the holy God who destroys transgressors

Posted on November 2, 2021 by Jefferson Vann

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the holy God who destroys transgressors

Joshua 24:19-21 (JDV)

Joshua 24:19 But Joshua told the people, “You will not be able to worship Yahveh, because he is a holy God. He is a jealous God; he will not forgive your transgressions and sins.
Joshua 24:20 If you abandon Yahveh and worship foreign gods, he will turn against you, harm you, and completely destroy you, after he has been good to you.”
Joshua 24:21 “No!” the people answered Joshua. “We will worship Yahveh.”

the holy God who destroys transgressors

Some people think that God is too good to destroy transgressors — that no matter what a person does, he or she will always live eternally because God cannot destroy his creation. But Joshua warned his people who intended to worship God that they had better be sincere, because our holy and jealous God destroys those who reject him.

Lord, make us a people who sincerely worship you, and stay faithful to you.

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choose for yourselves today

Posted on November 1, 2021 by Jefferson Vann

Joshua - 1

choose for yourselves today

Joshua 24:14-18 (JDV)

Joshua 24:14 “For this reason, fear Yahveh and worship him wholeheartedly and truthfully. Get rid of the gods your fathers worshiped beyond the Euphrates River and in Egypt, and worship Yahveh.
Joshua 24:15 But if it doesn’t please you to worship Yahveh, choose for yourselves today: Which will you worship – the gods your fathers worshiped beyond the Euphrates River or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you are living? As for me and my family, we will worship Yahveh.”
Joshua 24:16 The people replied, “We will certainly not abandon Yahveh to worship other gods!
Joshua 24:17 Because Yahveh our God brought us and our fathers out of the land of Egypt, out of the place of slavery, and performed these great signs before our eyes. He also protected us all along the way we went and among all the peoples whose lands we traveled through.
Joshua 24:18 Yahveh drove out before us all the peoples, including the Amorites who lived in the land. We too will worship Yahveh, because he is our God.”

choose for yourselves today

Joshua invited his people to choose for themselves, but he had already made the decision for himself and his family (house). Leadership involves setting the course, establishing the direction one will take, and inviting and encouraging others to follow. Joshua could not make all the Israelites choose the path he did, but he certainly could make the case for it, and he did.

You and I have both the personal responsibility to choose God’s kingdom, and the responsibility to lead others down the same path.

Lord, make us leaders that others want to follow — in your path.

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land you did not labor for

Posted on October 31, 2021 by Jefferson Vann

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land you did not labor for

Joshua 24:11-13 (JDV)

Joshua 24:11 ” ‘You then crossed the Jordan and came to Jericho. Jericho’s citizens – as well as the Amorites, Perizzites, Canaanites, Hethites, Girgashites, Hivites, and Jebusites – did battle with you, but I handed them over to you.
Joshua 24:12 I sent hornets ahead of you, and they drove out the two Amorite kings before you. It was not by your sword or bow.
Joshua 24:13 I gave you a land you did not labor for, and cities you did not build, though you live in them; you are eating from vineyards and olive groves you did not plant.’

land you did not labor for

What Joshua said to his people about the promised land is also true about our inheritance. We gain our inheritance by faith in the God who has gone before us and will drive out evil. The coming kingdom we will inherit is fought for by us in this life, but in the end, we will discover that God had been fighting for us the whole time, driving out Satan’s kings, and making it possible for us to inherit the land.

Lord, thank you for giving us the land you promised.

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past opponents

Posted on October 30, 2021 by Jefferson Vann

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past opponents

Joshua 24:5-10 (JDV)

Joshua 24:5 I sent Moses and Aaron, and I defeated Egypt by what I did within it, and afterward, I brought you out.
Joshua 24:6 When I brought your fathers out of Egypt and you reached the Red Sea, the Egyptians pursued your fathers with chariots and horsemen as far as the sea.
Joshua 24:7 Your fathers cried out to Yahveh, so he put darkness between you and the Egyptians, and brought the sea over them, engulfing them. Your own eyes saw what I did to Egypt. After that, you lived in the wilderness for a long time.
Joshua 24:8 ” ‘Later, I brought you to the land of the Amorites who lived beyond the Jordan. They fought against you, but I handed them over to you. You possessed their land, and I annihilated them before you.
Joshua 24:9 Balak son of Zippor, king of Moab, set out to fight against Israel. He sent for Balaam son of Beor to curse you,
Joshua 24:10 but I would not listen to Balaam. Instead, he repeatedly blessed you, and I rescued you from him.

past opponents

Joshua reminded his people of numerous times when opponents came against them, but God rescued them. History reminds us of the wisdom of staying faithful to the one who stays faithful to us.

Lord, thank you for the lessons from past victories, giving us the courage to face today’s challenges.

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history lesson

Posted on October 29, 2021 by Jefferson Vann

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history lesson

Joshua 24:1-4 (JDV)

Joshua 24:1 Joshua assembled all the tribes of Israel at Shechem and summoned Israel’s elders, leaders, judges, and officers, and they presented themselves before God.
Joshua 24:2 Joshua said to all the people, “This is what Yahveh, the God of Israel, says: ‘Long ago your ancestors, including Terah, the father of Abraham and Nahor, lived beyond the Euphrates River and worshiped other gods.
Joshua 24:3 But I took your father Abraham from the region beyond the Euphrates River, led him throughout the land of Canaan, and multiplied his descendants. I gave him Isaac,
Joshua 24:4 and to Isaac I gave Jacob and Esau. I gave the hill country of Seir to Esau as a possession. ” ‘Jacob and his sons, however, went down to Egypt.

history lesson

The Lord, through Joshua, is giving his people a history lesson. History is important — especially the history of what God is doing for his people. Every move, every experience, every lesson learned — it is all God revealing himself to his people. The past matters, because God was there.

