Story of Hannah

The birth of Samuel the judge/prophet of Israel is interesting to say the least. In 1 Samuel 1-11 it talks about Samuels father who's name was Elkanah, and he had two wives one named Peninnah and the other named Hannah. Now Hannah didn't have any children as it says the Lord shut her womb(1 Sam 1:6) but Peninnah on the other hand did have children, and she would make Hannah feel bad because she did not.  It says Hannah would weep and refuse to eat when they would go and make offerings at the house of the LORD because of the ridicule from Peninnah(1 Sam 1:7)

One year Hannah was in such despair that it says she went alone to pray to the LORD in bitterness of soul weeping in anguish(1 Sam 1:10) the word bitterness here in the hebrew is "Mar"  to be in pain or heavy laden/discontent, in this case it is saying her soul was in much pain she was heavy laden weeping in grief. In this moment Hannah asks God to grace her with a son, she makes a vow with God that if he would indeed give her a son she will offer him to God for all his days. (1 Sam 1:11)

Now notice Hannah a woman of God, in all the despair and sorrow she was in didn't curse God, She went before the LORD GOD Almighty and asked to receive His grace and His mercy and promised to give this child to God. Interestingly enough Hannah's name means Grace and God did show her grace by giving her a son which she named Samuel(1 Sam 1:20) [ later He would also show her more grace when Hannah; who had begged for a child..wept and pleaded for one, and the LORD gave her Samuel, she did what she promised and gave the child up, and The LORD blessed her with more children (1 Sam 2:21) ] after Samuel was born Hannah gave all glory to God:

And Hannah prayed and said: "My heart rejoices in the LORD; My horn is

exalted in the LORD. I smile at my enemies, because I rejoice in Your salvation.

"No one is holy like the LORD, For there is none besides You, Nor is there any 

rock like our God.

"Talk no more so very proudly; Let no arrogance come from your mouth,

For the LORD is the God of knowledge; and by Him actions are weighed.

"The bows of the mighty men are broken, and those who stumbled are girded with

strength. Those who were full have hired themselves out for bread, and the

hungry have ceased to hunger. Even the barren has borne seven, and she who has many children has become feeble.

"The LORD kills and makes alive; He brings down to the grave and brings up.

The LORD makes poor and makes rich; He brings low and lifts up.

He raises the poor from the dust and lifts the beggar from the ash heap,

To set them among princes And make them inherit the throne of glory.

"For the pillars of the earth are the LORD's, And He has set the world upon them.

He will guard the feet of His saints, but the wicked shall be silent in darkness.

"For by strength no man shall prevail. 

The adversaries of the LORD shall be broken in pieces;  From heaven He will thunder against them. The LORD will judge the ends of the earth. "He will give strength to His king, and exalt the horn of His anointed."

1 Samuel 2:1-10

Amen Hannah..Amen! All glory to GOD!

†..On Your Knees..†

"The Word of GOD brings us to our knees before it gives us peace."

What I mean by this is quite simple, please don't get it twisted…does GOD

and His word bring peace? Absolutely! but before it does that, it better bring you to your knees. Yes, all glory to our LORD and Savior for bringing ultimate peace(everlasting) before we ourselves even realized we needed it. All honor glory and righteousness to the one who was and is and is to come!-(Revelation 4:8)

But if you are seeking peace without falling to your knees you're missing the TRUTH, missing the whole point of the gospels.  Jesus said in Luke and Matthew

"Whoever seeks to save his life will lose it and whoever loses his life will preserve it"

Luke 17:33

"If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it."

Matthew 16:24-25

A confusing statement from Jesus, specially if you are one of those who think

the gospel is centered around you and is about your glory and about giving you peace and comfort. The Gospel is not meant to bring peace with yourself it's meant to make you an enemy of self. Peace only comes through Christ, it comes when the gospel makes you see it's not about you, it's about what was done in spite of you. It's all about Christ, and God forbid if I should glory in anything except in the cross of our LORD Jesus Christ, by whom the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world-(Galatians 6:14)

Do you not know that you are not your own? For you were bought with a price; therefore glorify GOD in your body and in your spirit, which are God's.

