Rahab and the Gibeonites

Rahab was a prostitute and the Gibeonites were liars but both had heard about the true and living God and came to Joshua for safety. Rahab came as an individual and God honoured her faith. She and her family became part of the nation of Israel. The Gibeonites came as a group and they too became part of the nation of Israelites. Rahab became an ancestor of Jesus Christ. The Gibeonites became caretakers for the tabernacle and worship of God. For both the cost was great. Rahab and her family could have lost their lives. The Gibeonites came under attack by their allies.
What abut us? We too are under the wrath of God. However, we can be assured that God will keep His promise to us. His command to Joshua was that they keep the oath that they had made to the Gibeonites, how much more will God keep His oath to us.

Deception and Friendship with the World

If Christians were not so anxious to be accepted by the world then they wouldn't be so susceptible to deception. The church needs to remember that the agenda for her is set by God and His Word and not by the world. When we lose sight of that then we are open to deception.

Breaking an Promise

Is there ever a time when one should break a promise? I believe that we have to answer "yes" because there are times we make promises that can have eternal consequences. If I attempt to break an oath or a promise for personal gain the answer would be "no" but if in keeping my promise or oath I would damn myself or another to hell then we must break that promise. It is sad though that many Christians think that it is okay to break a promise if we were deceived and in keeping that promise would cause us financial or other personal lose. Isn't it better to suffer the lose than to break one's vow?

4 - 14 Window

Yes it is the four-fourteen and not the ten forty window. Over 85% of the people who come to Christ do so between the ages of 4 and 14. That is why Tracy, our children's minster, is one of the most important people on our church staff as well as the importance of Christian moms and dads. Joshua tells us that the children were included in the reading of the Law. The Word of God is complex and difficult for the great minds to understand and yet simple so that even a child can understand the message of salvation. Only God's book could be simple enough for the youngest of readers yet complex so that even the most learned still have to dig deeper and study more. That is part of the power of the word.

The Bible League of Canada

Today my wife and I and a friend attended the annual conference of the Bible League of Canada. We all volunteer at the local Bibles for Missions thrift store that raises money for the Bible League. As we listened to ordinary men and women who were doing extraordinary things for the Gospel we were reminded of the power of the Word of God and the importance of having that Word available to everyone. As Joshua and the Israelites heard the Word of God they were aware of the power of that Word. The Bible itself tells us that it is powerful and it will fulfill its purpose. We cannot do extraordinary things for God if we ignore His Word. That is why we need to read the Word and hear the Word. It is not just an intellectual exercise but we are hearing the words of our great God.

Uncut Stones

Joshua commanded the leaders to make an altar of uncut stones. There was nothing about the altar that spoke of what man had done. God made the stones and man was not to change that. The people needed to be reminded that it was God who made them, it was God who redeemed them, it was God who gave them the Law and it was this God that they were called to obey.

Disobedience

God does not require our obedience to get His will done on earth. He can use our disobedience just as He can use our obedience. So then what is the purpose of obedience? Our obedience is not for God's benefit but for ours. We can receive the blessings of obedience if we would obey. God didn't need the Israelites obedience to capture Ai but the Israelites needed the obedience to be in the pathway of holiness. The old hymn told us, "Trust and obey/for there is no other way/to be happy in Jesus/but to trust and obey.

Two Mountains, One Altar

Joshua had led the entire population to the valley between two mountains. One mountain was the mountain of blessing, Mount Gerizim, and the other mountain, Mount Ebal, to be the mountain of curse. It was on Mount Ebal that the altar was built. This was a strong reminder to the people that they would break the Law and therefore they would need an altar. Many would like to come to God by Mount Gerizim and not by the altar but that is not God's way. The Woman of Samaria wanted to come by the mountain of blessing but Jesus told her that was impossible. He was telling her that salvation came through the cross. The way to God is not through keeping the law but through the altar.

Everyone Included

when Joshua gathered the people at Shechem he didn't just have the leaders come. He had everyone come including women, children, and aliens. Everyone was included. Sometimes we divide what God has not intended us to divide. The Gospel message is for everyone. The Word of God is for everyone. We separate adults and children, youth and seniors, women and men, and so on but God said that everyone was to hear the Word.

Covenant Renewed

I have been away the last few days because I went to my niece's wedding. At the wedding the bride and groom make a covenant to love each other as long as they live. For those of us who witnessed the vows we were reminded of the covenant that we made before God and witnesses. I was reminded too of the covenant that God had made with the Israelites and Joshua renewed that covenant with them as they gathered in the valley at Shechem.

