The Glorious Provider - Jesus Christ

John 6:1-5 "After these things Jesus went away to the other side of the Sea of Galilee (or Tiberias). 2 A large crowd followed Him, because they saw the signs which He was performing on those who were sick. 3 Then Jesus went up on the mountain, and there He sat down with His disciples. 4 Now the Passover, the feast of the Jews, was near. 5 Therefore Jesus, lifting up His eyes and seeing that a large crowd was coming to Him, *said to Philip, “Where are we to buy bread, so that these may eat?”

Introduction:
Today's post features the only other miracle performed by Jesus (other than His resurrection) that we find in all four Gospels of the New Testament - the feeding of the 5,000. John 6 as a whole features the different ways the Lord Jesus Christ provides for His people. As we will see in this particular miracle of the feeding of the 5,000, Jesus Christ provides physical needs. Later on in John 6:16-21 we find Jesus performing the majestic miracle of walking on the water and calming His disciples' fears - hence showing Him to provide for emotional needs. Then the remaining bulk of John 6:22-71 details the marvelous revelation of Jesus as the bread of life as the Provider of spiritual life and salvation. 

As we consider the feeding of the 5,000 in John 6:1-14, the event occurs at least 6 months after the close of John 5. Per the other three Gospels, Jesus had commissioned the twelve disciples to go throughout the Galilean country-side to preach the Kingdom of God and perform miracles (see Luke 9:1-11 for example). As the disciples were out performing their first assignment, Jesus Himself continued teaching parables and performing other miracles. It was upon the return of the disciples from their first tour that we find ourselves leading up to this greatest of Jesus' mass miracles: the feeding of the 5,000.

Now one would think that after all the disciples has done and witnessed through the power delegated to them by Jesus, there would be no need for them to be taught a lesson on how He provides. Yet, that lesson was needful. You and I have short memories when it comes to God's provision. The Lord will come through in major way and we will rejoice for a little while, only to come to within a week's time starting to wonder about God's provision. 

The point of this miracle is to set the stage for what will be a major theme in John 6. As is often the case, Jesus begins in the physical realm whenever He desires to bring His disciples to grow in their understanding of a major spiritual truth. His ability to provide not only physical and emotional needs but also spiritual needs will be the ultimate progression to which the feeding of the 5,000 points. 

So as we think on how Jesus Christ is the glorious provider, what can we glean from this miracle in John 6:1-15?

1. Greatness of the need. 6:1-9
The opening verses of today's post sets the stage for this miracle. A great need has arisen. 5,000 men plus possible families have been following the Lord Jesus through the country-side. John 6:5 notes Jesus lifting up His eyes to behold the crowd. Mark 6:34 adds the explanatory comment that Jesus saw the crowds as a flock of sheep without a shepherd. Their bellies were empty. Yet there was the more profound need of the emptiness of their souls that only Jesus could fulfill. 

In John 6:1-9 we see indications of how desperate and great the need was at this time. Philip, one of Jesus' disciples, notes it would take the equivalency of 8 months of wages to feed the crowd. Another disciple, Andrew, points out that the only provisions they have on hand is a small lad's lunch of five barley loaves (likely 5 small flat-bread crackers) and two fish (little pickle fish, a common food). The need in the physical far outstripped whatever money or resources the disciples had. 

John 6:6 tells us that Jesus knew this the whole time. Evidently He was testing them. We often find God testing His people for the sake of the people understanding how much they truly trust Him. The tests are not designed for failure, but to equip for the sake of eventual success. Testing by God aims not to destroy faith, but build it, examine it and improve upon it by the means of strengthening grace which He gives (namely His Word, prayer and time with God's people). In such tests, the question is: will we rely upon God and His word in faith or trust instead in our own opinions, flesh and observations (see for instance 2 Chronicles 32:31)? 

The greatness of the need is pressed in upon these disciples and us as readers. Only when we are made aware of the desperation of the need will we be prompted to seek out a greater provision. Only Jesus can be the Great Provision. 

2. Grandeur of provision. John 6:10-13
John 6:10-11 states - "Jesus said, 'Have the people sit down.' Now there was much grass in the place. So the men sat down, in number about five thousand. 11 Jesus then took the loaves, and having given thanks, He distributed to those who were seated; likewise also of the fish as much as they wanted." The word Jesus uses for "sit" in these verses has to do with rest and refreshment.  

Most commentators point out that Jesus' multiplication of the loaves and the fish echoes the miracle done by the Old Testament prophet Elisha in 2 Kings 4:42-44. In 2 Kings 4:42-44 we read - "Now a man came from Baal-shalishah, and brought the man of God bread of the first fruits, twenty loaves of barley and fresh ears of grain in his sack. And he said, “Give them to the people that they may eat.” 43 His attendant said, “What, will I set this before a hundred men?” But he said, “Give them to the people that they may eat, for thus says the Lord, ‘They shall eat and have some left over.’” 44 So he set it before them, and they ate and had some left over, according to the word of the Lord." In that Old Testament miracle, God worked through Elisha to save the lives of the people from some poisoned stew. The people were hungry, and so a man brought 20 loaves of bread, Elisha blessed the bread and it was enough to feed 100 of the people. 

If indeed this echo is intended in John 6, then what Jesus is communicating is how He himself can save the crowds not merely from death of physical starvation, but spiritual. Jesus begins in the realm of the physical, however, He does not intend to remain only on the physical appearances of things. The grandeur of the provision exceeds the greatness of the need here in John. This sets up the crowd and the reader to appreciate...

