The Commander of the Lord's Army

 

Joshua 5:13-15

 

The Commander of the Lord's Army

When Joshua was by Jericho, he lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, a man was standing before him with his drawn sword in his hand. And Joshua went to him and said to him, “Are you for us, or for our adversaries?”   And he said, “No; but I am the commander of the army of the Lord. Now I have come.” And Joshua fell on his face to the earth and worshiped^[c] and said to him, “What does my lord say to his servant?”  And the commander of the Lord's army said to Joshua, “Take off your sandals from your feet, for the place where you are standing is holy.” And Joshua did so.

 

I’m going to ask you to put yourself in the place of Joshua, you are getting close to a city, not just any City but a very large and sophisticated City well-armed and with a mighty army.  And out of nowhere, a man is standing before you with a drawn sword.  What the first thing you’re going to do, remember you are the leader of your people.  You do not have your generals with you, it is just you and the man with the sword, what is your option?  Running is not a good one, but what about what Joshua did, are you willing to ask that question?  Here is the question Joshua asks; “Are you for us, or for our adversaries?”  That is a very dangerous question, maybe a safer one would have been, “Hi, I’m Joshua just out for a little walk, what is your name and why the drawn sword?”  But that might have not gone well either, and I believe Joshua knew God had made him a promise and he was not afraid to ask the straightforward question.

 

But I am not sure Joshua was prepared for the reply, we know what Joshua did, but we do not know what you are I would have done.  But this I can tell you that God is still speaking to His people, and so is the enemy of our souls.  I believe our minds are bombarded with what I refer to as Channel One, the deception channel, it's going 24 seven, and its theme is to give you information that asks this old question, “did God really say that”.  Channel One likes to tell us we deserve better, and it also will tell us how much better things would be if we were not here, that we have no value, and attack our person.  But Channel Two is the Holy Spirit, it is a quiet voice, that never tells us we deserve, but it does tell us we are of great worth to God.  Joshua was tuned into Channel Two, which channel are you listening to?

 

From the Back Porch,

 

Bob Rice

First Passover in Canaan

 

Joshua 5: 10-12

 

First Passover in Canaan

While the people of Israel were encamped at Gilgal, they kept the Passover on the fourteenth day of the month in the evening on the plains of Jericho.   And the day after the Passover, on that very day, they ate of the produce of the land, unleavened cakes, and parched grain.   And the manna ceased the day after they ate of the produce of the land. And there was no longer manna for the people of Israel, but they ate of the fruit of the land of Canaan that year.

 

How important was this marker in a Jews person life, some forty years after the death angel had passed over every home in Egypt that had the blood of an unblemished lamb on the doorpost of their home, but had killed the firstborn of both people and animal where the blood had not been on the doorpost?  Scripture never told us if they were Jewish people that refused, but if they obey Moses and God, and were saved

 

The people who had left Egypt had died off because they did not believe in God and obey Him, and this new generation had only known manna as their food source.  When they crossed into the land promised by God and referred to as the Promised Land they found it was the time of the year for the barley to ripen and on that day they kept the Passover on the evening of the 14^th day of the month they ate the unleavened bread and roasted grain, the next day the manna stopped falling.  God had been faithful over all those years to feed them the bread of angels, but now they were in Canaan and God had a new source from the land of the Promise.

 

Often we the Church of the Living God forget the lesson; Jan and I were leaders in a movement called Lay Witness; it was begun in the Methodist Church by a man named Ben Campbell Johnson.  My mentor Jack Archer, an oilman, was the district director for Texas.  We did many missions on weekends as team members and then one day Jack told me he believed God wanted Jan and me to lead out in this movement.  It was a great time and we were experiencing God renewing His Church.  But like the manna one day it was very clear God had used this tool greatly but had removed His hand and it was becoming a program of the many Churches but was no longer a movement from God.  Like the manna, it had accomplished all that God had planned for it.  Many who had been blessed by it had a hard time understanding this truth. 

 

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice

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The New Generation Circumcised

 

Joshua 5: 1-9

 

The New Generation Circumcised

As soon as all the kings of the Amorites who were beyond the Jordan to the west, and all the kings of the Canaanites who were by the sea, heard that the Lord had dried up the waters of the Jordan for the people of Israel until they had crossed over, their hearts melted and there was no longer any spirit in them because of the people of Israel.

