Every Promise Fulfilled

As Joshua comes to a close, I find it impossible to think there could be more encouragement, but there is.  Ch. 21:44 says,

"And the Lord gave to Israel all the land that he swore to give to their fathers.  And they took possession of it, and they settled there.  And the Lord gave them rest on every side just as he had sworn to their fathers.  Not one of all their enemies had withstood them, for the Lord had given all their enemies into their hands.  Not one word of all the good promises that the Lord had made to the house of Israel had failed; all came to pass."

So much in this verse!  It basically comes down to we must trust God, even if it takes 45 years or longer!  Eventually, though it probably seemed like forever, the Israelites did move into the Promised Land.  Sadly, it wasn't the first generation, but the second that received this blessing due to disobedience.  How I pray that it will be this generation that sees the freedom we long for, but it might not be.  All the enemies were taken down, one by one.  And, even if the Israelites thought it was their fighting skills or their doing in any way, the bible makes it clear that "the Lord had given all their enemies into their hands."  Yes, they had to do their part, but ultimately it was the Lord's doing. 

The last line of the verse is the most powerful, "Not ONE word of all the good promises that the Lord had made to the house of Israel had failed; ALL CAME TO PASS."  This is such a comfort to me.  I can cling to His Word because of this verse....every promise will come to pass.  He will not fail me.  It almost seems like it was written in that dramatic form on purpose, to stand out, "all came to pass."  Just in case a reader was wondering or questioning if perhaps God left something out in His promises....He didn't and the writer wants to make sure you know it.  The fact that line is included in Scripture is great.  It shouldn't be necessary.  You could go back and look through the last couple books and find out if all the promises came true.  It must have been very important to include so that there is no doubt at all in our minds about God, His promises and His faithfulness to fulfill them. 

Finally, in Chapter 23, Joshua calls all the leaders of Israel and gives them one last pep talk,

"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, that you may not mix with these nations remaining among you or make mention of the name 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."

Somehow there are remnants of the nations around them though they possess the land.  That must have been a challenge, not unlike us as we live amongst a godless world.  It is hard to be separate.  As the Christmas season ramped up, I did find it soooo hard to not want to "mix with the nations" and do everything they did.  The warning is severe.  The Israelites were not to "make mention" of them, "swear by them", "serve them" or "bow down to them" in any way.  When the culture is all around you, it is very hard to not do this.  The antedote is to cling to the Lord.

The chapter goes on, "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.  One man of you puts to flight a thousand, since it is the Lord your God who fight for you, just as he promised you."

This is where I read the idea of ONE MAN.  I only have one husband.  That's all I'm supposed to have!  It never occurred to me to want more husbands, but I extrapolated a little and thought, "Hmmmm...I suppose a few more husbands would help us get out of debt faster!"  No.  Ridiculous.  God gave me one husband and he's enough!  (not "he's enough", I can't stand more, but "he's enough", the perfect man for the job!)  He can put to flight a thousand!  Again, my prayer for him to today is just that, "Lord, help RM put 1000 debts to flight!  Help him put all the competition to flight as he bids on work!"  I can pray with confidence that God can do this as RM has God fighting for Him, "just as He promised."  So I don't have to pray fearfully, but in strength.

It goes on some more, "Be very careful, therefore, to love the Lord your God.  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."

More warnings to be very careful about this remnant that remains as they will be a snare and a trap, a whip on our sides and thorns in our eyes.  That describes all the marketing out there, trying to draw us into spending more and more money.  As soon as we fall victim, we're done.  We were talking to a few people who asked us about our holiday.  RM told them it was nice, no details.  They also said their holidays were nice, but then added the classic line, "Now we just wait for the bills."  Talk about a snare, a trap, a whip, a thorn.  We have enough regular bills to pay for, let alone Christmas bills!  I'm glad we don't have those, too, to dread!

I'll end now.  One final chapter tomorrow.