Joshua tells of the great Gibeonite deception. The Gibeonites become exceptionally fearful after the fall of the two walled fortresses of Jericho and Ai. They take counsel among their elders to plan a survival strategy. These Amorites also were a significant clan. The strategy revolves around the sending of ambassadors, who will appear to have travelled from a far country. The clothes and provisions of these emissaries together with their crafty talk will hopefully beguile the Israelites and allow them to offer terms of peace. When the Gibeonites come and discuss the purpose of their visit ie to acknowledge the greatness of Yahweh, Israel’s God, the elders of Israel were deceived. A treaty between the two nations is signed without taking counsel from God. Three days later Israel discovers the deception and find themselves in a quandary. The Gibeonites are near neighbours of Israel. They have sworn an oath to wipe out all of the Canaanites and at the same time they have made a covenant of peace with the Amorites of Gibeon. Some of the congregation are angry with the elders of Israel and want to destroy the deceiving Amorites. God tells Joshua that they must not do this. Joshua counsels Israel to make the Gibeonites servants to the nation – cutters of wood and drawers of water. Despite the deception of these people subsequent history shows them to be among the most faithful people of the land in their association with Israel’s God. The become the Nethinim who are later given by the LORD to aid the Levites. And while in Babylonian captivity the faith of many of these men and women is preserved. They made up a great proportion of the exiles who returned to Israel after the 70 years’ captivity.

From chapters 13-39 of Isaiah’s prophecy there is an historical focus on Judah’s neighbouring nations. Chapters 13-14 tell of judgments on Babylon. Verses 1-16 describe in graphic detail the punishments that were to fall upon this guilty nation. These judgments are described as the day of Yahweh, as the vengeance of His temple (in Jeremiah). The LORD was mustering among the nations a force that would carry out His vengeance upon Babylon. The horrific acts of this avenging army are told in these verses. It would humble that proud empire. They would be left no place for escape and would feel like a fleeing gazelle pursued by her hunters. Verses 17-18 tell us that the coalition headed by the Medes was the principal instrument that the Almighty was to use. How remarkably accurate is our Sovereign’s prophetic Word. Verses 19-22 tell us the vast devastation that would occur when Babylon is overthrown. It was to be a howling wilderness inhabited by the wild beasts. To the Arabians it was to become a cursed and desolate place.

1 Timothy 4 commences with signposts which mark out the coming departure from true teachings – 1) a belief in evil and deceitful spirits; 2) a celibate clergy forbidden marriage; 3) the refraining from eating certain foods ie meat on Fridays and during Lent leading up to Easter – all foods are for our eating as long as we have offered a prayer of thanksgiving before eating. In verses 6-10 we have the third faithful saying, “bodily exercise is of some value, but godliness Greek “eusebia”) is profitable in every way, benefiting present daily life, and offering the hope of eternal life in the kingdom of our Lord Jesus Christ”. It is essential that believers be reminded of the necessity to be pure in thought, word and action. Such diligence will save both the teacher and the hearer alike. In chapter 5 we are told the type of respect to be shown to elderly believers. Next follows instructions on the proper treatment of widows. It tells families to show their commitment and care for the widows before requesting aid from the ecclesia. However, widows whose faith and actions stand as a witness to their commitment to Christ Jesus and His Father should be supported in their needs. Older members of the flock of God who have diligently proclaimed the Word of God must be honoured (compare Hebrews 13 verses 7, 17). Those whose words and actions show a failure to continue in the beliefs and behaviour of the Truth are to be openly rebuked. Be careful in the choice of those commissioned to faithful service. Timothy should drink wine moderately for reasons of health. Sometimes the faithfulness of some believers is evident; and sometimes the wrongdoing of believers is seen. But not always. Beware of hypocrisy, but be assured it will be unmasked in the kingdom of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Joshua 8 tells of the strategy in the taking of Ai and the events that led up to this conquest. After the shameful defeat of chapter 7 Joshua is encouraged to return and take the city by surprise by using an ambush and pincer movement to encircle and trap the Amorite army. Thirty thousand men remained silent and hidden in thickets near Ai while Joshua and the bulk of the army made a front line attack against the city. The army pretended to be in panic and lured the Amorites from the city which was then smitten while the Amorites were pursuing Israel. The occupiers of the city than came out against the Amorite army and Joshua stretched out his spear, when the LORD said that the moment was right, and the fleeing Israelites turned to encircle the enemy and destroy them. The entire populace of Ai was destroyed and their livestock taken by Israel as spoil. The city was burned by fire and then buried under a heap of stones. Verses 30-35 describes Joshua taking Israel to Shechem, building the altar of Yahweh on Mount Ebal, offering sacrifices, writing on plastered stones the blessings and curses from the book of Deuteronomy and pronouncing these blessings and curses on each of the six tribes on Ebal – for curses – and blessings on the six tribes on Mount Gerazim. Both natural Israelites and the strangers in their midst assented to the words of the covenant.

