Joshua 23 At the age of 120 Joshua told the leaders of Israel, "I am old, advanced in years."  His message to them was spoken with both hope and caution.  He reminded the people of all that God had done for them.. ".. the Lord your God is He who has been fighting for you."  

He exhorted them to:

"Be very firm,  ( strong or courageous) then, to keep and do all that is written in the book of the Law of Moses, so that you may not turn aside from it to the right hand or to the left." (v6)

"But you are to cling to  ( cleave; stick close, follow closely ) the Lord your God, as you have done to this day." (v8)

"So take diligent heed ( keep, have charge of, watch and wait for, be on guard )  to yourselves to love the Lord your God." ( v11) 

He warned them against associating with the nations that were still living in the land; of even speaking the name of the false gods.  The nations needed to be driven out of God's land.. for they would become "a snare and a trap.. a whip on your sides and a thorns in your eyes.." 

Joshua's concern for the people of Israel is deep and troubled. "When you transgress the covenant of the Lord your God.. and go serve other gods.. then the anger of the Lord will burn against you, and you shall perish quickly from off the good land which he has given you." 

 Joshua's message is a good word for all of us.. we also must "be very firm" in our obedience to the Lord's Word; we must also "cling to the Lord" - constantly abiding in Jesus Christ the "true Vine"; and we must also be "diligent" to love the Lord. 

II Peter 1:5 reminds us of this also... "Now for this very reason also, applying all diligence, in your faith supply moral excellence, and in your moral excellence, knowledge; and in your knowledge, self-control, and in your self-control, perseverance, and in your perseverance, godliness; and in your godliness, brotherly kindness, and in your brotherly kindness, love.  For if these qualities are yours and are increasing , they render you neither useless nor unfruitful in the true knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ." 

Diligence.. personal attention and care.. to guard with earnestness and eagerness; with haste..   We must apply ourselves to these exhortations.. Perhaps if the Israelites had done so  - things would have turned out so much better for them.

Peter wrote "Therefore, brethren, be all the more diligent to make certain about His calling and choosing you; for as long as you practice these things, you will never stumble; for in this way the entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ will be abundantly supplied to you." (v10-11)

Father in heaven, You have granted to us Your precious promises so that we can partake of Your divine nature, for in Christ Jesus we have been made one with You. How great is Your salvation!  Help us by Your indwelling Spirit to be diligent in clinging to You, standing firm in faith, and loving You more and more every day and every hour. We ask this in the Name of Jesus our King, Amen. 

 Joshua 22 Three tribes. Reuben, Gad, and half of Manasseh, were allowed to return  to the east side of the Jordan where they had been given their inheritance "according to the command of the Lord through Moses."  Joshua blessed them and gave them these instructions:

"And now the Lord your God has given rest to your brothers, as He spoke to them; therefore turn now and go to your tents, to the land of your possession, which Moses the servant of the Lord gave you beyond the Jordan. Only be careful to observe the commandment and the law which Moses the servant of the Lord commanded you to love the Lord your God and walk in all His ways and keep His commandments and hold fast to Him and serve Him with all your heart and with all your soul." 

The group returned to their land which was called "Gilead" .. the rocky place.. Before they crossed the Jordan they built a large "altar".  As soon as the news spread all the rest of the Israelites , they got ready to fight.. they thought the altar would cause God to bring judgement upon all of them! They assumed it was an affront to the altar before the Tabernacle...   However, that was not the intentions of Reuben, Gad, and Manasseh... they simply wanted a monument to help the future generations remember that they were all a part of God's people. They called it "Witness".. a sign of unity.. a sign that they all served the same God... even though the river Jordan separated them from each other. 

This was acceptable to everyone and they all blessed God together. 

Rest is fleeting. Unity is fragile. Even after all that Israel had experience together.. all the the Lord had done for them and given them.. troubles would come.. people would fail to keep God's commandments. Joshua's words to the people are so important:

 Observe God's words. Love the Lord. Walk in His ways. Keep His commandments.. Hold fast to Him. Serve Him with all you have. 