At that time the Lord said to Joshua, “Make flint knives and circumcise the sons of Israel a second time.”   So, Joshua made flint knives and circumcised the sons of Israel at Gibeath-haaraloth.   And this is the reason why Joshua circumcised them: all the males of the people who came out of Egypt, all the men of war, had died in the wilderness on the way after they had come out of Egypt.   Though all the people who came out had been circumcised, yet all the people who were born on the way in the wilderness after they had come out of Egypt had not been circumcised.   For the people of Israel walked forty years in the wilderness, until all the nation, the men of war who came out of Egypt, perished because they did not obey the voice of the Lord; the Lord swore to them that he would not let them see the land that the Lord had sworn to their fathers to give to us, a land flowing with milk and honey.   So, it was their children, whom he raised up in their place, that Joshua circumcised. For they were uncircumcised because they had not been circumcised on the way.

 When the circumcising of the whole nation was finished, they remained in their places in the camp until they were healed.   And the Lord said to Joshua, “Today I have rolled away the reproach of Egypt from you.” And so, the name of that place is called Gilgal to this day.

 

Folks, please do not look to political parties, look to God at this critical time in our nation, pray that God will have mercy on a nation that killed over 60 million babies.   Do not forget we have chosen the little gods of this world, for we the people of the USA have done as those leaving Egypt who disobey God and was not allowed to enter the Promised Land.  So, beg for forgiveness, and mercy, please do not ask for what you deserve.

 

Could it be time to have God pull out his knife and do a circumcision of His people, those who follow His name and those who go by the name Christian?

 

Do you understand that when God is on our side no enemy can stand against us, so it is not money or the media that is going to win our elections, for God laughs at such things?

 

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice

Following God's Orders

 

Joshua 4: 15-24

 

And the Lord said to Joshua,  “Command the priests bearing the ark of the testimony to come up out of the Jordan.”   So, Joshua commanded the priests, “Come up out of the Jordan.”   And when the priests bearing the ark of the covenant of the Lord came up from the midst of the Jordan, and the soles of the priests' feet were lifted up on dry ground, the waters of the Jordan returned to their place and overflowed all its banks, as before.

The people came up out of the Jordan on the tenth day of the first month, and they encamped at Gilgal on the east border of Jericho.   And those twelve stones, which they took out of the Jordan, Joshua set up at Gilgal.   And he said to the people of Israel, “When your children ask their fathers in times to come, ‘What do these stones mean?’  then you shall let your children know, ‘Israel passed over this Jordan on dry ground.’   For the Lord, your God dried up the waters of the Jordan for you until you passed over, as the Lord your God did to the Red Sea, which he dried up for us until we passed over,  so that all the peoples of the earth may know that the hand of the Lord is mighty, that you may fear the Lord your God forever.”

Joshua was a faithful, reliable man, not on Joshua, but on God, we must be that kind of people if our nation survives.   The people knew who would lead his name was Joshua, but they also knew who was pulling the string, it was Joshua obeying God.  When you have a leader that follows God's orders, you have the people passing the Jordan on to dry land, and once the priest did as told and set their feet on dry ground the flood water returned.

 

We talked about markets yesterday, and once more we see the importance of markers in our lives, for our children, and grandchildren.

 

From the Back Porch

 

Bob Rice

Markers in our Life

 

Joshua 4: 8 - 10

 

 And the people of Israel did just as Joshua commanded and took up twelve stones out of the midst of the Jordan, according to the number of the tribes of the people of Israel, just as the Lord told Joshua. And they carried them over with them to the place where they lodged and laid them down there.   And Joshua set up twelve stones in the midst of the Jordan, in the place where the feet of the priests bearing the ark of the covenant had stood; and they are there to this day.   For the priests bearing the ark stood in the midst of the Jordan until everything was finished that the Lord commanded Joshua to tell the people, according to all that Moses had commanded Joshua.

