The Devoted Things

Shortly after Moses died, Joshua was charged with bringing God's people into the Promised Land. There's a major lesson to be learned in this.

God's people had just taken Jericho according to God's command. The walls came tumbling down and God brought about a great victory. However, not everyone obeyed what they had been told NOT to do. Joshua told them this:

"The city and all that is in it are to be devoted to the Lord." - Johsua 6:17

That seems pretty clear. And then Joshua emphasized this in the next verse too.

"But keep away from the devoted things, so that you will not bring about your own destruction by taking any of them. Otherwise you will make the camp of Israel liable to destruction and bring trouble on it." - Joshua 6:18

Again, that's pretty clear. And note the word 'trouble.'

"But the Israelites were unfaithful in regard to the devoted things; Achan son of Karmi, the son of Zimri, the son of Zerah, of the tribe of Judah, took some of them. So the Lord’s anger burned against Israel." - Joshua 7:1

Uh-oh. That's not good.

[Side note: Achan's name literally means 'trouble' in Hebrew.]

So, the Israelites were feeling pretty confident after taking down Jericho. TOO confident. They attacked the next town without consulting The Lord and were routed.

THEN Joshua talked to God to find out what was wrong and God let him know. They soon figured out it was Achan and confronted him. Achan was then stoned to death and the devoted things were burned. Yikes!

This story begs the question, "What are OUR devoted things?" And do we have anything in our possession from other religions or beliefs? What are WE devoted to? Let's think about it.

Do we have a yoga mat? Maybe you think I'm "stretching things" a bit too far but yoga is a religious practice. Let's look it up.

Traditional yoga is a group of physical, mental, and spiritual practices or disciplines that originated in ancient India, aimed at controlling body and mind to attain various salvation goals, as practiced by the Jain, Buddhist, and Hindu traditions.

Are you or your kids dressing up for Halloween? What as? Or do you like Taylor Swift? Lots of people do. Read this from an article in the Christian Post about Taylor Swift:

"As Christians, who are filled with the Spirit, should we be entertained by, sing with, and expose our kids to lyrics that aren't just different than what you believe, but are actually mocking what you believe?"

Look what's covering Taylor's costume in the picture above. Hmm. Looks like a bunch of . . . SERPENTS. Or am I wrong?

Are we devoted to God? Or are we devoted to the world we live in and the things in it?

"Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is - His good, pleasing and perfect will." - Romans 12:2

Taylor Swift - The Christian Post