Joshua 9:3-6 The Lie

 3But when the inhabitants of Gibeon heard what Joshua had done to Jericho and Ai, 4they worked craftily, and went and [b]pretended to be ambassadors. And they took old sacks on their donkeys, old wineskins torn and [c]mended, 5old and patched sandals on their feet, and old garments on themselves; and all the bread of their provision was dry and moldy. 6And they went to Joshua, to the camp at Gilgal, and said to him and to the men of Israel, “We have come from a far country; now therefore, make a [d]covenant with us.”

Did Joshua forget this from Exodus? 

Exodus23:23-24- 23 "For My Angel will go before you and bring you in to the Amorites and the Hittites and the Perizzites and the Canaanites and the Hivites and the Jebusites; and I will cut them off. 24 "You shall not bow down to their gods, nor serve them, nor do according to their works; but you shall utterly overthrow them and completely break down their [sacred] pillars.

They worked craftily, pretended and lied! “We came from a far country”!

I’m old enough to remember President Ronald Reagan’s famous saying, “trust but verify”.

Unfortunately as part of our human condition, we forget history and fail to learn from it.

What will Joshua do? Stay tuned or read ahead!

Blessings 

Joshua 9:1-2 Be Afraid, Be Very Afraid!

 1And it came to pass when all the kings who were on this side of the Jordan, in the hills and in the lowland and in all the coasts of the Great Sea toward Lebanon—the Hittite, the Amorite, the Canaanite, the Perizzite, the Hivite, and the Jebusite—heard about it, 2that they gathered together to fight with Joshua and Israel with one [a]accord.

Be Afraid, Be Very Afraid!

“When the Canaanite kings heard how the LORD delivered Jericho to Israel, they had reason to be afraid. When they heard how the LORD gave them victory over Ai, they had reason to be afraid.” (Guzik)

Psalm 56:3 (ESV) 3  When I am afraid, I put my trust in you.

Mark 4:40 (ESV) 40 He said to them, “Why are you so afraid? Have you still no faith?”

Psalm 23:4 (ESV) 4  Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.

John Newton’s hymn : “How sweet the name of Jesus sounds In a believer’s ear!

It soothes his sorrows, heals his wounds, And drives away his fear.”

Should the Christian fear death? No! Because the moment we leave the world we will be transformed and be in our heavenly home!

But what about the person who doesn’t have Christ?

Luke 16: 22So it was that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels to Abraham’s bosom. The rich man also died and was buried. 23And being in torments in Hades, he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom.

24“Then he cried and said, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus that he may dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame.’ 25But Abraham said, ‘Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things; but now he is comforted and you are tormented.

If you don’t have Christ be afraid, be very afraid because your fate will be that of the rich man!

Dear Jesus, thank you for Your free gift of salvation. I pray that those reading this will seek You with all their heart for the forgiveness of their sins and accept you as Your Lord and Savior. Amen.

Blessings 

Joshua 8:32-35 Not a Word!

 32And there, in the presence of the children of Israel, he wrote on the stones a copy of the law of Moses, which he had written. 33Then all Israel, with their elders and officers and judges, stood on either side of the ark before the priests, the Levites, who bore the ark of the covenant of the Lord, the stranger as well as he who was born among them. Half of them were in front of Mount Gerizim and half of them in front of Mount Ebal, as Moses the servant of the Lord had commanded before, that they should bless the people of Israel. 34And afterward he read all the words of the law, the blessings and the cursings, according to all that is written in the Book of the Law. 35There was not a word of all that Moses had commanded which Joshua did not read before all the assembly of Israel, with the women, the little ones, and the strangers who were living among them.

Not a word

Revelation 20:12 And I saw the dead, small and great, standing before God, and books were opened. And another book was opened, which is the Book of Life. And the dead were judged according to their works, by the things which were written in the books.

When Joshua spoke the words that Moses commanded, not a word was left out! When he spoke, the multitude of people spoke not a word!

When the books are opened, the small and great multitude of people standing before God, spoke not a word!

Judgement day is coming, how can you keep silent? 

We will be judged on the words we spoke? 

But more importantly we will be judged because we didn’t speak and proclaim, 

not a word about Jesus Christ and His free gift of salvation?

What will you say when HE asks why you spoke not a word on His behalf?

Blessings 

Joshua 8:30-31 Promises Made, Promises Kept!

 30At that time Joshua built an altar on Mount Ebal to the LORD, the God of Israel, 31just as Moses the servant of the LORD had commanded the Israelites. He built it according to what is written in the Book of the Law of Moses: “an altar of uncut stones on which no iron tool has been used.”e And on it they offered burnt offerings to the LORD, and they sacrificed peace offerings.

