RPG Adults
ISRAEL WORSHIPPED IN THANKSGIVING
SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 4
Joshua 8:30-35
John 4:19-23
“…true worshippers shall worship
the Father in spirit and in truth:
for the Father seeketh such to worship him.”
ISRAEL WORSHIPPED IN THANKSGIVING
It was needful for Joshua and Israel to give thanks to God for the victory over Ai. This was progress in fulfilling God’s promise to give them the land of Canaan. Ai was the second city and the hand of God was evident in their victory. Joshua then built an altar as was commanded in the Law of Moses, and offered sacrifices. He wrote a copy of the book of the Law upon the stones of the altar. Joshua also read the words of the Law and he did not leave out any word that Moses had written. All were in attendance and they heard the words.
The first thing that came to Joshua’s mind after that victory was to communicate with God in true worship. He built an altar unto God in Mt Ebal. It was a mountain not far from Shechem that was separated from Mt Gerizim by a narrow valley. An altar was necessary for the worship then because Christ had not come and the highest form of worship was the offering of sacrifices. Joshua had to oversee that ceremony, and he followed the prescription of the Law of Moses in building that altar. It was made of whole stones that were not cut. No man lifted any iron upon the stones. On it, they offered sacrifices and peace offerings to God.
At that time, the children of Israel were still together in one place in their camps. Men of war were under the command of Joshua. Their foremost aim was to capture the whole land of Canaan and settle every tribe in the heritage that God had given. This worship was needed to give Israel a constant reminder that God was with them and would guide them in their mission. Joshua was the overall leader, and the priests and Levites were the spiritual leaders.
There were also other administrative officers whom Joshua used in conveying a message to the congregation, and they all cooperated in their tasks. They were all set to offer sacrifices to God. Israel was in a delicate position and they needed God to guide them.
THOUGHT: Duty to God comes first in any venture.
PRAYER: Father, let me worship Thee in spirit and in truth.