Scripture Reading

I'll reread verses one to nine, and then our focus is on the commission given to Joshua. Remember, the Pentateuch has been concluded. They have their instructions. They're supposed to go into the land of promise.

God had promised, that's repeated here several times, the land that he is giving to them. And so now it has come time for the conquest, where God told them, specifically in Deuteronomy 7, to go into the land and dispossess the land of the Canaanites. So I'll read beginning in chapter one at verse one. 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. Amen. Well, let us again ask God's blessing upon the preaching of His Word.

Opening Prayer

Our Father, we know that we stand in dependence upon our Lord Jesus. In John 15, He says, apart from Him, we can do nothing. We have that blessed promise in John 14 that He doesn't leave us as orphans, but He comes to us. We know that the power and the presence of our of our blessed Holy Spirit is with us as we gather together in worship, bringing Christ in the midst of the congregation.

We pray that even now we would know the presence of the Lord of glory, that you would guide us now in our thoughts, forgive us of all of our sins, cleanse us in that precious blood. And we ask through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Introduction

Well, in this particular chapter, we have two sections. First, the commission given to Joshua in verses one to nine, which we'll look at this evening, and then the instructions given to Israel by Joshua for the conquest. So when we look at this commission given to Joshua, there are four things that I think the text affords or holds out to us. First, The reminder of God's promise in verses 1 to 4.

Secondly, the blessing of God's presence in verses 5, 9, and 17. Third, the charge to God's servant in verses 6 and 7. And then finally, the importance of God's word in verse 8.

God's Promise Recalled

So let's first look at the reminder of God's promise, and you see that there in verses 1 to 4. Before we look specifically at Joshua and the commission given to him, let's remind ourselves of the role of Moses, the Lord's use of Moses. He was obviously the earthly leader of the nation of Israel, Old Covenant Israel. As well, he was the author, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, of the Pentateuch.

So Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy were all given by the pen of Moses. Throughout the Pentateuch we see a foreshadowing, not foreshadowing even, but specific announcement that Joshua would be his successor, that Joshua would be the one that after the death of Moses would be tasked to take the children of Israel on the conquest into the land of Canaan. There is this promise of succession. We see this in Exodus 17.

Not a promise of succession there, but we see the prominence of Joshua being a close assistance to the man Moses. You see that as well in chapter 24 of the book of Exodus. Numbers 13 and 14. I alluded to this this morning when I was giving an illustration about the spies going into the promised land.

Remember, they go on a reconnaissance mission. They're told to vet the land, to examine the land, to see what threats are in the land, but as well to see the bounty and then to bring back word. So Moses dispatches 12 of them, two of which are Joshua and Caleb, then 10 others. So they go into the land, Joshua and Caleb survey the land, they see that it's a good land, it's filled with many blessings, it has been given by God to them, and so they're ready to go at once to conquer and to engage in the fruition of God's promise.

Of course, the ten spies, the other ten spies, they go into the land, and their first initial report is that it is a good land, but there are giants in the land. And then they revise that, and they basically say, well, it's not that good of a land after all, and those giants are formidable. So, of course, the congregation sides with the ten spies. There is a simple pattern that we observe in Fallen Man. the path of least resistance.

If there's giants, we don't want to face that. If there's difficulties, we don't want to face that. If there's ways to get around those things, and it means whining and grumbling, we'll go ahead and sign up for that. So that's precisely what takes place.

But nevertheless, Joshua was one of those men, one of those spies on that recon mission. And then I want you to turn specifically to Numbers 27, where there is an announcement proper concerning the succession of Joshua once Moses dies. Notice specifically in Numbers 27, beginning in verse 12. Now the Lord said to Moses, go up into this Mount Aberim and see the land which I have given to the children of Israel.

And when you have seen it, you also shall be gathered to your people as Aaron your brother was gathered. For in the wilderness of Zin, during the strife of the congregation, you rebelled against my command to hallow me at the waters before their eyes. These are the waters of Meribah at Kadesh in the wilderness of Zin. Then 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.

We'll continue on in just a moment, but that's a significant statement there, specifically at the end of verse 17, that the congregation of the Lord may not be like sheep which have no shepherd. It's the exact language employed by Matthew in Matthew chapter 9, specifically at verse 36, when our Lord Jesus looked at the multitudes and he had compassion on them because they were like sheep having no shepherd. So under that godless, reprobate leadership provided by the Jews, they were in a state of destitution. And so Jesus looks upon them with that compassion because they were like sheep having no shepherd.

