Closing Notes on Joshua

· Rahab, the harlot mentioned in Joshua 2:1, is referred to as being the wife of Salmon (Matthew 1:5), who was presumably one of the two spies she sheltered. It is likely that the gratitude Salmon felt for Rahab ripened into love, and when grace erased her former life of shame he made her his wife. In turn, she became the mother of Boaz, who married Ruth from whose son, Obed, Jesse the father of David came, through whose line Jesus was born. Salmon was a prince of the house of Judah, and thus, Rahab, the one time heathen harlot, married into one of the leading families of Israel and became an ancestress of our Lord, the other foreign ancestresses being Tamar, Ruth and Bathsheba.

· Joshua’s friend and assistant Caleb was not an ethnic Jew!

In Numbers 32:12 and Joshua 14:6 & 14 he is called Caleb the son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite. Now in Genesis 36:11 we learn that Kenaz is an Edomite name. Hence the conclusion that at some point of time the family of Kenaz, and therefore the family of Caleb the son of Jephunneh, was incorporated into the tribes of Israel just as so many other foreigners, such as Jethro, Rahab, and Ruth, who in virtue of their faith became members of the people of God. This explains a characteristic phrase in Joshua 15:13: 'And to Caleb the son of Jephunneh he gave a portion among the children of Judah according to the commandment of Jehovah to Joshua...that is, Hebron.' And in Joshua 14:14: 'Hebron therefore became the inheritance of Caleb the son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite to this day, because he wholly followed Jehovah the God of Israel."

As we begin the study of the book of Judges we will notice that Caleb’s youngest brother, Othniel, would be the first deliverer/judge of Israel (Judges 3:9). Othniel is called 'the son of Kenaz' (Joshua 15:17; Judges 1:13; Judges 3:9, 11). So we see that Joshua’s close assistant and Israel’s chief commander during the conquest was grafted into the Nation by faith. And his son, who became the first judge of Israel, was also grafted into the Nation. The Old Testament Nation of Israel were a people called out to be a display in addition to being a refuge for those Yahweh called out from the surrounding pagan nations.

Robin

Joshua 24 - Esau & Jacob

Last month we considered the need for patience in relation to God’s promises. This month I would like an answer to this strange statement in Joshua 24 verse 4, “To Isaac I gave Jacob and Esau, and to Esau I gave Mount Seir to possess it; but Jacob and his sons went down to Egypt.” I searched a number of commentaries without finding much insight into this puzzling statement. After all, Esau was emblematic of someone born outside of the covenant – an unbeliever. Jacob was Isaac’s son who God ‘loved’ and Esau was the Isaac’s son God ‘hated’ (Romans 9:8-13). Why then does Joshua say that God gave Esau a possession (Mt Seir) and sent Jacob and his sons to poverty and enslavement with misery into Egypt? I thought Dale Ralph Davis had the best take on this verse so I give to you the following section taken out of his book, ‘No Falling Words’ (Baker Books Grand Rapids, Michigan. 1988).

“Why do the covenant people experience hardship and slavery while others have their reward? Why do God’s chosen ones experience the affliction while others enjoy their good things? See how Scripture recognized this mystery, that God’s people so often have to wait in great distress for God’s promised blessing?

This total candor of Scripture about the life of faith is so refreshing. Hebrews 11:32-39 illustrates this perfectly. That writer makes no bones about the astounding benefits God gives to faith: his people conquered kingdoms, shut lions’ mouths, escaped the sword, routed alien armies, observed resurrections (Hebrews 11:32-35a). Now that is the victorious Christian life! That’s what God does for his people who believe! Yet the writer continues with nary a semicolon “Others were tortured … some faced jeers and floggings … they were stoned; they were sawed in two … put to death by the sword … went about in sheepskins and goatskins, destitute, persecuted and mistreated … thy wandered in deserts and mountains, and in caves and holes in the ground” (Hebrews 11:35b-38 _NIV). That’s what God does for his people who believe. Thus the writer makes no bones about the strange hardships God allows to faith. Is that the “victorious Christian life”? Who knows? But it’s as much the Christian life as conquering kingdoms and muzzling lions.

