Sun stands still – Seek Grow Love

Without belaboring the point too much beyond yesterday’s devotion on Acts 2, we see again in Acts 3 the clear doctrinal understanding of the earliest church in Peter’s 2^nd sermon after Pentecost. “11 And as he held Peter and John, all the people, being greatly amazed, ran together to them in Solomon’s portico. 12 And when Peter saw this, he answered the people, “Men of Israel, why are you amazed by this? Why do you stare at us, as if we had made him walk by our own power or godliness? 13 The God of Abraham and of Isaac and of Jacob, the God of our fathers, has glorified his Servant Jesus …15…whom God raised from among the dead, of which we are witnesses. 16 And by trusting in his name, his name has made this man strong, whom you see and know. Yes, the trust that is through his name has given him this perfect health, as you all can see.” (REV).

Miracles are being performed through Peter and John, the servants of Jesus the Christ, who is himself the servant of God, whom God has glorified. There is one God (Mark 12:29-31, Deut 6: 4-5) and one mediator between God and man, the man Christ Jesus (1 Tim 2:5) and “3… the head of every man is Christ, … and the head of Christ is God. ” (1 Cor 11:3, REV). So according to scriptures, our “corporate flowchart” looks exactly like this:

God >Jesus >The Church.

There is never once an implied equality in this flowchart throughout scripture: we are the servants of Jesus the Christ, who is himself the servant of God. To state anything else is to change the scriptures, which cannot be broken (John 10:35).

The Jews understood very well that all blessings come from God. Keep in mind that once they leave the fiercely monotheistic folks in Israel and the message begins to get spread to the gentiles the immediate reaction from the gentiles when they see miracles is to say “the gods have become like men and come down to us!” (Acts 14:11), because that is a theme that is repeated constantly in their mythology (see the greek mythological stories of: Philemon and Baucis, Zeus and Semele, Hermes and Phanes, to name just a very few). As more and more of these gentile converts are brought into the church, they brought their mythologies with them and began to change the narrative from “The God who gives blessings to men” to “the God who becomes man and performs blessings” starting especially in the 4^th century when the gentiles became dominant numerically in the church. Please note the reaction and horror of the servants of the Christ when this occurs in Acts 14.

Moving on to our reading in Joshua 9-10, there are a couple key things to take away today. Firstly, whether or not you agree with how the Gibeonites acted (craftily), because they did so enabled them to survive. Granted, they became indentured servants, but they lived. Had they not acted craftily their only other survivable option was relocation (see Josh 9:24 for their rationale on their actions). Secondly, because the Jews had sworn by Yahweh to them, they acted in good faith and protected them when their neighboring kingdoms decided to attack them. It should be noted that during this defense of the Gibeonites, God himself took part in the battle; causing the sun to stand still for a time (Josh 9:13), and destroying the majority of the opposing armies with large hailstones (Josh 9:11). It should also be noted that the book of Jashar is mentioned in Josh 9:13 (and also in 2 Sam 1:18), a lost non-canonical book of the old testament.

Psalms 34 has an interesting header beneath the chapter number in my bible. It says “Of David. When he feigned madness before Abimelech, so that he drove him away and he departed“. This is in itself one of those just really weird stories you come across occasionally in old testament, and takes place in 1 Sam 21:10-15. When you look, it is actually talking about Ahimelech (with an h) in 1-9, tells the story of how David grabs Goliath’s sword, and then feigned madness before Achish. It’s just one of those really weird one-off stories that seems as if it may be incomplete.

Psalms 34:1-3 (REV) states: “1 I will bless Yahweh at all times. His song of praise will always be in my mouth. 2 My soul will boast in Yahweh. May the afflicted hear it and may they rejoice! 3 Oh magnify Yahweh with me! Let’s exalt his name together!” The words of David, the man of God. We are often afflicted by the trials of life, and tend to forget that we are to give thanks at all times, and that the trials that we are going through are probably God’s way of developing us and purifying us so that we can be better servants (James 1:2-4).

