Chapter 7: Reflection

Ya gotta love Joshua.  He made being faithful look easy, didn’t he?  God said to do it and Joshua did it.  

God said not to do it and Joshua didn’t do it.  

And look how God blessed him for his faithfulness. 

At the beginning of the chapter, God has a little chat with Joshua and tells him some of the blessings that are to come, and then God promises to be with him as He was with Moses.  

God says, “Be strong and courageous, because you will lead these people to inherit the land I swore to their ancestors to give them.”  Then he tells him one more time, “Be strong and very courageous.  Be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses gave you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, that you may be successful wherever you go” (pg. 89). 

What an awesome promise God gives Joshua, and all Joshua has to do is be strong, courageous and obey, which is exactly what Joshua did.  Because Joshua was faithful, God gave him very specific instructions about how to deal with Jericho, Ai, the 5 kings of the Amorites, and all the royal cities.  As a result of his following God’s instructions, we read:  “So Joshua took the entire land, just as the LORD had directed Moses” (pg. 99). 

It is clear that the result of faithfulness is blessing.  

So why doesn’t everyone just obey God and receive God’s blessings?  Why aren’t we faithful all the time so that we can receive God’s blessings?  It seems simple enough, doesn’t it?  Faithfulness = Blessings. 

The key is at the end of the chapter in Joshua’s address to the elders, leaders, judges and officials of Israel.  He tells them:  “Now fear the LORD and serve him with all faithfulness.  Throw away the gods your ancestors worshiped…and serve the LORD.”  

Then Joshua gives them a choice:  “But if serving the LORD seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve” (pg. 101).    Joshua says, “But as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD.”

There it is.  

We, too, have a choice every day.  

When you get out of bed every morning, you have a choice whom you will serve.  Will it be your boss when he/she asks you to do something just a little bit immoral?  Will it be your friends when they want you to do something you know your parents wouldn’t approve of?  Will it be the culture that is constantly challenging our Christian beliefs?  

OR…  will you make the decision each day:  “But as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD”?  

Think about where the blessings come from and then choose carefully.

Chapter 7: Questions

The Battle Begins

WELCOME BACK! Week 7! Can you believe you've made it this far? We hope you've begun to hear God speaking to you in a powerful way through "The Story."

As always, feel free to answer questions in the comments (especially the "Digging Deeper" ones) and share any thoughts you might have about the "Personal Action." Or, let us know if YOU have a question!


CHECKING YOUR COMPREHENSION
1. How could Joshua be "strong and courageous" in such intimidating situations?

2. What do you learn about God from the story of the story of Rahab the prostitute?

3. What do the string of amazing victories in battle the people experienced as they entered the land reveal about who is really in charge of history?

4. Why did God order the Israelites to go to war against others? How was this war justified? Do you agree?

5. How did Joshua challenge the people in his final speech?

6. Why do you think God lavished blessings on Joshua and all the Israelites, who, like Joshua, trusted God?

7. What practical steps can you take to gain a deeper faith in God?


DIGGING DEEPER
The first time spies were sent into the land 12 went--2 returned with a positive report, 10 with a negative one. Based on that, the Israelites decided it wasn't worth the risk. Forty years later, Joshua sent out spies again ... but this time in a team of 2. And the people acted on their report.  Someone once said, "Committees seldom make courageous decisions." Do you agree? Disagree? Most churches LOVE committees, even when they don't always function well. Is there value to listening to a couple of bold leaders rather than a committee? What would this do to the way we "do" church?

Sometimes being a Christian feels like you're swimming upstream, against the flow. Sometimes what you think is right (aka "pleasing to God") looks a lot different than what everybody else around you thinks. How does consistent and faith-filled reading of the Bible (God's story) help us remain strong? courageous? What are your personal habits and commitments when it comes to Bible Study? How can we encourage you in your love for God and his story?


PERSONAL ACTION
Take a few moments and examine your life, in particular the decisions you have made recently. Are you being courageous, willing to go against the flow and swim upstream? Or are there some places where the force of the water has pushed you downstream a bit? Use this time to take a stand--identify one area where you are ready to change the tide, be courageous, and to do God's will.

This is a safe place to be able to share questions and fears and doubts. You can post using your name or not, whichever you prefer. And if you choose to respond to someone's comment, please be gentle with your words. 

Chapter 6: Reflection

Wandering

At the end of Chapter 5, we read that “God taught them who he was and what he required of them,” (pg. 70) yet a number of times in chapter 6, God calls the Israelites a “stiff-necked people.”  

Why?  Because they believed…and then they didn’t….and then they did….and then they didn’t….(you get the picture!)  

