Joshua 7
LORD angry with Israelverse 1
But the children of Israel committed a trespass in the accursed thing
for Achan – the son of Carmi – Zabdi – Zerah
of the tribe of Judah
TOOK of the accursed thing
and the anger of the LORD was kindled
against the children of Israel
Joshua spies out Aiverses 2-3
And Joshua sent men from Jericho to Ai – which is beside Beth-aven
on the east side of Beth-el – and spoke unto them
saying
Go up and view the country
And the men went up and viewed Ai
and they returned to Joshua
and said to him
Let not all the people go up – BUT let about
two or three thousand men go up and smite Ai
And make not all the people to labor thither
FOR they are but few
Israel defeated by Aiverses 4-5
So there went up thither of the people about three thousand men
and they fled before the men of Ai
And the men of Ai smote of them about thirty and six men
for they chased them from before the gate
even unto Shebarim
and smote them in the going down
WHEREFORE the hearts of the people melted
and became as water
Joshua grieved and prays to LORDverses 6-9
And Joshua RENT his clothes – and fell to the earth on his face
before the ark of the LORD until the eventide
he and the elders of Israel
and put DUST upon their heads
And Joshua said
ALAS – O Lord GOD – wherefore have YOU at all brought
this people over Jordan
to deliver us into the hand of the Amorites
to destroy us?
Would to God we had been CONTENT
and dwelt on the other side Jordan
O Lord – what shall I say
when Israel turns their backs before their enemies
FOR the Canaanites and all the inhabitants of the land
shall HEAR of it – and shall environ us round
and cut off our name from the earth
and what will YOU do unto YOUR great name?
LORD replies to Joshuaverses 10-13
And the LORD
said to Joshua
Get you up – Wherefore lie you thus upon your face?
Israel has sinned – and they have also transgressed
MY covenant which I commanded them
FOR they have even taken of the accursed thing
and have also stolen – and dissembled also
and they have put it even among their own stuff
THEREFORE the children of Israel could not stand
before their enemies
BUT turned their backs before their enemies
BECAUSE they were accursed
neither will I be with you any more
EXCEPT you destroy the accursed from among you
UP – sanctify the people – and say
Sanctify yourselves against tomorrow
FOR thus says the LORD God of Israel
There is an accursed thing in the midst of you – O Israel
you cannot stand before your enemies
until you take away the accursed thing from
among you
LORD will point out the sinnerverses 14-15
In the morning therefore you shall be brought according to your tribes
and it shall be – that the tribe which the LORD takes shall come
according to the families thereof – and the family
which the LORD shall take shall come by households
and the household which the LORD shall take shall come man by man
And it shall be that he that is taken with the accursed thing shall be
burnt with fire – he and all that he has
BECAUSE he has transgressed the covenant of the LORD
and BECAUSE he has wrought folly in Israel
Achan pointed outverses 16-18
So Joshua rose up early in the morning – and brought Israel by their tribes
and the tribe of Judah was taken
and he brought the family of Judah
and took the family of the Zarhites
and he brought the family of Zarhite man by man
and Zabdi was taken
and he brought his household man by man
and Achan – the son of Carmi – Zabdi
Zerah of the tribe of Judah
was taken
Joshua confronts Achanverse 19
And Joshua
said to Achan
My son – give – I pray you glory to the LORD God of Israel
and make CONFESSION to HIM
and tell me now what you have done
hide it not from me
Achan confessedverse 20-21
And Achan answered Joshua
and said
Indeed I have sinned against the LORD God of Israel
and thus and thus have I done – when I saw among the spoils
a goodly Babylonish garment
and two hundred shekels of silver
and a wedge of gold of fifty shekels weight
THEN I coveted them – and took them
and – behold – they are hid in the earth in the midst of my tent
and the silver under it
Joshua sent men to Achan’s tentverses 22-23
So Joshua sent messengers – and they ran to the tent
and BEHOLD – it was hid in his tent – and the silver under it
And they took them out of the midst of the tent
and brought them unto Joshua
and unto all the children of Israel
and laid them out before the LORD
Achan, family, possession stoned and burnedverses 24-26
And Joshua – and all Israel with him – took Achan the son of Zerah
and the silver – garment – wedge of gold – and his
sons – daughters – oxen – asses – sheep – tent
and all that he had – and they brought them unto the
valley of Achor
And Joshua said
Why have you troubled us?
