Joshua 7:3 (KJV) All Hands On Deck

Joshua 7:3 (KJV)

And they returned to Joshua, and said unto him, Let not all the people go up; but let about two or three thousand men go up and smite Ai; and make not all the people to labour thither; for they are but few.

The mistakes Israel made at the “Battle of First Ai,” and the lessons we can learn from them are numerous.

• It wasn’t a mistake to send to “view the country.” Joshua had done that previous to Jericho as well.
• It was a mistake to heed the counsel of the men without seeking the counsel of God
• It was a mistake to go to Ai before dealing with the sun in the camp (Achan and the accursed thing) and
• It was a mistake to send just 3000 men to the battle

The advice to send just two or three thousand was based on some false assumptions

• That Ai was small and, therefore, weak
• That Israel was too powerful to be defeated

There may have been an element of compassion or perhaps a sort of budgeting of resources in the suggestion to “Let not all the people go up.” 

As a pastor, I am often tempted to let people off the hook. I can do it myself or ask someone I know is willing. It’s tempting to spare those who don’t have a heart for the things of God the burden of serving the Lord. That’s a mistake. The local church is a body. It is to function as a whole body. It’s supposed to be all hands-on deck, each one doing his or her part in the ministry of the Lord.

Israel would almost certainly have lost at the Battle of First Ai, even if they had all gone, because they still had the matter of the accursed thing. And they still had not consulted the Lord.

But they would surely have done better than they did with just a few.

To my readers:
Thank you! It is a great joy to me to know you read the thoughts and lessons God has given me in His word. I would love to hear from you. Please feel free to leave comments.

Donate to Bible Baptist Church every time you make an Amazon purchase through this link, https://smile.amazon.com/ch/91-1265824

Donate to our cause of “Reaching a world of souls with the Word of God.”

For this and, more than 5900 earlier Daily Visits with God, visit https://mckenzie-visit-with-god.blogspot.com. There you will find daily visits going back to 2005.

If you have been blessed by this blog, please subscribe to my feed and share it with others.

For more resources from Pastor Marvin McKenzie visit http://puyallupbaptistchurch.com.

My books, and other resources, are available at:
https://marvinmckenzie.org

Merch at my Teespring store https://macz.creator-spring.com/
Be a witness with hats, mugs, t-shirts, sweat shirts, and more

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The link to Ko-fi  is an opportunity to support this effort to reach a world of souls with the Word of God. I would appreciate any gift you can give. 

Joshua 7:3 (KJV) All Hands On Deck

Joshua 5:1 (KJV) Were, But No Longer

Joshua 5:1 (KJV)
And it came to pass, when all the kings of the Amorites, which were on the side of Jordan westward, and all the kings of the Canaanites, which were by the sea, heard that the LORD had dried up the waters of Jordan from before the children of Israel, until we were passed over, that their heart melted, neither was there spirit in them any more, because of the children of Israel.

One of the distinctives of the King James Version of the Bible is the use of italicized words to designate words that are not physically in the Greek text of the Bible but that the translators believed were necessary to convey the fullness of the text. The translators placed those words in italics for the sake of transparency. It’s foolish, in my view, to try to read the Word of God without them. I believe they are every bit as inspired, infallible, and God-breathed as the rest of the Word of God because they are IMPLIED in the Greek text and REQUIRED in the English.

In the case of this passage, the italics serve to emphasize another point in the text.

• The Amorites were on the side of Jordan westward and
• All the kings of the Canaanites were by the sea

Were, but are there no longer.

By the time the book of Joshua was recorded, these nations, God had commanded Israel to drive away, were removed. They were gone. They were in these places at one time, but by this time they were gone.

This is a record of progress. It is a record of change. It marks for all who read what God does with a people who step out in obedience to Him.

Live for God. Trust Christ to save you. Be baptized into the membership of a sound scriptural Baptist church, open your Bible, learn it, and obey it, and there will come a day when you look back and see what once was but no longer is, all because God changed you.

Israel never did obey God perfectly, so there was always an enemy to pester them. So it is with us. We never get things quite right, and we won’t until we get to heaven. But it’s a promise that if you step out in obedience to God, there will be changes in your life where once there were sins, sorrows, and sadness, they will be no longer.

To my readers:
Thank you! It is a great joy to me to know you read the thoughts and lessons God has given me in His word. I would love to hear from you. Please feel free to leave comments.

Donate to Bible Baptist Church every time you make an Amazon purchase through this link, https://smile.amazon.com/ch/91-1265824

Donate to our cause of “Reaching a world of souls with the Word of God.”

For this and, more than 5900 earlier Daily Visits with God, visit https://mckenzie-visit-with-god.blogspot.com. There you will find daily visits going back to 2005.

If you have been blessed by this blog, please subscribe to my feed and share it with others.

For more resources from Pastor Marvin McKenzie visit http://puyallupbaptistchurch.com.