Father in heaven, we need You to fill us with Your Word, by Your Spirit, that we might walk with Jesus in Your ways and for Your glory.  Help us to hold fast to You, for we are weak and easily distracted and weighed down by the things in this world. Let our eyes be fixed on that which is above.. on You, our Holy God and loving  Father; on Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior; and on the Spirit of God, who lives in us and brings us Your Word and Your Love. May Your will be done in each of us today as we seek to be one with You and with our brothers and sisters in Christ Jesus. We ask this in His Name. Amen. 

 Joshua 20-21 The Lord instructed Joshua to set up 6 cities.. cities of Refuge.  They were set apart so that anyone who accidentally caused the death of another could go there and not be killed by someone seeking revenge. They would wait until the case was determined by the congregation or until the high priest at that time would pass away. 

Each of these cities in turn were given to the Levites, along with 42 more cities.. spread throughout the tribes. The three arms of the Levites were given their own areas to live.. cities and surrounding pasture lands. The first lot was given to Aaron's sons. It was in  the area given to Judah.. the city of Hebron, "in the hill country of Judah."  This area was  near where Caleb and his family settled.  "So the Lord gave Israel all the land which He has sworn to give to their fathers, and they possessed it and lived in it." 

The Lord did all He said He would do. "Not one of the good promises which the Lord had made to the house of Israel failed; all came to pass." ( 21:45) 

The people of Israel had received the promised land and now they were given "rest on every side".  Now all they had to do was obey His Word and not forget Him. 

Father in heaven,  You never fail to keep Your promises.. but we always seem to forget ours.  Your grace is always sufficient. but we often forget to show grace to others. We forget to praise You or to be grateful to You. How patient You are with us.. O Lord forgive us these trespasses and let us have a spirit of love and mercy to forgive others. Fill us Spirit of God that the fruit of Your love will flow through us- love and joy, peace and patience, kindness and gentleness, faithfulness and humility and self-control. We turn to You for strength to stand in Your Truth and to do Your will. May the grace of Jesus Christ overflow into us we pray in His Almighty Name. Amen. 

Joshua 12-19 These chapters give the detailed descriptions of the division of land between the tribes of Israel. Every tribe was apportioned a specific area and were supposed to drive out the enemies from every city. Many times that did not happen. Over the years Israel lost good portions of the land that God would have given them, had they been faithful.  Large parts of Syria and Jordan today are actually part of the inheritance given to Israel. 

A couple of interesting facts jump out. 

The land that we know as Galilee in the New Testament was actually part of the inheritance of Naphtali. Isaiah prophesied and Matthew quoted, "The land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, by the way of the sea, beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the gentiles - "The people who were sitting in darkness, saw a great light, and to those who were sitting in the land and shadow of death, upon them a light dawned." ( 4:15-16) 

Manasseh and Ephraim, Joseph's sons, inherited a large portion of the north, both to the east and to the west of the Jordan river.  Joshua eventually settled in the land of Ephraim, the last to receive his portion of the inheritance.  Shiloh, the place chosen for the tabernacle, was also in Ephraim. It was an Ephramite, Jeroboam, who led the rebellion against Judah.. dividing the nation of Israel into two separate kingdoms.. Israel (also called Ephraim) and Judah. 

Judah was given the first portion west of the Jordan. It was so big that they didn't have enough people to occupy it all so some of the land was given to the tribe of Simeon.  Caleb was given his portion in Judah, receiving what Moses had promised. Jerusalem was actually in the land given to Benjamin, but later became the capital of Judah.. now the capital of Israel. 

Several times we are reminded that the tribe of Levi did not receive an inheritance of land, for their portion was the Lord . (18:7)   They would, however, be given cities.. scattered throughout the land belonging to the other tribes. 

The tribes of Israel spread out through the land. It was only by the Law that brought them together during the appointed feasts would they remember that they were one nation.  It didn't take long before they forgot.. 

Father in heaven, Your plans are always perfect and someday we will understand how You will restore all that Israel is meant to be. May the people that call on Your Name be truly Your servants and bring the Good News of the Gospel back to the land that is Yours. May the Light of the World shine once again on the land that is gloomy in the shadow of death. We pray for the peace of Jerusalem as You have called us to do. May Your will be done and Your kingdom come, in the powerful name of Jesus we pray, Amen 

 Joshua 9-11 The kings of the land that Joshua and the Israelites would conquer gathered together to fight. Except for one city.. Gibeon.  This group pretended to be from a far-away country and talked Joshua and Israel into a treaty. "So the men of Israel took some of their provisions and did not ask for the counsel of the Lord."  It took three days for the truth to come out.. but then it was too late to get out of the agreement.  Joshua honored the covenant but enslaved the Gibeonites as "hewers of wood and drawers of water..." where they continued to serve for many years. 

