Month: November 2021

A special woman with a unique faith, Rahab from Jericho.

Hebrews 11 is sometimes known as the gallery of faith heroes, those who are known for their outstanding faith. The only woman mentioned in the chapter on her own merits is Rahab the Amorite. (Sarah is named alongside Abraham)

³⁰ By faith the walls of Jericho fell, after the army had marched round them for seven days.

³¹ By faith the prostitute Rahab, because she welcomed the spies, was not killed with those who were disobedient. 

Rahab appears just before Israel crossed over the Jordan to step into their inheritance and conquer Canaan – a crucial time in the history of God’s people. She hid the two spies on the roof of her house and mislead the king and his men.

⁴ But the woman had taken the two men and hidden them. She said, ‘Yes, the men came to me, but I did not know where they had come from. ⁵ At dusk, when it was time to close the city gate, they left. I don’t know which way they went. Go after them quickly. You may catch up with them.’ ⁶ (But she had taken them up to the roof and hidden them under the stalks of flax she had laid out on the roof.) Joshua 2

Rahab told the men, ‘I know that the Lord has given this land to you and that a great fear of you has fallen on us, so that all who live in this country are melting in fear because of you’. Joshua 2:9

Rahab wasn’t a religious woman but she recognised the hand of the Hebrew God in all of this and proceeded to bargain with them for her and her family’s lives. (She didn’t just think of herself alone)

¹² ‘Now then, please SWEAR TO ME BY THE LORD that you will show kindness to my family, because I have shown kindness to you. (She reaped what she’d sown, we all do sooner or later!) Give me a sure sign ¹³ that you will spare the lives of my father and mother, my brothers and sisters, and all who belong to them – and that you will save us from death.’ 

¹⁴ ‘Our lives for your lives!’ the men assured her. Joshua 2

Rahab and her family alone, were saved out of Jericho, because of her faith.

Rahab is mentioned three times in the New Testament. Right at the beginning of the New Covenant,

⁵ Salmon the father of Boaz, whose mother was Rahab,

Boaz the father of Obed, whose mother was Ruth,

Obed the father of Jesse,

⁶ and Jesse the father of King David. Matthew 1

Once again very few women make it into the genealogy of Jesus in Matthew’s Gospel, but two of them are foreigners, Rahab, mother of Boaz and Ruth, mother of Obed. Both were grafted in to David and the Messiah’s line and both demonstrated their hearts by their actions.

We can only become children of God through faith in Jesus’ sacrifice, but He looks at our lives to see how we’re living out the new life.

²⁵ In the same way, was not even Rahab the prostitute considered righteous for what she did when she gave lodging to the spies and sent them off in a different direction? ²⁶ As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead. James 2

God accepted Rahab and Ruth, two gentiles, because they showed true faith by laying down their lives.

God bless and keep you today.

15 A gentle answer turns away wrath,
    but a harsh word stirs up anger. Proverbs 15:1 NIV

Lessons from Joshua and the coming Conquest of Canaan.

Moses had died, in the desert, he didn’t cross over the Jordan with Israel. Joshua was God’s chosen leader for the next phase of Israel’s journey.

⁹ Now Joshua son of Nun was FILLED WITH THE SPIRIT OF WISDOM because Moses had laid his hands on him. (Moses had prepared Joshua) So the Israelites listened to him and did what the Lord had commanded Moses. Deuteronomy 34

Get ready, prepare to Cross Over into a completely new existence, a land/inheritance chosen by God Himself;

² ‘Moses my servant is dead. NOW then, you and ALL these people, GET READY TO CROSS THE RIVER JORDAN INTO THE LAND I AM ABOUT TO GIVE TO THEM – to the Israelites. Joshua 1

God told Joshua three times to be ‘strong and courageous’, he was going to need courage to lead the people into their inheritance;

⁹ Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the LORD YOUR GOD WILL BE WITH YOU WHEREVER YOU GO. JOSHUA 1

God promised He would be with Joshua wherever he went. God’s Spirit lives in the believers today, He is always with us wherever we go.