3. The glorious provider. John 6:13-14
John 6:13-14 states - So they gathered them up, and filled twelve baskets with fragments from the five barley loaves which were left over by those who had eaten. 14 Therefore when the people saw the sign which He had performed, they said, “This is truly the Prophet who is to come into the world.” The people perceived that Jesus was perhaps (in their mind "perhaps") the fulfillment of Moses' prophecy in Deuteronomy 18:18  "I will raise up a prophet from among their countrymen like you, and I will put My words in his mouth, and he shall speak to them all that I command him." Indeed, Jesus was the fulfillment of that scripture, however, the people never went beyond that perception. Jesus was the ultimate prophet, but He was so much more. In John 6:15 we come to understand that the people wanted to take Jesus by force and make Him their King. As later verses in John 6 indicate, the people saw a free meal ticket with Jesus and a possible King who could overthrow the Roman tyranny of the time. Jesus of course did not come to bring in that type of a kingdom.

Closing thoughts
Today we considered Jesus Christ our glorious provider in His miracle of the feeding of the five-thousand. We noted the following from this event:

1. Greatness of the need. 6:1-9
2. Grandeur of the provision. 6:10-13
3. Glorious Provider - Jesus Christ. 6:13-14 

Oftentimes what prevents us from seeing the glorious provider, Jesus Christ, are two things: misplaced expectations and too-low of expectations. To say Jesus was "the prophet" was remarkable, however, if that is as far as we ever go, we end up having way too low a view of Jesus. Sometimes we have a little view of Jesus, as well as misplaced expectations. We think He will do one thing, and when it ends up that the Lord provides in a different way than we expected, we accuse God of all sorts of things. Such attitudes prevent us from seeing Jesus for who He really is - the Glorious provider. As commentator R.C Sproul notes in his commentary on John: "He is our King, who gives us all that we need and more."

Exploring the mystery-side of healing

2 Corinthians 12:8-10 "Concerning this I implored the Lord three times that it might leave me. 9 And He has said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness.” Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me. 10 Therefore I am well content with weaknesses, with insults, with distresses, with persecutions, with difficulties, for Christ’s sake; for when I am weak, then I am strong."

Introduction:

Here is a question: “why do some people get healed immediately and others later on?” The quick answer to that is: “I don’t know”. This question is related to what I call "the mystery-side of healing". We’ve got to remember that God’s ways are not our ways (Isaiah 55:8). God can immediately heal, but he may also decide to heal later or in some cases heal believers in heaven. 

Such questions are common among those who pray for their loved ones to get healed. When my father was alive, he had battled cancer on at least four occasions. Each time he was told by the doctors that he had a particular cancer, he would call the pastor and the pastor and Deacons would anoint him with oil as prescribed in James 5:13-16. Each cancer was different and yet my father's response was the same. 

In one of those instances, my father had a severe tumor of the brain. He was anointed shortly after receiving the prognosis and a short time later went into surgery to remove the tumor. The doctors were shocked to discover that there was no tumor. However, in the other instances where my dad was anointed, the cancers did not go away apart from conventional methods like chemotherapy and radiation. What explanation, if any, could be given for what appears to be a difference in outcome?

What is the right question to ask when facing the mystery side of healing

One could begin by noting that if people were healed immediately, they may not be ready or they may easily stop relying on God. At times the building of faith and trust in God can enable the person to see God’s glory when the healing comes later. On the flip-side, God can heal immediately and thus get the glory. God’s will to heal is not in question. The mystery mainly has to do with "when" He will heal. All we know is that in either situation – God is aiming to be glorified and He is always good no matter what. As Jesus noted about the man born blind in John 9:1-3 As He passed by, He saw a man blind from birth. 2 And His disciples asked Him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he would be born blind?” 3 Jesus answered, “It was neither that this man sinned, nor his parents; but it was so that the works of God might be displayed in him." There are no such things as randomness with God. God has morally sufficient reasons for delaying healing. Timing is everything with God. 

What patterns of healing do we see in Jesus ministry?
In the days of Jesus’ earthly ministry, there were people who were healed in stages (Mark 8:22-26) and in the case of Lazarus, he purposefully delayed for the sake of God to reveal His glory (John 11:40). Dr. Adrian Rogers once noted that “God’s delays are not God’s denials”. This is the mystery side of healing. Some erroneously blame the lack of faith. Faith cannot do anything to effect healing. All it can do is receive it. 

The ministry and life of the Apostle Paul had contact with this mystery side of healing

The Apostle Paul for example prayed three times for His ailment to be removed, and yet God did not deliver Him of it. Or again, in 2 Timothy 4:20, we read: “Erastus remained at Corinth, but Trophimus I left sick at Miletus”. Are we to blame Paul for lack of faith? Hardly. The only answer we can give in understanding why some people get immediately healed, or later healed or even ultimately healed in heaven, and others don't, is due to the purpose of God. Hence, it is God's purpose that determines when the healing takes place.

How a cell phone can help us grasp this issue of the mystery side of healing
Whenever I travel, my cell phone is ever ready to receive a signal. At times when journeying in a mountainous area, the signal may not be forth coming. However, that does not mean the phone is useless. My phone's operation and readiness to receive does not make the signal travel slower or faster. All it can do is receive the incoming signal whenever it arrives. The signal will come through once I get through the other side. I may not know when the signal may come. I need to be sure to keep the phone on for the sake of receiving the signal. The suggestion is that this is how healing practically works at times. 

Some principles to keep in mind when considering a Biblical view of healing

1. God’s pleasure is to heal.
If this were not the case, the Holy Spirit would not had inspired and moved James to write what he did in James 5:13-16. We can also note on over 20 occasions in the Gospels where people came to Jesus or were brought to Him for healing, not one time does He refuse to heal them. One of the names that God uses in revealing His identity is that of “Jehovah Rapha” – the Lord our healer – in Exodus 15:26. When Jesus came to this world, His mission was: chiefly to provide forgiveness of sins (Luke 19:10); then to defeat the Devil (1 John 3:8; Hebrews 2:14) and thirdly, to affect healing (see Acts 10:38).

2. God has the power to heal. We must remember that it is the power of Jesus Christ, not faith, that heals (see Luke 5:17 and Acts 3:16).

