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Zechariah 2:1-2 – And I lifted up my eyes and saw, and behold, a man with a measuring line in his hand!  Then I said, "Where are you going?"  And he said to me, "To measure Jerusalem, to see what is its width and what is its length."

 Chapter two begins with the third vision of Zechariah.  Before we take a closer look at it, let's review the first two visions.

Vision #1 – This vision showed a 'man' (Jesus) on a red horse, with an army of other horses and riders behind him.  The other riders were angels who roamed through the earth and reported that all the nations of the world were at rest.

The idea is that while Israel is suffering/struggling, her enemies are enjoying peace. We then find that Jesus cries out (intercedes) to the Father on behalf of Israel.  A promise is given that the temple, the symbol of fellowship between God and man, will be restored.

Because of God's presence among his people, Jerusalem would again overflow with earthly prosperity and spiritual blessings. The implication is that all the ruined cities of Judah would not just be restored, they would increase and spread out with an explosion of population.

This word caused hope to spring up within the hearts and minds of the Jews.  In turn, this caused them to renew their commitment to rebuilding the temple and the city.  There was a fulfillment of this vision during the time of Zechariah and most scholars believe there will be a bigger future fulfillment of it when Christ returns to earth.

Vision #2 – In this vision, Zechariah saw four horns, followed by four craftsmen. 

The horns represent nations which had (in the past) and would (in the future) bully and oppress Israel (for details on the possible identities of these nations, see our last post).  Though God allowed these nations to have dominance over Israel for a time, he was going to send 'craftsmen' or other nations to destroy/subdue the enemies of his people.

In short, God saw his people, he was very aware of their plight and he was going to act on their behalf.

Vision #3 follows the same basic pattern as the first two.

First, Zechariah sees the vision.  In this case, it is a picture of a man with a measuring line in his hand.

Second, the vision causes a question to be raised in the mind of the prophet.  In this case, he wants to know what the man is doing or measuring.

Third, in response to his question, the Lord gives answers to Zechariah through an angel who was commissioned to assist him in understanding/interpreting these visions.

The significant part of this vision is that the angel does not appear to be measuring the exact length and width of the current city.  Rather, the angel is marking out the dimensions which would be the boundaries of the city at some point in the future.

Remember, at the time of Zechariah's vision, Jerusalem had been destroyed.  All of its former glory and prosperity were gone.  God had been removed from it and it was overrun with Gentiles.  His people were on the verge of hopelessness.   

Consequently, God's vision to Zechariah tells the Jews not to despair, because their story wasn't over yet!� In essence, the third vision picks up where the second vision left off – God gives a clearer picture or a more precise indication of the future plans he has for his people.

Jeremiah 31:28 - And it shall come to pass, that as I [God] have watched over them [Israel], to pluck up, and to break down, and to throw down, and to destroy, and to afflict; so will I watch over them, to build, and to plant, says the LORD.  

This vision caused joy to rise up within the Jews of Jerusalem.  They had every reason to rejoice – God had not abandoned them; he had big plans for their future!

It should also be noted that God STILL has big plans for the Jews.  He has in no way abandoned them or replaced them with the church:

Jeremiah 31:37 - Thus says the LORD; If heaven above can be measured, and the foundations of the earth searched out beneath, I will also cast off all the descendants of Israel for all that they have done, says the LORD.

Let's be honest if God were going to cast off the Jews for being unfaithful to him, he would also need to cast off most of the church, because we are no better! But none of us need to worry about that. God is not looking for reasons to get rid of us. He is looking for reasons to bless us. He desires to work through us so that his glory and power can manifest through our lives.

As Christians, it is our honor and duty to stand for Israel and to pray for her.  God has amazing plans for her just as he does for the church.   

Zechariah 2:3-4 – And behold, the angel who talked with me came forward, and another angel came forward to meet him and said to him, "Run, say to that young man, 'Jerusalem shall be inhabited as villages without walls, because of the multitude of people and livestock in it.'

It would seem as though the assisting angel, who was explaining the visions to Zechariah, went forward to meet another angel, who provided clarification of the vision in response to the prophet's question.

We are familiar with the assisting angel; we met him in the last two visions.  But what is the identity of the other angel who gives instructions to the assisting angel? 

We will answer that question by saying that the second angel in this vision is the same angel/man that stood among the myrtle trees and rode a red horse in vision number one. Because we identified that angel/man as Jesus, then by default the second angel in this vision (who gives orders to the assisting angel) would also be Jesus

Consequently, if you believe the 'man' in the first vision was the archangel Gabriel, then you would probably identify the second angel in this vision as Gabriel as well. Those who take this view point out that Gabriel is the highest ranking angel (that we know of), so it would not be unusual for him to give orders to other angels under his command.

In either case, the assisting angel is instructed to 'run' to the prophet with the information Jesus gives him.  Thus we see that God always hears and answers the prayers of his people.  Those who truly seek God for wisdom can be sure that God will provide understanding to them in a timely manner.

James 1:5 - If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all men liberally, and reproaches not; and it shall be given him.

By the same token, if God calls us to do a task for him, we should not delay.  Think about it this way – right now, someone is crying out to the Lord for a need they have.  God hears that prayer and in response, he commissions you to move forward and do something.  If you delay in doing what God has commissioned you to do, it appears to the needy person that God is late, careless or indifferent to their problem.

For example, suppose there is a person in your fellowship who is having a hard time financially and they have been praying for money to fix their car.  It would not be unreasonable to imagine that God would lay it upon your heart to give some money that that family, even if you were unaware of the need. 

If you fail to answer that call in a timely manner, the other person is left waiting for God to act; they may wonder why he is taking so long!   

This raises a good question: Do your works reflect the true, loving nature of God, or does your service imply God is cold, distant, half-hearted or unwilling to help?

The second thing we notice in vision #3 is that the prophet is described as a 'young man'.  This is yet another example of how God uses people in all stages and seasons of life.  Young, middle aged, old, with kids, without kids, retired, married or single – all of us are in active service to the King.  Though our service may change during different seasons of life, we all have something to contribute to the kingdom!

Now let's get into the heart of the message contained in the vision.  Jesus instructs the assisting angel to tell Zechariah that 'Jerusalem shall be inhabited as villages without walls'.  What is the significance of that?

Back in the days of Zechariah, all major cities had walls and gates. These were used in defense of the city and her people. But they also had the side effect of limiting the size of the city as well as the number of people who could dwell there.

                                                     

The walls also limited the amount of resources that could be held in the city.  This was a very important factor when an ancient city was under siege.  The city would be taken when its resources were eventually exhausted.    

The image of an un-walled Jerusalem speaks of an unconfined, unlimited, steadily expanding population spreading itself out freely without restraint and without fear of attack.  It also indicates a state of prosperity.  

The question is, has this prophesy been fulfilled?

Again, our answer must be 'yes' and 'no'. 

During the time that Zechariah was functioning as God's prophet, the Jews had been give two major assignments from God:  Rebuild the temple and rebuild the walls of Jerusalem (Nehemiah 1:3, Nehemiah 2:17-18, Daniel 9:25, etc).  When the walls were finished, the enemies of Israel were confounded because it was evident that God was behind their project (Nehemiah 6:15-16).  This tells us that they were still in need of the walls.  Therefore the vision could not have been fulfilled at that time; it must have a future fulfillment.

We can point to a possible/partial fulfillment of it during the reign of Herod Agrippa, because the noted historian Josephus tells us (Wars 5:4:2) that in during Agrippa's reign Jerusalem had "by reason of the multitude" gradually "extended beyond its original limits" so that another hill had to be "taken in" to the city limits and fortified.

While this definitely proves Jerusalem expanded somewhat, it still had walls and gates. For this reason, it is doubtful that this fulfills the word/vision given to Zechariah.

Another possible fulfillment has been mentioned by many.

Scripture speaks of a 'New Jerusalem" which comes down from heaven.  This Jerusalem will be without walls; it will be open to the world.  Yet, its inhabitants will dwell in safety and without fear because God also dwells there.

Revelation 21:2-3 - And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven and I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God.

Obviously, if this is a fulfillment of the vision, it is still in the future.

However, there is another, almost universally accepted theory, which says that the vision is actually being fulfilled right this moment!  This theory says that the expansion of the physical city of Jerusalem is actually picture of the church. 

Thus, through the spreading of the gospel we see the gradual, unconfined, steady expansion of the kingdom of heaven.  The kingdom's expansion reaches every continent and every nation, without bounds or limits.  It is a kingdom without physical defenses because its protector is Father God.

Scripture verifies that the kingdom began in Jerusalem, expanded through Judea and now continues its spread to the uttermost parts of the world.          

Acts 1:8 - But you shall receive power, after the Holy Spirit has come upon you: and you shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.

Like an expanding city, the kingdom of heaven overflows and gently enlarges itself to the right and left (Isaiah 33:20).  It continues to grow and multiply boundlessly, ever ready to receive countless souls who desire to worship and serve the Lord. Hallelujah!     

This explanation seems to best correspond to the message given in the vision. 

Zechariah 2:5 – 'And I will be to her a wall of fire all around, declares the Lord, and I will be the glory in her midst.'"

Here is an additional promise regarding Jerusalem (and thus the church).  God is not only her fortress (Psalms 18:2, Psalms 144:2, Isaiah 26:1, etc) he will be a wall of fire all around her. 

In a physical battle, men may try to scale walls, but they cannot scale fire.  The concept being presented is that though there are no watchmen, soldiers or walls to protect Jerusalem, her inhabitants will be perfectly safe because God himself surrounds and protects them like a wall, while simultaneously striking fear/terror into her enemies like a raging fire which cannot be tamed or breached. 

This is a picture of the perfect protection that God uses to defend the church today. Satan has tried countless times to destroy both the Jews and the church over the years, but he has never been successful and he never will be!

Not only that, God promises to be the glory in her midst.  In other words, the real peace and happiness of the citizens of Jerusalem (and the church) will be found in God.  He will give or adorn his people will everything that is good and perfect.  He will not only supply what they need, he will lavishly give them the desires of their heart.  There will be no lack among them.

Overall, the meaning of the vision is something like this:

The Jews were despondent because they were lacking in resources, few in number, weak in strength, and despised by all.  Yet, they had reason to hope.  Though only a small number returned from the exile, God planned to increase his people into a vast multitude of both Jews and Gentiles – aka, the church. (The church was founded by the Jews, then the Gentiles were grafted in, and in the end times, the Jews will return; both Jew and Gentile are united together in the church).

No matter how weak the Jews were compared to their enemies, God was sufficiently strong and powerful enough to defend them.  Their enemies would not be able to prevail over them; victory was assured.  Likewise, God has mandated victory for his church; the gates of hell will not be able to prevail against us.

No matter how destitute God's people currently were, God was ready to enrich the Jews with every good thing, as long as they relied on him. It was his will to bless them and keep them safe. Likewise, we can be confident that whatever resources the church finds itself in need of, God will supply them (Haggai 2:8).

The vision was/is a sure and certain promise which was ultimately fulfilled when God broke down the barrier between Jews and Gentiles and established his church (Ephesians 2:11-16).  From that day forth, the church has continuously expanded and grown, reaching toward the uttermost parts of the earth.  Although there are formidable enemies in every generation (including ours), God has not changed.  He is still well able to protect and bless his children, while giving us victory over our enemies.

 

Let me offer you some encouragement, relief and strength:

The third vision of Zechariah speaks of God doing/accomplishing the impossible. As the Jews evaluated themselves and their position, they correctly determined that only God could bring about the astonishing plans and blessings he revealed to them.

In the period of time between the moment of revelation and the moment the vision came to pass, they had to live by faith.  

Please consider the following:

Faith sees that which does not yet exist.  Think back to the vision.  The angel had been sent to measure a city/kingdom which had not yet been built and, in fact, would be immeasurable (Hebrews 11:12).  All of the practical, matter-of-fact people in the world would describe that as a waste of time.  They would call it foolish.  If it doesn't make sense in the scope of their limited knowledge, they refuse to even consider it.

But what they don't understand is that you can't measure anything that God builds.  No plumb line can measure the depth of God's love.  No meter can register the strength of his power.  No pump can put a dent in the ocean of his blessing. 

You could have measured the height of Goliath, but it would have been impossible to gauge the faith and courage of David.  You could have counted the age of Sara, but it would have been impossible to weigh the faith which made her body fruitful again.  You could have numbered the Midianite army, but you could never have quantified the faith of Gideon and his 300 men.   

Faith in the promises of God seems foolish to the world, but for the Christian that kind of faith is the very basis of the gospel message:

1 Corinthians 1:18 - For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God.   

(See I Corinthians 1:17-31, 2:14, 3:19, etc).

• By faith we are sons and daughters of Abraham, by faith we receive salvation, by faith we are filled with Holy Spirit and by faith we know that Jesus has prepared a place for us in heaven.

• By faith we know that the city or kingdom of heaven is being built up and advanced daily, even though we don't see the full manifestation of it yet.

• By faith we know that our children/families will be saved, even though they still spend Sunday mornings in bed.

• By faith we know that God is our protector, our healer and our soon coming King, even though we are still living with pain and waiting for the rapture to occur.

• By faith we know that we have the keys to the kingdom and the power to bind and loose things on earth, even though evil is still clinging on to power.

• By faith we know that victory is ours through Christ Jesus, even though we are still in the midst of conflict.

• By faith we know that nothing is impossible with God (Matthew 17:20, Mark 9:23, Luke 1:37).

So whatever your faith is waiting and believing for, DO NOT GIVE UP HOPE.    

Habakkuk 2:3 - For the vision is yet for an appointed time, but at the end it shall speak, and not lie: though it tarry, wait for it; because it will surely come, it will not tarry.     

Remember Abraham?  By faith he received a promise that his offspring would be as countless as the stars in the sky (Genesis 15:5-6) or the sand on the seashore (Genesis 22:17).  His faith grasped that promised and never let it go.  The book of Hebrews tells us that he died before he saw the final/complete manifestation of his faith (Hebrews 11:8-13).

However, his faith in the promise influenced/determined the way he lived his life. For example, he believed he would have children, so he continued to be intimate with his wife despite the fact that she was past child bearing, and he wound up with two sons. Though he did not own any land, he wandered through the Middle East, knowing that every place the sole of his foot touched would become the Promised Land.

The same was true of his offspring during the days of Zechariah.  They grasped the promise (given through Zechariah's third vision) of a city/kingdom that would overflow the walls of Jerusalem and steadily spread.  They believed that walls would be unnecessary, because God would be the protector and defender of the city.  They believed that God's glory and blessings would rest upon that nation.

Obviously, they died before the promise was manifested in the church. But their faith in the promise influenced the way they lived their lives. After the vision, they experienced renewed hope and joy. They got to work and rebuilt the walls and the temple. They got rid of their foreign wives, married other Jews and began to repopulate the nation.

The same must be true for us.  Even if we have not yet seen the final fulfillment of that which we grasp by faith, we must live our lives in way that demonstrates our belief.  We must speak/proclaim victory, celebrate the victory, praise and worship God for the victory and prepare like our victory is imminent.       

If we will allow our faith to influence our lives, we too will eventually see our promise come to pass.

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Zechariah 1:18 – And I lifted my eyes and saw, and behold, four horns!

Welcome back, dear readers!  We have begun our study of the visions of Zechariah.  In our last post, we studied vision #1, the 'man' and horseman among the myrtle trees.

There can be no doubt that after that vision, God had Zechariah's attention.  Even though it was night, he was wide awake meditating on the first vision, its interpretation and its message to Israel.  But little did he know, God wasn't finished speaking yet.  Zechariah would eventually see eight separate visions that night.  We are now going to examine the second vision.

The scripture tells us that suddenly, Zechariah 'lifts up [his] eyes' and sees yet another vision – four horns.  While that seems odd to us, it wasn't that strange to Zechariah because Israel was a nation of shepherds.  Horned animals were a part of their daily life.  In addition, Zechariah came from a family of priests.  Therefore he was familiar with the horned animals that were routinely sacrificed in the temple - goats, rams and oxen. 

So when Zechariah sees a vision of four horns, it is highly unlikely these four horns were just randomly floating in space.  His vision probably consisted of some type of animal or beast with horns.  Since the focus of the vision was clearly the horns, he does not bother to mention the animal(s) associated with them.

Did you know that animal horns are often mentioned in scripture? 

They had many literal and practical uses.  For instance, we have evidence that horns, which are hollow, were polished and used as either drinking vessels or as a means of holding liquids:

1 Samuel 16:1 - And the LORD said unto Samuel, How long will you mourn for Saul, seeing I have rejected him from reigning over Israel?  Fill your horn with oil, and go, I will send you to Jesse the Bethlehemite: for I have provided me a king among his sons.  

Horns were also used as musical instruments...

Psalm 98:6 - With trumpets and the sound of a horn make a joyful noise before the LORD, the King.

and as a means to summon men to war:

Joshua 6:4 - And seven priests shall bear before the ark seven trumpets of rams' horns: and the seventh day you shall march around the city seven times, and the priests shall blow with the trumpets.

Many bible scholars believe that the very first trumpets were nothing more than ox horns which had a perforation at the tip.  In later times, that concept evolved into more sophisticated instruments made with different materials. 

Horns are used symbolically or metaphorically in scripture as well.  In the natural realm, the horns of an animal are its chief means of attack and defense.  (Picture an enraged bull, charging at a rival with his head lowered in a position to strike with his horns.) 

The horns are a reflection of the power, strength and ferocity which the animal possesses.  Likewise, we find that in scripture, horns represent power, strength, dominion and fierceness. 

A horn can depict the strength and vitality of a single individual:

1 Samuel 2:1 - And Hannah prayed, and said, My heart rejoices in the LORD, my horn is exalted in the LORD: my mouth boasts over my enemies; because I rejoice in your salvation.

Thus, when one's horn is 'in the dust', it symbolizes humility or degradation (Job 16:15).  When one's horn is lifted up or exalted, it is a poetical expression of honor, glory or prosperity (Psalms 75:4, I Chronicles 25:5).

As you are probably aware, Jesus is referred to as the 'horn of our salvation':

Psalm 18:2 - The LORD is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; my God, my strength, in whom I will trust; my shield, and the horn of my salvation, and my high tower.

(See also II Samuel 22:3, Luke 1:69, etc).  The idea behind this phrase is that Jesus is a Savior who has the necessary power/strength/might to work salvation for mankind.

Horns can also represent the strength and might of nations:

Micah 4:13 - Arise and thresh, O daughter of Zion: for I will make your horn iron, and I will make your hoofs bronze: and you shall beat in pieces many people: and I will consecrate their gain unto the LORD, and their wealth unto the Lord of the whole earth.

Jeremiah 48:25 - The horn of Moab is cut off, and his arm is broken, says the LORD.

Here is another interesting fact - when scripture gives us a specific number of horns that number normally corresponds to a number of monarchies or kingdoms.  For example, Daniel had a vision of a beast with ten horns (Daniel 7), and the interpretation makes it clear that they represent ten kingdoms:

Daniel 7:24 - And the ten horns out of this kingdom are ten kings that shall arise.

(See also Revelation 12:3, 13:1 and 17:3-16).  The same concept is reflected in Daniel's vision of a ram with two horns.  One horn represented the kingdom of Media and the other the kingdom of Persia (Daniel 8:20).  In Daniel 8:5, the 'notable horn' of the goat was Alexander the Great.

Now that we have a little more background on the use of the term 'horn' in the scriptures, let's return to the vision of Zechariah.

The focal point of this vision was clearly a set of four horns.  These no doubt represent four powerful, fierce and/or dominant nations or kingdoms.  The question is, which four?

One popular opinion (which was apparently the prevailing opinion of the ancient Jews) was that the four horns represented four world empires:

• Assyrian Empire (approximately 900-600 BCE) or Babylonian Empire/Chaldean dynasty (626-539 BCE).

• Persian Empire (Began in 550 BC with Cyrus, ended by Alexander the Great in 331BC)

• Grecian Empire (approximately 750-323 BC)

• Roman Empire/imperial period (Began in 31 BC with the proclamation of Augustus Caesar that he was the emperor, ended in 476 AD with the fall of Rome)

Those who believe this interpretation point out that all of these kingdoms conquered and oppressed other nations, including the Jews.  They also correspond to the four beasts seen in Daniel chapter seven.

If this is the interpretation of the four horns, then it should be noted that only two of the four empires had come to power at the time the prophesy was given. This causes us to take note that the vision unfolded in future generations exactly as God said it would.

A different interpretation of this vision says that the four horns represent the four corners of the earth (north, south, east, west) and their corresponding kingdoms.  This theory is based on the idea that the Jews were assailed on every side by their enemies.  Those who hold this theory identify the pertinent kingdoms as follows:

• North – The Assyrians and Babylonians.

• South – The Egyptians and Edomites.

• East – the Moabites and Ammonites.

• West – The Philistines.

But we don't necessarily have to exclude either theory (or other theories that have also been proposed), because prophesy has many levels of fulfillment. 

In other words, Zechariah's vision could have been fulfilled on one level with the immediate enemies of ancient Israel (the theory of the four corners of the world). It could have been fulfilled on another level, in another generation with the domination of Israel by Rome.

And there are many who believe it will be fulfilled yet again, with the revival of the Roman Empire in the last days before Christ returns to earth (see Daniel chapter 2, the vision of the image with the golden head, etc).

Zechariah 1:19 – And I said to the angel who talked with me, "What are these?" And he said to me, "These are the horns that have scattered Judah, Israel and Jerusalem."

Immediately after seeing the four horns, Zechariah asks the assisting angel who or what these horns represent. 

