Whose Side Are We On - Finale Part 3

Here are some more of my Joshua thoughts on "whose side are we on".  I just realized I spelled whose wrong before by using who's which means who is!!  I knew that 😝- feeling a little foolish right now, but I did manage to change all (I hope) so now I'll continue....

Thankfully God loves imperfect people and directs them in His perfect ways.  When the Israelites were getting ready to cross over into their promised land God takes them to the shore of the Jordan river during flood season. ( Joshua 3:15)  Before this in Joshua chapter one God promises He will make Joshua great in the peoples eyes just as He had done for Moses.  I especially love the fact that God tells Joshua four times to be strong and courageous.  (Joshua 1:6,7,8,18) Also He told Joshua to never turn from God's law and  meditate on it day and night.  This was how Joshua would succeed.  

Next they come to the Jordan which is overflowing this time of year.  The priests carrying the ark of the covenant must step in the Jordan and trust that God will stop the water so they can cross.  (Joshua 3:13) As soon as the priests enter the water God makes it stop flowing and heaps the water up so the Israelites can cross.  

There is so much detail to this story that I encourage you to read it but one of the things I really like is the fact that after they cross the Jordan, they are between a flooding river and Jericho (the enemy).  Then God says, "Now Joshua, I want all the Israelite men to be circumcised, since in the desert it did not happen."  What!! The first time I read this I realized those men would be very weak for several days and very vulnerable to enemy attack.  These people are so obedient at this time that they do all that God commands through Joshua.  I love it!  After they are healed God says now I want you to celebrate Passover.  A feast to remember all God had done in taking them out of the slavery of Egypt and saving them from death.  It also pointed to a future Messiah that would bring salvation by His death.  

Next there is the part that says they eat the food from the land and I know they had flocks of sheep and cattle with them.  Passover celebration needed sheep to be slaughtered and roasted over an open fire.  At this point they no longer needed manna.  Joshua 5:12 tells us the manna stopped coming from heaven.  This generation had grown up only knowing manna.  Quite the sudden change for them and another thing to trust God with.  

They are finally ready - I think - for battle?  God gives them a strange command.  March around Jericho walls every day once with the priests carrying the ark and rams horns being blown.  Then on the seventh day they were to march around seven times and at the end blow the horns and shout!  Wow and just like that the walls fell! What is amazing to me is that the warriors of Jericho never threw spears or rocks or anything from their walls.  The Israelites had to be sitting ducks walking around the city!   I know Israel conquered Jericho because they did exactly what God said.  They had faith in God and trusted their leader Joshua was listening to God's commands.  Again I am convinced it wasn't about whose side they were on instead it was all about God and what He wanted them to do.  

Sometimes people have a hard time with God telling the Israelites to go and conquer people.   God does want all people to choose to follow Him and He gives everyone lots of time, even generations, before He allows people to be destroyed.  Then, as we saw with Rahab, it is never too late to follow God.  He wants us to all turn from evil and follow Him.

As we handle the enemy of Coronavirus, we must all trust God and ask for His salvation in Jesus who is the Lamb of God who takes away our sin.  He will make us strong and courageous and show us how to take down the walls of whatever Jericho each of us face today.💪

Whose Side Are We On - Part 2

 Today let's look at the other side.  How do the Canaanites feel with this strange group of nomads coming at them from the desert?  Here is where the story of Rahab comes in.  (Joshua 2)

Joshua sends in some spies to check out the land.  He had to be a little concerned about this since 40 years prior to this Moses sent him (Joshua) and 11 other spies and only he and Caleb came back saying God will go with us if He wants us to possess the land.  While the other 10 were scared out of their wits telling everyone, NO, we can't conquer them they have walled cities and they are giants compared to us, etc. etc.

