The covenant renewed at moumt Ebal

 Joshua 8:30-35

Then Joshua built on Mount Ebal an altar to the Lord, the God of Israel, as Moses the servant of the Lord had commanded the Israelites. He built it according to what is written in the Book of the Law of Moses—an altar of uncut stones, on which no iron tool had been used. On it they offered to the Lord burnt offerings and sacrificed fellowship offerings. There, in the presence of the Israelites, Joshua wrote on stones a copy of the law of Moses. All the Israelites, with their elders, officials and judges, were standing on both sides of the ark of the covenant of the Lord, facing the Levitical priests who carried it. Both the foreigners living among them and the native-born were there. Half of the people stood in front of Mount Gerizim and half of them in front of Mount Ebal, as Moses the servant of the Lord had formerly commanded when he gave instructions to bless the people of Israel.

Afterward, Joshua read all the words of the law—the blessings and the curses—just as it is written in the Book of the Law. There was not a word of all that Moses had commanded that Joshua did not read to the whole assembly of Israel, including the women and children, and the foreigners who lived among them.

From Ai, Joshua moves 32 km north to establish himself at Shechem. In the valley between Mts Ebal and Gerizim. In the valley between Mts Ebal and Gerizim. IN God's name he takes possession of the land. And the covenant is sworn as Moses had commanded(Deuteronomy 27)

Why?

Everything Moses had commanded Joshua did it and asked all Israelite to listen and read the words of the law. It renewed the covenant with the Lord.

The victory of the war in Cannaite, more important is to make the covenant with the Lord, for the victory and their future is based on faith in the Lord.

Not only Israelite and including the women and children and the foreigners who lived among them read the Book of the law. This is the law to all who live in Israelite.

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打勝仗後不是辦慶功宴，而是築壇獻祭，並且宣告神的福音與咒詛的話。有一點成果更要注意回到神面前，感恩、奉獻，不要驕傲，得意忘形。

石頭是沒有鐵器鑿過，即沒有用過的。我們奉獻給神的是全新的，最好的。不要有異教的滲雜，有被異教用過的不要再拿來，我們敬拜時，不要參雜個人意念或是異教元素。燔祭把榮耀歸給神，平安祭，人與神分享、慶祝關係的和好。北： 以巴路山，南： 基力心山。打勝仗後還是要回到神面前來，不要為成果忘記神，也不要因為沒有成果而沮喪。

人很喜歡成果導向，要有更多成果希望有更多事工。神不要大衛建聖殿，反而神要建造大衛的生命更像神的殿。

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How?

Make a firm covenant with the Lord through Jesus, and obey God's command is our foundation of blessing.

Take the whole army with you, and go up and attack Ai

 Joshua 8:1-29

Then the Lord said to Joshua, “Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged. Take the whole army with you, and go up and attack Ai. For I have delivered into your hands the king of Ai, his people, his city and his land. You shall do to Ai and its king as you did to Jericho and its king, except that you may carry off their plunder and livestock for yourselves. Set an ambush behind the city.”

Joshua and all Israel let themselves be driven back before them, and they fled toward the wilderness. 

Then the Lord said to Joshua, “Hold out toward Ai the javelin that is in your hand, for into your hand I will deliver the city.” So Joshua held out toward the city the javelin that was in his hand. As soon as he did this, the men in the ambush rose quickly from their position and rushed forward. They entered the city and captured it and quickly set it on fire.

When Israel had finished killing all the men of Ai in the fields and in the wilderness where they had chased them, and when every one of them had been put to the sword, all the Israelites returned to Ai and killed those who were in it. Twelve thousand men and women fell that day—all the people of Ai. For Joshua did not draw back the hand that held out his javelin until he had destroyed all who lived in Ai. But Israel did carry off for themselves the livestock and plunder of this city, as the Lord had instructed Joshua.

The evidence of the mound at Er-Tell is difficult to accord with the biblical record here - which suggests the this may not in fact be the correct site of Ai. Joshua's flight and ambush strategy make capital out of Israel's previous defeat.