The assisting angel tells Zechariah that they are kingdoms which have 'scattered' God's people.  The term 'scattered' refers to the process of winnowing grain.  However, it does not necessarily mean to literally disburse the Jews (as in the captivity).  It has a broader meaning which includes any attempt to destroy national unity, to strip Israel of power/blessings or bring her into bondage.    

Think of it this way: In the natural realm, when an ox uses its horns against enemies or rivals, some of them are injured, some die and some flee.

The same would be true of the Jews which were 'scattered' by the horns or nations in this vision. 'Scattered' would include things like vexation/oppression of Israel by the Moabites, Ammonites, Philistines and others during the period of the judges and kings. It would also certainly refer to the captivity as well as the economic, civil and religious oppression of Rome during the time of Christ.

If we look at the time of Zechariah, we can say with certainty that the Jews were being bullied by other powers.  Once the Jews began to rebuild the temple, they were instantly surrounded by enemies on all sides.  If they maneuvered to avoid one enemy, they were pushed or 'gored' by another (Nehemiah 4:7-8, Ezra chapter 4).  In the case of Israel, there was/is no shortage of nations who desire to oppress her!

Furthermore, these were not just kingdoms that wanted to control Israel; they were kingdoms who were looking for complete annihilation of God's people.  They showed Israel no mercy.  They gave her people no reprieve and no hope.

Because of the formidable power of these oppressing nations, the Israelites in the day of Zechariah had slipped into despair.  The Jews were unable to make any progress on the temple and they began to give up hope.  It was apparent that they could not complete the work in their own strength, and they did not see any evidence that God was moving on their behalf.  

But they were wrong.    

Zechariah 1:20-21 – Then the Lord showed me four craftsman. And I said, "What are these coming to do?"  He said, "These are the horns that scattered Judah, so that no one raised his head. And these have come to terrify them, to cast down the horns of the nations who lifted up their horns against the land of Judah to scatter it."

Immediately after seeing the four horns, Zechariah also sees four craftsmen.  In Hebrew, this word refers to a mechanic, a carpenter (someone who is skilled in working with wood and stone) or a blacksmith (one who works with brass and iron).   

These four 'craftsmen' have the ability and authority to saw, cut, burn, melt, nail, carve, cast or otherwise shape/destroy the horns.     

The assisting angel reveals to Zechariah that these four 'craftsman' represent other powers or kingdoms which the Lord sent to defeat the four 'horns' who had vexed his people Israel.

Hallelujah! This was a wonderful word of hope for the people of God. God had not forgotten Israel. As we noted in the first vision, he was keeping a record of every action taken against his people. He was aware of every blow the enemy delivered and every attempt they made to destroy his beloved nation.

And at the proper time, he was going to send a 'craftsman' or deliverer to tear down, modify and/or destroy the nations who were seeking to crush and burden his people.  Relief from these oppressing powers was on the way!

Who were these 'craftsmen'?  Can we identify them?   

Obviously, the identity of the craftsman depends on who you identified as the four horns. 

In the days of Zechariah, the craftsmen could have been individuals such as Zerubbabel the governor, Joshua the priest or Ezra and Nehemiah.  These men faithfully and bravely carried on the work of God in spite of the opposition they faced from the Gentiles and the Samaritans. They were an inspiration and an example for the whole nation.

But in a broader sense, the craftsmen were probably nations. For example, if you believe that Babylon was one of the horns, then by default Cyrus was one of the craftsmen, because his kingdom destroyed Babylon. If you believe that Persia was one of the horns, then by default Alexander the Great and his kingdom must be one of the craftsmen, because they defeated Persia.

The obvious parallel is that a nation could be both a horn and a craftsman. This is evident when we consider that the Babylonians were destroyed by the Medes and Persians, the Persians were destroyed by the Grecians, the Grecians were destroyed by the Romans, etc.

But let's not get bogged down or side-tracked in trying to identify the craftsman.  Instead, let's look at the bigger picture - for every one of the 'horns', God raised up a skilled 'craftsman' to destroy it.  Therefore, we can conclude that for every enemy of God's people, God provides a counteracting power to destroy it.   

We know this to be true; it seems like every generation has at least one nation or group of people who are dedicated to the destruction of the Israel and/or the Jewish nation. Despite the fact that they are well funded, well staffed and well equipped, they never succeed.

Why do you suppose that is?  It's because God fights for them.  When satan inspires nations to slaughter the Jews, God raises up craftsmen to counter and subdue those kingdoms.  Satan has never and will never be able to remove God's people from the earth.  God has never lost a war and he isn't about start now!

Now let's ask ourselves this question:  Is this vision a word for the church in our generation? 

I believe it is.  In fact, I think it is like a mirror for the situation facing the church today. 

The church has enemies on every side.  The government seeks to restrain us, while liberal politicians try to categorize Christians as dangerous.  They want to blame Christians for all of the evils and problems facing society today. 

In fact, nearly every facet of our culture seeks to crush, kill and destroy Christian values.  Radical groups promote sin and perversion under the veil of 'freedom', while calling righteousness a 'hate crime'.  They sound off about freedom of speech while simultaneously doing everything in their power to silence the gospel message (or any message that questions their actions/ideals). 

We also find that foreign nations hate America and everything we stand for. China, Iran and Russia seem to be working behind the scenes to covertly bring destruction to America, the only other nation on earth formed by a covenant with God.

In our own power, we cannot overturn this tide of evil that is coming against the church and the nation of America. But we don't need to lose hope. God promises us that Holy Spirit is ready to come on the scene and give us victory:

Isaiah 59:19 - So shall they fear the name of the LORD from the west, and his glory from the rising of the sun. When the enemy shall come in like a flood, the Spirit of the LORD shall lift up a standard against him.

AMEN!  Clearly, at the appropriate time, God is going to raise up 'craftsmen' who, through the power of Holy Spirit, will turn back the tide of evil. 

However, as with ancient Israel, this will probably not be an instantaneous event. It will happen over time, as the church stands firm, follows the commands of Holy Spirit, resists evil and does all she can to bring about revival in the world:

James 4:7 - Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.

Therefore, let the church rejoice!  We should not despair or give up the fight because God is going to make us victorious in Christ!  Let's continue to fight the good fight of faith everyday and watch as God crushes satan under our feet!

 

Let me offer you some encouragement:

Yes, the church is under attack in this generation, but we WILL be victorious, through Christ! 

We want to be informed about what is happening in the world, but at the same time, don't pay too much attention to the bad news that the world is constantly spouting off. Don't despair and don't give up hope.  God fulfills his plans and purposes in every generation and this one won't be any different. 

I believe God has great and mighty things in store for the church; if we remain faithful and courageously follow Holy Spirit, we are going to see victory.

 

Let me offer you some relief:

If you've already been infected by hopelessness or despair, there is a cure.  Turn off or greatly curtail the sources who are speaking defeat into your life (the news, your friends, cultural leaders, podcasts, etc). 

Instead, get into the bible and rediscover the greatness of our God!  Take time to enter into seasons of worship and praise and allow Holy Spirit to revive your hope.  God is going to take his church to victory, and he wants you to be a part of that!

Hint: You might want to start with Hebrews chapter 11.

 

Let me offer you some strength:

God did not create you to fail, to cower before the enemy or to live in fear.  His word says that we have the power to trample the enemy:

Psalm 91:13 - You shall tread upon the lion and adder: the young lion and the serpent shall you trample under feet.

So remind yourself and those around you that you are a soldier of the King! You are well equipped, well trained and well supported. You operate under the authority of Christ and the anointing of Holy Spirit. Let's begin to boldly proclaim victory in the name of Jesus!

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Zechariah 1:7 – On the twenty-fourth day of the eleventh month, which is the month of Shebat, in the second year of Darius, the word of the Lord came to the prophet Zechariah, the son of Berechiah, son of Iddo, saying,

If you haven't read the book of Haggai recently, it would be beneficial for you to take a few minutes and do so now.  With only two chapters, you can finish it quickly.

The reason you might want to stop and do so, is because the ministries of Zechariah and Haggai overlap.  Because God used both of them to speak to the same groups of people during the same generation, your study of Zechariah will be enhanced if you are at least familiar with the work of Haggai.    

As far as the Jews were concerned, the messages of Haggai and Zechariah were a two-witness confirmation that God was moving in their midst (II Corinthians 13:1, Deuteronomy 19:15).  That must have been a real blessing and encouragement to them, as they were experiencing long and arduous trials, which seemed like they would never end.    

Because Haggai and Zechariah exactly date some of their material, we can form a general timeline of events.

516 BC, the sixth month: Through the prophet Haggai, God commanded the Jews to finish rebuilding the temple. (They had abandoned this task due to intense opposition.) Haggai also discloses that for the last few years God prevented his people from prospering because they had abandoned this work (Haggai chapter 1).

Based on the word of the Lord through Haggai, the Jews obediently returned to building the temple. 

516 BC, the eighth month: Zechariah gives his first prophesy (Zechariah 1:1-6). As we studied in our last post, God commanded his people to carefully consider the ways of their ancestors, so they could avoid making the same mistakes and receiving the same punishments. God invites the Jews to return to him and be blessed (Zechariah 1:3).

516 BC, the ninth month: Haggai receives and reports the revelation he received in Haggai 2:10-23.

516 BC, the eleventh month: Haggai prophesies that God is going to shake the heavens and the earth; he is going to overthrow/punish Gentile nations. He will use the current generation of Israelites like a signet ring to seal his word and promises to future generations. He will glorify Israel in the future (Haggai 2:20-23).

516 BC, the eleventh month: Zechariah has a series of visions, one following another all in the same night.

These visions all follow the same basic pattern – the vision is given, a question is asked which prompts additional information to be shared about the prophetic word, and then an angel gives the interpretation of the vision (more on that shortly).

The visions are distinct and separate, yet when taken together, they give a roadmap of God's future plans for his people.  Regardless of Israel's past mistakes and current lowly condition, God's purposes for them remained unchanged.  God was determined to do good to his people; he would make sure that Israel fulfilled the destiny he had in store for her.

These future plans and words of encouragement were a source of great comfort and inspiration to people who were just emerging from a period of God's discipline.

Zechariah 1:8 – "I saw in the night, and behold, a man riding on a red horse! He was standing among the myrtle trees in the glen, and behind him were red, sorrel, and white horses."

The first thing to notice is that even though it is night time, Zechariah is having a vision, not a dream. 

A dream is a thought/idea or series of thoughts/ideas which occupy your mind during sleep. Dreams can be of divine origin, demonic origin or neither (i.e., the result of your own subconscious thoughts, which originate in your soul). They must be interpreted after you wake up. A good scriptural example would be the dreams that King Nebuchadnezzar saw (and Daniel interpreted) in Daniel chapter two.

Visions are more like a picture (or sometimes a movie), which you perceive when you are awake. During a vision, your physical eyes can either be open or shut. It really doesn't matter, because you are essentially using your spiritual eyes to see into the spiritual realm through the use of your mind or imagination.

For example, in Acts 9:10-17,  Ananias had a vision from the Lord in which he was instructed to go lay his hands on Saul and pray for him to receive his sight.  In Acts 10:9-16, Peter had a vision of a sheet filled with unclean animals which he was instructed to eat. 

God spoke to Zechariah through a vision, but that is not his only method of communication.  He also speaks through dreams, his word, or impressions upon your heart/mind.   Sometimes he sends messages to us through angels.  He even communicates with us through art, music or nature.  

The important thing to know is that God does not limit his communication to religious leaders or prophets.  He speaks to all Christians:

John 10:27 - My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: 

Let me repeat that:  If you are a Christian, God is speaking to YOU.  It is up to you to train your eyes and ears so you can see/hear him.  If you need further instructions, there are many good resources available which will teach you how to do just that.   

 

Zechariah saw his vision during the night.  Is there any significance to that?

Not necessarily. 'Nighttime' may simply have been the time he set aside each day to meditate on the law. Or maybe it was the only time he was by himself and able to fully pay attention to the vision.

However, there are some commentators who think the darkness was reflective of the current state of Israel – the light of the nation was dim compared to her former power and glory. 

Other scholars believe the darkness shows that Israel's current understanding of God's future plans was dim or dark, but the visions of Zechariah gave them glimpses of the future when God would bring his plans to full light.

Yet another theory says that the darkness was emblematic of the affliction under which the Jews groaned.

Regardless of whether the timing was significant or not, we know that Zechariah sees the following:

A man riding on a red horse:  This man is clearly the leader of the host who follows behind him.  As we will see, the others report to him and he instructs the angel, who then communicates with Zechariah.

Two main theories have been given as to the identity of the man on the red horse.

One theory claims it is an angel in the form of a man.  Those who hold to this theory believe it may be the angel Gabriel who also appeared to Daniel (Daniel 9:21), Zechariah (Luke 1:19) and Mary (Luke 1:26-27).

Another, more widely accepted view, says that the man on the red horse is a theophany – a manifestation or incarnation of Jesus which occurred before he was born on earth.     

For example, many believe that it was Jesus who appeared to Joshua just before the conquest of the Promised Land (Joshua 5:13-15).  In this account, the 'man' instructed Joshua to remove his shoes because he was standing on holy ground.  He also accepted worship from Joshua.  He identified himself as the captain of the Lord's army, which certainly corresponds to the role of Jesus.  We find similar appearances of Christ in Daniel 7:13-14, Daniel 10:5-6 and Exodus 3:2.

Those who believe the rider of the red horse was Jesus point out to the following facts:

• The rider cries out to God, advocating for the Jews; Jesus is the advocate of the saints.
• The rider speaks good and comforting words to the Jews; Jesus speaks comforting words to Christians.
• The rider comes swiftly to the aid of his followers; Jesus comes swiftly to the aid of the church.

In addition, at that time in history, common people rode donkeys. Riding a horse was a sign of majesty and glory which was reserved for kings or generals (Psalms 45:4).

For the purposes of our study, we will assume the rider on the red horse was Jesus.   

 His horse is red, which is often used as an emblem of war and bloodshed (Revelation 6:4).  In this particular vision, the red horse may symbolize the vengeance of God that will be visited upon the enemies of the Jews (see verse 15). 

Standing among the myrtle trees in the glen: Here is some information you might find helpful: Not every detail of a vision, prophesy, or parable has a corresponding element in its interpretation. In this case, the myrtle trees have no real significance.  They are present because they would be a natural part of an outdoor scene that involved men on horseback, who were traveling throughout the land.

Behind him were red, sorrel and white horses:  The riders of these horses are universally recognized as angels.  Angelic forces are known to be organized much like human military units.  They have different branches, ranks, levels of authority and areas of expertise.  For this reason, the different colors of the horses are thought to represent different ranks of angels who were under the command of Christ.   

 

Zechariah 1:9 – "Then I said, 'What are these, my Lord?'  The angel who talked with me said to me, 'I will show you what they are.'"

If you don't fully understand the vision at this point you're in good company – Zechariah doesn't understand it either.  When has asks for clarification, God sends a ministering angel to assist him (Hebrews 1:14). 

This angel is distinct from the beings seen in the actual vision. His job was to present the visions to Zechariah's mind/imagination and then to function as a guide and interpreter who would assist Zechariah in understanding the things he was shown. For ease and clarity, we refer to him as the 'assisting angel' from now on.

Zechariah 1:10-11 – "So the man who was standing among the myrtle trees answered, 'These are they whom the Lord has sent to patrol the earth.' And they answered the angel of the Lord who was standing among the myrtle trees, and said, 'We have patrolled the earth, and behold, all the earth remains at rest.'"

In response to Zechariah's question, the assisting angel turns to the leader on the red horse (Jesus) who provides the answer to his question.  This demonstrates that all information given to Zechariah by the assisting angel comes from Jesus.  This will be true in all of the visions.   

 

Jesus says that the angels on the horses patrol the whole earth (not just Israel), taking note of the affairs of mankind.

No mention is made of these angels executing judgment on God's behalf or of them rescuing people. This leads to the conclusion that the orders of these specific angels are limited to inspection and reporting. They either report to a higher angel or directly to the Lord.

Was this a temporary assignment or a permanent one?  Although we have limited information from the vision, we get the distinct impression from the context that this was a permanent duty for this particular subset of angels.

But I also want to point out that God does send other angels on unceasing errands to counter Satan's plans and to defend and rescue his people:

Psalms 34:7 – The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear him, and delivers them.

(See also Psalms 91:11, Psalms 103:20-21, etc).   

Now, at this point, we need to stop and clarify something. 

God is omniscient.  This means that he knows absolutely everything.  He is aware of all the events, decisions, thoughts, and actions of every individual person as well as every nation in the world, at every moment in time (Psalms 139:1-4).  In fact, he even knows what will happen before it actually occurs (Isaiah 46:9-10).  Therefore, God has no real need for angels to patrol the earth and report their findings back to him. 

Since that is the case, what is the purpose of the angels in the vision?

The vision is to give comfort and encouragement to the Jews. God condescended to the level of his people to teach them/give them a picture of his love and care for them. Let me explain.

From Israel's perspective, things are not good.  In fact, the situation is depressing.  The nation experienced the wrath of God and was sent into exile.  Even though God had opened the door for them to return to Jerusalem, they face opposition from the Samaritans and Gentiles at every turn.  Construction on the temple had only recently begun again and the walls/gates of Jerusalem were still in shambles. 

The people were poor, discouraged and tired. No doubt, they often wondered if God took any notice of them at all. Furthermore, they questioned that if God did see them, why wasn't he doing anything? Why were their enemies at rest when they were constantly under duress?

 

So, the picture of numerous angelic hosts patrolling the earth and reporting to God is a simple yet concrete way for the Jews to understand that God is always watching.

He is taking note of every event that happens. He is well aware of the trouble that other nations/people are giving the Jews, and at the proper time, he will move into action.

Have you ever experienced a time when you wondered if God saw you or your situation?  If so, remember the vision of the angels and be reassured that God is keeping a close watch on you, just as he did the Jews of Zechariah's day.

The angels on horseback confirm that they have indeed traveled through the world, as instructed.  Their investigations reveal that all the nations of the earth are at rest or peace.  In other words, there is an absence of war and calamity on the earth.  History confirms that this was true in the second year of the reign of Darius. 

This rest contrasted with the unrest and hardships being experienced by the Jews who had returned to Jerusalem.  Although rest had been promised to them, they were not yet experiencing it.  The walls/gates of Jerusalem were still broken down (Nehemiah 1:3, 2:3), and work on the temple had only recently started again.  There was a lot of work to be done, and the Samaritans and Gentiles were still actively opposing them at every turn.

But the vision indicates that their present distress will not last forever. God was not asleep on his throne; at the appointed time he would step in and punish those who abused the Jews.

Zechariah 1:12 – "Then the angel of the Lord said, 'O Lord of hosts, how long will you have no mercy on Jerusalem and the cities of Judah, against which you have been angry these seventy years?'"

Again, the Angel of the Lord is the one who rides a red horse and stands as leader among the myrtle trees.  This is none other than Jesus, the Son of God, the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world (Revelation 13:8) and the only Mediator between God and man (I Timothy 2:5).

The vision portrays the passionate and fervent intercession of Jesus as he calls out to his Father (the Lord of Hosts). There can be no doubt that Jesus sees and is affected by their afflictions. His intensity demonstrates the level of compassion he has for his people. He cries out for both their temporal and spiritual good.

The phrase 'how long will you have no mercy' is not a complaint; it is the heartfelt request of one who has been touched by our infirmities and is longing for mercy (Psalms 13:1-2, Revelation 6:10).

The stated term of 70 years is a bit tricky to understand.  We know that the period of the Babylonian captivity was 70 years, but this cannot be the seventy years mentioned here, because that time period was well past.  By the time Zechariah saw this vision the Jews had been back in Jerusalem for 18 years. 

What 70-year time period is mentioned here?  Rather than referring to the period of captivity, it seems to refer to refer to the period when there was no temple and thus no place of fellowship between God and his children. 

The destruction of Solomon's temple occurred at the same time King Zedekiah was removed from Jerusalem to Babylon (roughly 588 BC; see Jeremiah 52:9-13).  At the time of this vision (516 BC), it was in the process of being rebuilt, so this was likely the period in question. 

The focus or point of this question is the lack of fellowship between God and man.

Zechariah 1:13 – And the Lord answered gracious and comforting words to the angel who talked with me.

In response to the prayer/petition for mercy, Jesus gave the angel (and Zechariah) words of comfort and consolation.  These were reassurances from God that his anger towards Israel was appeased and he would soon bring to pass all the promises that he had made to her.  Because of his great love and compassion for Israel, he would once again bestow his favor and blessings upon the nation (Isaiah 57:16-19).    

This ties in with a word given much earlier by the prophet Isaiah:

Isaiah 40:1-2 - Comfort you, comfort you my people, says your God.  Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and cry unto her, that her warfare is accomplished, that her iniquity is pardoned: for she has received of the LORD's hand double for all her sins.

Zechariah 1:14 – So the angel who talked with me said to me, "Cry out, 'Thus says the Lord of hosts: I am exceedingly jealous for Jerusalem and for Zion.'"

The assisting angel instructs Zechariah to 'cry out'.  In other words, the vision was not just for his edification or comfort.  He was to proclaim this good news to the entire nation.

Specifically, he was to inform the people that God was 'exceedingly jealous for Jerusalem'.  What does that mean?

This is an expression that clearly declares the boundless love of God for his people.  Because it is difficult, if not impossible, for us truly to understand the depth of God's love toward us, God often uses an analogy to express it.  Sometimes he likens himself to a husband, with the Jews (or the church) as his wife.  Other times he expresses his love in terms of the relationship of a Father to his children. 

In both/either case, God is showing that he is, was and will continue be utterly devoted to/in love with his people.  He is fully and zealously committed to blessing his people, showering them with favor and leading them to the incredible destiny he has prepared for them.

