to our fields of endeavor, the style and location of our homes, our financial security, and for us believers even where we want to worship. But do we inquire of God about any of those things wondering if we are in the place to do good to accomplish his will for others through us. Secondly, the words of Joseph bring us a truth we consider a lesson. Twice Joseph used the phrase, “Don’t be afraid”, but where we intersect with the story is in the kindness Joseph spoke to his brothers. He did not use harsh words but assured them spoke kindly to them. We wonder how many times we have missed that mark of speaking kindly, especially in wanting our own way in a discussion, that might be more of an argument, particularly with our spouse. The thing about words is they cannot be taken back, once spoken they remain in the universe forever, moreover, the way they are spoken cannot be erased for that too remains forever. Now forgiveness must follow those kinds of words, but the point is we should be aware of our place in this world, and the people we have been placed with. We should always be about assuring others rather than criticizing or being judgmental. We are told to build each other up until we reach the unity of the faith. This is about loving God with our whole being and loving others as we love ourselves. How can we speak anything but kindly to those we love? Yet, we fail, and we miss the mark, but that should not mean that it is our goal. Our goal is to speak kindly, assuring others, building them up, and encouraging them to be all that God intends them to be. We all have the word of God, and yet we fail, as perfection has yet come to us, however, at the same time we leave those failures beyond and we strain forward to the mark, the finish line. Still, part of the straining forward is remembering we are in the place God wants us while assuring others, and speaking kindly. 

Grieve And Rejoice

 DEVOTION

GENESIS

GRIEVE AND REJOICE

Gen 50:1-14

50:1 Joseph threw himself upon his father and wept over him and kissed him. 2 Then Joseph directed the physicians in his service to embalm his father Israel. So the physicians embalmed him, 3 taking a full forty days, for that was the time required for embalming. And the Egyptians mourned for him seventy days. 4 When the days of mourning had passed, Joseph said to Pharaoh's court, "If I have found favor in your eyes, speak to Pharaoh for me. Tell him, 5'My father made me swear an oath and said, "I am about to die; bury me in the tomb I dug for myself in the land of Canaan." Now let me go up and bury my father; then I will return.'"  Pharaoh said, "Go up and bury your father, as he made you swear to do." 7 So Joseph went up to bury his father. All Pharaoh's officials accompanied him — the dignitaries of his court and all the dignitaries of Egypt — 8 besides all the members of Joseph's household and his brothers and those belonging to his father's household. Only their children and their flocks and herds were left in Goshen. 9 Chariots and horsemen also went up with him. It was a very large company. 10 When they reached the threshing floor of Atad, near the Jordan, they lamented loudly and bitterly; and there Joseph observed a seven-day period of mourning for his father. 11 When the Canaanites who lived there saw the mourning at the threshing floor of Atad, they said, "The Egyptians are holding a solemn ceremony of mourning." That is why that place near the Jordan is called Abel Mizraim. 12 So Jacob's sons did as he had commanded them: 13 They carried him to the land of Canaan and buried him in the cave in the field of Machpelah, near Mamre, which Abraham had bought as a burial place from Ephron the Hittite, along with the field. 14 After burying his father, Joseph returned to Egypt, together with his brothers and all the others who had gone with him to bury his father.

