Pastor Billington's Blog

Joshua 14

There are twelve tribes that inherit the land because the descendants of Joseph’s two sons (Ephraim and Manasseh) are each granted their own inheritance, and the descendants of Levi have the Lord as their inheritance. Caleb is finally granted his special inheritance because of his faithfulness.

Numbers 14:24 (WEB) “But my servant Caleb, because he had another spirit with him, and has followed me fully, him I will bring into the land into which he went. His offspring shall possess it.”

Deuteronomy 1:35-26 (WEB) “Surely not one of these men of this evil generation shall see the good land which I swore to give to your fathers, except Caleb the son of Jephunneh. He shall see it. I will give the land that he has trodden on to him and to his children, because he has wholly followed the LORD.”

Thought for the day: The key phrase here regarding Caleb is, “because he wholly followed the Lord.” We are all called to have the same devotion!

Mark 12:30 (WEB) “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength. This is the first commandment.”

Joshua 13

There was still land to be conquered and people to be subdued, but the Israelites didn’t finish the job. There were gaps in their inheritance, but God’s plans weren’t thwarted. If God allows something to happen, it’s because He can still use it for His purposes. Even if it might not be what He would prefer!

Joshua 13:13 (WEB) “Nevertheless the children of Israel didn’t drive out the Geshurites, nor the Maacathites: but Geshur and Maacath live within Israel to this day.”

Judges 3:1 (WEB) “Now these are the nations which Yahweh left, to test Israel by them, even as many as had not known all the wars of Canaan.”

Isn’t His sovereignty amazing?

Thought for the day: The Levites have a special relationship with God. He is their inheritance! That’s a foreshadowing of a believer’s relationship with God through Jesus Christ.

Romans 8:16-17 (WEB) “The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together.”

Joshua 12

Here God reminds the people of all that they have accomplished through Him!

Thought for the day: Why should we care? Because this reminds us of the importance of reflection. We certainly learn more about God and His ways by reflecting on His Word. But we also learn thankfulness by reflecting on what God has done for us personally. He saved us! He walks with us! He protects us! And He changed the very trajectory of our lives and gives us hope for the future!

Isa 46:9 (WEB) “Remember the former things of old; for I am God, and there is no other. I am God, and there is none like me.”

Psalm 77:11-12 (WEB) “I will remember Yah’s deeds; for I will remember your wonders of old. I will also meditate on all your work, and consider your doings.”

Joshua 11

The brutality continues, but we’ve already covered the reason for God’s commands. In fact, we read here that God has made sure that the nations would be punished:

Joshua 11:20 (WEB) “For it was of Yahweh to harden their hearts, to come against Israel in battle, that he might utterly destroy them, that they might have no favor, but that he might destroy them, as Yahweh commanded Moses.”

God is making an example of them, which he can do in his sovereignty. He does the same thing with Pharoah, which Paul comments on in Romans:

Romans 9:17-18 (WEB) “For the Scripture says to Pharaoh, ‘For this very purpose I caused you to be raised up, that I might show in you my power, and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth.’ So then, he has mercy on whom he desires, and he hardens whom he desires.”

Remember, at one time He destroyed everyone but Noah and his family because of their wickedness. And, looking at Revelation, he is going to judge the world again for their evil.

Thought for the day: What a thought: “then the land had rest from war.” It will happen one day!

Isaiah 11:6-9 (WEB) “The wolf will live with the lamb, and the leopard will lie down with the young goat, the calf, the young lion, and the fattened calf together; and a little child will lead them. The cow and the bear will graze. Their young ones will lie down together. The lion will eat straw like the ox. The nursing child will play near a cobra’s hole, and the weaned child will put his hand on the viper’s den. They will not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain; for the earth will be full of the knowledge of the LORD, as the waters cover the sea.”

Joshua 10

This probably seems very brutal to our ears. It’s one of the reasons some people have problems reconciling the picture of God in the Old Testament and the picture of God in the New Testament. In this case, we don’t have to look very far for a rationale behind the destruction of the Amorites. This is what God told Abraham:

Genesis 15:16 (WEB) “In the fourth generation they will come here again, for the iniquity of the Amorite is not yet full.”

What were the sins that God foresaw? We get some insight in Leviticus 18.

