King James Bible Study – [And when he had called the people unto him with his disciples also, he said unto them, Whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. – Mark 8:34]
Date: Saturday, March 23, 2024
Chapters: Joshua Chapters 1-4
Message: Meditate In Order To Prosper
Hello My Friend,
It is truly amazing when you get into the Word of God and realize that you had been in it for two hours. Well, it was not like that for me in the beginning, while I did commit to reading my three chapters a day, I really did not spend much time meditating on it. Meditating on the Word of God is the key to prosperity for every saved, born again Christian. By prosperity I mean or rather God means, to be successful in this life as a Christian no matter the journey we are given.
[Psalms 1:1-4 Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. 2 But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night. 3 And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper. 4 The ungodly are not so: but are like the chaff which the wind driveth away.]
Do you know what chaff is? It is waste or worthless matter. The sad truth is that out of the billions of people who walk the earth only a fraction believe that God exists, but what is even worse than that is that even less follow Him. Those who down right reject God are sadly reduced to waste even though they are just as precious to God as those who do believe. The difference is of course their faith, and not just any faith, they must believe in all that He is, including His Son, [1 John 5:11-12 And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. 12 He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life.]
The Book of Joshua contains twenty-four chapters, the author is Joshua and it was written to Israel, the timeline for these events is approximately 1451 BC to 1427 BC. Christ is seen in this book as the Captain of Lord’s Host. The purpose of the book was to record the details on how Joshua led the people of Israel into the land promised to them from God, and explains the division of the land among the tribes. What we are to learn from the book is that no moral or spiritual battles are won without God, He gives victory to all who let Him lead them, [Joshua 1:5 There shall not any man be able to stand before thee all the days of thy life: as I was with Moses, so I will be with thee: I will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.]
The journey of a Christian is not one that is stagnant to say the least, and it is not the same journey for everyone. We may run into someone who is on a similar journey so that we might be the light for others struggling, but we each have a specific journey to take as we reach the promise land. First, we need to be prepared for that journey. As we begin the reading of Joshua, God, tells Joshua that it was time to lead the people over into the promised land, He had one command for him before he even got started.
[Joshua 1:1-3,5-6 Now after the death of Moses the servant of the LORD it came to pass, that the LORD spake unto Joshua the son of Nun, Moses’ minister, saying, 2 Moses my servant is dead; now therefore arise, go over this Jordan, thou, and all this people, unto the land which I do give to them, even to the children of Israel. 3 Every place that the sole of your foot shall tread upon, that have I given unto you, as I said unto Moses. 5 There shall not any man be able to stand before thee all the days of thy life: as I was with Moses, so I will be with thee: I will not fail thee, nor forsake thee. 6 Be strong and of a good courage: for unto this people shalt thou divide for an inheritance the land, which I sware unto their fathers to give them.]
[now therefore arise, go over this Jordan,] Once a person receives Christ as their Saviour He has work for them to do and how prosperous they become has to do with three things, faith, courage, and strength. God, is not talking about physical strength here, but might as in ones willingness and determination to follow through.. Those who have faith that God will be with them in whatever it is that He calls them to do will walk in the strength of Christ, they just need this one little thing to take that step forward and that is courage. Imagine the courage it took to come to Christ to begin with, that was half the battle, the rest comes as we trust God, learn His Word, and follow it. In fact, God, reiterates the importance of Joshua meditating on the Law day and night.
[Joshua 1:7-9 Only be thou strong and very courageous, that thou mayest observe to do according to all the law, which Moses my servant commanded thee: turn not from it to the right hand or to the left, that thou mayest prosper whithersoever thou goest. 8 This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success. 9 Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the LORD thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest.]
[for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous,] God, would never give us a job, place us in a battle, or put us through a trial without giving us the means to get through it. He is with us every step of the way as long as we are observant of His Word and will for our lives, [Psalms 37:5-7 Commit thy way unto the LORD; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass. 6 And he shall bring forth thy righteousness as the light, and thy judgment as the noonday. 7 Rest in the LORD, and wait patiently for him: fret not thyself because of him who prospereth in his way, because of the man who bringeth wicked devices to pass.]