My books, and other resources, are available at:
https://marvinmckenzie.org

Merch at my Teespring store https://macz.creator-spring.com/
Be a witness with hats, mugs, t-shirts, sweat shirts, and more

Let’s have coffee?
The link to Ko-fi  is an opportunity to support this effort to reach a world of souls with the Word of God. I would appreciate any gift you can give. 

Joshua 5:1 (KJV) Were, But No Longer

 

Joshua 4:3 (KJV) They Stood Firm

Joshua 4:3 (KJV)

And command ye them, saying, Take you hence out of the midst of Jordan, out of the place where the priests’ feet stood firm, twelve stones, and ye shall carry them over with you, and leave them in the lodging place, where ye shall lodge this night.

The stones the children took from the dry riverbed of Jordan were to be taken from a specific spot, “the place where the priests’ feet stood firm.”

What a mental image this presents!

• The waters of the Jordan standing in a heap
• The children of Israel crossing on dry ground
• The enemies in the Promised Land before them
• The only thing they had to hold onto was the ark

And they stood firm.

• 
  For however long it took Israel to cross
• 
  
  For however long it took them to gather the stones
• For however long it took them to make the altar of stones in the midst of the river

They stood firm

• With resolve
• With confidence
• With faith

They stood firm

Our world needs to see this sort of faith and character in today’s New Testament priesthood.[1]  

• There are dangers ahead of us. 
• There are Spiritual challenges that pile up next to it. 
• There are responsibilities that belong to us. 

Let us stand firm upon the solid ground of God’s Word, holding nothing but the Word of God and having faith in the Son of God.

---

[1] The Bible teaches us that all Christians are the priests of today.

To my readers:
Thank you! It is a great joy to me to know you read the thoughts and lessons God has given me in His word. I would love to hear from you. Please feel free to leave comments.

Donate to Bible Baptist Church every time you make an Amazon purchase through this link, https://smile.amazon.com/ch/91-1265824

Donate to our cause of “Reaching a world of souls with the Word of God.”

For this and, more than 5900 earlier Daily Visits with God, visit https://mckenzie-visit-with-god.blogspot.com. There you will find daily visits going back to 2005.

If you have been blessed by this blog, please subscribe to my feed and share it with others.

For more resources from Pastor Marvin McKenzie visit http://puyallupbaptistchurch.com.

My books, and other resources, are available at:
https://marvinmckenzie.org

Merch at my Teespring store https://macz.creator-spring.com/
Be a witness with hats, mugs, t-shirts, sweat shirts, and more

Let’s have coffee?
The link to Ko-fi  is an opportunity to support this effort to reach a world of souls with the Word of God. I would appreciate any gift you can give. 

Joshua 4:3 (KJV) They Stood Firm

Revelation 13:9 (KJV) Listen Up!

Revelation 13:9 (KJV)

If any man have an ear, let him hear.

This phrase is a common one throughout the Bible. It comes down to this; God makes no one hear who chooses not to listen. He urges believers to speak the Word, but He leaves it to the audience whether they will listen.

In this case, the phrase is in an intriguing place. The context has to do with the beast of the Tribulation. There will be believers in that day, but it will be a difficult day for the believers. This beast will have the power to war with the saints and overcome them. The Bible says, “all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him.”

• He will rule the nations
• He will overcome the saints and
• He will be worshiped by almost everyone

It is in the middle of this that God’s Word says we ought to hear. 

Revelation 13:9 (KJV)
He that leadeth into captivity shall go into captivity: he that killeth with the sword must be killed with the sword. Here is the patience and the faith of the saints.

The message is simple, the beast and those who follow him are in a losing war. In God’s appropriate timing

• He that leadeth in captivity shall go into captivity
• He that killeth with the sword must be killed with the sword

It’s as if God says, LISTEN UP!

The believer may have patience in times of trouble because He has faith in 

• God’s Word 
• God’s promises 
• God’s plan, and 
• God’s time

To my readers:
Thank you! It is a great joy to me to know you read the thoughts and lessons God has given me in His word. I would love to hear from you. Please feel free to leave comments.

Donate to Bible Baptist Church every time you make an Amazon purchase through this link, https://smile.amazon.com/ch/91-1265824

Donate to our cause of “Reaching a world of souls with the Word of God.”

For this and, more than 5900 earlier Daily Visits with God, visit https://mckenzie-visit-with-god.blogspot.com. There you will find daily visits going back to 2005.

If you have been blessed by this blog, please subscribe to my feed and share it with others.

For more resources from Pastor Marvin McKenzie visit http://puyallupbaptistchurch.com.

My books, and other resources, are available at:
https://marvinmckenzie.org

Merch at my Teespring store https://macz.creator-spring.com/
Be a witness with hats, mugs, t-shirts, sweat shirts, and more

Let’s have coffee?
The link to Ko-fi  is an opportunity to support this effort to reach a world of souls with the Word of God. I would appreciate any gift you can give. 

