For forty years I led you through the desert … yet your sandals did not wear out." Duet. 29:5
“So the sun stood still and the moon stayed in place until the nation of Israel had defeated it’s enemies.”
Had Joshua understood astronomy and the solar system as we do today, perhaps he would have hesitated to make such a truly outrageous request.
But perhaps not. Joshua was a fierce warrior, but he had a childlike faith.
“But they did not consult the Lord.”
After Joshua defeated Jericho and Ai, he made
the mistake of making a treaty with the Gibeonites because he did not consult the Lord first.
No matter how many successes we may enjoy, we never reach a point where we can safely continue on without prayerfully considering each decision. I
“Joshua impaled the king of Ai on a sharpened pole, and left him there until
Joshua’s mission was one that few if any us would covet. He was called to be a killer of the Lord’s enemies – to rid the land entirely of the pagan tribes who lived there.
“My son, give glory to the Lord, the God of Israel, by telling the truth.
Achan was a condemned man, singled out by the Lord for destruction. And yet it was expected of him to bring glory to God by telling the truth.
As human beings, we exist to bring glory to God. There is no higher purpose; no other value.
“And she lives among the Israelites to this day.”
Rahab was a harlot, and yet she was spared, along with her family. Not just spared, but changed. She would not have been allowed to live among the Israelites as a prostitute.
“Joshua fell with his face to the ground in reverence.”
Joshua fell down before the angel of God. Joshua was a godly man, but any man would do the same. It wasn’t so much the right thing to do; it was the only thing to do.
“Joshua piled up the twelve stones taken from the Jordan river. ”
Memorial stones. Markers. Yet another way for the people to be reminded of what the Lord did for them. Never forget. Never forget.
“As soon as the feet of the priests who were carrying the Ark touched the water…”
Most of the time, the steps that we take through life are ordinary steps. None of us has ever taken a step like this, where the waters parted at our feet.
Nevertheless, our ordinary steps can be just as important to God as were these. The Lord takes notice of our obedient steps, no matter how ordinary they may seem.
“They left the town at dusk, as the gates were about to close.”
Rahab lied to the men who were searching for the spies, yet was not condemned for it.? Had she told the “truth”, it would surely have displeased the Lord.
As hard as it may be to grasp, and as easy as it may be to overemphasize, truth itself is a servant.
“We will obey you as we obeyed Moses.”
It is not so much how something begins as ho
w it ends. Both words and actions come easy in the short-term.?
