OK, you can turn in your Bibles to Joshua chapter 12. Joshua chapter 12, a bit of a tricky chapter to try and teach on. It may not be all the way till 9 this evening. I'm going to lean heavily on Dr.
Davis's commentary. Basically, what we have is a list of kings. So we're going to just do a quick exposition of the section just to get the feel for it, and then draw out four lessons from Joshua chapter 12. So I'll just pick up reading in verse 1.
Scripture Reading: Joshua 12
These are the kings of the land whom the children of Israel defeated, and whose land they possessed on the other side of the Jordan toward the rising of the sun, from the River Arnon to Mount Hermon, and all the eastern Jordan plain. One king was Sion, king of the Amorites, who dwelt in Heshbon and ruled over Gilead. I'm sorry, ruled half of Gilead from Aror, which is on the bank of the River Arnon, from the middle of that river, even as far as the River Jabbok, which is the border of the Ammonites, and the eastern Jordan plain from the Sea of Kinneroth, as far as the Sea of the Ereba, the Salt Sea, the road to Beth Jeshimoth, and southward below the slopes of Pisgah. The other king was Og, king of Bashan, and his territory, who was of the remnant of the giants, who dwelt at Ashteroth and at Edre, and reigned over Mount Hermon, over Selka, over all Bashan, as far as the border of the Geshurites and the Macethites, and over half of Gilead to the border of Sihon, king of Heshbon.
These Moses, the servant of the Lord, and the children of Israel had conquered. And Moses, the servant of the Lord, had given it as a possession to the Reubenites, the Gadites, and half the tribe of Manasseh. And these are the kings of the country which Joshua and the children of Israel conquered on this side of the Jordan, on the west, from Baal Gad in the valley of Lebanon, as far as Mount Elak, and the ascent to Seir, which Joshua gave to the tribes of Israel as a possession according to their divisions. In the mountain country, in the lowlands, in the Jordan plain, in the slopes, in the wilderness, and in the south.
The Hittites, the Amorites, the Canaanites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites. The king of Jericho, one. The king of Ai, which is beside Bethel, one. The king of Jerusalem, one. the king of Hebron won, the king of Jarmath won, the king of Lachish won, the king of Eglon won, the king of Getzer won, the king of Debir won, the king of Gedir won, the king of Horma won, the king of Ered won, the king of Libna won, the king of Adullam won, the king of Makeda, one, the king of Bethel, one, the king of Tepua, one, the king of Hefer, one, the king of Aphek, one, the king of Lasharan, one, the king of Maidan, one, the king of Hazor, one, the king of Shimron, Meron, one, the king of Aksath, one, the king of Tanak, one, the king of Megiddo, one, the king of Keresh, one, the king of Jochnam and Carmel won, the king of Dor and the heights of Dor won, the king of the people of Gilgal won, the king of Terza won, all the kings 31.
Amen.
Introduction
It's a tough chapter to try and figure out how to package and teach. As I said, we're going to reflect heavily on Dale Ralph Davis's commentary, some thoughts as well from Martin Woodstruth. But throughout the book of Joshua, up until this particular point, we've been dealing chapters 1 to 4, entering the land. Chapters 5 to 12 is the conquest of the land.
This serves as a bit of a transitional beginning in chapter 13 and all the way to chapter 21, they will divide the land. The tribal allotments will be apportioned out by Joshua to the various tribes in Israel. And then the last few chapters, 22 to 24, deal with retaining the land. Joshua exhorting the people on faithfulness with reference to the God of Israel, so that when they occupy the land, or as they've occupied the land, Faithfulness will help them to secure the land.
As I've said before, Joshua presents a fairly optimistic and positive presentation of the conquest. We see this does not last very long, however, once we get to the book of Judges. In the book of Judges, it declines swiftly and rapidly, and you see all manner of internal strife going on there in the book of Judges. God willing, we'll continue after Joshua and move right into the book of Judges.
Tonight, as I said, chapter 12, verses 1 to 24. The two broad categories are verses 1 to 6 and verses 7 to 24. Verses 1 to 6 take up the conquest under Moses' leadership. The conquest under Moses' leadership.
And then the second broad category in verses 7 to 24 is the conquest under Joshua's leadership. So in verses 1 to 6, it highlights the east of the Jordan tribes. Remember, this already occurred. This has already taken place.