1 Corinthians 6:19-20

The bible does not say YOU deserve peace & prosperity and a life without tribulation…..

BUT all Glory to Christ God our savior Holy of Holies, King of Kings for His ultimate everlasting peace that far outweighs any tribulation, and far outweighs all the riches of this world. YOU can keep your prosperity and life, just give me CHRIST!

The †GRACE† you don't deserve.-[PART-2]

Therefore, just as through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned

Romans 5:12

All have sinned, all fall short of the Holiness required.(Romans 3:23)

Sin entered the world/our human lives by one man(Adam) and sin was defeated and conquered through one man(Romans 5:15) that being Yeshua Ha'Mashiach(Jesus Christ)

We are not all punished because of one mans sin,  we are punished for what Adam brought into Gods perfect creation, the disposition that we all hold on to, and that is we have a right to ourselves and we are our own god. We either realize that we are not our own (Romans 14:8, 1 Corinthians 6:19) and fully surrender to who we ultimately belong to (Christ) or we just continue living in our natural state, our natural disposition which is ultimately selfishness.

Now to fully grasp forgiveness, to understand who Jesus Christ was, His purpose, and why His sacrifice means anything, we first have to understand the need, we need to understand what we are forgiven from right? We say God is a loving God, we say He is fully of mercy, and make no mistake about it.. He is. However at the same time we also say He is a Holy and Pure and a righteous judge.

"The LORD is righteous, For I rebelled against His commandment. Hear now, all peoples, And behold my sorrow; My virgins and my young men Have gone into captivity.- Lamentations 1:18

We see through out the bible that He is completely both. Holy and pure beyond what we could ever comprehend, He is absolutely a God of justice. The question you should be facing is; 

How can a Holy Pure Righteous God look at us with anything but wrath and anger?" and rightfully so! His word says several things about us that should make us understand just how undeserving of Grace we are…

"the imagination of man's heart is evil from his youth"

Genesis 8:21

"Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, And in sin my mother conceived me."

Psalms 51:5

"[There is] none who does good, No, not one."

Psalm  14:3

"The heart [is] deceitful above all [things], And desperately wicked; Who can know it?

Jeremiah 17:9

"For You [are] not a God who takes pleasure in wickedness, Nor shall evil dwell with You."

Psalms 5:4

By our fallen nature we all want what Adam & Eve wanted, and no it's not some fruit from a tree, it's what Satan tempted Eve with back in Genesis 3:4-5.

We want the knowledge of good and Evil, we want to be our own god to decide for ourselves whats right & whats wrong. It's selfishness thats what sin is in a nut shell.

So once again we come to the question;

"How exactly can a righteous God who abhors sin, after all how can God be Holy & Pure/ Righteous if he tolerates Evil, how can He show us mercy? Grace? Love?

remember what Romans 3:23 says..

"for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God"

If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.

1 John 1:8

"But the Scripture has confined all under sin"

Galatians 3:23

Maybe we can please God by works, earn His Grace & Mercy? a noble concept except for the fact that how can one who is born wretched & Evil a sinner (as the bible plainly states we all are) even begin to do a work that would please a Holy Just & Righteous God? Like the fantastic story "Pilgrims Progress" My iniquities are over my head, they are too heavy for me to carry(Psalm 38:4)

But we are all like an unclean [thing], And all our righteousnesses [are] like filthy rags; We all fade as a leaf, And our iniquities, like the wind, Have taken us away.

Isaiah 64:6

So we can't ourselves follow Gods laws and commands because we are wicked and want to be our own god, our works are like filthy disgusting rags in Gods Holy sight and to top it all off we are living in a world that's fleeting and will soon pass away, all it's pleasures are meaningless under the sun(read Ecclesiastes).

Sounds like we are screwed, and WE ARE! this is what I want you to see, more importantly it's what God and His word wants you to see, that on your own BY YOURSELF YOU ARE SCREWED. 

That's not what you want to hear is it? and let's be absolutely honest it's not pleasant sounding, and it drives us crazy that we are not in control. This is not something the world is going to advocate, because the world is a self fulfilling place. The world wants you focused on constantly fixing YOU, selling you empty promises of fulfillment and false ways of ultimately fixing yourself, wether that's by giving into selfish desires or taking pills to mask the suffering and struggle you are in. There's no hope and peace in hiding and masking what you are through pills and self help. Again, the fact is YOU  can't help you.

