God Speaks
Success in Securing God’s Promises Requires Complete Obedience and Rededication
Verse of the Day: The LORD said to Joshua, “Stand up! What are you doing down on your face? Israel has sinned; they have violated my covenant, which I commanded them to keep. . . . I will not be with you anymore unless you destroy whatever among you is devoted to destruction. (Joshua 7:10, 12 NIV 2011)
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We Respond
Reflection: Consider the following questions regarding Joshua 5-8:
1. What does this chapter tell me about God?
2. What does this chapter tell me about the human beings He created?
Here is one possible answer to each of these questions. Ask the Holy Spirit if there are any others for you personally to ponder.
Joshua 5
1. The LORD God uses miracles like providing dry pathways through the Red Sea and the Jordan River at flood stage to protect His people and to cause others to lose heart and to fear Him.
2. At times, God’s people need to renew their commitment to Him by performing His prescribed ceremonies of identification: circumcision and Passover.
Joshua 6
1. The LORD God gives His people explicit instructions that He expects them to follow.
2. People are to obey the LORD precisely, dedicate the results of their victories to Him, and keep their promises to Him and to other people.
Joshua 7
1. At times, as in the case of Achan, God holds those close to people who perpetrate evil responsible for the actions of their relative, friend or neighbor.
2. Many people may suffer because of the actions of a few evil people; therefore, in tough love, we need to be alert and take action to prevent harm before it spreads.
Joshua 8
1. If people repent and bring their problems to Him, the LORD God will forgive their sin and give them another chance to do things right under His direction.
2. People need constant reminders of what God expects of them and the consequences of their decisions and actions.
Prayer:
3. How might I pray regarding Joshua 5-8?
Dear LORD God, my Heavenly Father, thank You that I don’t have to lose heart or be paralyzed by fear because of Your great love. At times, You make Your instructions as clear to me as You did with Joshua in preparing flint knives for circumcision. Please help me to be as obedient as those men were. Please make me ready for the spiritual and social-emotional (and legal/political) battles ahead. Please heal me of anything that would hinder me from serving You and Your people effectively. Show me the meaning of Passover and help me to apply it in my life properly. I always want to fight the battles I face in Your strength and authority, not my own, for then I am assured of victory. May I do as I am told and hold You in highest regard. May I and all of Your loyal subjects have worshiping and praising You as our first priority. Battles should always be fought with You at the center, but everyone should be engaged in some way. May we quiet our hearts so that we can hear and obey Your instructions. Some days will be short and relatively easy, while others will be long and involved. Help us to know Your presence wherever we are and whatever we do in obedience to You, LORD. Help us to keep our promises to You and to other people. When necessary, may we speak and/or carry out any curses as You direct. Then Your reputation (and ours) will spread throughout the land and the world, bringing You glory, LORD. Dear Father in Heaven, please keep me alert to sins like covetousness that are affecting my attitudes and actions. Please root them out of my mind and heart. Whenever I do sin, please help me to turn to You quickly for forgiveness and cleansing through the blood Jesus shed on the cross for me. Don’t let me sin by putting confidence in my own strength but totally rely on You and do whatever You say. May I and other believers continually seek to honor Your great name. Help us to properly deal with “sin in the camp.” May we humbly purify ourselves, then show us where the source of the problem lies and aid us in obeying You in solving the issue. Then may we take strength and courage from You in order to fight the battles You have set before us. You have promised us success when we follow your plans. When a particular battle has been won, may we gather together and review the blessings and curses outlined in the Bible. All for our good and Your glory, LORD. AMEN
Action: (Ask God, the Holy Spirit, if He wants you to work on one of the suggestions below or something else more personal that He points out.)
4. What action does the LORD want me to take in response to Joshua 5-6? With the help of God’s Holy Spirit:
- I will cut out of my life anything that I fear more than the LORD God or that is keeping me from giving myself completely to Him, such as fearing what others might think of my biblical, firm, and loving stance on various issues of the day.
- I will symbolically or literally do a “Jericho march” for seven days concerning a problem in my life, my family, my community, or my nation.
- I will listen to and obey whatever the LORD God says. He knows best.
- I will regularly gather with God’s people to hear God’s Book of Instructions read and explained. Then I seek to carry it out in my daily life.
Share: I will share what I’ve learned with __________.