In addition, he has a strong feeling of indignation against their enemies.   

Now let's stop and consider the outlook of the Jews for a minute. Although they had returned from captivity, they were not experiencing the joy, rest or favor of God. Because of this, they doubted his love for them. They felt like God was neglecting them or that he was indifferent and unconcerned about their struggles.

But they were wrong.  The Lord of Hosts (the God with infinite power and resources) was like a jealous husband or father, who was getting ready to wage war on anyone who harmed his loved ones.    

 Zechariah 1:15 – 'And I am exceedingly angry with the nations that are at ease; for while I was angry but a little, they furthered the disaster.'

There is no doubt that God had disciplined his people for their idolatry by sending them into captivity.  Much like a loving Father, it probably broke God's heart to do so, but he had to correct his people for their own benefit.

Proverbs 3:12 - For whom the LORD loves he corrects; even as a father the son in whom he delights.

There is also no doubt that God used the Gentile nations of the world as his method of punishment; it was the Assyrians and the Babylonians who took Israel into captivity. 

But while God's intent was correction through punishment, the Gentile nations were bent upon the total destruction of the Jews.

As the Gentiles of the world were enjoying a period of prosperity and peace (no wars or national calamities), they not only turned a blind eye to the suffering and hardships of God's people, they continued to cruelly abuse and oppress them, multiplying their misery and distress. 

God wants his people to know that he sees the injustice being done to them, and it has aroused his jealous anger.

Zechariah 1:16 – Therefore, thus says the Lord, 'I have returned to Jerusalem with mercy; my house shall be built in it, declares the Lord of hosts, and the measuring line shall be stretched out over Jerusalem.'

God now announces the action he is going to take.  He gives the Jews a message of hope, pardon and reconciliation.  Their punishment is over; they have been pardoned. 

The proof of his favor and presence among them was that the temple (the place of fellowship between God and man) was going to be rebuilt. Once again, divine worship would be restored. Once again, people would celebrate the festivals. Once again they would honor God with sacrifices/offerings.

Sure enough, this came to pass just as God said.  We know the foundations of the temple had been laid many years earlier, and that work had ceased until the call of Haggai in the second year of Darius (Haggai 2:18, Zechariah 1:1).  It is also good to know that the temple was finally completed in the sixth year of Darius (Ezra 6:15).  

Thus, God was giving his people hope and encouragement through this vision.  Their current condition was not going to last forever; therefore they should rejoice as they set about the work before them.  They had good reason to look to the future with hope and expectancy, because God had returned to Jerusalem!

God also declares that he will stretch a measuring line over Jerusalem. What does that mean?  Today, carpenters use a tool called a tape measure.  They use this device to take measurements while building.  The measuring line mentioned here is used in the same context; it speaks of God ensuring the rebuilding not only of the temple, but also the walls, gates, streets and houses of Jerusalem. 

The rebuilding would not be haphazard, but methodical and full of purpose.  The buildings would have both beauty and strength due to the skill and artistic ability of the people.  God had a plan and he was bringing it to pass!     

Zechariah 1:17 – 'Cry out again, Thus says the Lord of hosts: My cities shall again overflow with prosperity, and the Lord will again comfort Zion and again choose Jerusalem.'

The phrase 'cry out again' indicates that a further promise is being made. 

Not only will Jerusalem be rebuilt, it (and the other cities of Judah) would again overflow with good (earthly prosperity and happiness as well as spiritual blessings).  This would be an indication that God had chosen or favored the city of Jerusalem and his people. 

According to John Calvin in his Old Testament commentary, the original phrase translated 'overflow with prosperity' actually means 'to wear out through abundance of blessings'.

The implication is that all the ruined cities of Judah would not just be restored, they would increase and spread out with an explosion of population. Furthermore, such an enormous volume/amount of blessings will be placed upon them, that they will be crushed or squeezed by the weight of them; they would not be able to contain them.

This overflow of good things would be a sign that God's favor had returned to them; his goodness and love again rested upon his people.

From the perspective of the Jews back in Zechariah's day, this was an astonishing promise. It was hard enough to believe that the temple and the city would be rebuilt; the level of prosperity that God promised was too much to comprehend.  Such a thing could only be accomplished by the Lord of Hosts.

This promise was a further word of encouragement and strength to the people who had grown weary in their work. It spurred them into action and soon produced the blessings God described. We know that the Jews began to prosper once again under the leadership of Nehemiah and Zerubbabel.

And of course, they were always spiritually blessed. The culmination of that blessing occurred when Jesus the Messiah was born into their midst to deliver the gospel of salvation, which overflowed Jerusalem into Judea and unto the uttermost parts of the world. Hallelujah!

We expect the vision to be fulfilled once again in the future, when Israel finally recognizes Jesus as Messiah and the Jews will be converted.  This will be the final proof that God has chosen them and not cast them off or rejected them.

Now that we have taken the time to examine the first vision of Zechariah, it's time to ask ourselves a question:  Could this vision have a fulfillment in our generation?

What do you think?  I believe the answer is 'yes'.

Much like ancient Israel, the church in America has been unfaithful to God especially in the last 50 years. Our love for him has grown cold.  We legalized the killing of innocent children (abortion), kicked God out of the public arena (including our schools and government), and set about serving our own interests (money, pleasure, etc). 

Because of that, we find our nation in a current state of crisis.  Chaos is everywhere.  Our government is out of control, our economy is in danger of failing, the police cannot maintain law and order, and the courts no longer provide justice. 

More and more, the church is being oppressed by unbelievers. They actively oppose us as we try to take back the nation which was established under God. At the same time, we seem to be powerless and ineffective in promoting God and stemming the current tide of evil. It would be easy to slip into a state of despair and cease to do the work of the Lord.

But, like ancient Israel, God has not cast us off!  Jesus intercedes on our behalf before the Father, who jealously loves us.   

Romans 8:34 - Who is he that condemns? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us.

Hebrews 7:25 - Therefore he [Jesus] is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever lives to make intercession for them.

Although it is hard to see any change yet, God has spoken through his modern day prophets to assure his church that he has seen our repentance and he is going to heal our land (II Chronicles 7:14). He will cause us to succeed in our destiny – to preach the gospel to the ends of the earth.

As we continue to repent and pray, God is going to send a mighty revival to America.  The church will not only be restored, it will multiply and overflow with a new population (harvest) of believers. 

Just like ancient Israel, Christians can expect the blessings of God (both temporal and spiritual) to be poured out upon us.  We will then use these blessings to harvest even more souls for the kingdom. 

Although this may seem impossible at the moment, let us receive these words of faith and act accordingly; let us renew our commitment to the work of building God's house (the church) just as ancient Israel did!

In closing, let me encourage you to reread the information about the vision and see what parallels you can find between Israel and America.  There are a few more that I did not take the time to mention, but I bet you can find them on your own.   

  

Let me offer you some encouragement:

We all have times when it seems as if the heavens are closed and God isn't opening them up to us any time soon.  But as we saw in Zechariah's vision, that is not the truth.

During those times when we don't see him moving in our situation, we must live in faith. We must stand on the truth of his promises and reject the lies that Satan speaks through our circumstances.

We can take comfort in Zechariah's vision because it proves that God sees us and loves us; it reveals that he is busy behind the scenes working all things out for our good!

 

Let me offer you some relief:

The Israelites made their share of mistakes.  So have we.  But like Israel, we can't let those mistakes define us or ruin our future.  If we repent and return to the Lord, we can rest assured that he will draw near to us with open arms.  He is able to give us beauty for ashes, joy for mourning and a spirit of praise instead of a spirit of heaviness (Isaiah 61:3).

This is also true for our nation. We have sinned greatly in the sight of God, but we cannot let those past mistakes ruin the destiny that God has planned for America.

Holy Spirit is calling believers everywhere to repent in response to our national sins and to pray for revival.  Let's continue to heed this call and watch as God restores and blesses our nation once again.

 

Let me offer you some strength:

Life for the Jews of Zechariah's time was not a bed of roses.  It was a time of warfare and hardship.  But through that struggle, they got to witness the rebirth of the temple and their nation.  In the end, I bet they thought their struggles were worth it, because they had something worthwhile to pass on to the next generation.

I believe the same is true for the church today.  It will take spiritual (and fleshly) warfare in order to get America back on the path of righteousness.  We may be called to struggle or bear hardships.  But if we will answer the call, God will bless us immeasurably.  Plus, we will have the pleasure of knowing that we have something worthwhile to pass on to our children and grandchildren.  Isn't that worth fighting for?

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Zechariah 1:1 – In the eighth month, in the second year of Darius, the word of the Lord came to the prophet Zechariah, the son of Berechiah, son of Iddo, saying,

Welcome to our study of Zechariah.  The first verse of this book essentially gives us Zechariah's credentials. 

He is the son of Berechiah and the grandson of Iddo.  However, in the book of Ezra (Ezra 5:1, 6:14) he is referred to only as the son of Iddo.  According to the reckoning of the Jews this most likely means that Berechiah died very young and Zechariah was raised by his grandfather.  He was born in Babylon and brought back to Jerusalem as an infant.  

According to Nehemiah 12:12-16, Iddo and Zechariah were priests, who served under the high priest Joshua (Joshua will be mentioned in one of the visions of Zechariah).  This means that Zechariah served as a priest before being called to the office of prophet.  Even after being assigned the office of prophet, Zechariah continued in the priesthood. 

But regardless of his lineage or experience, the foundation of his ministry rested on one irrefutable fact:  God had divinely appointed him to the prophetic office.  God spoke directly to him, and it was then his responsibility to deliver that message to Israel, regardless of the outcome. 

In a best-case scenario, Zechariah would be honored and revered as the messenger of God.  The Jews would listen to the message, follow God's commands and everyone (including Zechariah) would live happy, fulfilled, and prosperous lives from that moment forward.  But in the case of the prophets of Israel, this was rarely the outcome. 

More often, the prophets were both feared and hated among their own countrymen.  They were cast into prison, mocked, threatened, bound, starved, abused and even killed for the message they delivered.  Make no mistake - the office of a prophet was a tough role to fulfill.  It has sometimes been joked that God appointed them because no one would volunteer for the job!

Before the captivity, it was common practice for the prophets to date their messages by using the reigns of the kings of Judah or Israel.  For example, Jeremiah dates his first message like this:

 

Jeremiah 1:2 – Jeremiah to whom the word of the Lord came in the days of Josiah the son of Amon, king of Judah, in the thirteenth year of his reign.

Because of this, we know what was going on in the nation when the prophets spoke, and we can surmise a fairly accurate date for their prophecy.  This also aids us in understanding/interpreting their messages.

Zechariah, however, is ministering after the collapse of the monarchy and subsequent captivity, so he dates his messages by the reign of Darius, king of Persia who ruled the Jews at that time.  Haggai, who ministered during the same time frame, also uses the reign of Darius to date his messages (Haggai 1:1). 

Zechariah 1:2 – "The Lord was very angry with your fathers."

For the Jewish people, there was an enormous amount of history included in this very short sentence.  None of the implications of it escaped their attention; indeed, the words of the prophet most assuredly struck terror/dread into the hearts and minds of that generation.

In order for us to understand what is happening, we need to review just a bit of that history.

God promised to give his people a land flowing with milk and honey where they could live in close communion with him, serve him, worship him, and be a blessing to all the nations of the earth.

We know that God kept his promise.  Israel became a nation, and she lived in peace and prosperity for many years.  God blessed her, expanded her territory, and gave her victory over her enemies.  All this time Israel had fellowship with God through sacrifices, offerings, festivals, worship, and keeping the law. 

Although Israel made mistakes along the way, God was willing to hear and forgive when the people repented.  Once a year, on the Day of Atonement, he covered the sin of Israel with the blood of an animal (Leviticus 16:1-30). 

But there was one grievous and persistent sin which eventually led to Israel's downfall: Idolatry.

Jehovah had blessed Israel with every material and spiritual blessing imaginable.  When the Jews turned around and gave the glory/praise/thanksgiving for these blessings to a false idol or demonic spirit, it was a slap in the face to God, and he wasn't going to stand for it. 

That kind of behavior also profaned and disgraced God's holy name in front of the heathen nations.  Instead of being a living witness to the love and mercy of God, Israel became a billboard for serving Satan.  God made it very clear that that behavior made him angry, and he would discipline Israel for it (Deuteronomy 6:12-15, Judges 2:11-15).

But the people of Israel did not listen or heed the warning.  They rebelled against the Lord.  As you read through the books of Judges, Kings and Chronicles, you will find that (with very few exceptions) the nation constantly worshiped Baal, Molech, Chemosh, Ashtoreth and other false gods.

In response, God once again kept his promises – he displaced Judah (and Israel) from their land.  He allowed the vile Babylonians to devastate the land, destroy the temple and burn Jerusalem.  The Jews once again fell into bondage/slavery to a foreign power.  They were no longer self-governing.  They were no longer prosperous.  They were cut off from all forms of fellowship with the Lord (sacrifices, festivals, temple worship, etc) and they had no high priest who could consult the Lord on their behalf:

Hosea 3:4 – For the children of Israel shall abide many days without a king, without a prince and without a sacrifice, and without an image, and without an ephod.

At the same time, the Jews suffered a kind of identity crisis.  All Israelites had a very strong sense of national pride.  Being one of God's chosen people and dwelling in the Promised Land was a part of the very fiber of their being.  It was part of their identity as individuals and as a nation.  Banishment from the land struck the very core of who the Israelites believed themselves to be.  Everywhere they turned, they were faced with confusion and chaos. 

All this was the result of God's judgment upon Israel for her idolatry.  The nation had been humbled and humiliated by God, so that he could once again restore fellowship with them.      

This was the devastating history that Zechariah was referring to when he said 'the Lord was angry with your fathers'. 

Now keep in mind that Zechariah was addressing a new generation of Israelites which God brought back to Jerusalem after the 70 year exile.  He instructed them to rebuild the walls of the city and the temple.  They started that task, but due to severe opposition, they never finished.  In response, God sent Zechariah (and Haggai) to stir up or motivate the people to finish their work. 

Zechariah's opening statement no doubt triggered grave concern in the minds of the current generation.  The last thing they wanted to do was provoke God as their forefathers had done.  There can be no doubt that God had their attention!

Zechariah 1:3 – "Therefore say to them, 'Thus declares the Lord of Hosts:  Return to me, says the Lord of hosts, and I will return to you, says the Lord of Hosts.'"

Now we see the true reason for striking fear/dread into the minds of the Jews – it instantly captured their attention and put them into a state of willingness to follow the Lord's commands.  In this case, the command is for the people to return to the Lord.

What is meant by that?

God was looking for a sincere state of repentance from his people.  Remember, the Jews willingly returned to the land when God called them, but they soon gave up on God's agenda and became devoted to their own private concerns.  They set about trying establish their own niche in society/culture, and amass their own wealth.  They began to marry heathen women and otherwise forsake the laws of God.    

They claimed to be God's people, but in reality their hearts and minds were far from him. 

It was important for them to understand that God wasn't looking for 'lip service'.  He didn't want Israel to simply go through religious motions; he wanted their hearts and minds to be his.  He wanted to fellowship with them in a true relationship, on the most intimate level possible. 

If Israel truly wanted to be God's people, they needed to return to him body, soul, mind and spirit.  This required not only an acknowledgement of sin, but a change of heart and a commitment to reform their future actions.

The good news is that God assured Israel that if they would turn to him, he would welcome them back; their relationship could be fully restored.    

It's no accident that God referred to himself as 'The Lord of Hosts' three times in this passage.  That title, which is frequently found in both Haggai and Zechariah, implies God's boundless resources and universal power.  Clearly, if Israel was willing to repent, God would once again move on her behalf just as he had done during the conquest of the Promised Land.  He would make Israel successful in all of her endeavors.

Here is something else to consider: God was not asking his people to do the impossible.  The command of God to 'return to me' clearly indicates that the Jews had the power to repent and return to him, if only they would.  In other words, if they would only take advantage of the grace God had already offered to them, God would take them back.

How does this apply to us?

There is no doubt that on an individual basis, God wants a deeper relationship with each one of us.  The apostle James tells us this:

James 4:8 – Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you.  Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded.

The interesting thing about this verse is that James is NOT addressing unbelievers.  He is giving a warning to Christians against worldliness. 

The fact is, as Christians we can fall into the same traps as the ancient Israelites did.  We start to mimic the culture around us, instead of presenting a true picture of the holiness of our God.  We have a tendency to devote too much time and energy into acquiring the things of this world, while neglecting the work of the kingdom.

The good news is that God is calling us to return to fellowship with him, just as he called the Israelites:   

Revelation 3:20 – Behold, I [Jesus] stand at the door and knock.  If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me.

Again, this verse is not being spoken to unbelievers!  It is spoken to the church of Laodicea; it is directed at Christians.  In light of these verses, it is apparent that each one of us has room to enhance our relationship with God.  Each one of us has been personally invited by the Lord of Hosts to enter a deeper and more intimate relationship with him. 

But it will take repentance on our part – not only a confession of past mistakes, but a change of heart and a commitment to cleanse ourselves of the world and change our actions going forward. 

On the surface, that sounds simple enough.  But practically speaking, it can be very difficult!  If we are honest, all of us probably have some sins in our lives that we don't really want to admit, much less give up. 

Plus, the more we strive for personal holiness, the more different we become from the world and the more we open ourselves up to ridicule or abuse.  But the bottom line is that we must make a choice.

Remember, God's offer implies that he will give us the capacity to change if we desire it.  When we accept his offer to draw closer to him, Holy Spirit will be right beside us, helping to prune those dead spots from our lives, giving us boldness and making us more fruitful for his kingdom. 

Let's also look at this verse through a national lens. 

Just like Israel, America was founded on a covenant with God.  For many years, we kept him at the center of our nation, and we prospered.  But that is no longer the case – we have slipped into idolatry; we now worship money, sex and self gratification.  As a result, violence, corruption, chaos and financial ruin are now at our door.  In my opinion, it is only the grace of God that is keeping our nation from crumbling around us. 

But I believe that the Lord of Hosts is making the same offer to us that he made to Israel.  If we will return to him, he will return to us and heal our land:

II Chronicles 7:14 – If my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land.

This task will be difficult.  It will involve prayer, drawing closer to God and establishing personal holiness.  We will need Holy Spirit to give us supernatural boldness to stand for Christ in a dark culture.

Zechariah 1:4 – "Do not be like your fathers, to whom the former prophets cried out, 'Thus says the Lord of Hosts, return from your evil ways and from your evil deeds.'"  But they did not hear or pay attention to me, declares the Lord.

Evil Ways – This phrase refers to all forms of idolatry and idolatrous worship.

Evil Deeds – This refers to all the immorality and other sins/transgressions of the law practiced by the Jews.

Your Fathers – This refers to former leaders and influential people of society who helped determine the course of the nation. This would include the kings, the elders of the nation and even some of the priests.

Zechariah tells us that these leaders were not righteous followers of God.  They had been warned on numerous occasions to turn from their evil ways and serve the Lord, but they refused:  

II Chronicles 36:15-16 – The Lord, the God of their fathers, sent persistently to them by his messengers, because he had compassion on his people and on his dwelling place.  But they kept mocking the messengers of God, despising his words and scoffing at his prophets, until the wrath of the Lord rose against his people, until there was no remedy.

Although we have no way of identifying every idolatrous elder or wayward priest, we can certainly identify some of the kings who led the nation away from God.  These would include Ahab and Jezebel, Omri, Jeroboam son of Nebat, Manasseh, etc. 

Can you name more of the idolatrous leaders of Judah/Israel and give examples of how they sinned?

Former Prophets – Old Testament prophets served in multiple capacities. They predicted coming events, exhorted people to repentance, enforced God's laws, announced judgment for disobedience and served in pastoral roles.

Although Israel had prophets all throughout her history, Zechariah is referring specifically to the prophets who ministered between the time Israel entered the Promised Land and the time she went into captivity. 

This would include Isaiah, Jeremiah and many of the minor prophets such as Hosea, Haggai, and Zechariah.  It also includes prophets who did not have their works preserved in separate biblical books.  Notable Old Testament examples include Elijah, Elisha, Nathan, Azariah, Gad and Micaiah.

The bottom line is that when the leaders of Israel fell into sin and rebellion, God responded by warning them to repent.  It wasn't just a single warning; he sent multiple messages through multiple prophets:

Jeremiah 25:3-6 – "For twenty-three years, from the thirteenth year of Josiah the son of Amon, king of Judah, to this day, the word of the Lord has come to me, and I have spoken persistently to you, but you have not listened.  You have neither listened nor inclined your ears to hear, although the Lord persistently sent to you all his servants the prophets saying, 'Turn now, every one of you, from his evil way and evil deeds do not go after other goes to serve and worship them, or provoke me to anger with the work of your hands.  Then I will do you harm.'"

Despite the warnings of the prophets, the former leaders of Israel did not listen, and eventually they were sent into captivity (Psalms 78:54-61).  This is the point that Zechariah is now making to the current generation of Jews.  They were well aware of the judgment leveled against their ancestors.  Zechariah implores them not to make the same mistake.  They MUST repent and serve the Lord, or judgment will fall upon them too.

Zechariah 1:5 – "Your fathers, where are they?  And the prophets, do they live forever?

This verse has been interpreted in slightly different ways. 

One interpretation, which was favored by the ancient scholars, said that God asks the question 'Your fathers, where are they?' The implication is that the hopes, plans and desires of their ancestors remained unfulfilled because their lives were cut short by their rebellion against the Lord.

In response, the idolatrous Jews answered, 'Do the prophets live forever?'  They seem to push back by saying that the righteous prophets also died prematurely in many instances while leaving behind unfinished plans.  Therefore, there is no real difference between the righteous and the wicked.  

