The Promises of God

The Challenge to the People of God

/ Bobby Mayfield / 1 Comment

Joshua’s Challenge to Israel

Book of Joshua Chapter 24

Last week we saw that Israel finally had rest from war.

Not all of Canaan Land was conquered, because many in Israel got lazy and forgot what God had promised them.

This is something we must never do; we must never forget the promises God has made to us.

We must never forget what the Lord Jesus Christ has promised to us!

We must never forget that the Lord Jesus Christ died to fulfill the promises He had made to His own Father.

One of the reasons we were created in the image of God, is so that we are free to choose our own destiny.

All the days of Jesus upon this earth He had the ability to choose, and He always chose righteousness!

Why do we suffer so much in this world? It is mainly because of the choices we make in this life.

God gave us the inerrant Word of God so we would know the truth!

This world we live in gives us nothing but lies.

God equips us so we can make the right choices!

Most of our problems come because of the choices Adam and Eve made in the Garden of Eden.

We saw what God did because of those bad choices and we brag all the time about our God does not ever change.

We need to remember how God dealt with disobedience because He certainly does not change.

What did the Lord Jesus teach us?

Joh 14:23 Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, “he will keep my words”: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him.

Jesus also said no one can serve two masters. We can have only one Master!

God knows how much we love Him “by our obedience to His Word”!

He is the same today as He was back then!

Like Caleb, Joshua had fully followed the Lord.

Joshua had in his possession the five Books of Moses at this time and his last will for the children of Israel was for them to keep the Word of God in their heart and be obedient to it.

Jos 23:6 Be 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;
Jos 23:7 That ye come not among these nations, these that remain among you; neither make mention of the name of their gods, nor cause to swear by them, neither serve them, nor bow yourselves unto them:
Jos 23:8 But cleave unto the LORD your God, as ye have done unto this day.

Joshua knew then, what we know today. It would take a lot of courage to take a stand upon the Word of God!

Joshua had reached the end of his life and he knew it, but he had a special message for the children of Israel.

Jos 23:14 And, behold, this day I am going the way of all the earth: and ye know in all your hearts and in all your souls, that not one thing hath failed of all the good things which the LORD your God spake concerning you; all are come to pass unto you, and not one thing hath failed thereof.
Jos 23:15 Therefore it shall come to pass, that as all good things are come upon you, which the LORD your God promised you; so shall the LORD bring upon you all evil things, until he have destroyed you from off this good land which the LORD your God hath given you.

We have a great Pastor here at Gethsemane and when we remember, we know that He spends a lot of time teaching us this same message that Joshua had taught to Israel.

Israel means the people of God.

The Church is made up of the people of God!

How did Joshua go about his final message to Israel?

*Jos 24:1 And Joshua gathered all the tribes of Israel to Shechem, and called for the elders of Israel, and for their heads, and for their judges, and for their officers; and they presented themselves before God.

We had better get it in our heads, that when we come into the House of God, we are presenting ourselves before God and we have come to worship Him.

God had an important message for the children of Israel, and He has an important message for us every time we gather together.

Every person who was in a leadership position in any of the tribes of Israel were especially called to this message and it was important as all the Word of God is important.

Shechem itself was a prominent place to gather because it was the place where God had made certain promises to Abraham and these that gathered to Joshua were a fulfillment of some of those promises.

Joshua was totally convinced that God had done exactly as He said He would, and these that gathered with him should also be convinced of the same.

From the beginning of Israel’s history, it had been Jehovah who had directed their path and it was their own choices that had caused them to stumble along that pathway and it is the same for us today.

When God presents choices to us, He is requesting for us to decide!

These children of Israel were eyewitnesses to the evil wickedness and immorality that was the land of Canaan.

These children of Israel were eyewitnesses to the idolatry of the many false gods in the land of Canaan.

These children of Israel were also eyewitnesses to the power of God, because in almost every battle they were outnumbered and were not equipped as well as their enemies.

They had Jehovah.

The Chaldean worshipped their false gods.
The Egyptians worshipped their false gods.
The Amorites worshipped their false gods.

They had seen that Jehovah was the most powerful God, but also the most loving and gracious God. Those false gods had no power at all.

It would seem that the choice of who to serve would be an easy one and it is, when we take the time to study the Word of God and hear the truth of His Word!

For Joshua, his mind was made up.

For Joshua, his way was clear.

*Jos 24:11 And ye went over Jordan, and came unto Jericho: and the men of Jericho fought against you, the Amorites, and the Perizzites, and the Canaanites, and the Hittites, and the Girgashites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites; and I delivered them into your hand.
Jos 24:12 And I sent the hornet before you, which drave them out from before you, even the two kings of the Amorites; but not with thy sword, nor with thy bow.

We should understand that it is the Lord who is speaking here by the Holy Spirit.

Since God had called Abraham out of what is now called Iraq, He had His hands upon this family that had grown into this nation of Israel.

Israel means the people of God.

It was the Jehovah of the Old Testament the same person as the Lord Jesus Christ of the New Testament who had done all these things.

It is only Jehovah who can save and deliver His people.

It is Jehovah who is the Redeemer!

The History of Israel is the story of the birth of the Lord Jesus Christ.

The Lord Jesus Christ is that “Promised Seed” told to Abraham.

Israel did not win one battle, because the Lord fought all their battles, and the Lord cannot be defeated!

The crossing of the River Jordan is the symbol of “New Life”!

The New Life of each one that accepts the truth of the Living God!

What had God told Abraham?

Gen 12:1 Now the LORD had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father’s house, unto a land that I will shew thee:
Gen 12:2 And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing:
Gen 12:3 And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.

The world had better realize that these words are still in effect for Israel today!

Curse them if you dare, but doing so will bring to you the wrath of God just as He says!

That Promised Seed is also then the Messiah!

Act 3:25 Ye are the children of the prophets, and of the covenant which God made with our fathers, saying unto Abraham, And in thy seed shall all the kindreds of the earth be blessed.
Act 3:26 Unto you first God, having raised up his Son Jesus, sent him to bless you, in turning away every one of you from his iniquities.

That Promised Seed is also to all the descendants of “Faith”, that “faith” in the truth of God!

Rom 4:11 And he received the sign of circumcision, a seal of the righteousness of the faith which he had yet being uncircumcised: that he might be the father of all them that believe, though they be not circumcised; that righteousness might be imputed unto them also:
Rom 4:12 And the father of circumcision to them who are not of the circumcision only, but who also walk in the steps of that faith of our father Abraham, which he had being yet uncircumcised.
Rom 4:13 For the promise, that he should be the heir of the world, was not to Abraham, or to his seed, through the law, but through the righteousness of faith.

The Promised Land then refers to the home of these descendants of faith!

Rom 4:16 Therefore it is of faith, that it might be by grace; to the end the promise might be sure to all the seed; not to that only which is of the law, but to that also which is of the faith of Abraham; who is the father of us all,
Rom 4:17 (As it is written, I have made thee a father of many nations,) before him whom he believed, even God, who quickeneth the dead, and calleth those things which be not as though they were.

The Bible is not so hard to understand when we understand the reality of the truth of God!

*Jos 24:13 And I have given you a land for which ye did not labour, and cities which ye built not, and ye dwell in them; of the vineyards and oliveyards which ye planted not do ye eat.

It might be a stretch, but the Holy Spirit just described part Heaven in this verse.

Heaven is the Land that the Lord has built.
The New Jerusalem is a city that the Lord has built.
We will dwell in this place that God has built for us and there will be no sin.

The Promised Land was the great hope of most of these whose parents and some of their elders who were once slaves.

The Promised Land of Heaven is the great hope of all those who were once slaves to this Satan controlled world of sin, but now have their names written down in Heaven’s Book of Life.

The Israelite were pilgrims and sojourners until they inherited the promised land.

Heb 11:13 These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off, and were persuaded of them, and embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth.

The Christians are pilgrims and sojourners in this sin filled world until the Lord returns to take us home and He will return.

1Pe 2:9 But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light:
1Pe 2:10 Which in time past were not a people, but are now the people of God: which had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy.
1Pe 2:11 Dearly beloved, I beseech you as strangers and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts, which war against the soul;

We must understand the inheritance of the Promised Land is conditional just as it was to these Israelites.

They could not receive the Promised Land unless they believed in Jehovah and obeyed His commands.

This thing has not changed for the Christian!

Heb 11:6 But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.

Joh 14:6 Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.
Joh 14:7 If ye had known me, ye should have known my Father also: and from henceforth ye know him, and have seen him.

Joh_14:15 If ye love me, keep my commandments.

Joh_15:10 If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father’s commandments, and abide in his love.

How are we to respond to the truth of God?

*Jos 24:14 Now 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.
Jos 24:15 And 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.

While we have the breath of life in our lungs, we must make a choice!

This is the same message Joshua gave to Israel.

The Israelites back then and the Israelite of today still have this same message.

The lost sinner and the Christian have this same choice to make!

The greatest of all choices we can make in this life, “is to choose the Lord Jesus Christ”.

This is not prophecy; this is just the truth!

To fear the Lord is to honor and respect His truth.

This a reverent fear of the Lord but we had better keep in mind that it was the Lord who is also our Creator and the Giver and the Taker of life!

We need to be “in awe” of the truth of our God Jehovah!

When we present the “Gospel”, the “Good News” to those who do not believe, we are trying to explain to them the importance of making the right choice.

We need good leaders like Joshua to give them the same message!

We do not know what tomorrow will bring, so today is always the best day to give yourself to the Lord!

When we choose to serve the Lord, it must come with sincerity!

*Jos 24:16 And the people answered and said, God forbid that we should forsake the LORD, to serve other gods;
Jos 24:17 For the LORD our God, he it is that brought us up and our fathers out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage, and which did those great signs in our sight, and preserved us in all the way wherein we went, and among all the people through whom we passed:
Jos 24:18 And the LORD drave out from before us all the people, even the Amorites which dwelt in the land: therefore will we also serve the LORD; for he is our God

God does forbid that we forsake Him. If we forsake the Lord our God, then we are serving Satan.

Mat_6:24 No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.

What is the greatest problem in our world today? People have chosen to forsake God and to serve the Devil!

These foolish people who keep shoving evolution down our throats just because they hate God, will soon reap the rewards of their lies unless they repent and change their wicked ways.

Man-made climate change is a joke! We are just in the last days, and this is just another sign of that truth.

Joshua gave the truth to these Israelites in just a few words.

These people had witnessed the power of God.

These people had witnessed the great signs of our Creator.

These people were eyewitnesses to the fact that God Himself will fight for His people and His enemies are powerless to defend against Him.

These people were also witnesses to the fact that we will reap what we sow!

Joshua had already made his choice and he had made this choice as a young man and had not forsaken the Lord.

Knowing the truth, these Israelites came to the right conclusion.

It was the Lord who had brought them up out of the land of Egypt.

It was the Lord who had shown them such great signs.

It was the Lord who had preserved them in the wilderness.

It was the Lord who had removed the Amorites.

These children of Israel were just along for the ride to see if they could learn of their Savior.

They recommitted themselves to the Lord.

As Christians, being like the Lord Jesus Christ, we must be committed to serve the Lord.

It is a lifetime commitment and there is no retirement, but the benefits are Heavenly.

1Ki 18:21 And Elijah came unto all the people, and said, How long halt ye between two opinions? if the LORD be God, follow him: but if Baal, then follow him. And the people answered him not a word.

When we answer the Lord and have made our choice, we must be clear on what that means.

*Jos 24:19 And Joshua said unto the people, Ye cannot serve the LORD: for he is an holy God; he is a jealous God; he will not forgive your transgressions nor your sins.
Jos 24:20 If ye forsake the LORD, and serve strange gods, then he will turn and do you hurt, and consume you, after that he hath done you good.

We must be sincere in our confession of faith!

There is no room for being in the middle. One foot in the Church and the other foot in the world!

A decision must be made! If we do not decide, then we have chosen death by default.

Deu_30:19 I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live:

There is no allowance for putting this decision off.

When you face the Lord in judgment, you cannot tell the Lord you were about to make the right decision just before your death.

The commandments of the Lord will prolong our days because we will be living right.

God has established the laws of life and a person who is obedient to the Lord will feel far less guilt, far less pressure, far less tension and far less stress.

It is these things that are the greatest enemy of a happy life!

1Ki 3:14 And if thou wilt walk in my ways, to keep my statutes and my commandments, as thy father David did walk, then I will lengthen thy days.

The results of disobedience are terrible!

If we just look at our world today, we can see the ravages of sin all around us.

You take abortion, Aids, Monkey Pox, STDs, the Queer lifestyle, and put them in one category and it is all the same sin, fornication with fleshly lusts.

None of these things are mentioned when they are teaching sex education to our children.

Now they teach our children that you cannot know now if you are a boy or a girl until you get older.

We should trash the whole education system and start over or instruct our kids at home.

How can we justify paying teachers to corrupt our children!

The truth is, God blesses those who are obedient to Him!

God is a jealous God because God is Holy!

God will not overlook sin!
God will not forgive rebellion if those who are His turn to false gods.
God is unapproachable to all those who carry the weight of sin, and they will be destroyed unless they repent!

Once we have prayed the sinner’s prayer and the Holy Spirit moves in, we are witnesses to ourselves of the truth of God!

Psa 99:9 Exalt the LORD our God, and worship at his holy hill; for the LORD our God is holy.

Every true Christian understands that there is coming a day of final judgment when this world will end, and every human being will stand before God to be judged.

Every person who has turned away from the Living God, who engages in idolatry and false worship, will be condemned to eternal separation from God.

Joh 5:26 For as the Father hath life in himself; so hath he given to the Son to have life in himself;
Joh 5:27 And hath given him authority to execute judgment also, because he is the Son of man.
Joh 5:28 Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice,
Joh 5:29 And shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation.
Joh 5:30 I can of mine own self do nothing: as I hear, I judge: and my judgment is just; because I seek not mine own will, but the will of the Father which hath sent me.

We can miss this judgment only if we give ourselves to the Lord while we are yet living!

Rom_8:30 Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified.

This is that choice that we must make while we are living.

This is the choice that Joshua was giving to Israel and comes by faith to both peoples, the Israelites, and the Gentiles.

Rom 3:10 As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one:
Rom 3:11 There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God.
Rom 3:12 They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one.

Rom 3:30 Seeing it is one God, which shall justify the circumcision by faith, and uncircumcision through faith.

Our jealous and holy God never changes!

And the answer from the people was:

*Jos 24:21 And the people said unto Joshua, Nay; but we will serve the LORD.
Jos 24:22 And Joshua said unto the people, Ye are witnesses against yourselves that ye have chosen you the LORD, to serve him. And they said, We are witnesses.
Jos 24:23 Now therefore put away, said he, the strange gods which are among you, and incline your heart unto the LORD God of Israel.

