Jun 24, 2018
After two significant military victories (defeat of Jericho and Ai), Israel was now home in Canaan. To honor God’s faithfulness, Joshua built an altar of uncut stones at Mt. Ebal twenty miles north of Ai. A believer’s life should be full of thankful remembrances to God. Joshua then put plaster on the stones and wrote the Law on them, as when Moses got the 10 commandments (Ex. 31:18). On the altar, the priests sacrificed burnt offerings (representing atonement for sins) and peace offerings (representing thankfulness for God’s goodness). So, as the priests went up to sacrifice, they were literally standing on God’s word! Even as a God-ordained leader, Joshua doesn’t make up his own rules but humbly does all things according to God’s word, given through his predecessor (Ex. 20:25; Deut. 27:1-8). God’s men do God’s work God’s way given in God’s word!