These are the kings of the land whom the children of Israel, verse 1, defeated, and whose land they possessed on the other side of the Jordan. Currently, Israel is on the western side of the Jordan. And so when they refer to the other side of the Jordan toward the rising of the sun, from the river Arnon to Mount Hermon, and all the eastern Jordan plain." He's talking about land that has previously been conquered and already allotted to the three tribes indicated in verse 6. To the Reubenites, to the Gadites, and to half the tribe of Manasseh.
So East Manasseh, along with the Reubenites and the Gadites, are on that east side. of the River Jordan. Numbers chapter 21 verses 21 to 35 are the original statement concerning the defeat of Og and Sihon with reference to these kings. It's repeated in Deuteronomy chapter 1. Deuteronomy chapter 2, again in Deuteronomy chapter 29, that they had, in fact, been defeated while the children of Israel were moving up into position to cross the River Jordan and to take the land on the western side of the river.
Very often in redemptive history, these two names come up. Sihon and Og. They are men whom God had given into the hand of Israel. So we see in Rahab's confession in Joshua chapter 2, remember she says we have heard about Og and Sihon.
The same thing in chapter 9 with the Gibeonites. So Og and Sihon were a testimony to the failure of the pagan kings and to the victory of the God of Israel. It comes up in Judges chapter 11, Nehemiah chapter 9, and then in the Psalter in Psalms 135 and 136. This was a significant event in redemptive history.
The children of Israel are moving along and God gives them victory over these two particular kings. So we see the extent of the geography that is secured in these skirmishes and we see the allotment given as I mentioned in verse 6. Notice that Moses is referred to twice as the servant of the Lord. These Moses, the servant of the Lord and the children of Israel had conquered and Moses, the servant of the Lord, had given it as a possession to the Reubenites, the Gadites, and half the tribe of Manasseh.
There's other reasons why this is here in Joshua 12, but certainly one of them is to show again the consistency between Moses and Joshua. Remember many times in the in the Pentateuch, specifically in the book of Deuteronomy, it was very conspicuous that the torch was being passed from Moses to Joshua. These are two servants of the Lord that carried out the specific task that God had given them. They worked in union.
They worked in unison. And God looks favorably upon these particular men. So that's the conquest under Moses' leadership. Notice, secondly, the conquest under Joshua's.
Now it's taking up the west side. of the River Jordan. And generally speaking, there's a couple others mentioned in here, but generally speaking, what we find in verses 7 to 24 is that it follows the description in chapters 10 and 11. Chapter 10 recorded the southern campaign, and chapter 11 recorded the northern campaign. So we've just looked at these chapters in the last several weeks.
We don't need to go through each and every name and each and every king that is indicated here. The sum total is given at the end of verse 24. All the kings, 31. So Joshua was effective for what God had sent him to do.
So between Moses and Joshua, Israel was under very good leadership. They weren't perfect men. There is no perfect man save the Lord Jesus Christ. But all in all, they executed the task that the Lord had given to them.
They were faithful in their generations. They were faithful to God. They were faithful to the people. Joshua, as we've seen, was the kind of leader who swore to his own hurt.
When they made that treaty with the Gibeonites, he acted upon it. He upheld it. He did not destroy the Gibeonites back in chapter 7. called upon to do a very difficult task in killing Achan because of the sin of Achan and his family, Joshua faithfully executes that. So as we see in Deuteronomy, as we've looked at Deuteronomy in the past and at Joshua, the Lord is good to give good leaders.
When God gives bad leaders as a means of judgment, certainly the people perish. It's a horrible and a wretched situation. In fact, I remember in the last several weeks looking at 1 Timothy chapter 2 and that admonition to pray for kings and all who are in authority. And I quoted Calvin.
I like this quote, so I wrote it down. He said, it is the wrath of God that renders magistrates useless to us. So when we have a bad magistrate or a bad governing official, that is indicative of the wrath of God. When you see political leaders that carry on like madmen and fools, it's not as if they're operating apart from God.
Our God is in the heavens. He does whatever he pleases. And there are times when he scourges or judges or chastens a people by giving them ineffective leaders." Now that's true in the civil realm. It's certainly true in the ecclesiastical realm, which Moses and Joshua, at least more so Moses, was both a civil and an ecclesiastical ruler.