We must all realize that the Lord will hold us accountable for the decisions we make.

The Bible is our Book of Truth, and we have no excuse for not being obedient to God.

There is no darkness in God and once the Light of Jesus Christ have blessed us, we should not be in darkness but in the Light of Christ.

These things begin with repentance:

We must put away the strange gods of this world!

Anything we put in the place of the Lord Jesus Christ has then become a strange god!

If we worship anything but the Lord Jesus Christ, we are worshipping a fable!

They could not hide these things from Joshua, how could they expect to hide these things from Jehovah?

If we have a Bible in our possession, then we know what Joshua is talking about here.

If these things are commanded in the Old Testament by the Divine Word of God, why would we ever think it would be different in today’s world where there so many more distractions that Satan has caused to happen.

Anything that can take our heart away from serving the Lord is idolatry and false worship and punishable by death, the death that is a eternal separation from our Holy God!

We all have things to put away that we use to deny our love for God!

We cannot serve the Lord if we have embraced sin in any way!

The modern Church has aloud to much filth of sin into the doors of the Church taking away the holiness of the Church.

Do not get me wrong, we are to embrace all who enter the doors of the Church, but repentance is still the key to salvation.

Those who are truly saved will then repent of their old lifestyle and be Born Again into the family of God.

This will not happen overnight!

The modern Church has forgotten these words of Jesus Christ.

Joh_3:3 Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.

Joh_3:7 Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again.

We cannot ignore the Word of God!

We must incline our heart unto the Lord our God!

Why do most people reject Christianity? Because they would have to give up their sin and they are too fond of their sin to give it up.

*Jos 24:24 And the people said unto Joshua, The LORD our God will we serve, and his voice will we obey.
Jos 24:25 So Joshua made a covenant with the people that day, and set them a statute and an ordinance in Shechem.

Many today reject the fact that praying the sinner’s prayer is making a covenant with God, but it is!

Joshua wrote these things down and put them in the Word of God so these Israelites could not go back on their word by saying they did not understand.

Joshua then made a physical memorial so when these people who made this covenant with the Lord passed by it would bring them back to remember this day.

Today the Holy Spirit moves in when we pray the sinners pray.

He does not move into our souls just because we said a few words.

The Holy Spirit moves in when He knows these words came from a pure heart and He then becomes our memorial to the truth of God.

Our body is not yet saved so we will battle the truth of God and the falseness of the world all our remaining days.

The Holy Spirit will use His own power if we begin to stray.

If you can sin and do not have this conflict within you, then you do not have the Holy Spirit within you and you are not saved.

In other words you cannot continue in sin without feeling the admonishment of the Holy Spirit!

This is not a battle of your good side and your bad side.

This is a battle of righteousness!

Joshua loved this people, but Joshua was old and tired, and he wanted to spend his last days with his family serving the Lord.

Now Israel will begin the period called Judges.

Amen

Fully Following God

/ Bobby Mayfield / Leave a comment

Caleb–Fully Following God

Book of Joshua Chapter 14

The most important thing we can do after we know the Lord Jesus Christ as our personal Savior is, to then follow Him.

In fact, you cannot be counted as a Christian if you are not following the Lord Jesus Christ!

This is the truth of repentance! We quit traveling the path of sin and start traveling the path of righteousness.

Righteousness is doing our best to do things right and right means according to the Word of God!

As we will see the truth of this man called Caleb, it means “fully following” the Lord.

There is no room for those who just follow the Lord whenever they think it works for them.

Luk 9:23 And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and “take up his cross daily, and follow me”.

To follow our Savior is a daily walk with Him!

When we are not following the Lord Jesus Christ, we are then traveling on a road of darkness!

Joh 8:12 Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: “he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life”.

Following the Lord Jesus Christ is denying our own will and accepting the will of God as the correct path of life!

Mar 8:34 And when he had called the people unto him with his disciples also, he said unto them, “Whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me”.

What is the key to following God? Being in the Will of God!

The Lord Jesus Christ is our example in all things of the “will of God”!

1Pe 2:21 For even hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for us, “leaving us an example, that ye should follow his steps”:

We cannot follow the Lord unless we “fully follow the Lord”, as did Caleb!

Who was this Caleb?

This Caleb was the son of Hezron, the son of Pharez, the son of Judah and the father of Hur, as the Word of God is written, to separate him from others named Caleb in the Bible. He is also the son of Jephunneh.

Caleb was a prince of the tribe of Judah, a descendant of Hezron, the son of Pharez, and a grandson of Judah

This Caleb was one the twelve spies sent out to Canaan Land by Moses representing the tribe of Judah.

It was this Caleb and this Joshua, who told Moses that Israel could easily take the land of Canaan.

The Lord said that this Caleb had a different spirit than the others.

Num 14:24 But my servant Caleb, “because he had another spirit with him, and hath followed me fully”, him will I bring into the land whereinto he went; and his seed shall possess it.

Why did Caleb have another spirit? Because he followed God fully!

Obviously, this thing pleased God!

How many of us here today would like to have such a thing said about us?

Caleb had a great testimony.

It can be said of us when it is the truth, when God’s will be our own will!

We should strive to have such a testimony as did Caleb.

Israel had already been in many battles and had captured much land on the far side of Jordan.

Caleb had grown old, and Joshua already knew what land that Caleb would receive.

This land was still under the control of the enemy gentiles.

So let us begin:

*Jos 14:1 And these are the countries which the children of Israel inherited in the land of Canaan, which Eleazar the priest, and Joshua the son of Nun, and the heads of the fathers of the tribes of the children of Israel, distributed for inheritance to them.

Thirty-three kings had now been defeated by Israel.

Those who were to divide the lands of Canaan were Eleazer as son of Aaron, Joshua the son on Nun who God had chosen to replace Moses and the heads of the fathers of the tribes.

The word for “tribes” used in connection with the word “fathers” implies genealogical descent which would be according to the Word of God.

In typology we have the Church, the Head of the government, and the Tribes the Heads of the people.

This is God’s way of setting up the government of Israel.

This is the way God intended for all governments to be set up!

The distribution of the land would be according to the “will” of God displaying no partiality.

The casting of the “lot” was to be the method used where it could be said that every decision was by the “Will of God”.

*Jos 14:2 By lot was their inheritance, as the LORD commanded by the hand of Moses, for the nine tribes, and for the half tribe.
Jos 14:3 For Moses had given the inheritance of two tribes and an half tribe on the other side Jordan: but unto the Levites he gave none inheritance among them.

The “lot” was a small stone used in the casting of “lots”, the method used to determine chances or preferences, or to decide a debate.

The decision by lot was often resorted to among the Hebrews, but always with the strictest reference to the interposition of God!

Today we would say a thing of “chance”.

Even today ,placing names in a hat and drawing those names out one at a time has the intention of God choosing those to serve Him.

We should understand that there nothing done by chance when God participates in it.

Canaan land was divided between nine tribes plus one half of a tribe as Moses had already given land to two and a half tribes on the far side of Jordan.

God had decided that the Levites would not be given land for an inheritance.

God had said that He would be the inheritance of the Levites.

We always have that question “why”?

*Jos 14:4 For the children of Joseph were two tribes, Manasseh and Ephraim: therefore they gave no part unto the Levites in the land, save cities to dwell in, with their suburbs for their cattle and for their substance.
Jos 14:5 As the LORD commanded Moses, so the children of Israel did, and they divided the land.

God had chosen the Levites to be the tribe that would serve Him exclusively.

God has His reasons!

Jacob had made this statement:

Gen 49:2 Gather yourselves together, and hear, ye sons of Jacob; and hearken unto Israel your father.
Gen 49:3 Reuben, thou art my firstborn, my might, and the beginning of my strength, the excellency of dignity, and the excellency of power:
Gen 49:4 Unstable as water, thou shalt not excel; because thou wentest up to thy father’s bed; then defiledst thou it: he went up to my couch.
Gen 49:5 Simeon and Levi are brethren; instruments of cruelty are in their habitations.
Gen 49:6 O my soul, come not thou into their secret; unto their assembly, mine honour, be not thou united: for in their anger they slew a man, and in their selfwill they digged down a wall.
Gen 49:7 Cursed be their anger, for it was fierce; and their wrath, for it was cruel: “I will divide them in Jacob, and scatter them in Israel”.

Simeon and Levi were associate in wickedness, and so the same prediction would be equally applicable to both their tribes.

Levi had cities allotted to them in every tribe.

On account of their zeal against idolatry, they were honorably “divided in Jacob”; whereas the tribe of Simeon, which was guilty of the grossest idolatry and the vices inseparable from it, were ignominiously “scattered.” over the Promised Land.

God had chosen the Levites to be His own personal representatives among the people, so they belonged to the Lord.

The Lord was their inheritance!

The Levites were replaced by the tribes of Manasseh and Ephraim which will also take us back to Jacob who is Israel and his favorite son Joseph, who is also a type of Christ as we studied in the Book of Genesis.

The two branches of Joseph’s house, Manasseh, and Ephraim, forming each a tribe, would have made Israel’s family to have been thirteen to have divided Canaan, had not Levi been separated to the Lord: and Reuben and Gad, with half the tribe of Manasseh settling on the other side of Jordan.

It was at this time, before any land had been given that Caleb the head of the tribe of Judah spoke up.

*Jos 14:6 Then the children of Judah came unto Joshua in Gilgal: and Caleb the son of Jephunneh the Kenezite said unto him, Thou knowest the thing that the LORD said unto Moses the man of God concerning me and thee in Kadeshbarnea.
Jos 14:7 Forty years old was I when Moses the servant of the LORD sent me from Kadeshbarnea to espy out the land; and I brought him word again as it was in mine heart.

You see God never breaks a promise!

Forty-five years earlier Caleb had a promise from Moses as the spies had returned from spying out Canaan Land.

Num 14:24 But my servant Caleb, because he had another spirit with him, and hath followed me fully, him will I bring into the land whereinto he went; and his seed shall possess it.

Moses spoke as the Word of God was given to him.

We know that Joshua also stood as Caleb, but he is not named because he was no longer in the ranks of the people and was the constant companion of Moses until Moses died and was now the leader of all of Israel.

Caleb was under the influence of the Holy Spirit and did not fear what this world could do to him.

This is the way we should live today.

Out of those twelve spies only Caleb and Joshua had stood by the Lord.

*Jos 14:8 Nevertheless my brethren that went up with me made the heart of the people melt: but I wholly followed the LORD my God.
Jos 14:9 And Moses sware on that day, saying, Surely the land whereon thy feet have trodden shall be thine inheritance, and thy children’s for ever, because thou hast wholly followed the LORD my God.

You see we cannot just follow the Lord when we feel like it!

We must follow the Lord no matter our feelings.

Our relationship with the Lord is not about feelings!
Our relationship with the Lord is about “the truth” of God!

We must do exactly what God (Jehovah) has commanded us to do.

The Word of God has never been a book of suggestions!

We must execute the Word of God just as it is written, “rightly divided”!

There is the promised inheritance of the Lord that can also be to every believer, but obedience is absolutely essential to receive it.

Obedience is the only proof that the Lord has that we genuinely love Him!

It will take courage, duty, and commitment and our faith, to achieve the goals that the Lord has placed upon us!

We will see that Caleb had all these traits.

We will need these traits if we are to “wholly follow the Lord”.

Though the world disagrees it is our Heavenly Father who keeps us alive!

It is Jehovah who holds the power of life and the power of death!

It is Jehovah who keeps the promises He has made to us just as He would to Caleb.

Before the first lot is cast, Caleb reminds Joshua of the promise made to him by Moses who spoke according to the Word of God.

Caleb was totally convinced that Jehovah would give the power to His people to claim victory in the Promised Land.

We have this same promise today!

Our victory is still the fulfillment of the true Promised Land which is not upon this earth.

Moses had sworn that Caleb would inherit the land focused upon by the other spies.

Num 14:24 But my servant Caleb, because he had another spirit with him, and hath followed me fully, him will I bring into the land whereinto he went; and his seed shall possess it.

Deu 1:34 And the LORD heard the voice of your words, and was wroth, and sware, saying,
Deu 1:35 Surely there shall not one of these men of this evil generation see that good land, which I sware to give unto your fathers,
Deu 1:36 Save Caleb the son of Jephunneh; he shall see it, and to him will I give the land that he hath trodden upon, and to his children, because he hath wholly followed the LORD.

What drove Caleb to wholly follow the Lord was the fact of the promises of God would be fulfilled!

As a young man of 40 years old was sent out as a spy, from that point on Caleb strived to obtain the promises of God.

Caleb is the truest example of a Christian in the Old Testament!

1Pe 1:3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,
1Pe 1:4 To an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you,
1Pe 1:5 Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.

It takes a wholehearted commitment to the Word of God and the knowledge that the Lord will never break a promise He has made to us!

*Jos 14:10 And now, behold, the LORD hath kept me alive, as he said, these forty and five years, even since the LORD spake this word unto Moses, while the children of Israel wandered in the wilderness: and now, lo, I am this day fourscore and five years old.
Jos 14:11 As yet I am as strong this day as I was in the day that Moses sent me: as my strength was then, even so is my strength now, for war, both to go out, and to come in.
Jos 14:12 Now therefore give me this mountain, whereof the LORD spake in that day; for thou heardest in that day how the Anakims were there, and that the cities were great and fenced: if so be the LORD will be with me, then I shall be able to drive them out, as the LORD said.

Caleb had a willingness to face the enemy who stood opposed to the Children of God.

Why? Because Jehovah had already claimed the victory!

If we are willing to study the Word of God, we can see that God has still proclaimed victory for the people of God!

Caleb praised God that He had kept him alive long enough to see the truth of God and the reality of “Victory”.

The war was not yet over.

There were great giants that stood before him.

You see even our physical strength comes by the Lord.

Caleb was just as able at eighty-five years old, to face the enemies of God as he was when he was a spy sent out by Moses.

We need to understand Caleb made a request for the promise made to him even while the enemies of God’s people still controlled that land and many of them were of a race of gigantic people that will be mentioned for many years in the Old Testament.

We should understand that if the average male or female stood in the midst of a professional basketball team, they would think they were amongst giants.

These giants mentioned by the Bible are just real people who are larger than normal.

Caleb may have been up in years, but he was not about to retire before his work was done.

As Christians we should feel the same way today!

God will tell us when our work is done, and He will then take us home.

Unless the “rapture” of God’s people takes place, our work will not be complete till the Lord takes us home to the true “Promised Land” which is Heaven, the New Heaven where the Lord has prepared us a place.

The army of God is to remain busy until that time!

God has given us our marching orders and has never said to stop but rather to stand on the Word of God.

Eph 6:10 Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might.
Eph 6:11 Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.
Eph 6:12 For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.
Eph 6:13 Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.
Eph 6:14 Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness;
Eph 6:15 And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace;
Eph 6:16 Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked.
Eph 6:17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God:

The army of God needs more Caleb’s today!

