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Joshua: A Role Model

Published October 7, 2015 Uncategorized Leave a Comment
Tags: Joshua, Moses, obedience to god, Role models, Will of God

Whether we like to admit it or not, we all have our “role models.” When we were children, our very first role models were probably our parents. As we grew, and our circle of acquaintances expanded, people like teachers, a neighbor we admired, the cop on the beat, or even the garbage man became role models. Even our peers – our best friends or the “cool kids” at school took on the the role of role model. As adults, we still have role models, although we wouldn’t dare call them that. People we admire; who have achieved some notoriety; who have become successful; these are all people who have the potential of becoming role models. A role model is somebody, for whatever reason, we think is special and posseses the qualities we wish we had or that we are trying to cultivate in our own lives. There isn’t necessarily anything wrong with that, by the way, but we need to make sure the person we are trying to emulate is worthy of emulation. After all, a guy like Adolph Hitler had astounding political success, but he’s probably not the best role model for anybody!

In Christian circles, there are all kinds of excellent role models. We can think of people the apostle Paul, or just about any of the apostles for that matter. In church history there are people like Luther and Calvin, Arminius and Augustine, or any of the great martyrs – role models all. But there is a character in the Old Testament who is a role model of the highest character: Joshua, successor to Moses, whose life and character give us a striking illustration of how a mere mortal may receive and enjoy the promised blessings of God. It was Joshua, not Moses, who led the Israelites into the Canaan, which itself represents the very best promise of God. In fact, of Canaan we read this in the New Testament:

“That is why I was angry with that generation; I said, ‘Their hearts are always going astray, and they have not known my ways.’ So I declared on oath in my anger, ‘They shall never enter my rest.’ ” (Hebrews 3:10, 11 NIV)

Canaan is representative of God’s rest; not a rest of ease and relaxation, but a rest of hardship, warfare and victory, at least as far as the Israelites were concerned. Entering God’s rest for the rest of us is simply this: Entering fully and purposefully into the plans and purposes of God, quietly and deliberately resting in Him alone to accomplish His plans and purposes for you. Not all believers seem able to do that. Joshua was able to, and so should we. If you’re a believer who has problems “entering God’s rest”; if you find it difficult discerning, accepting, and entering into God’s plans, then hopefully this look at Joshua will help. He is a most compelling role model.

Have faith in the promises of God!

“Now that my disciple is dead, you are the new leader of Israel. Lead my people across the Jordan River into the Promised Land. I say to you what I said to Moses: ‘Wherever you go will be part of the land of Israel…” (Joshua 1:2, 3 TLB)

For some four decades, Moses had led the people of Israel round and round and round the desert until almost all of that sinful, rebellious generation had died. None of them would be allowed to enter the Promised Land. All during that time, God spoke to Moses and through Moses. Joshua, a little younger than he, was witness to the remarkable relationship God had with Moses. Then the day came when this leader of the Hebrews died and it was time for Joshua to take over. He knew the day would come; it was not a surprise when the Lord commissioned him to assume the mantle of leadership. And yet, what a daunting task it must have seemed. As was the custom, there was a national period of mourning that lasted 30 days, and when that time was up, it was time to move on. You may be sure Joshua felt the loss of Moses down to the very core of his being. They were more than friends. The two had traveled far together – from Egypt to the cusp of the Promised Land. Through all the ups and downs of those 40 years of traveling in the desert. By now, Joshua wasn’t a young man. But the work of God never stops – it must never be allowed to stop. God’s servants come and go, but the work remains; it is the one constant; it always presses on regardless of circumstances and feelings.

God appointed Joshua to be Moses’ successor, but Joshua was not to forget his predecessor. In fact, God reminded him of three big things concerning Moses. First, it was to Moses and Moses alone that God gave the promise of Canaan. Second, God was always with Moses as he led the people of Israel. In other words, Moses didn’t do the job using his own strength and knowledge. And third, the law given to the people by God through Moses was to continue in the Promised Land.

Joshua was a man of faith. In some ways, he had more faith than Moses did. Yet Joshua needed a role model: Moses. Moses was given by God to be a sort of inspiration to Joshua. And as Moses had faith in the promises of God, so must Joshua. Yes, God had given His people Canaan by His Word, but they had to actually enter in, fight for it, and plant the foot of faith upon that Word of the Lord.

Christians have the Word of God, too, operating in their lives. And we must be like Joshua: Ready to seize it, and put it to work. We must be like Peter: Ready to take that step of faith as God leads us to. Like all the heroes of faith listed in Hebrews 11, our faith will be tested; it’s to precious not to be. Joshua is the perfect role model in this regard.

Be dedicated to God’s will!

