← Don't Miss This Study
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Hi there. Welcome to Don't Miss this, a scripture study podcast with Dave Butler and Grace Freeman.
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Each week we point out things in the scriptures that we love and think you don't want to miss.
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Thanks for listening.
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Hi, everyone.
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I'm Dave Butler.
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I'm Grace Freeman.
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Welcome to Don't Miss this. We're so happy that you're here. Welcome to the table.
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David's really excited. Everyone, if you're a listener, it's because we got a new table.
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Yeah, it was a table and it's the best day. We did the kitchen table. We're just sitting around the table talking scripture. It's my dream, my dream life. So. Okay, we're so happy that you're here. We. If you're new, we move through the scriptures. We're in the Old Testament this year. We follow the come follow me schedule and we just point out things we think you don't want to miss. And our hope is you come away loving Jesus more that you love the scriptures more that you feel hope and encouragement in your life. If. If that's not happening, we're doing a bad job. Right? So that's our. That's our goal. That's our. Our hope always. So, okay, today is. I don't even know the date. May.
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B
May. It's the last day of school.
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Last day of school, everyone. Congratulations. And we are in the book of Joshua today. So first we need to go backwards for a second because you guys, last week we forgot this tip in to tell you about this tip in. That goes in Deuteronomy, chapter 27. You remember at the end we talked about there were those blessings that were spoken, and that is like a summary of that. The blessings of obedience and then the consequences, which I love that it's consequence. Those scriptures say curse, and every time it says that, you just want to translate that as consequence for disobedience. It just is. What did somebody say to me yesterday? That I was like, oh, it was so good. It was like, oh, they were talking. It was like a health. I was at a health class. And he was just like, mother Nature does not have a conscience. Right? And you just. There are just consequences. And I was like, oh, that's actually really. That's actually true, right? Like, oh. Because they're talking about their son who was eating gluten and he has a gluten intolerance. And so he just said to his son, listen, your nature doesn't have a conscience. It's not trying to get you. There is just a consequence. And so Sometimes the Old Testament will speak in a way where it says, this is the curse of God, but really, it's just talking about the consequence, the natural consequence of sin. Sin does not have a conscience. It just. There are consequences that come. Anyways, I talked way more about that Tippin. But. But these are the things I'm learning right now in my life. So that goes in Deuteronomy, before they come into the promised land, there's just a reminder. It's a reminder of these blessings that come from obedience and the consequences for disobedience. So put that in there in Deuteronomy. And then when we get into the book of Joshua, they actually get to go into this promised land. So we've been looking forward to this since the book of Exodus. Right? That's when Moses found first comes to the children of Israel and says, the Lord is about to fulfill that promise he made to your great great grandparents Abraham and Sarah and Isaac and Rebecca. And co had said, one day we'll go into this promised land. And. And they're. They're about to. They're going to on today in today's chapters.
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B
That's what we've been waiting for.
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Yeah, it's kind of like. Yeah, I don't know what it's like. I was just about to. Felt like I had an analogy in my head, but it's Christmas morning. That's what I was thinking.
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Right.
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We've been on Christmas Eve since the book of Exodus, and now finally. Yeah, we get to go in. Right? So there is a piece that goes on the timeline. And the timeline's coming back, everybody, at the end of today's lesson. But it looks like this river that. It's a orange. It's a. It looks like an anime river, but it's the river. Okay. And that is. We're crossing the Jordan river into the promised land in this lesson. So that will go in the spot that's labeled May 18th. Okay. So I'm just putting it over on the side over here.
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B
Everyone, one day.
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Yeah, we just. Yeah, it broke for a second, but I'm gonna put it on just so you know, it's actually happening right now before us. Okay, Are we ready? Let's open up. Joshua. Beginning. Beginning of Joshua. All right. How. Let's start. Let's start with just. What do you want to start with, Grace? I. Do you want me to just start with this?
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Sure.
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Okay. I am so endeared to the end of Deuteronomy. And then so many times throughout the book of Deuteronomy and Joshua. It's actually our word of the week, everybody. This encouragement that Joshua gets from Moses, I'm going to give you the verses and then you can go and mark them if you want. So here are some of the spots you're going to see this back in Deuteronomy 31:6, Deuteronomy 31:7, Deuteronomy 31:23. This is Moses taking Joshua and just giving him these words of encouragement before he goes into the promised land, which I just, I. I think I became most endeared to this scripture because when Jack, our oldest, came home from his mission and Christian was about to leave on his mission, this was the scripture that he shared with him. And you can read it now from the Lord. First, it comes from Moses so many times in the end of Deuteronomy. And then here it is in the beginning of Joshua, verse 6. He says, Be strong and have a good courage. Only Verse seven, only be thou strong and very courageous. And verse nine, 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. And I just am. I love that. I love that it's repeated so many times. And I love that right here in Joshua, it's the Joshua one. These are the words of the Lord saying it. And then in Deuteronomy 31, it was Moses who is saying it. And I just feel like the work of the Lord is encouragement and I feel empowered with something to do. Right. I remember when I was first called as a bishop, somebody said to me, and obviously, I mean, this was years ago and I was a child they called a child. I laughed during my first setting apart thing that I was a part of, you know, and afterwards I just said to the Stake president, I said, you called a child. So this is actually on you. I can't, you know, but it was obviously, you know, super overwhelming. New, new jobs, new schools, school years, new. All of these things can be, you know, And I just remember somebody saying to me, you're going to have a lot of people who have a lot of problems that you won't be able to help, but you can breathe hope into the situation. And I took as my job for those five years to be an encourager to say to people in these words or others, be strong and of a good courage. Be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed. For the Lord thy God is with thee wherever thou goest. I want to say those to everyone I know every Single day, you know, wherever, whatever the situation. Oh, can I show you these? That I learned? Yeah, this was cool. The. The Hebrew word for be strong, where that comes from is shazak, which means to take hold of. Isn't that interesting? Be strong means to take hold of. And I'm. I'm. I'm thinking that implies to take hold of something stronger than you or take hold of something immovable. So to be strong means to anchor yourself to something stronger. That's so awesome. And then courage, the Hebrew word for courage. I didn't write down the Hebrew word, but it means stubborn in the best sense, is how it is translated. This sense, this idea of don't give up. And it made me think of those two, putting those two together. Be strong and have a good courage. The Lord saying that is essentially this. Take my hand and don't let go. Hold on to something stronger than you and don't give up. Don't you love the imagery of what it means to be strong and of a good courage is take God's hand and just don't let go and don't give up.
