Bible Food Day 17 - Finishing Joshua

Good morning it is 5 AM central standard time and I'm on no coffee just pure excitement to read the Word of the Lord.

We are starting in Joshua chapter 15.  This chapter begins by reading Israel's land borders mainly the tribe of Judah, for all the land they had.  Jebu of the Jebusites was what the Israelites called Jerusalem.  The children of Judah (the Jews) had a great deal of land.  However they didn't push the Jebusites out of the land completely (remember this later on).

⁶³As for the Jebusites the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the children of Judah could not drive them out; but the Jebusites dwell with the children of Judah at Jerusalem unto this day.

Chapter 16 shares the border of the children of Joseph, which in this case was Ephraim.  They also didn't push the prior inhabitants totally out.  ¹⁰And they drave not out the Canaanites that dwelt in Gezer: but the Canaanites dwell among the Ephraimites unto this day, and serve under tribute.

In chapter 17 we learn that Manasseh also had land as the oldest child of Joseph.  Manasseh had Machir who had Gilead; when you hear of Gilead that is a son of Joseph.  We see a trend of not being able to drive out the inhabitants of the land as God commanded; but put these people to tribute.  This means the Canaanites will be a thorn in the side of the children of Israel, as Moses warned them.  ¹²Yet the children of Manasseh could not drive out the inhabitants of those cities; but the Canaanites would dwell in that land.
 ¹³Yet it came to pass, when the children of Israel were waxen strong, that they put the Canaanites to tribute, but did not utterly drive them out.
In chapter 18; there are still 7 tribes have not taken their land in which the Lord gave them; and Joshua charged them to go through the land and described it for Joshua to cast lots for them, that means divide it to them.  And Benjamin was given their lot in the land according to their inheritance.
Chapter 19: The second lot was cast on Simeon.  ¹⁰And the third lot came up for the children of Zebulun according to their families: and the border of their inheritance was unto Sarid:  
This may be boring reading to you but it has a big meaning for the future.  ¹⁷And the fourth lot came out to Issachar, for the children of Issachar according to their families.
²⁴And the fifth lot came out for the tribe of the children of Asher according to their families.
³²The sixth lot came out to the children of Naphtali, even for the children of Naphtali according to their families.
⁴⁰And the seventh lot came out for the tribe of the children of Dan according to their families.
Now every tribe received a plot of land for an inheritance; and the children of Israel gave Joshua a plot of land as well and they set up the Tabernacle of the Congregation in Shiloh.
In chapter 20 the Lord reminded Joshua to tell the children of God to build cities of refuge for someone who murders or kills on accident.  So they can seek refuge there from the retribution from a hot family member until the killer has had a trial.
The Levites were given their inheritance among the suburbs of the cities among the tribes of Israel.  ⁴¹All the cities of the Levites within the possession of the children of Israel were forty and eight cities with their suburbs. This is in chapter 21.  The Lord Israel all the land He promised to their fathers, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and the Lord gave them peace from all their enemies and delivered Israel from their enemies.  The Lord did not fail to give the children of Israel any good they wanted.
In Joshua chapter 22; the tribe of Reuben, Gad, and half of Manasseh; Joshua blessed them for keeping their promise to help their brothers and sent them back to the other side of Jordan but admonished them to: ⁵But take diligent heed to do the commandment and the law, which Moses the servant of the LORD charged you, to love the LORD your God, and to walk in all his ways, and to keep his commandments, and to cleave unto him, and to serve him with all your heart and with all your soul.
Now when they left they built an altar unto God; and the ten tribes sent leaders there to ask why they had done this (as they thought they were rebelling against God in doing so)?  And the Reuben, Gad, and Manasseh did it that years later when the 10 tribes children will say to 2 tribes; you have no part in the Lord, so they wanted to make sure their children were taught about the God of Israel and were not utterly put out from before the Lord.  Thus it pleased Phinehas and the 10 tribes who came up to them.
In chapter 23 Joshua is old and is preparing to pass and gives his final orders to the children of Israel.  He tells them to ⁶Be ye therefore very courageous to keep and to do all that is written in the book of the law of Moses, that ye turn not aside therefrom to the right hand or to the left;
As all the good things the Lord promised had happen to Israel; Joshua let's them know the evil tings will come to pass that the Lord has spoken if they break the covenant of the Lord.