But keep away from the devoted things, so that you will not bring about your own destruction by taking any of them. Otherwise you will make the camp of Israel liable to destruction and bring trouble on it. All the silver and gold and the articles of bronze and iron are sacred to the Lord and must go into his treasury. (Joshua 6:18, 19 NIV)

We all know the story of how the Hebrews took the city of Jericho upon entering Canaan. Day after day, the people of Jericho were warned. They were called upon to consider the living God of the Israelites. They witnessed His people. But God’s patience does have an end. On the seventh day, mercy and grace came to an end and judgment took their place. The wages of sin fell upon Jericho and its godless inhabitants.

To this, we cheer! We want to see sin come to an end and sinners get their just deserts. And yet, at what cost? Joshua and his people were the instruments of judgment. When the walls came down by a divine act, it was time for God’s people to do some of the work; it was time for them to “get their hands dirty.”

Then they burned the whole city and everything in it, but they put the silver and gold and the articles of bronze and iron into the treasury of the Lord’s house. (Joshua 6:24 NIV)

Could you do that? If it was God’s will for you to “burn the whole city and everything in it,” including children, the elderly, dogs and cats, could you? Such obedience demands total dedication and consecration to His will. For the tenderhearted reading this, it would do well to recall the words of the psalmist:

The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it… (Psalm 24:1 NIV)

By faith, we know this. And by the same faith we know that God can’t and doesn’t ignore evil especially where that evil may touch His people. Joseph Sizoo, one-time pastor of the New York Avenue Presbyterian Church in Washington DC, once wrote:

Whatever contaminates the life and religion of the people, leading to inevitable compromise, was to be utterly destroyed. Sin is desperately contagious; it cannot go unpunished.

In a similar vein, Marcus Dodds observed:

One would suppose that when we have been taught by the sacrifice of Christ the value God sets upon holiness in us, we should be found living in fear of contagion from the evil of the world, and counting ourselves of some value.

The point is this: Joshua was up to the task of carrying out God’s will both for the people of Israel, but also for the people of Jericho. And he performed the assignment; he carried out God’s will. He was dedicated to it and he was consecrated to His God. He’s our role model. It’s unlikely in the extreme any of us will ever be called upon to do what Joshua was called upon to do, but in his dedication and consecration, he should serve as our role model.

Fellowship with God

To Joshua, God made this promise:

No one will be able to stand against you all the days of your life. As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake you. (Joshua 1:5 NIV)

The promises of God to any one of His people are just as reliable as they were to His own Son, and God’s presence should be to us just as real and abiding. Joshua believed without exception this promise from God, so much so, he was able to stand up and declare:

Joshua said to the Israelites, “Come here and listen to the words of the Lord your God. This is how you will know that the living God is among you and that he will certainly drive out before you the Canaanites, Hittites, Hivites, Perizzites, Girgashites, Amorites and Jebusites. (Joshua 3:9, 10 NIV)

For his whole life, Joshua knew God was with him and he knew God had been working. Even on his deathbed, this man’s dying testimony was this:

One of you routs a thousand, because the Lord your God fights for you, just as he promised. (Joshua 23:10 NIV)

What a role model. Here was a highly successful leader of men and armies, yet he knew any victory he experienced was due to God’s presence. He never forgot what God had told him. For the Christian, it’s tempting to forget about God when we don’t think we need Him. But the simple fact is, God made the same promise to us that He made to Joshua, and like Joshua we should never forget it and we should live like we believe it.

A life that honors God

Finally, the thing about Joshua that is so powerful is that his whole life was one long testimony for God. But he also left a legacy; a living legacy for future generations:

And Joshua set up at Gilgal the twelve stones they had taken out of the Jordan. He said to the Israelites, “In the future when your descendants ask their parents, ‘What do these stones mean?’ tell them, ‘Israel crossed the Jordan on dry ground.’ For the Lord your God dried up the Jordan before you until you had crossed over. The Lord your God did to the Jordan what he had done to the Red Sea when he dried it up before us until we had crossed over. He did this so that all the peoples of the earth might know that the hand of the Lord is powerful and so that you might always fear the Lord your God. ” (Joshua 4:20 – 24 NIV)

He was mindful of how he lived and was concerned about what the up-and-coming generations would think as far as God was concerned. These stones are like works of faith; good works performed for the glory God; works that would outlive the one who performed them.

You and I who claim to be followers and disciples of Jesus Christ, should take the time to study the life and career of Moses’ successor, Joshua. He is an excellent role model for young and old alike.

On Consecration

Published June 26, 2009 Uncategorized Leave a Comment
Tags: consecration, Dedication, Joshua

Joshua 24:14—28

The key to being the kind of Christian God intends for us to be is found in understanding one old-fashioned word: consecration. According to the dictionary, this is what the word means:

[D]edication to the service and worship of a deity.