Once again we are stuck with where does Gods grace come in? how can we be saved from our enemy(ourselves)/our very nature(sin). 

Want to know where Gods grace/mercy comes in? His love and grace you don't deserve? Jeremiah 23:6 says "THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS" He is our righteousness(LORD here meaning The Lord Jesus Christ) and lets remember Isaiah 53

"But He [was] wounded for our transgressions, [He was] bruised for our iniquities; The chastisement for our peace [was] upon Him, And by His stripes we are healed." Isaiah 53:5

Grace you don't deserve is God sacrificing the undeserved, the spotless ultimate lamb Yeshua Ha'Mashiach (Jesus Christ).

"Who is the image of the invisible God"

Colossians 1:15

"For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily."

Colossians 2:9

Jesus Christ Himself said if you know Him you know the father, He also said;

 He didn't come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many. (Matthew 20:28)

Christ came to be a sacrifice and through Christ we not only see the justice of God(His wrath), but we see His mercy and love too. Justice and wrath in the fact that because of our sinfulness it pleased God to sacrifice His son Jesus Christ(Isaiah 53:10), and   mercy and love in the fact that He was willing to cast all our sinfulness onto Him on the cross instead of giving us all what we deserve.

This and ONLY this is an amazing Grace….a Grace you DONT DESERVE!

All glory to God for His righteousness, His Holiness, His Mercy and Love!

Gods grace, when we ultimately understand it, drives us to want to please Him.

This is a good thing , but it's absolutely insulting when we put "us pleasing Him" above His Grace. Our performance above His sacrifice does nothing but place us above HIM, and it becomes about what we do not what He did.

"Souls are not made sweet by taking [ill tempers] out, but by putting something in - a great Love, a new Spirit, the Spirit of Christ. Christ, the Spirit of Christ, interpenetrating ours, sweetens, purifies, transforms all. This can only eradicate what is wrong, renovate and regenerate, and rehabilitate the inner man. 

Will-power does not change men. Time does not change men. Christ does. Therefore "Let that mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus." "

Henry Drummond

The †GRACE† you don't deserve.-[PART-1]

Ridiculous arguments in trying to justify wrong.


…FOR EXAMPLE…


The Pot argument.


"Pots not a big deal, I mean, alcohol is way worse than pot"


As if that justifies the pot smoker, as if that makes it "Ok".
Or arguments that come down to..


"Well everyone else is doing it"


It's asinine. Those are not logical arguments, really they're not even meaningful.
It just shows that you can't justify your wrong doing at all. I could use arguments like that to the same effect


"Murder is way worse than beating someone to a bloody pulp and making them handicap"
So hence I can go around and do that..right?


Or how about a straight "Christian" guy who sleeps around outside of marriage,
and does nothing but gay bash, is being gay wrong? YES! but so is the hypocrite that is sleeping around outside of marriage.


or when people try to justify their sin by saying "Well everyones a sinner"
so that gives us the license to do whatever we want? This is the very problem that we are all sinners! it's a problem..it's not something to celebrate or use as an excuse so that you can continue living the way you want. Jesus didn't say " I come to sacrifice myself so people can continue living the way they want" He didn't tell the adulterous woman "Go and continue living in sin" He didn't tell the rich man who asked how he may have eternal life"Oh, don't sweat it bro…see that cross over there? I'm going to be crucified on it so you can keep what's more important to you in life and thats your riches"


I agree we are fallen by nature but we are not called to continue living for ourselves we are called to live for Christ! The only one who can change and has changed our very nature.
We don't keep willingly live for ourselves with a little Christ on the side like He is the side salad to the meal,CHRIST IS THE WHOLE MEAL!


