Lists

O. T. #469  "Lists"
February 27, 2015
Joshua 12
And theses are the kings of the land which the children of Israel smote, and possessed their land on the other side Jordan toward the rising of the sun, from the river Arnon unto mount Hermon, and all the plain on the east.  Joshua 12:1

LET IT GLOW

Aren't there all sorts of lists? Can you name a few with me? There are written and mental to-do-lists, daily, monthly, and perhaps yearly; grocery lists for this week and next week after I forget an item; activities and events listed on calendars to attend and/or participate in; birthdays to remember; things to organize, purchase, to complete for a project. Whew! The list continues on and on.
In this chapter we read of a list-cities and kings Israel conquered. What does it have to say to us? Let's find out.

God promised the land in His covenant with Abraham (Gen. 12:7), and reaffirmed that He would give victory in conquest (Joshua 1:3,6). The conquest of all these kings, covering areas up and down the "whole land" (11:23), was caused by the Lord's faithful help, which fulfilled His Word. (MacArthur)

What promises has God kept in our lives?

• never leave us nor forsake us
• eternal life for those who believe in Jesus
• forgiveness of sins
• carry our burdens when given to Him
• strength for the task and calling of God
• provision of our needs
• answered prayers
• physical, mental, emotional healings
• faith to carry on
• compassion, love, encouragement, grace, mercy...

The list goes on. What would you add to it? Tell us.

LET IT GROW

This chapter is a summary of the first half of Joshua's book. It was through the power of God and the keeping of  His promises that Israel was able to conquer their Promised Land.
First, we read of the kings which they conquered under Moses' leadership east of the Jordan River. (verses 1-6)
Next listed are the territories, (mountains, valleys, and plains), the 31 kings and cities which Israel conquered under Joshua's leadership west of the Jordan River. (verses 9-24)
Among them are the central kings (verse 9), southern kings (verses 10-16), and northern kings (verses 17-24).
Do you think God had a roster listing those pagan one to be destroyed?

I think to myself, "Yeah! Israel had victories, one after another." Yet, let's not skim over the list too quickly. It took a lot of time for the army of the Lord, Israel, to defeat them, 7 years in all.

Listing the blessings and provisions of God's grace is a good practice for us. Ann Voskamp suggests it in her book, One Thousand Gifts. Research has shown that doing so results in a person being 25% happier. Who doesn't need some happiness these days?

Do we share the victories which the Lord Jesus has given us in our life?
Do we give Him the glory for them?

LET IT GO

Pray.

Read God's Word.

Be thankful for all He has given. (even more snow)

Obey His voice today.

Share His love.

Seven Years

O. T. #468  "Seven Years"
February 26, 2015
Joshua 11-Part 2
As the LORD commanded Moses His servant, so did Moses command Joshua, and so did Joshua: he left nothing undone of all that the LORD commanded Moses.  Joshua 11:15

LET IT GLOW

What have you accomplished in the last seven years? What have you done with the Lord Jesus during that time?
Looking back, we have had our business for more years. We have worked in the same church, with me teaching the Word to women and children and my husband preaching the Word. It has been  three years since our church broke ground for the new sanctuary. It took a couple of years before that in getting the right plans for the right building which the Lord wanted us to build. We have set the date of April 12 as our dedication. How exciting it is to see each week the new progress! But oh the spiritual battles we fought and the sacrifices made along the way involving our church family. Now our faith is in sight. Glory to the Lord!
Do you know how long it took Israel to conquer the Promised Land? I was wondering that, when I found the answer in commentaries discussing this chapter. Read on to find the answer.

Joshua and Israel conquered the plains of Jordan and the foothills of Judah, the northern campaign.

Victorious invaders usually kept captured cities intact, moving into them and making them centers of commerce and defense. For example, Moses predicted in Deuteronomy 6:10-12 that Israel would occupy cities they themselves had not built. The capture of Hazor and its destruction broke the backbone of the federation and weakened the will of the people to resist. (Life Application Study Bible)

Since we can read through this chapter quickly, that does not mean the conquering of the Promise Land was achieved in a short amount of time.

It was a long war time. The conquest took approximately 7 years. Only Gibeon submitted without a fight (verse 19).  (MacArthur)

That's a long time, seven years, isn't it?  What have you accomplished for the Lord in the past seven years? What battles have you fought, won or lost? Anyone wish to share with us? Go ahead, friends.