Free Gas

A church in Georgia is giving away tickets for to win $500 of free gas. They say that there goal is to get the people into the church to hear the gospel. The pastor says that he found Jesus' feeding of the five thousand the scriptural backing for what he is doing. Interesting, let us begin with an idea and then see what Scripture we can find to back up our idea. What if Joshua did that? Before he attacked Ai he was on his face before the Ark of the covenant which represented the presence of God. He was more interested in the glory of God than his own ideas. Why do people think that they must help God out? Jesus fed five thousand but on Pentecost morning there were only 120. What happened to the other 4880? Jesus was concerned that many would follow Him because of what they could get out of it. What will this church do next to bring people in? Once we have started down that road we have no idea where it may end.

The Hard Road Back

When Joshua and the Israelites suffered defeat at Ai they could have given up. God had promised victory and now they were defeated. Had God given up on them? Or they could have thought that they need to go back to the plan God had given them for Jericho. We can become presumptuous and think that God has to work if we follow a set of rules. God works through His people when they listen to Him. God had a plan for the taking of Ai but it was different than the plan for taking Jericho. Don't miss the plan God gave to Joshua. The plan worked because they had been defeated. When they confessed their sin and dealt with the sin then God can use even our failures for His glory. The only reason why this battle planned worked is because they had failed before.

Two Familes

Some people have questioned why Achan's family had to die with him because of his sin. We are not told in Scripture if his family was in on the sin or not but we certainly know that one person's sin can affect the whole body.
Just as Achan's family suffered death because of his sin Rahab's family was saved because of her faith. How we live does affect our family. Though salvation is personal and individual we do not live in isolation. What each of us does affects the whole body and certainly our whole family.
Thanks to Pete for this insight.

Mom

Today is mother's day and I remember that my mother was probably my best teacher. She knew how to take those teachable moments and use them to tell me about life and God. It was one of those moments when she prayed with me and I acknowledge Jesus as my Saviour. Both Moses and Joshua understood those teachable moments. That is one of the reasons that Joshua had the people erect two piles of stones. When the children asked what they meant the people were told to take that moment and teach your children. I am so grateful that I had a mother that did that. Though my mother has been dead for almost twenty years she still continues to teach me. We need to seize the moment but we also need to have a teachable spirit.

Sin in the Camp

One pastor said, "The only thing that can stop the people of God is the people of God." When Achan sinned it brought judgment upon all the people. We have been so use to individualism that we think that what we do only affects us but that is not the Biblical standard. Because the church is a community of believers when one sins the whole body is affected. That is why the Lord told Joshua that Israel had sinned.

A Tale of Two Cities

Once Jericho was taken it seem only a small thing to take Ai which was the next city in the conquest of Canaan. Ai was a much smaller city than Jericho and the Israelites did not think that it would be much of a problem. Though Jericho was a huge military victory Ai was a devastating defeat. What went wrong? Though the Bible makes it clear that it was because of sin in the camp may I suggest other reasons. First, there was a lack of prayer. When Joshua prayed and dealt with the sin then God revealed His plan to him. I think also they were presumptuous. See what God did through us and He will do it again. Yes He will in His own way. Finally let me point out the similarity between Joshua 6:2 and Joshua 8:1. God gives the victory.

Urim and Thummim

In Joshua's day the way of determining the mind of the Lord was through the casting of lots or the Urim and Thummim. The Urim and Thummim were two stones, one black and one white, which the high priest carried in the ephod. The high priest would reach into the pocket and draw out one stone, let us say that if it was white the answer was yes and if the stone was black then the answer would be no. This was the method of finding out who had sinned against the Lord. Acts 1:26 is the last recorded usage of this method of determining God's answer. Today we have the Holy Spirit and the complete canon of Scripture.
Strangely enough some Christians wish to argue that it is alright to gamble because this was the method used in Scripture. It is not hard to see that this is contrary to Scripture. Gambling has nothing to do with the Word of God or the Holy Spirit living within us. Today we need to trust the Holy Spirit to guide us. Gambling shows a lack of trust in the provision and guidance of our God.

But...