The time of preparation was short, just three days, but it was enough for the people to Get Ready. God didn’t allow His people too long to think about the coming move and sometimes

…but all your fighting men, ready for battle, must cross over ahead of your fellow Israelites. YOU ARE TO HELP THEM ¹⁵ until the Lord gives them rest, as he has done for you, and until they too have taken possession of the land that the Lord your God is giving them. After that, you may go back and occupy your own land, …’ Joshua 1

The 2  1/2 eastern tribes had to cross over with their brothers and help them to conquer the land, their inheritance. They fully obeyed Joshua and the Lord and set aside their own desires to serve God’s people. We’re called to serve the Lord’s body today. They stayed with them until Canaan had been conquered and Israel had rest. Joshua 22

God gave them all the land He’d sworn to their forefathers;

⁴⁵ Not one of all the Lord’s good promises to Israel failed; every one was fulfilled. Joshua 21

We serve a Faithful and Loving God. Don’t be afraid to step out in Faith if He calls today, He’s always with us and will give us victory, as He did for Israel.

⁷ The Lord holds victory in store for the upright,
    he is a shield to those whose walk is blameless,

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God bless and keep you today.

Don’t judge until we know the true facts, not just our own opinions, which we can be so quick to give!

The sincerity and faithfulness of the 2 1/2 eastern tribes continued after leaving their brethren, but was misunderstood. How easy it was for division to creep in!

⁹ So the Reubenites, the Gadites and the half-tribe of Manasseh left the Israelites at Shiloh in Canaan to return to Gilead, their own land, which they had acquired in accordance with the command of the Lord through Moses.

¹⁰ When they came to Geliloth near the Jordan in the land of Canaan, the Reubenites, the Gadites and the half-tribe of Manasseh BUILT AN IMPOSING ALTAR THERE BY THE JORDAN. Joshua 22

When the Israelites on the western side (there’s only God’s side in the Kingdom) heard about the altar they were ready to go to war. They heard about the Altar and made the wrong assumption, namely that the eastern tribes were going to worship there and not at the Lord’s Tabernacle. It’s so easy to ‘get the wrong end of the stick’, hear part of something and come to the wrong conclusion. But Israel sent a delegation, Phinehas, son of the High Priest and a leader from each of the ten tribes. They spoke for the whole community of Israel;

¹⁸ And are you now turning away from the Lord?

‘“IF YOU REBEL AGAINST THE LORD TODAY, TOMORROW HE WILL BE ANGRY WITH THE WHOLE COMMUNITY OF ISRAEL. (Israel understood corporate or body responsibility before God) ¹⁹ If the land you possess is defiled, come over to the Lord’s land, where the Lord’s tabernacle stands, and share the land with us. (They made a Peace Offer to the tribes) But do not rebel against the Lord or against us by building an altar for yourselves, other than the altar of the Lord our God.

Winston Churchill famously said, ‘Jaw Jaw is better than war war’. Talk it out and come to a peaceful agreement.

The eastern tribes then explained their reason for building the altar right on the border of Canaan.

²³ If we have built our own altar to turn away from the Lord and to offer burnt offerings and grain offerings, or to sacrifice fellowship offerings on it, may the Lord himself call us to account.

²⁴ ‘No! We did it for fear that some day your descendants might say to ours, “What do you have to do with the Lord, the God of Israel? ²⁵ The Lord has made the Jordan a boundary between us and you – you Reubenites and Gadites! You have no share in the Lord.” SO YOUR DESCENDANTS MIGHT CAUSE OURS TO STOP FEARING THE LORD.

They had sincere hearts and they wanted to protect the generations following them, from being denied access to worship the Lord across the Jordan in Canaan. The delegation accepted their explanation and went back to tell Israel that they need not to go to war with their brothers.

How easy for division to come between brethren and how important not to rely on what we’ve heard but to talk things over and get the truth from those directly involved. Gossip can also be so destructive to the Lord’s Body.

Churchill also challenged people time and again to get him the facts, not their opinions. (What they believed or wanted to believe)

May God bless and keep you today.

Rest follows Conquest – we only rest in what we possess, in Christ.

Yesterday we saw that Joshua commended the Reubenites, the Gadites and half tribe of Manasseh, the 2 1/2 tribes from east of the Jordan, who fought with their brothers until they were settled in their own land.

You have done all that Moses the servant of the Lord commanded, and you have obeyed me in everything I commanded. ³ For a long time now – to this very day – you have not deserted your fellow Israelites BUT HAVE CARRIED OUT THE MISSION GOD GAVE YOU. Joshua 22

Joshua said these fighters had faithfully carried out everything Moses and he had commanded them, they were obedient to the leaders but really they’d been obedient to God. They had served faithfully until Joshua, the leader of Israel, released them to return to their own land and families on the east side of the Jordan. Does this land also belong to Israel today?

