In the book of Joshua, we learned how, “the LORD said unto Joshua, Get you up; wherefore lie you thus upon your face. Israel has sinned, and they have also transgressed my covenant which I commanded them: for they have even taken of the accursed thing, and have also stolen, and dissembled also, and they have put it even among their own stuff. Therefore the children of Israel could not stand before their enemies, but turned their backs before their enemies, because they were accursed: neither will I be with you any more, except you destroy the accursed from among you”, and in chapter seven and verse thirteen of the book of Joshua, we learn how Jehovah God said, “Up, sanctify the people” where we read,
Up, sanctify the people, and say, Sanctify yourselves against to morrow: for thus says the LORD God of Israel, There is an accursed thing in the midst of you, O Israel: you can not stand before your enemies, until you take away the accursed thing from among you.
The verse reads, “Up, sanctify the people, and say, Sanctify yourselves against to morrow:” Joshua or the writer began with the words, “up, sanctify the people” or “rise and stand up, consecrate, prepare, hallow and purify the human beings of Israel”, “and say” which means “and utter, declare and proclaim”, “sanctify yourselves” or “consecrate, prepare, hallow and purify your own selves” “against to morrow” which means “on the next day”. Jehovah God told Joshua that he and the people of Israel were to consecrate and purify themselves on the following day.
The verse continues, “for thus says the LORD God of Israel, There is an accursed thing in the midst of you, O Israel:” Joshua or the writer added the words, “for thus says the LORD” which means “because, since and on account the following utters, declares and proclaims Jehovah who is the existing One and the proper name for the One True God” “God of Israel” or “the Supreme Deity belonging to Israel whose name means God prevails and is the name of the descendants and the nation of the descendants of Jacob”, “there is an accursed thing” which means “there exists an utterly destroyed and cursed object” “in the midst of you” or “among and within the middle of you, people of Israel”, “O Israel” which means “O Israel whose name means God prevails and is the name of the descendants and the nation of the descendants of Jacob”. Jehovah God told Joshua and the people of Israel that there existed a cursed object among them.
Finally the verse says, “you can not stand before your enemies, until you take away the accursed thing from among you.” Joshua or the writer concluded this verse with the words, “you can not stand” or “you, people of Israel, are unable and incapable of arising, maintaining and being established” “before your enemies” which means “in front and in the presence of your, the people of Israel’s, hating foes and adversaries”, “until you take away the accursed thing” or “till such time that you remove the utterly destroyed and cursed object” “from among you” which means “separate and apart from you, the people of Israel”. Joshua or the writer ended this verse by sharing how Jehovah God told the people of Israel they were incapable of being established in the presence of their hating foes until such time that they removed the “cursed object” apart from them.
When we consider the words in this verse, we see how Jehovah God called Joshua and the people of Israel to action over their violation to His command. Because they lay hold of the “cursed object”, they were put to flight and unable to be established in the presence of their “hated foes”. God did not want it to be this way, and because He was to identify their sins, He desired that they consecrate and purify themselves before Him. God wants the same for us. When He says we have sin in our lives, we do, and because that sin leads to death, He sent His Son Jesus into the world to die on the cross for the sins of all mankind and resurrected Him from the dead after three days. When we put our faith and trust in Him as our “Savior and Lord”, He will forgive our sins, grant us everlasting life and put His Holy Spirit within us to guide us into all truth and help us to confess our sins so we may be cleansed from all unrighteousness. (See John 16:13; 1 John 1:9)
Next time we learn how Jehovah God says, “In the morning therefore you shall be brought according to your tribes”, so read ahead, and we shall join together then.
Until tomorrow…there is more…
See more devotionals on the website "thewordfortodaywithray.com" or look for the daily devotional book “Equipped for Battle – From Generation to Generation”, the marriage book “So, You Want to Be Married”, “One Year in the Sermon on the Mount” and the new poetry book "Random Mushrooms Volumes I and II" and the new novel "Elizabeth County" in all major bookstore sites, http://www.amazon.com ; http://www.barnesandnobles.com ; download to e-books, and find it locally at www.mrzlc.com/bookstore. All references are from "Strongs Concordance".
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