Attack on Gibeon

Joshua 10

As we have discussed earlier – Joshua’s strategy for conquering Canaan was first to split the land by attacking Jericho and Ai first – disrupting the coordination between those many adversaries and also, probably more importantly, disrupting trade routes between the various cities which in turn, preventing those armies the necessary supplies such as food, water, and the movement of armed men. This strategy undoubtedly provided some ‘shock and awe’ value as evidenced by the reaction of the Gibeonites – we read in chapter 10 that the other nations believed that the men of Gibeon were ‘mighty’ in warfare! Of all the city-states in Canaan they might have been the most able to put up a mighty army yet they were also the most eager to make peace. After conquering Jericho and Ai and making a treaty with Gibeon the nation of Israel occupied the central plateau of Canaan and could threaten both the northern and southern confederacies.

And that brings us to the start of Chapter 10 –

Now it came about when Adoni-zedek king of Jerusalem heard that Joshua had captured Ai, and had utterly destroyed it (just as he had done to Jericho and its king, so he had done to Ai and its king), and that the inhabitants of Gibeon had made peace with Israel and were within their land, that he feared greatly, because Gibeon was a great city, like one of the royal cities, and because it was greater than Ai, and all its men were mighty. Therefore Adoni-zedek king of Jerusalem sent word to Hoham king of Hebron and to Piram king of Jarmuth and to Japhia king of Lachish and to Debir king of Eglon, saying, “Come up to me and help me, and let us attack Gibeon, for it has made peace with Joshua and with the sons of Israel.” the five kings of the Amorites, the king of Jerusalem, the king of Hebron, the king of Jarmuth, the king of Lachish, and the king of Eglon, gathered together and went up, they with all their armies, and camped by Gibeon and fought against it.

Why is Adoni-zedek, king of Jerusalem fearful? This king recognized that Israel’s treaty with Gibeon and the previous destruction of Jericho and Ai provided Joshua with a wedge between the northern and southern confederacies. Furthermore, they now possessed a strategically dominating presence on the central plateau of Canaan. He could see the writing on the wall, so to speak, and was determined not to allow further incursions of these foreign invaders. He determined to re-take Gibeon with hopes that by doing so he may retain some of those ‘mighty’ Gibeonite warriors including their supplies and arms for the defense of his land.

Remember, from the previous chapter in the book of Joshua, that the Gibeonites, in requesting a treaty with Israel (Joshua 9:11) were also submitting themselves and their countrymen as subjects to a stronger power, namely the conquering nation of Israel (see also verse 11 where they state, “we are your servants”) and in their submission to Israel they were also submitting themselves to God. As submissive subjects, they were officially agreeing to pay tribute and honor due their stronger partner and in exchange Israel would take responsibility for their protection. All in all, a fair deal considering the other option was extinction!

As we read chapter 10 the drama builds as the narrative reveals the first consequence of this unwise treaty between Israel and Gibeon.

Then the men of Gibeon sent word to Joshua to the camp at Gilgal, saying, “Do not abandon your servants; come up to us quickly and save us and help us, for all the kings of the Amorites that live in the hill country have assembled against us.”

So the men of Gibeon appealed to the treaty – in exchange for their tribute and honor they expected Israel to assist in the defense of their land. In God’s providence this served to advance the next part of Joshua’s strategy – the conquering of Southern Canaan. Nevertheless, it must have seemed a bit of an imposition since the treaty ink was barely dry and the sting of deception remained in the air.

Verse 7 tells us that Joshua, “he and all the people of war with him and all the valiant warriors” went to the defense of Gibeon. They made a promise to the people of Gibeon and they were more than willing to put aside any past bitterness for the opportunity to be useful in the cause.

Verse 8 the Lord said to Joshua, “Do not fear them, for I have given them into your hands; not one of them shall stand before you.” This is the same promise that the Lord gave to Joshua in Chapter 1, verse 5. Do you wonder why the Lord gave this promise again?

