Joshua called all of the children of Israel together     verse 1

 And Joshua gathered all the tribes of Israel to Shechem

            and called for the elders of Israel – their heads – their judges

their officers and they presented themselves before God

 Joshua states a history lesson: Abraham to Jacob  verse 2- 4

 And Joshua said to all the people

Thus says the LORD God of Israel

Your fathers dwelt on the other side of the flood in old time

            even Terah – the father of Abraham – the father of Nachor

                        and they served other gods

And I took your father Abraham from the other side of the flood

            and led him throughout all the land of Canaan

                        and multiplied his seed – and gave him Isaac

And I gave to Isaac Jacob and Esau

            and I gave to Esau mount Seir – to possess it

BUT Jacob and his children went down into Egypt

 Joshua states a history lesson: Moses to wilderness verse 5- 7

 I sent Moses also and Aaron – and I plagued Egypt

according to that which I did among them

                        and afterward I brought you out

I brought your fathers out of Egypt – and you came to the sea

            and the Egyptians pursued after your fathers with

                        chariots and horsemen unto the Red sea

            and when they cried to the LORD

HE put darkness between you and the Egyptians

and brought the sea on them – and covered them

and your eyes have seen what I have done in Egypt

and you dwelt in the wilderness a long season 

Joshua states a history lesson: East side of Jordan  verse 8- 10

 I brought you into the land of the Amorites

            which dwelt on the other side Jordan

And they fought with you – and I gave them into your hand

            that you might possess their land

                        and I destroyed them from before you

THEN Balak – the son of Zipor – king of Moab

            arose and warred against Israel

                        and sent and called Balaam the son of Beor to curse you

                                    BUT I would not hearken to Balaam

THEREFORE he blessed you still

            SO I delivered you out of his hand 

Joshua gives current history: Victory                         verse 11- 13

 And you went over Jordan – and came to Jericho

            and the men of Jericho fought against you

                        Amorites – Perizzites – Canaanites – Hittites – Jebusites

            and I delivered them into your hand

            and I sent the hornet before you

                        which drove them out from before you

                                    even the two kings of Amorites

  BUT not with your sword – nor with your bow

            and I have given you a land for which you did not labor

                        and cities which you built not – and you dwell in them

                                    of the vineyards and olive yards

                                                which you planted not do you eat 

Joshua challenges to serve the LORD alone            verse 14- 15

 Now therefore FEAR the LORD

and SERVE HIM in sincerity and in truth

and put away the gods which your fathers served

on the other side of the flood and in Egypt

and SERVE you the LORD

And IF it seem evil to you to SERVE the LORD

CHOOSE you this day whom you will SERVE

whether the gods which your fathers SERVED

that were on the other side of the flood

or the gods of the Amorites

in whose land ye dwell

BUT as for me and my house – we will SERVE the LORD

 People promise to follow the LORD                          verse 16- 18

 And the people

answered and said

God forbid that we should forsake the LORD – to SERVE other gods

            FOR the LORD our God – HE it is that brought us up

and our fathers out of the land of Egypt

                                    from the house of bondage

                        and which did those great signs in our sight

                                    and preserved us in all the way wherein we went

                                                and among all the people through

                                                            whom we passed

                        and the LORD drove out from before us all the people

                                    even the Amorites which dwelt in the land

THEREFORE, will we also SERVE the LORD

            FOR HE is our God 

Joshua warns of judgment for lack of service        verse 19- 20

 And Joshua

said to the people       

You cannot SERVE the LORD – FOR HE is an HOLY God

            HE is a JEALOUS God

            HE will not forgive your transgressions nor your sins

IF you forsake the LORD – and SERVE strange gods

            THEN HE will turn and do you hurt – and consume you

                        after that HE has done you good

 People say they will follow LORD                                  verse 21

 And the people

said to Joshua

NAY – BUT we will SERVE the LORD

 Joshua replies to people                                             verse 22- 23

