fearnot
Living With Pain
Posts: 8,383 
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Post by fearnot on Jun 21, 2019 11:34:53 GMT -5
Joshua 1: 1-18
God Commissions Joshua
1 After the death of Moses the servant of the Lord, the Lord said to Joshua the son of Nun, Moses' assistant,
2 “Moses my servant is dead. Now therefore arise, go over this Jordan, you and all this people, into the land that I am giving to them, to the people of Israel.
3 Every place that the sole of your foot will tread upon I have given to you, just as I promised to Moses.
4 From the wilderness and this Lebanon as far as the great river, the river Euphrates, all the land of the Hittites to the Great Sea toward the going down of the sun shall be your territory.
5 No man shall be able to stand before you all the days of your life. Just as I was with Moses, so I will be with you. I will not leave you or forsake you.
6 Be strong and courageous, for you shall cause this people to inherit the land that I swore to their fathers to give them.
7 Only be strong and very courageous, being careful to do according to all the law that Moses my servant commanded you. Do not turn from it to the right hand or to the left, that you may have good success wherever you go.
8 This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success.
9 Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”
Joshua Assumes Command
10 And Joshua commanded the officers of the people,
11 “Pass through the midst of the camp and command the people, ‘Prepare your provisions, for within three days you are to pass over this Jordan to go in to take possession of the land that the Lord your God is giving you to possess.’”
12 And to the Reubenites, the Gadites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh Joshua said,
13 “Remember the word that Moses the servant of the Lord commanded you, saying, ‘The Lord your God is providing you a place of rest and will give you this land.’
14 Your wives, your little ones, and your livestock shall remain in the land that Moses gave you beyond the Jordan, but all the men of valor among you shall pass over armed before your brothers and shall help them,
15 until the Lord gives rest to your brothers as he has to you, and they also take possession of the land that the Lord your God is giving them. Then you shall return to the land of your possession and shall possess it, the land that Moses the servant of the Lord gave you beyond the Jordan toward the sunrise.”
16 And they answered Joshua, “All that you have commanded us we will do, and wherever you send us we will go.
17 Just as we obeyed Moses in all things, so we will obey you. Only may the Lord your God be with you, as he was with Moses!
18 Whoever rebels against your commandment and disobeys your words, whatever you command him, shall be put to death. Only be strong and courageous.”
In a way, I would think, Moses would have been hard to come after as a leader of a million plus people.
I am not sure but I wonder if that in itself alone, might be why God told Joshua 4 times to be Be strong and courageous?
I know there were going to be wars to be fought and that is always scary, but God promised Joshua ( one of my favorite verses: "I will not leave you or forsake you".
It might have been disheartening when Moses died and easy to begin to wonder if maybe God's plan could not be accomplished without that great leader, but that is never the case.
God had Joshua training under Moses and now the Lord commissions him.
Just in my own mind, it seemed a bit like when they left Egypt ( which was not their land), they symbolically were washed off from the idols of that land,
and now in a symbolic way, they cross thru more water, the Jordan, as they begin to enter their land.
Perhaps many Christians today are like the Jewish people, they got of Egypt, but then feel into wandering around in a desert....neither unbelievers anymore, but not mature Christians, either ( but baby Christians) .
But then, finally, the time has come to get serious and get our inheritance.
Still no matter what some of God's people give way to fear, but God is so kind.....I am not sure, if Joshua really needed to be told not to fear, but I can only think since it is here in scripture, he must have had some kind of doubts ( how would he really fit into Moses sandals? ), etc.
God's assurance that He would be with Joshua, had to be a great encouragement, as it is to any of His children.
The Lord gives the boundary of the land ( I don't think Israel today has it yet...they have a lot but...)
Still Joshua and the people had to actually now do something (haven already been given it) they had to go out and fight for it.
God says Joshua will be successful ( not that there would never ever be any trials, hardships etc.)
However success would come by ( another favorite verse of mine) by studying and doing God's word).
"This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success".
We live in a fast paced world....so slowing down to think on God's word is Considered hard, or even boring at times, but as I read in one commentary:
"If you don’t talk to your Bible,
your Bible isn’t likely to talk to you!"
and one more quote a person may say quote:
"But I don't know how to meditate." I beg to differ because…
If you know how to worry,
then you know how to meditate.
Worry is when you take a negative idea and continue to think on it over and over, and it will usually start to affect you negatively. When you take a Truth from Scripture and think on it over and over, we call that meditation. There is nothing mystical or magical about meditation. Meditation just means you focus your attention over and over on the Word of God."
It is essential for victorious Christian life and living.
Unbelief will not make anyone strong but rather in the end become a coward. We believe what God says in His word, and sooner or later, even the most cowardly Christian, might be surprised to find they had courage they were lacking all their life, and they know it came only from God and His Word.
So whatever Joshua did ( or we/I do) he should always remember the Word of God....in his words and a constant controlling influence on his behavior.
Because one thing is for sure, there are going to be enemies and battles.
These were not suggestions to Joshua, but commandments.
And so, Joshua Assumes Command.
He commanded the officers to have the people prepare to move in 3 days.
He reminds the 2 1/2 tribes to keep their promise...."until the Lord gives rest to your brothers as he has to you".
And they agreed.
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fearnot
Living With Pain
Posts: 8,383
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Post by fearnot on Jun 22, 2019 15:44:12 GMT -5
See here is another part of my set up
notice ( haha as if you never have....roll your eyes now)
that the verse numbers are not in neat rows
like
1
2
3
4
and.....the is a little ( sometimes there practically the whole alphabet)....
no this is not my actual Bible study post...but rather showing my oh soooooooo many woes LOL of setting up haha
1" After the death of Moses the servant of the Lord, the Lord said to Joshua the son of Nun, Moses' assistant, 2 “Moses my servant is dead. Now therefore arise, go over this Jordan, you and all this people, into the land that I am giving to them, to the people of Israel. 3 Every place that the sole of your foot will tread upon I have given to you, just as I promised to Moses. 4 From the wilderness and this Lebanon as far as the great river, the river Euphrates, all the land of the Hittites to the Great Sea toward the going down of the sun shall be your territory. 5 No man shall be able to stand before you all the days of your life. Just as I was with Moses, so I will be with you. I will not leave you or forsake you. 6 Be strong and courageous, for you shall cause this people to inherit the land that I swore to their fathers to give them. 7 Only be strong and very courageous, being careful to do according to all the law that Moses my servant commanded you. Do not turn from it to the right hand or to the left, that you may have good success
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fearnot
Living With Pain
Posts: 8,383
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Post by fearnot on Jun 22, 2019 16:02:22 GMT -5
Because this was kind of way up above, I copied it and posted it again so you did not have to spend a year and a day hunting for it!!
Joshua 1: 1-18
God Commissions Joshua
1 After the death of Moses the servant of the Lord, the Lord said to Joshua the son of Nun, Moses' assistant,
2 “Moses my servant is dead. Now therefore arise, go over this Jordan, you and all this people, into the land that I am giving to them, to the people of Israel.
3 Every place that the sole of your foot will tread upon I have given to you, just as I promised to Moses.
4 From the wilderness and this Lebanon as far as the great river, the river Euphrates, all the land of the Hittites to the Great Sea toward the going down of the sun shall be your territory.
5 No man shall be able to stand before you all the days of your life. Just as I was with Moses, so I will be with you. I will not leave you or forsake you.
6 Be strong and courageous, for you shall cause this people to inherit the land that I swore to their fathers to give them.
7 Only be strong and very courageous, being careful to do according to all the law that Moses my servant commanded you. Do not turn from it to the right hand or to the left, that you may have good success wherever you go.
8 This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success.
9 Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”
Joshua Assumes Command
10 And Joshua commanded the officers of the people,
11 “Pass through the midst of the camp and command the people, ‘Prepare your provisions, for within three days you are to pass over this Jordan to go in to take possession of the land that the Lord your God is giving you to possess.’”
12 And to the Reubenites, the Gadites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh Joshua said,
13 “Remember the word that Moses the servant of the Lord commanded you, saying, ‘The Lord your God is providing you a place of rest and will give you this land.’
14 Your wives, your little ones, and your livestock shall remain in the land that Moses gave you beyond the Jordan, but all the men of valor among you shall pass over armed before your brothers and shall help them,
15 until the Lord gives rest to your brothers as he has to you, and they also take possession of the land that the Lord your God is giving them. Then you shall return to the land of your possession and shall possess it, the land that Moses the servant of the Lord gave you beyond the Jordan toward the sunrise.”
16 And they answered Joshua, “All that you have commanded us we will do, and wherever you send us we will go.
17 Just as we obeyed Moses in all things, so we will obey you. Only may the Lord your God be with you, as he was with Moses!
18 Whoever rebels against your commandment and disobeys your words, whatever you command him, shall be put to death. Only be strong and courageous.”
In a way, I would think, Moses would have been hard to come after as a leader of a million plus people.
I am not sure but I wonder if that in itself alone, might be why God told Joshua 4 times to be Be strong and courageous?
I know there were going to be wars to be fought and that is always scary, but God promised Joshua ( one of my favorite verses: "I will not leave you or forsake you".
It might have been disheartening when Moses died and easy to begin to wonder if maybe God's plan could not be accomplished without that great leader, but that is never the case.
God had Joshua training under Moses and now the Lord commissions him.
Just in my own mind, it seemed a bit like when they left Egypt ( which was not their land), they symbolically were washed off from the idols of that land,
and now in a symbolic way, they cross thru more water, the Jordan, as they begin to enter their land.
Perhaps many Christians today are like the Jewish people, they got of Egypt, but then feel into wandering around in a desert....neither unbelievers anymore, but not mature Christians, either ( but baby Christians) .
But then, finally, the time has come to get serious and get our inheritance.
Still no matter what some of God's people give way to fear, but God is so kind.....I am not sure, if Joshua really needed to be told not to fear, but I can only think since it is here in scripture, he must have had some kind of doubts ( how would he really fit into Moses sandals? ), etc.
God's assurance that He would be with Joshua, had to be a great encouragement, as it is to any of His children.
The Lord gives the boundary of the land ( I don't think Israel today has it yet...they have a lot but...)
Still Joshua and the people had to actually now do something (haven already been given it) they had to go out and fight for it.
God says Joshua will be successful ( not that there would never ever be any trials, hardships etc.)
However success would come by ( another favorite verse of mine) by studying and doing God's word).
"This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success".
We live in a fast paced world....so slowing down to think on God's word is Considered hard, or even boring at times, but as I read in one commentary:
"If you don’t talk to your Bible,
your Bible isn’t likely to talk to you!"
and one more quote a person may say quote:
"But I don't know how to meditate." I beg to differ because…
If you know how to worry,
then you know how to meditate.
Worry is when you take a negative idea and continue to think on it over and over, and it will usually start to affect you negatively. When you take a Truth from Scripture and think on it over and over, we call that meditation. There is nothing mystical or magical about meditation. Meditation just means you focus your attention over and over on the Word of God."
It is essential for victorious Christian life and living.
Unbelief will not make anyone strong but rather in the end become a coward. We believe what God says in His word, and sooner or later, even the most cowardly Christian, might be surprised to find they had courage they were lacking all their life, and they know it came only from God and His Word.
So whatever Joshua did ( or we/I do) he should always remember the Word of God....in his words and a constant controlling influence on his behavior.