You ask yourself, “If God is for us, then why do we struggle to pay the bills and put food on the table?” Well, there may be three possibilities. One; Fear, many Christians, even seasoned Christians struggle with taking that step forward out of fear. Two; They are relying on their own strength and abilities instead of God’s. And three; sin, or rather unrepentant sin. We all sin, but the key to prospering is confessing it and turning away from it, even if one has been afraid to move forward. There may also be another possibility of why they struggle, and that is their lack of commitment. Joshua, told the people that they were going to cross over the Jordan in three days, then he reminded the Reubenites, Gadites, and half tribe of Manasseh of their commitment to help them.
[Joshua 1:12-16 And to the Reubenites, and to the Gadites, and to half the tribe of Manasseh, spake Joshua, saying, 13 Remember the word which Moses the servant of the LORD commanded you, saying, The LORD your God hath given you rest, and hath given you this land. 14 Your wives, your little ones, and your cattle, shall remain in the land which Moses gave you on this side Jordan; but ye shall pass before your brethren armed, all the mighty men of valour, and help them; 15 Until the LORD have given your brethren rest, as he hath given you, and they also have possessed the land which the LORD your God giveth them: then ye shall return unto the land of your possession, and enjoy it, which Moses the LORD’S servant gave you on this side Jordan toward the sunrising. 16 And they answered Joshua, saying, All that thou commandest us we will do, and whithersoever thou sendest us, we will go.]
[and whithersoever thou sendest us, we will go.] It is one thing to say that we are committed to God and whatever it is that He calls us to do, it is another thing to actually follow through. While God honestly knows that we will trip and fall quite often going where He sends us, as long as we are committed He will keep picking us back up and moving us forward. The sad truth is that many Christians back out of their commitment as soon as they fall the first time, [Luke 8:13-14 They on the rock are they, which, when they hear, receive the word with joy; and these have no root, which for a while believe, and in time of temptation fall away. 14 And that which fell among thorns are they, which, when they have heard, go forth, and are choked with cares and riches and pleasures of this life, and bring no fruit to perfection.]
God, never promised that our journey to the promise land will be sweet, in fact, it is often bittersweet, but He did promise that He will be with us every step of the way, and He will never fail nor forsake us. Now, if we are going to commit ourselves to Christ, then we can expect that God is going to prove us to see if He can trust us to follow through. Joshua, just like Moses did, before he sent everyone over the Jordan, sent some spies over to search it out first, this time it was only two men.
[Joshua 2:1-4 And Joshua the son of Nun sent out of Shittim two men to spy secretly, saying, Go view the land, even Jericho. And they went, and came into an harlot’s house, named Rahab, and lodged there. 2 And it was told the king of Jericho, saying, Behold, there came men in hither to night of the children of Israel to search out the country. 3 And the king of Jericho sent unto Rahab, saying, Bring forth the men that are come to thee, which are entered into thine house: for they be come to search out all the country. 4 And the woman took the two men, and hid them, and said thus, There came men unto me, but I wist not whence they were:]
[for they be come to search out all the country.] Do not let the world fool you, they know who we are and will do anything to keep us from walking the streets and letting people learn about Jesus. In fact, they are quite fearful and Rehab confirms this.
[Joshua 2:9-11 And she said unto the men, I know that the LORD hath given you the land, and that your terror is fallen upon us, and that all the inhabitants of the land faint because of you. 10 For we have heard how the LORD dried up the water of the Red sea for you, when ye came out of Egypt; and what ye did unto the two kings of the Amorites, that were on the other side Jordan, Sihon and Og, whom ye utterly destroyed. 11 And as soon as we had heard these things, our hearts did melt, neither did there remain any more courage in any man, because of you: for the LORD your God, he is God in heaven above, and in earth beneath.]
[our hearts did melt, neither did there remain any more courage in any man,] Do you thing that God would have saved any one of the people of Jericho if they repented? Rehab, sure did. In fact, she asked the men to save her and her family.
[Joshua 2:12-14,18-19 Now therefore, I pray you, swear unto me by the LORD, since I have shewed you kindness, that ye will also shew kindness unto my father’s house, and give me a true token: 13 And that ye will save alive my father, and my mother, and my brethren, and my sisters, and all that they have, and deliver our lives from death. 14 And the men answered her, Our life for yours, if ye utter not this our business. And it shall be, when the LORD hath given us the land, that we will deal kindly and truly with thee. 18 Behold, when we come into the land, thou shalt bind this line of scarlet thread in the window which thou didst let us down by: and thou shalt bring thy father, and thy mother, and thy brethren, and all thy father’s household, home unto thee. 19 And it shall be, that whosoever shall go out of the doors of thy house into the street, his blood shall be upon his head, and we will be guiltless: and whosoever shall be with thee in the house, his blood shall be on our head, if any hand be upon him.]