Another interpretation asserts that the prophets mentioned here are not righteous prophets, but false prophets. In this explanation, God is telling the Jews that their idolatrous ancestors and the false prophets they followed were both dead; nothing they did had any lasting value. In fact, their leadership took the nation into captivity. Therefore, if the current generation of the Jews wanted to re-establish the covenant and the nation of Israel, they should renew their commitment to God.

A third interpretation says that the question 'Your fathers where are they?' refers to the tombs of their ancestors.  The implication is that because of their idolatry, the Jews were sent into captivity, and thus they died in a foreign land, which was a great disgrace to the children of Israel.  They brought this fate upon themselves, through their disobedience and refusal to repent.

This theory maintains that the question 'do the prophets live forever?' refers to the fact that after the ministry of Zechariah and Malachi, there were no more prophets until the time of Christ. 

Regardless of which interpretation we choose, the overall meaning becomes clear when we look at verse six:

Zechariah 1:6 - But my words and statutes, which I commanded my servants the prophets, did they not overtake your fathers?  So they repented and said, 'As the Lord of hosts purposed to deal with us for our ways and deeds, so has he dealt with us.'"

 

All men, whether righteous or wicked, will die sooner rather than later and their memories will eventually disappear from the earth.  By contrast, the word of God is permanent and lasting.  It will never fade away or be extinguished and it always proves itself to be true (I Peter 1:24-25). 

In this verse, God is reasoning with his children.  He reminded them of the terrible judgment brought upon their ancestors as a result of rebelling against his laws and statutes.  In fact, after the promised judgments had come to pass and the people were in captivity, even their rebellious forefathers (the ones that were still alive) admitted that God had dealt justly with them.  They suffered, but that suffering was brought about by their own actions. 

And here is the really important part:  Since God does not change, the current generation could expect to experience the same (or worse) judgments if they too rebelled against God.  

Thus, Zechariah's message is really one of mercy, grace and encouragement.  The Jews are once again being given an invitation to repent and embrace the Lord with all of their heart, soul, mind and strength.  If they answer the call, God will bless them as his obedient children.  But if they refuse/rebel, they will not escape judgment any more than their ancestors did (Isaiah 1:16-20).

It was time for God's people to get moving again!

 

Let me offer you some encouragement:

God issued a personal invitation to the people of Israel to return to him.  He wasn't interested in vain religious exercises; he wanted a people who were devoted to having a relationship with him. 

God is making the same offer to us today.  He stands at the door of our heart and knocks, desiring to be admitted into a deeper place in our lives.  Opening the door to him is both simple and difficult, because it will require change in our lives.  But in the end a closer, deeper walk with Christ will be well worth the price! 

 

Let me offer you some relief:

As we noted in today's post, God gives us the capacity to draw closer to him.  As we do, Holy Spirit will actively help us to prune sin out of our lives. 

In the natural realm, you don't prune plants too much at one time, because it will shock and harm the plant.  The same is true in a spiritual sense.

If you feel overwhelmed by the amount of sin that needs pruned from your life, don't despair.  Ask Holy Spirit to help you pick a single thing/area that needs cleaned up and conquer that area before going any further.  Holiness is a process that takes place over time.

 

Let me offer you some strength:

God consistently refers to himself as 'The Lord of Hosts'.  As we mentioned, this implies his boundless resources and universal power. To put it another way, nothing is impossible for God!

God called Zechariah to a destiny that was impossible in his own strength.  But the prophet was successful because he trusted and followed the Lord of Hosts.

What is God calling you to do?  My guess is that it will be just as impossible as the task set before Zechariah.  But if you will surrender to the Lord of Hosts, he will cause you to succeed too!  

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Welcome back, readers! Two weeks ago, I decided that we would study the book of James. But the more I tried to make that happen, the more I realized Holy Spirit wanted to do something else.

At his prompting, we are going to switch gears and take a look at the Old Testament book of Zechariah.

When was the last time you read or studied the Old Testament book of Zechariah? If the answer is 'never' or 'a long time ago', then I think you will find our current study interesting.

Zechariah is considered one of the Minor prophets. What does that mean?

For our own ease, we classify the Old Testament prophets into two categories:  Major prophets and Minor prophets.  This designation has nothing to do with the importance or significance of their messages.  The difference between the two it is nothing more than the amount or volume of written work that is present in the scriptures.     

Thus, the longer books (Isaiah, Jeremiah, Daniel and Ezekiel) are considered Major prophets, while the smaller works (the last 12 books of the Old Testament, including Zechariah) are considered Minor prophets.

Is it worthwhile to study the Minor Prophets?

Many people hesitate to study the Minor prophets. They either feel that the messages are not applicable to the current generation, or that the works are too difficult to understand. Let's briefly address those issues.

Like all prophetic words, Zechariah's messages will have multiple fulfillments. As we will see, the word he gave clearly had a significant fulfillment or meaning for the people of that day. But because of the astonishing greatness of Holy Spirit, that same message will also have multiple fulfillments in the generations after Zechariah's death.

So, is God speaking to this generation through Zechariah?  The only way to know for sure is to study his message!

Will we understand every single facet of this Old Testament book? No, we definitely will not. But I would argue that the same is true for any book of the Bible. Have you ever read a particular portion of scripture "a million times" only to find that Holy Spirit suddenly reveals something new to you through that passage? Did you subsequently wonder why you never saw that truth before?

We should not be surprised when this occurs; it is the work of Holy Spirit.  He searches the mind of the Father and reveals things to us so our understanding is increased.      

I Corinthians 2:10-12 – For the Spirit searches everything, even the depths of God.  For who knows a person's thoughts except the spirit of that person, which is in him?  So also no one comprehends the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God.  Now we have received not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might understand the things freely given us by God.  

In other words, as we study and seek understanding from the word of God, Holy Spirit will reveal greater, deeper and more complex truths to us.  He will give us timely understanding of the kingdom principles that apply to our generation.  Thus, we will always benefit from studying scripture, even if we don't fully understand every single aspect of it.

When did Zechariah prophesy?

Zechariah, the author of the book bearing his name, includes a few dates within his work.  The first date corresponds to October/November of 520 BC.  A few months later (February of 519 BC), he gave a series of eight visions.  He gives yet another word from the Lord in December of 518 BC.  However, no dates are given in chapters 9-14. 

All we know for sure is that his ministry lasted at least two years, but probably more.  There may have been a gap of time after chapter 8 and before chapters 9-14.

Why did Zechariah prophesy?

God called Zechariah (and Haggai) to encourage the remnant of Jews who had returned to Jerusalem from captivity. God called these Jews for a special mission – to rebuild his temple and the walls of Jerusalem.

But due to opposition (see discussion below), the work had all but stopped. In fact, no progress had been made on the temple foundation for almost sixteen years! It was time for the people to lean into God and finish their task; God sent his prophets to encourage the people and get them moving once again.

Who was Zechariah speaking to when he delivered his messages/visions?

He spoke directly to Zerubbabel the governor, Joshua the high priest and the people who had returned to Jerusalem to rebuild the temple.

In a broader sense, we could say that Zechariah spoke to the civil/judicial authorities, the religious leaders and all the believers dedicated to doing the work of the Lord.

Historically speaking, what was happening with Israel when Zechariah gave his message?

Let's take a brief look at the history of Israel.  The Pentateuch (the first five books of the Old Testament) gives us the details of how God formed the nation of Israel.  The book of Joshua shows us how God fulfilled his promises to Israel by helping them conquer the Promised Land. 

Once the land was subdued and Joshua died, the Israelites fell into a detestable pattern of serving idols, getting into trouble, repenting, and asking God to deliver them.  In his great mercy, God raised up a series of judges who delivered the nation from foreign oppression over and over again (see the book of Judges). 

Eventually, when Samuel was leading Israel (I and II Samuel), they begged God for a king.  God granted that request, even though it was not his perfect will for Israel. 

The era of the kings (I & II Kings, I & II Chronicles) began with King Saul.  Subsequently, the kingship passed to David, then to Solomon, then to Solomon's son Rehoboam.  Under his leadership (or lack of it) Israel split into two separate kingdoms – Israel and Judah (Jerusalem and the temple were located in Judah).

Both kingdoms eventually went into exile and captivity due to continued idolatry. Israel fell to the Assyrians in 722 BC. Judah fell to the Babylonians in 586 BC.

After a 70-year period of exile/captivity (Jeremiah 25:11-12, Daniel 9:2, II Chronicles 36:31), God miraculously caused Cyrus king of Persia to release the Jews so they could return to Jerusalem and rebuild the temple (Ezra 1:1-11). 

Those who wished to return to their native land were allowed to leave.  Eventually, they returned to Jerusalem in three main waves and began to rebuild the temple and the walls of Jerusalem (Ezra, Nehemiah).

When the Jews first returned to Jerusalem, they experienced many difficulties. The area was governed by Gentiles who opposed the rebuilding of the temple and the walls of Jerusalem. These Gentiles now had control of the region and they did not want to surrender it to God's people.

They attacked/opposed the Jews in three main ways:  

• The Gentiles publicly taunted, ridiculed and mocked the Jews in an attempt to discourage them from completing their mission (Nehemiah 4:1-3).

• The Gentiles physically threatened the Jews to the point where work on the walls was carried out with one man working while his partner literally guarded him with a sword.

Nehemiah 4:16 - And it came to pass from that time forth, that the half of my servants worked in the work, and the other half of them held the spears, the shields, and the bows, and the armor.

• The Gentiles legally blocked the work of the Jews at every opportunity. Through false accusations and lawsuits, they halted/delayed work on the temple for years.

Eventually God' people grew disheartened and stopped work altogether.  The end result was that the Jews were financially poor, mentally burned out, spiritually discouraged and completely hopeless.  Even the Samaritans gave them trouble!  The Jews were outnumbered and overwhelmed; it didn't look like they would ever be victorious and accomplish the work God had set before them.

But, hallelujah, that was not the end of the story!

God began to move in their midst in powerful and miraculous ways:

• He raised up holy priests and teachers (like Joshua and Ezra) to lead the nation into repentance.
• He provided courageous leaders/governors and judges (like Zerubbabel) to establish the civil and judicial authority of the Jews.
• He moved upon the hearts of wealthy individuals to give money and supplies to the Jews.
• He gave the Jews legal victories in the lawsuits their enemies filed against them.
• He spoke through prophets like Haggai and Zechariah to give the Jews words of comfort, encouragement, and instruction.

With the help of God, the Jews did indeed accomplish all that God had given them to do.

What does this have to do with us?

Do you see any parallels between the situation of the Jews during the time of Zechariah and the situation of the American church today? 

In Zechariah's time, God called his faithful followers to build his temple/house in Jerusalem. Today, he is calling his faithful followers to build his church/house by bringing sinners to salvation. The harvest is plentiful; we must diligently work to bring it into God's storehouse, even in the midst of opposition.

In Zechariah's time, Gentiles opposed God's people by mocking/taunting them, legally blocking/harassing them and even physically harming them.  In our generation, non-believers regularly mock and taunt Christians in public and private forums.  We have many instances where our own government has blocked, penalized or harassed Christians because of their beliefs.  While Christians are not physically persecuted in America yet, there are those who would welcome that chance.      

In Zechariah's day, God called his people to repent and live lives of holiness before him.  What about today?  Is there a substantial difference between the world and the church?  Should we be concerned about repentance and holy living?

In Zechariah's day, victory over the forces of evil looked impossible.  But nothing is impossible with God!  He motivated, strengthened and blessed his people.  Because the Jews leaned upon God, they were victorious.  They built the house of God, despite the work of the enemy.  

What does the situation in America look like today? It may seem like evil is in control, but get ready – God is going to give his church victory in this generation!

If you feel like God may be speaking to our generation through the book of Zechariah, then I invite you to continue this study with me. Let's find out what wisdom, truth and spiritual strategies he wants to impart to us, so we can build the temple/church of God by winning the lost to Christ.

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Joshua 24:14 – Now therefore fear the Lord and serve him in sincerity and in faithfulness.  Put away the gods that your fathers served beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve the Lord."

Chapter 24 contains the farewell address of Joshua to the children of Israel. In the first portion of the chapter, Joshua rehearses the history of Israel before the people.  He begins at the beginning – when God called Abraham out of idolatry and promised to establish a new nation through his offspring (Genesis 15:4-7).

He goes on to mention the patriarchs, the years of slavery in Egypt, the miraculous exodus and the astonishing conquest of the Promised Land.

The purpose behind this history lesson is to point out that it was Jehovah who had done all these things for Israel. Without him, they would not exist. Without him, the nation would never have survived. Without him, they would never have left Egypt. Without him they would not be standing before Joshua on that very day, while dwelling in the Promised Land.

Furthermore, God had entered into a covenant with Israel.  He bound himself to be their strength, their shield and their provider.  He would bless them in all things.  In return, Israel was to be faithful to him, and display the glory and mercy of God to all the heathen nations.  They would be the family line through which God would bring his Messiah into the world to redeem mankind (Genesis 12:1-3).

With this in mind, we circle back to the words of Joshua in verse 14: 'Therefore fear the Lord and serve him in sincerity and truth'.

Fear the Lord – In this case, 'fear' means to respect or revere. God's people should revere him as the sole object of their worship.

Serve him – Israel was to obey the commands of the Lord according to the covenant they made with him. They were never to serve or bind themselves to false idols.

In sincerity and in truth – Israel was not to just mechanically go through the motions of serving the Lord and adhering to religious rites. Rather, their whole hearts and minds should be actively engaged in worshiping God according to the covenant.

If they wanted to serve God in that fashion, they would have to forsake any and all traces of idolatry that had crept into their lives.  Let's consider that for a moment.

Israel had been faced with false idols for their entire existence. As we noted last week, God called Abraham out from a life of idol worship. These were the gods of the Chaldeans who worshiped fire, light and the sun.

Israel was also very familiar with the multiple gods of Egypt – Apis, Anubis, Ra, etc. Did you ever wonder why God used the 10 plagues to ensure the freedom of Israel, rather than just bringing them out instantly at his command?

It's because each of the plagues was essentially a showdown between Jehovah and one of the main Egyptian gods.  In each case, Israel witnessed in a dramatic (and memorable) fashion that their God, Jehovah, was more powerful than any of the idols Egypt served.  In fact, it proved that Egypt's idols were not gods at all; they could do nothing to help the Egyptians.

Israel was also acquainted with the gods of the Canaanites, Moabites, and other people groups inhabiting the Promised Land.  These included Astarte/Venous, Baal and others.   

Here we find a clear implication that while Joshua prevented all public displays of idolatry there were no doubt some Israelites who practiced idolatry privately in their homes and/or businesses.

What would make Israel look to these idols?  Perhaps it was their familiarity with them, or perhaps it was because each of these false gods had a tangible form or representation which they could see/imagine.  Perhaps they fell into the trap of believing in multiple gods.  But regardless of the reason, in light of all the astonishing miracles Israel had seen, there could be no excuse for idolatry.

Joshua 24:15 – "And if it is evil in your eyes to serve the Lord, choose this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your fathers served in the region beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord."

When Joshua exhorts the people to 'choose' who they will serve, this was a rhetorical statement which implies that the true worship of Jehovah was the only real choice in this matter.  The worship/service of idols was so absurd and useless that, given a choice, no one in their right mind would choose the idol. 

Nevertheless, the Israelites are not forcibly compelled to serve God; they can indeed choose to serve a false god. This actually makes perfect sense, because God has always given man a free will; his desire is that we serve him willingly because we love him, not because we are forced to do so. This is the kind of true relationship God desires to have with us.

Because of the liberty God has given to us, no one becomes a Christian by accident. It doesn't happen because your parents or grandparents serve the Lord. It doesn't happen because you attend church or live in a Christian home.  Salvation requires a conscious act of will by each person who desires to serve Christ.

Romans 10:9 – if you shall confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus, and shall believe in your heart that God has raised him from the dead, you shall be saved.  

Because salvation takes a conscious act of the will, indecision is essentially a decision to reject salvation.  If a person continually puts off making a decision for Christ, it's the same as making the absurd choice to reject God. 

While we don't understand every single principle or doctrine of Christ, we know enough to choose spiritual life over spiritual death.  Advanced spiritual understanding is a journey we embark upon after salvation, not before.  Lack of full understanding is not a reason to reject God, neither is it a good reason to delay making a commitment.

In fact, there is absolutely NO reason to delay.  Salvation is easy and simple to obtain.  Choosing to serve the Lord will bring eternal life and peace.  Choosing a false god (or choosing nothing) will lead to eternal death and despair. 

Critics and unbelievers have often condemned God for 'sending people to hell', when in reality he does no such thing – He made salvation available to all; it is up to each one of us to choose where we will spend eternity.  Those who have chosen to reject Jesus have chosen to go to hell themselves.

Joshua makes it very clear that he and his household/family have chosen to serve the living God, and he admonishes the rest of Israel to join him.

Joshua 24:16-18 – Then the people answered, "Far be it from us that we should forsake the Lord to serve other gods, for it is the Lord our God who brought us and our fathers up from the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery, and who did those great signs in our sight and preserved us in all the way that we went, and among all the peoples through whom we passed.  And the Lord drove out before us all the peoples, the Amorites who lived in the land.  Therefore we also will serve the Lord, for he is our God."

The Israelites affirm their decision to completely and whole-heartedly serve the Lord and reject false idols. They are obviously sincere in their commitment:

• They acknowledged the miracles God had performed on their behalf.
• They admit that his protection and guidance had delivered them from all their enemies.
• They know their victories were only achieved by his might and power.
• When presented with the choice, they willingly and freely acknowledge Jehovah as God and pledge to serve him.

As we will soon see, their commitment lasted all the days of Joshua and the elders who outlived him.  However, the day would come when they fell into apostasy and tried to merge idolatry with the true service of God.  What would cause this to happen?  How could they fall from the position of sincerity into idolatry?

It has often been remarked that the real test of our faithfulness to God is not our ability to serve him in moments of trial and testing, but to steadfastly serve him during the ease and commonality of day-to-day life. 

For instance, it was not hard for Israel to cling to the Lord as they left Egypt or wandered in the wilderness or fought for the Promised Land.  They were close to God because the power of their foes plainly revealed that they had no hope except in Him; God alone ensured their very survival. 

In other words, it was easier for the current generation of Israelites to remain faithful the Lord, because these memories were fresh in their minds.  Plus, they realized there were still battles in their future.  They knew they were going to need God again very shortly as they continued to claim the land. 

But once that generation was gone and the next one found itself in comparative ease and prosperity, they began to mistakenly believe that they could rule, defend and expand the nation in their own strength. Foolishly, they thought they could provide for all their own needs. Essentially, they didn't need God so much anymore.

That was a very serious problem and here is why:  God created man with a built-in need/desire to worship and serve him.  As we already mentioned, man can choose not to worship God, however, man CANNOT simply remove his need to worship something.       

This opened the door for Israel to succumb to the temptations of idolatry, self-indulgence and lust.  Although they never rejected God outright, they corrupted and degraded his pure worship by adding elements of idolatry to it.  This was an abomination in God's sight and a direct violation of the covenant.   

Eventually, this led them into captivity, where they lost every blessing the Lord had given them.

What about our own lives?  Is there a lesson here for us?

I believe there is.  We all wish for lives of ease, comfort and peace; no one I know desires to experience hardships or trials.

Yet, God accomplishes A LOT of good in our lives during these times: 

• Trials cause us to realize we need the Lord.
• Trials cause us to draw closer to him and seek his guidance, provision and protection.
• Trials increase our faith.
• Trials result in testimonies that witness to the lost and encourage believers.

Colossians 4:2-3, 5 - Continue in prayer, and watch in it with thanksgiving; praying also for us, that God would open unto us a door of utterance, to speak the mystery of Christ, for which I am also in bonds: walk in wisdom toward them that are outsiders, redeeming the time.

Trials also remind us that we need to redeem or make the best use of our time.  There are two kingdoms here on planet earth, and we need to be actively involved in the spiritual realm.

As soldiers of the cross, we must view each and every day here on earth as a day of 'active duty' in which we strive to further the kingdom of God by rescuing sinners from darkness. If trials and tribulations assist us in staying true to this mission, then they aid in our eternal good.

Joshua 24:19-20 – But Joshua said to the people, "You are not able to serve the Lord, for he is a holy God.  He is a jealous God; he will not forgive your transgressions or your sins.  If you forsake the Lord and serve foreign gods, then he will turn and do you harm and consume you, after having done you good."

Joshua's purpose in gathering the nation at Shechem was to get them to recommit themselves to their covenant with God. Since that is the case, it seems odd that he would openly declare that they were 'not able to serve the Lord'. It seems as though he is discouraging them from the very thing he called them together to do. However, that was not the case.

Picture the scene with me: Joshua looks at the Ark of the Covenant and recognizes that God's covenant is holy, just and good. At the same time, he also sees the mass of imperfect humanity before him, which is utterly unable to keep the stern morality and rigorous commands of the law.

It becomes clear to Joshua that faithful service to the Lord required commitment, courage and resolution.  In addition, the spiritually undisciplined people would have to conquer numerous temptations and evil tendencies in order to faithfully cleave to God.

Thus, we see that his statement is meant as a kind of challenge to stir zeal up within the hearts of the people to remain faithful to the Lord.  He wants them to recognize that it was impossible for them to keep the law with their own strength and ability; it could only be accomplished through divine assistance and mental determination.

Furthermore, Israel needs to be reminded that God is jealous.  He has no equal and he will not share his glory with another, especially false idols:

Isaiah 42:8 - I am the LORD: that is my name: and my glory will I not give to another, neither my praise to graven images.

