I.
INTRODUCTION – THE BOOK OF
JOSHUA
1. Book of Joshua is a book of
Victory
2. Victory of True Worship of
the Living God over false idolatry worship of Canaanites
3. It is the story of Joshua –
his transformation and growth from the Servant of Moses to the Servant of God
4. It tells how God was with
Joshua as He had been with Moses
II. Lessons Joshua Learnt from Moses
1. Follow Moses daily
2. He understood
Moses leadership style
3. Moses received his anointing
by spending time with God, (Joshua would linger in the presence to receive his
own anointing).
4. He watched the
plagues, witnessed the miracles
5. He watched Moses return with
the tablets. One thing for sure, Joshua would have never wished the
death of Moses.
6. Never dare to use the death
of Moses as a tool for a smooth transition of authority – He waited till God
appointed him.
The death of Moses brought
fear to Joshua - That's why these words are said to Joshua.
Joshua 1:6 -“Be strong and of a good
courage: for unto this people shalt thou divide for an inheritance the land,
which I sware unto their fathers to give them.”
III. The Mission
Continues
I. Mission Continues
1. The Mission is not new
2. It was given to Moses
3. God’s Mission never ends with the death of a Moses
4. God encourages Joshua to
continue the Mission
Joshua 1: 1 – 6
1
Now after the death of Moses the servant of the LORD it came to pass, that the
LORD spake unto Joshua the son of Nun, Moses' minister, saying,
2
Moses my servant is dead; now therefore arise, go over this Jordan, thou, and
this entire people, unto the land which I do give to them, even to the children
of Israel.
3
Every place that the sole of your foot shall tread upon, that have I given unto
you, as I said unto Moses.
4
From the wilderness and this Lebanon
even unto the great river, the river Euphrates,
all the land of the Hittites, and unto the great sea toward the going down of
the sun, shall be your coast.
5
There shall not any man be able to stand before thee all the days of thy life:
as I was with Moses, so I will be with thee: I will not fail thee, nor forsake
thee.
6
Be strong and of a good courage: for unto this people shalt thou divide for an
inheritance the land, which I sware unto their fathers to give them.
II. Avoid misfortunes
God gives the following instructions to Joshua to avaoid the misfortune of Moses.
Joshua 1:7-9
7
Only be thou strong and very courageous, that thou mayest observe to do
according to all the law, which Moses my servant commanded thee: turn not from
it to the right hand or to the left, that thou mayest prosper whithersoever
thou goest. {prosper: or, do wisely}
8
This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate
therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is
written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou
shalt have good success. {have...: or, do wisely}
9
Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid,
neither be thou dismayed: for the LORD thy God is with thee whithersoever thou
goest.”
To list them:
1. Be strong and very
courageous.
2. Be careful to obey all the
law my servant Moses gave you;
3. Do not turn from it to the
right or to the left, that you may be successful wherever you go.
4. Do not let this Book of the
Law depart from your mouth
5. Meditate on it day and
night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and
successful.
6. Be strong and of a good
courage. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will
be with you wherever you go.
IV. Take Up The Mission
I. Principles
1. You are here to posses a
Promise from God – not anything you have cooked up
2. You are not the first to
receive the order to conquer the Promised Land – God had first given Moses the
command to possess the promise.
3. Do not use the death of
Moses to demand a following for his new leadership.
4. Wait until you Receive
orders from God to fulfill the vision - from God, as he led others before you,
he will lead you as well.
5. Moses led them to the brink
of their promise, but may you have the privilege of possessing the promise
fulfilled.
6. Do not forget to –
i.
Give
God all the praise
ii.
Also
give credit Moses for getting you here – you need him more than you think - you
are building on the foundation laid by somebody
7. The promise is the promise
is the promise. God will work all things together for good to those who
are called according to His purpose.
8. Leaders come and leaders
go. Plant wisely, and your harvest will blow you away
CHAPTER II
I.
Holy Leadership: Joshua,
Caleb, & the LORD
1. The LORD fulfilled his Promise to create a
great people.
2. But soon they were
entrenched in slavery in Egypt.
3. God heard their cries of
oppression and, through his reluctant servant Moses, rescued his people -
leading them by his own blazing presence toward their Promised, holy home with
him in the land.
4. Despite God's generous
provision for them, they remained stubborn and lost in the wilderness
5. Moses himself, because of
his complicity with the people, was only permitted to see the land, not to enter it.
6. The role of leading the
people into the Promised holy land would pass to Joshua, son of Nun.
I.
Joshua
1. A great deal of emphasis in
the Book of Joshua is placed upon Joshua himself.
