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SUMMARY: Faith doesn’t make things easy; it does something far better: It makes things possible! So remember that wherever God calls you to walk today, He’s already there, waiting for you. That’s why He calls you to those steps of faith; that’s how He gives you an enduring testimony. Best of all, when you step out, your faith—the very stuff that’s necessary to please God—is dramatically increased. Your faith begets more faith! Today, get ready to walk the walk of faith!
God Speaks—I Obey // Focus: Joshua 3:9,13
Tell the priests who carry the ark of the covenant: ‘When you reach the edge of the Jordan’s waters, go and stand in the river.’ … And as soon as the priests who carry the ark of the Lord—the Lord of all the earth—set foot in the Jordan, its waters flowing downstream will be cut off and stand up in a heap.
In matters great and small, God always calls his people to steps of faith. It is simply the law of the Kingdom. Expressing faith in the spiritual realm is akin to inhaling oxygen in the physical realm. That is just the way God operates. In fact, so fundamental to our relationship with God is faith that the writer of Hebrews explains,
No one can please God without faith, for whoever comes to God must have faith that God exists and rewards those who seek him. (Hebrews 11:6 TEV)
In this case, the Israelites needed to cross the Jordan River to take possession of the land God had promised them. Furthermore, the river was at flood stage. Interestingly, the Promised Land never meant a lack of problems, challenges, obstacles, and otherwise “impossible” situations. In fact, just the opposite is true—there will be more problems, challenges, obstacles, and impossibilities in your Promised Land that will require God to show up and act on your behalf. As has been rightly noted: There is no testimony without a test!
Yet if God had helped the Israelites all along the way through their forty years in the wilderness, he would have a plan for them this time, too. And he did! So, what was the Divine plan? They were simply to have the priests carry the Ark of the Covenant to the banks of the swollen Jordan River, then step out into the river’s swirling currents—and as soon as they do, God will dam the flooding Jordan upriver, and two million Israelites will walk across on dry land. Simple, but not easy!
Of course, they obeyed, God did what he said he would do, and the Israelites crossed on dry ground.
Now we get to read ahead in the story, so no big deal, right? But think of it from their real-time perspective—especially the priests. This was a seriously risky step God was asking them to take.
So, since the Bible tells us that without faith it is impossible to please God, he will make sure we, too, have plenty of opportunities to express it—and on some occasions, that will mean stepping into our own Jordan River at flood stage. And like the Israelites, we will have to take that step without the perspective of already knowing the end of the story? Given that, what can we learn from these Israelites in this moment about those steps of faith? Two things to keep in mind:
First, God already knows the end of the story, even though we don’t. We only see the next step, which often looks scary and impossible. God sees the rest of the road ahead, and he will never ask of us a step that will harm us, but only that which will strengthen our confidence in his care and competence. Furthermore, while it seems we are taking a step into thin air, God’s track record of faithfulness is to build the highway of faith under our feet, albeit one step at a time. So go ahead—take the step!
Second, God’s purpose in our steps of faith is always to bring greater glory to himself—through us. Notice what Joshua said to the Israelites at the end of the story in Joshua 4:20-24—after they had, indeed, walked across the raging Jordan during flood stage on dry ground,
And Joshua set up at Gilgal the twelve stones they had taken out of the Jordan. He said to the Israelites, “In the future when your descendants ask their fathers, ‘What do these stones mean?’ tell them, ‘Israel crossed the Jordan on dry ground.’ For the Lord your God dried up the Jordan before you until you had crossed over. The Lord your God did to the Jordan just what he had done to the Red Sea when he dried it up before us until we had crossed over. He did this so that all the peoples of the earth might know that the hand of the Lord is powerful and so that you might always fear the Lord your God.”
Faith makes things possible, not easy! Steps of faith from your perspective will never be comfortable. But you can trust God, whose best work comes as you take those steps. And while he does the impossible and he brings glory to himself, he is giving you an enduring testimony. Best of all, when you step into your Jordan, the very stuff that is necessary to pleasing God—faith—is dramatically increased in your life.
So go ahead—take that step!
Choose You This Day: Are you being called to take a step of faith? Remember, God is already waiting where you are walking. So, what are you waiting for? Step out!