3. Faith receives the healing (whether God chooses to do it today or later).
Faith does not have any power to heal. All it can do is receive the healing. Faith is the God-given vessel that we have to receive all that He has to offer (John 1:12-13; Eph 2:8-9; James 1:18). We know that faith must be present to receive Jesus immediately in salvation (Romans 10:8-10). In a near parallel way, physical healing operates in a similar fashion. Though there is the mystery-side to healing, asking God to strengthen one's faith, as well as following through with such prescriptions as anointing with oil, and anchor one's rope of faith to the mighty oak of Jesus.  

4. God uses different methods in healing (anointing being but one method). 

The Bible is not against the use of medicine, since the prophet Isaiah used a compound of figs to heal King Hezekiah (2 Kings 20:7) and Jesus used mud as a means of healing a man’s blindness (Mark 8:22-26). My mother was a nurse for nearly 40 years and I can testify firsthand as to how God gives medically trained people wisdom to treat the human body. 

At times a simple prayer or saying a word for healing would be used (Luke 7:7). Oftentimes people would be healed by way of someone laying their hands upon them or the sick person simply touching the one in whom God’s power to heal was present (Luke 8:47). These represent some of the major methods used by God in affecting Divine healing.

5. There is a mystery side to healing that we can navigate, even though we do not completely comprehend all its details. 

Although this final principle was the key focus of today's post, it is worth remembering that the Lord knows all about it. We must not grow discouraged nor doubt the goodness and power of God. 

How thanksgiving provides an apologetic for God's existence

Psalm 100:4-5 - "Enter His gates with thanksgiving And His courts with praise. Give thanks to Him, bless His name. 5For the LORD is good; His lovingkindness is everlasting And His faithfulness to all generations."  This passage defines for us what it means to be thankful.  To be thankful simply means to express your appreciation for seeing God's goodness.  

Introduction: Thankfulness can only make sense if God exists
Why is it that believers and unbelievers alike have this expression of thankfulness?  Because God has seen fit to make known the goodness of His glory, in varying degrees, in all things. Thankfulness or thanksgiving is a universal human response to that which is good, beautiful or beneficial to the overall betterment of the human condition. In all cultures we see this universal compulsion to express verbal and active gratitude. Thanksgiving is an incredible holiday that gives people the opportunity to gather with family and friends. Today's post offers what one could call a "thanksgiving apologetic" for God's existence and a lead-in to communicating the Gospel to unconverted people.

Arguing for God's existence from the standpoint of thanksgiving
People believe that it is always good in all places and times to express gratitude. The question is, why? When we speak of one's moral duties, this includes the notion of what one "ought" to do, or matters of "what is right and what is wrong". When we speak of moral values, these are principles by which we discern certain features of our world to be "good" or "bad". The following argument expresses how we can know God exists by the reality of universal moral values and duties. If we include thanksgiving as being a universal (or objective) moral value or duty, then we can off the following argument:

1. If God does not exist, then universal moral values and duties do not exist 

2. Thanksgiving or gratitude is found among all cultures and language groups, and thus is a universally-held moral duty

3. Universal or objective moral values and duties do exist

4. Therefore, God exists

Illustrating further instances of thanksgiving as a universal or objective moral feature of human existence and thus our world
What are you experiencing when you see a child born, or a sunset, or a beautiful flower, or a work of art, or the Olympics, or enjoy a good meal, or enjoy time with your spouse or children?  Unbelievers in God are experiencing God's goodness indirectly through relationships and created things, even when they don't put a name to it. To suppress the universal human tendency of gratitude in the face of such experiences would be viewed as unnatural. To show how thankfulness doesn't make sense on an atheistic and materialistic worldview, consider the following thoughts.

Universal gratitude presupposes that there are universal objective standards of what qualifies as "good" and "beautiful". On atheism or naturalism (the belief that our world and universe is made-up of material, physical things, and nothing else), there is no underlying purpose, design, universal morality or goodness. Such moral expressions as thanksgiving would not, on atheism and naturalism, make sense. Giving thanks would be, on such views, an outgrowth of survival instincts developed from blindly guided processes like natural selection and gene-mutation. On atheism and naturalism, there is nothing biologically advantageous to giving thanks. 

As seen in the above argument, God's existence is the only explanation for why universal expressions of thankfulness are found among all human cultures. It would seem then that if anything, thanksgiving provides a potential argument for God's existence.

Putting some Bible underneath this argument for thankfulness
God's goodness is described as displaying His glory in the world around us (see Psalm 19:1-6; Romans 1:18-20).  Moses prayed for God's glory in Exodus 33:18-19a and was given God's response: "18Then Moses said, “I pray You, show me Your glory!” 19And He said, “I Myself will make all My goodness pass before you, and will proclaim the name of the LORD before you..."  Therefore we see the link between thankfulness and God's goodness or glory.  So To be thankful simply means to express your appreciation for seeing God's goodness.

How ingratitude leads to a destructive downward spiral
Romans 1:21-31 gives us the downward spiral that mankind experiences when they persist in their rejection of God's General revelation in creation.  Ingratitude means that you have chosen not to be appreciative and that you have concluded that God's goodness is neither desirable nor real.  When cultures, nations or individual human beings adopt a posture of ingratitude, we see a downward, destructive road.

1. Discernment is lost.  Romans 1:21a  "For even though they knew God, they did not honor Him as God or give thanks, but they became futile in their speculations." People that choose ingratitude will experience an inability to discern or think clearly.  

2. Direction is lost. Romans 1:21b-22 "and their foolish heart was darkened. 22 Professing to be wise, they became fools"  Thankfulness is the first step towards enjoying God.  Whenever you and I choose not to be thankful, we are in effect saying: "nothing to enjoy here".  With loss of discernment, we see the next step of deterioration - loss of direction.  