 

I’m not a pastor but I do have the gift of an exhorter and a person with that gift wants to see those they are addressing take action on what has been taught.  I believe that is the heart desire of most pastors, and so when one reads “And the people of Israel did just as Joshua commanded,” it must move a pastor to dream of such a day.

 

It was of interest that the 12 men picked up very large stones and brought them to where they lodged and laid them down.  And it was Joshua that took 12 stones and placed them where the priest that carried the Ark stood in the midst of the Jordan.

 

The priest stood in the middle of the Jordan till all the nation had crossed over and till Joshua had been commanded by God to tell the people, according to all that Moses had commanded Joshua.  I have no doubt it had been a very long day for the priest, and yet they were faithful to all that Joshua had told them to do.

 

My pastor has often said, he believes there is a source at the doors going out of the building that wipes the word preached to us as we leave the building.  My dear friend Carroll Ray Jr. often said, we are equipped with preacher filters that tell us, that is what preachers are supposed to say, and we dismiss it.  If you and I allow Channel One (the deceptive channel to process into our mind) we will not choose to pick up the stones that are needed for markers. If we choose to turn it off and listen to Channel Two ( the Holy Spirit.)  When we make the choice to apply the teaching of Scripture we will have the markers needed to do God’s will.

 

From the Back Porch,

 

Bob Rice

Twelve Memorial Stones from the Jordan

 October 8, 2020

 

Joshua 4:1-7

 

Twelve Memorial Stones from the Jordan

When all the nation had finished passing over the Jordan, the Lord said to Joshua,   “Take twelve men from the people, from each tribe a man,  and command them, saying, ‘Take twelve stones from here out of the midst of the Jordan, from the very place where the priests' feet stood firmly, and bring them over with you and lay them down in the place where you lodge tonight.’”   Then Joshua called the twelve men from the people of Israel, whom he had appointed, a man from each tribe.   And Joshua said to them, “Pass on before the ark of the Lord your God into the midst of the Jordan, and take up each of you a stone upon his shoulder, according to the number of the tribes of the people of Israel,  that this may be a sign among you. When your children ask in time to come, ‘What do those stones mean to you?’  then you shall tell them that the waters of the Jordan were cut off before the ark of the covenant of the Lord. When it passed over the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan were cut off. So, these stones shall be to the people of Israel a memorial forever.”

 

What memorial stones are you leaving for your grandchildren and their children?  Each of us has a Jordan we must cross in this life, have you left those markers they will be able to go back to and remember how by faith you put your feet in your flooding Jordan and walked in victory into the promises of what God has commanded you in your life?

 

My parents left markers, one that is of great importance to my life is my mother and dad’s decision to trust God and not do what the doctors were telling them to do.  The doctors had told them either my mother or myself would never leave the hospital and that she had two very young children at home she would be wise to abort me.  That was a marker that allowed me to live, and to see faith in action.  My dad had torn his knees playing football and they often swelled up and were very painful.  All he could do was wrap them with an ace bandage and walk to work or church, for we were not able to afford a car at that time.  The marker my dad left for me was he worked, never complained, and when someone was in need and he knew about it he showed up.  He was often misunderstood but he was always willing to take a stand against anyone who treated our pastors in a manner that was not respectful, that also was a marker I have gone back to often.

 

Scripture is clear about leaving your children and grandchildren markers, and yes money is part of that, but a long way short of integrity and love for God and people.  Proverbs 13:22: “A good man leaves an inheritance to his children’s children.”  A big marker in Jan’s and my life is a love for God and His word, and a desire to follow Jesus.  We began our marriage applying this Scripture to our lives, Proverbs 22:7: “The rich rule over the poor, and the borrower is slave to the lender.”  This is a marker that will serve all who apply it, debt is a terrible taskmaster, it destroys homes and marriages.

 

Each of us has markers we will leave; will they be worthy of going back to and remembering when you took a stand by faith in a big God who keeps His promises.  Will your children talk about you as a person of integrity and love for God and those who are needy?  I sure hope so, for they are growing up in a culture that is tearing down markers and it is a culture built on putting trust and hope in what the government can do for them and removing looking to God.  It has been tried by many nations and it leads to the destruction of that nation.

