Joshua 1:8 A New Interpretation

0:02 Looking at our world from a theological perspective. This is the Theology Central podcast making Theology Central. Good afternoon everyone. It is Saturday, June the twenty second, twenty twenty four. It is currently three thirty four pm Central Time, and I am coming to you live from the Theology Central studio located right here in Abilene, Texas. What is your favorite verse in the entire Bible? You just love the verse. You love it, You've memorized it, you love reading it, you love talking about it. That verse that you just love the most. What is your favorite verse in the entire Bible?

0:54 Now? What would you do if you cited your favorite verse in the entire Bble and someone said, okay, what does that mean? And you gave your explanation and they looked at you and said, you completely misunderstand that verse. That is not what it's saying. You're interpreting it completely incorrect, that is completely wrong. How would you respond? Would you respond with, oh, wow, I did not realize that. Thank you so very much, I'm embarrassed that I got it wrong. Or would you become defensive and pushback and go no, no, no, no, no, this is the right way. What would your reaction be if someone challenged your interpretation of your very favorite verse, how would you react. Let's offer a separate scenario.

1:48 So their scenario number one. It's your favorite verse, you love it, You've memorized it, all right. Let's try a separate scenario. Let's say there is a verse may not be your favorite, but it is one you memorize. As a young Christian, right brand new Christian. You start you started learning certain verses. Maybe you had a discipleship class, maybe you just bought a scripture memory pack. I had one I carried around forever. It was a little green pack that had cards in it, and you would, you know, you would take a card, memorize the card, and once you have it memorized, and you would move it to the other side of this little pack. I mean it fit in the palm of my hand. The cards were very small. And then what you would do is when you opened up the pack, the ones you've already memorized, you would you would review and then on the other then you would, you know, start memorizing another one. And by the end of a month, two months, three months, you've memorized every card in the memory pack, and you would you would do hopefully, you know, that would be very beneficial for you.

2:46 And as you're you know, starting out your Christian life. I don't know how much how many scriptures you memorized as a young Christian. Typically, if you're going to memorize them, most people do it. I think most people do it when they are a when they're a brand new Christian. I think when they're a young Christian that's typically when scripture memory occurs, mainly because they probably end up in some kind of class that kind of challenges them to do. So. I think as you become older as a Christian, you tend to memorize less and less and less and less and less and less and less, and you just kind of like, well, you know, I read my Bible, study my Bible. You probably don't put a lot of focus on scripture memory. There's always the exception, but I think typically scripture memory really kicks in as a brand new Christian and then it decreases over the years.

3:36 There's the exception, but I would say that's no you norm you can, if you don't believe me, Tomorrow is Sunday, walk around your church and just you know, take a clipboard and say, hey, how many scriptures do you memorize a month? How many? How many? And come back and report to me. I bet you the answer is going to be basically zero. For most everyone in your church, they're not involved in any systematic scripture memory. I'm not even there's times I'm not even involved in a systematic system of scripture memory. There are times that I will try, and then I typically then get distracted and I start focusing on this or focusing on something else. It's hard to maintain that discipline. We all could do it. We all could pick a scripture every week and memorize it. Every single person could do that. It really isn't that hard. But we aren't disciplined to do it, we're not motivated to do so. But the point of this scenario is, think of a scripture you memorized. Now, what would happen? You've memorized it, you know it, and someone comes to you and says, hey, what does that scripture mean? And they, once again, just like in the first scenario, tell you sorry, your entire understanding of that versus wrong. You're misinterpreting it, you misunderstand it, you are completely wrong. How would you react? Would you react? Going oh wow, thank you so very much? Or would you push back and become defensive? I think the better the more we know a passage, the more we are acquainted with the passage. The more we are familiar with the passage makes it very difficult for us to hear someone challenge our interpretation because we've known that verse most of our Christian lives. So if someone pushes back on that,

5:12 well, there's going to be problems. Well, ladies and gentlemen, I say all of that. I spend five minutes in that opening illustration to set this up because I'm about to challenge a very very well known verse, a verse that you have probably memorized, A verse that in my church we actually sing it. I don't know if you sing it in your church. I would dare say that this may be some of your some of you, this may be your favorite verse, but I'm going to say that most of our understanding of it is completely and totally wrong. Are you ready? I have my Bible open to it. If you have a Bible, open up to the Book of Joshua. Oh you know what verse? Do? Yes?