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B
Oh, so good. I love verse 13 for a very similar reason, because it's not about being strong and courageous, but it feels almost along that same theme. And I. I love how it starts, and I love every single part of verse 13. It's an unexpected gem. Everyone loves the beginning of Joshua 1, but this, to me, won my heart this time when I read it. And it says, remember the word which Moses, the servant of the Lord, commanded you. And I love that phrase, remember the word. And I think it's so sweet because he's gonna tell him what the word is. The Lord your God has given you rest and has given you this land. And it's so interesting to me that that's in past, because he hadn't yet. That wasn't happening yet. They were still wandering. They were still desperate for rest. All they were doing is wandering. There was probably no one on Earth that wanted rest more than people who were wandering for 40 years. I am exhausted even just thinking about that. Like, that's so hard to just be packing up and building a tent every single night. And you have no idea where you're gonna go, and you have no idea when you're gonna build a house, and you're gonna have no idea. I'm moving, like, right now. I'm in the process, and it is my least favorite thing in the entire history of the world. I will never move again. I'm never doing that. Bury me in the next house that I live in. I hate moving, okay? I hate it. It is my nightmare. And I, like, my soul, already wants that to just settle down. That is what they needed. They needed someone to say, you will have rest and you will have somewhere to live. You'll have what God promised you. It's first of all, so sweet to me that Moses spoke that in past tense, that he looked and said, you can bank on this promise so much that I will speak to you as if you already have it. Exactly what you need. The Lord will give you so much that I'm going to act like he already has. But it's just those first three words that I can't get out of my mind. Remember the word. And I, since I read that, have been thinking so much. First of all, I just wanna think, like, what are the words of scripture that I need to remember right now? Is there a verse that I want to, like, write on a little piece of paper and keep in my pocket so I can remember a promise that I need right now? Maybe it is Joshua 1:9. Be strong and of good courage. And maybe I want to write that down and keep it in my pocket. Or maybe I want to write it on my mirror. Or maybe I want to say it in my head over and over. Maybe it's words of scriptures. There are promises that you need that you want to remember. But I also think it's so sweet that that would have been his mentor. Moses would have been his mentor. And so when he heard that from Moses, it was remembering the words of someone who loved him, someone who cared for him, someone who wanted what's best for him. And I think of all the times in my life that someone has done that for me, a mentor or someone I loved said something. And you cling onto those words like it is every truth that you have ever heard of in your life, desperate to believe that it's real. And I think that there are moments in our life when we are wandering, when we are desperate for God's promises. And I love that little piece of advice in verse 13, right? Remember the word.
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And I just like, too, that so this, for this word is going to sit in your house, right on. On the counter, wherever you have it. And first of all, I want people to feel encouraged when they see that I want to. I want them to read that verse, be strong and have a good courage, you know, as if God is saying it to you every day that you leave. But I also, in our family, I'm just thinking ahead. I'm going to give the kids and myself just the challenge. Speak God's promises over people, breathe hope into people this week, be an encourager. And I just love that Moses did that for Joshua. And I feel like I just want to do it, you know, for other people.
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Yeah. What a good way of living.
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Yeah. Yeah. I just. I'm really, really into this. And again, Jack saying that to Christian just, like, is so tender to me for him to do that now, I love that you gave that hidden gem in 13 because I had a hidden gem in 14, a verse that I never loved before until I saw it here. Now I have to read it to you in the nlt. Remember my new favorite translation, everybody? Because it is. You can understand it a little bit better. So what's happening here is there are three tribes, Reuben, Gad, and half of Manasseh in verse 12, who are getting their promised land on this side of the river. They're on the east side of the river, right? And everybody else is going to have their inheritances on the west side of the. I was going never east. I don't know why I didn't know that. I was just making sure I was right on the west side of the Jordan River. Okay. So he tells them, your. Your. Your land is actually right here, right? But then he says this and. And le. Your wives and your children and livestock, leave them here in. In this spot. But your strong warriors, fully armed, must lead the other tribes across the Jordan to help them conquer their territory. Stay with them until the Lord gives them rest. And I was so won over. That is 14 and into 15. You'll see in the King James, until the Lord hath given your brethren rest. Like, help them, it says at the end of verse. Help them until they make it.
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And help them.
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Help them.
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Right?
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And I. And until they. Until they all get out. We just were in Dubai when the. The whatever we want to call it, broke out. The fight, the battle broke out with all those countries there. And I'm so endeared to our sweet Smita, who plans the trips for us in India, who just stayed at the hotel. She canceled her trip to Europe that she was going to go until everybody caught out, until everybody made it home. And I love that thought of us here, all of us thinking about the people to the left and right. I'm not. I'm gonna stay and I'm gonna help until everybody makes it. Until everybody makes it home.
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And it's so cute that at the end of verse 15. Well, I guess it's kind of like, the middle when it says, and enjoy it. And I think it really is true that it can't be enjoyed unless you know that your brethren are with you.
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Yeah.
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You cannot enjoy life when you are worrying about the danger and the safety and the care and the love that other people have. And I think it's so sweet that he says, listen, go take care of each other. And I promise when you're taking care of each other afterwards, you will enjoy it.
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Yeah. I think you know the line from Elder Holland where he says, nobody gets to the celestial kingdom by selfishly grasping for it because it won't be heaven unless everyone's there. So the fact that if I have the mindset of I'm going to do whatever it takes for me to get there, it's like, oh, that might be the wrong pursuit. The pursuit is all of us. Zion's not Zion. When someone's by themselves, it's until everyone gets there. It's the work of the Father and it's our by. If it's the Messiah's work, then that's the Messiah's mission that he's commissioned us with.