Leviticus 18:1-9 (WEB) “I am the LORD your God. You shall not do as they do in the land of Egypt, where you lived. You shall not do as they do in the land of Canaan, where I am bringing you. You shall not follow their statutes. You shall do my ordinances. You shall keep my statutes and walk in them. I am the LORD your God. You shall therefore keep my statutes and my ordinances, which if a man does, he shall live in them. I am the LORD. None of you shall approach any close relatives, to uncover their nakedness: I am the LORD. You shall not uncover the nakedness of your father, nor the nakedness of your mother: she is your mother. You shall not uncover her nakedness. You shall not uncover the nakedness of your father’s wife. It is your father’s nakedness. You shall not uncover the nakedness of your sister, the daughter of your father, or the daughter of your mother, whether born at home or born abroad.”

Leviticus 18:21-25 (WEB) “You shall not give any of your children as a sacrifice to Molech. You shall not profane the name of your God. I am the LORD. You shall not lie with a man as with a woman. That is detestable. You shall not lie with any animal to defile yourself with it. No woman may give herself to an animal, to lie down with it: it is a perversion. Don’t defile yourselves in any of these things; for in all these the nations which I am casting out before you were defiled. The land was defiled. Therefore I punished its iniquity, and the land vomited out her inhabitants.”

Thought for the day: One thing that is sometimes lost in our understanding is that God waits over 400 years to bring judgment. Even in judgment, He shows mercy. That’s what we see in the cross. God’s judgment falls on Jesus Christ, so that we can receive mercy.

Isaiah 53:5-6 (WEB) “But he was pierced for our transgressions. He was crushed for our iniquities. The punishment that brought our peace was on him; and by his wounds we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray. Everyone has turned to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all.”

Joshua 9

The Gibeonites deceive the Israelites in order to make a treaty with them, and the Israelites honor that treaty even though they were lied to. Normally oaths made in such a way are repudiated, but since this involved the making of a covenant with another nation, it seems an exception is made. Interestingly enough, the Gibeonites claim to be Israel’s servants, and then literally become slaves as a result of their deception.

Thought for the day: The key to this event is verse 14: “[they] didn’t ask counsel of the Lord.” Prayer and study should accompany all the decisions in our lives.

Psalm 119:105 (WEB) “Your word is a lamp to my feet, and a light for my path.”

1 Thessalonians 5:17 (WEB) “Pray without ceasing.”

Joshua 8

God can give the victory through miraculous means or by conveying clever strategy. In either case, obedience to His commands is what brings success! The Israelites also make sure that they fulfill God’s command from Deuteronomy 11:29 when they reaffirm the covenant. It seems that they copied the 10 commandments on the stones as a memorial, but read the entirety of the law out loud.

While the stones at Gilgal where they crossed the Jordan reminded the Israelites of God’s faithfulness, the monuments erected at Ai serve a different purpose. The stones over Achan (7:26) would remind the Israelites for generations of the danger of sin and greed, and the heap of stones over the grave of the king of Ai and the altar that was erected on Mount Ebal would remind them that, if they want to be victorious, they need to be faithful and obedient.

Thought for the day: Obedience still brings success and victory, but we have to make sure we understand what success and victory really look like!

John 14:23 (WEB) “ Jesus answered him, ‘If a man loves me, he will keep my word. My Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him.’ “

Joshua 7

Apparently one person (and his family) decided not to follow God’s instructions at Jericho. As a result, the nation is routed at Ai. Joshua doesn’t understand at first and is very bold when he complains to God. God rebukes him and reveals that there is sin in the camp! Someone has stolen items used in idol worship, and that person will be revealed by casting lots over the congregation.

Thought for the day: Our passage reveals that disobedience brings displeasure and destruction. It affects more than just the person sinning. Very few sins that we commit (if any) only affect us. Even if we’re not caught doing something immoral or illegal (like Achan was), the way we act, behave, and think when we’re disobeying God has an impact on those around us. Our families are affected. Our friends are affected. Our communities are affected. Our jobs may be affected. And all of that can happen WITHOUT God taking an active hand in discipline.

Numbers 32:23 (WEB) “But if you will not do so, behold, you have sinned against Yahweh; and be sure your sin will find you out.”