 

From the Back Porch,

 

Bob Rice

Crossing the Jordan

 

Joshua 3:14-17

 

So when the people set out from their tents to pass over the Jordan with the priests bearing the ark of the covenant before the people,  and as soon as those bearing the ark had come as far as the Jordan, and the feet of the priests bearing the ark were dipped in the brink of the water (now the Jordan overflows all its banks throughout the time of harvest), the waters coming down from above stood and rose up in a heap very far away, at Adam, the city that is beside Zarethan, and those flowing down toward the Sea of the Arabah, the Salt Sea, were completely cut off. And the people passed over opposite Jericho.   Now the priests bearing the ark of the covenant of the Lord stood firmly on dry ground in the midst of the Jordan, and all Israel was passing over on dry ground until all the nation finished passing over the Jordan.

 

That would have been something to see, and the priest as they headed to the Jordan it is in flood stage, and yet they follow the orders of the man of God, and did as told.  But you and I have someone greater than Joshua telling us to cross our Jordan’s and we see the flood water all around and stay for a time of our choosing.  Now, what happens when they put their toes in the water, it stopped flowing and build up in a heap very far away, at Adam, the city is beside Zarethan.  

 

Can you envision the impact of the crossing of the Jordan on the nations that saw and heard about all these people passing over the Jordan on dry land?  We have seen what happens to nations our nation with a pandemic like the China Virus, and it is crippling.  People allow the fear of the unknown to arouse a fear that controls their thoughts and actions.

 

These people had heard what God had done to Egypt at the Red Sea, they heard about the king that had been defeated and they feared the God of the Jews, they did not fear this ragtag group of people.  For he understood it was not people they were engaging in battle, it was the God that made the heavens and the earth, and they were right to be in fear.  I would be so bold as to state they had more faith in and feared God more than many in the Church today.

 

From the Back Porch,

 

Bob Rice

-- 

God in the Leadership Role

 

Joshua 3:7-13

 

The Lord said to Joshua, “Today I will begin to exalt you in the sight of all Israel, that they may know that, as I was with Moses, so I will be with you.   And as for you, command the priests who bear the ark of the covenant, ‘When you come to the brink of the waters of the Jordan, you shall stand still in the Jordan.’”   And Joshua said to the people of Israel, “Come here and listen to the words of the Lord your God.”   And Joshua said, “Here is how you shall know that the living God is among you and that he will without fail drive out from before you the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Hivites, the Perizzites, the Girgashites, the Amorites, and the Jebusites.   Behold, the ark of the covenant of the Lord of all the earth is passing over before you into the Jordan.   Now, therefore, take twelve men from the tribes of Israel, from each tribe a man.   And when the soles of the feet of the priests bearing the ark of the Lord, the Lord of all the earth, shall rest in the waters of the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan shall be cut off from flowing, and the waters coming down from above shall stand in one heap.”

 

Joshua has been a faithful friend, servant to Moses for over 40 years, never wavering in carrying out his boss's commands.  How it promotion time, Moses is not finishing the trip for God has told him to touch the rock one time with his staff, and in anger at the people Moses hit the rock three-time, and that kept him out of the Promise Land.

 

Now, God is the one making the promotion, not a vote of the leadership or the people, and God is going to be the one Joshua is going to listen to and follow.  When you have a leader that does that you have a great leader, when you have one that listens to the people and tries to be a man-pleaser you have a hireling.

 

Joshua gives the people the instruction of why and how they can believe that God is going to fulfill every promise He has made to them.  And first, they are going to see God stopping the flow of the Jordan at flood stage and Joshua, tell them as they see the nations fall in battle against them, it is not what they have done but God.  It is not a ragtag group coming out of Egypt the people of the land fear, no it is the God that is fighting for them.  Remember it was not as so many have a picture in their mind, the water was cut off back at the city of Adam, and the people could see the priest and the ark of God in the middle of the Jordan on dry ground, and they passed over three football fields away from it as required by the law.