*Jos 14:13 And Joshua blessed him, and gave unto Caleb the son of Jephunneh Hebron for an inheritance.
Jos 14:14 Hebron therefore became the inheritance of Caleb the son of Jephunneh the Kenezite unto this day, because that he wholly followed the LORD God of Israel.
Jos 14:15 And the name of Hebron before was Kirjatharba; which Arba was a great man among the Anakims. And the land had rest from war.

Caleb marched his family into the land of giants and gained the promised victory.

A fortified city named Kirjath-Arba again became Hebron now exists as one of the oldest cities in the world.

The truth is we must be totally committed to the Lord Jesus Christ.

This wicked world will do its best to knock us backwards, but the army of God must move forward at all times.

We go backwards when we give up.

When we give up on ourselves then we have given up on the Lord.

We must follow the Lord whole heartedly.

There must be a wholehearted commitment to the Lord Jesus Christ.

Mar 12:29 And Jesus answered him, The first of all the commandments is, Hear, O Israel; The Lord our God is one Lord:
Mar 12:30 And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment.
Mar 12:31 And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these.

The term Israel means the people of God.

The true church is the gathering place for the people of God.

We need to be in our place each and every time God calls us to be there.

We must be committed to the work the Lord gave us to do!

We must wholly follow the Lord all our days!

Mat 28:18 And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth.
Mat 28:19 Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:
Mat 28:20 Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.

God’s Plan is Always Moving Forward

/ Bobby Mayfield / Leave a comment

Joshua Israel’s New Leader

Book of Joshua Chapter 1

Who is this, Joshua?

The name “Joshua” as written can mean “Jehovah is his help” but it can also mean “Jehovah the Savior”.

Joshua is sometimes written Jehoshua, and Jehoshuah but in the New Testament we see it written as Jesus.

Act 7:45 Which also our fathers that came after brought in with “Jesus” into the possession of the Gentiles, whom God drave out before the face of our fathers, unto the days of David;
Act 7:46 Who found favour before God, and desired to find a tabernacle for the God of Jacob.

We should not be confused by these things and if we study the context of the Scripture we will not be.

We see the same thing happen in the Book of Hebrews:

Heb 4:8 For if “Jesus” had given them rest, then would he not afterward have spoken of another day.
Heb 4:9 There remaineth therefore a rest to the people of God.

Joshua did not have it in his power to give rest to the people of God, only the Lord Jesus Christ has this power!

Again look at the context of this Scripture.

This Joshua is the son Nun to distinguish him from any other man name Joshua and there were others.

Joshua as a child was born into the slavery of Egypt and reached the age for military as he traveled to freedom with Moses and all of Israel.

No doubt as a young man He worked in the brick fields of Egypt.

We can believe all these things because it is Joshua, led by the Holy Spirit who has written all these things for us.

It is Joshua who also wrote the final words of the Book of Deuteronomy after the death of Moses again led by the Holy Spirit.

The Holy Spirit does not make mistakes, so there are no mistakes in the “Received Text”!

We can say the Book of Joshua was written to the Israelites to teach them their great history and the mistakes they had made.

We also know that All Scripture is written for the Church!

2Ti 3:16 All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:
2Ti 3:17 That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works.

The Book of Joshua shows us how Israel conquered and divided up the land promised to these descendants of Abraham by Isaac and Jacob.

The Book of Joshua shows all readers that God is faithful to keep His promises.

The main purpose to the Book of Joshua is to teach the Doctrines of God to the Israelites and to all readers of this precious book of the Old Testament, which means the New Testament Church.

Some of those Doctrines are:

The Doctrine of Faith.
The Doctrine of the Holiness of God.
The Doctrine of Sin. God will not tolerate evil and wickedness, not forever.
The Doctrine of “Mercy and Grace”. Yes, we can see the “Grace” of God in the Old Testament and His “Mercy”!
The Doctrine of the “All Powerful” God of Creation.
The Doctrine of the “All Knowing” God of knowledge.
The Doctrine of the Sovereign Ruler of all Creation.
The Doctrine that states that God places people in certain locations for His Own Purposes!

*Jos 1:1 Now after the death of Moses the servant of the LORD it came to pass, that the LORD spake unto Joshua the son of Nun, Moses’ minister, saying,
Jos 1:2 Moses my servant is dead; now therefore arise, go over this Jordan, thou, and all this people, unto the land which I do give to them, even to the children of Israel.

Moses at the age of 120 years old had now been taken out of the picture by God Himself, his purpose complete and God told Joshua to fill in the gap that Moses left behind.

It is our duty to answer the call of God!

Moses was a mighty man of God. How could anyone fill in for him?

Moses had already selected Joshua by the word of God and had already begun his training.

Deu 31:14 And the LORD said unto Moses, Behold, thy days approach that thou must die: call Joshua, and present yourselves in the tabernacle of the congregation, that I may give him a charge. And Moses and Joshua went, and presented themselves in the tabernacle of the congregation.

Deu 31:23 And he gave Joshua the son of Nun a charge, and said, Be strong and of a good courage: for thou shalt bring the children of Israel into the land which I sware unto them: and I will be with thee.

It was Moses that had established Israel as a nation through the guidance of Jehovah making him the father of the nation of Israel.

A band of Egyptian slaves had become the nation that had set back Egypt for many years which they have never really overcome.

It was time for Israel to leave off mourning for what was, and accept what God had planned for the destruction of the sinful nations of Canaan Land

Gen_15:16 But in the fourth generation they shall come hither again: for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet full.

On a much smaller scale than the worldwide flood, Israel was the hand of God for the destruction of the sin full people of Canaan Land.

They needed a strong leader and God gave them Joshua.

Joshua was now the Commander-in-Chief of the new nation of Israel.

We should understand Moses was a great man of God, but his death did not affect the plan of God.

God simply selects some other human to keep the plan of God moving forward at all times!

If Joshua for some reason rejected the call of God, God would simply have chosen someone else.

When God plan is in action, He will then provide all the tools and materials necessary to keep moving forward in the work God has given all the Church to accomplish.

The “providence” of God is always in His hands, and it does not depend upon any one upon this earth, or anywhere else humans are seeking to run and hide.

*Jos 1:3 Every place that the sole of your foot shall tread upon, that have I given unto you, as I said unto Moses.

It was the death of Moses that opened the door for Joshua, so we see that it is God who is the giver of life and only He can take a life.

Satan may have had the power of death before the work of the Lord Jesus was completed, but he could not cause death at his will, he needed the permission of God, and he still does today.

Satan answers to God, Jehovah God and he is also condemned to Hell which is why the world is moving so fast toward wicked, immoral corrupted, iniquity.

Some of the promises God made to Abraham were becoming reality.

The walk of Abraham had defined the boundaries of the nation of Israel more than four hundred years prior to the day of Joshua.

Moses had led the children of Israel right up to the shores of the River Jordan, right at the most awkward time of the rainy season, but God had a reason even for this.

It would be Joshua that led the crossing of Jordan!

What were the boundaries that God set aside for the nation of Israel?

*Jos 1:4 From the wilderness and this Lebanon even unto the great river, the river Euphrates, all the land of the Hittites, and unto the great sea toward the going down of the sun, shall be your coast.

South: the desert of Negev.
North: Lebanon. Mount Lebanon the tallest mountain of Syria.
East: the Euphrates River.
West the Mediterranean Sea.

To this day, Israel has never possessed all this land and will not until the return of Christ Jesus.

Why? Many of them became cowards.

Many of them refused to obey the Word of God.

The closest that Israel ever came to control of all this land was in the days of King David and King Solomon.

It is at the death of King Solomon when Israel became a divided nation and disappeared from History for a time.

A divided nation cannot stand in this world of sin!

America is more divided today than it has ever been in our brief history and America could disappear from history and it is because of our corrupt, and wicked, and immoral government!

Why is this so true? Because America has booted God out!

Why did Israel begin to show dominance for many years? It was because God was with them until they demanded God to leave.

What was God’s promise to Israel?

*Jos 1:5 There shall not any man be able to stand before thee all the days of thy life: as I was with Moses, so I will be with thee: I will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.

What wonderful words given to a new leader.

God promised Joshua that no nation would be able to stand against him.

To us this means as a believer, we will have a full life, a victorious life, if we continue to serve the Lord with all our heart!

We know that as this new nation of Israel moved forward, they would face many obstacles.

We can also say the same thing about them today as much of the world hates them without a reason.

This tiny nation of Israel has met many a foe on the battlefield, all of them trying to erase them as a nation, but God has not allowed this to happen, and the Bible says He will not allow it to happen.

God promises those who love Him a full and victorious life, but we must also move forward claiming victory over the obstacles we face.

We can do this because we are never alone!

With the power of God there is no obstacle that we cannot overcome!

It begins with obedience!

1Jn 5:3 For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous.
1Jn 5:4 For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith.
1Jn 5:5 Who is he that overcometh the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God?

We have the promise of our Savior that He will never forsake us.

Even on those days we may not feel our Lord God, we have the assurance that He is with us.

Our life is not about feelings, our life is about the promises of God!

This is one of the greatest promises God has given to us, that He will never forsake us!

No matter what trouble, no matter what difficulty, no matter what problem we face, God will never leave us and He will walk with us through these things!

*Jos 1:6 Be strong and of a good courage: for unto this people shalt thou divide for an inheritance the land, which I sware unto their fathers to give them.

Joshua had been an eyewitness, as these people had rebelled against Moses many times.

The challenge of Israel was very great to be a conqueror of the many nations of Canaan Land.

They needed a leader who was equipped to manage these times and it was Joshua.

Joshua was God’s man!

What was Joshua first task? He was to trust God! He was to be strong and very courageous!

When God calls us, He knows that our task will not be easy. If it was easy, then anyone could do it without God!

The army of God must be strong and courageous.

When we put on the armor of God we are not dressing for peace, we are dressing for war!

We are to be obedient to the Word of God.
We are to never stop sharing the Word of God.
We are to meditate on God’s Word day and night!

The result of obedience to God will always be prosperity and success! This does not mean riches.

It means all that we put our hands to, that is in the will of God, will prosper!

Again, it takes strength in the Lord and obedience to overcome discouragement!

*Jos 1:7 Only be thou strong and very courageous, that thou mayest observe to do according to all the law, which Moses my servant commanded thee: turn not from it to the right hand or to the left, that thou mayest prosper whithersoever thou goest.

God did not place Joshua in this position of leadership to be lord over this people!

They would follow Joshua if he continued to follow the Lord.

Until till the last days of Joshua’s life, every day brought a new enemy to defeat.

Every year brought a new enemy.

Every day he had to send the young people of Israel into battle, and he would witness the blood shed of many of them.

These things are hard on any commander. Joshua would need much courage and strength.

No matter where we are on the battlefield of the Lord, we must know that we cannot do these things in our own strength so our relationship with the Lord must be steady and enduring.

We must follow the Word of God not veering to the left or to the right.

The pathway to Heaven remains a narrow path and few will ever find it.

Mat_7:14 Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.

God will reveal to us the obstacles we will face by teaching us the deep things of God!

1Co 2:10 But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God.
1Co 2:11 For what man knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him? even so the things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God.
1Co 2:12 Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God.
1Co 2:13 Which things also we speak, not in the words which man’s wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual.
1Co 2:14 But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.

The key to our prosperity in this world is obedience to all the Word of God!

Again this does not mean riches!

How are we to study the Word of God?

*Jos 1:8 This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success.

In order for Joshua to succeed as the Commander-in-Chief of Israel, he was to know and obey all the Word of God. (Which is a type of Christ)

This has not changed for every national leader today! They have the same instructions, no matter who they are or where they are located!

We must never turn our backs to the Word of God as we see this world do so today.

If there is a godly leader in this world today, they are noticeably quiet and ashamed of the Word of God, because they are too silent!

God will give us purpose, a sense of achievement and a fulfillment throughout our Christian Life, but only if we obey God by meditating in His Word day and night, throughout our lifetime.

In other words, we should always be doing what God says to do!

Deu 5:29 O that there were such an heart in them, that they would fear me, and keep all my commandments always, that it might be well with them, and with their children for ever!

This is the key to our success in the plan of God!

Again, we must be strong and courageous in the things of God!

*Jos 1:9 Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the LORD thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest.

If God says a thing one time, then it is enough, but when God says things three times then He knows how easy it will be for us to get discouraged when we see what is going on in our world.

We must never let these things keep us from serving the Lord!

We must be strong and courageous as we walk through our Christian Life.

We must know that when God gave these lands to Abraham, all Abraham had was his faith and he had enough faith that he could trust the Word of God is true.

Abraham trusted in the promises of God, and it is no different for us here today.

Now in this day of Joshua more than four hundred years later, Joshua is in position to begin fulfilling some of God’s promises to Abraham.

We should know that the land promised to Abraham was indeed the land called Palestine. Palestine is an area and not the name of some country.

We should also know that the land promised to Abraham also refers to the New Heaven.

Canaan Land is just a symbol of God’s Promise.

Rom 4:13 For the promise, that he should be the heir of the world, was not to Abraham, or to his seed, through the law, but through the righteousness of faith.

The inheritance that Abraham had so much faith in, refers to the entire world, the New Universe which God is going to recreate in the very end.

It is not this world we live in now that is so full of sin, immorality, and wicked corruptness!

This world that is wasting away, deteriorating, running down, that our world calls “Climate Change”. They have seen nothing yet!

2Pe 3:4 And saying, Where is the promise of his coming? for since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation.
2Pe 3:5 For this they willingly are ignorant of, that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of the water and in the water:
2Pe 3:6 Whereby the world that then was, being overflowed with water, perished:
2Pe 3:7 But the heavens and the earth, which are now, by the same word are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men.
2Pe 3:8 But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.
2Pe 3:9 The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.

The promise to Abraham refers to the New Heaven and the New Jerusalem, our Heavenly Home!

Rev 21:10 And he carried me away in the spirit to a great and high mountain, and shewed me that great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God,

All these things Abraham knew and, on this day, Joshua would begin that journey with Israel as they would cross the River Jordan.

This is where Joshua would derive his courage and his strength!

It was the promises made to Abraham that drove Joshua to be the great man of God that he was, and we should be encouraged just as Joshua was encouraged.

Gen 12:1 Now the LORD had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father’s house, unto a land that I will shew thee:
Gen 12:2 And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing:
Gen 12:3 And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.

Joshua told this new nation of Israel, “let us go an obtain the promises of God”.

This is exactly what the Church is doing today!

*Jos 1:10 Then Joshua commanded the officers of the people, saying,
Jos 1:11 Pass through the host, and command the people, saying, Prepare you victuals; for within three days ye shall pass over this Jordan, to go in to possess the land, which the LORD your God giveth you to possess it.

