Rememberingn the Lord's Goodness (Josh. 5:10-12)

8/26/2009 9:25 AM

SPIRITUAL DIARY

My Worship Time                    Focus:  Remembering the Lord’s goodness

Bible Reading & Meditation               Reference:  Joshua 5:10-12

            Message of the verses:  “10 ¶  While the sons of Israel camped at Gilgal they observed the Passover on the evening of the fourteenth day of the month on the desert plains of Jericho. 11  On the day after the Passover, on that very day, they ate some of the produce of the land, unleavened cakes and parched grain. 12  The manna ceased on the day after they had eaten some of the produce of the land, so that the sons of Israel no longer had manna, but they ate some of the yield of the land of Canaan during that year.”

            There was another reason for the Jewish males to be circumcised that I did not go over in the previous section and that last or forth reason was “To qualify them to eat the Passover.”  In this section Dr. Warren Wiersbe points out some pictures of spiritual truth from the Old Testament and writes, “Old Testament events are often illustrations of New Testament doctrines (Romans 15:4; 1 Cor. 10:11).”  He goes on to write in his next paragraph, “Israel’s crossing of the Jordan River is a picture of believers dying to self an entering by faith into their inheritance.”  Upon reading the first six chapters of the book of Hebrews this truth can be seen, and is especially found in chapters three and four of Hebrews. 

            I want to copy one more paragraph from this section in “Be Strong:  “Because the Holy Spirit baptizes all believers into the body of Christ (1 Cor. 12:13), all believers are identified with Christ in His death, burial, resurrection, and ascension (Rom. 6:1-10; Eph. 2:1-10).  This truth is pictured in Israel’s crossing of the river.  We’re saved from the penalty of sin because of substitution: Christ died for us (Rom. 5:8).  But we’re saved from the power of isn because of identification:  We died with Christ (Gal. 2:20).  We must believe what God says is true and reckon ourselves to be dead to sin and alive in Christ (Rom. 6:11-23).  We have crossed the river!”

            Now I will move onto the subject for this SD, that is “Remembering the Lord’s goodness.”  It is evident that because of the great sin that was committed at Kadesh Barnea that Israel did not take part in the Passover celebration while they wandered for forty years in the wilderness, for none of this next generation had been circumcised and thus this alone would prevent them from celebrating the Passover.  The Passover celebration is something the Jewish people did in order to remember that they were once slaves in the land of Egypt and that God delivered them from this bondage of slavery and took them out of Egypt.  This was done through the slaying of a Passover Lamb and this is a picture of what Jesus Christ would later do as He was the Passover Lamb who died on Passover for the sins of the world and today the celebration of the Lord’s Supper is to remember that very truth and also to remember that Jesus Christ will one day come back to the clouds of the earth and take His bride home with Him to heaven. 

            On the day of this Passover celebration the manna stopped coming from heaven to the children of Israel because they were now in the land of their inheritance and it was the time of the barley harvest and all of their enemies had fled to Jericho and so there was food for them to eat in the land of their inheritance.  Psalm 23:5a pictures this when David writes, “You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies.”

            Spiritual meaning for my life today:  Warren Wiersbe writes that “God easily took His people out of Egypt, but is was difficult for Him to take Egypt out of His people.”  The same is true for me today for the Lord Jesus has saved me from sin, but while I am in the world I still, at times have a desire for the things of the world.

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. 1 ¶  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.

8/26/2009 10:27 AM