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When God Speaks—Be Quick to Obey! SUMMARY: God has no grandchildren. Each generation is responsible to seek God for itself. And it is the parents’ responsibility to drill that into their children. They may reject their parents’ faith, but not because the parents didn’t do their best to inculcate their kids with the knowledge of God. If the parents fail to do this, or if the kids refuse to accept this, the outcome will be predictable: Prosperity … Rebellion … Consequence … Repentance … Restoration … Prosperity … Rebellion Consequence. Repentance. It is the vicious cycle of rebellion and restoration. It would be a lot simpler and far better if we stayed in the restoration zone.
God Speaks—I Obey // Focus: Judges 2:10-14,16
After Joshua’s generation died, another generation grew up who did not acknowledge the Lord or remember the mighty things He had done for Israel. Then the Israelites did evil in the Lord’s sight and served the images of Baal. They abandoned the God of their ancestors who had brought them out of Egypt. They went after other gods, worshiping the gods of the people around them. And they angered the Lord. They abandoned Him to serve Baal and the images of Ashtoreth. This made the Lord burn with anger against Israel, so He handed them over to raiders who stole their possessions. He turned them over to their enemies all around, and they were no longer able to resist them.
Prosperity. Rebellion. Consequence. Repentance. Restoration. Prosperity. Rebellion. Consequence. Repentance. Restoration, Prosperity. Rebellion…
That is the sad cycle of Judges. So be warned: you will get a lot of that as you read this book. In many ways, it is a frustrating, if not depressing, history, but such is the dark reality of life in rebellion against God. Yet within this collection of stories that take place over the 400 years between Joshua’s death and the arrival of Samuel the prophet, you will also find sun breaks of God’s grace, inspiring stories of heroic men and woman who stepped in to lead Israel to revival, and invaluable life application for those who are serious about obeying their covenant of love with God.
This second chapter is both a preview and an overview of the book of Judges. The verse above captures the problem: when Joshua and his generation died, the baton was somehow dropped to the next generation, and for whatever reason, they “knew neither the Lord nor what he had done.”
Therein lies the problem that has perpetually haunted God’s people. The next generation somehow misses out on knowing God. Interesting, and sad, isn’t it! Their parents knew God, enjoyed his favor, experienced his presence, and walked in obedience before him. But their kids missed out. What the parents knew and loved didn’t transfer to the children. For the next generation, “the God of my fathers” never became “my Lord and my God!”
Why? Who knows for sure, but just as we have seen within our own families, there are different reasons. Perhaps the parents were so busy with God stuff that they didn’t include their kids. Maybe the parents assumed their faith would simply transfer, sort of by osmosis, to their children. It could be that the next generation grew up with a sense of entitlement—that they deserved God’s presence and his favor. It might be that the kids vicariously lived out their parents’ spirituality. Or it is possible that these children grew up around the holy, and it just became so common that their sense of God became jaded. There are many possibilities, but whatever the reason, the God of their fathers never became their God.
The deal is, God has no grandchildren. Each generation is responsible to seek God for itself. And it is the responsibility of the parents to drill that into their kids, early and often. At the end of the day, they may reject their parents’ faith, but not because the parents didn’t do their best to inculcate their kids with the knowledge of God.
If the parents fail to do this, or if their kids refuse to accept this, the outcome will be predictable: Prosperity. Rebellion. Consequence. Repentance. Restoration. Prosperity. Rebellion. Consequence. Repentance. It is the vicious cycle of rebellion and restoration. It would just be a lot simpler and far better if we would just stay in the restoration zone.
What is the key to avoiding the Judges syndrome: Know God and remember what he has done. That is not a passive thing, but an active laying hold of the things of the Lord. It takes consistent, dogged intentionality, but it is well worth the effort.
Going Deeper With God: Sit your children or grandchildren down and tell them of the goodness of God. Then invite them to know God personally. Help them to accept your God as their own personal Lord and Savior. Do it today!
