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- [00:00]
A
Foreign. Hey, this is Shelby and Scott, and we are in the book of Joshua. Today. We're talking through chapters four through six. These are pretty significant chapters, so let's jump right in. What's going on in these chapters, Scott?
- [00:19]
B
All right, so, you know what's funny to me is, like, it feels like, you know, as you're reading through scripture, it feels like the Israelites have been about to enter the promised land for, like, quite a while.
- [00:28]
A
I'm feeling that, Scott.
- [00:31]
B
But this is it. Like, you know, this is where they finally enter the promised land. And so Genesis, or Genesis, Joshua 3 and 4, they show them crossing the Jordan river similar to how they cross the Red Sea a generation earlier. So their time in the wilderness is, like, officially done. And one marker of that is the fact that the manna finally ceases. So at this point, they begin to eat and enjoy the fruit of this good land. And I really love that God has them collect these stones from the Jordan river to set up this monument on the other side. Because we actually see a few memorials like this in Joshua. And, you know, we just finished Deuteronomy. Deuteronomy stressed a whole bunch, the need to remember, remember, remember, remember God, call to mind all that God has done for his people. And this monument is one example of that remembrance. It does that. And something this chapter causes me to ask myself is, like, what quote, unquote, memorials have I set up in my own life to remind me of God's faithfulness? Like, it can be. It can be so hard, I think, to just sit still and reflect. And this, in turn, can cause me to either just not see the ways that God is at work in my life or. Or having seen it once, to just kind of forget about it.
- [01:46]
A
Yeah, absolutely. Okay, so they're about to enter the Promised Land. Are they just going to, like, walk right in? Is. Are the doors open to them? Not quite. Right.
- [01:56]
B
This is where you get the. The famous story about Jericho, which I Love, Joshua 6:1 says Jericho was strongly fortified because of the Israelites. You get this early indicator that the forces they're going to be up against as they seek to conquer the Promised Land are formidable. Like, there's going to be a lot of hurdles to their task. And yet the role Israel plays in this particular battle is kind of a unique one because they actually don't do any fighting. Rather, God has them march around the city for a few days, blow the trumpets and shout, and then finally, the walls come crumbling down. But notice also, the Ark of the Covenant is taken around the city as well, when they're marching. And the Ark had actually been taken into the Jordan river as well. Like when the priests who were carrying the Ark stood in the Jordan, that's when the water was cut off. And the reason I mentioned that is because I think what God is reminding them through the Ark is that, you know, at the Jordan, here at Jericho is that. And I mentioned this yesterday, this is his battle. He will give victory to the Israelites. And like in future battles, they're going to have to do fighting. But they need to remember that victory comes not in their numbers, not in their skills. Ultimately, victory comes if they trust in him. And I adore this one line in particular from the study day for today, which says that as Israel enters the land, their greatest threat is not the enemies they will meet on the battlefield, but the enemy within their hearts. And hence the need for that reminder to remember the Lord constantly.
- [03:28]
A
Yeah. And I think we've got to remember, too, that the Israelites were so afraid of this battle that many recommended they actually just go back to Egypt. They were so afraid of these people. And yet we hear, we see God have this extremely decisive victory in which they were, you know, a very small part by walking around the outside, but they weren't actually the ones going to battle. And so I just think we forget God's strength. We forget that he is faithful to go with us into these things. And so this is just a reminder for me that there might be things in front of me that seem totally impossible and where I would rather retreat. But have I forgotten God's character? Have I forgotten his strength in that? And I wonder what. What the Israelites who were there that day when the walls of Jericho fell, I imagine that they were thinking of their history and their past and how much fear there was over this taking of the promised land. And maybe they would just so badly want to go back and tell those previous generations, you couldn't even believe how faithful God has been in this. And so, yeah, really pivotal chapters we're gonna keep going through. The Book of Joshua. We have so much more to talk about. And so we'll pick up in chapter seven tomorrow.
- [04:42]
B
Awesome.