Psalms 34: 4-9 (REV) states: “4 I sought Yahweh, and he answered me, yes, he delivered me from all my fears. 5 Look to him and be radiant. Then their faces will never be ashamed. 6 This afflicted person cried out and Yahweh heard him, and delivered him out of all his distress. 7 The angel of Yahweh encamps around those who fear him, and delivers them. 8 Oh taste and see that Yahweh is good. Blessed is the person who seeks refuge in him. 9 Fear Yahweh, O you his holy ones, for those who fear him have no lack.”. Like David, God delivered me as well. I would venture to say that at some point He delivered you, too. I love the poetry of v5, it reminds me of the times when Moses was in the presence of God and when he returned his face was glowing. The hedge of protection we pray over people at times is clearly illustrated in v7. I can say truly that I have tasted and seen that Yahweh is good, I am alive because of it.

Psalms 34: 10-15 (REV): “11 Come, you children, listen to me. I will teach you the fear of Yahweh. 12 Who is the person who desires life, loving many days to see good?13 Guard your tongue from evil and your lips from speaking deceit. 14 Turn away from evil and do good. Seek peace, and pursue it. 15 Yahweh’s eyes are toward the righteous. Yes, his ears listen to their cry for help. “. This is a blueprint set of verses on how to live a long life. Do you want to live? Well: Fear Yahweh, turn away from evil, do good. Seek peace and pursue it. When you do these things, God’s eyes are towards you and He will hear you when you cry out.

Psalms 34:16-22 “16 Yahweh’s face is against those who do evil, to destroy the memory of them from the earth. 17 The righteous cry out and Yahweh hears, and delivers them out of all their distresses. 18 Yahweh is near to those who have a broken heart and he delivers those who have a crushed spirit. 19 Many evils happen to a righteous person, but Yahweh delivers him out of them all. 20 He keeps watch over all of his bones. Not one of them is broken. 21 Evil will kill a wicked person. Yes, those who hate a righteous person will suffer punishment. 22 Yahweh redeems the soul of his servants. Indeed, none of those who seek refuge in him will suffer punishment.” This set of passages warns clearly that God is against those who do evil, and will destroy them so thoroughly that even their memory will be gone from the earth. The one who does evil and hates the righteous will suffer punishment, but Yahweh redeems the soul of his servants. As proof, consider Jesus the Christ, the servant of Yahweh, whom God has glorified and redeemed from the dead.

REFLECTION QUESTIONS

The book of Acts is filled with miracles that God performed through His servants. Can you recall any miracles that have happened in your lifetime?
When miracles occurred in your lifetime, did you notice if you were trying to seek God with your whole heart at the time? Consider this.
Can you think of a time when God saved you from an impossible situation, and did you consider why at the time?

PRAYER

Father God, my creator and my sustainer, thank you for my life. Please guide me and protect me, keep me from looking upon evil and keep my lips from speaking deceit. Help me to be a servant that pleases you. Please work miracles through me, may all of your creation offer you praise and glory. Thank you, in Jesus name, Amen.

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Jesus Explains So Much

Old Testament Reading: Joshua 9 & 10

Psalms Reading: Psalm 99

New Testament – Jesus: Luke 24

Before I knew the significance of what God did through his people of old, that everything done points to his Messiah, Jesus the Christ, Joshua was my favorite Old Testament “character.”

It was Joshua who was met by the captain of the Yahweh’s army. It was Joshua who led the children of Israel into the promised land. It was Joshua who fought the battle of Jericho, blowing trumpets and shouting as the walls came tumbling down. It was Joshua the Lord helped using hailstones to defeat his enemies, and it was Joshua, a man, whom God listened to, to make time stand still.

And yet, Joshua cannot compare to our Lord Jesus and what God has done and will do through him.

We mustn’t be foolish. We must know and understand what the prophets said about Jesus to fully understand how significant he is to us. Praise be to God through him that we can gain that wisdom through the help of the holy spirit that was poured out by him because he earned that right. Now everything made new is through him.

Jesus himself taught these things about himself after his resurrection to the men on the road to Emmaus. Beginning with Moses, he explained to them the things concerning himself in all the scriptures.

I’m going to begin explaining some things I’ve learned about him and God’s plan of salvation, beginning in Joshua.

As Joshua, the son of Nun, conquers the land promised by God, he is met with a people who are not the children of Israel, but fear Yahweh and believe that he will do for Israel what he has said, by destroying all the inhabitants of the land to give it to God’s chosen people.

These people were the Gibeonites. They deceived the leaders of the children of Israel into making a covenant with them to save their lives. The terms of the covenant granted them life as slaves in exchange for not being destroyed.

