Anstey Jeremiah

Fellowship with fellow Christians seems superficial at times (and that is being safe), because of the different level of "zeal for His house". one cause that I know of involves the teachings of John in that: The teachings of 1 John tend to be pretty black and white, don't they? According to 1Jn 3:10 we are either children of God or children of the Devil; according to 1 Jn 4:6 we either possess the Spirit of truth or the Spirit of deceit; according to 1 Jn 3:15-17 we are either sharing our material possessions with our brethren or we are their murderers. Let me say this then, in this world of grey areas and unlimited choices this sharp distinction is exactly what is needed in order for us not to become too distracted, too busy or too uncaring, too insensitive or too impenitent. in other words superficial at times. The enemy has us every day concentrating on punitive non-essentials in life. You can't even just simply buy a thing like a pencil, yes a simple thing like a pencil. The world throws at us, size, colour, type, quality, manufacturer and within each of the categories have multiple levels, claiming each to be best rather than what we need. And we do so with nearly everything we own. and you know what? this activity could run into days, weeks, months, depending on what it is. the world has us so hooked up, meaning distracted, on brands that we deceive ourselves by saying the quality is good. But who keeps a pencil from beginning to end, who wants to be seen in the same pants/clothes for two years much less five. Grey areas were created by men that fear that God; meaning they don't fear God for His majesty or His awesomeness but they fear that He might not be who they think he is or say he is. Isa 29:13 men whose fear toward me is taught by the commandment of men. I agree these men speak the word but denies its power. I mean the same men who would tell you that you cannot change the bible is the same men who would tell you when they see deacons shouldn't be given to much wine tell you, it doesn't mean much wine it means no wine. Now whom should I believe? They would tell you that God would not make alcohol but the bible would tell you God made all things even the devil. they let you believe that God is prude and sex has to be pure whatever that means , but God took Tamar, Rahab and Bathsheba and threw them in the genealogy of Jesus the Christ. And then there is the fact that God gave all of us, choice. to be fellowshipping in deeper we must work hard to be of the same mind and the same judgement, one of the first thing we must all come to understand is that Jesus is deity or divine because he is the son of The Father but His works was done through His anointing of the Spirit, the same resource we have today and I believe that is why at His baptism he said to John "let it be so now", as a lesson to us. We must continually, if we want true fellowship, be able to discern through the word of God, truth from lie, truth from error.

Like father like daughter. It's really good when you have children that are faithful, that you don't really have to worry about their soul. They become a source of strength ( in the gates/ church) to you giving you more opportunity to serve the Lord. I have read some some commentators have her down as greedy, but Achsah is far from this, she is a woman suitable to the times and would be great help to husband and father alike. I want to respond to those women/ woman who anointed Jesus. I have attached a table which I think shows that it was only one woman who John has identified as Mary Magdelene. Despite the differences, the place of Bethany does not change and indeed it is either a Pharisee or a Pharisee named Simon. Writers do not all write the same things and I believe this is God's way of dispelling collusion. I agree with the other women who are mentioned as strong faithful women including Jochebed, Hannah, Lois and Eunice. jesus's Anointing.xlsx

Othneil's character is obviously similar to his Uncle's, his faith in God is probably spurned on by the actions of his uncle but it is own faith. Caleb's offer of his daughter to marriage could be for a number if reasons; to prolong his genealogy, to ensure a strong line of God-fearing descendants, to ensure that his daughter gets a man worthy of her characteristics, strong, faithful or maybe he knew that Othneil would rise to the challenge of Debir and he wouldn't to fight this battle. Othniels judgeship could very well be because of His strength, Courage and faith in God