 

From the Back Porch,

 

Bob Rice

Israel Crosses the Jordan

 October 5, 2020

 

Joshua 3:1-7

 

Israel Crosses the Jordan

Then Joshua rose early in the morning and they set out from Shittim. And they came to the Jordan, he and all the people of Israel, and lodged there before they passed over.   At the end of three days, the officers went through the camp and commanded the people, “As soon as you see the ark of the covenant of the Lord your God being carried by the Levitical priests, then you shall set out from your place and follow it.   Yet there shall be a distance between you and it, about 2,000 cubits in length. Do not come near it, in order that you may know the way you shall go, for you have not passed this way before.”  Then Joshua said to the people, “Consecrate yourselves, for tomorrow the Lord will do wonders among you.”   And Joshua said to the priests, “Take up the ark of the covenant and pass on before the people.”  So, they took up the ark of the covenant and went before the people.

 

There is so much I would like to understand, like how far it was from Shittim to the Jordan River.  From the Old Testament maps, I got this information.  

Abel Shittim Tel el-Hammam. Abel Shittim was an ancient city east of the Jordan River in Moab and nearly 10 miles northeast of the Dead Sea. Mentioned in the Bible in Numbers 33:29; Joshua 2:1; 3:1; and Micah 6:5. Abel Shittim or Abel-shit’tim means meadow of acacias. Josephus wrote that it was the spot where Moses delivered the exhortations of Deuteronomy

 

And why did Joshua wait three days before crossing the Jordan River?  I’m not sure the reason why, maybe God was allowing His people to see He was the God of the impossible, in that the Jordan was at flood stage.  Or maybe He was getting Joshua ready to trust Him as the leader and to do as the Apostle Paul instructed the Church, to follow him as he followed Jesus.  God is always doing things in our lives we cannot understand, and it is always a choice to follow Him or not.   

 

 

The other question I had was what is 2,000 cubits in length?  It is estimated at about 914 meters, 1,000 yards, or 2,000 cubits.  Most of us in the USA have an understanding that a football field is 300 yards, so they were required to stay over 3 football fields from the ark.

 

What great advice is given to the people by Joshua in this statement;  “Do not come near it, in order that you may know the way you shall go, for you have not passed this way before.”  Did you grasp the power in that statement, you and I have never been at this time or place in our lives, and we that go by the title of “Followers of Christ” do we really do that.  Now I have come to understand I’m very ignorant about many things, but I’m not stupid, for stupid believe they have an understanding of all things.  Jan and I have made the choice to look to Jesus, for He knows the way we should go.  Joshua was great in the people’s eyes in that He listened and obeyed what God was telling him to do.

Have you crossed over your Jordan?

 

From the Back Porch,

 

Bob Rice

Faith and Action

 

Joshua 2: 15-24

 

Then she let them down by a rope through the window, for her house was built into the city wall so that she lived in the wall.   And she said to them, “Go into the hills, or the pursuers will encounter you, and hide there three days until the pursuers have returned. Then afterward you may go your way.”   The men said to her, “We will be guiltless with respect to this oath of yours that you have made us swear.   Behold, when we come into the land, you shall tie this scarlet cord in the window through which you let us down, and you shall gather into your house your father and mother, your brothers, and all your father's household.   Then if anyone goes out of the doors of your house into the street, his blood shall be on his own head, and we shall be guiltless. But if a hand is laid on anyone who is with you in the house, his blood shall be on our head.   But if you tell this business of ours, then we shall be guiltless with respect to your oath that you have made us swear.”   And she said, “According to your words, so be it.” Then she sent them away, and they departed. And she tied the scarlet cord in the window.

They departed and went into the hills and remained there three days until the pursuers returned, and the pursuers searched all along the way and found nothing.   Then the two men returned. They came down from the hills and passed over and came to Joshua the son of Nun, and they told him all that had happened to them.   And they said to Joshua, “Truly the Lord has given all the land into our hands. And also, all the inhabitants of the land melt away because of us.”

 

Rahab closed the deal, and it was time for the next step, so she arranged transportation to get them out of Jericho.  In that her home was built into the city wall she used a rope to transport them out of the city and gave them instruction to go hide in the hills for three days.  This was all done while the city slept.

 

We could learn a lot from Rahab as Followers of Christ, first and foremost she believes in a God she had not known, much like Abram, who became Abraham.  Second, she acted on her beliefs, she not only listen to the spies but acted on their requirements, as the apostle Mark would have said, immediately.  She did not wait to put the scarlet cord in the window.

