Leviticus 26:4
Then I will give you your rains in their season, and the land shall yield its increase, and the trees of the field shall yield their fruit.
Leviticus is mentioned and people groan. Have we changed much since our story was being the Children of Israel? Oddly enough, the Law was established to bring ...
... Blessings. Of the six pages in Biblical references two pages are the Pentateuch, the five books of Moses. Why so few mentions of blessings in the Bible?
Jeremiah 29:11
For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."
With plans this large, God just doesn't have to gush. His yes is yes. His no is no. A promise does not require going on and on.
Amos 5:24
But let justice roll down like waters, and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream.
Jesus spoke of rain
Matthew 5:45
That you may be children of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.
Into each life a little rain must fall. And what do we do with adversity. Do we sit and ask why me, declare life is unfair. I'm sure we all do that minus the Lord. But when we look to the example of Joshua. And interestingly enough there is one Jesus in the Bible, we know intimately, and that name in Aramaic is almost Joshua. Joshua took a situation that was unfathomably broken and kept working, kept hoping, in faith Joshua expected God to keep working today. And No One was listening to Joshua.
Moses faced many tremendous battles, finally Joshua had all the Children of Israel braced and willingly doing God's will and suddenly.... all the kings in the area decided to band together and wipe out this rag tag civilization. Amazing victories occurred. Because the people finally worked together.
So we see rain can be a very good thing, when adversity is used to keep moving forward. Keep the Faith. Hoping God is still at work today. (Jesus said that.) Joshua could have run into the Holy Land leaving behind the Children of Israel. Instead Joshua Loved. And through the Holy Spirit speaking in Joshua, He said as for me and my house, We Will Serve the LORD.
How did Joshua handle the victory?
Joshua 8:33-35
All the Israelites, with their elders, officials and judges, were standing on both sides of the ark of the covenant of the Lord, facing the Levitical priests who carried it. Both the foreigners living among them and the native-born were there. Half of the people stood in front of Mount Gerizim and half of them in front of Mount Ebal, as Moses the servant of the Lord had formerly commanded when he gave instructions to bless the people of Israel.
34 Afterward, Joshua read all the words of the law—the blessings and the curses—just as it is written in the Book of the Law. 35 There was not a word of all that Moses had commanded that Joshua did not read to the whole assembly of Israel, including the women and children, and the foreigners who lived among them.
Joshua was not just blessing his own House. He was working to draw others into Loving and Trusting the Lord.
Then I will give you your rains in their season, and the land shall yield its increase, and the trees of the field shall yield their fruit.
Isaiah 33:22
For the LORD is our judge, the LORD is our lawgiver, the LORD is our king; it is he who will save us.
Psalm 37:5
Commit your way to the LORD; trust in him, and he will act.
Isaiah 30:18
Therefore the Lord waits to be gracious to you, and therefore he exalts himself to show mercy to you. For the Lord is a God of justice; blessed are all those who wait for him.
Isaiah 40:31
Yet those who wait for the LORD Will gain new strength; They will mount up with wings like eagles, They will run and not get tired, They will walk and not become weary.
Luke 18:1
Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up.
2 Corinthians 4:1
Therefore, since through God's mercy we have this ministry, we do not lose heart.
2 Corinthians 4:8
We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair
Isaiah 25:9
In that day they will say, "Surely this is our God; we trusted in him, and he saved us. This is the LORD, we trusted in him; let us rejoice and be glad in his salvation."