The Messiah

At the present time, we are under the illusion that our country is invincible and will always have the ability to successfully fight off those who might want to subjugate our nation and our way of life. However, history has shown that all nations will eventually come to an end. So, as hard as that is for us to contemplate, let us imagine what it might be like after the United States has been overwhelmed by another world power.

What would it be like to be ruled by an alien culture who would naturally favor those who were ethnically similar to themselves and at the same time treat the rest of us as a lower class of peoples? Although our present legal system seems to favor the rights of the guilty, imagine having an enemy conqueror impose its legal system onto us with no consideration at all for the Ten Commandments. Undoubtedly, the conquerors would also be prejudiced for their own citizens and against those whom they saw as the conquered. It is not hard to imagine that we would be placed on a different legal standing with less rights than those who had aligned themselves with the foreign invaders. We might be taxed at a higher rate; perhaps we would not be allowed to have a voice in politics. Perhaps our religion would be outlawed at worst, or tolerated at best, depending on the mood of the ruling powers. Imagine having our children brought up in a culture where biblical values are laughed at, while at the same time, ideas and customs that are disgusting and vile are elevated to high culture. Imagine being forced to watch our children being taught that wrong is right and that the things of Scripture, things that are right and proper, are offensive and harmful.

Now being in this situation, knowing that the Scriptures teach the promises of a 'Land', and reading the Book of Joshua, what might you conclude about the promised Redeemer? You would probably be thinking and hoping that the Lord would send another Joshua-like figure to set things right. You would be expecting a Redeemer who would save your nation from all the above abuses and offenses against God's holy law. You would be looking for the Warrior-King who comes in wrath and judgment to defeat the enemies of the faith and who would deliver His people to the Promised Land.

Consider this: Our wishful desires may lead us to misunderstand what the scripture is teaching. I know that in Sunday School you might have been taught that those who at first rejected Christ Jesus, those who misunderstood Jesus' ministry, were terrible people. They were not so much unlike ourselves! Their thinking may have been influenced by a sincere desire to see their nation restored. Our little imaginary scenario, where the United States is defeated and dominated by an alien nation, is the same situation that the Jews of Jesus' time were experiencing. It is only natural that we read the Bible with our own individual situations in mind. However, if we are not cautious we also may project our desires onto the meaning of scripture. The classic example, of course, are these Jews who were experiencing national disgrace and daily exposure to the excesses of a debased Roman culture. Perhaps they were sincere in their desire to see godliness and holy worship, but they missed the nature and purpose of Christ's incarnation. We know that the Old Testament scripture gave hints about the nature of Jesus’ advent, and we know there were some Jews who properly understood this 'suffering servant' aspect of the Messiah. New Covenant believers joyously expect Christ to come as a Warrior-King, but we also understand that to be a future event.

We agree that in God's providence the rejection of the Jews was part of the plan of redemption. God used their sin for His glory and the good of all His people. All those who reject Christ are responsible for their rejection, whether they be the Jews of Jesus' time or our contemporaries who also reject the biblical Jesus. For some of those ancient Jews, their rejection was based on a powerful desire to squeeze the book of Joshua to fit their own desires.

There is the caution here for believers; though we do not reject the biblical Jesus Christ, in our weaker moments, we may still wrongfully twist scripture to fit our desires. The remedy for us is twofold.

First, we should carefully use proper rules for biblical interpretation - we want to find the true meaning of scripture. By putting some distance between our desires and the study of scripture we may avoid our tendency to manipulate scripture to fit our desires. I would guess that the worst thing I have ever done in this regard is to decide what I want to do and then look for the scripture that allows me to do that very thing. Our desires are only proper when they are in agreement with scripture, and conversely, scripture is never validated by how we 'feel' about it!

Secondly, we prayerfully ask the Holy Spirit's guidance in revealing the true meaning of scripture. A proper understanding of our struggle with remaining sin helps us to understand that our heart's desire may miss the mark of scripture. We also pray for godly men to teach and preach as we pray that our hearts' desires will be conformed to the scriptures.

May the Lord grant us a hunger for the Word and the ability to patiently search the scriptures. May the Lord graciously give us godly men called to study and preach the Word.

