Joshua 10

Adoni-zedec – king of Jerusalemverses 1-2

Now it came to pass – when Adoni-zedec king of Jerusalem had heard

how Joshua had taken Ai – and had utterly destroyed it

as he had done to Jericho and her king

so he had done to Ai and her king

And how the inhabitants of Gibeon had made peace with Israel

and were among them – that they FEARED greatly

BECAUSE Gibeon was a great city

as one of the royal cities

and BECAUSE it was greater than Ai

and all the men thereof were mighty

Five kings ready to attack Gibeonverses 3-5

Wherefore Adoni-zedec – king of Jerusalem sent to

Hoham king of Hebron – Piram king of Jarmuth

Japhia king of Lachish – Debir king of Eglon

saying

Come up unto me – and help me – that we may smite Gibeon

FOR it has made peace with Joshua

and with the children of Israel

Therefore the five kings of the Amorites – the king of

Jerusalem – Hebron – Jarmuth – Lachish – Eglon

gathered themselves together – and went up

they and all their hosts

and encamped before Gibeon

and made war against it

Gibeon sends to Joshua for helpverse 6

And the men of Gibeon sent to Joshua to the camp of Gilgal

saying

Slack not you hand from your servants

Come up to us quickly – and save us – and help us

FOR all the kings of the Amorites that dwell in the

mountains are gathered together against us

LORD tells Joshua to goverses 7-8

So Joshua ascended from Gilgal – he

and all the people of war with him

and all the mighty men of valor

And the LORD said to Joshua

Fear them not – for I have delivered them into your head

there shall not a man of them stand before you

LORD sends hailverses 9-11

Joshua therefore came to them suddenly

and went up from Gilgal all night

And the LORD discomfited them before Israel

and slew them with a great slaughter at Gibeon

and chased them along the way

that goes up to Beth-horon

and smote them to Azekah – and to Makkedah

And it came to pass – as they fled from before Israel

and were in the going down to Beth-horon

that the LORD cast down great stones from heaven

upon them to Azekah – and they died

they were more which died with hailstones than they whom the

children of Israel slew with the sword

Joshua prayed for the sun to stand stillverse 12

Then spoke Joshua to the LORD in the day

when the LORD delivered up the Amorites

before the children of Israel

And he said in the sight of Israel

Sun – stand you still upon Gibeon

and you Moon – in the valley of Ajalon

Quote from the book of Jasherverses 13-15

And the SUN STOOD STILL – and the MOON STAYED

until the people had avenged themselves

upon their enemies

Is not this written in the book of Jasher?