"These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will* have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world."
John 16:33


YES while we are still living in this world we will have "tribulation" in a word we will "struggle" we will have affliction, pertaining to we will be fighting, and in Romans 7 Paul says:


For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh) nothing good dwells; for to will is present with me, but [how] to perform what is good I do not find. For the good that I will [to do], I do not do; but the evil I will not [to do], that I practice. Now if I do what I will not [to do], it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells in me. I find then a law, that evil is present with me, the one who wills to do good. For I delight in the law of God according to the inward man. But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members. O wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? I thank God--through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, with the mind I myself serve the law of God, but with the flesh the law of sin.
Romans 7:18-25


Paul hated his sin, and at the same time realized though he battled his flesh the only way to victory was through Jesus Christ. Paul wasn't advocating, which some do, "I'm a sinner but saved by jesus so I can continue living in my sins, because Jesus died so I can enjoy my flesh" Romans 6 clears that up pretty quick.


What then? Shall we sin because we are not under law but under grace? Certainly not! Do you not know that to whom you present yourselves slaves to obey, you are that one's slaves whom you obey, whether of sin [leading] to death, or of obedience [leading] to righteousness?
Romans 6:15-16


Now many fall down but seek to get up themselves by works,and it is only by Grace that you can get up…LOOK UNTO CHRIST! Yet still there're many who have fallen down like a pig in slop and convince themselves they are fine where they are at. Satisfied in the filth they don't belong in, and were never meant to belong in.


The question is, are we struggling? or are we oblivious to our sinfulness
to the point where we are convinced we are "fine". Lets say we have two men, and both.. being human, struggle with sin. The first man, who we will call Jack, is overwhelmed with his sinfulness and spends his life trying to be a good person.
Jack is a nice enough guy, he joins a church and on the outside looks like
a very moral and religious person, on the inside though he is tormented and
doesn't really have a relationship with Christ, because he doesn't know Christ, Jack has a relationship with a religion that tells him he needs to earn salvation by works.


The second man, who we will call Jim, looks like the world and unlike Jack, Jim doesn't bother putting on the "religious suit". Jim claims he said a prayer one time and accepted Christ, so now Jim who is neck deep in sinfulness doesn't care, and Jim says he is fine where he is... because Christ died so he can continue living in sin.


Which man is right? go ahead think about it it for a few minutes..


want the answer?


are you sure?


Ok, the answer is…………
they are both wrong, it was a trick question. It was really a way to explain what I was saying, you see… Jack is the man who tries to gain salvation by works, Jack is a pharisee what Christ Himself would call a whitewashed tomb.


Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs which indeed appear beautiful outwardly, but inside are full of dead [men's] bones and all uncleanness.
Even so you also outwardly appear righteous to men, but inside you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.
Matthew 23:27-28


Just for future reference, when you have a Mormon/Jehovah Witness come to your door that's exactly what they are, whitewashed tombs.


What about Jim? Well Jim is the pig in the slop. Jim could actually be an "Atheist" but in this case I am describing Jim as one who claims to believe in the ONE true GOD. Jim in some aspects seems like he has it right, because indeed it's not about works and Jim knows this. However Jim slaps God in the face by abusing His grace, He claims to know God, but at the same time willfully lives a selfish life, that revolves around living for the flesh. Jim doesn't know Christ at all, because he thinks Christ died so he can continue living in sin. Jim doesn't "struggle" there's no tribulation in Jim's life because he doesn't care about his sins, hence he lives like the world so why would they persecute him? What would Christ say about Jim?

Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. Many will say to Me in that day, 'Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?' And then I will declare to them, 'I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!'

Matthew 7:22-23


Psalm 40:8 describes how a man of God should be, it described Paul pretty well.


I delight to do Your will, O my God, And Your law [is] within my heart.


And to clarify it's all to the glory of God, and His mercy and grace that you or I am saved PERIOD. Christianity(Following Christ) is admitting we by ourselves can do nothing, we are wretched wicked sinful beings that rely completely on Christ.Christ is the unspotted lamb..we are far from unspotted and all hope relies
on Him. Christianity is not a ten step program, it's not following some rules to receive breakthrough or freedom. Breakthrough and freedom are already yours , Repent and surrender to the only one who can offer it.


For what the law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh, God did by sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, on account of sin: He condemned sin in the flesh, that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.
Romans 8:3


Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?
Romans 8:35


For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Romans 8:38-39


more on the Grace you don't deserve neXt blog..

