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Okay, you can turn in your Bibles
to Joshua chapter 1. We actually will not be looking
at Joshua chapter 1 tonight. This will be an introduction
to the book of Joshua, just concerning the date, setting, and author,
an outline of the book, and then some of the major themes that
are contained in the book itself. So I'll just read beginning in
chapter one at verse one, just to get our minds and our hearts
framed to write with not only God's word, but specifically
with this book of Joshua. After the death of Moses, the
servant of the Lord, it came to pass that the Lord spoke to
Joshua. the son of Nun, Moses' assistant,
saying, Moses, my servant, is dead. Now therefore, arise, go
over this Jordan, you and all this people, to the land which
I am giving to them, the children of Israel. Every place that the
sole of your foot will tread upon I have given you, as I said
to Moses. From the wilderness and this
Lebanon as far as the great river, the river Euphrates, all the
land of the Hittites, and to the great sea toward the going
down of the sun shall be your territory. No man shall be able
to stand before you all the days of your life. As I was with Moses,
so I will be with you. I will not leave you nor forsake
you. Be strong and of good courage,
for to this people you shall divide, as an inheritance, the
land which I swore to their fathers to give them. Only be strong
and very courageous, that you may observe to do according to
all the law which Moses, my servant, commanded you. Do not turn from
it to the right hand or to the left, that you may prosper wherever
you go. This Book of the Law shall not
depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and
night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written
in it. For then you will make your way
prosperous, and then you will have good success. Have I not
commanded you? Be strong and of good courage.
Do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with
you wherever you go. Then Joshua commanded the officers
of the people saying, pass through the camp and command the people
saying, prepare provisions for yourselves for within three days
you will cross over this Jordan to go in to possess the land
which the Lord your God is giving you to possess. 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. And they
also have 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. Amen. The book of Joshua is the
first of the former prophets. The Jews make a distinction between
the former and the latter prophets. The former prophets contain the
books of Joshua, Judges, 1st and 2nd Samuel, and 1st and 2nd
Kings. So it's not strictly history,
but rather there is that prophetic element. It is forth telling
the word of the living God. So as I said tonight, we're going
to look at some of the things concerning introduction to the
book. The date, the setting, and the
author first. Secondly, the outline of the
book. And then thirdly, some of the major themes. Now certainly
we won't cover every of the themes. We'll do that God willing as
we move our way through this particular book. But the date,
the setting, and the author. It's hard to pinpoint specifically
some of these things, so we'll just put them in a broad category. Just a reminder with reference
to the books that have preceded Joshua, the Pentateuch. We have
Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy. The Exodus took
place in 1445 BC. I'm operating according to the
early date. If you read some of the literature,
Some of the commentaries you'll see there's an early date posited
and there's a later date. Generally speaking, conservative
thought takes the early date and that tells us that the exodus
took place in 1445. Leviticus picks up after the completion of the tabernacle
and takes place right there at Sinai. There's no geographical
movement in the book of Leviticus, rather they stay there. Numbers
begins about a month later at Sinai when they then go out into
the wilderness and wander. Deuteronomy takes up 40 years
later in the plains of Moab, which is about 1405 BC. Now we've spent considerable
amount of time in Deuteronomy, that was a series of exhortations
or addresses given by Moses to prepare this particular generation
for entry into Canaan and that's when Of course, Moses dies, the
baton is passed on to Joshua, and here we come with this specific
book. Joshua begins after the death
of Moses, as chapter 1, verse 1 so specifically tells us. After the death of Moses, the
servant of the Lord, it came to pass that the Lord spoke to
Joshua, the son of Nun, Moses' assistant, saying, William Dumbrell
says in leading the conquest Joshua is portrayed throughout
as Moses successor and his virtual extension. He says indeed the
close relationship between Deuteronomy and Joshua calls to mind that
between Luke and Acts. In many respects Deuteronomy
is like the book of Luke, Joshua is like the book of Acts. Now
it isn't a strict parallel, but you see something analogous in
the two approaches, or in the way that the books complement
one another. As I said, it's difficult to
know with specificity when the Book of Joshua was composed.