That is an adequate definition. As far as consecration in Christianity, it has been said:

Entire consecration embraces three things—being, doing, and suffering. We must be willing to be, to do, and to suffer all that God requires.

By the time we get to verse 14 of Joshua 24, Joshua has recounted God’s obvious greatness and goodness to His people. He has reviewed the nation’s history, and in light of God’s miraculous interventions in the past, Joshua makes a national appeal.

Now fear the LORD and serve him with all faithfulness. Throw away the gods your forefathers worshiped beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve the LORD. (Joshua 24:14)

This is a shocking thing for the leader of Israel to say. How is that the people of God had to be reminded of their first Commandment? But here, at the end of his career and near the end of his life, Joshua had to admonish the people to worship God only, and to get rid of all their other gods, because, apparently, the people had not stopped worshiping Jehovah, but had taken to worshiping idols in addition.

How could people who had such a glorious history with God still be struggling with false gods after all this time? Achan’s sin of disobedience was not tolerated for an instant, yet this sin of idolatry seemed to go unchallenged for a generation in the Promised Land. God had made a stunning covenant with Abraham that He would especially favor and bless Abraham and his descendants. This covenant had been renewed several times since, with Isaac and Jacob, for example. But if Joshua’s generation was to continue to be part of the covenant, they had to make a choice.

1. Time to decide, verse 15

But if serving the LORD seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your forefathers served beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living.

Man was not created to serve two masters. There is no such thing as a “part-time Christian.” Years after Joshua gave this speech and years before Jesus taught about the futility of serving two masters, the prophet Elijah said this to the people of Israel—

“How long will you waver between two opinions? If the LORD is God, follow him; but if Baal is God, follow him.” But the people said nothing. (1 Kings 18:21)

The question needs to be asked: What in the world is wrong with God’s people? Jew or Christian, it doesn’t seem to matter, we both struggle with putting God first in our lives. Our idols are different looking than those the Jews worshiped, but make no mistake about it, there are idols in the Church of Jesus Christ today. Paul wrote this to the Roman church—

Don’t you know that when you offer yourselves to someone to obey him as slaves, you are slaves to the one whom you obey—whether you are slaves to sin, which leads to death, or to obedience, which leads to righteousness? (Romans 6:16)

Yielding to sin makes us slaves to sin. When we give into temptation, we serve sin; we are not serving God, because if we were, we wouldn’t be sinning! Yielding to God makes us servants of God. This is what Joshua is saying to his people: stop serving the idols, and start serving God! It’s a decision they had to make, and it is a decision we have to make each and every day.

Then he said to them all: “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.” (Luke 9:23)

2. Determination, verse 15b

“But as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD.”

Joshua was calling on all Israel to make an honest commitment; he wanted the whole nation to show solidarity in choosing to serve God. He started with his own family.

We can never underestimate the power of the Amorite fertility God. The Jews were attracted to the cult’s immoral practices, but also as an agricultural people, they were attracted to the cult’s promise of rain and fertile soil. They were able to justify their devotion to a god other than Jehovah. Think of how easily we Christians are able to justify our devotion to things and people other than God. Think about how easily we put, for example, our jobs or careers ahead of God. We put our sleep, our children, our spouses, our homes, our hobbies, and countless other things ahead of God.

Salvation is an individual matter; we stand before God alone. We will give an account to God alone. But at the same time, Joshua as the leader of his household had to lead his household in making the decision to serve God alone. Maybe, among the Christian community, it’s time for leaders of families today to step up and make a commitment to serve God on behalf of his family. That may not be politically correct, but it is Biblical.

Joshua confronted the people with a choice that parallels the choice Christ confronts sinners with today.

It is more than reasonable to choose to follow Christ. Your eternal destination changes from Hell to Heaven, but your quality of life improves when you serve God.
The choice involves life or death; both eternal and temporal.
The choice involves your well-being, spiritual, physical, emotional, and mental.
The choice challenges us to aspire to the best life possible; we want to become the best husbands or wives, the best employer or employee, the best student, and the best citizen we can for Christ’s sake.
We are motivated to achieve great things and be a positive influence on the world around us by the love of Christ.

3. Reflection, verses 16—18

Then the people answered, “Far be it from us to forsake the LORD to serve other gods! It was the LORD our God himself who brought us and our fathers up out of Egypt, from that land of slavery, and performed those great signs before our eyes. He protected us on our entire journey and among all the nations through which we traveled. And the LORD drove out before us all the nations, including the Amorites, who lived in the land. We too will serve the LORD, because he is our God.”