After forty years the long-awaited command came. “prepare the people for we are going to cross the River Jordan”.

We should remember that this people of Israel would have been several million people.

There is not an army on the face of the earth that can go from rest to moving forward for war in three days, which shows us how Moses had prepared this army.

This was not just the army but also all their families and livestock.

We should also think about those three days!

Three days to our Lord Jesus was the time of His death to His resurrection.

In three days, this rag tag bunch of slaves would resurrect as the nation of Israel.

We should be able to see the typology of all these things.

What do we know? We know that God had spoken to Joshua and the crossing of the Jordan was to be done at once.

As Israel had been at camp until this command came, they had certainly seen that the River Jordan was running out of its banks at this time of the year.

In our service to the Lord, we had better understand that the natural things must be exhausted before the supernatural is brought in.

At this time we believe the “manna” had ceased and the word “victuals” would mean the food that was natural to their surroundings.

Jos 5:12 And the manna ceased on the morrow after they had eaten of the old corn of the land; neither had the children of Israel manna any more; but they did eat of the fruit of the land of Canaan that year.

We also believe that before this command was given, that Joshua had already sent out those spies to Jericho, and they had returned.

On this side of this flooded river was Israel ready for war and on the other side stood the walled city of Jericho, which had to fall for Israel to be successful.

Jericho had already heard of the wars Israel had already fought, and won, and the city was afraid of Israel.

Between them lay a vast expanse of rushing water.

Joshua commanded this people of God “to prepare”, then “passover” and then “to possess”.

We must understand as a soldier in God’s Army, we must always be prepared, and we have that “Heavenly Manna” with us at all times if we are carrying the Word of God.

We must feed on the Lord Jesus Christ; He is our Passover!

No doubt that many of these people had the fear of death for war brings death!

But to the child of God, death has but one meaning and that meaning is New Life.

There would be no possessing of that land until they crossed over the flood waters of the River Jordan.

As Christians we have nothing on this side of Jordan, but the New Heaven, the New Jerusalem lie on the other side.

What lies on the other side will be the treasures of God!

A share of the inheritance of the Lord Jesus Christ!

Still that raging river seemed unsurpassable.

But the Lord will always say:

Jos 3:5 And Joshua said unto the people, Sanctify yourselves: for to morrow the LORD will do wonders among you.

When the flood waters of this world are raging, then this is when we need to trust the Lord the most!

Mar_6:50 For they all saw him, and were troubled. And immediately he talked with them, and saith unto them, Be of good cheer: it is I; be not afraid.

We must never forget that as we travel in this life, the Lord Jesus Christ will walk before us showing us the way!

We know that God would stop the flow of the River Jordan and several million Israelites would cross the River Jordan on dry land!

Amen

Grace and Justification

/ Bobby Mayfield / Leave a comment

The Gospel of Grace and Justification

Book of Romans Chapter 4 through Chapter 5

Here are a few especially important things we need to know in our relationship with our Heavenly Father.

1) We can never be “Justified” by our works!

Without the Holy Spirit abiding within us, we are still lost!

Gal 3:2 This only would I learn of you, Received ye the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith?

What does the Holy Spirit do for us?

The Holy Spirit does His work through a twofold ministry in our lives.

A) He will work on Christ’s behalf, through our witness, to bring conviction to those not yet in Christ (John 16:7-11).
B) He will also minister to us as the teacher of our spirits to guide us into all truth (John 16:13; 14:17, 26; 15:26).

2) Faith is the key to our relationship with the Almighty God!

Gal 3:6 Even as Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.
Gal 3:7 Know ye therefore that they which are of faith, the same are the children of Abraham.

3) Those who try to keep the Law must keep all of those Old Laws, which are impossible!

Gal 3:10 For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse: for it is written, Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them.
Gal 3:11 But that no man is justified by the law in the sight of God, it is evident: for, The just shall live by faith.

4) It is the same for all races and all cultures of people!

Gal 3:14 That the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Jesus Christ; that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.

5) The promises of the Lord Jesus Christ come only by “Faith”!

Gal 3:22 But the scripture hath concluded all under sin, that the promise by faith of Jesus Christ might be given to them that believe.

6) Those old laws were given to all the world to teach us how to live!

Gal 3:24 Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith.

It is by “faith” in the Works of Jesus Christ for our salvation that we receive the Holy Spirit.

7) Once the Holy Spirit moves in, He will never move back out!

There are so many who believe we have to work our way into Heaven.

In a sense work gets us to Heaven, but it is not any work that we have to do! Jesus Christ has done all the work that was required for us!

What does Jesus say? What work does our Heavenly Father accept?

Joh 6:29 Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, “that ye believe on him whom he hath sent”.

Joh 6:38 “For I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me”.
Joh 6:39 And this is the Father’s will which hath sent me, that of all which he hath given me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up again at the last day.

*Rom 4:18 Who against hope believed in hope, that he might become the father of many nations, according to that which was spoken, So shall thy seed be.
Rom 4:19 And being not weak in faith, he considered not his own body now dead, when he was about an hundred years old, neither yet the deadness of Sara’s womb:
Rom 4:20 He staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief; but was strong in faith, giving glory to God;
Rom 4:21 And being fully persuaded that, what he had promised, he was able also to perform.
Rom 4:22 And therefore it was imputed to him for righteousness.
Rom 4:23 Now it was not written for his sake alone, that it was imputed to him;
Rom 4:24 But for us also, to whom it shall be imputed, if we believe on him that raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead;
Rom 4:25 Who was delivered for our offences, and was raised again for our justification.
Rom 5:1 Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ:
Rom 5:2 By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.

God has given us the fitting example of Abraham to teach us about “faith”.

Against all probability, Abraham believed in the promises of God!

Our “faith” must be in the things that the God has spoken!

Our “hope” lies in the promises of God!

Abraham had nothing to give to God but these two things and this is why it is called “Grace”.

You see, we must be fully persuaded that what God promises, He is also able to deliver.

No one can stand before our Holy God who is not righteous, and it is these things that bring to us righteousness enough to stand before God and not perish!

Our “faith” must be in the work that the Lord Jesus Christ has done for our own righteousness. Why?

We must believe that God sent His only Son who was delivered for our offences (our sin) and raised by God for our “justification”.

Therefore peace with our Holy God comes by “faith” in the things He sent His Son to do for us!

Gal 2:16 Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law: for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified.

All God ask from us, is to believe in what He has done for us!

Now God has done all these things it is time for all humans to show “faith” or to reject these things in a lack of “faith”!

A notable example given to us by the Lord Jesus Christ from the New Testament:

Luk 18:10 Two men went up into the temple to pray; the one a Pharisee, and the other a publican.
Luk 18:11 The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican.
Luk 18:12 I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess.
Luk 18:13 And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner.
Luk 18:14 I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other: for every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.

The truth is, most all the world has turned their back on God and seek a path to salvation that will never be true, because we cannot choose our own path to Heaven!

It is by “Faith” that we are “Justified”!
It is by “Faith” that we can be at peace with God!
It is by “Faith” that we have access to God’s “Grace”, God’s favor, and welcomed into the presence of God!
It is by “Faith” whereas we find hope for the Glory of God!

We can have peace with God because He has nothing to be held against us throughout the remainder of our lifetime on earth and we will spend eternity with Him in His house.

The Lord Jesus Christ was our “Substitute” in making payment for our sin.

God our Father was satisfied with the sacrifice (payment) of His dear Son.

God the Father is forever satisfied that our sin debt was paid, and He will never bring it up again, nor will He ever judge us again.

We will never be a part of God’s “wrath”!

We will one day be a part of God’s Glory!

These are all things we can know in this lifetime!

We should also know that this world will now hate us!

*Rom 5:3 And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience;
Rom 5:4 And patience, experience; and experience, hope:
Rom 5:5 And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us.

We cannot allow the trials and tribulations of this world to destroy us. We now have a renewed strength because we are at peace with God!

We do not have to live in despair and hopelessness.

We can in fact, learn from all these things and become stronger because our strength is now in the Lord Jesus Christ.

Php 4:13 I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.

You see the Holy Spirit who lives within each child of God will stand up to all trials and temptations and all we need do is listen to Him!

You see, we are now able to defeat all things that come against us!

Rom_8:37 Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.

Because of this we can have patience in the trials of this life and there will be no trials in our glorious life.

When we endure the trials of this life, and there will be many, we come out stronger and better able to stand against any future trials in this life.

This is where we stand in these last days!

Luk 21:17 And ye shall be hated of all men for my name’s sake.
Luk 21:18 But there shall not an hair of your head perish.
Luk 21:19 In your patience possess ye your souls.

It is in these things that we will be able to see these last days approaching, which, we are now in!

The Lord says we are on the winning side, and we can in our “Faith” know that this is true!

When we lean on the Holy Spirit who lives within us, He will hold us up!

As long as we have this “hope” in the truth of God, we will never be ashamed of our Savior who will never disappoint us.

It is in our strength in Jesus that the world will see, and it is this strength, His Strength, that we are better able to cope in this wicked and hopeless world!

1Jn 2:28 And now, little children, abide in him; that, when he shall appear, we may have confidence, and not be ashamed before him at his coming.
1Jn 2:29 If ye know that he is righteous, ye know that every one that doeth righteousness is born of him.

It is by the Holy Spirit, who lives within us, that we can feel the “Love” of God!

Joh 3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
Joh 3:17 For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.
Joh 3:18 He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.

There is great peace that comes by the awesome love of God!

*Rom 5:6 For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly.
Rom 5:7 For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die.

God knew that there would never be a human capable of being pure enough to be sacrificed for sin and God hated the fact that so many of false worship would attempt to sacrifice humans and most all of them were babies.

The false gods Chemosh and Moloch, sometime called Baal-Peor or Baal-Zebub, required human sacrifice and God hated these things done to the innocent, but even babies are not pure enough to be a payment for sin.

Every nation on earth is still sacrificing babies today calling it women’s rights.

The only sacrifice that God would ever accept was His own, the sacrifice of Himself!

Gen 22:8 And Abraham said, My son, “God will provide himself a lamb” for a burnt offering: so they went both of them together.

We were an ungodly people, yet a Holy God left the portals of Heaven, came, and lived as a human, but a sin free human, and sacrificed Himself so that we can be saved.

God is perfect, all humans carry the sin nature of Adam, it was the only choice that could be made, and it was made.

There are a few fathers who would die for their children but few, especially in today’s world, but because of His great love for us the living God gave Himself so that we might live.

As farfetched as this sounds it is still the truth!

The Lord Jesus Christ died for our benefit.
He died for our sake!
He died in our behalf!

Since God cannot die or He would not be God, then He poured Himself into a body of flesh that could die, and we call Him Lord Jesus!

2Co 5:14 For the love of Christ constraineth us; because we thus judge, that if one died for all, then were all dead:
2Co 5:15 And that he died for all, that they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto him which died for them, and rose again.
2Co 5:16 Wherefore henceforth know we no man after the flesh: yea, though we have known Christ after the flesh, yet now henceforth know we him no more.
2Co 5:17 Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.

What is a ransom? The price that is paid to recover a person from someone who is detaining them.

It was Satan who required a perfect human for sacrifice and since there are none, we each became our own sacrifice, but this brought eternal death!

God knew this and therefore sacrificed Himself.

1Ti 2:5 For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus;
1Ti 2:6 Who gave himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time.

What is a propitiation? Propitiation is to restore or to reconcile our friendship once again to our Heavenly Father!

Jesus Christ is represented as the propitiatory sacrifice for the sin of the world!

His blood alone atones for and covers our guilt!

This is the thing we could never do for ourselves and why no one is ever good enough to be a sacrifice for our sin.

1Jn 2:1 My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous:
1Jn 2:2 And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.

I pity those who reject these things because these things are the real truth!

Jesus Christ died for me because there was no man who would die for me.

I had no value.
I had no goodness.
I was opposed to God.

But God loved me enough to save me!

*Rom 5:8 But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.
Rom 5:9 Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him.

How did God prove He loves us? God did not wait till we made a commitment to provide our means of salvation!

The sovereign Creator of all we see and all we cannot see came to this earth and took the form of a human and died in our place!

This is unbelievable love that you cannot find on this earth.

How many of us would willingly give up our sons to save somebody we do not even know? I dare say not any.

God gave His only Son, the Lord Jesus Christ to save worthless, useless, rebellious, sinners who could not save themselves at any cost!

The God of all creation died in a humiliating manner that we might have the opportunity to live forever with Him!

The wrath of God was reserved for all those who had rejected Him, yet He still chose to offer eternal life!

This is something God will never forget and all those who have rejected the truth of the Lord Jesus Christ will certainly see His wrath even more so for not believing the truth of Jesus Christ.

We have already read that even though so many know these truths, they have still intentionally chosen to rebel against our Almighty God.

It is no wonder they are said to be fools!

God has proven His love yet most of this world has shown no respect for that love.

Joh 15:12 This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you.
Joh 15:13 Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.
Joh 15:14 Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you.
Joh 15:15 Henceforth I call you not servants; for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth: but I have called you friends; for all things that I have heard of my Father I have made known unto you.

We see truly little love left in this world!
We see very few who really want to hear the truth!

2Th 2:10 And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved.

1Ti 2:4 Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth.

People ask, just what are we saved from?

1) We are saved from the destruction that we cause ourselves, yes.
2) We are saved from a place called Hell, yes.
3) We are saved from a dying world, yes.
4) Greatest of all, we are saved from the wrath of an angry God, who did not want to show His angry side!

It is the work that the Lord Jesus Christ did willingly to save us that has allowed us to miss seeing the wrath of God!

Rom 6:23 For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

We who were once enemies are now in the family of God!

*Rom 5:10 For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life.

That word reconciled means becoming friends after a state of disagreement and enemies of our Creator.

Rom 8:5 For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit.
Rom 8:6 For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.
Rom 8:7 Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be.
Rom 8:8 So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God.

There is great peace that comes when you know you are no longer an enemy of God!

When we live for ourselves, we become enemies of God!

When we oppose our God, we become His enemy!

As long as we reject our Savior, we are promoting evil in this ungodly world!

If you are not on the Lord’s side, you are certainly on Satan’s side!

Joh 8:42 Jesus said unto them, If God were your Father, ye would love me: for I proceeded forth and came from God; neither came I of myself, but he sent me.
Joh 8:43 Why do ye not understand my speech? even because ye cannot hear my word.
Joh 8:44 Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.
Joh 8:45 And because I tell you the truth, ye believe me not.

How are we reconciled to God?

God has accepted the death of His Son in our place.
God has accepted that His Son Jesus has borne all our sin from the time of Adam until the end of the Church Age.
God has accepted the condemnation of His Son as the condemnation of all humanity.

Sin we are made free from sin by the work of the Lord we are also made free from the punishment of sin.