In the words of the apostle Paul in 1 Cor 1:31, let him who boast, boast in the Lord. And this is what Caleb is doing boasting in the Lord and not in himself. He has obviously noted that his feet does not hurt nor is his clothes worn out and attributes all this to the Lord. Coupled with what he sees and knows, he, (like we who believe today should) has no doubt in his mind that God will deliver as promised, God and the word of God has become second nature, as we say, to him. I believe he chose Hebron for two reason;1. to prove to the people that God is true, 2. thus glorifying and extolling God. 40 years ago he boasted that the land can be taken with God as their help and protection. He is going now to prove that with God's help, giants are no match for Israelites. Strong leaders can truly be humble when the work towards righteousness, I can quote the whole of the book of Proverbs, but to make along story short, strong leaders are really servants to all that they oversee and better leaders if they serve according to the word of God. They must look out for the widows, orphans and solourners and ensure they are not oppressed. Like David when he numbered Israel, like Solomon in his latter years, like Uzziah when he grew strong, like Nebuchadnezzar, strong leaders are tempted to pride when they think too much, When they think their achievements are basically through their own efforts. They no longer think that it is through God that their success lies and they let themselves forget Him.

I'm not sure I agree with the word ' greed', but I prefer the word used by Achan himself, covet. Covetousness is sin and is not always motivated by greed per say. I think James explained this phenomena in Jas 1:14 Achan allowed his desires to entice him and then conceive giving birth to sin. Maybe he wanted to be a big man in the tribe, maybe he just wanted something for his wife, whatever it was it cause him to sin, I am not minimizing the sin I'm just saying it may not exactly be greed but he sure did covet. Our giving to the church again cannot simply be explained by greed. I believe in Israelite Society inheritances are known so if an inheritance is not shared there may be a valid reason why the man was disinherited, but seeing that Jesus understood his motivations, Jesus gave a most appropriate answer and one that he could have shared with the multitude. Poor giving to the church basically has for me two reasons: lack of trust that God would supply our every needs and our spiritual maturity. in 2 Cor 8:7ff Paul says that as we have abound in the gifts of the Spirit/church, we should abound in the Ministry of giving also, there should be an equality between what we received from the Church and what we give back to the church. Covetuousness may work out to be greed but is sometimes not the motivation for not taking God at His word, and this is not particular to America, not since modern technologies. The world tells us the lies that anyone can be rich or any one can be who or what they want to be, giving us real life glimpses of affluence, popularity, prestige and glamour, whether some of these things are good or bad, what happens next is that no one wants to remain at the bottom of the "food chain", figuratively speaking, so we strive not to be left out, forgetting that most of these things are superficial in the sight of God. When the Lord spoke to the seven Churches in Revelation he was, to me, indicating the cycles some churches/ congregations would probably go through in their life time. Some may recover and some may not. As Christians we must we remember to whom much is given, much is expected. We can Honour God no matter what strata of the society we come from because He rewards effort, if it is we are given one talent, He would not spect us to provide 5 more, he knows our capability. One can only know these things if one gets intimate with His word because this is how He speaks to us, The Bible, all The Bible was written for our learning.

Some of the replies state that yes one person's sin could affect a nation or congregation and they signify leaders in particular, but we must remember that leaders can't be leaders unless they have followers and other people of similar thinking. Congregations cannot be congregations without members, while congregation themselves are members of members of the Body of Christ. In the Old Testament Israel was bounded by covenant with God as individuals and as a nation so yes one man sin can affect the nation and in any case God always has to show of all things His omniscience and His immutability. He had to show Israel that He knew Nadab and Abihu were drunk and used profane fire. He had to let Joshua ( letting him know beforehand) and Israel know that Achan had sin. just like he would later show that He knew that Aninias and Saphira (Acts 5:1-11) had sinned. Of affecting the . Church, we know a little leaven, leavens the whole lot (1 Cor 5:6,7; Gal 5:9) so the old leaven, whatever is the sin that cause the name of God to be blasphemed among unbelievers, or taint the household of faith must be purged The Apostle Paul was doctrinal in stating in 1&2 Corinthian that you do not condone what is not right, 1 Cor 5:5, but yet forgive an d comfort such a one, 2 Cor 2:5 ff. Legalism often comes from poor interpretation of the word or rather different interpretation and minds and hearts that do not understand forgiveness, repentance and most importantly, grace. This not particular to churches or denominations. Confessings sins on behalf of a congregation shows that sometimes we cause on another to sin and the vulnerability of the flesh. We identify that we are members of the body and that the sin of on affects the body, so the body has to do what it can to help the whole. It shows God our willingness to do His will and our appreciation for His grace.