Joshua 7 begins with the word "but". Most of the chapters in the book begin with the words "now" or "then" but there is something different in this chapter. There is sin in the camp. In verse 10 the Lord is quoted as saying to Joshua, "Israel has sinned." Achan's sin affected the whole nation.
Though it may not seem as serious when one of the body of believers sins today we must remember that one person's sin does affect the whole body. A pastor or elder gets a divorce and unless it is dealt with there will probably be many more members of the body getting divorced. Though we are not called upon to inflict capitol punishment on the sinning member we are told that we must get rid of the evil from the body. Every step in the discipline of a sinning member is to restore that one to fellowship with the Lord and the other believers.
Let it not be written over the door of our church "but..."

First Fruits

I live in the part of Canada which produces the most fruit and vegetables in Canada. One of the joys of early summer is to go to the raspberry patch to see if there are any raspberries. The first ones that come, the first fruits, always seem to be the most tasty.
The Israelites are told over and over again that the first fruits belong to the Lord. We are to give to the Lord first before we take for ourselves. This lesson was taught to the Israelites again as they took the city of Jericho. Jericho represented the first fruits of the land so everything in that city belonged to Him. What Achan took for himself may have seemed trivial but it belonged to God and was devoted to Him. To take anything from Jericho was to rob God.
We too are to give the first of our increase to God. Not only does it belong to Him (as does everything else) but it reminds us again that we depend upon Him for everything.

True Faith

Chapter six of Joshua is about faith and just in case you miss that point Hebrews 11:30 tells us that it is an example of faith. So did faith make the walls come down? No, God did. Joshua and the Israelites had faith that if they obeyed God's word then it would happen. Ryan Fullerton tells us that there are three points to consider in this chapter:
1. True faith sees what God says.
2. True faith obeys what God says.
3. True faith becomes sight.
Because God has promised that the walls would come down the people had faith that He would keep that promise. Because Revelation 5:9,10 tell us that someday people from every tribe and nation will be made priests and will reign on the earth that it will happen even though that does not seem to be the case today.
The message to everyone today is "Join the Kingdom of God or it will destroy you."

The Ark

One of the things that is obvious as you read through Joshua is the centrality of the Ark. In this chapter (Joshua 6) the Ark is mentioned at least nine times. The Ark was in a prominent position as the Israelites marched around the city. It is not just that they carried a box but that the Ark represented the presence of God. Joshua had learned that he was only the under general to the real leader of the people. Joshua took his orders from the Lord God Almighty. Joshua knew the truth that Moses knew that if God did not go with them then they would not go.

Jericho and the Sabbath

When I read the story of the fall of the walls of Jericho I have a number of questions that run through my mind. Now I do believe that it happened exactly as Scripture tells us but here are my questions.
Did everyone march or just the soldiers or some of the soldiers? If it was only the soldiers and they marched ten abreast the line still might have been 30 km long. Certainly some of the soldiers would have been finished before others even started.
Did they march on the Sabbath? I certainly believe that they did. Did they start on the Sabbath, end on the Sabbath? The distance they marched would have been more than a Sabbath Day's journey (which seems to be a New Testament Rabbinical restriction). Some people try to explain the Sabbath by talking about the lunar Sabbaths. However, in my mind I am sure that they marched on the Sabbath, after all the Lord commanded it and He is the Lord of the Sabbath.
Did they doubt the wisdom of Joshua and his unorthodox military strategy?
How long was the march? Some estimate that the circumference of Jericho was less than a kilometre so if the distance was about 1 kilometre I am sure that they took at least 2 hours to march around Jericho on the seventh day.
I have questions but I know that they did it and that God honoured their faith.

Devotional for May 1

This morning I was reading in the old devotional book, Streams in the Desert, and the devotional for today was about faith. Since faith is the subject of our lesson for this coming Sunday I thought I would share the whole devotional with you. It is worth the read.
Streams in the Desert for May 1
“God that cannot lie promised.” Titus 1:2
Faith is not working up by will power a sort of certainty that something is coming to pass, but it is seeing as an actual fact that God has said that this thing shall come to pass, and that it is true, that rejoicing to know that it is true, and just resting because God has said it.
Faith turns the promise into a prophecy. While it is merely a promise it is contingent upon our co-operation. But when faith claims it, it becomes a prophecy, and we go forth feeling that it is something that must be done because God cannot lie. – Days of Heaven upon Earth.
I hear men praying everywhere for more faith, but when I listen to them carefully, and get at the real heart of their prayer, very often it is not more faith at all that they are wanting, but a change from faith to sight.
Faith says not, “I see that it is good for me, so God must have sent it,” but, “God sent it, and so it must be good for me.”
Faith, walking in the dark with God, only prays Him to clasp its hand more closely. – Phillip Brooks.