3. Decency is lost. Romans 1:24 "Therefore God gave them over in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, so that their bodies would be dishonored among them." As you go down through Romans 1, the downward spiral of judgment escalates.  God operates His moral and physical universe through cause/effect and influence/response.  Whenever mankind has rejected Him, whether through general revelation of nature or the special revelation of the Bible, a corresponding level of darkness is allowed to grip man ever tighter that is fitting to his warped desire.  With loss of discernment and direction comes the next logical step - loss of decency.  Taboos are cast off, and anything goes.  

4. Destructive patterns increase. Romans 1:28 "And just as they did not see fit to acknowledge God any longer, God gave them over to a depraved mind, to do those things which are not proper". Paul reiterates the fact that mankind at large, when persisting in its refusal to acknowledge God, will be handed for to a "depraved mind".  Simply put, moral and increased physical harm to one another will occur. 


5. Death of a culture. Romans 1:32 "and although they know the ordinance of God, that those who practice such things are worthy of death, they not only do the same, but also give hearty approval to those who practice them." With the loss of discernment, direction, decency as well as the increase of destruction, when mankind persists in his rebellion against God, not giving thanks nor honor, the final result is the death of that culture.  

Closing thoughts: respond to the God revealed in creation, in Jesus Christ and the Bible
As we have seen, thankfulness points to the existence of God. However, not just any deity is in view in this apologetic of thanksgiving. In addition to revealing Himself in creation and conscience, God has decisively revealed Himself in the historic Person of Jesus of Nazareth. 2 Corinthians 4:5-6 states: "For we do not preach ourselves but Christ Jesus as Lord, and ourselves as your bond-servants for Jesus’ sake. 6 For God, who said, “Light shall shine out of darkness,” is the One who has shone in our hearts to give the Light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ." The ministry, life, death and resurrection of Jesus is predicted in the Old Testament. With respect to the New Testament, Jesus is prominently portrayed in the four gospels, preached about in Acts, explained in the New Testament letters and prominently displayed in Revelation. 

We read these words in Romans 2:4 - "do you think lightly of the riches of His kindness and tolerance and patience, not knowing that the kindness of God leads you to repentance?"  Such a God is worthy of our worship and thanks (Psalm 100:4-5). Lets therefore be mindful of the fact that not only does thanksgiving reveal such a God to exist, but that such a God can be experienced and known in saving faith in Jesus. 

A quick response to those who criticize God and His commands to "wipe-out" the Canaanites in Joshua

Joshua 11:11 "They struck every person who was in it with the edge of the sword, utterly destroying them; there was no one left who breathed. And he burned Hazor with fire."

Introduction:
One of the most attacked areas of the Bible by critics is in the Book of Joshua and its surrounding context. More specifically, critics will contend that God is a "Moral Monster" who commands genocide. In past posts on this blogsite, I have offered a more extensive treatment in responding to this indictment on God's character and credibility of the Biblical text through a four-part series found in the following links:

1. http://www.growingchristianresources.com/2016/11/part-one-why-god-is-still-good-god-in.html

2. http://www.growingchristianresources.com/2016/11/part-two-why-god-is-still-good-god-in.html

3. http://www.growingchristianresources.com/2016/11/part-three-why-god-is-still-good-god-in.html

4. http://www.growingchristianresources.com/2016/11/conclusion-why-god-is-still-good-god-in.html

Today's post is designed to give a very short summary of the above series so that readers can give a "thumbnail sketch" of the Christian response to critics who continue to accuse Yahweh of injustice and immorality.

1. God's holiness and mercy must be considered.
God gave the Canaanites over four centuries to repent of their ways. When a prostitute named Rahab did repent in Joshua 2, God spared her. God's holiness is never factored into critics' arguments. God as a holy God means he cannot stand the sight of sin nor will he long tolerate injustice. The Canaanite culture were known for such practices as child-sacrifice. God was responding to an evil perpetrated by the culture. Ironically, those who claim God never does anything about evil and suffering end up crying "foul" when in the overall context of Joshua, He actually addresses the issues at hand.

2. Holy-war differs significantly from Genocide
Whenever we consider the details of what constitutes holy war and compare it to genocide, it is comparing apples to oranges. Genocide is a merciless, random act of ethnic purging by another people group for political purposes. Holy war in the Bible was moral purging and included an extended pre-history of God giving space for the culture to turn from their extreme wicked practices. Genocide does not include possible mercy. Holy War can be reversed if the culture repents of its ways. Jeremiah 18:8 states – “if that nation against which I have spoken turns from its evil, I will relent concerning the calamity I planned to bring on it.”

3. Ask the critic if they have read the book of Joshua and its surrounding Bible books
In addition to considering God's character and the distinctions between holy war and genocide, one may tactfully ask in a non-condescending way where or not the critic has read the Book of Joshua. Often-times it is very easy to criticize something which one has not read but chooses to criticize based upon here-say. Certainly challenging the critic to read the wider context within which Joshua is set may seem like a tall order. However, atheistic criticisms of Christianity are sometimes due to shoddy scholarship or simply not reading the text in question. 

4. Consider much of the language of Joshua as a form of "hyperbole" or over-exaggeration designed to get the point across
Christian apologist Paul Copan specializes in what can be difficult to interpret texts like Joshua (read more of Paul Copan's material at: (http://www.paulcopan.com/). In his research, as well as the observations of others, many of the cases where we find God commanding the Canaanites to be "utterly destroyed" is part of the rhetoric of holy-war. In many cases, not everyone was destroyed. Perhaps a King, representing the entire nation was executed or the army of the opposing nation. Much like in the sports world today, when one team is being interviewed after a game, they may say something to the effect: "we slaughtered everybody tonight". All listening to such rhetoric understand the players to be utilizing a figure of speech called "hyperbole" or "over-exaggeration" to get across the point that their victory was without question. Copan supports his observations by paralleling literature from the same time-period, illustrating that the Book of Joshua was as much a product of its time as it was of the Holy Spirit. This particular response is helpful, however, caution must be exercised in employing this particular observation, since there are those occasions where the Hebrews did indeed wipe out a given city and its inhabitants.

