God Guided Israel (Josh. 24:8-10)

11/24/2009 8:53 AM

 

SPIRITUAL DIARY

 

My Worship Time                                        Focus:  God guided Israel

 

Bible Reading & Meditation                        Reference:  Joshua 24:8-10

 

            Message of the verses:  “8  ‘Then I brought you into the land of the Amorites who lived beyond the Jordan, and they fought with you; and I gave them into your hand, and you took possession of their land when I destroyed them before you. 9  ‘Then Balak the son of Zippor, king of Moab, arose and fought against Israel, and he sent and summoned Balaam the son of Beor to curse you. 10  ‘But I was not willing to listen to Balaam. So he had to bless you, and I delivered you from his hand.”

            This again is the Lord speaking through Joshua.  He goes on to tell about how He had used Israel to defeat the Amorites which were beyond the Jordan River and how the leader of the Amorites Balak had hired Balaam to curse Israel, but God would not allow him to do so and thus Israel defeated the Amorites.  Dr. Wiersbe writes:  “Whether Satan came against Israel as a lion (the army of the Amorites) or as the serpent (the curses of Balaam), the Lord defeated him.”

 

Next Focus:  God gave them their Land (Joshua 24:11-13).

           

 

            Message of the verses:  “11  ‘You crossed the Jordan and came to Jericho; and the citizens of Jericho fought against you, and the Amorite and the Perizzite and the Canaanite and the Hittite and the Girgashite, the Hivite and the Jebusite. Thus I gave them into your hand. 12  ‘Then I sent the hornet before you and it drove out the two kings of the Amorites from before you, but not by your sword or your bow. 13  ‘I gave you a land on which you had not labored, and cities which you had not built, and you have lived in them; you are eating of vineyards and olive groves which you did not plant.’”

            It is because of my slackness of doing my devotions over the last three days that I am doing two sections today.

            The Lord through Joshua goes on talking about how Israel through His goodness and power conquered the nations that lived in the Promised Land.  There was a fear in these nations because of what the Lord had done in Egypt and also to the Amorites and so these nations were ripe for defeat. 

            In verse twelve the word hornet is used and there is some division as to what this means.  In Exodus 23:28 and also in Deuteronomy 7:20 the Lord actually says that He will send hornets against the nations in the Promised Land to drive them out.  This could have been actual hornets or other nations to soften up these nations before Israel came to destroy them.  It is the opinion of Warren Wiersbe that these “hornets” were the fear that was put in the hearts of these nations because of what He had not to Egypt and the others nations that Israel had conquered.

            In verse thirteen Dr. Wiersbe sees similar things as were written in Deuteronomy 6:10 and following:  “10  "Then it shall come about when the LORD your God brings you into the land which He swore to your fathers, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, to give you, great and splendid cities which you did not build, 11  and houses full of all good things which you did not fill, and hewn cisterns which you did not dig, vineyards and olive trees which you did not plant, and you eat and are satisfied, 12  then watch yourself, that you do not forget the LORD who brought you from the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. 13  "You shall fear only the LORD your God; and you shall worship Him and swear by His name. 14  "You shall not follow other gods, any of the gods of the peoples who surround you, 15  for the LORD your God in the midst of you is a jealous God; otherwise the anger of the LORD your God will be kindled against you, and He will wipe you off the face of the earth. 16  "You shall not put the LORD your God to the test, as you tested Him at Massah.”

            Dr. Wiersbe writes:  “When the Jews started taking their blessings for granted, they began drifting away from sincere worship of the Lord.  A grateful heart is a strong defense against the devil’s temptations.” 

 

            Spiritual meaning for my life today:  In these two sections I see the faithfulness and the love of the Lord, but there are parts that speak of His judgment as He defeated the Canaanites in the Promised Land through Israel, and there is also seen here the Lord disciplines, as He spoke through Moses in Deuteronomy and in verse thirteen of Joshua twenty-four.  As stated before in earlier SD’s that the blessings of the Lord are to be appreciated, but the Lord is to be worshiped and appreciated much more.  To have a grateful heart is a wonderful thing as it is certainly shows much contentment.

 

My Steps of Faith for Today:

 

1. Be grateful and thankful especially during this Thanksgiving week.
2. Continue to learn contentment.
3. Put on the Spiritual Armor:  The belt of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, the shoes of the gospel of peace, take up the shield of faith, put on the helmet of salvation, and take up the Sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God.
4. Give myself to the Lord today for worship and service.

 

11/24/2009 9:44 AM