In chapter 24, Joshua gathers the heads of state and gives them the history lesson of Israel:
²And Joshua said unto all the people, Thus saith the LORD God of Israel, Your fathers dwelt on the other side of the flood in old time, even Terah, the father of Abraham, and the father of Nachor: and they served other gods.
 ³And I took your father Abraham from the other side of the flood, and led him throughout all the land of Canaan, and multiplied his seed, and gave him Isaac.
 ⁴And I gave unto Isaac Jacob and Esau: and I gave unto Esau mount Seir, to possess it; but Jacob and his children went down into Egypt.
He ran it down all the way to their current state and all the good the Lord had done for them driving out their enemies.
¹⁴Now therefore fear the LORD, and serve him in sincerity and in truth: and put away the gods which your fathers served on the other side of the flood, and in Egypt; and serve ye the LORD.
 ¹⁵And if it seem evil unto you to serve the LORD, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.
This is what we have to do independently today; "as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord Jesus."  And Joshua made a covenant with the people, and wrote it on a stone and made the stone a witness unto the covenant.  Then he died at 110 years of age.  Even Eleazar died, the high priest, and Phinehas his son took over.
In Judges chapter 1; Israel ask the Lord who should go up first and fight against the Canaanites.  And the Lord sent Judah telling them He has given them the land already.  And they did; destroy the city of Jerusalem as they took it; and killing over 10 thousand Canaanites.
Some of this reading is a recap of what we read in Joshua chapter 15 to 16 just given in more detail.  In Judges chapter 2, because Israel did not utterly destroy the prior inhabitants of the land and angel appeared and said this:
 ¹And an angel of the LORD came up from Gilgal to Bochim, and said, I made you to go up out of Egypt, and have brought you unto the land which I sware unto your fathers; and I said, I will never break my covenant with you.
 ²And ye shall make no league with the inhabitants of this land; ye shall throw down their altars: but ye have not obeyed my voice: why have ye done this?
 ³Wherefore I also said, I will not drive them out from before you; but they shall be as thorns in your sides, and their gods shall be a snare unto you.
It is so greatly important to follow the instructions of the Lord to a tee.  After this generation passed the next generation did not seek the Lord and took up other gods; and the Lord delivered them to their enemies and the Lord gave them for evil as He had spoken to Moses.  However, the Lord would send them judges to correct them; but they would not listen to their judges.
¹⁹And it came to pass, when the judge was dead, that they returned, and corrupted themselves more than their fathers, in following other gods to serve them, and to bow down unto them; they ceased not from their own doings, nor from their stubborn way.
The Lord did not like it; and the Lord promised not to remove those nations out, but keep them there to prove Israel to see if they will serve the Lord or not.  We have to be aware of test the Lord gives us so we fail not.
Judges chapter 3
¹Now these are the nations which the LORD left, to prove Israel by them, even as many of Israel as had not known all the wars of Canaan;
³Namely, five lords of the Philistines, and all the Canaanites, and the Sidonians, and the Hivites that dwelt in mount Lebanon, from mount Baalhermon unto the entering in of Hamath.
 ⁴And they were to prove Israel by them, to know whether they would hearken unto the commandments of the LORD, which he commanded their fathers by the hand of Moses.
 ⁵And the children of Israel dwelt among the Canaanites, Hittites, and Amorites, and Perizzites, and Hivites, and Jebusites:
 ⁶And they took their daughters to be their wives, and gave their daughters to their sons, and served their gods.
 ⁷And the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the LORD, and forgat the LORD their God, and served Baalim and the groves.
 ⁸Therefore the anger of the LORD was hot against Israel,
The Lord then gave them into the hands of their enemies and they served their enemies for 8 years.  The Lord sent a judge Othniel the son of Kenaz, Caleb's younger brother to deliver Israel and he did and they had rest 40 years.
Then they rebelled again.  ¹⁴So the children of Israel served Eglon the king of Moab eighteen years.
Then Israel would pray to be delivered and the Lord sent them a judge named Ehud the son of Gera, a Benjamite.  And he killed Eglon.  After a judge would die a new generation would come up and serve other gods and Israel would go back to their vomit and the Lord would punish them.  
Today, why put ourselves through all that hardship.  Serve God and keep His commandments for it to be well and good with you and your family throughout all generations.
I thank you for reading with me today; tomorrow we will read Judges 4 through 15.  Have a biblically knowledgeable day in Jesus name, Amen.