5. The Canaanites were not innocent
Often critics will cite that the Canaanites never saw the judgment of God coming upon them. However, scholar William Lane Craig observes:

"By the time of their destruction, Canaanite culture was, in fact, debauched and cruel, embracing such practices as ritual prostitution and even child sacrifice.  The Canaanites are to be destroyed “that they may not teach you to do according to all their abominable practices that they have done for their gods, and so you sin against the Lord your God” (Deut. 20.18).  God had morally sufficient reasons for His judgement upon Canaan, and Israel was merely the instrument of His justice, just as centuries later God would use the pagan nations of Assyria and Babylon to judge Israel" (Read more: http://www.reasonablefaith.org/slaughter-of-the-canaanites#ixzz4QaQYWRjV)

6. The issue of Joshua and the Canaanites does not do away with the existence of the Biblical God
In light of the above responses, we can offer one final response: namely, to say that God did something morally wrong is to assert belief in an objective moral laws, which requires God, the objective lawgiver! Again we can quote scholar William Lane Craig on this score:

"I’ve often heard popularizers raise this issue as a refutation of the moral argument for God’s existence.  But that’s plainly incorrect.  The claim that God could not have issued such a command doesn’t falsify or undercut either of the two premises in the moral argument as I have defended it:

1. If God does not exist, objective moral values do not exist.

2. Objective moral values do exist.

3. Therefore, God exists.

In fact, insofar as the atheist thinks that God did something morally wrong in commanding the extermination of the Canaanites, he affirms premise (2).  So what is the problem supposed to be?"
(Read more: http://www.reasonablefaith.org/slaughter-of-the-canaanites#ixzz4QaRMwDwb)

Closing thoughts:
Today we considered a short explanation and response to critics who convict God of wrong-doing in the book of Joshua. We considered the following five responses one could give:

1. God's holiness and mercy must be considered.

2. Holy-war differs significantly from Genocide

3. Ask the critic if they have read the book of Joshua and its surrounding Bible books

4. Consider much of the language of Joshua as a form of "hyperbole" or over-exaggeration designed to get the point across

5. The Canaanites were not innocent

6. The issue of Joshua and the Canaanites does not do away with the existence of the Biblical God

An outline of the Book of Joshua

Joshua 24:15 "If it is disagreeable in your sight to serve the Lord, choose for yourselves today whom you will serve: whether the gods which your fathers served which were beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you are living; but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”

Introduction:
In our last post we considered an overview of the Book of Joshua. Joshua provides invaluable historical information concerning the journeys of the nation of Israel following Moses' death. We saw how in their crossing the Jordan River, they began possessing the land promised by God to their ancestors: Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. In addition to these considerations, we saw too how the New Testament applies Joshua as an illustration of the Christian life. Canaanland is a concrete picture of the Christian life with its attendant battles, defeats and triumphs. Today we will conclude this brief study with understand how the book of Joshua portrays Jesus Christ, followed by an outline and final applications.

Seeing Jesus in Joshua
Before we offer an outline of Joshua, the most important bridge of application is that of seeing Jesus Christ in Joshua. 

Certainly, Joshua himself could function as a pictorial illustration or "type" of Jesus Christ. Both "Joshua" and "Jesus" are equivalent names, with "Jesus" representing a Greek version of the Hebrew name "Joshua". In the KJV of Hebrews 4:8, translators render it - "For if Jesus had given them rest, then would he not afterward have spoken of another day." Most modern English translations render "Jesus" as "Joshua", as in the NASB - "For if Joshua had given them rest, He would not have spoken of another day after that." Joshua himself did speak of the people having a "rest" of sorts (see Joshua 22:4). However, since it was the Spirit of Christ speaking through Joshua and in the composition of His book (see 1 Peter 1:11), the writer of Hebrews ties together the actions of Joshua foreshadowing the actions of Jesus. The Holman New Testament Commentary notes on this score:

"Joshua had given rest to Israel in his day (Josh. 23:1), but God had more than political security in mind in the use of the term rest. Joshua gave his followers temporal rest by leading them to defeat their enemies. God has provided spiritual rest for those who approach him through faith in Jesus Christ as is made clear in verses 9–10."

A suggested outline for Joshua
One of the methods to outline the book of Joshua is by noting key cities and events in their picturing of Jesus Christ and the Christian life. Below is an outline of Joshua in ten points:

1. Rest in Jesus typified by the crossing of the Jordan River. Joshua 1:1-4:14

2. Saying goodbye to the old life and putting on the new life: typified at Gilgal. Joshua 4:15-5:15

3. Fight the good fight of faith: typified in the battle of Jericho. Joshua 6

4. Getting a second chance through repentance: the failure and later victory at Ai. Joshua 7-8

5. Walk by faith, not by sight: lessons from the Gibeonites. Joshua 9:1-10:28

6. Progressing in one's Christian growth or sanctification: the Northern and Southern Campaigns. Joshua 10:29-12:22

7. Claiming the promised land of the Christian life: the twelve tribes settle in the land (with Caleb as an example in 14). Joshua 13:1-19:51

8. Refuge and rest in Christ: the cities of refuge set-up for those who committed involuntary manslaughter (especially 21:43-48). Joshua 20-21

9. United around one Lord, one faith: the dispute over the second altar. Joshua 22

10. Trust and obey, for there's no other way: Joshua's final instructions to the Israelites. Joshua 23-24. 

Closing thoughts:
We have considered the contents, connections and outline of the Book of Joshua to the Christian life. Joshua is invaluable for how he gives us the continuing story of the Hebrew people after the days of Moses. We find out that they were to possess the land promised to them by Yahweh. These historical events provide spiritual application for the Christian life in New Testament books like Hebrews. 

Themes such as sanctification, spiritual victory and following Jesus are illustrated in the book of Joshua. No doubt, we have only scratched the surface in these posts. It is hoped that the reader will study the book of Joshua further. It is suggested that the reader lay open Hebrews 3-4 and read the book of Joshua in light of Jesus Christ and the Christian life. 