the LORD shall trouble you this day
And all Israel stoned him with stones – and burned them with fire
after they had stoned them with stones
and they raised over him a great heap of stones to this day
So the LORD turned from the fierceness of HIS anger
wherefore the name of that place was called
The valley of Achor to this day
COMMENTARY:
DAILY SPIRITUAL BREAKFAST: Young Believers
: 5 And the men of Ai smote of them about thirty and six men: for they chased them from before the gate even to Shebarim, and smote them in the going down: wherefore the hearts of the people melted, and became as water. (4549 “melted” [macac] means faint, discouraged, grow fearful, to despair, to become weak, or to become feeble conceived of in terms of melting)
DEVOTION: What happens when we run ahead of God? Here we have a prime example of God’s people forgetting to consult the LORD and thinking they can win the victory by themselves.
Pride is a sin. They had just defeated a large city and looked at a small city as something they didn’t need to consult the LORD regarding a battle plan. They were wrong and thirty six men died because of their foolishness.
Any time we run ahead of God we are going to lose a battle. God wants to be consulted each time we face an enemy in our life. The enemy can be someone in your class in school. The enemy can be someone in the neighborhood. The enemy can even be someone in your church.
God wants us to come to HIM each time we face an enemy and ask HIM how we should handle the situation. HE will give us proper guidance as long as we are willing to wait for an answer from HIM.
Too often we want an answer yesterday to today’s battles. God doesn’t work that way. HE wants us to be totally dependent on HIM each day. HE wants to give us victory in each of our battles.
So when you are faced with someone or something that confuses you, what are you going to do? Are you going to try to settle it yourself or take it to the LORD in prayer and wait on HIM for an answer?
CHALLENGE: The choice is ours. The wrong choice is to act on our own in any given situation without speaking to the LORD first.
DAILY SPIRITUAL LUNCH: Transitional Believers
: 11 Israel has sinned, and they have also transgressed MY covenant which I commanded them: for they have even taken of the accursed thing, and have also stolen, and dissembled also, and they have put it even among their own stuff. (3584 “dissembled” [kachash] means to deny, disavow, to keep secret, to tell lies, delude, to feign obedience, deceive, grown lean, to act deceptively or disown)
DEVOTION: In spite of all the commands of the LORD and all HIS warnings the people didn’t understand the consequences of their actions. They were being disobedient because they saw something they liked and took it.
They had a false security that they could do anything and the LORD would not discipline them because they were HIS people. This was something the enemy was trying to cause to have them to stop obeying the LORD.
So the LORD informs Joshua that something had to be done. Victory could not be given if the people were not obedient. They thought they could go and defeat a small enemy on their own instead of waiting for the LORD to give them a command.
We sometimes fall into the same sin today. We see something that needs to be done and instead of praying about it and waiting on the LORD we just start to do it. Then we find out that the timing was wrong and we didn’t succeed because we were doing in our own power rather than the LORD.
One of the statements that seems to make sense to us is “failure is the back door to success.” It was a title of a book and it is something that is true in all of our lives. We fail and then confess and ask the LORD to give us counsel regarding the right way to do things.
The children of Israel had to learn this lesson OFTEN. We are following in their footsteps. We need to STOP following their way of doing things and learn to do things properly in the timing of the LORD.
CHALLENGE: We are not to lie to the LORD or to ourselves. We need to find out when and how the LORD wants us to do something for HIM and then do it.
: 19 And Joshua said unto Achan, My son, give, I pray thee, glory to the LORD God of Israel, and make confession unto him; and tell me now what thou hast done; hide it not from me. (8426 “confession” [towdah] means an extension of the hand, adoration, choir of worshippers, sacrifice of praise, thanks or thanksgiving)
DEVOTION: The first fruits belong to the LORD. HE made that plain to the children of Israel. The first city they conquered in the Promised Land belonged to the LORD and all the possessions. Nothing was to be kept back from HIM.
A small town defeated the children of Israel. Thirty six men died in that battle. It caused the hearts of the soldiers of Israel to melt.
They came back and Joshua and the elders sat in ashes with torn clothes before the LORD. After Joshua prayed the LORD and asked HIM what HE was doing there. He asked the LORD about HIS great name and what the other nations would think.
Joshua should have known that there was sin in the camp. The LORD told him so. That would be the only reason for the defeat. The LORD told Joshua to sanctify the people. After they were sanctified they were to appear before the LORD.
