Month: March 2018

There was still more work to do to remove what remained of the previous inhabitants of the land, but that work was for a future time. In the meantime, they had to protect themselves from the influence those people might have on them. They weren’t to associate with the remaining people, nor to even mention the names of their gods. That meant that they shouldn’t discuss their gods with those people or seek to know so much as what names they called their gods. Ignorance, it seems, was expected to minimize the tempting influence. Are there some things that we New Testament people are better off not associating with and not knowing anything about in the culture surrounding us?

In order to avoid temptation they were given the following instruction, which we can apply to our own victory over temptation.

• Don’t associate with those people. The New Testament people of God are instructed not to be unequally yoked with unbelievers.
• Don’t even mention the names of their gods. New Testament people of God are given the work of “destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God, and … taking every thought captive to make it obedient to Christ.” (II Corinthians 10:5)
• “Be very firm to keep and do all that is written in the book of the law of Moses, so that you may not turn aside from it to the right hand or to the left.” (Joshua 23:6) That’s strict adherence. New Testament people of God are not given commands, and yet, the standards Jesus set for us, in the Sermon on the Mount, for example, surpass the commandments given in the Law. We have been given few commands because His intention under the new covenant is to put His spirit in us and move us to follow His decrees, (Ezekiel 36:27) to transform us from the inside.
• “Cling to the Lord your God.” (v. 23:8) If one is clinging to God, there is nothing left of a grip with which to grasp anything else.
• “Take diligent heed to love the Lord your God.” (v. 23:11) This is another reason He doesn’t impose many commands on His New Testament people: He wants our focus to be on intimate relationship with Him. If we are truly seeking Him, we will be doing what we know He wants us to do even though we are not bound by commands.
• “Fear the Lord and serve Him in sincerity and truth.” (v. 24:14) Postmodern culture makes sincerity and truth rare indeed.

Joshua was under the impression that they had been clinging to God, when, as we saw yesterday, their actions and characters would indicate otherwise. Further, in verses 24:14 and 23 he indicated that they had other gods in their midst. How is that clinging to God? Like the Israelites, we can be deceived in accepting less than God wants to do in us and thinking the lesser work for which we’ve settled is a good work, or at least a good enough work. Have you been deceived into accepting less than God’s plan for His New Testament people, and thinking that it’s good enough so that you don’t have to seek to go deeper with God? Will that be rewarded with a “Well done, good and faithful servant,” or a “Depart from me; I never knew you” from Jesus?

Having settled in the Promised Land, they renewed their covenant with God, agreeing to serve and obey Him as their part in that relationship. They kept their word for about a generation.

So ends our first book of history. We will see in the book of Judges that the nation did not continue to serve and obey God, and the fruit of that failure.

Note that the Tent of Meeting was now in Shiloh, along with the leaders of the nation. What a great place for God’s presence to rest!

Once the land was allotted, God instructed Joshua to designate the cities of refuge of which He had spoken earlier. Yeah, He really meant that. Justice is important enough to Him that He made sure this provision for promoting it was carried out. Let’s not forget this about God.

How can it be true that God gave them all the land He had promised them and fulfilled all His good promises to them, when our readings of the previous two days indicated that the Israelites were not able to dislodge some of the former inhabitants from the land? How can it be true that “no one of all their enemies stood before them?”  Again, believing that Scripture is true and thus does not contradict itself, I look for a reasonable explanation for this inconsistency rather than doubt God’s word or look the other way. The reasonable explanation is that their enemies were defeated in battle – but came back. How did that happen? It happened because Israel was not faithful to do all that God commanded by destroying “all who breathed.” The survivors wasted no time in retaking their homes. So it’s not God’s faithfulness that failed; it was their own. The result illustrates the truth that we disobey God’s commands at our own peril.

They apparently didn’t even try to confront some of the cities and areas because they couldn’t inhabit them anyway. In Exodus 23:28 – 31 God told Moses that He wouldn’t give them the entire Promised Land at once because they weren’t numerous enough to possess it. Some of the land would be taken gradually as they grew more numerous and thus able to possess it. Thus, some of the cities and areas intentionally remained the temporary possession of the previous inhabitants according to God’s promise. The book of Judges tells of Israel starting to take more of those lands at a future date.

If you compare the accounts of what the Israelites were unable to wrest from the previous inhabitants with the description of the cities given to the Levites, you will notice that the leaders gave to the Levites cities which were not fully in their possession! Does that look as ugly to you as it does to me? The victories they enjoyed and the praise they gave to God for them might fool us into thinking that they were the lovely ideal God intended them to be, but this action on top of their unfaithfulness and resulting failure to take the land in truth, indicates otherwise.

