#61. Joshua 5-8 | Are You On God's Side?: Seeking The Healer vs. The Healing

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Welcome to the Dwelling Place Firm Entrusted Ministries.

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I'm Stephanie Hickox, and in

Joshua chapters five through

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eight, there's much that happens

and so much to apply to our lives.

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We'll see how God can redeem

and that he's quick to forgive

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even with those that are

walking in patterns of deep sin.

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And I have a pretty surprising application

for Joshua's encounter with the commander.

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This episode will have some sensitive

content and is best for mom ears alone.

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In the last episode, the Israelites

crossed over the Jordan River and they are

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finally in the Promised Land, but the Lord

has closed up the Jordan River and there's

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nowhere to go but to start conquering

the land, they're looking at the city of

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Jericho again with its fortified walls,

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and it would've had two layers of walls

encircling it, the outer wall, six feet

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thick, and the inner wall 12 feet thick.

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And then we believe there would've been

beams of wood placed over it so that

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people could live between the two walls.

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But before they enact the battle plan,

God calls them to be circumcised.

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The first generation of Israelites.

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That left Egypt were circumcised in

the wilderness, but God has waited for

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this generation to be in the Promised

land before he commands them to do so.

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It's interesting because it seems

like it might make them vulnerable

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to attack, but of course we know that

the Lord's protection covers them,

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especially when they walk in obedience.

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After they complete the circumcision.

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And they heal from these procedures.

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They celebrate the Passover

in the promised land.

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And verse 12 absolutely leaves me in awe

of the faithful provision of our God.

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And the manna ceased the day after

they ate of the produce of the land,

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and there was no longer manna for the

people of Israel, but they ate of the

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fruit of the land of Canaan that year.

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Have you ever had a struggle

with unemployment in your family

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or financial challenges or debt

And you just wish that you had the

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consistency of a paycheck coming in?

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and you're collecting the manna and

you don't know how you're gonna make

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it each month, but over and over?

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God is faithful.

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That's what this reminds me of, over and

over they've been collecting the manna.

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And I hope that after 40 years they know

that it's gonna faithfully come, but they

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have to go out and collect it each time.

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Now, can you imagine them looking

out around them, seeing an abundance

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of fruit trees and just knowing

that's gonna be there, but hopefully

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whenever those, the Lord brings us

into those consistent blessings,

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we don't take them for granted

and we still give him praise.

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At the end of chapter five, Joshua

has a surprise visitor with an

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even more surprising message.

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When Joshua was by Jericho, he lifted

up his eyes and looked, and behold a

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man was standing before him with his

drawn sword in his hand, and Joshua

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went to him and said to him, are

you for us or for our adversaries?

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And he said, no, but I am the

commander of the army of the Lord.

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Now I have come.

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And Joshua fell on his face to the

earth and worshiped and said to him,

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what does my Lord say to his servant?

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And the commander of the Lord's army

said to Joshua, take off your sandals

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from your feet for the place where you

are standing as holy, and Joshua did.

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So

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we know that this is the Lord, because if

ever someone begins to worship an angel

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in scripture, the angel will say, get up.

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Don't worship me.

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But Joshua's not rebuked here.

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And just as the Lord in the burning

bush had told Moses to remove his shoes,

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that same command is given to Joshua.

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It's probably a Christ ny a

pre-incarnate appearance of Jesus Christ.

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But I'm amazed by what he says

because God has been promising

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since Genesis 12 to Abraham.

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What he's going to do, that he's

chosen this people, that they're

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his treasured possession, that he

selected them out of all the people

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on the earth, and he's committed to

bring these canaanites to destruction.

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But when Joshua says, are you for the

Israelites or are you for Jericho?

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The Lord says, neither one.

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The message is not is God on our side.

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It's are we on God's side?

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There's a song called The Blessing.

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It's a beautiful benediction,

but it says over and over.

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He is for us.

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He is for us.

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And sometimes I just feel in

my spirit, I have to sing.

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We Are for You.

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We are for you instead, because it's

not about him blessing our plans.

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We have to be so careful that we're not

seeking a blessing apart from the Lord.

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And this might be a very surprising

application, but because I know

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that this is a topic so many moms

wrestle with, I have to share a time.

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The Lord vividly brought

this passage to my mind.

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I've been one of those moms that out of my

faith in God and how he created the earth

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have sought to do things very naturally.

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Whenever possible, if I hear that

something will bless my family,

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I'm quick to convert or work

diligently to make it happen.

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And in all of it, I've believed it

was out of a faith in what God made.

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While there came a point where one

of my sons was five years old and

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he was losing the ability to walk.

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And over the course of a few months,

he became unable to hold his head up

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and was losing the ability to swallow.

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He had multiple hospital stays and

underwent numerous tests to determine what

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was happening to make his body regress.

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I took him to natural doctors

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and they minimized the urgency and

recommended natural supplements.

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That did not help.

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It got to the point where my son was

nearly asphyxiating and when the doctors

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brought a very serious diagnosis to me,

the only medicines that could help him.

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I knew had serious side effects,

but I also knew there was a chance

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that he could die or have permanent

harm if we didn't intervene soon.