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Bible Food Day 16 - The Book of Joshua

Good morning,

Today we are passing into the Book of Joshua; and Joshua is in charge and the Lord is setting him up to be the leader.  The Lord tells him to be strong and courageous and not to move from the law of the covenant at all.

In Joshua chapter two, Joshua sends two men out to spy the land; and Rahab the harlot allowed them to hide in her place.  She heard about the children of Israel and said their people were scared of them.  They heard about what God did in Egypt so she was well aware, and she made the two men promise they will deal kindly with her and her family when Israel comes in and take the land.  And that is how she saved her household, by her faith that the God of Heaven was the God of the children of Israel.

In chapter three the Lord is ready to perform a big sight to make the people know and believe that He is with Joshua: ⁷And the LORD said unto Joshua, This day will I begin to magnify thee in the sight of all Israel, that they may know that, as I was with Moses, so I will be with thee.

They are ready to cross the Jordan by the priest standing in the Jordan and the Jordan will dry up and when the priest held the ark of the covenant in the water, it dried and they went over dry shod.

In chapter 4; when the priest came out of the Jordan at the command of Joshua, the water went back and over flowed it's banks and the children of Israel feared Joshua as they did Moses and they took up the stones as a memorial, 12 of them, to tell their children about what the Lord has done in the Jordan.

In Joshua chapter 5; the people heard of what the Lord did for Israel; their heart melted and were sorely afraid of Israel.  And Joshua commanded that all the males be circumcised in the flesh.  Many of Israel did not circumcise themselves when they came out of Egypt because their parents didn't do it. So Joshua took off the reproach of Egypt off of Israel by circumcising the males.  They also held the passover on the 14th day.  

And the captain of the Lord's Host, the angel Michael, approached Joshua and he appeared to Joshua as a man; because until he announced himself Joshua approached him to see if he was coming in peace or in trouble.  He came in peace to give instruction and Joshua fell upon his face.  This lets us know angels can appear to us as men and we can't tell they are angels unless the let us know they are.

In chapter 6 Joshua is getting the instructions on how they will take the city.  ⁶And Joshua the son of Nun called the priests, and said unto them, Take up the ark of the covenant, and let seven priests bear seven trumpets of rams' horns before the ark of the LORD.

 ⁸And it came to pass, when Joshua had spoken unto the people, that the seven priests bearing the seven trumpets of rams' horns passed on before the LORD, and blew with the trumpets: and the ark of the covenant of the LORD followed them.

