Tag-Archive for ◊ Joshua ◊

15 Mar 2024 Exodus (Program #126)

Exodus (Program #126) – The Priestly Garments (12) Urim and Thummin for Joshua, Eleazar, Aaron

It was recently reported, that although sales for the Bible has actually increased in recent years, reading the Bible is at an all time low.  The reasons given by most people for not reading the Bible that they own is that they simply don’t understand the Bible.  Well, we all experience not being able to understand the Bible from time to time.  Many of the Old Testament books are difficult.  But when we are given the keys to unlock all the marvelous types and pictures that are given to us in the Old Testament becomes a brand new book.  More of those keys are waiting for us today.

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11 Sep 2023 Exodus (Program #46)

Exodus (Program #46) – The Defeat of Amalek

To be sure, the Old Testament book of Exodus gives us a complete picture of God’s full salvation, from the Passover, a full type of our redemption in Christ to the feeding of God’s people with the heavenly manna and satisfying them from the flowing water from the smitten rock.  All of our genuine experiences of our Christian life are marvelously depicted.  But the picture will not be complete without the experience of the victory of Christ against the enemy of God’s people.  The battle is engaged on today’s program.

We have come to a point in Exodus that is very meaningful.  We are about to see God’s people, the nation of Israel engage in battle for the first time since their exodus out of Egypt.  Here are some excerpts of a few verses in chapter 17:8, 9, 10, 13 “Then Amalek came and fought with Israel in Rephidim.  And Moses said to Joshua, Choose men for us, and go out; fight with Amalek…. So Joshua did as Moses had said to him and fought with Amalek…. And Joshua defeated Amalek and his people with the edge of the sword.”  Some who has been following this life study closely may take issue with us in saying that this portion depict the first account of Israel fighting against the enemy.  Because they surely had an encounter with the army of Pharaoh on the occasion of their exit out of Egypt.  Why do we say that this is really their first battle?

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02 Mar 2023 Zechariah (Program #5)

Zechariah (Program #5) – The Visions of Consolation and Promise (4)

Zechariah is full of mysterious visions revealing Christ. Listen to the first four verses from Zechariah chapter 4, “Then the angel who spoke with me returned and roused me as a a man is roused from his sleep. And he said to me, What do you see? And I said, I see that there is a lampstand all of gold, with its bowl on top of it and its seven lamps upon it, with seven pipes for each of the lamps on top of it; And there are two olive trees beside it, one to the right of the bowl and one to the left. And I answered and spoke to the angel who spoke with me saying, What are these, sir?”

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01 Mar 2023 Zechariah (Program #4)

Zechariah (Program #4) – The Visions of Consolation and Promise (3)

Zechariah chapter 3 begins with a vision of three persons standing together. The first was Joshua, the high priest of Israel; and next to him was Satan, who was accusing him and opposing him. The third person standing just before Joshua was the Angel of Jehovah. This scene is repeated nearly everyday in the life of God’s chosen ones. Revelation chapter 12 tells us that Satan, the adversary of God’s people is constantly accusing them just as he was accusing Joshua before the Lord in Zechariah 3. And here the Lord deals with Satan and Joshua is relieved, not because he wasn’t guilty but because Jehovah cleansed him and justified him. When we find ourselves being accused by the adversary, the key is to do as Joshua did – not to hide or pretend – but to rely on God’s word to deal with both adversary and all of our feelings.

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30 Apr 2022 Joshua (Program #3)

Joshua (Program #3) – Spying Out the Land

The books of history in the Old Testament like Joshua are rich with stories but if we view them in light of the entire divine revelation, we see them far more than just great and inspiring stories. We see God in the move of His economy in Christ, working in, with and through His chosen people to possess Christ, to gain Christ and even to spread Christ.

Joshua chapter 2 is one of these portions in the Bible where it’s easy to be caught up in the marvelous story, the story of a harlot Rehab and two spies but it is also a chapter rich in revelation of God’s move on earth. Yes, the story of Rehab, the gentile harlot who exercised faith to join herself to God’s move and to His people and eventually had a honored place in the genealogy of the Lord Jesus Christ Himself.