So the SUN STOOD STILL in the midst of heaven

and hasted not to go down about a whole day

And there was no day like that before it or after it

that the LORD hearkened to the voice of a man

FOR the LORD fought for Israel

And Joshua returned and all Israel with him

to the camp to Gilgal

Five kings in caveverses 16-19

BUT these five kings fled – and hid themselves in a cave at Makkedah

and it was told Joshua

saying

The five kings are found hid in a cave at Makkedah

And Joshua said

Roll great stones on the mouth of the cave

and set men by it for to keep them

and stay you not – BUT pursue after your enemies

and smite the hindmost of them

Suffer them not to enter into their cities

FOR the LORD your God

has delivered them into your hand

Record of complete victory for Joshuaverses 20-21

And it came to pass

when Joshua and the children of Israel had made an end of slaying

them with a very great slaughter – till they were consumed

that the rest which remained of them entered into

fenced city

And all the people returned to the camp of Joshua at Makkedah in peace

none moved his tongue against any of the children of Israel

Joshua takes five kings from caveverses 22-24

THEN said Joshua

Open the mouth of the cave

and bring out those five kings to me out of the cave

And they did so – and brought forth those five kings unto him out of the cave

the king of Jerusalem – the king of Hebron – the king of Jamuth

the king of Lachish – the king of Eglon

And it came to pass – when they brought out those kings to Joshua

that Joshua called for all the men of Israel

and said to the captains of the men of war

which went with him

Come near – put your feet on the

necks of these kings

And they came near – and put their feet upon the necks of them

Joshua kills the five kingsverses 25-26

And Joshua said to them

Fear not – nor be dismayed – be strong and of good courage

FOR thus shall the LORD do to all your enemies against

whom you fight

And afterward Joshua smote them – and slew them

and hanged them on five trees

and they were hanging on the trees until the evening

Bodies of kings thrown back into cave and coveredverse 27

And it came to pass at the time of the going down of the sun

that Joshua commanded – and they took them down off the trees

and cast them into the cave wherein they had been hid

and laid great stones in the cave’s mouth

which remain until this very day

Towns of Makkedah and Libnah destroyedverses 28-30

And that day Joshua took Makkedah and smote it with the edge of the sword

and the king thereof he utterly destroyed – them

and all the souls that were therein – he let none remain

and he did to the king of Makkedah

as he did to the king of Jericho

THEN Joshua passed from Makkedah – and all Israel with him

to Libnah – and fought against Libnah

And the LORD delivered it also – and the king thereof

into the hand of Israel

and he smote it with the edge of the sword

and all the souls that were therein – he let none remain in it

BUT did unto the king thereof as he did to the

king of Jericho

Towns of Libnah defeatedverses 31-32

And Joshua passed from Libnah – and all Israel with him

to Lachish – and encamped against it

and fought against it

And the LORD delivered Lachish into the hand of Israel

which took it on the second day

and smote it with the edge of the sword

and all the souls that were therein

according to all that he had done to Libnah

King of Gezer and his people defeatedverse 33

Then Horam king of Gezer came up to help Lachish

and Joshua smote him and his people

until he had left him none remaining

Town of Eglon defeatedverses 34-35

And from Lachish Joshua passed to Eglon

and all Israel with him

and they encamped against it

and fought against it

and they took it on that day

and smote it with the edge of the sword

and all the souls that were therein he utterly destroyed that day

according to all that he had done to Lachish

Town of Hebron defeatedverses 36-37

And Joshua went up from Eglon – and all Israel with him – unto Hebron

and they fought against it – and they took it

and smote it with the edge of the sword

and the king thereof – and all the cities thereof

and all the souls that were therein

He left none remaining – according to all that he had done to Eglon

BUT destroyed it utterly – and all the souls that were therein

Town of Debir defeatedverses 38-39

And Joshua returned – and all Israel with him to Debir

and fought against it

and he took it – and the king thereof – and all the cities thereof

and they smote them with the edge of the sword

and utterly destroyed all the souls that were therein

he left none remaining – as he had done to Hebron

so he did to Debir – and to the king thereof

as he had done also to Libnah

and to her king

Southern campaign a complete victoryverses 40-42

So Joshua smote all the country of the hills – south – vale – springs

and all their kings – he left none remaining

but utterly destroyed all that breathed

as the LORD God of Israel commanded

And Joshua smote them from Kadesh-barnea even unto Gaza

and all the country of Goshen – even unto Gibeon

And all these kings and their land did Joshua take at one time

BECAUSE the LORD God of Israel fought for Israel

Joshua returns to camp in Gilgalverse 43

And Joshua returned – and all Israel with him – to the camp to Gilgal

COMMENTARY:

DAILY SPIRITUAL BREAKFAST: Young Believers

: 6 And the men of Gibeon sent unto Joshua to the camp to Gilgal, saying, Slack not the hand from your servants; come up to us quickly, and save us, and help us: for all the kings of the Amorites that dwell in the mountains are gathered together against us. (7503 “slack” [raphah] means to forsake, leave behind, abandon, relax, let down, or leave in the lurch)

DEVOTION: Are believers supposed to be people who keep their word to others? Here we have Joshua promising to protect a nation that deceived him. He had to keep his word to them but did he have to move quickly to save them from their former friends?

If Joshua had not moved as quickly as he did the city could have been destroyed, and the promise he made would be null and void. He just had to move slowly.