The LORD went through each tribe, family and household. Then HE picked the family. The LORD picked Achan as the one who had sinned. Joshua confronted him.
Achan confessed. They went and took the things that he had stolen from the LORD. The placed them all together with Achan and his family and all of his possessions in the valley of Achor. Then they stoned him and his family. They burned everything. The anger of the LORD was abated.
One of the ingredients to saying what you have done wrong in God’s sight is that it is an expression of adoration for the commands of God. We are thanking God for his rules or commands. We realize that when we break the commands we are hurting all of the people of God.
It is a sacrifice of our pride when we state that we have sinned against God’s rules. We love HIM so much we don’t want to hurt HIM but only praise HIM. Let’s offer our sacrifice of praise by keeping short accounts with God regarding our breaking HIS commands.
Isn’t it great to know that God is willing to forgive our sins and restore our fellowship with HIM! Sometimes confession can come too late.
Achan had to be judged, so that, the children of Israel knew that the LORD would not allow sin in the camp. Achan was an example to the children of Israel as they entered the Promised Land. Ananias and Sapphira were an example to the church when it began to warn those who were followers of Christ not to lie to the Holy Spirit. HE doesn’t want sin in our churches. Those living in sin need to be confronted with the attitude of restoration of fellowship. If they are unwilling, that needs to be dealt with also. The examples are given as to how the LORD works in our world.
Remember that the first fruits in our lives need to be given to the LORD. HE blesses obedience. HE chastens those who are disobedient. However, HE also prunes those who are faithfully serving HIM. We are not to judge others if they are going through a hard time as though they have sinned against HIM.
God wants us to communicate with HIM regarding our shortcomings or sins and regarding our service to HIM. Communication is important to the LORD. Communicating with each other is important to HIM.
CHALLENGE: Proper communication can save our personal life, church life and community life.
DAILY SPIRITUAL SUPPER: Mature Believers
: 21 When I saw among the spoils a goodly Babylonish garment, and two hundred shekels of silver, and a wedge of gold of fifty shekels weight, then I coveted them, and took them; and, behold, they are hid in the earth in the midst of my tent, and the silver under it. (2530 “coveted” [chamad] means desire, delight, delectable things, take pleasure in, lust, or attracted to)
DEVOTION: Possessions have an attraction to us. We want what we want when we want it. We most of the time don’t want to wait on the LORD for our possessions. We see something and we buy it or steal it. Most of would not steal something we wanted but we would be tempted to get it any way we could.
Here we have a family that probably was poor after leaving Egypt. They had wandered in the wilderness for forty years but understood the value of some things in their world.
The husband who was the bread winner of the family saw something that would make his family rich in this new world. What could it harm with all the other money going into the LORD’S treasure house if he would just take a few small things?
However, his taking a few small things cost the lives of thirty-six men. That is thirty-six men whose families were going to have to suffer the fact that there was no father to head the home and help raise the children.
It was only a little thing that he took but it cost many lives. Joshua had to confront him with the help of the LORD. It was a secret that Joshua didn’t know about should have consulted the LORD before he faced another enemy.
Do we covet things today? YES!!! We have a problem with wanting just a little bit more than what we have. Sometimes these might be something that is even a necessity of life but if we run ahead of God we are sinning just like Achan.
CHALLENGE: I have to wait on the LORD for each possession I want. If I consult HIM first it will save me grief later. The LOVE of money is the root of all evil. LOVE the LORD more!!!
: 26 And they raised over him a great heap of stones to this day. So the LORD turned from the fierceness of HIS anger. Wherefore the name of that place was called, The valley of Achor, to this day. (2740 “fierceness” [charown] means wrath, fury, wrathful, displeasure, a feeling of intense anger, burning, or anger)
DEVOTION: Why does God get so angry when HIS people sin? Why didn’t HE just forgive Achan for taking the things? When Achan was confronted he confessed his sin before the LORD and the people. So why didn’t HE just forgive him and move on with the conquest of the Promised Land?
The start of a new life with God is important. If someone has been saved for a long time the LORD expects growth in that individual. Here we have a man who has seen the LORD work for forty years. He was now in the Promised Land that is going to be full of blessings of the LORD.
The problem is that he didn’t want to wait. If more people didn’t want to wait it would be a problem. They would never conquer the land. We know that in the future this happened anyway. They were supposed to kill all the people of the land because their sin had become full before the LORD. Yet, they made many of the people their slaves and kept them in their homes as servants.