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B
Well. And I just can't help but think how much more they really loved it, how much more they really enjoyed it, because the work they put in to get there. Yeah. And I think that's true about everything in life. But my favorite quote of all time. I want to name my daughter Marjorie, because I love Marjorie Hinckley more than anyone on Earth. She is everything to me. And there's this quote by her that is the cutest thing that you've ever read.
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I already know what you're going to read.
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It is the best quote that anyone has ever spoken in the entire world. When I get to the.
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I heard someone say to me one time, like, I don't think she actually said that. I was like, you have no business telling me that. You don't know.
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I found this frame at the thrift store, and it says Marjorie Hinckley. And this quote. And it is truth to me. It is truth to me.
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She's the kind of person who would have said it.
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And so maybe it's not everyone, but just say no to me.
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I refuse to believe otherwise.
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It's Marjorie. I know it is. I don't want to drive up to the pearly gates in a shiny sports car, wearing beautifully tailored clothes, my hair expertly. I don't know what that word is. Done. Okay. With a long, perfectly manicured fingernail. You guys, I'm not a great reader. It's okay. I want to drive up. Thank you.
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I know. Sorry. Start over. Okay.
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Okay. Okay, everyone. I'm just gonna give you a new word for that. I'm gonna make up a new word for that.
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Let me see.
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I don't wanna drive up to the pearly gates in a shiny sports car, wearing beautifully tailored clothes, my hair expertly done with long, perfectly manicured fingernails. I wanna drive up in a station wagon that has mud on the wheels from taking kids to scout camp. I wan. With grass stains on my shoes from moving the other sis from mowing the other sister's lawn. I want to be there with a smudge of peanut butter on my shirt from making sandwiches for sick neighbors children. I want to be there with a little dirt under my fingernails from helping to weed someone's garden. I want to be there with children's sticky kisses on my cheeks and the tears of a friend on my shoulder. I want the Lord to know I was really here and that I really lived. And to me, when I hear that, I love it because it seems like a life she enjoyed.
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Yeah.
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And it was hard and it was messy and it was complicated, and it was really a lot of work, but she loved it. And to me, that is the lesson from 15 is that it's looking and saying, you will love it more if all you cared about was helping.
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A
Yeah. Oh, I seriously, like, I didn't even know that verse was in this chapter. And I just love the thought of it. And when we were on that trip, you know, kind of stuck in our hotel trying to figure out ways to get home, and everyone was thinking of every connection they had and working through it, and so many people helped us. But there was a friend on that trip, and she said, I want to get home so desperately right now. And I'm trying everything to do it. And she says, when I get back to my USA home, she was like, I. I want to live for heaven with that much desperation. Also, I. I want to yearn to get home and to get every one of us home. Heaven's home. The same way that I am feeling right now. And that's what you get to experience here in this book of Joshua, as they enter into the promised land. And. And they're all just going to do this together, which is. Is. Is so awesome. Now we get into Joshua chapter two, and you're going to put a tippin into Joshua chapter two. It's one. It's in the back of the tippins, and it's one of our grandmothers of Jesus now, if you're just kind of new and you're like, what's the grandmother of Jesus? In Matthew Chapter one, we get a genealogy of Jesus, and uncanny for the time. And unlike typical for the time that Matthew 1 was written, there are five women put into that genealogy, and we call them the grandmothers of Jesus. And these are ones that. That. That Jesus is like, I want to be claimed by these people. I want everybody to know that these grandmothers are in my line. And I come from. And I come from them. And one of them is this woman that we meet in Joshua chapter two. And right from very verse one is where we meet him. Because Joshua sends two spies into this city called Jericho, which is the city right on the other side of the river. And these two spies, it says in verse one, they came into a harlot's house whose name is Rahab, who lived there. So you're going to put this into chapter two, and right off the bat we learn who Rahab is, that she is a harlot. That is her line of work, and that is the kind of person that she is. And I can just hear the people in church saying to those two boys who showed up at their house, like, why'd you go to her house? But I love that they did. And you're going to see more of that kind of spirit of them going to this particular house. And they go into her house, and someone sees them going into her house. And if you don't know this story, she hides them up in her roof and she covers them. And until the, you know, the king's men come. Where. Where are those guys? We saw them. And she's like, I don't know. You know, she lies and. And saves their life. And. And so when they come down from the roof, she says to them this, starting in verse nine. And she said unto these men, I know that the Lord hath given you the land. For we, verse 10, have heard how the Lord dried up the water of the Red Sea for you when you came out of Egypt, and how he helped you in every single thing that has happened. And she says, and as soon as we heard these things, our hearts did melt because of you. For the Lord, your God, he is God in heaven above and in earth beneath. And I love that these two boys come to her house, knock on her door, and she says to them, I've heard of your God before. I've heard of the wonderful and amazing things that he's. That he's done things that make your heart hurt. I Heard that your God set you free. These are the stories that she knows. And it made me think, if I'm going out two by two into the world, the message and the story I want to share is one of miracles. I want the miracle stories to be the stories that me and my church and my people are known by the things that make people's hearts melt. I don't want people to know that I think this one is true or whatever, or here's the doctrine or whatever. I want people, and those are good, those are great. I just want. I want to be known by the people of the God of miracles. I want people to see my story and see my life and say, I've heard what your God has done for you, and I love that. It's those stories that melt her heart and bring her in. And that's what I want. I want someone to know that about me. You're the guy God set free. I've heard your story before. I've heard of the amazing things that your God has done for you. Those are the stories I want to tell. And that's what I want my reputation to be about me, my faith tradition and my family and my church.
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B
Well, and I think it's so interesting that verse 11, because it makes it abundantly clear that believing was a choice, because most people didn't. When most people heard about what happened, they were scared and they were like, oh, that is so scary. Like, we should be so afraid of those people because they're really good at conquering and leaving and escaping and all of these things. And I love this, that in a world that was preaching fear, she chose to believe. And she said, no, that's not the real story. That's not what happened. And there's something here that's interesting to me. And I think that sometimes I've just been thinking about, like, the journey of believing and how it really is a choice and that they heard that story and it would have been crazy and wild. And it made some people afraid. And I'm sure some people say that did not even happen. People are exaggerating. There is no way. And I love to remember she chose to believe it. She walked away. And even if every single person in that room was just talking garbage about what happened, she walked away. And she thought, no, there's something else there. There's something in that story to believe. And I hope that I live the same way that I think it's easy right now to be like, oh, coincidence. Oh, that's a little crazy. Oh, you're talking story right now. Like, you're just, like, doing, like, a whole moment. Like, that's whatever you want to say or to be afraid or to live in fear or to live in the noise of the world. And I love that and all of that. She just chose to believe it.