It is God who has provided this reconciliation!
It is God who reached out to us!

All we need do is receive these free gifts of a Holy God who cannot become unholy.

What is the atonement?

*Rom 5:11 And not only so, but we also joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have now received the atonement.

It is by the Lord Jesus Christ that we now have hope that there is something more than this short span we call life.

How can we look at our world and all the life that is in it and think that there is not something more even after our death?

You see, we can have that joy in this life knowing that there is much more to life than what we see in this life.

There is so much more that comes by a life in Christ Jesus.

We can rejoice in the hope of the glory of God!

We can rejoice in the midst of the tribulations of this world knowing that there are greater things to come after this life.

We can rejoice knowing that we are loved by our Sovereign God who watches over us as His own dear children.

We had no strength in ourselves to provide these things, but God does!

We can now be at peace with God knowing we have been forgiven!

Rom 11:15 For if the casting away of them be the reconciling of the world, what shall the receiving of them be, but life from the dead?

Our sentence was death, but God has given us new life and life eternal.

He has also given us a work to do ourselves with His help because we are not remade, but made a new person (Born Again).

2Co 5:17 Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.
2Co 5:18 And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation;
2Co 5:19 To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation.

The truth of God will awaken a new life within us that should show on our outer being.

What is real love? It is Jesus Christ!

Joh 1:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
Joh 1:2 The same was in the beginning with God.
Joh 1:3 All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.
Joh 1:4 In him was life; and the life was the light of men.

Amen

God’s Wonderful Promises

/ Bobby Mayfield / Leave a comment

Promises For the Future

Book of Genesis Chapters 48 through 50

One of the greatest things we have learned from the Book of Genesis, the Book of the Beginnings is, that God has a plan for this world.

God’s plan is to bless those who love Him and who are in His will, and the greatest blessing is for those who love Him to spend eternity with Him.

God had promised Abram a promised land, but though Canaan Land is that “promised land” to the Jews, for many of us, it is not the place God was talking about.

Our “Promised Land” is Heaven itself!

The Hebrew people were a small people that needed to multiply until they became a great nation.

God used this time in Egypt to make this happen.

God had placed Joseph in Egypt to prepare for and then care for his family.

They were given the best land with one job and that job was to take care of Pharaoh’s herd.

Remember there were only 70 of Jacob’s family and Pharaoh had a large herd.

Joseph provided all their needs while the Egyptians paid dearly, some all they owned, to receive the food that they could eat until this famine was over.

The land then belonged to Pharaoh and they became tenants on the land they had at one time owned.

The children of Israel had prospered during all this time.

It was reaching the end of Jacob’s time and he knew it, and there were some things he had not accomplished before he died.

He had not yet placed the blessing of Abraham on one of his children and he had not yet chosen the blessed son.

He had, but he had not formally told this to his children.

Joseph had always been the son the Jacob loved the most, but he was now Governor of Egypt.

So Jacob puts his plan together and he begins to explain these things to Joseph.

We must realize that El Shaddai had spoken to Jacob many times in visions and dreams, so Jacob (Israel) was also a prophet, at least to his family.

Jacob began recalling the experiences of his early days.

*Gen 48:3 And Jacob said unto Joseph, God Almighty appeared unto me at Luz in the land of Canaan, and blessed me,
Gen 48:4 And said unto me, Behold, I will make thee fruitful, and multiply thee, and I will make of thee a multitude of people; and will give this land to thy seed after thee for an everlasting possession.

Remember to Jacob, Luz was “Bethel”, even though it had not been named that at this time. Bethel meaning the “House of God”.

Gen 28:16 And Jacob awaked out of his sleep, and he said, Surely the LORD is in this place; and I knew it not.
Gen 28:17 And he was afraid, and said, How dreadful is this place! this is none other but the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven.

To the Church, the House of God is truly the gateway to Heaven but by the Lord Jesus Christ.

Without the Lord Jesus there is no “House of God”!

The promise of Abram had been passed down to Israel, but it would not be passed to Joseph who was the first born of Rachel but not the firstborn son of Jacob.

The birthright claim would be given to Joseph but only through his two sons. Jacob (Israel) would adopt those two sons and make them his own.

But the genealogy that came by Abram, through Isaac, and to Jacob, would be passed down to Judah.

1Ch 5:1 Now the sons of Reuben the firstborn of Israel, (for he was the firstborn; but, forasmuch as he defiled his father’s bed, his birthright was given unto the sons of Joseph the son of Israel: and the genealogy is not to be reckoned after the birthright.
1Ch 5:2 For Judah prevailed above his brethren, and of him came the chief ruler; but the birthright was Joseph’s:)

We should understand that these things were against the future Jewish laws.

Deu 21:17 But he shall acknowledge the son of the hated for the firstborn, by giving him a double portion of all that he hath: for he is the beginning of his strength; the right of the firstborn is his.
Deu 21:18 If a man have a stubborn and rebellious son, which will not obey the voice of his father, or the voice of his mother, and that, when they have chastened him, will not hearken unto them:
Deu 21:19 Then shall his father and his mother lay hold on him, and bring him out unto the elders of his city, and unto the gate of his place;
Deu 21:20 And they shall say unto the elders of his city, This our son is stubborn and rebellious, he will not obey our voice; he is a glutton, and a drunkard.

We must understand that El Shaddai does not limit Himself to man’s laws!

Rom 9:6 Not as though the word of God hath taken none effect. For they are not all Israel, which are of Israel:

We should understand, though it would seem the King David would be that chief ruler to come from Judah, and he was that earthly ruler for a time, but the true chief ruler is the Lord Jesus Christ, who came by the tribe of Judah.

King Jesus, the Messiah, has not yet come to rule this earth for 1000 years.

We know this is true but at first Shiloh(The Messiah) will come, Jesus the Messiah who came to save!

Joseph would receive the birthright, but not in the normal fashion.

*Gen 48:5 And now thy two sons, Ephraim and Manasseh, which were born unto thee in the land of Egypt before I came unto thee into Egypt, are mine; as Reuben and Simeon, they shall be mine.

Jacob had been deprived of spending 20 good years with Joseph his beloved son.

Jacob could not give Joseph and inheritance in Egypt because Pharaoh had already done this.

Jacob could adopt those two boys and by doing so, he would be giving a double portion of inheritance to Joseph.

They would be treated as the sons of Jacob and therefore the sons of Israel and they would receive equal portions according to their numbers, in the division of the land of Canaan.

Reuben, the firstborn son, would not receive the double portion because of his incest with Jacob’s concubine.

Gen 35:22 And it came to pass, when Israel dwelt in that land, that Reuben went and lay with Bilhah his father’s concubine: and Israel heard it. Now the sons of Jacob were twelve:

1Ch 5:1 Now the sons of Reuben the firstborn of Israel, (for he was the firstborn; but, forasmuch as he defiled his father’s bed, his birthright was given unto the sons of Joseph the son of Israel: and the genealogy is not to be reckoned after the birthright.

When we get to the Book of Revelation, we will see where the name Ephraim is replaced by Joseph though Manasseh remains.

Rev 7:8 Of the tribe of Zabulonn were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Joseph were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Benjamin were sealed twelve thousand.

We are not required to understand these things, but the Holy Ghost did require that these words be written for us to learn from.

It was Jacob’s last moments in his flesh, and he had more things to say to all his children.

We can understand these things as prophecy just as these twelve men should have.

*Gen 49:1 And Jacob called unto his sons, and said, Gather yourselves together, that I may tell you that which shall befall you in the last days.

Now Jacob becomes a prophet to his own sons.

We should understand that we will reap what we sow in this life.

If we are good, we will reap good but if we bad, we will reap bad!

We can see that many seem to do good in a life of sin and never seem to suffer for it, but we must also remember that they will spend eternity in Hell suffering greatly.

God will have a true “judgment” no one will be judged for things they did not do!

Jacob had been ill most of his last years and on this day, we could say the family was called into the bedside of Jacob.

On this day, all twelve sons of Jacob were together with him in one room and not one would be quarreling with the other.

They knew their father was about to die and they wanted to hear what he had to say.

Since the time of Adam, God had dealt with the individual but after the time of Jacob, we will see the birth of the nation of Israel and we see God begins to deal with nations, especially the nation of Israel.

The time of the patriarchs comes to an end and in a short while the time of the Law will begin!

Much time will pass until the Birth of Jesus Christ and God will begin to deal with the Church.

In reality, God will go silent while Israel grows into a nation and this will last just over 400 years, when God will hear their cries because of a wicked and evil Pharaoh and God will send them a deliverer by the name of Moses and the period of the Law will begin.

Jacob gave each of his sons a prophetic warning and then he blessed each one of them and Jacob then made them promise not to bury his body in Egypt.

A brief look at these things will be something like this!

Reuben the firstborn son of Jacob should have received the birthright(the double portion) but he had proven to be weak and unstable and the tribe of Reuben would be the same. Reuben did not possess the discipline to control himself.

Simeon and Levi, the sin of these two brothers was anger, cruelty, and vengeance. Their behavior was inexcusable.

They would be divided and scattered throughout the “promised land”. They would never again be able to band together in an evil plot of anger and cruelty.

We know how the tribe of Levi was used of God and Simeon was given land in the midst of Judah.

Judah. We know that Abraham and Isaac had passed the birthright of the first born and that of the “Promised Seed’ both to the same son but in Jacob’s case, it would be Judah that Jacob passed the genealogy of the “Promised Seed” and it would be Joseph who would get the birthright of the firstborn son.

We could see how the life of Judah was being transformed into a leader and a spiritual leader.

Judah was a picture of the Christian growing spiritually.

To Judah was the blessing of Shiloh.

We also see as we study the Scriptures that once King David had the leadership of Israel it stayed in the family.

The scepter never departed from Judah.

Zebulun was to dwell toward the sea but not on the sea as Asher would dwell on the sea.

Issachar was to be like an animal of strong strength. The tribe of Issachar was a strong and sturdy people who were on occasion complacent.

In fact they could become so complacent in their comforts they were willing to be enslaved rather than lose their comforts.

Sounds a lot like the America of today!

Dan. The tribe of Dan would produce capable rulers and the most well-known was Samson. What a story he had.

Dan also could be like a snake a deadly opponent for his enemies.

Dan had to always be on guard against treachery, double dealing, and dishonesty.

Dan was the first to take up idol worship.

Not many realize it, but Jacob actually used for salvation, the word (Yeshuah) the Hebrew name for Jesus.

Gen 49:18 I have waited for thy salvation(Yeshuah), O LORD.

Jacob may could not have known about the Lord Jesus Christ, but he did know where his salvation came from!

Gad would be successful in struggling with his enemies.

1Ch 12:8 And of the Gadites there separated themselves unto David into the hold to the wilderness men of might, and men of war fit for the battle, that could handle shield and buckler, whose faces were like the faces of lions, and were as swift as the roes upon the mountains;

Asher was the tribe that sat along the seacoast. Asher gave into luxury and wealth and never really helped the other tribes.

They loved worldly pleasures.

We are warned against worldliness in the New Testament!

Naphtali was known for their swiftness in combat.

Notice also they were known for speaking and singing songs of beauty and in the time of Jesus, He spent a great deal of time in this area.

The most beautiful words ever spoken are the “Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ”.

Joseph was awarded the family birthright through his two sons.

This tribe produced Joshua, Gibeon, Abimelech, Jair, Jephthah, and Samuel came from the heritage of Joseph through his two sons.

Benjamin was the tribe to be like a ravenous wolf. The tribe of Benjamin was courageous and bold. At times, these same traits were used for evil.

Jacob told his sons to be on guard for the bad traits and try to excel in the good traits and then he gave up the ghost.

*Gen 49:28 All these are the twelve tribes of Israel: and this is it that their father spake unto them, and blessed them; every one according to his blessing he blessed them.
Gen 49:29 And he charged them, and said unto them, I am to be gathered unto my people: bury me with my fathers in the cave that is in the field of Ephron the Hittite,
Gen 49:30 In the cave that is in the field of Machpelah, which is before Mamre, in the land of Canaan, which Abraham bought with the field of Ephron the Hittite for a possession of a buryingplace.

Jacob remembered his forefathers Abraham and Isaac and at his death he wanted his body to be laid with their bodies.

Many today have similar wishes.

Sons want to be buried next to their father, wives next to their husbands, husbands next to their wives but we see today these things changing as the families are not as close as they once were.

Abraham had bought a cave with a piece of property in the field of Ephron from the Hittites.

He was buried there along with Sarah and Isaac and Rebekah and Leah was also buried there.

This where Jacob wanted to be buried and later, we will see where the preserved body of Joseph would also be buried.

Of course when we say buried, we know that in a cave a spot would be carved in the sides of the wall and the body would be laid there much like the burial of the Lord Jesus Christ.

This place is called Machpelah.

Through the years an ancient Christian Church was located at this place but sadly this church has been converted into a Mohammedan Mosque but a sacred enclosure at the entrance of this cave it is still looked upon as a relic of Jewish architecture thought to be built in the time of David and Solomon.

*Gen 49:33 And when Jacob had made an end of commanding his sons, he gathered up his feet into the bed, and yielded up the ghost, and was gathered unto his people.

After all these things on the mind of Jacob he died. The phrase “gathered up his feet” indicates the Jacob was dead.

This phrase gathered has another meaning.

We know that God had said He is not the God of the Dead but the God of the Living, therefore the Hebrew people felt that their Patriarchs were therefore still living in another form, so Jacob was gathered together with them.

We know that as the “Born Again” children of God we will certainly be gathered together with all our brothers and sisters in Christ because the Christian will never die though this body goes back to the dust it was made from.

1Th 4:13 But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope.
1Th 4:14 For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him.
1Th 4:15 For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep.
1Th 4:16 For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:
1Th 4:17 Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.
1Th 4:18 Wherefore comfort one another with these words.

This is the difference that comes by the “Grace” of God only to those that love Him!

*Gen 50:7 And Joseph went up to bury his father: and with him went up all the servants of Pharaoh, the elders of his house, and all the elders of the land of Egypt,
Gen 50:8 And all the house of Joseph, and his brethren, and his father’s house: only their little ones, and their flocks, and their herds, they left in the land of Goshen.
Gen 50:9 And there went up with him both chariots and horsemen: and it was a very great company.

We read this and then pass right on by it, but this funeral procession had to travel more than 250 miles one way and it could have been 500 miles depending on which way they traveled.

The Patriarchs of Israel would have had the same standing as a Pharaoh of Egypt or any other national ruler even before Israel became a nation.

We might understand that God was much closer to Jacob than we understand by the Scriptures.

Jacob the last of the Patriarchs and the father of the nation of Israel.

Jacob had always thought he would die without his children, but now all his sons and so many more, accompanied his body to be buried with his own fathers.