The time frame covered is from 1405 to about 1385 BC. Now in terms of the author,
you'll notice it does not say Joshua, the servant of the Lord,
has composed this particular book. It is not ascribed to anyone
in particular. John Gill comments, this book
bears the name of Joshua either because it is concerning him,
his actions and exploits in the land of Canaan, or because it
was written by him or both, though some ascribe it to Ezra and others
to Isaiah. He says, it is most likely that
this book was written by Joshua himself, as the Jews in the Talmud
assert. And indeed, who more fit for
it than himself? And if written or put together
by another, it is most probable that it was taken out of his
diary, annals, or memoirs. So no matter what, Joshua is
closely connected to this book that bears his particular name. And Joshua, up to this point,
has appeared in the Pentateuch about 27 times. Now this isn't a character sketch
in terms of the example of Joshua that we ought to follow, but
rather it is a thumbnail sketch of who this man Joshua is, so
that as we accompany him in the wars of Canaan, we understand
who it is that God is using to lead his people. One commentator,
Hess, says that Joshua is introduced in the account of the war with
the Amalekites in Exodus 17, 8 to 13, as a warrior who fights
on behalf of Moses and who leads Israel to victory. So the first
time that we meet Joshua, he's engaged in warfare. The first
time that we meet Joshua, he's a warrior fighting for Moses,
fighting on behalf of Israel, and gaining victory. Certainly
a foreshadow to the rest of his life. He is a unique man fit
for a particular task. Now Moses certainly had a difficult
task in leading these people out of Egypt through the wilderness
all the way to the plains of Moab. That was no small task. Moses at times lamented the difficulties
of this particular charge. However, Moses, with the exception
of a few skirmishes here and there, was not tasked with the
sort of thing that Joshua was given. In fact, as we read chapter
1, that charge, notice over and over and over again what Joshua
is being told, be strong. Be courageous. Why? Because the
task of military operations is to go in against the enemy and
break their stuff and kill them. That's ultimately what a military
does. Breaks things and kills people.
And certainly in the wars of Canaan, that is precisely what
Joshua and the children of Israel were tasked with doing. So he's
introduced in Exodus 17, 8 to 13, as a warrior who fights on
behalf of Moses and leads Israel to victory. Exodus 24, 13, Moses
ascends the mountain of God with Joshua, who is called his assistant
there in Exodus 24. In Exodus 32, 17, he first speaks
with Moses. And in speaking to Moses there,
he is distinguished from those who are worshiping the golden
calf. So Joshua did not participate in that idolatry in the calf
incident there in Exodus chapter 32. In Exodus 33 verse 11, we
learn he is the son of none and that he is a young man. He dies
when he's at the age of 110, but when he first comes on the
scene, he's a young man. In Numbers 11.28, you can turn
there for just a moment. Numbers 11.28, he protests against
men not authorized by Moses to prophesy. Numbers chapter 11. Verse 26, but two men who had
remained in the camp, the name of one was Eldad and the name
of the other Medad, and the spirit rested upon them. Now they were
among those listed, but who had not gone out to the tabernacle,
yet they prophesied in the camp. And a young man ran and told
Moses and said, Eldad and Medad are prophesying in the camp.
Imagine that, me dad. I'm me dad, kind of an interesting
name. So Joshua, the son of Nun, Moses'
assistant, one of his choice men, answered and said, Moses,
my lord, forbid them. And Moses said to him, are you
zealous for my sake? Oh, that all the Lord's people
were prophets, and that the Lord would put his spirit upon them.
And Moses returned to the camp, he and the elders of Israel.
Now it's interesting there that Moses was absolutely right. Moses,
in many ways, is anticipating Joel 2 and Acts 2. Remember in
the prophet Joel, God says that he will pour out his Spirit upon
them and that their sons and their daughters will prophesy.
On the day of Pentecost, the Spirit of God comes upon the
church and Peter says this is that which was spoken by the
prophet Joel. So Moses is anticipatory of the
outpouring of the Holy Spirit, or Moses is speaking anticipatorily
of that outpouring of the Spirit prophesied by Joel 2 and realized
in Acts chapter 2. In Numbers 13, 16 he is renamed from Hosea to Joshua the son
of Nun. Does anybody know what the word
Joshua means? Jehovah is salvation. Who's the
New Testament counterpart? Jesus, that's right. Jesus is
the New Testament Joshua. An interesting parallel. We've
got Old Testament Joshua taking the people into their rest. In the New Testament, Joshua
takes his people into their rest. And that is precisely what we
find here. In Numbers 14, in verses 6, 30,
and 38, he along with Caleb gives a positive report concerning the reconnaissance
mission that they carried out. Remember in Numbers chapter 13,
Moses sends twelve spies to go and survey or recon the land.
