THE CALL OF MOSES

 

God is Great; Ascribe to him Greatness

 

“Moses, the Meekest Yet One of the World’s Strongest Leaders”

Deuteronomy 32

32 “Give ear, O heavens, and I will speak; And hear, O earth, the words of my mouth. ² Let my teaching drop as the rain, My speech distill as the dew, As raindrops on the tender herb, And as showers on the grass. ³ For I proclaim the name of the Lord:

Ascribe greatness to our God.

⁴ He is the Rock, His work is perfect;

A good understanding have all those who do His commandments.

His praise endures forever.

New King James Version (NKJV)

  

Moses, the meekest (according to the bible,) yet one of the world’s greatest and strongest leaders called out to the children of Israel and is calling to us today!  

The call of Moses was given to the Israelites when they were delivered out of Egypt and about to enter the promised land.  Moses tells the people to give ear- to pay attention. 

Moses was about to speak some very important words. He was about to pass the baton to Joshua. God had told him he was to go to a mountain and there he would die. Moses knew the baton was passing to a new generation. The older generation, all but he, Joshua and Caleb had died in the wilderness due to rebellion and unbelief.  Now the new generation would go into the promised land with Joshua as their leader.  Moses is telling this younger generation to:

PAY ATTENTION!

We, many generations later have the opportunity through the bible, to glean from the wisdom of Moses, yet not only the wisdom of Moses, but the wisdom of God himself, the inspiration and author of these precious words.  

His call is to follow the ways of God, to let his teachings fall into your ears as dew on dry ground; to thirst and crave the teachings of the one you understand is perfect in all of his ways.

Moses speaks of the greatness of God; but not only greatness, the perfection of God.  

The bible says the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.  Are you one that fears the Lord?  

We have the blessed opportunity to learn from the greatest of greats and the wisest of all, God himself!  He is not only great but he is perfect! To understand God is to understand life!

Psalm 111:¹⁰ The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom;

The most important thing you can do is fear (stand in awe, amazement, wonder & respect of) the Lord.  When you fear the Lord, you have just begun to be wise. When you heed his commandments, you have good understanding.  

To live your life without first fearing the Lord, means you will at some point have to return to square one, the beginning!  

Moses call is to ascribe greatness to God and to understand his ways are perfect.  Ascribe to him the greatness he is worthy of.  To ascribe is to not only write the Word of God, but to speak it out loud- to proclaim it.  

We have his written Word, but God wants us to speak his Word. Often it was hard to translate words from Hebrew to English and the King James version and other versions did their best.  The word, ascribe in English means only to write but in Hebrew it means to call it out loud.  It means to name something or someone.  God’s name is great.  God wants our mouth to speak about his greatness and to proclaim his greatness. He hasn’t called us to be secret Christians, living one way in public but believing something entirely different in our hearts. He wants our life to line up with his Word and he wants our mouths proclaiming his Word.  To ascribe means not only to write but proclaim and name. 

When you ascribe greatness, you communicate to others about the great one! God is great and we cannot keep it a secret. This is step one to living a life that not only inherits promises from God but walks in them. 

Israel is about to inherit their promised land but will they remain there forever? At the time this was written, Moses knew prophetically they would at some point in their future fail and he showed them the way back. 

At this point in our future, none of us know what lies ahead but we can know from this point on the first step in understanding is to not only attribute greatness to God but ascribe it, meaning to proclaim it and live according to his teachings! Let’s ascribe greatness to God, knowing his ways are perfect and live our lives filled with understanding! Amen!

http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Deuteronomy%2032&version=NKJV

THE INHERITANCE Of JOSHUA

Wow, Joshua is a leader that amazes me. As I've journeyed through the book of Joshua I've seen a fearless relentless leader that believed the Lord, trusted him, obeyed him and above all else valued his presence. When Moses and Joshua went into the tabernacle, Moses left but Joshua lingered behind in the glory. When Moses went up the mountain, Joshua followed just to be near the presence. When Moses sent 12 spies into the promised land only 2 of them believed God- Joshua was one along with Caleb! When Moses died, Joshua was appointed leader by God. Joshua was a faithful leader that walked in faith and obedience and was able to bring the children of Israel all the way into their promises.