Here is what the Life Application Study Bible has to add to this thought: 

Our journey with God is a lifelong process, however, and the changes and victories may take time. It is easy to grow impatient with God, and feel like giving up hope because things are moving too slowly. When we are close to a situation, it is difficult to see progress. But when we look back we can see that God never stopped working.

If you have access to maps of the northern and southern campaigns, those will help you better understand the vast land that Israel conquered. I am not very interested in the cities and details of the conquering, just that Israel was victorious, due to God's working.

What will we conquer in the next seven years?


LET IT GROW

Verse 20 tells us, For it was of the LORD to harden their hearts, that they should come against Israel in battle, that He might destroy them utterly, and that they might have no favor, but that he might destroy them, as them, as the LORD commanded them.

So great was the hatred for Jehovah and His people that only the Hivites made peace with Israel. All the rest made war and lost. Once again, Joshua explains that even this was in the plan of God. Thus, the Lord God could utterly destroy the paganism that would have destroyed His people. It was God Himself who commanded the extermination of the Canaanites. (Liberty Bible Commentary)

Joshua completely trusted God and performed all that God commanded Moses and Israel to do. Even the Anakims, who were the giants that the Moses' spies saw, were among those whom Israel wiped out (Numbers 13-14).  (verse 21-22) See, if only that first generation of Israelites had trusted God for the victory, He would have given it to them, destroying the giants of the land. However, they did not, except for Joshua and Caleb.

In verse 23, we are told that Joshua took the whole land. The word whole implies that he had established an unquestioned military presence in the land, and not that he had subdued every nook and cranny of the land. (Falwell)

Joshua left nothing undone of all that the Lord had commanded. He carried out and obeyed the instructions that Moses told Joshua, from the Lord. It was as if they were his own. Joshua obeyed without question.

Do we let the fear of giants stop us from sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ?
Are we choosing to follow or ignore the instructions in the Bible? What are we teaching others?

LET IT GO

Leave my fears behind and trust God.

Keep the hope, even if it takes years for my prayers to be answered yes.

Stay in the battle for the Lord.

Look forward to the next seven years of serving the Lord Jesus.

Hamstrings

O. T. #467  "Hamstrings"
February 25, 2015
Joshua 11
...Though shalt bough their horses, and burn their chariots with fire.  Joshua 11:6b

LET IT GLOW

Sometimes athletes pull their hamstring, a muscle in the calf of their leg. It is so painful that the person cannot continue to run, walk, or play ball. Personally, I have not experienced such a thing. Although, this morning, my shower curtain rod fell on my little toe causing me much pain when I walk. I wonder if that is similar.
Joshua was given instructions dealing with the hamstring of horses. Continue to learn what he was to do.

With the southern region conquered, it was time to conquer the northern region. The problem was the word of Joshua's victories reached the northern kings, so they formed an alliance.

Another set of allied armies came against Israel. Josephus, the secular historian, says that the combined force of the Canaanites in this war was 300,000 foot soldiers, 20,000 chariots, and 10,000 cavalry-the armies and horses seemed as vast as the grains of sand...on the seashore (Judges 7:12; 1Sam. 13:5). The use of horses and chariots was a new element in the battle for the land, indicating that Canaan was a formidable foe.  (David Jeremiah)

Despite the odds, God encouraged Joshua again, according to verse 6, as He frequently did.
What was the promise God gave Joshua? Tomorrow about the same time He would deliver them slain to Israel.
Experience told Joshua that God keeps His Word. And that He did again.

Do we often need reassurance from God? I sure do.

LET IT GROW

What was God's plan? How would He bring down such an alliance?

1. Joshua was to hough their horses
2. and burn their chariots.

Hough means to hamstring.
Falwell explains, "A horse is hamstrung when the sinews behind the hoof or hock are severed, thus rendering the horse useless. Given the larger picture of war, this was not a cruel act, but was probably done to prevent the Israelites from amassing a large chariot force from the spoils of war."

Joshua obeyed God's instructions and victory was theirs. In Deuteronomy 17, God gave explicit directions for Israel to not to multiply their horses by capturing the enemies. This was so Israel would not be tempted to return to the ease of Egypt. God would be their only trust.

What happened?

