Joshua 4:24 That all people of the earth might know the hand of the Lord, that it is mighty: that ye might fear the Lord your God.
Tell me Friends, what more must the Lord do to prove He’s a powerful Being, the Only True Deity in existence eh? Today, Joshua is talking to the Israelites, who, having reined in their disobedience to God and got up some gumption, finally crossed over the Jordan into the promised land. And how did they cross over? On dry land. Just like they crossed the Red Sea. The Lord commanded Joshua to have the priests carry the ark at the front of the procession, and when ‘the feet of the priests that bare the ark were dipped in the brim of the water, That the waters which came down from above stood and rose up upon a heap…and those that came down toward the sea of the plain…failed and were cut off: and the people passed over, right against Jericho.’ (Josh.3:13-16) Oh Friends, what a mighty God we serve! On the Lord’s behest, Joshua even had one man from each of the twelve tribes pick up a stone from the dry bed of the Jordan and take it across. In Gilgal, he took those twelve stones and set up a memorial to their miraculous crossing, telling the people that when future generations asked the meaning of the stones; ‘Then shall ye let your children know, saying Israel came over this Jordan on dry land. For the Lord your God dried up the waters of the Jordan from before you, until ye were passed over, as the Lord your God did to the Red Sea…’ Why? ‘That all the people of the earth might know the hand of the Lord.’ Yes people, the Lord’s name and fame needs to be noised abroad to all and sundry. As Solomon said when he dedicated the temple, regarding strangers, ‘For they shall hear of thy great name, and of thy strong hand, and of thy stretched out arm: when he shall come and pray toward this house.’ (1 Kin.8:42) Hezekiah, in his day of distress before the Assyrian horde, also cried out: ‘Now therefore, O Lord our God, I beseech thee, save thou us out of his hand, that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that thou art the Lord God, even thou only.’ (2 Kin.19:19) And they were saved. Likewise, Bruh David contends, that though his forefathers didn’t understand God’s wonders at the Red Sea and provoked Him with their endless complaining, ‘Nevertheless he saved them for his name’s sake, that he might make his mighty power to be known.’ (Ps.106:8) Yes Friends, the Lord wants us to know and appreciate His great might and power, so when we place our lives under His guidance and direction we won’t be afraid. But unbelievers will, as Moses said in his song when they passed over the Red Sea. ‘Fear and dread shall fall upon them; by the greatness of thine arm they shall be as still as a stone; till thy people pass over, O Lord…which thou hast purchased.’ (Ex.15:16) He was referring to the nations dwelling in the promised land. But sadly for Moses, it was his people, the Israelites that the fear and dread fell on. Even after seeing, no experiencing the exodus from Egypt and the wonders the Lord did on their behalf, it’s mind boggling to imagine the Israelites were scared to follow God’s orders and go in to possess the land. It’s amazing that people who didn’t witness the Lord’s overwhelming power, yet believed in Him wholeheartedly. Listen to Bruh David: ‘Both riches and honour come of thee, and thou reignest over all: and in thine hand is power and might; and in thine hand it is to make great, and to give strength unto all.’ But we all know that Bruh David exalted in the glory of the Lord. As a young man he experienced His awesome power as well as His severe displeasure. ‘Thou, even thou, art to be feared: and who may stand in thy sight when once thou art angry?’ (Ps.76:7) The hardships he faced in early manhood taught him the fear of the Lord. And that’s not real fear, but more like awe, amazement, ‘wonderment,’ at His power, goodness, LOVE and mercy all wrapped up in one Being. ‘And Israel saw that great work which the Lord did upon the Egyptians: and the people feared the Lord, and believed the Lord, and his servant Moses.’ (Ex.14:31) Hn! Not for long though, for when times got rough they blamed the Lord, and refused to look at where the real failure lay, within themselves. It’s a fault we are also guilty of today people. When we’re not happy with our situations, we blame everybody else but ourselves. But Friends, let’s be honest and take a good look in the mirror. Most of our problems stem from a combination of our own poor choices and decision making, falling prey to the enemy and his lies, rather than the truth of God, whom we profess to worship. Even when there’s no doubt that our directives are from God, like Jonah, we still try to run from doing them, then wonder why our lives are such a mess. Friends, by now we ought to have established in our hearts that The Lord is sovereign, and if we want to live a long, healthy, satisfied life, both here and in heaven, then obeying His will and glorifying Him is the only way to achieve that end. This is one time the end justifies the means. It’s not rocket science, just simple common sense. Let’s see if we can find some today nuh people. Much LOVE!…obedience is always…much cheaper…than disobedience…