[thou shalt bind this line of scarlet thread in the window] It only takes one drop of the blood of Christ to save a soul bound for hell. Those who believe in the Gospel of Christ and accept Him as their Saviour are given that scarlet lifeline of eternal life, they are literally delivered from death to their soul, [James 5:20 Let him know, that he which converteth the sinner from the error of his way shall save a soul from death, and shall hide a multitude of sins.]
Because of our faith in Christ our soul is in tact, it cannot be touched by Satan, but that does not mean that our flesh is not untouchable. In fact, Satan, will tempt us in the worst way to get us to turn away from our faith. This is why it is so important that we get in His Word and stay in it, it is our guide to know whether or not we are hearing God or Satan. Now, Joshua gives them instructions from God on how the were to prepare themselves for their journey to cross over the Jordan and onto the promise land.
[Joshua 3:1-5 And Joshua rose early in the morning; and they removed from Shittim, and came to Jordan, he and all the children of Israel, and lodged there before they passed over. 2 And it came to pass after three days, that the officers went through the host; 3 And they commanded the people, saying, When ye see the ark of the covenant of the LORD your God, and the priests the Levites bearing it, then ye shall remove from your place, and go after it. 4 Yet there shall be a space between you and it, about two thousand cubits by measure: come not near unto it, that ye may know the way by which ye must go: for ye have not passed this way heretofore. 5 And Joshua said unto the people, Sanctify yourselves: for to morrow the LORD will do wonders among you.]
[that ye may know the way by which ye must go:] The truth is that while very few people are unaware of God, without His Word we do not know how to get to Him. This is why there are so many false religions, people want God in their lives because they know what will happen if He is not yet they do not want to come to Him His way. There is only one way to God and it has always been one way, and Jesus, did not come to destroy the Law, but to fulfill it, [Matthew 5:17 Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil.]
God’s Word is what instructs us on how we are to not only come to Him, but live the journey He has given us. We need to understand that this is not about keeping our salvation, it is about God and how He blesses us while we are here for our faithfulness. Israel, was going to get the land that God promised them, in fact, the living God would go before them, and guide them every step of the way. The first step was the hardest because they needed to cross over the Jordan, but they were not going by boat. God, commands Joshua to set them all in order with the Levites leading the way.
[Joshua 3:7-10 And the LORD said unto Joshua, This day will I begin to magnify thee in the sight of all Israel, that they may know that, as I was with Moses, so I will be with thee. 8 And thou shalt command the priests that bear the ark of the covenant, saying, When ye are come to the brink of the water of Jordan, ye shall stand still in Jordan. 9 And Joshua said unto the children of Israel, Come hither, and hear the words of the LORD your God. 10 And Joshua said, Hereby ye shall know that the living God is among you, and that he will without fail drive out from before you the Canaanites, and the Hittites, and the Hivites, and the Perizzites, and the Girgashites, and the Amorites, and the Jebusites.]
[ye shall stand still in Jordan.] Listen to what the priest that were carrying the Ark were instructed to do, they had to walk into the water, and then stand there. Understand that this was the rainy season, so, those waters were pretty high up. As soon as the priests with the Ark stood still in the water, there was God in the midst.
[Joshua 3:15-17 And as they that bare the ark were come unto Jordan, and the feet of the priests that bare the ark were dipped in the brim of the water, (for Jordan overfloweth all his banks all the time of harvest,) 16 That the waters which came down from above stood and rose up upon an heap very far from the city Adam, that is beside Zaretan: and those that came down toward the sea of the plain, even the salt sea, failed, and were cut off: and the people passed over right against Jericho. 17 And the priests that bare the ark of the covenant of the LORD stood firm on dry ground in the midst of Jordan, and all the Israelites passed over on dry ground, until all the people were passed clean over Jordan.]