Application 1 The Lord’s repetition of His promise to Joshua is typical. In the days of old, as well as in our day, the Lord’s way of reassuring his children is not by revealing some new truth that has never been known. The Lord delights in reminding us, through Scripture, of his many promises. That is what God’s people need: not some new truth but the old truth freshly applied to our current needs. And that is primarily the work of the preacher!

Application 2: Notice that though the promise is for victory, Joshua still engages his mind and body toward the battle. Some might wrongly equate God’s sovereignty with the notion that, ‘if God already has ordained the outcome, why should I make the effort?’ This Old Testament saint, brother Joshua, entertains no such thought! He actively strategizes and organizes, and prays, with maximum effort to assure victory.

Next month, Lord willing, we will look at the battle and Joshua’s extraordinary request ...

Robin

Encounter with the Gibeonites

Joshua 9

This narrative is an entertaining read and has all the attributes of a great story including a dramatic conflict, the discovery of a conspiracy, a hero and a villain, and a grand resolution with a delightfully ironic ending. This is a true story but in its telling we see the skill of the writer as he captures our imagination! Since it is scripture, we take seriously the promise that “All scripture is profitable … for training in righteousness” (2 Timothy 3:16) and make spiritual application to the place where we stand right now.

Let’s review the narrative. The Gibeonites actually lived about 25 miles from where the Israelites are camped. They are aware of the conquest of Jericho and Ai (verse 3) and are also aware of Israel’s foreign policy including Moses’ command to destroy all the inhabitants of Canaan (Deuteronomy 20:16-18). Likewise, they have heard of the directive that the Israelites may offer terms of peace to cities who are “…very far from you, which are not cities of the nations here” (Deuteronomy 20:15). Apparently believing resistance is futile, the elders of Gibeon (verse 11), devise a scheme to trick Joshua and the sons of Israel into granting a covenant or treaty of peace. Dressing themselves to make it appear they have travelled a long distance, all goes well as the ‘diplomats’ of Gibeon meet with Joshua. Joshua expresses some concern that they might be imposters and asks a direct question, “Who are you and where do you come from?” (verse 8). They claim to have come from a long distance and also state that they have respect for the God of Israel (verse 9). After three days the sons of Israel discover the truth but are restrained from revenge because of the covenant they previously made. When Joshua confronts them with the truth, the Gibeonite diplomats make their defense and throw themselves at the mercy of Joshua. Joshua proclaims the curse and defines the terms of the treaty or covenant between the Gibeonites and the Israelites. They are destined to be slaves forever for the Israelites, but they may not be killed.

Application #1. Most commentators will point to verse 14 where the text plainly states that the men of Israel, “… did not ask for the counsel of the LORD.” And that is something very relevant to our lives: we have the completed canon of Scripture and therefore do not expect audible or an extra-biblical ‘word’ on what we ought to do. However, we do have an all-sufficient Bible to consult when making life’s many decisions. Granted, some decisions require wisdom guided by general scriptural principles rather than specific direction. For example, when our single brothers ponder marriage, they shouldn’t search the Scripture for her name! But searching the Bible for principles and concepts pertaining to the marriage relationship would be wise. Just as the decision to make treaty with the Gibeonites must have seemed easy to Joshua, some decisions seem obvious to us. Other decisions we agonize and struggle through. Yet taking a casual attitude toward scriptural admonitions and commands are dangerous on both ‘easy’ and ‘hard’ decisions! Joshua and the sons of Israel were, in fact, unwise because they did not ask the counsel of the LORD. We, also, would be unwise if we fail to look for and follow the counsel of the LORD given through the Bible. Sometimes we do not have because we do not ask (James 4:2).

Application #2. Lies and deception may fool men for a time but eventually the truth will come to light. Lies and deception are sin, and sin has its eternal and temporal consequences - for the Gibeonites they were condemned to slavery. For us, we may enjoy the fruit of sin for a time but we should remember the law of the harvest – what things we do now we also will receive back in the future (Hosea 8:7).

