Joshua 9:1-3 – Most of the Kings of the region figure that perhaps they can stand up to Israel if the band together. But Gibeon instead hatches a bold and deceitful plan to make a treaty with Isreal. The implication is that either they did not get along with those nations or they knew that any plan that stands against the Lord is doomed to fail and figured this was their only hope. It would prove to be wise.
Joshua 9:14 – “but did not ask counsel from the Lord” I want to say, “Didn’t they learn anything from Ai?”, but then how many times do I rely on my own wisdom in important issues instead of counseling with the Lord? Many times and it’s bitten my more than once.
Joshua 9:16-21 – Once the lie was discovered,it would have been easy to revoke their promise to the Gibeons and destroy them and their towns. After all, God did command Israel to destroy all the towns, so letting them live would be to disobey God. However, they had given their word and to go back on it would also have been to go against God. The leaders took the courageous step of standing by their word even when it seemed to go against God and the people were displeased with their decision.
Joshua 9:24 – So, it was out of the fear of the Lord that they pursued this deceitful plan, they knew they could not stand against God. But, they were humble before Joshua. They made no demands, only said”Whatever seems good and right in your sight to do to us, do it.” And their fear of God ultimately saved them, although they were saved to a life of servant hood.

Joshua 8:1-2 – Now the Lord is sending them. The irony here, considering what happened to Achan, is that this time God gives them the plunder. The Lord will provide, in His time, we need only trust and wait.
Joshua 8:24-29 – While there is victory here for Israel, the fact is that 12,000 inhabitants of Ai perished. Sometimes it’s hard to understand what God was doing. I understand that these people stood against God and his ways and that God had decided to grant Israel favor, but it’s still hard to swallow.
These were the days of ‘God’s people’ and ‘everyone else’, Jews and Gentiles, although it wouldn’t be described that way for many years.The same is true today, of course, but then it was separated by the nations. Today, God’s people are everywhere in every nation, transcending borders and race. At that time, God was demonstrating who he was by His relationship with Israel and the favor they enjoyed. Today, that favor is on the church and His greatness is shown there and is available to all. He was also demonstrating his wrath against sin through his judgment on the peoples of Canaan, lets we forget that we serve not only a God of mercy but a God of judgment.
Anyone who says a loving God would surely not send people to Hell has either not read Joshua or doesn’t believe it.
Joshua 8:30-35 – An acknowledgment of why they enjoy the victories they do, it is not of themselves, it is of the Lord.

Joshua 7:1-9 – Joshua’s reaction in verses 6-9 seems a little odd. I mean, they just saw the Jordan divided so that hey could pass through and Jericho fall with little effort on their part. God was with them, clearly, for they couldn’t do the things that they’d seen done. So why the wailing and even accusations of God not caring for them?
Well, look a little deeper behind their actions. At the Jordan and at Jericho, they were humble, following God’s plan to the letter. But we find that after God came through, one of them, Achan, went against God’s plan and took some of the things for himself. God’s ideas of care for them were no longer good enough for him, he took what did not belong to him. Also, notice how nonchalant they are about going against Ai. “It’ll be easy, only send a few thousand. No problem.” Also notice, no mention of how god wanted it done.
Flush from victory, a victory made absolutely and completely by God, they are suddenly confident in themselves. Never mind that there’s absolutely no way they can claim any sort of credit for what happened at Jericho – they marched and blew trumpets. Still, now they feel they can do whatever, and they march off to Ai on their own terms, and pay for it.
I do this. Confident that I know what God wants and in my abilities, I live on my own terms. I fail to study much, fail to pray much and generally skate along, convincing myself that I’m doing fine. I forget that I’ve never done fine, God has done fine – and far more – by me and through me, but only when I’ve submitted to His authority and plan. Skating along by what I believe to already know, doesn’t accomplish much. At best it keeps me out of big trouble, but even that isn’t guaranteed. Accomplishing anything for God? Living my life as an offering for what he’s already done in me? Hardly.
Joshua 7:10-12 – I love this rebuke from God. “Dude, what is your problem? Quit whining, somebody sinned, until it’s dealt with nothing’s going to work for you.” I need to remember this – when I’m in the situation above, I think I need to hang my head and mourn properly. God’s like, just deal with your sin, OK?
The scary part is the end of verse 12 – “I will be with you no more, unless you destroy the devoted things from among you.” So, am I willing to destroy those things in me that are devoted to destruction? Oh, Lord, make my sin as real and serious to me as it is to you.
Joshua 7:16-21 – I have to wonder, was Achan not aware that it was he they were looking for? Did he think that he would not be discovered? Why didn’t he step forward?
Joshua 7:22-26 – This is one of the hardest scenes in the Bible to imagine – especially the sons and daughters. My mind cries out against this, why the children too? I cannot defend God in this, but neither will I accuse him either. His ways are higher than mine and just because I cannot fathom the reasons, doesn’t mean they do not exist. In the very least, we can say that sin and disobedience is a serious thing and its effects go beyond ourselves, though we frequently cannot see it. My sin surely effects my children, a sobering thought indeed.

Johsua 6:2-7 – Can you imagine what Joshua thought as God announced his plan:

God: “See, I have given Jericho into your hand …”
Joshua: “Awesome!”
God: “You shall march around the city … for six days.”
Joshua: “Yeah! – Uh, what?”
God: “On the seventh day you shall march around the city seven times”
Joshua: “Srsly?!?!”