It was (and is) blasphemy to give idols the worship that only God deserves.  As Joshua just illustrated for the nation, it was God who formed them, God who multiplied them, God who  protected them, God who entered into a covenant with them, God who blessed them and God who brought them into the Promised Land.  To give or share the glory due to God with a false idol was to profane/blaspheme the name of God (Exodus 20:3).

Finally, Joshua warns the Israelites that if they committed themselves to the covenant but broke that promise by worshiping idols, God would surely bring disaster upon them:

Deuteronomy 8:19 - And it shall be, if you do at all forget the LORD your God, and walk after other gods, and serve them, and worship them, I testify against you this day that you shall surely perish.

Israel needed to remember that God is always faithful to his promises, and he promised (numerous times) to remove them from the land and bring disaster upon them if they served idols (Deuteronomy 28:15-68, Deuteronomy 30:17-18, Jeremiah 1:14-16 etc). 

Joshua 24:21 – And the people said to Joshua, "No, but we will serve the Lord." Then Joshua said to the people, "You are witnesses against yourselves that you have chosen the Lord, to serve him." And they said, "We are witnesses."

In our day, people legally bind themselves to contracts by the use of their signature. If you sign your name to a legal document (even electronically), you are bound by the conditions of the contract.  If you fail to keep your part of the bargain, legal/punitive action can be taken against you.

In the same way, after a full explanation of their responsibilities, (especially that of forsaking idols), the people of Israel universally agree to serve God.  Their pronouncement was made of their own free will, on a solemn public occasion.  This declaration amounted to the same thing as a legal signature in our society.

Just to be clear, Joshua informs them once again that their words are legally binding – they agree to worship and serve no other god but Jehovah.  If they do not keep their word, God can take punitive action against them. 

Joshua 24:23-24 – He said, "Then put away the foreign gods that are among you, and incline your heart to the Lord, the God of Israel."  And the people said to Joshua, "The Lord our God we will serve, and his voice we will obey."

Joshua's response to the people raises an interesting question – Is he commanding them to remove idols/foreign gods which they currently have in their homes or is he admonishing them to resist their temptations to embrace these idols in the future?

Truthfully, it could have been both.

It is no secret that at other times in Israel's history they publicly claimed to serve God, while at the same time some of them had common household gods which they secretly worshiped:

Genesis 35:4 – And they gave unto Jacob all the strange gods which were in their hand, and all the earrings which were in their ears; and Jacob hid them under the oak which was by Shechem.

(See also Genesis 31:19, etc). Obviously, the Israelites found many idols as they plundered the cities of Canaan, which they may have chosen to retain, rather than destroying them. Some scholars suggest that the Israelites may have still been in possession of idols which they took from Egypt. In either case, Israel certainly access to idols.

Commentators who hold this view (that Israel was currently worshiping actual idols) believe idolatry of this kind never really ceased in ancient Israel.  At times it would get worse, and at times the people would repent and distance themselves from these evil practices, but they believe idolatry pervasively continued at all times within the nation.

Other scholars believe that the phrase 'among you' should be translated 'within you' and therefore Joshua is referring to the inclination/desire of the people to worship these gods.   In their view, Joshua is not speaking about actual idols the people possessed, but he is referring to the thoughts and intents of their hearts. 

They point out that after the terrifying demise of Achan (Joshua 7), the people did not dare to harbor idols in their midst, as nothing could be hidden from the Lord who sees what is done in secret. 

Therefore, they believe that Joshua's statement simply means that the people were to renounce all idols, clear themselves of all defilement and worship God in purity and truth.  They key to doing so was to love God with all of their hearts.  If they truly loved God to that degree, it would be easy to reject idolatry and cling to the Lord.

Perhaps the real lesson here is that the spiritual and physical aspects of our lives cannot actually be separated, because whatever is in our hearts is what will manifest in our lives:

Matthew 12:34 -  For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.

Luke 6:43, 45 – For no good tree bears bad fruit, nor again does a bad tree bear good fruit The good person out of the good treasure of his heart produces good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure produces evil, for out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.

In the case of Israel, the putting away of false idols/gods was to be the outward, visible sign that their hearts and minds fully belonged to the Lord. Likewise, the fruit we bear in our lives, whether evil or good, reflects whether or not we are serving God with all of our heart, soul, mind and strength.

However the people of Israel understood Joshua's words, they freely/willingly declared their allegiance to the Lord. They committed themselves to obeying his word and serving him only.

Joshua 24:25-26 – So Joshua made a covenant with the people that day, and put in place statutes and rules for them at Shechem.  And Joshua wrote these words in the Book of the Law of God.  And he took a large stone and set it up there under the terebinth that was by the sanctuary of the Lord.

This is the outcome that Joshua was seeking when he called Israel to this gathering.  After delivering the word of the Lord to the nation (verses 1-13), he asked them to recommit/rededicate themselves to God.  This was done through a renewal of the covenant.

This was not the first time the covenant had been renewed.  The people had recommitted themselves to the Lord under Moses after the 40-year desert wandering (Deuteronomy 29).

Neither would this be the last time Israel renewed the covenant with God.  Subsequent renewals were made under the reigns of King Asa (II Chronicles 15:12-13), King Joash (II Chronicles 23:16), and King Josiah (II Chronicles 34:31-32).

The 'statutes and rules' mentioned here were nothing new; they were the requirements of the original covenant that the people were already familiar with. The decision of the people was officially recorded by Joshua in a sacred book and then signed by the elders of the people.

In the original language, it literally states that Joshua 'cut' a covenant. This indicates that sacrifices were included in the renewal of the covenant.

In addition, (probably because there was only one copy of the document), Joshua ordered a large stone or pillar to be set up on public land.  The stone/pillar was most likely covered with a thin coat of mortar, then engraved with language which declared that at such and such a time and place, the covenant was renewed between Israel and Jehovah; details could be found in the book of the law (Deuteronomy 31:26).

This stone/pillar was a powerful witness or testimony to what had taken place between Israel and the Lord. 

Joshua 24:27-28 – And Joshua said to all the people, "Behold, this stone shall be a witness against us, for it has heard all the words of the Lord that he spoke to us. Therefore it shall be a witness against you, lest you deal falsely with your God." So Joshua sent the people away, every man to his inheritance.

It was not uncommon for the people of the ancient east to personify or assign character traits (such as hearing, seeing or speaking) to inanimate objects, as Joshua does here (the proper term is prosopopoeia). 

Another example of this is when Jacob and Laban made a pact with each other, and raised up a heap of stones as a witness to their agreement (Genesis 31:45).  See also Isaiah 1:2, Jeremiah 2:12, etc.

So, in this scenario, if the Israelites break their covenant with God or disobey the commands of the Lord which they promised to keep, the stone itself would serve as a witness against them.  It would testify to their unrighteousness, just as a witness testifies in a court of law.

Therefore, the stone was to be a memorial to both present and future generations; it would remind them of their covenant with God, and thus prevent them from falling into apostasy, idolatry, atheism or false worship.  

Once the ceremonies were complete, Joshua dismissed the people to return to their homes.  He had done everything within his power to keep Israel faithful to the Lord.  Now it was time for him to enter his eternal rest.

Joshua 24:29-30 – After these things, Joshua the son of Nun, the servant of the Lord, died being 110 years old. And they buried him in his own inheritance at Timnath-serah, which is in the hill country of Ephraim, north of the mountain of Gaash.

Joshua did a lot of amazing things in his life.  He could be described as a general, a vice president (aka Moses' assistant), an advisor, a giant slayer, and many other wonderful things.  But at his funeral, he is best remembered as 'the servant of the Lord'.  Wow!  What a testimony to the way Joshua lived his life!  I don't know about you, but I hope people can say that about me after I die!  

Having completed the work which God assigned to him, Joshua now enters into his eternal rest/reward.

Revelation 14:13 - And I heard a voice from heaven saying unto me, Write, Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on: Yea, says the Spirit, that they may rest from their labors; and their works do follow them.

Interestingly, there is no record of any public mourning for this great leader, as there was for Aaron (Numbers 20:29) or Moses (Deuteronomy 34:8).  No one really knows why this was the case.  It may be attributed to the fact that he was buried on his own private land, or it may simply be that the author leaves this information out of the text.

Joshua 24:31 – Israel served the Lord all the days of Joshua, and all the days of the elders who outlived Joshua and had known all the work that the Lord did for Israel.

As we mentioned previously, the generation that saw/experienced the miracles of God firsthand remained faithful to him.  However, the generation that grew up without much hardship was the generation that drifted away from the Lord.

Joshua 24:32 – As for the bones of Joseph, which the people of Israel brought up from Egypt, they buried them at Shechem, in the piece of land that Jacob bought from the sons of Hamor the father of shechem for a hundred pieces of money.  It became an inheritance of the descendents of Joseph.

At the very end of this book, we have a couple pieces of information that seem to be added to the text by someone other than Joshua.  One of them deals with the bones of Joseph.

In Genesis 50:22-26, Joseph is about to die. He makes the children of Israel swear an oath that when they leave the land of Egypt, they will dig up his bones and take them into the Promised Land.  And sure enough, we find that the children of Israel honored this last wish of Joseph. They finally entombed his remains in the historic town of Shechem.

Joshua 24:33 – And Eleazar the son of Aaron died, and they buried him at Gibeah, the town of Phinehas his son, which had been given him in the hill country of Ephraim.

For some reason, note is also made of the death of Eleazar the priest.  Perhaps he is mentioned because of the work he did in assisting Joshua to divide up the land.  He may also have been mentioned because the writer is showing that all of the famous leaders of the old generation were dying. 

Thus, the next generation is left with an amazing inheritance, a covenant with the Lord and the godly example of their ancestors. What they did (or did not do) with these advantages is a story for another day!

Let me offer you some encouragement, relief and strength:

In this chapter, Joshua reiterates the fact that each of us has a choice to make.  He chose to serve the Lord, and his choice was reflected in the way he lived his life.  Once his life was finished, he entered into an eternal state of rest and reward.

What about you?  Have you made a commitment to follow Christ?  Have you accepted him as Lord and Savior of your life?   If you died today, would you enter eternal rest and reward or eternal torment?

You can make a conscious decision to follow Christ by praying a prayer of salvation right now:

Dear Jesus,

I confess to you that I am a sinner.  I am sorry for all the wrong things I have done and I ask you to forgive me.  I believe that you are the Son of God, that you died on the cross and rose again, and that your blood paid the price for my sin.  I invite you to come into my heart and life and to be my Lord and Savior.  I commit myself to you right now.  Thank you for saving me from death and giving me the gift of eternal life.  Amen.

If you prayed this prayer and sincerely meant it, then you have received the gift of salvation from Jesus Christ! 

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Joshua 24:1 – Joshua gathered all the tribes of Israel to Shechem and summoned the elders, the heads, the judges, and the officers of Israel.  And they presented themselves before God.

In our last post, we examined a speech that Joshua gave before the elders, leaders and judges of Israel. That meeting was held in Shiloh during one of the occasions where the men of Israel were already gathered there to appear before the Lord (Exodus 23:17).

The gathering described in chapter 24 is clearly a distinct event. This time the entire population is summoned to witness the final address of Joshua. For reasons we will shortly discuss, it was important for the entire nation to present themselves before the Lord one last time before Joshua died.

This great gathering was held in Shechem (also spelled 'Schechem' or 'Sichem').  This location was chosen for a number of reasons.

First, it was close to Joshua's hometown of Timnath-serah.  By this time, Joshua is over 100 years old and traveling to Shiloh may have been difficult for him.  It was not unreasonable to have the meeting in a place that was convenient for him.   

Second, Shechem was a place full of the history of Israel.  It was one of the places Abraham settled in as he wandered throughout the Promised Land (Genesis 12:6).  It was also the place of his burial (Acts 7:16). 

Although the temple was never stationed there, this city had religious significance as well.  The very first altar built to the Lord in the Promised Land was erected by Abraham in what would later become Shechem.  It was in this same location that the Lord appeared to Abraham and gave him a divine promise regarding the land (Genesis 12:6-7).

Later on, the patriarch Jacob would also settle in this region when he bought a parcel of land directly from Shechem himself. He too, built an altar there to worship the Lord (Genesis 33:18-20).

Yet another altar was built in Shechem by Joshua. This occurred after the children of Israel had crossed the Jordan and defeated Jericho and Ai. At that time, Joshua had the people of Israel travel from their camp at Gilgal to the valley between the mountains of Ebal and Gerizim.  Sacrifices and peace offerings were made to the Lord on that altar.

On that occasion, half of the nation of Israel stood in front of Mount Ebal and half in front of Mount Gerizim, with the priests and the Ark of the Covenant in the middle.  There, Joshua read the entire law, both blessings and curses, before the people and they committed themselves to following the covenant.  He also erected stones and wrote the law upon them.  For full details, see our post on Joshua 8:30-35.

Once the land was divided among the tribes of Israel, Shechem became a Levitical city as well as one of the six cities or refuge.

Thus, Shechem truly had national, historical and religious significance for the people of Israel. This made it a fitting/proper venue for Joshua's final address to the nation. It was also an appropriate place for the covenant to once again be renewed by the children of Israel.

Scripture goes on to tell us that in the course of Joshua's address, the people presented themselves before God.  Let's consider that statement for a minute.

We know that the presence of God could be found on the mercy seat, between the cherubim on the Ark of the Covenant: 

Exodus 25:21-22 - And you shall put the mercy seat on top of the ark; and in the ark you shall put the testimony that I shall give you. And there I will meet with you, and I will commune with you from above the mercy seat, from between the two cherubim that are upon the ark of the testimony, of all things which I will give you in commandment unto the children of Israel.

But the ark itself was not stationed in Shechem; it was at the temple in Shiloh.  So how was it possible for the people to present themselves before the Lord at this assembly?  There are three widely accepted answers to this question. 

One, the priests carried the Ark of the Covenant to Shechem for this meeting.  Obviously, there is a precedent for this, because that is what was done when the people stood between Mount Ebal and Mount Gerizim after the victory at Ai. 

Two, some scholars believe that once Joshua's speech was concluded, the people traveled to Shiloh and presented themselves to the Lord at that location. As Shiloh is about 10 miles from Shechem, this was also possible.

A third explanation says that since the people were gathered together in a sacred assembly to honor the Lord, he was automatically present with them:

Exodus 20:24 – An altar of earth you shall make for me and sacrifice on it your burnt offerings and your peace offerings, your sheep and your oxen.  In every place where I cause my name to be remembered, I will come to you and bless you. 

(See also Psalms 82:1).   Does this concept seem familiar to you?  It should – Jesus promises his followers that where two or three are gathered together in his name, he will be in their midst (Matthew 18:20). 

This is an extremely important concept. It means that no matter where Christians gather together (a private home, a restaurant, a park, etc), God honors us with his presence. What a wonderful and comforting thought!

Joshua 24:2 – And Joshua said to all the people, "Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, 'Long ago, your fathers lived beyond the Euphrates, Terah, the father of Abraham and of Nahor; and they served other gods.'"

Joshua begins his address by saying, 'thus says the Lord, the God of Israel'.  In other words, the address he is about to give does not come from his own heart or mind; he is prophetically speaking the words of the Lord to the nation of Israel.

This means that the commands and warnings given in this address are a direct word from the Lord to his people and they should be taken very seriously.

This address can be broken down into three distinct sections.  In section one (verses 2-4), God reminds Israel how he had formed/birthed their nation and increased their numbers.

Joshua starts his speech at the very beginning - the formation of the nation through the patriarch Abraham.  Abraham was an excellent example to his offspring.  He exhibited a high degree of loyalty and trust in God - the very characteristics Joshua is trying to impress upon the current generation.   

He reminds the people that when God first called Abraham out from among his people, he was living beyond the Euphrates River (your translation may say 'on the other side of the flood' or 'on the other side of the river') and serving false idols or gods, just like everyone else in his family and nation.

The point Joshua is making here is that the Israelites were no better/no different than other 'heathen' people like the Canaanites. God did not select them as his chosen people based on their own merits or goodness. He chose them in order to display his great mercy and love through them, in spite of their flaws and sins.

Therefore, they had no reason to boast or to think they were better than the nations God had removed before them.  The existence of their nation, along with all of their privileges and blessings were due solely to the grace of God and nothing else.

Joshua 24:3-4 – "Then I took your father Abraham from beyond the River and led him through all the land of Canaan, and made his offspring many. I gave him Isaac. And to Isaac I gave Jacob and Esau. And I gave Esau the hill country of Seir to possess, but Jacob and his children went down to Egypt."

Notice that in this verse God says 'I took your father Abraham from beyond the river'. What does he mean by that?

God wants the Israelites to understand that Abraham did not leave his family and country because he was enlightened enough to seek the true God. In fact, the opposite was true - there was nothing in his heart or mind that was searching for God. In other words, Abraham was nothing more than a common sinner/idol worshiper and he would have remained so, if God had not chosen to reveal himself.

I don't know about you, but I feel a real connection to Abraham right now! 

If you are a Christian, it is important to understand that God did not choose you as his child because you were morally superior or more holy than other sinners.  He didn't save you because your sins were 'smaller' or less significant than the sin of others.   

Scripture tells us that all of us have sinned and come short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23).  No matter how righteous we thought we were, our righteousness was nothing but a filthy rag in the sight of God (Isaiah 64:6). 

We need to keep this in mind as we walk through life.  We should never judge someone else, because our sin is just as horrible as their sin. Instead, we should take the time to share the life changing gospel of Christ with them, just as someone did for us. Every sinner can be saved by the blood of Christ, no matter what they have done. Hallelujah!

Furthermore, it was God's omnipotent power and protection which miraculously preserved Abraham as he wandered around Canaan. There were numerous occasions when Abraham and Sara could easily have been slain by the people of Canaan. They were preserved only because God had his hand upon them.

God's divine choices/actions are further revealed as the covenant promises are passed down from generation to generation. Abraham had two sons, Ishmael and Isaac; it was God who chose Isaac as the next heir of the covenant. Likewise, Isaac had twin sons (Jacob and Esau) but it was God who chose to continue his covenant through the lineage of Jacob.

God made both of Abraham's sons into great and vast nations.In his great wisdom he gave Esau the country of Mount Seir, and reserved the land of Canaan for the descendants of Jacob.

However, Jacob's offspring were not yet ready to occupy the land.  God sent them into Egypt to prepare and preserve them until the divinely appointed time:

Genesis 15:13 - And he said unto Abram, Know of a surety that your descendants shall be sojourners in a land that is not theirs [Egypt], and shall serve them; and they shall afflict them four hundred years;

When the time of deliverance finally arrived, God sent Moses and Aaron to lead the people out of Egypt:

Joshua 24:5-7 – "And I sent Moses and Aaron, and I plagued Egypt with what I did in the midst of it, and afterward I brought you out.  Then, I brought your fathers out of Egypt, and you came to the sea.  And the Egyptians pursued your fathers with chariots and horsemen to the Red sea.  And when they cried to the Lord, he put darkness between you and the Egyptians and made the sea come upon them and cover them; and your eyes saw what I did in Egypt.  And you lived in the wilderness a long time."

The second section of Joshua's address is found in verses 5-7.  It focuses on the miraculous exile from Egypt which God performed on behalf of his people.

When we consider Israel's deliverance from Egypt, there can be no doubt that God showed his power and omnipotence time after time. Not only were the plagues themselves miraculous, the timing was too. God announced the plagues in advance. He then manifested and removed them at the exact time he declared that he would. This was an astonishing feat that no false god or idol could possibly duplicate.

By the same infinite power, he led Israel out of Egypt. When Pharaoh pursued them, God once again demonstrated his mighty power by parting the waters of the Red Sea, allowing Israel to cross over on dry land, and then drowning the Egyptians.

Let's stop and ask ourselves this question: What is the significance of this history lesson?

It is a reminder to the people of Israel that they owe everything to God.  All that they were, all that they possessed, and all they had accomplished was the direct result of God's mercy and goodness on their behalf.  Therefore, it is their reasonable service to faithfully and earnestly serve the Lord at all times and in all things.  

This is also true of the New Testament church.  The apostle Paul clearly states that in light of the redemption and blessings Christ purchased for us on the cross, it is our reasonable service to present ourselves before God as a living sacrifice: 

Romans 12:1 - I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.

In other words, we should forsake the idols of this present age (money, sex, entertainment, etc) and live holy lives in the service of our King.  We too should faithfully and earnestly serve the Lord at all times and in all things.

Israel's history also demonstrated the utter folly and futility of idolatry.  There is no idol or false god that can compete with the Lord Almighty; only the Lord is worthy to be served and worshiped.  

It is clear that Israel's history is of the utmost importance!  If the Israelites were careful to remember the history of their nation, they would never be tempted to worship the gods of the Canaanites. 

Joshua 24:8-10 – "Then I brought you to the land of the Amorites, who lived on the other side of the Jordan.  They fought with you, and I gave them into  your hand, and you took possession of their land, and I destroyed them before you.  Then Balak the son of Zippor, king of Moab, arose and fought against Israel.  And he sent and invited Balaam the son of Beor to curse you but I would not listen to Balaam.  Indeed, he blessed you.  So I delivered you out of his hand."

The third section of Joshua's speech is found in verses 8-12. Verses 8-10 cover the period of history when Israel was marching through the land of the trans-Jordan, on their way to Jericho. This portion of their history includes their battles against Og, Sihon and Balak.

Time does not permit us to review the circumstances of these victories, but if you read them for yourself, you will once again find God's miraculous intervention on behalf of his people.

Joshua 24:11-12 – "And you went over the Jordan and came to Jericho, and the leaders of Jericho fought against you, and also the Amorites, the Perizzites, and the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Girgashites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites.  And I gave them into your hand.  And I sent the hornet before you, which drove them out before you, the two kings of the Amorites; it was not by your sword or by your bow."

