✯✶✰☆ Jehova Nissi ☆✰✶✯ ✯✶✰☆ The Lord My Banner ☆✰✶✯ by Diane Stortz ~~ Exodus 17:15 "And Moses built an alter and called the name of it, The Lord Is My Banner'" ~~ From Joshua 5-6. "After Moses died, Joshua became the leader of the Israelites. He led them across the Jordan River and into the Promised Land as God told him to... The city of Jericho--with its tall, strong walls made of stone--stood in their way. One day, Joshua looked up and saw a man standing nearby with a sword in his hand. "Are you for us or for Jericho?" Joshua asked. "Neither," came the reply, "I am the commander of the Lord's army." Joshua knew this was an angel from God! "What is your message?" Joshua asked. "Take off your sandals, Joshua," the angel said. "You are standing on holy ground." Joshua obeyed, and then he listens to God's instructions about the city of Jericho. "For six days," the angel said, "march around the city every day with all the soldiers. Carry the ark of the covenant with you. Seven priests will march in front of the ark, each carrying a trumpet. On the seventh day, march around the city seven times and then shout. The walls of the city of Jericho will fall down." What a strange way to win a battle! But Joshua obeyed. He gave God's instructions to the people. The priests lined up in front of the ark. Then the soldiers lined up... "Let's go!" Joshua said, "But but quiet--no talking, not even a word, until the day I tell you to shout!" Joshua and the priests and the soldiers marched around the city, but no one said a word. Then they all went back to their camp. The next morning, Joshua and the priests and the soldiers lined up and marched around Jericho for a second time. They did this every day for six days. But on the seventh day, Joshua and the priests and the soldiers lined up and marched around Jericho seven times. Then Joshua cried, "Shout!" and they all yelled as loud as they could. As soon as the people shouted, the walls of Jericho began to shake. The people heard a rumble and a roar. Then the tall, strong walls of Jericho tumbled to the ground. When the Israelites followed God's instructions and depended on Him He gave them victory... ~~ When we carry a banner or wave a flag, we are telling other people whom we belong to and whom we follow. One of God's names in the Bible is The Lord My Banner. God is our banner when we follow Him, depend on Him, and help others know Him. Joshua and the Israelites didn't have a banner to wave when they marched around Jericho. But they followed God's instructions and depended on Him to make the walls of Jericho fall down... King Solomon wrote, 'His banner over me is love' (Song of Songs 2:4). With God as our banner, we know that our loving, good, and powerful God is helping us do what He wants us to do."
I am continuing with my one letter per month goal, with a letter aimed for younger kid (above), and for older kids. I also plan to send a personal letter every-other month, with photos and will respond if I have letters to respond to!
Hello Friend! The next story from Judges that I want to share with you is about Ehud! Are you left-handed? Or do you know someone who is left-handed? Ehud was left-handed, and this story always reminds me that God carefully makes each one of us exactly how He means for us to be, and doesn't make mistakes!Judges 3:12-30 says, "12 Again the Israelites did evil in the eyes of the Lord, and because they did this evil the Lord gave Eglon king of Moab power over Israel. 13 Getting the Ammonites and Amalekites to join him, Eglon came and attacked Israel, and they took possession of the City of Palms. 14 The Israelites were subject to Eglon king of Moab for eighteen years. 15 Again the Israelites cried out to the Lord, and he gave them a deliverer—Ehud, a left-handed man, the son of Gera the Benjamite. The Israelites sent him with tribute to Eglon king of Moab. 16 Now Ehud had made a double-edged sword about a cubit long, which he strapped to his right thigh under his clothing. 17 He presented the tribute to Eglon king of Moab, who was a very fat man. 18 After Ehud had presented the tribute, he sent on their way those who had carried it. 19 But on reaching the stone images near Gilgal he himself went back to Eglon and said, “Your Majesty, I have a secret message for you.” The king said to his attendants, “Leave us!” And they all left. 20 Ehud then approached him while he was sitting alone in the upper room of his palace and said, “I have a message from God for you.” As the king rose from his seat, 21 Ehud reached with his left hand, drew the sword from his right thigh and plunged it into the king’s belly. 22 Even the handle sank in after the blade, and his bowels discharged. Ehud did not pull the sword out, and the fat closed in over it. 23 Then Ehud went out to the porch; he shut the doors of the upper room behind him and locked them. 24 After he had gone, the servants came and found the doors of the upper room locked. They said, “He must be relieving himself in the inner room of the palace.” 25 They waited to the point of embarrassment, but when he did not open the doors of the room, they took a key and unlocked them. There they saw their lord fallen to the floor, dead. 26 While they waited, Ehud got away. He passed by the stone images and escaped to Seirah. 27 When he arrived there, he blew a trumpet in the hill country of Ephraim, and the Israelites went down with him from the hills, with him leading them. 28 “Follow me,” he ordered, “for the Lord has given Moab, your enemy, into your hands.” So they followed him down and took possession of the fords of the Jordan that led to Moab; they allowed no one to cross over. 29 At that time they struck down about ten thousand Moabites, all vigorous and strong; not one escaped. 30 That day Moab was made subject to Israel, and the land had peace for eighty years."
Happy Writing!
