Joshua 14 - Special Blessing

As the newly conquered lands are divided among the tribes of Israel, there was one man who was specially recognized with a piece of land for himself separate from the tribes. Caleb had been among the spies that went into the promised land and came back believing the land was good and that God was able to conquer it and give it to them. Caleb didn't focus on the might of the men in this promised land or the difficulties. He merely trusted. 

Caleb's trust in God came at a time when the nation was living in doubt. They were tired of their wanderings, yet unwilling to yield themselves to God. Standing on faith in the faithless was the mark of Calebs character. He was not afraid to separate from the crowd and stand for right. 

Caleb was honored by God as the distribution of land occurred. Furthermore his name is recorded in scripture that every generation would know of his faith and his character. Joshua 14:14 records tha Caleb followed the Lord God of Israel wholeheartedly. What a testimony to have recorded!

Caleb stand out in scripture as one we could pattern our life of faith after. To be able to stand firm when the tides of opinion are against you and to speak truth when it is not popular is something we should aspire to as believers. I believe God offers a special blessing to those who do. Will you take the challenge to follow God wholeheartedly and leave your welfare in His hands?  

May God richly bless you as you seek Him and as you serve Him. 

Joshua 13 - Promised Inheritance

Recently, I heard a pastor say as he spoke to his congregation "I am believing that you will be enlarged in 2015". His congregation responded in "amens" around the room. When we look to the Lord a our provider we take a different attitude about possessions and worldly gain. Our goal becomes godliness and we find ourselves clinging less to the image of worldly success we once held so dearly. 

In Joshua chapter 13, the Lord instructs Joshua on the division of the land going tribe by tribe. Their boundaries were established so no one would question the lands. They were established by God himself. 

The Levites were mentioned several times because they were not to inherit any of the land for God was their inheritance. The Levites were not poorer than their kinsman tribes, they had merely been called to special service for God and He did not want them to set up for themselves turf in this world. God had a better plan for this tribe that would belong to Him all the days of their lives. They would not lack because God made provision for them. 

God may be enriching your material wealth here and may be using your wealth to supply the provision for His full time servants or to establish a ministry that proclaims the power and love of God to those who desperately need a word of hope. If you belong to God, material wealth is just as much in God's hands to accomplish His purposes as our lives are. We don't need to fret about our provision, we do however need to be faithful in applying the wealth that God supplies to its highest purpose. When we view our role as stewards of God's provision we act differently related to our inheritance. 

If we like the Levites have no land and nothing to call our own, we can also trust that God will use that circumstance for His  glory. We are not forgotten if we are not given a great possession here. God may be preparing us for an even greater inheritance. God himself may be our inheritance and we will be blessed beyond all worldly understanding. 

Matthew 6:33 tells us, "But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well". God doesn't forget to provide for his children. Make knowing God and faithfully serving Him your goal and you will be enlarged more than you ever imagined. 

May God richly bless you as you seek Him and as you serve Him. 

Joshua 12 - Taking Stock

Now that the Israelites have had a number of victories and have begun to settle in the promised land, rather than pressing forward to the next task, Joshua does something interesting. He stops to take stock of the victories God has given. When we are tired from the battle and know there is so much further to go, we should remind ourselves that we do not go out alone. We belong to God and our victories and defeats are in His hand. We serve His purposes and He is using our lives to tell of His greatness to the world. 

In this chapter, Joshua lists out the kings that were defeated in both the east and west of the Jordan. He numbers the kings on the west side, 31 kings were defeated by God. God included the people in the battle so that they could sense the victory and share it with God. 

By writing down the victories, the nation was preserving for themselves a letter of encouragement for the next time they were to face a formidable enemy. They could be reminded of the ways God had acted in the past and look to God for their course of action for the future. 

We too are in the middle of God's story being written. It would be a good record for us to examine our own lives and the way God intervened to order our steps to this point. For instance, when you consider your salvation, who are the people God involved to bring you to Himself?  Were there times in your life where you had danger or conflict and God brought you through?  Were there accomplishments or victories that God allowed to shape you and mold you as you developed?  

How has God discipled you?  Has He changed your desires from within? Has He placed people in your life to help you understand deeper things about God?  I challenge you to write th down and create your own record of God's hand in your life. Take stock now so that when the conflicts and tests arrive you too will be encouraged by how God has acted in the past on your behalf.

God is writing His story using your life. Know that you are not alone in the battle and the victory belongs to the Lord. 

May God richly bless you as you seek Him and as you serve Him. 

Joshua 11 - God our Captain

After the tremendous victory God gave Israel over the five cities in Joshua chapter 10, if I lived in the land, I would be reflecting on what hope I had for the future. But Jabin king of Hazor decided to double down and planned an attack of his own. Obviously, he didn't understand the power of God at work to defeat the nations around them. 