[the priests that bare the ark…stood firm on dry ground] This was when God Himself pushed the water back from the waterfall and stopped it. The bottom of the Jordan dried up and the people were able to walk over to the other side. This is a reminder that one; God, needs to be at the center of everything that we do. Two; It is God who goes before us. Perhaps the most important thing to remember is that we need Jesus in order to cross over into the promise land, [John 14:6 Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.]
Keep in mind that the priest carrying the Ark was still standing there, and as soon as the last foot stepped off the river’s floor. As they were crossing over, God commanded that one man from each of the twelve tribes to grab a rock from where the priests were standing and take it with them.
[Joshua 4:1-3,6,9,11 And it came to pass, when all the people were clean passed over Jordan, that the LORD spake unto Joshua, saying, 2 Take you twelve men out of the people, out of every tribe a man, 3 And command ye them, saying, Take you hence out of the midst of Jordan, out of the place where the priests’ feet stood firm, twelve stones, and ye shall carry them over with you, and leave them in the lodging place, where ye shall lodge this night. 6 That this may be a sign among you, that when your children ask their fathers in time to come, saying, What mean ye by these stones? 9 And Joshua set up twelve stones in the midst of Jordan, in the place where the feet of the priests which bare the ark of the covenant stood: and they are there unto this day. 11 And it came to pass, when all the people were clean passed over, that the ark of the LORD passed over, and the priests, in the presence of the people.]
[when all the people were clean passed over, that the ark of the LORD passed over,] God, will never send us out into stormy waters without first going into it Himself. In fact, I am pretty sure that He calms the storm or at least gives us the umbrella we need to endure it, [James 1:12 Blessed is the man that endureth temptation: for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love him.]
We are to never forget where we were before we found Christ, because it is that reminder that will keep us faithful. There is not a day that goes by that I am not reminded of just how weak I am in my flesh and that it is Christ’s strength that got me through another day. As you read through Joshua you will discover that he did everything that Moses had instructed them to do, including picking up twelve stones from the Jordan. Once the twelve men placed their stones in the Jordan, the priests moved forward, then the waters went back into their place.
[Joshua 4:14-18 On that day the LORD magnified Joshua in the sight of all Israel; and they feared him, as they feared Moses, all the days of his life. 15 And the LORD spake unto Joshua, saying, 16 Command the priests that bear the ark of the testimony, that they come up out of Jordan. 17 Joshua therefore commanded the priests, saying, Come ye up out of Jordan. 18 And it came to pass, when the priests that bare the ark of the covenant of the LORD were come up out of the midst of Jordan, and the soles of the priests’ feet were lifted up unto the dry land, that the waters of Jordan returned unto their place, and flowed over all his banks, as they did before.]
[that the waters of Jordan returned unto their place] There is no tomorrow, there is only today to get ready to cross over into the promise land. In other words, Jesus will return, and anyone not saved will literally bear their own cross by themselves and will never be able to cross over into the promise land, [Luke 13:24-28 Strive to enter in at the strait gate: for many, I say unto you, will seek to enter in, and shall not be able. 25 When once the master of the house is risen up, and hath shut to the door, and ye begin to stand without, and to knock at the door, saying, Lord, Lord, open unto us; and he shall answer and say unto you, I know you not whence ye are: 26 Then shall ye begin to say, We have eaten and drunk in thy presence, and thou hast taught in our streets. 27 But he shall say, I tell you, I know you not whence ye are; depart from me, all ye workers of iniquity. 28 There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth, when ye shall see Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, and all the prophets, in the kingdom of God, and you yourselves thrust out.]
Jesus Christ Revealed/Magnified: [Joshua 1:9 Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the LORD thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest.]
Today’s Prayer: God, Our journey to the promise land may take decades to reach or it may only take a day, and You promise to give us rest once we get there. While on our journey, You promise that You will go before us and lead us so that we might prosper. You command us only to be strong and of a good courage, so that we might keep our faith, trusting in Your Word as we move forward. We know that we can do all things through Christ, He our strength in our weakness, and as we meditate on Your Word, and walk with You daily, You will give us the ability to pass over through any trial. Lord, Give us Your strength, Your might, Your wisdom, and Your guidance, put Your hedge of protection around us so that we can be strong and of a good courage by the reminders of what You saved us from and what is to come when we cross over into the promise land. I ask these things in Your name, Jesus. Amen.
God Bless You, I am praying for you,
Christina
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