An overview of the Book of Joshua

Joshua 24:15 "If it is disagreeable in your sight to serve the Lord, choose for yourselves today whom you will serve: whether the gods which your fathers served which were beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you are living; but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”

Note: The map above derives from the website - http://www.believersmagazine.com/bm.php?i=20091110

Introduction:
Today's post features an overview of the sixth book of the Bible: the book of Joshua. Old Testament scholar Gleason Archer notes concerning this book: 

"It is reasonable to deduce this book was basically compiled by Joshua himself. Intimate biographical details are given from the very first chapter the only Joshua himself could have known (Joshua 5:1,6 and 24:26). There is later evidence of editorial work, such as his decease (24:29-30; 24:31)".

The opening verses of this post are among the more well known scripture passages in all of the Bible. Joshua's book details the aftermath of Moses' death and what the Israelite nation would do in following Moses' successor and long-time protege - Joshua. 

A brief note on Joshua, the man
Early-on we find Joshua being at Moses' side and ever ready to defend Moses (see Exodus 24:13; Numbers 11:28). Joshua would take on the role as a general of sorts in the battles the people would have against opponents (see Exodus 17:3-14). In Numbers 14:6,30 and 14:38, it was Joshua and Caleb who suggested that the people could enter the promised land despite protestations from their fellow spies who had journeyed in to spy out the promised land. God personally handpicked Joshua to succeed Joshua, an appointment he revealed before Moses died (Deuteronomy 1:38)

A brief summary of the book of Joshua and its connection to the Christian life
Joshua's book is all about how the people would cross the Jordan River and begin the process of possessing the land promised to their ancestors (Abraham, Isaac and Jacob). The Bible Knowledge Commentary notes:

"The purpose of the Book of Joshua is to give an official account of the historical fulfillment of the Lord’s promise to the patriarchs to give Israel the land of Canaan by holy war. A “holy war” was a conflict with religious overtones rather than one with a political motivation of defense or expansion. This can be seen in both the opening charge (1:2–6) and the concluding summary (21:43).

Specifically, the conquest of Canaan under Joshua’s leadership was based on the Abrahamic Covenant. God, having dealt with all nations, made Abraham the center of His purposes and determined to reach the lost world through Abraham’s seed."

In as much as Joshua covers a specific historic period in Israel's history (1399-1375 b.c), the New Testament gives hints to it having moral and spiritual application to today's Christian. For every New Testament doctrine, we have at least one concrete, historical illustration of that truth in the Old Testament. Hebrews uses the book of Joshua to highlight the need for repentance and even more so, how the promised-land portrays the struggles and victories experienced in one's sanctification. To put it another way, the crossing of the Red Sea illustrates salvation from sin and death; whereas the Jews crossing of the Jordan picture the death to self and entryway into the post-conversion Christian life. God promised the land of Canaan to Abraham. 

In Joshua, we find the urgency to possess the land. For Christ-followers, receiving one's spiritual inheritance in Christ occurs in conversion, with the resultant Divine declarations of justification and adoption to sonship. What follows from one's salvation (i.e justification) amounts to the ongoing-work of the Spirit's sanctification, whereby the Christian is living out and working with God in their sanctification. 

New Testament books such as Ephesians speak of the believer's spiritual inheritance and the military motif of "putting on the whole armor of God" to fight the good fight of faith. In Joshua, we see these same spiritual principles played out in a moral literal, historical fashion. 

More next time.....

A suggested meaning of "anointing with oil in the name of Lord" in James 5:13-16

James 5:13-16 (NASB) "Is anyone among you suffering? Then he must pray. Is anyone cheerful? He is to sing praises. 14 Is anyone among you sick? Then he must call for the elders of the church and they are to pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord; 15 and the prayer offered in faith will restore the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up, and if he has committed sins,they will be forgiven him. 16 Therefore, confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another so that you may be healed. The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much."

Introduction:  

Today's post will consider the actual command of anointing with oil and tracking out how it is to operate from beginning to end. James' was the half-brother of Jesus according to the flesh. His epistle or letter represents the earliest material in the New Testament with respect to practices and doctrine. The practice of anointing with oil is prescribed by James in James 5:13-16. The chief question before us, as with any part of God's word is: "what does it mean?" As we comment through James 5:13-16, applications for today's Christian and the local church will be offered. 

1. How the command to be anointed with oil in the name of the Lord is to be carried out in the church. James 5:14 

Commentary: 

James 5:14a The sick congregant must submit to the Elders and leadership of the church. To make such a request is an act of humility. Humility before the Lord positions that person to be acted upon by God for emotional, spiritual and of course, physical healing. (see 1 Peter 5:6). Whichever remedy or combination occurs is up to God's purpose. James then writes "let them offer a purposeful prayer". Quite literally, the "Elders" (actual ordained men or some form of representative leadership) are being commanded to fulfill the request of the sick congregant and come to pray with and over that person.

James 5:14b As the Elders met to pray with the sick congregant, there had to be an attending physical act. The physical act in this instance would be a sign corresponding to both their expression of faith and the One to whom they're appealing. The sign mentioned here in James' text is that of anointing oil. Standard word-study references explain the word translated "anointing" as referring to the application of oil by anointing with a household remedy. In addition to James 5:14, we see the following pattern set by Jesus and the disciples in Mark 6:13 - "And they were casting out many demons and were anointing with oil many sick people and healing them."

The use of oil in the scriptures often signifies the Holy Spirit and the power and favor of God being bestowed on that individual (Exodus 30; 1 John 2:20,27). One reference work discusses how in ancient Greece, anointing oil was used for rubbing sore muscles in gymnasts or athletes. This background may be partly informing James 5:14, suggesting the picture of Elders administering the oil to the person in a rubbing or topical application. They would accompany their anointing with the prayers, doing everything in the name of the Lord.  