Joshua was a great leader; he made his choice; he set the example he wanted the people to follow. He was willing to give every Israelite the freedom to choose or reject God. His reasoning was sound: he set the example, but Joshua believed that the merits of God’s way and God’s past dealings with the people would be more than enough to influence their decision. In fact, the people seemed almost shocked by their apostasy. When they reflected on their own history, they realized that it was indeed the Lord who had blessed them and made them what they had become. Their success had not been determined by fertility gods or anything the people had done for themselves or had done for them. Their history revealed that all of their achievements nationally and individually had been because of the relationship God had with them. But they needed to remember.

Christians have shorter memories than the ancient Jews did. Consider these verses alone—

For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship. And by him we cry, “Abba, Father.” The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children. Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory.

This was something Joshua’s people never had! But we have the Holy Spirit in us, convincing us of our special relationship with God. And yet, for so many Christians, such a powerful, indisputable witness is more of an inconvenience, as they find ways around submitting to God.

But, Joshua’s appeal brought about the desired response from the people—

Far be it from us to forsake the LORD to serve other gods!

This response revealed a couple of things. First, the people basically denied the charge of idolatry. Like the child caught with his hand in the cookie jar denying his father’s charge that he is pilfering a cookie, the people denied that they were worshiping other gods, all the while holding the little trinkets and statues in their hands. But secondly, the people claimed that, despite their idolatry, the Lord had always been and always would be the focus of their devotion. There is a word that describes this kind of thinking: schizophrenia, and a lot Christians suffer from Christian schizophrenia. Here is the definition of schizophrenia:

1. Severe mental disorder characterized by some, but not necessarily all, of the following features: emotional blunting, intellectual deterioration, social isolation, disorganized speech and behavior, delusions, and hallucinations.

2. A state characterized by the coexistence of contradictory or incompatible elements.

Christians are good at acknowledging God and His goodness and loving-kindness, but inexplicably, stubbornly refuse to be consecrated and devoted to Him. We are prime examples of schizophrenics.

4. Reality, verse 19

Joshua said to the people, “You are not able to serve the LORD. He is a holy God; he is a jealous God. He will not forgive your rebellion and your sins.

Joshua’s response to the people’s response is really unexpected. After encouraging the people to make the right choice, he told them they would be unable to keep it. He challenged the sincerity of the people. Rightfully, he thought their promises were made far too quickly and glibly. They could not serve the Lord and cling to their idols at the same time because God is “jealous,” and He will not tolerate anything or anybody ahead of Him. It is a dangerous thing to put the person you love ahead of God. Jesus understood this—

If anyone comes to me and does not hate his father and mother, his wife and children, his brothers and sisters—yes, even his own life—he cannot be my disciple. And anyone who does not carry his cross and follow me cannot be my disciple. (Luke 14:26—27)

The claims of God on His children are exclusive, both Joshua and Jesus knew this and wanted their people to know this. Like the Jews of old, Christians today are good at being enthusiastic about God and the things of God in “the moment.” During a stirring sermon or some evangelistic event we are able to make all kinds of commitments to God; then comes Monday morning and the weekly routine and the promises we made to God evaporate faster the morning dew on the grass.

God is a holy God and sinful man cannot stand before Him. God is a jealous God and will not tolerate our divided affections. God cannot and will not condone “semi-loyalty” and will not tolerate insincerity.

Joshua had been by Moses’ side for years and knew full well how easily the people made promises in the past. This time, he wanted their consecration to be genuine; the people needed to know that compromise in any form was neither practicable nor possible in this covenant.

Conclusion

In Matthew 6:24, Jesus Christ taught that “no man can serve two masters.” Jesus’ brother, James, years later taught the same thing, “A double minded man is unstable in all he does” (James 1:8). What happens when God’s people—Jew or Christian—refuse to live lives of consecration? In the case of Israel, the troublesome practice of “pseudo-loyalty” to God resulted in tragic consequences: they were cut off from God’s blessing. God, the Source of all good, when by His children’s choice is no longer part of their thinking, has no opportunity to do them any good.

For Christians, the time to choose is long past. The state of the Church and the state of the Christian family demonstrates that our hearts are far from God. We pay Him tremendous lip service every Sunday, and we know “God-talk” backwards; we can give the right answers when asked about questions of our faith. But too many of us are not dedicated or consecrated to God, and we wonder why we struggle so much in our walk. It’s time to count the cost, if we would call ourselves Christians and serve Christ with all our heart, mind, and soul.

(c) 2009 WitzEnd

The Fall of Jericho

Published June 12, 2009 Uncategorized Leave a Comment
Tags: Faith, Joshua, Walls of Jericho

Joshua014

Or, Victory By Sumbission

Joshua 6

Joshua was a great military strategist, but his first victory in taking the Promised Land came as a result, not of a clever plan on his part, but on simply obeying God.

