Joshua 12

Today we read a listing of all the nations defeated by Joshua, 31 of them.  We may wonder why an entire chapter is devoted to this list and what is the importance of it to us?  This list is a summary of the first half of the Book of Joshua and from it we can see that as long as the people were faithful to God, obedient and trustworthy, He led them to victory.

The parallel here for this writer, the theme I can discern, is perseverance.  Perseverance has been a battle cry for years, especially since I claimed a personal relationship with Jesus.  Becoming a Believer isn't the end of the story or journey, it is the beginning.  Claiming Christ as Savior doesn't bring to a close the chapters of my life that were filled with pain and suffering, it makes them understandable and gives them meaning.

I can look back on the battles for my soul that were fought by Satan.  I am witness to the way he fights dirty.  How he knows my weaknesses and uses my past to cause me to doubt my future.  I have learned to recognize that the enemy is real, very real.  The battle is a lifetime war with evil, it will not conclude until the day Christ claims it is finished.

Joshua and Israel spent their lifetime searching for peace and the good life.  We do the same.  There were many time times God spoke to his warrior, "Be strong and courageous."  His courage and strength carried them to victory.  His faithfulness to his God ensured victory in the end.  Ours will too.  There will be many battles, perhaps daily, but if we are strong and courageous and faithful to God, we will be victorious,

Evil will fall and we will stand before Him one day.

Read Joshua 12 here

Listen to Joshua 12 here