• Joshua captured Hazor and killed him with a sword. (verse 10)
• Since Hazor was the head of all these kingdoms, their leader was gone. (verse 10)
• Everyone in it was put to the sword; Israel totally destroying them and sparing nothing that breathed. (verse 11)
• Hazor was burned up. (verse 11)
• Joshua took all these royal cities and their kings by the sword, including their capital of the confederacy. He burned their cities, taking the spoil and cattle. God's plan worked, of course.

Do we seek God's plan for our life? When we know it, do we follow it to the t?


LET IT GO

Follow God's plan, even when it makes no sense.

Watch God work things out His way.

Praise Him.

The Night the Sun Stood Still and Shone

O. T. #466  "The Night the Sun Stood Still and Shone"
February 24, 2015
Joshua 10-Part 2
So the sun stood still in the midst of heaven, and hasted not to go down about a whole day.
Joshua 10:13b

LET IT GLOW

On our mission trip to Montana years ago, we experienced daylight beginning at 4a.m. How unusual it was for us. At home, our morning began at 6 a.m. We tried to block out the sun by covering the windows, but it still shone. To us, it seemed like the sun shone all the time, although it did not. Israel did experience a 24 hour sun shining. Want to read about it?

Do you recall that the Gibeonites made a peace treaty with Israel by way of deception? Then five local kings united and conspired to destroy them. The deceivers  asked those whom they deceived for help. So Joshua took his army to the city to help fight for them. Because the Lord discomfited the enemies, the Israelites had a great slaughter. However, there were more who died by the huge hailstones (probably larger than a basketball) than by the sword.

What was the Lord's next tactic? The one and only time Jehovah intervened with nature which He established, in such a way-THE SUN STOOD STILL OVER GIBEON AND THE MOON OVER THE VALLEY OF AJALON.
How long did it take for Israel to avenge their enemies? A whole day according to verse 13.

The slowing of the earth's normal rotation gave Joshua more time. Some unusual refraction of the sun's rays gave additional hours of light. Regardless of God's chosen method, the Bible is clear that the day was prolonged by a miracle, and that God's intervention turned the tide of battle for His people.(Life Application Study Bible)

Did you know this? The Book of Jashar (mentioned in 2 Sam.1:18 and Num. 21:14) was probably a collection of historical events put to music. It's title could be The book of the Righteous. Its contents were about the wars of Israel. Apparently a national epic, it recorded the event of the sun standing still and occurring during Joshua's lifetime. This helps validate such a miracle.

With the victory won at Gibeon, Joshua and the Israelites returned to camp Gilgal, according to verse 15. Don't you know the army's families had a story to hear that night? They, too, had experience such a phenomena and probably had questions.

Do we look for God to perform miracles in our life? We read of missionaries' stories of such, do we personally experience them?
Are we letting the Son of God shine in our life?

When you are faced with humanly impossible situations, God does the impossible (Luke 18:27). (Blackaby)


LET IT GROW

Wait, the war was not completed yet.

Falwell says, "Joshua now completes the mopping up operation of southern Palestine. The five kings who fought against the Giveonites banded together and hid in a cave. Joshua entombed them therein by rolling a great stone over the mouth of the cave while the Israelites pursued and defeated their armies."

When Joshua returned to the cave, he instructed his captains to bring the pagan kings out and put their feet upon the necks of these kings. (verse 24) This was a custom of that era. In verse 29-43 we read of other cities which Israel conquered. All their victories happened because they gave glory to their God who fought for them.

Do we give glory to God for our victories?

LET IT GO

Expect the unexpected from God.

Give God the glory for my victories.

Let the Son shine in my life.

Huge Hailstones

O. T. #465  "Huge Hailstones"
February 23, 2015
Joshua 10
And the LORD said unto Joshua, Fear not: for I have delivered them into thine hand; there shall not a man of them stand before thee.  Joshua 10:8

LET IT GLOW

Have you experienced the falling of hailstones? I have, only they were small ones, yet large enough to make dents in automobiles. Maybe they were the size of a golf ball. I have never seen a huge hailstone the size of a basketball. Have you? Apparently Israel did. Read this unusual happening in this chapter.

Verse 8-Now that is a promise of God to His children. Read the key verse again. When Joshua was preparing to battle the five king-league of Canaanites, God assured him there was no need to fear them. The outcome had already been predetermined by Almighty God-Israel would win. Israel was allowed to fight, but was there confidence in the camp! Can we have the same confidence?