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And after so many years of trying

to do things naturally and set my

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family up for success, I wrestled

with this, but the Lord clearly put

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this passage of scripture on my mind.

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I so desperately wanted

something natural to heal my son,

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but the Lord taught me,

are you surrendered to me?

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Just as he has created numerous natural

solutions that bless us, he's also

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created people that have discovered

important medicines and solutions.

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And my challenge was to be surrendered

to the way that he wanted to

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heal and provide for my child.

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I had to be grateful in his

sovereignty and for the medical

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provisions we have today.

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And it freed me to say, God, I'm

surrendered to your ways and your plans.

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And even when the answer seems

so obvious, I mean, of course

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the Lord wants Israel to win.

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We still have to make sure we

can say, we play for God's team.

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He doesn't play for us.

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Whatever that looks like, let's walk

in wisdom, but be surrendered to

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his will and his plans and not be in

bondage to a philosophy that elevates

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itself above loyalty to Christ.

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Now we come to the story of Jericho.

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You've probably heard it before, But

this was a pretty unique battle plan.

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Jericho was on one of the lowest

points on the earth, and the Israelites

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approaching, would've been vulnerable.

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But God has them confidently march

around the city once a day for seven

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days, and on the seventh day, seven

times seven is mentioned over and

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over, and it's an important number

that represents completion biblically.

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It's during the feast of

unleavened bread that they do this.

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It was a smaller city.

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And on the seventh day when they

began to shout and play their

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instruments, the walls of the city

fell outward, and we have archeological

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evidence of that today, and Bryant

Wood has covered that extensively.

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But who is spared?

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It's Rahab and all of her family.

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The redemption and God's grace

is so evident even in a city of

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complete corruption and wickedness.

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The Lord hears her confession of

faith in chapter two, and he spares

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her and her entire family, and I

can't help but marvel that God used a

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prostitute to save the entire family.

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I kind of wonder as a prostitute,

was she the black sheep of the

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family or were they also wicked

that they didn't look down on her?

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I also find it kind of funny that if

you continue to look at her story in

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scripture, they almost always referred

to her as Rahab, the prostitute.

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What does this woman have to do?

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How much faith does she have to show

before you can let her former job

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description drop in Hebrews 1131.

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We read by Faith Rahab.

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The prostitute did not perish with

those who were disobedient because

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she had given a friendly welcome

to the spies and in James 2 25 and

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in the same way was not also Rahab.

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The prostitute justified by works when

she received the message messengers and

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sent them out by another way, but she

also receives the honor of honors that

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she is in the lineage of Jesus Christ.

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Whatever you've done, however

you've fallen short, you are not

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outside the reach of Jesus Christ.

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And no matter what our children

have done, it's the same for them.

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But also God wants us to walk

in that same forgiveness.

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And if there's someone that's harmed

us, the Lord may be calling us to extend

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a grace that only he can fill us with.

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I wish I had more time to discuss chapter

seven and the sin of Aiken as he follows.

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After the pattern of Eve, I saw,

I coveted, I took, I concealed.

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He puts the entire nation

in jeopardy and is punished.

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and the Lord's response.

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In seven verse 10, the Lord

said to Joshua, get up.

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Why have you fallen on your face?

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Israel has sinned.

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They have transgressed my

covenant that I commanded them.

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They have taken some of the devoted

things they have stolen and lied and

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put them among their own belongings.

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Therefore, the people of Israel

cannot stand before their enemies.

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They turn their backs before

their enemies because they have

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become devoted for destruction.

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I will be with you no more unless you

destroy the devoted things from among you.

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Steph: In chapter eight, God

gives Joshua the battle plan

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for the victory of the city.

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AI even commanding Joshua to stretch

out the javelin that's in his hand.

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It's similar to Moses's staff that

was often held up for victory.

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At the end of chapter eight, Joshua

builds an altar to the Lord and he

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writes a copy of the law of Moses.

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And it concludes.

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There was not a word of all

that Moses commanded, that

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Joshua did not read before.

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All the assembly of Israel and the women

and the little ones, and the Sojourner

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who lived among them.

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Joshua is not perfect, but he's thorough.

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Let's pray.

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Heavenly Father, we thank you

that you are a merciful God.

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That you are quick to show grace when

we put our trust and our hope in you.

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Thank you for Rahab's example of

faith and for the reminder that we

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serve you not the other way around.

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Lord, please help us to keep that

at the forefront of our minds.

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It is an honor to follow in your

commandments and we praise you

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for the works that you've prepared

before the creation of the world

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that we should walk in them.

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May we be attuned to your Holy

Spirit and the ways that you're

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guiding us so that we can choose the

opportunities that matter for eternity.

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Ignoring the distractions

vying for our attention,

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Help us to leave our sin at the cross.

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Jesus.

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We know we frequently fall short,

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and we thank you that you died

on the cross for us and as you

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declared there, father forgive

them for they know not what they do.

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Where we have been wronged, help us

to graciously follow in your example,

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forgiving, as you would.

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Thank you, Jesus, for all you came to do.

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We stand in awe.

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It's in your name we pray.

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Amen.