The Meaning Of Life

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Chapter 11 tells the story of another group of kings that assembled together to try to defeat Israel. But God was on Israel’s side, and the Israelites won the battle.

Again, there is some very descriptive language within this book, text that makes God appear as though He is an angry tyrant. But what is really going on?

Lucifer (Satan) was one of God’s top angels. In fact, he was beautiful and had a very melodic singing voice. But just like us, he was given free will to choose, and we will not know until we get to heaven why he created sin. But he did create sin, he revolted against God, trying to take the throne, and he was so good with his words that he convinced a third of the angels that he was better than God, and that he should be God.

Again, God could have ended it there, He could have killed Satan, but that would have made it appear as Lucifer had described…God was a tyrant who was against anyone who opposed Him, and if you did oppose Him, He would kill you.

Instead, God cast Satan and his angels out of heaven and onto the earth. Remember in the Book of Job where Satan appeared at a meeting God was holding, and God asked where he had been (He knew already), and Satan’s response was “roaming to and fro upon the earth”. Satan is here now. He is not in Hell waiting for us sinners to die and join him, he is truly roaming the earth, and he is still playing the same tricks he played in heaven. He is trying to deceive us, and make us turn against God as a third of the angels did.

For the people in the land of Canaan, they had conceded to Satan. They had turned from God and was worshiping false gods and idols. They were sacrificing their own children by fire to those false gods. They were wretched and evil, and eventually, they would consumed the earth…again. Remember, God sent a great flood in the days of Noah, and people had free choice whether to repent and get on the ark with Noah, or rebel and continue their sinful lives on earth. Only 8 people made the right choice, the rest perished, perished because they had separated themselves from God.

But Satan is good at his game, and while those aboard the ark were righteous, Satan soon started deceiving people again, just as he had deceived Eve.

This whole life, from Creation to today, has been a battle between good and evil, God and Satan. God can defeat Satan at anytime, but it would prove Satan’s declaration that God hates us. So we wait. God, through Christian leaders, but most of all through His Word, the Bible, is trying to win the war against Satan through us, through our obedience to God’s word, not that it is required of us, but rather it is what is right and just. All of God’s laws are designed that if we follow them, we will have long and fruitful lives, co-habitating with our brothers and sisters on this earth. When we fail to obey God’s laws, that is when we have murders, and robberies, and rapes, and relationships are destroy through adultery, and families break down, and there is distrust and hatred among us. And that is what Satan wants. But again, God gives us free will, we can serve Him, or we can serve ourselves and ultimately Satan.

Back to the scriptures, the battles Joshua is fighting is good versus evil, God versus Satan. Joshua is fighting for God to eradicate sinners, and not just sinners, but sinners who rebel and refuse to repent and turn back to God. And in order to save this earth, good has to win, and Joshua has to win. God is not fighting the pagans, He is fighting Satan. If Satan would just relent and leave us alone, all would be well, but we know through prophesy that Satan will not give us until the very end.

If you’re a father who has children, and you see them straying down the wrong path, don’t you try to save them? You want what’s best for your child, you want them to survive childhood and grow up to be responsible, caring, and productive adults. Sometimes you can talk to them and rationalize, other times you have to resort to punishment because they are so rebellious. But you don’t kill them just because they’ve gone astray, no more than God wants to kill us for going astray. God loves us, and all He wants is what’s best for us. Our Heavenly Father is no different than our earthly father, providing you have a good father. Satan has destroyed many families with his temptations, and many fathers are absent from their children’s life.

Although the scripture looks at God in a bad light, remember, the account was written by man, and most importantly, “If you’ve seen Me, you’ve seen the Father”. God is exactly like Jesus, loving, caring, wanting what’s best for us.

Think about it…if God killed sinners the way the language of the Bible indicates, Jesus would have been throwing rock after rock after rock at the prostitute. But He didn’t, He forgave, and urged her to repent.

Chapter 12 recounts the battles Moses and Joshua fought and the kings they overthrew.

Then starting with Chapter 14, there is a review of the land divisions among the children of Israel.

Do not fear God, be in awe of God. Do not detest God’s law, be joyous that God gave us His law and a sense of morality to be good humans on this earth.

Be thankful we have a Creator, and be thankful that He loves us. And just like the fallen angels, if you hear anyone try to tell you God is an angry tyrant, turn a deaf ear to them, because the road they want to lead you down is the road of separation from God, and when we separate from God, we perish.

God bless you all.