When someone comes to us for help, are we individuals who move quickly or slowly. Do we want to wait around to see if someone else will help a family in need or do we go right over and offer our help with something in our hand to start to help? Joshua was given a promise from the LORD that he would be victorious in a battle against the five kings. He moved his army into a place all night. He didn’t rest. He had the assurance of the LORD that victory was his against the five kings of the mountains.

Does the LORD ever put a need in front of us that we know HE wants us to do something about? Does HE give us the assurance that we will succeed in our venture?

When we are called upon to help, we need to trust the LORD to give us wisdom regarding the one or ones asking for help and then move ahead and do what the LORD tells us to do. We should not be ones who are waiting on the sidelines when there is a genuine need.

CHALLENGE: There are going to be times when the LORD asks us to help someone who we really don’t like. Will you pass the test like Joshua did?

DAILY SPIRITUAL LUNCH: Transitional Believers

: 10 And the LORD discomfited them before Israel, and slew them with a great slaughter at Gibeon, and chased them alone the way that goes up to Beth-Horan, and smote them to Azekah, and to Makkedah. (2000 “discomfited” [haman] means to disturb, to bring into motion and confusion, to disturb in mind or make uneasy or cause to be worried or alarmed, make a noise, vex, or rouse up.)

DEVOTION: Life is a battle. We are on the battlefield each day of our life. We face the fiery darts of our enemy every day. There are people who just don’t like us because we are followers of Jesus Christ.

Our life is to be one of obedience to the LORD. When we see people who need our help we have to be available to them no matter what is going on in our life. We can come up with excuses why we don’t have the time or money to help someone but we know down deep that they are only excuses.

Here we see that the LORD went in front of Joshua to battle and caused the armies of the five kings to panic when the army of Joshua was much smaller then the army of the five kings.

Panic means that soldiers don’t obey orders the way they should. Remember that this was a group of five kings with their own armies going to battle together. There might have been fighting over which king’s army was to go first. There could have been other things happening that caused them to panic.

As believers we are not supposed to panic when we are facing the enemies the LORD allows in our world. We are to turn to HIM at all times and count on HIM to give us victory if we are fighting a battle HE wants us to fight. This is a battle the LORD wanted Joshua to fight so HE went ahead of Joshua and caused the enemy army to be in disarray. The LORD used hail to cause many of the enemy’s army to die. Remember HE is in control of even the weather.

CHALLENGE: HE has promised to be with us in each battle we fight each day for HIM. HE is right by our side at all times. Remember these facts.

: 13 And the sun stood still, and the moon stayed, until the people avenged themselves upon their enemies. Is not this written in the book of Jasher! So, the sun stood still in the midst of heaven, and hasted not to go down about a whole day. (1826 “stood still” [damam] means to be astonished, to stop, cease, hold peace, quiet self, rest, be silent, tarry or wait)

DEVOTION: Have you ever needed a miracle? Does the God of the Bible perform miracles? Does prayer, cause things to happen? Do we believe in the power of prayer? Here we find Joshua fighting a battle for territory in the Promised Land. The LORD gave him a responsibility to conquer the Promised Land because the sin of the people of the land was full. They had sinned to the point of no return in the eyes of the LORD.

Joshua is doing what the LORD wanted him to do in the Promised Land. He is depending on the LORD for each victory. This was a battle against five kings. Joshua needed extra time to finish his battle. He asked the LORD for a gift of time.

God caused something unique to happen on this day of battle. Joshua prayed for a miracle. God granted the miracle. History tells us that there is a day missing in time. The next verse says that it never happened again. This was a onetime miracle for Joshua.

We know that the earth rotates around the sun, so what took place can only be explained as an act of God. Isaiah asked for a miracle regarding time. The LORD is Sovereign over all of creation. HE created the world. HE can do what HE wants to with HIS creation.

We should not demand a miracle to accomplish our purposes, but we can ask God for a miracle to accomplish HIS purposes. Did Joshua winning the battle give glory to the LORD? YES!!

HE can still do and still does miracle in our world. James tells us that “the effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man avails MUCH” (James 5:16). Our prayer life can cause miracles to happen even today. The miracles we pray for must bring glory to the LORD and be according to HIS will. Too often we pray for miracles that are for our own pleasure.

