JOSHUA SEES GOD
"And it came to pass when Joshua was by Jericho, that he lifted
up his eyes and looked, and, behold, there stood a man over
against him with his sword drawn in his hand: and Joshua went
unto him, and said unto him, Art you for us, or for our
adversaries? And he said, Nay; but as captain of the host of the
Lord am I now come. And Joshua fell on his face to the earth, and
did worship and said unto him, What says my lord unto his
servant? And the captain of the Lord's host said unto Joshua,
Loose your shoe from off your foot; for the place whereon you
stand is holy. And Joshua did so" (Joshua 5:13-15).
At first we may think this was an angel, maybe a very high
ranked angel, that was appearing to Joshua. But if you look
closer you will see deeper truth than that. Joshua was
WORSHIPPING before this person. John in the book of Revelation
was going to do the same thing before an angel and the angel told
him not to do so, but worship God only (Revelation 19:10). The
word "lord" in verse 14 within the phrase "What says my lord unto
his servant" is the He- brew YHVH!!
And lastly, like Moses at the burning bush, Joshua is told
to take off his footwear for the ground was HOLY!!
This was not an angel, IT WAS GOD! It was the second member
of the very Godhead, the individual that became the Jesus Christ
of the New Testament. It was something like what David said in
verse 1 of Psalm 110, "The LORD said unto my LORD......"
This should not surprise us for we have already seen that
this Lord of the Godhead has already appeared unto man. He
appeared unto Abraham and to Moses at least, and some others like
Jacob, who wrestled with Him, as we have seen.
Here He appears as a fighting warrior unto Joshua.
THE LORD SOMETIMES USES WOMEN AND CHILDREN
The Lord created both male and female. And so He can indeed
choose to use either sex in His work, when and as He sees fit.
God used Deborah to judge Israel as we see in Judges chapter 4.
If you keep your eyes open as you read through the Bible, you
will discover God using other women in His work, in various ways,
from messengers to prophetesses. I have covered the work of women
at various times in my many studies on the topic of "Church
Government" on this Website.
Jesse was my co-worker and helper for the years before her
death. Her Website is found on this my Website. She was a
talented lady with words and studies, and her knowledge of
JavaScript produced the end result of how my Website is today.
She taught me before her death how to maintain and upload this
Website, knowledge that was far out of my reach in the world of
the Internet and Websites.
The apostle Paul, contrary to what some believe, was deeply
appreciative of the women that served with him in the ministry,
one example being Romans 16:1-2. You will note verse 3, both
Priscilla and Aquila were Paul's "co-workers" as the Greek is for
"helpers."
The young lady Tara, that I mention on the first page of
this Website is a co-worker with me in the work of the Lord. And
I pray that I will live for many more years yet to work with her
in this end time Church of God before the last years come on this
age, and Jesus' glorious return. We have much yet to do. Jesus
said that His disciples and teachers will not have gone over the
cities of Israel before He comes again. The work of the Lord is
FAR from being finished, and Jesus also said we were to pray for
more laborers as the harvest is full and the laborers are few. I
tell you friends, there are few out there who really SERVE the
living God, in deep humility and a true fear of the Lord.
Do not ever think God does not use women to do His work.
Jesus said if God needed to, He could have the stones of the road
teaching His word. God is both male and female in His
perfectness, and He created male and female, and He sure can use
either, at any time He so desires.
Then also, God can and does sometimes, when He chooses, use
"children" for His will to do and work to perform.
If you have never done so, or if it has been a while since
you have read it, then go to 1 Samuel 3 and read the wonderful
words of the call of the child Samuel to God's work. The Lord
told Samuel what was to happen to Eli's house because of the evil
done by his sons. The chapter finishes with:
"And Samuel grew, and the Lord was with him, and did none of his
words fall to the ground. And all Israel from Dan even to
Beersheba knew that Samuel was established to be a prophet of the
Lord. And the Lord APPEARED again in Shiloh: for the Lord
revealed Himself to Samuel in Shiloh by the word of the Lord. See
the context with verse 10 and 15. Even if it was an appearance in
vision, what a vision it would be. Who indeed would not like to
have a vision of God. Most of us never have that experience, but
Samuel as a child did.