 And Joshua

said to the people

You are witnesses against yourselves that you have CHOSEN

you the LORD – to SERVE HIM

And they said

            We are witnesses

NOW therefore put away – said HE

the strange gods which are among you

and incline your heart unto the LORD God of Israel

 People promise again to serve LORD alone               verse 24

 And the people

said to Joshua

The LORD our God will we SERVE

            and HIS voice will we OBEY 

Joshua records peoples promise                                  verse 25- 26

 So Joshua made a COVENANT with the people that day

            and set them a statute and an ordinance in Shechem

And Joshua wrote these words in the book of the law of God

            and took a great stone – and set it up there under an oak

                        that was by the sanctuary of the LORD

 Witness stone                                                                          verse 27

 And Joshua

said to all the people

BEHOLD – this stone shall be a witness to us

            FOR it has heard all the words of the LORD which HE

spoke unto us – it shall be therefore a witness to you

                                    lest you DENY your God

 Joshua sends all the people home                                   verse 28

 So Joshua let the people depart

            every man unto his inheritance

 Joshua died                                                                       verse 29- 30

 And it came to pass after these things that Joshua – the son of Nun

the servant of the LORD – DIED

being an hundred and ten years old

And they buried him in the border of his inheritance in Timnath-serah

which is in mount Ephraim – on the north side of the hill of Gaash

 People served LORD for one generation                   verse 31

 And Israel SERVED the LORD all the days of Joshua

and all the days of the elders that over lived Joshua

      and which had known all the works of the LORD

                                    that HE had done for Israel            

Joseph’s bones buried in Shechem                                 verse 32

 And the bones of Joseph – which the children of Israel brought up out of Egypt

buried they in Shechem – in the parcel of ground which Jacob

brought of the sons of Hamor – the father of Shechem

for a hundred pieces of silver – and it became the

inheritance of the children of Joseph

 Eleazar died and buried                                                   verse 33

 And Eleazar – the son of Aaron DIED

and they buried him in a hill that pertained to Phinehas his son

                        which was given him in mount Ephraim     

                                         COMMENTARY:            

DAILY SPIRITUAL BREAKFAST: Young Believers           

: 2        And Joshua said to all the people, Thus says the LORD God of Israel, Your fathers dwelt on the other side of the flood in old time, even Terah, the father of Abraham, and the father of Nachor: and they served other gods. (5769 “old time” [‘owlam] means perpetual, ancient, long time, duration, past times or states of affairs, antiquity, or a long time ago)

DEVOTION: The LORD started with a group of people who worshiped false gods in the land that they were living. HE took this family away from where they were living to show them a new land. HE introduced HIMSELF to this family to show them that there was a different God they could worship.

Once they were introduced to the LORD they began to follow HIM. HE gave them promises that were fulfilled over a thousand years later. HE showed them that HE was good to HIS word in the life of Abraham. HE gave Abram a son through Sarah. They thought it was impossible but HE did it.

HE showed Abraham HIS power and gave him instructions regarding proper worship. This Abraham passed on to HIS son. Isaac passed it on to Jacob. Jacob was one who learned the hard way who God was after he ran from his brother because of his tricking his father into believing he was Esau.

Now the descendants of Jacob or Israel are in the Promised Land. They have seen the LORD work in their life and were challenged by Joshua to not worship the false gods of the LORD.

We need to receive the same challenge. Are we truly worshiping the one TRUE GOD or some of the gods of the lands even today?

CHALLENGE:  God doesn’t share well. HE wants our total commitment to HIM alone.

 

DAILY SPIRITUAL LUNCH: Transitional Believers 

: 14      Now therefore fear the LORD, and serve him in sincerity and in truth: and put away the gods which your fathers served on the other side of the flood, and in Egypt; and serve you the LORD. (8549 “sincerity” [tamiym] means entire, without blemish, complete, full, perfect, without spot, undefiled, whole or upright)

DEVOTION:  In the last chapter Joshua had gathered the leaders of the nation together. This time he gathers all of the people before the Sanctuary to challenge them to serve the LORD after his death.

Joshua was ending his life. He knew how hard it would be for the people to follow the LORD. He gave them a history lesson. He started at Abraham until the present day. He told how Abraham had to set aside other gods to follow the LORD. He did it willingly.