But … there’s no indication that Joshua actually questioned or doubted or even wondered about this plan (I would have!). Instead, he just did it.
Joshua 6:11 – So, imagine, all the “mighty men of valor” of Jericho, sitting on the wall, ready for Israel to come, ready to fight. But instead, they watch them parade around. I imagine by day 6, they might be thinking that they will go out and take them, but they didn’t.
Joshua 6:20 – “.. and the wall fell down flat.” Imagine. Imagine.
This is a foreshadowing of the gospel, right here. They did nothing to bring the walls down, nothing. They simply obeyed and executed what, by any rational analysis, was a ridiculous plan. They marched, likely within sight and striking distance of the city, every day for a week. Then, when their big moment came, there was no need for a sword, their weapons were trumpets and their own voices – and faith. Faith that God was going to do the work, that he would do what he promised.
In the same way, those who approach God must obey in faith. The obedience, while necessary, does none of the real work, no more than their marching and shouting moved a single molecule of those walls. But His promise to them hinged on their obedience, as does His to us. He’s told us that to be healed of the sin that seems so integral to our inmost being, that clings to us and has resisted our every attempt to wash it away, what is needed is a simple dunking in water. As Joshua knew that marching and shouting would not bring walls down,we know that a simple dunking cannot, in itself, remove sin. But, combine it with faith and a promise, just as Joshua had, and this dunking does what no other dunkings had done before, transforms us from sinful to righteous, from cursed to holy, from enemy to ambassador, from orphan to child.
Joshua 6:23 – Imagine – Rahab’s house was built into the wall, the wall that had just “fell down flat.” I bet there were some tense moments in the Rahab household, but then those men arrived and they were saved. I wonder, did she doubt? As the walls fell around her, did she wonder if they would in fact come? I’m sure she did, but not enough to flee. She stayed put, her hope in the only ones that could save her.
Joshua 6:26-27 – So, Jericho has been resettled, it’s there today (although I guess there has been more than one Jericho in the area), I wonder,was this curse carried out? According to 1 Kings 16:34, yes it was.

Joshua 5:1 – Not only was the crossing of the Jordan on dry ground a sign to the people of God being with Joshua and with them, it was a sign to the people of the land that this was no ordinary army coming, this was an army backed by the Lord.
Joshua 5:2 – Flint knives! I mean, this procedure sounds highly unpleasant with a nice sharp scalpel, but a flint knife made in the wilderness? Ouch.
Joshua 5:4-7 – A little insight as to why the generation before wandered and died out without going into the promised land. Their hearts were not committed to God and they saw no value in following Him, this is seen in that they failed to consecrate their sons by circumcising them.
Joshua 5:9 – Note that although God had led them out, it wasn’t until this point, when they were circumcised, that God removed the reproach from Egypt. God’s commitment to them was not dependent on their actions, but he responded to their obedience and commitment to Him.
Joshua 5:12 – The manna from God had continued for the 40 some years since they left Egypt and ceased once they were able to eat from the land they were promised. God provided, and continued to provide, throughout the time when the people had abandoned Him. He did not withhold His commitment nor leave them on their own, even though they had left Him in their hearts. What does this say about our God? We can trust Him to deliver, that His love and His commitment are not contingent on anything we can do. He is trustworthy, both implicitly and by example after example after example. As Romans 8 says, “If God is for us, who can be against us?”
Joshua 5:13-14 – Those under the command of God have no allegiance to any man, no sentimentality. They have only one alliance, that is to God. God help those who get in the way of an angel or commander of the Lord’s army as he goes about the business of God.

Joshua 2:1-2 – “And they went and came into the house of a prostitute … and lodged there.” Uh, really? Seems inappropriate or unwise or something, but, as we’ll see, it was pretty fortuitous. I wonder what sort of logic it was that led them to stay with a prostitute? Verse 2 would imply that they weren’t too careful in their spying the land, the King learned of their presence pretty easily. Were they careless? Cocky? Whatever the situation, God will deliver them by the hands of a prostitute, perhaps a prostitute that they had visited with less than pure motives. That would be like God, right? Go searching for sin and find deliverance instead. I would guess that if that were the case, though, it would have been mentioned.
Joshua 2:8 – Sleeping on the roof!
Joshua 2:10-11 – Notice that Rahab isn’t afraid of the Israelites, she’s afraid of The Lord. She’s heard, not what Israel has done but what God has done. She even proclaims here “for the Lord your God, he is God in the heavens above and on the earth beneath” and that proclamation will save her.
Joshua 2:16 – Three days in the hills plus whatever time they were in Jericho (a day at least it would seem). I wonder, did Joshua think they were lost or captured?
Joshua 2:17-21 – It’s always a good idea to be clear about the terms of any agreement. 😀

2 Corinthians 12:2-4 – Third heaven? There are three?! Wait, Paul, what does this mean?!? Sigh.
2Corinthians 12:10 – I don’t like weaknesses. I want them to be eliminated, to be reversed into strengths. Paul, though, rejoices in them, because it gives room for Christ to work. They allow – no, force – him out of the way to let Jesus work. They provide Christ a place to reveal His glory.
That is, if we don’t let them stop us. I too often let my weaknesses prevent me from pushing forward on working for Christ. i stop at the end of my abilities, as if working for the Lord relied on me. I need to get my eyes off my weaknesses, off of me, an onto Him.
2 Corinthians 12:14-15 – ” … for I seek not what is yours but you.” I’m made to think of so many TV ministries (and others) that each time they’re on are telling you that they need your money to keep going. Certainly, a ministry takes resources, but compare their incessant pleadings with what Paul says here. He refuses to burden them, he’d rather make his own way. His heart is for them and them alone, and resources will not stand in the way.