September 2022

Certainly the adults living at the time of the twelve spies being sent into the land soon after the children of Israel left Egypt were a rebellious and faithless group of people.  All of them, with the exception of Joshua and Caleb were destined to die over the forty years of wilderness wandering because of their rebellions against God and lack of faith.  It was this faithless group of people who had children who followed Joshua over the Jordan River and were given the Promised Land, the Land of Canaan.

Certainly the generation of adults who crossed over the Jordan River who had seen their parents die in the wilderness were not perfect and their faith was not complete, though you do not see them worshipping idols.  They did, however, not completely possess the land and drive out all of its inhabitants as God commanded them (Jud 1.19-36).  God had promised, He had covenanted with them to give them all of the land, He was with them, but they refused to do their part in driving the wicked people out.  God charges them, “But you have not obeyed My voice.  Why have you done this” (Jud 2.2)?  It may have seemed like a small thing to the people, after all they had driven out most of the Canaanites, surely it would be ok just to let them be and let them worship their own gods.

However and perhaps more importantly the generation of adults which crossed over the Jordan did not teach their children about God.  God tells us when this generation had passed on with their fathers, “another generation arose after them who did not know the Lord nor the work when He had done for Israel” (Jud 2.10).  As a result of their inaction, their refusal to completely do as God instructed as related to the wicked people of the land and their god, and a complete failure to “teach them (God’s laws-djm) diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up.  You shall bind them as frontlets between your eyes.  You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates” (Deut 6.6-9).

What about your children, your house, your “childrens’ children” (Pro 17.6)?  It was not long before this group of adults, children of those who told Joshua they would follow God, began to play the harlot with the other gods their parents had failed to destroy did evil in the sight of the Lord and forgot God (Jud 2.17; 3.7).  Parents and grandparents, ask yourself, where do I stand in helping my children and grandchildren learn the importance of faithfully and obediently following completely the Word of God?  We are only one generation away from complete apostasy-falling away.  We must pass the torch, the baton of faith, if it is to not be extinguished by our children.

Every Christian on the day sins are washed away enters into a covenant relationship with God.  On God’s part He promises if we, as Christians, will be faithful unto death He will give us a crown of life (Rev 2.10).  God has never been slack concerning His promises, but in fact has fulfilled every promise He ever made (2 Pet 3.9).  At the same time, He does not want anyone to be lost, so He is longsuffering, giving everyone alive the opportunity to enter in this covenant relationship.

God throughout history has made many covenants with mankind.  Some of these include the promise of: a Savior who would once and for all crush Satan (Gen 3.15), a rainbow which signified He would never again destroy all of mankind with water (Gen 9.11-17), blessing all the nations of the earth through the seed of Abraham through his children with the act of circumcising males as the mark of this promise (Gen 22.17-18), releasing from Egyptian bondage the children of Israel after four hundred years (Gen 15.13), As we conclude our articles on Joshua, God told the children of Israel if they would “take heed to do the commandment and the law which Moses the servant of the Lord commanded you, to love the Lord your God, to walk in all His ways, to keep His commandments, to hold fast to Him and to serve Him with all your heart and with all your soul” (Jos 22.5), He would do all of the good things He had promised to the House of Israel (Jos 21.45).

Walking the way of the Lord always takes courage.  Many times throughout the Bible, God’s people were told “Be strong, be of good courage.”  And so today, in the Christian age in which we live, courage and strength are called for.  As Joshua prepared the people for his departure he stated, “Choose you this day whom you will serve, whether the gods which your fathers served which dwelt on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Ammorites in whose land you now dwell.  But as for me and my house we will serve the Lord God” (Jos 24.15).

Serving God has always been a choice.  A choice, as a Christian, you covenanted to do the day you came out of the watery grave of baptism as a new creature for the rest of your life (2 Thess 1.8).  God will keep His part.  Ask yourself—Am I?  If not, why not.  If not choose to do so from this day forward.  If you have not covenanted with God, you are not a part of the blessings promised, in fact there is an eternity in hell promised by God to those who do not choose to enter into His covenant.  Why do you wait?  “Now is the day of salvation” (2 Cor 6.2).

Joshua is a great book of military victories for God’s people the Israelites, representing the many military conquests and victories as victories of God for His people.  Most of these victories came against overwhelming physical odds but because God was on their side, these physical odds did not matter.

Listen to God’s spokesman Joshua as he instructs God’s people over and over.

• Only be strong and very courageous . . . that you may prosper wherever you go (1.7).
• Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go (1.9).
• Do not be afraid, nor be dismayed . . . See I have given it unto your hand (8.1)
• Do not fear them, for I have delivered them into you hand; not a man of them shall stand before you (10.8).
• Do not be afraid, nor be dismayed; be strong and of good courage, for thus the Lord will do to all your enemies against whom you fight. (10.25)
• Do not be afraid because of them, for tomorrow about this time I will deliver all of them slain before Israel (11.6).

