Title Bold Faith
Contents
Hymn: 391
Meditation: Faith begets trust, trust begets boldness. As Joshua repeatedly experiences the victory God has given him, he has more courage than anyone else. Be bolder each day.
Confession of Faith: Apostles' Creed
Text: “On the day the LORD delivered the Amorites to the children of Israel, Joshua said to the LORD, “Sun, stay on Gibeon, in the sight of Israel. Moon you too in the Valley of Aijalon” (Joshua 10:6-14).
Word: The battle with the Amorites is the most important battle in terms of scale and strategy in the war for conquest of Canaan. The people of Canaan feel a crisis when they see Israel conquering faster than expected. Especially when I see the people of Gibeon surrender and surrender to Israel, I am greatly frightened. The five kings of the Amorites, including Jerusalem, the center of Canaan, fight together at Gibeon with all their might. The alliance of these five kings more than overwhelms Israel in size and power. But Joshua does not raise an eyebrow and goes out to fight with courage. God's people must be bold. A person of faith is bold. In the last sermon recorded in the Gospel of John, Jesus also taught us to be courageous even if we face tribulation in the world.
The Bible does not describe this great battle from a strategic point of view. The focus is on Joshua's bold cry. Joshua knew the importance of this war better than anyone. From the standpoint of Israel, who had been walking in the wilderness for 40 years, they predicted that it would be difficult to bear if the war was prolonged. But they came out to unite themselves and fight at once. Realizing that it was God's war anyway, Joshua regarded it as God's grace and boldly went to war. Joshua is commanding the sun and the moon in this war. He is shouting, “Stay,” as if he were God. This is more of a proclamation than a prayer. It is the boldness that only believers who pray in God's will have. It's not like pride.
It is the boldness that only those who do not for themselves but for God, and those who live by the will of God, not their own greed, have. God loves such people. He works and gives power to such people. Even at home, someone must have bold faith. The image of parents in the eyes of their children should be the image of such a brave warrior. The appearance of a husband in the eyes of his wife should be such a bold image.
Prayer: Living Father God, give our families bold faith so that we can overcome the evil and injustice of the world. I pray in the name of Jesus. Amen.
Lord's Prayer