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A
Yeah.
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She chose to live like it's true.
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A
And that's coming up again in Joshua 3. I was about to say, like, I have a lot of. Of words to say about that, but I'm gonna hold them until Joshua 3, because I think it's the same. We're gonna run. But there's one other thing I want to say about her story before we jump into that, and that is in 12, 13, and 14, she has this. She was like, now I pray you, will you promise me by the Lord that I, since I have showed you this kindness, that you will show kindness unto this house and give me a token? And when you save my. My father and my mother and my brothers and my sisters, my. And all that they have and deliver our lives. And then the men answered in 14. I love this line. And they said, our life for yours. And it makes me think about how many people have Rahab's story and have had two boys or two girls knock on their door with stories of miracles. And for someone inside to hear those stories and say, I want to be a part of that family. I want to be a part of the family of the God who opens oceans. I want to be a part of this miracle story. And I love that they answer back. And when she says, thank you. Thank you for coming, and they say, our life for yours, we were willing to lay down. And I think about my Christian, who's out as a missionary right now, and my Jane, who's about to go out, who've made a decision to say to people, our life for yours. We will lay down whatever it is that we wanted to do for the next year and a half or two years so that you can know these things and know this story. I think of a line from a story of a lady who said to another lady after, you know, there was a sacrifice done to kind of help her out and bring her back. And she said this to that friend in their church. She said, I will forever be grateful for the sacrifice that people like you make to help rescue people like me. And there's so much Jesus in that. There's so much Jesus. And because we have an older brother who said, my life or yours, I'll lay it down. I think that's why there's so much tenderness and beauty in any kind of sacrificial service because it echoes Jesus. He says, our life for yours. And they make her this promise and they say she lives right on the outer wall of Jericho. Jericho's have big walls. You're about to find out about that. And she lets them down by this scarlet rope. And then they say to her, leave that rope in your window. And if that rope will be a mark, you'll be marked by that scarlet thread that this house will be protected and this house is going to be saved. And it's almost gonna become like this second Passover. I love. It's red. It's so great that it's red.
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B
Of course it is.
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A
Yeah. Because now look, that house is marked by the token of rescue, is what. It's marked by this thing that's, you know, that set them free. And so it's marked by this token of rescue, this red token of rescue. And they make that promise to her. And it's gonna get fulfilled in a couple of chapters. But that's kind of what happens in this story.
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B
And I am biased. I've always loved this story. And I think it's because at some point when I was growing up, I don't even know why or how or when, but at some point my mom put like a red, little, like, rope
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thing that's in the kitchen window.
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B
And I have no idea when or like why or like, what moved her to do that. But in my head, when I imagine after I learned the story when I was little, I didn't really know the story, but after I learned the story, I think it's because she knew the power of a house that held a woman who believed. And I do not think that that should be discounted, that everyone else in that house, who knows what their thoughts were and what their feelings were and who stood where, but in that house, there was one woman who believed and that saved all of them. And I think that that is true about women still to this day, that there is power in a woman who believes, there is safety and saving that comes from a woman who. Who believes and proves that and shows that in her house. And that was evidence for me in my house. Like, I know I was raised by a woman who really believed and it saved me and it changed my life. And I just can't help but think, like, of course Jesus wanted to name Rahab in his lineage. Of course he did. Because it's a story of saving. And that would be his too.
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A
Yeah. And I love that she hangs it up right away.
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Right away.
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She doesn't.
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Even in verse number 21, she's like,
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okay, oh, I'm just going to hang this up.
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When was it? When was the saving going to come? She had no idea.
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Exactly. But I am going to put this up as. As, like what you just said. This is a home that believes. This is a home that's marked in. In rescue. In the red thread of rescue.
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Yep.
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And so she hangs at that. So Rahab is one of our. I said greatest friends is what I thought. And I'm just going to stick with it.
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B
But yes.
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A
Okay, now. Now comes chapter three. Now this. If you open up your journal. I'm moving Rahab for a second over here so I can see chapter three here. If you open up your journal, there is a page to just fill this out. And on the app, you can also download these pages and use them if you want to, like, hand this out in church or in your family or something like that. P.S. do you have the app? Everyone, do you have the app? I love our app. It has. Okay, it has these bonus things and all our lessons and all that. But the greatest thing about it is it has a nightly scripture study for you. Devotionals for five days a week. Please get the app, since I write those every single week. And there are. It's just a great way to have a mini devotional before you go to bed. It's so simple. It's one or two verses and a little thought and questions. If you want to go into it, it is. It's. It's worth it for all those. It's such a fantastic value. So if you want that, go to. It's in the newsletter, usually linked, or go to our website and get it. You can't download it. You have to subscribe to it on the website first and then download it from the app store. It makes it so that the price can be even better. So it's just awesome. What was I talking about? Because I just got so excited about that.
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B
We don't know this worksheet.
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A
Oh, you can also find that there. Okay, okay.
- [31:32]
B
I will say this so quickly, is that as a teacher, there's nothing like. I think the biggest thing that I hear from other people that are trying to teach youth is what do you do about their phones? Give them something else to do. And that is why I'm the biggest advocate for the worksheets. So if you teach Sunday school or seminary or whatever you teach, I will yell from the rooftops. Phones will be eliminated. If you give them something else to do and this is the easiest way, it will give them a lesson and they want to learn. You think they don't? They really do. And they like it and they're going to be excited about it. But like give them something else to do because their brain is used to watching three videos at the same time. So if you think they're just going to listen while you're talking and having them read one verse, their brain can't function like that. So give them something to do that is cool. About the worksheet printed off for all of them.
- [32:18]
A
This is where these actually came from. The journals came from seminary. My seminary class, where I was like,
- [32:24]
B
I still have mine. Do you know that?
