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Joshua's Farewell - The Book of Joshua · Bible in a Year with Jack Graham

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  Speaker 1: And if it seem evil unto you to serve the Lord,
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  Speaker 1: choose you this day whom ye will serve, whether the
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  Speaker 1: gods which your fathers served that were on the side
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  Speaker 1: of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites in
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  Speaker 1: whose land ye dwell. But as for me and my house,
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  Speaker 1: we will serve the Lord. Joshua 24.15 Thank you, Jesus,
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  Speaker 1: for giving me the strength and dedication to fight until
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  Speaker 1: I receive my promise like Caleb. When the moment comes
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  Speaker 1: and when I'm thriving in my destiny, I will not
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  Speaker 1: stop clinging to the Lord. I decree and declare that
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  Speaker 1: I will stand steadfast. I decree and declare that I
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  Speaker 1: will serve the Lord all the days of my life
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  Speaker 1: because my greatest accomplishment is remaining close to you, Lord.
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  Speaker 1: When the pleasures of this world try to entice me,
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  Speaker 1: I will look at all that you have given me, Lord,
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  Speaker 1: and I will reflect on all the many ways that
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  Speaker 1: you've come through for me and my family. By doing so,
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  Speaker 1: I know that the anchor of my heart will take
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  Speaker 1: hold of you and will allow me not to be
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  Speaker 1: tossed like a wave going to and fro. As for
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  Speaker 1: me and my household, we will serve the Lord. In Jesus' name, amen.
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  Speaker 1: Listening to these daily prayers strengthens your relationship with God.
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  Speaker 1: Continue hearing from the Lord by listening to today's Bible
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  Speaker 1: in a Year. Brought to you by BibleInAYear.com.
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  Speaker 2: Joshua's Farewell In our last story we learned of Israel
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  Speaker 2: battling against five allied armies. God sent hail from the
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  Speaker 2: sky and caused the sun to stand still until Israel
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  Speaker 2: prevailed over their foe. In this story we learn about
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  Speaker 2: Israel transitioning into a brief era of peace and victory.
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  Speaker 2: Joshua calls for the people of Israel to stay steadfast
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  Speaker 2: and obey God before departing to be with his Lord.
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  Speaker 2: As inspired by the book of Joshua.
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  Speaker 3: Hello, I'm Pastor Jack Graham with today's episode of The
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  Speaker 3: Bible in a Year. In our last episode, we learned
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  Speaker 3: how God stopped time to give Joshua and his army
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  Speaker 3: a miraculous victory over five kings and their armies all
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  Speaker 3: at once. Joshua's immense, incredible faith in God and boldness
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  Speaker 3: to make requests to God became an example for all
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  Speaker 3: the people and for us generations later. In today's story,
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  Speaker 3: we'll hear of a time of peace and more victories
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  Speaker 3: for God's people as Joshua leads them with courage. Finally,
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  Speaker 3: we'll hear this great leader's parting words for his people
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  Speaker 3: as he prepares to join those who went before him
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  Speaker 3: in the presence of his God. Let's listen now to
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  Speaker 3: today's reading.
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  Speaker 2: Blood and struggle. This had marked Israel's past few years
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  Speaker 2: under Joshua. Though the battles were difficult, they watched the
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  Speaker 2: faithfulness of God unfold time and time again before them.
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  Speaker 2: Israel's land increased each week, and it was time for
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  Speaker 2: the land to be divided and given to the twelve
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  Speaker 2: tribes of Israel. Luckily, Moses had guided Joshua and the
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  Speaker 2: elders how to divide up the land before he had died,
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  Speaker 2: so they began to allocate plots of land as instructed.
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  Speaker 2: Caleb A humble servant and soldier that was one of
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  Speaker 2: the twelve spies under Moses came to Joshua with a request.
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  Speaker 2: I was forty years old when you and I first
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  Speaker 2: saw the promised land as spies, Caleb said. Like you,
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  Speaker 2: I did not waver or compromise. I knew from the
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  Speaker 2: very beginning that God would give us the land, and
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  Speaker 2: the Lord has blessed me enough to live another forty-five years,
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  Speaker 2: so I may enter into it with my family. Moses
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  Speaker 2: once promised me that all the land I explored would
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  Speaker 2: be mine, and I have waited long to inherit it.
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  Speaker 2: If you would give me the land promised to me,
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  Speaker 2: I will fight to the very end to defend it. Caleb,
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  Speaker 2: though eighty-five years of age, stood tall and strong. Joshua
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  Speaker 2: looked at his dearest and closest friend and blessed him.
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  Speaker 2: The two of them had seen an entire generation pass
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  Speaker 2: away before getting to enter into the Promised Land. They
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  Speaker 2: had endured hunger, war, and struggle together. Giving Caleb the
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  Speaker 2: land brought joy to his soul. Caleb gathered a small
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  Speaker 2: army to go and conquer the land that was promised
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  Speaker 2: to him. His armor was old and stained with years
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  Speaker 2: of war, but the heart it protected was filled with
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  Speaker 2: new life and hope. Caleb offered his daughter's hand in
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  Speaker 2: marriage to whoever would help him conquer the nearby city.