Joshua would function in a similar manner. Notice in verse 18, and 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. You shall stand before Eliezer, the priest, who shall inquire before the Lord for him by the judgment of the Uriam.

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. as well throughout the book of Deuteronomy.

Deuteronomy 1.38, 3.21, 3.28, and then an extended narrative of succession in chapter 31, verses one to eight. So

God's Appointment of Joshua

Joshua was not self-appointed. Joshua was not a usurper. Joshua wasn't vying for position, but rather Joshua was the man of God's own choosing to succeed Moses upon his death so that the children of Israel would not be like sheep having no shepherd, that they'd have a shepherd that would take them into the promised land and that would engage in the execution of the covenant upon the people in Canaan. So back to our particular text, before we move on to consider Joshua properly, consider the pattern of God.

The pattern of God is that oftentimes he uses means. Well, I would say most of the time he uses means. Miracles are simply a theological explanation for those times where he suspends means. But the regular, ordinary providence of God is by the use of means.

And we have to acknowledge that God often uses men to affect his purposes in this present evil age. I've often cited Ephesians 4. Jesus was led on high, he ascended on high, he led captivity captive and he gave gifts to men. And the gifts that he gives to men in that context are men. to preach, to teach, and to evangelize such that they can extend the kingdom of God and its visible representation, namely the church, in this present evil age.

So God uses human means to accomplish his purposes. There's a great analogy of this in the book of 1 Kings. On the heels of six terrible kings, you had Basha, Elah, Zimri, Tibni, Omri, and Ahab. And on the heels of that, we read that Elijah comes on the scene.

In 17-1 it says, And Elijah the Tishbite of the inhabitants of Gilead said to Ahab, As the Lord God of Israel lives, before whom I stand, there shall not be dew nor rain these years except at my word. It's almost like he parachutes right into the text, right into the narrative. There's no build up. There's no Elijah and Mrs.

Elijah had a little parcel of land and they farmed it and they were in love with one another and Elijah had a side gig as a prophet. None of that. The important thing is, is that when these evil kings rose up, God had his man. Wallace says, whenever evil flourishes, it is always a superficial flourish.

For at the height of the triumph of evil, God will be there, ready with his man and his movement and his plans to ensure that his own cause will never fail. and as well when we consider the fact that God often uses human means, in this case, Moses. We need to understand that the death of Moses does not mean the death of God. The death of Moses does not mean the death of the plan of God. The death of any preacher doesn't mean the stopping up of the advancement of the kingdom of our Lord Jesus Christ.

God uses men instrumentally. Men come, men go, but God is forever. And Calvin makes the observation, this suggests a very useful reflection, the idea that Moses died, and some might look at that and say, wait a minute, what's going to happen to the Kingdom of Israel? This suggests a very useful reflection, that while men are cut off by death and fail in the middle of their career, the faithfulness of God never fails.

On the death of Moses, a sad change seemed impending. The people were left like a body with its head locked off. While thus in danger of dispersion, not only did the truth of God prove itself to be immortal, but it was shown in the person of Joshua as in a bright mirror. that when God takes away those whom he has adorned with special gifts, he has others in readiness to supply their place. And that though he is pleased for a time to give excellent gifts to some, his mighty power is not tied down to them, but he is able, as often as seemeth to him good, to find fit successors, nay, to raise up from the very stones persons qualified to perform illustrious deeds.

So on the one hand, God uses human means. On the other hand, those human means are not the end-all, be-all. They are instruments in the hand of our faithful God, and our hope and our confidence is ultimately in that God.

The Land Promise Defined

Now, specifically, this is God's reminder of His promise in verses 1 to 4. Look specifically at the address given to Joshua in verses 3 and 4. It says, 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 of the great sea toward the going down of the sun shall be your territory.

Brethren, the book of Joshua is very easy to outline. I think outlining is helpful to get an understanding comprehensively of a book. You take a big body of text and you outline it, and then you're able to see it and hopefully appropriate it or appreciate it in a way that you hadn't previously. The book of Joshua is quite simple.

There is a command to enter the land in chapters 1 to 4. There is then a command to conquer the land in chapters 5 to 12. There is then a command to possess the land in chapters 13 to 21, and then the book ends with a command to retain the land in verses 22 to 24. So I think that's the essence of the charge given by God to Joshua in this particular place.

Enter, conquer, possess, retain. Enter, conquer, possess, retain. And again, the underlying refrain is, as I am giving you. They're not going in their own strength.

They're not going because they're genocidal freaks. They're going because God Most High had promised to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob that he was going to give them this land. As I mentioned this morning, when they go into the land and Joshua presents a very favorable impression of that, Judges not so much. Judges shows us the dark underbelly of the conquest.