After Joshua led the children of Israel into the promised land and after all the land was divided, Joshua was able to choose the land he asked for. It says he was able to choose his land according to the Word of the Lord.  That's what the reward of faith is! You get to choose what you want and receive it of the Lord.  In the same way he had told others to survey land and divide it among them, so they gave him his portion and he was able to survey his land and make his choice just as God had promised.  Not everything is appointed. Some things you just ask for and because of your reward God gives it to you.  There are things about which he says, "You have not because you ask not!"  God says "Ask and you will receive whatever you ask for (paraphrased.)  This is the reward for those who desire God's will, make the choice to walk in obedience, have faith through trials and tribulations and become an example others can follow!  Joshua's reward was his choice of land!

The bible says the land was divided at the door of the tabernacle. Joshua as leader gave the tabernacle place in the new land. Joshua is an Old Testament character and therefore did not have the Holy Spirit inside. He could not yet BE the tabernacle because the Holy Spirit had not yet been given. I'm sure that if Joshua could have taken up residence inside the tabernacle he would have.  He couldn't live inside the tabernacle because he was not a priest but as an older man, Joshua chose to give place to the presence of the Lord and the Word of the Lord! I have grown to love this man named Joshua and I think I want to follow his example!

Lord may we all be like Joshua who believed you, followed you, trusted you, obeyed you, believed you in the midst of battles and adversity and all of his days followed your word and gave place to your presence! May we all so fully obey you that we too can choose our inheritance! Amen!

Neglecting or Possessing- A Little Umph for Your Get Up and Go!

NEGLECTING OR POSSESSING

a little "umph" for your "get up and go"

Joshua18:2 But there remained among the children of Israel seven tribes which had not yet received their inheritance. 3 Then Joshua said to the children of Israel: “How long will you neglect to go and possess the land which the LORD God of your fathers has given you? 4 Pick out from among you three men for each tribe, and I will send them; they shall rise and go through the land, survey it according to their inheritance, and come back to me. 5 And they shall divide it into seven parts.

IF A STEP IS REQUIRED,  THEN A STEP YOU MUST TAKE

What has God promised you, that he has also revealed to you, that the time to receive that promise is now?

Sometimes we are not actively pursuing what we know we've been promised and what we know God has said it is time for now!

Go is a word of action. It means to take steps. Joshua said go and possess. Before you can possess, you first have to go. Some people just need to take a step and watch God move on their behalf.

We all have heard how Peter walked on water but he never would have done that if he hadn't taken a step.

We've all heard of how Abraham left his homeland to come into the new land God was showing him but that never would have happened if he hadn't taken a step.

Even Joshua would have never led the children of Israel into the promised land if he had refused the leadership role and refused to move forward.

We could go on with example after example of those that took steps in order to receive their promises.  I won't take time to tell the stories of Elijah, Elisha, Ruth, Nehemiah, Ezra, David and many many more! How about the wise men, the shepherds, and even Mary and Joseph?  Each had to take a step of obedience.

One thing is for certain- if a step is required, then a step you must take! 

Joshua had led the children of Israel into the promised land.  They were in the land and had defeated many kings and enemies through the help of God! 

In Joshua 18:2 it says, though that seven tribes had "not yet" received their inheritance.  This is in spite of the fact the possession was right in front of them- right under their nose!

Is there something you know you should have possessed already that you haven't?  Is there something God has promised that he has told you is available now? 

SOME UMPH FOR YOUR GET UP AND GO

Joshua had to confront these seven tribes and inject a  little "umph"  into their "get up and go!"

These Israelites were complacent where they were. They were not taking the steps necessary to inherit what was right under their nose! Joshua asked them why they were neglecting to do what was clearly time to do. Here Joshua told them to go and survey the land, pick out what they wanted, and come back to him and they would divide it!

Maybe some people need to just start moving forward in their plans, survey their land and watch God perform a miracle on thier behalf!