2. The manner of the provision of healing promised in the act of anointing with oil. James 5:15

Commentary: James 5:15a This particular verse is perhaps the most scrutinized and disagreed upon sentence in James 5:13-16. At issue is how much certainty of healing is promised in the passage. James 5:15a could be rendered: "and the prayer from faith will save the one who is severely ill and the Lord will raise Him up. The phrase translated "severely ill" refers to somebody who is in a continual state of illness or hopeless sickness. Another reference work points to a similar meaning of the person having fallen under some type of illness. 

In these verses, the prescription of anointing with oil is for those who are experiencing perhaps more common and non-terminal illnesses (James 5:14 i.e - "is anyone sick among you") all the way to those in the worse condition (James 5:15 "severely ill"). 

Closing thoughts for today:

The question before the reader is of course how much certainty of healing is promised in the verbs translated "will save" and "will raise"? Let's note three observations:

1. First of all, in terms of the definitions of "will save" and "will raise", some interpreters have tried to make "will save" a term referring to spiritual healing, since the verb is often used in contexts describing salvation. However, there are numerous passages referenced by others that show this verb as referring specifically to saving or freeing from disease (Mt 9:22a; Mk 5:34; 10:52; Lk 8:48; 17:19; 18:42 compared to James 5:15). One way of rendering this verb to bring out its meaning could be "restore". 

The second verb translated "to raise" or "will raise" can also be legitimately translated "to restore to health" in James 5:15. (BAG 214) Thus when we consider that God is offering the opportunity for physical restoration, the provision promised within this setting is specified and made definite. As to whether there is an immediate restoration/healing or progressive restoration/healing at a later time cannot be determined from the passage.

2. Secondly, both verbs are in the future tense. As the name of the tense suggests, both verbs are referring to a state or reality that is not current in the writing of the speaker or the experience of the readers. 

3. Thirdly, James appears to be prescribing a remedy for those in the church who are suffering. In general terms, the outcome of healing should never be doubted. As was stated already, the only thing we are not told in the text is how long of time could pass between the administering of the anointing oil and the healing performed by the Lord.

Reasons to celebrate Jesus Christ as the Bread of Life

John 6:35 "Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; he who comes to Me will not hunger, and he who believes in Me will never thirst."

Introduction:
John 6 is an ocean of truth. As the Lord Jesus Christ is seen and heard in this chapter, we find Him performing his greatest mass miracle in the feeding of the five thousand (6:1-13; 14-16). We also find Jesus walking on the water to the disciples in the middle of a storm on the Sea of Galilee (John 6:16-21). It is following these two back-to-back miracles that we find Jesus unveiling His identity as "the bread of life" in John 6:22-58. If we were to summarize the massive chapter of John 6, we could offer the following outline:

1. A mass miracle - John 6:1-16
2. A majestic miracle - John 6:16-21
3. A marvelous revelation - John 6:22-71

I won't expound too much more on the first two of these divisions. Undoubtedly John 6 offers so much insight that it will require future posts to touch the surface of this grand chapter. Instead, my aim today is far more modest: to simply consider reasons for celebrating the fact that Jesus is the "Bread of Life". Such reasons can be used for one's own devotional meditations or perhaps in a Lord's Supper celebration. As we consider briefly Jesus' revelation of Himself as the "bread of life", why celebrate this wonderful truth? As the Bread of Life, Jesus Christ....

1. Saves sinners. John 6:27-29, 47
We read in John 6:27-29 "Do not work for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give to you, for on Him the Father, God, has set His seal.” 28 Therefore they said to Him, “What shall we do, so that we may work the works of God?” 29 Jesus answered and said to them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He has sent.” 

Just as natural bread provides the staple for a diet in survival or for the nutritional needs of people to prevent starvation and ultimately death, Jesus as the "Bread of Life" is the only one who can rescue sinners from spiritual death. John records Jesus using the backdrop of God's provision for another type of bread from heaven - namely "manna". Manna was used by God to feed the Jews during their wanderings in the wilderness in the days following the Exodus from Egypt under the leadership of Moses (Exodus 16; Numbers 11; Deuteronomy 8; Joshua 5:12; Nehemiah 9:20; Psalm 78:24). 

The descriptions of this manna (which in the Hebrew means "what is it") include it being sweet to taste, coming from heaven and being enough to feed the people for that particular day. We also find in the above verses that attempts to save manna for another day would result in spoilage. So much more could be written on this intriguing bread, but we must hasten to the point: Jesus Christ is the fulfillment of the symbolism communicated by the manna God gave to the Jewish people in the Old Testament, and more. Unlike that former manna, salvation in Jesus Christ would never spoil. Like the Old Testament manna of course (but better), Jesus Christ came from heaven and is more than sufficient for every spiritual need. From salvation through sanctification, Jesus Christ as the Bread of Life will keep safe every believer until they're presented faultless before the throne. 

So as the bread of life, Jesus Christ saves sinners. But there is a second reason to celebrate Him as the Bread of life....

2. Sent from Heaven. John 6:32-33
Jesus describes Himself as the bread "sent from heaven". We find this phrase sprinkled nearly ten times throughout John 6. This tells us the direction of grace: from the "top-down". The bread of life is not found in the things of earth (moralism, man-made religion). Only the Bread of life from Heaven, Jesus Christ, can deliver saving benefits. But now lets notice one more reason to celebrate Jesus Christ - the bread of life...

3. Sustains the saints. John 6:35-37, 51, 53-58
Three times in John 6 do we find Jesus referring to Himself as "the bread of life", with exposition and applications following. As the Sustainer of the saints, Jesus Christ shows us three things:

a. He nourishes. John 6:35
b. He gives life. John 6:48
c. He assures. John 6:51

Implications and applications of Jesus as the "Bread of Life"
It is interesting to note that much of the vocabulary and descriptions used by Jesus in John 6 would appear again in His later institution of the Lord's table. The idea of "eating" and "drinking" the flesh and blood of the Lord Jesus Christ is typified in that ordinance.1 

In as much as the Lord's table is to be observed by believers in the local church, it is the Lord Jesus Christ pointed to by the supper that saves, was sent from heaven and sustains His people. Is it any wonder then that Jesus would later use the descriptions and word-pictures found here in John 6 to communicate His ordinance on the eve of His crucifixion? We praise Jesus, the bread of life, for the fact that...

