Can God Give Success Over Really Big Problems or Just Small Ones? Joshua 6:2

We all have different areas of failure but can God give us success over big problems?  There is an encouragement in God's words to Joshua.

"Now Jericho was tightly shut up because of the Israelites. No one went out and no one came in. Then the Lord said to Joshua, "See, I have delivered Jericho into your hands, along with its king and its fighting men."  Joshua 6:2.

A LITTLE BACKGROUND
The people of Israel crossed the Jordan River and entered the Promised Land in the neighborhood of the biggest and most fortified city of the region- Jericho.  Conquest would be costly if not impossible.

SEE
The invitation to see was to become aware of the important facts.  It is not that their adversaries were safely shut up inside or that they were afraid of Joshua and his army, but The Lord wants Joshua to see that God has delivered it to him.

I HAVE DELIVERED
This is written in the past tense.  It is remarkable since Jericho had yet to fall and Joshua still had to march his men around the city for seven days first, but God speaks as if it was already done.  If God says it is done then it is done no matter if it is past, present, or future.

Delivering something suggests it is in your possession, it is in your control and you have authority to deliver it.  God said I have delivered Jericho because as God He possessed it, had control over it, and had the authority to deliver it

INTO YOUR HANDS
It went from God's hand to his hands.  He gives Joshua possession of it and authority over it.

When something is put into your hands it is easy, you just hold out your hand palm up and plop there it is.  You don't work for it or buy it- you just receive it.

ALONG
God gave the city along with the king and the fighting men, God left nothing out.  If the king or fighting men escaped it would mean protracted fighting and resistance.  When God gives victory He does not overlook anything.

VICTORY
The city was Joshua's but he still had to lead a fight, he still had to march and obey God's commands.  You may not be a Joshua but God has given victory in Christ, he puts victory in our hands but we still have to take it.  We have to believe His promises and obey His commands and take possession of it.

To learn more about how you can have a relationship with God see my other post.

(c) Adron 5/13/15

How Can God Keep His Promises To Men? Joshua 21:45.

Is God's word good?  Can He keep His promises when they seem so big and we are so far from him?

"Not one of all the LORD'S good promises to Israel failed; every one was fulfilled." Joshua 21:45. NIV.

A LITTLE BACKGROUND
God made many promises to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob regarding their inheritance and future generations who would receive the Promised Land.  They lived in Egypt for 400 years during which time they became great people.  When they were delivered from the oppression of Egypt they returned to the land God had promised them.  This verse is quoted at the conclusion of the book of Joshua which tells of the taking of the land from the Philistines and other peoples.

NOT ONE ... FAILED
God is all-knowing and all-powerful therefore it is not possible for Him to make a promise He could not keep.  Since God is all-knowing He would know not to make such a promise, but being all-powerful there is nothing He cannot do so if he promised it he can do it.

If a promise was only partly kept it would undermine God.  It would mean he is not all-knowing or all-powerful or that he was capricious.  The promises of God must be kept 100% or not at all; if they are only kept in part it would mean He cannot be trusted and we would have reason to doubt.

EVERY ONE
The double emphasis is a method of scripture used often to give what the Bible calls witness or testimony since by the testimony of two or three a thing is established in Levitical law.

None of the promises of God were overlooked or forgotten.  If you had a list in front of you and you were checking them off you would check them all off.

WAS FULFILLED
God didn't just keep the promises He makes- He abundantly keeps them more than we can imagine.  They were not half full but overfull.

God kept the promises in spite of the kind of people they proved to be in the wilderness, where they rebelled and sinned against him numerous times.

THE LORD'S GOOD PROMISES
God's Word is full of promises to us today just as broad and great as he had given to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Those promises to us are good and generous; God has no reason to be stingy but to the contrast, his gift of his son illustrates his tremendous generosity.

That God kept his promises to Israel should encourage us to search His Word for the promises he has for us so we may learn them, observe their conditions, and experience the blessings He has for us.

(c)Adron Dozat 2/21/15

Does The Bible Say We Must Choose God? Joshua 24:15

Does God want us to drift through life and somehow float up to him at the end of it all, or is there a point where we have to make a choice?

"...Then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD." Joshua 24:15.

Even though the people had conquered the Promised Land and were enjoying God's blessings, Joshua challenged them to choose.

CHOOSE
God gives us a choice; he does not force himself on us. That would not be a loving act on His part. If we are to love God, we love him best if we choose to —not if we are forced to.

To choose is an act of personal will. Another cannot choose for you. It must be your own. You cannot say, I serve the Lord because I was born to this family or I serve the Lord because it is my culture. You must choose for yourself.

THIS DAY
We live one day at a time, one hour at a time, and one moment at a time. We do not know what the next day or moment may bring. The Bible never says to choose God someday, or to wait. Scripture is full of, "Call on the Lord while he may be found,"* and "Today is the day of salvation."** Don't say I will choose to serve God someday later on.

SERVE
We are created to serve God. We suspect this subconsciously and spend our lives looking for meaning or purpose. We do not realize it, but this is an expression of our search for Him. When we choose the Lord, we find what we were designed for.

THE GODS OF...
The gods that their ancestors served and the gods of the Amorite people were inferior to the Lord. Many times, the Lord proved himself better, stronger, superior, more loving, and more powerful than the gods of the pagans, whom He defeated many times. Why choose them?

BUT AS FOR ME
Regardless of what other people think, Joshua chooses the Lord, and if no one else comes along, he will still choose the Lord. It is like he is saying if he is the only one, then he will still choose the Lord, even if it makes him a social outcast.

Choose to serve the Lord this day.

To learn more about coming to the Lord see my other blog.


* Isaiah 55:6  ** 2 Corinthians 6:2

© Adron 10/23/14