And they go and they see the land and they realize that it's
a good land. There are some potential troubles
and difficulties in the land. When the twelve spies return,
there's only two of them that give a consistently faithful
and positive report. Now remember, the faithlessness
of the ten spies is highlighted in the sense that Numbers 13
begins with God reaffirming that He is giving this land to the
children of Israel. It's a wonderful study there
in Numbers 13 and 14 concerning these ten spies that are faithless
and the two spies that are faithful, specifically Caleb and Joshua. Of course, Joshua is one of those
particular men. And then a significant transaction
occurs in Numbers 27, with reference to our Joshua. Numbers 27, beginning
in verse 18. Well, just back up for a moment
in verse 15. And Moses spoke to the Lord,
saying, Let the Lord, the God of the spirits of all flesh,
set a man over the congregation, who may go out before them and
go in before them, who may lead them out and bring them in, that
the congregation of the Lord may not be like sheep which have
no shepherd." Who does Moses sound like there? Jesus, that's right. We just
studied this in Matthew's Gospel. Matthew chapter 9, Jesus surveys
the multitudes. He feels compassion for that.
because they are harassed and scattered, they are like sheep
having no shepherd. So Jesus is like Moses, or rather
Moses typifies the anti-type which is the Lord Jesus. So Moses
sees, Moses understands that ultimately he is going to die,
he's not going to enter into the land of promise, so he asks
the Lord to raise up a man, to raise up a shepherd. Verse 18,
the Lord said to Moses, take Joshua the son of Nun with you,
a man in whom is the Spirit, and lay your hand on him. Set
him before Eliezer the priest and before all the congregation,
and inaugurate him in their sight. And you shall give some of your
authority to him that all the congregation of the children
of Israel may be obedient. He shall stand before Eliezer
the priest, who shall inquire before the Lord for him by the
judgment of the urine. At his word they shall go out,
and at his word they shall come in, he and all the children of
Israel with him, all the congregation." So Moses did as the Lord commanded
him, he took Joshua and set him before Eleazar the priest, and
before all the congregation, And he laid his hands on him
and inaugurated him just as the Lord commanded by the hand of
Moses. So this transfer of leadership
already begins. Remember the task that God is
calling these men to requires fidelity by the people to their
leaders. You're certainly needing to have
confidence in the leadership if you're going to follow them
into a land that is populated by enemies and you're going to
go in and attempt to break things and kill people. You need to
have confidence in the leadership and certainly God is underscoring
that and highlighting this with this transfer of authority or
this transition of authority from Moses to Joshua. And then we see in Deuteronomy
chapter 1, Moses is told to encourage Joshua as the one who would lead
Israel to its inheritance. Notice in Deuteronomy chapter
1 at verse 38. Deuteronomy chapter 1 verse 38,
Joshua the son of Nun who stands before you, he shall go in there,
encourage him, for he shall cause Israel to inherit it. I love
that emphasis in the passage on leadership, the leadership
needs to be encouraged, needs to be strengthened, needs to
be exhorted, to be strong, to be courageous. These things don't
come naturally. You need people to come along
and give you that impetus, and that is what God the Lord tells
Moses concerning Joshua. He needs encouragement. If he's
going to go into the land of Canaan and wage the good warfare,
encourage the brother so that he takes this task to heart and
that he goes into it with great joy and earnestness as the Lord
God commands. This is repeated in chapter 3
at verse 28. But command Joshua and encourage
him and strengthen him for he shall go over before this people
and he shall cause them to inherit the land which you will see. This is repeated several times
in Deuteronomy, a couple of times in Deuteronomy 31, and then 31.23
is the first time God tells Joshua specifically in the written form
that he is going to be the one that leads his people to their
inheritance. 31.23, then he inaugurated Joshua,
the son of Nun, and said, Be strong and of good courage, for
you shall bring the children of Israel into the land of which
I swore to them, and I will be with you." And then in Deuteronomy
34, verse 9, the spirit of wisdom fills him. Moses is dead. God has placed his sanction upon
Joshua, his approval upon him. He has filled him with the spirit
of wisdom, and now he is the one tasked with leading Israel
into Canaan to dispossess the land of the Canaanites. So that
brings us to the outline of the book. Four broad strokes in Joshua. If you get this, you got the
book. It deals with entering the land,
taking the land, dividing the land and retaining the land. That's what Joshua is about. Entering the land, chapters 1
to 4. We have the charge given to Joshua
in chapter 1 verses 1 to 18. We read that this evening. Then
there is the entrance into Canaan beginning in chapter 3 at verse
1. Chapter 2 records another reconnaissance mission where
the spies go in to investigate Jericho. Well in chapter 3 verse
1, that is when they enter into the land of Canaan, Jericho would
be the first city that would stand in need of conquering,
and that is their entrance into the land. The second broad category
is taking the land, chapters 5 to 12, that's the wars of Canaan. There is the conquest of Jericho
and Ai. Now we're just painting in broad
strokes. A lot of things happen in between,
but this is the general outline. Then the southern campaign comes
in chapters 9 and 10. That's when they penetrate down
They take the land, conquering the inhabitants there. The northern
campaign comes in Chapter 11, and then the summary statement
comes in Chapter 12. We have entering the land, 1
to 4, taking the land, 5 to 12, and then dividing the land, chapters
13 to 21. Obviously the bulk of the book.