Because one thing is for sure, there are going to be enemies and battles.
These were not suggestions to Joshua, but commandments.
And so, Joshua Assumes Command.
He commanded the officers to have the people prepare to move in 3 days.
He reminds the 2 1/2 tribes to keep their promise...."until the Lord gives rest to your brothers as he has to you".
And they agreed.
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fearnot
Living With Pain
Posts: 8,383
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Post by fearnot on Jun 23, 2019 16:54:56 GMT -5
Joshua 2: 1-14
Rahab Hides the Spies
1 And Joshua the son of Nun sent two men secretly from Shittim as spies, saying, “Go, view the land, especially Jericho.” And they went and came into the house of a prostitute whose name was Rahab and lodged there.
2 And it was told to the king of Jericho, “Behold, men of Israel have come here tonight to search out the land.”
3 Then the king of Jericho sent to Rahab, saying, “Bring out the men who have come to you, who entered your house, for they have come to search out all the land.”
4 But the woman had taken the two men and hidden them. And she said, “True, the men came to me, but I did not know where they were from.
5 And when the gate was about to be closed at dark, the men went out. I do not know where the men went. Pursue them quickly, for you will overtake them.”
6 But she had brought them up to the roof and hid them with the stalks of flax that she had laid in order on the roof.
7 So the men pursued after them on the way to the Jordan as far as the fords. And the gate was shut as soon as the pursuers had gone out.
8 Before the men lay down, she came up to them on the roof
9 and said to the men, “I know that the Lord has given you the land, and that the fear of you has fallen upon us, and that all the inhabitants of the land melt away before you.
10 For we have heard how the Lord dried up the water of the Red Sea before you when you came out of Egypt, and what you did to the two kings of the Amorites who were beyond the Jordan, to Sihon and Og, whom you devoted to destruction.
11 And as soon as we heard it, our hearts melted, and there was no spirit left in any man because of you, for the Lord your God, he is God in the heavens above and on the earth beneath.
12 Now then, please swear to me by the Lord that, as I have dealt kindly with you, you also will deal kindly with my father's house, and give me a sure sign
13 that you will save alive my father and mother, my brothers and sisters, and all who belong to them, and deliver our lives from death.”
14 And the men said to her, “Our life for yours even to death! If you do not tell this business of ours, then when the Lord gives us the land we will deal kindly and faithfully with you.”
Joshua sends to spies to check out Jericho before conquering it.
I suppose one might wonder why he did that instead of just completely trusting it God and thus being assured of the battle already being won.
I am thinking there is totally trusting in the Lord and being presumptuous, lazy and expecting God to be your slave instead of the reverse.
We still have to live life and Joshua was being a good general checking out the enemy.
I like the points MacArthur made about going to Rahab:
The spies purpose was not impure, however that way they were not conspicuous and it was a good cover ( for spies) to learn as much as they could about Jericho, and it was by the wall, good for a quick escape.
But more important than all of that it was one of Divine providence as God wanted them there to save a prostitute.
However, even with all those precautions, the King heard about them and wanted Rahab to give them up to the authorities.
This is where it gets tricky because Rahab lies and it is clear that lying is a sin and God did not and could not condone a sin........but He did condone the 'faith' that she showed.
He also shows forgiveness to sinners.
And maybe that was necessary for us to know, because I know He 'could' have saved them another way ( by another miracle if He so chose).
Also she was a traitor to her city/country and tho maybe not a Sin, per say, her fellow citizens may have thought so.
But I am thinking it was not so much being a traitor to her country than, putting God first!!
She knew all the miracles God had done for the Jews.
In any case, she hid them. And so the men of the city leave to hunt for them.
Then she tells how scared the people are of them and more so of God.
Maybe most telling of her faith is when she says:
"...For the Lord your God, he is God in the heavens above and on the earth...."
And she ask for their protection of her and her family and the ground rules are worked out.
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fearnot
Living With Pain
Posts: 8,383
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Post by fearnot on Jun 24, 2019 9:56:42 GMT -5
Joshua 2: 15-24
15 Then she let them down by a rope through the window, for her house was built into the city wall, so that she lived in the wall.
16 And she said to them, “Go into the hills, or the pursuers will encounter you, and hide there three days until the pursuers have returned. Then afterward you may go your way.”
17 The men said to her, “We will be guiltless with respect to this oath of yours that you have made us swear.
18 Behold, when we come into the land, you shall tie this scarlet cord in the window through which you let us down, and you shall gather into your house your father and mother, your brothers, and all your father's household.
19 Then if anyone goes out of the doors of your house into the street, his blood shall be on his own head, and we shall be guiltless. But if a hand is laid on anyone who is with you in the house, his blood shall be on our head.
20 But if you tell this business of ours, then we shall be guiltless with respect to your oath that you have made us swear.”
21 And she said, “According to your words, so be it.” Then she sent them away, and they departed. And she tied the scarlet cord in the window.
22 They departed and went into the hills and remained there three days until the pursuers returned, and the pursuers searched all along the way and found nothing.
23 Then the two men returned. They came down from the hills and passed over and came to Joshua the son of Nun, and they told him all that had happened to them.
24 And they said to Joshua, “Truly the Lord has given all the land into our hands. And also, all the inhabitants of the land melt away because of us.”
A couple of things about the scarlet cord. It does seem to have a double meaning....one to save Rahab and her family, but also as a symbol of the blood of Jesus saving all of the believers.
The other thing tho that was kind of a mystery to me was how would a cord hanging outside the city help the Jewish soldiers know which house was hers, from inside the city, where in all the chaos, dust etc. it wouldn't have been seen anyway....but since it was hanging outside the city, they could not see it from inside the city.
But I did read a commentary that suggested, that 'perhaps' while all the battle was going on inside the city, several soldiers could possibly have climbed into Rahab's house from the outside, and taken the family to safety.
It of course may not have happened like that, but for me, it was like with other things I may not have understood in scripture,
and yet in time, God may let me know...
or not...
But what I now do know,
is that,
even if,
I do not understand certain things in Scripture in this life,
there is always an answer because the Bible is always true....
Plus, I may find the answer when I get to Heaven ( I will have eternity after all).
Anyway she agrees to keeping it secret about the spies and hangs the cord immediately in the window.
She had said to them: “According to your words, so be it".
It made me think that is really what I should always say to God!!
And the spies followed her advise and went and stayed in the hills for 3 days before going back to the camp where they gave Joshua a good report.
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fearnot
Living With Pain
Posts: 8,383
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Post by fearnot on Jun 25, 2019 10:54:46 GMT -5
Joshua 3:1-17
Israel Crosses the Jordan
1 Then Joshua rose early in the morning and they set out from Shittim. And they came to the Jordan, he and all the people of Israel, and lodged there before they passed over.
2 At the end of three days the officers went through the camp
3 and commanded the people, “As soon as you see the ark of the covenant of the Lord your God being carried by the Levitical priests, then you shall set out from your place and follow it. 4 Yet there shall be a distance between you and it, about 2,000 cubits in length. Do not come near it, in order that you may know the way you shall go, for you have not passed this way before.”
5 Then Joshua said to the people, “Consecrate yourselves, for tomorrow the Lord will do wonders among you.”
6 And Joshua said to the priests, “Take up the ark of the covenant and pass on before the people.” So they took up the ark of the covenant and went before the people.
7 The Lord said to Joshua, “Today I will begin to exalt you in the sight of all Israel, that they may know that, as I was with Moses, so I will be with you.
8 And as for you, command the priests who bear the ark of the covenant, ‘When you come to the brink of the waters of the Jordan, you shall stand still in the Jordan.’”
9 And Joshua said to the people of Israel, “Come here and listen to the words of the Lord your God.”
10 And Joshua said, “Here is how you shall know that the living God is among you and that he will without fail drive out from before you the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Hivites, the Perizzites, the Girgashites, the Amorites, and the Jebusites.
11 Behold, the ark of the covenant of the Lord of all the earth is passing over before you into the Jordan.
12 Now therefore take twelve men from the tribes of Israel, from each tribe a man.
13 And when the soles of the feet of the priests bearing the ark of the Lord, the Lord of all the earth, shall rest in the waters of the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan shall be cut off from flowing, and the waters coming down from above shall stand in one heap.”
14 So when the people set out from their tents to pass over the Jordan with the priests bearing the ark of the covenant before the people,
15 and as soon as those bearing the ark had come as far as the Jordan, and the feet of the priests bearing the ark were dipped in the brink of the water (now the Jordan overflows all its banks throughout the time of harvest),
16 the waters coming down from above stood and rose up in a heap very far away, at Adam, the city that is beside Zarethan, and those flowing down toward the Sea of the Arabah, the Salt Sea, were completely cut off. And the people passed over opposite Jericho.
17 Now the priests bearing the ark of the covenant of the Lord stood firmly on dry ground in the midst of the Jordan, and all Israel was passing over on dry ground until all the nation finished passing over the Jordan.
Having received a good report from the spies, Joshua begins the preparations.
The people are told to pack up and they move to the Jordan River.
the people are told:
"“As soon as you see the ark of the covenant of the Lord your God being carried by the Levitical priests, then you shall set out from your place and follow it."
That made me think, I am to follow My Lord every day.
They however we to be very respectful of the Ark as it was the symbol of the Divine living God.
Something even many Christians today are not always good at.
Certainly, there is no respect of God with secular people
who seem to think God's last name is damn....
and they say the two together .....
multiple times a day,
with zero respect.
Another reason was because they had not passed that way before. Well another reason we need to follow God, we have not passed this way before either ( every day, is a new frontier, and we need the Lord).
God was going to do wonders, and He can whenever He chooses to do so.
He then tells the priests they are to stand in the water with the ark.
The people were to come and listen to the Word of God....(as should I).
What comfort to know that God promised to be with Joshua as He was with Moses!
Also God would drive out Canaanites, the Hittites, the Hivites, the Perizzites, the Girgashites, the Amorites, and the Jebusites. And we do not have any of them around today, but we still have the Jews as Jews.
I liked what Pastor John MacArthur said in my study bible about this:
" The question is not why God choose to destroy these sinners, but why had He let them live so long
and why are not ALL sinners destroyed far sooner than they are.
It is grace that allows sinners to draw one more breath of life."
Joshua goes on with further instructions, and an explanation of what is to happen to the waters of the Jordan.
So the priests stepped into the waters.....a real show of faith....the kind I want.
And the people pass over to dry ground ( because the waters stood up in a heap making the ground dry).
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Post by Cindy on Jun 25, 2019 11:28:56 GMT -5
Joshua 1: 1-18
God Commissions Joshua
1 After the death of Moses the servant of the Lord, the Lord said to Joshua the son of Nun, Moses' assistant,
2 “Moses my servant is dead. Now therefore arise, go over this Jordan, you and all this people, into the land that I am giving to them, to the people of Israel.
3 Every place that the sole of your foot will tread upon I have given to you, just as I promised to Moses.
4 From the wilderness and this Lebanon as far as the great river, the river Euphrates, all the land of the Hittites to the Great Sea toward the going down of the sun shall be your territory.
5 No man shall be able to stand before you all the days of your life. Just as I was with Moses, so I will be with you. I will not leave you or forsake you.
6 Be strong and courageous, for you shall cause this people to inherit the land that I swore to their fathers to give them.