All descendants of Noah, viz. his sons would know that God flooded the Earth because of the sins and sinfulness of the people, they would know who God is and how to worship Him properly and righteously , but that did not stop them from creating their own gods and worshipping them from of the top of their head what they think is right. Think about corruption in your country, nation, city or district or maybe gang activity. What happens? The rich gets richer and the poor gets oppressed and poorer. The situation reaches wher those in power does anything and any kind of thing without being punished. Think about that happening for four hundred years without repentance. Micah 7:2,3 would later give us a clue to what that is like, A three-fold cord of iniquity between the rich, the ruler and the judges exist. Not an honest man in sight. God knew that that was the situation In times of Abraham for the Armorites and allowed them four hundred years to repent and they did not. Knowing that he had a covenant with Noah not to flood the Earth like he did he had to resort to other method to punish iniquity. We must keep in mind God's plan of salvation via the Jews and he could not allow them to live amidst such temptation lest they be tempted to sin likewise. Figuratively God even challenged the Earth which had become defiled by what was going on and the Earth had to respond by spitting out the cause, the inhabitants, from the land. In Christ, I belong to Him and I am devoted to him . I am a steward to all that he has given me so that I can use them to his glory and according to His will." God has given us His word which is all that pertains to life and godliness and to be truly be in Christ and safe in Christ, we have to give up all that we were before, our culture, our traditions and get this, our blackness, our whiteness, our yellowness, our redness. We must be able to recognize ourself only through our Christianity and our Christness.

For those with the knowledge of creation, covenant people and heathen nations, seven would represent the completeness of God, Seven days to create seven days to destroy. Again seven days can also represent the timing of the arranged miracle. It also shows Joshua's and Israel obedience and courage in trusting In unusual method of conquest. Heathen idolatrous nations (they would think themselves religious), would understand the ark to mean the presence of God, the presence of the priests and the distance of the people would enhance this view. They would think unlike the Red Sea and Trans-Jordan conquests God himself has come to oversee the conquest of Canaan. it really doesn't matter what method God used, what matters is that we can attribute what happened, to God's control if His creation.

Just like today, salvation is ours but we have to take/access it . Like the the land of Canaan it's Israel but they have to " set their foot in it (have to want it). The Commander of God's army is their and is neutral to the point that Israel/ Joshua obey God's command and be courageous to do as he commands even though they do not understand or the commands don't make sense. The battle is the Lords, His promise is sure and once "we" obey I surmise the Commander will no longer be neutral, the Armorites/Jericho, who has " reached the height of their iniquity" will receive their just punishment.

Again the Commander of God is with us to ensure us that God is with us, His presence is to strengthen our belief that he is of us if we are obedient to do His will. His neutrality says to us that whoever abides by His words, they he will be for.

It was probably obvious to Joshua that this warrior is a superior warrior and was worth finding out which side he was on. But the incarnate Jesus Christ was on neither but obviously the battle is just not physical but spiritual and against dominions and powers and spiritual wickedness in high places. Like Michael and Gabriel of Daniel 10:13,14 the warrior has come to withstand any interference by the 'princes' of the kings of Jericho/Canaan in Gods plan for Israel. Joshua will surely be strengthened by this knowing that God is present the fact though that he is for neither side means Joshua would need to be courageous and obedient and walk according to the will of God. God has given us His word and the Word, we thus know His will for us, we must trust that he is taking care of the "spiritual" interference in our lives and thus we need to be courageous enough to be obedient to His will.

Lest we should say that God makes promises but does not provide support, lest we should say he is not immutable, the promise was for a land of milk and honey and now we are are there, but did we arrive there tired and hungry? No he hand fed us like babes. Well you are here and no longer babes, you can feed yourselves. You have seen how lush the land is and I have promised that anywhere you see your feet, the land is yours. Begin. One of the things about manna is that it's accessible and sure, even a blind man can gather it and sometimes in our lives we need that dependence on God to take us past our greatest struggles or what we think is our greatest struggles. Then even then we have passed that stage and wants to keep that dependency God says you're good go on and I'll be there if you think you cannot make it to the next stage. Manna is preparation for what God desires of us. We have to realize than when it stops it means we are ready.

I would also like to comment on the "reproach of Egypt" statement. Being basically born in Egypt or Parents who lived in Egypt and not being circumcised they had the same status of Egyptians/foreigners viz. not of The seed of Abraham, and by their circumcision outside Jericho, they are now full fledge covenant people, and if I might add with a home. Remember slave or not they had homes in Egypt.

I wrote recently, -What is it with the book of Joshua and stone "monuments"? Jos 4:9 - stones in the middle of the Jordan Jos 4:20 - stones from the middle of the Jordan set up at Gilgal Jos 7:24,25 - stones over Achan Jos 8:29 - stones over the king of Ai Jos 8:32 - stone altar with law inscribed, at Mt Ebal Jos 10:18 - stones over the cave of the five Amorites kings Jos 24:26 - stone witness against the Israelites."- basically are reminders of what God has done for man, in this case forgetful Israel. Monuments also remind us of the consequences of our actions and what not to do. In the case of Israel, future generations get to realize that Israel was meant to be a nation of twelve tribes not an association of two and ten. Jehoshaphat may have had this in mind in His alliance with Ahab. How quickly we forget the good God has done for us, how quickly we forget to praise and extol His worthy and glorious name, something that would cause others to seek and glorify Him. Our faith monument today is the Lords Supper. It gives us the opportunity to celebrate our salvation and Honour Christ for redeeming us, and the heavy ransom He had to pay. Of course there's the danger that some think that they can earn Gods grace before they partake of it, meaning if they think that they did bad they have to abstain from taking it. Then there are those who as soon as they take it, they leave the worship hall, not bothering to fellowship with the rest of the saints. Then there are those who take it regardless of the life they live, meaning ritually, it has no real significance for them.

Joshua announced just as God announced it to him without adding or taking away anything; it is as I said previously, this is what God meant to be courageous, do as I say whether you understand it or not. No doubt Joshua did it just as Moses had in the past with a confidence that whatever he said and through his faith in God would come to pass. Just as it was explained it came to pass, thus, the people would have no doubts about Joshua and his abiality to lead them to the land of milk and honey.

Consecration started with move of the camp, The Lord needed to be among His people and they needed a clean camp; the old camp at the Acacia grove may have had too many abominations to clean (in time for the crossing). Israel always needed to be clean ( read consecrated) in the presence of the Lord or where HisPresence is, the ark for instance. Consecration would take place in the form of bathing, washing their clothes and abstaining from sexual relations. For Christians consecration would take the form of confessing our sins and asking for forgiveness, forgiving those who have done us wrong and pray for a renewal of heart so that we can do His will.

I believe that the move from Shittim has everything to do with the crossing of the Jordan which verse 4:10 described as hurried. Whatever "natural" (read; miraculous or vice-versa) event God had arranged was not going to last for long and yes timing was of the essence. So the the people had to be sprightly and in position. We need to be in constant communication with God and let Him know ( not that he doesn't) our plans so that He can show us through delays and diversions what he approves and what he disapproves. I mean if we have plans to go north and His plan is for us to go south, we must be able to recognize that His choice for us. Unlike King David who was suppose to be at war when he met Bathsheba; if he was at war he would probably never meet her.

Rahab should not be considered "a fallen woman" especially since prostitution then may not have been as it is now and we asked to consider this. The fact that she cared that much for her family could mean that there may have been no disapproval of what she did, considering what god the people of Jericho served.

Our finite mind looks at what Rahab did as lying, but Jesus Christ said that no one who does a good work in my name will be able to speak evil of me afterwards. Rahab did a good work in the Lords name, then she is " for us not against us". We must also bear in mind that the iniquity of the Armorites was complete, they stood condemned . Rahab had no other way of getting in the presence of God to acknowledge her repentance.