There's a lot of tribes that the land needs to be allotted
to. There is that statement concerning
the land that remains. There is a very positive statement
given in the book of Joshua in terms of the conquest, but it
wasn't complete. It wasn't total, it was not comprehensive. And the book itself realizes
that. So in chapter 13 verses 1 to
7, we have the land that remains to be conquered. Then there is
that apportionment of the land east of the Jordan. That is half
tribe of Manasseh, Gad, and Reuben. The land west of the Jordan,
chapter 14, verse 1, all the way to chapter 19, verse 51. That's where the rest of the
tribes will occupy. on the western side of the Jordan.
Chapter 20 deals with the cities of refuge. Remember that was
specified in the book of Deuteronomy. If somebody accidentally kills
another, there's no malice, there's no premeditation, there isn't
hatred in one's heart. He can flee to the city of refuge
and there find safety. And then in chapter 21 verses
1 to 42, the cities of the Levites. They have their own community,
or they rather have their own cities that they are to dwell
in. They're in an interesting spot. They don't inherit the
land in terms like the rest of the tribes, but they do need
cities to live in. and that is covered in chapter
21. There is a summary statement given in chapter 21 verses 43
to 45, which is the key to the book of Joshua, but more on that
in just a few moments. Chapter 21 verses 43 to 45 does
summarize the entirety of the book of Joshua. We have entering
the land, taking the land, dividing the land, and then retaining
the land. The emphasis in retaining the
land is not on their military might and on their power. Now
certainly in order to retain the land they would have to be
adept at war, they would have to be able to provide a good
defense in terms of foreign enemies, but the emphasis in the latter
chapters in the book of Joshua is on faithfulness to the covenant
God. Retaining the land is seen in
covenant renewal, which takes place at Shechem in chapter 24. So after the Transjordan tribes
leave in chapter 22, there's a final exhortation made by Joshua
in chapter 23, and then there is this covenant renewal in chapter
24. That's the emphasis there. That's
what I mean by retaining the land. How do they retain the
land? By being faithful to God. How
do they stay in the land? By doing what God commands. How
do they continue to have life of blessing and privilege in
the land? By not violating the terms of the covenant. Now, do
they do that? Certainly not. They sin, they
transgress, they're ultimately expelled from the land. But in
this instance, there is that emphasis upon retaining the land
through covenant faithfulness to the living and true God. The
book ends on a very positive note. It ends on a very positive
and a happy note. You say, but it talks about the
death of Joshua and Eleazar and the burial of the bones of Joseph. Yeah, in the land. This is now
their place. This is now their possession.
This is a most optimistic and a most happy way to end the book
of Joshua. They now possess the land. They're
not like Abraham who had to pay for a spot to bury Sarah. This
land has become theirs. God the Lord in His faithfulness,
has delivered this to them, and they are able to bury their own
in their own property according to the promise and the gift of
the living and true God. So that's a broad outline. We'll
see that again as we move through the book. Entering the land,
taking the land, dividing the land up, and then retaining it.