7 Only be strong and very courageous, being careful to do according to all the law that Moses my servant commanded you. Do not turn from it to the right hand or to the left, that you may have good success wherever you go.
8 This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success.
9 Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”
Joshua Assumes Command
10 And Joshua commanded the officers of the people,
11 “Pass through the midst of the camp and command the people, ‘Prepare your provisions, for within three days you are to pass over this Jordan to go in to take possession of the land that the Lord your God is giving you to possess.’”
12 And to the Reubenites, the Gadites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh Joshua said,
13 “Remember the word that Moses the servant of the Lord commanded you, saying, ‘The Lord your God is providing you a place of rest and will give you this land.’
14 Your wives, your little ones, and your livestock shall remain in the land that Moses gave you beyond the Jordan, but all the men of valor among you shall pass over armed before your brothers and shall help them,
15 until the Lord gives rest to your brothers as he has to you, and they also take possession of the land that the Lord your God is giving them. Then you shall return to the land of your possession and shall possess it, the land that Moses the servant of the Lord gave you beyond the Jordan toward the sunrise.”
16 And they answered Joshua, “All that you have commanded us we will do, and wherever you send us we will go.
17 Just as we obeyed Moses in all things, so we will obey you. Only may the Lord your God be with you, as he was with Moses!
18 Whoever rebels against your commandment and disobeys your words, whatever you command him, shall be put to death. Only be strong and courageous.”
In a way, I would think, Moses would have been hard to come after as a leader of a million plus people.
I am not sure but I wonder if that in itself alone, might be why God told Joshua 4 times to be Be strong and courageous?
I know there were going to be wars to be fought and that is always scary, but God promised Joshua ( one of my favorite verses: "I will not leave you or forsake you".
It might have been disheartening when Moses died and easy to begin to wonder if maybe God's plan could not be accomplished without that great leader, but that is never the case.
God had Joshua training under Moses and now the Lord commissions him.
Just in my own mind, it seemed a bit like when they left Egypt ( which was not their land), they symbolically were washed off from the idols of that land,
and now in a symbolic way, they cross thru more water, the Jordan, as they begin to enter their land.
Perhaps many Christians today are like the Jewish people, they got of Egypt, but then feel into wandering around in a desert....neither unbelievers anymore, but not mature Christians, either ( but baby Christians) .
But then, finally, the time has come to get serious and get our inheritance.
Still no matter what some of God's people give way to fear, but God is so kind.....I am not sure, if Joshua really needed to be told not to fear, but I can only think since it is here in scripture, he must have had some kind of doubts ( how would he really fit into Moses sandals? ), etc.
God's assurance that He would be with Joshua, had to be a great encouragement, as it is to any of His children.
The Lord gives the boundary of the land ( I don't think Israel today has it yet...they have a lot but...)
Still Joshua and the people had to actually now do something (haven already been given it) they had to go out and fight for it.
God says Joshua will be successful ( not that there would never ever be any trials, hardships etc.)
However success would come by ( another favorite verse of mine) by studying and doing God's word).
"This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success".
We live in a fast paced world....so slowing down to think on God's word is Considered hard, or even boring at times, but as I read in one commentary:
"If you don’t talk to your Bible,
your Bible isn’t likely to talk to you!"
and one more quote a person may say quote:
"But I don't know how to meditate." I beg to differ because…
If you know how to worry,
then you know how to meditate.
Worry is when you take a negative idea and continue to think on it over and over, and it will usually start to affect you negatively. When you take a Truth from Scripture and think on it over and over, we call that meditation. There is nothing mystical or magical about meditation. Meditation just means you focus your attention over and over on the Word of God."
It is essential for victorious Christian life and living.
Unbelief will not make anyone strong but rather in the end become a coward. We believe what God says in His word, and sooner or later, even the most cowardly Christian, might be surprised to find they had courage they were lacking all their life, and they know it came only from God and His Word.
So whatever Joshua did ( or we/I do) he should always remember the Word of God....in his words and a constant controlling influence on his behavior.
Because one thing is for sure, there are going to be enemies and battles.
These were not suggestions to Joshua, but commandments.
And so, Joshua Assumes Command.
He commanded the officers to have the people prepare to move in 3 days.
He reminds the 2 1/2 tribes to keep their promise...."until the Lord gives rest to your brothers as he has to you".
And they agreed.
Good! We need to realize that before God assured Joshua He would be with him and help him, He first said what's in verse 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.” (Joshua 1:8) That's important because we need to understand that if we don't know God's Word, we can't obey Him; and if we don't obey Him, first by knowing His Word, and second by living it, then He isn't obligated to bless us or do anything for us. They wouldn't lose their salvation, they'd just lose His other gifts and promises here and rewards in eternity.
See here is another part of my set up
notice ( haha as if you never have....roll your eyes now)
that the verse numbers are not in neat rows
like
1
2
3
4
and.....the is a little ( sometimes there practically the whole alphabet)....
no this is not my actual Bible study post...but rather showing my oh soooooooo many woes LOL of setting up haha
1" After the death of Moses the servant of the Lord, the Lord said to Joshua the son of Nun, Moses' assistant, 2 “Moses my servant is dead. Now therefore arise, go over this Jordan, you and all this people, into the land that I am giving to them, to the people of Israel. 3 Every place that the sole of your foot will tread upon I have given to you, just as I promised to Moses. 4 From the wilderness and this Lebanon as far as the great river, the river Euphrates, all the land of the Hittites to the Great Sea toward the going down of the sun shall be your territory. 5 No man shall be able to stand before you all the days of your life. Just as I was with Moses, so I will be with you. I will not leave you or forsake you. 6 Be strong and courageous, for you shall cause this people to inherit the land that I swore to their fathers to give them. 7 Only be strong and very courageous, being careful to do according to all the law that Moses my servant commanded you. Do not turn from it to the right hand or to the left, that you may have good success
Joshua 2: 1-14
Rahab Hides the Spies
1 And Joshua the son of Nun sent two men secretly from Shittim as spies, saying, “Go, view the land, especially Jericho.” And they went and came into the house of a prostitute whose name was Rahab and lodged there.
2 And it was told to the king of Jericho, “Behold, men of Israel have come here tonight to search out the land.”
3 Then the king of Jericho sent to Rahab, saying, “Bring out the men who have come to you, who entered your house, for they have come to search out all the land.”
4 But the woman had taken the two men and hidden them. And she said, “True, the men came to me, but I did not know where they were from.
5 And when the gate was about to be closed at dark, the men went out. I do not know where the men went. Pursue them quickly, for you will overtake them.”
6 But she had brought them up to the roof and hid them with the stalks of flax that she had laid in order on the roof.
7 So the men pursued after them on the way to the Jordan as far as the fords. And the gate was shut as soon as the pursuers had gone out.
8 Before the men lay down, she came up to them on the roof
9 and said to the men, “I know that the Lord has given you the land, and that the fear of you has fallen upon us, and that all the inhabitants of the land melt away before you.
10 For we have heard how the Lord dried up the water of the Red Sea before you when you came out of Egypt, and what you did to the two kings of the Amorites who were beyond the Jordan, to Sihon and Og, whom you devoted to destruction.
11 And as soon as we heard it, our hearts melted, and there was no spirit left in any man because of you, for the Lord your God, he is God in the heavens above and on the earth beneath.
12 Now then, please swear to me by the Lord that, as I have dealt kindly with you, you also will deal kindly with my father's house, and give me a sure sign
13 that you will save alive my father and mother, my brothers and sisters, and all who belong to them, and deliver our lives from death.”
14 And the men said to her, “Our life for yours even to death! If you do not tell this business of ours, then when the Lord gives us the land we will deal kindly and faithfully with you.”
Joshua sends to spies to check out Jericho before conquering it.
I suppose one might wonder why he did that instead of just completely trusting it God and thus being assured of the battle already being won.
I am thinking there is totally trusting in the Lord and being presumptuous, lazy and expecting God to be your slave instead of the reverse.
We still have to live life and Joshua was being a good general checking out the enemy.
I like the points MacArthur made about going to Rahab:
The spies purpose was not impure, however that way they were not conspicuous and it was a good cover ( for spies) to learn as much as they could about Jericho, and it was by the wall, good for a quick escape.
But more important than all of that it was one of Divine providence as God wanted them there to save a prostitute.
However, even with all those precautions, the King heard about them and wanted Rahab to give them up to the authorities.
This is where it gets tricky because Rahab lies and it is clear that lying is a sin and God did not and could not condone a sin........but He did condone the 'faith' that she showed.
He also shows forgiveness to sinners.
And maybe that was necessary for us to know, because I know He 'could' have saved them another way ( by another miracle if He so chose).
Also she was a traitor to her city/country and tho maybe not a Sin, per say, her fellow citizens may have thought so.
But I am thinking it was not so much being a traitor to her country than, putting God first!!
She knew all the miracles God had done for the Jews.
In any case, she hid them. And so the men of the city leave to hunt for them.
Then she tells how scared the people are of them and more so of God.
Maybe most telling of her faith is when she says:
"...For the Lord your God, he is God in the heavens above and on the earth...."
And she ask for their protection of her and her family and the ground rules are worked out.
That Rahab was a prostitute and an obvious sinner, which includes lying, simply shows us that she was an unbeliever before she met the spies. She'd heard about Israel's God, and God used that to prepare her for salvation. Her decision to help the spies and work for their God, making Him her God, was the evidence that she now had saving faith - that God had saved her. That she lied in the process was part of her old nature. Like all of us when we're saved, we don't instantly give up all our sins. In fact, we generally don't even know much about what sin is. Rahab most likely never even considered whether or not lying was a sin. She just did what she knew how to do to help the spies. God knew her heart and judged that, and she was saved. People who use the fact that she lied to try and prove that it's ok to lie "sometimes" are being ridiculous. That would be like saying it's ok to kill children "sometimes" because some are killed in war; or that it's ok to have sex outside of marriage since Eli's sons did so.
In James 2:21–26 James used both Abraham and Rahab to illustrate the fact that true saving faith always proves itself by good works. Interestingly in Hebrews 11:11, Abraham and Sarah are listed as members of the Hall of faith and in Hebrews 11:31, Rahab is mentioned in it, and all had something to do with lying. Abraham lied saying Sarah was his sister, which she was, but it was a lie because she was also his wife. And that lie (which he repeated a second time) was a sin for which God disciplined him for. Also, Sarah suffered for his lie. That alone should tell people that all lies are a sin. (which I know you realize.)
As far as being a traitor to her country goes, that was not a sin, because her country was evil and promoted evil. God tells us to be separate from that, which is what she did. Also, it was God, the Holy Spirit who prompted her to do what she did.
Rahab's words to the spies were actually an indictment of the Israelites whose unbelief caused them to lose 40 years in the wilderness. Basically, she told them in Joshua 2:10–11 that the battle had been won when God delivered them from Egypt
Joshua 2: 15-24
15 Then she let them down by a rope through the window, for her house was built into the city wall, so that she lived in the wall.
16 And she said to them, “Go into the hills, or the pursuers will encounter you, and hide there three days until the pursuers have returned. Then afterward you may go your way.”
17 The men said to her, “We will be guiltless with respect to this oath of yours that you have made us swear.
18 Behold, when we come into the land, you shall tie this scarlet cord in the window through which you let us down, and you shall gather into your house your father and mother, your brothers, and all your father's household.