Recalling that Israel teaches us lessons about the character of fallen human nature – my own fallen human nature -, I have to ask myself, does that reveal anything about my own character? Do I give the impression that I am faithful to God while demonstrating unfaithfulness? Am I stingy in my giving by giving the worst of what I have to give, or worse yet, what isn’t even mine to give? As we are confronted with the disappointing and even repulsive example of God’s Old Testament people, it is a good time to ask God to search our own hearts and lives and reveal to us what like this is in us, and then ask Him to refine us of any that might be there. Won’t you ask Him today?

The allotment of the land seems to be fluid. Some of the cities whose kings were defeated in battle were later listed in the account as ones that they couldn’t take possession of. Some cities were listed as going to first one tribe and then another. There may have been more than one city named Megiddo, for example, or situations may have changed even as the allotment was being documented. Either way, this account does not create a problem with the Bible’s inerrancy, because there are reasonable explanations for what might look like discrepancies. People who want not to accept the Bible as inerrant and thus authoritative like to latch on to such discrepancies as so-called evidence, but it doesn’t take a great effort of thought to discern reasonable explanations for the apparent inconsistencies. Faith demands that we choose to accept unconditionally God’s word as truth, but the inconsistencies found here are certainly not insurmountable obstacles to faith.

Unlike Caleb, Joseph’s descendants were not prepared to be used by God to take from nature and the earlier inhabitants the territory given to them; instead they wanted a greater share of land because a large portion of their allotted inheritance was rendered uninhabitable by nature or the presence of hostile enemies. That is not lovely, especially since they had large numbers of people on their side, presumably significantly greater resources than Caleb had at his disposal. The book of Judges records that one city was taken; otherwise, these tribes had Canaanites living in their midst. That wasn’t God’s plan for them! He had demonstrated His ability and willingness to help them do great things in the past, but they failed to move forward.

We New Testament people of God can also fail to engage the enemy in battle and thus fail to take new ground. New Testament writers warn us that we are confronted in battle with a powerful and ugly enemy, and if we fail to accept this reality, engage the enemy and stand firm in the strength God gives us, we will not gain ground.  Great victories rarely fall into our laps. Do we want to be Ephraims or Calebs? It is a choice we make now. Why not talk to God today about who you most resemble, and commit to being the very Caleb He wants you to be? Can Ephraims expect to hear, “Well done, good and faithful servant” when they see Jesus face to face?

The lot seems like a random way to distribute inheritances of the land, but God would surely have been in the outcome. If He can direct His will through the lot, how else can He do so? We can ask that His will be done in matters of our own lives and trust Him to bring it about when we see that He can work through such means as the lottery.

Today’s reading is admittedly mostly dull passages that mean little to us because even if these cities still exist today, they don’t have the same names; and even if one is familiar with Palestine’s geography, the details of many of the border markers are obscure. As if that weren’t enough, the inheritances of the tribes east of the Jordan River are detailed twice. It leaves us wondering why God has preserved the records of the allotment of the Promised Land in such detail. A couple things come to my mind.

• These accounts make it clear that God has given that land to the Israelites and cares that they possess what He has given them. People inclined to dispute that cannot claim that it doesn’t matter, because God obviously cared enough about the smallest details of the inheritances to make sure they were recorded and preserved. As creator and sustainer of the land, He rightfully determines who possesses it. In addition to designating Israel as possessor, He fought for them in order to make their possession possible.
• The details confirm God’s faithfulness to His promises. Giving the details is a much more effective way to convey that than to state simply that the tribes all received their inheritances.

So hopefully we can appreciate the details for what they convey, even though we may not enjoy reading them.

Caleb had to ask Joshua for the special consideration he was promised. Let us not neglect the lesson we are continually given about the necessity for asking for what we are promised. If we don’t ask, we won’t receive what has been promised. If we expect otherwise, we are taking the promises and the One who promised them for granted.

Caleb didn’t ask for a safe inheritance; he requested a portion that still had to be taken – from those giants, no less. He wasn’t defeated by the prospect of them when he was in his prime, and now that he was 85 years old and confronted with them in the flesh, he was still not defeated. Not only did he request a portion of land that had to be wrested from the giants, he didn’t ask for help from the nation’s or tribe’s army to get them out. Even at 85, he intended to be used by God and was ready to take on giants. He is a true hero of the faith, a worthy example for us to set before ourselves. What giants in your life need to be defeated? Caleb’s example shows that it is never too late in life to take them on, with God’s help. Could you give your example for the encouragement of future generations?