That's what the book is concerned with. Now thirdly, some of the
major themes. Probably one of the biggest themes,
well, the biggest theme is the faithfulness of God, but we'll
end on that tonight. One of the themes that's most
challenging for people is this emphasis on holy war. I mean, notice what they are
being told to do. By the way, that's a Rush Limbaugh-ism
when he talks about armies breaking things and killing people. That's
how he defines the task of armies. I think that's a good description.
You break things and you kill people. That's what they're basically
being told. in the book of Joshua, we mustn't
miss that. In order to go in and dispossess
the land of the Canaanites there would be a lot of bloodshed,
there would be a lot of death. Deuteronomy chapter 7, let's
just rehearse or let's review what God said concerning this
concept of holy war and the ban. Remember, the ban refers to those
things devoted to destruction. Something was placed under the
ban and God says the cities of Canaan are to be considered as
under the ban. Deuteronomy 7 beginning in verse
1. When the Lord your God brings you into the land which you go
to possess and has cast out many nations before you, 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 you. And when the Lord your God delivers
them over to you, you shall conquer them and utterly destroy them. You shall make no covenant with
them, nor show mercy to them, nor shall you make marriages
with them. You shall not give your daughter to their son, nor
take their daughter for your son, for they will turn your
sons away from following me to serve other gods. So the anger
of the Lord will be aroused against you and destroy you suddenly.
But thus you shall deal with them. You shall destroy their
altars and break down their sacred pillars and cut down their wooden
images and burn their carved images with fire." They were
to utterly destroy. There was to be no political
treaties made. There was to be no social contracts
engaged in, and there certainly was not supposed to be any religious
rapprochement. In other words, those who feared
and worshipped Yahweh were not to try and include a little bit
of Baal along with that particular transaction. God strictly prohibits. Now remember in the book of Deuteronomy,
once we get past those cities that are under the ban, There
are terms for cities that surrender to Israel, and that's a sort
of a different approach. They are allowed at that particular
time to take them as prisoners, but these cities specified here
by God the Lord are under the ban, they are devoted to destruction. This is repeated again in Deuteronomy
2017. Deuteronomy 20, 17, but you shall utterly destroy them,
the Hittite, and the Amorite, and the Canaanite, and the Perizzite,
and the Hivite, and the Jebusite, just as the Lord your God has
commanded you, lest they teach you to do according to all their
abominations, which they have done for their gods, and you
sin against the Lord your God. The Lord knows the hearts of
His people. If you go into that particular land, and you leave
Baalism alone, it won't be long before you're bowing to Baal.
You're not that godly, you're not that holy, you're not that
righteous. You need to remove the temptation,
you need to remove the offensive or the offending party so that
you don't fall prey and end up turning away from the Lord your
God who has redeemed you. We go to the book of Joshua.
Rahab the harlot had heard of this ban. Rahab the harlot had
known of Israel's way among their enemies. Joshua 2.10, for we
have heard how the Lord dried up the water out of the Red Sea
for you when you came out of Egypt, and what you did to the
two kings of the Amorites who were on the other side of the
Jordan, Sihon and Og, notice, whom you utterly destroyed. We see instances of this in Jericho
in Joshua chapter 6. We see an instance of this in
Joshua chapter 8, wherein all the inhabitants of these cities
are utterly destroyed. Now, if you have never talked
to somebody who has voiced opposition to this concept, you probably
will. If ever you go, and you talk
to people, and you witness, and you testify, and you evangelize,
and you start talking about Jesus, and you happen to mention favorably
the Old Testament, if it's somebody that's familiar with the Old
Testament, they might level the complaint, I could never worship
a God who tells his people to go in and commit genocide. If
you haven't heard that, praise God, but if you're faithful in
your witness, someday you may hear that. Now, you could be
faithful in your witness and not hear that. I don't want to
make it sound like that's the only way you know you're faithful
in your witness, but this is a complaint that God-aiders level. And this is a complaint, at times,
that the professing people of God struggle with. It's almost
as if we treat this as an embarrassment. Well, one man is right to point
out that the kind of warfare attributed to Israel in Joshua
does not originate in a theology of holy war peculiar to Old Testament
theology. In other words, it's not as if
only Israel went in to utterly dispossess the land and glorify
their God. What do you think these other
peoples were doing? Do you think when these other
peoples conquered you, they let you live, they let you worship,
they let you have your being? Not typically. He says, rather,
it is a political ideology that Israel shared with other nations. All wars waged by a country were
holy wars, dedicated to the glorification of its deity and the extension
of the deity's reign. Go to Joshua chapter 9 for just
a moment. Joshua chapter 9 verses 1 and
2. And it came to pass when all
the kings were on this side of the Jordan in the hills and in
the lowland and in all the coasts of the great sea toward Lebanon,
the Hittite, the Amorite, the Canaanite, the Perizzite, the
Hivite, and the Jebusite heard about it that they gathered together
to fight with Joshua and Israel with one accord. Now when they
gathered together to fight with Israel and Joshua with one accord,
I doubt that they were going to shoot them with water guns.