19 Then if anyone goes out of the doors of your house into the street, his blood shall be on his own head, and we shall be guiltless. But if a hand is laid on anyone who is with you in the house, his blood shall be on our head.
20 But if you tell this business of ours, then we shall be guiltless with respect to your oath that you have made us swear.”
21 And she said, “According to your words, so be it.” Then she sent them away, and they departed. And she tied the scarlet cord in the window.
22 They departed and went into the hills and remained there three days until the pursuers returned, and the pursuers searched all along the way and found nothing.
23 Then the two men returned. They came down from the hills and passed over and came to Joshua the son of Nun, and they told him all that had happened to them.
24 And they said to Joshua, “Truly the Lord has given all the land into our hands. And also, all the inhabitants of the land melt away because of us.”
A couple of things about the scarlet cord. It does seem to have a double meaning....one to save Rahab and her family, but also as a symbol of the blood of Jesus saving all of the believers.
The other thing tho that was kind of a mystery to me was how would a cord hanging outside the city help the Jewish soldiers know which house was hers, from inside the city, where in all the chaos, dust etc. it wouldn't have been seen anyway....but since it was hanging outside the city, they could not see it from inside the city.
But I did read a commentary that suggested, that 'perhaps' while all the battle was going on inside the city, several soldiers could possibly have climbed into Rahab's house from the outside, and taken the family to safety.
It of course may not have happened like that, but for me, it was like with other things I may not have understood in scripture,
and yet in time, God may let me know...
or not...
But what I now do know,
is that,
even if,
I do not understand certain things in Scripture in this life,
there is always an answer because the Bible is always true....
Plus, I may find the answer when I get to Heaven ( I will have eternity after all).
Anyway she agrees to keeping it secret about the spies and hangs the cord immediately in the window.
She had said to them: “According to your words, so be it".
It made me think that is really what I should always say to God!!
And the spies followed her advise and went and stayed in the hills for 3 days before going back to the camp where they gave Joshua a good report.
When God saved the Israelites from Egypt, He instituted the passover, where they had to put the blood of a lamb on their doorposts. She hung a scarlet cord out, which showed that she and all who were in her house were now under the protection of that same blood. (which would one day be the blood of our Lord, Jesus.)
MacArthur explains that her home was on the city wall, with the Jordan to the East and the mountains om the West. Think of standing outside an apartment complex, and seeing a scarlet cord hanging outside a window. It would be easy to tell where that apartment was in the building.
it's important that we realize that Rahab's faith wasn't in the scarlet cord, it was in God. The cord was for the men so they'd know where to rescue her from. Rahab trusted in God to make sure they found her and got her and her family out safely though.
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fearnot
Living With Pain
Posts: 8,383
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Post by fearnot on Jun 25, 2019 11:55:03 GMT -5
Joshua 3:1-17
Israel Crosses the Jordan
1 Then Joshua rose early in the morning and they set out from Shittim. And they came to the Jordan, he and all the people of Israel, and lodged there before they passed over.
2 At the end of three days the officers went through the camp
3 and commanded the people, “As soon as you see the ark of the covenant of the Lord your God being carried by the Levitical priests, then you shall set out from your place and follow it. 4 Yet there shall be a distance between you and it, about 2,000 cubits in length. Do not come near it, in order that you may know the way you shall go, for you have not passed this way before.”
5 Then Joshua said to the people, “Consecrate yourselves, for tomorrow the Lord will do wonders among you.”
6 And Joshua said to the priests, “Take up the ark of the covenant and pass on before the people.” So they took up the ark of the covenant and went before the people.
7 The Lord said to Joshua, “Today I will begin to exalt you in the sight of all Israel, that they may know that, as I was with Moses, so I will be with you.
8 And as for you, command the priests who bear the ark of the covenant, ‘When you come to the brink of the waters of the Jordan, you shall stand still in the Jordan.’”
9 And Joshua said to the people of Israel, “Come here and listen to the words of the Lord your God.”
10 And Joshua said, “Here is how you shall know that the living God is among you and that he will without fail drive out from before you the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Hivites, the Perizzites, the Girgashites, the Amorites, and the Jebusites.
11 Behold, the ark of the covenant of the Lord of all the earth is passing over before you into the Jordan.
12 Now therefore take twelve men from the tribes of Israel, from each tribe a man.
13 And when the soles of the feet of the priests bearing the ark of the Lord, the Lord of all the earth, shall rest in the waters of the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan shall be cut off from flowing, and the waters coming down from above shall stand in one heap.”
14 So when the people set out from their tents to pass over the Jordan with the priests bearing the ark of the covenant before the people,
15 and as soon as those bearing the ark had come as far as the Jordan, and the feet of the priests bearing the ark were dipped in the brink of the water (now the Jordan overflows all its banks throughout the time of harvest),
16 the waters coming down from above stood and rose up in a heap very far away, at Adam, the city that is beside Zarethan, and those flowing down toward the Sea of the Arabah, the Salt Sea, were completely cut off. And the people passed over opposite Jericho.
17 Now the priests bearing the ark of the covenant of the Lord stood firmly on dry ground in the midst of the Jordan, and all Israel was passing over on dry ground until all the nation finished passing over the Jordan.
Having received a good report from the spies, Joshua begins the preparations.
The people are told to pack up and they move to the Jordan River.
the people are told:
"“As soon as you see the ark of the covenant of the Lord your God being carried by the Levitical priests, then you shall set out from your place and follow it."
That made me think, I am to follow My Lord every day.
They however we to be very respectful of the Ark as it was the symbol of the Divine living God.
Something even many Christians today are not always good at.
Certainly, there is no respect of God with secular people
who seem to think God's last name is damn....
and they say the two together .....
multiple times a day,
with zero respect.
Another reason was because they had not passed that way before. Well another reason we need to follow God, we have not passed this way before either ( every day, is a new frontier, and we need the Lord).
God was going to do wonders, and He can whenever He chooses to do so.
He then tells the priests they are to stand in the water with the ark.
The people were to come and listen to the Word of God....(as should I).
What comfort to know that God promised to be with Joshua as He was with Moses!
Also God would drive out Canaanites, the Hittites, the Hivites, the Perizzites, the Girgashites, the Amorites, and the Jebusites. And we do not have any of them around today, but we still have the Jews as Jews.
I liked what Pastor John MacArthur said in my study bible about this:
" The question is not why God choose to destroy these sinners, but why had He let them live so long
and why are not ALL sinners destroyed far sooner than they are.
It is grace that allows sinners to draw one more breath of life."
Joshua goes on with further instructions, and an explanation of what is to happen to the waters of the Jordan.
So the priests stepped into the waters.....a real show of faith....the kind I want.
And the people pass over to dry ground ( because the waters stood up in a heap making the ground dry).
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fearnot
Living With Pain
Posts: 8,383
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Post by fearnot on Jun 25, 2019 12:12:09 GMT -5
Joshua 4: 1-24
The people have all passed over but the priests are still standing in the water.
It says further on the people passed over in haste, and so it seems these priests were either very courageous and/or had a great deal of faith.
What I never got before was there were 2 memorials to God's faithfulness, power and miracle. They set up one on land and one in the river. It seems a bit curious that a monument of stones would be made that would soon be covered by water.
Somehow it reminds me that God does 'miracles' everyday, that I may be totally unaware of and cannot see, but they are nevertheless.
One man from each tribe carried a rock for the land memorial but Joshua set up twelve in the river bed. He had mentioned the 12 men before but here we find out what their assignment was. I am thinking the stones might have been a bit heavy and they had to carry them a ways!!
Joshua did not set up a committee to decide at a latter date what would be a good memorial, it was done immediately and it was there for there first evening in the land.
A good reminder not to put off praising God and thanking Him for all He has done for me.
This would be something to pass down to their children. Reminding me we should be teaching our children and grandchildren the faithfulness, glory and power of our God and Savior.
Also The sons of Reuben and the sons of Gad and the half-tribe of Manasseh passed over armed before the people of Israel, as Moses had told them. They were equipped for war because they would be struggles, battles of war also. They kept their promise.
We are to keep our promises.
Then the priests with the ark as representing God the first to move and guarding to the last.
And then the water returned....and the people camped at Gilgal.
This was done so that:
"so that all the peoples of the earth may know that the hand of the Lord is mighty, that you may fear the Lord your God forever"
May I also know this!!
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Post by Cindy on Jun 26, 2019 8:51:02 GMT -5
Joshua 3:1-17
Israel Crosses the Jordan
1 Then Joshua rose early in the morning and they set out from Shittim. And they came to the Jordan, he and all the people of Israel, and lodged there before they passed over.
2 At the end of three days the officers went through the camp
3 and commanded the people, “As soon as you see the ark of the covenant of the Lord your God being carried by the Levitical priests, then you shall set out from your place and follow it. 4 Yet there shall be a distance between you and it, about 2,000 cubits in length. Do not come near it, in order that you may know the way you shall go, for you have not passed this way before.”
5 Then Joshua said to the people, “Consecrate yourselves, for tomorrow the Lord will do wonders among you.”
6 And Joshua said to the priests, “Take up the ark of the covenant and pass on before the people.” So they took up the ark of the covenant and went before the people.
7 The Lord said to Joshua, “Today I will begin to exalt you in the sight of all Israel, that they may know that, as I was with Moses, so I will be with you.
8 And as for you, command the priests who bear the ark of the covenant, ‘When you come to the brink of the waters of the Jordan, you shall stand still in the Jordan.’”
9 And Joshua said to the people of Israel, “Come here and listen to the words of the Lord your God.”
10 And Joshua said, “Here is how you shall know that the living God is among you and that he will without fail drive out from before you the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Hivites, the Perizzites, the Girgashites, the Amorites, and the Jebusites.
11 Behold, the ark of the covenant of the Lord of all the earth is passing over before you into the Jordan.
12 Now therefore take twelve men from the tribes of Israel, from each tribe a man.
13 And when the soles of the feet of the priests bearing the ark of the Lord, the Lord of all the earth, shall rest in the waters of the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan shall be cut off from flowing, and the waters coming down from above shall stand in one heap.”
14 So when the people set out from their tents to pass over the Jordan with the priests bearing the ark of the covenant before the people,
15 and as soon as those bearing the ark had come as far as the Jordan, and the feet of the priests bearing the ark were dipped in the brink of the water (now the Jordan overflows all its banks throughout the time of harvest),
16 the waters coming down from above stood and rose up in a heap very far away, at Adam, the city that is beside Zarethan, and those flowing down toward the Sea of the Arabah, the Salt Sea, were completely cut off. And the people passed over opposite Jericho.
17 Now the priests bearing the ark of the covenant of the Lord stood firmly on dry ground in the midst of the Jordan, and all Israel was passing over on dry ground until all the nation finished passing over the Jordan.
Having received a good report from the spies, Joshua begins the preparations.
The people are told to pack up and they move to the Jordan River.
the people are told:
"“As soon as you see the ark of the covenant of the Lord your God being carried by the Levitical priests, then you shall set out from your place and follow it."
That made me think, I am to follow My Lord every day.
They however we to be very respectful of the Ark as it was the symbol of the Divine living God.
Something even many Christians today are not always good at.
Certainly, there is no respect of God with secular people
who seem to think God's last name is damn....
and they say the two together .....
multiple times a day,
with zero respect.