Tell me Friends, what more must the Lord do to prove He’s a powerful Being, the Only True Deity in existence eh? Today, Joshua is talking to the Israelites, who, having reined in their disobedience to God and got up some gumption, finally crossed over the Jordan into the promised land. And how did they cross over? On dry land. Just like they crossed the Red Sea. The Lord commanded Joshua to have the priests carry the ark at the front of the procession, and when ‘the feet of the priests that bare the ark were dipped in the brim of the water, That the waters which came down from above stood and rose up upon a heap…and those that came down toward the sea of the plain…failed and were cut off: and the people passed over, right against Jericho.’ (Josh.3:13-16) Oh Friends, what a mighty God we serve! On the Lord’s behest, Joshua even had one man from each of the twelve tribes pick up a stone from the dry bed of the Jordan and take it across. In Gilgal, he took those twelve stones and set up a memorial to their miraculous crossing, telling the people that when future generations asked the meaning of the stones; ‘Then shall ye let your children know, saying Israel came over this Jordan on dry land. For the Lord your God dried up the waters of the Jordan from before you, until ye were passed over, as the Lord your God did to the Red Sea…’ Why? ‘That all the people of the earth might know the hand of the Lord.’ Yes people, the Lord’s name and fame needs to be noised abroad to all and sundry. As Solomon said when he dedicated the temple, regarding strangers, ‘For they shall hear of thy great name, and of thy strong hand, and of thy stretched out arm: when he shall come and pray toward this house.’ (1 Kin.8:42) Hezekiah, in his day of distress before the Assyrian horde, also cried out: ‘Now therefore, O Lord our God, I beseech thee, save thou us out of his hand, that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that thou art the Lord God, even thou only.’ (2 Kin.19:19) And they were saved. Likewise, Bruh David contends, that though his forefathers didn’t understand God’s wonders at the Red Sea and provoked Him with their endless complaining, ‘Nevertheless he saved them for his name’s sake, that he might make his mighty power to be known.’ (Ps.106:8) Yes Friends, the Lord wants us to know and appreciate His great might and power, so when we place our lives under His guidance and direction we won’t be afraid. But unbelievers will, as Moses said in his song when they passed over the Red Sea. ‘Fear and dread shall fall upon them; by the greatness of thine arm they shall be as still as a stone; till thy people pass over, O Lord…which thou hast purchased.’ (Ex.15:16) He was referring to the nations dwelling in the promised land. But sadly for Moses, it was his people, the Israelites that the fear and dread fell on. Even after seeing, no experiencing the exodus from Egypt and the wonders the Lord did on their behalf, it’s mind boggling to imagine the Israelites were scared to follow God’s orders and go in to possess the land. It’s amazing that people who didn’t witness the Lord’s overwhelming power, yet believed in Him wholeheartedly. Listen to Bruh David: ‘Both riches and honour come of thee, and thou reignest over all: and in thine hand is power and might; and in thine hand it is to make great, and to give strength unto all.’ But we all know that Bruh David exalted in the glory of the Lord. As a young man he experienced His awesome power as well as His severe displeasure. ‘Thou, even thou, art to be feared: and who may stand in thy sight when once thou art angry?’ (Ps.76:7) The hardships he faced in early manhood taught him the fear of the Lord. And that’s not real fear, but more like awe, amazement, ‘wonderment,’ at His power, goodness, LOVE and mercy all wrapped up in one Being. ‘And Israel saw that great work which the Lord did upon the Egyptians: and the people feared the Lord, and believed the Lord, and his servant Moses.’ (Ex.14:31) Hn! Not for long though, for when times got rough they blamed the Lord, and refused to look at where the real failure lay, within themselves. It’s a fault we are also guilty of today people. When we’re not happy with our situations, we blame everybody else but ourselves. But Friends, let’s be honest and take a good look in the mirror. Most of our problems stem from a combination of our own poor choices and decision making, falling prey to the enemy and his lies, rather than the truth of God, whom we profess to worship. Even when there’s no doubt that our directives are from God, like Jonah, we still try to run from doing them, then wonder why our lives are such a mess. Friends, by now we ought to have established in our hearts that The Lord is sovereign, and if we want to live a long, healthy, satisfied life, both here and in heaven, then obeying His will and glorifying Him is the only way to achieve that end. This is one time the end justifies the means. It’s not rocket science, just simple common sense. Let’s see if we can find some today nuh people. Much LOVE!…obedience is always…much cheaper…than disobedience…
SCRIP-BITS 