So that when the children of Israel become like the Canaanites themselves, God doesn't say, well, that's okay because you're my special chosen people. No, God raises up the Assyrian power to decimate the northern tribes of Israel. He raises up the Babylonians to decimate the southern tribes of Israel. Why?

Because God's justice, God's law, God's righteousness is unbending. It is not capricious. It is not arbitrary. God exacts justice on those who violate his law.

And so there is no arbitrariness with our God. And then as I mentioned, the emphasis on the grace of God, the repeated emphasis on the giving of the land, recalls the promise made to Abraham, Genesis 12, Genesis 13, Genesis 15, Genesis 17, that ball is moved down the field to Isaac and to Jacob, such that they all know the particular purpose of God is that after having come out of the land of Egypt, They are now to go into the land that the Lord had given to them. This was grace. This was mercy.

As Dale Ralph Davis says, hence the theological roots of Joshua are sunk deeply into the soil of Genesis 12 and following. And that ancient promise is about to receive its contemporary fulfillment. So that's the reminder of God's promise.

The Blessing of God's Presence

Let's look secondly at the blessing of God's presence. And as I said, 5, 9, and then extending out from this context, verse 17. But remember the Lord's presence was with Moses. Look at chapter 1, verse 5, specifically at 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. God had a proven track record. God wasn't the new kid on the block.

God wasn't the new deity vying for preeminence in the nation-state of Israel. No, God was the living and the true God. God had shown his pedigree. God had shown his consistency.

God had shown his faithfulness by being present with Moses. Remember when God commissions Moses, specifically in Exodus 3 at verse 12. And I will certainly be with you. In fact, turn to Exodus chapter 4. in that commissioning section where Moses is called to function as the deliverer of God's people, God's firstborn.

Notice in Exodus chapter four, specifically at verse 10, then Moses said to the Lord, oh my Lord, I am not eloquent, neither before nor since you have spoken to your servant, but I am slow of speech and slow of tongue. Remember the scene, God calls Moses and Moses says, here am I, send Aaron. Here am I, send somebody else. Here am I, I don't want to do this.

Here am I, I'm not qualified for this. Here am I, I don't have the native gifts. Here am I, I don't have the requisite mind or intellect. Here am I, I don't have the military savvy.

Moses was trying to evade the call of God. I'm not blaming him. I'm not suggesting he's a horrible man. I think that it indicates that he was a true man, a real man, a man mindful of the fact that he had his shortcomings, that he wasn't the brightest bulb in the chandelier, that he didn't have the military savvy and the strength necessary to go out and engage in the conquest.

Notice in verse 11, so the Lord said to him, who has made man's mouth or who makes the mute, the deaf, and the seeing, or the blind, have not I the Lord? Now therefore go, and I will be with your mouth, and teach you what you shall say. But he said, Oh my Lord, please send by the hand of whomever else you may send. So the anger of the Lord was kindled against Moses, and he said, Is not Aaron the Levite your brother?

I know that he can speak well, and look, he is coming out to meet you. When he sees you, he will be glad in his heart. Now you shall speak to him and put the words in his mouth, and I will be with your mouth and with his mouth, and I will teach you what you shall do. So he shall be your spokesman to the people, and he himself shall be as a mouth for you, and you shall be to him as God, and you shall take this rod in your hand with which you shall do the signs." So God has a proven track record of being present in the trenches with his people when they go to battle.

And this holds true with reference to Joshua. Notice specifically in verse five, 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. Notice in verse nine. 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.

And then notice again in verse 17, 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. Turn to chapter two, specifically at verse 24. We're gonna look at all these passages.

I think that's a problem with us, brethren, or at least me. I'm not gonna blame you, third grade lecturing teacher again. I'm not gonna do that, but it's tough at times in the midst of chaos, in the midst of hardship, in the midst of affliction. Remember that blessed promise that, lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.

You look around at the church, it doesn't always seem to be as vibrant or as vital or as important or as wonderful as it ought to be, and it gets a bit discouraging. But we have the promise from Christ that when we're about the Great Commission, He is with us even to the end of the age. Well, getting a good dose of this in the book of Joshua, I think, or hope, will be helpful for us. Notice in 224, and they said to Joshua, And then notice specifically in 3, 7 rather, 3, 7.