My point is that neither Scripture nor God speaking in Scripture glosses over this mystery. Back to Joshua 24:4. Even in this overall survey of Yahweh’s goodness to Israel we find this mystery. Esau received his possession; Jacob and his family went down to Egypt. The mystery must be seen both in and in light of the whole story. Weeping may endure for the night (Psalm 30:4-5). 

There is no use in kicking at this mystery, but the mystery itself should lead us to adore our God. Why? Because when he rehearses the story of his grace he doesn’t hide the (to us) rough spots; he doesn’t gloss over the perplexities; he doesn’t omit the difficulties. He never erases the mysteries or dark times from the record. My point is, you can trust a God like that. Here is a straightforward, honest God.

One reason why I believe the New Testament record of the resurrection of Jesus is because Matthew’s Gospel contains three words in relating the disciples’ meeting with the risen Lord in Galilee: “But some doubted” (Matthew 28:17). Someone might ask, “How can hearing of their doubt support your faith?” Simply because it tells me that the writer has nothing to hide. If Matthew was trying to feed me theological baloney he would have suppressed mention of anyone – especially among Jesus’ followers – doubting Jesus and his resurrection. The fact that he so candidly and openly notes it tells me that Matthew has nothing to hide, no secrets to keep; I can trust a man like that to tell me the truth.

And such is our God. He is kind enough to show us plainly that within the story of his grace we may meet with darkness. Not that we will relish the darkness. But a God that is truthful can be trusted to hold us in the darkness”

Joshua 24 - Patience

Last month Joshua reminded us of God’s calling Abraham out of darkness into His covenantal love (verses 1-3). Verse 3 says, “Then I took your father Abraham from beyond the River, and led him through all the land of Canaan, and multiplied his descendants and gave him Isaac.” According to the Genesis account this took 25 years from the promise of a great nation (Genesis 12) to the birth of one son, Isaac (Genesis 21). And the promised son, Isaac was born to a man over one hundred years old! God is faithful but He is not in a hurry to accomplish His purposes! We are reminded that, “God is not a man, that He should lie, Nor a son of man, that He should repent; Has He said, and will He not do it? Or has He spoken, and will He not make it good?” (Numbers 23:19). Even though the promises of God may not be seen in by our own eyes we can be sure He will do it in His own timing. The apostle James also reminds us to be patient, “The farmer waits for the precious produce of the soil, being patient about it, until it gets the early and late rains. You too be patient; strengthen your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is near” (James 5:7-8). Joshua was reminding the nation that they should be patient and not to lose heart. The book of Joshua also reminds us to be patient even when the promises seem delayed.

Brothers and sisters, are you weary and discouraged? Take heart in the example of Abraham. Though he received the promise, in spite of his unbelief (Genesis 17:17), Yahweh was faithful. Even when we are unfaithful and without much faith, just as Abraham laughed at the thought of having a child at his advanced age, the Lord remained faithful to His promises. “Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget none of His benefits; Who pardons all your iniquities, Who heals all your diseases …” Psalm 103:2-3.

Joshua 24 - Abraham From Beyond The River

“Then Joshua gathered all the tribes of Israel to Shechem, and called for the elders of Israel and for their heads and their judges and their officers; and they presented themselves before God. Joshua said to all the people, “Thus says the LORD, the God of Israel, ‘From ancient times your fathers lived beyond the River, namely, Terah, the father of Abraham and the father of Nahor, and they served other gods. ‘Then I took your father Abraham from beyond the River, and led him through all the land of Canaan, and multiplied his descendants and gave him Isaac.”

In our February issue we looked at one of Joshua’s farewell sermon in chapter 23. It seems clear that one of the major themes or reasons for writing this history (the book of Joshua) was to remind the people of the covenant that the sovereign God had made with his people. The covenantal promise was for a specific land where they would be a ‘display’ of God’s covenantal love as well as a distinct people who were to preserve the ‘seed’ which one day would birth the Savior. The other part of the covenant was for these people to worship only ‘the Lord your God, which He commanded you …’ (Joshua 23:16). Joshua reminded them again that if they ‘were to serve other gods and bow down to them’ they would be ‘cut off’ from the land. Though Joshua did not say here we know from other scripture that the promised line of believers (which would bring the Messiah) would endure because of the covenant and obviously not because the people of Israel were particularly obedient!