Application #3. There is no mention of a king of Gibeon. Those who devised and implemented the plan were only, “our elders and all the inhabitants of our country” (verse 11). In verse 1 and 2 of Joshua chapter 9, we see that ‘Kings’ of Canaan met together and allied themselves with “one accord to fight with Joshua and with Israel”. I am thinking that the kings of Canaan were fighting out of pride while the elders of Gibeon were acting out of concern for the people who would possibly suffer and perish if they joined the Canaanite alliance. Here we see an example of common grace where wisdom is found in many counselors rather than in concentrated in one, possibly prideful, man. So we too ought to seek godly counsel when facing decisions.

Application #4. We have a great reminder of the sovereignty of God in not only events of nations but also in the hearts of men and women. One might think that these kings who have assembled an alliance of war against Israel might have been impressed with the fall of two of the major cities in central Canaan but, to the contrary, we see that great principle of Scripture where God does indeed harden the hearts of the proud and soften the hearts of the humble. We have the kings of Ai and Bethel who stubbornly fight and the dear Rahab who submits, makes the great confession, and is saved!

So what do we make of these Gibeonites who decide to ‘trick’ their way into peace? They did lie and in the end they admitted to their lie, but were they merely elaborating in that lie when they stated that they came, “… because of the fame of the LORD your God…” (verse 9) or were they stating something profound? I would like to suggest that this statement was, in fact, a statement acknowledging the sovereignty of the one true God and furthermore, a statement of submission to Jehovah, the God of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Joshua.

They decided against joining the other nations in a defensive war against the Israelites. It seems obvious that they had a sense that their destruction was sure and I see that as recognition of their belief that the scriptures were true - they were aware of the Lord’s promise to Moses since they also confessed that, “… the LORD your God had commanded His servant Moses to give you all the land, and to destroy all the inhabitants of the land before you.” They were also aware of the exemption for cities, “which are not cities of the nations here” (Deuteronomy 20:15). I can only presume that, in their minds, the only choice was between trickery and war. There is no great mystery as to why they chose the former! Was there another choice that was offered? We are not told that in this narrative but we get a hint from chapter 2 where Rahab turned to Jehovah and received mercy. In fact, the language used by Rahab and the language used by these Gibeonite diplomats are similar (compare Joshua 2:10-11 and what the diplomats said in Joshua 9:9-10). At any rate, it seems to me that they recognized their guilt and the righteous judgment of God which hung over their heads like a cloud of wrath. Their neighbors decided to rebel against the judgment of God; they decided to appeal for mercy. They received mercy upon mercy since their ‘curse’ involved serving in proximity to the true worship of the true God – imagine the opportunities as they cut wood and delivered water, “for the house of my God … and the altar of the LORD …” (verse 23 & 27). I can imagine hearing the formerly condemned Gibeonites and their descendants say, “I would rather stand at the threshold of the house of my God than dwell in the tents of wickedness” (Psalm 84:10).

Application #5. The way to avoid judgment is to meet it with humility, repentance, and submission to the mercy of God. In requesting a treaty with Israel (verse 9), they were also submitting themselves and their countrymen as subjects to a stronger power, namely the conquering nation of Israel (see also verse 11 where they state, “we are your servants”) and in their submission to Israel they were also submitting themselves to God. As submissive subjects, they were officially agreeing to pay tribute and honor due their stronger partner and in exchange Israel would take responsibility for their protection. All in all, a fair deal considering the other option was extinction!

Matthew Henry helps me with this application to unbelievers:

“Unbelievers, you are also under the cloud of justice and are rightly condemned to eternal wrath. Imitate these Gibeonites, and make your peace with God in the rags of humiliation, godly sorrow, and mortification, so your iniquity shall not be your ruin. Be servants to Jesus, the blessed Joshua, and make a league with him and the Israel of God, and you shall live.”