Remember that HIS purposes are recorded in the Bible and it covers from now until eternity. HE knows HIS plan and HE is working HIS plan. What is HIS purpose today for our world? What is HIS purpose for our ministry? Do we still believe in the power of prayer? Do we still believe that God is Sovereign over creation?

Do we need a miracle in our lives that only God can perform? Are we willing to pray for it? Do we still believe that God wants miracles to happen in our world? How are our battles going against the enemy? Trust in HIS power to change our world!!!

CHALLENGE: Nothing is impossible for OUR GOD once we have Jesus Christ in our heart!!!

DAILY SPIRITUAL SUPPER: Mature Believers

: 25 And Joshua said to them, Fear not, nor be dismayed, be strong and of good courage: for thus shall the LORD do to all your enemies against whom you fight. (553 “of good courage” [‘amats] means to be strong, to strengthen, make firm, to be able to face and deal with danger or fear without flinching, alert, or courageous)

DEVOTION: Repetition is something we find throughout the Word of God. God repeats HIMSELF enough times and then those who are followers of HIM repeat what they have learned from the LORD.

Joshua had been given a promise that he would be victorious over the enemies he would face. Moses gave him a command to not be afraid. The LORD had given him a command not to be afraid. Now here was Joshua telling the children of Israel not to be afraid.

Every battle is a new experience. This battle was no different. They were facing odds that were not in their favor but they followed Joshua into battle against these five kings and were given a victory.

Two miracles happened during this victory. There was hail from heaven that killed more men than the army of Israel killed. There was the fact that the Sun stood still so they had a victory in one day rather than a battle that would last for days.

The children of Israel needed these types of victories to help them continue to fight and also to trust in the LORD alone for their victories. They couldn’t have won without the LORD giving them these two miracles.

Through this victory their confidence level had to move to a higher level. They were learning not to fear any enemy. They were learning not to doubt the leadership of Joshua.

Are we manifesting these characteristics in our battles against the enemy we are facing today? Do we have courage? Do we have strength to keep going in the battle? Are we afraid?

CHALLENGE: Only each one of us can answer these questions for ourselves. We are in a battle!!!

: 32 And the LORD delivered Lachish into the hand of Israel, which took it on the second day, and smote it with the edge of the sword, and all the souls that were therein he utterly destroyed that day, according to all that he had done to Lachish. (5414 “delivered” [nathan] means to give, to hand down, to set, to allow, to transfer possession of something concrete or abstract to somebody, to cause to receive, or entrust)

DEVOTION: Throughout the history of the conquest of the Promised Land it was the LORD who gave them the victory. It was not them with their special fighting skills or any special power they had on their own. It was wholly the LORD who gave them the victory.

If they took credit for the victory it caused problems. If we take credit for the victories the LORD gives us each day, we are wrong. We need to give HIM the glory all the time. Each time we have a little victory or a great victory over sin or the enemies of the LORD we did to end the day with thanksgiving to the LORD.

Too often we think that we can fight a battle and win on our own. This is the enemy talking to us. We need to make sure that we give God credit each day for HIS power to defeat our enemy the devil and his workers.

Our churches are full of people who think that they are strong enough to fight their own battles without prayer and fasting on a regular basis. We see the results of this kind of thinking in our churches. There is so much fighting and act of unloving that many visitors see what is going on and don’t want to return.

There are many Pharisees in our churches that are talking about others instead of helping one another. This army that was taking the Promised Land knew that it was the LORD who was giving them the victory.

Do we acknowledge the LORD daily for each victory HE gives us in our battle against sin and the devil? Remember what happened to the children of Israel when they took the victory on themselves without giving glory to the LORD.

CHALLENGE: Always give the LORD credit for your daily victories. Don’t let the devil get a foothold in your life.