Why?

In the war to Ai, Israelites once again worked together and Joshua follows God's command to attack Ai, God has his strategy and smart way. 

This time the Lord allowed Israelites may carry off their plunder and livestock for themselves. God knows people's desires, but the first fruit of the war belongs to the Lord.

How?

Honor the Lord first then we won't lack anything. For God is good, and God is great, what we have to do is put the Lord as the first priority in my life.

The disobedience of one individual touches the whole community

Joshua 7:1-26

But the Israelites were unfaithful in regard to the devoted things; Achan son of Karmi, the son of Zimri, the son of Zerah, of the tribe of Judah, took some of them. So the Lord’s anger burned against Israel.

So about three thousand went up; but they were routed by the men of Ai, who killed about thirty-six of them. They chased the Israelites from the city gate as far as the stone quarries and struck them down on the slopes. At this the hearts of the people melted in fear and became like water.

The Lord said to Joshua, “Stand up! What are you doing down on your face? Israel has sinned; they have violated my covenant, which I commanded them to keep. They have taken some of the devoted things; they have stolen, they have lied, they have put them with their own possessions. That is why the Israelites cannot stand against their enemies; they turn their backs and run because they have been made liable to destruction. I will not be with you anymore unless you destroy whatever among you is devoted to destruction.

There are devoted things among you, Israel. You cannot stand against your enemies until you remove them.

Joshua had his family come forward man by man, and Achan son of Karmi, the son of Zimri, the son of Zerah, of the tribe of Judah, was chosen.

Then Joshua said to Achan, “My son, give glory to the Lord, the God of Israel, and honor him. Tell me what you have done; do not hide it from me.”

Achan replied, “It is true! I have sinned against the Lord, the God of Israel. This is what I have done

Joshua said, “Why have you brought this trouble on us? The Lord will bring trouble on you today.” Then all Israel stoned him, and after they had stoned the rest, they burned them. Over Achan they heaped up a large pile of rocks, which remains to this day. Then the Lord turned from his fierce anger. Therefore that place has been called the Valley of Achor ever since.

Achor means trouble.

Because Achan defied God's ban 36 men died at Ai, and the whole nation was shamed before their Canaanite enemies. The disobedience of one individual touches the whole community: where wrong has been done there is corporate, as well as individual, accountability.

Why?

The Lord is holy no one can cheat before the Lord. Jerico is the Holy war to the Lord, but Achan has stolen the devoted as their property.

One man's disobedience of one individual touches the whole community.  To be a Christian or member of a church, everyone should be aware we are family of the Lord, everyone should do our job and be faithful to the Lord.

The first fruit belongs to the Lord, which means we have to give thanks to the Lord for all of the victories are the grace of the Lord, so it is devoted to the Lord.

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從戰爭來看打了一場勝戰。不可取當滅的物，要歸耶和華。人容易在經歷神蹟後變驕傲。

攻艾城，因為人少，不用都去，如果人多就都去，如果更多就不要去嗎？人得勝後，就憑自己來判斷，不用再依靠神了。

亞干在有困難時要聽神的話，當困難解除後就沒有那麼聽話了。亞干是否順服看對他是否有利。合理的我順服，不合理的我不順服。順服是順服神，不合理的也要順服。得勝唯一的途徑是順服。耶律哥高牆不是最可怕，人心才是最可怕的。得勝的關鍵在神同在，神同在在於人聽話，得勝後人最易放鬆，成為下次失敗的原因。得勝以後繼續聽話成為重要因素。

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How?

May my mind and my heart be faithful to the Lord. Dear Lord, please forgive me, for I have sins of selfishness.

Shout! For the Lord has given you the city!

Joshua 6:1-27

Then the Lord said to Joshua, “See, I have delivered Jericho into your hands, along with its king and its fighting men. March around the city once with all the armed men. Do this for six days. Have seven priests carry trumpets of rams’ horns in front of the ark. On the seventh day, march around the city seven times, with the priests blowing the trumpets. When you hear them sound a long blast on the trumpets, have the whole army give a loud shout; then the wall of the city will collapse and the army will go up, everyone straight in.”