Well, Joshua takes the risk and in go two spies checking out the city of Jericho.  It tells us in Joshua 2:1 he sent them in secretly.  Humm.. I wonder if that was because he didn't want all the Israelites to know and try to interrogate them when they returned.  (that's only a guess by me) ;)

Ok now where do the spies go?  I think they were trying to enter unnoticed and picked a prostitute's house to look like they were normal male visitors passing through.  My footnotes said it was most likely an Inn where the spies could get information that was run by Rahab.  I do think it is interesting that the spies are not named in the story except where they from, Shittim.  I read some notes on this and it seems to be a spot where Israel fell into the sin that Rahab later abandons.  

I just love everything about Rahab.  She doesn't seem to mess around.  She knew all the stories of how Israel's God had saved Israel from Egypt when parting the Red Sea as well as conquered the kings Sihon and Og of the Amorites.  She knew her own people were not afraid of the Israelites who were rather rag tag looking after wandering in the desert 40 years.  No, they were afraid of Israel's God!  

Time to make a deal with these guys from Israel, thought Rahab.  My life for yours.  It didn't seem to take the king of Jericho long to figure out Israel had spies in his land and that they were at Rahab's house.  You think God had a plan to save Rahab from the beginning?  She makes a deal and hides the spies.  They agree but they tell her the only way she and anyone in her family can be saved is if they remain in her house.  She must tie a scarlet cord in the window she helped the spies escape from.  The crazy part of this story to me is her house is part of the city wall.  (Joshua 2:15)  Yes, now how in the world does her house stay standing when the walls of Jericho come down?  Obviously with God's help and purpose.  

My favorite part of this story is the fact that after she was saved (Joshua 6:25) she was spared because she hid the spies.  This chapter tells us she stayed and lived among the Israelites.  She did not need to, as that wasn't part of the agreement to save her.  No, it was her choice to stay and worship Israel's God. How do I know this?  Well, check out Matthew 1:5, Rahab is listed in the genealogy of Jesus!  She not only stayed but followed God so beautifully that she was chosen to be able to marry in the godly line of King David and therefore Jesus Himself.  She would not be there had she not become a child of God.  

This shows me that God does not take sides but wants all to come to Him.  2 Peter 3:9 The Lord is not slow in keeping His promise, (of returning - His 2nd coming) as some understand slowness.  Instead He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.

God loves all people, but as Rahab, we have to choose who we will follow.  Whose side are we on?  In this day and age is it important to choose Jesus who wants to give us life so we can have it to the full? (John 10:10)

To be continued.....

Whose Side Are You On?

I was asked to do a devotion for my granddaughter's bridal shower this past weekend and I enjoyed thinking over what I should speak about.  The Word of God, to me, is filled with a myriad of ideas for married couples but I felt the Lord giving me the thought of "whose side are you on?".  This thought just wouldn't leave and the Bible story of Joshua kept coming to mind.

If you are familiar with the story of Joshua you know God made him leader of the Israelites after Moses'  time was up.  This is where the book of Joshua begins.  Joshua must lead the group of Israelites into the promised land - a  very large group of people who have wandered in the desert for 40 years.  They were totally dependent on God in the wilderness for food - manna came daily in the form of rain - water came from rocks or wherever God chose to give it.  Their clothes did not wear out.  Now here they are at the door of the land God promised.

There is so much to explore in the details of this story so I might just write a mini series.  Whether you want to read it or not is up to you.  I felt it helped me to ponder these thoughts myself because of the season we are all living through.  The pandemic, the political uncertainties and differences, the ideas of who is right about how we treat each other, the weather has been wild in many places as well.  As you know there is a lot going on and it is my habit to look to God's Word and see what way he wants me to face each day in the places he asks me to walk.  For those of you who wonder, I am doing well with God as my strength being a widow a third time.

Well back to Joshua, he has already done everything God told him to do when He said it is time to enter the promised land.  It involved some things I will write about in my next blog.  This time we will jump ahead a bit.  Joshua 5:13-15 speaks of an encounter Joshua has.  He was near Jericho and I am quite sure he was alone, probably praying and reassuring himself that God would be with him and wondered if he needed to know anything more.  Just then a man appears holding a drawn sword!  Joshua (I suspect little nervous) and asked, "Are you for us or for our enemies?" Or another way to put it "Whose side are you on?" A reasonable question I think and maybe all that came to his mind at the moment!  Ha!