If the first five chapters of the book of Joshua chronicle Israel’s preparations to inherit the Promised Land, then chapter 6 is all about possessing the Promised Land. Israel had to learn some valuable lessons as they stood on the verge of taking Canaan: Submission to God guarantees victory and sin always brings defeat. When Israel submitted to God’s plan, they had success (chapter 6); but when sin was allowed to enter, they faced defeat (chapter 7). Submitting to God’s plan means bringing ourselves into the will of God and acknowledging His lordship over us in both word and deed. Christians are unstoppable and unconquerable when they walk in obedience to God and in the power of the Holy Spirit.

1. A doomed city

Israel had entered into the Promised Land under the leadership of Joshua, and now he had to turn his attention to the main task of military conquest. Israel had been given the Land as their inheritance, but they had a part to play in acquiring this blessing from the Lord. Their task lay not in fighting battles, though battles would need to be fought. Their part to play was in simply obeying God’s instructions for battle; victory was theirs if they followed His instructions. Some people assume Israel had to win the battles in order to receive the blessing; this is not so. According to God, they had already won the battles they were about to fight. Victory for the Israelites was not in overcoming the armies of the enemy, but in simply trusting God.

Jericho, the great walled city of Canaan, had to be dealt with for it would forever pose a threat to the Israelites and it was a Canaanite stronghold. It was not a huge city, but it was a highly fortified one, built on a mound and surrounded by walls so high and so thick that battering the wall by any means would have been totally ineffective as would have been trying to burn them. Once the city gates were closed and locked, nobody could get in or get of Jericho. But, Jericho was a doomed city.

It was under a curse of God, 6:17

And the city shall be accursed, even it, and all that are therein. (KJV)

This was not a new plan of God, by the way. In fact, Jericho’s death sentence had been passed over 40 years earlier in Exodus 23. Back then, Jericho was strong and arrogant in their strength, ignorant of what lay ahead for them at the hands of God’s people. Their fate was sealed even while they thought their magnificent city was inviolable.

The Bible declares unequivocally that the fate of unrepentant people will be the same as the fate of Jericho. The death sentence has already been passed on all those who refuse to repent and live for God. Romans 5:12—

Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all men, because all sinned.

It was locked up tight, 6:1

Now Jericho was tightly shut up because of the Israelites. No one went out and no one came in.

The people of Jericho were scared to death, not of the Israelites, but of the God of the Israelites. They were literally paralyzed with fear. They shut themselves up against God. They tried to cover themselves up as Adam and Eve tried in vain to first hide from God then cover their sins. This is so characteristic of unrepentant human beings, who know their sinful state before a holy God, yet cling desperately to sins all the while trying to hide them by covering them up with a false righteousness. As if anybody could hide anything from God or shut Him out!

It fell quickly, 6:20

…the wall collapsed…

The thing the Canaanites trusted in and depended on for their security failed in the face of something as seemingly insignificant as a trumpet blast! What good was their safety and security if it was based on something that could not stand a trumpet blast? This awesome wall, a masterpiece of human engineering and achievement, built with their own hands, designed to stave off the onslaught of even the mightiest, most numerous armies of man, was no match for God’s band. What does God think of such marvels in which man places his confidence?

I will make justice the measuring line and righteousness the plumb line; hail will sweep away your refuge, the lie, and water will overflow your hiding place. (Isaiah 28:17)

Can any man, or nation for that matter, or leader of a nation, stop what God wants for His people? Can any parliament or congress frustrate the plans of God? Of course not.

2. A weird assault: faith’s victory

If we read Hebrews 11:30, we can understand exactly what happened at Jericho:

By faith the walls of Jericho fell, after the people had marched around them for seven days.

It was not the vibration of millions of pairs of Israelite feet marching in unison that caused the walls of Jericho to fall. It was faith, plain and simple. The visible means of victory—marching around the wall—looked foolish to the Canaanite onlookers, as do the ways of God to the unsaved. But it was their unwavering faith in God that brought victory of the Israelites, not their marching. Here is what they were told do in manifesting their faith—

March around the city, verse 3

March around the city once with all the armed men. Do this for six days.

Encompassing the city was the measure of their faith, and these men must have had great faith as they marched around the city for six days. Similarly, our faith must encompass the thing we desire or lack if we would possess it. There is a curious story told in Matthew about two blind men who received their sight from Jesus. Consider how strange the story begins—

As Jesus went on from there, two blind men followed him, calling out, “Have mercy on us, Son of David!”

When he had gone indoors, the blind men came to him, and he asked them, “Do you believe that I am able to do this?”

“Yes, Lord,” they replied. (Matthew 9:27—28)

How did these blind men follow Jesus when they couldn’t see Him to begin with? The answer is, “with great difficulty!” It must have surely looked strange as these two determined blind men stumbled along the desert roads, desperately trying to keep up with the One they knew could heal their pitiful condition.