6:00 You do? You know what verse? Right? Because you looked at the metadata on the beta dot sermon audio dot com website. Didn't you okay? Here we go, Joshua, Chapter one, verse eight. This book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success. Then you will have good success. Don't you want to have a successful life. Don't you want to have a successful spiritual life. Don't you want spiritual success? Don't you want life's success.

7:00 Don't you want to be successful as a mother, as a wife, as a sister, as a brother, as a father, as a friend. Don't you want to be successful. Don't you want to be successful in your Christian life? Don't you want to be successful in every aspect? We all want success? And what is the way to have good success? Not just success, but good success. Well, this book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night. So you can't let the word of God. You can't let God's Law depart from your mouth. So it has to constantly be there, and you meditate on it day and night. Oh but wait, there's more you observe to do according to all that is written in it. So if you want success, you can't let it depart from your mouth. Whatever that means, we could discuss it. You have to meditate on it day and night, and then you must observe all of it. If you want success, you've got to know God's word. You got to be able to speak God's word.

8:09 You gotta be meditating on God's word basically twenty four to seven, and you must be obeying all of it. Now, you would think this would not be anyone's favorite verse because immediately you think someone would go raise their hand in class. You think there would be one of the you know, one of those very you know, perceptive people in class, and they would raise their hand and go. But sir, if this is the key to success, there will never be anyone who is successful, because I've never met anyone in church who meditates on God's word day and night. This would require maybe a life and a monastery where you're doing the liturgy of the hours. You know, early morning, you know, mid morning, afternoon, you have the Liturgy of the hours, you have Mass, and you have spiritual reading time.

9:01 You can look up the schedule of a monastery where your whole life is that, well, that would work. Well, well, no, you can meditate on God's word and this and they and Christians try to come up with little tricks and how you can do so. Well, if you'll have your devotions in the morning, right then all throughout the day you can meditate. But even if you try to meditate on what your devotional was in the morning, you know throughout the day you're getting not mine is not even going to be thinking about God's Word. You know it, and I know it. But the real issue is observe everything that's in it immediately. I know I've got a problem. So because this would imply that I can observe everything in it right, well, I know I can't. So how do I understand Joshua one eight? Now the reason I am asking this question, and the reason obviously you can tell where I'm going. I'm going to challenge this verse. I'm going to challenge the interpretation of this verse. It may be your favorite, it may be one you memorize, but I'm about to completely just deny. I'm gonna I'm gonna dogmatically assert I won't go so far to say dogmatically. So I'm going to put forth the hypotheses. Let me do this, that everyone's interpretation of Joshu one, or the majority of interpretations to Joshu one eight is absolutely completely wrong. I'm not gonna I want to be dogmatic, but I'm just gonna. I'm gonna put forth the hypotheses, my hypothesis on this Saturday, Jill June. Did I say July at the beginning

10:33 of this, I hope I did not this June the twenty second, this June the twenty second, that the majority interpretation of Joshua one eight is absolutely one hundred wrong. It's not it's a misinterpretation. It's a wrong interpretation. It's just doesn't make any sense. Now. The reason I'm bringing this up is I was looking on the Sermon's two point oh app I probably with at THEBTA dot sermon audio dot com website, and I saw a message and may have been in the featured ones or suggested ones, I don't know which category. I found it, and it said the key to spiritual success. The key to spiritual success. Now, typically I would take it and review it, but I am not going to do so because the message is very much associated with leadership of sermon audios. I don't want to get myself in any trouble, but you can go find it for yourself. Okay, I don't want to get myself in any trouble, but because I am, I'm going to put forth a very bluntly worded perspective that I disagree with the interpretation not only put forth in their message, but probably if you look up all the messages on Sermon's two point zero and listen to messages on Joshua one to eight, by all means, feel free to do that today. You can spend the evening listening to messages one. I think I'm going to disagree with probably the interpretation of every single one of them. Now I would love to have

