During the period that Judges ruled Israel*, we are told the story of one family – the family of a man named Elimelech with his wife Naomi and their two sons. The year is approximately 1200 B.C. Because of a severe famine in Israel, this family had to travel to the region of Moab to avoid starvation.
As the story unfolds, we meet a young woman named Ruth, who falls for one...
God allowed Gideon only three hundred men to launch the attack against the Midianites, so that Israel might know that victory was not by military power or man’s ingenuity but by God’s intervention and power.
Gideon and the armies of Israel are about to take on the Midianites - an intimidating enemy. So, Gideon prepares the nation for war. He gathers over 30,000 soldiers to fight in the battle – a number that he was confident would be enough to conquer Midian. As the troops move closer to the enemy territory, Gideon is interrupted by...
Once again, the people of Israel turned away from God. Once again, the LORD delivered them into the hand of their enemy. (Are you starting to notice a pattern here?) This time it was the Midianites who oppressed Israel for seven long years. Because of the heavy hand of ...
This is the song of Deborah and Barak. It is a song of victory. But more than that, it is a song of praise to the God who gave them victory. Deborah and Barak’s song of praise recalls the dramatic activity of God, the initiative of the leaders, and the willing service of the people which together...
Inciting someone to good works is a practice that is honored and encouraged throughout the Bible. Hebrews 10:24 commands us to “consider how to stir up one another to love and good works.” There are moments for all of us when we get down and discouraged or when we draw back when confronted by a strong...
The new generation of Israelites did not know the LORD and ended up doing evil in His sight. They forgot their God and worshiped the Baal-gods and Asherah-goddesses of the societies around them. The LORD was provoked to anger by their corruption...
They started out so well! Under Joshua’s leadership, the people of Israel had committed themselves to fear God, worship Him in total commitment, shun idols, follow the commandments, and serve only the LORD. Joshua had even given them a clear choice – serve God or serve the false gods of the society around them. They chose the LORD! Even after Joshua’s death, the very first thing...
It is the beginning of a new season in the history of Israel. The book of Joshua closed where the people were in the land but there was yet much of the land that was not yet conquered. They had not completely driven out the enemies. They had not yet taken all of the territories that God had promised unto them. And now, their leader Joshua has...
Many historical figures have certain phrases or quotes closely associated with them. Alfred Lord Tennyson, for example, is credited with saying, “Tis better to have loved and lost than to have never loved at all.” Wayne Gretzky said, “You miss 100 percent of the shots you never take.” Forrest Gump said, “Life is like a box of chocolates. You never know what you’re going to get.” Each of these memorable quotes have a way of sticking with us and defining our view of...
Three of the most prevalent sins in modern Christianity are prayerlessness, sharelessness, and carelessness. We commit “prayerlessness” when we do not obey His command to “pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” (1 Thessalonians 5:17) We commit the sin of “sharelessness” when we...
What does the Lord require of you? According to Joshua’s words, quite a
bit.
Verse 45 describes the theme and purpose of the Book of Joshua – to testify of God’s promise keeping character. Although this book comes under the heading of “Old Testament History,” it is way more than just the facts of Israel’s history. Its purpose is to give testimony of the faithfulness of God.
Not one good word of God failed. Not. One. Word. God fulfilled every promise...
The Promised Land has been conquered by Israel. The land now has rest from war. The leaders of Israel are nearly finished dividing the land. Each of the tribes has received their allotment. The last thing for them to do is bestow an allotment upon Joshua the son of Nun. They ask him which parcel he would like and he responds...
When the children of Israel first crossed the Jordan, they initially set up the Tabernacle at Gilgal, a convenient and practical place because it was just across the river. But now, after subduing the Land, they move their worship center to Shiloh. Shiloh was westward from the Jordan and located about 30 miles north of Jerusalem. Shiloh was located at the geographic center of the...
This
was a failure on the part of Joshua and the children of Israel to enter into
the complete victory God had promised them.
They failed to take full possession of the Promised Land.
