Joshua 24 Before Joshua passed away at the age of 110 he called all the leaders of Israel together at Shechem and presented a new covenant between them and the Lord their God.  The Lord spoke to them all.. reminding them of what He had done..

He "took" Abraham from "beyond the River" and brought into Canaan and promised him the land.

He gave Jacob and Esau to their father Isaac. It was Jacob who went down into Egypt.

He sent Moses and Aaron to bring them out of Egypt. 

He led them across the Red Sea.

He gave them victories and deliverance.. He gave them "a land on which you have not labored, and cities which you had not built, and you have lived on them; you are eating of vineyards and olive groves which you did not plant." 

Joshua then presented the challenge. " Now, therefore, fear  the Lord and serve Him in sincerity and truth; and put away the gods which your fathers served beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve the Lord." 

Three times the Israelites vowed to serve the Lord their God and obey His voice.  Joshua told them that God would use their words as "witnesses" against themselves.. and they agreed. 

After this Joshua passed away and was buried in the land given to the tribe of Ephraim.  "And Israel served the Lord all the days of Joshua and all the days of the elders who survived Joshua, and had known all the deeds of the Lord which He had done for Israel." 

Unfortunately .. that was as far as they went.. and the nation began to fall away.  

The lesson is clear.. we must not forget all that the Lord had done.. we must teach the next generation these truths! We must keep clinging to the Lord!  We must be diligent to keep adding perseverance  and virtue and knowledge  and godliness and self-control.. and love.. and obedience to God's word as we walk with Jesus. 

Father, come and fill us again with Your Spirit so that You are exalted in our lives. Teach us and guide us Spirit of our Mighty God.. we need You... for what is impossible for us to do in our own strength.. You alone can do in us.  May Your plans and purposes be completed in us according to the power of Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior whom we serve. Help us to be faithful.. Help us to teach our children and grandchildren Your Words.. that they may also continue to walk in the Light.  We ask this in Jesus' name. 

Amen. 

 It was early Saturday morning and I was awake.. thinking about the  recent disaster in Nepal.. a glacier collapsed.. a whole city was violently overtaken by a mountain high flood of mud and rock and water.  The pictures are devastating as people ran for their lives.. in vain.  There have been several earthquakes lately that have also brought about sudden destruction .. buildings collapsing.. people lost.. lives taken… without warning..without time to say goodbye.. without time to repent and prepare to meet the Lord. 

I am reminded of Jonah.  He reluctantly preached a simple message to the evil people of Nineveh.. “Forty more days and Nineveh will be overthrown.”   The people of Nineveh repented and God relented.  Disaster was diverted. 

What would the people of Nepal given.. to have had that message.. a flood .. a disaster was coming. Forty days?  Even 40 hours or 40 minutes would have helped some..  But, they received no warning.  How about the people of Venezuela or Columbia?   They had no warning of the disaster about to hit them. How many of them  were ready to meet  their Creator?

In Luke 13 some people were telling Jesus about a  terrible thing that had happened to some Galileans.  Jesus answered them in an unexpected way, “Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners that all the other Galileans because they suffered this way?  I tell you, no!  But unless you repent, you too will all perish. Or those eighteen who died when the tower in Siloam fell on them - do you think they were more guilty than all the others living in Jerusalem? I tell you, no! But unless you repent, you too will all perish.” 

Disasters come.. unexpectedly.. suddenly.. and from all appearances.. randomly.  Life will end and we do not know the day nor the hour.  The Lord had compassion on Nineveh.. there were “120,000 people” who could not tell their right hands from their left.  Maybe these were children.. maybe these were just ordinary people who were living the only life they knew… not ready to die.. like the people in Nepal, or Columbia or Venezuela.. or in the next earthquake or flood.. or other disaster. 

When Jesus was speaking to His disciples about the time of His return He said this,      “But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son; but only the Father. As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. For in the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day Noah entered the ark;  and they knew nothing about what would happen until the flood came and took them away. That is how it will be at the coming of the Son of Man.” ( Matthew 24:36-39)  

Isn’t that how it was in Nepal just a few days ago?

Revelation 6 describes the judgements to come when the Lamb.. He who is worthy to open the scroll.. begins to break the seals one by one.. and God’s wrath is poured out upon the earth.  Verse 17 says, “For the great day of their wrath has come, and who can withstand it?”  People great and small..rich and poor.. kings and slaves.. will all run and try to hide themselves in caves and on mountains, we are told in verse 15.  But, just like those in Nepal just a few days ago.. it doesn’t matter who you are.. what position you hold.. what wealth you have accumulated.. when the disaster hits, when the judgement comes, when the tower falls, or whatever.. “unless you repent, you too will perish.” 

This is the word that the Lord spoke to me early Saturday morning.  We must pray for those who are lost without Jesus, those who may perish tomorrow.. from a  disaster or from disease or an accident.. or whatever.  We will all die, but Jesus came that we might not perish but have everlasting life by believing in Him. Let the good news of the gospel of Jesus Christ be heard around the world today! 

Father in heaven, may Your name be exalted in all the earth.. in every nation.. in every city..in every heart!  May Your will be done!  May Your Kingdom come. Let the Gospel news be shouted from the mountains and the Truth be announced in every city.  Let Your great mercy and grace be preached in all the earth we pray, in the Name of Jesus Christ the Lord.  Amen. 

 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 .