God guided them with a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night.  He rescued them from slavery.  He performed miracles in their presence.  He was with them on their journey.

So they worshiped and celebrated all the time because God was with them, right?  NOT!  

Instead, they complained about their hardships.  They were hungry; they were thirsty.  They wanted food, so God gave them manna to eat. Were they grateful for that gift?  Sure, for like a minute!  Then they got sick of it and wanted meat to eat.  Don’t ya just love God’s response:  “Now the LORD will give you meat, and you will eat it.  You will not eat it for just one day, or two days, or five, ten or twenty days, but for a whole month – until it comes out of your nostrils and you loathe it.”  That ought to fix them!

No wonder God called them “stiff-necked” people.  

I (Tina) got to thinking about what God might call us today.  How about “wishy-washy”?  We are all about being grateful for what God is doing in our lives….until we, or someone in our family, get sick.  “Why me, God?”  We are all about singing praises to God and worshiping Him….and then we leave church and get back to “the real world.”  

Our culture has taken prayer out of schools, God out of our justice system and Jesus out of the center of our lives.  Do you stand up for your faith in the midst of these circumstances? 

Well, do you?  

Many times it’s much easier to go with the flow, isn’t it?  It’s much easier not to rock the boat, isn’t it?  Go ahead, be honest. 

Wishy-washy. 

We know what we’re supposed to do and not do.  We know what God expects of us.  And yet when we ask ourselves the question:  “Why do we still do those stupid things?”  we respond like Aaron in the cartoon above:  “I dunno.” 

Friends, let’s take from this chapter the challenge to step up our Christian game.  I challenge you to think of 3 ways that you can stand up for your faith this week; ways that you can take a stand for Jesus.  

I know you can do it!

Chapter 6: Questions

Wandering

As always, feel free to answer questions in the comments (especially the "Digging Deeper" ones) and share any thoughts you might have about the "Personal Action." Or, let us know if YOU have a question!

CHECKING YOUR COMPREHENSION
1. What do you think was the root cause of most of the Israelites' problems? Why?

2. How did God respond to the people's lack of faith?

3. Why is God so radically opposed to sin?

4. What do you learn from Moses' leadership throughout this difficult period? How did he display frustration and faith?

5. Have you ever felt as if you were "wandering in the wilderness"--spiritually or emotionally? Explain.

6. How can having faith in what God has promised help you in difficult times?

DIGGING DEEPER
All through this chapter of "The Story," God disciplines the people (sometimes quite strongly) to get them back on course. What are the values of being disciplined by one who loves us and wants the best for us?

What is one way you are seeking to pass on a healthy and positive legacy to the next generation? How can we pray for you as you seek to be a blessing to the children, grandchildren, or young people in your life?

PERSONAL ACTION
In this chapter, we read about how Joshua and Caleb came back from their exploration of the land and gave wise counsel. Unfortunately, no one listened. This week, find a time to talk with one or two wise people of faith who know you well and ask for their insights and perspectives on your life. Ask them a question or share one of your problems with them. Invite their wisdom and prayerfully LISTEN to them! Maybe this is something you should think about doing on a semi-regular basis, like once a month??

This is a safe place to be able to share questions and fears and doubts. You can post using your name or not, whichever you prefer. And if you choose to respond to someone's comment, please be gentle with your words. 

Sermon: Chap 5

Intro  

One time and only one time can I remember my parents washing my mouth out with soap. (Yes, I was a goody-two-shoes, without a doubt. I used to cry when they even threatened to spank me!)

On this fateful day, I happened to say a word, in their presence, which I probably learned on the bus but didn’t yet know was not the kind of word that should be repeated. So as a reminder not to say that word EVER AGAIN, they washed my mouth out with soap.

(For the record, washing my mouth out with soap was a very effective punishment--I don’t think I’ve ever said that word again. Maybe if you ask me nicely after church, I’ll tell you what the word was--but I’m NOT going to say it in the pulpit for fear that one of YOU will want to wash my mouth out again!)

At any rate, in our Scripture reading today, we find the inspiration for every parent’s favorite punishment when unsavory language comes out of a child’s mouth--washing it out with soap. Well, it’s not exactly the same thing, but it’s awfully close, which you’ll see in a second.

We’re going to look at the incident of the Golden Calf. While Moses is up on Mt Sinai, hanging out with God and receiving the 10 Commandments, his co-leader and brother Aaron is left alone trying to manage those pesky Israelites. Moses is gone so long, the people begin to feel abandoned by him … AND by God. So in their minds, they do the next logical thing--they ask Aaron to build them a god to worship since the one they WERE worshiping seems to have disappeared.