He continued with a history of them living in the land of Egypt with all their false gods. He told of their wanderings in the wildness which would remind them of all the times they went after other gods instead of the LORD. Even Aaron made the golden calf for them to worship while Moses was on the mountain with the LORD

 He wanted the children of Israel to serve the LORD after his death. He reviews all the blessings that the LORD had given them. He challenged them to put away all false gods. He challenged them to serve the LORD. He told them that the LORD was holy. He told them that the LORD was a Jealous God. He told them that HE would not forgive their sins if they continued to move away from HIM.

They told Joshua that they would serve the LORD. This was done in front of the Sanctuary. Joshua took a great stone as a witness to their promise to serve the LORD. He stated that the stone had heard their promise. They needed a physical witness to remind that they had promised, so that, they would not deny the LORD.

We can find that many people will say that they will serve the LORD but sometimes it is just an outward appearance. Some people look real good in church. Some people talk real good in church. Some people look like they give a lot to the church.

Joshua was concerned that when the children of Israel worshipped the LORD, they did it completely. He wanted them to be truthful in their actions.

Praise the LORD that we can come to the LORD and completely worship HIM. When we worship, we can turn away from anything and anyone who stands between our LORD and us. The choice is real. It is a daily choice to worship the LORD.

Our salvation is based on   the shed blood of Jesus Christ but our fellowship is based on our daily walk with the LORD. Let us keep close fellowship with the LORD.

CHALLENGE: Are we giving our complete allegiance to the LORD? Are we helping others to follow HIM?

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 : 15      And if it seems evil to you to serve the LORD, choose you this day whom you will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD. (1004 “house” [bayith] means household, family, social unit living together, tent, quarters, lineage, or permanent dwelling place, or a place of worship.)

DEVOTION:  I was brought up in a religious family. We went to many different churches until I became a believer at summer camp and started attending a church that taught the Word of God faithfully from age twelve until I went to college.

The LORD gave my wife and I five children. One is with the LORD after five weeks. The other four are adults with their own families. We have thirteen grandchildren.

Now Joshua set the standard for those who want to raise the families to serve the LORD. He told the nation of Israel that they had a choice to make. They could either serve false gods or the one TRUE God of the Bible. He chose the ONE TRUE GOD.

Today we have to make a choice as to who we will raise our families to worship. I raised my family to worship the ONE TRUE GOD. I tried to have devotions with the children as they grew up. They didn’t like my singing after reading the Bible. (No comment Jeanne – I was not accepted in three choirs. They said I couldn’t carry a tune.)

However, now they are making the choice that Joshua challenged the children of Israel to make. They have to raise their children to honor the LORD. Each is trying to do this today.

It is my prayer that all my grandchildren will grow up and raise their families to honor the LORD. That should be the prayers of all grandparents. We have to still set an example for our grandchildren.

CHALLENGE: Can you say with Joshua that “as for me and my house we will serve the LORD?”

DAILY SPIRITUAL SUPPER: Mature Believers

: 19      And Joshua said to the people, You cannot serve the LORD: for HE is an holy God; HE is a jealous God; HE will not forgive your transgressions nor your sins. (7072 “jealous” [qannow] means fiercely protective and unaccepting of disloyalty, a desire for exclusivity in relationship, or expresses a very strong emotion)

DEVOTION:  Too often we think that we can only partially follow the LORD when it is convenient. Joshua puts that idea down. He informs those who are going to live beyond him that God is not one who accepts partial obedience.

HE makes it known that God is a HOLY God. HE expects HIS people to be HOLY. HE wants them to work out their salvation with fear and trembling. HE wants them to understand that HE will not put up with their continual sin. HE wants them to serve HIM only.

This warning was necessary for them and for us. Too often we see ourselves as given a choice to either serve the LORD or serve self. Too often there are people who think they are believers but their life doesn’t show it by their attendance in church and by their knowledge of the Word of God. Ignorance is not something the LORD approves of in HIS children.

Joshua continues to warn that HE will get to the point where HE will not forgive their sins because of their attitude. This is happening even today. There are many Christians who are taking communion each month without really examining their life. Before too long the LORD will send the weakness, sickness and premature death their way and they will wonder what is happening.