You know what happens when you let someone into your home that doesn’t love the LORD. Some of the members of the family begin to like these servants who are individual who worship a different god. They are not individuals who worship the ONE TRUE God. They can cause family members to look at their worship and think it is not so bad.
God wanted the children of Israel to be pure. HE wanted them not to break HIS commandments. One of the commandments was “You should not covet.” Achan coveted and if he got away with breaking one of the commandments the rest of the Israelites would not take the commandments seriously.
CHALLENGE: Obedience was very important to the LORD. It still is today. Are you and I being obedient to the LORD in the area of covetousness?
DISCIPLINES OF THE FAITH:
BODY
Chastity (Purity in living)
Fasting (Time alone with LORD without eating or drinking)
Joshua rent his clothesverse 6
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)
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 answersverses 6-10
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)verses 1, 6, 10, 13-15, 19, 20, 23, 25, 26
Anger of the LORDverse 1
Ark of the LORDverse 6
Lord (Adonai)verses 7, 8
GOD (Jehovah)verse 7
Lord GOD verse 7
God (Elohim)verses 13, 19, 20
LORD God of Israelverses 13, 19, 20
Covenant of the LORDverse 15
LORD turnedverse 26
Fierceness of HIS anger
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)
Jordanverse 7
Amoritesverse 7
Enemiesverses 8, 12, 13
Canaanitesverse 9
Babylonish garmentverse 21
Sin (Missing the mark set by God on man and angels)
Trespassverse 1
Accursedverses 1, 11
Sinnedverses 11, 20
Transgressed God’s covenantverses 11, 15
Taken the accursed thingverses 11, 13, 15
Stolenverse 11
Dissembledverse 11
Stolen and hid themverse 11
Follyverse 15
Covetedverse 21
Salvation (Provided by Christ’s death on the cross for our sins)
Covenantverses 11, 15
Sanctifyverse 13
Gloryverse 19
Confessionverse 19
Israel (Old Testament people of God)
Children of Israelverses 1, 12, 23, 24
Sin of Achanverse 1
Joshuaverses 2-26
prays before Ark of the LORD
rent his clothes and put dust on head
finds guilty man: Achan
asks: Why have you troubled us?
Jerichoverse 2
Aiverses 2-5, 8
3,000 fled from them
Killed 36 Israelite men
Israel turned their backs on enemy
Beth-avenverse 2
Bethelverse 2
Elders of Israelverse 6
Israel has sinnedverses 11-13
Accursed
Commanded to destroy the accursedverses 12-15
Burn with fire
Achanverses 16-26
Took garment
Two hundred shekels of silver
Wedge of gold
Stoned him
Valley of Achorverse 26
Church (New Testament people of God)
Last Things (Future Events)
Achan to be burned with fireverse 15
Valley of Achorverses 24, 26
Achan stoned and burnedverse 25
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QUOTES regarding passage
13. The second ‘Stand up’ (niv Go) moves from a statement about the gravity of the situation to explain how Israel can destroy its devoted things. Firstly, all the people must consecrate themselves. Secondly, they must identify who possesses the devoted things. Thirdly, the one who possesses them must be destroyed. The command for Israel to consecrate itself repeats the warning that Israel will face defeat until the devoted things are removed. No detail is given as to what it means for Israel to consecrate itself, but Leviticus 17–26 describes what it means to be a holy people. In the context of the book of Joshua and the ‘warfare’ terminology of the following verses, consecration for battle might be implied. In that case, the observation by David that his men consecrated themselves by abstaining from sexual intercourse might apply (1 Sam. 21:4–5). However, comparisons with the other battles and events in the book of Joshua suggest that all ceremonies and ritual actions (such as circumcision) are explicitly stated in the text. The absence of further detail here implies that the consecration was an examination within each Israelite family to determine who might possess the devoted things. If so, it could explain the punishment of Achan’s family along with Achan in verses 24–25. This explanation, however, like all others, remains conjectural. (Hess, R. S. (1996). Joshua: An Introduction and Commentary (Vol. 6, p. 165). Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press.)
