Eilen

A rich man may store up what he has only to lose it or not be able to enjoy it. I suppose the same can happen to a poor man. Greed can affect our giving to the church because we feel that many of us focus on material things and not on spiritual ones. Our greed wants us to possess material things we do not even need or use instead of giving to the church, the needy. Americans are captive to greed since many think of what they purchase and consume. Many of us like to ‘live up with the Jones’, coveting what our neighbors, friends have, buying extravagant houses, vacations, cars, sending our children to the most expensive schools. They should love God above all things but this is not so in many cases. Many Americans ultimate goal in life is what can be bought or sold. d. We can repent, free ourselves from greed by doing the Lord’s work, admitting God into our lives and refocusing our priorities. God knows that greed leads to actions that are sinful and it undermines true happiness. It drives people away from fellowship with each other and God. As God said, ‘you cannot serve God and mammon’

I can see this happening in the case of say a soldier turned rogue giving information to another government that can put a country at risk. We live in a world of much turmoil where there is warfare continuously in certain parts of the world. We know that a church can exist in a world of sin but cannot prosper when a world of sin is brought into the church. We find today that sin in the church quite often is tolerated. It is condoned. Leaders of the church are reported of fornication and adultery and nothing is done about it. This leads to the detriment of the church. God wants his church to be doctrinally pure and morally pure. As in any church one should confess one’s sins and sin no more. We as Christians should do this but many times we fall short of the teachings of God and tolerate the sinner. God forgives sins. We as Christians should also be tolerant to those who sin against us. Praying to God about a situation will certainly give us answers to how it can be handled. We see how the sin of Achan brought sin on Israel but when this sin was judged God restored the blessing on Israel. So God absolves us when we confess our sins.

God ordered the slaughter of the inhabitants of Jericho because the inhabitants had beliefs that were abominable to God. They worshipped idols, made sacrifices to their gods, committed adultery. God does not condone such practices. ‘Thou shall worship no other God but Me’. They broke all his commandments. If they were allowed to remain and the Israelites intermingled with them, Israel certainly would have incurred God’s wrath because they would have picked up their ungodly behavior. I am trying to be devoted to God in the sense to be like the Apostles who just followed Jesus unconditionally and preached his word. I feel that I do show devotion for I try to be the person he would like me to be. I try to keep his commandments although I fail on occasions. I however will not give up and hope that one day very soon I will be able be filled with that Holy Spirit and lead that Christian life full of faith leaving everything to Christ, knowing that He will see me through.

Maybe the seven days had something significance to the creation in Geneses I the 7th day signified the completion of God’s work. The 7 days marching with the ark represents the manifestation of the Israelites faith in God. Their victory was dependent on God’s power and their faith in Him. They had to obey his commands. The ark represents a most Holy place, the presence of God. It most likely contained the tablet with the Ten Commandments. c. I think that God created some act of nature / miracle to bring the walls down, since there

That you will definitely win the battle because God will fight your battle for you. ‘If God is for you, who can be against you.’ Romans 8:31. To trust and obey his commands, be loyal to Him and have the faith in knowing that you have nothing to fear.

Joshua’s question was whether he was in support of Israel or their enemies. I think that he is God manifested in the form of an angel. He is on His (Israel’s) side. He is here to fulfill his promise to Joshua and Israel. Only he can make this a successful battle. I try to be on God’s side. If one is on God’s side, no one can be against you. An encounter with God humbles us, because God is humble. He is omnipotent, He is the mighty God. Sometimes we are afraid at the encounter since we do not feel that we can live up to expectations. There is so much noise around us. Most of us find ourselves distracted from giving ourselves fully to God. We often find ourselves slipping away from our ultimate goal of living a Christian life. This could be due to a lack of faith.

The manna ceased since Israel was no longer in the barren desert which could not be cultivated. They were now not in desert land; they were not going to be moving from camp to camp. They now had to fulfill God’s plan moving into the Promised Land. God stopped the manna so that they could move forward toward God’s plan for them. It was a means of forcing Israel to increase their faith in God, conquer their enemies and claim what was promised them. God allows us to sometimes experience manna when he sees we need a timeout from finding ourselves overwhelmed and not knowing what to do. It’s a time provided when we can try to examine our faith, connect more with God and know that He can take care of the situation. God sometimes let manna cease so that we can so that we could not become complacent but grow spiritually and fulfill his plans for us. When there is no manna, we examine ourselves to determine what is wrong in our lives and how we could go about fixing it. We look for new doors to open to us, become more attuned to God and are able to see what he wants us to do. We find ourselves praying more fervently and become more focused when the manna is not there anymore. I am not really certain what stage I am at. I am trying to grow spiritually by meditating daily on the scriptures. My participating in this bible and future such courses will surely benefit me.

Joshua ordered the stacking of the river boulders as a monument so that the Israelites would remember where their redemption started. This was the place where they began a new life and that it was the Lord who made it possible for them to cross the Jordan River safely despite being surrounded by hostile kingdoms. Future generations would be able to look back and thank God for the opportunity of their freedom and the end of their ancestors’ 40 years of wandering in the desert. Faith monuments remind us of the faith and struggle of our ancestors. It reminds us of the legacy of what and how those before us fought for. One danger is making it an idol and completely forgetting or changing its symbolism. My Church does not have a building. We are a new church and share a building with a lodge. The most important monument I would like to see in my church when we get one is that of Jesus on the Cross which reminds us of what he went through for the redemption of our sins and that only by faith can we get into the Kingdom of God.

Joshua told his people to ‘Sanctify yourselves for the Lord will do wonders among you on the morrow’. Joshua 3:5. I think that by saying these words, Joshua was preparing them for some miracle the Lord would perform. This required deep faith, trust in God. Knowing without any doubt that God would be there finding a way for them, protecting them. The people had faith in what Joshua said because he was the one chosen by God to lead them to the Promised Land. Joshua was a man of God, he lived by God’s commandments. The Israelites believed that whatever Joshua told them came from God and that God would keep them safe.

The Israelites needed to consecrate themselves so that they could be of clean heart and spirit before the Lord their maker. Consecration might have entailed having a bath which was most likely a luxury being in the desert and wearing clean clothes which might symbolize a new beginning with God. It could also have entailed praying and being anointed by the leader. Might have meant getting clean physically and spiritually. It was a reminder to them that the Lord was their Savior. In order to reconsecrate myself, I need to study and adhere to the teachings of God so as to live a Christ-centered life. I have to surrender my life to God and to serve Him unconditionally. I am trying to do this. I pray about it. Reconsecrating my life requires me to ensure a steadfast faith in the love of God, to live according to his word and to spread His word. The congregation, as I see it, needs to pledge themselves to God not only by word, but by thought and deed. They need to keep his commandments and to surrender their lives to God.

The Israelites had to break camp because they had to get ready to claim the land which was on the other side of the Jordan. They could not just remain where they were, they had to cross the Jordan to claim their promised land. My life is full of activities. Sometimes I do not have time to do my daily devotional readings. I just gloss over them without meditating on their meaning. This hampers my following God’s leading. I need to find time, which I have been doing for the past two weeks, to ensure that I spend time on my daily devotional scriptures. I need to really listen to hear what God is telling me. I need to increase my faith and strive to better serve Him.

)Yes , he did. The bible tells us that lying is a sin. I look on Rehab as being a vessel used by God for the restoring of the Promised Land to Israel. Her action fitted in with God’s plan. Rehab’s lying is justified. As she said to the spies, Joshua 2:9 ‘I know that the Lord has given you the land and that the fear of you has fallen on us.’ She saw that God was with Israel . The lie she told was an act of faith. She feared the spies because she knew that God was with them. Her fear of God made her hide the spies thus lying to the king’s soldiers. c) Yes I think that it is permissible to lie if doing so can bring about some good or prevent some evil event from occurring.

She is mentioned not only because of her faith, but by the good deed she did in hiding the spies and misdirecting her leader’s soldiers so that the spies could escape. She played a great role in helping God’s people moving closer to the promised land. The Apostle Matthew depicts her as being an ancestor of King David. God looks on prostitution as a sin. This is written in 1Corinthians 6:13 Meats for the belly, and the belly for meats: but God shall destroy both it and them. Now the body is not for fornication, but for the Lord; and the Lord for the body. Although prostitution is sinful, prostitutes are not beyond God’s forgiveness. Luke 7:36-50 tells the story of the interaction of Jesus and a harlot. When the Pharisees accused Jesus of keeping company of the harlot, who had bought some expensive perfume and used it to anoint Jesus’ feet, wiping them with her hair. Jesus rebuked them saying that her faith and deed had made her sins be forgiven. Jesus always forgave prostitutes their sins. He is a friend of sinners. His death and resurrection was for the forgiveness of sins. As he told the Pharisees in Matthew 21:31. ‘Even the tax collectors and prostitutes are entering the Kingdom of God ahead of you.’ God is the father of us all, sinners or not. He sent his only Son to forgive us our sins once we believe in him, keep his commandments.

The spies were sent to learn about the layout of the land, to learn the easiest, best way possible to claim the land promised Israel. To see what opposition Joshua’s army would face. The prostitute’s house was a good cover. It provided less scrutiny for the men who were strangers. Her house was a place where outsiders would visit. The spies being strangers would have been under the radar if they had taken lodging anywhere else. Yes, God definitely sent them there. It was all a part of God’s plan, the route to conquering the land.

The fact that Rehab hid the men shows her belief in God. As she claimed, she knew that God had already given the land to Israel. She was willing to help them achieve their goal. She believes that Yahweh has mighty power over all things on earth. He controls everything. She knows that He performs miracles as in the parting of the Red sea to save the Israelites. She has already seen what God has done for his people. c) Rehab has very deep faith since believes that God can conquer all. She had faith that she and her family would be saved when Joshua’s army invaded the land. d) One has to have faith in God being the only one who can save us no matter what situation we find ourselves. We have to remember that is God who guides the doctor, the surgeon who might heal us. He is the medium through which all things are made possible. Throughout the bible we see instances of people being healed or saved because of their faith in God. Acts 16:31 “And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house.” e) Unconditional faith that Jesus died for us so that we might be saved is needed for us to be saved from eternal punishment. The depth of this faith is summed up in the Gospel according to John John 3:14 And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up: 15 That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life. 16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. 17 For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. 18 He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.