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When God Speaks—Be Quick to Obey! Summary: You may not see what God is up to, but he is up to something good—and that includes his good plans for you. Yes, God is fulfilling his purposes for his own glory, but he is also working out the details of your life for your good. Don’t let circumstances tell you otherwise. You may be tempted to flee in fear, and God’s enemies may be fighting mad at God, and anything God loves, which includes you, but at the same time, God is repurposing even the most unlikely sources, as we will see in our featured verse today, the “Rahabs” in your world, as instruments of His inexorable plan.
God Speaks—I Obey // Focus: Joshua 2:7-11
So the king’s men went looking for the spies along the road leading to the shallow crossings of the Jordan River. And as soon as the king’s men had left, the gate of Jericho was shut. Before the spies went to sleep that night, Rahab went up on the roof to talk with them. “I know the Lord has given you this land,” she told them. “We are all afraid of you. Everyone in the land is living in terror. For we have heard how the Lord made a dry path for you through the Red Sea when you left Egypt. And we know what you did to Sihon and Og, the two Amorite kings east of the Jordan River, whose people you completely destroyed. No wonder our hearts have melted in fear! No one has the courage to fight after hearing such things. For the Lord your God is the supreme God of the heavens above and the earth below.
God is always at work, even when we cannot see it. God is always fulfilling his glorious purposes, which include perfecting everything that concerns you and me. Perhaps you should memorize, meditate on, and quote Psalm 138:8 as I have,
The Lord will perfect that which concerns me. (Psalm 138:8)
At times, God is working in visible, dramatic, and undeniable ways. We will see an example of that very thing a few chapters later, when in Joshua 6 the walls of the city of Jericho miraculously fall. Those kinds of stories are strategically placed throughout scripture to build our confidence in God. But between those faith stories, which are long stretches of time, God’s work is not so visible. He is not inactive, mind you; his work is just invisible. You see, most of the time God is behind the scenes, working in unseen ways, as is the case here in Joshua 2. The Israelite spies Joshua sent out to size up Jericho have entered the city, but word has gotten out, and now the authorities are looking for them. Their lives are at risk. They don’t see that God is at work—not yet anyway. For all they know, they’re toast!
Then Rehab rescues the day. Yes, Rahab—an idol-worshipping, streetwalking, “lady of the night.” At great risk to her own life and that of her family, she hides the spies and tricks the authorities, making it possible for the two deep-cover Israelites to make it out alive. What the two spies didn’t know at the time was that God was working on their behalf by working on a prostitute, whom he would use in such a significant act of faith that her bravery would land her in God’s Great Hall of Faith. (cf., Hebrews 11:30-31)
As she spoke with the spies, this lady of questionable character was laying down some unquestionable theology: the work of God on Israel’s behalf was striking fear in the hearts of Israel’s enemies. The mighty acts of deliverance forty years prior in Egypt and over the decades of Israel’s wandering in the desert had been sending shock waves into the unseen realm, and the principalities and powers that opposed God, and everything of God, were quaking in their boots. God had been at work all along on Israel’s behalf, and they didn’t even know it.
What is interesting here is how the different actors respond. The enemies of God are fighting mad. The men of God are fleeing in fear. The woman of the night is responding in faith. And over it all, God is at work, fulfilling his purposes and perfecting everything that concerns his people—redeeming a prostitute, rescuing the spies, and redirecting the bounty hunters.
That is true for you, too. You may not see what God is up to, but he is up to good. He is fulfilling his purposes for his own glory and working out the details of your life for your good. Don’t let circumstances tell you otherwise. You may be tempted to flee in fear, and God’s enemies may be fighting mad—at both God and you. But at the same time, God will be repurposing even the most unlikely sources, the Rahabs in your world, as instruments of faith.
What you see isn’t all that is going on. Never forget that. And learn to trust God’s unseen but unstoppable work on your behalf.
Choose You This Day: You may be facing forces today that are out to cause you harm. Take courage: God is also aligning a Rahab or two to work on your behalf. Take a moment to thank God in advance for the good he is bringing about, even though you don’t see it yet.
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When God Speaks—Be Quick to Obey! SUMMARY: We must remember that when it comes to sin, we are in a battle. It is an all-out war that we can and must win (and with God’s help, we will, since he is fighting for us!), but it is a war in which there can be no truce. It is total victory or utter defeat. Sin is your enemy, not your neighbor. Treat it ruthlessly!