NIV

 This may be the first full funeral procession recorded in history. We expect the undertakers, although we don’t call them by that name anymore, to prepare the bodies of our loved ones for burial. Joseph had the physicians prepare his father’s body for burial, however, they took forty days. One thought that came to mind is the process of embalming, which removes most of the organs including the brain, and places them in stone jars to be buried with the mummified body. Once again, we are reminded of the coming resurrection, first of all, the saints when Jesus comes back for us. Of course, that would include Abraham, Issac, and Jacob. However, their bodies were prepared and Jesus has not come yet, Abraham’s and Isaac’s bodies would not even be a skeleton, but dust. Jacob might be found, just as mummies of the age have been discovered, but still, he would not have been a whole body, as missing parts, especially a brain. What this rambling on is about is that we cannot concern ourselves with how we are prepared for burial, either the whole body or cremated and put in an urn. When Jesus returns for us, at least our bodies, the power of God will be at work making everything new, no matter the condition of the old. We also noticed a great deal of mourning or grieving over the death of Israel. We cannot be sure the time of lamenting and grieving was following Egyptian or Hebrew customs but the fact is that grieving over the death of a loved one has been and is a natural response. However, whenever we say our goodbyes to one who has lived by faith in our Lord and Savior Jesus, we weep, but at the same time we rejoice for we also know that to be absent from this body is to be present with our Lord Jesus. We are reassured of this truth in the word of God, and that also brings us to the reality of who we are and are not. We are not this body, for we are simply a temporary resident of it and when it has fulfilled its purpose, sustaining us until the day the Lord has numbered for it, we will lay it down, leaving it in the hands of others, but we will meet Jesus. We do not know our form as we will be in the spirit, but we will be in His presence. Will we take on some luminous form, glowing as brilliantly as the new day sun, or will we simply take on a solid form, a transfigured form, such as Moses and Elijah were in when they appeared with Jesus. Either way, two truths were revealed to us. One that it is normal to take time to grieve. We should never feel or be made to feel guilty because we grieve. Most of our friends and family understand that some grieve with us, especially the church, for when one mourns we all mourn, and when one rejoices we all rejoice. Two, when we say our farewell, and grieve, we should also rejoice with our loved one. We grieve for us, but we should always be rejoicing for they are with Jesus. We did not see Joseph or all those with him ever rejoice, even though Joseph knew his father walked with God. They may not have fully understood the truth that has been revealed today about living in Jesus, but we understand so we can grieve and rejoice. 

Gathered

 DEVOTION

GENESIS

GATHERED

Gen 49:27-33

27 "Benjamin is a ravenous wolf; in the morning he devours the prey, in the evening he divides the plunder." 28 All these are the twelve tribes of Israel, and this is what their father said to them when he blessed them, giving each the blessing appropriate to him. 29 Then he gave them these instructions: "I am about to be gathered to my people. Bury me with my fathers in the cave in the field of Ephron the Hittite, 30 the cave in the field of Machpelah, near Mamre in Canaan, which Abraham bought as a burial place from Ephron the Hittite, along with the field. 31 There Abraham and his wife Sarah were buried, there Isaac and his wife Rebekah were buried, and there I buried Leah. 32 The field and the cave in it were bought from the Hittites." 33 When Jacob had finished giving instructions to his sons, he drew his feet up into the bed, breathed his last and was gathered to his people.

NIV

We cannot forget about Benjamin, the last son who at birth his mother breathed her last breath. Rachel was the love of Jacob’s life from the moment he saw her at the well near the house of Laban. Little Benjamin is not little any longer as he is a ravenous wolf, an aggressive man, who devours whatever he goes after. Does this mean he will be successful at whatever his endeavor? Perhaps that could be a lesson for us, yet we find it difficult to be that kind of ravenous wolf and be humble unless we devour humbling, or with humility. But this is not the story we want to focus on. Jacob had lived a full life, done many things, and served the Lord throughout all he did. Well, maybe not so much when he stole the birthright from his brother or deceived his father to get the firstborn blessing. He did have a difficult life, but he still served the LORD, Built altars to the Lord, wrestled with God, had his hip touched, to remember, and had his name changed to Israel. Yet, he strengthened himself to prophetically bless all his sons. He finished the race, got to the finish line, drew his feet up into the bed, breathed his last, and was gathered to his people, tribe, or flock. The Hebrew does not include “his” in reference to people, or tribe of flock. It could be implied in the context, but at the same time, it could be applied to being gathered to the flock of the Lord. We know that we are not our body, but we are only a temporary resident within this body and someday we too will be gathered to the flock of God. Of course, we believe in the resurrection of the body, in whatever form it may be at the time of the trumpet's blast when all men will be resurrected to stand in the final judgment. Yet, a day is coming when we too will finish the race, after we have gathered our strength from the Lord doing whatever His purpose is for our lives. We know God has numbered our days, with some making the four score and ten years, while others were cut short of it. Some of us have exceeded those years, but the point is that we should always be drawing our strength from the Lord, and doing what His plan and purpose is for our lives. Although we have the freedom to choose our own path, we have chosen to follow His path that he has lit the way for us. He is taking us on the journey of a lifetime until that day when we will be gathered onto our people, Jesus, who is our people, our person. Until that day, we will walk with our Lord, or we should say, He will walk with us and talk to us. However, it is our choice to listen and obey, until we reach that finish line and we are gathered.