And I say, believers, be reminded of what great mercy you have received! We came to Him in our rags; with dried out food that was not fit for consumption; with shoes that were ragged and feet weary with fruitless wandering; and with wineskins full of holes that could not hold wine. Formerly you and I were under the same cloud of righteous justice, now we are clothed in white robes with the righteousness of Christ (Revelation 22:14); we are fed the bread of life (John 6:58); we now walk in new shoes in the path of the One who also walked in our shoes as fully man and fully God (Hebrews 4:15-16); we drink from the sparkling well of living water (Song of Solomon 4:15 & John 7:37). We too, should be encouraged as servants of Christ Jesus - submitting to Him as our sovereign in exchange for His protection and for His provision.

Conclusion: The treaty had established Israel as suzerain, and Gibeon as a subject people. Joshua was thus within his rights to condemn the Gibeonites to perpetual slavery as “woodcutters and water carriers.” What happened to the Gibeonites? This small group of Canaanite people survived through the era of the Judges into the period of the Kings. Some 400 years after the treaty was made, King Saul rashly tried to exterminate them. Later they demanded David surrender seven of Saul’s descendants to be hanged to expiate Saul’s violation of the ancient treaty. David felt obligated to comply (2 Samuel 21). Even an ancient oath, sworn in God’s name, must be honored by future generations.

Robin

Achan’s Sin

Joshua 7

Chapter 7 opens with the statement, “But the sons of Israel acted unfaithfully…” (NAS) and we are presented with a dramatic turn of events in the life of Joshua and the conquest of the Promised Land. The capture and destruction of Jericho was marvelously accomplished with an overwhelming act of God in judgment toward unbelievers and an overwhelming act of mercy and grace toward believing Rahab and her family, and yet here in the next chapter we have such a devastatingly negative statement. How could a people who have seen such wonderful works of God so soon turn in unfaithfulness?

Looking at a map of the land of Canaan it looks like an elongated crescent shape of land with its western border the Great Sea (Mediterranean Sea) and bordered in the east by the River Jordan – north to Lebanon and south to below the Dead Sea. It makes strategic sense to start a campaign of conquest by dividing the country in half – so Jericho was the central city dividing the land into northern and southern parts. Jericho was in the valley of the Jordan and so to drive westward, cutting the country in two, he needed to take the higher ground above Jericho – the city of Ai. In a wise move, with precedent from his recent experience with Jericho, he sends spies to check out possible resistance from the people of Ai. They return with a favorable reply, “Do not let all the people go up; only about two or three thousand men need go up to Ai; do not make all the people toil up there, for they are few” (v. 3).

Some commentators suggest that this was bad advice but we don’t see any condemnation from the scripture here so I see this as a reasonable consideration. Remember that Joshua and his men did not learn of Achan’s sin and therefore had every expectation of continued success – they were living in light of the last verse in chapter 6 – “So the Lord was with Joshua, and his fame was in all the land.” So it is reasonable, since this was a smaller city and the route to battle involved climbing steep and narrow passes, that a smaller army would be more nimble and more than able, with God’s continued help, to defeat the enemy. A large army might have had difficulty making the approach and, in God’s kind providence, a smaller number would face defeat at the hands of the men of Ai - fewer men would die. But I am jumping ahead …

Why was God displeased with the sons of Israel? We recall, in chapter 6, the ‘ban’ on the city of Jericho – two things were required: all living things were to be destroyed (nothing was to be spared) and all material things were to be put into the treasury of the Lord. I find it curious that apparently no one committed the sin of allowing one to live who was condemned to die – we learn in the very beginning of chapter 7 that the sin committed was to take “some things” that were to be devoted to the Lord! Either sin probably would have equally displeased the Lord. Isn’t it interesting that here it was the 10^th Commandment that was violated. We are quick to covet something that is not our own, and, in this case, Achan was coveting something that he did not own, but even more frightening, he coveted something that was the Lord’s own by divine decree!

