Heralds Digest

"Now Joshua was old, advanced in years. And the Lord said to him: “You are old, advanced in years, and there remains very much land yet to be possessed." (Joshua 13:1 NKJV) The entire chapter preceding the current declaration represents the human comparative assessment of the performances of Moses and Joshua. Without an inspired reflection above number senses, it is difficult to read little meaning to the disparity fact that Moses defeated 2 kings while Joshua defeated 31 kings. Con-textually, God's performance assessment has nothing to do with the numbers of kings defeated by these two great servants of the Lord, but has everything to do with how to respond to the challenge of their potentials, which are inevitably subject to depreciation. While our active capabilities are loaded with great potentials, significant part of the responsibilities in our God-inspired potentials must be invested in developing others, who are ready to be inspired in order to maintain a potenti...

"So Joshua took the whole land, according to all that the Lord had said to Moses; and Joshua gave it as an inheritance to Israel according to their divisions by their tribes. Then the land rested from war." (Joshua 11:23 NKJV) Anyone who has ever been engaged in a legitimate battle, which was fought to a logical conclusion, would probably admit to the futility of estimating the period for the war from the starting point. Both Moses and the children of Israel would have been discouraged to even start, if they had known that the journey from Egypt to Canaan will take as long as 40 years of wilderness experience. However, a little moment of rest from war overrides the long period of test in the wilderness. Although the cost of the race to freedom may be great, the unending string of servitude is greatly overbearing. If we proceed according to God's purpose, our momentary pain, no matter how long it takes, will fade away in the face of our rest at last.

"All these kings and their land Joshua took at one time, because the Lord God of Israel fought for Israel." (Joshua 10:42 NKJV) Stories of success are often sweeter than the actual conquest experiences. Although everyone knows that the " one time " expression of the conquest story of Joshua with all the kings of the southern territories of the Promised Land happened at different battles, one battle at a time, the rhythm of victory for each of the battle is the same. Recent experience of failure in the battle with little Ai was even irrelevant at this time, especially as Israel is currently on the same page with God. No matter the level of complication in our battles, the rhythm of victory will be the same, if God is consistently allowed to take the lead.

"So Joshua said, “Roll large stones against the mouth of the cave, and set men by it to guard them. And do not stay there yourselves, but pursue your enemies, and attack their rear guard. Do not allow them to enter their cities, for the Lord your God has delivered them into your hand.”" (Joshua 10:18-19 NKJV) When the thrones of the five Amorite kings, who have earlier designed the destruction of God's plan for Israel, were suddenly and disgracefully reduced to caves, many would wonder the need for further attack on other fleeing foes by the Lord's army. Instead of celebrating the capture of the kings, Joshua admonished the pursuit of rare guard - the remaining foes on the run - in order to limit the number of escapees, while the execution order on tamed kings was delayed. Celebration of every milestone of victory and deliverance in life remains a relevant display of appreciation, only when the testimony of God's deliverance, rather than the transmission of our...

"And the Lord said to Joshua, “Do not fear them, for I have delivered them into your hand; not a man of them shall stand before you.” " (Joshua 10:8 NKJV) Uncanny hearts may query the basis of the affront from the five kings of the Amorites against the Gibeonites. It was an expression of their bitterness against the smart voyage of Gibeon to be part of Israel. Since they found it difficult to accept the potency of the living God, they needed the collection of physical might in order to defeat Gibeon, who are the new converts into the camp of Israel. Smart voyage to the assembly of faith in God may attract the travesty of bitterness from the camp of the ungodly, there is no cause for alarm since smart might is not vested in human strength.

"So they said to him: “From a very far country your servants have come, because of the name of the Lord your God; for we have heard of His fame, and all that He did in Egypt." (Joshua 9:9 NKJV) No matter the adopted means of transportation, transit from a known station to another comes with certain level of risk. When a shift in nationality is anticipated, the risk may escalates to loss of certain rights and privileges of the current national status in pursuit of a new status. The voyage of the Gibeonites from the land of the Hivites to the Promised Land is perfectly simulated with a shift in allegiance from their gods to the Lord God of Israel. It was a journey of the mind and not of the body, taking the risk from their comfort zone to the secret place of the Most High. Therefore, it was difficult for Israel to deny them the shadow of the Almighty God. It pays to always be ready to take a smart voyage from our present preoccupation, instead of the frustration of throwing a ...

"As Moses the servant of the Lord had commanded the children of Israel, as it is written in the Book of the Law of Moses: “an altar of whole stones over which no man has wielded an iron tool.” And they offered on it burnt offerings to the Lord, and sacrificed peace offerings." (Joshua 8:31 NKJV) Irrespective of the state of the art technology available for stone cutting, the significant principle remains the introduction of pressure in order to create certain impression or model a preconceived pattern on the whole stone. A new altar, which was built in Mount Ebal with whole stone, would foreclose the possibility of using stones with impressions of strange images or imaginations from Israel's wilderness experience. The heart of man is a product of various impressions, especially through relationships with people, places, and positions. Only a consistent and sincere fellowship with God can enable a fresh impression of grace for a sweet-smelling offering to the Lord.