12:09 spiritual success. I would love to have it, but again, if the requirements in Joshua one to eight are the key to spiritual success, I am never going to obtain it. So already it puts forth an idea that either you have to believe you can literally keep all of God's law, which no one does, so then you've got to modify it. Right. So this is how people kind of modify it a right. This book of the law. Shall not depart from your mouth. I don't know if we spend a lot of time trying to figure out exactly what that means. Okay, but what does it mean not to depart from my mouth? Meaning that I'm constantly speaking of it, I'm constantly talking about it. Well, Christians talk about everything else other than God's word. If you don't believe me, go to a church potluck, go to a church fellowship. Everyone's talking about everything other that. They literally can come from the sermon to the fellowship mill and nobody's talking about the talking about their grandkids, the weather, their job. They got a new truck out front with a I don't know, some kind of engine, or they bought a new hunting rifle, or they killed Bambi or whatever the case, everything other than that. So what do you mean it, She'll not depart from your mouth. We talk about so many other things in scripture. So there strike one. Next, you shall meditate on it day and night. Well, their strike too, because most of the people in your church are not meditating on God's word day and night. But even that we modify it, don't we, Right, So what we say is, well, I mean you're not going to think about it all the time.

13:35 But the idea here is that you try as much as possible. It doesn't say try, it says don't let it depart from your mouth, and meditate on it day and night. These are their requirements if you want to be prosperous and have good success. And then number three, look, everyone has to just throw up their hands and say we're not going to do this one because look at number three. Meditate on it day and night that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. Now, can you keep God's law perfectly? Now? The minute you say you can, I would say, go from the Old Testament, open up the Bible to the Gospel of Matthew, and look at Jesus expound and explain the law and the Sermon on the Mount, and guess what He's gonna make it very clear that God's law demands not only an external perfection, but an internal perfection, and that you can be guilty of God's law without ever actually committing a physical act. You can commit adultery and never be a million miles Oh you can. You can be a million miles away from someone, never even you can be guilty of it. Just by looking. You can kill someone without ever physically touching them. All these so we're guilty, We're guilty, We're guilty, we're guilty. The point is we're all guilty. So then you have to go. Well, the idea is you're trying to observe, so we got to modify it. But that's this doesn't say try, It says do. Don't let God's word depart from your mouth. Don't let it depart

15:05 from your mouth. Meditate on it day and night, and observe everything in it. So immediately I know that the typical interpretation of Joshua one eight has already flowed because that's three strikes on every look. I don't know if you've ever seen a baseball game, but even in baseball, three strikes means you're out. Philologically, spiritually, this would be three strikes, everyone would be out. So what do you do with Joshua one eight? First and foremost? If we were going to go back to our proper distinction between long Gospel, this is a law passage. This is a law passage, meaning that it demonstrates our inability to keep it, and that we do not keep it.

15:50 We'll never have good success. So what's my hope. Well, I would go something like this. Someone is standing before the class. Ladies and gentlemen. You want to be successful, you want to be prosperous, you want to have good success. Here are the three things you must do. The Word of God should never depart from your mouth. You'll meditate it on it day and night, and you will observe everything that is in it. Someone should raise their hand, Well, none of us is going to do that. Therefore we can't do it. And so then maybe someone else would raise their hand and say something like but what if someone else did it for us? Well, that other person would be I don't know the eternal son of God, the incarnation Jesus Christ, who the word of God did not depart from his mouth. He meditated on it day and night, and he observed everything in it. And in him, I am prosperous, and I have good success spiritually because I am completely forgiven. So if we look at it from a law perspective, it drives us to Christ. It doesn't drive us to effort. It drives us to Christ. It doesn't drive us to work harder. It drives us to Christ. Then I can find peace and rest. But that's not even the interpretation that I want to put forth.

17:11 I think everyone misses the point of this passage absolutely, Like I'm shocked by how how frequently this is so misunderstood. Everyone should know that what what does what precedes Joshua chapter one? Oh, it's the Book of Deuteronomy. Hmm, okay, all right, So let me make it very clear. And Joshua chapter one, the nation of is ra El, Israel is about to enter into the Promised Land, and God has given them very specific instructions about them going into the land. And part of that instruction this is two Israel, right if you if you want to go back to Joshua chapter one, verse one, after the death of Moses, the serve of the Lord, it came to pass that the Lord spoke to Joshua, the son of Nun, Moses' assistant, saying, Moses, my servant is dead. Now therefore arise, go over this Jordan, and you and all this people to the land which I am giving to them, the children of Israel. You may want to circle the word Israel. I know it's so complicated, but and I'm being a little sarcastic here, and maybe a little. You know, I'm not trying to be sarcastic, but it really irritates me that how people memorize Joshua one eight and Israel gets left out of this, and it becomes about me. I was given Joshua one eight to memorize as a young Christian.