Robin

Five Kings in a Cave

"Now these five kings had fled and hidden themselves in the cave at Makkedah. It was told Joshua, saying, “The five kings have been found hidden in the cave at Makkedah.” Joshua said, “Roll large stones against the mouth of the cave, and assign men by it to guard them, but do not stay there yourselves; pursue your enemies and attack them in the rear. Do not allow them to enter their cities, for the LORD your God has delivered them into your hand.” It came about when Joshua and the sons of Israel had finished slaying them with a very great slaughter, until they were destroyed, and the survivors who remained of them had entered the fortified cities, that all the people returned to the camp to Joshua at Makkedah in peace. No one uttered a word against any of the sons of Israel." Joshua 10:16-21

The five kings hid themselves in a cave - we examined this narrative from the viewpoint of the Five Kings in the last newsletter. But this month I would like to consider this event from Joshua’s viewpoint. Why did Joshua choose not to judge and execute the Five Kings immediately? The military answer is that these Kings were already no threat as they were trapped and neutralized in this cave. The real battle involved those fighters fleeing to defensive positions and who would soon recover their courage and muster for a counter attack. Pursuit and defeat while the enemy was in full panic was of first importance. The army of the sons of Israel had much work to accomplish and five kings in a cave could wait.

Before we return to the Five Kings let us consider an apparent problem with the text. In a number of places, the narrative appears to imply a 'final' victory but in light of further information found in the book of Judges we clearly see that the work of occupying the Land was ongoing. The generation who experienced these events first hand understood that, even with the initial victories, ongoing efforts to suppress the enemy would follow. The narrative in Joshua raises a few questions as most English words used in the various translations seem to imply that the Canaanite people were totally destroyed and occupation of the land was completed. A couple of explanations help us understand this apparent discrepancy. First, from a linguistic standpoint, we find that the specific word used by the writer seems to state that the battles were finally 'won.' However, according to Dale Ralph Davis in his commentary on the book of Joshua, “the Hebrew verb translated 'took' or 'capture' as in "Now Joshua captured Makkedah on that day ..." (Joshua 10:28) means 'once' or 'one time' and is not "declaring that Joshua took the land all at one time, but that he took it once, which suggests the possibility that later battles were required to retake certain locals. In such a case, further tribal efforts are not surprising." Dale Ralph Davis, No Falling Words footnotes, page 89.

So I think this issue of a apparent discrepancy in the text is resolved but this brings us to a second question. If all Canaan was to be judged and destroyed, why were there further battles to be fought?

From the start, we understood the book of Joshua to be a record of both the judgment of the wicked Canaanites and the occupation of the Promised Land by the children of Abraham. So, even if it is not explicitly stated here, we know that this historical event is about more than merely beating the armies of Canaan. Remember that part of the promise was that the Lord would give the sons of Israel, “... great and splendid cities which you did not build, houses full of all good things which you did not fill, and hewn cisterns which you did not dig, vineyards and olive trees which you did not plant, and you eat and are satisfied ... " (Deuteronomy 6:10-11). It is reasonable to assume that though the judgment of the wicked Canaanites was violent and total, there still remained some Canaanite survivors to care for and tend to whatever physical assets not yet occupied by Israel.

Untended grape vines and olive trees and fields of grain would need workers to continue the 'cultivation' until the descendants of Abraham actually took physical possession of those various properties. Though the Scripture on this point is silent, is it possible that these remaining Canaanites were grafted into Israel? We know that later the descendants of the remaining Canaanites were enemies of the people of God. But considering the Sons of Israel, these children of promise, also failed to teach their children, it is not so big a stretch to believe that the ingrafted Canaanite families would also eventually fail in the task of teaching their children? That would explain the later record contained in the book of Judges telling us that many of the native Canaanite children eventually became mortal enemies of the Nation of Israel. It is mere speculation on my part, but I do think that the first generation of Israelites clearly understood the ongoing nature of the work of occupation. They understood that after the initial battles there would be smaller battles as they came to live in these previously unoccupied sections of Canaan. Sadly, many of the Israelite fathers apparently failed to teach their children these vital lessons about the ongoing work of perseverance in the faith - but that is a story for another article!

So in a larger, spiritual sense, this section of Scripture gives us a picture of both the patience of God in judgment as well as a picture of the believers ongoing struggle with sin. Today we know that, although Satan is defeated, ultimate judgment for him is delayed. Whatever view of end-times you may have, you will agree that ultimately Satan will be "thrown into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are also; and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever" (Revelation 20:10) at the final judgment. So this is another one of the 'Now-but-not-Yet" aspects of the promises of God. What I am saying is that the Five Kings represent the rebellious evil one - a Satan figure. Their power is broken but the war continues.