We should remember the Egyptians had no love for the Hebrews, in fact much hatred even at this time, the main reason the family of Jacob was kept separated from the Egyptians and most of that hatred was over a cow because the Egyptians worshipped the cow.

In many ways Jacob had prepared his own funeral and had given specific instructions for his burial.

This was a great procession with all the sons of Jacob all Jacob’s house except the small children but all the elders of Egypt, including the council to Pharaoh.

We can be sure there was a great military presence also with chariots and Calvary.

This thing did not even begin until after 72 days of mourning were over. This thing was treated as a royal funeral.

Much different from the three-hour rush to get the Lord Jesus Christ, the true King, into His grave, but He did not need it but for three days and the bones of Jacob are still in his grave.

The body of Jacob was embalmed so he could make this trip as was Joseph’s.

Jacob was buried with his fathers because they all had the same hope of the “Resurrection”!

Gen 50:13 For his sons carried him into the land of Canaan, and buried him in the cave of the field of Machpelah, which Abraham bought with the field for a possession of a buryingplace of Ephron the Hittite, before Mamre.

And Joseph and his family returned to Egypt.

Gen 50:14 And Joseph returned into Egypt, he, and his brethren, and all that went up with him to bury his father, after he had buried his father.

The brothers of Joseph did not know what would happen to them after the death of their father, so they confronted Joseph on this issue.

*Gen 50:18 And his brethren also went and fell down before his face; and they said, Behold, we be thy servants.
Gen 50:19 And Joseph said unto them, Fear not: for am I in the place of God?

In these last few lessons we have followed the life of Joseph and it can be said the Joseph had integrity.

Integrity can be said to possess a sound mind, moral soundness, purity, in-corruptness, uprightness, and of sound moral character.

We can see that God knows those who will stick by Him no matter what happens in their personal life.

Joseph was bold when he said he belonged to God and he was just a man as they were.

As Christians we can say we belong to God and any goodness others see in us, is because we belong to God.

Joseph was not in the place of God nor did he mean it this way as he tells them.

*Gen 50:20 But as for you, ye thought evil against me; but God meant it unto good, to bring to pass, as it is this day, to save much people alive.
Gen 50:21 Now therefore fear ye not: I will nourish you, and your little ones. And he comforted them, and spake kindly unto them.

Joseph said do not brag on me but brag on our Lord and Savior.

Psa 105:17 He sent a man before them, even Joseph, who was sold for a servant:
Psa 105:18 Whose feet they hurt with fetters: he was laid in iron:
Psa 105:19 Until the time that his word came: the word of the LORD tried him.
Psa 105:20 The king sent and loosed him; even the ruler of the people, and let him go free.
Psa 105:21 He made him lord of his house, and ruler of all his substance:
Psa 105:22 To bind his princes at his pleasure; and teach his senators wisdom.

We, as Christians, are not better than any other human being, but by the “Grace of God”.

Act 3:26 Unto you first God, having raised up his Son Jesus, sent him to bless you, in turning away every one of you from his iniquities.

We are still dirty rotten sinners saved by God’s “Grace” and only then because we have accepted the work of the Lord Jesus Christ toward our salvation.

We are nothing without Jesus!

Joh_15:5 I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.

Joseph felt exactly the same because he knew this truth. He was nothing with the Lord!

What are our instructions?

1Th 5:15 See that none render evil for evil unto any man; but ever follow that which is good, both among yourselves, and to all men.
1Th 5:16 Rejoice evermore.
1Th 5:17 Pray without ceasing.
1Th 5:18 In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.
1Th 5:19 Quench not the Spirit.
1Th 5:20 Despise not prophesyings.
1Th 5:21 Prove all things; hold fast that which is good.
1Th 5:22 Abstain from all appearance of evil.
1Th 5:23 And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.

The Lord makes it simple for us, when He says, His disciples obey His commandments!

Joh_8:31 Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed;

Again Jesus Keeps it very simple!

Joh_13:35 By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.

What is wrong with us today? We need more Jesus!

Amen

The World That Perished

/ Bobby Mayfield / 2 Comments

The World That Perished

Book of Genesis Chapters 7 and 8

Last week we met Noah. Noah was the only man upon the face of the earth who our Creator saw was righteous.

Gen 6:8 But Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD.

The rest of the world had destroyed their relationship with our Creator!

Gen 6:5 And GOD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.

We should keep these things in mind as we see the things that are happening in our nation today!

Noah began working on a ship called the Ark, the first ship ever built that would bring him and his family to safety.

For 120 years Noah had worked on this ship and raised a family and every seventh day Noah preached the truth of God and the coming flood.

To the world, Noah seemed only to be a lunatic!

In all the world only Noah believed the Word of God and his family remained true to him.

Gen 6:11 The earth also was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence.

Gen 6:13 And God said unto Noah, The end of all flesh is come before me; for the earth is filled with violence through them; and, behold, I will destroy them with the earth.

“We should open our eyes and see the Lord does not like violence”!

Psa 11:5 The LORD trieth the righteous: but the wicked and him that loveth violence his soul hateth.

The Lord loves righteousness. (Doing things according to the Word of God)

This ship was completed, and the time had passed, and God said to Noah: gather your family and come into the Ark.

*Gen 7:1 And the LORD said unto Noah, Come thou and all thy house into the ark; for thee have I seen righteous before me in this generation.

We should ask ourselves, what are the desires of our heart?

Do we desire to have a relationship with the world, or do we desire to have a relationship with our Creator, the Lord Jesus Christ?

Everything God had asked of Noah was now completed and it was time to do what He said He would do.

God has a Master plan for all His creation, but in the midst of that plan we see how in the days of Noah, God had a precise plan and this plan was very complex, yet was carefully carried out.

We could say that this plan was a plan of destruction.

We could also say that this was a plan of salvation.

1Pe 3:18 For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit:
1Pe 3:19 By which also he went and preached unto the spirits in prison;
1Pe 3:20 Which sometime were disobedient, when once the longsuffering of God waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was a preparing, wherein few, that is, eight souls were saved by water.

God also preserved His animal kingdom in a way that only He knew how!

The big question is, are you going to enter into the Ark to be saved with Noah? Come on in Noah, bring all your family.

*Gen 7:2 Of every clean beast thou shalt take to thee by sevens, the male and his female: and of beasts that are not clean by two, the male and his female.
Gen 7:3 Of fowls also of the air by sevens, the male and the female; to keep seed alive upon the face of all the earth.

Before the Laws of Moses, we already see where some animals were called clean and many called unclean.

For those who do not realize it, animal sacrifice had been going on since God first sacrificed an animal to make clothes for Adam and Eve to cover their nakedness.

Noah could not enter into the Ark without the sacrificial animals.

These are the same animals that would also be used for food once the Ark had landed so, there were 7 pairs of each.

There were only one pair of each of the unclean animals, animals not used for sacrifice nor for food.

Remembering that if God says it is OK to eat an animal, then it is OK.

Clean are those things washed in a prayer of thanksgiving!

Notice also, the importance of our feathered friends, the fowls of the air. They would be needed to help reseed the earth.

I am not a gardener, but I did plant three tomato plants this spring and after they produced fruit, I have not had to purchase more from the store.

As spring progressed, I received more than three more plants brought to me by the birds and they now are also producing fruit of varieties which I did not plant.

The birds have given me border grass, and 3 magnolia trees and some other plants. I do feed the birds and they bring me these things in return.

Birds are important.

In all these things, we can hardly doubt that it was Moses who wrote the Book of Genesis guided by the Holy Spirit!

It was only seven days until the rain would come and this is interesting that the door was not shut until the end of those seven days.

Also in these things we see the determination of God to reshape this earth and the destruction of all humans who allowed sin to dominate their lives.

*Gen 7:4 For yet seven days, and I will cause it to rain upon the earth forty days and forty nights; and every living substance that I have made will I destroy from off the face of the earth.

Notice God gave His final warning seven days before He would send the rains and other waters to cover the entire earth.

The 120 years had expired down to the last week.

We could ask ourselves, why would God be so patient if He knew none other than Noah and his family would board the Ark.

We must understand that The Bible is written to Christians and God wants us to understand His thoughts and His reasons.

The Hebrew words used said He would “wipe out” or “blot out” or “erase” every living creature from the face of the earth.

They would be wiped from His memory of them!

You see anyone, “anyone” could have joined Noah and his family if they had chosen to do so!

This was God’s last act of “Grace” before He sends the rains.

Everyone left could have quoted you the words of Noah’s sermons as he had repeated it over and over for 120 years.

Many of the aged had died, rejecting the Word of God.
Many of the newborn had grown up hearing the Word of God.

There is no telling how many of them had said “I wish that old fool would shut up” and probably laughed as Noah and his family entered the Ark.

The Ark was an Ark of “safety”!

Just like many today, they said that a loving God would never do such a thing as destroy His creations.

Those who rejected the Word of God were wrong then just as those who say the same things are wrong today!

What did Peter write to us by the Holy Spirit?

2Pe 3:3 Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts,
2Pe 3:4 And saying, Where is the promise of his coming? for since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation.
2Pe 3:5 For this they willingly are ignorant of, that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of the water and in the water:
2Pe 3:6 Whereby the world that then was, being overflowed with water, perished:
2Pe 3:7 But the heavens and the earth, which are now, by the same word are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men.

We do not have to be ignorant we can be victors!

The Lord will do just as He says He will do!

2Pe 3:9 The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.
2Pe 3:10 But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up.

The biggest problem we have in the Church today is, that people are taught that only part of the Scriptures are actually the Word of God, but this is never the truth.

2Ti 3:16 All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:
2Ti 3:17 That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works.

Every word given to the writers of the true Bible were given to them by the Holy Spirit who has preserved the Word of God for us!

We need only rightly divide the Bible knowing that we need to study all the Word of God!

2Ti 2:15 Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.

What did Noah do? Noah did exactly what God told him to do!

Noah loved the Lord and Noah loved his family and would not take a chance on the life of those he loved.

Why would Fathers and Mothers even take the chance that the Word of God is not true for their children’s sake?

*Gen 7:5 And Noah did according unto all that the LORD commanded him.
Gen 7:6 And Noah was six hundred years old when the flood of waters was upon the earth.

This is the only thing the Lord has asked us to do!

We need to listen to what God says, for the safety of ourselves and our families.

Noah’s children obeyed their father!

From chapter 6 through our chapter 7 we see that God had repeated Himself 4 times about this destruction.

In reality, if God says it one time it is enough, but throughout the Scriptures God repeats Himself over and over, so we should not have any doubt about His actions pertaining with sin nor His actions pertaining with salvation.

Noah was no spring chicken Noah was 600 years old when he entered into the Ark.

You God does not even leave out small tidbits of information for us to understand what He is saying.

God’s relationship to us is very personal when we allow ourselves to just accept God and the Words, He has given to us!

Noah just obeyed God without questioning Him because it was not the time for questioning, it was time to do the work he would be doing for more than a year.

Those animals needed his attention for they must survive also. Their importance was real!

And the rains came, and the entire earth was covered.

*Gen 7:19 And the waters prevailed exceedingly upon the earth; and all the high hills, that were under the whole heaven, were covered.
Gen 7:20 Fifteen cubits upward did the waters prevail; and the mountains were covered.

In our studies of Chapter 1, we know that all the land was like one, very large island, surrounded by seas on all sides, so there was only one high hill at the time.

The earth did not go through her first serious changes, until they were caused by the flood waters as they exploded to the surface and then receded.

The water was at least 22 1/2 feet above the highest hill.

We will later find out that this highest hill was in Ararat Mountain range.

The highest mountain in Ararat today has two peaks one at 14,300 feet and the other 10,300 feet above sea level, but it was not like this before the flood.

Today, this place is called Noah’s mountain named by the Persians.

The waters had to raise over this mountain to make sure the birds died also.

Today this cannot be denied because the remains of fish can be found in every mountain range, because the water levels dropped so fast and they were trapped on land.

What did God ask of Job?

Job 12:7 But ask now the beasts, and they shall teach thee; and the fowls of the air, and they shall tell thee:
**Job 12:8 Or speak to the earth, and it shall teach thee: and the fishes of the sea shall declare unto thee.
Job 12:9 Who knoweth not in all these that the hand of the LORD hath wrought this?
Job 12:10 In whose hand is the soul of every living thing, and the breath of all mankind.

Today those who seek these answers are called Paleontologist.

*Gen 7:21 And all flesh died that moved upon the earth, both of fowl, and of cattle, and of beast, and of every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth, and every man:
Gen 7:22 All in whose nostrils was the breath of life, of all that was in the dry land, died. –
Gen 7:23 And every living substance was destroyed which was upon the face of the ground, both man, and cattle, and the creeping things, and the fowl of the heaven; and they were destroyed from the earth: and Noah only remained alive, and they that were with him in the ark.
Gen 7:24 And the waters prevailed upon the earth an hundred and fifty days.

But God said the proof of this flood is in the fossils and it is.

Just because many so-called, scientist reject what they find does not make what God says any less true.

It just makes those persons to look foolish!

Paleontology is the scientific study of life that existed prior to our day.

God says this is how it all happened, and it happened because of sin!

Today these things seem important, but to God, it was only those inside the Ark who were important.

You see God does not finish the flood story until Noah and his family are back on dry ground.

The flood waters remained at least 22 feet above the highest hill for 150 days.

You see God does care about our trials and tribulations and how they affect us!

All those who had rebelled against God were now in Hell the entire population of the earth at that time, except Noah and his family.

Noah and his family had plenty to do during this time as they were all shepherds to the remaining animals on the Ark.

And yes there were dinosaurs on the Ark. God had said there would be at least one pair of all land-based animals and the fowl, the birds.

Many may not realize it, but of all the dinosaur skeletons that have been found, 90 percent or more have been no larger than a chicken but we never hear about these smaller ones, only the gigantic ones who are made to be meat eaters when they were grass eaters.

We might ask, why all these animals, but we should take knowledge that wicked and evil men can change even the actions of animals!

We must also understand that what God has already done, teaches us about what God will do in the future, because God never changes.

So God remembered Noah and his family.

*Gen 8:1 And God remembered Noah, and every living thing, and all the cattle that was with him in the ark: and God made a wind to pass over the earth, and the waters asswaged;
Gen 8:2 The fountains also of the deep and the windows of heaven were stopped, and the rain from heaven was restrained;
Gen 8:3 And the waters returned from off the earth continually: and after the end of the hundred and fifty days the waters were abated.

Psa 139:17 “Says” How precious also are thy thoughts unto me, O God! how great is the sum of them!
Psa 139:18 If I should count them, they are more in number than the sand: when I awake, I am still with thee.

When we are going through trials and temptations we are on the mind of God!

When we are not going through trials and temptations we are on the mind of God!

Psa 40:5 Many, O LORD my God, are thy wonderful works which thou hast done, “and thy thoughts which are to us-ward”: they cannot be reckoned up in order unto thee: if I would declare and speak of them, they are more than can be numbered.

