Destroy the people of Jericho (Josh. 6:21)

9/3/2009 9:48 AM

SPIRITUAL DIARY

My Worship Time                                        Focus:  Destroy the people

Bible Reading & Meditation                        Reference:  Joshua 6:21

            Message of the verse:  “21  They utterly destroyed everything in the city, both man and woman, young and old, and ox and sheep and donkey, with the edge of the sword.”

            I realize, along with many others that this is a difficult passage to understand.  In his commentary on this Warren Wiersbe points out a number of things that help to explain why it was that God had told the children of Israel that they had to destroy everything in Jericho including the men, women, children, and animals.  God had called Israel to be holy and throughout the entire OT Satan tries to get Israel to compromise on their purity and to marry others who were pagans in order to cause Israel to worship idols and thus destroy a having the Messiah being born. 

            The Canaanite people had been given four hundred years to repent, but they not only did not repent, they got worse.  They heard of all the miracles done by the Lord to bring Israel into the Promised Land, but they still remained in their sin.  Rahab and her family believed in the Lord who had done these miracles and was saved from all of this.  G. Campbell Morgan writes, “God is perpetually at war with sin.  This is the whole explanation of the extermination of the Canaanites.”

            I believe that when the small children and babies were killed that they went to be with the Lord, for they did not know right from wrong, so some of these people were saved.

            Spiritual meaning for my life today:  This is a picture of how I am to deal with sin in my life, for Jesus said “if your right hand causes you to sin cut it off.”  Jesus was speaking of spiritual surgery and this is a picture of spiritual surgery from the OT.  God hates sin and He gives people time to repent, and if they don’t then they will have to be judged by a Righteous God.

My Steps of Faith for Today:

1.  Romans 12:1-2  “1 ¶  I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. 2  And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.
    
2. Proverbs 3:5-6  “5  Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. 6  In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.”   
3. Psalm 139:23-24  “23  Search me, O God, and know my heart; Try me and know my anxious thoughts; 24  And see if there be any hurtful way in me, And lead me in the everlasting way.”
4. Philippians 4:11  “11  Not that I speak from want, for I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am.”
5. Ephesians 6:14-18  “14  Stand firm therefore, HAVING GIRDED YOUR LOINS WITH TRUTH, and HAVING PUT ON THE BREASTPLATE OF RIGHTEOUSNESS, 15  and having shod YOUR FEET WITH THE PREPARATION OF THE GOSPEL OF PEACE; 16  in addition to all, taking up the shield of faith with which you will be able to extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17  And take THE HELMET OF SALVATION, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. 18  With all prayer and petition pray at all times in the Spirit, and with this in view, be on the alert with all perseverance and petition for all the saints.”
6. Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. 2  Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. 3  For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God.

9/3/2009 10:38 AM