Chapter 24 starts with what appears to be another sermon. The word, ‘then’ in the first verse suggests that this is a separate sermon with a similar intent – to encourage and remind the people of what the Lord has done for them (grace) and their responsibility (obedience) going forward as a nation and as individuals. Chapter 24 starts with Joshua calling the elders, leaders, judges, and officers of Israel to meet him in Shechem. This location was meaningful because Shechem was where Abram (Abraham) first received the promise of the land (Genesis 12:6-7) and where Jacob had returned safely from his long exile from the land which was also promised to him (Genesis 33:18-20; 28:13). Everyone present at this meeting felt the strength of this memory and the power of God’s promise fulfilled. Dale Ralph Davis says about the location, “Surely our writer wants us to note the significance of the location; it is a way of recognizing the faithfulness of God. It is his way of saying that time does not invalidate Yahweh’s promises”

In this second speech Joshua is again reminding the people of what God has done in saving them be recounting their history. Joshua starts his sermon with a review of their history starting with Abram who lived beyond the river. Why did God call Abraham and his descendants to be His people? The answer is not that Abram was a great guy or that God looked down through time and saw that we would be nice people who were smarter or better than the nations around us. Joshua states clearly that Abram served other gods. “From ancient times your fathers lived beyond the River, namely, Terah, the father of Abraham and the father of Nahor, and they served other gods” (verse2). Abraham was born an idolater and with no merit whatsoever. He participated in pagan worship and was enslaved in sin. He was a full blooded son of Adam who was lost just like all sons and daughters of Adam are lost. This is a message that the Jews have always struggled with – the notion that they were in some way superior to the nations around them because of God’s election. But we cannot be too harsh with them because we also are tempted to think too highly of ourselves. I am certain that when we first believed through faith we understood that it was grace alone that caused us to recognize our need for Christ. But afterward, in small and tentative steps, we may begin to see ourselves as better than those sinners who surround us. And in some sense, if we are truly converted, we do become ‘better’ since the Holy Spirit’s work of sanctification is promised to believers. Because of the merit of Christ we begin to live lives of increased holiness. Joshua comment about Abraham’s calling are meant to remind those ancient Israelites and us today of this amazing truth – all we are and all we hope to be are wrapped up in the sovereign calling of God. For Abraham, it was the future work of the Messiah that saved him and gave him hope. For us, it is the life, death, and resurrection of Christ that saves us and gives us hope. Not our citizenship in the USA, not our good jobs, not our good works, none of these things give us lasting hope. Our hope is in Christ alone for life and for sanctification.

We know that Abraham was listed in the hall of faith (Hebrews 11:8-10) and believers are called, ‘sons of Abraham’ (Romans 4:16; Galatians 3:7). So it is good to honor Abraham but this chapter in Joshua is a reminder that he was a man not at all unlike us. The same Holy Spirit that delivered us, delivered Abraham from ‘serving other gods.’ Verse 3 says, “Then I took your father Abraham from beyond the River.” The Lord did not ask him, the Lord did not wait for him to decide to follow – the Lord took Abraham. 

There is a mythology that has been built up around Abraham as simply a good and wise fatherly figure who decides to move to Canaan because he wanted to obey God. Partially, I think that well-meaning parents and teachers, who rightly desire children to be good little boys and girls, have taught the patriarchs as if they were mere paragons of virtue that should be imitated. For example, Abraham trusted God so he was willing to sacrifice his own son in order to be obedient. True enough, but not the whole story if we imply that Abraham was only a great moral example of faith. At some point we need our children to recognize that he was hopelessly lost until the Lord ‘took’ him from darkness, ‘beyond the river’ and brought him into the light. 