The seventh time around, when the priests sounded the trumpet blast, Joshua commanded the army, “Shout! For the Lord has given you the city! The city and all that is in it are to be devoted[a] to the Lord. Only Rahab the prostitute and all who are with her in her house shall be spared, because she hid the spies we sent. But keep away from the devoted things, so that you will not bring about your own destruction by taking any of them. Otherwise you will make the camp of Israel liable to destruction and bring trouble on it. All the silver and gold and the articles of bronze and iron are sacred to the Lord and must go into his treasury.

When the trumpets sounded, the army shouted, and at the sound of the trumpet, when the men gave a loud shout, the wall collapsed; so everyone charged straight in, and they took the city. They devoted the city to the Lord and destroyed with the sword every living thing in it—men and women, young and old, cattle, sheep and donkeys.

Then they burned the whole city and everything in it, but they put the silver and gold and the articles of bronze and iron into the treasury of the Lord’s house. But Joshua spared Rahab the prostitute, with her family and all who belonged to her, because she hid the men Joshua had sent as spies to Jericho—and she lives among the Israelites to this day.

So the Lord was with Joshua, and his fame spread throughout the land.

It was a war of nerves for the men of Jericho; day after day the encircling troops, the trumpet blasts, the silent army, building up to the great climax of the seventh day.

The city of Jericho has an incredibly long history of building and destruction.

Devoted things: The city and all its contents are dedicated utterly to God. It becomes sacrilege then, for anyone to take anything for themselves.

Why?

It is the Lord who destroyed the city of Jericho. They walked around the wall seven days and keep silent, and seventh time on the seventh day, when they shout, the wall was fall. Maybe there was an earthquake or nothing happened, but the wall was fall. It is the work of the Lord.

It is devoted to the Lord so the people were asked do not to take anything from this city, only the gold, bronze, and iron are sacred to the Lord and must go into his treasury. For it belongs to the Lord.

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第六開始攻打取得應許之地，使用方式是繞城。60萬軍隊，繞城且不能說話，其實很容易，神是要考驗以色列人是否願意遵行神的旨意。人要聽話，神才會成就大事。如人要信才能得到救恩。如人中發票，必須按照規定去領，要帶應許的發票、證件才能拿到，雖然錢已經準備好了。神的吩咐合理或是不合理，只要遵行必得見神的作為。因為是可笑，無效的方法，才能顯明前面遇見的元帥的作為，不能憑約書亞自己的作戰方法，約書亞也全然信服耶和華元帥的話。人往往順服自己的理性判斷，想法，我們要信服神自己。這也是十字架道理的考驗。十字架在人看來是愚拙的，繞城表示以色列人的心完全敞開，他們心裏的堅固營壘、耶律哥城已經倒塌了。最難攻破的是人心裏的成見。耶律哥城不可重建，因為重建起來，表示人心裏的耶律哥城又建立起來了。林前1:18 因為十字架的道理，在那滅亡的人為愚拙；在我們得救的人，卻為神的大能。

神的心意是要救全耶律哥城，只有喇合願意順服而得救。人因信得救，至於他的身份，過去的事，被人瞧不起的人都不被神紀念。耶律哥城的其他人仍然背逆神，以致被滅亡。

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How?

Our God is the great God, no one can compare with Him. Obey the word of the Lord is the best way in my life.

Gilgal: Today I have rolled away the reproach of Egypt from you

 Joshua 5:1-15

At that time the Lord said to Joshua, “Make flint knives and circumcise the Israelites again.” So Joshua made flint knives and circumcised the Israelites at Gibeath Haaraloth.

The Israelites had moved about in the wilderness forty years until all the men who were of military age when they left Egypt had died, since they had not obeyed the Lord. For the Lord had sworn to them that they would not see the land he had solemnly promised their ancestors to give us, a land flowing with milk and honey.