The two spies also listen and did as told, and returned back to Joshua and told him the people were living in fear of God, and that victory was theirs to have.  It is sad that the Citizens of the USA do not look to God, but believe the Media hype and are living in fear of dying.

 

From the Back Porch,

 

Bob Rice

A Prostitute and Spies

 

Joshua 2:8 - 14

 

 Before the spies lay down for the night, she went up on the roof and said to them, “I know that the Lord has given you this land 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.   We have heard how the Lord dried up the water of the Red Sea for you when you came out of Egypt, and what you did to Sihon and Og, the two kings of the Amorites east of the Jordan, whom you completely destroyed.   When we heard of it, our hearts melted in fear and everyone’s courage failed because of you, for the Lord your God is God in heaven above and on the earth below.

“Now then, please swear to me by the Lord that you will show kindness to my family because I have shown kindness to you. Give me a sure sign 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.”

Most of us hear the word prostitute, what thoughts come into our minds?  Could it be  “a person who misuses their talents or who sacrifices their self-respect for the sake of personal or financial?”  Taken from the dictionary.  It is not someone you want to have anything to do with, in fact, they are shunned by most of the culture we live in.  But God loves prostitutes, and politicians and lawyers and car salesman, Jesus, made that clear in John 3:16.

This lady of the night became part of the linage of Jesus Christ, she had great faith in a big God than 90% of those who attend church on a regular basis.  When she asked the two spies this question; “Now then, please swear to me by the Lord that you will show kindness to my family, because I have shown kindness to you. Give me a sure sign 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.”  We call that closing the sale, in her case, she was used to being lied to by men, and treated like scum by those who were religious.  She did not want their word, no she wanted God's word.  What faith of this lady who was shunned by her society; God takes great delight in a sinner that shows this kind of faith.  

And the spies answer her in this way; “Our lives for your lives!” the men assured her. “If you don’t tell what we are doing, we will treat you kindly and faithfully when the Lord gives us the land.”

 

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice

The Real Hero of the Account

  

Joshua 2:1-7

 

Rahab Hides the Spies

And Joshua the son of Nun sent two men secretly from Shittim as spies, saying, “Go, view the land, especially Jericho.” And they went and came into the house of a prostitute whose name was Rahab and lodged there.  And it was told to the king of Jericho, “Behold, men of Israel have come here tonight to search out the land.”  Then the king of Jericho sent to Rahab, saying, “Bring out the men who have come to you, who entered your house, for they have come to search out all the land.”   But the woman had taken the two men and hidden them. And she said, “True, the men came to me, but I did not know where they were from.   And when the gate was about to be closed at dark, the men went out. I do not know where the men went. Pursue them quickly, for you will overtake them.”   But she had brought them up to the roof and hid them with the stalks of flax that she had laid in order on the roof.   So, the men pursued after them on the way to the Jordan as far as the fords. And the gate was shut as soon as the pursuers had gone out.

Most of us that grew up in church and Sunday School were taught the story of Joshua sending the two spies into Jericho.  They must have been like our Navy seals, with a nerve of steel and great warriors, highly skilled, but they were not the real hero’s.  

Then it must have been Rahab, for she had only heard the story of the Red Sea and what God had done to allow His people to walk through it on dry ground.  How God had destroyed the whole army of Egypt as they followed the people into the Sea on dry ground, and how God allow the waters to come back over them.

I have a picture in my mind of the archangel Michael, God’s appointed prince over Israel asking God can I do it now, and God saying not yet, we have two that have not yet crossed over, and then ok Michael now.  In the book of Daniel chapter 12:1, we get a glimpse of Michael as Israel’s prince.

But Rahab or the two spies are the heroes of this account, yet all show great faith in a big God.  It should be clear that the hero is God the Father, for Jericho was defeated long before even the spies showed up.

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice

 

 Joshua 1:10 - 18

 

 

Joshua Assumes Command

And Joshua commanded the officers of the people,   “Pass through the midst of the camp and command the people, ‘Prepare your provisions, for within three days you are to pass over this Jordan to go in to take possession of the land that the Lord your God is giving you to possess.’”

