Joshua 7 and 8 (#1005)
Good morning. We’ll continue the series we started several sessions ago on the book of Joshua. I mentioned in a previous session that we would see how Israel is treated as a nation and many times if one person or a small group within Israel sins and walks against God, the whole group takes the brunt of it. Which is so different than today, where in the age of grace and each one of us that is born again, and at least as far as God is concerned it is the individual that believes God. Now obviously, any individual in any country can do something that effects everybody, but as far as God is concerned we’re the body of Christ. That has nothing to do with governments.
You know there are those who want to say that America must be a Christian land and America is different than other countries and that is OK to have those opinions about our history and about our politics, but don’t blame it on God. Because God will answer the prayers of anybody. They could be in a country that is 99% non-Christian, and that 1% that is Christian, God will bless them if they believe God. And if you happen to be in a country that is 80 or 90% Christian, God will bless you. But not because of the country like it was with Israel, it is because of the individuals in the body of Christ who choose to trust Christ; trust God through His son Jesus Christ. So, at any rate is is a big difference and much of the talk you hear in the modern Christian world, especially here in the United States is frankly based on old testament records, where the whole country was either believing God or they weren’t.
Just one example: when the children of Israel first left Egypt and they sent twelve spies into the promised land, to check it out, the land of Canaan, ten of them came back and said the Anakim are too scary, we should not go in. And the whole group believed those ten guys, and God got fed up and said: ‘OK, you guys are just going to stay in the wilderness until you die.’ So, that whole group turned their back on God, so God had to turn His back on them. But then that group died, and their children led by Joshua after Moses died, followed the word of the Lord very well. And they crossed the Jordan on dry ground and as we read last time, they Marched around Jericho for seven days and then the walls came a tumbling down. And they went in and claimed the city. So, its much more a matter of what does the group as a whole do. Individuals obviously affect that. But, for the most part it is as individuals as a whole do things. So, let’s got to Joshua 7…
As taught by Bruce Mahone, 20201018.  All rights reserved.
Verse Listing and Notes
Joshua 7 Defeat at Ai
Joshua 8 Victory at Ai
Teaching
Joshua 7 and 8 (#1005)