"...And what will You do for Your great name?" - Joshua 7:9 (NASB)    Israel was in a tough spot. After an incredible victory over Jericho, they faced a humiliating defeat at Ai because one man chose to defy the LORD's command. The verse above is the end of a prayer that Joshua is offering to God in trying to discover why God would let them fail after bringing them so far. The failure was not God's fault, but man's. And the verses that follow reveal the "rest of the story."    Look back at Joshua's prayer for a moment: "And what will You do for Your great name?" Contrary to what some may think, God is not in the business of exalting man. Yes, he elevate any man or woman in a public manner for His purposes, but the reason is never to bring attention to the individual. When man attempts to "touch" the glory of God, or try to "take" some of it for himself, he is setting himself up for failure. The LORD wants His creat...

"And Joshua spoke to the priests, saying, 'Take up the ark of the covenant and cross over ahead of the people.'" - Joshua 3:6 (NASB)    There is an old French proverb that states, "The more things change, the more they stay the same." The proverb fits a number of areas in life, but it also fits in relation to faith. In the verse above, Joshua and the Israelites are facing the prospect of crossing the Jordan River to enter the promised land. After forty years of rebellion, they would succeed where their parents had failed, but how would they get across was still unclear. Approximately forty-one years ago the entire nation crosses the Red Sea on dry ground, so perhaps God would work in the same manner.     There certainly are some similarities. We know that the LORD caused the river to dry up before Joshua, just as before Moses at the Red Sea, and they crossed safely. However, there was one major difference. At the Red Sea, the waters parted before th...

"Every place on which the sole of your foot treads, I have given it to you, just as I spoke to Moses. - Joshua 1:3 (NASB)    If you look forward from this point in Joshua you will find that Josh and the Israelites are constantly driving out their enemies. At every turn they are taking up their swords and routing another enemy. In some cases, the enemy routes them. Eventually they manage to conquer the Promised Land, but not completely, for they let some of their enemies stay because the fight was too difficult.        This brings me back to the verse above. The LORD told Josh that He was going to "give" the land to him. Give. When I think about someone giving something to me, I envision me reaching out my hand and simply taking hold of what is being given. The LORD said He was giving the land to Josh, he simply had to reach out and take what God was giving. It belonged to His people, but His people would have to fight to claim it.    As...