If God spoke the promise to you, then he will surely fulfill it but if he has said the time is now, then it's time to take a step.  Don't get this far, to your appointed time and abandon the promise now!

Go ahead, get up and go, take a step, survey the land and possess your inheritance!  Amen!

YOUR TERRITORY- YOUR SECTION-YOUR SPHERE

YOUR TERRITORY­-YOUR SECTION- YOUR SPHERE OF INFLUENCE

Caleb Contrasted With The Tribe of Judah

Caleb was of the Tribe of Judah.  He along with Joshua was one of the only two adults from a previous generation to come into the promised land God had promised Abraham.  All others were under the age of 20 when Israel came close to the promised land and Moses sent 12 spies into the land. 

Ten spies came back with an evil report of giants in the land that caused the heart of the people to melt in fear.  Only Joshua and Caleb out of all of the adults believed.  This unbelief caused the nation of Israel to wander around in the desert until that evil generation died.  Then after Moses died and God made Joshua the new leader, they came into the promised land.

• Caleb was in the tribe of Judah and was given the land he chose.  He had to drive out enemies from that land in order to come into his full inheritance. 

• Caleb was over 80 years old and still had the same strength he had when he was a young man. 

• Caleb never gave up and he came into his full reward.

The rest of the tribe of Judah came into some of their inheritance but they never fully drove out all of the enemy!

Joshua 15:63 The people of Judah couldn't get rid of the Jebusites who lived in Jerusalem. The Jebusites stayed put, living alongside the people of Judah. They are still living there in Jerusalem. (The Message)

What territory of our heart and life have we ceded? What have we accepted as our lot in life that is not all God envisioned for us?

What mountain have we been promised would move is still standing in our way? It's time to come into ALL the promises of God and to drive out every enemy in the power and authority God has given us! God is not the problem.

This passage doesn't say God couldn't defeat the enemy. No! It says the tribe of Judah couldn't! Apparently they didn't keep trying and relying! Apparently they settled for less! 

YOUR SECTION

Each person is responsible for their own heart and their own SECTION of territory! Caleb took care of ALL the enemies in his section even though he was in the tribe of Judah!

God gives each of us a dream, a vision, promises and plans! It's our responsibility to stay in the fight and keep pressing in for everything he's promised- even if 40 years go by!

If we have that steadfastness and determination we'll come into everything. Even if we stumble along the way like Joshua did in Chapter 7 of the book of Joshua, we are to get back up and keep moving. The plan hasn't changed as long as we keep looking forward.

Let's not look back- even if we fail!  Let's keep moving forward- Let's stay in the fight and let's drive out each and every enemy until we are able to say with Caleb that our children can have the upper AND lower streams of all God has given us! Amen!

Josh 15:13-19  Joshua gave Caleb son of Jephunneh a section among the people of Judah, according to God's command. He gave him Kiriath Arba, that is, Hebron. Arba was the ancestor of Anak.

14-15 Caleb drove out three Anakim from Hebron: Sheshai, Ahiman, and Talmai, all descendants of Anak. He marched up from there against the people of Debir. Debir used to be called Kiriath Sepher.

16-17 Caleb said, "Whoever attacks Kiriath Sepher and takes it, I'll give my daughter Acsah to him as his wife." Othniel son of Kenaz, Caleb's brother, took it; so Caleb gave him his daughter Acsah as his wife.
18-19 When she arrived she got him to ask for farmland from her father. As she dismounted from her donkey Caleb asked her, "What would you like?" She said, "Give me a marriage gift. You've given me desert land; Now give me pools of water!" And he gave her the upper and the lower pools. (The Message)

What's your section?  Have you seen everything God has promised you come to pass?  If not, keep pressing in! Keep believing! Keep fighting!  There will come a day when you'll look around and say, "This is what the Lord promised me!"  Not only that, you'll have something to give to those that come after you- maybe natural children, and maybe those you influence!  Whichever the case, you'll pass on a story of faith and a substance of all you believed for! Amen!