The whole experience of the children of Israel coming out of
the bondage of Egypt, passing through the wilderness, and coming into the
Promised Land can be viewed as a spiritual allegory. It is representative of us
as Christians...
One of the adversaries
Caleb faced during his efforts to conquer the portion of land granted to him
were the “sons of Anak.” Known
collectively as “Anakim” (plural of Anak), this people group presented a
formidable challenge. The Anakim were a tall and powerful foe of the
Israelites in ancient times.
The Anakim were a very tall people. Deuteronomy 9:2 describes them...
Caleb the son of Jephunneh was one of the twelve Israelite spies that Moses had sent into Canaan to investigate the land and gather intelligence about their potential enemies. When the spies returned, only two of the twelve came back with a...
As Joshua divides the land amongst the tribes of Israel, we read that he gave no allotment to the tribe of Levi - for the Lord, the God of Israel, had promised that He Himself would be their allotment. In the original Hebrew this reads, “Yahweh Elohim-of Ishral” is their allotment (or portion). This was not a "gag gift" or a "booby...
Now that Israel controlled all the territory that was to become its homeland, the writer (believed to be Joshua) summarizes the entire conquest. Once Israel had won control of the land as a whole, Israel’s leaders began the task of dividing it among the tribes. Throughout the country, however, there were many areas that the Canaanites still...
Ecclesiastes 3:8 tells us there is "time to love and a time to hate, a time for war, and a time for peace.” Joshua took the whole land, according to all that the Lord had spoken to Moses. And Joshua gave it for an inheritance to Israel according to their tribal allotments. “And the land had rest from war." At long last, the time...
Here
in Joshua 10, an astounding astronomical miracle really took place, by which
the motion of the heavenly bodies was, for several hours, suspended by
God’s omnipotent power. This particular
miracle – like many in the Bible – cannot be explained by human reasoning or
science. Nor can it be explained away
by those who resist God’s truth.
We cannot explain the physics or the mechanics by which God performed this...
The men of Israel looked them over and accepted the evidence. But they didn’t ask God about it.
They listened to their story of far-away travels. But
they didn’t ask God about it.
They believed their words of praise for God. But they didn’t ask God about it.
They made peace with them and formalized it with a
covenant. But they didn’t ask God about it.
It took only three days before Joshua and these men...
Joshua, the great man of faith, was suddenly fearful and dismayed. The dictionary defines “dismay” as “consternation and distress, typically that caused by something unexpected; a feeling of fear, disappointment, shock, or...
Thus says the LORD God of Israel, “there is an accursed thing in your midst.” Hidden among you, O Israel, are things that are despised and rejected by the LORD. God was angry that Israel had not been fully obedient to him in the conquest of Jericho. One of the people, Achan, secretly kept...
The destruction of Jericho demonstrated the kind of warfare that Israel was engaged in. This was no physical assault using the traditional implements of war. This wasn’t a case where the walls fell due to great force being applied. It wasn’t a windstorm, or an earthquake, or the vibrations caused by the trumpets...
Jesus
taught us that “Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.” (Matthew 23:12) In today’s reading we have an example of a humble
man who was exalted by God.
There is a critical moment in every transition from one leader to his/her successor. That moment is characterized by...
The LORD now appears in such a way, and works in such a manner, as to leave no doubt concerning His presence, or His power, or of His love to Israel. Even as God parted the Red Sea for the previous generation, He now stops the Jordan River in flood season so His chosen people can...
After the death of Moses, the LORD began speaking to Joshua, Israel’s new leader. He begins by giving Joshua a great commission – his "marching orders." Joshua must lead God’s people into the Promised Land. Go over the Jordan River and take the Land. Take all of it from the...
Although we don’t know this for sure, it is believed that Moses is the author of Psalm 91 (along with Psalm 90). The Midrash, an ancient commentary on Hebrew Scriptures states that Psalm 91 was composed by Moses on the day he completed the...
The first phrase of today's verse mentions the "eternal" God. The next part talks about His "everlasting" arms. These two words are nearly synonymous, but have a subtle difference in meaning.
“Eternal” means without beginning and without ending and refers to something that...