Deuteronomy 27: 2And on the day you cross the Jordan into the land that the LORD your God is giving you, set up large stones and coat them with plaster. 3Write on them all the words of this law when you have crossed over to enter the land that the LORD your God is giving you, a land flowing with milk and honey, just as the LORD, the God of your fathers, has promised you. 4And when you have crossed the Jordan, you are to set up these stones on Mount Ebal, as I am commanding you today, and you are to coat them with plaster.

Promises Made, Promises Kept!

Notice these words, “has promised you”!

Jesus has made a promise too!

John 10: 28I give them eternal life, and they will never perish. No one can snatch them out of My hand. 29My Father who has given them to Me is greater than all. No one can snatch them out of My Father’s hand. 30I and the Father are one.”

Jesus made an open declaration, a promise!

I love Jesus and I openly declare I believe Him and that He will keep His promise.

I look forward to my heavenly home!

Do you?

Blessings 

 

Joshua 8:21-29 Sin and Justice

 21Now when Joshua and all Israel saw that the ambush had taken the city and that the smoke of the city ascended, they turned back and struck down the men of Ai. 22Then the others came out of the city against them; so they were caught in the midst of Israel, some on this side and some on that side. And they struck them down, so that they let none of them remain or escape. 23But the king of Ai they took alive, and brought him to Joshua.

24And it came to pass when Israel had made an end of slaying all the inhabitants of Ai in the field, in the wilderness where they pursued them, and when they all had fallen by the edge of the sword until they were consumed, that all the Israelites returned to Ai and struck it with the edge of the sword. 25So it was that all who fell that day, both men and women, were twelve thousand—all the people of Ai. 26For Joshua did not draw back his hand, with which he stretched out the spear, until he had utterly destroyed all the inhabitants of Ai. 27Only the livestock and the spoil of that city Israel took as booty for themselves, according to the word of the Lord which He had commanded Joshua. 28So Joshua burned Ai and made it a heap forever, a desolation to this day. 29And the king of Ai he hanged on a tree until evening. And as soon as the sun was down, Joshua commanded that they should take his corpse down from the tree, cast it at the entrance of the gate of the city, and raise over it a great heap of stones that remains to this day.

Sin and Justice 

Joshua was the Lord’s hand of justice because of the sin of Ai and its inhabitants. Joshua crushed and showed no mercy as the Lord directed him. It may be hard for us to understand, why the women and children? The Lord was cleansing the land and He promises to do it in finality once again!

Isaiah 65:17 “For behold, I create new heavens and a new earth; And the former shall not be remembered or come to mind.

Consider your life and how you have lived it. Are you forgiven by the blood 🩸 of Jesus, or will your fate be similar to the inhabitants of Ai?

Matthew 13: 49So will it be at the end of the age: The angels will come and separate the wicked from the righteous, 50and throw them into the fiery furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

Blessings 

Joshua 8:18-20 Turned Back

 18Then the Lord said to Joshua, “Stretch out the spear that is in your hand toward Ai, for I will give it into your hand.” And Joshua stretched out the spear that was in his hand toward the city. 19So those in ambush arose quickly out of their place; they ran as soon as he had stretched out his hand, and they entered the city and took it, and hurried to set the city on fire. 20And when the men of Ai looked behind them, they saw, and behold, the smoke of the city ascended to heaven. So they had no power to flee this way or that way, and the people who had fled to the wilderness turned back on the pursuers.

Turned Back.

Joshua’s army turned back on the army of Ai and will soon destroy it!

How long have you been running from the Lord? Turn back before it’s too late!

Matthew 24: 37But as the days of Noah were, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be.

Matthew 24: 44Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.

Are you ready for the Son of Man, are you born again?

You will have “no power to flee this way or that way”……

Blessings 

Joshua 8:14-17 Ambush

 14Now it happened, when the king of Ai saw it, that the men of the city hurried and rose early and went out against Israel to battle, he and all his people, at an appointed place before the plain. But he did not know that there was an ambush against him behind the city. 15And Joshua and all Israel made as if they were beaten before them, and fled by the way of the wilderness. 16So all the people who were in Ai were called together to pursue them. And they pursued Joshua and were drawn away from the city. 17There was not a man left in Ai or Bethel who did not go out after Israel. So they left the city open and pursued Israel.

Ambush

“The men of Ai tried the exact same strategy against Israel as before. Generally, Satan will stick with a strategy against us until it doesn’t work anymore.” (Guzik)

Ephesians 6:11 Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.

John 8:44 You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it.

The devil waits to ambush you through your weaknesses, he uses wiles and lies to get you to sin and fall from grace to dishonor God. 

Your job if you choose to accept it is to figure out the pattern of the devils ambush so the strategy against you doesn’t work anymore!

How will the devil attempt to ambush you today?

Blessings