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  Speaker 2: One man rose to the occasion. and he and his
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  Speaker 2: wife were given the nearby springs. Caleb's family was blessed
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  Speaker 2: for hundreds of generations afterwards. The armies of Israel swept
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  Speaker 2: through the land of Canaan and seized what had been
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  Speaker 2: promised to them. Every tribe went into their land and
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  Speaker 2: dwelled there with their family. God worked with and through
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  Speaker 2: his people, and their dreams for almost a hundred years
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  Speaker 2: in the wilderness had been realized. Years had passed, and
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  Speaker 2: Israel's blades began to collect dust in their homes. Peace
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  Speaker 2: came upon Israel, like the slow and rising tide. Joshua
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  Speaker 2: was old, and years of battle had worn his body.
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  Speaker 2: His heart, mind, and soul were preparing to depart from
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  Speaker 2: the earth. Joshua gathered all the people of Israel by
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  Speaker 2: his side. As Moses did before him, Joshua had a
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  Speaker 2: few last commands for the people. Joshua's voice was deep
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  Speaker 2: and raspy, as if it were calloused from years of
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  Speaker 2: yelling in battle. Moses spoke to the people like a
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  Speaker 2: shepherd did to his sheep, but Joshua spoke to them
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  Speaker 2: as a general did to his beloved soldiers. He raised
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  Speaker 2: his voice and said, You have all seen what God
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  Speaker 2: has done for your sake. You have land for your
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  Speaker 2: children to live and thrive. It stretches from sea to sea.
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  Speaker 2: God will not forsake you, and he will continue to
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  Speaker 2: bring your enemies to their knees before you. Be strong,
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  Speaker 2: and do not waver from keeping God's commands close to
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  Speaker 2: your hearts. Joshua choked up as he spoke, remembering the
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  Speaker 2: tender love and care God had shown them. God was
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  Speaker 2: truly their conquering king, and it was an honor to
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  Speaker 2: serve him. Joshua continued speaking to the people, saying, Cling
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  Speaker 2: to the Lord, for our victory, our land, and our
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  Speaker 2: lives are nothing without him. One man and God is
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  Speaker 2: enough to destroy an army of thousands. Remember this, and
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  Speaker 2: be careful not to stray. Joshua recounted the great and
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  Speaker 2: mighty things God had done for Israel, for his greatest
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  Speaker 2: fear was they would forget how faithful God was to them.
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  Speaker 2: Without Joshua to remind them, would they truly be steadfast?
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  Speaker 2: Would they remain a people that clung to their God
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  Speaker 2: as Jacob once did? Time would tell. AND JOSHUA WOULD
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  Speaker 2: NOT BE THERE TO FIND OUT. HE LOOKED AT THE
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  Speaker 2: SEA OF FACES LISTENING TO HIM. THE CHILDREN OF GOD.
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  Speaker 2: WHAT A FICKLE, FLAWED, AND FAITHLESS PEOPLE THEY WERE. YET
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  Speaker 2: GOD LOVED THEM. HE FOUGHT FOR THEM AND PROVIDED FOR THEM.
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  Speaker 2: JOSHUA SMILED, FEELING THE SAME SELFLESS LOVE TOWARDS THEM. JOSHUA
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  Speaker 2: SPOKE LOUD AND CLEAR FOR ALL TO HEAR. THERE WILL
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  Speaker 2: BE MANY OTHER THINGS THAT DESIRE YOUR WORSHIP. Evil will
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  Speaker 2: lurk at your doorstep, so choose. Choose this day whom
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  Speaker 2: you will serve. Serve the gods of the Amorites or
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  Speaker 2: the gods of Egypt. But as for me and my house,
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  Speaker 2: we shall serve the Lord. A roar of applause followed
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  Speaker 2: Joshua's words. The people answered Joshua, saying, It is God
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  Speaker 2: who has delivered us time and time again. We will
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  Speaker 2: serve the Lord, for he is our God. Joshua shook
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  Speaker 2: his head, smiling. He knew they would not. He knew
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  Speaker 2: that even now some of them kept idols in their tents.
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  Speaker 2: Some of them lived in adultery, greed, and secrecy. You
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  Speaker 2: are not able to, Joshua said, tears falling from his eyes.
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  Speaker 2: The people denied it, telling him that they would be faithful.
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  Speaker 2: So Joshua had them renew their covenant with the Lord,
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  Speaker 2: and they laid a stone in the sanctuary of God
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  Speaker 2: as a reminder. Joshua departed from the earth at 110
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  Speaker 2: years old. Joshua's unwavering warrior spirit led Israel into many victories.
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  Speaker 2: Cities trembled at the name of Joshua, and entire kingdoms
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  Speaker 2: raised their hands in surrender when we came. Yet Joshua's
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  Speaker 2: greatest triumph was his devotion to God and his unrelenting
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  Speaker 2: desire to serve his people. The people of Israel would
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  Speaker 2: start well and remain faithful to God, But as Joshua's
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  Speaker 2: memory faded, so would their devotion. Yet Joshua was never
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  Speaker 2: the hero of their story, nor was Moses or Joseph.
