The Grands Letter

Dear Grands,

Joshua 10:8-14, “The LORD said to Joshua, ‘Do not fear them, for I have given them into your hands; not one of them shall stand before you.’
9 So Joshua came upon them suddenly by marching all night from Gilgal.
10 And the LORD confounded them before Israel, and He slew them with a great slaughter at Gibeon, and pursued them by the way of the ascent of Beth-horon and struck them as far as Azekah and Makkedah.
11 As they fled from before Israel, while they were at the descent of Beth-horon, the LORD threw large stones from heaven on them as far as Azekah, and they died; there were more who died from the hailstones than those whom the sons of Israel killed with the sword.
12 Then Joshua spoke to the LORD in the day when the LORD delivered up the Amorites before the sons of Israel, and he said in the sight of Israel, ‘O sun, stand still at Gibeon, And O moon in the valley of Aijalon.’
13 So the sun stood still, and the moon stopped, Until the nation avenged themselves of their enemies. Is it not written in the book of Jashar? And the sun stopped in the middle of the sky and did not hasten to go down for about a whole day.
14 There was no day like that before it or after it, when the LORD listened to the voice of a man; for the LORD fought for Israel.”

It was a long time ago, but my family and I were living in the St. Louis area, where I
was pastoring a church very near to Lambert Field, St. Louis International Airport. It was in the early days of computers, and one of the men who worked in the aeronautical division told me that he and some other Christians met in the confectionary at Lambert
and discussed the Biblical passage of Joshua and the miracle of the sun standing still.
At length, some of the men utilized a company computer and ran the date back to the
days of Joshua, where they actually discovered an extra-long day. The men them-selves were amazed, yet what they did verified the truth and accuracy of the Scriptures.

I began to muse over the above passage, wondering if Prime Minister Netanyahu had access to that information. I know what you’re thinking; but, no, I didn’t contact him. Yet, the very passage above assured Joshua of victory for a band of Israelites, who
were up against a battle with her enemies. What’s the old saying, “He did it before, He can do it again”?

At the same time, don’t be too critical of me. While I admit being biased toward Israel,
the Jews are not Christians. They are, however, the people who gave us the Savior.
Our LORD Jesus Christ was Jewish! Thus, we need 1) to pray for the Jews, and 2) be
very careful about being biased against any nation so loved by the LORD that He Himself punished them by throwing on them “large stones from heaven” (v. 11).

Think of a loving mother, who’s child is very close to death. Would she not do anything
possible to save her child? Israel is the nation of our LORD and His people. What does the Word say?

“Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: May they prosper who love you” (Psa. 122:6).

Heartily in Christ Jesus,

Gene
(Dado III)

Gene L. Jeffries, Th.D.
Springdale, Arkansas 72764
United States of America

“We never know that Christ is all we need until He becomes all that we have.” – Corrie ten Boom