But with reference to ecclesiology or the doctrine of the church, good leaders are a blessing from the Lord. It's a promise in the New Covenant or a promise of the New Covenant of the prophets Jeremiah and Ezekiel that God would give shepherds after his own heart. And we ought to value that. We ought to prize that.
And I think the people of God, the faithful at the time of Joshua and Moses, certainly should have been very content and very happy that they had such leadership as these two particular brothers. So that's an overview. of the chapter.
Lesson One: Guard the Unity of God's People
What are some lessons that we learn? The first is that chapter 12, verses 1 to 6 specifically, is given to guard the unity of God's people. It's given to guard the unity of God's people. Later on in chapter 22 of the book of Joshua, we'll see that these eastern tribes, we'll see that the Gadites, the Reubenites, and East Manasseh built an altar.
Now, when the Western tribes got wind of that, they went to investigate. They thought they were engaged in idolatry. They thought that they had abandoned the living and true God. Well, the Eastern tribes said, our fear was that you were going to forget all about us.
It wasn't right for them to build the altar, but their motivation wasn't necessarily diabolical. The centrality of the altar is to protect and provide a hedge so that the tribes do not fall prey to idolatry. But those eastern tribes were afraid of being marginalized. There's only two and a half on the east side of the Jordan.
The west side is where all the action is. That's where all the big tribes are. That's where everybody's at. And so probably verses 1 to 6 are inserted here. so that to remind or the summary of the conquest under Moses reminds all Israel that all Israel is all Israel.
In other words, those two and a half tribes are as valuable and as important with reference to the covenant community as are the Western tribes. If you go back to Joshua chapter 1. You see the book starts off with this in view. To maintain the unity of the 12 tribes of Israel.
I think that's the lesson we need to understand here in verses 1 to 6. It's to guard the unity of God's people. Unity is a good thing. Obviously unity founded on truth.
Unity founded on non-truth isn't a good thing. oftentimes today in the church, with the ecumenical movement, we want truth at the expense of unity. Well, that's bad, and that's wrong, and that's wretched, and that's horrible. But we, as the Church of Christ, really ought to pursue unity with all our strength when it comes to truth. In fact, the Apostle Paul says we are to endeavor to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.
There ought not to be factions, there ought not to be cliques, there ought not to be parties within the same camp of God's people. In Joshua chapter 1 at verse 12, notice the purpose here with reference to providing unity and solidarity among Israel. And to the Reubenites, the Gadites, and half the tribe of Manasseh, Joshua spoke saying, Remember the word which Moses, the servant of the Lord, commanded you, saying, The Lord your God is giving you rest and is giving you this land. Your wives, your little ones, and your livestock shall remain in the land which Moses gave you on this side of the Jordan, but you shall pass before your brethren armed all your mighty men of valor and help them until the Lord has given your brethren rest as he gave you." Remember, they've received their tribal allotments on the east side, but the stipulation was when we cross and the western tribes go in to make war on the peoples of the land, you've got to help them.
You leave your wives and children over there you cross the river with us, armed up and ready to fight. Once the land is conquered, then you can return back to these tribes. Now, as we recount and we summarize, we want to make sure we don't forget these tribes. They're part of us.
That's the emphasis here. in the passage in Joshua chapter 1. They have also taken possession of the land which the Lord your God is giving them. Then you shall return to the land of your possession and enjoy it, which Moses the Lord's servant gave you on this side of the Jordan toward the sunrise. So they answered Joshua saying, All that you command us we will do, and wherever you send us we will go.
Just as we heeded Moses in all things, so we will heed you. Only the Lord your God be with you as he was with Moses. Whoever rebels against your command and does not heed your words and all that you command him shall be put to death. Only be strong and of good courage." So at the very outset of this book of conquest, We see solidarity.
When he comes to summarize or when he comes to encapsulate the conquest prior, he doesn't forget those eastern tribes. Unity is preserved in this particular summary. It is to guard the unity of God's people.