We can still today win great victories through God today.  To do this we must as the Israelites of old had to do, let the Lord take the battle.  Let Him put us under His wings of protection.  Listen to the Psalmist.

• Keep me as the apple of Your eye; Hide me under the shadow of Your wings, From the wicked who oppress me,   From my deadly enemies who surround me (Ps 17.8).
• How precious is Your lovingkindness, O God! Therefore, the children of men put their trust under the shadow of Your wings (36.7)
• Be merciful to me, O God, be merciful to me! For my soul trusts in You;  And in the shadow of Your wings I will make my refuge,  Until these calamities have passed by (57.1).
• I will abide in Your tabernacle forever; I will trust in the shelter of Your wings (61.4)
• Because You have been my help, Therefore, in the shadow of Your wings I will rejoice (63.7)
• He shall cover you with His feathers, and under His wings you shall take refuge; His truth shall be your shield and buckler (91.4).

Whether the fight is physical, spiritual, or mental, be strong, be of good courage and let the wings of God protect you.  Jesus said, “Come unto me all you who labor and are heavy laden and I will give you rest (Matt 11.28).

In our walk with God, we talk about and study many of the characteristics and practices that we should keep in order to stay on the narrow path. Diligence is necessary to remaining focused on the cross. Commitment isn’t just a word. It’s a choice, and it’s a lifestyle. Our lives, committed to being workers for the Lord, should be God centered. We should always be pushing forward (Phil 3:13-14).

There was a rich, young, ruler who stopped Jesus to ask what he must do to inherit the kingdom of heaven. Jesus in turn told him, “You know the commandments…” (Mk. 10:18-19). He went on to list several of the 10 commandments, which at the time were still in effect. The young ruler could have been confident in the fact that he had kept those commandments in his life: he hadn’t committed adultery, murdered, stole anything, he did not bear false witness, or defraud others and he honored his father and mother.

But, instead of an over confidence, he questioned Jesus further, “What do I still lack?” (Mt. 19:20). This question frames a mindset that understands, “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,” (Rom. 3:23). Unfortunately for the rich, young, ruler, he cared more for his riches than he cared for Jesus. Jesus gave him a choice that basically broke down to; work for your wealth or work for me.

Though the scripture tells us the man walked away, “grieved” or sadly, from the Lord, he still walked away. He still made the choice that earthly possessions meant more to him than spiritual gifts. The gift of eternal life is the greatest gift a person could hope for, especially given the alternative. Matthew 25:46 reads, “And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into eternal life.”

Self-reflection is hard. Sometimes we understand where we struggle and still make the wrong choice. Sometimes, we fail to self-reflect for fear of what we may see, or out of neglect for our spiritual self-care. Regardless, it’s important to know where we are still lacking so that whatever we do, in word or deed, it should be the best we can, working for the Lord (Col. 3:23). The right choice will always be Christ over self. So, don’t be afraid. Take a look. Are we workers for the Lord? Or are we walking away grieving?

Sin has a way of perhaps looking simplistic and safe in the beginning.  However, it can quickly engulf one’s life and take a life which once had much promise to a life decimated by the effects of sin.  In the account of Achan (Joshua 7), a striking lesson is given by God Himself who states, “They have also put it among their own stuff” (Jos 7.11).

How tragic!! As Christians we can easily know the difference in the rights and wrongs in life.  We know how we should speak, dress, treat others, treat our own bodies, and worship God to just name some.  The tragedy is we often completely ignore the right and actually and proactively bring sin “among our own stuff.”  With the examples God gives us in Old Testament accounts (Rom 15.4) of how His people continued in their sins and refused to hearken unto His words (Jer 6.16-17) and the commands and admonitions to return from their wickedness as New Testament Christians we are admonished to “Abstain from all appearance (or form) of evil” (1 Thess 5.22).

As simple as it might sound, can it really be that simple?  Seeking and choosing to do the right thing, all the time is at the core of Christianity.  “We are all sinners” (Rom 3.23), but to allow and bring it in “with our own stuff” should be incomprehensible to a New Testament Christian.

As we go through life we often find ourselves perhaps getting as close to sin as we can without thinking we can be burned.  Following right behind, getting as close as we can to sin, is bringing in with our own stuff and allowing it to take over our lives.  The whole idea of letting in even the appearance of something evil is in direct contradiction with the inspired command and promise, “Submit yourselves therefore to God.  Resist the devil, and he will flee from you” (Jam 4.10).

As you contemplate even the appearance of evil “among your own stuff” reflect with Peter, “For if, after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled in them and overcome, the last state has become worse for them than the first.  For it would have been better for them never to have known the way of righteousness than after knowing it to turn back from the holy commandment delivered to them” (2 Pet 2.20-21).  Don’t bring sin into your life by getting close.  Be different than the world.  You are holy, you are sanctified by an almighty God.