DISCIPLINES OF THE FAITH:

BODY

Chastity (Purity in living)

Fasting (Time alone with LORD without eating or drinking)

Sacrifice (Giving up something we want to serve the LORD)

Submission (Willing to listen to others and LORD)

Solitude (Going to a quiet place without anyone)

SOUL

Fellowship (Gathering together around the Word of God)

Frugality (wise use of resources)

Journalizing (Writing down what you have learned from the LORD)

Book of Jasherverse 13

Study and Meditation (Thinking through your study in the Word)

Secrecy (Doing your good deeds without others knowing but God)

SPIRIT

Celebration (Gathering around a special occasion to worship LORD)

Confession (Tell the LORD we are sorry for our sins on a daily basis)

Prayer (Conversation with God on a personal level)

Joshua prayed for the sun and moon to standverse 12

LORD answered – sun stood stillverse 13

Silence (Letting the LORD deal with some problems and needs)

Worship (Time to praise the LORD alone or in a group)

DOCTRINES OF THE FAITH:

Scripture (66 inerrant books of the Bible)

God the Father (First person of the Godhead)

LORD – Jehovah (Covenant-keeping, Personal)verses 8, 10-12, 14, 19, 25, 30, 32, 40, 42

LORD discomfortedverse 10

LORD cast down great hailstonesverse 11

LORD hearkened to voice of a manverse 14

LORD fought for Israelverse 14

God – Elohim (Creator)verses 19, 40, 42

LORD your Godverse 19

Has delivered enemies

LORD delivered Lachishverse 32

LORD God of Israelverses 40, 42

Fought for Israel

God the Son (Second person of the Godhead –God/man, Messiah)

God the Holy Spirit (Third person of the Godhead – our comforter)

Trinity (Three persons of the Godhead who are co-equal = ONE God)

Angels (Created before the foundation of the world – Good and Evil)

Man (Created on the sixth twenty-four hour period of creation)

Adonizedek – king of Jerusalemverses 1, 3, 5, 23

Aiverses 1, 2

Jerichoverses 1, 30

Gibeonverses 1, 2, 4, 5, 12, 13

Sun stood still over Gibeon

Made peace with Israel

Hoham – king of Hebronverses 3, 5, 23, 33

Piram – king of Jarmuthverses 3, 5, 23

Japhia – king of Lachishverses 3, 5, 23

Debir – king of Eglonverses 3, 5, 23

Amoritesverses 5, 6

Beth-horonverses 10, 11

Azekahverses 10, 11

Makedahverse 10

Amoritesverse 12

Valley of Ajalonverses 12, 13

Moon stood still

Enemiesverses 13, 19, 25

Cave at Makkedahverses 17, 22, 26

Five kings hid in

Hanged them

King of Makkedahverses 28, 29

Libnahverses 29-31, 39

Lachishverses 31-35

Horam – king of Gezerverse 33

Eglonverses 34-36

Hebronverses 36, 37, 39

Debir –countryverses 38, 39

Kadesh-barnea to Gaza

Country of Goshen to Gibeonverses 40, 41

Sin (Missing the mark set by God on man and angels)

Fearverse 2

Salvation (Provided by Christ’s death on the cross for our sins)

Fear notverses 8, 25

Delivered victory over enemiesverses 8, 12, 19, 30, 32

Be not dismayedverse 25

Strongverse 25

Good courageverse 25

Israel (Old Testament people of God)

Joshuaverses 1-43

Israel verses 1, 11, 15, 20, 21, 31

Camp at Gilgalverses 6, 15, 43

Children of Israelverses 11, 12

Sun stood stillverse 13

Men of Israelverse 24

Captains of the men of warverse 24

Israel returned to Debirverse 38

Church (New Testament people of God)

Last Things (Future Events)

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QUOTES regarding passage

21 The statement that “The whole army then returned safely” implies that the Israelites suffered no casualties. In the warfare of that time, it was not unusual for the victor to suffer few casualties or none at all. Apparently the campaign took longer than this extremely abbreviated account might lead one to suppose. In vv.27 and 32 there are other indications that the campaign took several days, or perhaps weeks (cf. 11:18). The observation that “no one uttered a word” provides another parallel in the careers of Moses and Joshua. Moses told Pharaoh that the Egyptians would wail over the death of their firstborn, “but among the Israelites not a dog will bark at any man or animal” (Exod 11:7). (Madvig, D. H. (1992). Joshua. In F. E. Gaebelein (Ed.), The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Deuteronomy, Joshua, Judges, Ruth, 1 & 2 Samuel (Vol. 3, p. 305). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House.)