180 Movie/Real Choices Clinic

Check this video out! all to the glory of GOD! go to http://heartchanger.com/ for more info

and for those of you who live in North Idaho, specifically speaking the Coeur D' Alene area you can help Open Arms/Real Choices clinic. They help women who are pregnant, showing them alternatives to abortion. Their website is http://www.realchoicesclinic.com/ you can also donate online! please consider doing so, and also stopping by to see if you can offer any other help if God is leading you to do so. Ask to see Nancy

Solomon and Worldliness

Let's take a little history trip, a biblical history trip…come on,

it will be fun! It'll be quick, I promise..after all what is that saying again?

"You can't make an Omelet without breaking a few eggs…"

oh wait…that doesn't apply here.. oh yeah it's

"If you don't know history you are doomed to repeat it"

I want to talk about King Solomon, son of David. Most of us know Solomon is credited as the wisest man that ever lived, all to the glory of God of course. God gave him this wisdom(1 Kings 3:10-12) Solomon asked and he received. We see his wisdom in use throughout the life of Solomon in his judgments and his rule over Israel. More popularly we see it when we read "Proverbs" and even "Ecclesiastes"

both being credited to Solomon. We know that Solomon made Israel a beacon of light showing the glory of GOD, and Solomon in his early years was a fantastic and humble God honoring servant.

Solomon however started to turn away from God to other gods, which his many wives turned him to, not that I am blaming the wives at all. For Solomon is to blame for his wickedness, and for turning away from the one true GOD who gave him his wisdom in the first place! It is amazing to me that a man who was so humble who wrote things like…

The fear of the LORD [is] to hate evil: pride, and arrogancy, and the evil way, and the froward mouth, do I hate.

Proverbs 8:13

I love them that love me; and those that seek me early shall find me.

Proverbs 8:17

The fear of the LORD [is] the beginning of knowledge: [but] fools despise wisdom and instruction.

Proverbs 1:7

Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him,

and he shall direct thy paths.

Proverbs 3:5-6

Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this [is] the whole [duty] of man. For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether [it be] good, or whether [it be] evil.

Ecclesiastes 12:13-14

FEAR GOD, and Keep his commandments! Solomon didn't do that when he took wives that he should never have taken in the first place. Solomon wasn't fearing

God and putting God first when he started worshipping false gods and Idols. You know what Solomon's problem was? He took the gift GOD gave him, which again was wisdom and put his trust in that, aka he put his trust in himself and not GOD.

Ecclesiastes 12:13-14 is a warning from Solomon to fear the LORD GOD, and to keep His commandments. Ecclesiastes is considered by most to be Solomons repentance for his wickedness against God, as some of the Psalms are contributed to Davids repentance of his sins. You may be asking my point, and where exactly am I going with this…

Solomon wisest man that ever lived, and ever will live, wasn't an innocent man, as none of us are. He was a man that you could very much so compare in a sense with

popular christianity today; which very much so is consumed with worldliness

…….

Did I lose you?

let me explain, many "Christians" or those who claim to be so, the people I call FAKE and the people Christ Himself would say are lukewarm, and he will spew them from His mouth, Do what? well, they conform to the pattern of this world all the while still claiming to be a follower…. right? They may have had a genuine experience, a softening of the heart, but somewhere down the line, like Solomon, they strayed away from GOD.

Like Solomon who wanted to appease his wives, these lukewarm unbiblical false christians try to appease the world. Solomon was suppose to be the LIGHT to

the darkness! he was suppose to lead his wives by example and lead them to the only GOD there is, instead he was lead astray by them into darkness.

Following me now?

The church now adays is trying to appease the world,

we are conforming to the pattern of this world (Romans 12:2) when we shouldn't be! we should be the light in the darkness, God blessed us and called us to be Holy and be the change in the world NOT BE CHANGED BY IT!

This is where someone i'm sure would quote Ghandi and say something like..

"Be the change you want to see in the world"

yeah that's nice and all, but change doesn't come unless you realize how to change you, and guess what? you can do all the meditating and introspective self therapy you want, even go find some far east mystic eastern philosophy about "finding the inner you" and "enlightenment"

go ahead i'll wait…

..

……..