They wanted to destroy them. They wanted to annihilate them. They wanted to remove them as
a threat from their land. chapter 11, verses 1 to 5, we
see the same sort of thing. And it came to pass when Jabin
king of Azor heard these things, that he sent to Jobab the king
of Madon, to the king of Shimron, to the king of Asaph, and to
the kings who were from the north. in the mountains in the plains
south of Kinneroth in the lowland and in the heights of Dor on
the west, to the Canaanites in the east and in the west, the
Amorite, the Hittite, the Perizzite, the Jebusite in the mountains
and the Hivite below Hermon in the land of Mizpah. So they went
out, they and all their armies with them, as many people as
the sand that is on the seashore in multitude with very many horses
and chariots. And when all these kings had
met together, they came and camped together at the waters of Merom
to fight against Israel. So you see, this was common. Now certainly these kings and
these armies were in defensive posture, but certainly if they
were going to invade a neighboring territory, they would do so with
this mindset of holy war. Now, it is interesting that in
this statement concerning holy war and the ban, God of Israel,
the God of Israel, shows grace and mercy even in this. Who do
we find in Joshua chapter 2? But this shady lady from Jericho
that finds mercy from the living and true God. When we get to
Jericho and its obliteration in Joshua chapter 6, all the
inhabitants are destroyed. Everything is destroyed except
Rahab and her family. And then in chapter 9, there
is a treaty made with the Gibeonites. God doesn't overrule their treaty. God rather preserves the Gibeonites
from their utter destruction. So if we can say it, in the midst
of the holy wars in Canaan, the God of Israel is nevertheless
showing mercy and showing kindness to those surrounding Israel. One man, Martin Woodstra says
this, apparently the sins of the Canaanites were such as to
demand exemplary punishment. He says, instead of using the
forces of nature, as he did with the destruction of Sodom and
Gomorrah, God used the sword of the Israelites to accomplish
his punitive purposes. So, of course, the same people
that complain about Israel and the holy wars in Joshua, the
same people that complain about God raining hell out of heaven
on Sodom and Gomorrah. But the point is this, God is
just, God is righteous, and God visits with judgment those who
violate His law. Woodstra goes on to say, the
iniquity of the Amorites now being full, God ceased to be
long-suffering with respect to them. So may I just suggest that
you don't treat this as something to be embarrassed about. You
don't treat it as something that we have to apologize for. It's
not something that we duplicate as the church. Remember, that
the nation of Israel is in a unique spot. The covenant community
in the Old Testament is a theocratic body politic. It is a nation
among nations that is called by God to inflict wrath and judgment
upon other nations. The church is not to do likewise. We are not to take the physical
sword and obliterate people. We are not to engage in holy
war and devoting people unto destruction. We are not to take
that as strictly parallel with reference to the church. But
now we ought not to be embarrassed. Ralph Davis, one final quote,
because I think these help. He says, the conquest is not
a bunch of land hungry marauders wiping out at the behest of their
vicious God, hundreds of innocent God-fearing folks. That's not what happens. In fact,
in Leviticus 18, God says when you go into the land, bring judgment
or dispossess the land. of the Canaanites because they're
engaged in these sins, gross sexual immorality, the sorts
of things that God opposes, the things that God despises. He tells them they
are to dispossess the land of the Canaanites. Davis says, in
the biblical view, the God of the Bible uses none too righteous
Israel as the instrument of his just judgment on a people who
had persistently reveled in their iniquity. So this is an act of
justice by God, taking Israel and sending them into the land
to dispossess the land of the Canaanites. Now, because God
is just, it will come back upon Israel. when they live in the
land of Canaan and they conduct themselves as Canaanites, then
God will raise up Assyria and send them in to destroy the northern
tribes. When the southern tribes continue
in persistent disobedience to the terms of the covenant, God
raises up Babylon under Nebuchadnezzar and sends them in. He calls Nebuchadnezzar
my servant. This is before Nebuchadnezzar
has his conversion, if we can call it that. God says he's my
servant. He is sent in there to chastise
and bring to justice the southern tribes that had persistently
violated the covenant of God. So it's not an arbitrary or a
capricious implementation of his justice. When a people violate
the law of the holy God, God brings judgment to bear upon
them, even if it is his own covenant community. That is what the Old
Testament teaches us. So that's a major theme, holy
war and the ban. A second major theme is the land
as inheritance. If you miss that emphasis on
the land, And you've not been listening tonight. They are to
enter the land, take the land, divide the land, and retain the
land. Who did God promise that He would
give land to? Abraham, that's right. Incidentally,
in that initial land promise given to Abraham, there's also
a statement that does reflect upon the holy war. In Genesis
chapter 12, remember at verse 1, now the Lord had said to Abraham,
This is an interesting context as well, because what we find
is in chapter 11 the tower builders try to make a name for themselves.