It was a mistake to not seek the counsel of Yahweh prior to entering this covenant, but we see that God continues to work with his people through their failures. They continue to break the terms of their own covenant with God time and time again, but God is forgiving and merciful, just like he is with us after we entered the New Covenant with him through his son Jesus.

Watch the parallels of this story with end time prophesy. It’s quite remarkable.

The people of Gibeon, now servants to the children of Israel, called on the name of their leader Joshua (same name as Jesus) to be saved when they came under attack by the current King of Jerusalem, Adoni-Zedek (meaning Lord of justice or Lord of righteousness; yet he was not really THE lord of justice -that is reserved for the true Lord of Righteousness, our Messiah Jesus) and the other 5 Kings of the Amorites.

God saves Joshua’s servants (Gibeonites) through Joshua (Jesus). . In a similar manner, he will save the gentiles, us, who were not God’s people, but are His after we become the servants of his Son Jesus. He confuses the enemy as Joshua pursues them and He sends hailstones to give Joshua (Jesus) the victory.

To the five Kings who went up against him, he kept them in caves covered by a large stone, sealing them in until the time is right for his people to put their enemies under their foot (literally).

On the day Joshua (Jesus) defeats the Amorites, he, a man, asks God to make time stand still, and God listens. There was never a day like it before or since the time of the writing of Joshua, a day when the LORD (Yahweh) listened to a human being. Surely the LORD (Yahweh) was fighting for Israel!

One greater than Joshua, and all those God answered in the past, is now seated at the right hand of God! Because of this, we can come to the throne room of God in his son Jesus’s name and have confidence that he will hear us, humans, too.

We are privy to know and understand the gospel as recorded in our bibles in the New Testament, which is something Jesus’s own disciples, who walked with him on earth, didn’t have.

Let us do our part in understanding the scriptures (the Old Testament) and the words of our Lord Jesus (the gospel; the Much of the New Testament) through the spirit, to hear the words he spoke, that all things which are written about him in the Law of Moses and the Prophets, and the Psalms must be fulfilled (Luke 24:44).

Let us pray to the God of Jesus that we would not be foolish and slow of heart to believe in all that the prophets have spoken, rather, let our hearts burn within us. “Thus it is written, that the Christ would suffer and rise again from the dead the third day, and that repentance for forgiveness of sins would be proclaimed in His name to all the nations, beginning from Jerusalem (Luke 24:46-47).

Praise be to God that the servants of his son Jesus (Gentiles) can be forgiven because God listens to a man (our Jesus), and accepts us through him.

We were a people who were not God’s people, but were grafted in through God’s son, a man whom he chose to save us through, as the mediator of a better covenant, with better promises.

I cannot wait for God to listen to the man Jesus of Nazareth again, our better Joshua, our Messiah, to make time stand still for us in the Kingdom of God.

-Juliet Taylor

Questions:

What parallels do you see between Joshua in chapters 9 and 10 and Jesus regarding end time prophesy?
Why is it important to know all that is spoken about Jesus Messiah in scripture?
How do you feel knowing that God listens to you, a human, when you come to him in his Son’s name?

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Nothing is Impossible with God

Joshua 10

February 25

The people of Gibeon heard of the victory at Jericho and quickly created a peace treaty with the Israelites. This ruffled the feathers of the 5 surrounding nations and their kings declared war on Gibeon.

The king of Gibeon cries out to his new ally – come help us. With God’s direction and encouragement, Joshua gathers his best fighters and comes to the rescue. The passage tells us that he surprised the armies and with the help of God’s hand they push the enemy back.

Joshua sees that victory is at hand but fears that the enemy may be able to escape in the night. So Joshua looked up to the sun and told it to stand still, and miraculously, it did!

Verse 14: There has never been a day like it before or since, a day when the Lord listened to a human being. Surely the Lord was fighting for Israel!

I would suggest it is rarely (possibly never) a good idea to give God instructions. God is capable to do what we see is impossible. That does not mean we can tell him to provide us with all of our desires and entertain us with cool magic tricks. To be clear, that is not what Joshua did. God has already given the order, promised he would be with them and would hand over his enemy. Joshua was looking for God to provide him an opportunity to do what God already said He would do.

God will do miraculous things in our lives. Especially when we ask Him to do things that he already wants to do. If there is calling in your life that seems impossible to you, know that your God wants to help you fulfill what he is calling you to do. What may be impossible to us – is not for God!

