Day #54
Scripture Reading: Joshua 6-10 ...
Joshua 6-10 may be difficult for some to read and
even more difficult for some to understand. How could God order Joshua
and Israel to march into a land that was not theirs and kill men, women and
children? Some today point to things like this to explain why they don't
believe in the God of the Bible, Israel's God. Such savage behavior
cannot be the work of the same God who sent Jesus into the world to save all
who believe in Him! What most people
fail to understand, however, is that all people deserve God’s just judgment
against sin. The idea that “God hates the sin, but loves the sinner”
does not have the support of historical reality! Sin is a deadly plague that has infected all
of humanity and there is no cure apart from that which God Himself provides.
As I have pointed out previously, the only way to
approach the Bible is to ask yourself what each passage tells you about the God
whom we worship, the Creator of all things. Because the entire Bible is
the Word of God, only by looking at what each part reveals about God's
character do you get a complete picture of God Himself. And only when you
understand God's character will you understand why He had to send His own Son
to save people like you and me. We are
born in sin, spiritually dead, and unless God gives us life we will perish in
the same state. Without the plan of
salvation revealed in the Bible, God’s Word, mankind is utterly and completely
without hope. That’s why the Gospel of
Jesus Christ is GOOD NEWS!!
Many people today want to believe that people are
basically "good" and therefore unworthy of judgment. Most
people refuse to believe in a God who would judge mankind so harshly.
Yet, we have already witnessed the total destruction of the entire human
race, except for Noah and his family, in the flood. So now we see Israel's army entering the
promised land, the land God had promised to Abraham and his descendants
centuries before, and destroying entire cities ... because God told them to do
so. Speaking through Moses, God had told
Israel that their enemies were destroyed not because Israel was righteous, but
because of GOD’s righteousness and holiness.
Israel was spared only because of God’s grace and His decision to set His
love on these people and to bring from them the promised Savior. Even most of them would ultimately face His
just judgment.
The fall of Jericho illustrates both God’s judgment
against sin and His grace to His chosen people.
Israel needed to learn a lesson that all who believe in God today must
learn: dependence on God. Who could have planned the strategy that
Joshua and the people of Israel used against Jericho? March around the city, blow trumpets and
shout, and the walls will come down.
Then utterly defeat the city and take all you want ... well, almost all
you want. God gave them an amazing
victory that would surely encourage them as this wandering nation entered a
land promised to their forefathers hundreds of years earlier, when it was only
Jacob and his family. Certainly, this
was a great beginning to their campaign to take the land as their own. But their jubilation was short-lived.
The little city of Ai was next on their agenda, and
a plan was made to take only three thousand men to defeat the city. Surprise!
They were defeated and thirty-six men were killed. Their response? “The
hearts of the people melted and became like water” (7:5). What had happened? Even Joshua cried out to the Lord, asking why
God had brought them into this land if this is what was going to happen! God’s response, however, was clear and
concise: “Stand up! What are you doing
down on your face? Israel has sinned;
they have violated my covenant ... THAT is why the Israelites cannot stand
against their enemies ... I will not be
with you any more unless you destroy whatever among you is devoted to
destruction” (7:10-12).
After investigating God’s charge, Achan was found
to have taken some of the spoils. Once
again the punishment was swift: Israel
stoned Achan and his family. Then Joshua
and the army went up against Ai a second time and defeated them, for the LORD
was with them. Even here you see the
king of Ai being hung on a tree and left there until evening. How do we reconcile these things with the
picture of God in the New Testament; the God of love and grace and mercy?? The killing continued as Israel moved into
the land of Canaan, God even “stopping
the sun” so that Israel could defeat their enemies. Joshua said to them, “Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged. Be strong and courageous. This is what the LORD will do to all the
enemies you are going to fight” (10:25).
Then Joshua killed the five kings of the armies they were fighting and
hung them on trees until evening, celebrating the victory God had given them.
If you are thinking how horrible all of this is and
finding it difficult to understand how God could condone these things, it is
because you do not yet understand or accept the perfect holiness of God, His
just anger against sin and sinners, or His righteous judgment. God’s love for those whom He has chosen is
amazing only when you believe that “the
wages of sin is death, BUT the GIFT of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus
our Lord” (Romans 6:23). Apart from
the grace of God, His undeserved favor, you and I and all people would face
God’s just judgment. The message being
proclaimed today that “God’s loves
everybody” and that He accepts the religious acts of those who reject His
offer of salvation through faith in His Son is a lie from Satan himself!
We live in what the Bible calls the “day of salvation” (II Corinthians
6:2). God is the same God today that He
was in the days of Joshua. The only
difference is that God is being patient today, waiting for His plan to reach
its fulfillment, calling His chosen people to Himself through the Gospel of
Jesus Christ. There is only one way to avoid God’s judgment. Jesus says, “I am the Way, and the Truth and the Life. No one comes to the Father except through Me”
(John 14:6).
God offers forgiveness and life through faith in
Jesus today! Confess your sin, believe
in Jesus and rejoice in God’s amazing love and grace!!
"Father, I acknowledge that You are right when
You judge and that it is only by Your grace that anyone can stand before You
and not perish. Continue Your work in me, that I may testify to Your
greatness and be an instrument in Your hands to offer life to those who remain
in the darkness of sin and death. Thank you for saving me, through Your
Son Jesus Christ, to whom be praise now and forever. Amen"
Amen.
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