Counting My Blessings

Joshua 24 - Faith, Faithfulness, and Courage

We have journeyed into and throughout the Promised Land with Joshua and the Children of Israel. We have learned that God's children in that time and place are not very different from God's children today. We have learned that God calls His children to faith and faithfulness:

1. Faith - A gift given by God which enables His children to trust and obey.
2. Faithfulness - The surrendering of our lives, trusting that God who is always faithful will provide all that we need to remain faithful to Him.

Joshua 24:14-15 -"Fear the Lord, and serve Him with integrity and faithfulness. Get rid of the gods of your ancestors served on the other side of the Euphrates River and in Egypt, and serve only the Lord. But if you don't want to serve the Lord, then choose today whom you will serve. Even if you choose the gods your ancestors served on the other side of the Euphrates or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you live, my family and I will still serve the Lord" (As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.

Joshua 23 - God Keeps His Promises

We have almost come to the end of the book of Joshua. We are ten chapters from the first reading of "Joshua was old, and near the end of his life." He certainly has accomplished a great deal in the past ten chapters, and that's only what was recorded. In spite of our age or our circumstances may we always remember that God is able to use us. If He gives us the gift of a new day there is a purpose in it.

Take a couple of minutes and read Joshua 23, it only contains 16 short verses.

The heading in my Bible reads: "A Reminder to Follow Moses' Teachings." We so often refer to Moses Teachings as the Law, but I believe this chapter directs the Children of Israel in much the same we are directed as children of the Gospel.

Verse 3 reads: You have seen for yourselves everything the Lord your God did to all those nations. The Lord your God fought for you! When we live our lives in response to those things which the Lord has already done for us - that's Gospel. It is our love response to His reaching out to us in love. 1 John 4:19 reads: We love because He first loved us.

Joshua 22 - Faith-filled

Last week we talked about the Lord's faithfulness and our faith. I'd like to share just a little more about that with you this week. In chapter 22 of Joshua the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and half of Manasseh were released from service to return home to the land they had requested on the east side of the Jordan River.

Verse 4 says: Now the Lord your God has given your relatives peace, as He promised them. So return home, to the land that is your own possession. Joshua gave them the following instructions before they left: Carefully follow the commands and teachings that the Lord's servant Moses gave you. Love the Lord your God, follow His directions, and keep His commands. Be loyal to Him, and serve Him with all your heart and soul. At that point Joshua blessed them and sent them on their way.

When the tribes had crossed back to the other side of the river, they built an altar that was "very large and highly visible." As soon as the leaders west of the Jordan heard about this they sent representatives from each tribe to deal with the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and Manasseh. These leaders were prepared to go to war if necessary, concerned that the altar had been built for personal glory and the worship of false gods.

Joshua 21 - Faith/Faithful

Today we are going to look at Joshua chapter 21. Every group had received their allotment of land with the exception of the Levites. In Numbers chapter 35 you can read more about God's command to Moses concerning the cities to be given to the Levites, and His command for the cities of refuge.  

I would like to focus on Joshua 21:43-45: So the LORD gave Israel all the land he had sworn to give their forefathers, and they took possession of it and settled there. The LORD gave them rest on every side, just as he had sworn to their forefathers. Not one of their enemies withstood them; the LORD handed all their enemies over to them. Not one of all the LORD's good promises to the house of Israel failed; every one was fulfilled.

Look again at verse 45: Not one of all the LORD's promises to the house of Israel failed; every one was fulfilled.

I love that verse!! God is faithful to keep His promises! Each of His promises! All of His promises.

God is faithful! Always!

Joshua 20 - Refuge

God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Psalm 46:1

But I will sing of your strength, in the morning I will sing of your love; for you are my fortress, my refuge in times of trouble. Psalm 59:16

I find it interesting that so many people think of God as being portrayed as an angry judge in the Old Testament. Scripture tells us in Hebrew 13:8 that: He (Jesus Christ) is the same yesterday, today, and forever. John 1:1 reads: In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. And John 1:14; The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.

One of the greatest blessings of reading through all of Scripture was the realizing the amount of mercy and grace God extended to His children throughout the Old Testament. We also want to remember that it was God Himself at the moment of the Fall who put the plan of salvation into motion. Joshua chapter 20 gives us a glimpse of our consistently merciful God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

Joshua 18 & 19 - God in the Details, pt. 2

As I prepared to write today's study and opened my Bible to Joshua 18 & 19, I must admit to a moment of thinking, they're still dividing the land! I am not a person who thrives on details. Please understand, I am very thankful for those who do! They're extremely necessary to keep things organized and running smoothly.