Remember that all sickness is not because of sin in the life of a believer. It is sometime just a way for the LORD to cause the believer to mature in the faith more. God wants us to be totally dependent on HIM.

               : 20      If you forsake the LORD, and serve strange gods, then HE                                    will turn and do you hurt, and consume you, after that HE                                has done you good (7489 “hurt” [ra’a] means to treat                                         badly, to cause great unhappiness, distress, to do injury,                               or to bring trouble)

DEVOTION:  The Bible brings out the fact that God can either bless a group of people or HE can cause great unhappiness in a group of people.

Here we have Joshua warning the children of Israel that they can receive either from the LORD according to their obedience to HIM. HE will not put up with them if they choose to worship other gods. These gods are false and HE is the only true God.

So each generation has to make a choice regarding who they are going to worship. It is either the ONE TRUE GOD or a false god. There is no middle grown with the LORD. HE wants those who claim to be HIS people to worship HIM alone. HE doesn’t share well or at all.

The children of Israel throughout their history had times where they worshipped false gods and the LORD had to judge them during those times. HE is a God who cares for HIS people but part of HIS caring is that HE has to discipline those who are not faithful in their service to HIM.

We see this in the Old Testament and we see it in the New Testament. The LORD has never been one to sit and watch those who claim to be followers of HIM sin and do nothing about it. HE judges to get the attention of those who claim to be followers but are not.

Today we find that there are many churches and pastors that claim to be following the LORD but their daily life is saying that they are not truly following HIM. They might come to church but the rest of the week they do as they please which is not pleasing to the LORD.

They expect HIM to forgive them and let it slide but that is not how HE works HE wants us to be faithful day in and day out. We have to confess our sins daily and then with HIS help try not to commit the same sins again. HE is forgiving and HE is longsuffering. HE understands our trials but HE also knows when we are trying and when we are not trying to serve HIM.

What does the LORD know about your daily life with HIM that needs improving? Are we trying to improve and stop sinning or are we thinking that HE will continually forgive us for the same sin and not discipline us?

CHALLENGE: The LORD is a loving God who will not let those who are genuine believers continue in sin. HE will discipline them.

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DISCIPLINES OF THE FAITH:

BODY 

Chastity (Purity in living)

Fasting (Time alone with LORD without eating or drinking)

Sacrifice (Giving up something we want to serve the LORD)

Submission (Willing to listen to others and LORD)

Solitude (Going to a quiet place without anyone) 

SOUL 

Fellowship (Gathering together around the Word of God)

Frugality (wise use of resources)

Journalizing (Writing down what you have learned from the LORD) 

                          Joshua wrote these words in a book                       verse 26 

Study and Meditation (Thinking through your study in the Word)

Secrecy (Doing your good deeds without others knowing but God) 

SPIRIT

Celebration (Gathering around a special occasion to worship LORD)

Confession (Tell the LORD we are sorry for our sins on a daily basis)

Prayer (Conversation with God on a personal level) 

Cried to the LORD                                                   verse 7 

Silence (Letting the LORD deal with some problems and needs)

Worship (Time to praise the LORD alone or in a group) 

Aaron                                                                            verse 5

Sanctuary of the LORD                                           verse 26

Stone is a witness                                                      verse 26, 27

Eleazar – son of Aaron died                                   verse 33 

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DOCTRINES OF THE FAITH:

Scripture (66 inerrant books of the Bible) 

Covenant                                                                    verse 25

Statute                                                                        verse 25

Ordinance                                                                  verse 25

Book of the Law                                                        verse 26

Words of the LORD                                                 verse 27 

God the Father (First person of the Godhead) 

God – Elohim (Creator)                                           verse 1, 2, 18,                                                                                                19, 23, 24,                                                                                                  26, 27

LORD – Jehovah (Covenant-keeping, Personal)   verse 2, 7,                                                                                                     14- 24, 27,                                                                                                   29, 31

LORD God of Israel                                                    verse 2, 23

LORD not hearkening to Balaam                           verse 10

LORD blessed Israel                                                 verse 10

LORD delivered                                                        verse 10, 11