- [32:26]
A
Oh really?
- [32:26]
B
I was in David's seminary class. You didn't know that? Maybe I was in David's seminary class and I was in the very first year.
- [32:32]
A
When you started drawing all the worksheets.
- [32:34]
B
Yes. And I still have mine. I hung one of mine up from David's Mighty Men. I will never forget. That's a sneak peek to later in the Old Testament. I sang. I hung that up my entire senior year of high school.
- [32:45]
A
And listen, if you're an OG of here, I have those hand drawn worksheets and they're on the app too. From last. You have to look for. I think it's what's four years ago? What year is it?
- [32:54]
B
That cannot be our business right now.
- [32:55]
A
Is it 2020?
- [32:56]
B
I don't.
- [32:57]
A
Anyways. What? Okay, so 2022 journal PDF is in there too. So if you want the OG handdrawn worksheets from David Seminary. Anyways. Wow, that was so many good.
- [33:08]
B
That was like a really weird timeout, everyone. That was.
- [33:11]
A
But a good one. No, because I love what you taught about give them something to do. That's actually.
- [33:15]
B
Yeah.
- [33:16]
A
Even though. Yeah, I'm not. Yeah, it's awesome. Amen. Amen. I was going to say, even though I did.
- [33:23]
B
You're like, well, that was my idea actually. First David's trying to claim was David's idea myself.
- [33:31]
A
All right, now go to this paper. It's so good. Chapter three, Joshua three. Now this is what we named this. Preparing for the miracle. Which you can. You can. I renamed it. I decided after it was printed and done that I'm re changing.
- [33:44]
B
You can.
- [33:45]
A
Because you made it the name of this. Which is instead of preparing for the miracle, I want to call it Living in the Realm of Miracles. That's what I want to call chapter three. What it looks like to be A person who believes in miracles and seeks and expects them. That's a line from President Nelson, seek and expect miracles. And these are principles of what it looks like. What I don't want to happen is for someone to think these are the steps for a miracle, right? But these are what it looks like, the principles to live in the realm of miracles. To be a person who seeks and expects miracles. Oh, this line, listen, I found this quote today, you guys. It's from someone whose name is Vivian Amos, okay? And she said there is a realm in which miracles are possible and do take place. The door to this realm is the belief in all possibilities. So we are a people. I want to hang a sign in my house that says, I am not embarrassed to say I believe in miracles, because I do. And this chapter is a chapter of what it looks like to seek and expect miracles. To live in that, in that realm. So there's, it's just a list of these principles and let's just go over them together because they're so great. So Joshua, chapter three. They're about to cross the, the river into the promised land. And the Jordan river at this time of year is huge and flooded. If you go to the Jordan river today or if you look up pictures of it in the back of your Bible or, or Google or something, you're going to say this is not that big of a, of a miracle because it's sort of like the Jordan crick today is what it is, okay? So you have to just imagine the Mississippi is what you have to think in your head. Like it's just this over flooded deep river that's in between them and their promised land, okay? So that's where they're at and what's going to happen. And verse three is the first principle of this and it says, and they commanded the people saying when you see the ark of the covenant of the Lord your God and the priests of the Levites bearing it, then you shall remove from your place and go after it. And principle number one is that idea of have that willingness to believe in miracles and, and go after them, to take the step, to just be ready and willing to when you see. Because what happens is they see the ark moving, which is just a symbol of God moving. And when you see God moving, go after it like take the leap, take the step that's going to come up one other time. But I just love that concept of go, go, move. Don't just sit. It's the opposite of living in the realm of miracles. Is this fear. It's not going to happen. I don't want to get my hopes up or something like that. And Joshua is a kind of person who just like, I. I'm not embarrassed to say I believe in miracles. Go after them. You'll never see what God can do unless you do.
- [36:38]
B
It's so good. And, like, it really does just make you want to be like. I always think about, like, I don't want to miss out on something just because I was scared I was never going to get it. And I think that, like, we live in that world right now. That it's like, oh, I'd rather just keep my expectations low because I never. Like, I. Like, I would rather not be disappointed than think something was gonna happen. And it didn't. And I love the idea of just like, well, why wouldn't you want to. Yeah, why wouldn't you want to do that? So what about it? And I think that verse number four is the reason you can is because you're gonna believe really big. And then it's like, okay, now. And I love that in verse number four, it's just saying, like, listen, I am going to tell you where you're gonna need to go. I underlined in my scriptures that ye may know the way by which you must go. That is not optional. That's not like, okay, you can try a few different ways and see how it goes. It says this so clearly, you're gonna know the way you must go if you wanna experience this miracle. There are other times in life that I think God's like, try a few things out, go a few different ways. It's gonna be fine. But I do think there are specific miracles that God is gonna say, you must go this way. And I don't think your life is gonna be over if you don't. But I do love the idea that that comes right after the idea of, like, believe big and chase after it. And then it's like, let me tell you why you can trust is because I know the exact way you must go. I have the map laid out. It's going to be fine. You're not going to be disappointed because I know the trail.
- [38:13]
A
Yeah. And. And what we have written in the journal, or you might want to write in your margin, is to let God lead because they, like, go follow behind the ark. And the phrase I loved from four is right after yours, which is, you have not passed this way heretofore. You've never done this before. And that's actually exciting. It feels scary. But it's also Like, I love that. It's like what. What you're about to see, you've never seen happen before. Let God lead out. Let him tell you when to pause. Let him tell you when to move. Let him tell you if it's, you know, your choice or. Or something specific. I just let God be in charge of those. Next is in verse five. And Joshua said to the people, sanctify yourselves for tomorrow the Lord will do wonders among you. There's two parts about that that are so great. If you look in that footnote for sanctify, it says, make yourselves clean and holy by ritual, washings and proper behavior. Again, I don't think this is the recipe for a miracle, but I think it opens your eyes to be able to see them. When your heart is prepared through sacred ritual and rhythms of belief and holy habits, it invites the spirit and thus the whole Godhead into the story. That is what's happening when you sanctify yourself. You're getting yourself. You're taking off your shoes like Moses did and saying, hold on, I want to be able to feel the spirit more. So I'm gonna get rid of some things from my life, and I'm gonna act in a certain way so that I'm closer to that God of wonders. And then that line is so great for tomorrow, the Lord will do wonders among you. I want. I want to say that to my kids every night before they go to bed because I want them to believe in a God of wonders. You know, I want to tuck them in and say grace. You don't have any kids yet, but you can start from day one. Some of mine are grown up. I can still say it to him, but, like, isn't that awesome? Sanctify yourselves. Get ready for tomorrow. The Lord will do wonders among you.