We should also note the verses at the end of the previous chapter;

⁴³ So the Lord gave Israel ALL THE LAND he had sworn to give their ancestors, and they took possession of it AND SETTLED THERE. ⁴⁴ The Lord gave them rest on every side, just as he had sworn to their ancestors. Not one of their enemies withstood them; the Lord gave all their enemies into their hands. ⁴⁵ NOT ONE OF ALL THE LORD’S GOOD PROMISES (We serve a Good God, the Best) TO ISRAEL FAILED; EVERY ONE WAS FULFILLED. Joshua 21

God had been faithful and the eastern tribes had been faithful and Israel had taken everything they’d been promised. Can we really believe that God will do less for His people today?

For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the LORD as the waters cover the sea. Habakkuk 2:14

Israel came into Rest After they had conquered their enemies and taken possession of the land, not before. God has marked out an inheritance for each of us, in Christ our Lord, but we have to conquer on the ground to establish that victory.

The eastern tribes had sacrificed much to support their brothers through to full victory but it’s interesting to see what the Bible says, when the time came for them to return to their own land.

⁶ Then Joshua blessed them and sent them away, and they went to their homes. …When Joshua sent them home, HE BLESSED THEM, ⁸ SAYING, ‘RETURN TO YOUR HOMES WITH YOUR GREAT WEALTH – with large herds of livestock, with silver, gold, bronze and iron, and a great quantity of clothing – and divide the plunder from your enemies with your fellow Israelites.’ Joshua 22

The eastern tribes went away blessed and full of wealth, their faithfulness was rewarded, they were even told to share the plunder, so it was substantial.

Israel didn’t stop fighting UNTIL THEY HAD EVERYTHING GOD HAD PROMISED THEM! GOD MEANT EVERY WORD HE’D SAID, EVERY GOOD PROMISE OF GOD WAS FULFILLED. GOD IS FAITHFUL!

God bless and keep you today.

Setting aside our own desires to serve the greater good in the Body.

In yesterday’s blog we saw that Almighty God Himself told Joshua to be ‘strong and courageous’ and promised that He would be with him wherever he went. Joshua told all Israel to ‘Get Ready’, for in three days they would cross the Jordan into the land God had promised their forefathers to give them. Joshua 1:6

Joshua spoke to one other group within Israel who had already taken their inheritance on the eastern side of the Jordan.

¹² But to the Reubenites, the Gadites and the half-tribe of Manasseh, Joshua said, ¹³ ‘Remember the command that Moses the servant of the Lord gave you after he said, “The Lord your God will give you rest by giving you this land.” ¹⁴ Your wives, your children and your livestock may stay in the land that Moses gave you east of the Jordan, but all your fighting men, ready for battle, must cross over ahead of your fellow Israelites. YOU ARE TO HELP THEM ¹⁵ until the Lord gives them rest, as he has done for you, and until they too have taken possession of the land that the Lord your God is giving them. After that, you may go back and occupy your own land, …’ Joshua 1

It would take the whole nation of Israel to conquer the land of Canaan, on the west side of the Jordan. Joshua told the two and a half tribes that they had to go and fight for their brothers until the land was won. Today in modern Israel, everyone must serve (conscription) in the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) after finishing school, only medical doctors who save lives are exempt. For the greater good, for the nation or for the Body, we are called to set aside our own preferences and desires and serve alongside our brethren.

¹⁶ Then they answered Joshua, ‘Whatever you have commanded us we will do, and wherever you send us we will go. ¹⁷ Just as we fully obeyed Moses, so we will obey you. Only may the Lord your God be with you as he was with Moses (they pledged to serve Joshua as they had Moses) ¹⁸ Whoever rebels against your word and does not obey it, whatever you may command them, will be put to death. ONLY BE STRONG AND COURAGEOUS (they echoed the Words of God to Joshua!)’ 

Much later in Joshua 22 we read Joshua’s praise for these two and a half tribes who had stood faithfully with their brothers for a long time, not even seeing their own families.