18:40 If you want to be successful as a young Christian, if you want to prosper as a young Christian, if you want to have spiritual victory, if you want to overcome the world, the flesh, and the devil, you will do this. You will not let the word of God depart from your mouth. You will memorize it, you will meditate on a day and night, and you will keep it, and then you will have victory. And I'm like, cah, I'm gonna do it. I'm going to do it, and i will sin and sin and sin and sin. And I'm thinking, man, if I could just pull this off, because what was never mentioned Israel, this always become us us us us. It's a complete and oh drives me crazy. But clearly the context is, hey, I'm gonna give the land. Now, there's the land prop. There's the land part. There's the land part. Right, there's the land part. Now, the land part clearly connects to Israel, and God had made a covenant and promises to them. And I do apologize as my daughter once again calling me. My daughter always calls me when I'm live on the air. Okay, but there's a land part. So let's go through this again. Moses, my servant is dead. Now therefore a rise go over this Jordan, and you and all this people to the land which I am giving to them, the children of Israel. So this is very much connected to the promise God has made to Israel, the cove, and it is directed towards Israel.

20:03 You cannot read Joshua one eight and forget coven it and Israel. If you do so, you are completely annihilating the actual meaning of this text. But just stay with me, all right, let's go to verse Let's go to verse four. All right, well, let's continue reading in verse three, or let's read verse three. We stopped in verse two. Every place that the soul of your foot will tread upon, I will give you. I have given you, as I said to Moses. So now this is a reference to things said to Moses. This is a reference to back to things spoken to Moses. So that means I cannot understand Joshua one eight without understanding those things that were spoken to Moses. Hmm, I think Joshua one eight may not be so much about me or you? Does it? Okay?

20:51 But let's continue. Let's continue. He goes on every place the sole of your foot will I try to of your foot? Well, let me read this again, every place that the soul of your foot will tread upon. I have given you, as I said to Moses, from the wilderness and this Lebanon, as far as the great river, the River Euphrates, all the land of the hit Tights, and to the great South towards the going down of the sun, shall be your territory. No man shall be able to stand before you all the days of your life, as with Moses. So I will be with you. I will not leave you nor forsake you. Now that sounds like, wait a minute, They're going to go in and no one's gonna be able to stand against them, but something goes horribly wrong, does it not? Hey, that seems to guarantee success.

21:41 You're going to go in and nobody's gonna be able to stand against you, but something goes horribly wrong, because we know at some point things begin to fall apart and people begin to stand against Israel and come against them, and there's war and there's fighting, and then well, well wait a minute, they go into captivity. Something goes wrong. Why but hang on, let's continue, right. I will be with you. I will not leave you nor forsake you. Be strong and of good courage. For this people you shall divide as an inheritance, the land which I swore to their fathers to give them. Now we're clearly now connecting to the Covenant. This is all Israel, Israel Israel. That has nothing to do with you. I don't know what state you're in today, Georgia. I don't know where Tennessee, Florida. You could be in another country. Okay, whatever country you're this has nothing to do with you. Oh. I know I'm going to offend some people with that, But this is not about us. Only be strong and very courageous that you may observe to do according to all the law which Moses, my servant commanded. You do not turn from it to the right hand or to the left, that you may prosper wherever you go. This is a conditional promise. If Israel wants prosperity, if Israel wants success, what must they do? They must observe everything. They must keep the law.

23:12 They cannot let it depart from their mouth, and they must meditate on it day and night. Now, anyone reading, if this is the first time you've ever read your Bible, when you get to Joshua one to eight, you immediately should stop, or Joshua one seven, or any of this passage, and you should stop and go, Well, wait a minute, I know how the story's going to end. They're going to fail. They are not going to be prosperous. They're not going to have success. They're absolutely not going to be successful. And then look, this book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, and you may observe to do according to all that is written in for then you will have then you will then for then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success. How how are you gonna what's the requirement? What is the condition for prosperity and success?

24:14 They must not They must obey the all of scripture. They must obey the law of God. They cannot let it depart from their mouth, and they must meditate on it day and night. I'm sorry. Strike one, Strike two, Strike three. This is all about Israel. Now this immediately, This comes right after Deuteronomy. Now, if anyone's just reading Deuteronomy and then you turn the page to Joshua, right, if you're reading Deuteronomy and then you turn the page to Joshua, immediately you know Joshua e Well, this fits perfectly with the end of Deuteronomy. This fits perfectly with Deuteronomy. How does this get obliterated in church after church after church after church after church.