God Speaks—I Obey // Focus: Judges 1:21
The tribe of Benjamin, however, failed to drive out the Jebusites, who were living in Jerusalem. So to this day the Jebusites live in Jerusalem among the people of Benjamin.
The tribe of Benjamin failed to drive out the Canaanites. So did the tribes of Judah (Judges 1:19), Manasseh (Judges 1:27), Ephraim (Judges 1:29), Zebulun (Judges 1:30) Asher (Judges 1:31), Naphtali (Judges 1:33) and while we are not explicitly told the tribe of Dan failed, apparently, they permitted their enemies to stay around the edge of their territory (Judges 1:24-26).
So basically, Israel failed to do what God commanded them to do when failure was not one of the options he gave his people.
And it came back to bite them! You see, pagan enemies always make bad neighbors. When Israel allowed the godless Canaanites to live in their midst, or even close in close proximity, over the 400 years time span that the book of Judges covered, early and often God’s people predictably fell victim to a variety of sinful influences these godless cultures embraced—sexual immorality, idol worship, child sacrifice, and if even worse, if that is possible. Let me say it again, because God said it over and over to his people:
Pagan enemies make bad neighbors!
Obviously, we are not commanded to literally drive non-believers out of our neighborhoods, our community groups, or our various governmental expressions—local, state, or federal (although the right to vote allows us to make those kinds of changes through legal means). That would be rather poor form these days, and, in reality, against the law. Instead, we are to witness to them of the grace of our Lord Jesus, model for them the redemptive love of God, and win over their hearts and minds to his kingdom.
Yet the spiritual application from Judges 1 is quite clear: Just as God commanded Israel to drive the pagan enemies out of the land that he had promised as their homeland, we have been called to deal just as ruthlessly with spiritual enemies in our homeland—our hearts and homes. Failure to do so will result in these worldly influences harassing us until the day we die. They will be a constant source of irritation at the very least, and at worst, perhaps even trainwreck our relationship with the people we love and with God. Moreover, when we allow godless influences into our homes, especially through the unfiltered and unchallenged consumption of media, we are exposing the vulnerable minds of our children and ourselves to these destructive pagan influences.
We must remember that when it comes to sin, we are in a battle. It is an all-out war that we can and must win (and with God’s help, we will, for he is fighting for us!), but it is a war in which there can be no truce. It is total victory or utter defeat.
That is not just because I say so; it is due to the nature of the conflict. The reason Jesus came, died, and rose again was to defeat the Enemy:
The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil’s work….Jesus shared in our humanity so that by his death he might break the power of him who holds the power of death—that is, the devil.” (1 John 3:8, Hebrews 2:14)
On the other hand, while Jesus’ purpose was to kill that which would steal, kill, and destroy us, the devil is committed to our utter defeat. He is not looking just to gain territory; he is not hoping that we coexist; he will not be satisfied with establishing a demilitarized zone with us; he wants to destroy us. He hates God, and everything of God, which includes you and me:
Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour. (1 Peter 5:8)
That is the nature of the conflict. C.S. Lewis rightly described it thus: “There is no neutral ground in the universe: every square inch, every split second is claimed by God and counterclaimed by Satan.” And your life is ground zero in this cosmic conflict. So take note, stay alert, be armed, and get ruthless with sin. And be encouraged, because you were made to win:
But you belong to God, my dear children. You have already won a victory over those people, because the Spirit who lives in you is greater than the spirit who lives in the world.” (1 John 4:4)
So just remember, spiritually speaking, pagan enemies make bad neighbors.
Choose You This Day: What are the “pagan enemies” that have moved into your “neighborhood,” that is, the worldly influences that you have allowed to hold sway over your mind, to infiltrate your home, to exert influence through your relationships, and/or who have input with the people over whom you are responsible? It is time to call them out and then kick them out. And why wouldn’t you? God is ready to help you.