No wonder Jesus said "Forbid not the children to come to Me,
for of such is the Kingdom of God. For he who will not become as
a little child will in no way enter into the Kingdom of heaven."
Praise the name of the Lord, that He can and does, when He
decides, use little children for His work. Jeremiah said to the
Lord that he just could not speak God's words for he was but a
"child" (Jer.1:6), The Lord said do not say you are but a child
(whatever age Jeremiah was, we do not know) for God had chosen
him to speak and proclaim the truths of God. The Almighty was
WITH him and it did not matter that he was but young.
So parents, you who may be reading this series of studies to
your child, for them to KNOW the Lord in His REAL form and
personality, do not think your child is too young to have God
speak to him or her. If the Lord chooses, your son or daughter,
may be called of God even when they are young to do the work of
God. Is there anything that is too hard for the Lord? We've read
those words already. No, there is nothing impossible for the Lord
to do, if He has so chosen to do it!
GOD REPENTS HE CHOSE SAUL
Israel wanted to be like other nations. They wanted a human
king to lead them (1 Samuel 8). Many think it was Israel who
chose Saul. No! It was the Lord who chose Saul. Yes, maybe with
the view in mind of what Israel would have liked, a man tall dark
and handsome. But the bottom line was that it was still the Lord
who chose Saul. Let's prove it.
"Now the Lord had told Samuel ... tomorrow about this time I will
send you a man out of the land of Benjamin, and you shall anoint
him to be captain over my people Israel.....And when Samuel saw
Saul, the Lord said unto him, 'Behold the man whom I spake to you
of! This same shall reign over my people'" (1 Samuel 9:15-17).
It should be obvious that it was not Samuel who chose Saul,
nor was it done by a "vote election" of the people to decide who
would be their President or Prime-minister. It was the Lord who
DECIDED!
Note: "Then Samuel took of the oil, and poured it upon his
head (the head of Saul) ... and said, 'Is it not because THE LORD
has anointed you to be captain over His inheritance.'" (1
Sam.10:1).
Saul started out having God with him, having the very Spirit
of the Lord.
"And the Spirit of the Lord will come upon you, and you shall
prophesy with them, and shall be TURNED INTO ANOTHER MAN (be
CONVERTED!).... For GOD IS WITH YOU! ... AND IT WAS SO, that when
he had turned his back to go from Saul, GOD GAVE HIM ANOTHER
HEART ... and the SPIRIT OF GOD CAME UPON HIM ...." (verses 6-
10).
You want more proof of all this?
Turn to verses 24 and 26.
"And Samuel said to all the people, 'See you him whom the LORD
HAS CHOSEN' ... and Saul also went home to Gibeah; and there went
with him a band of men, whose hearts God had touched."
God not only gave the Spirit to Saul, He gave it to other
men who went with Saul to his home!
Saul STARTED OUT on the right foot as we say. He was a
converted man, he had a change of heart. He was also given other
men to be with him, men that had also had the Lord touched them.
Saul was given the very best he could have from God to rule
Israel.
Sure, it is written in verse 13 of chapter 12 "...behold the
king whom you have chosen, and whom you have desired!" They gave
the eager yes to having Saul as their king, but the bottom line
is, as we have clearly seen, God did the choosing, and gave Saul
His Spirit and a new heart, and other men touched by the Lord to
help him rule Israel.
BUT, as we read on we find, Saul came to REJECT the Spirit
of the Lord, and to reject full obedience to the Lord's
commandments. Many readers of the Bible know the well known
chapter of 1 Samuel 15 and the famous words "to obey is better
than sacrifice, and to harken than the fat of rams. For REBELLION
is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and
idolatry. Because you have REJECTED the word of the Lord, He has
rejected you from being king" (verses 22,23).