10:16–24. Taking every advantage of the extended day Joshua continued in hot pursuit of the enemy. The five strong kings and their armies had left their fortified cities to fight Israel in the open. Now Joshua was determined to prevent their retreating back to their walled cities. When word came that the five kings had hidden in a cave Joshua himself did not stop to deal with them but vigorously pursued the Amorite soldiers, killing all but a few who escaped to their fortified cities. Then returning to the guarded cave he brought out the captured kings and executed them. But first, following an eastern custom of conquerors, often pictured on Egyptian and Assyrian monuments, Joshua instructed his field commanders to put their feet on the kings’ necks. This was a symbol of the complete subjugation of the defeated enemy. (Campbell, D. K. (1985). Joshua. In J. F. Walvoord & R. B. Zuck (Eds.), The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures (Vol. 1, p. 351). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.)

Ver. 21. And all the people returned to the camp to Joshua at Makkedah in peace, &c.] Sound and well, as not one killed or missing, so not one wounded, as the Vulgate Latin version, “sound and in full number:” none moved his tongue against any of the children of Israel; as to curse them, reproach them, and speak ill of them, for invading them, and using them in the manner they did, such was the terror that was upon them. It may be supplied, not a dog moved his tongue, as in Exod. 11:7. as it was with them when they came out of Egypt, so it was when they entered the land of Canaan. It seems to be a proverbial expression, as Ben Gersom, observes, signifying that no hurt was done to them by word or deed. (Gill, J. (1810). An Exposition of the Old Testament (Vol. 2, pp. 219–220). London: Mathews and Leigh.)

16–21. Among the hail-harassed fugitives who panted down the defiles to Aijalon and across the Shephelah were the five kings who had headed the Amorite movement. These were found concealed in a cave, or rather, the cave (R. V.), at Makkedah. The article seems to indicate that it was a well-known cave, overshadowed probably by a grove of trees (cf. ver. 26). Many such caves, large and dry, and often branching out into chambers, are found in the lime and chalk rocks of Palestine. Word was brought to Joshua that these kings had been discovered in their lurking-place; and if he had been in haste to enjoy the sensation of triumph, he might have counted the result sufficient and called off his tired soldiers from their pursuit. But Joshua was not to be diverted from his object, which was to destroy the inhabitants of Canaan. He issued orders to roll great stones to the mouth of the cave, and to detail men for a guard over it. But his command to his active army, now busily taking advantage of the long day, was stay ye not; for he realized the importance of a complete improvement of this opportunity. He was eager to overtake and destroy the flying rear of his foes before they could reach the protection of their fortified cities. This getting at them in the open field was nothing less than Jehovah’s delivering of the Amorite foe into Israel’s hand. Meanwhile he himself came to Makkedah and fixed there his headquarters; and there he received his wearied but triumphant warriors at the end of the long day, after they had completely routed the enemy with great slaughter, leaving alive only the remnant that gained the refuge of their cities. So complete was the subjugation of all this hostile territory that no one so much as sharpened his tongue in satire or abuse against any of the Israelitish people. Complete triumph is expressed in a similar way in Exod. 11:7. (Genung, G. F. (1931). Joshua (pp. 54–55). The American Baptist Publication Society.)

10:21 Not a man moved his tongue. After Israel’s decisive defeat of the coalition, no Canaanites dared speak a word against Israel. (Crossway Bibles. (2008). The ESV Study Bible (p. 411). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles.)

FROM MY READING:

(Remember the only author that I totally agree with is the HOLY SPIRIT in the inerrant WORD OF GOD called THE BIBLE! All other I try to gleam what I can to help me grow in the LORD!!)

Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life. PROVERBS 4:23

What if I told that every day a legion of competitors was lining up to enter your home, your workplace, your car and even your phone to seduce you and your spouse?