7:13–15. The Lord then revealed the steps to be followed in the purging process. First, the people were to consecrate themselves. No victory over their enemies was possible till this problem was dealt with. Second, they were to gather on the next day to identify the offender, presumably by casting lots (cf. comments on vv. 16–18), exposing first the guilty tribe, then the clan, then the family, and finally the individual. Third, the culprit and all his possessions (not merely the stolen goods) were then to be burned. This sin was considered by God a disgraceful thing. Achan’s sin was in deliberate disobedience to God’s instruction (6:18), and it made the entire nation liable to destruction. If the Israelites did not destroy the Canaanites’ goods, God might destroy the Israelites! (Campbell, D. K. (1985). Joshua. In J. F. Walvoord & R. B. Zuck (Eds.), The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures (Vol. 1, pp. 344–345). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books)
7:13 The relationship between obedience and blessing and disobedience and cursing is well illustrated here: Israel would have no further successes until the sin had been uncovered. (Radmacher, E. D., Allen, R. B., & House, H. W. (1997). The Nelson Study Bible: New King James Version (Jos 7:13). Nashville: T. Nelson Publishers)
Ver. 13. Up, sanctify the people, &c.] The word up not only signifies getting up from the ground on which he lay, but to bestir himself, and to be active in what he would now be enjoined and directed to do, and in the first place to sanctify the people, that is, by giving them orders to do it themselves: and say, sanctify yourselves against to-morrow; either by some ceremonial ablutions, or by the performance of moral duties, as prayer, repentance, and good works; or rather, they were to prepare themselves, as the Targum and Kimchi interpret it, to get ready against the morrow, and expect to be thoroughly searched, in order to find out the person who had taken the accursed thing: for thus saith the Lord God of Israel, there is an accursed thing in the midst of thee, O Israel; au accursed person, who had taken of what was devoted to the Lord for his own use, and so accursed: thou canst not stand before thine enemies, until ye take away the accursed thing from among you; by putting him to death. (Gill, J. (1810). An Exposition of the Old Testament (Vol. 2, p. 204). London: Mathews and Leigh)
13, 14. Joshua is distinctly advised as to how to set about the removal of the trouble. He is to sanctify the people, as Moses was commanded to do at Sinai (Exod. 19:10), in preparation for a solemn audience with Jehovah on the morrow. With his general order for personal sanctifying, which meant self-examination, he was to proclaim publicly the occasion for this assembling; for this was a momentous affair which concerned every one of them. It was to be published as from Jehovah that there was a devoted thing among them, and they could not stand before their enemies until this was removed. The object would be to find out the guilty party; but there were to be no sleuth methods of going to work. The people were to be brought forward by their tribes, and the investigation was to go on by a process of gradual exclusion which would bring every one under public inquiry. The tribe which the Lord taketh was to submit to further scrutiny by families, or clans, the indicated family by houses, and the incriminated house by individuals. The Lord’s taking was by the sacred lot, the casting of which was an act of worship or inquiry. “We find the lot used (a) for the detection of a criminal here, and in the case of Jonathan (1 Sam. 14:42) and Jonah (Jonah 1:7); (b) in the choice of men for an invading force (Judg. 1:1; 20:10); (c) in the partition of land (Num. 26:55; Josh. 18:10; 1 Macc. 3:36); (d) in the assignment to foreigners or captors of spoils or prisoners (Joel 3:3; Nahum 3:10); (e) in the selection of the scapegoat on the day of Atonement (Lev. 16:8); (f) in the settlement of doubtful questions (Prov. 16:33; 18:18). The custom was of great antiquity and widely spread, and ‘recommended itself as a sort of appeal to the Almighty, secure from all influence of passion or bias.’ ” (Cambridge Bible.) Finally, the fate of the guilty person was to be clearly set forth; he was to be burned with fire, with all that he had, as was the devoted city of Jericho (6:24), with which he had hopelessly identified himself by the predilection declared in his act of unrestrained greed. (Genung, G. F. (1931). Joshua (pp. 40–41). The American Baptist Publication Society.)
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!!)
For the kingdom of God is not in word, but in power.
1 Corinthians 4:20
The apostle Paul tells us that whatever the kingdom of God may be, it is a power. Let us be clear about this. The Christian message is the proclamation of, and a history of, the greatest power that has ever entered into this world. There has been nothing that has so changed and affected the course of history and the lives of individuals as much as this message.
That is why we must always be careful to emphasize the fact that we are not concerned here primarily with a philosophy, but with a history. Jesus Christ dominates history; even the numbering of our years is acknowledged by His birth. He is, indeed, the biggest factor and the biggest power that history has ever known. The cross of Christ “towers o’er the wrecks of time.”