25:00 Look, I've reached I'm starting to reach the point that sometimes going to church may be more detrimental and you understanding the Bible than it is actually helpful. I know I'm gonna get I'm gonna give so much trouble for saying that. Let me say it again, though, going to church may actually be more detrimental and you understanding the Bible than it is helpful. I know, I know people are gonna get mad at me, but I'm just I'm so tired of how the scriptures are just no one wants to even attempt to handle them, even remotely carefully. This is all about Israel. The promise of success mentioned and Joshua one to eight is directed towards the people of Israel during a very specific historical context. I want you to write that down. The promise of success, the promise of prosperity mentioned in Joshua one eight is directed towards the people of Israel, not you, and it is given to them during a very specific historical context. And Joshua one eight Joshua exhorts Joshua challenges the

26:33 Israelites to meditate on the Law of Moses day and night, emphasizing the importance of following God's commandments and teachings. The success referred to here is completely linked to obedience to God's word and adherence to the covenant established between God and the nation of Israel. The issue is there are elements now in deuteronomies. We sometimes refer to this as the land covenant. Hey, when you go into the land, if you want success, if you want blessing, if you want prosperity, you must do this. If you don't, you get curses.

27:17 Oh. I know this is going to come as a shock to everyone. Where is all of that information found in the book of Deuteronomy, which comes right before Joshua one eight. Joshua one eight is always ripped literally out of its context, and then it becomes about us. It's not about you. And even if it's about you, you don't get success by doing it, because you can't. You get success by putting your faith in Christ, who did. But the price issue is this is not about you. Starting in Deuteronomy chapter twenty eight, we read these words, Now it shall come to pass if you, if you please no Deuteronomy twenty eight one. Now it shall come to pass if you. There's the key phrase, if you diligently obey the voice of the Lord your God, to observe carefully all his commandments, which I command you today, that the Lord your God will set you high above all nations of the earth, and all these blessings shall come upon you. What show these button and enlist all the blessings. If you want prosperity and you want success, obey God's word. But if you don't, Deuteronomy following twenty eight lists all the curses. Joshua one is simply reminding Israel of the Covenant that we refer to it as the land Covenant and Deuteronomy

28:52 twenty eight. That's all that's happening there. I don't know how this is ripped out of context and said, hey, hey, your teenage Christian and you want to be successful when you grow up. You want a prosperous life, you want spiritual victory. Memorize the Bible, read the Bible, study the Bible, obey the Bible, and you get it. And the teenagers like, I'm going to do it, and then well, just keep trying. If you're telling people to keep trying to do Joshua one eight, that you just as well tell them. You just tell me who you told. I'm just going to go say, hey, you probably just give up now because it's not working. Well, what do I do? You need someone to do it for you, just like Israel needed someone to do it for them because Israel could not succeed either. So the promise of success mentioned in Joshua one to eight is directed towards the people of Israel during a very specific historical context. In Joshua one eight, Joshua challenges the israel Lites to meditate on law on God's law day and night, emphasize the importance of following God's commandments and teachings. The success referred to here is forever linked to obedience to God's word and adherence to the covenant established between the nation of Israel. The connection between Joshua one eight, Now this is from a source. Listen to this carefully. This is not me. The connection between Joshua one eight and

30:22 the Promise outline and Deuteronomy twenty eight is significent. The connection between Joshua one eight and the Promises outline and Deuteronomy twenty eight is signific. Kent is significent. Now I want you to go listen to all the sermons you can on Joshua one eight and see how many of them say the connection to Joshua one eight and Deuteronomy twenty eight is signific Kent. Think of all the sermons you've heard in your church. Think about what's been taught to your kids about Joshua one eight. If you have Auana, it's probably been a memory verse.

31:04 Probably some of your homeschool curriculum has made it a memory verse. Not only you are obliterating the proper distinction between law and gospel, you may be teaching them the worst hermeneutics and the history of hermeneutics. In Deuteronomy twenty eight, known as the Blessings and Curses chapter, God outlines the consequences of obedience and disobedience to his commandments for Israel. The blessings promise for obedience include prosperity, victory, o for enemies, and abundance, while the curses for disobedience in Vov's defeat, hardship, and exile. Well, guess what they got. They got curses because they got defeat, hardship, and exile. Why because nobody can keep God's law the end. Therefore, the success promised in Joshua one to eight can be understood as being conditioned upon the faithfulness and obedience of the Israelites to God's commands, as outlined in the broader context of the Mosaic Covenant and the blessings and cursing curses associated with it in Deuteronomy twenty eight.