In their devotional book, Experiencing God Day-by-Day, the Blackabys expound:

• No greater confidence will ever come to you or to any other Christian than the confidence of knowing you are doing God's will. God will no commission you to do anything without ensuring your success.
• God does not promise you victory in every task you devise, but He does promise that you will be successful whenever you follow His will (Deut. 28:7,25).
• Is God working in you to produce His peace, develop a forgiving spirit, eliminate a particular sin in your life?
• Does it appear that people are keeping you from obeying God's will? Rest assured that God will not allow anyone or anything to prevent His children from accomplishing His purpose.
• When you face opposition but know you are doing what God has asked, have confidence that He will accomplish everything that He desires.

The key is doing God's will, God's way. Are we?


LET IT GROW

The Gibeonites tricked the Israelites into making a peace treaty with them. They became servants to the Israelites. So when the Amorite league of five kings threatened the city of Gibeon, they sent word , then to Joshua in camp Gilgal asking, "Come up to us quickly, and save us, and help us," then Joshua readied his troops. That is when and why the LORD gave the encouragement of victory.

What happened?

• Joshua led his army on a 25 mile all-night forced march, to Gibeon, taking the enemies by surprise.
• The LORD discomfited the enemies before Israel and they slew the enemies, pursuing them to the cities mentioned in verse 10. Discomfitted means to throw into confusion or to rout. (Liberty Bible Commentary)
• Then the LORD cast down hailstones from heaven upon the enemies and more were killed than by the swords of Israel.

Falwell mentioned in the above, that the largest American hailstone ever recorded (as of 1982) was 17" in circumference, weighing 1 1/2 pounds. These stones could have been even larger, so their destruction was devastating.

I had to get out the yardstick and see how long 17" is. Those hailstones would have been bigger than a basketball! Wow!!! All I can say is God did it! A chunk of ice that large definitely would have killed a man any size.

Where else have we encountered God raining down hailstones? The story is found in Exodus 9:18. It was the seventh plague He brought upon Egypt. The rain were described as a very grievous hail. It killed cattle and men out in the fields.
Falwell described it as a very unusual occurrence in Egypt, since rain is infrequent in Egypt and along the Mediterranean coast. 

Nothing is impossible with God nor is anything too difficult for Him. Have you noticed that in the Old Testament, He did some extraordinary things so the people knew it was God who did them?

Are we trusting God to work extraordinarily in our life? Are we look for His working and answering our prayers?

LET IT GO

Don't focus on my circumstances, but focus on an All-powerful God.

Fear not, God is in charge.

When doing God's will, have confidence that He will give me victory.

Give glory to God for the victory!

Chop the Wood and Haul the Water

O. T. #464 "Chop the Wood and Haul the Water"
February 20,2015
Joshua 9-Part 2
They continued, "Let them live, but let them be woodcutters and water carriers for the entire community."  Joshua 9:21 NIV

LET IT GLOW

Have you lived in a time or place that required your family members chopping wood for heating the house and/or cooking and hauling water from a spring or well for the water used inside the house?
Perhaps we read in books of pioneers doing those tasks when they settled in the wilderness of early America. My grandparents did those things for their daily living.
Well, it is still present tasks today. Many people burn wood for heat in stoves or fireplaces. We did until last year. My husband and son used a chain saw for cutting the wood and hauled it to the front porch. (I picked up smaller pieces of wood for starting the fire.) This was done to cut down on the use of expensive propane gas out here in the countryside. Years ago, my  in laws lived in a place where they had to carry water inside from the spring.
We may consider those tasks that servants would do as Israel did in today's story. Read on, dear ones.

We talked about the coalition of kings in the southern Canaan region who joined the king of Gibeon. Gibeonites deceived Joshua and the Israeli leaders by poising a men traveling from a far country. This was so Israel would not attack them, but make a peace treaty with them. The deception worked, based on circumstantial evidence. They should not have trusted their judgment, but should have consulted the Lord about the situation, which they did not do.
Since the oath was obtained by fraud, Israel could have declared it null and void. However, they did not do so, because it would have made them look untrustworthy in keeping their word, and shaming God. This resulted in Israel promising to protect Gibeon.

Then Israel had to figure out what to do with the inhabitants of the town of Gibeon. They made servants of the people of Gibeon. They chopped wood and hauled the water needed for the worship of God, as well as the entire community. The wood was used to burn sacrifices on the altar and water was for the washing of hands and cleaning the basins. (The tabernacle was not yet built in the Promised Land.)