Then the Lord said to Joshua, “Today I have rolled away the reproach of Egypt from you.” So the place has been called Gilgal to this day.

On the evening of the fourteenth day of the month, the Israelites celebrated the Passover. The day after the Passover, that very day, they ate some of the produce of the land: unleavened bread and roasted grain. The manna stopped the day after they ate this food from the land; there was no longer any manna for the Israelites, but that year they ate the produce of Canaan.

“Neither,” he replied, “but as commander of the army of the Lord I have now come.” Then Joshua fell facedown to the ground in reverence, and asked him, “What message does my Lord have for his servant?”

The rite of circumcision had not been practiced because the covenant itself had been neglected for 40 years as a result of the people's disbelief and disobedience. Now the sign of circumcision marks the new generation as God's own people THere is no fear of attack - the story of the Jordan crossing has stolen all courage from their enemies. 

It is the 14th day of the first month - the annual date of the Passover. There will never be a Passover like this one: the first taste of the produce in their own land.

The conquest of Canaan was a holy war. God was at the head of the army. No one knew this better than Joshua, after his encounter with 'the captain of the army of the Lord. Israeli knew it, as the Ark of God's presence led the forces.

Why?

Before Israelites get into the promised land, the Lord let them prepare their heart and their mind to receive the promised land. First, they have to circumcise themselves. It means rolled away the reproach of Egypt from them. Let them be the people of the Lord.

When they entered the promised land and when they ate the food of the land, mannan was stopped. The Israelites don't need to eat mannan anymore. The Lord provides them the food from the promised land.

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本章：似乎沒有問題，卻最需要警醒

受割禮：敵人最害怕的時候，我們自己的問題也處理好了，士氣最高昂。不是最好用兵的時候。如果聖經是人寫的不會如此寫。神的意念想法和我們不同，神是反向操作。第二次行割禮，在自己身上先劃一刀。最沒有戰力，先痛三天再去打戰。因為目前的以色列人都沒有受割禮，因為他們沒有聽耶和華的華的話，他們終日所想的就是今天要吃什麼?喝什麼?憑什麼摩西、亞倫有特權。即追求錢和權。我們信耶穌豈是為了有好生活而已?這一代人也要與神立約的子民。受割禮是除去羞辱，除去在埃及當奴隸的羞辱。與世人所想打勝仗就是除去羞辱並不同. 聽話與神立約才是神除去羞辱的方法論。神看重人與神的關係，不在乎成果。人與神有多少的連結，不在乎敵人多弱，自己多強。神讓人在於軟弱中還可以打勝仗，才會歸榮耀給神。人是否能經得起考驗在於人與神有多少連結。

吃當地土地產：以色列人出埃及後就沒有再守逾越節。人出了埃及，但是心沒有出埃及。直到進入應許之地，吃了當地出產，瑪哪停止，不是曠野了。真正出埃及才能去打仗。

約書亞將統帥交給遇見的神：面對耶和華軍隊的元帥。情況與摩西見到神一樣。神若沒有顯現，約書亞可能會很驕傲，因為目前情況大好。以前當奴隸沒有鞋穿，現在好不容易有鞋子穿，卻要我們脫掉鞋。以色列人都順服神了，約書亞是否願意讓出這位子給神，這次身份是耶和華的奴僕，放下自己的私慾、身份。這樣子我們才有可能成為神的僕人。

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How?

To serve the Lord first I have to prepare myself. For the Lord is Holy.

These stones are to be a memorial to the people of Israel forever

 Joshua 4:1-24

In the future, when your children ask you, ‘What do these stones mean?’ tell them that the flow of the Jordan was cut off before the ark of the covenant of the Lord. When it crossed the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan were cut off. These stones are to be a memorial to the people of Israel forever.”

That day the Lord exalted Joshua in the sight of all Israel; and they stood in awe of him all the days of his life, just as they had stood in awe of Moses.