I am not trying to deconstruct our heroes of the faith but Joshua give us a good reminder that glory is due to our gracious God and not to be given to the works of men. What is on display here is a gracious God who delights in saving weak and undeserving sinners. Let us be careful, when we teach our children about these great men of faith, not to overlook the grace of God through the working of the Holy Spirit that made (makes) faith possible. Robin

Joshua Chapter 23 - Joshua on Grace and Obedience

In a culture that is all about self-esteem and individual exceptionalism this chapter may be hard to accept. It is in our sin nature to exaggerate our accomplishments in order to take as much credit for our situation as possible. Unmerited grace is so hard for worldly men to accept. But for Joshua and those whom the Lord has blessed, we have been granted a more realistic view - we look to Christ and marvel at grace!

Chapters 23 and 24 records two farewell sermons delivered by Joshua to the leading men of Israel. The intent was for these sermons to be re-told to the entire nation. If Joshua merely wanted to assure his place in history he would have listed his accomplishments and perhaps mentioned those folks who influenced him or were helpful. Sort of like what we hear when someone wins an award of excellence or is recognized for some accomplishment - ‘I want to thank my mom, my friends, or my school”. But Joshua, as befits his role as God’s prophet, speaks on a spiritual level – he speaks about God’s grace and in terms of covenant.

1) Grace Joshua reminds them that the Lord had fought for them according to His promise (verse 3) and has driven off those nations who had formerly occupied Canaan (verses 4 & 9) - neither Joshua’s great leadership or their great courage was responsible for their victories but it was all by the power and grace of God. And that grace was in no way merited especially since they had clearly not been faithful in what they were commanded to do: destroy all the wicked Canaanites (verse 12 - “these which remain among you …”). Joshua also explains how the Lord will use even this disobedience to discipline them in the future (verse 13 - “but they will be a snare and a trap to you, and a whip on your sides and thorns in your eyes.” Snares, traps, whips, and thorns do not seem very loving but we are reminded that those whom the Lord loves he disciplines (Hebrews 12:11). 

Even as he acknowledges their unfaithfulness, Joshua reminds them that the Lord is faithful to his covenant, and is ready to continue to work of liberating the land (verse 5). Joshua is saying that even though it is true that some Canaanites continue to remain, and in some places still very strongly situated, the Lord has given every encouragement to the people that He will continue to fight for them. A natural question must have occurred to Joshua, that is, since the great army was disbanded and the men of war had turned each one to his tribe, how might they wage war again? The Lord’s answer was this: “One of your men puts to flight a thousand, for the LORD your God is He who fights for you, just as He promised you” (verse 10). The lack of a mighty army was not the deciding factor – “The king is not saved by a mighty army; A warrior is not delivered by great strength”  (Psalm 3:16).

2) Obedience Joshua reminds them of the importance of obedience. In verse 6 Joshua reminds the people of what the Lord had already said to him and the words he had passed on to them many times since - “be strong and very courageous; be careful to do according to all the law which Moses My servant commanded you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, so that you may have success wherever you go” (Joshua 1:7). This reminder is not some sort of Old Testament legalism since the Lord Jesus Christ also makes a very similar comment to the disciples and to us, “If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love; just as I have kept My Father's commandments and abide in His love” (John 15:10). Joshua also give a prophetic warning, do not “… mention the name of their gods, or make anyone swear by them, or serve them, or bow down to them” (verse 7) and continues with the consequences of disobedience, “When you transgress the covenant of the LORD your God, which He commanded you, and go and serve other gods and bow down to them, then the anger of the LORD will burn against you, and you will perish quickly from off the good land which He has given you” (verse 16). As prophet Joshua was foretelling exactly what did happen to the later generations of Israel.

3) Old Age As he is about to pass from this world (“today I am going the way of all the earth” verse 14), Joshua makes several passionate pleas for believers:

a. to be firm and not turn from the righteous path (verse 6),

b. to cling to the Lord (verse 8),

c. to love the Lord your God (verse 11),

d. and to trust the Lord for He is faithful (verse 14).

Consider This:

1) Grace Just as the Israelites could not credit the great general Joshua or their individual bravery for past victories, we also cannot claim any merit to obtain God’s favor for salvation. Nor do we merit God’s favor in our present situation. For whatever we have received we have obtained by the grace of God. In a culture that is all about self esteem and individual exceptionalism this is a hard saying. Keeping grace in mind, we obtain great assurance of our proper place in the world. It is my opinion that verse 10 is often mis-quoted to imply that Christian have some sort of special power that assures the Lord’s assistance in whatever they might attempt. If we think that humankind is the measure of all things perhaps we might also think God is obligated to grant us worldly success.

