I have come to the end of my journey with Joshua. It is hard to believe that 6 months have passed since I started this. So much has happened during this time, I don't even know if I can capture it all! I could sit down and read this whole book in a few short hours, but the Lord has had me spend 6 months with Him in this. WOW. I have never spent that much time just in 1 book of the Bible, but in turn, I have never learned and grown so much from 1 book either.
The whole theme of this last chapter is about remembering what the Lord has done. You can see that Joshua gave no glory to himself, took no credit for any of the successes, didn't fame himself for any of the victory - everything, EVERYTHING, was in honor of what God did. That is how I want to live my life - everything unto him.
That takes me back to one of the very first things the Lord showed me (you can read my post from October 17)
Not for our sake, God, no, not for our sake,
but for your name’s sake, show your glory.
Do it on account of your merciful love,
do it on account of your faithful ways.
Psalm 115:1
As you read through this, see how and where God speaks and says, "I" to everything that He did.
"Joshua called together all the tribes of Israel at Shechem. He called in the elders, chiefs, judges, and officers. They presented themselves before God. Then Joshua addressed all the people:
This is what God, the God of Israel, says: A long time ago your ancestors, Terah and his sons Abraham and Nahor, lived to the east of the River Euphrates. They worshiped other gods. I took your ancestor Abraham from the far side of The River.
I led him all over the land of Canaan and multiplied his descendants. I gave him Isaac. Then I gave Isaac Jacob and Esau. I let Esau have the mountains of Seir as home, but Jacob and his sons ended up in Egypt. I sent Moses and Aaron. I hit Egypt hard with plagues and then led you out of there. I brought your ancestors out of Egypt. You came to the sea, the Egyptians in hot pursuit with chariots and cavalry, to the very edge of the Red Sea!
Then they cried out for help to God. He put a cloud between you and the Egyptians and then let the sea loose on them. It drowned them.
You watched the whole thing with your own eyes, what I did to Egypt. And then you lived in the wilderness for a long time. I brought you to the country of the Amorites, who lived east of the Jordan, and they fought you. But I fought for you and you took their land. I destroyed them for you. Then Balak son of Zippor made his appearance. He was the king of Moab. He got ready to fight Israel by sending for Balaam son of Beor to come and curse you. But I wouldn’t listen to Balaam—he ended up blessing you over and over! I saved you from him.
You then crossed the Jordan and came to Jericho. The Jericho leaders ganged up on you as well as the Amorites, Perizzites, Canaanites, Hittites, Girgashites, Hivites, and Jebusites, but I turned them over to you.
I sent the Hornet ahead of you. It drove out the two Amorite kings—did your work for you. You didn’t have to do a thing, not so much as raise a finger.
I handed you a land for which you did not work, towns you did not build. And here you are now living in them and eating from vineyards and olive groves you did not plant.
So now: Fear God. Worship him in total commitment. Get rid of the gods your ancestors worshiped on the far side of The River (the Euphrates) and in Egypt. You, worship God."
As I sit with the Lord, He reminds me of all He has done, not just in the past 6 months, but in the last 4 years serving him in this new way - the last 13 years as His forever child - the last 37 years of my whole life - I give him ALL glory for every single detail.
And His only request of me? Worship Him. Yes, Father, with all I have everyday!
This is Mr. Robert. He was one of my sweet neighbors that we had the honor to love on for a long time. He loved to work in the garden and had the best little shuffle when he walked. He always smelled really bad and it was hard to understand what he was saying most of the time. But I often look at this picture of him and it reminds me of all that God did through him to take me into a deeper place of how to love. Mr. Robert passed away a while back, but his face and the time I got to share life with him is with me everyday. And that makes me want to get on my face and worship Jesus.
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