LORD gave land to Israel                                        verse 13

LORD our God                                                           verse 17, 24

Signs and wonders                                                  verse 17

Serve the LORD, He is our God                            verse 18

He is a holy God                                                        verse 19

He is a jealous God                                                  verse 19

HE will do you hurt                                                 verse 20

Sanctuary of the LORD                                          verse 26

Servant of the LORD                                              verse 29

Works of the LORD                                                 verse 31 

God the Son (Second person of the Godhead –God/man, Messiah)

God the Holy Spirit (Third person of the Godhead – our comforter)

Trinity (Three persons of the Godhead who are co-equal = ONE God)     

Angels (Created before the foundation of the world – Good and Evil)

Man (Created on the sixth twenty-four hour period of creation) 

Terah                                                                          verse 2

Abraham                                                                    verse 2, 3

            Father of Nachor

            Served other gods

            Lead to land of Canaan

            Isaac

Canaan                                                                       verse 3

Isaac                                                                           verse 3

Jacob and Esau                                                         verse 4

Esau given Mount Seir                                           verse 4

Egypt                                                                           verse 4- 7, 14,                                                                                                 17, 32

  Plagued

Amorites                                                                     verse 8, 11, 12,                                                                                                      15, 18

Balak – king of Moab                                               verse 9

Balaam                                                                        verse 9, 10

Perizzites                                                                    verse 11

Canaanites                                                                 verse 11

Hittites                                                                        verse 11

Girgashites                                                                verse 11

Hivites                                                                         verse 11

Jebusites                                                                     verse 11 

Sin (Missing the mark set by God on man and angels) 

Serving other gods                                                    verse 2, 14-                                                                                                  16,  20, 23

Evil                                                                                 verse 15

Forsake the LORD                                                     verse 16, 20

Transgressions                                                          verse 19

Sins                                                                               verse 19

Deny God                                                                    verse 27 

Salvation (Provided by Christ’s death on the cross for our sins) 

Blessing                                                                       verse 10

Deliverance                                                               verse 10, 11

Fear the LORD                                                           verse 14

Serve the LORD in sincerity and truth              verse 14, 15,                                                                                                              18, 19, 21,                                                                                                              24, 31

Put away false gods                                                  verse 14

Choose this day                                                         verse 15, 22

Household decision                                                  verse 15

Preserved                                                                    verse 17

Holy                                                                              verse 19

Forgive                                                                         verse 19

Good                                                                             verse 20

Witness                                                                       verse 22

Incline your heart                                                    verse 23

Obey HIS voice                                                          verse 24

Covenant                                                                    verse 25

Inheritance                                                                verse 28, 30,                                                                                                    32

Servant                                                                         verse 29 

Israel (Old Testament people of God) 

Joshua gathers people before the LORD            verse 1- 31

            As for me and my house we will

                        serve the LORD

            Servant of the LORD

            Died at 110 years old

            Buried in Timnath-serah

Elders of Israel                                                          verse 1

Moses                                                                           verse 5

Aaron                                                                          verse 5

Covenant with people                                            verse 25

Inheritance                                                               verse 28

Served the LORD all the days of Joshua

            and all the days of elders that

            outlived Joshua                                            verse 31

Bones of Joseph buried in Shechem                  verse 32 

Church (New Testament people of God)

Last Things (Future Events)

Joshua died (age 110)                                             verse 29

Eleazar  the priest died                                         verse 33 

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QUOTES regarding passage

31 That the people were faithful “throughout the lifetime of Joshua” is eloquent testimony to the power of Joshua’s influence and the effectiveness of personal experience. The memorials, confessions, and rituals of covenant renewal were designed to keep the people loyal, but these were not adequate forever. What happened in the next generation is described in Judges 2:10–15. (Madvig, D. H. (1992). Joshua. In F. E. Gaebelein (Ed.), The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Deuteronomy, Joshua, Judges, Ruth, 1 & 2 Samuel (Vol. 3, p. 371). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House.)

