One Year Bible, April 15

JOSHUA 11:1-12:24                                                                                           

CHAPTERS 11-12: THE NORTHERN CAMPAIGN: The warfare is now more intense, and is gradually increasing. Josephus, a Jewish historian, said the enemy was 300,000 footmen, 10,000 horses, and 20,000 war chariots. It was vain to trust in sheer numbers!

Joshua smashed the alliance of the northern Canaanites, headed by Jabin, king of Hazor, at the Waters of Merom. This was Joshua's greatest test to date. There were the largest numbers of enemy and Joshua had not faced war chariots or mounted soldiers before.

To destroy the enemy advantage, Joshua used surprise (stealth and speed) and a narrow passage where the chariots were just a nuisance. His preemptive offensive caught them off-balance before they could deploy to open ground. Israel had no use for horses and chariots, so they were "houghed" (cut the hamstrings on the horses) and "burned".

IT IS FINISHED: (11:15) "He left nothing undone of all that the Lord commanded Moses."  It took him seven (7) years. None of the enemy made peace with Joshua except the Gibeonites.   NOTE ESPECIALLY: Josh 11:20, "For it was of the LORD to harden their hearts, that they should come against Israel in battle, that he might destroy them utterly, and that they might have no mercy, but that he might destroy them, as the LORD commanded Moses."  God actually hardened the hearts of the enemy so that they would ATTACK Israel, leaving Joshua no alternative but to destroy them! Sometimes sin hides in our dark secret places of life, and God has to provoke it to exposure so we'll destroy it.

HEBRON:  Anakim, a tribe of Black giants, guarded Hebron, which means "Union" and represents our intimate relationship with God.  Four patriarchs, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and Adam were buried there.   After defeating the giants, "the land rested from war."

THE 31 KINGS OF CANAAN:  (12:1-6) There were giants East of the Jordan also. The inheritance here was given to Reuben, Gad and the half-tribe of Manasseh. (and they later were the first to go into bondage). (12:7-24) The fact that Joshua defeated 31 kings in Canaan (West of the Jordan) tells us that the carnal mind is stubborn and infested. They also are symbolic of the principalities and powers which resist our entrance into the heavenlies (Eph). Their names meant things like "religious, enchantment, proud, terror, self-righteousness, pain and misery." (WHO would name their children like that?)

RESPONSE:  Even after Joshua finished making war, there was some land not taken yet. The flesh just never gives up! The only tribe Joshua made peace with, happened because of subterfuge. We should NEVER make deals with the flesh.  It will always lead us wrong. There are only two ways to do anything: God's way and the wrong way.

LUKE 17:11-37                                                                                                      

HEALED BUT NOT SAVED: 9 lepers were declared clean by the priest, but the Samaritan was declared saved by Jesus. Only the "outsider" gave glory to God for his miraculous healing.

THE KING AND I: The word for "kingdom" is actually a word that refers to the King Himself - it means "king-ship", or "to set up a king". The Pharisees asked about the Kingdom of God when the King was standing right in front of them! They completely misunderstood the nature of the kingdom and thus missed its present reality.

IN THAT DAY: "That day" that Jesus referred is our day of judgment.  To the people He spoke to at the time, it was the day of the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem in about 70 AD by the Romans.  In v.37  He refers to the gathering of eagles to eat from the dead carcasses. (See also Jer 7:33). (The eagle was the standard for the Roman army.) The point Jesus was making: If you clutch, hoard, guard and play safe with your life, you will lose it. (It will be utterly destroyed and wasted.) Your choices are these: GIVE YOUR LIFE OR WASTE IT.

"YOUR STUFF" : Is your "treasure" - whatever it is that motivates you to action. Don't allow your soul (emotions or intellect) to determine where or what your treasure is. If your treasure is Jesus, you will NEVER LOOK BACK.   A treasure is a HOOK, that gets you preoccupied with temporal, external things in life.

RESPONSE: The Pharisees asked "when" and Jesus answered "where".   He always goes right to the point.  We seek an invisible, inaudible, alternate realm where Jesus reigns and we serve every day. When we consider ourselves a "living sacrifice", the Pharisaic concerns become irrelevant. While we build our ark (altar) the Pharisees are still splitting hairs about WHEN this event will take place! They are concerned with salvaging their treasure! Jesus IS our treasure!

PSALM 84:1-12                                                                                                    

ADDICTED TO THE PRESENCE OF GOD:

(V.1) There is an inner beauty created by His Presence. Job 26:13, "By his spirit he hath garnished the heavens..."

(V.2) He creates a compelling hunger for more of Himself.

(V.2) There is a joyful vitality given in the Presence of God.

(V.3-4) Contentment from His Presence. Rest is found "at Thy altars".

(V.5-7) Strength to prevail comes from being "in Him".

(V.6) Our tears become the source of the supply of the Spirit.

(V.7) As we mature, we become stronger and stronger - this time, it is the strength of an inherent FORCE or manliness(OT word for "dunamis").

(V.8-11) Life in God's Presence is incomparably better than anything else.

(V.12) Life in God's Presence is inexhaustibly complete and blessed (empowered).

PROVERBS 13:5-6                                                                                            

A righteous nan hates anything that has even the smell of falsehood. The literal translation of the second half is that "an ungodly man smells real bad".  He's a stinker!  Righteousness protects an upright walk, and godlessness brings sinners to destruction. 

RESPONSE:   I guess I'm addicted too. The Presence of God satisfies my abysmal hunger and creates a longing for more at the same time. The truth is that we can "draw near" to God at any time we want to. "Draw nigh to God, and He will draw nigh to you". (Jam 4:8) When we come close to God, He meets us. In fact, "Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water." (Heb 10:22) God has done everything necessary to draw us close. Nothing should stop us.  Use all your energy to draw close to God and then live by His energy and strength.  Stop trying to be good!  Live by His goodness in you by drawing close to Him.   Ask Him for just a few minutes at a time - then stretch it out to more and more. Talk to Him as if He had never left.