Verses 11-12 described the victories that God granted Israel as the Promised Land was conquered.  These were victories that had been witnessed by many of the people present at the speech.  The miraculous ways in which God had given them victory testified to his presence during these battles; he was the one who gave them the land.  This was evident as we studied the book of Joshua.    

Psalm 44:3 - For they [Israel] got not the land in possession by their own sword, neither did their own arm save them: but your right hand, and your arm, and the light of your countenance, because you had favor unto them.

What does Joshua mean when he says that God sent hornets to drive Israel's enemies out before them?

Some commentators believe this should be interpreted literally.  In this case, wasps or other stinging insects were sent by God to swarm over the Amorites and render them unable to fight.  Either they could not fight because the insects swarmed their eyes, or they were distracted by the stings and could not fight (Exodus23:28, Deuteronomy 7:20). 

Other commentators believe the reference to hornets is symbolic.  They believe it refers to an uncontrollable terror which God put upon Israel's enemies.  Due to this intense terror, they were unable to fight against Israel (Joshua 2:9).

Once again, we must ask this question: Why does the Lord command Joshua to give Israel this history lesson?

The answer is that God wants his people to recognize that their victories did not happen by chance or by the will of man.  God was in control; he shaped and molded their nation into what it was as they stood in the valley of Shechem that day. 

This was important for them to remember, lest they forsake the Lord and relapse into the same sin (idolatry) which God had delivered Abraham from. 

Joshua 24:13 – "I gave you a land on which you had not labored and cities that you had not built, and you dwell in them. You eat the fruit of vineyards and olive orchards that you did not plant."

As we noted in our prior posts, God gave his people blessings that they did not work for.

The farm land was one such blessing. Israel had not plowed, fertilized, sowed or weeded these vast fields, yet they harvested crops from them.

The cities and houses were another enormous blessing from the Lord.  Israel inherited fully furnished homes and cities with walls and fortifications already built.  The people of Israel lived in safety and at ease, enjoying the fine homes which had been given to them by God.

Ditto for the vineyards and olive groves.  Israel did not plant, water, fertilize or prune these vines/trees, however, God allowed them to reap a harvest from them.

These blessings are but a fraction of the good things that God gave to Israel. 

Now that Joshua has reviewed all of the good things God had done for the nation, he is going to offer them a choice – would they serve the Lord, or one of the other false gods they were familiar with? 

We will examine this choice in our next post.

Let me offer you some encouragement:

Israel's history was important.  As the people reviewed it, it became clear that God had been by their side since the nation was formed.  He had guaranteed their safety and given them victory over their enemies.  He had completely fulfilled all of the promises he made to his people. His grace and mercy were evident in every aspect of their lives.

Why not take a few minutes right now and examine your own history? How old were you when you accepted Christ as your savior? What miraculous things has he done in your life since that time? What prayers has he answered? What has he delivered you from? How has he blessed you?

As you examine your past, it will become clear that God has been by your side, fighting on your behalf all along – and he isn't going anywhere! His love, grace, mercy and miraculous power will be with you all the days of your life.

Let me offer you some relief:

The people of Israel had a wonderful heritage.  Their forefathers (and mothers) had served God for hundreds of years and God had blessed them mightily.

What is your family heritage?  Do you come from generations of Christians who worshiped and served the Lord?  Can you see how God blessed your family mightily?

If so, you can rejoice. You should share your family heritage with your children and grandchildren. Testify to them about the goodness and faithfulness of God to your family.

If you don't have such a heritage, that's okay too. Be honest with your children and grandchildren; tell them about the bondage/sin that Christ delivered you from. Let them know that a new pattern has been established in the family, and it started with you! Pray that God will continue that heritage in the generations to come.

Let me offer you some strength:

If you are in the midst of a battle today, don't despair. The same God who delivered Israel from her enemies also fights on your behalf. God has promised that no weapon of the enemy will prosper against us (Isaiah 54:17).

So remain steadfast during your trial. Continue to worship the Lord, quote his word over your situation and fight off the devil with your shield of faith. The victory will soon be yours, and you will have another testimony of God's faithfulness and goodness to share with future generations.

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Joshua 23:1-2 – A long time afterward, when the Lord had given rest to Israel from all their surrounding enemies, and Joshua was old and well advanced in years, Joshua summoned all Israel, its elders and heads, its judges and officers, and said to them, "I am now old and well advanced in years."

In our last post we looked at a misunderstanding which occurred between the Israelites living west of the river and their brothers inhabiting the eastern lands.  Fortunately, the Lord assisted them in resolving the situation before it got out of hand.

After that incident, the nation went on about its business – homes and cities were built/refurbished, businesses were established, crops were planted, flocks and herds were pastured, marriages took place and future generations of Israelites were born. And, presumably, the nation followed the law and served the Lord with all their hearts.

Eventually, Joshua summons all the elders, leaders, and judges of the nation to an important meeting, where he gives them a farewell address.  His speech (or at least a portion of it) has been recorded for us here in chapter 23.

No mention is made of the location of this meeting/speech. Some commentators feel that, due to Joshua's advanced age, the meeting was held in his hometown of Timnath-serah. However, a more plausible theory is that the speech took place at the temple in Shiloh since all males were to appear before the Lord three times per year at that location.

One thing is certain – Joshua is getting old! The Lord kept him alive long enough after the conquest to watch the nation develop politically, economically, and spiritually.  He must have had some degree of satisfaction in completing the monumental task that God had assigned to him.  Nevertheless, he knows his time is short. 

In fact, he uses his advanced age as one of the reasons for his speech. The implication is that he would soon be taken away from them (just as Moses was) and he had only a limited amount of time left to give them some final advice and instruction.

I'm sure the elders and leaders took his words seriously, because he was not only the leader who brought them into the Promised Land, he was one of the two oldest men in the nation. As such, he had a wealth of wisdom and experience to share with them. He also had (has) one of the most amazing testimonies in all of scripture. We are still benefiting from it today!

Joshua 23:3 – "And you have seen all that the Lord your God has done to all these nations for your sake, for it is the Lord your God who has fought for you."

The overall purpose of his address is to advise the current generation to persevere in the true faith and worship of God. 

If the current generation will remain faithful to the Lord, they will be a witness to their children, who will then continue in the ways of the Lord.  In this way, each generation will teach/show those who follow how to trust in the Lord, obey his commands and benefit from his goodness.  Thus, the nation will continue to remain faithful to the Lord.

Joshua proceeds to testify to the current generation of elders, judges, and leaders about all the astonishing things that God had done for Israel during Joshua's lifetime.  There can be no doubt that God blessed them physically by keeping them in good health, economically by giving them houses, vineyards and wells which they did not work for (Deuteronomy 6:10-12), and politically by giving them strong, courageous leaders. 

But the blessings that Joshua stresses in his address are the military victories that God gave Israel in subduing the Promised Land.  Why was that?  I think there are two answers. 

But first, let's establish that God did, indeed, fight on Israel's behalf. He was the cause of their many victories and the reason they were able to conquer the land:

• God protected the spies from the king of Jericho (Joshua chapter 2).
• God caused the waters of the Jordan to part, so Israel could cross the flooded river on dry ground (Joshua chapter 3-4).
• God caused the walls of Jericho to fall before the children of Israel, who did nothing other than march around the city, as instructed (chapter 6).
• God gave Joshua plans for a successful ambush against the city of Ai (chapter 8).
• God causes the sun to stand still while Israel was fighting against the alliance of five kings (chapter 10).
• God gave Israel victory over the 31 kings of the north (chapter 11-12).

Clearly, Joshua is correct in saying that God fought for Israel.

One of the reasons he focuses on these military victories in his final speech is to testify/prove that God kept the promise that he made to Joshua - because of his help, no man or nation was able to stand before the armies of Israel:

Joshua 1:1-5 – After the death of Moses the servant of the Lord, the Lord said to Joshua the son of Nun, Moses' assistant arise, go over this Jordan, you and all this people, into the land I am giving to them every place that the sole of your foot will tread upon I have given to you, just as I promised. No man shall be able to stand before you all the days of your life.  Just as I was with Moses, so I will be with you.

Joshua 23:4 – "Behold, I have allotted to you as an inheritance for your tribes those nations that remain, along with all the nations that I have already cut off, from the Jordan to the Great Sea in the west."

God's intervention on their behalf was a clear and strong lesson that the elders/leaders of the nation needed to keep at the forefront of their minds, especially since there were still more Canaanites to be subdued. 

As you recall from our study, once the major rulers/armies of the Canaanites had been defeated and their territories conquered, God instructed Joshua to divide up the land. Each tribe received an allotment of land that was best suited to their needs. These lots were determined by the Lord, while a committee of chosen men determined the boundaries of each tribe (chapters 13-21).

Within these allotments, there were still groups of Canaanites to be defeated. These groups had been spared for the short term, but once the tribes increased in numbers, they were to wage war against them. Israel was to take their cities, livestock and goods while destroying the people and anything related to idol worship (Exodus 34:11-14).

The bad news was that war was clearly in the future of each tribe.  But the good news was that God had not changed – he would still be fighting for them in the future, just as he had in the past.

Malachi 3:6 – For I am the Lord, I change not; therefore you sons of Jacob are not consumed.

This is the second reason Joshua stresses these military victories - because there were still more Canaanites to be subdued, and Joshua himself would not be there to lead them to victory. He wants to remind Israel that victory was assured by the Lord, not by he himself. After he died, the remaining leaders of the nation had no reason to fear. All they had to do was seek the Lord who would give them victory in their future battles.

Joshua 23:5 – "The Lord your God will push them back before you and drive them out of your sight.  And you shall possess their land, just as the Lord your God promised you."

It's not difficult to see where Joshua is going with this speech:

The other nations of the world (like the Canaanites) went to war under the leadership of their kings or rulers.  Their success depended on the wisdom/cunning of the leader as well as the military strength and resources of the army.

This was not the case with Israel.  Although they had a physical leader such as Joshua or Moses, God was the true supreme commander of the army.  Therefore, Israel's success was not tied to the limited wisdom, ability, or resources of man; their success was guaranteed by the Lord.  He would continue to deliver on his promises to give Israel the land. 

However, as we noted in our earlier studies, Israel still had a part to play.  She had two major responsibilities.  One, to remain spiritually faithful to the Lord and two, to take up arms and do the physical fighting that God had called them to do.

The same is true in the church age.  The church has limited wisdom, strength, influence and resources.  However, when we partner with God to do his business, we are assured of victory because he provides all that we need for victory.  

Joshua 23:6 – "Therefore, be very strong to keep and to do all that is written in the Book of the Law of Moses, turning aside from it neither to the right hand nor to the left."

With these future wars/victories in mind, Joshua encourages the men of Israel to be strong in their faith.

Obviously, as Joshua just pointed out, Israel's victories did not come through their own strength; they came as a blessing of the Lord.  Therefore, it was of paramount importance that Israel remain faithful to the Lord. 

They were to strictly keep all the laws given to them by the Lord through Moses.  Let's examine that more closely. 

• In order for a person to keep the law, they had to know or be familiar with it.

Deuteronomy 11:18 – You shall therefore lay up these words of mine in your heart and in your soul, and you shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes.

The people of Israel were to familiarize themselves with the law.  They were expected to read it, study it, and know it.  Because of God's great wisdom in scattering the Levites throughout the nation, every person had reasonable access to those who knew the law best – the priests and Levites.  So, if there ever was a question regarding the law, the people had a resource they could turn to. 

They had no excuse for being ignorant of the law.

• According to the command of the Lord, the law was to be read, studied and discussed in the home; the parents were to teach it to their children.

Deuteronomy 11:19 - You shall teach them to your children, talking of them when you are sitting in your house, and when you are walking by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise.

The children of Israel didn't have to get a college degree to know and understand the law.  They learned it little by little as they grew up because it was constantly at the forefront of what happened at home. 

Parents not only verbally taught their children the law, they also lived it out by example.  For instance, there are seven main feasts that were to be kept by the Israelites:

• Passover.
• The feast of Unleavened Bread.
• The feast of First Fruits.
• The feast of Harvest.
• The feast of Trumpets.
• The Day of Atonement.
• The feast of Tabernacles.

For example, parents no doubt verbally instructed their children about the feast of Passover. But they also would have demonstrated it to their children by having the children help pick out the lamb, gather and wash the bitter herbs, paint the blood on the door posts, etc.

The law was not just something they memorized; it was something they lived.

• The law was not something that was compartmentalized or sectioned off from daily life. It was supposed to influence everything the Israelites did.

There was no 'separation of church and state' for God's people.  God was involved in every aspect of their lives – home, business, leisure activities, government, etc.  They didn't just worship and serve him for a couple hours on the Sabbath; the law influenced everything they did, and how they did it.    

The actions, attitudes, and decisions of God's people were to be governed by God's laws and commands at all times.

• There were no 'gray areas' or optional commands in the law; the Lord required strict adherence to all he commanded.

Deuteronomy 5:32 -You shall observe to do therefore as the LORD your God has commanded you: you shall not turn aside to the right hand or to the left.

The phrase 'do not turn to the right or left' was a common saying in Israel.  It referred to the practice of keeping the law exactly as God had prescribed.  We often interpret this to mean that Israel should do all that God commanded (which is true), but it also means that nothing is to be added to the law without God's permission.

Obedience to God's laws is better than sacrifice.

You have no doubt noticed the parallels in the present day Christian realm. 

• We should be familiar with the laws and commands of the kingdom of heaven.

Now, more than ever, the word of God is available to anyone who will take the time to find it. We have paper bibles, electronic bibles and audio bibles. They are available in a multitude of different languages and they can often be obtained without cost.

We also have almost unlimited access to teaching and instruction regarding the word. 

We have no excuse for being ignorant of God's word and commands.

• God's word should be read, studied and discussed in our homes.

We should not only instruct our children and grandchildren in the Christian life, we should actively show them how to live out their faith in the world.

Remember, scripture tells us that if we are diligent to teach our children about salvation and the Christian faith, they will not depart from it when they are older (Proverbs 22:6). 

The law is not just something we should memorize or read; it is something we must live out in our lives.

• The laws of God cannot be 'compartmentalized' or sectioned off from our daily lives any more than they could be for the children of Israel.

In our case, God's laws are written on our hearts and therefore they should be a part of everything we do, every day.

Our actions, attitudes, and decisions should be governed by God's laws and commands at all times.

• There are no 'gray areas' in the commands of God.

We should be diligent to avoid actions that are outside of his decrees. By the same token, the apostle James tells us that if we know we should be doing something good and yet we fail to do so, that too, is sin (James 4:17).

Obedience is better than sacrifice.

Joshua 23:7-8 – "... that you may not mix with these nations remaining among you or make mention of the names of their gods or swear by them or serve them or bow down to them but you shall cling to the Lord your God just as you have done to this day."

Joshua's main concern for the nation is that the Canaanites remaining in the land will entice the Israelites to engage in idolatry.  It's a valid concern, since they had already fallen into that trap once (Baal-Peor – see the last post for details).  Therefore, he strongly admonishes them to avoid anything and everything that pertains to these heathens and their gods.

First off, Joshua instructs them not to 'mix' (your translation may say 'mingle') with the Canaanites.  The root word for 'mix' means 'yoked'.  In other words, they were not to form relationships with the remaining Canaanites.  They were not to engage in business with them, befriend them, marry them, or adopt their civil, judicial or religious practices.

If the people of Israel did form relationships or bonds with these heathens, it wouldn't be long before the heathen would invite Israel to attend their feasts, worship their idols, marry their children, and live in their cities.

Once those bonds were formed, it would be virtually impossible for Israel to turn around and attack/destroy them.  Instead, the ungodly practices of the Canaanites would certainly corrupt the Israelites and their true worship of God.   The Israelites could be yoked to the Lord or yoked to the Canaanites, but they couldn't do both.  They had to choose between the two.

Interestingly, Christians are also warned against being 'yoked' together with the unbelievers of our day:

II Corinthians 6:14 – Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers.  For what partnership has righteousness with lawlessness?  Or what fellowship has light with darkness?

You see the parallel, right?  When we form close relationships with unbelievers, our goals (and the way we reach them) are diametrically opposed and it becomes almost impossible for us to be successful, because we can't establish unity.  We are existing in a 'divided house' (Mark 3:25).

For example, if a Christian man marries an unbelieving woman, he will expect to live his life according to the word of God.  He will want to attend church, pay tithes, be faithful to his wife and be honest in all his business dealings. 

His wife, on the other hand, will likely refuse to attend church and argue about paying tithes. She won't have any concerns about marital infidelity and honesty won't necessarily be one of her attributes.

Can you imagine what that marriage would be like? Let's just say if the marriage survives, it probably wouldn't be the happy, peaceful, fulfilling relationship that God intended.

If you are in a relationship that is unequally yoked (marriage, business, etc), I suggest you pray about that situation and ask Holy Spirit's advice on what to do - if anything. 

If you are not unequally yoked to anyone right now, please consider the scriptures carefully before entering into such an arrangement.

Joshua 23:9 –"For the Lord has driven out before you great and strong nations.  And as for you, no man has been able to stand before you to this day."

This was a statement of fact regarding Israel's past victories.  Those who attacked them were either soundly defeated or fled before them and became tributaries.  Again, this was the result of God's assistance in their battles.   

Joshua 23:10-11 –"One man of you puts to flight a thousand, since it is the Lord your God who fights for you, just as he promised you. �Be very careful, therefore, to love the Lord your God."

This verse speaks of the future battles the nation was sure to face (sooner rather than later). 

Now that each tribe was responsible for going to war against the Canaanites living in their own territory, some fear may have risen in their hearts due to the much smaller numbers of soldiers in their armies. 

But Joshua puts that fear to rest in his address.  Though the people of God are few and weak compared to their enemies, they are not fighting in their own strength.  When the Lord fights for them, one man can defeat a thousand (Deuteronomy 32:30). 

Therefore, as long as Israel continues to love the Lord with all their heart, soul, mind and strength, it will be easy for them to stay faithful to him.   And if they remain faithful to him, victory is assured.

What is the status of our love for the Lord?  Do we love him with all of our hearts and minds?  Or has our love grown cold?    

Joshua 23:12-13 – "For if you turn back and cling to the remnant of these nations remaining among you and make marriages with them, so that you associate with them and they with you know for certain that the Lord your God will no longer drive out these nations before you, but they shall be a snare and a trap for you, a whip on your sides and thorns in your eyes, until you perish from off this good ground that the Lord your God has given you."

As you read through the Old Testament, you may have noticed that it was a common thing for the Law to use two different means to motivate men in doing the right thing – reward and punishment.

For instance, in Deuteronomy 28, verses 1-14 give clear blessings and rewards for the people of Israel, as long as they obey the commands of God.  Verses 15-68  give a list of curses/punishments that will fall upon the people if they fail to obey. 

Joshua uses that same literary formula here; the first part of chapter 23 assures the people that if they are faithful to God he will reward them with victory while verses 12-13 list the punishments that await those who do not.

Both methods are effective; some folks will turn to the Lord because of his great love, while others only repent after hearing a 'hell fire and brimstone' sermon.  Which method motivates you more?   

Joshua 23:14 – "And now I am about to go the way of all the earth, and you know in your hearts and souls, all of you, that not one word has failed of all the good things that the Lord your God promised concerning you.  All have come to pass for you; not one of them has failed."

Joshua recognizes that his race is almost finished.  Soon, God will call him home to his heavenly reward.  There is no doubt that the nation will miss him greatly.  Because they respect and trust him, his departure would leave them with a great sense of loss.

And now, in some of his last public words to the nation, he testifies yet again that God has been faithful to every one of the promises that he made to Israel. If the men present before him are honest, they will agree – they cannot deny the truth of this testimony.

Joshua 23:15-16 – "But just as all the good things that the Lord your God promised concerning you have been fulfilled for you, so the Lord will bring upon you all the evil things, until he has destroyed you from off this good land that the Lord your God has given you if you transgress the covenant of the Lord your God, which he commanded you, and go and serve other gods and bow down to them.  Then the anger of the Lord will be kindled against you, and you shall perish quickly from off the good land that he has given you."

One of the overall truths in this passage is that God is faithful to his promises.  Israel liked to think of this in the context of the nation acting righteously and God blessing them for it, just as he did in the conquest of the land. 

While that is true, the opposite is equally true - if the nation decided to mix with idolaters and embrace sin, God would still be faithful to his promises and bring punishment upon them. 

Either way, God is faithful. Thus, the end result was up to the people of Israel.

Let me offer you some encouragement:

The overall purpose of Joshua's speech is to advise the current generation to persevere in the true faith and worship of God.

One of the ways they did this was to have God's laws at work in their homes.  They were to teach the law to their children; they probably helped them memorize parts of it as well.  In addition, they taught their children the laws of God by living their faith out on a daily basis.  The law was an integral part of who they were. 

This is an excellent example for us to follow.

The laws of God should define who we are, what we do, and how we do it. Let's make every effort to be an example to our children and grandchildren by honestly living out our faith in front of them, and encouraging them in their own spiritual walk.

Let me offer you some relief:

Joshua was going to die shortly after his final addresses to the nation.  His death no doubt caused a lot of sorrow to the rest of the people in the nation. 

Likewise, we also suffer great sorrow when someone we love dies.  But scriptures tell us that our sorrow is not the same as those who do not know Christ. 

1 Thessalonians 4:13 - But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them who are asleep, that you sorrow not, even as others who have no hope.   

Physical death is the gateway into the eternal realm. For those who have trusted in Christ, it leads to a reunion with the Father, Son and Spirit. Therefore when a Christian that we love dies, our sorrow can be tempered with the fact that they are now in eternal bliss. They are receiving the rewards of their spiritual labors, just as Israel finally received possession of their land. And, perhaps most importantly, we will see them again one day!