The crazy answer he received was, "Neither, but as commander of the army of the Lord I have now come."  

The first time I noticed this I was like "SayWhat??"  I thought these were the Israelites - God's people. Wasn't God on their side?? But let's continue.....

That made Joshua do a face-plant on the ground and ask, "What message does my Lord have for his servant?"  Joshua doesn't seem to worry about the who's side thing.

His answer?  "Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy."  And Joshua did so.

I just want to take a minute with the who's side thing.  I think we often want people (and God) to favor us and be on our side.  God doesn't work the way we expect; ever.  Nope, he never takes sides, but he is always in control.  Today all He wants from us is our faith in Him and trusting Him with our lives and hearts.  He has a promised land for us, but it will never be gained our way, fighting over who is right, or who's side we are on.  

The Bible teaches us to serve as Jesus did.  Yes, He gave up everything that we may have life.  God always does what we least expect.  John 3:16 simply says, "For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life."  

In marriage, my granddaughter is soon going to be a wife, she will need to learn to serve and love her man as God loves her and not fight about who is right.  We all know that we can't give each other too much love and consideration.  The home life is filled with peace when there is love, God's love pouring from our hearts.  May we all give more love and complain less as we muddle through this difficult time.....

To be continued......

How Do I Live Now?

Here it is more than 9 months since I last posted on this blog!  It has been hard to think about doing it as life has been another  roller coaster for me and most of you as well.  The first thing I experienced in the month of October 2019 was the loss of my third husband, John DeLeeuw.  I have felt an incredible sadness which has had many hills and valleys.  It was extremely hard to lose someone so dear again.  God had blessed me with three great men to love and each time I went through losing them it was rough.  John succumbed to his stage 4 lung cancer after a year long battle.  We married in April of 2018 and we were so thrilled to enjoy marriage again after both of us lost spouses.  Now all I can say it was a wonderful year and a half because God blessed me with a great man.  I was able to share lots of joy in between the sorrow in that short time.  I shall never forget any of it.  Because I married three men now I have three incredible families, I can never complain that I don't have anyone to turn to.  Especially now in this season of Coronavirus!

What a time - RIGHT?!  I was just feeling like I was getting back to my new normal - no husband, becoming a widow once again and trying to deal with grief. Then boom in comes a pandemic!  I first felt like I was in a fog and not sure where I was going.  Slowly though I felt God's hand on me saying,  "you will be fine.  Just look up and rest on Me, I will take you through."

I have to confess one night I tried to take the whole world on my shoulders and felt like I had to do something to help everyone see the truth about the virus.  LOL!  Truth was I didn't even begin to understand the truth about it!  But sometimes in the middle of the night one can feel the need to fix the trouble that's out there.  OR am I the only one that does silly things of such nature in the middle of the night?  Anyway now I feel more solid and I feel like I know two things: God says - Love one another.  That is His main command.  I realize that to love includes accept people no matter if they agree or not with my thoughts and respect everyone when out in public.  The face mask doesn't hurt me to wear and trying to keep distance isn't hard either - depending how full the area I'm in - but most of the time it works fine.  Washing hands, well that is common sense.

That said, I am doing okay even though I don't love death and dying I know it is part of life.  My husband John and I cherished the words of a few songs that helped us when we were discouraged by life. One was a Christian contemporary song called  "Eye of the Storm" by Ryan Stevenson.  Go to YouTube and listen.  Such great words!  And another one was the old favorite "The Rose" which was song sung at our wedding.  The Rose has a line that says "The soul afraid of dying never learns to live."  When we married we were older, and life is a risk.  We, of course, hoped we would have several more good years together as we were both rather healthy.  But we knew in life there are no guarantees. We still wanted to enjoy life and take the risk.

My final word to all who read this is to put your hope in a sure guarantee - Jesus Christ!  John 3:16-17  For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send His Son (Jesus) into the world to condemn the world but to save the world through Him.

Now that is LOVE!  Do you believe?  Are you expected in Heaven?  Take the risk that has a sure outcome!