And the Lord said to Joshua, this day I will begin to exalt you in the sight of all Israel, that they may know that as I was with Moses, so I will be with you. Drop down to verse 10. And Joshua said, by this you shall know that the living God is among you and that he will without fail drive out from before you the Canaanites and the Hittites and the Hivites and the Perizzites and the Girgashites and the Amorites and the Girgashites. Notice in 4.14, 4.14, on that day, the Lord exalted Joshua in the sight of all Israel and they feared him as they had feared Moses all the days of his life.

Notice in 6.27, so the Lord was with Joshua and his fame spread throughout all the country. Notice in Joshua 10, specifically at verse 14. And there has been no day like that, before it or after it, that the Lord heeded the voice of a man, for the Lord fought for Israel. Notice in chapter 10, specifically at verse 42.

All these kings and their land, Joshua took at one time because the Lord God of Israel fought for Israel. Notice it's not because of his military savvy. It's not because of his keen intellect. It's not because he went to war college.

It is rather because God was with him. God was with the children of Israel. Notice in 13.6. 13.6. all the inhabitants of the mountains from Lebanon, as far as the brook Mishrafoth, and all the Sidonians, them I will drive out from before the children of Israel, only divide it by lot to Israel as an inheritance, as I have commanded you." Notice in 1412. 1412, now therefore give me this mountain of which the Lord spoke in that day for you heard in that day how the Anakim were there and that the cities were great and fortified. It may be that the Lord will be with me and I shall be able to drive them out as the Lord said.

Do you understand that? That's Caleb, the son of Jephunneh. Do you hear what he's saying? Remember when that recon mission obtained?

What was the problem? the giants that were in the land, the sons of Anak. We don't wanna go against them. What piece of property does Joshua want? He wants the sons of Anak's property.

It was a man who understood. It was a man who walked in faith. It was a man who knew that the God who promised is the God who is faithful. Notice in 21, 44, again, the underlying emphasis, or overarching emphasis, rather, is that God is with his people.

Verse 44, chapter 21, 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. And then notice in 23, three and 10. 23, three, you have seen all that the Lord your God has done to all these nations because of you, for the Lord your God is he who has fought for you. And then in verse 10, one man of you shall chase a thousand, for the Lord your God is he who fights for you as he promised you.

Presence Applied to the Church

So what do we learn in this particular section? that the God of glory who promises his presence and pledges his presence to Moses and to Joshua is the God of glory who promises his presence to the church in this new covenant era. We're not engaged in a conquest wherein we're going into neighboring nation states and gunning them down for Jesus. There is some degree of parallel in the Great Commission. Go, therefore, make disciples of all the nations, baptize them in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, and teach them to observe all things that I have commanded you.

And lo, I am with you always, even at the end of the age. Brethren, Christ is always with His church. His church is doing what she's supposed to be doing. See, I think that's the disconnect.

Where's Jesus? Well, when you're having, you know, rah-rah sessions, or when you're having entertainment that is the focal point of your worship, or when you've turned evangelism into God loves you and has a wonderful plan for your life, or here's a hot dog in Jesus' name, when you've done that, Yeah, then arguably Jesus isn't present with us because that's not the contours of the commission. Go, make disciples, baptize those disciples, and teach those disciples. The marching orders for the Church of Christ are very simple, just like they were for General Joshua.

Go into the land, kill people, break things, take things, and then reside there. I know that sounds crass, brethren. I'd love to put a finer polish on it or spin it a bit, but that's what the conquest was. So again, we're not engaged in a physical conquest with military might and wartime savvy, but there is a wartime savvy in the spiritual realm.

And the ace in the hole of the church is Jesus Christ, that He's on His throne, that He's promised His presence, that He has said, I will be with you even to the end of the age. I don't know why we fumble. I don't know why we stumble. Moreover, Paul says in 1 Corinthians 4-2, it is required of stewards that they be found, what, sensational Famous?

Gregarious? On the front page of every local paper? On the front page of Facebook? On the front page of Twitter?

No! It's required of students that they be found what? Faithful. We do what God calls us to do.

We have the special promise of God that he will be with us. General Joshua never had to doubt. General Joshua sought his own history, just as God was with Moses. Now, when God was with Moses, that didn't mean there was no trials, there was no afflictions, there was no hardships, there were no difficulties.

Remember, Christ gets into the boat with the disciples and the storm still comes. Christ in the boat doesn't mean the absence of storms. Christ in the boat means the presence of Christ in the midst of the storms. It's a blessed reality.

It's a wonderful thing. So that when Moses or Joshua were down, as no doubt they were, Moses at times said, I can't do this anymore. The bottom line is that the way to gird oneself up is not in your own strength or resources, but in the divine resources that we have in Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. The result of God's presence with Joshua, specifically there in verse 5, the inability of man to stand against Joshua.