- [40:21]
B
Mmm, it's so good. And I do think that sometimes when we hear the word sanctify, it almost feels like. I don't know exactly how to say this, and I don't know exactly what I'm thinking, but it almost seems as, like, not like a punishment, but a little bit or like disappointing that it's like, oh, like, get rid of all this stuff in my life that like, like, are holding me back and da, da, da, da. And it's like. Feels like a terrible chore. But verse number five isn't a sad way of sanctification. It's an excited way. They weren't doing it because someone force them to. They were doing it because they knew what God would be able to do if they did.
- [40:53]
A
Right.
- [40:53]
B
And that is such a different mindset for sanctification.
- [40:55]
A
Right. There's a lot of distractions and sins that are really loud and really distracting. And to sanctify yourself means to me to remove some things from your life so that there's room for something better and bigger to come into it. So. Okay. All right. Do you want to do this next seven?
- [41:13]
B
Yeah, I can do seven. The next one is, I think, the sweetest verse. Because if you would just imagine Joshua, he had to have been a little bit, like, imposter syndrome. Like, he had to have been, like, a little bit like, I am like Moses. We, like, followed him for forever, and he was so good, and the Red Sea, and he had this big name and this big reputation, and his resume was filled. And then it was like, okay, and now little Joshi is coming next, and what has he done? He's just, like, been backup guy for, like, this whole entire time. And then the Lord says to Joshua, and it almost feels like this one was written just for Joshua's heart and we get to read it. But I think this was words just exactly what he needed to hear. This day will I begin to magnify you in the sight of all of Israel, that they may know that as I was with Moses, so I will be with you. And I am sure that's something that Joshua was so nervous about. And I know that we could sit here and be like, oh, Joshua, doesn't matter what anyone else thinks about you. Like, it doesn't matter what they think. It doesn't matter what they're saying about you, because as long as, like, you're right with God. But it must have been something Joshua was worried about. And I love that the Lord spoke directly to that. And I think it's so sweet that he says, just as I was with Moses, I will be with you. Because it's a reminder. It was never about the person. It was always about who God is. It had nothing to do with the person that God called and everything to do with the God who is capable of calling them.
- [42:44]
A
Yeah. And I think that's such a great miracle of. It's. It's. You know, sometimes we say, that's the miracle of grace. Like, to be strengthened, to be magnified. You know, sometimes that is the miracles that God will do. That verse 8 is so good to be reminded of for those who live in the realm of miracles. And he says, and thou shalt command the priests that bear the ark of the covenant, saying, when you're come to the brink of the Water of Jordan. You shall stand still in Jordan. And there are so many scriptures and stories and verses where stillness or waiting precede a miracle. And part of living in the world of miracles is waiting. And it's stillness and it's waiting on. On God's timing. And I think that is just such a great reminder all throughout this book that there is that those moments of silence before a miracle or stillness before a miracle. And that's just part of living as a person who believes in miracles is waiting. Waiting for when God is going to move or when he's going to make his move. So that standstill one, the next one
- [43:53]
B
is from verse 10. Hereby ye shall know that the living God is among and that he will without fail. And that's what I like. Mark keeps going in that verse. But I. This is like gonna be a little bit intense, but I just felt like a reminder to Joshua. Moses died, but God didn't. And he might be gone and dead, but the God who helped him isn't. And he is still among you. He is still with your people. And he never failed Moses. Why would he fail now?
- [44:21]
A
Yeah. So good. I actually love that he says the living God, he's alive, he's moving living, living waters in. In scripture it means moving waters, like active waters. So he is moving, he is living, he is active. In this story, 13 is again that kind of like one was or that go after it one. Because in 13 it says, and it shall come to pass as soon as the soles of the feet of the priests that bear the ark of the Lord rest in the waters of Jordan. The waters of Jordan shall be cut off and they will stand up upon a heap. It's so fantastic that God in this story does not split the water until they actually step into it. And so that's going to remind you of that first principle that we wrote into the journal here. Step into the water and then the miracle starts to happen. That is so awesome.
- [45:19]
B
So good. And I love that it starts with that because directly going into verse 17, it's gonna tell you that then there came the dry ground. And all the Israelites passed over on dry ground until all the people were passed clean over Jordan. But what I love is that the reason the Israelites could have walked across dry ground is because there were some people who were willing to get their feet wet. And I love to think that I wanna be the type of person that is willing to believe big and do the crazy thing because who might reap the benefits of that. And I truly Think that I was born into a family with parents who were willing to get their feet wet believing in miracles. And I have walked on dry ground in my life because they were willing to believe big. And I hope that there are miracles that I am willing to get my feet wet believing in so that other people can go after me and say, oh, I'm living in the world of miracles. Because there was someone who was willing to be brave and believe.
- [46:19]
A
That's so rad. Now there's something cool, too, about 17, because it will remind you of the Red Sea miracle that the water splits and they walk through on dry ground. That double miracle, you remember that he not only moves the water, but it's not sopping mud when they walk through. So it's just like full and complete finished miracle. I like that it's this repeat miracle, because remember, except for Caleb and Joshua, everybody else who's in the tribes of Israel right now did not walk through the Red Sea. They grew up on the story of the Red Sea, but they haven't ever experienced it before. And I just think it's so amazing that they get to have their own miracle that we hear the stories of other people's miracles. And I think that's what inspires us to go after it and let God lead and to believe, because we grew up hearing the stories. But then someday, one day, you get your own version of the miracle. You get to the waters get to split for you like they split for your grandparents, and you get to walk through the dry ground like others have before you, and they get to not only believe in them, but experience them. And I think that there's something different. Like, there's something different about that. I think the belief in it inspires you to, like, do these things, but then it's. It's different to believe in a miracle and to have experienced a miracle.
