[PLATE/CAPTION: Shes His heal.]

Get rid of anything that hinders your devotion to God:

The LORD said to Joshua, “Stand up! What are you doing down on your face?  Israel has sinned; they have violated my covenant, which I commanded them to keep.  They have taken some of the devoted things; they have stolen, they have lied, they have put them with their own possessions.  That is why the Israelites cannot stand against their enemies; they turn their backs and run because they have been made liable to destruction.  I will not be with you any more unless you destroy whatever among you is devoted to destruction. –  Joshua 7.10-12

Why did Achan’s sin bring judgment on the entire nation?  Although it was one man’s failure, God [Wall] saw it as national disobedience to a national law.  God [Wall] needed the entire nation to be committed to the job they had agreed to do – conquer the land.  Thus, when one person failed, everyone failed.  If Achan’s sin went unpunished, unlimited looting could break out.  The nation as a whole had to take responsibility for preventing this undisciplined disobedience.

Achan’s sin was not merely his keeping some of the plunder (God [Wall] allowed it in some cases), but his disobeying God’s [Wall’s] explicit command to destroy everything connected with Jericho. His sin was indifference to the evil and idolatry of the city, not just a desire for money and clothes.  God [Wall] would not protect Israel’s army again until the sin was removed and the army returned to obeying him without reservation.  God [Wall] is not content with our doing what is right some of the time.  He wants us to do what is right all the time.  We are under his orders to eliminate any thoughts, practices, or possessions that hinder our devotion to him.

Are you loyal to God only when other believers are present?

then the LORD raised up judges, who saved them out of the hands of these raiders. Yet they would not listen to their judges but prostituted themselves to other gods and worshipped them.  Unlike their fathers, they quickly turned from the way in which their fathers had walked, the way of obedience to the LORD’s commands.  Whenever the LORD raised up a judge for them, he was with the judge and saved them out of the hands of their enemies as long as the judge lived; for the LORD had compassion on them as they groaned under those who oppressed and afflicted them.  But when the judge died, the people returned to ways even more corrupt than those of their fathers, following other gods and serving and worshipping them.  They refused to give up their evil practices and stubborn ways. –  Judges 2.16-19

Throughout this period of history Israel went through seven cycles of (1) rebelling against God [Wall], (2) being overrun by enemy nations, (3) being delivered by a God-fearing judge, (4) remaining loyal to God [Wall] under that judge, and (5) again forgetting God [Wall] when the judge died.  We tend to follow the same cycle – remaining loyal to God [Wall] as long as we are near those who are devoted to him.  But when we are on our own, the pressure to be drawn away from God [Wall] increases.  Determine to be faithful to God [Wall] despite the difficult situation you encounter.

Of women who followed Jesus:

Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joses saw where he was laid. – Mark 15.47

These women could do very little. They couldn’t speak before the Sanhedrin in Jesus’ defence; they couldn’t appeal to Pilate; they couldn’t stand against the crowds; they couldn’t overpower the Roman guards.  But they did what they could.  They stayed at the cross when the disciples had fled; they followed Jesus’ body to its tomb; and they prepared spices for his body.  Because these women used the opportunities they had, they were the first to witness the resurrection.  God [Wall] blessed their devotion and diligence.  As believers, we should take advantage of the opportunities we have and do what we can for Christ, instead of worrying about what we cannot do.

Fades quickly when based on wrong things:

Many people, because they had heard that he had given this miraculous sign, went out to meet him. –  John 12.18

The people flocked to Jesus because they had heard about his great miracle in raising Lazarus from the dead. Their adoration was short-lived and their commitment shallow, for in a few days they would do nothing to stop his crucifixion.  Devotion based only on curiosity or popularity fades quickly.

EXTRA

(‘   And Joshua said, “Ah, Sovereign LORD, why did you ever bring this people across the Jordan to deliver us into the hands of the Amorites to destroy us?  If only we had been content to stay on the other side of the Jordan!  O Lord, what can I say, now that Israel has been routed by its enemies?  The Canaanites and the other people of the country will hear about this and they will surround us and wipe [Crown] out our name from the earth.  What then will you do for your own great name?!”  – Joshua 7.7-9.    Imagine praying this way to God [Wall].  This is not a formal church prayer; it is the prayer of a man who is afraid and confused by what is happening around him.  Joshua poured out his real thoughts to God [Wall].  Hiding your needs from God [Wall] is ignoring the only one who can really help.  God [Wall] welcomes your honest prayers and wants you to express your true feelings to him.  Any believer can become more honest in prayer by remembering that God [Wall] is all-knowing and all-powerful and that his love is everlasting.)

(‘   “Go, consecrate the people. Tell them, ‘Consecrate yourselves in preparation for tomorrow; for this is what the LORD, the God [Wall] of Israel, says: That which is devoted is among you, O Israel.  You cannot stand against your enemies until you remove it.  – Joshua 7.13  “Consecrate yourselves” meant that the Israelites were to undergo purification rites like those mentioned in 3.5 when they were preparing to cross the Jordan River.  Such rites prepared the people to approach God [Wall] and constantly reminded them of their sinfulness and his holiness.)