Back now?

The fact is YOU…can't change…YOU! this is what the word of God is about! it's about utter reliance on HIMSELF! all for His GLORY, not yours!

Only Christ saves and only through Him are you saved and only by HIM can

you be CHANGED! You are either light or darkness, you are either following

Christ or you are following the world. If you take your eyes off of Him, if you start to stray from the path, If you don't ultimately rely on GOD, then you are going to fall! everything has to be laid to rest in Christ all thoughts and all deeds! EVERYTHING! all worry and stress,your body, and everything you are! on your knees at the foot of the throne!

Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;

2 Corinthians 10:5

Only by grace, and only in this way are you saved. Repentance and ultimate faith and reliance on CHRIST. If you seek to appease the world or appease your self for whatever reason, and you're not willing to surrender all to Christ then all the wisdom in the world wont SAVE YOU…and YOU WILL FALL and be LED astray just like Solomon! REPENT and turn to CHRIST!

Do not be LUKEWARM…! sure nobody will claim to be lukewarm but you are either on fire or you are not! FEAR THE LORD CHURCH! what are we doing?

What are we teaching? This world is corrupt and fallen a wicked generation unashamed of being so!

It's like we are Adam & Eve in the garden all over again. We stand naked and bare

with sinfulness we can not hide, only unlike Adam & Eve we are far from ashamed, we don't even try to hide our sins…in fact we don't even acknowledge it,

there's no weeping, no brokeness, no understanding of punishment and Holiness.

We have become what those without Christ have always been…SELFISH,

we stand naked in sin and we love it! token prayers and half hearted relationships with a savior we don't even try to understand.

"Justice and wrath you say? But I'm saved! even though I don't even understand from what exactly….BUT I believe in JESUS! that's it right? I'm finished,

I mean, I read the words in red! I accept Him for his death so I can go to heaven! now don't be so judgmental…Jesus Himself said not to judge, you know!

let me just go on liven for the world because I'm forgiven!"

"Lord I pray for prosperity, I pray for blessings."

Even though you deserve absolutely nothing?

"Your son died for me? cool, think you could hook me up with a little more money? my pocket's kind of seem to be running on empty"

The church has become like a bunch of deadbeat children who treat the father like crap all the while with their hands held out begging to get what they don't deserve.

Want to be of this world?

Want to be wealthy and rich?

claim to know ME, but live for your glory?

AWAY FROM ME I NEVER KNEW YOU! (Matthew 7:23)

And to you who are troubled rest with us, when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels, In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ: Who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power;

2 Thessalonians 1:7-9

The Sin of A'chan

"And you, by all means abstain from the accursed things,

lest you become accursed when you take of the accursed

things, and make the camp of Israel a curse, and trouble it.

Joshua 6:18

Joshua chapter six is about the destruction of the city of

Jericho. Remember Joshua was told by the LORD

to march around the city once a day for six days, and then

on the seventh day to march around it seven times,

and the priests shall blow trumpets and all the men shall

shout on the seventh day when Joshua tells them to, and the walls shall come crashing down?

Well concerning Jericho the LORD warned them about taking

of accursed things, and that all the silver and gold, and vessels

of bronze and iron, are to be consecrated to the LORD.

(Joshua 6:19)

However, we read in chapter 7 that apparently someone didn't

listen to this warning. A'chan the son of Carmi of the tribe of Judah

took of the accursed things; so the anger of the LORD burned

against the children of Israel. (Joshua 7:1)

Accursed in hebrew is-

"Cherem"

1. a thing devoted, thing dedicated, ban, devotion

2. a net, thing perforated(Obviously not the meaning in this chapter)

3. have been utterly destroyed, (appointed to) utter destruction.

Now, The LORD accursed Jericho I.E appointed it to utter

destruction and everyone in it(besides Rahab "the Harlot")

and the Silver and Gold as it said in verse 6:19 were suppose to be consecrated to the LORD.

A'chan out of selfishness brought a curse upon Israel,

The LORD GOD Almighty gave a warning that A'chan ignored.

