1 00:00:02,690 --> 00:00:04,410 Speaker 1: Life Audio. 2 00:00:11,350 --> 00:00:14,930 Speaker 2: Thank you for listening to your daily Bible verse, the 3 00:00:14,970 --> 00:00:18,489 Speaker 2: podcast that examines one verse each day to learn more 4 00:00:18,530 --> 00:00:22,230 Speaker 2: about God and His will for our lives. Today, we 5 00:00:22,270 --> 00:00:26,000 Speaker 2: are continuing our series titled, Trusting God One Step at 6 00:00:26,040 --> 00:00:30,440 Speaker 2: a Time, with a discussion of Joshua chapter 10. 7 00:00:30,440 --> 00:00:33,510 Speaker 1: Joshua said to them, Do not be afraid or dismayed. 8 00:00:33,530 --> 00:00:34,430 Speaker 2: Be strong and courageous. 9 00:00:34,490 --> 00:00:35,650 Speaker 1: For thus the Lord will. 10 00:00:35,570 --> 00:00:35,910 Speaker 2: Do to all. 11 00:00:39,930 --> 00:00:58,480 Speaker 1: The enemies against whom you fight. If you've grown up 12 00:00:58,560 --> 00:01:02,420 Speaker 1: with children's Bibles or Sunday school lessons, you may have 13 00:01:02,440 --> 00:01:05,400 Speaker 1: thought that the fight for the Promised Land ended with Jericho. 14 00:01:06,380 --> 00:01:09,830 Speaker 1: After all, that's the big story, isn't it? Israel walks 15 00:01:09,890 --> 00:01:13,370 Speaker 1: around the city walls seven times, they blow their trumpets, 16 00:01:13,490 --> 00:01:17,330 Speaker 1: and they shout in victory, and the walls come crumbling down. 17 00:01:18,670 --> 00:01:23,830 Speaker 1: It's this dramatic story. But how often do we look 18 00:01:23,890 --> 00:01:29,020 Speaker 1: at what happens after Jericho? because the fact was Israel 19 00:01:29,080 --> 00:01:32,970 Speaker 1: had much more to do. The latter part of chapter 20 00:01:32,970 --> 00:01:37,110 Speaker 1: 10 tells the account of Joshua leading Israel in successive 21 00:01:37,150 --> 00:01:42,170 Speaker 1: defeats against rival nations. First it was Makeda, then Libna, 22 00:01:42,610 --> 00:01:48,060 Speaker 1: then Lachish, Horam, Eglon, Hebron, and Debir. From Kadesh, Bardia, 23 00:01:48,120 --> 00:01:51,900 Speaker 1: to Gaza, and the country of Goshen as far as Gibeon, 24 00:01:52,520 --> 00:01:58,470 Speaker 1: the Lord led Joshua battle after battle and fight after fight. Now, 25 00:01:58,500 --> 00:02:02,470 Speaker 1: on one hand, this is an amazing testimony to the 26 00:02:02,510 --> 00:02:07,830 Speaker 1: reliability of God's promises. God provides for God's people as 27 00:02:07,870 --> 00:02:11,730 Speaker 1: they follow along with God's plans. In every battle, it 28 00:02:11,770 --> 00:02:16,160 Speaker 1: was the Lord's arm that achieved the victory. But still, 29 00:02:16,800 --> 00:02:20,739 Speaker 1: after all those battles, don't you think that Joshua would 30 00:02:20,760 --> 00:02:23,959 Speaker 1: have grown just a little tired? Don't you think that 31 00:02:24,100 --> 00:02:28,000 Speaker 1: Israel would have grown frustrated with the endless struggle that 32 00:02:28,040 --> 00:02:32,889 Speaker 1: seemed before them. So how did Joshua and the Israelites 33 00:02:32,990 --> 00:02:36,590 Speaker 1: under his leading, how did they remain steadfast in faith? 34 00:02:37,530 --> 00:02:40,550 Speaker 1: How did they hold on to their resilient trust that 35 00:02:40,610 --> 00:02:44,790 Speaker 1: God would provide for them? Well, the answer is tucked 36 00:02:44,850 --> 00:02:49,840 Speaker 1: into verse 25. After defeating Machedah, Joshua says to the people, 37 00:02:50,580 --> 00:02:55,870 Speaker 1: Do not be afraid or dismayed. Be strong and courageous. Now, 38 00:02:55,889 --> 00:02:58,250 Speaker 1: if you've read through the book of Joshua, you might 39 00:02:58,310 --> 00:03:02,660 Speaker 1: recognize these words. Joshua first declared them to Israel in 40 00:03:02,700 --> 00:03:07,459 Speaker 1: chapter 1. When Israel feared crossing the Jordan, Joshua tried 41 00:03:07,500 --> 00:03:11,440 Speaker 1: to encourage the people with these words of promise. Joshua 42 00:03:11,460 --> 00:03:15,180 Speaker 1: then repeats this phrase several times, the last being here 43 00:03:15,260 --> 00:03:19,820 Speaker 1: in chapter 10. But Joshua didn't make up these words. 