Probably a good bit of information to have when you're going to go against the Canaanites in war. To know that God has promised that there would be an inability on the part of those men to stand against him, that's got to put a bit of a skip in your step when it comes to battle. The inability of the Lord to ever leave or forsake Joshua, according to 5b. I will not leave you nor forsake you.

Again, brethren, a great boon when you're going into combat and you need divine aid. God's promised that your enemies are not going to win. God's promised that he's going to make sure that he never leaves you nor forsakes you. The presence of the Lord would be wherever Joshua went.

Specifically, verse 9, if 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. And lo, I am with you always, even at the end of the age." If you're in Asia, if you're in Africa, if you're in America, wherever you might be, God the Lord is with his people. Christ, the divine word, enthroned at the right hand of the majesty on high, has promised a special presence to the people of God when they engage in the commission.

The Charge to God's Servant

Now notice, thirdly, the charge to God's servant in verses six and seven. 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.

What's God's emphasis with it? Be courageous. Be a man, have some backbone. The Nancy boys can go drink tea with the Kirgishites.

You're about to go in to the land of Canaan and engage in dispossessing. That's gonna require courage and strength. Now, I had mentioned that the book of Judges gives us a bit of an alternate picture concerning the conquest.

Courage and Cowardice in Judges

Turn to Judges 15. Judges 15, the Samson narrative. Drop down to about verse nine. Now the Philistines went up and camped in Judah and deployed themselves against Lehi.

And the men of Judah said, why have you come up against us? So they answered, we've come up to arrest Samson to do to him as he has done to us. Now, before we proceed, I should remind you that the first tribe mentioned in the book of Judges in terms of conquest was Judah. And Judah did quite well.

Oh, how things have changed by the time Samson is on the scene. So you've got the Philistines who want Samson. Samson was a bee in the bonnet. He was a burr in the saddle.

He was a pain in the neck. They did not want Samson around. And from their vantage point, could you blame them? That lovable, wonderful, spirit-filled God-servant was awesome.

So look how Judah responds. Instead of rebuking the Philistines, instead of taking arms up against the Philistines, this is an act of war. This is an act of transgression. When the Philistines want your leader, If ever there's a time to take up arms, that's the time.

Then 3,000 men of Judah went down to the cleft of the Rock of Edom. They send an army against Samson, not against the Philistines. They arm up against their leader, not against their enemy. Just by way of a brief observation, they knew the threat that Samson posed.

If it were us, we'd send five of our biggest guys. Probably not 3,000. Seems a bit overkill-ish, doesn't it? Not with Samson.

Then 3,000 men of Judah went down to the cleft of the Rock of Edom and said to Samson, do you not know that the Philistines rule over us? What is this you have done to us? Remember this morning I made that offhand remark that I don't know that everybody wants freedom? The Judahites didn't.

The Judahites didn't at all. They were perfectly content with their captors. They were perfectly content with their slavery. In fact, the narrative cycles in the book of Judges follow a pattern.

The people of God sin against God. God raises up a foreign oppressor to bring judgment or chastisement upon them. They cry out in distress, and then God raises up a savior. God raises up a judge.

In this narrative cycle, beginning in chapter 13, Judah does not cry out for relief. Judah does not cry out in their distress. Judah has made peace with the status quo. In fact, notice the personal pronoun that they use.

Do you not know that the Philistines rule over us? What is this you have done to us? If ever you want to see an occasion of the professed people of God showing absolute contempt for God, for his man, and any regard whatsoever to courage or bravery, it's here in Judges 15. This is abject cowardice at the highest level.

As he said to them, as they did to me, so I have done to them. You know, the picture that we have of a bumbling ogre, an oaf that's governed by his lusts, is not what Samson was. Samson invokes the lex talionis, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, what they've done for me, I'll do to them. But they said to him, we have come down to arrest you, that we may deliver you into the hand of the Philistines.

And Samson said to them, swear to me that you will not kill me yourselves. He's such a trusting fellow, too. He's such a great guy. Everything about Samson's wonderful, brethren.

I love the guy. I got a grandson named Samson. It makes me happy. And Samson said to them, swear to me that you will not kill me yourselves.

So they spoke to him saying, no, but we will tie you securely and deliver you into their hand, but we will surely not kill you. And they bound him with two new ropes and brought him up from the rock. we're not gonna kill you, Samson. Come on. We're just gonna tie you up and hand you over to the Philistines and they're gonna kill you.