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Israel was “married” to Jehovah, and He would not tolerate any rivals in their hearts. He is a jealous God (Ex. 20:5) and a holy God, and He could never permit them to be divided in their loyalty. Just as a husband and wife are faithful to their marriage vows and jealously guard their mate’s affection, so Israel and the Lord had to be faithful to each other.

Joshua warned them what would happen if they didn’t get rid of their idols: They would eventually forsake the Lord, and then He would have to chasten them. They would lose all the blessings He had so graciously given them in the Promised Land. Their great need was to cleanse their hearts of allegiance to other gods and to incline their hearts only to the Lord (Josh. 24:23). If they persisted in their hidden disloyalty, God would not forgive them (Ex. 23:21) but would punish them for their sins.

Three times the people affirmed their desire to serve only the Lord (Josh. 24:16–18, 21, 24), and Joshua took them at their word. So that they wouldn’t forget this solemn covenant with Jehovah, Joshua wrote it in the Book of the Law and then set up a large stone as a perpetual witness to their agreement. This is the ninth and last memorial mentioned in the Book of Joshua. The nine memorials are: (Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). Be Strong (p. 155). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.)

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 Ver. 31. And the children of Israel served the Lord all the days of Joshua, &c.] Without going into idolatrous practices: and all the days of the elders that overlived Joshua; that lived a few years longer than he; some of them that came young out of Egypt, and were now elderly men; and some of them doubtless were of the court of the seventy elders; these could not overlive Joshua a great many years, for, in the times of Cushan-rishathaim, Israel fell into idolatry, Judg. 2:6, 7, 8. and which had known all the works of the Lord, that he had done for Israel; in Egypt, at the Red sea, in the wilderness, as well as since their coming into the land of Canaan. (Gill, J. (1810). An Exposition of the Old Testament (Vol. 2, p. 277). London: Mathews and Leigh.)

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24:30, 31 Joshua was buried on his own land, in the city he had asked for and built, Timnath Serah (19:50). The Old Greek versions have a lengthy and fascinating addition in v. 30, stating that Joshua was buried in the tomb with the flint knives with which he had circumcised the Israelites years earlier, and that they were still there “to this day.” (Radmacher, E. D., Allen, R. B., & House, H. W. (1999). Nelson’s new illustrated Bible commentary (p. 302). Nashville: T. Nelson Publishers.)

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C. Three burials (24:28–33). The book concludes with three burials. These have meanings which look both to the past and to the future. First, usage of the land for burials represents possession and ownership in a special way and looks back to God’s giving the land to Israel. Joseph did not want to be buried in Egypt because it was not his land. The burial of these three great figures in Canaan is a powerful sign that Canaan belonged to the Israelites and that they were there to stay. The prestige of Shechem is enhanced by Joseph’s burial there.

Second, the deaths of two members of the conquest generation, Joshua (v. 29) and Eleazar (v. 32), serve to mark the end of the era of obedience to God’s will and anticipates the apostasies of the Book of Judges. (Bowling, A. C. (1995). Joshua. In Evangelical Commentary on the Bible (Vol. 3, p. 157). Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Book House.)

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FROM MY READING: 

(Remember the only author that I totally agree with is the HOLY SPIRIT in the inerrant WORD OF GOD called THE BIBLE! All other I try to gleam what I can to help me grow in the LORD!!)

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Fighting Words

As for me and my house, we will serve the LORD. JOSHUA 24:15

During the critical Civil War battle at Gettysburg, a key engagement occurred near the crest of a hill called Little Round Top. A Union regiment under the command of Colonel Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain was charged with defending this strategic position. If the Rebels flanked his unit, the rear of the Union army would be exposed and the battle would probably be lost. “You are to hold your ground at all costs,” Chamberlain was commanded. Again, and again, Rebel soldiers stormed the regiment’s location. Again and again, Chamberlain and his men repelled the assault. They answered fire with fire and held the high ground with a tenacious stand of bravery.