Lord, thank you for being there in our history.
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faithfulness works both ways

Posted on October 28, 2021 by Jefferson Vann

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faithfulness works both ways

Joshua 23:14-16 (JDV)

Joshua 23:14 “I am now going the way of the whole land, and you know with all your heart and all your soul that none of the good promises Yahveh your God made to you has failed. Everything was fulfilled for you; not one promise has failed.
Joshua 23:15 Since every good thing Yahveh your God promised you has come about, likewise, he will bring on you every bad thing until he has annihilated you from this good land Yahveh your God has given you.
Joshua 23:16 If you break the covenant of Yahveh your God, which he commanded you, and go and serve other gods, and bow in worship to them, Yahveh’s anger will burn against you, and you will quickly disappear from this good land he has given you.”

faithfulness works both ways

Joshua reminded his people that God had been faithful to them. He kept all his promises. But he also reminded them that God’s faithfulness works both ways. If they turned to other gods, the One true God will faithfully destroy them.

Lord, thank you for your faithfulness. May we be just as faithful to you and your word.

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from dominating to disappearing

Posted on October 27, 2021 by Jefferson Vann

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from dominating to disappearing

Joshua 23:7-13 (JDV)

Joshua 23:7 and so that you do not associate with these nations remaining among you. Do not call on the names of their gods or make an oath to them; do not serve them or bow in worship to them.
Joshua 23:8 Instead, be loyal to Yahveh your God, as you have been to this day.
Joshua 23:9 “Yahveh has driven out great and powerful nations before you, and no one is able to stand against you to this day.
Joshua 23:10 One of you routed a thousand because Yahveh your God was fighting for you, as he promised.
Joshua 23:11 So diligently watch yourselves! Love Yahveh your God!
Joshua 23:12 If you ever turn away and become loyal to the remainder of these nations remaining among you, and if you intermarry or partner with them and they with you,
Joshua 23:13 know for certain that Yahveh your God will not continue to drive these nations out before you. They will become a snare and a trap for you, a sharp stick for your sides and thorns in your eyes until you disappear from this good land Yahveh your God has given you.

from dominating to disappearing

The condition for continuing as a dominant force in the land was simple: stay separate from the other nations — in terms of loyalty to God alone. If the Israelites begin to blend in with their foreign neighbors, they would begin to disappear.

Each of us is heading in the right direction or the wrong one. We are either staying loyal to God or fading away.

Lord, give us the wisdom to stay different from those who are not loyal to you.

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a source of strength

Posted on October 26, 2021 by Jefferson Vann

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a source of strength

Joshua 23:4-6 (JDV)

Joshua 23:4 See, I have allotted these remaining nations to you as an inheritance for your tribes, including all the nations I have destroyed, from the Jordan westward to the Mediterranean Sea.
Joshua 23:5 Yahveh your God will push them away on your account and drive them out before you so that you can take possession of their land, as Yahveh your God promised you.
Joshua 23:6 “Be very strong and continue obeying all that is written in the book of the instruction of Moses, so that you do not turn from it to the right or left

a source of strength

How would the people make themselves strong? They had to continue obeying the words of Moses. How can Christians make themselves strong? We have to keep obeying the commands of Christ. When we keep obeying, not turning from his commands to the right or left, he will continue to be with us, making us strong.

Lord, than you for a source of strength.

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he fought for you

Posted on October 25, 2021 by Jefferson Vann

Joshua - 1

he fought for you

Joshua 23:1-3 (JDV)

Joshua 23:1 A long time after Yahveh had given Israel rest from all the enemies around them, Joshua was old, advanced in days.
Joshua 23:2 So Joshua summoned all Israel, including its elders, leaders, judges, and officers, and said to them, “I am old, advanced in days,
Joshua 23:3 and you have seen for yourselves everything Yahveh your God did to all these nations in front of you, because it was Yahveh your God who was fighting for you.

he fought for you

Joshua just wanted to remind the victorious Israelites that they didn’t accomplish everything by themselves. They had help. The future generations would need to rely on God as well, because there were no guarantees of sucess or even survival without him.

Lord, thank you for fighting for us. May we always give you a reason to fight on our side.

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different path, same God

Posted on October 24, 2021 by Jefferson Vann

different path, same God

Joshua 22:30-34 (JDV)

Joshua 22:30 When the priest Phinehas and the community leaders, the heads of Israel’s clans who were with him, heard what the descendants of Reuben, Gad, and Manasseh had to say, they were pleased.
Joshua 22:31 Phinehas son of Eleazar the priest said to the descendants of Reuben, Gad, and Manasseh, “Today we know that Yahveh is among us, because you have not committed this betrayal against him. As a result, you have rescued the Israelites from Yahveh’s power.”
Joshua 22:32 Then the priest Phinehas son of Eleazar and the leaders returned from the Reubenites and Gadites in the land of Gilead to the Israelites in the land of Canaan and brought back a report to them.
Joshua 22:33 The Israelites were pleased with the report, and they blessed God. They spoke no more about going to war against them to ravage the land where the Reubenites and Gadites lived.
Joshua 22:34 So the Reubenites and Gadites named the altar: It is a witness between us that Yahveh is God.

different path, same God

What a relief it was to find that the Eastern tribes were not enemies; they were just different. They had taken a different path in their walk with God, but they worshipped the same God.

Perhaps you and I ought to come to anyone who is different from us with that attitude at the outset. Others who trust Christ as we do are not our enemies. They are just different. Their differences are not enough to warrant our going to war with them. They are brothers, since we have the same Father.

Lord, thank you for those who have taken different paths to Christ. Their differences from us are just a sign of God’s greatness.

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