Woven

Thank you so much for sticking with me yesterday. I know it was long, but chapter 5 of Joshua is packed with goodness.

Right after Joshua got up from his humble place on the ground, God guided him to look toward Jericho and see that Jericho had been given into his hand.

To this, I say, finally.

There’s a problem, though. Jericho was still tightly shut. No one went in and no one came out. God hadn’t physically given Joshua and Israel the land yet, but He wanted them to see that He had.

God wanted Joshua to see victory even before he saw;

· The walls of Jericho crumbling after a 7-day worship session. (Joshua 6)

· Achan’s sin that caused a huge failure in battle resulting in the loss of many lives. (Joshua 7 and 8)

· Trickery from the Gibeonites and a sketchy partnership with pagans. (Joshua 9 and 10)

· Multiple battles that led to the defeat of 31 kings. (Joshua 11 and 12)

· All the land that he’d be able to divide among the 12 tribes -- remember no land for the Levites and a double portion for Joseph under the names of his two sons. (Joshua 13-22)

Trust!

God’s order to Joshua in verse 1 of the sixth chapter was an invitation to believe Him. God wanted Joshua to see the victory that God would provide before he’d actually won a single battle. Seeing God’s victory would give Joshua the necessary perseverance to carry on and not quit. I believe He’s inviting us to do the same thing. No matter what your battle is today, in Christ, you WIN! Why not see the victory before experiencing the victory. Our promise-keeping God is worth the risk.

Read: Joshua 23 and 24. I know it’s a lot. I believe you’ll be blessed if you read all the words. If it’s too much, though, skim the two chapters, please. Then, focus on 24:1-16.

Journal: Remembering is important in story-telling. At the end of Joshua’s life, he led the people in remembering the faithfulness of their God. Once they’d remembered, Joshua encouraged them to make a commitment. Surely, this God who’d done all of these mighty deeds for Israel was worthy of a commitment to serve Him in this land that He’d provided for them. All of Israel agreed to serve the One, true God and no other.

Spoiler alert – they lied! I believe they wanted to obey. But, idolatry is a tough sin to break. They’ll turn back to it by chapter TWO of our next book. Take time today to write out some special memories. What do you need to remember about your God today? And, what do you need to commit to turn away from? Like Israel, we will fail in a big way if we try to do this on our own. We need His strength and power within us if we have any hope of cooperation. So, end your time with Jesus today by asking for His power, His strength, and His victory every moment of every day.

Before you go, will you read Joshua 24:32 and ask yourself the question I always ask myself, “Who has been carrying those bones around since Genesis 50?” It doesn’t matter at all, but that is a serious family commitment that I can’t help but notice.

Joseph’s bones had left Egypt and crossed the Red Sea. They’d been present for all of Israel’s complaining, wandering, and battling in the desert. They crossed the Jordan at flood stage. Someone had guarded them at every battle. One entire generation had been left in the desert, but Joseph’s bones made the full journey and now found their burial spot in land that his grandfather, Isaac, purchased in Shechem. I love the details our Old Testament stories provide. I sure hope you do too.