Rebuke (Josh. 7:10-15)

9/14/2009 8:48 AM

SPIRITUAL DIARY

My Worship Time                                                 Focus:  Rebuke

Bible Reading & Meditation                        Reference:  Joshua 7:10-15

            Message of the verses:  “10 ¶  So the LORD said to Joshua, "Rise up! Why is it that you have fallen on your face? 11  "Israel has sinned, and they have also transgressed My covenant which I commanded them. And they have even taken some of the things under the ban and have both stolen and deceived. Moreover, they have also put them among their own things. 12  "Therefore the sons of Israel cannot stand before their enemies; they turn their backs before their enemies, for they have become accursed. I will not be with you anymore unless you destroy the things under the ban from your midst. 13  "Rise up! Consecrate the people and say, ‘Consecrate yourselves for tomorrow, for thus the LORD, the God of Israel, has said, "There are things under the ban in your midst, O Israel. You cannot stand before your enemies until you have removed the things under the ban from your midst." 14  ‘In the morning then you shall come near by your tribes. And it shall be that the tribe which the LORD takes by lot shall come near by families, and the family which the LORD takes shall come near by households, and the household which the LORD takes shall come near man by man. 15  ‘It shall be that the one who is taken with the things under the ban shall be burned with fire, he and all that belongs to him, because he has transgressed the covenant of the LORD, and because he has committed a disgraceful thing in Israel.’”

            In this section God rebukes the nation of Israel through Joshua, for Joshua was the spokesperson for the nation at that time, for he was their leader.  A

            After staying on their face for a long time praying it was time to act and so God told Joshua to rise up and that Israel had sinned and this was why the defeat had happened to them.  Israel was given orders concerning the booty that would be gained from the city of Jericho and all of it was to be given to the Lord, but now the Lord informs Joshua that all of it was not given to the Lord and this was the reason for the defeat at Ai.  The Lord instructs Joshua to have the people to consecrate themselves and be ready to present themselves before Him on the next day.  This happened before they crossed the Jordan River, but because of their sin it needed to happen again.

            Spiritual meaning for my life today:  Dr. Wiersbe writes the following:  “This sin involved stealing from God and lying about it (v-11).  Achan had taken the forbidden wealth but pretended that he had obeyed the Lord.  Achan had done a foolish thing (v-15) in thinking he could rob God and get away with it.  Israel couldn’t face any of her enemies until their sin had been put away.  The tribes could never claim their inheritance as long as one man clung to his forbidden treasures.  Everything God had done for His people up to this point was to no avail as long as they couldn’t go forward in victory.  What a lesson for the church today.”  Since I am a part of the Church today this was a good lesson for me to learn.

            This sin reminds me a little bit about the sin that Ananias and Sapphira committed when they lied to the Holy Spirit in Acts chapter five.  They both were about lying and they both were about money.

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.
7. Get a plan together from the promises of the Lord to defeat the spiritual battle that I am facing and then follow it to ensure the victory.  There may be some battles that seem to be lost, but to continue to work and trust the Lord and His Word.

9/14/2009 9:36 AM