Now notice what Jesus said to them—

Then he touched their eyes and said, “According to your faith will it be done to you”; and their sight was restored. (Matthew 9:29—30a)

He did not honor their difficult, almost impossible trek; but Jesus honored their faith in doing what they could to follow Jesus, no matter how it might have looked to anybody else.

It is in the march—the encompassing the walls—that faith is tried and tested. When all you can see is a wall, it takes eyes of faith to see more. When all you feel is human inability, you have no choice but to trust in the supernatural ability of God.

Blow the trumpets, 6:4

Have seven priests carry trumpets of rams’ horns in front of the ark. On the seventh day, march around the city seven times, with the priests blowing the trumpets.

This represents the means of faith. The way faith works is far removed from how the natural mind thinks it should work! Faith uses the simple. Faith uses the seemingly weak things of God. But in God’s hands, the foolish, weak, and simple become invincible weapons against the strongholds of the Devil. The sling and stones of David would have been of no use to Saul because Saul had no faith. David did and those insignificant stones brought down a giant. The trumpet of the Word of God must be blown in faith if the victory over sin is to be won. It was the priests who were to sound the trumpets. It is the preachers of the Word of God who must still sound the clarion call of God’s Word moved and empowered by the Holy Spirit. Such preaching will cause the wall of sin around the human heart to crumble.

Carry the Ark, 6:6

So Joshua son of Nun called the priests and said to them, “Take up the ark of the covenant of the LORD and have seven priests carry trumpets in front of it.”

Finally, we observe the object of faith. The Ark was a symbol of God’s presence. The Ark that had just dried up the Jordan River was in their midst again as they marched around the wall, blowing the trumpets. Imagine the unbeatable confidence these Israelites must have had at this very moment. Through the things that had been accomplished in faith, faith had been increased in the hearts of all the people. Now, as they marched around the walled city, doing exactly what they were told to do, not one person was grumbling, complaining, or doubting. The opposite was the case: they were obeying, trusting, and expecting. But note this: Their faith was not in their blowing or marching or shouting. But they had to do these things so the Ark would follow them. Our faith, likewise, must be active, and we must continually look up to Him who promised He would be with us always.

Shouting of the people, 6:20

When the trumpets sounded, the people shouted, and at the sound of the trumpet, when the people gave a loud shout, the wall collapsed; so every man charged straight in, and they took the city.

The shouting was not the work of the priests, but of the people. The priests did their part according to the instructions of God, now the people had to do their part.

If we have ever wondered why the Church of Jesus Christ in the 21^st century experiences so few spiritual victories, it is because so few members expect them. It is time for all members of the Body of Christ to join in the shout! The preachers may be blowing the trumpets today, but so few members are shouting. God will move in our midst and do great things in our congregations if the people “shout” to God; if they would do their part in faith even as their pastors do their parts in faith.

3. One family spared: a miracle of salvation

The account of this miracle in Joshua’s time went like this—

But Joshua spared Rahab the prostitute, with her family and all who belonged to her, because she hid the men Joshua had sent as spies to Jericho—and she lives among the Israelites to this day. (verse 25)

But if we turn over the Hebrews in the New Testament, we read a different account of this event in the full light of the Holy Spirit’s revelation—

By faith the prostitute Rahab, because she welcomed the spies, was not killed with those who were disobedient. (Hebrews 11:31)

Notice three points:

She believed, Joshua 2:9—11.

Rahab demonstrated faith in the God of the Hebrews by hiding both the message and the messengers. Her old beliefs and prejudices were cast aside when she heard and believed. She, like the Israelites, did something that seemed foolish, and in her case, dangerous, in order to show her faith in God.

She obeyed, 2:21.

Her faith in God was justified in the sight of man by her works. She hid the messengers and exposed the scarlet cord. James 2:25 says this of Rahab’s faith—

In the same way, was not even Rahab the prostitute considered righteous for what she did when she gave lodging to the spies and sent them off in a different direction?

By the scarlet cord, she would be justified or condemned. There is the scarlet cord of redemption that comes between us and the judgment of God. The crimson blood of Jesus either justifies those who claim it or condemns those to reject it.

She testified, 6:23.

So the young men who had done the spying went in and brought out Rahab, her father and mother and brothers and all who belonged to her. They brought out her entire family and put them in a place outside the camp of Israel.

Joshua spared Rahab the prostitute, with her family and all who belonged to her, because she hid the men Joshua had sent as spies to Jericho—and she lives among the Israelites to this day.

Rahab had convinced her family and they were saved. She did not keep her faith to herself only. She demonstrated here faith by persuading her family to her way of thinking.

