Quote from Forum Archives on January 27, 2006, 9:46 am

Posted by: info <info@...>

E-pistle

Dr. Curt Scarborough, President
Freeway Foundation January 27, 2006

The Commander of the Army of the Lord

(Joshua 5:1-15)

Dr. Curt Scarborough

I. Concentration: on the events of this chapter

1. When the heathen nations heard of the miraculous crossing of the
Jordan,

"their heart melted; and there was no spirit in them any longer," v. 1.

2. Upon God's command, Joshua reinstituted the practice of
circumcision

which had been neglected during the 40 years of wandering in the

wilderness, vv. 2-8.

3. The place where Israel camped was named "Gilgal" (Rolling) because
God

had rolled away their reproach, associated with Egyptian bondage;

here the people observed Passover on the 14th day of the first month,

and on the following day the manna ceased and the people began

eating the food of the land of Cannan, vv. 9-12.

4. The Commander of the Army of the Lord (the Pre-incarnate Christ)

appeared to Joshua, who fell to the earth and worshipped Him; the

Lord said, "Take your sandals off your feet, for this place where you

stand is holy," and Joshua did so, vv. 13-15.

II. Meditation: on the spiritual implications of the
events of this chapter

1. First, there must be the cutting away of sin, the circumcision of
the heart,

Deuteronomy 30:6 . . . an act of sincere repentance.

2. Next, the blood of the Lamb must be applied to bring deliverance
from

spiritual death, John 1:29.

3. Then, the blessings of the Lord begin to flow abundantly to supply
all the

needs of the repentant believer, Philippians 4:19.

4. Finally, the Lord reveals Himself in a new and awesome way, Matthew
5:8.

III. Revelation: on the meaning of "holy ground"

(This "holy ground . . . take off your shoes" encounter is Joshua's second

experience which is almost identical to the one of Moses, at the burning
bush,

Exodus 3:2 . . . the first such similar experience was the parting of the
waters.)

1. "Holy ground" is the place where God manifests Himself in an
unusual

and marvelous way.

2. "Holy ground" is the place where God speaks personally to one of
His

chosen leaders.

3. "Holy ground" is the place where God reveals a small part of His
person,

attributes, character, and glory to a human being.

4. "Holy ground" is the place where God unveils His promises and gives
a

divine vision of future destiny to His servant.

IV. Applications: as a Christian, I need to . . .

1. Repent of my sins immediately when the Spirit reveals them, John
16:8.

2. Confess and receive Christ's forgiveness and cleansing, I John 1:9.

3. Trust the Lord to provide all that I need, Matthew 6:33.

4. With eyes of faith, behold the resurrected, triumphant King of
Kings, and

fall down and worship Him, Isaiah 6:1-8; Revelation 5:12.

"You're In The Army Now!"

Dr. Curt Scarborough

I may hold the record for being the youngest soldier ever to
become a member

of the Veterans of Foreign Wars, Benton, Ill. Chapter. My formal induction
occurred

a week after the VFW Independence Day celebration in 1943. Ours was a
typical

small-town 4th of July event during WWII . . . with a parade featuring the
high school

marching band and color guard . . . and a barbecue picnic with political
speeches

and patriotic songs. The musical extravaganza part of the program vaulted
me from

relative obscurity into the limelight of notoriety in southern Illinois.

Several of us grade school kids, decked out in military
uniforms, were to

perform popular war songs of the day . . . When Johnny Comes Marching Home

Again . . . Over There . . . Remember Pearl Harbor . . . The White Cliffs of
Dover

. . . Coming In On a Wing and a Prayer . . . Praise the Lord and Pass the
Ammunition.

My solo rendition was the ever-popular classic: You're In the Army Now.

Dressed as a khaki-clad GI, I marched to the front and center of
the

stage, and began my stirring song. I'll never forget those lyrics to my
dying day . . .

nor the slip of the tongue which catapulted me into Mom's guardhouse on
permanent

latrine duty.

You're in the army now, And not behind the plow;

You'll never get rich, By digging a ditch, You're in
the army now!

That's what I was supposed to sing. But somehow, the second
line accidentally

came out, "You'll never get rich, You (I'll let you finish it). Some
panty-waist kids in

my school got their mouths washed out, from time to time, with Ivory,
Palmolive, or

Lifebouy. Not me! My mother used LYE soap and a stiff brush . . . the
brush was

administered, not to my filthy mouth, but to the seat of the problem!

However, Benton's VFW, those drinkin' and cussin' hardened
veterans of days

gone by, rallied to their fallen comrade's rescue. By unanimous vote, they
made me

an honorary junior VFW member, with a precious memento to mark that
red-letter day.

Their valued keepsake, an engraved VFW beer mug, now occupies the central
place

of honor in the glass-enclosed trophy case in my study.

Paul warned: "Perilous times will come; for men will be
blasphemers . . .

unholy." (II Timothy 3:2) Both those words refer to speaking irreverently
of God, taking

His name in vain, profane and vulgar speech, cursing and swearing. Jesus
taught,

"For every idle word men may speak, they will give account of in the day of
judgment,"

(Matthew 12:36)

Prayer for the Day: Lord, help me to "watch my mouth" . . . to
carefully

guard all the words of my lips,
so that only blessings,

and never cursings, will be
uttered!" (James 3:10)

Pillsbury College & Seminary

Pillsbury College & Seminary is offering full tuition scholarships to the
first 100

Bi-vocational pastors who register in 2006.

Don't miss this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity! Simply fill out the
Registration

form that you can find at www.pillsburycs.org <www.pillsburycs.org/>
and mail it along with a $50

check for the registration fee. All you pay for are the books used in the
courses.

These usually cost approximately $20 each. You will also be contacted by
your

personal mentor . . . an ordained minister who has been assigned by
Pillsbury

College & Seminary to assist you in earning your Bachelor or Biblical
Studies degree.

If you have more questions, please contact drcurt@pillsburycs.org or

Telephone us at (314) 739-1121.

"If knowledge can create problems, it is not through

ignorance that we can solve them."

-Isaac Asimov

--
To unsubscribe, send ANY messag