Brethren, this is cowardice. This is reprehensible. This is foul and offensive. This is godless and reprobate.

There ought to be none of this in the Church of the Lord Jesus Christ. Through God, we shall do valiantly, for he it is that will tread down our enemies. Either we believe that statement, Psalm 60, 12, or we don't. Either we understand God's presence with his people, God's power for his people, or we don't.

The church today better start living in light of, and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age. We have to finish. Keep going. Verse 14.

When he came to Lehi, the Philistines came shouting against him. Then the Spirit of the Lord came mightily upon him, and the ropes that were on his arms became like flax that is burned with fire, and his bonds broke loose from his hands. He found a fresh jawbone of a donkey. The narrator gives us that detail.

It's fresh. If it wasn't fresh, it would be brittle and it would break on the first face of the first Philistine. He picks up this fresh jawbone of a donkey, reached out his hand and took it and killed a thousand men with it. Then Samson said, brethren, if I had done this, the last thing I would be doing is composing poetry or limericks or, you know, witty sayings.

With the jawbone of a donkey, heaps upon heaps, with the jawbone of a donkey, I have slain a thousand men. Moffat renders it this way, with the jawbone of an ass, I have piled them in a mass. And so it was when he had finished speaking that he threw the jawbone from his hand and called that place Ramath-Lehi.

The Charge Restated

So back to Joshua chapter one, the charge is simple. Verse six, 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. This is the requirement on our part.

And notice, as the text proceeds from verses 10 and following, and throughout the entirety of the book, it's not that God's just wiping out, you know, random Cainites here and there. They have to fight. They have to sally into battle. They have to arm up.

They have to be ready to engage the enemy. They have to be ready to exchange. They have to use the means. God's presence and his power in our lives does not reduce the necessity of the use of means, but rather it's the foundation for the use of means.

As well, the connection ought to be apparent. The presence of God with Joshua is the basis upon which Joshua can in fact be strong and of good courage. The presence of God enables Joshua to comply with the charge. No God, no strength or courage.

But with God, strength and courage, and then mighty exploits in his name. And then note the necessity of all this there at the end of verse seven. So verse seven, 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.

So what is God saying? I want you to succeed. I've covenanted my presence for you to succeed. I'm in this for you to succeed.

Again, think in Matthew 28 terminology. Do you think the Lord Jesus Christ lived for sinners, died for sinners, was raised for sinners, received all authority in heaven and on earth, and then tells his church to go and make disciples of all the nations? so that only a handful of sinners could be saved? Are the hyper-Calvinists right? There's only five of us that are going to be in heaven?

They're absolutely wrong. He shed his blood for the remission of sins for many. Christ is invested in the Great Commission. We've seen it in the upper room, John 14, specifically in verse 12.

I want you to do greater works, not in competition to Jesus, but as an extension of Jesus' power when he's enthroned at the right hand of the majesty on high through the disciples, through the apostolic ministry, through the foundational church, through the church, through subsequent ages. What do we see when we see a sinner conquered? We see the glory, the majesty, and the efficacy of the precious blood of the lamb. Christ is in the commission.

Christ is about the commission. Christ wants the commission. I used the language of men there. Christ has determined, rather, the commission to be successful.

Again, not without difficulty, not without challenges, not without ebbs and flows, not without godless states, not without godless churches, not without internal strife. It's not the suspension of all those trials and hardships and difficulties, rather it's Christ in the midst of the lampstand as they navigate those things for His glory.

The Importance of God's Word

And then that brings us finally to the importance of God's Word. How is Joshua going to be the most successful sort of military campaign leader ever? Because he went to war college, because he's got the savvy, because he's got the intellect. No, because he has the word of the living God.

Notice the centrality of the word, specifically in verse eight. 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. Turn back for just a moment to the book of Deuteronomy. Deuteronomy chapter 17.

Deuteronomy chapter 17. We have principles governing the monarchy. Principles governing the monarchy. I'm not suggesting that Joshua was a monarch or a king in Israel, but there's certainly some connection.

The judges weren't monarchs, they weren't kings, but they weren't circuit court judges either. And it wasn't Judge Wapner in the People's Court hearing, you know, civil disputes. Judges at the time of the judges were saviors. Judges at the time of judges functioned in a kingly capacity.

Judges in the time of the judges protected Israel from foreign invasion, protected Israel from being decimated by all the ites that surrounded them. So the judges functioned in a kingly capacity. We had principles governing kings, specifically in Deuteronomy 17. Notice in verse 14, when you come to the land which the Lord your God is giving you, possess it and dwell in it and say, remember, Joshua is not a king. some connection, some overlaps, and certainly, you know, some things that I think will sink in as we read the passage.

