Joshua 6-9

God’s message to me: Doing what seems to be right is a really good way to get into trouble. Prayer and seeking God’s guidance in all things is the only right way to do anything. God has given us guidelines which we can look to but, for those things which are questionable we should always seek His council.

It takes no great leap of faith to stop at a red light. We are following the law and acting out of prudence as God has instructed. We know that murder is forbidden and there isn’t much reason to ask God if it is right to kill our neighbor, He has already told us it isn’t. Because war is more ambiguous it is something we should consider prayerfully. Governments are directed by God and by their basic function to fight against those who attack us but, there are occasions when it is necessary to be the aggressor. While the reasons for attack may seem just and obvious, such aggression should never be initiated without seeking God’s council. We cannot say that we have God on our side if we never asked His opinion. Likewise, it is unwise to enter into treaties without seeking His council.

Promises: God will never steer us wrong. When we act on our own without seeking His council we are open to disaster but, when we act on what God leads us to do we cannot fail. The first attack against Ai should have worked from a tactical standpoint but, when God laid down the battle plan it included the entire army rather than the small portion sent the first time. By the same token, Gideon was sent to fight against a far larger army, too large to be counted in fact, with only three hundred men. Based on the tests by which they were chosen these were not even the best soldiers but, were in fact, the least capable of the lot. Despite that fact, by following God’s plan, Gideon destroyed the enemy army completely without loosing a single soldier. God’s plan, no matter what it is, will always work.

Commands: God can not abide the presence of sin. No amount of grace will get you into heaven if you are not willing to ask God’s forgiveness and accept the sacrifice of Christ, on your behalf, to atone for your sin.

Timeless principles: The story of Achan and the defeat at Ai is an example of God’s view of sin. while God is a loving and forgiving God who wishes only the best for His people, He cannot abide the presence of sin. The spoils of war at Jericho were meant for the general treasury of Israel and not for individual enrichment. Achan took some of the treasure for himself and, in doing so placed sin in the camp that God could not support. As a result the Israeli army, which should have easily won the battle, was defeated by Ai because they did not have the support of God. Only when the sin was confessed and purged from the camp was God prepared to return and bless the efforts of Israel.

How can I apply what I’ve learned: Had Achan been patient at Jericho he and his family would have lived to take personal spoils of war and livestock for themselves as the spoils of this battle were given to the people individually. God will give you the desire of your heart and fulfill your needs in His own time. Taking what isn’t yours before that time can only bring disaster.

When the people of Israel made treaties with some of the inhabitants of Canaan they accepted the word of liars without asking for the Lord’s council. As a result, people who God had commanded them to eliminate were left safe under the oath the Israelites took before God not to harm them. These people would be a thorn in the side of the nation of Israel for many generations to come because they followed their own ideas instead of asking God for guidance.

more to learn for in-depth study: This passage begins with the story of the fall of Jericho. The inhabitants of the city had barricaded themselves within the walls in fear of what the Israelites had proven capable of with other kingdoms. When the Israelites followed God’s battle plan He miraculously destroyed the walls of the city, ending the siege and making the attack against it’s inhabitants easy. Because Rahab had protected the Israeli spies and, in doing so, proved she would side with the Lord, she and her family were spared with all their belongings. The cities treasure was given to the treasury of Israel and all the rest was destroyed.

The second battle of Ai demonstrates several military tactics that are in use to this day. These tactics were ordered by God so that the Israelites would have an easier fight. Using their prior defeat to advantage, the attacking force ran away as the army of Ai attacked, drawing them out of their defenses. The flanking force destroyed their city defenses preventing a siege situation and then attacked from the only direction left to the Army of Ai for retreat. This pincer movement ensured total victory.

Notice at the end of the passage we are told that Joshua did what was commanded before. He wrote the law on the stones of the mountains surrounding the entrance to the promised land. He read the entire law before the children of Israel and he made the leaders of the tribes bear witness to the writing and the reading so that no one could claim not to know it. I’ve repeated this again and again. This is a WRITTEN RECORD, not an oral tradition.

tomorrow: Joshua 10-11

Deuteronomy 22-25

God’s message to me: Do not show favoritism. Be evenhanded in all dealings. Be fair and just.

Promises: Life will be well with you so long as your dealings are honest, fair, and even handed.

Commands: If you see something wrong you have a duty to help. Ignoring the problem doesn’t make it go away. Considering it someone else's business just isn’t helpful to anyone.

