The plane was due to touch down at three-thirty, but because of a storm you could not land, how frustrating as you circle around your destination. But then the captain announces that the airport has granted clearance, you will soon be there—you feel excited when you think of what lies ahead.
The Israelites had been delayed, for a whole generation. Delayed because they had failed to trust God and obey. But now they are about to arrive. The year is 1240 BC. Moses is dead and has been succeeded by Joshua. The book of Joshua tells of Israel’s entry into the land and their settlement there.
The Promised Land was also known as Canaan. At that time Canaan was organised in the form of city states, so that each major city and its surrounding villages had its own king, each of whom was politically independent. In order for God’s people to take the land they would have to conquer its people. Indeed God told them to destroy the inhabitants of that land. Such a command might make us feel uncomfortable—‘was God commanding a policy of ethnic cleansing?’ A few things need to be kept in mind:
1. This was an act of God’s judgement. God had waited patiently with these people but now he was going to judge them (see Gen. 15: 16). As we read in Deuteronomy, it is on account of the wickedness of those nations that the LORD is going to drive them out before you’ (Duet. 9:4-5).
This was not an act of unprovoked aggression—God had been provoked by their wickedness. Their wickedness which involved idolatry and immorality—their religion involved temple prostitution and sexual orgies; there also was the awful practice of child sacrifices where babies were offered screaming, to the god Molech, whose stone bowl was heated by fire.
2. These Canaanites and their evil practices will give trouble to the Israelites (Num. 33:55) and be a stumbling block if they are not dealt with (Deut. 20:16-18 Completely destroy them . . . otherwise they will teach you to follow all the detestable things they do in worshipping their gods, and you will sin against the LORD). As we will see the Israelites do not destroy the Canaanites fully and they remain a dangerous and corrupting influence on them for years.
3. There is a way of salvation for the Canaanites. We see this with the story of the Canaanite prostitute Rahab. She switches her allegiance from Canaan and its ‘gods’, to Israel and the one and only God, and as a result escapes the judgement.
1. Entry (chapters 1-5)
The book opens with God addressing Joshua. Then Joshua addresses the officers of the people. We are getting ready for action!
In chapter 2 Joshua sends two spies to look over the land, especially Jericho. Those spies stay at the home of Rahab—a Canaanite prostitute. When the king of Jericho is told of the presence of the spies in his city he sends a message to Rahab. She lies and says that they have left—sending the king’s men off on a wild-goose chase.
Hebrews 11 holds up Rahab as an example—not for lying but of faith: By faith the prostitute Rahab, because she welcomed the spies, was not killed with those who were disobedient (Hebrews 11:31, NIV). She was saved because of her faith.
The spies instruct her to tie a scarlet cord to a window of her house. Then when the city was destroyed, she and her family would be spared. She trusted in the rescue plan and so she escaped the judgement—our salvation is similar: we have trusted in God’s rescue plan, the cross, and so we escape God’s judgement.
In chapters 3 and 4 we have the miraculous crossing of the Jordan. Interestingly they do not sneak into the land in some safe remote area but cross opposite the great fortified city of Jericho (3:16). As we will see they need not fear for God will give them the victory.
Having entered the land the LORD commands them to be circumcised—circumcision was a sign of being one of God’s people, a sign that was linked with God’s covenant with Abraham (Gen. 17). The chapter finishes with the first Passover meal in forty years.
2. Conquest (chapters 5-12)
The siege of Jericho must rate as one of the most unusual in all of history. The LORD commands that the people are to march around the city for six days, then on the seventh they are to march around it seven times with priests blowing trumpets, the people are to give a loud shout, and the city’s walls will collapse. When they do it we are left in no doubt that this is not a victory that the Israelites can claim for themselves. Indeed it is not only this victory but all the victories that we read of in Jericho that depend on the LORD.
We too are God’s dependant people. Our salvation depends on him—on the victory he achieved for us on the cross. The spiritual battle we are engaged in depends on him—we are to put on his armour (Ephesians 6). Our mission as church depends on him—. . . I will build my church and the gates of Hades [or hell] will not overcome it(NIV).
So as we think of our mission as a church we ought to remember that it will not be the buildings that we build (or do not build), it will not be the programs that we run, or how professionally we do things that will be the key, but the Lord exercising his authority in us and through us (see Matthew 28:18-19).
Israel’s success in the book of Joshua is dependant on their faithfulness to the covenant. Disobedience, even by one member, as we see with Achan’s sin, spells disaster. When that sin is dealt with the LORD gives them Ai.
In chapter 10 and 11 we read of the defeat of the southern and the northern coalitions. In chapter 11 the conquest is explained by the fact that the LORD had commanded Moses, Moses had commanded Joshua, and Joshua left nothing undone of all that the LORD commanded Moses.
3. Distribution of the land (chapter 13-21)
Although these chapters are not exciting to read they have an importance. For we see the actual fulfilment of God’s promise of land, made to Abraham and his seed.
Chapter 12 summarises the kings and their city states that have been destroyed. Chapter 13 begins with a reminder of what still needs to be done. Then the land is divided. In these chapters we see hints of trouble—on a number of occasions we see that the Israelites fail to obey God’s command and drive out all the inhabitants (e.g. 13:13).
The section ends on a positive note: . . . The LORD gave Israel all that he had sworn to give their forefathers, and they took possession of it and settled there. The LORD gave them rest on every side just as he had sworn to their forefathers . . . Not one of all the LORD’s good promises to the house of Israel failed; every one was fulfilled (21:43-45, NIV). Great is the LORD’s faithfulness!
Epilogue (chapters 22-24)
There is a note of caution as the book ends. Like Moses had done at the end of Deuteronomy, Joshua gives the people a farewell sermon. Like Moses he presents the people with a challenge: are they going to trust God and obey? Again they are warned that if they disobey they will be expelled from the land. The book ends with questions remaining: Will they obey God? How long will they remain in the land?
As we read Joshua’s challenge to them we need to hear a challenge to us! Are we going to trust God and obey?
Joshua and the New Testament:
The name Joshua means ‘Yahweh [the LORD] saves’. The Greek form of this name is Jesus. One of the ways that the book of Joshua points forward to the Christ is in how Joshua ministry prefigures his namesake.
We might not think of Jesus as being a military leader like Joshua but Jesus does battle. In particular we see how Jesus defeats the powers of evil—Revelation shows his ultimate defeat of Satan.
Joshua continually saved his people from their enemies, including internal corruption like that of Achan. He delivers Rahab. Jesus, through his death and resurrection, performs a greater act of salvation—rescuing us from the penalty of our sin (Matthew 1:21).
Joshua distributed the inheritance—of land. Jesus distributes every spiritual blessing and gives an inheritance that is eternal.
Finally, in the last chapter of this book we see Joshua make a covenant for the people—a covenant written on stone and plaster. Jesus is also a covenant giver, making a new covenant, not written on stone but with his body broken and blood shed for his followers (Mark 14:22). ‘Like the covenant of Joshua it required the obedience of the people and their faithfulness for them to appreciate the fullness of its blessings. These blessings were no longer an inheritance of land but the fullness of a personal relationship with God.’
No comments:
Post a Comment