Ironically, when the sin of Achan was uncovered and God’s judgment was executed, the next thing commanded was to take the city of Ai – and “its spoil and its cattle as plunder for yourselves” (8:2). If Achan would just have obediently waited he would have had all the plunder he might desire. And are we so different than Achan? Tell me that we are not an impatient people wanting many things and being discontented with what the Lord has, in his divine timing, given us. Is this not an act of unbelief? Is it not sin when we doubt that the Lord knows our true needs and will provide all things necessary? Sure, we have the responsibility to work and do the things necessary to live and working to have a better home or clothes, etc. is not wrong. I’m talking about those things out of our control; those things that we think we ought to be able to control or produce; things that only God can provide. When our desires and God’s commands are in conflict we must be resolved to think more highly of God than our own desires. Clearly, Achan was foolishly thinking that he could simultaneously satisfy his own desire and hide this little bit of covetousness from his neighbors and from God.

So back to the beginning of chapter 7: why did they lose the battle of Ai and why did (v. 5) thirty six men have to die for Achan’s sin? First let’s consider Joshua’s reaction to the defeat: he asks the Lord the question, “why?” and follows that with a strange echo of the spies response to that first expedition into the land of Canaan – they came back with a similar report about ‘giants’ in the land and the question “Why is the LORD bringing us into this land, to fall by the sword? Our wives and our little ones will become plunder; would it not be better for us to return to Egypt?” (Numbers 14:3). Compare that with Joshua’s question, “Alas, O Lord GOD, why did You ever bring this people over the Jordan, only to deliver us into the hand of the Amorites, to destroy us? If only we had been willing to dwell beyond the Jordan!” (v. 7). What happened to the brave Joshua? Like Peter on the water, and like ourselves, he begins to sink when the storms come and when the cold wind blows. Yes, Joshua is flesh and blood just like us – reading through this section it almost appears that Joshua is trying to blame God for this defeat!

But now the Lord of Host speaks sharply and rebukes him, “Rise up! Why is it that you have fallen on your face? Israel has sinned…” (v. 10-11) and he learns the answer to the question, ‘why!’ Israel has sinned. Does that sound odd to you? Were you under the impression that Achan sinned? Why the accusation to the nation? But then, why is Joshua surprised that sin was the problem here? And why also are you surprised that the sin of one man had infected the whole community of Israel? Did not the sin of Adam corrupt the whole world? Was not sin the cause of the Great Flood that destroyed all mankind except the family of Noah? Did not sin cause the destruction of the city of Jericho? It almost seems as if the Lord is saying to Joshua, ‘why are you whining and accusing me, as you must surely know that sin is the cause of all trouble and sorrow, you must also know that you ought to be searching for the source of the sin among the people!’

Now I am not saying that the sin of an individual today will necessarily cause the whole community to be subject to punishment – but I am saying that we ought to consider what lesson there is in this narrative for communities (churches) of believers today. When the presence of God is removed from our worship and church family life I think we ought to consider the possibility that we are, in some way, displeasing God. Sometimes the felt presence of the Lord is removed for a season to test or grow us, and that is no fault of our own but something to endure by faith. But in either case it ought to cause us to ask questions such as: are we worshipping in an unworthy manner? Is there known or public sin going on in our church? I am saying that some sin is not public and we may never become aware of it but some sin is public and known. Known and/or public sin ought to be dealt with in a biblical manner. We are not given the divine means that Joshua was given – a family by family search. But we are given biblical means of church discipline and we see here an encouragement toward being faithful as a church to pursue church discipline when appropriate. Have you ever experienced the loss of the felt presence of God in your own life or the life of your family? When living through times like these; when the Lord appears to turn His face away; whether in a church or in your private life, we know that the Lord is working all things out ultimately for His glory and for our good. Whether you are displeasing the Lord or perhaps He is testing and growing you, either way it would be a good time for you to seek the Lord. Is there some way you are displeasing to the Lord? Confess and turn from your sin. Have you examined yourself and, like Job, judge yourself faithful? Then your duty is to simply endure by faith and wait on the Lord.

We are so careless about sin and we spend little time trying to discern its presence in ourselves – we are no better than Joshua in this sense. But after his conversation with the Lord, Joshua was faithful to act. He made a diligent search, family by family, for the sin in the camp and eventually coming to Achan’s tent and confronting Achan with his sin.