Joshua 7 tells of Israel’s first military defeat and the reason it happened. All was not well in the camp of Israel, though only a few knew of this. The next city that is to be conquered was Ai, another powerful walled fortress. So remarkably easy was the fall of Jericho that a sense of self confidence was developing within Israel. The elders of the nation saw no necessity for all the army to attack Ai. Let a few thousand men go up they said. And they were soundly beaten on their first attempt. Joshua takes the matter to the Almighty in prayer and is told of the cause of the problem. Israel’s covetousness. For although only one man, Achan had taken spoil from the devoted goods, the whole nation had wanted to. Early the next morning Joshua rose and lots were cast to see who was responsible for the military defeat. Achan was chosen by the casting of lots and asked by Joshua to confess his sin. As Achan describes what he had done we see the classic pattern of sin – seeing, desiring and taking – this was the problem in Genesis chapters 3 and 13. 1 John 2:15-17 tells us this. Slowly read these verses aloud. Pause and ponder what we are taught about our desires and their outcomes due to our covetous ways, in Joshua 7 verse 19 Achan is called upon to acknowledge his sin before God. We too must do the same if we are to find forgiveness 1 John 1 verses 7-10. James 1verses 14-15 says that this is the problem each of us has After Achan tells of his sin messengers are sent to his tent to find the stolen property. Notice that these goods were hidden in the earth. This too will become the fate of all who act as though the LORD can be deceived. The entire assembly is called to stone him to death and heap over his carcass and those carcasses of his guilty family together with their livestock a heap of memorial stones. However in the future the valley of Achor, where these events occurred will become for the nation a door of hope as Hosea 2 verse 15 says (Peta Tikvah – the poem concerning Israel’s Hope was written based on this and other verses in 1883. Later the song Ha Tikva was composed in 1897 and became Israel’s national anthem on May 14th, 1948).

Isaiah 11 is a masterpiece of Scripture which describes some of the characteristics that the Almighty both gave to and cultivated within His Son as part of the enabling of the sinlessness of our Lord Jesus Christ. Verse 1 tells that our Lord’s origins were divine – Micah 5 verse 2 “goings forth .. are from everlasting”. The Hebrew meaning of “going forth” speaks of Christ’s ancestry is eternal. The same idea is conveyed in our Lord’s own words – Revelation 22:16. Verses 2-4 speak of the capacities that Jesus’ divine begettal played in equipping Messiah for his work in conquering sin. God’s spirit was upon His Son from the time of Jesus’ conception until his death. At the age of 30 that Spirit was given to him without a limit. It gave Jesus the capacity to develop a quick and perceptive mind. It also gave Jesus the capability to receive and understand his Father’s Word beyond the capacity of any other member of the human race. Paul says that the Lord Jesus was, as the man of God, enabled to breathe in divine thoughts 2 Timothy 3 verses 15-17 and Isaiah 50 verses 4-10. He’s was the Word of God developed in a mortal body – John 1 verses 14-18. Whilst we all too often make judgements on what we see and hear our Lord never did – John 2 verses 25. The Lord’s judgment was unerring at all times. It was true and righteous. Verse 4 tells us that our Lord Jesus would uphold the cause of the poor and needy. These words accord with David’s prophecy about Jesus in 2 Samuel 23 verses 1-7. And so Isaiah 11 verses 7-9 outline the peace, security and harmony in Messiah’s kingdom. Ultimately the rule of Christ will see the filling of the earth with Yahweh’s glory – both in understanding and by way of living. Verses 10-12 describe Messiah’s role in the final regathering of Israel after his return.

In 2 Thessalonians 3 Paul asks for the believers’ prayers that he might be helped to freely teach the gospel without hindrance. From verses 6-15 the Apostle urges the Macedonian faithful to keep working and avoiding idleness. Many had ceased working because they mistakenly thought that the coming of Jesus Christ was so close that they didn’t need to work. Idle brothers had to learn to heed the advice contained in this letter. In the last two verses the Apostle Paul asks God to give the believers peace.