They are. Each day assorted voices and images lure your spouse and you away from each other: television, cable, Internet, email, blogs, chat rooms, radio, magazines, newspapers, music, movies, books and video games. Media is competing with you for your spouse’s attention and affection!

Media takes time away from your relationship with your spouse. Keep track sometime of how many hours you spend each week just watching television. Then think of what you could have done together during that same time.

Media twists your sense of reality, creating unreasonable expectations for your spouse.

The media usually present a distorted picture of relationships. For example, how often in a movie or on a television program do you see a man and woman fall in love, get married and remain committed for a lifetime? More often, the norm is two people falling in love and into the sack without much thought about moral issues. If you constantly feed these images into your head, doesn’t your spouse stand to lose in the long run? Competing with fantasy is difficult.

Media facilitates emotional adultery through pornography and Internet liaisons. Although the benefits of using the Internet are obvious, its costs and risks are not always so plain. Pornography is a click away on computers and now phones. It can be as damaging to the mental and emotional health of a marriage as a physically realized affair. And just as bad, people use Internet chat rooms to meet strangers and engage in intimate, sexually oriented conversations.

With all these temptations lining up outside our lives, isn’t it time you took an inventory of your media consumption? (Barbara Rainey)

WILLIAM PAUL YOUNG’S CHRISTLESS “SHACK” (Friday Church News Notes, July 14, 2017, www.wayoflife.org fbns@wayoflife.org, 866-295-4143) – The following is excerpted from “William Paul Young’s Christless ‘Shack,’” by Warren Smith, Lighthouse Trails, Jun. 12, 2017: “The Holy Bible makes it clear that Jesus Christ is the one and only Christ. He is the anointed one. He is the Messiah. He is the Savior. There is no other. This one and only Jesus Christ is referred to as Christ more than 500 times in the New Testament. In fact, the name Jesus Christ bookends the whole New Testament. The Bible’s Jesus is clearly identified as Christ in the first line of the first chapter of the Book of Matthew and in the last line of the last chapter of the Book of Revelation. But The Shack’s ‘Jesus’ is never identified as Christ. In fact, the word ‘Christ’ cannot be found anywhere in the whole Shack story. William P. Young’s ‘Jesus’ is not ever described–not even once–as the Jesus who has ‘a name which is above every name’–the full and complete name of Jesus Christ: ‘Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father’ (Philippians 2: 9-11). Excluding the name of Christ from The Shackis pretty much what you would expect from a self-professed universalist like William P. Young. If Young had clearly identified The Shack’s ‘Jesus’ as Christ, his universal ‘Jesus’ would have lost his universal appeal. And that is because the ‘Jesus’ of other religions and New Age teachings is ‘another Jesus’ who is not Jesus Christ. In one example alone, Young’s ‘Jesus’ proves himself to be ‘another Jesus’ when he teaches Shack readers the New Age lie that God is ‘in’ all things. Using The Shack’s ‘Jesus’ as his mouthpiece, Young falsely teaches, ‘God, who is the ground of all being, dwells in, around, and through all things.’ But God is not in all things. This is pantheism. This is universalism. This is heresy. It totally contradicts the teachings of the true Jesus Christ. The apostle Paul warned the Corinthians–and all of us–to beware of men like William Paul Young who come preaching and teaching about ‘another Jesus’ who is not Christ. Paul said we might just go along with him–we ‘might well bear with him.’ ‘But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtlety, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ. For if he that cometh preacheth another Jesus, whom we have not preached, or if ye receive another spirit, which ye have not received, or another gospel, which ye have not accepted, ye might well bear with him’ (2 Corinthians 11:3-4).

Revelation 15
John begins a description of the earth’s judgment that continues in the following chapters.
INSIGHT One of the sobering realities of Scripture is the prophecy of judgment on mankind at the end of time. While theologians debate timetables and exact meanings, they generally agree on one thing: Judgment is a central feature of the end times. While the depiction of judgment in Revelation is shrouded in symbolism and mystery, it is clear that it is paralyzingly unpleasant. Accounts of judgment are accompanied by warnings to men to take heed and prepare themselves to meet the Lord. (Quiet Walk)

A Song in the Night

The Lord is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love.

Psalm 103:8

The sun had long set when our electrical power suddenly went out. I was at home with our two younger children, and this was their first time experiencing a power outage. After verifying that the utility company knew about the outage, I located some candles, and the kids and I huddled together in the kitchen around the flickering flames. They seemed nervous and unsettled, so we began to sing. Soon the concerned looks on their faces were replaced with smiles. Sometimes in our darkest moments we need a song.

Psalm 103 may be one of the psalms prayed or sung after the people of God had returned from exile to a homeland that had been laid waste. In a moment of crisis, they needed to sing. But not just any song, they needed to sing about who God is and what He does. Psalm 103 also helps us remember that He’s compassionate, merciful, patient, and full of faithful love (v. 8). And in case we wonder if the judgment for our sin still hangs over our heads, the psalm announces that God isn’t angry, He has forgiven, and He feels compassion. These are good things to sing about during the dark nights of our lives.

Maybe that’s where you find yourself—in a dark and difficult place, wondering if God really is good, questioning His love for you. If so, pray and sing to the One who abounds in love! (By Glenn Packiam, Our Daily Bread)

The first is the word “transgressions,” the second is “iniquity,” and “sin” is the third.
What does “transgression” mean? It means rebellion; it means the uprising of the will against authority, and especially against a person of authority. “Blot out my transgressions” (verse 1). In other words, David admits he has transgressed. He has rebelled against an authority. His own will has risen up within him, and he has asserted himself. He has been governed by desire and has allowed himself to be swayed by lust. Transgression means a desire to have our own way, a desire to do what we want to do.
“Iniquity”—what does that mean? Well, iniquity means that an act is twisted or that it is bent. It means perversion, and this is obvious in the case of David. “Wash me thoroughly from mine iniquity”—the foul thing, that dastardly thing. “What was it in me that made me do it? How perverted I must have been to do that!” I ask you as you examine yourself, do you not see that so many things you do are twisted and perverted? Jealousy and envy and malice—how horrible the twist! The desire that evil may come to someone, the dislike of praise of another—evil thoughts, bent, twisted, ugly, foul—“iniquity”! And we are all guilty of iniquity.
“Sin” means “missing the mark.” We are not living as we ought to be living. A man aims at a target; he shoots, but he misses it. That is what sin always means. A man is not treading the path God has marked out for him.
A Thought to Ponder: We are all guilty of iniquity.

(From Out of the Depths, pp. 25-26, by Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones)

Judgment from the Word
“I have done judgment and justice: leave me not to mine oppressors.” (Psalm 119:121)
The Hebrew word mishpat is one of the eight terms used in Psalm 119 to identify the Word of God. The psalmist used mishpat in the opening of this stanza (Psalm 119:121-128) to declare obedience to God’s “judgments”—especially regarding those who oppress the Lord’s people.
Sometimes the Lord seems to delay action against those who rebel against truth. The prophet Habakkuk lived during such a time:

O LORD, how long shall I cry, and thou wilt not hear! even cry out unto thee of violence, and thou wilt not save!. for spoiling and violence are before me: and there are that raise up strife and contention. Therefore, the law is slacked, and judgment doth never go forth: for the wicked doth compass about the righteous; therefore, wrong judgment proceedeth. (Habakkuk 1:2-4)
During such times, we need “surety” (Psalm 119:122) from God to strengthen our minds. Paul warned Timothy of “perilous times” (2 Timothy 3:1) ahead but also reminded him of God’s pledge: “They shall proceed no further: for their folly shall be manifest unto all men, as their’s also was” (2 Timothy 3:9).
After pleading his case, the psalmist stated: “It is time for thee, LORD, to work: for they have made void thy law” (Psalm 119:126). He expressed his love for the commandments—exceeding his desire for wealth—and concluded: “Therefore I esteem all thy precepts concerning all things to be right; and I hate every false way” (Psalm 119:128). May our hearts be as resolute and as strong amid our opposition. Make it so, Lord Jesus. (HMM III, The Institute for Creation Research)

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