Lesson Two: Fulfillment of God's Promise
A second lesson that we call from chapter 12 is to demonstrate the fulfillment of God's promise. You'll see these repetitions. You'll see, we've already seen in chapter 11, not only that, or in chapter 10, the southern campaign, chapter 11, the northern campaign, but in chapter 11, beginning in verse 16, it sort of summarizes all that's gone before it. I think the idea is that we can't be reminded enough about God's faithfulness.
The people of the Lord need to have their minds saturated. They need to have their mind absorbing the very glorious truths of God. So in this summary of the conquest, specifically in verses 7, to 24, it is to demonstrate the fulfillment of God's promise. Calvin said it this way, he said, but though each of those now summarily mentioned was previously given more in detail, there is very good reason for here placing before our eyes as it were a living picture of the goodness of God, proving that there had been a complete ratification and performance of the covenant made with Abraham as given in the words, unto thy seed will I give this land.
So chapter 12 serves to underscore and to highlight the faithfulness of God, the fulfillment of His promise. In Genesis chapter 15, at the ratification of the Abrahamic covenant, the Lord God in verse 18 highlights what it would be or what they would in fact receive. Beginning in chapter 15 at verse 17, it came to pass when the sun went down and it was dark, that behold, there appeared a smoking oven and a burning torch that passed between those pieces. On the same day, the Lord made a covenant with Abraham, saying, to your descendants, I have given this land from the river of Egypt to the great river, the river Euphrates, the Kenites, the Kenizzites, the Kadmonites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Refem, the Amorites, the Canaanites, the Girgashites, and the Jebusites.
So when the original readers would come to Joshua 12, they wouldn't just sort of roll their eyes and go, well, we've got to read this summary again. They weren't like us. They didn't get bogged down with these details. It wasn't tedious to them.
It was an indication of the reality that God is faithful to His promise. Davis says it this way. These verses do not drip with tedium. They tingle with excitement.
The king of Tepua won. The king of Heifer won. Verse 17. These words are not an excerpt from a dull archive.
They are the lyrics of a song. Verses 7 to 24 constitute the stanzas for Israel's version of great is thy faithfulness. Yahweh's ancient word has proven faithful. So what's going on here?
This summary statement, this statement concerning the king, one. And then this numbering of the 31. This indicates that God has, in fact, given to them the land that he swore to their father Abraham. This is an encouragement.
This is a good thing. This is a time to demonstrate the fulfillment of God's promise.
Lesson Three: An Itemized List of God's Kindness
A third lesson that we learn is to provide an itemized list of God's kindness. You see, they didn't just say, thank you for giving us this land. Don't we do that? Thank you for blessing us.
Well, that's good and it's true and it's accurate. But when we start to detail and itemize that particular list, certainly God should, at least, appear that much more benevolent and that much more gracious. The psalmist rehearses God's blessings in detail when he comes to praise. Psalm 103, bless the Lord, O my soul. and all that is within me, bless his holy name.
Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not," what? Some of his benefits? Forget not all of his benefits. And then he starts to indicate.
He starts to list. He starts to write down. This is his, to use a cheesy saying, his prayer journal. And he is indicating what God has done in terms of his blessing.
The same is true in Psalm 105. The same is true in Psalm 135. And exactly true in Psalm 136. What is the refrain in Psalm 136?
For the mercy of the Lord endures forever. That is always following a statement of what God did. It is detailed. It is itemized.
Now there's probably not one of us who could itemize successfully in a given day all that the Lord does for us. That would probably take us forever. We're still sinful, so we'd obviously miss some things. But the point is, when we read through verses 7 to 24, and we see these detailed itemizations, it indicates that we ought to respond to God, not just because of His many blessings, but we ought to name some of those blessings.
Ephesians chapter 1, it seems that Paul does the very same thing. Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ. That's his overarching theme. Thank you God for blessing us.
And then he starts to specify in detail those blessings. The Father chose us. The Father predestines us. The Son redeems us by His blood.
The Spirit comes and He's the seal and the guarantee of our final inheritance. So you see these details are the stuff of encouragement to the heart of God's people. One commentator, Ellison, says it would be unfair to suggest that the church is unwilling to thank God for all his many mercies. But on the whole, it is unwilling to indulge in detailed and specific thanks.
If we were to train ourselves to recognize God's goodness act by act and detail by detail, many of us would come to think more highly both of God and of the Church. Much of our despondency comes from failing to see how much God has really achieved. An interesting example of this today. Somebody called me.