Another reason was because they had not passed that way before. Well another reason we need to follow God, we have not passed this way before either ( every day, is a new frontier, and we need the Lord).
God was going to do wonders, and He can whenever He chooses to do so.
He then tells the priests they are to stand in the water with the ark.
The people were to come and listen to the Word of God....(as should I).
What comfort to know that God promised to be with Joshua as He was with Moses!
Also God would drive out Canaanites, the Hittites, the Hivites, the Perizzites, the Girgashites, the Amorites, and the Jebusites. And we do not have any of them around today, but we still have the Jews as Jews.
I liked what Pastor John MacArthur said in my study bible about this:
" The question is not why God choose to destroy these sinners, but why had He let them live so long
and why are not ALL sinners destroyed far sooner than they are.
It is grace that allows sinners to draw one more breath of life."
Joshua goes on with further instructions, and an explanation of what is to happen to the waters of the Jordan.
So the priests stepped into the waters.....a real show of faith....the kind I want.
And the people pass over to dry ground ( because the waters stood up in a heap making the ground dry).
Joshua 4: 1-24
The people have all passed over but the priests are still standing in the water.
It says further on the people passed over in haste, and so it seems these priests were either very courageous and/or had a great deal of faith.
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fearnot
Living With Pain
Posts: 8,383
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Post by fearnot on Jun 26, 2019 9:49:17 GMT -5
HA I was just trying out the new way....and only wrote a wee bit because the colors would not change if I only put the new chapter in ( I must have tried 5 or 6 times)
Then I thought.....what IF, I write something?)
Soooo I did and then the color changed!!
So here is the rest
Joshua 4: 1-24
The people have all passed over but the priests are still standing in the water.
It says further on the people passed over in haste, and so it seems these priests were either very courageous and/or had a great deal of faith.
What I never got before was there were 2 memorials to God's faithfulness, power and miracle. They set up one on land and one in the river. It seems a bit curious that a monument of stones would be made that would soon be covered by water.
Somehow it reminds me that God does 'miracles' everyday, that I may be totally unaware of and cannot see, but they are nevertheless.
One man from each tribe carried a rock for the land memorial but Joshua set up twelve in the river bed. He had mentioned the 12 men before but here we find out what their assignment was. I am thinking the stones might have been a bit heavy and they had to carry them a ways!!
Joshua did not set up a committee to decide at a latter date what would be a good memorial, it was done immediately and it was there for there first evening in the land.
A good reminder not to put off praising God and thanking Him for all He has done for me.
This would be something to pass down to their children. Reminding me we should be teaching our children and grandchildren the faithfulness, glory and power of our God and Savior.
Also The sons of Reuben and the sons of Gad and the half-tribe of Manasseh passed over armed before the people of Israel, as Moses had told them. They were equipped for war because they would be struggles, battles of war also. They kept their promise.
We are to keep our promises.
Then the priests with the ark as representing God the first to move and guarding to the last.
And then the water returned....and the people camped at Gilgal.
This was done so that:
"so that all the peoples of the earth may know that the hand of the Lord is mighty, that you may fear the Lord your God forever"
May I also know this!!
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Post by Cindy on Jun 27, 2019 9:50:20 GMT -5
HA I was just trying out the new way....and only wrote a wee bit because the colors would not change if I only put the new chapter in ( I must have tried 5 or 6 times)
Then I thought.....what IF, I write something?)
Soooo I did and then the color changed!!
So here is the rest
Joshua 4: 1-24
The people have all passed over but the priests are still standing in the water.
It says further on the people passed over in haste, and so it seems these priests were either very courageous and/or had a great deal of faith.
What I never got before was there were 2 memorials to God's faithfulness, power and miracle. They set up one on land and one in the river. It seems a bit curious that a monument of stones would be made that would soon be covered by water.
Somehow it reminds me that God does 'miracles' everyday, that I may be totally unaware of and cannot see, but they are nevertheless.
One man from each tribe carried a rock for the land memorial but Joshua set up twelve in the river bed. He had mentioned the 12 men before but here we find out what their assignment was. I am thinking the stones might have been a bit heavy and they had to carry them a ways!!
Joshua did not set up a committee to decide at a latter date what would be a good memorial, it was done immediately and it was there for there first evening in the land.
A good reminder not to put off praising God and thanking Him for all He has done for me.
This would be something to pass down to their children. Reminding me we should be teaching our children and grandchildren the faithfulness, glory and power of our God and Savior.
Also The sons of Reuben and the sons of Gad and the half-tribe of Manasseh passed over armed before the people of Israel, as Moses had told them. They were equipped for war because they would be struggles, battles of war also. They kept their promise.
We are to keep our promises.
Then the priests with the ark as representing God the first to move and guarding to the last.
And then the water returned....and the people camped at Gilgal.
This was done so that:
"so that all the peoples of the earth may know that the hand of the Lord is mighty, that you may fear the Lord your God forever"
May I also know this!!
Great job!
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fearnot
Living With Pain
Posts: 8,383
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Post by fearnot on Jun 27, 2019 9:54:29 GMT -5
Joshua 5
We the pagan people heard yet another miracle God had done, they became very afraid....but it does not seem they chose to change their ways, beliefs etc. but the one change was, they did become cowardly out of fear.
But then we learn that this new generation had not been yet circumcised and so that had to be dealt with and was.
Then comes an explanation of why they were or had not been circumcised already.
Perhaps because the people who came out of Egypt ( this generation's parents) who were disobedient anyway, neglected also to circumcise their children.
In any case after that was done they had to stay in one place in order to heal.
Strange, that made me think that maybe there are times when we today need to stay in one place and heal also.
Joshua said that this have rolled away the reproach of Egypt from them.
I am not sure exactly what that meant.....perhaps it is bit bit like 'Christians' that are so like the world, ( not set apart in anyway) that they are hard to tell from unbelievers?
And then they celebrated the Passover.
The manna ceased and they were able to eat the food of the land.
Then Joshua meets the commander of the army of the Lord ( a Christophany ) who seems to have come to assure Joshua of success and victory.
Any for me to have any 'victory' in life, I need Jesus.
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fearnot
Living With Pain
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Post by fearnot on Jun 27, 2019 9:57:20 GMT -5
Aha! That makes sense, thank you for explaining it.....I even wondered before, what the Chapter and verse would not change to the color I selected.....now I know!! :-)
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Post by Cindy on Jun 28, 2019 10:20:03 GMT -5
Joshua 5
We the pagan people heard yet another miracle God had done, they became very afraid....but it does not seem they chose to change their ways, beliefs etc. but the one change was, they did become cowardly out of fear.
But then we learn that this new generation had not been yet circumcised and so that had to be dealt with and was.
Then comes an explanation of why they were or had not been circumcised already.
Perhaps because the people who came out of Egypt ( this generation's parents) who were disobedient anyway, neglected also to circumcise their children.
In any case after that was done they had to stay in one place in order to heal.
Strange, that made me think that maybe there are times when we today need to stay in one place and heal also.
Joshua said that this have rolled away the reproach of Egypt from them.
I am not sure exactly what that meant.....perhaps it is bit bit like 'Christians' that are so like the world, ( not set apart in anyway) that they are hard to tell from unbelievers?
And then they celebrated the Passover.
The manna ceased and they were able to eat the food of the land.
Then Joshua meets the commander of the army of the Lord ( a Christophany ) who seems to have come to assure Joshua of success and victory.
Any for me to have any 'victory' in life, I need Jesus.
I think that “the reproach of Egypt” Is talking about when the Israelites refused to enter the promised land in Kadesh Barnea because of what 10 of the spies said about it. They chose to believe what the spies said instead of believing what God said (that He would give them the land). God threatened to destroy them all but Moses interceded so He didn't. Their sin of not entering the promised land was a reproach to them, but now that was in the past and they were actually in the promised land now, so the roproach was now completely gone. Now, each man bore on his body the mark that reminded him that he belonged to God, he was a son of the covenant, and the land was his to conquer and possess.
Something else really impressed me and it's about these verses: “Now when Joshua was near Jericho, he looked up and saw a man standing in front of him with a drawn sword in his hand. Joshua went up to him and asked, “Are you for us or for our enemies?” “Neither,” he replied, “but as commander of the army of the LORD I have now come.” Then Joshua fell facedown to the ground in reverence, and asked him, “What message does my Lord have for his servant?”” (Joshua 5:13–14) Notice that when Joshua asked the Lord if He was for them or their enemy, He said, "neither!" That tells us a lot about the Lord. I would have expected Him to say He was for Israel, but this reminds me that He has no "favorites". He loved the sinful gentiles as much as He loved Israel. Yes, He was about to help Israel kill them all as a judgement of their unending sins, which they'd had 400 years to repent of, but had not done so even when they heard about God and were reminded of Him. It reminds me of this verse: “For I take no pleasure in the death of anyone, declares the Sovereign LORD. Repent and live!” (Ezekiel 18:32) and “For he does not willingly bring affliction or grief to the children of men.” (Lamentations 3:33) But they'd chosen not to repent, so He had no choice.
Every time I read about someone falling down when they see God or something like that, it always jumps out at me that they fell FACE DOWN. They did not fall down and land on their backs, nor where they in some kind of trance when they fell. It was nothing at all like the stuff that happens in some Pentecostal churches today!
Aha! That makes sense, thank you for explaining it.....I even wondered before, what the Chapter and verse would not change to the color I selected.....now I know!! :-)  Have a good weekend!  |
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fearnot
Living With Pain
Posts: 8,383
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Post by fearnot on Jun 28, 2019 13:40:03 GMT -5
Joshua 6
The winning of the war against Jericho is a bit strange and unusual, to say the least.
I wonder if any 5 star generals have ever ponder it?
And yet in one way, I can see how they may have in fact learned some strategies from it.
So the Lord gives Joshua instructions but lets him know God will win the war.
They mighty men of valor are to march around the city once a day, as will the priests carrying the Ark and blowing 7 trumpets ( but no one is to shout).
This had to be almost like a type of mental torture for the people inside.....they were already fearful and this had to be so strange and even scary to just have this army marching around day after day!! What are they doing, when will they strike?
But not only the people inside the wall, the Israelites were learning to obey God ( even if it seemed kind of weird) and to wait and see how God would perform a miracle for them.
I think the people of both sides had to consider this bizarre, only the people inside were getting more nervous ( I think) and more in suspense, etc.
while God's people were getting more curious perhaps, excited, and trusting.
So on the 7th day they were to circle 7 times, and then when the horns were blown they were to shout ( but even here they had to be patient and obedient and wait for the command to shout)
and God would cause the walls to come down.
They were instructed to save Rahab and her family and to only bring out the gold, silver etc.
I am thinking, if people took all manner of plunder for themselves, it who be easier to start giving themselves credit for their provision.
And God cursed the rebuilding of the city.
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fearnot
Living With Pain
Posts: 8,383
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Post by fearnot on Jun 29, 2019 10:26:53 GMT -5
Joshau 7: 1-26
Israel Defeated at Ai
The fact they were defeated at Ai shows that tho they should have won the battle with ease, without God, no such assurance is given.
It seems weird or even kind of wrong that all the other people were accused when only one man ( and his family) committed this sin. But of course that is not true.
God considers believers as a whole ( Jesus even speaks of us like one body with arms, legs, feet, head etc.).