No matter what we are going through God is never far from us.

Jer 29:11 “For I know the thoughts that I think toward you”, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.
Jer 29:12 Then shall ye call upon me, and ye shall go and pray unto me, “and I will hearken unto you”.
Jer 29:13 And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart.

You see God remembered Noah and not just Noah, but every living thing aboard that Ark of safety.

Noah, his family and all these other living creatures had been on the Ark for 150 days, so God began to remove the flood waters.

This place called earth, went through some drastic changes for these next 150 days, the time it took for the waters to be restored to their locations.

On the second month of the Hebrew calendar on the seventeenth day the rains began.

On the seventh month and the seventeenth day the Ark came to rest upon the highest mountain called Ararat.

The waters continued to recede till the tenth month and the first day of the month.

Forty days later Noah opened the window and sent forth a raven.

Remember a raven will eat anything.

The Noah sent forth a dove which will not land on a dead creature and the dove returned.

Seven more days passed and again Noah sent the dove and the dove brought forth a leaf.

Seven days later Noah sent forth the dove and it did not return.

Again on the second month and the twenty seventh day the earth was dried, and God told Noah he could leave the Ark.

And the first thing Noah did was to build and altar of sacrifice.

*Gen 8:20 And Noah builded an altar unto the LORD; and took of every clean beast, and of every clean fowl, and offered burnt offerings on the altar.
Gen 8:21 And the LORD smelled a sweet savour; and the LORD said in his heart, I will not again curse the ground any more for man’s sake; for the imagination of man’s heart is evil from his youth; neither will I again smite any more every thing living, as I have done.
Gen 8:22 While the earth remaineth, “seedtime and harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day and night shall not cease”.

We must understand that the worship of God as individuals, is necessary!

We should also understand that public worship is also necessary!

Psa 96:7 Give unto the LORD, O ye kindreds of the people, give unto the LORD glory and strength.
Psa 96:8 Give unto the LORD the glory due unto his name: bring an offering, and come into his courts.
Psa 96:9 O worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness: fear before him, all the earth.
Psa 96:10 Say among the heathen that the LORD reigneth: the world also shall be established that it shall not be moved: he shall judge the people righteously.

Psa 76:11 Vow, and pay unto the LORD your God: let all that be round about him bring presents unto him that ought to be feared.

Noah may not have been given all those 613 commandments given to the Hebrew children, but he did know to worship.

The Ark had provided Noah and his family safety for more than a year while God had destroyed life on this earth.

Surely it was time to offer thankfulness!

What we as Christians know is, that as long as this place called earth endures, there will be seed time and harvest, there will be cold and heat, there will be Summer and Winter, and there will be Day and Night.

We hear so much about climate change that it is becoming like just foolish talk when we compare it to what God says.

What God says is the actual truth and there is far too much political talk about climate change which will end up being only a formula to raise taxes that will be used to waste. just like our government waste the tax monies today.

Noah’s family were now to go forward and repopulate this earth and it would not happen without God’s blessing.

So it was not time to build a house, it was time to worship.

So it was not time to celebrate because they had survived the flood, it was time to worship!

So it was not time to plan for survival on new land, it was time to worship!

Noah’s first concern was not for his family, he must first thank God!

You see God made a serious promise to not just Noah, but to every human who has lived since that day, and those who will live after we are gone as long as time last!

Praise be to God!

Amen!

The Millennial Reign of Christ

/ Bobby Mayfield / 1 Comment

The Smitten Shepherd

Book of Zechariah Chapter 13

Many times we are told that the Jewish people did not know that the Messiah would come to die, yet Zechariah is not the only prophet who writes of these things.

In the Psalms:

Psa 51:2 Wash me throughly from mine iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin.
Psa 51:3 For I acknowledge my transgressions: and my sin is ever before me.

The Prophet Isaiah:

Isa 1:18 Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.

There are other places that taught the Jews about their Savior, yet they chose to disregard those teachings.

The Jews reject many of the writings of the prophets and all the New Testament.

The fact is that we can pick and choose what we believe to be the true Scriptures but in reality, this does not make the other Scriptures to be false.

All the Scriptures are actually written by the Holy Ghost and we have no right to pick and choose what parts to believe and which parts to reject.

2Ti 3:16 All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:
2Ti 3:17 That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works.

We need as much God as we can get, and the best place to get the truth is with all the Holy Ghost inspired Word of God!

So what is the truth of our Savior?

*****Zec 13:1 In that day there shall be a fountain opened to the house of David and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem for sin and for uncleanness.

This Scripture refers to the Messiah as that fountain that is opened to those of Jerusalem.

We know that according to the Word of God, the Church is already with the Lord Jesus Christ before this day comes about, so in “what day” is this prophet speaking?

He is speaking of the “day of great mourning” from Chapter 12, when the Jewish people had finally realized the truth of the Messiah whom they had rejected and murdered when He first came.

Remember in Chapter 12 they had realized the truth of the Messiah.

Zec 12:10 And I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of supplications: and they shall look upon me “whom they have pierced”, and they shall mourn for him, as one mourneth for his only son, and shall be in bitterness for him, as one that is in bitterness for his firstborn.

Chapter 13 continues with this theme.

The Lord will cleanse every believer who remains after the 7 years of Tribulation, of their sin and of their false worship.

Remember they had been cleansed of idol worship in those 70 years of captivity, but they had given their voice unto the Beast, the Antichrist, until he sat down as God in the rebuilt Temple.

They had been fooled up until that time, along with all the world!

All that are left, rulers and people, will be cleansed of their sin because the Lord had poured out His “mercy” and His “grace”.

That word “fountain” gives the sense of “living waters”.

The true “fountain” is God the Father “as the fountain of living waters”.

Jer 2:13 For my people have committed two evils; they have forsaken me the fountain of living waters, and hewed them out cisterns, broken cisterns, that can hold no water.

It is God the Son that we see here in verse 1, the fountain opened to the house of David and all those in Jerusalem on that day.

God the Holy Ghost is that river of living waters in the heart of each and every believer.

Joh 7:37 In the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink.
Joh 7:38 He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water.

What happens beside salvation on “that day”?

*****Zec 13:2 And it shall come to pass in that day, saith the LORD of hosts, that I will cut off the names of the idols out of the land, and they shall no more be remembered: and also I will cause the prophets and the unclean spirit to pass out of the land.

Idols are anything that we have placed in our lives that we hold to be higher than our Father in Heaven.

The Lord is saying, that not only idol worship would cease, but even the names of them would not be remembered.

Mic 5:13 Thy graven images also will I cut off, and thy standing images out of the midst of thee; and thou shalt no more worship the work of thine hands.

You see all idols are manmade and the things of man are never more important than the things of God!

You know we have no need of prophets today!

We have the complete Word of God which tells us the beginning, and the end, and everything in between.

God would never send us another prophet and here, when the Jewish people wake up to the truth of the Messiah, He tells them the same thing.

The Lord will cause all the prophets to pass out of the land, which is the Promised Land and the place where King Jesus will rule this world.

There is no need for prophets, not even today.

Any prophet would be a false prophet if they went against any part of the Word of God!

We have the complete Word of God, there will never be any new revelations that go against the existing Word of God!

Anything that goes against the Word of God is also unclean and all unclean things would pass out of the land of Promises from the Jews and the Church.

So there false prophets who are filled with unclean spirits!

Unclean spirits are lying spirits which work in the false preachers and false teachers we have today!

2Th 2:9 Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders,
2Th 2:10 And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved.

1Ti 4:1 Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils;
1Ti 4:2 Speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron;
1Ti 4:3 Forbidding to marry, and commanding to abstain from meats, which God hath created to be received with thanksgiving of them which believe and know the truth.

The world that is left after those 7 years of Tribulation, will not want to hear any false teachers! They will only want to hear the truth!

They certainly will not want to hear any false prophet and we should not either today.

The world that was destroyed was a world of lies and deception! The same world we live in today.

*****Zec 13:3 And it shall come to pass, that when any shall yet prophesy, then his father and his mother that begat him shall say unto him, Thou shalt not live; for thou speakest lies in the name of the LORD: and his father and his mother that begat him shall thrust him through when he prophesieth.

False teaching of any sort will be abolished during the Millennial Reign of Jesus Christ.

We see that parents will not allow their children to speak against the Lord like they do today.

Today the parents allow their children to bring home a false doctrine and will not correct them but this will change the parents will rule their own families with a “rod of iron” as will the Lord!

If it were to start up again, the parents would put an end to it immediately.

The people of Millennial reign of Christ, will all honor the commandments of Christ! King Jesus will rule with a rod of iron!

Mar_12:30 And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment.

Mat 10:37 He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.
Mat 10:38 And he that taketh not his cross, and followeth after me, is not worthy of me.

There will be no place for false teaching during the Millennial reign of Jesus Christ!

Rev_2:27 And he shall rule them with a rod of iron; as the vessels of a potter shall they be broken to shivers: even as I received of my Father.

There will be a complete extermination of the unclean spirits, when Jesus Christ sits on His throne in Jerusalem!

Though the Church will be with Jesus, we can still imagine a world where there will be no lies told of any sort.

There will be no deception.
There will be no temptation. (Satan will be bound for 1000 years).
The truth of God will rule each day!

The government will be a Theocracy with King Jesus the true Christ upon the throne.

All the needs of the people will be met, and this includes the truth!

*****Zec 13:4 And it shall come to pass in that day, that the prophets shall be ashamed every one of his vision, when he hath prophesied; neither shall they wear a rough garment to deceive:
Zec 13:5 But he shall say, I am no prophet, I am an husbandman; for man taught me to keep cattle from my youth.

Most all of us can relate to this picture. We were all dirty rotten sinners until we met the Lord Jesus Christ and are now cleansed of our sin.

We are all ashamed of our old lives, at least I know I am.

Even in the days of near perfection there will be some who will rebel.

There will also be those who are accused of rebelling who have not.

Remember the craving to sin lives in each of us as long as we are in this body of flesh.

We are not a people who are good and sometimes do bad things. We are a people who are bad and sometimes we may do something good!

This will not change during the Millennial Reign of Jesus Christ!

The one thing that is true is, that those who have survived the Great Tribulation and now know the truth, will not tolerate those who would again try to teach a false message.

Until they are found out, they will not dress as the prophets of old, nor will they appear as the TV evangelist do today, they will dress the same as those around them.

He shall say “I am no prophet”. He shall say “I am just an average person” who has been taught how to work and make a living.

Remember false prophets prefer to deceive and talk you into supporting them.

They will be hated and sought out during this Millennial Age.

This is one of the reasons that King Jesus must rule with a “Rod of Iron”!

All these people will still have the old sin nature until they are cleansed of that old spirit!

Mic 3:6 Therefore night shall be unto you, that ye shall not have a vision; and it shall be dark unto you, that ye shall not divine; and the sun shall go down over the prophets, and the day shall be dark over them.
Mic 3:7 Then shall the seers be ashamed, and the diviners confounded: yea, they shall all cover their lips; for there is no answer of God.
Mic 3:8 But truly I am full of power by the spirit of the LORD, and of judgment, and of might, to declare unto Jacob his transgression, and to Israel his sin.

These false prophets would rather be seen as slaves rather than confess that they reject the Lord Jesus Christ!

Some of these men or women may even be repenting their sin in order to be cleansed by the Lord, His “Fountain of Grace”.

Idolatry, false prophesy, and unclean spirits will be removed by the Lord Jesus Christ!

*****Zec 13:6 And one shall say unto him, What are these wounds in thine hands? Then he shall answer, Those with which I was wounded in the house of my friends.

No doubt this this is prophecy of our Savior when He was nailed to the cross and if you are Christian, then those wounds in the hands of the Lord we will never be forgotten.

These wounds will be a constant reminder of the things that Jesus did for us so we could be saved.

We will see those wounds when He is placing those crowns on our head and will be a reminder and we will toss those crowns back at the feet of Jesus

In fact the wounds our Savior received in paying our sin debt will be a reminder to us all the days though out eternity.

How will we differ from Christ when we have our own glorified body? Our body will not have any blemishes. Our body will be perfect, while the Lord will always show his scars on His body! Those will be His own Crowns of glory

In real time this thing also speaks of the early days of the Millennial reign of Christ

The beginning, of the Millennial Kingdom, may be the toughest years.

Many will go through firery trials before they find the Lord.

Many will question their sincerity.

The false prophet would still carry the signs of self-mutilation and these things could never be hidden.

1Ki 18:28 And they cried aloud, and cut themselves after their manner with knives and lancets, till the blood gushed out upon them.

For some, it may take a chastising from our friends to keep us from doing wrong.

Pro 27:5 Open rebuke is better than secret love.
Pro 27:6 Faithful are the wounds of a friend; but the kisses of an enemy are deceitful.

Whatever it takes for us to see the light of Jesus, is acceptable to the Lord.

We should remember the “Grace of God”. When we are washed in the blood of Jesus, we are cleansed of all our sins.

This old false prophet who finally accepts the Lord will be just as saved as we are, even if they still wear the signs of false worship .

We may scoff at these things, but the fact remains that self-mutilation is still seen today in some religions.

The Lord will rid the earth of all false prophets, false teachers, false teachers and anyone who would use lies to deceive others.

We read in verse 2 where even the parents would not allow their child to speak falsely.

Certainly it would be the same for friends. Everyone would be on the lookout for anything false!

We need our Christian friends sometimes to keep us from falling back in sin!

What does Jesus say?

*****Zec 13:7 Awake, O sword, against my shepherd, and against the man that is my fellow, saith the LORD of hosts: smite the shepherd, and the sheep shall be scattered: and I will turn mine hand upon the little ones.

It would be good to remember when the Lord Jesus was upon this earth, He was 100% God while being 100% human. When Jesus went back to Heaven He did so in a “Glorified Body”.

The Lord Jesus Christ is the True Shepherd!

That man is that human part that the Lord has made Himself to be, so when we all live together, we will be like Him.

1Jn_3:2 Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.

Our Lord Jesus has made all these things possible.

Again we see in this passage the Holy Trinity as the phrase “my fellow” signifies “my equal”, my companion. The Lord’s Divine equality with the Father!

The Word was God, and the Word was with God, but He was man as well as God!

Not a natural man but the God Man, the way He presented Himself to us, so we can be with Him and see Him face to face!

1Co_13:12 For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known.

He is the True Shepherd because His people need Him to be that way!

He performs a Shepherd’s part because, He will watch over us, He will provide for us, and He will guide us throughout eternity!

These are things He has decided to do Himself!

We are the sheep that God the Father gave to Him to redeem so that He could give us back to God the Father when He presents His Bride.

Rev 21:4 And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.

Rev 22:17 And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely.