A more biblical view is that this verse bears on the fact that the true church will usually appear powerless in the face of opposition. In the context of this sermon, Joshua is again reminding them that the Lord is the one who fights for His people. Yes, as believers, we are under His protection in whatever situation may come. Yes, we know He is working all things for His glory and for our good. And yes, even when we are unfaithful, God is faithful and through Christ we are no longer subject to rejection. Because of this we no longer see difficulties or suffering as punishment but rather as blessed discipline or His loving school of righteousness. But lack of riches or lack of popularity or even sickness ought not cause us to despair or fear that we are under God’s wrath. We trust a God who is too wise to be mistaken and too good to be unkind. Ultimately, we do not fear death because God will prevent our death—our fear of death is diminished because we know that God will sustain us through death and will deliver us into eternal life. With that bigger perspective, everything else becomes less significant as our faith increases.

2) Obedience We are made right with God not because of anything we have done – including our right decision to accept His offer of salvation. Of course, every believer must ’follow Christ’ and that is an act of our will. But no one follows Christ without the Holy Spirit first giving them a ’new’ heart that imparts that desire. As we saw in John 15:10, following Christ necessarily means we have a desire to keep his commandments. Keeping his commandments, especially for the new believer, means church membership and baptism; and progressive sanctification in holiness throughout his or her life. For one who refuses to join a fellowship of believers or refuses to be baptized or one who cares not for holiness: there is no assurance of salvation. For the converted, those who truly desires to follow Christ, there is great assurance of being justified with a changed heart which is the gift of God. Also, like the ancient Israelites, the Lord is faithful even when we are unfaithful. The Lord continues that work of sanctification throughout the believers’ life. Though we stumble and fall, the Lord will continue to fight for us.

3) Old Age In his old age, with death approaching Joshua said, “Now behold, today I am going the way of all the earth …” (verse 14). Look at this from the point of view of those who were listening to this sermon. They had followed Joshua since first entering the land of Canaan, crossing the river Jordan. Joshua was the visible hero for them – the shadow of the Christ to come – the liberator, the great warrior, the judge, and the prophet. All those things that the Christ to come would eventually fulfill in a greater manner by far. His sermon deliberately pointed the people away from himself toward greater fidelity to the Lord. Joshua recognizes that there is a powerful urge for men to focus on the Christ-like attributes of his leadership. He was concerned that with his death, they might be discouraged and might even forsake the true God. Joshua uses words like, be firm, cling to, love, and trust the Lord to encourage the people to true worship.

In our day there is also a great temptation to attribute Christ-like powers to men in leadership. It is also powerfully gratifying for men to accept the adulation of people. True, we should give proper respect and honor men in leadership, whether the husband, the father, the elders, or others in authority (Exodus 20:12). But the fifth commandment may never supersede the first commandment. “You shall have no other gods before Me” (Exodus 20:3). Men in authority are given to us by God. Our temptation is to give them powers that exceed their proper limits. How else do we explain political leaders who repeatedly lie and yet continue to receive support from followers? How else do we explain religious leaders who, for many years, participate in egregious acts of immorality and yet have devoted followers who are willing to overlook ungodly behavior? The failure of our Christian leaders often precipitates many to doubt their faith. A realistic view of church leadership will recognize that all believers will struggle with sin throughout life in this world.

The fact that all believers will struggle with sin helps us to recognize the great value of church membership. Formal association with fellow believers is one of the means of grace that encourages all of God’s people toward holiness.

The other critical extreme is those who take great delight in pointing out every failure or error on the part of their leaders. Jesus spoke of those who “… look at the speck that is in your brother's eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye?” (Matthew 7:3). As believers we ought to be those who are willing to extend grace especially as recipients of that greater grace (see Jesus answer to Peter’s question about forgiveness in Matthew 18:21-35). Of course, we ought not wink at sin, especially in the local church, but like the apostle said, “My brethren, if any among you strays from the truth and one turns him back, let him know that he who turns a sinner from the error of his way will save his soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins” (James 5:19-20).