Today, our nation has a Little Round Top of our own—the family. And like Colonel Chamberlain’s heroic defense in 1863, our modern battle demands unwavering courage from everyone involved. The courage of husbands and wives who will turn from the seductive voices of the culture and make their marriages work. The courage of moms and dads who will reject the poisons of materialism, choosing instead to use biblical principles to shape the conscience and character of the next generation. We are living in a culture where parents spend fewer than 15 minutes a week in serious discussion with their children. Where about half of marriages eventually end in divorce. Where decades of moral relativism have left many of us pessimistic about whether we can even enjoy family success under our own roof, let alone win the cultural battle at large.

Now is the time to fight for your family. And in the words of Colonel Chamberlain’s superiors, I call you to “hold your ground at all costs.” Stand firm!

DISCUSS
What are the leading causes of fatigue in the battle for your family? What is one critical step that you need to take to protect those you love the most?

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Genesis 15
God confirms His covenant with Abraham.

INSIGHT

“Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness” (James 2:23). Faith is central to the Christian experience. In fact, without faith, there is no Christian experience.

Why is faith so important? Because we cannot make ourselves righteous — any more than a cracked window can make itself uncracked.

We have sinned and only God can make us righteous. Faith then is the only thing we can do — and even our faith is a gracious gift of God!  (Quiet Walk)

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THE HOLY SPIRIT AND THE CREATION OF THE WORLD

And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.  Genesis 1:2
We are going to remind ourselves of what we are told in the Scriptures about the activity of the Holy Spirit before the Day of Pentecost. First of all, we start at the very creation of the world. The second verse in the Bible says, “And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.” He was operative in the creation of the world. God the Father has made everything through the Son by the Holy Spirit. The blessed Trinity is operative in the whole work, always, but the labor is divided up. And, of course, you will remember that the Holy Spirit is especially involved in connection with the creation of man.
The second is the work of the Holy Spirit in sustaining or maintaining the creation. Now there are many statements about this; I shall simply quote two. In Isaiah 40:7 we read, “The grass withers, the flower fades: but the spirit of the LORD blows upon it.” But still more strikingly, in Psalm 104 you will find a magnificent description of creation that is perhaps unsurpassed anywhere in the Bible. The psalmist makes the point that if the Lord withholds Himself or His power or His Spirit from creation, it all begins to droop and to wane, to perish and to die. If He puts His Spirit back again, it all revives. It is the Holy Spirit who sustains creation. Now you will find statements in the Scripture that say that the Son does that, and the answer is, of course, that the Son does it through the Holy Spirit. So the Holy Spirit has been active from the commencement in sustaining and maintaining the universe.
A Thought to Ponder: The Son sustains creation through the Holy Spirit.
               (From God the Holy Spirit, pp. 23-24, by Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones)

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Touch Not Mine Anointed
“And [David] said unto his men, The LORD forbid that I should do this thing unto my master, the LORD’s anointed, to stretch forth mine hand against him, seeing he is the anointed of the LORD.” (1 Samuel 24:6)
These words have been widely misappropriated in later times as a warning to any who would presume to question or rebuke an erring pastor or other Christian leader. In the theocracy of Israel, there were three groups of men specially chosen by God and then anointed for their offices—prophets, priests, and kings—and God indeed “suffered no man to do them wrong” (Psalm 105:14). However, all three offices were completely fulfilled in Christ. The Levitical priesthood has been abolished, and Christ is our eternal high priest. The prophetic office ceased with the completion of the Scriptures, and Christ has inherited David’s throne forever.
As far as New Testament anointing is concerned, this is now accomplished in every true believer. “Now he which…hath anointed us, is God; Who hath also sealed us, and given the earnest of the Spirit in our hearts” (2 Corinthians 1:21- 22). No longer are we dependent on special instruction and guidance from priests and prophets, for we have the inerrant, infallible, written Word of God and the anointing of the Holy Spirit. “The anointing which ye have received of him abideth in you, and ye need not that any man teach you: but as the same anointing teacheth you of all things, and is truth, and is no lie, and even as it hath taught you, ye shall abide in him” (1 John 2:27).
Christians can, and should, learn and grow spiritually from godly teachers of the Word and faithful pastors of the flock, but all—leaders as well as learners—must continually be subject to correction from God’s Word, “neither as being lords over God’s heritage, but being examples to the flock” (1 Peter 5:3).

                           (HMM, by The Institute for Creation Research 

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