It is scary to realize our behavior doesn't just effect ourselves only. Somehow that reminds me of Adam and Eve, their sin effected every human being since...
( well except Jesus who was both 100% man, and 100% God and was without any sin).
The concern Joshua had was not just for the people of Israel, but that God's name would be dishonored.
But after a time of sorrow and not understanding, God tells Joshua to get up...and so should we after some sad thing that happens.
And God tells him what has happened and what must be done therefore.
Achan's sin ended up causing the death of 36 men. It effected Joshua greatly and could have had terrible consequences for the whole nation of Israel.
And He stole things that actually belong to God.
It also might seem harsh that both he and his family were to be killed as a result of his stealing. One might note that his family had to know what he did, as he hid the things in their tent, and they thus kept it a secret.
But what really made the most sense to me was what John MacArthur said: earlier about why God would kill all the surrounding people....
MacArthur said: "The question is not why God chose to destroy (those) sinners, but why He let them live so long........it is grace that allows any sinner to draw one more breath of life."
It is God who chooses when and who dies at any given time.
And the problem with sin, is it ALWAYS grows. If nothing happened to Achan ( or maybe a slap on the hand), you can be sure, many others would follow suit, and ignore God's command, steal more and more, lie more and more, hid more and more etc.
Plus the relationship they had with God would deteriorate to nothing, they would be totally unfaithful.
I too have been guilty of covetousness and really it is a bizarre thing. Why would I or Achan or anyone, trade a beautiful piece of clothing, and some gold etc. for God?
It turns out there are many 'beautiful' things' in the world....but if they have a corrupting influence on our relationship with God they must be thrown out ( and God says that in this case).
At first one might think, well look at the great confession Achan gave...but with a closer look, it is clear, he knew exactly what he was doing ( sinning willfully), He said, he wanted it, he took it and to keep it, he hid it....
I am not sure this was so much a 'confession',
but perhaps it was a hardened heart, a touch of pride, more than actually remorse, repentance or any such thing.
A criminal can say: Yeah, I killed the dude, and this is what I stole from him....which would not be a confession as Christians would confess their sins to God, rather it is just a telling of what they did....and I think perhaps that is true for Achan.
And they find the stolen goods in Achan's tent, and they stone he and his family and burned them with fire ( reminds me of Hell).
A very sad story....but a very strong example of sin and it's results.
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Post by Cindy on Jun 30, 2019 11:25:24 GMT -5
Joshua 6
The winning of the war against Jericho is a bit strange and unusual, to say the least.
I wonder if any 5 star generals have ever ponder it?
And yet in one way, I can see how they may have in fact learned some strategies from it.
So the Lord gives Joshua instructions but lets him know God will win the war.
They mighty men of valor are to march around the city once a day, as will the priests carrying the Ark and blowing 7 trumpets ( but no one is to shout).
This had to be almost like a type of mental torture for the people inside.....they were already fearful and this had to be so strange and even scary to just have this army marching around day after day!! What are they doing, when will they strike?
But not only the people inside the wall, the Israelites were learning to obey God ( even if it seemed kind of weird) and to wait and see how God would perform a miracle for them.
I think the people of both sides had to consider this bizarre, only the people inside were getting more nervous ( I think) and more in suspense, etc.
while God's people were getting more curious perhaps, excited, and trusting.
So on the 7th day they were to circle 7 times, and then when the horns were blown they were to shout ( but even here they had to be patient and obedient and wait for the command to shout)
and God would cause the walls to come down.
They were instructed to save Rahab and her family and to only bring out the gold, silver etc.
I am thinking, if people took all manner of plunder for themselves, it who be easier to start giving themselves credit for their provision.
And God cursed the rebuilding of the city.
Good, but I doubt if the people inside were scared. Only Rahab believed the Lord, the others didn't. They would most likely have been standing on the walls making fun of Israel and having a great time doing so! People who don't know the Lord, don't fear Him. Why would they fear someone or something that they don't believe in? I imagine that at least some of the military men that had to do the marching were a bit worried or scared though. Marching around the city like that was not only humiliating to them, it also exposed them to arrows. But they soon saw that the only arrows being shot were arrows of derision. Jericho's army and populace must have thought this was the most ridiculous thing they'd ever seen another army do! Imagine their surprise (just before they died) when the walls fell!
Yep, and the curse came about just as the Lord knew it would: “In Ahab’s time, Hiel of Bethel rebuilt Jericho. He laid its foundations at the cost of his firstborn son Abiram, and he set up its gates at the cost of his youngest son Segub, in accordance with the word of the LORD spoken by Joshua son of Nun.” (1 Kings 16:34)
Joshau 7: 1-26
Israel Defeated at Ai
The fact they were defeated at Ai shows that tho they should have won the battle with ease, without God, no such assurance is given.
It seems weird or even kind of wrong that all the other people were accused when only one man ( and his family) committed this sin. But of course that is not true.
God considers believers as a whole ( Jesus even speaks of us like one body with arms, legs, feet, head etc.).
It is scary to realize our behavior doesn't just effect ourselves only. Somehow that reminds me of Adam and Eve, their sin effected every human being since...
( well except Jesus who was both 100% man, and 100% God and was without any sin).
The concern Joshua had was not just for the people of Israel, but that God's name would be dishonored.
But after a time of sorrow and not understanding, God tells Joshua to get up...and so should we after some sad thing that happens.
And God tells him what has happened and what must be done therefore.
Achan's sin ended up causing the death of 36 men. It effected Joshua greatly and could have had terrible consequences for the whole nation of Israel.
And He stole things that actually belong to God.
It also might seem harsh that both he and his family were to be killed as a result of his stealing. One might note that his family had to know what he did, as he hid the things in their tent, and they thus kept it a secret.
But what really made the most sense to me was what John MacArthur said: earlier about why God would kill all the surrounding people....
MacArthur said: "The question is not why God chose to destroy (those) sinners, but why He let them live so long........it is grace that allows any sinner to draw one more breath of life."
It is God who chooses when and who dies at any given time.
And the problem with sin, is it ALWAYS grows. If nothing happened to Achan ( or maybe a slap on the hand), you can be sure, many others would follow suit, and ignore God's command, steal more and more, lie more and more, hid more and more etc.
Plus the relationship they had with God would deteriorate to nothing, they would be totally unfaithful.
I too have been guilty of covetousness and really it is a bizarre thing. Why would I or Achan or anyone, trade a beautiful piece of clothing, and some gold etc. for God?
It turns out there are many 'beautiful' things' in the world....but if they have a corrupting influence on our relationship with God they must be thrown out ( and God says that in this case).
At first one might think, well look at the great confession Achan gave...but with a closer look, it is clear, he knew exactly what he was doing ( sinning willfully), He said, he wanted it, he took it and to keep it, he hid it....
I am not sure this was so much a 'confession',
but perhaps it was a hardened heart, a touch of pride, more than actually remorse, repentance or any such thing.
A criminal can say: Yeah, I killed the dude, and this is what I stole from him....which would not be a confession as Christians would confess their sins to God, rather it is just a telling of what they did....and I think perhaps that is true for Achan.
And they find the stolen goods in Achan's tent, and they stone he and his family and burned them with fire ( reminds me of Hell).
A very sad story....but a very strong example of sin and it's results.
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fearnot
Living With Pain
Posts: 8,383
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Post by fearnot on Jun 30, 2019 16:57:57 GMT -5
Joshau 8: 1-35
I always love all the verses ( including of course this one) where God says:
“Do not fear and do not be dismayed".
I think it is especially easy ( at least for me) if I have a set back or a failure of any kind, to just curl up and give up....fear does me in!
So I love how kind God is, He knows some people's inclination to fear and inertia, and come and comforts with saying: Do not fear ( I am with you). Well, if God is with me or 'us' we truly have nothing to fear!!!
Confidence, has never been natural to me, but really, maybe that is a good thing, it's better to have confidence in God than in 'self".
I think the first battle at Ai was the people having confidence in themselves, and that did not work out so good!
I just noticed that God is going to not only have them win the battle with Ai, but now they can take the spoil....if only Achan had waited!!
I fear greed and really lack of trust in God's love and provision, afflicts so many ( Christians as well).
God give Joshua a totally different plan from the first one....no more overconfidence and taking just a few warriors, this time it will be 30,000 and they will plan an ambush.
But Joshua and a group of fighting men, will do exactly like they did previously....and then run away....while the other group sacks and burns the city.
This time they were to do it according to what God said!!
I know this is just my own crazy conspiracy mind at work.....LOL but I can't help but think every time I read Ai
I also think......
AI
the computer intelligence
( God can even defeat them!! :-)
So whereas the first battle the men of Israel were too overly confident in themselves ( and not so much in God), now it seems the reverse is true...
Where the men of Ai may have been scared of the Jews in the first battle, this time they thought this 2nd battle would be a piece of cake.
And so they pursued the men of Israel and chased them.
I suppose someone will ask ( like they did concerning Rahab etc.) whether using such pretense is lawful or a sin ( of lying)....I am not sure, but I doubt war and killing is only done by accurate sword fighting, gun shooting etc.
but like I said, I really am not sure...so if you have some insight I would like to hear, because I can just imagine someone might be sure to ask.
I know with Rabab God did not condone her lies but rather only her faith.
"So Joshua stretched out the javelin that was in his hand toward the city".
And the plan happened exactly as God told them.
When the people of Ai saw their city was burned they totally lost heart.
I find that kind of strange ( I mean never mind they were greatly out numbered)
Just the fact they lost their city ( a strictly material thing) that it caused them to lose heart.
I would have thought it would have been discouraging, yes, but it would seem, if they built a city once, they could escape and rebuild, or build another.....but no....
and perhaps, that is an example of not getting toooo attached to the things of this world ( which reminds me of Lot's wife also).
Of course, the men of Israel did not really let them escape anyway.....but still
I would rather cheerfully downsize, than lose heart in defeat.
The Javelin seemed to me to be a symbol of relying on God and not self.
And the Joshua hung the king of Ai.
After that he built and alter.....I like the way John MacArthur it...
it was a thanks offering for victory, but the part that I never understood was the bit about 'uncut stones that no man had wielded iron to....
and MacArthur mad the point thus keeping worship simple and untainted my man's 'showmanship'.
It made me think of all the beautiful and magnificent cathedrals...which show off the work of the architects!!!!
They are grand, but they seem to glory man as much as God, if not more!
And then Joshua read the words of the law .
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fearnot
Living With Pain
Posts: 8,383
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Post by fearnot on Jun 30, 2019 17:09:34 GMT -5
I do see and agree that the people may indeed have been laughing and mocking
But the reason I said they might have been scared ( at least inwardly.....even with unbelievers today, because I think somewhere inside they know things are not exactly as it seems)
but I was thinking of these verses that Rahab had said to the two spies:
v. 8 " Before the men lay down, she came up to them on the roof
v. 9 and said to the men, “I know that the Lord has given you the land, and that the fear of you has fallen upon us, and that all the inhabitants of the land melt away before you.
v. 1 0 For we have heard how the Lord dried up the water of the Red Sea before you when you came out of Egypt, and what you did to the two kings of the Amorites who were beyond the Jordan, to Sihon and Og, whom you devoted to destruction.
v. 11 And as soon as we heard it, our hearts melted, and there was no spirit left in any man because of you,
for the Lord your God, he is God in the heavens above and on the earth beneath".
