PLEASE READ THIS FIRST: Joshua 21-22
What do you sense the Lord saying to you in this passage?
“Not one of their enemies withstood them.” (Joshua 21:44)
Throughout history, the children of Abraham have faced great enemies.
This has made it hard to “be strong and courageous.” (Joshua 1:9)
God inspires the author of Joshua to encourage struggling believers.
These stories inspire courage that God IS preparing a home for us.
These stories inspire hope that no enemy can withstand God.
The enemies that we face are different, but the message is the same.
“I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, k neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 8:38-39)
We follow Jesus, not Joshua; we conquer by gracious love, not by the sword.
Jesus has beaten the enemy for us, and the gates of hell will not prevail.
Jesus has reclaimed creation for us, and is preparing a place in it for us!
“Not one of all the Lord’s good promises” (Joshua 21:45) will fail!
PRAYER
Lord, thank you for this encouragement and hope – the gates of hell will NOT prevail. Give me a humble boldness today as I follow you in the way of love.
I am certain that many times we misread each other’s intentions. We see it here in the altar that was built at the Jordon: “And the Reubenites and the Gadites gave the altar this name: A Witness Between Us—that the Lord is God.” Many of the other tribes thought the Reubenites and Gadites were breaking from worshipping God at Shiloh with all the rest – but no they did not build it for worship. Once the intent was clarified there was peace. How can we help people in other conflicts to find peace – to find trust without resorting to dominance and killing and war? How can we have enemies banqueting together to establish trust and respect? I pray for peace among the Israelis and the Palestinians – that all people’s needs may be respected – that people may see Yahweh, Allah and Jesus and have the freedom to seek the truth! It won’t happen when the agenda is controlled by other motives – territorial in nature and bullying and revenge. We all need to follow the prince of peace: Jesus! How can we mutal respect – an witness – a mutual understanding of trust – a witness altar?
The altar they built reminded me of the stones they took after crossing the waters and built a memorial to the Lord. A reminder of God’s faithfulness. The altar here was built for the same reason – to remind the peoples of God’s hand of faithfulness to them. A visual reminder. I too need a visual reminder of His presence and power and faithfulness of God in my life of all what He has done for me. And the next generations need to see how we walked in His presence, serving Him. His presence must be ‘seen’ each day anew.
O God, our help in ages past,
Our hope for years to come,
Our shelter from the stormy blast,
And our eternal home.
2
Under the shadow of Thy throne
Thy saints have dwelt secure;
Sufficient is Thine arm alone,
And our defence is sure.
3
Before the hills in order stood,
Or earth received her frame,
From everlasting Thou art God,
To endless years the same.
4
A thousand ages in Thy sight
Are like an evening gone;
Short as the watch that ends the night
Before the rising sun.
5
Time, like an ever-rolling stream,
Bears all its sons away;
They fly forgotten, as a dream
Dies at the opening day.
6
O God, our help in ages past,
Our hope for years to come,
Be Thou our guard while life shall last,
And our eternal home.