If my children (both natural and those I influence) can come to me and say, "Give me fertile ground, with streams of living water, then I've run my race and stayed my course well!" 

May we stay on course and run our race! The Lord is with us! Amen!

The Devil Doesn't Stand A Chance

Joshua 9

 

New King James Version (NKJV)

 1 And it came to pass when all the kings who were on this side of the Jordan, in the hills and in the lowland and in all the coasts of the Great Sea toward Lebanon—the Hittite, the Amorite, the Canaanite, the Perizzite, the Hivite, and the Jebusite—heard about it, 2 that they gathered together to fight with Joshua and Israel with one accord.

THE DEVIL DOESN'T STAND A CHANCE

Joshua leading the children of Israel is the best Old Testament example we have of God leading his people into the promises of his Word!  Joshua and the armies had just won two battles- one in Jericho and one in Ai.  Prior to those victories, they had already become famous among their enemies.

Look what Rahab the harlot told them when they were still only scouting the land:

Joshua 2:9b  I know that the LORD has given you the land, that the terror of you has fallen on us, and that all the inhabitants of the land are fainthearted because of you.

Now you know you've got something going on when you attract not one devil but many!  When they can't defeat you alone, they try banding together!  They were on this side of the Jordan- in the promised land and were in the process of driving out the inhabitants and taking over territory.

We are called to walk in our promised land spreading the good news. Today we are not physically removing people from our surroundings but we are translating their hearts out of the kingdom of darkness into the kingdom of light.  However, as far as Israel is concerned, this is the physical land God promised them and to this day, because Israel never fully took their land, they are still fighting battles that would have been unnecessary had they done all God told them to do.

In the verses above, we see on group of kings- Hittites, Amorites, Canaanites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites.  It says they heard about "it" and gathered together in one accord to fight against Israel and Joshua as Israel's leader.  This was not a surprise.  What was the "it" they had heard?  They had heard about Israel's victory over the first two cities in the promised land- Jericho and Ai. They had also heard of their victories beyond the Jordan.  God was with them and had been with them and as long as they had obeyed him God had fought for them.

When the bible says they heard about it, they took an action.  The devil isn't concerned about you if he can keep you in a defeated place but when he hears about your victories and about how you are defeating his kingdoms and tearing down his strongholds he will begin to strategize. If you aren't being fought, you probably aren't winning any battles! In fact the devil may have you right where he wants you- in a state of complacency.  It's the ones who are winning battles and taking ground for Jesus the devil fears and takes action against!  The bible says here they joined together in one accord to fight against Israel. 

One of the main things to note here is that all the kings joined together in one accord to fight against Israel.  You know you're feared of the devil when he has to join forces with other devils just to strategize against you.  The devil isn't omni-present or omni-powerful.  When it takes more than one devil to come against you, you know you've got something he's afraid of.  In Joshua 5 it says the hearts of the surrounding kings were melting an they had no breath in them. 

That was prior to the walls falling in Jericho.  The armies of Israel with Jesus as their captain and Joshua as their leader went on to defeat Jericho and Ai, fighting armies larger and more fortified than themselves but yet victorious in every way!

Here in Joshua 9 they had heard with their ears and actually perceived that Joshua was no ordinary leader and this was no ordinary army.  They feared their future. Surely by now they knew that the God of Israel had ordered their extinction!  No wonder they pooled together in an attempt to preserve themselves and to stop the armies of God.  They had heard about Israel's victories in both Jericho and Ai.  They knew they didn't stand a chance alone.  What they didn't know was that they didn't stand a chance even unified against Israel because Israel had God on their side!  You know you've got something about you to be feared with the devils unite forces against you! Hallelujah!

Note:  Time and space doesn't permit me to continue with more detail now but this plan of the enemies' turned out to be futile.  It was shortly after this Israel did battle these kings and it was in that battle the sun stood still for Joshua so the thing to know is that as you go forward in your purpose in God's kingdom, with God on your side, no devil, devils or other enemies can stop you!  God will fight for you even in he has to stop the sun on your behalf!  Amen!