And to the Reubenites, the Gadites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh Joshua said,   “Remember the word that Moses the servant of the Lord commanded you, saying, ‘The Lord your God is providing you a place of rest and will give you this land.’   Your wives, your little ones, and your livestock shall remain in the land that Moses gave you beyond the Jordan, but all the men of valor among you shall pass over armed before your brothers and shall help them until the Lord gives rest to your brothers as he has to you, and they also take possession of the land that the Lord your God is giving them. Then you shall return to the land of your possession and shall possess it, the land that Moses the servant of the Lord gave you beyond the Jordan toward the sunrise.”

And they answered Joshua, “All that you have commanded us we will do, and wherever you send us we will go.   Just as we obeyed Moses in all things, so we will obey you. Only may the Lord your God be with you, as he was with Moses!   Whoever rebels against your commandment and disobeys your words, whatever you command him, shall be put to death. Only be strong and courageous.”

Any leader would be blessed to have this response to his orders, no one is asking, how are we going to get across the Jordan, and most were not alive when God parted the Red Sea, so they could walk across on dry land.  What about the Reubenites and Gadites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh, look at the spirit they had of obeying Joshua as they did Moses.  Listen to their words, “All that you have commanded us we will do, and wherever you send us we will go.   Just as we obeyed Moses in all things, so we will obey you. Only may the Lord your God be with you, as he was with Moses!   Whoever rebels against your commandment and disobeys your words, whatever you command him, shall be put to death. Only be strong and courageous.”

I believe God and heaven get excited when they see a people with this spirit!  Do you recall the apostle Paul tells us to follow him as he followed Jesus?

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice

God Commissions Joshua

 

Joshua Introduction

 

Taken from Holman Christian Study Bible

 

 

The book of Joshua is named for the most famous member of the Israelites in the generation after the death of Moses.  The book describes the history of that generation of Israel who crossed the Jordan River and entered the promised land of Canaan.  
Their battles and faithfulness have a place among the greatest stories of faith in the Old Testament.  Joshua led the people to defeat the adversaries who opposed God’s people.  He then oversaw the division of the land into the tribal allotments.  Finally, Joshua renewed the covenant between the people and God.

 

 

Chapter 1: 1-9

 

God Commissions Joshua

After the death of Moses, the servant of the Lord, the Lord said to Joshua the son of Nun, Moses' assistant, “Moses my servant is dead. Now therefore arise, go over this Jordan, you and all this people, into the land that I am giving to them, to the people of Israel.   Every place that the sole of your foot will tread upon I have given to you, just as I promised to Moses.   From the wilderness and this Lebanon as far as the great river, the river Euphrates, all the land of the Hittites to the Great Sea toward the going down of the sun shall be your territory.   No man shall be able to stand before you all the days of your life. Just as I was with Moses, so I will be with you. I will not leave you or forsake you.   Be strong and courageous, for you shall cause this people to inherit the land that I swore to their fathers to give them.   Only be strong and very courageous, being careful to do according to all the law that Moses my servant commanded you. Do not turn from it to the right hand or to the left, that you may have good success wherever you go.   This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success.   Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”

As a follower of Jesus Christ, have you experienced death, not to someone else but to your hope and desires?  Have you come to a place in your walk with the LORD, where you say “I can’t, You never said I could, and from this day with your help, I put to death, my hope and desires and want only your will.  Give me a teachable spirit and the wisdom to discern your written word.  Moses, the man of God, was a very humble person, and a friend of God, but like you and me he sometimes did not follow God’s directions and it cost him being able to go into the promised land.  Not doing as one is told has a price, it may be more costly than you would have paid, or can pay, so obey the LORD.  The good news is each day we begin a new 24 hours, and it is a choice you make on how that is used.

 

I read the account of men God has used in great ways that have shared the same promise God made to Joshua; “Every place that the sole of your foot will tread upon I have given to you,” verses5-9, it a promise to you and me, but it comes with a death call on your flesh desires.  Do not forget “You can’t, He never said you could, He can, and He promised He would.”