22 Then Joshua summoned the Reubenites, the Gadites and the half-tribe of Manasseh ² and said to them, ‘YOU HAVE DONE ALL that Moses the servant of the Lord commanded, and YOU HAVE OBEYED ME IN EVERYTHING  I commanded. ³ For a long time now – to this very day – you have not deserted your fellow Israelites but have carried out the mission the Lord your God gave you. ⁴ Now that the Lord your God has given them rest as he promised, return to your homes in the land that Moses the servant of the Lord gave you on the other side of the Jordan.

Many times the scriptures speak of the unfaithfulness of Israel, but these people stood with their brothers for a long time, so that they would have their inheritance. Is there a call on some today to stand united with others in the Body until they are strengthened and receive their portion? I believe we need to serve the Body before self.

May God bless and keep you today.

A lot can happen in 3 days and God can do a lot in 3 days.

God had spoken to Joshua after Moses’ death and told him  to be ‘strong and courageous’, repeated four times to drive home the absolute need for this. Joshua 1:6,7,9, 18 The years of wandering through the desert were over, it was a new day.

¹⁰ So Joshua ordered the officers of the people: ¹¹ ‘Go through the camp and tell the people, “Get your provisions ready. THREE DAYS FROM NOW YOU WILL CROSS THE JORDAN  HERE TO GO IN AND TAKE POSSESSION of the land the Lord your God is giving you for your own.”’ Joshua 1

God didn’t discuss this, nor make a suggestion; He just commanded Joshua to be ‘Bold and Courageous’ and Joshua relayed the message to the people. ‘Three Days’ from now ‘YOU Will Cross Over’. It wasn’t a long time to prepare for such a major undertaking, but it was enough time! Things may happen suddenly and unexpectedly in this life, but God will bring us through Grace if we keep trusting Him and moving forward. Israel were never supposed to be in the desert for forty years, but they disobeyed God and lost out.

In an earlier day, while Joseph was imprisoned in Egypt, two servants of the King came to him with their dreams. The chief cupbearer’s dream signalled his restoration to the King’s service. The chief baker also had a dream, but his dream foretold his life’s end. Both dreams were fulfilled in the same time frame, just three days. The word of the King meant life for one and death for the other. Same time, but different destinies, all by the word of the King.

Another well known Old Testament character was Jonah (the man who swallowed the whale, as some people tease the children). Jonah was commanded by God to go to the great city of Nineveh and proclaim a message of judgement to them, but they were enemies of his people and he didn’t go. Instead he fled to Joppa and got on a boat for Tarshish. Jonah was about to learn a hard lesson, God sent a storm (storms can be God’s way of getting us to listen) and Jonah was thrown overboard and swallowed by a great fish. He should have died but God sent the fish and Jonah prayed from the belly of the fish. Three days later it deposited him on dry land. Jonah learnt obedience in the belly of the fish. The story of Jonah is repeated in the Matthew and Luke’s gospels, relating to Jesus crucifixion and resurrection.

³⁹ He answered, ‘A wicked and adulterous generation asks for a sign! But none will be given it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. ⁴⁰ For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of a huge fish, so the Son of Man will be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. Matthew 12

God had his way with Jonah, the reluctant evangelist, but also used him to represent the coming experience of Christ. What a mighty God we serve.

Tell God today that you love Him and want to go on His path for your life, no matter how difficult that may seem. His word will bring you through, just like Joshua and Israel.

God bless and keep you today.

1 After the death of Moses the servant of the Lord, the Lord said to Joshua son of Nun, Moses’ assistant: ² ‘Moses my servant is dead. NOW then, you and ALL these people, GET READY TO CROSS THE RIVER JORDAN INTO THE LAND I AM ABOUT TO GIVE TO THEM – to the Israelites. Joshua 1

Moses, My servant is dead; that era is finished, gone forever and it’s time to move on. The Israelites had crossed the Red Sea and the water had closed behind them, drowning the whole Egyptian army and Pharaoh. Only God knew the way forward for Israel, they had to follow Him.

It was a ‘Now Time’, they were going Now. YOU AND ALL THESE PEOPLE, everyone had to go, no exceptions. Leaders and All the People had to go forward together into the new destination. ‘GET READY TO CROSS’ the River Jordan. They’d crossed out of somewhere, Egypt, the land of slavery. Now they had to Cross Over again into the New (Inheritance) and it would be Much Better, but they still had to go in and take it. God told them to ‘Get Ready’, make preparation for what was coming.