Yes, sin no longer reigns in the life of the believer (Romans 6:17-18) because of the life and work of Christ! Satan’s power over us has been broken. Nevertheless a battle continues daily as each believer struggles to slay sin in his or her life - the war continues. This is a picture of sanctification. Joshua and the sons of Israel were not, of course, fighting the enemy on their own power but they were nevertheless fighting - they were not sitting in their tents lamenting about how hard their life was and how difficult it was to resist the enemy. Neither do believers fight sin in their own strength - Christ not only saved us but He also fights for us! These sons of Abraham were under no illusion that life in the Promised Land would be easy with no struggle, we also should not be surprised or discouraged when the fight continues. They were assured, though, that the Lord was with them as long as they remained faithful to the covenant (see Joshua's farewell address to the people in Joshua 23). We have a similar assurance and a similar promise - that some day we also will inherit a spiritual 'Promised Land', a land where there is no sin, no struggle with sin, no tears of sorrow, and full communion with the Holy Trinity. Though we may see occasional glimpses of the promise, we do not see the fullness of the Promise today, and perhaps we will not see it for many years to come - but by faith we believe that we will, some day, see the fulfillment of the Promise. Telling our children or a new believer that there will be instantaneous deliverance from sin and temptation is only setting them up for unnecessary discouragement. Christ is sufficient, but our struggle with sin remains till our life on earth is ended or until He returns as the great, and ultimate, Warrior-King.

From the first telling of this event, the hearers understood its historical importance but I think they also understood these spiritual applications. Joshua's farewell address later in the book reminded them that there was a need to remain vigilant not only for mere physical enemies, but also spiritual: “When you transgress the covenant of the LORD your God, which He commanded you, and go and serve other gods and bow down to them, then the anger of the LORD will burn against you, and you will perish quickly from off the good land which He has given you.” (Joshua 23:16).

Later readers of the book of Joshua, those who were experiencing the Jewish dispersion in Babylon, would see in this narrative a promise: although now they were no longer in the Promised Land, and justice seems delayed, foreigners defiling the Temple, and the wicked prospering, there would come a day when the Righteous Judge would set things right and ultimate peace would reign throughout the Lord's Kingdom.

And for persecuted Christians reading the book of Joshua many centuries later, they would read this narrative and be reminded that the day of deliverance was merely delayed but not forgotten. That wonderful day would come in which Christ Jesus returns – as promised – as the final and perfect Warrior-King. Meanwhile, the battle, for them – and for us – would be ongoing. Joshua 10:22-28, though true history, is a picture of both believers fighting sin and of the return of Christ. Though by the life and work of Christ, salvation is purchased for His people and Satan is restrained, ‘smaller’ battles continue to be fought in the lives of individual believers; still there will be a final battle where all wickedness and evil is defeated. Satan and all evildoers will be put on display and the chosen ones will forever memorialize the great victory of the King of Glory (see Revelation 19).

"Then Joshua said, “Open the mouth of the cave and bring these five kings out to me from the cave.” They did so, and brought these five kings out to him from the cave: the king of Jerusalem, the king of Hebron, the king of Jarmuth, the king of Lachish, and the king of Eglon. When they brought these kings out to Joshua, Joshua called for all the men of Israel, and said to the chiefs of the men of war who had gone with him, “Come near, put your feet on the necks of these kings.” So they came near and put their feet on their necks. Joshua then said to them, “Do not fear or be dismayed! Be strong and courageous, for thus the LORD will do to all your enemies with whom you fight.” So afterward Joshua struck them and put them to death, and he hanged them on five trees; and they hung on the trees until evening. It came about at sunset that Joshua gave a command, and they took them down from the trees and threw them into the cave where they had hidden themselves, and put large stones over the mouth of the cave, to this very day." Joshua 10:22-27

Christ will return as the greater Joshua to judge the unrighteous: the wicked will not always prosper. Christ will return as the greater Joshua to deliver His people to a full and complete Promise Land. Meanwhile, we have both a present reality and this future hope. The present reality is that Christ has redeemed us to fellowship with Him and delivered us from our former slavery to sin, nevertheless, we continue to struggle with remaining sin. Be thankful that we have this future promise - that at the resurrection we will be taken to that Promise Land where we will no longer battle sin. Robin