God speaks to Joshua and gives direction for battle. With an assurance of God's promised defeat of the enemy and a plan for how to overcome their troops, Joshua's men March off to take the opposition. God uses the faithful service of the Israelites to deliver the promised land into their possession. God was fulfilling his promises to Abraham and Jacob nearly 500 years prior. 

As Christians we too are given a plan and assurance of victory. We need to be careful as we consider the goal however. We were saved by Jesus Christ to be his examples to the world and to stand out by living differently from the world so that theyay know there is power to overcome conflict, but also to offer the world the same hope we have. Our goal is not for leisure and personal pleasure here. Our enemies don't have to be on opposite sides from us. There is plenty of room on God's side and many benefits too. 

Like Israel, we have a special relationship to the Almighty having been purchased from sin and received forgiveness. We have the hope of eternity with God in Heaven. Our promised land is yet to come and no doubt there are battles to be won as we march toward the righteous life, looking for our King to appear. 

We are closer than ever to the return of our Lord and then we will see our final victory. For as long as God has us here, we are sojourners in a foreign land. Things don't fit, they aren't smooth. Our home is in Heaven so we are being molded and remade to become the perfect bride for Christ. Our character is being developed with each conflict, but we do not fight alone. We have the power of God inside us to meet each challenge and God alone gets the victory. 

One day we will experience the rest that was described in the last sentence of this chapter. "Then the land had rest from war."  Battles still rage on all around us and we are hallenges to live wisely among people hungry for war.  God has his children in His hands and will not let them go until they have entered into their land of rest. The inheritance of promise. 

Look to the Lord for your direction. Seek Him and He will be found. look for God's wisdom in scripture and pray for His provision for the conflict. May God allow you to see His glory as He uses your circumstances to write His story here. 

May God richly bless you as you seek Him and as you serve Him. 

Joshua 10 - Ganging up on God

Now that Jericho and Ai had been utterly defeated and Gibeon now servants of Israel, the Kings of adjoining cities of the Amorites band together to issue a threat to Israel by attacking Gibeon. Gibeon appeals to the peace treaty and asks for help from Israel. Bound by the ill-gotten treaty, Israel is obliged to come to Gibeons defense. 

Joshua clearly learned his lesson in the treaty with Gibeon because he apparently seeks the Lord before marching into this battle. The Lord assures Joshua they should not be afraid because God has determined that this gang of five armies will be defeated. God will give them into Joshua's hand Josh 10:8. 

The army of Israel marches all night and takes the 5 armies by surprise. I am sure that humanly speaking Joshua was looking for an advantage in battle. He was surely outnumbered. I don't think it would have mattered when he attacked, God was doing battle for the nation of Israel so their victory was secured. God intervened in a miraculous way. He threw the opposing armies into confusion. Josh 10:10; God sent hail as they fled Josh 10:11, and at Joshua's request God made the sun and the moon stand still for a day as Joshua defeated the enemy. 

Later in the chapter after defeating the armies, the Kings are killed and each of the Cities is invaded by Israel and utterly destroyed. 

When enemies attack God's people they stand against God himself. Just as the Gibeonites received support from Israel, Israel drew its strength from the Lord.   When we are in the midst of conflict, we too can know that we serve a God who is able to stop the world from spinning if it will bring Him glory and demonstrate His power. 

While God gave the victory and the cities were defeated, the Israelites were not passive viewers of the battle, they were active participants in it. When they invaded the five cities, they left no survivors. The bloodshed must have been horrific, but Israel was obedient to God and left no trace of Amorite influence to poison their people. As people of God we are not exempt from battle and conflict, but as we trust in God for our strength and are obedient to His calling in our lives, He is faithful in protecting and caring for His people. 

Dear Christian, you are a child of God by adoption through the substitutionary death of Jesus which purchased our redemption. As His children, God will not abandon His own to the enemies you face. He will also not exempt us from the conflict. In obedience our faith is stretched and strengthened as we learn to depend on Him for each and every victory. 

We are no longer our own and we no longer belong to the devil, we belong to Jesus Christ, we are His church; we are His Bride. We are not merely left to our own devices as we go into battle. We are challenged each and every day to put on the full armor of God and be prepared for the conflict. Far too often we fail to prepare and feel defeated. We have great power we can depend on as we witness to the world of God's offer of redemption for them. Though we may be rejected and even ridiculed, God protects his own and builds an even greater testimony for Himself. 

Prepare yourself for battle today and be faithful to serve the Lord in thought, word and deed today. 

May God richly bless you as you seek Him and as you serve Him. 

Joshua 9 - Deception Subjection

The hand of God was truly on the nation of Israel. Nations all around began to fear for their safety and began to form alliances. One nearby country decided to assure their security by convincing Israel to sign a peace treaty. In order to convict them they lied to make Israel believe they were not from nearby, but far away. 