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Post by Cindy on Jul 1, 2019 8:45:24 GMT -5
Joshau 8: 1-35
I always love all the verses ( including of course this one) where God says:
“Do not fear and do not be dismayed".
I think it is especially easy ( at least for me) if I have a set back or a failure of any kind, to just curl up and give up....fear does me in!
So I love how kind God is, He knows some people's inclination to fear and inertia, and come and comforts with saying: Do not fear ( I am with you). Well, if God is with me or 'us' we truly have nothing to fear!!!
Confidence, has never been natural to me, but really, maybe that is a good thing, it's better to have confidence in God than in 'self".
I think the first battle at Ai was the people having confidence in themselves, and that did not work out so good!
I just noticed that God is going to not only have them win the battle with Ai, but now they can take the spoil....if only Achan had waited!!
I fear greed and really lack of trust in God's love and provision, afflicts so many ( Christians as well).
God give Joshua a totally different plan from the first one....no more overconfidence and taking just a few warriors, this time it will be 30,000 and they will plan an ambush.
But Joshua and a group of fighting men, will do exactly like they did previously....and then run away....while the other group sacks and burns the city.
This time they were to do it according to what God said!!
I know this is just my own crazy conspiracy mind at work.....LOL but I can't help but think every time I read Ai
I also think......
AI
the computer intelligence
( God can even defeat them!! :-)
So whereas the first battle the men of Israel were too overly confident in themselves ( and not so much in God), now it seems the reverse is true...
Where the men of Ai may have been scared of the Jews in the first battle, this time they thought this 2nd battle would be a piece of cake.
And so they pursued the men of Israel and chased them.
I suppose someone will ask ( like they did concerning Rahab etc.) whether using such pretense is lawful or a sin ( of lying)....I am not sure, but I doubt war and killing is only done by accurate sword fighting, gun shooting etc.
but like I said, I really am not sure...so if you have some insight I would like to hear, because I can just imagine someone might be sure to ask.
I know with Rabab God did not condone her lies but rather only her faith.
"So Joshua stretched out the javelin that was in his hand toward the city".
And the plan happened exactly as God told them.
When the people of Ai saw their city was burned they totally lost heart.
I find that kind of strange ( I mean never mind they were greatly out numbered)
Just the fact they lost their city ( a strictly material thing) that it caused them to lose heart.
I would have thought it would have been discouraging, yes, but it would seem, if they built a city once, they could escape and rebuild, or build another.....but no....
and perhaps, that is an example of not getting toooo attached to the things of this world ( which reminds me of Lot's wife also).
Of course, the men of Israel did not really let them escape anyway.....but still
I would rather cheerfully downsize, than lose heart in defeat.
The Javelin seemed to me to be a symbol of relying on God and not self.
And the Joshua hung the king of Ai.
After that he built and alter.....I like the way John MacArthur it...
it was a thanks offering for victory, but the part that I never understood was the bit about 'uncut stones that no man had wielded iron to....
and MacArthur mad the point thus keeping worship simple and untainted my man's 'showmanship'.
It made me think of all the beautiful and magnificent cathedrals...which show off the work of the architects!!!!
They are grand, but they seem to glory man as much as God, if not more!
And then Joshua read the words of the law .
The altar was made with uncut stones as God had originally told them to do. This was so they wouldn't contaminate their worship with man made ideas, like decorating the stones with what they thought was right, instead of what God said was right. God wanted them, and us, to know that He alone would determine how He would be worshiped, and He would make sure there was no similarity to the idolatry of the pagans involved in His worship. No human work was to be associated with the sacrifice so that people wouldn't think their own works could save them. God doesn't want us to glory in ourselves and what we can do. He wants us to realize that we're sinners and can't please Him unless and until the blood of Christ has been applied. Only then will we be accepted. Therefore it's all of God and nothing we've done from start to finish.
Yes, then Joshua read the law (the book of Deuteronomy) and he read it not only to the men but to the women and even the children, as well as to foreigners that lived with them.
I do see and agree that the people may indeed have been laughing and mocking
But the reason I said they might have been scared ( at least inwardly.....even with unbelievers today, because I think somewhere inside they know things are not exactly as it seems)
but I was thinking of these verses that Rahab had said to the two spies:
v. 8 " Before the men lay down, she came up to them on the roof
v. 9 and said to the men, “I know that the Lord has given you the land, and that the fear of you has fallen upon us, and that all the inhabitants of the land melt away before you.
v. 1 0 For we have heard how the Lord dried up the water of the Red Sea before you when you came out of Egypt, and what you did to the two kings of the Amorites who were beyond the Jordan, to Sihon and Og, whom you devoted to destruction.
v. 11 And as soon as we heard it, our hearts melted, and there was no spirit left in any man because of you,
for the Lord your God, he is God in the heavens above and on the earth beneath". |
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fearnot
Living With Pain
Posts: 8,383
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Post by fearnot on Jul 1, 2019 12:00:01 GMT -5
Joshua 9
I am not sure what the other kings were doing while the fall of Jericho and Ai was happening, maybe just sitting back to get a better idea of the military strength etc.
but in any case, they now take notice and decide they better unite to fight.
However not so when the inhabitants of Gibeon , ( when they ) heard what Joshua had done to Jericho and to Ai...they decide on a different tactic.
They decide to lie and deceive, by pretending they live further away and thus live and not die in a battle that had a good chance of their losing.
So the Giboenites work hard at a pretense ( clothes old and worn etc.) of coming from a long distance, right down to having their bread be crumbly and moldy.
It seems that even so Joshua was a bit suspicious and on guard ( but alas not enough), and he asks for more details, like where do they come from exactly?
But they dance around answering humbly and respectfully, by saying that they heard the name of the Lord your God. For we have heard a report of him, and all that he did....and therefore want to make a a covenant of peace.
And they continue lying through their teeth.
As sad and unfortunate as this next part is, it also is one of the many things that makes the Bible so special ( instead of making it's hero's always perfect, we see Joshua fails here)
They did not pray or ask God
"So the men took some of their provisions, but did not ask counsel from the Lord. And Joshua made peace with them and made a covenant with them, to let them live,..."
Three days later the fraud committed was discovered, and now it was clear what a mess they were in, by not being diligent.
Something like this happens to believers, we may find ourselves suck in by deceit, because lying is what Satan does best.
It turned out the Gibeonites had several cities then under protection.
Then the decision is made that these people will become (as their punishment) hewers of wood, and drawers of water.
That was life, but not a life of freedom, something to remember about lies.....they can enslave a person.
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fearnot
Living With Pain
Posts: 8,383
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Post by fearnot on Jul 2, 2019 11:46:54 GMT -5
Joshua 10: 1-10
It seems 5 of the other city kings saw the Gibeonites as traitors and decided to make an example of them and war against them for surrendering to Joshua.
These kings also greatly feared the Israelites and I am thinking it made sense to combine their forces together ( rather than each city try to fight on their own).
So we get the names of the kings and their cities.
And I guess Adoni-zedek king of Jerusalem was fairly sure since all 5 kings would be united, that Joshua would come to help the Gibeonites,
and they could rid themselves of the Israelites also.
So they went up with all their armies and encamped against Gibeon and made war against it....
and indeed Joshua went up from Gilgal, he and all the people of war with him, and all the mighty men of valor.
But again, what I love to hear from God: "Do not fear ..."
Perhaps some people thought Joshua a coward, but I think, He knew, it was always wise and prudent, to have God's assurance before going off gung ho in one's own strength ( Joshua learned from his previous mistake...as should I).
Well the rest of the Do not fear verse goes on to say:
“Do not fear them, for I have given them into your hands. Not a man of them shall stand before you.”
Now that is what Joshua needed to hear!! And so now he acts like the great general he was.
He choses the night for secrecy and surprise....... And the Lord threw them into a panic before Israel.
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Post by Cindy on Jul 3, 2019 9:12:06 GMT -5
Joshua 9
I am not sure what the other kings were doing while the fall of Jericho and Ai was happening, maybe just sitting back to get a better idea of the military strength etc.
but in any case, they now take notice and decide they better unite to fight.
However not so when the inhabitants of Gibeon , ( when they ) heard what Joshua had done to Jericho and to Ai...they decide on a different tactic.
They decide to lie and deceive, by pretending they live further away and thus live and not die in a battle that had a good chance of their losing.
So the Giboenites work hard at a pretense ( clothes old and worn etc.) of coming from a long distance, right down to having their bread be crumbly and moldy.
It seems that even so Joshua was a bit suspicious and on guard ( but alas not enough), and he asks for more details, like where do they come from exactly?
But they dance around answering humbly and respectfully, by saying that they heard the name of the Lord your God. For we have heard a report of him, and all that he did....and therefore want to make a a covenant of peace.
And they continue lying through their teeth.
As sad and unfortunate as this next part is, it also is one of the many things that makes the Bible so special ( instead of making it's hero's always perfect, we see Joshua fails here)
They did not pray or ask God
"So the men took some of their provisions, but did not ask counsel from the Lord. And Joshua made peace with them and made a covenant with them, to let them live,..."
Three days later the fraud committed was discovered, and now it was clear what a mess they were in, by not being diligent.
Something like this happens to believers, we may find ourselves suck in by deceit, because lying is what Satan does best.
It turned out the Gibeonites had several cities then under protection.
Then the decision is made that these people will become (as their punishment) hewers of wood, and drawers of water.
That was life, but not a life of freedom, something to remember about lies.....they can enslave a person.
Did you get what the big lessons were for them and us? That God expects us to honor our commitments, even when we've been lied to? The reason this is so is because to violate their word to the Gibeonites, would have been taking the Lord's name in vain, a violation of the third commandment. The same is true if we go back on our word. See, we don't have to actually use the Lord's Name when we make a promise or treaty or business transaction with someone. It's implied for us because we're to do everything in the Name of the Lord, (Colossians 3:17) and for His glory (1 Cor 10:31). “Do not swear falsely by my name and so profane the name of your God. I am the LORD.” (Leviticus 19:12) The other big lesson is that no matter how sure we are that we know what God's Will is in something, or that we know what we should do, we're to ask Him before making any moves on our own. God cares about every decision we make and will help us if we'll only ask Him.
In addition to that, I'd like to point out one other thing. If you recall, before Noah died, he blessed his children, except for one he cursed: “He also said, “Blessed be the LORD, the God of Shem! May Canaan be the slave of Shem.” (Genesis 9:26) When Joshua made them woodcutters and water carriers for the House of God, he was actually fulfilling Noah's curse. (though I'm sure he didn't realize it!) Joshua called it a curse because they'd now basically be like slaves, but it was actually a blessing! The Bible doesn't say specifically, but we do know the Gibeonites never give Israel any trouble. Because of that, and knowing that they would be working for the priests, we can assume they came to know the Lord, and came to worship Him alone and so were saved! I've begun to notice that with a number of the "curses" in the OT.... that God winds up not only using them for good, but saving the person or people in the process of it!
Joshua 10: 1-10
It seems 5 of the other city kings saw the Gibeonites as traitors and decided to make an example of them and war against them for surrendering to Joshua.
These kings also greatly feared the Israelites and I am thinking it made sense to combine their forces together ( rather than each city try to fight on their own).
So we get the names of the kings and their cities.