Conclusion

This is all about faith; faith in the face of the world. Jericho represents the world to the believer. Like the walled city, the world poses a threat the believer; its influence is strong and it is a formidable foe. Believers are easily caught up in worldly things, and our victory over the forces of the world depends totally on faith—

[F]or everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith. (1 John 5:4)

We used to sing “Joshua fit the battle of Jericho,” but he really did not. The Israelites did not fight at all. All they did was obey God instructions. God did the fighting.

Too many Christians today want to “fit the battle of Jericho” rather than simply obey God and trust God for victory.

(c) 2009 WitzEnd

Stepping Out in Faith

Published June 5, 2009 Uncategorized Leave a Comment
Tags: Faith, Joshua

Joshua 3:9—17

The book of Joshua covers a time period of about 25 years in the history of Israel under the leadership of Joshua, Moses’ successor. Joshua was Moses’ “silent partner,” always just behind Moses, witnessing the power of God and learning how best to lead the children of Israel into their new home, the Promised Land.

Joshua, one of the truly great leaders of Israel, was born in a most inauspicious manner: he was born in Egypt, into a life of slavery. His name means Jehovah is salvation, a Hebrew variant of “Jesus.” So, though the conditions of his birth were unimpressive, his name was full of promise; an indication of greater things to come in his life.

Under the leadership of Moses, the previous generation of Hebrews had left Egypt en mass to travel to Canaan, a land promised to them a thousand years before, way back in Genesis to Abraham, founder of the Hebrew nation. Moses had successfully led the people out of Egypt and headed straight to the border of Canaan. However, the people did not have the faith to enter it, and so Israel wandered around the desert for some 40 years. God was unhappy with their flagrant disobedience and that entire faithless generation was to die out without ever receiving the promised blessing of a home.

In the course of time, Moses died and Joshua, by then pushing 90, assumed leadership. He was an immanently qualified leader, full of wisdom and faith, and, most important, he was obedient to God. Because of his obedience, Joshua was able to do in a few short months what his generation was unable to do in almost 40 years!

God is a God of second chances! Granted, sometimes it takes a long time to get to that second chance, but it will come in God’s own good time. Lessons need to be learned and sometimes discipline administered, but for one who has failed the Lord, but whose heart is right, the second chance will come.

1. Setting the scene for faith, verses 9—13

Joshua said to the Israelites, “Come here and listen to the words of the LORD your God. This is how you will know that the living God is among you and that he will certainly drive out before you the Canaanites, Hittites, Hivites, Perizzites, Girgashites, Amorites and Jebusites. See, the ark of the covenant of the Lord of all the earth will go into the Jordan ahead of you. Now then, choose twelve men from the tribes of Israel, one from each tribe. And as soon as the priests who carry the ark of the LORD -the Lord of all the earth—set foot in the Jordan, its waters flowing downstream will be cut off and stand up in a heap.”

The nation of Israel was on the brink of entering the Promised Land. The only thing that stood between them and the fulfillment of God’s promise—a promise they had been waiting for a thousand years—was the Jordan River. How would they cross it? The water was at its highest point; an obstacle guarding the territory and preventing them from possessing not just the land, but God’s blessing. Once again, owning God’s blessing required something from the people. They needed to manifest faith, and in doing so, the blessing would be theirs.

A working knowledge of God’s Word

Stepping out faith is one thing, but stepping out in faith in the direction of a raging river? This was the plan, but it was not a haphazard plan; it did not represent the blind faith of a hopeful leader practicing “positive thinking.” Stepping out in faith must always begin with listening to the Word of God. Notice verse 9—

Joshua said to the Israelites, “Come here and listen to the words of the LORD your God.”

One of the reasons why Israel was left to wander around the desert for a generation was because instead of listening to the Word of God, they listened to the word of man; the false report made by men who had no faith in God. Imagine people who had just seen the miraculous power of God, choosing to listen to faithless, dishonest men rather than listening to God! But that still happens today; believers would rather listen to and believe somebody who says the Bible isn’t true or that God doesn’t work miracles today or that God won’t answer a particular prayer. Believers that pay heed to that kind of godless chatter lose faith, and consequently lose out on what God has for them.

This new leader of the people, Joshua, was a strong believer in information and organization. He had faith, but he left nothing up to chance. He knew God would keep His word, but Joshua also knew the people had a part to play. Joshua, leading by example, called the people together to make sure they understood that he was not acting on his own initiative, but on the Word of God. Joshua was giving them a reason for having faith. In fact, this Word of God he is giving them is really a preview of what would take place if the people demonstrated faith.