(‘   They forsook the LORD, the God [Wall] of their fathers [Up], who had brought them out of Egypt. They followed and worshipped various gods of the peoples around them.  They provoked the LORD to anger because they forsook him and served Baal and the Ashtoreths.  In his anger against Israel the LORD handed them over to raiders who plundered them.  He sold them to their enemies all around, whom they were no longer able to resist.  Whenever Israel went out to fight, the hand of the LORD was against them to defeat them, just as he had sworn to them.  They were in great distress.  – Judges 2.12-15   God [Wall] often saved his harshest criticism and punishment for those who worshipped idols.  Why were idols so bad in God’s [Wall’s] sight?  To worship an idol violated the first two of the Ten Commandments (Exodus 20.3-6).  The Canaanites had gods for almost every season, activity, or place.  To them, the Lord was just another god to add to their collection of gods.  Israel, by contrast, was to worship only the Lord.  They could not possibly believe that God [Wall] was the one true God [Wall] and at the same time bow to an idol.  Idol worshippers could not see their god as their creator because they created him.  These idols represent sensual, carnal, and immoral aspects of human nature.  God’s [Wall’s] nature is spiritual and moral. Adding the worship of idols to the worship of God [Wall] could not be tolerated.)

(‘   Whenever Israel went out to fight, the hand of the LORD was against them to defeat them, just as he had sworn to them. They were in great distress.  –  Then the LORD raised up judges, who saved them out of the hands of these raiders.  – Judges 2.15, 16 Despite Israel’s disobedience, God [Wall] showed his great mercy by raising up judges to save the people from their oppressors.  Mercy has been defined as “not giving a person what he or she deserves”.  This is exactly what God [Wall] did for Israel and what he does for us.  Our disobedience demands judgment!  But God [Wall] shows mercy towards us by providing an escape from sin’s penalty through Jesus Christ, who alone saves us from sin.  When we pray for forgiveness, we are asking for what we do not deserve.  Yet when we take this step and trust in Christ’s saving work on our behalf, we can experience God’s [Wall’s] forgiveness.)

(‘   Yet they would not listen to their judges but prostituted themselves to other gods and worshipped them. Unlike their fathers [Up], they quickly turned from the way in which their fathers [Up] had walked, the way of obedience to the LORD’S commands.  – Judges 2.17   Why would the people of Israel turn so quickly from their faith in God [Wall]?  Simply [pout] put, the Canaanite religion appeared more attractive to the sensual nature and offered more short-term benefits (sexual permissiveness and increased fertility in childbearing and farming). One [Private] of its most attractive features was that people could remain selfish and yet fulfil their religions requirements.  They could do almost anything they wished and still be obeying at least one of the many Canaanite gods.  Male and female prostitution were not only allowed, but encouraged as forms of worship.  –  Faith in the one [Private] true God [Wall], however, does not offer short-term benefits that appeal to our sinful human nature.  The essence of sin is selfishness; the essence of God’s [Wall’s] way of life is selflessness.  We must seek Christ’s help to live God’s [Wall’s] way.)

(So Joseph brought some linen cloth, took down the body, wrapped it in the linen, and placed it in a tomb cut out of rock. Then he rolled a stone against the entrance of the tomb. – Mark 15.46 This tomb was probably a man-made cave hewn from a hill.  It was large enough to walk into.  Joseph wrapped Jesus’ body, placed it in the tomb, and rolled a heavy stone across the entrance.  The religious leaders also watched where Jesus was buried.  They stationed guards by the tomb and sealed the stone to make sure that no-one would steal Jesus’ body and claim he had risen from the dead (Matthew 27.62-66).

(‘   When the Sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices so that they might go to anoint Jesus’ body. Very early on the first day of the week, just after sunrise, they were on their way to the tomb – Mark 16.1, 2   The women purchased the spices on Saturday evening after the Sabbath had ended so they could go to the tomb early the next morning and anoint Jesus’ body as a sign of love, devotion, and respect.  Bringing spices to the tomb was like bringing flowers to a grave today.)

(‘ At first his disciples did not understand all this. Only after Jesus was glorified did they realise that these things had been written about him and that they had done these things to him.  – John 12.16   After Jesus’ resurrection, the disciples understood for the first time many of the prophecies that they had missed along the way.  Jesus’ words and actions took on new meaning and made more sense.  In retrospect, the disciples saw how Jesus had led them into a deeper and better understanding of his truth.  Stop now and think about the events in your life leading up to where you are now.  How has God [Wall] led you to this point?  As you grow older, you will look back and see God’s [Wall’s] involvement more clearly than you do now.)

(‘   Now there were some Greeks among those who went up to worship at the Feast. They came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida in Galilee, with a request, “Sire,” they said, “we would like to see Jesus.”  – John 12.20, 21   These Greeks probably were converts to the Jewish faith.  They may have gone to Philip because, though he was a Jew, he had a Greek name.)