Then.. the battles began.. one city/state after another fell to Israel at the command of the Lord.  He gave them victory over every foe.  He even stopped the sun and moon from moving at the prayer of Joshua.  He sent hailstones.. He struck down armies.  "and Joshua captured all of these kings and their lands at one time because the Lord, the God of Israel fought for Israel." 

More kings came against Israel.. "and they came out, they and all their armies with them, as many people as the sand that is on the seashore with very many horses and chariots..."   The Lord told Joshua to not be afraid.. this great army would not be left after the next day.  Joshua trusted the Lord and victory was given. "So Joshua took the whole land, according to all that the Lord had spoken to Moses, and Joshua gave it for and inheritance to Israel according to their divisions by their tribes. Thus the land had  rest from war." 

Chapter 11:20 says this, "For it was of the Lord to harden their hearts, to meet Israel in battle in order that he might utterly destroy them, that they might receive no mercy, but that he might destroy them, just as the Lord had commanded Moses." 

We are reminded that this was not because Israel was so great.. but because the people in the lands that Israel would inherit were so evil.. that judgement came.  There is a point where evil must be purged from the nations. A day is coming when God's judgement will come upon all the earth... a time when there will be no mercy shown for those who refuse to bow before the only True God.. a time when hardened hearts will refuse to repent.  We must keep praying and telling the Truth to all those who have not yet called on the name of the Lord... before it is too late. 

Father in heaven,  we know that You are a just God and that You are a patient God.  We also know that a time is coming when You will judge with righteous judgement..  We pray once again that You would send forth workers in Your harvest fields that more people will turn from sin and call upon the name of Jesus!  Fill this land.. this world with the Good News of salvation in Jesus and soften hard hearts while there is still time. We ask this in Jesus' name. amen .

 Joshua 8  The Lord spoke to Joshua these words, "Do not fear or be dismayed."  He would give Ai to the Israelites now, since they obeyed His word.  Following the Lord's instructions, Joshua sent out 30,000 soldiers to the west of Ai, hidden until the right time. Then the main army approached the city and another 5000 soldiers were set aside for a second ambush.  The plan worked perfectly.  Ai was taken.. all its people were destroyed. Cattle and plunder were allowed this time.  And the Lord gave them complete victory. 

After this Joshua led the people of Israel north about 30 miles.. to the place that Moses had spoken about. Some of the tribes stood on Mt Ebal and some stood on Mt Gerizim.  Joshua built an altar of uncut stones and they offered burnt sacrifices and peace offerings.  He took large stones and wrote on them a copy of the law of Moses.   And "he read all the words of the law, the blessing and the curse according to all that is written in the book of the law." 

Once again, the people of Israel were taught the Law, they were reminded of their covenant with the Lord who had given them the land.  The victories over Jericho and Ai showed them the blessings that God would give them when they obeyed His Word.  The defeat caused by Achan showed them what would happen when they did not obey the Word of God. 

Moses wrote "Cursed is he who does not confirm the words of this law by doing them." ( Deuteronomy 27:26)  But, to those who would "diligently obey" God's word.. they would be blessed.. "and all the blessings shall come upon you and overtake you, if you will obey the Lord your God." (28:2) 

Jesus taught about the blessings of God.. He called those who were poor in spirit- blessed. He called those who mourn- blessed. He called those who are gentle, who hunger and thirst for righteousness, who are merciful, and who are pure in heart - blessed.  Those who seek God and His kingdom and His righteousness are blessed. Walking in the ways of the Lord, obeying His Word will bring His blessings upon us. Jesus said, "Come, you who are blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world... for I was hungry and  you gave Me something to eat.. I was thirsty and you  gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you invited Me in; naked and you clothed Me;  I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me."   Likewise, Jesus also taught about those who are cursed.. "Depart from Me, accursed ones, into the eternal fire which has been prepared for the devil and his angels; for I was hungry and you gave Me nothing to eat; I was thirsty and you gave Me nothing to drink... (Matthew 25:41ff) Jesus explained that "to the extent" that we treat His brothers.. even to the least of them.. we are treating Him.. our actions towards others matter to Him for they reveal whether or not His love has filled our hearts. 