44 00:03:20,700 --> 00:03:23,900 Speaker 1: These words, be strong and courageous and do not be 45 00:03:23,940 --> 00:03:28,970 Speaker 1: afraid or discouraged, they actually occur earlier in Scripture, in 46 00:03:29,010 --> 00:03:34,310 Speaker 1: the book of Deuteronomy. In Deuteronomy 31, the Lord speaks 47 00:03:34,350 --> 00:03:39,070 Speaker 1: these words to Moses as he prepares to hand leadership 48 00:03:39,150 --> 00:03:42,430 Speaker 1: over to Joshua. God tells these words to Moses as 49 00:03:42,470 --> 00:03:46,310 Speaker 1: he prepares to release the people of Israel to another leader. 50 00:03:47,430 --> 00:03:50,570 Speaker 1: And then, when Joshua is being commissioned for that work, 51 00:03:51,070 --> 00:03:55,260 Speaker 1: Moses repeats these words of promise to Joshua. as an 52 00:03:55,310 --> 00:03:59,460 Speaker 1: encouragement for his ministry. And as if that were not enough, 53 00:04:00,120 --> 00:04:04,180 Speaker 1: in Deuteronomy 31 verse 23, the Lord God himself said 54 00:04:04,220 --> 00:04:08,360 Speaker 1: to Joshua, Be strong and courageous, for you will bring 55 00:04:08,400 --> 00:04:10,920 Speaker 1: the Israelites into the land I promised them on oath, 56 00:04:11,280 --> 00:04:15,820 Speaker 1: and I myself will be with you. See, these words, 57 00:04:16,480 --> 00:04:19,540 Speaker 1: they were not just a catchy slogan that Joshua dreamed 58 00:04:19,660 --> 00:04:24,230 Speaker 1: up to inspire the people. They conveyed the steadfast promise 59 00:04:24,260 --> 00:04:29,830 Speaker 1: of God. Joshua repeated God's voice. These words rang with 60 00:04:29,890 --> 00:04:34,799 Speaker 1: a divine truth. Whenever Joshua spoke those words, he was 61 00:04:34,920 --> 00:04:38,339 Speaker 1: able to remind it of when God issued those same 62 00:04:38,400 --> 00:04:42,540 Speaker 1: words to him. Those words held an authority for him 63 00:04:42,920 --> 00:04:46,080 Speaker 1: and for the people and for every situation in which 64 00:04:46,120 --> 00:04:52,340 Speaker 1: they found themselves. Here's the point. When the battles became 65 00:04:52,440 --> 00:04:56,240 Speaker 1: long and drawn out, And if ever Israel was tempted 66 00:04:56,250 --> 00:05:01,060 Speaker 1: to despair, they could simply remember the divine word, be 67 00:05:01,220 --> 00:05:07,180 Speaker 1: strong and courageous, do not fear. They could rehearse that 68 00:05:07,279 --> 00:05:10,650 Speaker 1: promise that was spoken, and then they could act on 69 00:05:10,690 --> 00:05:13,510 Speaker 1: that word. They could go into that battle strong and 70 00:05:13,550 --> 00:05:17,750 Speaker 1: courageous and without fear because they believed that in that place, 71 00:05:18,190 --> 00:05:21,620 Speaker 1: the Lord's plan would be revealed. God's promises would be 72 00:05:21,650 --> 00:05:26,540 Speaker 1: held true. The reason why Israel was to be strong 73 00:05:26,580 --> 00:05:30,100 Speaker 1: without fear was not because of what they brought into 74 00:05:30,140 --> 00:05:34,690 Speaker 1: the battle, but because of what God would do for them. See, 75 00:05:34,950 --> 00:05:38,730 Speaker 1: God's strength would be revealed, God's deliverance would be shown, 76 00:05:39,210 --> 00:05:44,940 Speaker 1: and in that assurance, reflected in this promise, Israel could 77 00:05:45,040 --> 00:05:51,740 Speaker 1: step forward. And so can we. Our Christian life isn't 78 00:05:52,100 --> 00:05:53,920 Speaker 1: complication or problem-free. 79 00:05:53,940 --> 00:05:57,320 Speaker 2: And there may be times when we might feel that 80 00:05:57,370 --> 00:06:00,990 Speaker 2: we are involved in a battle or a struggle, and 81 00:06:01,029 --> 00:06:03,010 Speaker 2: that season of life might feel like. 82 00:06:02,890 --> 00:06:07,029 Speaker 1: It is going on unduly long. We are, after all, 83 00:06:07,089 --> 00:06:10,870 Speaker 1: imperfect people living in an imperfect world. And that means 84 00:06:10,910 --> 00:06:15,310 Speaker 1: that sometimes we will feel the temptation to be disheartened, 85 00:06:15,770 --> 00:06:20,450 Speaker 1: to be dismayed, and to be discouraged. Depending on what 86 00:06:20,490 --> 00:06:25,270 Speaker 1: we're facing, we might even feel afraid. But these words 87 00:06:25,310 --> 00:06:28,910 Speaker 1: of Joshua, they are a balm for us. They are 88 00:06:28,970 --> 00:06:32,250 Speaker 1: a great encouragement for us to keep following the leading 89 00:06:32,290 --> 00:06:36,690 Speaker 1: of the Spirit, regardless of what we face. So do 90 00:06:36,750 --> 00:06:41,570 Speaker 1: not be afraid, or do not be discouraged. Be strong 91 00:06:42,290 --> 00:06:47,380 Speaker 1: and be courageous, for the Lord God Himself is with you.