And I guess Adoni-zedek king of Jerusalem was fairly sure since all 5 kings would be united, that Joshua would come to help the Gibeonites,
and they could rid themselves of the Israelites also.
So they went up with all their armies and encamped against Gibeon and made war against it....
and indeed Joshua went up from Gilgal, he and all the people of war with him, and all the mighty men of valor.
But again, what I love to hear from God: "Do not fear ..."
Perhaps some people thought Joshua a coward, but I think, He knew, it was always wise and prudent, to have God's assurance before going off gung ho in one's own strength ( Joshua learned from his previous mistake...as should I).
Well the rest of the Do not fear verse goes on to say:
“Do not fear them, for I have given them into your hands. Not a man of them shall stand before you.”
Now that is what Joshua needed to hear!! And so now he acts like the great general he was.
He choses the night for secrecy and surprise....... And the Lord threw them into a panic before Israel.
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fearnot
Living With Pain
Posts: 8,383
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Post by fearnot on Jul 3, 2019 10:33:41 GMT -5
Joshau 10: 11-15
As the kings fled from Joshua, God caused hailstones of a great size to kill their soldiers. What is even more of a miracle is they only hit the enemy! Also this seemed to cover a long distance as well.
But God was not done.
Joshua prays to God to obtain permission to ask a most incredible miracle to have that the sun and moon stand still....and then he commands that they do so....and they do.
This reminds me that all too often Christians may ask for some good from the Lord, and God says, yes......and then, they for some reason they are fearful to impose on God to ask for 'more'.
It seems like that happened in scripture several times also:
like Abraham stopping after asking God to save Sodom 6 times, but stops at 10 righteous men,
and Joash, the king of Israel, stopped at shooting only 3 arrows for having victory in war etc.
And that reminds me of yesterday ( and my lack of faith).
Devon ( our 11 year old grandson) and I decided to blanket our town with gospel tracks because soooo soooo many people come here for the 4th ( we have a huge fireworks display by the city on the 4th).
So as we were walking and leaving tracks,
I look out at the ocean ( because it was getting so dark and threatening), and there not very far out is huge sheets of rain coming down and we immediately starting feeling the mist before the downpour.
I lament to Devon, all our tracks will become drenched and ruined!! Oh and we will be drowned rats as well. LOL
So Devon says: " I am going to pray and ask God to not let that happen".
I, in lack of faith, remind him that God is not obliged to say yes,
He can say no ( I am still looking at the rapidly moving front zooming in with the sheets of rain in the ocean from the sky to the water).
Devon replies: "I know, but I am going to ask anyway."
And he stops in the middle of the prom, closes his eyes and silently prays.
Well, since,
I 'KNOW'
we will be drenched, and our tracks too, might as well carry on...
its hopeless really!!!
And so we continue on.
As we are walking back ( having gone a long distance) and have chatted merrily......
I all of a sudden realize we've been walking a long while, and the rain should have reached us a long while ago!!
I look up at the sky...and the clouds are breaking up and the sun in coming out..........the rain never came!!!!
I mention it to Devon and say.... that it 'seems' like God answered his prayer with a yes!! :-)
God can raise the dead, create a universe, stop an imminent torrential downpour ( I have seen that very same sheets of rain on the ocean here numerous times, I don't remember it ever not coming in....usual within no longer than 3-5 minutes).
And so, He can stop the sun and moon! And allow Joshua and his warriors to do what they needed to do in a short time rather than days or weeks.
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Post by Cindy on Jul 4, 2019 10:23:52 GMT -5
Joshau 10: 11-15
As the kings fled from Joshua, God caused hailstones of a great size to kill their soldiers. What is even more of a miracle is they only hit the enemy! Also this seemed to cover a long distance as well.
But God was not done.
Joshua prays to God to obtain permission to ask a most incredible miracle to have that the sun and moon stand still....and then he commands that they do so....and they do.
This reminds me that all too often Christians may ask for some good from the Lord, and God says, yes......and then, they for some reason they are fearful to impose on God to ask for 'more'.
It seems like that happened in scripture several times also:
like Abraham stopping after asking God to save Sodom 6 times, but stops at 10 righteous men,
and Joash, the king of Israel, stopped at shooting only 3 arrows for having victory in war etc.
And that reminds me of yesterday ( and my lack of faith).
Devon ( our 11 year old grandson) and I decided to blanket our town with gospel tracks because soooo soooo many people come here for the 4th ( we have a huge fireworks display by the city on the 4th).
So as we were walking and leaving tracks,
I look out at the ocean ( because it was getting so dark and threatening), and there not very far out is huge sheets of rain coming down and we immediately starting feeling the mist before the downpour.
I lament to Devon, all our tracks will become drenched and ruined!! Oh and we will be drowned rats as well. LOL
So Devon says: " I am going to pray and ask God to not let that happen".
I, in lack of faith, remind him that God is not obliged to say yes,
He can say no ( I am still looking at the rapidly moving front zooming in with the sheets of rain in the ocean from the sky to the water).
Devon replies: "I know, but I am going to ask anyway."
And he stops in the middle of the prom, closes his eyes and silently prays.
Well, since,
I 'KNOW'
we will be drenched, and our tracks too, might as well carry on...
its hopeless really!!!
And so we continue on.
As we are walking back ( having gone a long distance) and have chatted merrily......
I all of a sudden realize we've been walking a long while, and the rain should have reached us a long while ago!!
I look up at the sky...and the clouds are breaking up and the sun in coming out..........the rain never came!!!!
I mention it to Devon and say.... that it 'seems' like God answered his prayer with a yes!! :-)
God can raise the dead, create a universe, stop an imminent torrential downpour ( I have seen that very same sheets of rain on the ocean here numerous times, I don't remember it ever not coming in....usual within no longer than 3-5 minutes).
And so, He can stop the sun and moon! And allow Joshua and his warriors to do what they needed to do in a short time rather than days or weeks.
Yes, this passage should remind us just how powerful the prayers of a righteous person are! And we need to remember that we are righteous in God's eyes, because He sees us as living the life Jesus lived, not our own sinful lives. At least we are considered righteous by God if we are living our faith and doing the best we can. But if we're living in sin that hasn't been repented of, we'd have to get right with God first.
I'll be talking to you tomorrow!
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fearnot
Living With Pain
Posts: 8,383
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Post by fearnot on Jul 4, 2019 11:07:46 GMT -5
Joshua 10: 16-28
The 5 kings hid in a cave, but if they had known God, they would have known, that was a futile thing to try, because there is nowhere anyone can go to hid from God.
And, in this case, they were also found by men who saw them, and told Joshua where the kings were hiding.
Since Joshua is still in the middle of a battle he has the people roll large stones against the entrance of the cave so the kings cannot escape from there.
Joshua reminds them that God has promised them victory.
In a way, I need to remind myself of the same...oh maybe not in this life....but eternally.
And so they did win the battle.
Then it was time to deal with the kings.
it may seem like over kill that they stepped on the necks of the kings, but it was a symbol that God would continue giving victory.
I am thinking if one did not want that to happen to them, they had an option to trust in God and not go out to fight God's people. This kings were idolaters, cruel, and made bad sinful choices right up to their deaths.
Again the encouraging words of "“Do not be afraid or dismayed; be strong and courageous. For thus the Lord will do to all your enemies against whom you fight.”
Clearly words I can never get enough of.
Joshua killed the kings and then hung them ( perhaps as an example to others who might want to do battle with God's people. When it was time for the sun to set they took the bodies down and put them back in the cave they had hid in and sealed it with stones.
Also the town of Makkedah was destroyed
and king of Makkedah killed.
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Post by Cindy on Jul 5, 2019 9:30:03 GMT -5
Joshua 10: 16-28
The 5 kings hid in a cave, but if they had known God, they would have known, that was a futile thing to try, because there is nowhere anyone can go to hid from God.
And, in this case, they were also found by men who saw them, and told Joshua where the kings were hiding.
Since Joshua is still in the middle of a battle he has the people roll large stones against the entrance of the cave so the kings cannot escape from there.
Joshua reminds them that God has promised them victory.
In a way, I need to remind myself of the same...oh maybe not in this life....but eternally.
And so they did win the battle.
Then it was time to deal with the kings.
it may seem like over kill that they stepped on the necks of the kings, but it was a symbol that God would continue giving victory.
I am thinking if one did not want that to happen to them, they had an option to trust in God and not go out to fight God's people. This kings were idolaters, cruel, and made bad sinful choices right up to their deaths.
Again the encouraging words of "“Do not be afraid or dismayed; be strong and courageous. For thus the Lord will do to all your enemies against whom you fight.”
Clearly words I can never get enough of.
Joshua killed the kings and then hung them ( perhaps as an example to others who might want to do battle with God's people. When it was time for the sun to set they took the bodies down and put them back in the cave they had hid in and sealed it with stones.
Also the town of Makkedah was destroyed
and king of Makkedah killed.
I'll be calling you in a few hours. I have to admit though, my brain isn't all it could be as I got very little sleep last night, and due to that I'm in more pain and am not feeling very well. But I can still talk lol.
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fearnot
Living With Pain
Posts: 8,383
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Post by fearnot on Jul 5, 2019 12:29:03 GMT -5
Joshua 10: 29-43
This passage is basically a telling of the Southern conquest of Joshua and all Israel.
Almost every verse starts with: "Then Joshua and all Israel with him".
It lists the cities they captured and follows often with: "And he devoted every person in it to destruction that day"
One might ask why?
The answer is: "He left none remaining, but devoted to destruction all that breathed,
just as the Lord God of Israel commanded".
I already mentioned what Pastor John MacArthur said that asking why God commanded the people to be killed, is actually the wrong question.
A better question is why does he allow any of us sinners to live?
It is God's mercy we breath even one more breath.
And these particular people were idol worshipers, cruel etc etc.
They had time to make a different decision but chose not to.
Also one might ask why was Joshua so successful ( tho he did make at least one or two military mistakes so far).
And the answer to that is:
Joshua captured all these kings and their land at one time,
because
the Lord God of Israel fought for Israel.
If God is fighting for us, we are going to succeed!!
it does not matter what kind the battle is,
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fearnot
Living With Pain
Posts: 8,383
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Post by fearnot on Jul 5, 2019 12:44:34 GMT -5
Actually, in some minor ways, that has in a sense, already happened a wee bit....I know it sounds silly
But for example, ( I think this is correct?) John MacArthur does not think we will see our 'pets' in Heaven,
and
Amir
Tsarfati, does not think any ( or perhaps very very few) Gentiles will be saved during the tribulation.
Of course, I would not wish any of my family to have to go thru the tribulation, but it has kind of always been a last resort hope, that they would not believe the 'lie' and might yet be saved.
However, I am not 100 percent certain about that...... some good pastors think Gentiles ( even tho the tribulation is mainly God dealing with Israel) can be saved and some...not so much.
So let's say, I cannot find a convicting consensus from commentaries on that issue....
So, I would first pray and beseech God that He might indeed draw my rebellious loved ones, if need be, during the tribulation.
I would also ask for the Holy Spirit to give me wisdom on this issue....
But, if not,
( or not yet.....because I have actually not known various things in scripture, and then decades later the answer came)
but in the end.....I would have to leave it in God's hands
and
I might,
in fact,
not get the answer until heaven
but I could rest, that God would always do the right thing....no matter if I understood or not.
I will await your thoughts.
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Have a good weekend! 
!!