 

From the Back Porch,

 

Bob Rice

 

Fear God and Keep His Commandments

 Ecclesiastes 12:9-14

 

Fear God and Keep His Commandments

Besides being wise, the Preacher also taught the people knowledge, weighing and studying, and arranging many proverbs with great care.  The Preacher sought to find words of delight, and uprightly he wrote words of truth.

The words of the wise are like goads, and like nails firmly fixed are the collected sayings; they are given by one Shepherd.   My son beware of anything beyond these. Of making many books there is no end, and much study is a weariness of the flesh.

The end of the matter; all has been heard. Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man.   For God will bring every deed into judgment, with every secret thing, whether good or evil.

 

In 2 Timothy 2:15, “Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth.”  Solomon is telling his son and all that read this, they are reading an account of what he has done.  He also did his best to organizes it in a way that helped the reader.

 

Solomon is making clear that these proverbs will guide us in our life if we apply them as we go, at home, at work, and in all matters.  But make no mistake Solomon is referring to God as our Shepherd and often He uses men to move us in the right direction.  When a believer holds to the truth written in Scripture and builds their life on them, they are stable in all their ways.

 

One could come away with Solomon is teaching against education and that would be wrong.  He is telling you and me to find joy in all that we do, but to approach life with humility and balance.  It all comes back to fearing God, for no education will replace that, for without the fear of God, no one gains wisdom.  Only the fool says in his heart there is no God!

 

From the Back Porch,

 

Bob Rice

Cast Your Bread upon the Waters

 

 

Ecclesiastes 11:1-8

 

Cast Your Bread upon the Waters

Cast your bread upon the waters, for you will find it after many days.  Give a portion to seven, or even to eight, for you know not what disaster may happen on earth.  If the clouds are full of rain, they empty themselves on the earth, and if a tree falls to the south or to the north, in the place where the tree falls, there it will lie.  He who observes the wind will not sow, and he who regards the clouds will not reap.

 

Much of the Proverbs deal with making sound investments in all areas of life, so it should not come as a surprise to seeing Solomon talk about such issues.  Jan and I built our marriage on investing in couples that had demonstrated love for one another.  

 

After we came to know Christ, we began to seek out couples that had a walk with the Lord, and learn from them how to love each other.  We also knew that it was God who provided for us and not me, so we waited till He provides the funds to buy something and choice not to allow our wants to control our buying.  We also learn many good lessons, such as often by the time we had the resources we no longer desire the item.  By not being driven by instant gratification we never allow a salesperson to pressure us, and would tell them, we always pray before making such decisions.  We also began our marriage tithing, even though we did not often go to church, and it was only later that we came to know Christ on a personal level.

As you do not know the way the spirit comes to the bones in the womb of a woman with child, so you do not know the work of God who makes everything.  In that God's ways are much higher than ours, much of life is a mystery, but the council seems to be waiting for more understand of any area that is outside the norm, which will keep you from investing in things that have great value.

In the morning sow your seed, and at evening withhold not your hand, for you do not know which will prosper, this or that, or whether both alike will be good.  Often, we need to just work hard and smart with the understanding we have on a matter for we do not know which will be successful.

Light is sweet, and it is pleasant for the eyes to see the sun.  So, if a person lives many years, let him rejoice in them all; but let him remember that the days of darkness will be many. All that comes is vanity.  Rejoice, O young man, in your youth, and let your heart cheer you in the days of your youth. Walk in the ways of your heart and the sight of your eyes. But know that for all these things God will bring you into judgment.

 

What is success?  Could it be as simple as one who has an understanding of life on planet earth is a passing life, but that God has a plan for each of us to work and enjoy the things He has provided us?  That the memories of us will in most cases be short, and that time on earth is short, but all will be going into an eternal place basic on what we did with Jesus while on earth.

Remove vexation from your heart, and put away pain from your body, for youth and the dawn of life are vanity.  In my short life of 78 years on planet earth, I’ve never seen anger, such as is on display today.  Young people who have been taught from childhood that they were winners, all got chosen, all got trophies for being the best.  Now as young adults they must compete, they have to work and their or few trophies.  Anger will destroy a person, young or old, but applying whatever you have to work and a positive attitude, being grateful to the Lord and approaching each day wanting to serve and help others will bring many blessings.

 

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice