when your children ask

Posted on August 5, 2021 by Jefferson Vann
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when your children ask

Joshua 4:1-9 (JDV)

Joshua 4:1 This happened when the entire nation had finished crossing the Jordan. Yahveh said to Joshua:
Joshua 4:2 “Bring twelve men from the people, one man for each tribe,
Joshua 4:3 and command them: Take twelve stones from this place in the middle of the Jordan where the priests are standing, carry them with you, and set them down at the place where you spend the night.”
Joshua 4:4 So Joshua summoned the twelve men he had secured from the Israelites, one man for each tribe,
Joshua 4:5 and said to them, “Go across to the ark of Yahveh your God in the middle of the Jordan. Each of you lift a stone onto his shoulder, one for each of the Israelite tribes,
Joshua 4:6 so that this will be a sign among you. In the future, when your children ask you, ‘What do these stones mean to you? ‘
Joshua 4:7 you should tell them, ‘The water of the Jordan was cut off in front of the ark of Yahveh’s covenant. When it crossed the Jordan, the Jordan’s water was cut off.’ Therefore these stones will always be a memorial for the Israelites.”
Joshua 4:8 The Israelites did just like Joshua had commanded them. The twelve men took stones from the middle of the Jordan, one for each of the Israelite tribes, just like Yahveh had told Joshua. They carried them to the camp and set them down there.
Joshua 4:9 Joshua also set up twelve stones in the middle of the Jordan where the priests who carried the ark of the covenant were standing. The stones are still there today.

when your children ask

This memorial was important because it established a connection between the miracle in the past and the ongoing faith of the Israelites. The future generations would not relive this miracle, but the stones would be a reminder that it had happened. Even the significance of the miracle may be lost in time, but it could be relearned in generations to come because the sign of the event remained.

What signs are you leaving for future generations that God has been at work in your life. It is not too late. Begin leaving breadcrumbs for your children and grandchildren to follow you on your walk. Testify to what he is doing in your life.

LORD, may we leave such evidence of your work in our lives that our descendants know that you have visited us.

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passing the ark

Posted on August 4, 2021 by Jefferson Vann

passing the ark

Joshua 3:16-17 (JDV)

Joshua 3:16 and the water flowing downstream stood still, rising up in a mass that extended as far as Adam, a city next to Zarethan. The water flowing downstream into the Sea of the Arabah – the Dead Sea – was completely cut off, and the people crossed opposite Jericho.
Joshua 3:17 The priests carrying the ark of Yahveh’s covenant stood firmly on dry ground in the middle of the Jordan, while all Israel crossed on dry ground until the entire nation had finished crossing the Jordan.

passing the ark

Notice what God wanted the priests to do, and how that would challenge the people. First, the priests would have to walk into the water in the shallow overflow area, and the water would respond to this act of faith by stopping its stream, leaving the riverbed dry.

Then, the priests with the ark were to walk all the way to the middle of the riverbed and stop. Then the people were to walk the same path and pass them, following on until they reached the other side. Once all the people had completed the route, the priests could resume. This was another challenge because it entailed passing on after the ark (symbolizing the presence of God) had stopped. Would they have the faith to take the path even when there was no physical evidence of God’s presence?

LORD, give us the courage to follow your prescribed path, and wait on you to manifest your presence when you see fit.

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wet feet

Posted on August 3, 2021 by Jefferson Vann

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wet feet

Joshua 3:14-15 (JDV)

Joshua 3:14 When the people broke camp to cross the Jordan, the priests carried the ark of the covenant ahead of the people.
Joshua 3:15 Now the Jordan overflows its banks throughout the harvest season. But as soon as the priests carrying the ark reached the Jordan, their feet touched the water at its edge

wet feet

Since the river was overflowing its banks at the time, it looked to the priests like they were stepping into the river. They had to be willing to act in faith and step on the water to see the miracle take place. Just like Peter, who wanted to walk on water like his master. He had to be willing to jump out of the boat into the water.

God wants to prove himself to us as he did to the Israelites. But someone has to be willing to get a little wet before that will happen.

Lord, tell us where to go. We are willing to get wet feet.

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a miracle for a mission

Posted on August 2, 2021 by Jefferson Vann

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a miracle for a mission

Joshua 3:9-13 (JDV)

Joshua 3:9 Then Joshua told the Israelites, “Come closer and listen to the words of Yahveh your God.”
Joshua 3:10 He said: “You will know that the living God is among you and that he will certainly dispossess before you the Canaanites, Hethites, Hivites, Perizzites, Girgashites, Amorites, and Jebusites
Joshua 3:11 when the ark of the covenant of Yahveh of the whole land goes ahead of you into the Jordan.
Joshua 3:12 Now choose twelve men from the tribes of Israel, one man for each tribe.
Joshua 3:13 When the feet of the priests who carry the ark of Yahveh, Yahveh of the whole land, come to rest in the Jordan’s water, its water will be cut off. The water flowing downstream will stand up in a mass.”

a miracle for a mission

The purpose of this miracle is important. It was not a miracle of deliverance. Many of us need that, but that was not the crucial need for the Israelites at this time. They had already been delivered from Egypt, and they would not be in battle as soon as they crossed the river. No, the purpose of this miracle was to assure the Israelites that the living God was among them. They needed courage and the assurance of protection. They needed motivation for the mission that God was calling them to accomplish.

If we are not going anywhere, and don’t intend to do any thing, then we will probably see no miracle. So, the best way to ensure the miraculous in our lives is to get aligned with God’s purposes for them.

Lord, set our feet on the path of your mission, and give us the encouragement we need to accomplish that mission.

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the commander’s commander

Posted on August 1, 2021 by Jefferson Vann

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the commander’s commander

Joshua 3:7-8 (JDV)

Joshua 3:7 Yahveh spoke to Joshua: “Today I will begin to exalt you in the sight of all Israel, so they will know that I will be with you just like I was with Moses.
Joshua 3:8 Command the priests carrying the ark of the covenant: When you reach the edge of the water, stand in the Jordan.”

the commander’s commander

Joshua was learning about the role of a leader who wants to follow God. The LORD told Joshua that the people would know that God was with him because God was going to verify the relationship miraculously. We should expect the same thing if we are leading people to follow God. But we cannot just say what comes into our minds. We have to first get our commands from our commander, and then pass them on.

Lord, thank you for being the commander’s commander.

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following the ark

Posted on July 31, 2021 by Jefferson Vann

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following the ark

Joshua 3:6 (JDV)

Joshua 3:6 Then he said to the priests, “Carry the ark of the covenant and go on ahead of the people.” So they carried the ark of the covenant and went ahead of them.

following the ark

If the ark of the covenant had to go ahead of the people, even when they were walking in his will, that tells us something about how much God values our seeking his guidance for every day. He does not just want our allegiance to traditions that honor him, he wants us to follow him. His covenant is only as good as his presence. Should God decide not to go with us, it would not matter which direction we went. Every step would be away from him.

Lord, we seek your presence and guidance, every day.

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not too close

Posted on July 30, 2021 by Jefferson Vann

not too close

Joshua 3:3-5 (JDV)

Joshua 3:3 and commanded the people: “When you see the ark of the covenant of Yahveh your God carried by the Levitical priests, you are to break camp and follow it.
Joshua 3:4 But keep a distance of about a thousand yards between yourselves and the ark. Don’t go near it, so that you can see the way to walk, because you haven’t traveled this way before.”
Joshua 3:5 Joshua told the people, “Consecrate yourselves, because Yahveh will do miracles among you tomorrow.”

not too close

The ark was to guide the Israelites so that they could accomplish the mission. But there was the danger of their becoming distracted and narrowly focused by the ark, so Joshua encouraged them to not follow it too closely.

There are elements of religion which have a purpose, and are important, but which can also become means to prevent us from accomplishing our mission. Traditions and pet doctrines can do this. They may not be wrong in themselves, but we have to make sure that we don’t allow them to obscure our vision from the path to our mission — the mission of the whole congregation.

Lord, help us to pursue your mission without becoming distracted, even by good things.

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hurry up and wait

Posted on July 29, 2021 by Jefferson Vann

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hurry up and wait

Joshua 3:1-2 (JDV)

Joshua 3:1 Joshua started early the next morning and left the Acacia Grove with all the Israelites. They went as far as the Jordan and stayed there before crossing.
Joshua 3:2 After three days the officers went through the camp

hurry up and wait

If the people had to wait three days at the Jordan, why didn’t they just stay those three days at the Acacia Grove? One of the reasons is momentum. Joshua urged the people to pick up and leave as soon as he got the favorable report from the spies. They were setting off for war, and they were to take no time to second-guess that decision.

But once they got to the Jordan, they needed the time to consecrate themselves to the task, and they needed to wait on God’s timing to jump-start their faith with a new miracle.

Lord, make us sensitive to your timing.

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faith that sees beyond

Posted on July 28, 2021 by Jefferson Vann

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faith that sees beyond

Joshua 2:22-24 (JDV)

Joshua 2:22 So the two men went into the hill country and stayed there three days until the pursuers had come back. They searched all along the way, but did not find them.
Joshua 2:23 Then the men came back, came down from the hill country, and crossed the Jordan. They went to Joshua son of Nun and reported everything that had happened to them.
Joshua 2:24 They told Joshua, “Yahveh has handed over the entire land to us. Everyone who lives in the land is also panicking because of us.”

faith that sees beyond

It took faith for those two men to hide from their pursuers for three days, and then come back to Joshua and tell him that Yahveh had handed over the land. Really, guys! You just spent several days hiding, and now you report “We’ve got this!” ?

That was not what they said. They said “Yahveh has handed over the entire land to us. Everyone who lives in the land is also panicking because of us.”

Yes, they had been pursued, and they were risking their lives to scout out the land. But they looked beyond that circumstance and reported the truth that their enemies were panicking because God was at work.

Lord, give us the faith to see beyond unpleasant circumstances.

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tying the scarlet cord

Posted on July 27, 2021 by Jefferson Vann
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tying the scarlet cord

Joshua 2:15-21 (JDV)

Joshua 2:15 Then she let them down by a rope through the window, because she lived in a house that was built into the wall of the city.
Joshua 2:16 “Go to the hill country so that the men pursuing you won’t find you,” she said to them. “Hide there for three days until they return; afterward, go on your way.”
Joshua 2:17 The men said to her, “We will be free from this oath you made us swear,
Joshua 2:18 unless, when we enter the land, you tie this scarlet cord to the window through which you let us down. Bring your father, mother, brothers, and all your father’s family into your house.
Joshua 2:19 If anyone goes out the doors of your house, his death will be on his own head, and we will be innocent. But if anyone with you in the house should be harmed, his death will be on our head.
Joshua 2:20 And if you report our mission, we are free from the oath you made us swear.”
Joshua 2:21 “Let it be as you say,” she replied, and she sent them away. After they had gone, she tied the scarlet cord to the window.

tying the scarlet cord

The scarlet cord would remind the Israelites of the sign that they placed on the doorposts of their homes in Egypt. It was a covenant of protection and rescue. Even though Rahab believed that God was going to overthrow Jericho, that belief alone would not save her and her family. She had to tie the scarlet cord to her window if she wanted her family to be safe.

Do you believe that Jesus Christ is God’s salvation? If you said yes, that is a good thing. But it is not enough to save you. Yes, salvation is by faith alone, but not faith that fails to confess. Rahab had to confess her faith by tying the scarlet cord. Have you confessed your faith in Christ? The clock is ticking.

Lord, we tie the scarlet cord to our windows, confessing that Christ alone is our salvation.

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