The Five Kings

"So the five kings of the Amorites, the king of Jerusalem, the king of Hebron, the king of Jarmuth, the king of Lachish, and the king of Eglon, gathered together and went up, they with all their armies, and camped by Gibeon and fought against it." Joshua 10:5

The pilots were starting to descend into Manchester airport when they heard a loud bang and the aircraft shuddered and yawed slightly to the right. The passengers also noticed the commotion and subsequently the flight attendants called on the intercom and said the right engine was 'smoking.' The pilots took a quick glance at the engine instruments and decided that the right engine was having problems. There is a checklist for engine fires and they quickly accomplished each item, shutting down the right engine. In their minds this was not a serious problem since they had two engines and the airplane was quite capable of flight on the one remaining engine. They continued to descend in preparation for landing. Several miles from the runway they became aware that they were slightly low and attempted to increase power on the 'good' left engine. As they advanced the power that engine started to shake and would not produce power. Too late they realized that in their haste they had been operating under a false mindset, assuming the right engine was bad when in reality, the left engine was the real problem. So now, with little time remaining, they desperately attempted to start the right engine. Too late, as they touched down about a half mile from the runway. The aircraft was destroyed and twenty passengers, plus the two pilots, perished. Though this accident occurred back in the early 70's the issue of false 'mindset' is a recurring theme in pilot training. Pilots learn that they must frequently re-evaluate what they know (check the facts with new information), the use of all available resources to verify a plan of action, participate in open communications between involved partners, and active development of alternate plans.

Our perceptions of reality are often shaded by preconceived notions formed with insufficient or even false information. Though you may not be entrusted with operating an aircraft and passengers, as a believer, the stakes are just as important. As pilot ought to review known facts, a believer will need to frequently review the scriptures in order to know how we might act in a particular situation. As a pilot will use all available resources, so also a believer ought to avail himself of the wisdom that comes first from consistent exposure to the preaching of the Word, then the wisdom that comes from other believers and also from a few good, solid books. Just as a flight crew will communicate freely, believers, especially husbands and wives, should freely discuss issues facing them during the week. Just as flight crews must consider possible 'what-if' scenarios, so also families ought to consider alternate plans for the future.

As we look at Joshua chapter 10 we want to look at these five kings and their mindset. First, we know that unbelievers are always going to have a false mindset since the scriptures state that they are under bondage from sin. Believers also struggle with sin and therefore will struggle with false mindsets but, unlike the unbeliever, we have the Holy Spirit to enlighten us. So from what I know about my own struggles with depravity and what I have learned about warfare I have made a few inferences from this section of Scripture. My first assumption is that these kings were no different than myself except they had absolute power over their realms. It probably won't make you feel good to consider this but the difference between the most evil person you can think of and yourself is merely a matter of God's grace. The difference between yourself, before conversion, and these kings is that the Lord, by his common grace, prevented you from gaining enough power or wealth to do that greater evil - God allowed these kings to have the power to do that which was according to their own desires. In essence though, even when God's common grace kept you from performing that greater evil, your sin is no less an offense to God than the acts of a mass murderer (though I am sure that we are all grateful that you are not a mass murderer!). So we ought to be careful not to be self-righteous when we think about these kings. They are just as guilty of sins as any other unbeliever, either in the past, present, or future. In the providence of God these kings were allowed to become powerful monarchs yet at the same time retained responsibility for all their grievous sins.

Application: You are to be eternally grateful that the Lord has, by common grace, restrained sin in this world. The fact that the Lord has restrained sin in your life is an even greater cause for gratefulness, and thanksgiving! It is tempting to look at unbelievers with disdain - better to look with pity and prayers for their deliverance - you are not so much unlike them except for the grace of God.

So we see that the kings mindset was formed by a desire to defend themselves and their property. They were aware that a key trade route ran through their territory. Presently they controlled access through a major trade route and they were made rich through tolls, taxes, and tribute demands to those who wished to trade with Egypt and beyond. Throughout their history they had been frequently attacked and sometimes conquered by other invading foreigners who saw this same potential source of revenue and power. If they were conquered they knew it meant the loss of their families, all earthly comforts, and probably death.