Judah’s inheritance listed here was 101 cities, which is a lot more cities that was recorded in the account of the conquest. The book of Joshua records the conquest as if it were a simple matter, but there was obviously a lot more to it than his overview described.

Imagine how frightening it must have been to be attacked by a coalition of five cities’ kings with their armies. Gibeon, which was accustomed to the regular aggression of the kings of other city-states, cried out for help even though it was a great city with mighty men. Joshua did the strong and courageous thing and came to their rescue. By the end of the day, as he presented the five kings to his army for slaughter, he was encouraging his men to be strong and courageous. Joshua had been transformed into a strong and courageous leader with God’s help and through his own actions. What does that teach you about the transformation process?

Joshua could have seen the united attack against Gibeon as a way out of their covenant: if Gibeon were destroyed by these other kings, then they would be released from the covenant. However, he wasted no time coming to their rescue and instead marched all night to surprise their attackers. If Israel hadn’t been faithful to their word, they may not have been able to conquer five armies at once.

Again, our culture’s values have perhaps influenced our individual values so that they clash with the idea of destroying all who breathed. Recall from Leviticus 18:24-28 that this purging was God’s chosen form of judgment on these people who “practiced abominable customs” so that they and their land became defiled. Rather than be offended, let us learn to think God’s thoughts after Him and not think like our sin-defiled culture. The truth is that sin is ugly and awful and merits God’s judgment.

After Joshua and his army defeated the five kings, they had to face a huge army comprised of an even larger number of city-states, with their horses and chariots, no less. It is interesting that these various peoples, habitually fighting against each other for a greater share of territory, were able to unite to fight against Israel. That had never happened, but God hardened their hearts to make it happen, to expedite their destruction. To this day, hatred for Israel makes for some strange alliances. We shouldn’t be surprised when the world hates us New Testament people of God enough to do inexplicable things against us.

So the two coalitions, intimidating as they must have seemed to Joshua and the army, were God’s way of advancing the conquest. Facing them must have been daunting, but God encouraged Joshua with His promise to be with him and to go before them and fight. We have some great promises from God that we can claim as well in our fights to take new ground in possessing what God intends for us. Some quick ones that come to mind include I Corinthians 10:13, II Peter 1:3-5, Ephesians 3:20, Jude 24, Philippians 1:6…. We simply have to act on them to gain the victory.

Notice that while Achan and Achan alone took from Jericho some of the booty that was supposed to be dedicated to God, God’s word says that “the sons of Israel acted unfaithfully in regard” to those things. For one man’s sin, God held the entire nation responsible and refused to be with them in their conquest of the Promised Land until the wrong was righted. Does He do the same with His New Covenant people today? Could the sin of one individual in the church prevent Him from blessing the work of the entire church? What does the whole counsel of Scripture say about that? Certainly this account teaches that sin can have consequences beyond the sinner. One cannot rightly claim that his sin is his affair and doesn’t impact anyone else.

Already after their first victory they were confident enough not to consult God about the plan for attacking Ai; they devised their plan without His instruction. Again, the actions of God’s Old Testament people teach us New Testament people about what we are capable of. This is a human tendency against which I need to be on my guard.

Why didn’t God stop them from going out against Ai, such as by the captain of the Lord’s hosts showing up again? That could have saved the 36 lives that were lost, as well as the humiliation of defeat. Remember where else God didn’t show up: in the Garden of Eden. He also didn’t tip off the Israelites to prevent the Gibeonites’ deceiving them into making a covenant. The result would  require Him to impose the consequences of allowing the Gibeonites to be a snare to Israel, interfering with His future relationship with them. What do these matters teach you about the need to consult God before acting? Should you make that commitment today to do so, and ask the Holy Spirit to remind you as needed?

Joshua knew that the inhabitants of the land would hear about their defeat at Ai and lose their fear of Israel, costing them a huge advantage in battle. God was willing to destroy that advantage in order to deal with the sin. Think what God might be willing to do to expose and excise sin in your life. Isn’t it preferable to confess it and repent of it, getting His help to overcome it?