32:12 Now Here, I'm gonna read this. This is not for me, And you say, well, which pastor gave this to you? Which sermon did you get this from? I got it from artificial intelligence, because there was no point in going to commentaries. Are you ready? This last paragraph from AI? It is important to interpret these scriptures within their historical and theological context, recognizing the specific promises and responsibilities given to the nation of Israel under the Old Covenant. While the principles of meditating on God's word and obedience apply universally, the specific promise of success and blessings outline in Joshua one to eight are primarily directed towards Israel and Rei to the Covenant establish with them at that time.

33:02 Even Ai understands it. But the Church seems incapable of being able to say, well, I think that mentions Israel. This is now I'm not When I say the church, I'm speaking in general, not speaking universally for every single one. It's a general statement. Okay, I'll get someone going, well, my church says it the right way. Okay, well then this is not applicable to you. Right. But I've just witnessed this my whole Christian life, and then today I start listening to something and immediately it's like, hey, you want to be successful in your Christian life. And even in the message, I've been trying to really instill this in my kids. I want my kids to understand this that if they want success, that they want do Joshua Onet eight. How are they going to accomplish that?

33:53 Are you going to minimize meditate on God's word day and night? Are you going to find some way to say that that doesn't mean you do it all the time. Because your kids are not meditating on God's word day and night. Their mouth is filled with all kinds of other things other than God's word. And I guarantee you they will never obey all of it. They will never even come close on their best day. They will not even if they do it externally. Internally, you have no idea what's going on. Look, your kids may be young, but wait till they're thirteen, fourteen, fifteen, sixteen. What's going on in there? They may be sitting in church looking nice, saying Amen, allelujah. They may be reciting the apostles Creed. I believe in God the Father, Almighty, maker of heaven and earth, and his only son Jesus Christ, born of the Virgin Mary suffered under ponstas. Okay, I'm not gonna sit turn quote. They may cite, recite the apostles Creed, nice and Creed. They may even know the Athenacious Creed, the athenaician Creed right, not written by Athenasius, but the Athenationian Creed named after him, but not written by him. Right. I want to get into church history. The point is, you have no idea what's going on in their minds, And don't act all spiritual because you'll be sitting in church tomorrow and who knows what's going on in your mind. Oh wait, tomorrow, I'll be standing behind a pulpit preaching. You have no idea what's going on in my mind? Now, Joshua demonstrates Israel's failure under

35:32 the old Covenant. It demonstrated that they were going to need something other than trying to obey or keep it, because they couldn't do it. Even though success was right there, they could not obtain said success because the law was designed never to bring success. It was designed to bring absolute failure and condemnation, so that then God would have to make a new covenant, so that he would send his son to obey the law on behalf of those who cannot keep it, and then in him we find success. Spiritual success. This, this, this physical prosperity and physical promises was for Israel under that covenant, But spiritual success is found in Christ, because in Him I'm perfect, holy, redeemed, and well have eternal life. Joshua one eight has been misinterpreted, misapplied, mishandled, I will say, to the detriment to many lives. Now, for some reason, a lot of people quote Joshua w a aclect that they pull it off blows my mind. Everybody will sing Joshua and amen, amen, I are so good, and they haven't meditated on God's word in sixteen months, probably having read it or studied it. But

37:04 ahmen, that's the way to success. We need to get God back into this country. How about you get God back in your own mind for crying out loud, like come on, it's so weird how we can't see sometimes like wait a minute, I'm not doing that. I'm not doing that. I'm not doing that. Every day you open your Bible, you should be confronted with I'm not doing that, I'm not or I'm doing what I'm not supposed to be doing. That's your life as a Christian. Well, I'm not doing what God tells me to do, and I'm doing what He told me not to do. Well, what's my hope. It's in Christ Jesus now, I know, I just took your favorite verse and probably messed it up, or took one that you have fond memories of because you memorized it when you're young, or you memorized it as a New cre Christian, or or it may even be depending on your child's Sunday school, you may have something somewhere in the house with the Joshua one eight written on it. I've seen that. You know how many times when it comes to graduation, not only will people give graduates something with you know, Joshua or Jeremiah. You know, I know the plans I have for you to prosper you, okay, which is a complete again misapplication, but you know, you can't believe how many things that are made for new for graduates that will have Joshua one eight on it. And I just want to I just I just want to