2. At first, he is referred to
simply as the servant of Moses (1.1)
Joshua 1:1 – “Now after the death of
Moses the servant of the LORD it came to pass, that the LORD spake unto Joshua
the son of Nun, Moses' minister, saying ….”
3. By the end of the story he
is called the "servant of Yahweh" (24.29).
Joshua 24:29 – “And it came to pass
after these things, that Joshua the son of Nun, the servant of the LORD, died,
being an hundred and ten years old.”
4. Along the way, the author
takes pains to show how Joshua would be exalted in the sight of the people
(3.7).
Joshua 3:7 - “And the LORD said unto
Joshua, This day will I begin to magnify thee in the sight of all Israel, that
they may know that, as I was with Moses, so I will be with thee.”
II.Caleb
1. Another note worthy person
is Caleb
2. He had faithfully spied out
the land with him
Numbers 14.6 – “And Joshua the son of Nun, and Caleb the son of Jephunneh,
which were of them that searched the land, rent their clothes:”
3.
Though he was now 85 years old, the LORD had preserved his
strength
4.
As the land was parceled out, he asked for a strategic piece so
he might continue the LORD's work (14.10-12).
Joshua 14.10 – 12
10 – “And now, behold, the LORD hath kept me alive, as he said, these
forty and five years, even since the LORD spake this word unto Moses, while the
children of Israel wandered in the wilderness: and now, lo, I am this day
fourscore and five years old.
11 – “As yet I am as strong
this day as I was in the day that Moses sent me: as my strength was then, even
so is my strength now, for war, both to go out, and to come in.
12 – “Now therefore give me
this mountain, whereof the LORD spake in that day; for thou heardest in that
day how the Anakims were there, and that the cities were great and fenced: if
so be the LORD will be with me, then I shall be able to drive them out, as the
LORD said.”
5.
Such vigorous courage demonstrated a sense of faith in what the
Holy God was doing, a sort of virtue befitting the divine call at hand.
III.
The True Captain – The LORD
1. The true captain of the
rag-tag Israelite nation was the LORD himself.
2. Joshua is the chosen leader
because the LORD had Promised to be with him
3. Joshua acknowledges his
utter dependence upon God.
4. The text presents
opportunities where Joshua might claim ownership for Israel's victories.
5. But he doesn't - Over and
over again, he gives glory to God.
II. Holy Leadership
Definition - Holy
leadership is humble leadership
Holy leadership in Joshua is not so
much flawless attainment as it is humble
trust, and courage to persevere in the face of fear, knowing that the LORD
leads the way.
1. Joshua was not perfect.
2. Joshua makes a treaty with
the tricky Gibeonites when it was specifically forbidden, and has to live with
the consequences (9.16-10.14).
3. In doing so, he is humbled,
realising once again his dependence upon God.
4. The LORD had Promised the
land to Abraham so many generations ago
5. Now he was giving it,
through humbled leaders like Joshua.
6. This quality of humility
remains an important characteristic for leaders of God's people.
7. As we take our places on the
frontlines of 'battle,' we would do well to remember that it is the LORD
himself who 'fights' for his people.
8. He is more active than we
can possibly imagine, and he deserves the glory, rather than human leaders
(see, for example, 10.11-14).
Joshua 10:5 & 11-14
5
Therefore the five kings of the Amorites,
the king of Jerusalem, the king of Hebron, the king of Jarmuth, the king of Lachish,
the king of Eglon, gathered themselves together, and went up, they and all
their hosts, and encamped before Gibeon, and
made war against it.
11
And it came to pass, as they () fled from before Israel, and were in the going
down to Bethhoron, that the LORD cast down great stones from heaven upon them
unto Azekah, and they died: they were more which died with hailstones than they
whom the children of Israel slew with the sword.
12
Then spake Joshua to the LORD in the day when the LORD delivered up the
Amorites before the children of Israel, and he said in the sight of Israel,
Sun, stand thou still upon Gibeon; and thou, Moon, in the valley of Ajalon.
{Stand...: Heb. be silent}
13
And the sun stood still, and the moon stayed, until the people had avenged
themselves upon their enemies. Is not this written in the book of Jasher? So
the sun stood still in the midst of heaven, and hasted not to go down about a
whole day. {Jasher: or, the upright?}
14
And there was no day like that before it or after it that the LORD hearkened
unto the voice of a man: for the LORD fought for Israel.
III. Holy Obedience: The Doctrine of Herem
1. Several people cannot get
over the all-important recurring command for the Israelites to "utterly
destroy" what they meet in the Promised Land: the peoples that live there,
their cities, livestock, and possessions
2. Both the violence and 'imperialism'
of it all seem offensive.