They build this tower and they try to rise up into heaven. God
confounds their lips, God scatters the nations, and then in chapter
12 verse 1 God takes into his own hand the redemption of the
world. Now the Lord had said to Abram,
get out of your country from your family and from your father's
house to a land that I will show you. I will make you a great
nation. I will bless you and make your
name great. You see the tower builders wanted
to make a name for themselves. God says, no, I'm the one who
makes a name. I'm going to make a name out
of Abram, and you shall be a blessing. Now notice in verse 3, I will
bless those who bless you, and I will curse him who curses you,
and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed. So
the land promise is initially given to Abraham. It's confirmed
again in chapter 13, then again in chapter 15. It's confirmed
through Isaac. It's confirmed through Jacob.
And here, after Moses has departed, it is under Joshua that God is
sending the people of Israel in to receive this land as inheritance. We have holy war. We have the
land. Thirdly, we have the covenant between God and His people. All of this, the land, the promise,
the blessing, the inheritance, all of this illustrates for us
the covenant that God made with His people. God the Lord entered
into this by His grace and for His glory and for the good of
His people. And in chapter 24, I've already
alluded to this, we'll see this, in the coming weeks, the covenant
renewal ceremony there at Shechem. We have a review of history,
we have a rehearsal of God's grace, we see that he has brought
them to this place and essentially they swear their fidelity to
the God of the covenant. This is underlying this entire
book and it brings to bear finally on God's faithfulness. Several
things evidenced in the book of Joshua to show us the faithfulness
of God. The first thing we already read
it tonight, God promises to give them the land, chapter 1 verse
2. Again, this goes all the way back to Genesis 12. God doesn't
forget. God doesn't say, well, you know,
I was having an off day when I made that promise to Abraham.
No. He made this promise to Abraham. He's going to bring it to fruition.
Secondly, God promises his presence with Joshua. Note the similarities with Joshua
and Moses and what we find in the New Covenant. Isn't it amazing
when God the Lord commissions Moses, when he comes to him at
the burning bush, he tells Moses, I will be with you. Isn't that beautiful? I will
be with you. Here in Joshua chapter 1 verse
5, No man shall be able to stand before you all the days of your
life, as I was with Moses, so I will be with you. I will not
leave you, forsake you." Remember Jesus' great commission. How
does he underscore? How does he highlight? How does
he end? He says, and lo, I am with you always, even to the
end of the age. When God the Lord dispatches
his servants, he promises his special presence when they execute
his will in carrying out the particular task. He was there
with Moses. He is there with Joshua. We can
trust that Jesus is with the church when she is engaged in
disciple making, in baptizing, and in teaching. When we obey
the Lord of the Covenant, the Lord of the Covenant is with
his people in a special and in a powerful way. Thirdly, God
shows mercy on Rahab, the harlot, and her family in chapter 2.