A far away nation had nothing to fear from Israel, and hence did not need a treaty. But when the men of Gibeon arrived with moldy bread and dried up wine skins Israel believed their story and agreed to offer peace to the nation. It seemed an act where no harm would come, so they didn't think to pray and ask God. 

Even though Israel was deceived, they were bound to two terms of the agreement. They didn't just fear the nation of Gibeon, but they feared God himself would judge their failure. They had to keep the peace. This subjection no doubt had implications for years to come. In order to honor the terms of the treaty allowing them to live, Joshua subjected them to slavery - bound to manual labor for Israel forever. 

How many times have we ourselves gotten into a mess because everything seemed wonderful at the onset of an arrangement. How many poisoned friendships, marriages, jobs, purchases, investments, etc could have been avoided if God's people had just prayed about the arrangement before engaging in the venture. There is an element of pride in our own wisdom. We like to think we can make good choices for ourselves. But we can't always discern the future and we can't always tell when we are being deceived. 

Rather than learning our lesson first hand, let's take our lesson from Joshua and run quickly to the Lord for all our decisions of life and allow Him to determine the best course for us. 

If we find ourselves in a poisoned situation, God does not immediately exempt us from it because we made choices without all the facts. God may allow that situation to continue for years as with Gibeon. God can however use that poison for His own glory as He teaches us to depend on Him more intently and to honor the terms of our contracts. We answer to a higher authority. 

Even a difficult situation may be the place God can use you best. He uses difficulties to mold His character in us. He teaches us to wait on Him and to trust Him for the outcome. Our responsibility whether our circumstances are easy or difficult is to be obey Him and trust in the finished work of Jesus Christ to assure us of His constant abiding. You are right in the hand of God and if you are His, He will not abandon you. 

May God richly bless you as you seek Him and as you serve Him. 

Joshua 8 - Overcoming Failure

Failure has a way of deflating us. I admire scientists and inventors who have such a drive to introduce new ideas that they are willing to endure failure time and again. In moments of failure, our turnaround may hinge on whether we will take the lessons leaned in failure and apply them. 

Israel was defeated at Ai and now is being sent back to that place of humiliation by the Lord. Read Joshua 8:1, see how the Lord encourages Joshua knowing the impact the loss had taken. The Lord said, "Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged. take the whole army with you...for I have delivered into your hands the King of Ai. The Lord didn't need the whole army to accomplish his mission, God himself had planned defeat for the city. The whole army needed to be in the front row to see what God had in store. 

Our success in this life is in God's hands. In chapter 7 of Joshua the people did not see success because they were not fully trusting God. Achan and his men were trusting I their own abilities. Now God is taking them right back to the place where they had been humiliated to allow them to see how their trust in God would be rewarded. It wasn't that God didn't plan for the nation to conquer Ai, they just needed to do it on God's way. 

I think about the countless times I have failed in my attitudes and in my service to God. The Holy Spirit living within me would prick my soul and remind me of my sin. he would sometimes send me back into the same battle to try again rightly, and sometimes to offer a humble apology to God and to those I had hurt by unkind words to deeds. God has never let me wallow in failure and has Maeve forsaken His servant, though I have failed again and again. God reminds me that the battle is His to win. Myosin is faithfulness and to be quick to follow Gods direction for me. Any success in this life will be because God did a work either for me or through me; perhaps even in spite of me. 

On the other hand for the King of Ai, success had inflated his estimation of himself and caused him to underestimate his enemy. The king did not know he had victory iver Israel not because of his own strength, but because God allowed it. He didn't know his demise was eminent. Success can be a terrible curse if it leads us to turn from God and deceive ourselves into thinking that we alone have overcome the odds and have established ourselves. God gives success to some hard hearted individuals who refuse to acknowledge Him as their Lord. The brief successes they have here will be all they know. Because of their denial of God they face an eternity separated from Him. First on earth finding only fleeting pleasure in their pursuits and never knowing real love or real joy in God's presence. Secondly, after this life they will know the true emptiness of their lives. The blinders will be removed and they will see clearly their great loss. 

Not all success is cursed. Notice that God gives the city into the hands of Israel and there is great rejoicing; not in the accomplshments of men but the assurance that they are kept in the hands of God. No failure or success is wasted in God's hand. Notice the response to the victory (Joshua 8:30-35):

1.  Offerings to the Lord. The people gather and build an alter to the Lord and offer sacrifices thanking God for the fellowship restored. 

2.  God's word is read among the people. The people wanted to hear the word of God and sought even deeper fellowship. They didn't just glory in victory, but they took time to consider God's instructions and the ways God has kept the people in the past. They then recorded the testimony of God's present work for a reminder of the ways God is still active in their lives. 

When we give God the credit and acknowledge Him as the source of our success, we honor God and can know that our hearts will not be tempted to rely on our successes but will rely on God for our security. No matter what conflict we face or what pleasure we enjoy, God longs for us to see His hand in it and to adopt an upward look. 

May God richly bless you as you seek Him and as you serve Him.