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  Speaker 2: It was God that was their steadfast and loyal hero,
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  Speaker 2: and it would be God who would appoint deliverers to
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  Speaker 2: snatch Israel from the jaws of destruction time and time again.
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  Speaker 2: As Joshua breathed his last breath, the era of the
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  Speaker 2: judges began.
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  Speaker 3: So, we begin today's reading with more battles and more victories.
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  Speaker 3: And with every victory, God's glory increased among the people,
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  Speaker 3: and so did the territory that they possessed. They had
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  Speaker 3: now amassed so much land that they could begin to
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  Speaker 3: portion it out according to how Moses had instructed them
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  Speaker 3: before he died. It's yet another step towards the fulfillment
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  Speaker 3: of God's promise to his people. It all began with
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  Speaker 3: Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and extended hundreds of years
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  Speaker 3: into the future, into the life of Moses, and now
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  Speaker 3: through Joshua. If there's ever any doubt, if God makes
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  Speaker 3: good on his promises, you need only to look at
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  Speaker 3: the story of his people, Israel, and the faithfulness of God,
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  Speaker 3: what God showed them more and more over hundreds and
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  Speaker 3: hundreds of years. Today's reading brought us back to Caleb.
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  Speaker 3: Love the story of Caleb. The other spy who sided
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  Speaker 3: with Joshua so many years before, God had allowed him
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  Speaker 3: to live and enter the promised land as well. And
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  Speaker 3: now Caleb went to Joshua to ask for the land
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  Speaker 3: that Moses had promised him. So Joshua blessed Caleb's request.
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  Speaker 3: And now an old man, he went into battle one
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  Speaker 3: more time to conquer his territory. He said, God, give
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  Speaker 3: me this mountain. And God gave him a victory, and
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  Speaker 3: he settled with his family, taking hold of the promise
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  Speaker 3: of God. What followed in the life of Israel was
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  Speaker 3: a time of relative peace. Each tribe began to settle
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  Speaker 3: in and to develop their own land and their own lifestyle.
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  Speaker 3: Years passed, and Joshua is now an older man. His
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  Speaker 3: body is weakened by time, but his faith and his
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  Speaker 3: spirit are as strong as ever. And though he knows
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  Speaker 3: his last days are upon him, just as Moses did,
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  Speaker 3: Joshua gathers the people. His charge echoes both Moses' words
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  Speaker 3: to the people and Moses' words to Joshua. Be strong.
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  Speaker 3: Be faithful. Joshua 23, 6-8 records these powerful instructions. Therefore,
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  Speaker 3: be very strong to keep and to do all that
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  Speaker 3: is written in the book of the law of Moses,
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  Speaker 3: turning aside from it neither to the right hand nor
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  Speaker 3: to the left, that you may not mix with these
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  Speaker 3: nations remaining among you, or make mention of the names
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  Speaker 3: of their gods, or swear by them, or serve them,
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  Speaker 3: or bow down to them. But you shall cling to
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  Speaker 3: the Lord your God just as you have done to
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  Speaker 3: this day. Joshua had served God and the people with faith, courage,
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  Speaker 3: and strength. But he also knew in all humility that
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  Speaker 3: the victories were not his own, but they belonged to
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  Speaker 3: the Lord. Always the battle belongs to the Lord, and
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  Speaker 3: so does the praise. And if the people were to
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  Speaker 3: experience continued peace, they must stick to the laws of God,
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  Speaker 3: the Ten Commandments, and the promises, the covenant that God
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  Speaker 3: had made with them. This, of course, would not be easy,
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  Speaker 3: as we'll see in future episodes. Ultimately, the people would
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  Speaker 3: fail and fall, showing that the only true solution would
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  Speaker 3: be God himself, and God is able to make things
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  Speaker 3: right when we do the wrong thing. We're going to
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  Speaker 3: see that in coming episodes. So let's pray together. Dear God,
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  Speaker 3: thank you for the example of Joshua, of his strength,
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  Speaker 3: his courage, his faith, and his faithfulness. Lord, may we
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  Speaker 3: also keep our eyes on you, not turning to the
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  Speaker 3: things of this world or the gods of this age,
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  Speaker 3: but live in the hope and the assurance and the
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  Speaker 3: promise that what you have given to us is ours
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  Speaker 3: to possess in Jesus Christ. May we always look to
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  Speaker 3: you in humility and believe the best is yet to come.
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  Speaker 3: Thank you for listening today to the Bible in a
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  Speaker 3: Year podcast. I'm Jack Graham from Dallas, Texas, pastor of
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  Speaker 3: Prestonwood Baptist Church. Download the Pray.com app and make prayer
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  Speaker 3: a priority in your life. And if you enjoy this podcast,
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  Speaker 3: share it with others, people that you love and care about,
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  Speaker 3: people who want to know the Bible, help them understand
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  Speaker 3: the Bible as well. This podcast can make a huge
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  Speaker 3: difference in someone's life. If you want more resources on
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  Speaker 3: how to tap into the power of Jesus Christ in
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  Speaker 3: your life, then be sure to visit jackgram.org.
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  Speaker 1: This episode is sponsored by MediShare, an innovative health care
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