"Just as the Lord had commanded Moses his servant, so Moses commanded Joshua, and so Joshua did. He left nothing undone of all that the Lord had commanded Moses. Joshua 11:15
I am reminded when I had first read through Joshua and I struggled with how the Lord would ask that Joshua or whoever would destroy people completely. I just didn't understand why such harsh orders. Later I would discover that when leaders would not obey the Lord that those nations would rise up again and even commit more evil and more destruction. God is always good and always knows what's best for us and His creation. God has also commanded us to destroy things in our lives. The question for us is, will we be obedient. Sin is our adversary and victory is ours. What has the Lord called you to destroy and you haven't put it to death
Romans 6:11Even so consider yourselves to be dead to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus.
To conquer the land God has for us sin cannot reign in our bodies. I say we have some serious bloodshed today. Wipe it out. All of it! Take The Land.
Viiictoooooooooooooorrrrrrrrrrrryyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy!
Pastor Joe
4 comments:
I'm super encouraged by this. I think that a lot of times when we try to cut off sin in our lives, we try to leave just a little bit left. It ends up coming back and being a snare for us later on. But, when we eradicate it we can enjoy peace, fruitfulness, and victory.
v.20; It was the Lord himself who hardened their hearts to wage war against Israel, so that he might destroy them totally, exterminating them without mercy...
After reading this I couldn't help but think of the question, why did God do it like this? I thought about that all day. I like what PJ wrote about how these nations were destroyed sometimes because if they weren't completely destroyed they would rise up even worse then before. Even with that I still just wonder could there have been a better way? I'm not struggling accepting this or even thinking that God could have handled it better, just doing what I believe many of us stop ourselves from doing and that is wrestling and even sometimes even questioning the scriptures. By questioning I don't mean that I'm saying that things in the Bible are wrong or even contradict themselves, but I do believe it's perfectly ok to just ask God why He would do this? After thinking about it all morning and asking Him why, I got nothing back. I do believe though that the reason for this is because one of two reasons. The first is I don't need to know why God did this,I just need to realize that His ways are way better then mind. And the second reason is because the Spirit isn't allowing me to understand this, I probably couldn't wrap my little mind about it.
What I've learned about questions like this is that I need to trust that God's ways are better than mine, whether I agree with them or not, and that what I need to know the Holy Spirit will allow me to know.
I know I kinda took a left turn off of PJ's entry but trust me I totally agree with him!
I agree with pastor Joe. God asking Joshua to destroy a people completely and us destroying sin completely in our lives is the perfect comparison. I agree with Robby that when we do not absolutely annihilate sin in our lives it comes back to make us stumble. I’ve personally experienced this in my life. We need to remember that when we genuinely seek to be pure in all aspects of our lives, (which is the fight of my life) we have nothing to fear. Like Pastor Rick has said in his recent sermons we are Annihilators! Forget the famous phrase “This Sparta!” Instead, “If God be fore me who can be against me?” Complete victory, we take no prisoners, putting to death any and all sin. Father help me to annihilate any sin that’s in my life. Because when we conquer and destroy sin we can conquer an enemy that numbers as vast as the grains of sand.
All these kings came out to fight. Their combined armies formed a vast horde. And with all their horses and chariots, they covered the landscape like the sand on the seashore. 11:4 A mighty army then-Our adversary now, sin.
So they were completely destroyed…. as the LORD had commanded Moses. 11:20
God is commanding us to destroy ALL sin in our lives
….leaving no survivors. 11:14
No compromising.
This chapter really spoke to me today. Thank You Father. You are for us. You are 100% faithful 100% of the time.
The truth is the actions of God Hardened their hearts. In the same way the same the actions of God softened the heart of Rahab and many others. It is the same action that softens the hearts of some and heardens the hearts of others.
In the last chapter we read of the Gibeonites that when they heard what the Lord did their herart melted. They figured out a plan to make sure they were protected (a decieving plan none the less a plan).
When the sun beats down on the clay it gets hard and when it beats down on the wax it melts. It is the same sun with the same beating down. It is the difference between the clay and the wax that makes the difference. We will say (as the bible says about God) the sun melted the wax or the sun made the clay hard but in reality it is the reaction or the makeup of the clay and the wax that makes the difference. Even thought we blaim the sun.
God reacts the same way to sin it is the choice of the sinner how he will react. We think the judgement of God was in them getting killed in the battle, compleatly wiped out. But the truth is every single one of them will be judged according to his or her individual sin before the throme of God and real judgement will come then for their behavior. If they cannot claime the work done on the cross as payment for their sin.
I thank my God for the things He has done that softened my heart (and at the same times hardened the hearts of others) so I can spend eterninty with Him.
Pastor Jack
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