3. This practice is known by
the Hebrew word herem
4. It refers to those people
or things possessed by Yahweh, and therefore not to be 'used' by humans.
5. Like impurity or holiness, herem was a potentially
contagious category.
6. Things which were considered
herem had to be treated
carefully, either utterly destroyed or deposited in the levitical treasury.
7. Since the whole of the holy
land (e.g., people, land itself, possessions, animals, etc.) was the fruit of
the LORD's victory, these things potentially could fall into the category of herem, and thus would have to be
ritually "devoted" to God by destruction.
Deuteronomy 7.1-11
1
When the LORD thy God shall bring thee
into the land whither thou goest to possess it, and hath cast out many nations
before thee, the Hittites, and the Girgashites, and the Amorites, and the
Canaanites, and the Perizzites, and the Hivites, and the Jebusites, seven
nations greater and mightier than thou;
2
And when the LORD thy God shall deliver
them before thee; thou shalt smite them, and utterly destroy them; thou shalt
make no covenant with them, nor shew mercy unto them:
3
Neither shalt thou make marriages with
them; thy daughter thou shalt not give unto his son, nor his daughter shalt
thou take unto thy son.
4
For they will turn away thy son from
following me that they may serve other gods: so will the anger of the LORD be
kindled against you, and destroy thee suddenly.
5
But thus shall ye deal with them; ye
shall destroy their altars, and break down their images, and cut down their
groves, and burn their graven images with fire. {their images: Heb. their
statues, or, pillars}
6
For thou art an holy people unto the LORD
thy God: the LORD thy God hath chosen thee to be a special people unto himself,
above all people that are upon the face of the earth.
7 The LORD did not set his love upon you, nor choose you, because ye
were more in number than any people; for ye were the fewest of all people:
8 But because the LORD loved you, and because he would keep the oath
which he had sworn unto your fathers, hath the LORD brought you out with a
mighty hand, and redeemed you out of the house of bondmen, from the hand of
Pharaoh king of Egypt.
9
Know therefore that the LORD thy God, he
is God, the faithful God, which keepeth covenant and mercy with them that love
him and keep his commandments to a thousand generations;
10
And repayeth them that hate him to their face, to destroy them: he will not be
slack to him that hateth him, he will repay him to his face.
11
Thou shalt therefore keep the commandments, and the statutes, and the
judgments, which I command thee this day, to do them.
IV. Three Issues
At this point, three issues
must be considered:
(1) God's long-term
redemptive purposes,
(2) Holy obedience
(3) Our corporate solidarity
in either sin or holiness.
I. God's Long Term Redemptive Purposes
1. As part of his Promise to
Abraham, God revealed his plan to use them to exact his judgment upon "the
iniquity of the Amorites" (Genesis 15.13-16).
2. It is well known that these
inhabitants of the Promised land practised human sacrifice, infanticide, and
other evil rituals.
3. The long-term plan of God,
it seems, involved Israel's
germination in Egypt,
until the time when the LORD's holy justice might be revealed - his people
serving as his instrument.
4. Behind the scenes, God was
at work to act in justice and redemption.
5. Some (e.g. Rahab's family)
would repent and turn to God, being incorporated into the family of Promise.
II. Holy Obedience
1.
We
should read the Book of Joshua and think more historically - without our modern
biases.
2.
The
ancient world was very
different from our own, and God communicated then in ways in keeping with the
late-bronze age.
3.
Israel was by no means a political
power when the LORD told her to conquer Canaan.
4.
Indeed,
Israel was nothing - Israel
had no power - only a Promise.
5.
Where
odds were slim by human standards, Israel had only obedience to the
One who had called her out of slavery to a new place.
6.
The
tribes of Israel
were by no means an oppressive imperialist power!
7.
God
today, through his Spirit at works in the Church and the world, is waging not a
physical war but a SPIRITUAL WAR
8.
Today
the church and the believers are fighting against principalities
Ephesians 6:12 – “For we wrestle not
against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against
the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high
places.” {flesh...: Gr. blood and flesh} {spiritual...: or, wicked spirits}
{high: or, heavenly}
9.
However,
for the people of God – the Israelites, truly his most cherished possession,
careful obedience was the order of the day. It still is.
10.
Take
an example: Jericho.
11.
Would
we be as obedient with a seemingly ridiculous divine command, as with the more
'serious' military ones?
12.
Are
we as serious about worship, for worship's sake, as with evangelism?
13.