 ⁹And the armed men went before the priests that blew with the trumpets, and the rereward came after the ark, the priests going on, and blowing with the trumpets.
They were to march around the city one time each day for six days, seven priest with seven trumpets blowing the trumpets.  The trumpets announces the coming of a King and the announcing of a war.  Remember the ark of the covenant went after the priest with the trumpets and that ark of the covenant represents God Himself.
On the 7th day, they circled the city 7 times and on the last circle the people shouted and the wall fell down flat and they went in straight and took the city.
Yet they kept the house of Rahab and her family and burnt the city with fire; only taking the gold of the city, the city of Jericho.  Joshua fame went out through the whole country.
The children of Israel were not suppose to take any spoil especially any idol or cursed thing; but one man did (Achan, the son of Carmi, the son of Zabdi, the son of Zerah, of the tribe of Judah, took of the accursed thing:).  And the people of Ai smote some of the children of Israel; and Joshua inquired with the Lord why this was thus.  And the Lord removed Himself from Israel until the accursed thing was removed.
And whoever had the accursed thing would be burnt with fire because of his trespass along with all his belongings.  ²⁰And Achan answered Joshua, and said, Indeed I have sinned against the LORD God of Israel, and thus and thus have I done:
²⁴And Joshua, and all Israel with him, took Achan the son of Zerah, and the silver, and the garment, and the wedge of gold, and his sons, and his daughters, and his oxen, and his asses, and his sheep, and his tent, and all that he had: and they brought them unto the valley of Achor.
 ²⁵And Joshua said, Why hast thou troubled us? the LORD shall trouble thee this day. And all Israel stoned him with stones, and burned them with fire, after they had stoned them with stones.
The Lord's judgment was harsh; but because of Achan's greed and disobedience, people were killed for his senseless actions; and the Lord is very serious and harsh on people to follow instructions.
Now in chapter 8; Israel reattempts to take the city of Ai; and do it with a strategy to ambush the city of Ai.  And they set them up greatly, for Joshua was a great general and they took the city and burned it; and hanged the king of Ai.
After they took Ai; Joshua read all the book of the law to the people that Moses wrote.  This reading of the law was very important.
In Joshua chapter 9 all the neighboring countries decided to gather together to fight against Israel as one.  And some of the people in the coast, the Hivites faked as if they came from a long journey and were not part of the nations Israel was to destroy.  They did this in order to make a league with the people of Israel.  
One thing they understood is God kept covenants and agreements that people made with Him and with each other.  Joshua and the elders took no counsel with God and made a league and thus could not kill them; but they remained servants to Israel.
Now when the king of Jerusalem (Canaanite people) saw that the Hivites ( of Gibeon) had made a league withe Israel he wanted to kill Gibeon for making the league with Israel; but Israel had to protect Gibeonites as they would protect themselves.  But the Lord gave the people of the lands into the hands of Israel and even rain hell stones on the people who the Israelites didn't get with the sword.
¹¹And it came to pass, as they fled from before Israel, and were in the going down to Bethhoron, that the LORD cast down great stones from heaven upon them unto Azekah, and they died: they were more which died with hailstones than they whom the children of Israel slew with the sword.
 ¹²Then spake Joshua to the LORD in the day when the LORD delivered up the Amorites before the children of Israel, and he said in the sight of Israel, Sun, stand thou still upon Gibeon; and thou, Moon, in the valley of Ajalon.
 ¹³And the sun stood still, and the moon stayed, until the people had avenged themselves upon their enemies. Is not this written in the book of Jasher? So the sun stood still in the midst of heaven, and hasted not to go down about a whole day.
 ¹⁴And there was no day like that before it or after it, that the LORD hearkened unto the voice of a man: for the LORD fought for Israel.
Joshua was so insistent on killing these people they he commanded the sun to stay still until he finished; and the Lord listened to him and let it be.  This also was a great wonder in Israel.  In Joshua chapter 11; we see the taking down of more cities and the burning of Hazor and took spoil of other cities killing all the people and the kings.  ²³So Joshua took the whole land, according to all that the LORD said unto Moses; and Joshua gave it for an inheritance unto Israel according to their divisions by their tribes. And the land rested from war.
Chapter 12.  This chapter tells us all the lands and nations the children of Israel smote and took for a possession on each side of the Jordan that was divided among the children of Israel.  There were a lot of nations, 31 nations total.
Joshua 13 reads that there was still much more land for the Israelites to possess that they haven't yet.  And Joshua was getting old and it still needed to be done.  And they did more still some of the people to be destroyed and land to be taken still remained with Israel even until this day.  And the inheritance of each tribe is mentioned and given in this chapter.
In chapter 14, we see Caleb get his plot of land from the order of Moses and Joshua blessed him.  Caleb received the land of Hebron even until this day.  And the land rested from war.
This is our reading today.  Tomorrow we will finish Joshua and read 3 chapters in Judges.  I know there was a lot of killing; I should have put the rated "R" if you read with your kids.  One thing people rarely know is that the customs of the people that the Lord sent the children of Israel to take down; are the customs that many keep even today.  It is important to find out about those customs and refrain from them even if they are great family traditions.
Thank you and see you tomorrow.
Grace and peace.

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