God spoke to Joshua and encouraged him repeatedly;

⁶ Be strong and courageous, because you will lead these people to inherit the land I swore to their ancestors to give them.

⁷ ‘Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses gave you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, that you may be successful wherever you go.

⁹ Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go. 

Why would God repeatedly tell Joshua to ‘Be strong and courageous’? Because he was going to fight battles, sometimes against much more powerful enemies. The missing verse above was verse 8;

⁸ Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful.

Joshua had better begin to think God’s way or think God’s thoughts after Him! He couldn’t afford to entertain thoughts apart from God!

Twice in verses 5 and 9 God tells Joshua, ‘I WILL BE WITH YOU’. God Himself, the Creator and Ruler of everything, was going with His people, they weren’t alone in the battles they would face.

God’s people are in a battle today and I believe we have no option but to go through with it and stand firm for God. We must not compromise our faith in the battle, God is with us. We have to prepare, like Israel for difficult times ahead, but God is with His people. Be strong and courageous in all that lies ahead.

³⁸ Give, and [gifts] will be given to you; good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over, will they pour into [the pouch formed by] the bosom [of your robe and used as a bag]. For with the measure you deal out [with the measure you use when you confer benefits on others], it will be measured back to you. AMPC

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God bless and keep you today.

¹³ Hold on to instruction, do not let it go;
    guard it well, for it is your life. Proverbs 4

Israel were given the written word (definition of Scripture) of the Law and Prophets, but we have the Living Word and the Holy Spirit within when we know Jesus.

Someone I know sent me a Bible verse this morning, which I’m still pondering. Sometimes we get a verse(s) and it can be for our encouragement and sometimes it’s a specific word for a situation that we’re going to face. God still speaks to us through His Word today, it’s still a Living Word.

¹² For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. ¹³ Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account. Hebrews 4

The enemy hates God’s Word and tries to destroy it wherever he can. While Moses received the Ten Commandments from God on the mountain top, the enemy led the people of Israel astray in their camp. Moses came down the mountain to discover the people were running wild. He was so angry that he smashed the tablets to pieces.

¹⁶ The tablets were the work of God; the writing was the writing of God, engraved on the tablets. ¹⁹ When Moses approached the camp and saw the calf and the dancing, his anger burned and he threw the tablets out of his hands, breaking them to pieces at the foot of the mountain. Exodus 32

Moses smashed the stone tablets God had written upon, but God replaced them. The people had to have God’s Words to know how they should live before Him and walk in His blessing.

In countries under communism, Christians used to smuggle Bibles across the borders and give them to secret believers in the underground Church. Penalties were severe for believers who spread God’s Word, either the written word or by preaching it.

Around the same time in Western countries the Bible often gathered dust on the shelf, because the people had freedom and all their needs were supplied. Testing can be by not having enough (not nearly enough) or by having a surplus, the easy life. But the opening scripture in Proverbs 4:13 has a warning attached;

¹³ Hold on to instruction, do not let it go;
    guard it well, for it is your life.

We need to feed our souls on the Word each day, just as surely as we feed our bodies good food. A starvation diet, or a diet of news media, will leave us weak and ineffective. Feed your soul today and allow God to speak His words of encouragement and life to you – the total opposite of all the world’s bombarding you with.

²⁷ ‘So they will put my name on the Israelites, and I will bless them.’ Numbers 6

Faithfulness in all our service, not just prominence, will be rewarded.

Onesiphorus (sounds like, one-is-for-us), one who was loyal to Paul when others deserted him in prison. 2 Timothy 1:16

Paul’s second letter to Timothy was mainly instructions on how he should direct the affairs of the Church, but in the middle and end of it we find references to this individual. Onesiphorus apparently means, ‘one bringing usefulness’ and his name is recorded for us because of his help to Paul. So far as we know, he wasn’t part of any church plan to help the apostle, he acted on his own initiative to ‘refresh’ Paul.

May the Lord show mercy to the household of Onesiphorus, because he often refreshed me and was not ashamed of my chains. 2 Timothy 1:16

What does it mean he ‘refreshed’ the apostle? Looking at some other Bible versions may help us to understand more fully.

HIS VISITS REVIVED ME like a breath of fresh air, (Not like a wet blanket!) TLB