When we disobey God's Word or directions for us, do we make amends? Do we accept the consequences of it?

LET IT GROW

What can we learn from this?

• Seek God's wisdom and guidance whenever a new situation arises.
• Follow what we know is the right thing to do according to the Bible.
• Change my plans into His plans.
• Learn from past mistakes and others' mistakes, too.
• When possible, keep the oath we take. (Levit. 5:4; 27:2, 28)
• Look at the situation objectively.
• Don't allow others to influence our decisions, which are contrary to God's Word.

LET IT GO

Don't be friends with the world.

Change friends when they hinder my serving God.

Stand up for Jesus.

Deception

O. T. #463  "Deception"
February 19, 2015
Joshua 9-Part 1
And they went to Joshua unto the camp at Gilgal, and said unto him, and to the men of Israel, We be come from a far country: now therefore make ye a league with us.   Joshua 9:6

LET IT GLOW

Deception. Who likes being deceived? None, I am sure. One of my sayings that life has taught me is: "Not all things are as they appear." That includes people. So I looked in Webster's Dictionary the meaning of deceive and found that it is to give a false impression.
Have you ever had a person pretend to be something they are not? Maybe someone said something that made you wondered if it was true. Perhaps you caught them in a lie. Did they even deny it when confronted? Oh, I can't stand all that. My respect for them is zilch. Yeah, it upsets me with myself when I allow myself to be deceived.
Did Joshua feel the same way when he found out that he and Israel had been deceived?

You will recall, Joshua and Israel, with the powerful hand of God, conquered the two cities of Jericho and Ai in the land of Canaan.
What is happening with the Southern Campaign of Israel?

The MacArthur Bible Commentary informs us:

• Gibeon of the Hivites was northwest of Jerusalem and about 7 miles from Ai. It was a strong city with capable fighting men (10:2). Three other towns were in league with it (9:17).
• The Gibeonite plot to trick Israel worked. Israel's sinful failure occurred because they were not vigilant in prayer to assure that they acted by God's command (verse 14). 

Are you scratching your head, inquisitive on what happened? Let's look back up at God's previous instructions for Israel while conquering the Promised Land:

1. In Deuteronomy7:1-3, God directed Israel to utterly destroy these people, make no covenant with them, show no mercy to them, nor intermarry with them.
2. In Deuteronomy 20:15, Israel was allowed to make treaties with those in far-off places, and accept their surrender.
3. The six nations who lived in their Promised Land were to be destroyed because of their idolatry so they would not tempt Israel away from God. (Deut. 20:18)

If you think about it, Joshua, the priests, and the elders of Israel sure should have remembered those directions given them. Yet did anyone even consider one of the three?
Another thing, how did the Gibeonites find out about #2 above?

Do we keep God's instructions fresh in our mind by reading it daily? 

LET IT GROW

What happened is:

• The kings of the southern region of Canaan must have been threatened by the advancement of Israel and their powerful God. They formed a coalition in order to slaughter the intimidating Israel. (Gergashites were not included.)
• This league of deceivers devised a crafty plan. They pretended to be from a far off country, (were actually living near) by having old sacks, torn wineskins, wearing worn-out shoes and old garments, with moldy and dry bread. (verses 4-5)
• The deceivers were not asking to become slaves of Israel, but for Israel to enter a mutual pact with them. (verse 6)
• The deceivers lied when they told Joshua that they had come in the name of LORD thy God. (verse 9)
• They pretended to have left home with bread hot out of the oven and full bottles of wine, which supposedly molded and was drank along the long journey. (verses 12-13) (Liberty Bible Commentary)

Was this a convincing story or what? They had it well planned, even down to the very shoes they wore (old looking). Oh, but their hearts were deceiving. It was a false story. Don't sign that treaty, Joshua. They are liars. (Of course, we can read the rest of the story and he couldn't.) We can't rewrite the story or change the events, though.

Are we aware of what is truth and lies around us? Do we seek discernment from God's wisdom?

Ephesians 5:6 NIV says, Let no one deceive you with empty words for because of such things God's wrath comes on those who are disobedient.


LET IT GO

Turn from the worldly ways.

Look for the truth of the appearance of things.

Know what God's Word says and apply it to my life.

Do not be deceived by lies and half-truths.

Ask God for wisdom concerning a situation.