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Joshua courageously led the children of Israel out of the wilderness
and into the Promised Land, and from his bold example we can learn
many lessons.
- Have you ever been scared of a big test, a game, or a bully?
- In a scary situation,
you can remember the words of Joshua, "the Lord is with
us: fear them not" (Numbers
14:9; see Numbers 13-14 for the whole story).
- When the children of Israel were in the wilderness, Moses sent
one spy from each of the twelve tribes of Israel into Canaan.
- Ten of the spies reported that it was impossible to enter
the Promised Land because the people who lived there were
huge and stronger than the children of Israel.
- This report made the children of Israel complain that they
never should have left Egypt.
- Joshua and Caleb, the last two spies, told the children
of Israel not to complain or to be afraid of the strength
of humans.
- Instead, they should trust God, the ultimate strength.
- Unfortunately, the children of Israel didn't believe Joshua.
- They had to spend forty years wandering in the wilderness,
turning to God every day for their food and water, until they
trusted Him enough to enter the Promised Land.
- The path is a lot quicker when we trust God right from
the start!
- By the time they were ready to cross the Jordan River and enter
the Promised Land, the children of Israel were trusting God with
every step.
- In fact, they walked right into the Jordan River, knowing
that God would part the waters. And, sure enough, God did!
- Sometimes we have to get our feet wet before the waters
will part.
- To overcome any problem that faces us, we must courageously
move forward with faith in God.
- This faith in God was symbolized by Joshua ordering the priests,
who were carrying the Ark of the Covenant (rather than the soldiers
carrying swords), to lead the children of Israel across the Jordan
River and into the Promised Land (See Joshua 3).
- In any difficult circumstance, we might ask ourselves,
what am I putting first in my life: God's strength or human
strength? Am I facing this challenge by beginning with prayer?
- When the children of Israel entered the Promised Land and came
to the walls of the ancient city of Jericho, Joshua once again
led them to turn to God for help.
- Joshua's experience shows that when we're turning to God
for help, we shouldn't be surprised when we're asked to do
something that makes no sense. God's got a great sense of
humor!
- Instead of using battering rams and bombs to conquer the
city, the children of Israel used prayer and praise.
- Prayer and praise are the greatest weapons in the world.
- The children of Israel walked around the city walls each day
and blew their trumpets in praise of God, and, sure enough, the
walls of Jericho came tumblin' down.
- Often, this story has been used by powerful countries to say
that God will help them destroy their enemies. But that interpretation
misses the whole point of this story.
- While most people who lived around the children of Israel
believed that God protected only the powerful rulers and did
not care about the powerless or poor, the children of Israel
knew differently.
- The children of Israel worshipped a God who cared for,
freed, and protected a rag-tag bunch of slaves "as
the apple of his eye" (Deuteronomy
32:10).
- The story of Joshua and the walls of Jericho (found in Joshua
6) teaches us that God brings land to the landless, loves
everyone - even those who nobody else cares about - and overthrows
all walls of limitation, no matter how high.
- Wall of limitation crumble so that God's children will
have what they need.
- We too can celebrate this God through marching and music,
the dedicated action of our daily life and the praise in our
hearts. We will then witness walls of fear, sickness, oppression,
hatred, and limitation come tumblin' down.
- Like Joshua, we can boldly leap into the waters and
march with shouts around the walls of any challenge, because
we know that the God who parts waters and tears down walls
is the greatest and only power in the world.
- Instead of being afraid of, and thereby worshipping,
the greatness of a problem, we can worship the greatness
of God.
- With Joshua, we can let our lives declare, "the
Lord is with us: fear them not"
(Numbers 14:9).
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