It is God the Father, who caused the sword to smite His own Son that all these things be true!

It was God the Father who cause the suffering of our Savior!

The persecuting Jews were just willing instruments in all they did against Him!

They did it voluntarily, but they did it according to the Word of God.

Had they not done so then there would be no Church.
Had they not done so then there would be no redeemed Jews.

Once the Shepherd was smitten, God turned His attention to the “little ones” all those “Babes in Christ” who would grow into the family of God!

This is the message of the Lord of Hosts!

And what of those who deny Him?

Joh 19:6 When the chief priests therefore and officers saw him, they cried out, saying, Crucify him, crucify him. Pilate saith unto them, Take ye him, and crucify him: for I find no fault in him.
Joh 19:7 The Jews answered him, We have a law, and by our law he ought to die, because he made himself the Son of God.

Joh 19:11 Jesus answered, Thou couldest have no power at all against me, except it were given thee from above: therefore he that delivered me unto thee hath the greater sin.

Remember it is the Lord of Hosts who is speaking.

*****Zec 13:8 And it shall come to pass, that in all the land, saith the LORD, two parts therein shall be cut off and die; but the third shall be left therein.
Zec 13:9 And I will bring the third part through the fire, and will refine them as silver is refined, and will try them as gold is tried: they shall call on my name, and I will hear them: I will say, It is my people: and they shall say, The LORD is my God.

At first, it was the Roman army that laid waste to two thirds of the Jews and the world has continued to do this throughout the years since that time.

Many times the world has tried to destroy the Jews, the most recent time on most minds today would be the holocaust by Adolf Hitler, where 6 million Jews were slain for no reason.

We know that by the destruction of the Temple, Jewish worship had been taken away from this people and has never been restored.

What did God promise?

“I will bring a third part through the fire”. “And refine them” “and try them” and the day is coming they will call upon His name!

Eze 5:12 A third part of thee shall die with the pestilence, and with famine shall they be consumed in the midst of thee: and a third part shall fall by the sword round about thee; and I will scatter a third part into all the winds, and I will draw out a sword after them.
Eze 5:13 Thus shall mine anger be accomplished, and I will cause my fury to rest upon them, and I will be comforted: and they shall know that I the LORD have spoken it in my zeal, when I have accomplished my fury in them.
Eze 5:14 Moreover I will make thee waste, and a reproach among the nations that are round about thee, in the sight of all that pass by.
Eze 5:15 So it shall be a reproach and a taunt, an instruction and an astonishment unto the nations that are round about thee, when I shall execute judgments in thee in anger and in fury and in furious rebukes. I the LORD have spoken it.

It should be obvious that Jehovah is not through with this promise as of yet, but all the signs indicate that this is soon coming to an end.

1) The Church will be taken out.
2) The 7 years of Tribulation where the refinement of the Jews will succeed.
3) These Jews will call upon the name of the Lord.

2Ch 7:14 If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.

Then the Promised 1000 years of King Jesus upon the throne of David.

Amen

Let’s Pray!

God Is On Our Side

/ Bobby Mayfield / 1 Comment

Providential Protection

Book of Esther Chapters 8-9

We as Christians know that God is involved in our world.

God is not a “watchmaker” (Creator) who just wound this world up as a watch and just allowing it to run down.

God is involved in our world daily.

God is looking after His people daily, the Jews and the Church.

God will keep His plan moving along just as He has since His first written words in the Book of the beginnings, the Book of Genesis.

No one can change the Word of to their benefit nor can the plan of God be changed or altered in any way.

God will keep every promise He has made to the Jews.

God will keep every promise He has made to the Church.

God will keep His covenant of “wrath” with every non-believer, these are facts in the Word of God which does not change!

God would never allow the Jews, the Hebrew people, to be wiped out of this world!

*****Est 8:3 And Esther spake yet again before the king, and fell down at his feet, and besought him with tears to put away the mischief of Haman the Agagite, and his device that he had devised against the Jews.

As we have seen in this passage, this King of Persia was weak in his ruling ability and evil Haman had put things in place that this king did not know how to stop.

A written law of Persia that was stamped by the king could not be changed.

Est 7:4 For we are sold, I and my people, to be destroyed, to be slain, and to perish. But if we had been sold for bondmen and bondwomen, I had held my tongue, although the enemy could not countervail the king’s damage.

This king gave his power to rule for the moment over to Queen Esther.

*****Est 8:4 Then the king held out the golden sceptre toward Esther. So Esther arose, and stood before the king,
Est 8:5 And said, If it please the king, and if I have found favour in his sight, and the thing seem right before the king, and I be pleasing in his eyes, let it be written to reverse the letters devised by Haman the son of Hammedatha the Agagite, which he wrote to destroy the Jews which are in all the king’s provinces:

If we do not know by now, we live in a cruel world!

In many cases it is because politics have entered into people’s lives and politicians never have the right answers for the good of all people, as we see daily here in America, and I am not talking about our President.

Haman may have vanished off the scene, but some of his evil was still in force.

Haman was an Agagite a descendant of the Amelikite who were the people that King Saul was to eliminate because they were so evil, but he did not because of covetousness.

The Amelikite hated the nation of Israel, and right now the law was on their side to destroy all the Jews in Persia and it would not have stopped there.

Things such as this seem to make their way into other nations, who think they are doing some kind of good.

Queen Esther was given the estate of Haman who we have already seen was very, very rich.

Queen Esther made Mordecai the overseer of this estate.

We should always remember those who have helped us through the years.

Queen Esther would have been a child of the state had not Mordecai took her in as his own child.

This king loved Queen Esther with all his heart and already said he would give her half his kingdom if she asked.

This precious child of God loved her people much more than she loved riches.

*****Est 8:6 For how can I endure to see the evil that shall come unto my people? or how can I endure to see the destruction of my kindred?
Est 8:7 Then the king Ahasuerus said unto Esther the queen and to Mordecai the Jew, Behold, I have given Esther the house of Haman, and him they have hanged upon the gallows, because he laid his hand upon the Jews.
Est 8:8 Write ye also for the Jews, as it liketh you, in the king’s name, and seal it with the king’s ring: for the writing which is written in the king’s name, and sealed with the king’s ring, may no man reverse.

Again we see that this king did not know what to do, but Mordecai knew exactly what to do without, breaking any Persian law.

This is what patriotism is all about. Citizens of a nation protecting citizens of that nation!

All citizens should want freedom.
All citizens should want the freedom to worship Jehovah God without reprisal.
All citizens should want their people to work toward these goals.

God tells us to pray for the peace of Jerusalem, because most of our world still wants to destroy them, as did Haman.

This king gave Esther and Mordecai the ability to write whatever law would protect the Jews.

Queen Esther made intercession for her people.

You see this is what the Lord Jesus Christ did for us, He made intercession for all, “whosoever” would believe that He did.

The Lord saved us from eternal death! Separation from our God forever.

This body may pass away one day, but we will never see that death, because we will step into the throne room of God before that body of flesh takes its last breath.

2Co_5:8 We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord.

These Jews would not see death, and many of them would return to the Holy Land with Ezra!

*****Est 8:7 Then the king Ahasuerus said unto Esther the queen and to Mordecai the Jew, Behold, I have given Esther the house of Haman, and him they have hanged upon the gallows, because he laid his hand upon the Jews.
Est 8:8 Write ye also for the Jews, as it liketh you, in the king’s name, and seal it with the king’s ring: for the writing which is written in the king’s name, and sealed with the king’s ring, may no man reverse.

Not many kings, not many leaders, and not many politicians, will ever admit their error, they will commit the repair of the error to someone else.

The house of Haman, did not costs the king anything at all.

He does never plead for forgiveness for this mess he had allowed to take place.

He does allow Queen Esther and Mordecai to do what they could, to stop the massacre before it took place without breaking the law of Haman.

The king did not ever take responsibility for this mess he had allowed to happen.

Mordecai knew exactly what to do!

We must understand as Christians, that words once spoken cannot be recalled! A deed once done cannot be undone!

That one with a hasty temper, who drove a spike into the heart of a friend cannot undo what he has done.

This why forgiveness is so important in the family of God.

We cannot erase the things we do contrary to the Word of God, but we can certainly forgive others like the Lord has forgiven us all our sin.

Again Mordecai knew exactly what to do!

*****Est 8:15 And Mordecai went out from the presence of the king in royal apparel of blue and white, and with a great crown of gold, and with a garment of fine linen and purple: and the city of Shushan rejoiced and was glad.
Est 8:16 The Jews had light, and gladness, and joy, and honour.

What is the proper use of power? Power must be used for the betterment of people, especially between God’s people!

Mordecai went out dressed as the Prime Minister of Persia, with crown to prove it, and all people were aware that Haman was gone, and Mordecai was in charge now.

Not just the Jews but the entire city was glad that Haman was just a bad memory of the past, and should be forgotten!

Haman had made many enemies!

I say all people but the Amalekite, who history says were the only people who rose up to kill all the Jews.

We should understand every Word of God is important for our survival!

Deu 25:18 How he met thee by the way, and smote the hindmost of thee, even all that were feeble behind thee, when thou wast faint and weary; and he feared not God.
Deu 25:19 Therefore it shall be, when the LORD thy God hath given thee rest from all thine enemies round about, in the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee for an inheritance to possess it, that thou shalt blot out the remembrance of Amalek from under heaven; thou shalt not forget it.

Because this did not take place as commanded by the Lord, these people would haunt Israel all their days.

God knows what He is doing, and He has used Israel to do these things, and He will continue to use Israel to do many things, until the peace that will come when the Lord returns, of course after the Lord straightens out some things, again according to the Word of God.

Even the Babylonians called the Amalekite “Khabbati” which means “plunderers” and recorded the things they had done

So what Iran says, and the enemies of Israel say, they know all these things. The Persians and they Babylonians were some of the best record keepers in history, yet the deny that Israel is a legitimate nation.

We should be able to see that Satan still has his hands in these enemies!

What was Mordecai’s plan?

*****Est 9:2 The Jews gathered themselves together in their cities throughout all the provinces of the king Ahasuerus, to lay hand on such as sought their hurt: and no man could withstand them; for the fear of them fell upon all people.
Est 9:3 And all the rulers of the provinces, and the lieutenants, and the deputies, and officers of the king, helped the Jews; because the fear of Mordecai fell upon them.

We should understand that the best way to survive this world is to be prepared for an attack, because an attack is coming from somewhere at some time! Persecution will not cease until the Church is in Heaven and the Lord returns to set up His 1000-year rule from Jerusalem.

Why? Because these people hate God and deny the Lord Jesus is our Savior. They had rather perish than give in to the truth, just like atheist!

The date of the attack had been written into law by Haman.

The government and the military would now help the Jews, because they were appointees just like Nehemiah, and they knew they would lose their positions if they went against the king. There is a little typology written here.

These Jews acted properly, and they acted in unison, because they took a stand for their lives.

What does God say?

Eph 6:11 Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.
Eph 6:12 For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.
Eph 6:13 Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.
Eph 6:14 Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness;
Eph 6:15 And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace;
Eph 6:16 Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked.
Eph 6:17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God:
Eph 6:18 Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints;

They could do these things because God had a plan before Genesis 1:1, that Mordecai would be in this particular place at this particular time.

Jer 1:4 Then the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,
Jer 1:5 Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations.

God does these things to every one of us. He places us in places to be available when danger seeks out God’s people.

This does not mean God will stop persecution, because only death can take away the persecutors, and God will give them every chance to repent but we must remember these words.

Rev 6:9 And when he had opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of them that were slain for the word of God, and for the testimony which they held:
Rev 6:10 And they cried with a loud voice, saying, How long, O Lord, holy and true, dost thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth?
Rev 6:11 And white robes were given unto every one of them; and it was said unto them, that they should rest yet for a little season, until their fellowservants also and their brethren, that should be killed as they were, should be fulfilled.

Why would God wait at all? Why does God not bring vengeance when God’s people are murdered?

2Pe_3:9 The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.

*****Est 9:4 For Mordecai was great in the king’s house, and his fame went out throughout all the provinces: for this man Mordecai waxed greater and greater.
Est 9:5 Thus the Jews smote all their enemies with the stroke of the sword, and slaughter, and destruction, and did what they would unto those that hated them.

Mordecai was not only Prime Minister, but he had great favor with the King, and it became known that he was also uncle to the Queen.

Mordecai was well received of all the people, maybe because they could see that a captive could go far in the government of Persia and he may better understand their needs.

Est 10:3 For Mordecai the Jew was next unto king Ahasuerus, and great among the Jews, and accepted of the multitude of his brethren, seeking the wealth of his people, and speaking peace to all his seed.

This is why it would always be better if we voted only for Christians to be in our government!!!

*****Est 9:26 Wherefore they called these days Purim after the name of Pur. Therefore for all the words of this letter, and of that which they had seen concerning this matter, and which had come unto them,
Est 9:27 The Jews ordained, and took upon them, and upon their seed, and upon all such as joined themselves unto them, so as it should not fail, that they would keep these two days according to their writing, and according to their appointed time every year;
Est 9:28 And that these days should be remembered and kept throughout every generation, every family, every province, and every city; and that these days of Purim should not fail from among the Jews, nor the memorial of them perish from their seed.

Why was the government of Persia so bad at this time?

There were over 500 of Haman’s kindred involved in the work in the Palace and not as slaves.

Est 9:6 And in Shushan the palace the Jews slew and destroyed five hundred men.

It is from these things that actually happened, that the Jews set up a new feast and festival called the days of Purim, which is still celebrated today!

The word Purim comes a Persian word “lots”,because Haman had cast lots to find a day, he would see all the Jews in Persia destroyed.

On the first day of the new celebration the name of Haman and his 10 sons are read out because they were all hanged at once.

These Jews read the entire Book of Esther, and at the end they cry our “cursed be Haman”, blessed be Mordecai, “cursed be Zeresh (Haman’s wife) and blessed be Esther.

You see, the Jews do not ever forget these things and these things have to eat at the leaders of Iran who are the leftovers of Persia.

Just another reason that Iran hates Israel.

*****Est 9:29 Then Esther the queen, the daughter of Abihail, and Mordecai the Jew, wrote with all authority, to confirm this second letter of Purim.

We also see what happens when you try to abuse God’s people, when they are trying their best to be obedient to Him.

The King of Persia even allowed Queen Esther to write these things into the law of Persia.

Queen Esther became one of the greatest heroes in the History of the Jews, and we already know the rest of the story, as we have seen Ezra return to begin again the worship in the second Temple and Nehemiah allowed to go back and rebuild the walls of Jerusalem.

Neh_2:6 And the king said unto me, (the queen also sitting by him,) For how long shall thy journey be? and when wilt thou return? So it pleased the king to send me; and I set him a time.

The next King of Persia was the son of Esther. God does work in mysterious ways!

Amen

Let’s Pray!