38:35 scream. Now the message I found this is not even about You can go find the message, but I'm not even really here to criticize the message because that message is probably one of thousands. I mean, right now, get on the sermon's two point oh app and just type in Joshua one eight. I'm just gonna go here I'm gonna go to Discover to go to the search bar. I'm just gonna type in Joshua one eight Joshua. I don't have a number here, but it is. I mean, I am just scrolling down and there's one sermon after another. Look, this one is seven keys to a successful life. Oh, I want success, success, successful Christian living part one, two, three, four, five, successful Christian living and what not. No, this is successful Israel living as a nation, and they failed. And if this is going to be your key to successful Christian living, you're going to fail. But the bigger issue is this is for Israel, and what it should show me is Israel couldn't keep God's law.

39:54 I can't keep God's law. They couldn't have success. I can't have success, But in Christ I can because you know what, the Word of God never departed from his mouth. He meditated on it day and night, and he observed everything that is in it. For me, email me news if at yahoo dot com. Newsif at yahoo dot com. Here is your challenge. Find me a sermon on the sermon's two point oh app that handles Joshua one to eight by first connecting it to Deuteronomy twenty eight and second acknowledging Israel could not keep it and that we cannot keep it the first one to find one. When's the privilege? When's the privilege? I have a Recis peanut buttercup here, I have a Reese's Peanut butter cup. Here. You will get this Reese's Peanut buttercup. Now, I don't think I'm even gonna try to send that to you. It'd be I'll smash them. Oh, I got I gotta Oh, I got a box of Reese's pieces right here.

41:15 I could send those to you. Okay, that doesn't work. Oh wait, I have a Nature's Bakery oat mill crumble apple, real fruit and whole grain plant based, no high fruit or current corn syrup if I can read correctly. Well, that's actually been open and I've eaten part of it. So actually, now you don't want that. Yeah, I got junk all around me. But I mean, I guess Nature's Bakery. The oatmel crumble apple is actually not really it's probably not super healthy, but it's better than the probably the Reese's pieces of the Reese's Peanut buttercup. But actually you don't get anything. Oh wait, you'll if you if you find it, you will get good success. I can't make that promise, and pastors who use Joshua to make promises, they cannot make do the very same thing.

41:59 I guess I could just make you a fake promise and while just like other people other pastors do with Joshua one eight and say you'll get a million dollars. But you know, okay, all right, now I'm gonna get over into the prosperity gospel nonsense. Okay, but all right, I digress. The point is you're not Israel. Joshua one eight is about Israel, and Israel couldn't even keep it now either can you. And it's connected to Deuteronomy twenty eight. And if you don't realize that, then you've had your your maybe your favorite verse or the verse you've memorized. It's great that you memorized it, it's great that it's your favorite, But of what value is a favorite memorized verse if you completely misinterpret it? Thanks for listening, everyone, have a great day. You can email me at news I F at yahoo dot com. News i F at yahoo dot com. And you know what I have to do now? I have to call my daughter back and how much. You bet I'm gonna call my daughter back, and it's going to be something like, hey, September the thirteenth, that's when Taylor Swift is going to release her Taylor's Version of Reputation because it's September the thirteenth and her thirteen is her favorite number. What you watch? I bet you that's what I'm gonna get. Or she's gonna be like, hey, I saw this on TikTok, and I'm gonna be like, great, thank you so much for your your your theories about the new Taylor Swift Taylor's Version of Reputation, or or you know, stop calling me when I'm broadcasting. But no,

43:31 I'm gonna be nice because I obey everything in God's word. Unlike the rest of you heathens, I obey everything. So I'm gonna call and be dear daughter. What can I do for you today? How can I serve you today? How can I make your life better? Because I'm just so godly I'm lying to you. Okay, I'm not that godly, but I am gonna be nice outwardly, but internally I'm like, oh, how many how many episodes has she messed up with? Calling me? I know, I've got to learn to turn off the notifications. That's what I have to learn to do. I've got to do that. I got to do that.

44:14 We see, if I turn off the notifications, I always forget to turn them back on, and then someone will be calling and one of my daughters will be calling me, like you never answer? Why do you never answer? Okay, so all right, it's nine hundred and fifty seven degrees currently here in the studio in West Texas. Y'all have a great day. News if it Yahoo dot com. News, if it Yahoo dot com, tell someone about Joshua one eight. Have that conversation. Let me know how it goes. God bless