It is been a long while since I updated my reader on the activity and progress of the Israelites. I regret to admit this is because I have not actually read of it until today. As humbling as it is, this blog is a great way for me to keep myself accountable to reading and pondering God's incredible Word. And truly, it is so important to do so. The last week or so I have felt very dry once again and when I realized that I had not read God's very words I understood. Indeed, God's words are a refresher to the soul. So without further ado, let us discover how the Israelites are faring. After a complete victory over several thousand men, the Israelites were surely feeling confident in their God. Possibly to increase this confidence and to rid the earth of some very wicked cities, God decided to allow the Israelites to become victors once more. Once again the surrounding nations heard of the victory of the Israelites over their enemies and decided to wage war on them. This time no
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Last time we left the Israelites licking their wounds for being duped, yet again. Thankfully this would not last long. Though the Israelites knew that making a peace treaty with the Gibeonites was not in the will of the Lord, He still used it for the best. With that said, it is time to dive into this rich chapter. Yet again, the chapter starts by informing us that the opposing kings of multiple cities are scared out of their mind. In this chapter five kings decided to ban together to fight against Gibeon after learning that they were in a treaty with Israel, probably hoping that defeating one city would pose less of a threat to them than both cities combined. Of course the Gibeonites were terrified to see five armies marching toward them so cried out for help from the Israelites. Joshua wasted no time and quickly came to their aid. He set out with his mighty army and with personal assurance from God that they would be successful. Needless to say, all five armies were soon fleeing in te
Well, today I seem to have no drive to post on this chapter. Basically the Israelites were tricked into making a treaty with an enemy nation because they did not talk to God before they made their decision. Oh, the silly mistakes we make. ~Elisabeth
After such a humiliating defeat and tragic end to many men of Israel we are right back were we started. One little city in the way and a whole host of Israelites unable to defeat it. If I were Joshua I would want to sit down and give up right there as he was probably thinking about doing. However, God said to Joshua, " Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged. Take the whole army with you, and go up and attack Ai. For I have delivered into your hands the king of Ai, his people, his city and his land. 2 You shall do to Ai and its king as you did to Jericho and its king, except that you may carry off their plunder and livestock for yourselves. Set an ambush behind the city." Notice that this time God is on their side whereas the last time they tried to defeat Ai there is no reference to God speaking to Joshua about the matter.
With this assurance Joshua begins to create a brillant plan of attack. Joshua stations 5,000 men behind the city to form an ambush. Then he takes over
Last time we saw how the Israelites (with the help of God) fell an entire wall and conquered a city with little to no effort. Things were going really well, until some people became greedy. We all know people who simply cannot get enough and are never happy with what they do have. Well, these were some of those kinds of people. It was not enough for them that they were able to conquer an entire city, now they wanted some of the plunder. In the last chapter God specifically told to people not to take any of the plunder but to save only the gold and silver for the Lord. However, a few of these greedy people decided to take some for themselves anyway supposing God would not find out. (Ha, ha, ha) This caused them to suffer later was we will soon see. The Israelites set out to defeat a small tribe of people. They only sent a few thousand people because of their confidence and the small number of enemies. Unfortunately, they were absolutely walloped. It turned out that this was a result of
So this is the moment we have all been waiting for, the day Israel finally conquers their enemies and takes the Promised land by...walking around a wall? I am sure many of you have heard the classic story of the fall of the Jericho wall but I want to take another look at it because there are always juicy details that we seem to miss as we read through the story. The first thing I wanted to point out is the state of the inhabitants of Jericho. In the cartoons we always see the people (or veggies) mocking Israel from the top of the wall, this is not what happened! Remember yesterday how I stated that many of the kings were paralyzed with fear because of the Israelites and their God, well, they were not the only ones. Joshua 6 starts, "now Jericho was tightly shut because of the sons of Israel; no one went out and no one came in." Think about it, isn't a little odd that no one is going in or out of the city for food, water, or supplies? Usually cities are open all day and on
I am really excited to read and write about the fall of the walls of Jericho but have no time now so I would like to give you a little preview to get you ready for the amazing story. "As to the main fact, then, there remains no doubt: the walls [of the city] fell outwards so completely that the attackers would be able to clamber up and over their ruins into the city." Prof. John Garstang
The more I read the Bible the more convinced I am that our God is an awesome God. Truly there is none like Him. He parts seas, conquers nations and a multitude of other things. The great thing about that is, Christians are not the only ones who realize it. James 2:19 says, "even the demons believe-and shutter." I think this is the reaction of many who see the work of God but are not in a relationship with Him; it is frightening to know what He can do without knowing how full of grace and mercy He is. The reason I say all of this is because the opening sentence in Joshua chapter 5 is " Now when all the Amorite kings west of the Jordan and all the Canaanite kings along the coast heard how the LORD had dried up the Jordan before the Israelites until we had crossed over, their hearts melted and they no longer had the courage to face the Israelites." Imagine this scenario for a second. Some of the most powerful kings can't fall asleep at night because they know th
A few days ago I started the amazing book of Joshua. I always knew that Joshua was an incredible, godly man but I don't think I understood just how dedicated he was. We often think that Joshua simply became the next leader of Israel because Moses died. The fact is that he was preparing for it for years. If you recall, Joshua was Moses' disciple for many years and on of the twelve spies who believed in God rather than man. So this man was equipped with the teachings of God's chosen leader and an unwavering belief in God. With this background God Himself spoke to him. God informed Joshua that he would now be the leader of the Israelites and that it would be his task to bring them into the Promised land. Now this may seem like a simple task, especially with the Almighty God on his side but even with this assurance leading several thousand rebellious people into an unknown land is daunting. Little wonder God told Joshua three times, "be strong and courageous" for I am
What a long time it has been since I posted on this poor neglected blog. I fear this blog is a reflection of my walk with God. I will start excited and ready to give Him my all and end depressed, distant and lazy. It is just as I stated in my last post, we rebel, have to sacrifice and thank the Lord, have grace. Therefore, I wish to start again because with Christ I can do this. Yes I am still reading my Bible but not nearly as closely as I should and I know I am missing out on a lot of great stuff because of this laziness. So in an effort to stay accountable and really find joy in and a love for God's word I am going to post on each chapter I read in my journey through the Bible. This will force me to really think about it and will make me feel more motivated to read God's precious word which I often take for granted. As my reader I ask that you hold me accountable to this task. So without further ado, lets jump in! Trying, ~Elisabeth