Imagine what that must have been like for Achan – sin in a crowd is easy to conceal. We so easily imagine that our sin is either hidden or insignificant. In a culture where many sins are laughed about and feelings of guilt are considered psychologically damaging we are so very much tempted to imagine our sin as no big deal. Did Achan think that because his action did not actually hurt anyone it was not a big deal? Perhaps Achan thought he was entitled to take just a few things for his family because of his effort in the battle – after all, conquering the city it involved some risk and besides, a couple of bars of silver and gold plus a new outfit wasn’t a big deal considering all the riches captured in the battle. And hidden beneath his tent he felt sure that no one, except his family, would ever know what he had done. Imagine now his concern when it became known that Commander Joshua was doing a family by family search for the sin that caused the defeat. Did he begin to wonder if his own sin might be uncovered? Or did he think perhaps it was someone else’s sin? Sometimes we sin because we see others’ casual attitude about sin. It is possible that before or during the battle Achan overheard others complaining about the waste or perhaps about how they ought to be entitled to a share of the plunder? Even if they technically did not steal from God did their own grumbling words contribute to Achan’s wretched decision? Is it possible that our own casual attitudes toward sin have unintentionally encouraged others to sin? I think it possible that Achan thought that many others had stolen and hidden riches as well. Did he think even now that the sins of ‘group’ might be passed over – after all, would the Lord not forgive when so many are involved? But as Commander Joshua went from family to family and narrowed down the search with no one being singled out it became more apparent that Achan would soon face the judge. How his heart must have fallen and how fast his heart began to beat as the inevitability of being discovered came to light. All his previous arguments and excuses for sin began to fall away and he increasingly became naked before the judge. Yes, “…trouble befalls the income of the wicked” (Proverbs 15:6). How dreadful in that day when we must all appear before the Righteous Judge to account for our lives. How blessed is the one who has run to Christ for salvation!

Notice three things about the confrontation between Joshua and Achan:

1) Joshua addressed Achan, “My son …” Joshua now knows how much suffering Achan induced, yet he speaks with fatherly care to this broken-down man. Joshua the Commander sent those 36 men with many others into battle, and it is now clear that it was because of Achan’s sin that they died – Commander Joshua loved those men so how is it that he shows such compassion on Achan? Is it possible that this is one of those small glimpses into the character of Christ? Even though believers may be tempted and may fall, Christ sympathizes with our weakness. And even though the consequences of our sin must be faced, Christ has compassion on His sheep. Even though the Lord created the world and all who would live in that world He had compassion on the one caused its fall - father Adam - and gave him the first promise (Genesis 3:15). Or perhaps Joshua had humbly examined his own heart and knew of a similar temptation that had been, by the grace of God, resisted (1 Corinthians 13)? We do not know whether Achan truly repented and was a believer; all we know is that the consequence of sin in this case was death and apparently he submitted to his rightful punishment.

2) Now when Achan was confronted we do not know whether he was truly repentant or whether he was simply confessing in the hope that it would soften the punishment for what he had done. We do know that he confessed his sin frankly (v. 20-21) and he hid nothing from Joshua before the stolen treasure was uncovered (v. 22). So it is possible that the things that he had stolen formerly were now calling out in condemnation and, under conviction, his heart was changed from loving sin to hating sin as evidenced by his new desire to rid himself of those stolen possessions – he no longer tried to hide the sin: he could not wait to confess and to have the symbols of his rebellion removed from his tent! Joshua knew all along that Achan needed to deal with God in this matter (Proverbs 28:3). But. as we have said, we do not know whether he was a believer or not. We do know that sinners who come to the point of seeing their miserable state of condemnation; who realize that all their excuses and justification for sin are but filthy rags before the Righteous Judge; and who give up any notions of hiding from judgment, are on the threshold of saving faith. The Law did its work on Achan: we know for certain that the Lord was glorified but we do not know whether grace was given to Achan. The Scriptures do teach us that all who recognize and repent of their sin; all who see their need for salvation; and all who put their trust in the Lord, will be saved.