After taking Jericho, Joshua sent about three thousand men to attack the city of Ai to destroy it like Jericho. However Ai ran the three thousand men off and killed 36 of them, 36 men died because A'chan. (Joshua 7:4-5)

Then Joshua tore his clothes, and fell to the earth on his face before the ark of the LORD until evening, he and the elders of Israel;

and they put dust on their heads.

And Joshua said, "Alas, Lord GOD, why have You brought this people over the Jordan at all--to deliver us into the hand of the Amorites, to destroy us?

Oh, that we had been content, and dwelt on the other side of the Jordan! "O Lord, what shall I say when Israel turns its back before its enemies? "For the Canaanites and all the inhabitants of the land will hear [it], and surround us, and cut off our name from the earth. Then what will You do for Your great name?"

Joshua 7:6-9

So the LORD said to Joshua: "Get up! Why do you lie thus on your face?

"Israel has sinned, and they have also transgressed My covenant which I commanded them. For they have even taken some of the accursed things, and have both stolen and deceived; and they have also put [it] among their own stuff.

"Therefore the children of Israel could not stand before their enemies, [but] turned [their] backs before their enemies, because they have become doomed to destruction. Neither will I be with you anymore, unless you destroy the accursed from among you.

Joshua 7:10-12

You see, not only did A'chan take accursed things(things meant

for destruction) but he stole from the LORD what was suppose to

be consecrated to the LORD, remember the Silver and Gold?

In (Joshua 7:20) A'Chan admits his wrong doing

And Achan answered Joshua and said, "Indeed I have sinned against the LORD God of Israel, and this is what I have done:

"When I saw among the spoils a beautiful Babylonian garment, two hundred shekels of silver, and a wedge of gold weighing fifty shekels, I coveted them and took them. And there they are, hidden in the earth in the midst of my tent, with the silver under it."

Joshua 7:20-21

Babylonian garment accursed thing meant for destruction, silver

and gold meant to be consecrated to THE LORD. A'chan brought

a curse killing 36 men, and in the end suffered death, him and his family for what he had done(Joshua 7:24-25)

The LORD GOD is righteous and just in His actions, all Power

Knowledge and Glory be to Him. A'chan chose to ignore

Gods word, and out of selfishness sought worldly pleasure for

himself, A'chan was a man seeking his own glory not Gods

and paid the price for it in the end, just like everyone who chooses such a path will. A'chan had everything he would ever need, and God was fulfilling His promise by establishing Israel for His chosen people, giving them this land and it's cities which they did not build, a land fertile with abundance which they didn't toil to produce. That wasn't enough for A'chan apparently.

Let A'chan's selfishness be a lesson to you, are you seeking after

God's glory? or are you seeking after your own glory? Is God who you ultimately rely on? or is it blessings from Him? Is it prosperity, wealth and worldly happiness that motivates you to give God His JUST glory?

God should be your ultimate end, no matter what.

Sick, tired, and poor OR healthy, rested, and rich

all that matters is GOD, He better have priority number 1 in your life and He deserves all praise and glory no matter what has happened or is happening in your life.

Like A'chan who I'm sure would claim God was number one in his life, many claim such today. If God is only first when you are prospering, you're quite frankly lying to yourself…because what's important to you is your well being and prosperity, you put that above God everyday of the week while still claiming to give Him all honor and praise.

You know what is interesting? Ever read Joshua chapter 8?

After A'chan gets his just do, and the accursed is destroyed

as it should of been in the first place, The LORD turns from his anger (Joshua 7:26) and in chapter 8 The LORD says,

Now the LORD said to Joshua: "Do not be afraid, nor be dismayed; take all the people of war with you, and arise, go up to Ai. See, I have given into your hand the king of Ai, his people, his city, and his land.

"And you shall do to Ai and its king as you did to Jericho and its king. Only its spoil and its cattle you shall take as booty for yourselves. Lay an ambush for the city behind it."

Joshua 8:1-2

The LORD GOD gives the city of Ai and all it's spoils to

the Israelites. You see God Himself will provide your needs,

He wants to provide and take care of you, and He is absolutely

all we will ever need, Gods grace and mercy to begin with

is incomparable and unfathomable if we honestly think about it,

anything else in our life he provides is just more Blessing

we ultimately don't deserve.

All Glory to you Father God!