Judges 3-5, Own Way

 “The Israelites again did what was evil in the Lord’s sight. He gave King Eglon of Moab  power over Israel, because they had done what was evil in the Lord’s sight.”

‭‭Judges‬ ‭3‬:‭12‬ ‭CSB‬‬

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This whole book is so disappointing because it is decade after decade of Israel following their own logic, being overthrown by their neighbors, the. Turning to God for help and freedom…on repeat.

Lord, help me follow You, where ever You lead.  Help me to recognize when I am following my own logic and ignore You.  Empower me to surrender in every decision to Your way!

Joshua 22-24, Lead Well

 “Israel worshiped the Lord throughout Joshua’s lifetime and during the lifetimes of the elders who outlived Joshua  and who had experienced all the works the Lord had done for Israel.”

‭‭Joshua‬ ‭24‬:‭31‬ ‭CSB‬‬

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Worship continued in the right direction for Joshua’s lifetime and as long as the elders he led lived…what a great reputation, what an impactful leader!  Lord, help me to live in a way that reminds people of who You are.  Help me lead in a way that points directly to You winsomely! 

Joshua 19-21, Promises Fulfilled

 “So the Lord gave Israel all the land he had sworn to give their ancestors, and they took possession of it and settled there. The Lord gave them rest on every side according to all he had sworn to their ancestors. None of their enemies were able to stand against them, for the Lord handed over all their enemies to them. None of the good promises the Lord had made to the house of Israel failed. Everything was fulfilled. ”

‭‭Joshua‬ ‭21‬:‭43‬-‭45‬ ‭CSB‬‬

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How amazing that God gives them a home, rest, victory and good things!  Is the God we serve different in character to this God, obviously not!  

Lord, thank You for keeping Your promises and delivering good things to Your people!  I think it is important that we remember that although God provided perfectly and gave them good things, all of it came through trials, battles and following God wherever He was leading. Lord, give me patience to follow You through any trial, every battle and let me see clearly where You are leading!

Joshua 16-18, Love & Justice

 “As a result, ten tracts fell to Manasseh, besides the land of Gilead and Bashan, which are beyond the Jordan,  because Manasseh’s daughters received an inheritance among his sons. The land of Gilead belonged to the rest of Manasseh’s sons.”

‭‭Joshua‬ ‭17‬:‭5‬-‭6‬ ‭CSB‬‬

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Gods care for the weak (Manasseh’s daughters, at least in that culture) has always stood out to me.  He is not shaped by culture or man’s expectations but His character always points to love.  Lord, give me eyes to see the weak and help me to work toward justice for their good!

Joshua 12-15, Without God

 “But the descendants of Judah could not drive out the Jebusites who lived in Jerusalem.  So the Jebusites still live in Jerusalem among the descendants of Judah today. ”

‭‭Joshua‬ ‭15‬:‭63‬ ‭CSB‬‬

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This is the first place we see them unable to drive out a people.  Interestingly, God is not mentioned as being part of the battle…it’s almost like this tribe was fighting their own battle, rather than depending on God.

Lord, help me to see when I take things into my own hands.  I pray it would be like a flashing neon sign so that I am not running down any path without You!

Joshua 9-11, Gods Direction

 “Then the men of Israel took some of their provisions, but did not seek the Lord’s decision. ”…

 “So Joshua took the entire land, in keeping with all that the Lord had told Moses. Joshua then gave it as an inheritance to Israel according to their tribal allotments. After this, the land had rest from war. ”

‭‭Joshua‬ ‭11‬:‭23‬ ‭CSB‬‬

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Joshua was fooled by the cunning of men because he didn’t seek ethe Lord in every decision…Yet this foolishness did not prevent God from accomplishing His plans.

Lord, help me to seek Your help in every decision.  I don’t want to run ahead of You or pursue things that do t align with Your plan…but God, I am thankful that You mercifully carry out Your plan even when I fail to follow You!

Joshua 5-8, Mercy & Obedience

 “But the city and everything in it are set apart to the Lord for destruction.  Only Rahab the prostitute and everyone with her in the house will live,  because she hid the messengers we sent. …Joshua spared Rahab the prostitute, her father’s family, and all who belonged to her, because she hid the messengers Joshua had sent to spy on Jericho, and she still lives in Israel  today. ”

‭‭Joshua‬ ‭6‬:‭17‬, ‭25‬ ‭CSB‬‬

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Rajah was given mercy because she was obedient to Gods call on her, even as an outsider.  Because she listened to God and acted on His command, she was saved, with her family.  Interestingly, Achan was the perfect inverse…he was an Israelite who disobeyed God and is destroyed, he and his family.

Following Gods commands is not an optional part of following Him. Lord, strengthen me to follow You even when things seem hard!

Joshua 1-4, Strong & Courageous

 “Haven’t I commanded you: be strong and courageous?  Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”

‭‭Joshua‬ ‭1‬:‭9‬ ‭CSB‬‬

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It was really interesting that 4 times in chapter 1 Joshua is reminded to be strong and courageous…then immediately the people of Jericho were described in just the opposite way. I am thankful that God repeats the things that are important, because I think I often miss what He says the first time.  In this case they could be strong and courteous, not because of who they were, but because God was with them…or fearful and weak because He was not with them.

Lord, help me to know You so well that I am confident You are with me every step of the day!

Joshua 6- Simple Obedience to Gods Plan

 ¹⁵Then on the seventh day they rose early at the dawning of the day and marched around the city in the same manner seven times; only on that day they marched around the city seven times.
 ¹⁶At the seventh time, when the priests blew the trumpets, Joshua said to the people, "Shout! For the LORD has given you the city.
...
 ²⁰So the people shouted, and priests blew the trumpets; and when the people heard the sound of the trumpet, the people shouted with a great shout and the wall fell down flat, so that the people went up into the city, every man straight ahead, and they took the city.

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God seems to have an interesting methodology of doing just about everything.  It is not what would be the most logical to me.  This piece of history is one example where God asked His people to do something out of the ordinary, but when they obeyed, everything was perfect.  The city walls fell, the Israelites were able to storm the city and it was captured.

We need to be prepared to see what God is asking us to do.  It may not make sense to us feeble minded humans, but God is always in control.  He has a plan for our lives.  We simply need to obey Him in all that we do and we will be rewarded with the peace of resting in His plan.