Having the right focus

But notice how Joshua prefaced the preview:

This is how you will know…(verse 10a)

Following that statement, Joshua informs the people that God was going to intervene and govern both nature and history in order to keep His promise. What is particularly interesting, and somewhat distressing to people who are obsessed with details, is that God gave no indication of exactly how, for example, He was going to deal with the Jordan River and how He would deal with the seven nations already living in Canaan. Why would the Lord leave out details like that? Surely the more details the people had, the easier it would be for them to have faith. God knew human nature, and so He in His wisdom wanted the people to be God-conscious; He did not want them focusing on the seemingly insurmountable hurdles that lay ahead. He wanted them to know that those hurdles were already dealt with. How they were dealt with was of no concern to the people.

How many of us thwart God’s plans for us because we focus on the problem rather than on the great Problem-Solver? Trusting in God is not denying reality. But, there is no virtue in being obsessed and continually dwelling the problems you may have. Perhaps some of us would experience more answers to prayer and more “miraculous” deliverances if we stopped looking at things with our eyes and started listening to the Word of Lord and trusting in Him. Remember the inspired definition of faith—

Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. (Hebrews 11:1)

It is certain that if you are staring at what you can see with your eyes, you will not be certain of what you do not see, namely, what God has promised for you.

Knowing the Word of God is essential if you want to live by faith. Focusing on God is essential if you want to experience what God has promised to you. We have a graphic illustration of this in verse 10—

See, the ark of the covenant of the Lord of all the earth will go into the Jordan ahead of you.

The Ark of the Covenant was to be their visible guarantee of God’s presence. His presence would go before them, literally smashing through the hurdles in their way. And so, God was to be central in all that they did from this moment onward. Their strength was to come from Him, both in a spiritual sense and in the practical sense; they needed to obey every detail of His plan for them.

3. Steps of faith, verses 14—17

So when the people broke camp to cross the Jordan, the priests carrying the ark of the covenant went ahead of them. Now the Jordan is at flood stage all during harvest. Yet as soon as the priests who carried the ark reached the Jordan and their feet touched the water’s edge, the water from upstream stopped flowing. It piled up in a heap a great distance away, at a town called Adam in the vicinity of Zarethan, while the water flowing down to the Sea of the Arabah (the Salt Sea ) was completely cut off. So the people crossed over opposite Jericho. The priests who carried the ark of the covenant of the LORD stood firm on dry ground in the middle of the Jordan, while all Israel passed by until the whole nation had completed the crossing on dry ground.

The people had been given instructions, they had been told how to step out in faith, and all that remained was for their faith to become operative. Faith is not faith until it is acted upon. Joshua as their leader believed in God and believed God, and he inspired faith in the people. The people, for their part, responded with unwavering confidence, both in Joshua and God.

The Biblical writer notes that the Jordan was at “flood stage.” When God works a miracle, it will be obvious to everybody; those involved in it and onlookers! In the natural, what was about to happen was naturally impossible; there was no way these people could cross the Jordan, especially considering it was at flood stage. But God would not fail those who were expecting great things from Him. How great was this miracle? It is estimated that the Jordan River was about 100 feet broad and had a depth of up to 12 feet. The power of God is best displayed when we have reached the point of no return and going ahead seems impossible.

The last verse in our text is marvelous—

[T]he whole nation had completed the crossing on dry ground. (verse 17b)

Notice it was “dry ground,” it was not muddy ground or wet ground, but “dry ground.” When God undertakes to do something for those He loves, He is thorough! Not only did the waters stop flowing, but God made sure the ground was dry and passable. Can we expect any less from the Lord? When He answers a prayer and when we step out in faith, we can be assured that God will always hold up His end.

What should be noted, though, is that nothing happened until the people “broke camp” and started moving toward the water’s edge. The people had to “do something” before God did what He said He would do. So many times, we wait around to make sure God is going to do whatever it is we think He said He would do before we make an attempt. That kind of foolish behavior is not what faith is all about. Why do we behave like this? There might be two reasons:

We aren’t really sure we heard from God. Maybe that’s why so many Christians have such weak faith or they have never accomplished anything for God; they’re never really sure if God has spoken to them. It is almost certain that people like this don’t read and don’t study the Word, for if they had, they would have known for certain whether or not God was speaking to them.
We want God to “do it all” for us. In keeping with the modern trend of people wanting to “be looked after,” there are believers who expect God to do everything for them; they don’t think they should have to exert any effort. God has never worked that way. While salvation cannot be earned, the blessings of God more often than not are directly related to the believer’s obedient efforts in accomplishing the Lord’s will.

Let’s never be afraid to step out in faith. The Lord will meet us and make sure we end up on dry land, too.

(c) 2009 WitzEnd

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Posts Tagged 'Joshua'

Joshua: A Role Model

On Consecration

(c) 2009 WitzEnd

The Fall of Jericho

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Stepping Out in Faith

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