Joshua

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“…but they did not ask counsel of the Lord” (Joshua 9:14 NKJV)

April 14, 2015

The Gibeonites deceived Joshua and the Israelite leaders and persuaded them to make a covenant with them. The leaders, fresh from a victory, examined the condition of the men’s clothes and food and believed their story. However, once again, they proceeded without counsel from God just as they had in their first encounter with Ai, which they lost miserably. They had a slow learning curve when it came to seeking counsel from God before making a decision. We often have the same tendency. We cry out to God when we face an overwhelming challenge, but when something seems simple, we neglect godly counsel and act with human wisdom. I wonder how many disastrous decisions have been made by well-meaning people because they forgot to ask for God’s counsel? It’s the small decisions that often get us, making us say, “I got this.” When, in fact, we don’t.

“And she sent them away, and they departed. And she bound the scarlet cord in the window” (Joshua 2:21 NKJV)

April 10, 2015

Rahab, the Jericho harlot, hid the Israelite spies whom Joshua had sent to reconnoiter the city. After making an amazing confession of faith in the Lord, she made a deal with the spies that she would hide them in return for protecting her family when the Lord gave the city over to Israel. The spies agreed. They told her to hang a “scarlet cord in the window” of her house to identify it and to keep everyone inside the house, otherwise they would not be responsible for them.
The “scarlet cord” reminds me of the blood of the lamb that was applied to the doors of the Israelites’ homes in Egypt, so that the angel of death would pass over them. It also reminds me of the blood of the Lamb of God, Jesus Christ, which was shed, so that those who trust in Him might live.
Rahab’s family was spared when Israel destroyed Jericho. Those inside the house with the “scarlet cord in the window” were saved. Rahab and her family became part of God’s people. So that, even Rahab was listed in Matthew’s genealogy of Christ (Matt. 1:5).
Do you have a “scarlet cord” hanging from your window?

The Habit of Bible Study

September 21, 2014 | Joshua 1:6-9 | bible, discipleship

Pastor Gary Combs continues his sermon series, The Seven Habits of Growing Christians, with this message from Joshua 1:6-9 about the importance of studying the Bible. This message answers the question why we should be serious students of the Bible as well as how we can develop this important habit.

“I am as strong now as I was when Moses sent me on that journey, and I can still travel and fight as well as I could then. So give me the hill country that the Lord promised me” (Joshua 14:11-12 NLT)

April 16, 2014

Caleb was one of the 12 spies who Moses sent into the Promised Land. He and Joshua were the only two who gave a positive report. The people were swayed by the majority report and became fearful, doubting God. This resulted in 40 years in the wilderness to raise up a new generation of faithful warriors. Only Caleb and Joshua remained from the adults who first left Egypt. Caleb was 40 years old when he first saw the land flowing with milk and honey. He was 85 years old when he asked Joshua to give him the mountains, to give him the giants, for he was still as strong as he was 45 years before. He could have asked for anything. He could have requested a nice pre-built city or a grassy plain, but he asked for the hills of Hebron and the land of the Anakites who made men feel as grasshoppers in comparison. When others would want their retirement and days spent fishing, Caleb still wanted to accomplish things for God. Many men begin well, but few finish well. Caleb knew how to finish better than he started. May God make us a generation like Caleb!

“But Israel violated the instructions about the things set apart for the Lord. A man named Achan had stolen some of these dedicated things, so the Lord was very angry with the Israelites” (Joshua 7:1 NLT)

April 12, 2014

Achan hid the things he had ransacked from Jericho under his tent after God had warned against it. When Israel fought against the city of Ai they lost the battle and 36 warriors as a result. Many say that their sin is their own and it doesn’t affect those around them. Yet, here we see the error. Sin in the camp affects all in the community.

“Israel served the LORD all the days of Joshua, and all the days of the elders who outlived Joshua and had known all the work that the LORD did for Israel” (Joshua 24:31 ESV)

April 22, 2013

As long as there were elders living in Israel that remembered the Lord, there was peace and prosperity in the land. But when the last of these elders passed, the era of the Judges began, a time when the people forgot the Lord and lived according to their own way. How does a nation, family, or church retain the memory of God’s blessing from one generation to another, so that they don’t stray from God?

“Not one word of all the good promises that the LORD had made to the house of Israel had failed; all came to pass” (Joshua 21:45)

April 21, 2013

All of the promises that God gave the Israelites while in the wilderness were finally realized. The people weren’t always faithful, but God was. What promises of God are you believing during these uncertain times? Do not despair. All of His good promises will come to pass.

“Not one word of all the good promises that the LORD had made to the house of Israel had failed; all came to pass” (Joshua 21:45 ESV)

April 20, 2013

All of the promises that God gave the Israelites while in the wilderness were finally realized. The people weren’t always faithful, but God was. What promises of God are you believing during these uncertain times? Do not despair. All of His good promises will come to pass.

“And when the soles of the feet of the priests bearing the ark of the LORD shall rest in the waters of the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan shall be cut off from flowing” (Joshua 3:13 ESV)

April 11, 2013

Joshua had replaced Moses as leader. God wanted to “exalt” Joshua so that the Israelites would respect his leadership, so He called him to part the Jordan much as Moses had been called to part the Red Sea. God instructed him to have the priests carry the Ark into the Jordan and as their soles touched the river, the waters would stop, so that the people could cross on dry land. I wonder if this is where the saying “Sometimes you just have to get your feet wet” came?

“The people of Israel served the Lord throughout the lifetime of Joshua and of the elders who outlived him—those who had personally experienced all that the Lord had done for Israel” (Joshua 24:31)

April 22, 2012

The time of the Judges followed the passing of this great generation. This reminds us that we are always only one baton-pass away from apostasy. Teach your children.