- [47:41]
B
And it must have been something that Joshua was thinking about all the people that were walking through and experiencing the Red Sea, even though they had never experienced it the first time. Yeah, they were getting that. And I wonder if he was listening to the conversations. I wonder if he had heard the conversations of all of those kids for years and years and years. Because chapter four, he does maybe one of the sweetest things in all of Scripture ever. This is a lie, but it's true. Today is maybe my favorite chapter of all time. Like, I love it.
- [48:12]
A
Chapter four has inspired my decorating. No, like, my whole house, my whole room.
- [48:19]
B
And so same and so same. Because what happened is he gets 12 men before they go. And he looks at him and he says, listen, here's what I'm going to have you do. In verse three, I need you to go into the middle of the Jordan. And when you're in the middle of it, when you are in the middle of where water should be drowning you, I want you to go and I want you to stand there with your feet firm and pick up 12 stones. And I want you to carry them over to the other side with you. And once you get to that side, I want you to build an ark. I want you to build a monument. I want you to build an altar. An altar. That's what I was.
- [48:59]
A
It's like all of a sudden, Noah came back.
- [49:02]
B
I forgot what it was called. I knew it started with an A, so I was just hoping it was gonna be close to that. You got it. You got it. Sorry.
- [49:11]
A
Sorry.
- [49:12]
B
And he goes and he says, and when we get to the other side, we're gonna build an altar with those stones. And then in verse number six, when your children ask their fathers, pause and just think, just like you did to yours, about the Red Sea. They will say, what mean you by these stones? Then you will answer them, that the waters of Jordan were cut off from before the ark of the covenant of the Lord when it passed over the Jordan. And these stones shall be for a memorial unto the children of Israel forever. And I love that he said, take something from the miracle and let's build a memorial so people can see it and ask the question. And you will get the chance to tell the story of today and over and over and over that story will be shared and told and repeated because they will see the evidence of a miracle. And in verse number nine, you just want to write and highlight the last line. And they are there unto this day. Those rocks stood as a memorial forever. And he says it one more time in verse 21:24. What mean these stones? And it will mean that Israel came over the Jordan on dry land. For the Lord your God, dried up the waters of Jordan from before you until you were passed over, just like he did to the Red Sea, which he dried up. And they that came before us walked across that all the people of the earth might know. All the people of the earth excuse you that the hand of the Lord is. Is mighty and that you might fear your God forever and ever. And just like David said, I hope that chapter four inspires you. And maybe you can't go back to the miracles that you have experienced in this life, but maybe you should write down 12. What are your 12 stones that are evidence to you that God is a God of miracles? Or maybe you want to go and collect things from all your adventures. Or maybe for the rest of your life, when you experience a miracle, you will pick up a stone and you will take it home and you'll put it on the shelves of your house so that when your kids say, what mean these stones? You will say, we believe in a God of miracles.
- [51:35]
A
And I just think it's so fan. This chapter calls me to this calling to pass on the belief in miracles to the next generation, whether it's kids, grandkids, nieces, nephews, neighbors, whatever it may be that it just. It says to me, david, it is your job. Belief in miracles only lasts one generation. It has to be passed on. And now those kids who didn't walk through will step into their own river someday because of the story of their parents or their grandparents. Like, it will pass on this belief in miracles. And so it's just. I love this concept in this idea. We. I'll just say one that we have, Jenny and I have on our shelf, this glass ball. It was an old Japanese fishing float, is what it is. And when we lived in Hawaii, we were about to move to Hawaii, and Jenny's aunt, who grew up in Hawaii, Jenny's mom and all her sisters grew up there, said, when you guys go, you should look for a glass float. And I was like, what is that? And she was like, well, back until like, the 40s or the 50s, Japanese fishermen used these glasses, glass floats, and they stopped using them. Now they use plastic ones, but along the years, they would break off from the nets and float in the sea until, like, something knocked them off their course. And then they ended up on a beach somewhere. And she said, I was a little girl and learned about these back in the 50s and 60s. And she was like. And I would pray every single night that I would find one of those glass floats. And one day I went out onto the beach and God put one there for me. And she told us this story at a Christmas party before we moved out there. And she said, so you should look for your own, that maybe God will put one on the beach for you, too. So this is funny to say a little, but Jenny and I, every night that we lived there, we prayed for one of those glass floats. And we would go on a walk every single morning to go look and see. And it was our very last day.
- [53:34]
B
Of course it was.