Achan’s sons and daughters and all his animals were killed as part of his punishment. That seems harsh, but look at the consequences that one man’s sin had on the nation. It’s possible that his family knew about his illicit treasure, living in close quarters. Whether they did or not, God wanted the sin removed thoroughly. Jesus taught that if your hand  or your eye causes you to sin, you need to remove it. Sin requires harsh remedy because it’s deadly. If we fail to understand that, it’s because we live in the midst of it and lack perspective that reveals the truth, because we are marred by it ourselves, and/or because the enemy is deceiving us. It is critical that we have a true understanding of sin so that we hate it as God hates it, and thus are motivated to remove it from our own hearts and lives. Rather than be offended at the harshness of the punishment, we need to learn from this account and others like it how awful sin is and meriting complete removal from our lives.

That the Israelites kept the covenant with Gibeonites even though it had been made in deceit, tells of the importance to God of keeping a covenant. He expects us to keep our word even at hurtful cost to us. This was a day when most people had the value of honesty only to their own people; it was okay, even admirable, to deal deceitfully with other people in order to get what one wanted from them. God did not allow His people the same self-serving value of faithfulness to their word. He hasn’t changed, and we need to be characterized by the same faithfulness. If we are, we will certainly stand out in this world that values faithfulness only when it benefits self, won’t we? That would be making Jesus visible to the world in an admirable way.

The time had come! God didn’t choose a sensible time of year to lead them across the Jordan River, but He had a great plan for doing so. His plan included teaching His people two things: to exalt Joshua as their leader as they did Moses, and “that the living God is among you, and that He will assuredly dispossess from before you” the people living there. Consider His method of teaching them, so that your faith is reinforced. When God allows crises to come into your life, or presents you with impossible circumstances, perhaps this is His purpose in your life. Will you choose to trust Him and go forward with Him so that He might teach you as well and build your trust in Him?

It was important to God that Joshua was exalted in the eyes of the people, so that he could lead them effectively. How do you see your leaders? Living in a democratic society in a postmodern age, we tend not to exalt our leaders, but where God provides leaders, we must respect them and submit to their leadership.

It was also important that the people know “that the living God (was) among (them), and that He would assuredly dispossess from before” them the people living in the land. He gave them, that they should know this, the miracle of the backing up of the Jordan River. He didn’t expect the people to go forth to battle in blind faith, but He wanted them to know. What do you know about God today? As I am reading Joshua, my daughter and I are discussing in her politics and culture class, the reality that Christians seem to be having little impact on our culture in the U.S. The synthesis of these two subjects hits me powerfully. My world doesn’t need anything from me as much as it needs to know that God is the “big G” God He says He is, the One whose name is “I AM.” What if we focused on that basic and awesome truth in our relating to the world? We have to believe it first, be convicted of it with the kind of belief that prompts us to act. God doesn’t want that witness to be awkward, embarrassing, timid, or apologetic, because those attitudes will fail to convey the truth of who He is. If we aren’t able to proclaim to the world around us who He is and His wonderful works in our midst, we need to confess that to God and ask Him to give us right convictions. It may need to start with a wonderful work in us, in each of us – in you. Are you willing to seek that?

They were commanded to consecrate themselves in preparation for God’s doing great wonders among them. That would have involved cleansing, likely discarding idols, and perhaps making right other things where they had been rebellious or careless. Think about that. If God required this kind of preparation to do great work in the midst of His Old Testament people, might He require the same to do great things in the midst of the Church? What requires consecration in your life and heart? In your church? You may not have responsibility for the latter, but you can pray for those matters and for those who do have responsibility. What would consecration look like in your situation? Are you willing to set aside what might be standing in the way of God’s doing great things in you or in the midst of your church? What might be the consequences of the alternative?

God did the amazing work, and again, the Israelites were given a way to remember what He had done. Now that they were in the Promised Land (they were in the Promised Land!), God instructed them to set up a monument of stones to memorialize the event. It wasn’t fancy, didn’t include a plaque to tell the story; rather, the people were going to share the story with subsequent generations. This is a great way for us not to forget, to tell the story ourselves. Do you ever notice that? I find that I gain not only a greater appreciation for what God has done, but also a greater understanding of what He has done, as I share it. No wonder Jesus commanded us to be His witnesses! We learn and are changed as we witness.

God has an army, and that army has at least one captain, who carries a sword. That captain was neither for God’s people nor for their enemies; his allegiance was exclusively to God. He was exalted enough to cause the ground on which he stood to be holy. What are the implications of all that?

Rahab was given the label “prostitute” as part of her name here, but she became a respected figure in Israel’s history for what came after this account. She was a descendant of David, and hence, of Jesus’ presumed father, Joseph! Think about that life. Does it speak to you of God’s goodness in redeeming a life?