THEN WE READ IN VERSE 35, "....THE LORD REPENTED THAT HE HAD
MADE SAUL KING OVER ISRAEL."
Do you see the TWO TRUTHS here given in these passages?
FIRST. It is possible to be GIVEN A NEW HEART - CONVERTED -
HAVE THE SPIRIT OF THE LORD ...... AND SOMETIME DOWN THE ROAD, TO
**REJECT** IT!!
There is no such teaching in the Bible as "once saved always
saved." Jesus said, "He that shall ENDURE TO THE END, the same
shall be saved." Those words came from Jesus and they are in the
Gospels!
Saul REJECTED the way of the Lord. He took his position with
God for granted. He thought he was above the commandments of the
Most High. He thought he had a "special seat" or "special
connection" with God that allowed him to sin in an open and
selfish manner. He found out he was DEAD WRONG!! God is NO
RESPECTER of persons!
Many a leader, even many "religious leaders" have thought
they had a "special in with the Lord" that allowed them to openly
sin and break the commandments of God. It has happened to a
number of religious leaders in the 20th century, some Radio and
TV famous, and they found out their misguided attitude finally
caught up to them, and they ended their ministry in shame and
disrespect by not only the Christian world but the secular world
also. They brought mockery to the Lord and His Church. And God
took them away, to obscurity and sometimes in very real terms -
with death.
SECOND. God "repented" He had chosen Saul. What is that word
used for, just to somehow make us feel ... well whatever. Is it
just sentimental words that really mean nothing, flowery words
that do not mean what they say? Many will argue that it is so.
Now, on the other hand, if we are to allow the Almighty God
the freedom and the power to LIMIT Himself in some respects of
what He wishes Himself to be limited in. Then we have the truth
that God had DECIDED He would NOT KNOW BEFOREHAND the spiritual
longevity of Saul and if he would STAY WITH the Spirit of God in
his life, right to the very end of his life.
Again, it is not that God cannot know these things in
advance. We have seen that there is NOTHING TO HARD OR IMPOSSIBLE
FOR THE LORD, so it is written. It is the case of WHAT HAS GOD
ALLOWED HIMSELF TO KNOW IN ADVANCE AND WHAT HAS HE DECIDED HE
WILL NOT KNOW IN ADVANCE, BUT SIMPLY LET IT PLAY OUT AS IT WILL.
Certainly God knows it is not impossible for a converted
man, with the Spirit of God, to decide to REJECT it. Certainly
Saul DID reject the Spirit of God after having been given it.
Does God HAVE TO KNOW every single thing, act, work, word,
that a man may do in his entire life time, IN ADVANCE! Some,
maybe most Christians, think God MUST DO THIS, or He just cannot
be God! They have set God up from THEIR own image. They have made
God into THEIR IMAGE and if He does not measure up to that man-
made image, He just can not be God.
It is not a case of what can God do, it is the question of
what has God ALLOWED Himself to do!
I submit to you that here in the case of Saul, God did NOT
allow Himself to KNOW IN ADVANCE if Saul would REMAIN FAITHFUL to
Him and His commands and way of life.
Saul STARTED OUT as many today do, they are called and they
are given the Spirit of the Lord, even with people around them
that the Lord has touched, to make it easier to walk down the
Godly pathway to the very end. But as Jesus in the parable of the
sower of the seeds, some to start off right, but the world,
deceitfulness of sin, finally choke the spiritual life right out
of them, they only endure for a while; they do not endure to the
end.
God was REALLY SAD friends that He had chosen Saul. When
Saul departed from the Lord, it was a BLOW under the belt. It
really "repented" the God of heaven, that He had chosen Saul.
This is language that God wants you to deeply feel. The Lord
CAN FEEL REAL SORROW when He finds out people TURN from Him,
AFTER He has given them His Spirit!
These are not some "fluffy words" of no in-depth meaning.