Revelation 13:9 (KJV) Listen Up!

Revelation 12:11 (KJV) Overcoming Accusations

Revelation 12:11 (KJV)

And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death.

I would guess a more general view of this would be overcoming the adversary, Satan. But verse ten calls him “the accuser of our brethren…which accused them ….”

I wish to look at how to overcome accusations.  The passage gives us two obvious tools

• The blood of the Lamb
• The word of their testimony

The blood of the Lamb is clear. 
It is Jesus’ death, burial, and resurrection. Without the sacrifice of the Lord, there would be no victory. The contest has always been between the Lord and the devil. The victory can only be that which comes of Christ.

The word of the testimony might be a bit more challenging to understand. 
No one overcomes by having a good reputation. The Word of their testimony is the Bible. The only testimony that has any value is obtained through the Scriptures.

The third weapon in overcoming might be the one we most often overlook.
They loved not their lives into the death. Overcoming might not look like overcoming at all. Overcoming doesn’t mean surviving. Overcoming doesn’t mean vindicating our reputation. Overcoming means putting Christ, His Gospel, His Word, and His testimony above our very lives.

In so many respects, the people who won WWII are those who never came home. They are buried in Normandy and across Europe and the Pacific Islands. They overcame so that we have the liberty we possess today.

The overcomers in the spiritual realm are those who, regardless of cost, ensure that others have a pure word of God, an opportunity to hear the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and preach the whole Word without compromise.

• They may not be the most popular
• They may not be to most prosperous
• They may not experience much peace in this life

But they are the overcomers for those who follow them.

To my readers:
Thank you! It is a great joy to me to know you read the thoughts and lessons God has given me in His word. I would love to hear from you. Please feel free to leave comments.

Donate to Bible Baptist Church every time you make an Amazon purchase through this link, https://smile.amazon.com/ch/91-1265824

Donate to our cause of “Reaching a world of souls with the Word of God.”

For this and, more than 5900 earlier Daily Visits with God, visit https://mckenzie-visit-with-god.blogspot.com. There you will find daily visits going back to 2005.

If you have been blessed by this blog, please subscribe to my feed and share it with others.

For more resources from Pastor Marvin McKenzie visit http://puyallupbaptistchurch.com.

My books, and other resources, are available at:
https://marvinmckenzie.org

Merch at my Teespring store https://macz.creator-spring.com/
Be a witness with hats, mugs, t-shirts, sweat shirts, and more

Let’s have coffee?
The link to Ko-fi  is an opportunity to support this effort to reach a world of souls with the Word of God. I would appreciate any gift you can give. 

Revelation 12:11 (KJV) Overcoming Accusations

Revelation 11:1 (KJV) Boundaries, Morals and Limitations

Revelation 11:1 (KJV)

And there was given me a reed like unto a rod: and the angel stood, saying, Rise, and measure the temple of God, and the altar, and them that worship therein.

It is possible to view the first two verses of this chapter as a sort of summary of the remaining message of the chapter. God’s people measure their surroundings. We have boundaries, morals, standards, and limitations. We recognize authority, especially that of the Lord. Consequently, we act as restraints in our environment.

The lost world longs to live without restraint. They view the believers as a hindrance to liberty. They believe they could fly into something so much better if only they could be rid of the restrictions the “moral few” place upon them. And they hate us for our morality.

The Tribulation will be, as much as anything, an experiment and demonstration of what the world would be like without those restraints.

It’s not a pretty sight.

Praise God that even this “experiment” is designed to bring souls to Christ. Praise God that multitudes will turn to Him through it.

I am praying for those who could be saved and delivered from it today.

To my readers:
Thank you! It is a great joy to me to know you read the thoughts and lessons God has given me in His word. I would love to hear from you. Please feel free to leave comments.

Donate to Bible Baptist Church every time you make an Amazon purchase through this link, https://smile.amazon.com/ch/91-1265824

Donate to our cause of “Reaching a world of souls with the Word of God.”

For this and, more than 5900 earlier Daily Visits with God, visit https://mckenzie-visit-with-god.blogspot.com. There you will find daily visits going back to 2005.

If you have been blessed by this blog, please subscribe to my feed and share it with others.

For more resources from Pastor Marvin McKenzie visit http://puyallupbaptistchurch.com.

My books, and other resources, are available at:
https://marvinmckenzie.org

Merch at my Teespring store https://macz.creator-spring.com/
Be a witness with hats, mugs, t-shirts, sweat shirts, and more

Let’s have coffee?
The link to Ko-fi  is an opportunity to support this effort to reach a world of souls with the Word of God. I would appreciate any gift you can give. 

Revelation 11:1 (KJV) Boundaries, Morals and Limitations