Heralds Digest

"Therefore the children of Israel could not stand before their enemies, but turned their backs before their enemies, because they have become doomed to destruction. Neither will I be with you anymore, unless you destroy the accursed from among you." (Joshua 7:12 NKJV) With a beautiful Babylonian garment, 200 shekels of silver, and a wedge of gold weighing 50 shekels, the tent of Achan suddenly became the accursed temple for the worship of wealth. Not only was he and his immediate family got doomed with their tent, the whole of Israel also could no longer retain the presence of God within the camp, leading to their unfortunate defeat before little Ai. Although our possession of earthly riches appears a necessary security against most threats and potential damage to dignity and respect, the presence of the Lord within the tent remains the only indispensable treasure against eternal doom to destruction. Unrighteous gain and ill-gotten position may command attractive dignity a...

"And you, by all means abstain from the accursed things, lest you become accursed when you take of the accursed things, and make the camp of Israel a curse, and trouble it." (Joshua 6:18 NKJV) The pursuit of greatness often come with the temptation to build empire, which unfortunately become an Emperor that demands the worship of its builder. The status of Jericho and all its fullness had changed from a city to a shrine, when its wall became the stronghold against the existence of God and His plans. When possessions that are made to provide service to man turned to invariably demand or possess worship from the same man, they are accursed; and would drown anyone who cannot abstain from its attractions. Whatever is desired for purposes other than the worship of God probably represents submission to the worship of the accursed possession.

"Then the Commander of the Lord’s army said to Joshua, “Take your sandal off your foot, for the place where you stand is holy.” And Joshua did so." (Joshua 5:15 NKJV) Sandals are important for the protection of the feet from debris that could endanger the health of the body, but they also function as dirt collectors. However, dirt on sandals represents unwanted blemish on holy ground. Since Joshua needed spiritual guidance in order to perfectly shoulder the responsibility of leading Israel to take possession of the Promised Land, he was eager to clean up the impediment on his access to the hill of the Lord. When divine guidance becomes matter of great essence in certain life's mission, human intelligence will truly be considered irrelevant. Confidence in the safety of our barefoot on God's holy hill actually implies total surrender of the heart to heaven for divine intervention.

"Then you shall answer them that the waters of the Jordan were cut off before the ark of the covenant of the Lord; when it crossed over the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan were cut off. And these stones shall be for a memorial to the children of Israel forever.” (Joshua 4:7 NKJV) Like Joshua set up twelve special stones in Gilgal for a memorial of the miraculous parting of the Jordan river before the children of Israel to cross over on dry ground , many memorials are marked with symbolism like stones, crosses, statues, portraits, etc. For example, the parting of the temple veil that signifies the opening of the entrance into the presence of God is often marked with the symbol of the cross. We can hang the cross on our doorposts, housetops, and even wear them on our necks; but the submission of the heart of man to the sacrifice at the cross, for the redemption of the soul, is often withdrawn from the recurring statements from his head knowledge. Only the blood of Christ by grace...

"Then the priests who bore the ark of the covenant of the Lord stood firm on dry ground in the midst of the Jordan; and all Israel crossed over on dry ground, until all the people had crossed completely over the Jordan." (Joshua 3:17 NKJV) Freedom from the burden of fear and anxiety is imagined in the atmosphere totally free from the source of any form of challenge. Even when the mysterious buildup of the upstream of Jordan river makes dry standing ground, common sense will invoke the fear of being swept away in the possible collapse of the imaginary wall before all the people had completely cross over. However, it was great confidence in the presence of God that enabled the priests to stand firm in the midst of the Jordan. Only heart whose trust stayed on God, who enables standing amidst the upsurge of tribulation and trials, remains fearless to the end of the battle of life.

"Yet there shall be a space between you and it [ark of the covenant of the Lord], about two thousand cubits by measure. Do not come near it, that you may know the way by which you must go, for you have not passed this way before.” (Joshua 3:4 NKJV) No matter the potentials in every human engagement, the relevance of the occupation is a function of the level of the subject's present performance. And unless anyone can imagine the experience of 40 years in the wilderness and the long waiting on the potentials of prosperity in the Promised Land, it would be difficult to capture the vulnerability to performance pressure on the Israelites, which tend to mismanage the importance of the presence of the Lord with the challenge of Jordan crossover. When the Lord leads the way from financial incapacity and other social maladies to our prosperity, He would also like to keep the timing of our steps.

"...and said to the men: “I know that the Lord has given you the land, that the terror of you has fallen on us, and that all the inhabitants of the land are fainthearted because of you."" (Joshua 2:9 NKJV) After the majority of the previous 12 spies fumbled with their fact-based report on the Promised Land, it appears Joshua had learned that the selection of spies represents a highly sensitive faith-based matter. Two men were selected, apparently not on the basis of equal representation from all the 12 tribes; but probably on the basis of their faithfulness to the promises of God. Little wonder that among all available reports in Jericho about the mission of the Israelites, the harlot Rahab's report was sought by the spies. Conservatively, it shows that any intelligence gathering based on the strategies of the enemy against the promises of God is aimed at a bad report; but a good report is anchored on the assessment of God's previous faithfulness to His promise...