The Lord your God did to the Jordan what he had done to the Red Sea when he dried it up before us until we had crossed over. He did this so that all the peoples of the earth might know that the hand of the Lord is powerful and so that you might always fear the Lord your God.

To commemorate the crossing forever after, stones are taken from the riverbed. 12 to mark the place where the priests had stood, and 12 to mark the Israelites 'first base camp in the new land, at Gilgal. This is the same stretch of the Jordan where John the Baptist's ministry and Jesus' baptism took place.

Why?

The Lord did great things like Moses brought people across the red sea. So the Lord exalted Joshua in the sight of all Israel. The Lord has the authority to make the river stop flowing and lift a man from normal to superman.

The 12 stones are to be a memorial to the people of Israel forever. For people is easy to forget the grace of the Lord when they are influenced by this world. Keep in might that the Lord is my way and my blessing only.

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chap2 要從過去的錯誤中醒過來。

chap3:不再提到要回埃及，斷開埃及，斷開罪中之樂。

chap4:過河時，每個支派要抬一顆大石頭，12支派立石為記，作為以色列人永遠的記念。本章要處理的事，過去經歷許多奇事，但是在神蹟後，就抱怨。人為什麼會忘記恩典?以為神為我施恩是神的責任。不把神的作為當作恩典，就會忘記神的恩典。只有我們知道我們是不配的，就會常常感恩。我們會常把恩典當作理所當然，這些本來會發生的事都是神的恩典，我們太習慣而是以為理所當然。

立石為證是為了將這事傳下去，永遠的記念，是信仰的傳承。目的是永遠記念耶和華我們的神。

若我們記得這樣恩典，我們如何回應呢?12個碑，表示他們的合一共同體，共同回應神的恩典。積極面對挑戰，以信心回應神的恩典。

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How?

Remember the grace of the Lord and remind God's favor every morning when I reading the Bible.

Advance across the Jordan

 Joshua 3:1-17

When you see the ark of the covenant of the Lord your God, and the Levitical priests carrying it, you are to move out from your positions and follow it. Then you will know which way to go, since you have never been this way before. But keep a distance of about two thousand cubits between you and the ark; do not go near it.

Joshua told the people, “Consecrate yourselves, for tomorrow the Lord will do amazing things among you.”

And the Lord said to Joshua, “Today I will begin to exalt you in the eyes of all Israel, so they may know that I am with you as I was with Moses. Tell the priests who carry the ark of the covenant: ‘When you reach the edge of the Jordan’s waters, go and stand in the river.’”

So when the people broke camp to cross the Jordan, the priests carrying the ark of the covenant went ahead of them. Now the Jordan is at flood stage all during harvest. Yet as soon as the priests who carried the ark reached the Jordan and their feet touched the water’s edge,  the water from upstream stopped flowing.

The priests who carried the ark of the covenant of the Lord stopped in the middle of the Jordan and stood on dry ground, while all Israel passed by until the whole nation had completed the crossing on dry ground.

It was spring - the first month of the Hebrew calendar. Which is March/April approaching the time of the barley harvest. The river was swollen with Mt Hermon's melted snows, not the best time for crossing. Yet, as the priests stepped into the floodwater, a blockage at Adam, about 29 km upstream, dammed the river, leaving the rive-bed dry. In 1927 earth tremors caused a collapse of the high clay river banks at the same spot, and the Jordan was banned for over 21 hours. As with the Red Sea crossing. 40 years earlier natural forces are employed to clear the way in a miracle of timing.

Why?

The miracle happened again like Moses led Israelites across the Red Sea. The difference is the priest with the ark stood in the Jordan River, the river stop flow.

This time Israelite consecrated themselves first. And Joshua knew the Lord will do the great thing.

Yet as soon as the priests who carried the ark reached the Jordan and their feet touched the water’s edge,  the water from upstream stopped flowing. The key point is the priest step into the water them the water stopped flowing. This is the step of the faith.

How?

Follow the covenant instead of following Joshua for the Lord is the real leader. And the Lord let Joshua be leader before his people.