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When God Speaks—Be Quick to Obey! SUMMARY: Happy New Year! May this be the best year ever for you moving forward in the most important aspect of life: Your walk with God. So, here’s some advice: We ought to learn from the past, both our mistakes and successes, but our focus needs to be on the future. As Christ followers, we are always standing at the edge of new opportunities that God has set before us, and the thing that will keep us from possessing our Promised Land is not menaces in front of us but memories of what is behind us, both good and bad. We’ve got to let go of the past to grab hold of the future!
God Speaks—I Obey // Focus: Joshua 1:1-2
After the death of Moses, the Lord’s servant, the Lord spoke to Joshua son of Nun, Moses’ assistant. He said, “Moses, my servant, is dead. Therefore, the time has come for you to lead these people, the Israelites, across the Jordan River into the land I am giving them.
Sarah Ban Breathnach offers sage advice for living in victory each and every day of our lives:
You’ve got to make a conscious choice every day to shed the old—whatever ‘the old’ means for you.
Think for a minute about the very first thing God said to Joshua after the death of Moses: “Moses is dead!” Obviously! Do you think Joshua didn’t know that? Joshua knew pretty much everything about Moses; he had been Moses’ right-hand man for most of the forty years the Israelites had wandered through the desert. In passing the leadership baton, Moses had just laid hands on Joshua and commissioned him to lead the people into the Promised Land in Moses’ place. Joshua was well aware that God had just taken Moses up the mountain to take his breath away for the final time. Obviously, Joshua knew Moses was dead.
So there is something more going on here than meets the eye. God isn’t revealing new information to Joshua. Rather, he is telling him that he is going to do a new work in a new way with a new person. In other words, Joshua needs to bury the past and get on with the future—starting now. In other words, “shed the old.” As someone has wisely pointed out, you cannot set sail for new horizons in your life if you are still tethered to the shore. You’ve got to let go of the past!
That means a couple of things: one, don’t lean on past successes, and two, don’t limit yourself by past failures. Don’t get stuck in the past—either good or bad! Moses represented both: unequaled successes in bringing Israel out of Egypt and unmitigated failure to get Israel into the Promised Land. I suspect that Joshua could have thought, “If Moses, the greatest leader of all time, couldn’t get the job done, what makes anyone think I can be successful?” So God says, “Hey Joshua, Moses is dead. Let it go. Don’t get caught up in the past; catch a new vision for what is ahead—I’m going to do a new thing in a new way through you.”
The apostle Paul wrote in Philippians 4: “But whatever was to my profit I now consider loss for the sake of Christ… Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.” (4:7,13-14) Shed the past; let it go. Catch a vision for the future and move resolutely toward it.
That is a good word for you and me—especially as we stand on the front edge of a brand-new year! We ought to learn from the past, both mistakes and successes, but our focus needs to be on the future. We are standing at the door of new opportunities that God has opened for us, our Promised Land, if you will, and the thing that will keep us from attaining them is not the menaces in front of us but the memories of our past, both good and bad.
What is it from your past that you need to let go of? Perhaps you are resting on your laurels from some past accomplishment, and you are thinking, “They’re good enough for today!” Maybe you are relying on a spiritual experience from years ago, but honestly, you have never moved on from it into a deeper dimension with God. Don’t make the mistake of assuming a good start ensures finishing well. On the other hand, maybe you are entangled from the guilt, fear, and condemnation of sin. Maybe a failure last year, a mistake that you made years ago, keeps you in bondage emotionally, relationally, or spiritually.
Hebrews 12 talks about the weights and sins that so easily beset us in our life’s race. So identify whatever it is that is holding you back from running a great race, good or bad, and declare over it, “Moses is dead!” In Joshua 1:11, Joshua says these words to the Israelites that I would encourage you to personalize, and say to over your past before you take another step: “I will cross my Jordan right here to go in and take possession of the land the Lord my God is giving me for my own.”
Let go of your past. Remember, you cannot set sail for new horizons if you are still tethered to the shore of yesterday. Today, God is going to do a new thing in a new way with a new person—you. So be strong and courageous, for your God will be with you each step of the way. (Joshua 1:9)
Choose You This Day: Make a list of both the mistakes and victories in your life from this past year. Carry that list with you and look at it throughout your day. Then put an “X” through the list and write over it, “Moses is dead!”
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