He doesn't go to our church. You probably don't know him. Maybe you do. But he was very discouraged.
He was very down. He was very sad and despondent. And I happened to be going through this. I read that quote.
Yeah, there's power there. So I said, look, you got this. You got this. You got this.
You got this. You got, oh, wow. Yeah. Has that ever happened to you?
You get some bad news or some bad trial? Does that erase every good thing that God has done in your life? Certainly not. But our tendency and our inclination and our bent is, when we are down, we fail to reckon with the reality that God is sustaining us even when we're down. that if we get a glass of water or we have a piece of toast or we have whatever it is that we try to do to get ourselves out of the doldrums, God is there in the midst of us.
So if we practice this idea of act by act or detail by detail, maybe this would be the thing that would help us to get up out of these particular places. Davis says it this way, it is as faith gives thanks in detail that faith is nurtured, encouraged, and takes on fresh heart to expect more mercies. I really like that. He says it is as faith gives thanks in detail that faith is nurtured, encouraged, and takes on fresh heart to expect more mercy." So you see, it's easy to get this idea that God doesn't ever do the things I want him to do.
And all the while miss the reality that he has done more than you could ever even imagine. Our God is the God of Ephesians 3. He is able to do exceedingly abundantly more than we ask or think. He may not always deliver in the manner in which we ask and the way we would be pleased, but God, not only in what he gives us, but God in what he keeps from us and keeps us, or how he restrains us in a given day, ought to be, you know, marveled upon.
The fact that we're not in hell. the fact that we're not in prison, the fact that we're not, you know, wherever. I mean, those are things that we ought to praise God for. There are, to quote Edwards, innumerable ways of men going out of this world. I mean, every single day, all of us, I don't know, Trey, are you driving yet?
Well, most of us are in cars, driving. And every time we do that, we ought to praise God that we aren't smashed into oblivion. So the point is, detail, detail, act, act. Generic prayers are Not bad.
If you've got to pray, God, thank us. Thank you for your blessings. But detail those blessings from time to time and consider the faithfulness of the Lord God Almighty. This is an itemized list.
This is as detailed as you could get. I mean, my reading of it, it sounded sort of rote, didn't it? I mean, it's the same formula. This king, this place, one.
This king, this place, one. I mean, this is details. to provide a list of God's kindnesses.
Lesson Four: Foreshadowing of Ultimate Victory
And then a fourth lesson I think that we can derive from chapter 12 of the book of Joshua. It's a foreshadowing of God's ultimate victory. A foreshadowing of God's ultimate victory. The God who promised Abraham the land delivered the land, didn't he?
I mean, we just saw that statement in Genesis 15 after that ratification ceremony. The animals are split into two. They're set on different sides. God the Lord puts Abraham into a deep sleep, and it's God the Lord who walks between those pieces, taking upon himself the obligations to fulfill. that covenant.
He most certainly brings it to pass in Joshua chapter 12. Woodstrath says, by enumerating the kings conquered by Joshua and Israel, the writer gives eloquent testimony to the fact that Israel's enemies, who had banded together with hostile intent, had been unable to stand against Israel and its God. Thus seen, this list is a song of praise to the Lord's honor. Remember when we looked at those campaigns in the South and in the North, these kings banded together.
They formed coalitions. They formed a conspiracy to try and stop the Lord and to stop His anointed, the nation of Israel. Well, God's promise stood firm. God indeed carried out his word, and this foreshadows that every competition or every battle in the future, God the Lord is going to secure.
So the God who promised Abraham the land delivered the land. The God who promised Abraham a seed delivered a seed. This is very relevant for us.
The Seed Promise Fulfilled in Christ
Who is the seed that is promised to Abraham by God in the book of Genesis? According to the apostle, It is the Lord Jesus Christ. In fact, Galatians 3, 16. So we might extend the metaphor, we might extend this victory to the victory over sin.
So the fact that God won the land for Israel in the old covenant indicates his ability, his power, and we see it in the new covenant, his prerogative to secure victory over sin and to redeem his people. Notice in Galatians chapter 3 at verse 15. Brethren, I speak in the manner of men, though it is only a man's covenant, yet if it is confirmed, no one annuls or adds to it. Now to Abraham and his seed were the promises made.
