“So the Lord gave Israel all the land he had sworn to give
their ancestors, and they took possession of it and settled there. The Lord gave them rest on every side, just as he had sworn to their
ancestors. Not one of their enemies withstood them; the Lord gave all their enemies into their hands. Not one of all the Lord’s good promises to Israel failed; everyone was fulfilled.”
Joshua 21:43-45
For
seven years they were an unstoppable juggernaut winning 20 battles, conquering
7 kings and reclaiming 25,000 square miles of choice property! Under Joshua, the Hebrews crossed the Jordan
and at long last entered the land God had promised to their Fathers centuries
before and for seven glorious years were outnumbered but never overpowered! They were under-equipped but never
over-matched. And they became
the unquestioned conquerors of some of the most barbaric armies that ever
marched.
If
this had been a prize fight the referee would have probably stopped it in the
first round. These were the Glory Days!
Make no mistake the Hebrew people hadn’t always
be this formidable. For 400 years they were living bondage to Pharaoh in Egypt
and for the last 40 years they had been in bondage to fear in the wilderness
after blowing a chance to enter Canaan.
The Bible is brutally honest about the
shortcomings of the Founders and Fathers of our Faith.
· Abraham
had too many wives
· Jacob
told too many lies.
· Esau
sold his birthright for a bowl of soul
· Jacob’s
sons sold their brother Joseph into slavery.
· They
squandered Canaan after they finally conquered it.
· They
built two glorious temples but lost them both.
· They
were entrusted with the Ark of the Covenant but lost that, too.
· Because
they lost influence for good pagan cultures gain strength and wrought havoc on
the innocents of the world – such as the Babylonians, the Philistines, the
Syrians, the Greeks and the Romans.
So, shining from the pages of the Old Testament
are seven glorious years between long periods of darkness.
What accounts for such a dramatic difference?
Under the leadership of Joshua God’s people
finally employed His power to cross over Jordan and enter the Promised Land at
long last!
They employed God’s power because they enjoyed
His presence! Because Joshua listened to God and the people listened to Joshua,
God was able to have favor on them blessed them with His presence.
When you employ His power while you enjoy His
presence you are able to enter into His possession! After hundreds of years
Joshua did what Moses and all the other Patriarchs were not able to do, he
entered the Promised Land and brought God’s people with him!
The Book of Joshua is in the Bible to serve as a
reminder that no matter where you find yourself in life God offers you His
Glory Days! God is a God of second chances. God never loses hope in you even
when you lose hope in Him.
This morning you have the same offer God gave
Joshua. You can enjoy His presence! You can employ His power! You can possess
all the blessings He has to offer you!