Are
we, as Christians, obedient with the humbling or audacious tasks, as much as
with the momentous 'religious' ones?
14.
Joshua
reminds us of the responsibility of obedience to God in the face of embarrassment or derision.
III. Corporate Solidarity in either sin or holiness
Joshua 7:1 - "Israel broke faith in regard to the
devoted things: Achan... took some of the devoted things; and the anger of the
LORD burned against the Israelites"
1.
If
things were not put right, all Israel
would become herem.
2.
As
a result, the first recorded battle in the Promised Land was a failure, (Jericho, as more of a
Victory-March-for-Yahweh than a military campaign, doesn't count)
3.
Thirty-six
Israelites were killed on the slopes of Shebarim.
4.
Not
only does Achan commit this sin, he does not immediately confess and repent.
5.
He
waits till the very last moment.
6.
When
the offence is solemnly revealed by divine lot, Joshua has to coax Achan to confess.
7.
This
story of 'sin in the camp' has influenced generations of holiness teaching.
8.
But
what does it really mean?
Achan's sin
Achan’s
sin in the community of God's people is particularly heinous for at least three reasons.
I. A Lack Of Thankfulness
- Achan's sin itself showed a lack of thankfulness for God's abundant provision.
- Not always was the booty herem - sometimes it was deeded to the camp for their use.
Joshua 8: 27 – “Only the cattle and the spoil of that city Israel
took for a prey unto themselves, according unto the word of the LORD which he
commanded Joshua.”
- Achan's attitude echoed the desire to gather more manna than necessary, and demonstrates the false belief that God is not trustworthy.
- Involving the community in such an attitude, just as they have been ushered into their new Promised Land, is really the height of hubris (very great pride and belief in your own importance) – You think that you can have your own way without God.
II.
Jeopardised The People's Identity
As A Holy Nation
1. Achan's sin jeopardised
the people's identity
as a holy nation.
2. Despite their great
spiritual and national blessings, their unique calling and mission had been
compromised - thankfully temporarily.
3. But fortunately, God's plans
to bless could not be thwarted, even though he was moved to holy anger for a
time.
III.
Profaned or Tarnished the Lord's
Reputation
1. Achan's sin 'profaned' or
tarnished the LORD's reputation.
2. Throughout the story up to
this point, the Canaanites feared God because of Israel's surprising success in
battle.
3. This loss at Ai, a direct
consequence of Achan's sin, put caused people to doubt God's power.
4. In a similar way, many
corrupt evangelists of today profane the name of God, and disgrace the
Christian community.
Our solidarity in sin
1.
Our
own corporate solidarity in sin, while different from that of Achan, is no less
dangerous.
2.
Perhaps
unknowingly, from the products we buy and the corporations we support, we find
ourselves involved in exploitative and unfair practices in the global economy -
practices that neither honour God nor express true thankfulness for what he has
entrusted us as his stewards.
3.
Truly
becoming God's holy people means 'buying out' of such systems, and therefore
"giving glory to God"
Joshua 7: 19 – “And Joshua said unto Achan, My son, give, I pray
thee, glory to the LORD God of Israel, and make confession unto him; and tell
me now what thou hast done; hide it not from me.”
V.
Holy Unity: “All Israel”
1.
The
Book of Joshua bespeaks a vital quality of God's holy people, both then and now
- unity.
2.
In
chapter 22 the three Transjordan tribes
construct an illegal altar (sacrifices could only be offered on the one altar outside the Tent of
Meeting).
3.
The
other tribes justly pursued them to condemn this error.
4.
Then
the Transjordan tribes explained the purpose
of their act.
5.
This
altar was only a replica, a reminder of their unity in God's purposes with the
tribes on the west side of the Jordan.
6.
When
this was explained, peace was restored to "All Israel," and also
"rest" in the land.
7.
How
about us? Do we allow barriers to separate us in the Body of Christ?
8.
If
so, the Book of Joshua suggests that we are ignoring an important quality of
being God's people: unity.
VI. Conclusion
1.
Re-orienting
our Christian lives to the Biblical meaning of holiness is not always a
comforting endeavour.
2.
Sometimes
we find more challenge than we might expect.
3.
The
"Canaan-language" of an earlier generation, however, may be on the
right track after all
4.
The
narrative reminds us of our belonging to the people of Promise, of our
continuing role in the unfolding drama of God's desire to bless creation.
5.
Thanks
be to God that in our untamed worlds we have, in Christ, the "Promised
Holy Spirit" to direct our choices and lead us in the ways we should go.
Continue reading ... Joshua Generation Part II
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