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29 Apr 2022 Joshua (Program #2)

Joshua (Program #2) – God’s Commission

Whenever we look at history, we should be able to see the hidden history within history. Because the history of mankind is actually the history of God in His move to accomplish His eternal purpose. He created man for this purpose. And from that day unto the present day God has moved in, through and with man. First to redeem and then to from His redeemed into His corporate counterpart, the Church.

The Old Testament prophet, Ezekiel describes this move as the move of a great wheel turning upon the earth as God moves ever closer to His ultimate goal. Even as we read the history of His people, Israel we need to see this move. As we come again today not just to the book of Ezekiel but specifically to the book of Joshua where we see His move as we’re about ready to take a major advance. more…

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28 Apr 2022 Joshua (Program #1)

Joshua (Program #1) – An Introductory Word

Much of the Old Testament is devoted to history, the history of great men, the history of great nations, especially Israel and the history of God’s people. But you may not realize it is also God’s history, the history of His move to carry out and accomplish His eternal purpose.

The books of Joshua, Judges and Ruth are among the books of history in the Old Testament and even in these books with their rich and colourful stories, if we have eyes to see, we can see the history of God in the move of His economy. That would be our focus for the next several weeks as we come to these wonderful books and see Christ in them, in the light of His eternal economy.

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27 Apr 2022 Joshua (Program #14)

Joshua (Program #14) – Three Particular Matters Concerning the Allotment of the Land and the Departure of Joshua

The two concluding chapters of the book of Joshua concern his departure and his deep burden to charge the children of Israel not to forsake Jehovah as they were endeavoring to possess the land of Canaan. If they did he warned the ungodly nations that were in the land will become a snare to them. What a fitting conclusion coupled with an equally fitting warning. A warning that is still be heeded by God’s people today.  We will consider the final chapters of Joshua on our life study today and several meaningful points in our fellowship as we look back over this book.

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26 Apr 2022 Joshua (Program #13)

Joshua (Program #13) – Ten Aspects of Christ

In the book of Mathew, one of the early names given to the Lord Jesus was Emmanuel, which means God with us. In Isiah chapter 8 Canaan the good land is called the land of Emmanuel, clearly identify the good land as a type of Christ. Canaan is a land that is rich in its’ variety. Listen to the wonderful details given to us in Deuteronomy 8 “For Jehovah your God is bringing you to a good land, a land of waterbrooks, of springs and of fountains, flowing forth in valleys and in mountains; A land of wheat and barley and vines and fig trees and pomegranates; a land of olive trees with oil and of honey; A land in which you will eat bread without scarcity; you will not lack anything in it; a land whose stones are iron, and from whose mountains you can mine copper. And you shall eat and be satisfied, and you shall bless Jehovah your God for the good land which He has given you.”

Actually it takes all the rich details in the Old Testament books like Deuteronomy and Joshua to depict all of the riches of the all-inclusive Christ.  Today as we look at 10 different aspects of Christ in the book of Joshua.

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25 Apr 2022 Joshua (Program #12)

Joshua (Program #12) – The Saving of Gibeon

One of the most interesting aspects of the relationship between husbands and wives is how easily and freely the wife can agreed to do something often involving money without checking first with her husband. The husbands also make the same mistake with unfortunate frequency and result is usually the same. A cooling trend seems to over take the relationship for a period of time and the sweetness at least for a season is gone .

God’s relationship to Israel in the Old Testament was also as a husband and the Israel was as His wife. Listen to Israel Jeremiah chapter 2, “Thus says Jehovah: I remember concerning you the kindness of your youth, The love of your bridal days, When you followed after Me in the wilderness.”  So what happened in this marriage when the wife acted on her own? Predictably the result was always a suffering for Israel. Such a case is recorded in Joshua 9, the story of the Gibeonites.

Today’s message touches the very essence of the divine romance; a favorite subject of the life study of the Bible and also a topic that Witness Lee frequently came to in his ministry.

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