1. He saves sinners
2. Was sent from heaven
3. He sustains saints who have believed on Him. 

Endnotes:
1. Unlike some Christian denominations, this writer does not see the Lord's table as a literal presentation of Christ's blood and body within the elements nor such being around, under and upon the bread and fruit of the vine. Rather, the bread and fruit of the vine picture the reality of Jesus Christ's bodily presence that attends within and through God's people as they gather together to celebrate. Jesus is always with His church and He is more realized in a powerful way when the church gathers together to celebrate this symbolic, covenant meal.

I get this notion from the fact that Jesus refers to this language before His crucifixion. Jesus was obviously alive when He first used this imagery. It is His life leading to His death and then conquering death by His resurrected life that saves and sustains the believer. The imagery is striking and very powerful and we ought not divest it of its power to communicate vividly all that Jesus has done. Nonetheless, the word-picture is a picture of a true reality that has occurred and of Jesus ever being with His people by the ministry of the Holy Spirit Who indwells His church both individually and corporately. 

The kind of heart it takes to pray for the salvation of the unconverted

Nehemiah 1:1-4 "while I was in Susa the capitol, 2 that Hanani, one of my brothers, and some men from Judah came; and I asked them concerning the Jews who had escaped and had survived the captivity, and about Jerusalem. 3 They said to me, “The remnant there in the province who survived the captivity are in great distress and reproach, and the wall of Jerusalem is broken down and its gates are burned with fire. 4 When I heard these words, I sat down and wept and mourned for days; and I was fasting and praying before the God of heaven."

Introduction:
Today's post is about the kind of heart it takes to pray for unconverted people. As we approach the book of Nehemiah, we find a Jew by the name of Nehemiah serving in the court of King Artaxerxes Longimanus of Persia. The year would had been around 445 b.c when the events in Nehemiah began to unfold. The great preacher of years past, Alexander MacClaren, comments on Nehemiah's reception of the bad news concerning his homeland:


"So Nehemiah prepared himself for his work by brooding over the tidings with tears, by fasting and by prayer. There is no other way of preparation. Without the sad sense of men’s sorrows, there will be no earnestness in alleviating them, nor self-sacrificing devotion; and without much prayer there will be little consciousness of weakness or dependence on divine help."

Nehemiah had a burden for the city of Jerusalem, otherwise he wouldn't had inquired about its status. As far as we know, Nehemiah had never made a personal trip to Jerusalem. What would cause a man to mourn over a city he had never seen? We must remember that Jerusalem was at the spiritual, moral and historical center of the Jewish world. To find out that it had come into disrepair would mean that one's identity was in immediate crisis. The calling God was preparing Nehemiah to fulfill was being placed upon him. He had to have a broken heart for the city in order to repair its walls. By the time Nehemiah's task of finishing the wall in Jerusalem was done, 52 days would pass. Urgency makes quick and exacting work. 

God uses broken hearts to do His work
Nehemiah was a man of prayer. Scarcely do we travel too far into the book of Nehemiah before we find Nehemiah pausing to pray. His heart was broken by the burden placed upon it. Oftentimes we as American Christians prefer avoidance of pain. We often think that we have arrived in the Christian life when we can face this world of ours without tears and turmoil in our hearts. Such notions are useless when it comes to doing God's kingdom work and praying for His results. Interceding for loss souls is no different.

Psalm 51:17 spells out this principle of brokenness as a tool used by God: "The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit;
A broken and a contrite heart, O God, You will not despise." Nehemiah would not be the first person to weep over the state of Jerusalem. Nehemiah's burden was mainly over its moral and physical state. In Matthew 23:37-39 we find the Lord Jesus looking over the same city - some 475 years later. The city was stately in its appearance. The temple was the Herodian temple, nearly unparalleled in the ancient world. Despite all physical appearances, the very place where Jesus' ancestor according to the flesh, King David, had trod had become spiritually bankrupt. The city had rejected its Messiah. As Jesus would look over it one last time before His crucifixion, we find Him saying the following words:  

“Jerusalem, Jerusalem, who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, the way a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you were unwilling. 38 Behold, your house is being left to you desolate! 39 For I say to you, from now on you will not see Me until you say, ‘Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!’”

He wept with a broken heart. Our Lord wept tears in the days of His sojourn here on earth (Hebrews 5:7). Do we? Do we break over the lost around us? Jerusalem had rejected its Savior, and many, many people in our world today persist in their refusal to bow the knee to Jesus Christ. Sin, Satan and the flesh have blinded them (2 Corinthians 4:1-4). The unbeliever is dead to the things of God (Ephesians 2:1-2). What is required is the living voice of the Savior to call them forth from their tomb of unbelief (John 5:24-25) and to shine light into their dark world (2 Corinthians 4:1-6). The Apostle Paul writes the following words concerning his own heart toward his fellow Jews in Romans 9:1-3 -

"I am telling the truth in Christ, I am not lying, my conscience testifies with me in the Holy Spirit, 2 that I have great sorrow and unceasing grief in my heart. 3 For I could wish that I myself were accursed, separated from Christ for the sake of my brethren, my kinsmen according to the flesh...".

Closing thoughts
If you are a Christian reading this post today, will you allow your heart to be broken for your unsaved loved-ones, friends and co-workers? If you are reading this post and have never trusted in Jesus as your Savior and Lord, will you consider how the Lord endured the cross for your sake. He did so with tears, resolve and a desire to fulfill the Divine will in which He shared. 2 Peter 3:9 states - "The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance."