Posts Tagged ‘Joshua’

As I read this book of Joshua and think about what he faced in his lifetime, I am reminded of my need for patience.  Patience takes strength and courage.  When you know what the Lord has said and nobody around you is listening or walking in faith it is hard to have patience.  When all around you grumble and complain and see only the problems, it’s hard to be positive and not loose your temper.

Joshua had to wait 40 years to enter his inheritance.  He saw it as one of the spies and understood from God’s Word that He it belonged to them.  He knew that God would help them with the walled cities and the giants.  He had a good attitude and a good confession.  He tore his clothes and pleaded with the people when they rebelled at Kadesh. (Numbers 14:5-9) He faithfully served Moses for the 40 years of wandering.  He was a good second man to Moses.   You never see him trying to usurp authority or grab anything for himself.  He walked with those who were destined to die in the wilderness and kept his focus.  He was so faithful that he was chosen by God to lead Israel after Moses’s departure.  The Bible tells us that the first requirement of a steward is that they be found faithful!  (1st Corinthians 4:2)  Joshua was faithful through the hard times and patient to wait until God’s time came for him to enter and possess his inheritance.

As you take time to rest and pray today, thank God for his faithfulness in sending His son Jesus Christ!  He is our Joshua.  He keeps a good attitude even when we whine and complain.  He walks with us faithfully.  He kept God’s Word perfectly and is the only one who can take us into the “promised land’!  He took the lowest place of a servant and God exhalted Him to the hightest place of authority.  His patience with us is amazing!  What courage and strength it took for Him to save us!  Are you letting patience have it’s perfect work in your life today?  Have a great day of rest and refreshing!  Remember to gather with others of faith and worship the Lord!  God bless you!  Pastor John

Scripture reading for March 5th: Joshua 9-12

Sometimes the days aren’t long enough to get done everything that we would like to.  Joshua had just such a day when he responded to the call to help the Gibeonites. Joshua prayed to the Lord and asked God to cause the sun to stand still while the nation of Israel attacked it’s enemies.  God listened and a great miracle helped bring victory!

The Gibeonites had earlier deceived the Israelites in order to save their own lives.  Joshua made a covenant with them and then found out that they had lied to him. (Joshua 9:22-23)  As a result, this Canaanite tribe became servants to Joshua and Israel.  A lack of prayer and discernment caused this problem.  A short time later, five Amorite kings had formed an alliance and were attacking Gibeon.  God spoke to Joshua and told him to go and attack and He would give him the victory.  (Joshua 10:7-8)  Joshua and his troops marched all night long and the fight was on.  God helped the Israelites out with a heavy downpour of hailstones, killing more of the enemy than did the Israelites!  The fight was going well, but daylight would soon be gone.  Joshua prayed to the Lord.  God listened to this man and the sun literally stood still in the sky for nearly a day! (Joshua 10:12-14)

This miracle is very interesting because of what must have happened to bring it about.  For the sun to stand still in the sky, the earth had to quit rotating!  This would be very difficult because the earth is rotating at 24,000 miles per hour!  The moon would stand still too!  It is orbiting the earth!  Only God could make this happen!  The hail storm that killed the enemy but did not affect the Israelites is also a miracle! (Joshua 10:11)

At the end of this story, Joshua brings the five kings out of the cave and has his men put their feet on the kings’ necks. (Joshua 10:24-25)   He again instructs them to be strong and courageous!  They get a visual picture of victory and what God wants us to do to our enemy Satan!  (Romans 16:20)  God alone gets the glory for these victories!

What do we learn from this ancient record of Joshua’s exploits?  With God, nothing is impossible!  (Luke 1:37)  If we ask Him in faith for what we need, He is able to deliver even the most difficult and impossible requests. Joshua was responding to God’s directions in his battle.  He chose the all-night march as a surprise factor.  The journey would have been over 20 miles at night with a 3000 foot gain in altitude!  He felt he needed more time to subdue this enemy and simply asked!  Do you have a request that sounds too difficult for the Lord today?  Ask Him!

Scripture reading for March 2: Deuteronomy 31-34

I have often told the Lord that I would like to leave this world like Moses, strong and vigorous to the last!  I am a person who likes action and wants to be busy doing what God has for me.  When my time comes to leave earth, I want to take one last look, and be gone!   I want to have a successor who will carry on the work.  I want to fight one last battle, give one last prophetic word, bless my church and family, and check out!  That’s how Moses, the man of God ends his time on earth!

In Deuteronomy 31, we have the transfer of power and anointing from Moses to Joshua.  Joshua had been faithful as a helper to Moses.  He was by his side continuously.  He went up on the mountain with Moses, at least part way.  He was in charge of the Tent of Meeting.  He was one of the twelve spies and had a “good report” as a man of faith in God’s Word.  Joshua was picked by the Lord to succeed Moses. (Deuteronomy 31:14)  Joshua was commissioned by the Lord to lead the people and promised God’s presence. (Deuteronomy 31:23)

In Deuteronomy 32, we have a song Moses composed at God’s direction that would be a witness against the people.  God revealed to Moses that the people would rebel and suffer God’s punishment.  This song commends the greatness of God, as the Rock of Israel.  (Deuteronomy 32:3-4) It spells out again the curses that will come from their disobedience to the covenant. (Deuteronomy 32:20-26)  The song promises compassion and healing on those who return to the Lord and those who remain faithful. Deuteronomy 32:36-43)  Music has a way of getting into hearts.  God’s Word sung by the people would stick with them.  We still have it written down for us today!

Deuteronomy 33 records the prophetic blessings on Israel and the tribes by Moses right before he left them.  These blessing tell of God’s love for His people. (Deuteronomy 33:3-5)  He ruled over them with love and wanted their blessing and provision.  The blessings in this chapter are filled with imagery from the recent wanderings.  One again stands out to me today that I regularly claim.  “Most blessed of sons is Asher:  let him bathe his feet in oil.  The bolts of your gates will be iron and bronze, and your strength will equal your days.” (Deuteronomy 33:24-25)  May that be true of you and me!

Moses ends his journey by climbing Mt. Nebo in Moab and getting a bird’s eye view of the promised land.  God took him through a panoramic tour, and then took him home.  God buried him!  (Deuteronomy 34:1-7)  He was strong and vigorous and full of life to the last and he ever lives in God’s presence!  In Scripture, he is last seen here on earth talking to Jesus Christ on the Mount of Transfiguration!  (Matthew 17:1-3) What a man of God!  I can’t wait to meet him someday!