Faced with reports from those who had witnessed the destruction of Jericho and Ai they would certainly send out spies to evaluate the enemy. Because of their mindset they would interpret the spies reports without considering the power and promises of God. No doubt, their spies reported the relative poverty of the invaders and the large number of women and children living with their army. Invading armies must always have supply lines from a base of operations with food and provisions moving toward the battle line along with craftsmen to repair and replace broken weapons and spent ammunition - spears, arrows, stones for slings, etc. In the eyes of worldly men, the Sons of Israel were operating with several major disadvantages since they had no homeland and could not expect reinforcements from home to help. They were also a foraging army, they did not have supply lines back to their homeland but collected food along the way. Large numbers of fighting men will eat a lot of food so the Canaanites knew that if they could stall the attack for even a week the invaders would run out of food and have to retreat to 'greener' pastures. In contrast to the apparent poverty of the Israelite invaders, circumstances looked favorable for the kings as they would be fighting near their cities with ample sources of food and replacement arms. They also had their fortified cities of relative safety to fall back on and fight another day if a particular battle went poorly.

Obviously, the five kings were thinking they were self-sufficient and powerful. They trusted in the strength of their armies and the apparent weakness of their enemies. This was the ultimate false mindset. Due to their depraved mindset, they fell into the trap of pride and self-sufficiency that many fall into today - unconverted 'kings' scoff at the strange God who seemed to favor the people of God. Certainly, the Canaanite gods had no involvement with the world of men and generally had no interest in saving anyone except those with the mightiest armies. Too late, many will see that the gods of this world have no power to save.

If they had considered the witness of Abraham in the days of old, more recently the parting of the Jordan River and the defeat of Jericho, they might have thought more highly of the God of the Israelites. And if they had taken a higher view of God, they might have re-evaluated the situation and reconsidered their plans of resistance - the only rational plan for life would have been total submission to the rightful kingship of Jehovah, the God of Abraham.

Application: Submission to God is the only rational choice for your family, for your comfort, and for your life.

"It may be that you are struggling hard for the rewards of this world. Perhaps you are straining every nerve to obtain more money, or place, or power, or pleasure. If that be your case, take care. You are sowing a crop of bitter disappointment. Unless you mind what you are about, your latter days will be to lie down in sorrow.

Thousands have trodden the path you are pursuing, and have awoke too late to find in end in misery and eternal ruin. They have fought hard for wealth, and honor, and office, and promotion, and turned their backs on God, and Christ, and heaven, and the world to come. And what has their end been? Often, far too often, they have found out that their whole life has been a grand mistake. They have tasted by bitter experience the feelings of the dying statesman who cried aloud in his last hours, "The battle is fought: the battle is fought: but the victory is not won." (Ryle, J.C., Holiness. Charles Nolan Publishers, Moscow, ID Pg 77-78)

In conclusion I ask you to please consider your mindset. Are you informing your life through the scriptures or are you looking at the world for a true understanding of reality? Are you using all the resources that the Lord has graciously given you to 'work out you salvation with fear and trembling' (Philippians 2:12)? For example, are you consistently coming to church to hear your pastor preach the Word? Are you participating in the Lord's Table week by week? Are you spending time in prayers of adoration, thanksgiving, and confession? Are you working toward having open communication with other believers through frequent fellowship? Are you developing those few believing friends who will encourage and challenge you in your walk with Christ? The Lord has provided ways to correct our false perceptions of reality - the question remains whether you prefer a worldly life of comfortable illusion or a life with a vastly more satisfying relationship with the One who called Himself, the Way, the Truth, and the Light (John 14:6).

Robin

Joshua’s ‘Long Day’

Joshua 10:12-13

Remember last month we spoke about the Gibeonites who were threatened by the King of Jerusalem and his five Amorite allies. We discussed the relationship between Israel and the Gibeonites and the prior treaty or covenant between both groups - the Israelites being the masters and the Gibeonites pledging their servitude to them. On the basis of this treaty they appealed to Israel for protection against the attacking Amorite kings.

After the Lord specifically assures them of victory, Joshua and the men of Israel take up arms with the intention of honoring their duty to protect the Gibeonites. Note in verse 8 the Lord says, “Do not fear them (the King of Jerusalem and his buddies), for I have given them into your hands; not one of them shall stand before you.” And then as the sons of Israel attack, the Lord himself “threw large stones from heaven,” and “more died from the hailstones” than were killed by the Israelites! (verse 8) Again, we see the major emphasis of the book of Joshua – that the Lord fights the battle to preserve his covenant people and His people have to act in obedience.

Application 1: Notice that the Lord takes preeminence in this battle – the people are responsible to go forth to battle but the Lord gives the victory. We do well to remember that the same is true in the church today. We are certainly responsible to be obedient to the Lord’s commands; however, when we have done our best, it is still the Lord that accomplishes His ends. His purposes may be inscrutable and may even seem to be a retreat from what we might expect: Our duty is not to fear what men may do or think, but to trust in an all-powerful, all knowing, and good God!

“Then Joshua spoke to the LORD in the day when the LORD delivered up the Amorites before the sons of Israel, and he said in the sight of Israel,

“O sun, stand still at Gibeon,

And O moon in the valley of Aijalon.”

So the sun stood still, and the moon stopped,

Until the nation avenged themselves of their enemies.

Is it not written in the book of Jashar? And the sun stopped in the middle of the sky and did not hasten to go down for about a whole day. There was no day like that before it or after it, when the LORD listened to the voice of a man; for the LORD fought for Israel.” Joshua 10:12-14

As I see it there are two possibilities: The first being that the author intended this as a poetic expression. Similar to our saying something like, ‘we have been so busy it seems like this day would never end!’ Some commentators say that the Hebrew language has no punctuation or other marks to distinguish between poetry and prose – Bible translators make distinctions based on context. According to this theory, verse 13 of this passage should also be indented in the same way as verse 12. The original hearers of this book knew that this was a poetic expression and besides, the point of the passage is not the miracle of the sun standing still but rather that the Lord is faithful and will fight to preserve His people. The main purpose of this book is clearly to encourage God’s people in persecution. When we fail to distinguish literary genre and the intent of the author we may end up trying to fruitlessly wring scientific explanations when none were intended.

The second possibility is that this was a literal event where the day was unnaturally long, ’about a whole day,’ giving the Israelites an extra time to fight the battle. This quote from AnswersinGenesis.org sums up my thoughts on this particular miracle and, for that matter all miracles:

“The Bible does not tell us how any of these things happen, other than God wills them to happen and they do. He may use some existing natural law (as in Noah’s Flood), or all participation of nature may be excluded (as in the Resurrection). Often the miraculous effect lies in the providential timing of natural events. Miracles rest on testimony, not on scientific analyses. While it is interesting to speculate on how God might have performed any particular Biblical miracle, including Joshua’s long day, ultimately those claiming to be disciples of Jesus Christ must accept them, by faith. There is not one logical, scientific reason to claim that, given a God powerful enough to create a universe in six days, Joshua’s long day ‘could not have happened’. Those who balk at this account are almost invariably those who have already rejected six day creation through compromise with evolution’s fictitious long ages, and have thus rejected the authority of the Bible.”

Application 2: If we want to take this as a poetic passage with symbolic meaning we must be careful not to base our conclusion on our own desire to fit in with worldly wisdom or fear of ridicule. If we make a thorough word study of the passage; if we do a proper study of types of biblical literature; if we examine the original authors intent; if we research to whom the author was writing; if we look to see what eminent scholars have said about the passage; and if we have done all this prayerfully – then we may come to an honest opinion. Doing proper Bible study is the remedy for the reality that our hearts are deceitful and prone to mis-interpret the Bible according to our own sinful desires. Granted, taking the meaning of this particular passage as either symbolic or literal will not likely cause major error in doctrine or practice, but the principles of Bible interpretation are important. A faulty view of many other passages may cause great error. For example, a symbolic interpretation of Genesis’ six day creation account in order to accommodate evolution will diminish, if not destroy, the gospel.

Application 3: Whether we conclude that this is symbolic poetry or a literal event, we must admit the wonder of verse 14 –“was no day like that before it or after it, when the LORD listened to the voice of a man; for the LORD fought for Israel.” Joshua was a man just like us with all the struggles and failures common to mankind, yet when he prayed the Lord listened. When we pray, as his covenant people, He listens! Prayer is therapeutic and the Lord uses our prayers to conform us to the mind of Christ, but prayer is more than that! Prayer actually accomplishes things! Is it possible that we do not see great things because we do not pray for great things?

To summarize, the narrative here in Joshua was meant to encourage the covenant people of God. It is a marvelous reminder that even when the situation appears hopeless and all is lost, God is sovereign and able to deliver! Even when our prayers seem to go unanswered, He is faithful and His purpose is to preserve and prosper His people. We may live in a land of plenty with freedom to worship without fear, but we must always remember that God is no less active in leading, protecting, preserving, and saving His covenant people—the church.

Robin