-John Wincapaw

Questions for Reflection and Discussion

There is an interesting story in the previous chapter (Joshua 9) of the Gibeonites deceiving Joshua in order to create a peace treaty with the Israelites. Why do you think Joshua – and God – still fought to protect them?
If social media had been around at the time, what would those who witnessed the sun standing still post?
What does it mean to you that the Almighty and All Powerful God can and has used His powers over His created world to influence or control an outcome?
Is there a job you think God wants you to do that you feel you need more time for? How can you better order the rest of your day and projects to give the required time to God’s project?

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Your Name Means WHAT?!? (Joshua 8-10)

Sunday, September 25 – Start of Week 10

nikki-sun

Nikki Green

Do you like your name? Any clue what it means? Working as a labor & delivery nurse opened my eyes to many interesting names. Here are a few that stand out over 20 years: “7” (yes, the number), Anakin Skywalker, Luke Sky Welker, Kal-el Krypton, Beau Ty, A-a (pronounced A-dash-a), Sonny Boy, Sunshine, Tequila, Serenity Bliss (also the name of an incontinence product), Yaz (after the birth control pill that failed), and Benjamin James, The Sequel (not “Jr.” or “II”). Some of these parents created names, hoping to lead them into a specific character or vocation. Some were placing blame. 7’s mom was hoping for a rock star, she said.

Hebrew names given to people & places were more than just labels. Joshua was renamed by Moses (Numbers 13:16), anticipating his later life mission. “The LORD Saves” was a great name, and great reminder that Joshua would be completing the mission of redemption that the LORD started with Moses. As we read Joshua 8 we get a glimpse at God’s specific, military direction, and how much better life plays out when everyone follows God’s game plan, not their own. We get to read the excitement that goes with hiding, ambush, and claiming their promised land. We also see how God blesses his army with wealth by giving permission, this time, to carry off the plunder and livestock they find.

In Exodus 23:32 the Israelites had been forewarned not to form any alliance with local people. Joshua had been working hard at living out the destiny Moses prepared him for. He was a problem solver, military leader, and spiritual mentor. As we all do, he made a mistake. When a group of people approached him requesting a treaty, he did not inquire of the LORD. They showed up carrying mended wineskins and moldy bread, dressed in worn out clothes and patched sandals. It appeared they had traveled quite a distance and were not a “local people,” but it was all a scam. They were “local people,” only five or six miles away. Joshua formed a treaty with these deceptive Gibeonites. Once he realized the sham, he reduced them to being woodcutters and water carriers. This reminds me that I intentionally need to consult God, not just think “this seems okay, everything looks good”. We read that Satan disguises himself as an angel of light (2 Cor. 11:14). The meaning of his evil name is “adversary/one who resists”.

As Joshua continues his calling, he follows what is asked of him by God’s people (and those he’s become responsible for). Conflict and conquest seem to become a theme for our brave leader. Chapter 10 describes one of my favorite military strategies. Who hasn’t ever wished for more time in their day? Joshua, with complete confidence, knows what will help his men and boldly asks the LORD to have the sun stand still. The sun stopped and delayed going down about a full day. Joshua had an all-night march with his men and then took them by surprise. The LORD threw them into confusion, fought with them by hurling large hailstones from the sky, and gave His people a great victory.

What a blessing to watch someone fulfill their God given purpose. Joshua’s parents spoke life over him with his birth name, Hoshea. This name meant Salvation. Starting with a foundation of “Salvation” and exchanging that name (and need) with “The LORD Saves” (the answer), became a great foreshadowing for his life. How does your name suit you? Regardless of the interesting names we were all given at birth, Oh how sweet to know God wants to bless us (like his army), and will call us by name! Isaiah 45:3 says, “I will give you the treasures of darkness and hidden wealth of secret places, So that you may know that it is I, The LORD, the God of Israel, who calls you by your name.”

Nikki Green considers it a blessing to come from a family of believers. She’s the daughter of Steve & Betsy (Mattison) Moore. She married her HS sweetheart, Greg, and they have 3 kiddos (Justin, Natali, & Brendan). She enjoys teaching Jr. Church, which she’s done since 1989 and loves spending time with her family. She plays piano at Troy View, while her husband leads worship, and feels blessed to have Dan (& Rachel) Cain leading their congregation. She loves working as camp nurse-even though most injuries seem to be the FUEL staff! 🙂 She relies on God daily and prays He will use her to further His kingdom.

Tag: Sun stands still