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Bible Study �?Joshua

7 of 12 Studies

"The Power of God’s Promises"

Study 7: The Lord Fights for Israel.

1. Why is it often hard to trust God for the future even though he has been faithful in the past?

God demonstrates his faithfulness to every Christian. He strengthens us when we are weak, comforts us when we are suffering, heals us when we are sick. He provides for all of our physical, emotional and spiritual needs. After all this, why do we often find it difficult to trust him? Joshua and Israel had miraculously crossed the Jordan and conquered the city of Jericho and Ai. Yet in spite of these victories, they still needed to be reassured that God was with them.

2. Read Joshua 10. What do you imagine the Amorites and the Gibeonites were feeling as they prepared to battle each other (vv.1-6)?

3. The Lord tells Joshua, "Do not be afraid of them; I have given them into your hand" (v.8). After miraculously crossing the Jordan and conquering Jericho and Ai, why would Joshua need this reassurance?

4. In spite of past victories, in what areas do you need to be reassured of God’s presence and power? Explain.

5. Verse 14 concludes, "Surely the Lord was fighting for Israel!" How is this obvious from verse 9-15?

6. How would these events have provided the encouraged Joshua needed?

7. After the Lord reassured him, how does Joshua reassure his army about future battles (vv. 16-27)?

8. What can we do to encourage others about God’s faithfulness?

9. How does the Lord demonstrate his faithfulness to Israel during the southern campaign (vv.29-43)?

10. Read Joshua 11-12. After the stunning victories in the south, a new and more powerful force aligns itself against Israel (11:1-5). What thoughts do you imagine went through Joshua’s mind as he received reports of this new alliance?

11. During the northern campaign, how does Joshua demonstrate his obedience to the Lord (vv.6-23)?

12. Why is our obedience an important factor if we wish to see God’s power?

13. In chapters 11-12 we do not read of any miraculous intervention by God as we did in previous chapters. How did the Israelites know God was still the one giving them the victory?

14. How can we know that God is still with us even when we don’t see a miracle?

14. How can we know that God is still with us even when we don’t see a miracle? God said I will never leave you or forsake you, but when we are in the mist of the 'fog of doubt' we tend to ask ourselves, God are you with me? How many times I have prayed and it did not seem that God was listening. My spirit seemed as dry as dust, and my prayers unfruitful. It was a lesson that He taught me,

Our faith must be built on The Word of God, not our feelings. He is with us each and every step of the way,

Because he said that he would not leave us or forsake us!! He said he would send us the comforting of the Holy Spirit!! The unseen miracles are the greatest…the miracle of faith!!

Hi'dy Sis, thanks for your post,,looks like it is just the tow of us for a few days until Mary gets back hehe You are right, we can't go by the way we feel on a day to day bases, because our bodies are only flesh and bones, but our faith in God and His promises show that we are never without Him.

Study 7 summery.

Now the purpose of study 7 is to reassure us that God who has helped us in the past will be with us in our future battles.

Question 2. Adoni-Zedek’s concern is understandable. Israel’s advance from Jericho to Ai to Gibeon brought the closer and closer to Jerusalem and effectively cut the land of Canaan in half �?a strategic move toward all in the southern part of the land.

Question 5. Some of you may wonder how the sun could "stop" in the sky. Some have pointed out that in order for the sun to stop in the sky, the earth would have had to stop its rotation, which would cause everything else �?including the earth’s crust �?to continue forward in a destructive path. We need to remember that Joshua is not recording a natural phenomenon, but rather a miracle. Surely God who created the world and set in place the "laws of nature" could also suspend those laws for his purposes. Verse 13 mentions "the Book of Jashar," which evidently was an early history of Israel’s wars (see 2 Sam. 1:18).

Question 11. Verse 20 says, "For it was the Lord himself who hardened their hearts to wage war against Israel, so that he might destroy them totally, exterminating them without mercy." We must not forget that mercy is not something God owes to a sinful people. If that seems unjust to some of you, I would mention that, justice is exactly what the Canaanites received �?justice in the form of judgement for centuries of sin (see Gen. 15:16).

Friends we can be assured that when the enemy comes against us, God will be there with us!! He will help us fight our battles..all we have to do is call on Him!

I will post Study 8 a little later tonight. God Bless All, Sister Betty

Hey Girls, Looks like I have been falling behind. This reunion is finally over and now I can get back into the grove of things as soon as I get some strength back from all the running I have been having to do. I will hopefully be posting my Bible Studies by the end of the week or week.

Love Ya, Mary

Well, I am finally getting Study 7 Posted. In Joshua 10 the Lord tells Joshua verse 8, "Do not be afraid of them; I have given them into your hand." Because we are children of God, just like a small child we constantly need reassurance. That is our flesh. If we didn't need reassurance than what good would it be if we had a God that we didn't need.

In verse 14 it tells us that The Lord fought for Israel because of the great hailstones, the sun stood still and the moon stayed, which were all evidence that the Lord was still with Joshua and his army. Certainly, that was no man-made weapon. It is still that way today, the Lord still fights for us because he has given us a supernatural weapon that we all can use. What is our evidence--We have his word, our Bible, which is our sword, and just calling on His Name hold power.

The Lord brought Israel to battle and he was with them in battle. That was evident because of the hailstones, etc. Just remember,

"If he brings you to it, He'll bring your through it!"

We can all encourage others to stand on God's promises. His Truth is just that--Truth. He cannot tell a lie. He tells us he will not forsake us and victory will be ours. When we think we have had all about we can stand, we need to go to his word and let him reassure us that the answer is on the way. Some times God wants to prune us or our loved ones. Sometimes we must hit bottom because we can bounce back to the top.

Just like Joshua, we must above all and most importantly, be obedient to God. There will be many battles in our life and we realize that sometimes it will get worse before it gets better. That is when we need reassuring and must be strong in faith so that we can win the war. If we are not obedient to God then doubt and lack of trust will stand in front of us and thus we will not win the battle, as a matter of fact we won't even finish the battle. Even when we do not see or experience miracles, God will get us through. His faithfullness, his word and his promises are that victory is always our as long as we are obedient, we seek his guidance and trust him with all our heart.

Thank you Cousin Mary, your post has been a real blessing for me today and I needed to be reassured. I have my weak moments like everyone else, not that my faith in God or His promises has weakened, but because I am flesh and bone. But it is in my weakness that God is made evident, like with Israel, and I know that with God to help me fight my battles here on earth,,the victory is mine. Praise His Holy name!!

Thanks for the reminder that, "If He brings me to it--He will bring me throught it!! Hallelujiah!!!

Important Announcement The MSN Groups service will close in February 2009. You can move your group to Multiply, MSN’s partner for online groups. Learn More
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