I will set a king over me like all the nations that are around me. You shall surely set a king over you whom the Lord your God chooses, one from among your brethren you shall set as king over you. That makes sense. You're not going to have an Ehivite occupy the throne in Israel.

That wouldn't happen. That's not That's not legit. I mean, even civil governments today recognize this, though increasingly less. But nevertheless, notice verse 16, he shall not multiply horses for himself.

That doesn't mean God's against you having an equestrian habit or a love. It's multiplying horses for combat, multiplying horses for war. Now, Israel was to have a standing army, but I think the prohibition here, specifically against war and wealth and women, speaks specifically to the reality that those things can draw your heart away from the living God. If you've got more horses than your neighbor, you don't really need God after all.

If you've got more money than those competitors, you really don't need God after all. If you've got women, and in this instance, the ancient Near Eastern world, the multiplication of wives very often was for political alliance. It wasn't simply to increase a harem, it was for political alliance. So the multiplication of wives certainly greased the wheels of political power.

So if you had wealth, you had warfare ability, or you had a lot of women, you might just be tempted to forget your God. So I think that's the way we should understand this. Not that they weren't supposed to have a standing army, not that they weren't supposed to be ready to withhold the nation state, not that they weren't supposed to be ready to decimate any foreign invasion or be able to win when they went up against a competitor. I don't think that's what's in view.

He shall not multiply horses for himself, nor cause the people to return to Egypt to multiply horses. For the Lord has said to you, you shall not return that way again. Neither shall he multiply wives for himself, lest his heart turn away, nor shall he greatly multiply silver and gold for himself. Also, it shall be when he sits on the throne of his kingdom That he shall write for himself a copy of this law in a book from the one before the priests the levites And it shall be with him and he shall read it all the days of his life That he may learn to fear the lord as god and be careful to observe all the words of this law and these statutes That his heart may not be lifted above his brethren that he may not turn aside from the commandment to the right hand or to the left And that he may prolong his days in his kingdom he and his children in the midst of israel So, it's not out of the ordinary that even though Joshua is not a king, in some sense he's functioning in a kingly capacity.

He's over the people, he's tasked with the defending of the people, he's tasked with invading the iths and dispossessing the land of Canaan with them. So we see the centrality of the word. Notice as well, though, in chapter one, specifically verse eight, this book of the law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall, what? Meditate in it day and night.

Give yourself to it. Be constant in it. I've often said that with us, well, I don't have time to read my Bible. I don't have time to pray.

Excuse me, are you invading the nation of Canaan? Are you decimating the various ites that occupy the land? I have to think there were probably more hands on Joshua's time than ours. Just taking a stab at it.

Mrs. Joshua didn't have a dishwasher, didn't have a washing machine, didn't have cars, didn't have planes, didn't have air conditioning, didn't have heat. Brethren, think about this passage the next time you're going to say, well, I'm just too busy to read my Bible. That's the third grade teacher lecture face, voice, action.

Give yourself constantly. Constant, careful absorbing of the Word of God leads to obedience to it. Lack of study results in lack of obedience. That's Dale Ralph Davis.

Let me just read that again. Constant, careful absorbing of the Word of God leads to obedience to it. Lack of study results in lack of obedience. Something to think about.

How busy are you? Are you out hacking down Canaanite nations? No. I know some of you.

I know all of you. I do. You work hard, really hard. Some harder than others.

But ain't nobody in here got the job of Joshua. And as far as God is concerned, you are to give yourself constantly to my book. What's Paul's admonition to Timothy? You have known the sacred scriptures from your youth.

Those scriptures which are able to make you wise unto salvation through faith that is in Christ Jesus. You're to take that word, Timothy, and you're to contemplate it. You're to be constant with it. You're to be in earnest, Timothy, because the gospel and the salvation of sinners and the sanctification of the saints depends not wholly, God is sovereign over these things, but instrumentally on the faithful minister or ministry of the word in the church.

And Timothy, if you're not doing that, go get another job. It's not a bad thing. You can be a plumber. It's a good job, right?

Had a plumber from the Hall family come and fix something recently. It's a good job. Oh, there he is. It's a good thing.

Be an electrician. It's a good thing, too. Be a truck driver. Whatever!

You don't have to be a minister, but if you're going to be a minister, moreover, it is required of them that they be found faithful. That's what Paul's overarching concern is for the next generation in terms of pastoral ministry. So the internalization of the word leads to the obedience of that word. This book of the law, verse eight, 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.

