Village Schools of the Bible

A Devotional Study of Joshua
by Max Frazier, Jr.

GOD WANTS TO BLESS YOU
Joshua 23

In Psalm 40 and verse 5, David declares, Many, O Lord my God, are the wonders which Thou hast done, and Thy thoughts toward us; There is none to compare with Thee; If I would declare and speak of them, they would be too numerous to count.

In 1897, a man by the name of Johnson Oatman read this verse and then sat down and wrote the following words which have been sung by countless Christians since.

When upon life's billows you are tempest tossed,
Do not get discouraged thinking all is lost.
Count your many blessings name them one by one,
And it will surprise you what the Lord has done.

The more one studies Scripture, the more one becomes aware of the fact that God wants to bless us. God wants to bless you! God wants to bless me! What does the word "bless" really mean? According to the dictionary, it means "To wish good to, to make happy and successful." This word, which is used over 400 times in the Old Testament alone, has some interesting qualities associated with it. Let me share just a couple with you today.

First, God is the one who possesses and dispenses all blessings. Listen to these words from Jacob as recorded in Genesis 49:25, From the God of your father who helps you, and by the Almighty who blesses you with blessings of heaven above. All blessings are God's to give. Remember those words of the Doxology: Praise God from Whom all blessings flow. What a great biblical truth.

Second, the first act of God upon man was to bless him. We read in Genesis 1:28, God blessed them and said to them, "be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and over every living creature that moves on the ground." God did not instruct man. God did not discipline man. It does not even say that God loved the man. But, God's very first act upon man was to bless him.

God's potential is always for blessing. I get excited every time I read verse 14 of this chapter. Joshua has gathered his people around him to share with them the final thoughts from his heart. He knows that his days are soon over, and yet he has one final challenge for Israel. Listen to these great words: Now I am about to go the way of all the earth. You know with all your heart and soul that not one of all the good promises the Lord your God gave you has failed. Every promise has been fulfilled; not one has failed.

In other words, Joshua was reminding the people that it was God's desire that His people be prosperous. He truly wanted to bless them.

But, God did not just bless Israel. He has promised to bless us as well. Paul wrote to the Ephesian believers, Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ (Ephesians 1:3). God's blessings are there for us. It is His desire. But how can a person become blessable? That will be our focus for our next study.

Father, how thankful I am for the blessings which You have not only promised to us, but the blessings which we have received from You. Help us this day to take some time to count those blessings and to give You praise for all that You have done. We thank You especially for Jesus, and it is in His name that we pray. Amen.

HOW TO BECOME BLESSABLE
Joshua 23:15-16

Yesterday we began our study of Joshua 23. Our focus was upon the concept of blessing. We stated that according to the Scriptures, God is the One who possesses and dispenses all blessings, and that His very first act upon man, after his creation, was to bestow a blessing upon him. It truly is God's desire to bless each one of us.

But how does a person receive God's blessings? I am reminded of a statement Dr. Warren Wiersbe made at a pastor's conference I attended many years ago. He stated that too often we pray for God's blessings when we should have prayed that we might become blessable. How does a person become blessable? I believe the answer is found in verses 15 and 16. Let's read those verses together: But just as every good promise of the Lord your God has come true, so the Lord will bring on you all the evil he has threatened, until he has destroyed you from this good land he has given you. If you violate the covenant of the Lord your God, which he commanded you, and go and serve other gods and bow down to them, the Lord's anger will burn against you, and you will quickly perish from the good land he has given you.

These appear to be pretty harsh words from Joshua, hardly fitting for a farewell address we might add. Yet, Joshua understood that in order for a person to become blessable, he had to first become obedient to the will of God. And Joshua knew the history of these people. For them, as it usually is for us if we are truly honest with ourselves, it is always easier to disobey than to obey. It just seems that disobedience comes naturally. Have you ever read a book written by such an authority as Dr. James Dobson giving you instruction on how to teach your child to disobey? Of course not! Children don't need instruction in disobedience. What they do need instruction in is obedience.

Friends, if we are going to experience the blessings of God, then we have to be a person that God can bless. That means that we must practice obedience before Him. I am reminded of the words of that great hymn we used to sing when I was growing up. The chorus went like this: Trust and obey for there's no other way, To be happy (might we use the word blessed) in Jesus, But to trust and obey.

Are you blessable today? Are you walking in obedience to God? If you are, then be alert to the blessings of God which He will shower upon you today.

Father, make each of us within the Village School family blessable today. Give us a desire to walk in obedience to Your will. Thank You for this reminder from the heart of Your servant Joshua. We pray this in the name of One in whom we have received all spiritual blessings, Jesus Christ. Amen.

Joshua 22 Return to Table of Contents Joshua 24