Q3) Several scripture comes to mind (1) those who didn't have the law will be judged without law Ro 2:12 (2) where there's no law, there is no transgression! Ro 4:15 (3) the law was adde because of transgressions, Gal 3:19 (4) also Isa 56:3-8. God has shown us through the genealogy of Jesus Christ viz. Tamar, Ruth, Bathsheba; the relenting of the people of Nineveh, Ebed-Melech, the Ethiopian Eunuch, that His concern has always been for all mankind. It was never about nationality, pedigree or status in life but His sovereign and Devine choice. Rahab is a hero of the New Testament because she is an example of righteousness; she believed in God and did what was right in his site, helped God's people while at the same time, rejecting that she wanted no part of the completeness of the iniquity of the Armorites. God hates sin and has given His son as ransome for sinners .

Q2) By her statement of faith or confession of Jo 2:11; and in that we learn two things (1) .. fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge and (2) faith comes by hearing (what the Lord did to the Egyptians, Og and Simon. Note she did not attribute this to the man Moses). By not attributing God's victory over the Armorites to man, Rahab shows that she believes that God is responsible for everything in heaven and on the earth. Her faith and I believe, her prayers to Yahweh, caused her to believe that God would find a way to save herself and, her encounter with the spies could well have been an answer to her prayers. She may have thought then dying for treason was worth her effort to seek the God of Israel and let Him know that she acknowledges Him as "God of heaven and the Earth".

Q1) The spies were sent out to get (a) man's view of how (difficult) conquering the ' promised land' especially Jericho probably to show Joshua why he needs to depend on the Lord. The report of the spies on the psychological status of the people I would say is similar to the Midianites interpretation of dream prior to Gideon's triumph over them Ju 7:14,15. like Gideon this would improve Joshua's faith in God. The providence of God is such that the spies will be identified and though their hearts were "melted", Jericho could make themselves believe that they could endure a long siege . And Yes I think it was God's instruction that they scout the land. It would not be uncommon for men to go to the house of a prostitute ( cult or otherwise) even if they were strangers. The men could also have considered that it would been the least possible way of avoiding suspicion .The Bible does not say either that it was Rahab who recognize them and approached them to put her plan into effect to save herself and her family, which could well have been the case.

To meditate means to hear/read the word of God with the desire to understand what is His will for us, to understand also how we can transform ourselves to righteousness by keeping his commands, statutes and rules and walking in His way Eastern Religions are man made, the rules are man made and there are no constant standards to indicate "spiritual maturity". Usually the goals are personal and not God-breathed. We use the word of God to transform our old self of malice, greed and envy to a new selfless life of service, sincerity and truth, pleasing God in the process.

Joshua could dwell on the punishment of Moses and Aaron, he could dwell on the rebelliousness of the people and his own ability to deliver them to the promised land. He may dwell on the fact that he does not have what it takes to talk God out of destroying the people when they err. To be strong and courageous means that one must establish oneself, fortify oneself and be consistent in your actions/decisions. Be strong confirm yourself as God's representative. To be courageous would be to act on God's word even if it doesn't make sense Weakness then would be failing God as he did with the Gibeonites, thinking that it was a small decision and he could have handled it on his own. Again his weakness is that he does not have the whole picture and that is thinking is finite. Strength then would be always relying on God. The relationship between fear and faith is much like the relationship between grace and sin; the more fear you have the more your faith must develop since fear allows you to rely on God. The more faith you have , the more your fear diminishes No, fear is doubt, when you are courageous and that means totally trusting God, you are not supposed to have fear.

I'm taking it that the him is Joshua and not God. God's promise to Joshua is important because Joshua understands two things; he doesn't know everything about God and he knows he is flesh and flesh is weak even though the Spirit is willing. Joshua being Moses' assistant for some time would understand how unbelief in the people can turn ugly, how easy it was for Moses to err (Meribah), thus how easy it is to misunderstand God's instructions. But more than ever Gods promises ensure that whatever he does to whatever the people does god will accept or bring him back on track. It also gives him the confidence to accept Gods instructions even if they do not make sense or the conditions to the instructions doesn't seem right. when I look back at my life Isee the things that I have achieved that may have been off-limits to me and I have concluded that God has been with me all along, now that I am in Christ, I trust all His Statutes , tenets and doctrines and is using his promise to follow them in earnest, I can achieve nothing, Iam nothing without Him. His word keeps me vigilant to any thing that is not pleasing to him.