And then note the blessing associated with that, for then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success. Have I not commanded you? Be strong and have good courage. Do not be afraid nor be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you may go.

Joshua, and again, Dale Ralph Davis says, Joshua 1 and Psalm 1 alike tell us that a life of pleasing God does not arise from mystical experiences or warm feelings or from a new gimmick advocated in a current release from one of our evangelical publishers. No, it comes from the word of God or the word God has already spoken and from obedience to that word. I wanna be spiritual, I wanna be holy. Do you read your Bible?

No. then I don't know what to tell you, man. I want to be healthy. Well, do you get out and walk around once in a while? Do you pick up heavy things?

Do you eat a lot of protein? No, I don't know what to tell you. See, brethren, it's not rocket science. We have a gift to overcomplicate everything under the sun.

It's really not that hard. You're a minister, be faithful. If you're the people of God, be faithful. Always in the context of being strong, being of good courage, knowing that it's the Lord who is with you, the Lord who has pledged and covenanted and promised to be there with you in the midst of whatever the hardship and the trial and the difficulty may be.

Application

In conclusion, the gravity of the task facing Joshua was mitigated by the glory and the presence of God in the life of Joshua. So whenever God calls us to something extremely difficult, we can trust that God is there with us. If God calls us to things that aren't extremely difficult, we can trust that God is with us. That's the recurring refrain throughout scripture.

Secondly, again, the Great Commission is not a physical conquest of nation-states in the name of Jesus to slay our enemies with military might. But there's obviously at least a spiritual parallel between the Great Commission and the conquest instruction given here by God to Joshua in Joshua chapter 1. We can read in the books of Deuteronomy and Joshua. We can read in the book of Judges.

The negative side of the conquest, it nevertheless is balanced out by God's presence with them in giving them saviors. giving them Othniel, giving them Ehud, giving them Samson, giving them Jephthah, giving them Barak, giving them the various judges that functioned as saviors to deliver God's people from foreign oppression. So in a book that's bleak and dark, God is there. In a book that seems otherwise untenable to the mind of man that reads the rest of the Bible, especially in light of the fact that God's promises are sure, they're yea and amen, nevertheless, God is there. When he raises up a Jephthah, he does it for the good of his people.

And then the final thing, by way of concluding application, is turn to Judges, I'm sorry, Joshua 21. Joshua 21, verses 43 to 45 summarize the entirety of the book. The summary of chapters 13 to 21 is in verse 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.

The summary of chapters 1 to 12 is in verse 44. The Lord gave them rest all around according to all they had sworn to their enemies. And not a man of all their enemies stood against them. The Lord delivered all their enemies into their hand.

And the summary of the entire book is in verse 45. Not a word failed of any good thing which the Lord had spoken to the house of Israel all came to pass. The God who commands is the God who is present. The God who is present shall tread down our enemies.

The God who is present has called the church to faithfulness, to go, to make disciples, to baptize those disciples, to teach those disciples under the overarching context of the promise of Christ, and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age. Well, let us pray.

Closing Prayer

Our Father in heaven, we thank you for your word, we thank you for this book of Joshua, and we thank you for what it tells us concerning our gracious and our glorious God. And we know you are unchanging, you are immutable and impassable, and certainly we see this in the Old Testament, the unchangeable character of God, the nature of God with his people, We know that's the same way in the New Covenant. We know that Christ isn't going to abandon us. He's not going to leave us or forsake us when He calls us to evangelize, when He calls us to gospel missions, when He calls us to faithfulness and faithless society.

Give us grace, give us courage, give us boldness, and give us a firm commitment to the truth of Holy Scripture. May we give ourselves constantly to the study of it so that we may obey it. We ask that you would go with us now, provide the spirit so that we can engage in these things, and we pray through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

We close with a brief time of meditation.

Scripture References

• Genesis 12; 13; 15; 17
• Exodus 3:12; 4:10-11; 17; 24
• Numbers 13-14; 27:12-23
• Deuteronomy 1:38; 3:21; 3:28; 7; 17:14-20; 31:1-8
• Joshua 1:1-9; 1:5; 1:9; 1:17; 2:24; 3:7; 3:10; 4:14; 6:27; 10:14; 10:42; 13:6; 14:12; 21:43-45; 23:3; 23:10
• Judges 15:9-17
• 1 Kings 17:1
• Psalm 60:12
• Matthew 9:36; 28:19-20
• John 14:12; 14:18; 15:5
• 1 Corinthians 4:2
• Ephesians 4:7-11