Father in heaven, may we confirm the Word of the Lord .. all that You have given us.. by doing what You have commanded us to do.. by loving You with all of our hearts, minds, souls, and strength.. and by loving others as You have loved us.  May our words and our actions be honoring to You and bring glory to Your Holy Name.  Strengthen us in the Spirit so that we might love like Jesus loves.. that we might do the things that Jesus did.. that we might serve like Jesus served. We are Your people and we desire to obey and be blessed.. never to fail You.  Come and fill us with Your power from above we ask, in the Name of Jesus Christ the risen Lord. Amen. 

 Joshua 7 Achan, from the tribe of Judah, chose to ignore God's command to take all the gold, silver, bronze and iron that they found in Jericho and dedicate it to the Lord's treasury.  All of Israel had been warned of the consequences of taking what was "under the ban" for themselves.  It would bring about a curse upon all of the people.. indeed, because of Achan's sin, 36 soldiers lost their lives and the city of Ai rose up in victory against Israel.  

Joshua was devastated. He tore his clothes and fell on his face before the ark.  He didn't even know why they had failed to take Ai until the Lord informed him about Israel's sin. "Israel has sinned and they have also transgressed My covenant which I commanded them. And they have even taken some of the things under the ban and have both stolen and deceived.  Moreover, they have also put them among their own things."   Israel's sin was more than just taking some silver and gold.  It was a breaking of trust.. a breaking of the covenant, the bond between God and His people. 

Through an investigation using lots, the Lord narrowed the suspects down.. first, the tribe of Judah was selected. Then one family, the Zarhites, was selected. Then it was narrowed down to one family, the household of Zabdi.  When the family came before Joshua "man by man" the lot fell on Achan. Zabdi's grandson. 

Achan could not hide from the Lord. He confessed his sins. He had taken a beautiful garment.. a mantle made from fine material, and he had taken 200 shekels of silver and 50 shekels of gold. The items were quickly found and laid before Joshua. Achan did not express sorrow for his sin, even as he confessed what he did.  His family seems to have been complicit in hiding these stolen goods, so they were also condemned. 

Joshua and "all Israel" took Achan, his children, his oxen, donkeys, and sheep, and even his tent to the valley of Achor.. the valley of trouble.  There they were stoned to death and burned with fire.  A "great heap of rocks" then  covered them.  The people of Israel learned something more about their God that day. If they didn't know before.. they now knew that He saw their sin and He delivered judgement on those who failed to obey His commands and who did not repent of their sin. 

Achan "saw... coveted.. and took" the things that he wanted. He did not consider the fact that God had forbid it. He didn't believe that God would bring judgement on him and his family.. indeed on all of Israel for his actions.  The Bible Knowledge Commentary compares this to Eve in the garden.. she saw the fruit, she wanted the fruit, and she took it.. not considering God's ban on that particular tree. She did not realize the consequences of her sin.. bringing judgement upon all the earth. 

Father, forgive us, for we all have sinned and come short of Your great glory.  We have seen the things of this world and have coveted.. and have taken what You have forbidden.  We have failed to believe Your word and acted out of selfish motives. We live in a world that has been so sinful.. so selfish.. so greedy.. so blinded to the Truth that we wonder how You have been patient in Your coming judgement.  Father we pray for our nation, for our neighbors, for our own families, knowing that many are living like Achan.. trying to hide their sins.. not knowing that You see every heart. Let the Light of the gospel of Jesus Christ be manifested in our lives, Lord, so that repentance will flow down into homes and schools, and yes, even churches today.  You are the God who saves and delivers us from the dominion of darkness and brings us into the Kingdom of Jesus Christ.. You are faithful and You are full of grace and mercy.  Hear our cries Lord for those who are lost.. and May Jesus Christ, the One who came to seek and save them.. be made known to them today. We ask this in His mighty name. Amen.