He does not say, and to seeds, as of many, but as of one, and to your seed, who is Christ. So you see, when God is talking to Abraham about a seed, it does operate on two particular levels. One, the children of Israel are going to be numerous, and they're going to occupy the land. There is going to be a great nation that comes from the loins of Abraham.
But the other level that it's operating on in terms of spiritual promise The seed is the Lord Jesus Christ. And that causes Paul in verses 26 to 29 to make this implication. For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ.
There is neither Jew nor Greek. There is neither slave nor free. There is neither male nor female. For you are all one in Christ Jesus.
And if you are Christ's, then you are Abraham's seed and heirs according to the promise. So chapter 12 of Joshua is a foreshadowing of the victory that is to come. God promises Abraham a land. He secures the land.
God promises Abraham a seed. He secures or he provides the seed. God promised Abraham blessing. When you read that Abrahamic covenant, those three elements are there.
Land, seed, blessing. Well, when we come to the new covenant, we consider the land. Jesus is the heir of the world, or Abraham is the heir of the world via Jesus, Romans 4.13. The seed is Christ.
We are the sons or seed of Abraham because of Christ. And do we not get blessing? Has not that foreshadowed victory come to fruition in terms of the securing of redemptive blessing for the children of God? So with reference to land, with reference to seed, with reference to blessing, all that was prophesied by God to Abraham comes to fruition.
So Joshua chapter 12 is a reminder not only of the faithfulness of God to secure the land, but it should have encouraged the remnant that God is faithful to provide seed and to provide blessing. and the God who promised Abraham these things and who fought for His people during the conquest. Remember along the way in Joshua. Joshua 3, Joshua 6, a couple of times in Joshua 8, several times in Joshua 10, and in Joshua 11 it tells us, it indicates for us, it highlights the reality that it's God who fights for Israel. It's God who brings the victory for Israel.
And that should remind us, or back in Joshua 12,
Victory Consummated in 1 Corinthians 15
it should foreshadow God's ultimate victory in terms of 1 Corinthians 15, 20-28. First Corinthians chapter 15, the Lord God most high has ultimate victory over the last enemy, which is death itself. The Bible is a statement concerning the power, the majesty, the sovereignty, and the victory of God over all of his enemies, over all of those who oppose his rule and his reign, And here in 1 Corinthians 15, 20 to 28, the apostle celebrates that reality. But now Christ is risen from the dead and has become the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.
For since by man came death, by man also came the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ all shall be made alive, but each one in his own order. Christ the firstfruits, afterward those who are Christ's that is coming. Then comes the end, when he delivers the kingdom to God the Father, when he puts an end to all rule and all authority and power.
For he must reign till he has put all enemies under his feet. The last enemy that will be destroyed is death, for he has put all things under his feet. But when he says all things are put under him, it is evident that he who put all things under him is accepted. Now when all things are made subject to him, then the Son himself will also be subject to him, who put all things under him, that God may be all in all." So when we look at Joshua 12 and the summary of Kings, at least according to the help that we've received from Dale Ralph Davis, we ought to think in terms of ultimate victory.
God, the Lord, is working out his plan. When we get to the book of Revelation, specifically chapters 21 and 22, following that great white throne judgment, we see the new Jerusalem coming down out of heaven. That is the manifestation and the consummation of God's redemptive plan. So Joshua 12 encourages the people of God to guard the unity demonstrate the fulfillment of his promise, to provide a list of his kindnesses for praise and adoration, and to point forward to the reality that the God who fights for Israel in Canaan is the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who does secure every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ for his people.
Well, let us pray, and then we'll have some time for discussion.
Closing Prayer
Our Father, we thank You for Your Word. We thank You for this chapter in Joshua 12. And God, I pray that our hearts would be encouraged, that we would see each and every one of these These kings, each and every detail indicated in this passage of Scripture is demonstrating and pointing to the faithfulness of God who has promised. We pray, Father, that we would be those who rehearse your blessings and who praise you for them and who sing hymns and psalms and spiritual songs in remembrance of the good gifts that you give to us.
God, thank you for your mercy. Thank you for the gospel. Thank you for the fact that you have blessed us so richly. And we pray now through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.