Joshua 1:3 "I will give you every place where you set your foot." Beth Moore taught about this in one of her studies. Her comment was that the Israelites had to actually step foot on the ground before they could conquer the land. She applied it to our lives by saying that we have to step out and fight the battle before God will give us the victory over sin in our lives.
God repeatedly reassured Joshua that He would never leave or forsake him and that Joshua should be strong and very courageous. God assured Joshua that he would be revered by the people. This is important for any leader. Without encouragement, it is difficult to stay at the head of the pack.
I laughed when I read verse 17, "just as we fully obeyed Moses, so we will obey you." Fully?? Tee hee! I admire their spunk that day though as they prepared for the long-awaited battles.
I think it is very interesting that Joshua sent 2 spies in Chapter 2. Did he choose to send two instead of 12 because he and Caleb were the only two who wanted to follow God's wishes at the beginning of their journey? Hmmm. I think I'll ask Joshua when I run into him in heaven.
There are lots of ponderable questions in this passage. I want to know how the king of Jericho knew to talk to Rahab when men visited the city. Rahab is listed in the genealogy of Jesus in Matthew 1. She was King David's great-great grandmother. How's that for enjoying God's grace?!!
I love what Rahab says in Joshua 2:9-11. The people of the land already knew that God was the ruler of the universe because of the miracles He had performed for Israel. Do the people around me know God is the True God because they know and hear about what He does for me? Rahab's testimony gave the two spies the courage to say to Joshua, "The LORD has surely given the whole land into our hands; all the people are melting in fear because of us." (v. 24)
Joshua 3:5 "Consecrate yourselves." Have you ever consecrated yourself unto God? What did you do? I would love to hear your stories.
The Jordan was at flood stage, and we learned in our Ray VanderLaan film series that the banks of the Jordan are fairly steep. Can you imagine being one of the priests charged with the responsibility of going first into the water? I can feel my heart pounding! Yet, as soon as their feet touched the water, it piled up in a heap. Hallelujah! I like Joshua 4:18 too, "No sooner had they set their feet on the dry ground than the waters of the Jordan returned to their place and ran at flood stage as before." Praise God!
I got to thinking, however, would I have been praising God for getting us all safely across, or would I have been complaining because I almost got washed away by the river? We have a tendency to do that. After a near miss, I focus on the almost negative rather than the supernatural positive!
I'll come back online later to post about the standing stones in Joshua 4.
News travels fast even in Bible times. They were melting with fear because the word had spread that the Lord was with the Israelites and they were coming.
ReplyDeleteThe amazing acts repeated over and over so far in our readings keep pointing me back to one phrase...stand firm! In chapter 3 verse 17 The priests...stood firm...
They entered flood stage waters and stood firm, wow!
It's amazing, as I have been reading, that God shows me how He has not changed. Sure things like how we worship has changed ect.... but God is still God!!!! And how many God fearing, God loving, God worshiping believers have we been able to learn from and we are only in the 6th book of the Bible? And, as you said Melinda, they stand firm in God!!!!
ReplyDeleteHow do we look.....do we paint a picture of a believer that stands firm in our flood waters?
I also laughed at their comment of how they obeyed Moses. Gee, if they think they obeyed him, what would it have been like if they disobeyed him?! I wonder if they really believed that or if they were just trying to make them look good. I also wonder how often do I think I'm obeying God when I'm really not?????
ReplyDeleteUnfortunately, it is difficult for us to gauge our own level of obedience until we look backwards over our lives. Only in hindsight can we gain the perspective we need to see the hand of God at work in our lives. Do you ever take time to reflect on the spiritual markers in your life? As you look back, can you see how God was faithful to bring you through even when you may have acted like a spoiled brat? The warning to us should be that we need to check in with God on a daily basis, asking Him for specific instructions we can obey.
ReplyDeleteok so how did Rahab know that the soldiers would not search the hills and that they would return after three days I have always loved this story and how Rahab and her family were saved because she helped the spys, however never until today have I realized that she instructed them to hide in the hills for three days. Isn't it amazing how many times in the bible that the three days is repeated in so many different situations. ie: spies in the hills, Jonah in the belly of the whale, Lazarus in the grave, all of them leading up to Jesus rising from the grave. Praise God he set a pattern for us, and gave us an instruction book for life.
ReplyDeleteThanks for pointing out that fun detail, Katherine. The pattern of 3 seems to be hiding someone away until the time is right. Cool!
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