Because God had WILLED Himself NOT TO KNOW that Saul would leave
Him and reject His word and commandments, GOD WAS FULLY SAD AND
DEEPLY SORRY HE HAD CALLED AND GIVEN SAUL HIS SPIRIT. The Lord
had wanted Saul to be a good, righteous, king over Israel all the
days of his life. It was sad; God was emotionally upset. Not
because He had made a mistake with choosing Saul. God does not
sin, He does not make mistakes as we make mistakes from our lack
of perfection. He is just trying to tell you that He is more like
us, or we are more like Him, than most of us realize.
God can WILL Himself to NOT KNOW the life of someone in all
its hourly details in advance, and when something like what Saul
did comes along, rejecting his converted heart and God' Spirit,
IT REALLY DOES GIVE SORROW AND REGRET TO HIM.
Let me try further to explain what the Lord wants you to
know about this part of Himself.
You have a child, you bring him up in a pretty good
environment. You see he is a decent man. You choose him for a
special work task, to run your company. You give him all you can
directly from you, your wisdom, your knowledge, or experience, a
great special foreman to help you, like a Samuel, and some other
men you gave training to. All are for your son, a part of a team,
to help make the new boss a success as top leader of the company.
You do not know down the road, how your chosen one will use all
you gave him. You do not know if he will endure to the end of his
life running your company in the fully established ways, that you
proved were the perfect ways to manage the company. The son
starts out right, with all he has been given, to ensure success.
But he is a free agent, nothing is forced on him, nobody is
holding a gun to his head. Over time (long or short) the one you
chose to be head of the company, is now heading in the wrong
direction, that will surely bring disaster to the company if
allowed to continue to rule.
You step in, heart-broken, you may say, "Oh, what have I
done, if only I had known. Oh how sorry I am."
It was no sin on your part. You are not sorry because you
sinned in some way. You DID NOT KNOW HOW THE CHOSEN ONE was going
to do in that position UNTIL he was in it and performing it. You did
not know He was going to cast aside all you had given him to help
him make a success of the venture. It was no fault of your own,
but you are still VERY SAD AT THE OUTCOME, AND CAN EVEN SAY TO
PEOPLE, I'M SORRY I MADE THAT MAN CAPTAIN OVER MY INHERITANCE.
Ah friends, if you will, this makes our heavenly Father MUCH
MORE REAL, MUCH MORE PERSONAL, MUCH MORE DOWN TO EARTH, MUCH MORE
UNDERSTANDABLE THAT IN SOME WAYS, HE HAS WILLED HIMSELF TO BE VERY
MUCH LIKE YOU AND ME!
THAT SHOULD MAKE US LOVE AND ADORE AND APPRECIATE GOD EVEN
MORE. HE IS NOT SOME STRANGE BLOB OF FUDDY-DUDDY SOMEWHERE OUT IN
THE FAR REACHES OF THE UNIVERSE, THAT YOU ARE SUPPOSED TO NOT
EVEN TRY TO UNDERSTAND, BECAUSE PEOPLE TELL YOU HE CAN NOT BE
UNDERSTOOD. IT IS NOT SO FOLKS. GOD HAS REVEALED HIMSELF IN HIS
WORD. THE THINGS HE WANTS YOU TO KNOW ABOUT HIMSELF CAN BE KNOWN,
FOR HE HAS GIVEN THEM FOR US TO INDEED KNOW. HIS PERSONALITY, HIS
EMOTIONS, HIS WILL TO DECIDE TO LIMIT HIMSERLF AT TIMES, IS ALL
RECORDED FOR US. FROM ONE END OF THE BIBLE TO THE OTHER END, GOD
MANIFESTS HIMSELF TO YOU. READ ABOUT IT, AS JESUS SAID TO HIS
DISCIPLES, "IF YOU HAVE SEEN AND KNOWN ME, YOU HAVE SEEN AND KNOWN
THE FATHER."
......................
To be continued
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