Let me offer you some strength:

The Israelites were not to 'mix' or associate with the Canaanites in any way.  Period.  No exceptions. 

But under the covenant of grace, things are a bit different.  We are not to cut ourselves off from the sinners around us.  Rather, we need to fellowship with them and/or have some kind of relationship with them, so that we can introduce them to the saving gospel of Jesus Christ.

At the same time, we must use wisdom and understanding as we do so. We cannot take part in the sins of those we are in fellowship with; we must stand strong for righteousness. We must love them while hating and standing firm against their evil practices. As we remain faithful to God and interact with the heathen, God will give us opportunities to witness to them about his love and grace.

One final note: Be sure that you diligently think, pray and seek godly counsel before being yoked with an unbeliever in marriage, business or other critical relationships.

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Joshua 22:10 – And when they came to the region of the Jordan that is in the land of Canaan, the people of Reuben and the people of Gad and the half-tribe of Manasseh built there an altar by the Jordan, an altar of imposing size.

In our last post, we saw that Joshua summoned the soldiers of Reuben, Gad and the half tribe of Manasseh to Shiloh. There, he commended them for their military service to the nation. They had been faithful and obedient to their pledge to cross the Jordan and assist the remaining tribes in conquering the Promised Land.

Now that the land was subdued and distributed to the remaining tribes, Joshua discharged them from active duty.  They had made many sacrifices in assisting their brothers; now it was time for them to go home and enjoy their own inheritance.

Apparently, at some point on the march homeward, the trans-Jordan tribes got an idea – they were going to build an altar. 

The first question to be addressed is where were they building it?  This verse simply says it was in the 'region of the Jordan'. 

Common sense tells us it must have been on the eastern side of the river because the trans-Jordan tribes would not have built a structure on someone else's property. (This assumption will be further confirmed as we discover the purpose of this altar.)

Many scholars believe the structure was built parallel to the city of Jericho, because there was a river crossing near that point which was routinely used by all the Israelites. Anyone using that crossing would have no difficulty seeing the altar.

The altar would also have been plainly visible due to its 'imposing' or remarkably large size.  It was clearly not the work of a single individual, but of hundreds or even thousands of men working together for a common purpose. 

In keeping with the law, the altar was made of earth and uncut stones; it was a giant replica of the altar at Shiloh.

Joshua 22:11-12 – And the people of Israel heard it said, "Behold, the people of Reuben and the people of Gad and the half-tribe of Manasseh have built the altar at the frontier of the land of Canaan, in the region about the Jordan, on the side that belongs to the people of Israel."  And when the people of Israel heard of it, the whole assembly of the people of Israel gathered at Shiloh to make war against them.

Apparently, it isn't long before the altar is noticed and word of it spreads throughout the land.  As a result, tribal leaders gathered at the temple in Shiloh where they decided to take up arms and wage war on their own brothers. 

Does that seem a bit extreme to you? Were they really going to destroy their brothers over a pile of stones and dirt? Are they over reacting, or are their actions justified?

In order to fully understand the situation, we must remember that God had been very specific about the rites and practices of worship. No variations or substitutions were permitted; everything must be done strictly according to the laws given by God. For example:

• There was to be only one tabernacle and God was the one to determine where it would be located.
• Those serving as priests came exclusively from the family of Aaron.
• There was a precise formula for the incense offered before the Lord.
• The daily sacrifices and offerings were clearly delineated in the law; there could be no substitutions or changes.
• The sacrifices were processed in the same way every time, etc.

We could go on and on, but my point is that God had given very specific directions for worship/religious rites and these directions could not be changed.  This is significant because the law specifically stated that there was to be one (and only one) altar for sacrifices and it was to be located in the tabernacle:

Deuteronomy 12:13-14 - Take heed to yourself that you offer not your burnt offerings in every place that you see:  But in the place which the LORD shall choose in one of your tribes, there you shall offer your burnt offerings, and there you shall do all that I command you.

(See also Leviticus 17:8-9).  So, if the trans-Jordan tribes were erecting a second altar to offer sacrifices to the Lord, that was a serious problem.  It was an unlawful practice that would essentially pollute/blaspheme the true worship of God.

There was also great danger in having an unattended altar in the middle of nowhere, because it could be used to offer sacrifices to the heathen gods/idols of the Canaanites.

Keep in mind that God had also already given strict instructions on how to deal with overt acts of apostasy/idolatry within the nation.  According to the Lord's instructions in Deuteronomy 13, if the Israelites heard one of their fellow citizens so much as suggest that they should worship/serve other gods, they were to immediately investigate the matter.  If the rumor turned out to be true, the punishment was immediate death:

Deuteronomy 13:15 - You shall surely strike the inhabitants of that city with the edge of the sword, destroying it utterly, and all that is in it, and the cattle thereof, with the edge of the sword.

Not only were all living things in the city to be destroyed, the spoil was to be piled in the street and burned:

Deuteronomy 13:16 -And you shall gather all the spoil of it into the midst of its street, and shall burn with fire the city, and all the spoil thereof, unto the LORD your God: and it shall be a heap forever; it shall not be built again.

As a lasting witness to their idolatry, the city was to remain a ruin; it could never be rebuilt (see Deuteronomy 13:12-18 for full details).

Obviously, in light of these instructions from the Lord, the western tribes were very concerned about this enormous, rather strange altar built by the tribes of Reuben, Gad and Manasseh. 

Joshua 22:13-14 – Then the people of Israel sent to the people of Reuben and the people of Gad and the half-tribe of Manasseh, in the land of Gilead, Phinehas the son of Eleazar the priest, and with him ten chiefs, one from each of the tribal families of Israel, every one of them the head of a family among the clans of Israel.

According to the law, it was the responsibility of the western tribes to investigate this matter.  If the accusation of idolatry turned out to be true, they would need to slaughter the people and animals of the trans-Jordan tribes, burn their goods and destroy their cities.  Therefore, we can conclude that they did not simply overreact; their readiness to fight their brothers was a fulfillment of their duty to the Lord.

So again, in keeping with their duty, leaders of the western tribes gathered at the tabernacle in Shiloh to consult with the priests.  They formed a committee made up of a priest (Phinehas) and one elder from each of the western tribes (10 in total) and sent them to investigate the matter face-to-face.

This is a lesson that we can learn from.

None of us can read the mind of another person; we do not know the true intentions or motivations which drive their actions. Since that is the case, we should always confirm a person's intention/motivation before we judge them or lash out against them.  This is best done face-to-face, without stopping to gossip, accuse, or speculate about what the alleged lawbreaker is doing. 

Let me repeat that one more time: If we suspect one of our brothers or sisters in Christ is breaking one of the laws of God, we should meet them face-to-face to ask them about the situation. We should NOT gossip about them, accuse them without facts or presume that we know their intentions.

When we approach them in love, sincerely asking about their actions/decisions instead of attacking them, we may find out that we misinterpreted their deeds. If that turns out to be the case, we can 'clear the air' and quickly resolve the misunderstanding.  This will retain unity within the body of Christ.   

However, if our brother/sister really was in gross violation of one of God's laws, we should seek to discuss the matter with them, and show them the truth of God's word.  It is our responsibility to help restore them to fellowship.

Galatians 6:1 – Brothers and sisters, if someone is caught in a sin, you who live by the Spirit should restore that person gently.  But watch yourselves, or you also may be tempted.

Joshua 22:15-16 – And they came to the people of Reuben, the people of Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh, in the land of Gilead, and they said to them, "Thus says the whole congregation of the Lord, 'What is this breach of faith that you have committed against the God of Israel in turning away this day from following the Lord by building yourselves an altar this day in rebellion against the Lord?'"

The committee members that were sent on this mission were all men of great rank and honor. Their presence was a mark of respect toward the men of the trans-Jordan. But make no mistake - they were also men of authority. They had the ability to assess this situation and the power to declare war against the eastern tribes if needed.

It is unclear whether the committee sent a messenger in advance to set up a meeting with the heads of the 2  tribes, or whether their arrival was unexpected, and a meeting was convened when they arrived. 

In either case, the meeting was convened and for reasons we will shortly discuss, Phinehas is almost certainly the speaker for the committee. 

He begins by proclaiming that the committee has come on behalf of the 'whole congregation of the Lord'. He does not use the term 'congregation of Israel' because this was not a mere civil complaint, it was a religious matter of great importance. They had not come to plead the cause of their fellow citizens; they were there out of concern for the glory and honor of God.

We can't help but notice that Phinehas doesn't approach the elders of the trans-Jordan tribes with an open mind. His opening statement is a harsh accusation, given in a rough manner. The committee obviously assumed that the 2  tribes had built the enormous altar with the intention of using it to make sacrifices to the Lord (or possibly idols), which was a direct violation of the law (Leviticus 17:8-9).

In their opinion, this showed that the eastern tribes had already begun to fall away from the true worship of God. In their eyes, this offense was all the more grievous because of all the good things/favors God had recently done on their behalf, and because Joshua had just admonished them to stay true to the Lord. It seems like the committee was already looking to declare war on their brothers.

Although they should be commended for their zeal in righteousness, they could have handled the situation in a different way.  As it is, they assumed that the eastern tribes were guilty, and it was now up to them to prove they were innocent!

Joshua 22:17-18 – "Have we not had enough of the sin at Peor from which even yet we have not cleansed ourselves, and for which there came a plague upon the congregation of the Lord that you too must turn away this day from following the Lord?  And if you too rebel against the Lord today then tomorrow he will be angry with the whole congregation of Israel."

Phinehas proceeds to reference an incident which he calls the 'sin at Peor'. What sin is he alluding to?

If you dig back into your memory, you will remember the story of Balaam and his talking donkey (Numbers 22). In case it's been a while since you read that narrative, let me give you a quick summary.

As the children of Israel traveled to the Promised Land, they defeated Sihon, king of the Amorites and Og, king of Bashan.  (These kingdoms were located east of the Jordan River and their territory eventually became the inheritance of the trans-Jordan tribes.) 

These two kingdoms were extremely powerful. In a natural match between Israel and Bashan or Israel and the Amorites, Israel was sure to lose every time. But they didn't lose – they won. Because of this, the nations around them recognized that Jehovah was fighting for Israel, and they were terrified.

There was yet one more mighty king in that area – Balak king of Moab. Based on what had happened to Sihon and Og, he too was extremely fearful of Israel.� Since mere military might was not enough to subdue Israel, he took another approach. He hired Balaam to come and put a curse on Israel, so they could be defeated by Moab.

To make a long story short, Balaam tried three separate times to curse Israel, but God took a hold of him, and he blessed Israel instead:

Numbers 24:10 - And Balak's anger was kindled against Balaam, and he struck his hands together: and Balak said unto Balaam, I called you to curse my enemies, and, behold, you have altogether blessed them these three times.

At this point, it becomes apparent that God is with his people. His unyielding desire to bless Israel cannot be overcome by any of her enemies, nor can it be thwarted by a curse.

Balaam, however, was an evil and crafty man.  He knew that he could not stop God from blessing Israel.  But he also recognized that there WAS someone who could rob Israel of her blessings – Israel herself.

So upon the advice of Balaam, the Midianite women of Peor began to make friends with the people of Israel, particularly the men.

They invited Israel to their sacrifices and worship services for Baal. These services were enormous feasts which encouraged unbridled self-gratification. Gluttony, idol worship and all types of sexual immorality (including orgies) were common at these celebrations.

The end result was that the scheme of Balaam (carried out by the women of Midian) was a huge success.  Israel bound herself to Baal of Peor and as a result she forfeited many of the blessings of God.

To put it mildly, God was extremely angry with Israel for worshipping Baal.  He called the entire nation to assemble before him at the entrance to the tabernacle. 

There, God instructed Moses to call forth the judges of Israel who were told to kill any of their men who had worshiped Baal.  The bodies of these men were to be impaled upon poles before the Lord, so that his anger would be appeased.  All the people of the nation were weeping and groaning because of the great sin they had committed and because of the punishment/plague that was ravaging the nation. 

As these events were taking place, an Israelite man named Zimri, son of Salu of the tribe of Simeon had the nerve to come to the entrance of the tabernacle with a Midianite woman! Can you imagine the audacity? To bring one of the very women who caused Israel to sin to the temple where repentance/punishment was taking place was to show utter contempt for God. It was like spitting in God's face!

There was one man among the Israelites who wasn't going to allow Zimri and Cozbi (the Midianite woman) to get away with such a vile and outrageous mockery of the Lord.  When he saw the two come to the temple together, he took action:

Numbers 25:7-9 – When Phinehas the son of Eleazar, son of Aaron the priest, saw it, he rose and left the congregation and took a spear in his hand and went after the man of Israel into the chamber and pierced both of them, the man and the woman through her belly.  Thus the plague on the people of Israel was stopped.  Nevertheless, those who died by the plague were twenty-four thousand.

Did you notice the name of the priest who was zealous for the glory of the Lord during the incident of Baal-Peor?  That's right – it was Phinehas, son of Eleazar, the same priest who was head of the committee that was sent to confront the trans-Jordan tribes about their alleged apostasy.  Because of his background, he was the logical choice as a priestly representative. 

As Phinehas addresses the elders of Reuben, Gad and Manasseh, he mentions the events of Baal-Peor to remind them of the serious/deadly consequences of rebelling against the commands of the Lord. He also reminds them that their sin would not just affect them; it would reach out and touch the whole nation of Israel, just as the sin of Baal-Peor did.

Therefore, their actions were of interest to all; the western tribes had a right/obligation to confront the eastern tribes.

Joshua 22:19-20 – "But now, if the land of your possession is unclean, pass over into the Lord's land where the Lord's tabernacle stands, and take for yourselves a possession among us.  Only do not rebel against the Lord or make us as rebels by building for yourselves an altar other than the altar of the Lord our God.  Did not Achan the son of Zerah break faith in the matter of the devoted things, and wrath fell upon all the congregation of Israel?  And he did not perish alone for his iniquity."

The point Phinehas is making is that any kind of rebellion against the Lord would call down destruction upon the entire nation.

As a further example, he points to a very recent incident in the history of Israel.  During the destruction of Jericho, Achan son of Zerah rebelled against the Lord and took some things that were devoted to the Lord. 

Even though he acted alone and in secret, destruction came upon the whole nation as they attempted to conquer the city of Ai (see Joshua chapter 7).  If the anger of God burned against the entire nation because of the sin of one man, how much more destruction would come upon the nation if the 2 tribes decided to rebel and/or commit idolatry?

At this point, Phinehas finally gives his brothers a very small benefit of the doubt.  He does this by asking them if they considered their land polluted, defiled or 'unclean'.  In his mind, this was the one and only reason they could have for erecting this altar.  

What did he mean by that?

Essentially, he wonders if the trans-Jordan tribes considered their land unholy because the tabernacle was not in it.

In other words, perhaps the trans-Jordan tribes felt that they were in a sense 'cut off' from the Lord because their land was east of the river.  If that was the case, they may have considered their land unholy/not consecrated to God and thus not under his protection and blessing.

Phinehas further supposes that his brothers constructed the altar as a token of God's presence in their land; by performing sacrifices and bringing offerings to this altar, their land would be holy.

He goes on to tell his brothers that if this was indeed the case, he had a different solution for their problem.  The 2 tribes were welcome to cross the river once again and receive an inheritance west of the river, where the tabernacle (and God's presence) dwelt.

This meant that the elders of the other tribes had already agreed to suffer personal loss and expense in order to give some of their land and inheritance to help their brothers. It was a remarkable display of their love, and it demonstrated a true concern for their brothers' spiritual good. It also showed Israel's great desire for the glory and honor of God, which they valued far above their own personal blessing.

Joshua 22:21-23 – Then the people of Reuben, the people of Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh said in answer to the heads of the families of Israel, "The Mighty One, God, the Lord!  The Mighty One, God, the Lord!  He knows; and let Israel itself know!  If it was in rebellion or in breach of faith against the Lord, do not spare us today for building an altar to turn away from following the Lord.  Or if we did so to offer burnt offerings or grain offerings or peace offerings on it, may the Lord himself take vengeance."

Finally!  The men of the eastern tribes get a chance to speak!

The eastern tribes, who are utterly amazed at the suspicions/accusations of their brothers, flatly deny that they intended to offer sacrifices to the Lord (or idols) on their enormous altar.  Furthermore, they are in no way unhappy with their land or inheritance; they do not consider themselves 'cut off' from God. 

Let's take a closer look at their defense.

The men of the east begin by exclaiming 'The Mighty One, God, the Lord'. In the original Hebrew, they are saying God-El (the Strong One), Elohim (Creator God and Supreme Being) and Jehovah (the covenant God). In so doing, they are appealing to the One True God as the judge of their case, because He alone knew their true reason for constructing the altar.

The phrase 'he knows' is an emphatic declaration that God heard their words and was a witness that they were speaking the truth about their reasons for building the altar.  The implication is that if they are guilty, the God of the universe can judge/pour out his wrath on them.

This phrase was later used by the Psalmist Asaph in the same manner - to express the supremacy of the Lord:

Psalms 50:1 – The Mighty One, God, the Lord, speaks and summons the earth from the rising of the sun to where it sets.

By saying the phrase twice, it adds an emphatic tone as well as an added level of sincerity to their argument. Through it, they seek to show their deep concern for the honor of God and to wipe away this awful reproach/accusation which the western tribes placed on them.

Calling upon the name of the Lord is also proof of their faithfulness - they worshiped no gods/idols other than Jehovah, the One True God of Israel, who was also worshiped by their forefathers, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. They are basically saying that they are completely committed to the Law; it would be ridiculous to think that they had abandoned the God of their fathers in order to worship false idols.

As further proof of their innocence, they willingly place themselves in harm's way – if they are guilty of the charges brought against them, then their western brothers were welcome to attack and destroy them.  Nothing but true innocence could have prompted them to make this statement.

Joshua 22:24-25 - "No, but we did it from fear that in time to come your children might say to our children, 'What have you to do with the Lord, the God of Israel?'  For the Lord has made the Jordan a boundary between us and you, you people of Reuben and people of Gad.  You have no portion in the Lord.'"

At last we come to the true reason why the altar was built.

The promises made to Abraham and his descendants were specifically related to the land of Canaan – the land west of the Jordan River. However, the tribes of Reuben, Gad and the half tribe of Manasseh had willingly chosen to remain in the trans-Jordan lands conquered by Moses. The men of these tribes were concerned that future generations of Israelites would therefore consider them as being outside the blessings and privileges of the Mosaic covenant.

If that were to happen, their future offspring would be cut off from the temple at Shiloh.  They would be unable to offer sacrifices, serve the Lord, and fellowship with their brothers.  They would be 'kicked out' of the nation of Israel and cheated out of the blessings of being a member of God's chosen people.

This was the last thing the trans-Jordan tribes wanted to happen!    

Joshua 22:26-27 – Therefore we said, 'Let us now build an altar, not for burnt offering, nor for sacrifice, but to be a witness between us and you, and between our generations after us, that we do perform the service of the Lord in his presence with our burnt offerings and sacrifices and peace offerings, so your children will not say to our children in time to come, "You have no portion in the Lord.'"

So they built an enormous alter as a memorial or a monument that would stand as a witness to all future generations that the people living in the trans-Jordan were just as much a part of the nation of Israel as the people living west of the river. 

As such, they were entitled to all the rights and privileges of the covenant and they were fully obligated to obey the law:

• They would have full access to the tabernacle.
• They would bring burnt offerings, sacrifices and peace offerings to the Lord.
• They would participate in all national festivals and feasts.
• Their males would appear before the Lord three times each year, etc.

In other words, they were true brothers of the western tribes and no one could claim otherwise.   

Joshua 22:28 – And we thought, If this should be said to us or to our descendants in time to come, we should say, 'Behold, the copy of the altar of the Lord, which our fathers made, not for burnt offerings, nor for sacrifice, but to be a witness between us and you.'

The men of the eastern tribes recognized that as time marched on, the generation who knew that Reuben, Gad and Manasseh had valiantly fought with their brothers in the wars of Canaan would eventually die. Future generations might call their service into question and seek to cut them off from the nation.

In order to prevent that from happening, the eastern tribes would point to the witness of the monumental altar.  It was an exact replica of the Mosaic altar, which proved that the people of the east had both seen the altar at Shiloh and sacrificed upon it.  Since that was the case, they were clearly true descendants of Israel. 

Joshua 22:29 – Far be it from us that we should rebel against the Lord and turn away this day from following the Lord by building an altar for burnt offering, grain offering, or sacrifice, other than the altar of the Lord our God that stands before his tabernacle!"

The men of the eastern tribes concluded their defense in the same way it began – by protesting before God, in the most emphatic and sacred manner, that they were not in any way, shape or form rebelling against the Lord.

In fact, the opposite was true.  They were doing their best to ensure that the unity of the nation was preserved both politically and religiously.   

Joshua 22:30 – When Phinehas the priest and the chiefs of the congregation, the heads of the families of Israel who were with him, heard the words that the people of Reuben and the people of Gad and the people of Manasseh spoke, it was good in their eyes.

The committee fully accepts the explanation of the eastern tribes; they gladly admit that no offence had been committed.  What's more, they were delighted with what the trans-Jordan tribes had done to preserve the common faith and fellowship of Israel.

This reveals that the zeal of the western tribes was rooted in genuine concern for the glory of God.  Had they been motivated by religious jealousy, they would have found fault with the explanation and looked for other reasons to find fault with their brothers.       

Joshua 22:31 – And Phinehas the son of Eleazar the priest said to the people of Reuben and the people of Gad and the people of Manasseh, "Today we know that the Lord is in our midst, because you have not committed this breach of faith against the Lord. Now you have delivered the people of Israel from the hand of the Lord."

As previously mentioned, Phinehas and the rest of the elders rejoice to find their brothers innocent. They acknowledge that it was the presence of the Lord himself who preserved their brothers from sinning in this manner.

Because they had been faithful to God and not rebelled against his commands, the entire nation was delivered from the judgment/wrath of God.  Furthermore, the western tribes were spared from engaging their own brothers in bloody warfare.     

They rejoiced mightily, because they could continue to expect God to be in their midst, to save, deliver, protect and provide for the entire nation.

Joshua 22:32-33 – Then Phinehas the son of Eleazar the priest, and the chiefs, returned from the people of Reuben and the people of Gad in the land of Gilead to the land of Canaan, to the people of Israel, and brought back word to them. And the report was good in the eyes of the people of Israel. And the people of Israel blessed God and spoke no more of making war against them to destroy the land where the people of Reuben and the people of Gad were settled.

 

The committee had been sent by the entire nation to investigate the alleged rebellion/apostasy of the trans-Jordan tribes.  After their investigation, they returned to Shiloh with the good news that all was well; there was no need to wage war on their brothers because they were not in rebellion against the Lord.

In fact, the trans-Jordan tribes were to be commended for seeking the glory of God and the political/religious unity of the nation. 

This report caused unbounded joy and thankfulness to rise up within the entire nation.  They gave credit to the Lord and his goodness for preventing a dreadful civil war within Israel.

Joshua 22:34 – The people of Reuben and the people of Gad called the altar Witness, ''For," they said, "it is a witness between us that the Lord is God."

'Witness' was a very appropriate name for this altar.  It is very likely that after this meeting, an inscription was placed on this altar, which established the purpose for which it was built – to confirm that the trans-Jordan Israelites were one in worship, one in faith and one in fellowship with their brothers on the western side of the Jordan.

Let me offer you some encouragement and relief:

Phinehas acknowledges that it was God's presence among his people that prevented a civil war from taking place.  That is because when we dwell in his presence, we experience joy, peace, provision, wisdom and other blessings as well.  If we are in close communion with the Lord, rebellion against him will be the furthest thing from our minds.  Unity among the people of God is a natural outcome of dwelling in his presence.

We know by the nature of the world that God is present everywhere (Psalms 139:7-10).  Yet, not everyone experiences a close, intimate relationship with him.  The difference is our desire to commune with him. 

Revelation 3:20 - Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hears my voice, and opens the door, I will come in to him, and will eat with him, and he with me.

When we ask Christ into our lives, we have the capacity to enjoy spiritual communion with him. But like any relationship, it only thrives and grows as we interact with him, learn more of him, spend time with him, and follow his ways. God is always standing at our heart's door knocking and waiting for us to open the door and fellowship with him. Sadly, we often leave him outside while we go on with our lives.

However, when we are one with him through daily or hourly communion, his real, tangible presence is with us and upon us.  It is through this communion that we receive blessings from him. 

God does not simply send blessings from a far away distance or through the mail slot in the closed door of our heart; he breathes them upon us while we are close to him.  That is why our bodies are his temple – so we can closely commune with him at all times. 

1 Corinthians 6:19 - What? Know you not that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have of God, and you are not your own?

How much quality time are you spending with the Lord?  Remember, you enter into his presence with praise and worship. Why not set aside some time today to fellowship with him?

Let me offer you some strength:

In today's post, we noted that God has an unyielding desire to bless his people.  Nothing our enemies do can stop him from blessing us. 

However, it is possible for us to rob ourselves of the blessings of God intends to shower upon us.  Most often we do this by disobeying his commands. 

For example, in 1 Samuel chapter 2, we find that God had promised the descendants of Aaron that his family would have the honor of being his priests forever.  This was an amazing blessing that no one could ever take away.

But sadly, the house of Levi was unfaithful to the Lord. They were disobedient and they dishonored the sacrifices of the Lord. The culmination of their unfaithfulness occurred in the family of Eli (Samuel 2:27-34).  As a result, God cast them from their office and gave that blessing to another.

Are you walking in disobedience in some area of your life? If so, now is the time to submit yourself to the Lord and repent. Then ask the Lord to renew his blessings upon your life.

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Joshua 22:1-2 – At that time Joshua summoned the Reubenites and the Gadites and the half-tribe of Manasseh and said to them, "You have kept all that Moses the servant of the Lord commanded you and have obeyed my voice in all that I have commanded you."

The 22^nd chapter of Joshua continues with the 'wrapping up' of the conquest of the land. 

Before Israel ever crossed the Jordan, the Lord had promised Reuben, Gad and the half-tribe of Manasseh the territory that formerly belonged to Sihon and Og.  They received land and cities without being involved in the lot (Deuteronomy 3:1-22). 

But there was a stipulation connected to their inheritance – the military personnel of these tribes had to cross the Jordan and assist the remaining tribes until the land was subdued by Israel.

Deuteronomy 3:18, 20 - The Lord your God has given you this land to possess. All your men of valor shall cross over armed before your brothers, the people of Israel until the Lord gives rest to your brothers and they also occupy the land that the Lord your God gives them beyond the Jordan. Then each of you may return to his possession.

(See also Numbers 32, Joshua 1:12-18). Consequently, a combined total of about 40,000 soldiers crossed the Jordan to assist their brothers in the war. They faithfully fought alongside the other tribes until the conquest of the land was complete.

The conquest of the land was estimated to have taken 5-7 years.  However, it should be noted that while the 2 tribes maintained a continual presence of about 40,000 soldiers that whole time, they were not necessarily the same men.  It has been speculated that the men rotated home on occasion, in order to take care of business and to see their families.

It is also possible that at various times of rest or breaks in the wars of Canaan that all or part of these 40,000 men were able to travel home for brief periods.  Whatever the case may have been, the soldiers of the trans-Jordan tribes were faithful to keep their word; they actively served in the national army along with the other tribes as long as the war lasted.

At this point in the history of Israel, it is clear that the land as a whole had rest - it had been conquered to the point where the Canaanites were no longer in power; they were no longer able to amass an army that could fight against the people of God.  There were still pockets of Canaanites to be subdued, but it was now the responsibility of each individual tribe to remove these enemies from their inheritance. 

Therefore, it was now time for the fighting men of the 2 tribes to be discharged from their duty to the nation. To this end, Joshua assembles these warriors at Shiloh, says a few remarks, and sends them home.

Joshua 22:3-4 – "You have not forsaken your brothers these many days, down to this day, but have been careful to keep the charge of the Lord your God.  And now the Lord your God has given rest to your brothers, as he promised them.  Therefore turn and go to your tents in the land where your possession lies, which Moses the servant of the Lord gave you on the other side of the Jordan."

In his closing remarks, Joshua gives strong words of praise to these 40K men. He publicly acknowledges that they have kept their part of the bargain; they willingly and whole-heartedly gave their military assistance to the remainder of the nation. They followed all the orders Joshua gave them, no matter how difficult or dangerous.

Notice that their service was not just a command of Joshua, it was a charge or duty given to them by the Lord himself. This means that these soldiers had been obedient and faithful to a divine law/command. In so doing, they exhibited several key Christian traits – faithfulness, obedience and sacrifice. Let's take a more in depth look at these traits.

OBEDIENCE: Obedience is defined as compliance with an order, request or law; it requires submission to the authority of another.

Everyone is required to submit to some kind of authority.  Scripture tells us that even Jesus was obedient to the will of the Father:

John 6:38 – For I [Jesus] have come down from heaven, not to do my own will but the will of him who sent me.

Philippians 2:6-8 – [Jesus] who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men.  And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.

If Jesus was obedient to the Father's will and authority, we should expect to do the same.  Scripture teaches that obedience is one of the key elements in our spiritual walk.

Children are to be obedient to parents (Colossians 3:20), servants are to be obedient to masters (Ephesians 6:5-7), citizens are to be obedient to those in civil authority, as long as that authority is in harmony with divine commands (I Peter 2:13-16), and believers are to be obedient to spiritual authority in the church (Hebrews 13:17). Christians are to submit to the authority of Jesus as head of the church.

In fact, even our salvation is dependent upon obedience, because in order to obtain it, we must follow the requirements set by the Father – we must confess with our mouths that Jesus is Lord and believe in our hearts that God has raised him from the dead (Romans 10:9-10).

The soldiers of the trans-Jordan tribes had their obedience rewarded with possession of the land east of the Jordan as well as 'very much' livestock, money, clothing, gold, etc.  This blessing was in accordance with God's kingdom principles/laws:  

Isaiah 1:19-20 – If you are willing and obedient, you shall eat of the good of the land; but if you refuse and rebel, you shall be devoured by the sword, for the mouth of the Lord has spoken.

We too can expect good things to happen when we obey the laws and commands of the Lord, because his laws bring life and peace to us while simultaneously keeping trouble out of our lives:

Proverbs 22:4 – The reward for humility and fear of the Lord is riches and honor and life.

Psalms 25:12-13 – Who is the man who fears the Lord? He shall instruct him in the way he should choose.  His soul shall abide in well-being, and his offspring shall inherit the land.

For example, God's law says that the person who borrows money is a slave to the one who lends to them (Proverbs 22:7).  The person who chooses to ignore or live in rebellion against this law will go out and live beyond their means.  Instead of exercising self-control and budgeting to go on that dream vacation (and/or buy a house/furniture/car, etc), they simply borrow money so they can have whatever they want the moment they want it. 

But later, when they want to switch to a lower paying job, or they want to support a missionary, or they have an opportunity to make a good investment, they can't – because they have trapped themselves with their debt. 

Factors outside their control (like inflation or a job lay-off) can also increase their financial burden to the point of bankruptcy, foreclosure, or total financial ruin. This, in turn, would be devastating to every other area of their lives as that kind of stress can wreak havoc on a marriage (and other relationships) and ruin your health.

By contrast, the person who chooses to obey the law of God and live within their means, can expect to be blessed as they generously give to the poor, support the gospel, and wisely plan for the future. They will be able to take full advantage of once-in-a-lifetime opportunities. Money will not cause stress in their marriage or keep them awake at night.

So let me just say it again: Obedience to God's laws brings life and peace to us while simultaneously keeping trouble out of our lives.  You should definitely consider being obedient!

SACRIFICE: To sacrifice is to give up, renounce or suffer the loss of something, especially for an ideal or belief.

Did the fighting men of the trans-Jordan tribes sacrifice anything?

I believe they did. They gave up time with their families. They gave up opportunities to plant vineyards or establish businesses. They gave up the chance to be safe from harm (some of them no doubt perished in the wars of Canaan). They gave up the freedom to travel and study and other things too.

They sacrificed these things in order to serve God by furthering the kingdom of Israel and God blessed them because of it. 

We too are blessed by making sacrifices for the kingdom of God.  In Matthew 19, Jesus has a conversation with his disciples about giving up things for the kingdom of heaven.  This is what he said:

Matthew 19:28-29 – Jesus said to them, "Truly, I say to you, in the new world, when the Son of Man will sit on his glorious throne, you who have followed me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.  And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or lands, for my name's sake, will receive a hundredfold and will inherit eternal life."

Don't ever think that the sacrifices you make for God go unnoticed.  He sees everything you offer to him – even when the world does not – and he will reward you for it (Matthew 6:1-7, 16-18), even when your sacrifice is a mere cup of cold water (Matthew 10:42)!

Consider this as well:  What is the most valuable commodity we all have?

I believe it is time. Each of us has been granted a specific amount of time on earth, and we can't manufacture any more for ourselves. So our time is very precious. Whatever amount of time we spend doing kingdom work is essentially a sacrifice, because we could have used that time to satisfy our own desires.

FAITHFUL: Firm adherence in observance of duty; steadfast in affection or allegiance; loyal.

The highest and most profound example of faithfulness is God's faithfulness to us.  Even though we fail and continue to sin over and over again, he is always faithful to forgive our sin and cleanse us from unrighteousness (I John 1:9).  His steadfast love and care for us never ceases (Psalms 100:5). 

The armies of Reuben, Gad and the half-tribe of Manasseh are also a good example of faithfulness. They made a solemn vow to aid their brothers in their war to subdue the Canaanites; they were faithful to keep that promise.

All throughout that 5-7 year period, they steadfastly continued to encounter the enemy in battle after battle. They were present in the battle for Jericho. They marched against the five-king alliance. Even when things became really frightening (in the battle against the northern confederacy), they continued to show up and actively fight.

Their loyalty must have been a real encouragement to the nine other tribes mentally as well as physically.  Their faithfulness certainly played a part in the victory of Israel.

We too need to be faithful stewards in the house/kingdom of God.  God has a master plan for this planet and for the race of mankind.  As we look around today, it may seem as though the enemy is winning the war, but don't believe that.  God is in control.  At the exact right moment, he will change the tide of this war; there will be an end time revival where millions of people come to Christ. 

So be faithful to the Lord and continue to stand on his promises!

Joshua 22:5-6 – "Only be very careful to observe the commandment and the law that Moses the servant of the Lord commanded, to love the Lord your God, and to walk in all his ways and to keep his commandments and to cling to him and to serve him with all your heart and with all your soul."  So Joshua blessed them and sent them away, and they went to their tents.

Joshua's closing advice to the men of Reuben, Gad and Manasseh is interesting. He does not advise them to diligently farm their land, increase their herds, fortify their cities or enlarge their own territory now that they are seasoned warriors.

Rather, he admonishes them to continue to carefully follow all the commands of the law. He particularly admonishes them to love the Lord with all their hearts and souls and to earnestly cling to him.

It was vital that the men of the 2 tribes follow this command closely. They were about to leave their brothers behind and go to the other side of the Jordan. Even though some of the Levites lived among them, they would be quite a distance from the tabernacle, the altar, and the service of God. This disconnection may have increased their temptation to serve the false idols that still persisted in the land.

When you cling to something, you are very unwilling to let it go. The implication is that the thing you are clinging to is vitally important to you; you treasure it and/or understand the value of it.

Joshua was giving these men very sound advice.  They were about to go home where they would now be reunited with their loved ones and they would be able to enjoy all their blessings – new homes, fields, vineyards, clothes, possessions, and wealth. 

While all these material things were blessings given to them by the Lord, they had to be kept in proper perspective.  In the New Testament parable of the sower, Jesus tells us that some of the seed grew among the thorns or weeds, which choked the plants and rendered them unfruitful.  As he explains the parable, Jesus tells us that these thorns represent the riches, cares and pleasures of this life:

Luke 8:14 – And as for what fell among the thorns, they are those who hear, but as they go on their way they are choked by the cares and riches and pleasures of life, and their fruit does not mature.

These thorns/weeds can render us unfruitful in the kingdom of heaven, if we allow them to choke out the word of God (good seed) in our lives.

How do weeds choke out good plants?  They compete with the plants for water, sunlight and the nutrients of the soil.  If given the chance, they will take everything and cause the good plant to die.  Short of that, they will only leave the good plant just enough to survive, so that bearing fruit is impossible.  

If you've ever had a backyard vegetable garden, you understand this completely!

Now might be a good time for us to examine ourselves. Do we have riches or pleasures in our lives that are not inherently sinful, yet they are preventing us from bearing fruit in God's kingdom by stealing all of our time, attention and resources from spiritual matters? If so, how can we limit or remove these things in our lives?

Joshua also stresses our love and devotion to God for another reason – the best proof of our love for someone is our conduct towards them.  In other words, if our love for God is genuine, then we are rooted and grounded in him and it will produce practical proof in our lives.  If we truly love God, we will be devoted to his service, diligent to repel false beliefs and eager to abide by his laws. 

In a way, we could say that the trans-Jordan tribes were isolated or separated from the rest of the Israelites. The danger was that this separation would cause their love/service to God to grow cold, so Joshua warns them to cling to the Lord and serve him only.

Joshua 22:7-8 – Now to the one half of the tribe of Manasseh Moses had given a possession in Bashan, but to the other half Joshua had given a possession beside their brothers in the land west of the Jordan.  And when Joshua sent them away to their homes and blessed them, he said to them, "Go back to your tents with much wealth and with very much livestock, with silver, gold, bronze, and iron, and with much clothing.  Divide the spoil of your enemies with your brothers."

Let's discuss at the division of the spoil.  Notice that Joshua did not give the men any commands about exactly how the plunder should be divided.  That's because God had already addressed that issue much earlier – when Moses led Israel to victory over Midian. 

Numbers 31:26-24 – Take the count of the plunder that was taken, both of man and of beast and divide the plunder into two parts between the warriors who went out to battle and all the congregation.

The men of Reuben, Gad and Manasseh could be divided into two groups. The fighting men who crossed the Jordan made up one group. The other group consisted of the men who stayed east of the river, tending the flocks, sowing the land, protecting the women/children and building the cities. Both jobs (protecting the home front and serving in the army) were equally important and therefore every man/family received an equal share of the spoil.

This is reflective of the way in which the New Testament church operates.  Paul likens the church to the body of Christ.  In order for the body to be fully functional, it needs all the different parts – eyes, fingers, back bones, kidneys, knees, ankles, glands, etc.  It should be apparent that we cannot compare ourselves to other Christians, because God has uniquely created each person and assigned each one of us different goals to accomplish.

It also means that every Christian – EVERY CHRISTIAN - is an essential part of the body. So I can say with all confidence that the body of Christ needs YOU! You bring essential talents, skills and ministry to the church. Please don't cripple the body of Christ by not showing up to church or by not using your talents and skills!

Joshua 22:9 – So the people of Reuben and the people of Gad and the half-tribe of Manasseh returned home, parting from the people of Israel at Shiloh, which is in the land of Canaan, to go to the land of Gilead, their own land of which they had possessed themselves by the command of the Lord through Moses.

Many bible scholars find this scripture to be a picture or parallel of our lives on earth and our subsequent rewards in heaven.

The job of the 2 tribes was to assist their brothers by fighting in Israel's army.  They delayed the enjoyment of their own inheritance while they helped others obtain theirs.

The moment we receive Christ as our Savior, are co-heirs with Christ.  The inheritance that awaits us in eternity is so amazing we can't even conceive the extent of it.  But like the trans-Jordan tribes, God tasks us with remaining on 'this side of the Jordan' (on earth), so that we can assist others to obtain their own inheritance (salvation). 

For now, we must remain here on earth, putting on the full armor of God and fighting against our common enemy.  Just like the trans-Jordan men, we must go wherever our commander (Jesus) sends us, and do whatever he orders us to do.  We must never fear, complain, or grow weary in our work, because we know that God himself will give us victory.

We can take comfort in knowing that as we are faithful, as we obey and as we make sacrifices in this seemingly endless war, Jesus will notice and he will reward us in heaven, just as the men of Reuben, Gad and Manasseh were rewarded with 'very much' wealth for their service.

And then one day, our fight will be over; God will discharge us from earthly duty to go home to heaven (sometimes referred to as crossing the Jordan), where we can enjoy our everlasting reward. 

It should be noted that when we cling to God – loving him with all of our heart, soul, mind and strength – it becomes easy to enter the battle and stay until the victory is won.  That is why Joshua admonished the trans-Jordan men to keep their eyes on God and obey the covenant.

Let me offer you some encouragement:

Joshua admonished the men of the trans-Jordan tribes to keep their focus on the Lord and not let their love for him grow cold.

When Jesus walked on earth, he gave the disciples (and all New Testament believers) the exact same warning - to be on guard, lest we also lose our focus and grow cold:

Matthew 24:12 - And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall grow cold.

As we read this scripture, it's easy for us to dismiss it – we are sure that our love for Christ would NEVER grow cold.  While I hope that is true, we can't just dismiss the possibility of it, because Jesus is the one who said it was true!

Therefore, we need to constantly guard against growing cold in our faith, especially when we look around and see wickedness everywhere.  When times get tough, we must be obedient and faithful to Jesus our commander, because victory is found in him.    

Let me offer you some relief:

God has never lost a war and he isn't going to lose the one for planet earth either!

God is in control of what happens on this planet and in your individual life.  He promises that if we remain faithful and obedient to him, he will welcome us into his eternal kingdom.

Matthew 24:13 – But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.

The simplest way to 'endure unto the end' is to take life one day at a time.

• Read your bible – today.
• Spend time in prayer – today.
• Witness to a sinner – today.
• Give to the poor – today.
• Stand for righteousness – today.
• Worship – today.

I think you get the point! A faithful and obedient life to God is built one day at a time.  Don't worry about tomorrow; just serve the Lord TODAY.

Let me offer you some strength:

Are you concerned that you won't be able to remain faithful and obedient to the Lord and accomplish the tasks he has assigned to you?  Are you worried about making sacrifices for the kingdom?  If so, let me assure you that God has paved the way for you to be victorious over your flesh!

Do you remember who Zerubabbel was?  He was the man who led the first group of Jews back to the Promised Land after the Babylonian captivity.  The task God assigned to him was absolutely monumental.  It was fraught with peril and Israel's enemies undermined his work every chance they got. 

In the second year after they returned to the land, Zerubbabel was given another task – to construct an altar to the Lord and lay the foundation for the replacement temple (the temple of Solomon had been destroyed when Israel was exiled). 

Again, this seemed like an impossible task – and it would have been if Zerubbabel relied on his own strength and power.  But he didn't.  God sent an angel to remind him that through the power of Holy Spirit, he could do what seems impossible:

Zechariah 4:6 - Then he answered and spoke unto me, saying, This is the word of the LORD unto Zerubbabel, saying, Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, says the LORD of hosts.

Likewise, you and I don't need to worry or fret about staying faithful and obedient to all that God has called us to do, because God has given us Holy Spirit to assist us. If we listen to his voice and do has he instructs, we will find wisdom, protection, resources and victory as we walk here on earth.