- [53:34]
A
Our bags were packed, suitcases zipped up, everything we Were moving away, and they were in the kitchen. And we said, let's go out on one more walk. And we went out, walked on the beach. And as we're walking, Jenny, like, grabs my arm and looks, and there is one just rolling up in the waves. And she picks it up. And I'm a little embarrassed to admit this, but I was like, I kind of wanted to find it. It's my first thought. It's terrible. I'm a terrible person. But we were so happy. But then about 20 yards later, a second one. And I did find the second one. We both found one on that beach that day. We ran home, went back, and our landlord, her name was Maria, before we even showed her, we walked in, she said, you found a glass ball, didn't you? And we said, we both did. And she said, I knew it was going to happen right when you left. God said to me, I put it on the beach for them. And we have that on our shelf to this day to just. Just as a little reminder so that our kids can look at them and say, what mean ye by these? You know, and we can say, oh, because we believe in a God who knows us personally and. And listens to our. Our. Even our insignificant wishes. So chapter four is a gem. It's so good. Jinx. Okay, you guys, we have to do six, and then we'll give you a hint for the end. 23 and 24. 23 and 24 will just be so fast. But we have to do six, because six is the walls of Jericho's story. And I love this story. And you should download the song Joshua fit the battle of Jericho and the walls came tumbling down. This is why I love six so much. Six is this chapter where if anybody feels like you are just going in circles, that you are working on something and it's not working, that you are just trying and going, and it's just nothing's happening. Chapter six is for you. And this is what happens. It says now, Jericho was straightly shut up because of the children of Israel. None went out and none came in. The walls were all closed. And verse two, the Lord said unto Joshua, look or see. It says, I have given into thine hand, Jericho. And this is like what you were saying grace at the beginning of this, that here is God again speaking in past tense about a future event. I've already given it to you. As far as I'm concerned, the miracle has already happened. And I just love that there's an invitation here in verse two that the Lord says, look and If Joshua told you what he saw, he would say, like, I see formidable walls, I see 700 foot walls, I don't know how big they were. I see a problem is what I see. And God is calling him to see something different. I've already given it to you. What I want you to see, see is the promise, not the problem. And when you circle it, don't circle the problem. I want you to circle the promise. That's what I want you to see. I want you to see what I've promised will happen. And then he tells him, this is what I want you to do. I want you to walk around the city one time each day. I want you to wake up and walk all around the city, the whole thing, and then go to bed and then wake up the next morning and walk around it. And then go to bed and walk around it, what? You know, another time. And this is what you're going to do for six straight days. And you know what, though? I don't actually know, I don't feel like the scriptures tell us whether the people knew the plan or not. All they maybe knew is that, you know, they got home from, you know, whatever that day and went home to their wives and they're like, so what happened? Well, we just walked around the city and nothing happened. You know, and then day two and nothing happened. And day three and nothing happened. And this is what, what it feels like sometimes. Like I'm just going in circles, I'm going through the motions of things and nothing is changing and nothing is happening. And I think that this chapter is telling us verse 14. So they did this for six days. And I have in my scriptures written next to that. Don't stop on six, don't give up, keep on going. Because on the seventh day, on their seventh day time around the city, the walls finally fell and the miracle happened. And I love thinking about this question. Which time around the city was, was more important? Which one was the most important time around the city? And I don't think you would get rid of any of them, right? Every single walk around the city was part of the story. And it didn't fall until the seventh time on the seventh day. Don't give up. On six, on day six, circle the promise. Not the problem. Keep looking at what God said he has already done. Keep your mind and your heart on that. And one day that miracle happens. And I, and I love that. If you would go to those people and ask them on time number three or time number four or time number five, what are you Doing what I want them do to answer back is trusting. We're learning to trust. We're not doing nothing. These aren't insignificant. The days that I'm keep when I'm still going and nothing is happening. They are not insignificant and they're not wrong. Something is happening. Something is changing. God is working and moving through this. And so I just love this story for. For that, you know, for that. Number one. And number two, chapter six, we get Rahab back, and you get this moment where the walls are about to fall. And Joshua says in verse 22, go into the harlot's house and bring her out. And verse 25, mark this one too. And Joshua saved Rahab the harlot alive and her father's household and all that she. She had, and she dwelleth in Israel even unto this day. And I just love that in the end. First of all, don't you love that he calls her the harlot still? Why I love that, by the way, is she wasn't saved because she changed her life. She changed her life because she was saved. That she was still heir to the promises of and privileges even before she changed her life. And that Joshua didn't say, go get the girl who's repented. He says, go get the girl who's. Who's maybe still a harlot. And her and all of her house was saved because of her faith, because of her belief. I just love that she was a part of it. She was a part of the family and was welcomed in maybe even before she changed everything in her life. And I just think that that is. Is spectacular. And if you want a really cool line, do you know that the name Jesus is a Greek translation, but the Hebrew translation of his name is actually Joshua? So when you read chapter 25, what you're saying is, and Jesus saved Rahab the harlot alive and her father's household and all that she had. And because of that, she dwelleth in Israel even unto this day. And I just had to make sure we got the end of that rescue story in. In chapter six. I. So many good things. We didn't even get to chapters 23 and 24. Oh, what, do we need to say one thing about them? Yes. Okay. This, just this, this, this, this, this. Then we'll end. Is this okay?
- [61:19]
B
Yes.
- [61:19]
A
Okay. Because you might want your timeline for this. Okay. And if you don't put pieces on the timeline, remember, you can go print one out that has. It's already finished for you. Because Joshua, what he does in chapter 24, at the end of his life is he recounts all the miracles that God's done from the flood till now. And if you go through 24, you can just see him in there. Abraham and two, and Isaac and three and, and, and Jacob and Esau, their miracle in four, and Moses in the miracle in five and then six. And he goes through and he tells and he reminds everybody all the great things that God has done so far. And then he gives them that great invitation, right, which is in verse. Start in verse 14. Now, therefore, fear the Lord and serve him and put away those other gods, right? 15. If it seem evil unto you to serve the Lord, then choose ye this day whom you will serve. Do you want to serve the gods of your fathers who are on the other side of the flood, or do you want to serve this God, the one that I just told you all about, the one who has been here with us since the beginning of time? Choose you this day which one you're going to serve? And don't you love that before the choice? It's like, let's remind you who you're choosing first. Look at everything he's done. If someone were to ask me, dad, why do you still believe in. In God? I would. I would recount everything that he's done in my life so far, and I would say that's why I still choose to believe him. Because he's good and he's kind and he's been with me and, and, and, and he's opened up oceans for me and, and I have my own version of 24. And that's why I can say to my kids, as for me in this house, I will serve the Lord because of what he's like and who he is and what he's done for us. He is, as it says in this verse, 23:14 back one chapter, not one thing hath failed. Of all the good things which your Lord God spoke concerning you, not one thing has failed. And whether that's happened yet or not, it's coming. You might be on round three, around four or round five, but eventually, on the seventh time, on the seventh day, each and every one of us will be able to say, not one thing has failed. Of all the good things which the Lord spake concerning you, that's who he is. That's who. And that's who will always be so good. It's the best book. It should have been divided into two lessons, so. Oh, well.
- [63:57]
B
So, yeah, I was thinking that, yeah,
- [63:59]
A
that was rude that they did that. It's fine. It's fine because it's so good. Okay, you guys, we can't wait. We'll see you next week. If you want to follow along in everything we're doing, you can find us on Instagram at Don't miss this study, at this week's Grace and at MrDave Butler.
- [64:13]
B
And if you want to subscribe to the app or get our weekly newsletter, all of the information can be found@don'tmissthisstudy.com.
- [64:19]
A
see you next week.