There is no doubt but that Christianity is the most powerful influence that has ever entered into the life of the whole world. It has changed communities as well as changing men and women. How easy it would be to recount the story of some of the great revivals that have taken place in the history of the Christian church. The great historian Lecky did not hesitate to say that what saved Britain from what was experienced by France at the time of the French Revolution was the evangelical or the so-called Methodist Revival of the eighteenth century. The effect of that revival is incalculable. It not only changed individuals but also whole communities. It gave people an interest in education, and schools came into being. It produced Sunday schools; it gave a stimulus to hospitals and medical care; it led to the reform of the “poor law.” All these things came out of that mighty visitation of the Spirit of God. Christianity is a power.
A Thought to Ponder
Whatever the kingdom of God may be, it is a power. (From The Kingdom of God, pp. 109-111. By Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones)
Revelation 3
Jesus gives prophetic messages to three additional churches.
INSIGHT
To the church in Sardis, Jesus offers a strong rebuke. He calls them “dead” and warns them to recall their initial response to the Gospel and repent. However, He also commends those few who have not defiled themselves. The Lord also commends the church in Philadelphia for having kept His command to persevere. Because of that, He will keep them from the hour of trial that will come upon the whole world. Perhaps the most frightening message goes to the church at Laodicea. Because their works are “neither cold nor hot” but lukewarm, Jesus says He will spew them out of His mouth. Their wealth has made them complacent and Jesus urges them to repent. (Quiet Walk)
REPENTANCE
Have mercy upon me, O God, according to thy loving-kindness: according unto the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions. Psalm 51:1
Certain things must happen before a man can experience the great salvation that is found in the Christian gospel. There are certain things that we must realize, we must grasp, we must believe, and the first of these is repentance.
We must be clear about the whole question of repentance. Read the case of any convert you can find in the Bible, and you will always find that this element of repentance comes in. Read the lives of the saints, read the history of men who figure in the church of God in past ages, and you will find that every man who has really known the experience and the power of the grace of God in his life is always a man who gives evidence of repentance. I do not hesitate, therefore, to make the assertion that without repentance there is no salvation. The need for repentance is one of the absolutes about which the Bible does not argue. It just says it. It just postulates it. It is impossible, I say, for a man to be a Christian without repentance; no man can experience salvation unless he knows what it is to repent. Therefore, I am emphasizing that this is a very vital matter.
John the Baptist when he began his ministry went out and preached the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins. It was the first message of the first preacher. Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, we are told by Mark, went about and preached that men must repent. Repentance is absolutely vital. Paul went about and preached repentance toward God and faith in our Lord Jesus Christ. Peter preached on the Day of Pentecost the first sermon under the auspices of the Christian Church, and when he had finished certain people cried out, “What shall we do?” “Repent!” said Peter. Without repentance there is no knowledge of salvation, there is no experience of salvation. It is an essential step. It is the first step.
A Thought to Ponder: Without repentance there is no salvation.
(From Out of the Depths pp. 17-18, by Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones)
Mary and the Grace of God
“And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favour with God.” (Luke 1:30)
This announcement by the angel Gabriel to the virgin Mary, that she had been chosen as the mother of the coming Savior, contains the first mention in the New Testament of the Greek word for grace (charis). Mary was chosen, not for anything she had done, but because she had “found grace.”
In a remarkable parallel, certainly implying divine inspiration, the first mention of grace in the Old Testament is also associated with the coming of a new dispensation in God’s dealings with men. “But Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD” (Genesis 6:8).
Just as Mary found grace, so Noah had found grace. Grace is not something one earns or purchases; grace is a treasure that is found! When a person finally realizes that salvation is only by the grace of God, received through faith in the saving work of Christ, he or she has made the greatest discovery that could ever be made, for it brings eternal life.
But there is an even greater dimension to the grace of God. When we do “find” grace, it is actually because God in His infinitely precious grace has found us and revealed to us the Savior of our souls. Just as God found Moses in the desert and found Paul on the road to Damascus, then saved and called them to His service, so He finds us, and then we also find His saving grace.
Mary’s discovery of God’s grace in salvation, through the coming of the “seed of the woman” into the world, is revealed in her Magnificat: “My soul doth magnify the Lord, and my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour” (Luke 1:46-47). This could well have also been the testimony of Noah long ago, and it surely should be the testimony of each of us who has found grace today.
(HMM, The Institute for Creation Research)
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