Timeless principles: We see some basic civil rules here as well. Rooftops were typically flat and a parapet is a low wall around the roof to prevent accidental falls. Without one the owner is liable for harm to those who do fall.

Times change, civilization advances, people get new attitudes but, SEXUAL SIN REMAINS THE SAME. No amount of political correctness will change God’s view on this. “The world is different now” is not an excuse. It’s not different. The Old Testament is discussing the same issues 6000 years ago that we are claiming should change our views since the sexual revolution of the 1960’s. Adultery, prostitution, homosexuality, bestiality, child molestation, and the list goes on. These are not new, they are not reasonable or natural and they are always sin.

How can I apply what I’ve learned: A man in the western US recently followed the principle of the gleanings. Having taken only the base portion of his harvest he left the field and arranged a day when people could come and gather the remainder. Thousands showed up and picked the fields clean, grateful for the opportunity to gather food for their families. Imagine if every US farm followed this practice, what would be left of our hunger problems.

more to learn for in-depth study: This section is filled with commands as the law of Israel is repeated and extended. The book of the law is a separate text but it would be easy to recreate it by simply gathering the laws written in the first five books of the bible. Keep in mind the bible is not intended to give you a comprehensive picture of Israel at the time, but to provide you with the details God wanted to pass on for the purpose of teaching us truth. Israel’s history, legends and a lot of details not useful to our study but, interesting historically, can be found in the Jewish Talmud.

Edomites were the children of Esau, twin brother to Jacob who was named Israel by God. they were to be considered brothers to the nation of Israel. Egypt was the nursery in which the young nation of Israel was reared and they were to be considered friends.

tomorrow: Deuteronomy 26-28

Numbers 25-26

God’s message to me: Political correctness would tell us that we should be tolerant. It even claims to be a biblical principle. The fact is, that you can not tolerate sin. It’s one thing to be a witness and to even be friends with unbelievers. It is something entirely different to tolerate what you know to be wrong.

Promises: Obedience to God and a willingness to stand up for His principles will lead to His grace, mercy and blessing.

Commands: Do not tolerate sin and do not remain with those who promote it. People often think that, because Christ had dinner with sinners, they can be friends with and hang around unrepentant sinners. This is not the case. Christ came among sinners in order to witness to them and bring them out. Those he kept company with for extended periods were the people who abandoned their old ways and followed Him. Remaining among sin places undo temptation on you and makes it easier to fall into sin.

When Israelites began to join in the sins of the Midianites God sent a plague and killed 24,000 of them. Some left the camp and The son of the High priest killed an Israelite who was openly taking a harlot to his tent along with the harlot. His zeal in putting a stop to this open rebellion against God convinced God to stop the plague. God ordered that they attack the Midianites and drive them off so the temptation would be gone.

Timeless principles: Tolerance leads to acceptance. Whenever the righteous spent time close to those who were not it was not long before they turned against God’s law. Being near Idolaters they began to spend time with them, they accepted invitations to dinner where meat of a sacrifice to Idols was the main course, they followed by worshiping with the idolaters and become idolaters themselves. Prostitution was common among the neighbors so they tolerated it and eventually joined in it.

The old saying says, “if you lie down with dogs you get up with fleas”. This story shows that principle and reminds us why we cannot be tolerant of sin. “hate the sin and love the sinner”. I always get a kick out of people who call me a “homophobe” and then try to accuse me of hypocrisy because I associate with some gay people. I don’t fear homosexuals I just accept that they are directly and unrepentantly violating God’s law. I make no secret of how I feel about their lifestyle. I don’t hang out with them but, inasmuch as our paths cross(one is a neighbor, others I have worked with) I act in a civil and even friendly manner. I am willing to help them when they need it. I do as God would have me do in acting out of Christian love and condemning the sinful lifestyle. This is not phobia and it is not hypocrisy. The same goes for drug addicts and alcoholics and the “dogs” that think sex is a recreational sport with no boundaries.

How can I apply what I’ve learned: Do not hang around when others are doing wrong. Don’t tolerate their sin. Call them on it. If they don’t stop walk away from the situation. If they encourage you to join their sin they are not friends they are evil and will bring you down. Get away from them.

more to learn for in-depth study: After their years in the wilderness, a new census was taken. Except for Moses, Caleb and Joshua, all of the people who had been counted in the first census were dead. Only their children remained. Their numbers had grown a little despite the plagues and disasters that had fallen as a result of their rebellions against God.

tomorrow: Numbers 27-30