If you read chapters 1 to 3, chapter 2 is not essential. By saying that, I don't mean
we should get rid of it. If you stop chapter 1 and you
began chapter 3, verse 1, you would have the charge given to
Joshua, you would have Joshua and the brethren entering into
the land. Chapter 2 is a reconnaissance mission and it is important so
that they can survey the city of Jericho and see how they can
bring it down. But chapter 2 is one long statement
about the graciousness of the God of Israel. And again it harkens
back to what we found there in Genesis chapter 12. It's not
just Israel that benefits from the faithfulness of God. It is
Rahab the harlot in the city of Jericho. It is her entire
family. It's almost as if we finish chapter
1 and chapter 2 is a pause a statement concerning our gracious, kind,
and merciful God, that He's not only the God of Israel, but He
is the God who will bless all of the families of the earth
in and through Abraham's seed. It is a wonderful snapshot of
God's graciousness, of His kindness, of His mercy. Fourthly, God caused
the River Jordan to stand still and gather in a heap so that
the children of Israel could pass through. In the fifth place,
God sends the commander of the army of the Lord to comfort,
strengthen, and encourage Joshua. In Joshua chapter 5 verses 13
to 15. That blessed statement, that
blessed probably Christophany, an appearance of the pre-incarnate
Christ, the commander of the Lord's army. And then God gives
Israel victory in chapter 6 and 8. We see specifically, I think
it's in chapter 8 here, I'm sorry, chapter 10. He gives Israel victory, chapter
6, chapter 8. God causes the sun to stand still
in chapter 10. But notice the way that God fights
for His people. Verse 7 of chapter 10. So Joshua ascended from Gilgal,
he and all the people of war with him, and all the mighty
men of valor. And the Lord said to Joshua,
Do not fear them, for I have delivered them into your hand.
not a man of them shall stand before you. Joshua therefore
came upon them suddenly, having marched all night from Gilgal."
Now notice in verse 10, the subject of the verbs is the Lord. So
the Lord routed them before Israel, killed them with a great slaughter
at Gibeon, chased them along the road that goes to Beth Horon,
and struck them down as far as Azekah and Makedah. It is the
Lord who fights for Israel. That's a thrilling and an exhilarating
verse there. He routes them, he kills them,
he chases them, he strikes them down. I mean, that's a packed
statement concerning the victory of Yahweh of Israel on behalf
of His people. And then God's faithfulness,
as I've already mentioned, is highlighted in a stunning way
in chapter 21, verses 43 to 45. You can turn there, as we'll
end there, to see how it in fact summarizes the entirety of this
book of Joshua. Joshua 21, 43, So the Lord gave
to Israel all the land of which He had sworn to give to their
fathers, and they took possession of it and dwelt in it. That summarizes chapters 13 to
21, when they divide the land. The Lord gave to Israel all the
land of which He had sworn to give to their fathers, and they
took possession of it and dwelt in it. Notice verse 44, the Lord
gave them rest all around, according to all that He had sworn to their
fathers. And not a man of all their enemies
stood against them. The Lord delivered all their
enemies into their hand. That covers or summarizes chapters
1 to 12, when they enter the land. when they take the land. It is God who subdues their enemies. It is God who gives their enemies
into their hand. And then verse 45, beautiful
way to summarize the entirety of the book. Not a word failed
of any good thing which the Lord had spoken to the house of Israel
all came to pass. that encompasses the entirety
of the book, and shows and highlights the faithfulness of God, the
goodness of God, the mercy and the kindness of God to His people,
and along the way to those who are favored by Him in His grace. This Rahab, the Harlot, the Gibeonites
of chapter 9, and as we move through redemptive history we
will see how more and more all the nations, all the families
of the earth are blessed, And ultimately, that comes to fruition
because of the seed of Abraham, which is Jesus Christ, and that
includes the Gentiles, of which we are a part. So the book of
Joshua is a wonderful testimony to God, His covenant, to His
kindness in giving them the land, and in that justice or judgment
concerning holy war and the ban. Well, let us pray. Our Father,
we thank you for your word and we thank you for your work. We
thank you for your faithfulness in history and the promises that
you make, you indeed bring to fruition. We thank you for the
new covenant. We thank you that we have been
richly blessed in Jesus Christ, that we have every spiritual
blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, that we have rest
in that new covenant, Joshua. that we have an eternal rest
laid up for us, an inheritance where moth and rust cannot destroy. We thank you and we praise you
for your great grace. We thank you that your words
do not fail and that you bring to pass what you promise. We
ask now that you would go with us and watch over us in the remainder
of this week. Be with our brothers and our
sisters, God, and again we pray for Melanie that All would go
well in the birth of this little one. Also, we pray, Father, for
those who are having physical trials and difficulties. We just
ask that you would comfort them. And we pray through Christ our
Lord. Amen.