The homework assignments of filling in maps or outlining sentences brought out the worst of my procrastination tendencies. Balancing a checkbook . . . well let's just say that my dh has taken over that responsibility after several disasters. ;-)

The truth is this: although dealing with details is not a personal strength inherent to my nature, I understand the importance of them. I am only able to be less minutia driven, because there are others in my life to take of those things for me. Thanks Rev!!

We talked a couple of weeks ago about God being in the details. I am so thankful that He cares about specifics. Think about a few aspects of life that would be affected if God was just participating in the "big picture."

Joshua 16 & 17 - Lessons from the Sons of Joseph

We are going to look at two chapters in the Book of Joshua today. They are linked together by content, and most commentaries say they should be studied as a whole.

The map shows the division of the Promised Land to the twelve tribes (sons) of Israel, whose name had been changed from Jacob. Genesis 32:22-31

Last week we read of the land allotted to the tribe of Judah, and this week we will look at the sons of Joseph - the tribes of Manasseh and Ephraim. Joshua 16 registers the allotment of land to Ephraim, Joshua 17 the land apportioned to Manasseh.

As we look at Joshua 16, I believe the application for us is found in verse 10: But they didn't get rid of the Canaanites who were living in Gezer. Canaanites are still living among the people of Ephraim, but they are made to do forced labor. As we continue to read through Scripture we see again and again how that decision came back to cause them problems.

Joshua 15 - God in the Details

I don't know about you, but there are times when I come to a chapter like Joshua 15 and my initial reaction is: Who Cares?! Does it really matter how the land was distributed? Why in the world do we need verse after verse filled with long names of people and places? I want action accounts not details. What difference does it make anyway?

Let's take a moment and look at a few of the reasons why God's Word is filled with detailed chapters like Joshua 15:

Joshua 15 - God in the Details

1. God Keeps His Promises- In Genesis 15:13-16a we read: God said to Abram, "You can know for sure that your descendants will live in a land that is not their own, where they will be slaves, and they will be oppressed for 400 years. But I will punish the nation they serve, and after that they will come out with many possessions. But you will die in peace and be buried at a very old age. In the fourth generation your descendants will come back here....

Historical accounts like the one in Joshua 15 enable us to compare the Bible to historical documents and realize the accuracy of Scripture and the details the Lord uses to strengthen our faith. God promised this land to Abraham, this detailed account not only reveals God's faithfulness in keeping His promises, but can be put up against detailed historical accounts and judged to be factual.

Joshua 14 - God's Faithfulness for Facing Giants

Joshua 14:5 -So the people of Israel divided the land as the Lord had commanded Moses.

That verse has faithfulness written all over it. God's faithfulness, Joshua's and the tribal leader's faithfulness, and the people's faithfulness.

As we have studied through the Book of Joshua we learned of the Lord's faithfulness in keeping His promises to the descendants of His chosen people, those He rescued from Egypt. He has given them victory in the land promised to them, and now it is actually time for them to establish their communities. Last week, we read in Joshua 13:6 the Lord's words to Joshua,". . . you must distribute the land as an inheritance to Israel by drawing lots, as I commanded you." God understood the hearts of people in Joshua's day and He understands the hearts of men and women today.

....Then hear from heaven, Your dwelling place. Forgive, and deal with each man according to all he does, since you know his heart (for you alone know the hearts of men), so that they will fear you and walk in your ways all the time they live in the land you gave our fathers. 2 Chronicles 6:30-31 These verses are from Solomon's prayer as the Temple was dedicated. In Ecclesiastes 9, Solomon wrote, ....the hearts of men are full of evil.

God knows the hearts of men. He knows that from the beginning selfishness has been a downfall; so, He chose the land to be given to each tribe through the drawing of lots. You can read more about the Biblical use of drawing lots here. There is one exception to the land being apportioned through lots however....

Joshua 13 - Receiving an Inheritance

I always smile when I read the first verse of Joshua chapter 13. Joshua was, old, near the end of his life. So the Lord said to him, "You are old, near the end of your life, and there is a lot of land left to be conquered." As you know, I am an individual trying to ignore the aging process pretending, like the rest of our culture, that if I use the right lotions and potions and follow a certain anti-aging regimen I can defy the natural process of getting old.

We can avoid the truth ourselves, but I love the way God lays it out there. "You are old." Whew! However, look at the end of the verse - God still had a plan and a purpose for Joshua. As long as God sustains a life, He has a purpose for that life!!

In verses 2 - 6 God told Joshua about the land He was giving to the Children of Israel. There was land to be conquered, and in verse 6 God gives the plan. "I will force out of the way of the people of Israel everyone who lives in the mountains from Lebanon to Misrephoth Maim and all the people of Sidon. However, you must distribute the land as an inheritance to Israel by drawing lots, as I commanded you." God told Joshua, You are old,  there is no need for you to continue in battle; I will win the battle and you divide the land.