3) When the people of God were asked to execute judgment (v. 25) on him they did not hesitate. And in addition they raised a monument to remind their descendants of the dreadful consequence of disobedience (v. 26). This judgment seems dark and ugly to us today but it is a mere shadow of the coming judgment at the Last Day. We love to think of the Lord’s love and mercy, and that is good and true. But to think on His awful wrath – that is another thing altogether. It is a mystery to consider the infinite love and the infinite righteousness of God existing at the same time but it would be a grave mistake for us to only teach one part without the other. “The LORD is slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love, forgiving iniquity and transgression, but he will by no means clear the guilty …” (Deuteronomy 14:18). Why was Achan’s family also destroyed? We may conjecture but really this is another situation where we ought to take the Apostle Paul’s view of imputation – that even though the principle of imputation became a curse in Adam (all humankind inherits sin and condemnation through Adam’s sin); imputation becomes an even greater blessing in Christ! Those who trust Christ for salvation are ‘imputed’ the righteousness of Christ. ”For if many died through one man's trespass, much more have the grace of God and the free gift by the grace of that one man Jesus Christ abounded for many …” (Romans 5:15) and “so by the one man's (Christ Jesus) obedience the many will be made righteous…” (Romans 5:19). You see now that the Apostle takes the dark view of God’s righteous judgment for sin and turns it toward the glory of His mercy and the eventual undoing of all the horrible effects of sin endured through the ages because of the sinful disobedience of Adam.

Application:

a) We have no idea how our sins may wreck ourselves, our families, our church. We are urged to walk in holiness throughout the scriptures for the glory of God and simultaneously for our own good. What a glorious blessing we have knowing that there is ultimate happiness losing ourselves and gaining the Lord! In any case, without Christ our good works are nothing but filthy rags - trust Christ, and walk with Him in obedience. If you find yourself hating His righteous Law then ask him to give you a new heart - this is a prayer that He delights in granting.

b) Judgment day is coming and nothing is hidden from the eyes of whom we have to make an account on that dreadful day. We may flee to Mt Sinai (a symbol of good works according to the Law) but there is no safety there! - I urge you to flee to Mt Zion (a symbol of the Lord Jesus Christ) and that heavenly resting place in which there is no condemnation but grace through Christ! Repent and believe upon Christ and be saved (Acts 17:30-31)!

c) As individuals and as a church we must judge sin within ourselves - church discipline is an important part of our responsibility and though it is a somber responsibility we know that it is for God’s glory and for our good. The psalm writer said, “Search me, O God, and know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts! And see if there be any grievous way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting!” The word translated ‘grievous’ is better translated ‘wicked’ in this case. So it is proper for individuals and churches ask the Lord to shed light on sins that may be hidden or sins that we may have falsely justified in our own minds.

Robin

Rahab

Joshua Chapter 6

Chapter 6 verses 22 through 25 we get a quick look at salvation in the midst of God’s judgment. Sandwiched in between the notices of Jericho’s destruction is this lovely story of salvation and rescue. Rahab so feared the coming judgment of God (chapter 2 verses 1-21), that she fled to his mercy. Now she received mercy. This pagan gentile and her family now stand within the circle of the chosen people. Why, then, should we be surprised if her God should one day take those who are far off and “bring (them) near by the blood of the Messiah” (Ephesians 2:13)? (Davis, Dale R. No Falling Words, MI Baker Book House: Grand Rapids, , pg 56)

In my mind this woman of faith was more impressive than any other woman in the biblical record for she believed with so little light. She never saw the redeemer; she had no knowledge of the promise made to Abraham and the children of Israel. Furthermore, she had absolutely no support or sympathy from her neighbors except perhaps her own family – we can imagine that her neighbors scoffed at her faith especially during the comical seven day parade encircling those high walls. Yet she persevered in her faith! Now the time had come for her to reap the reward of her faith … in her case it was but a short interval between the sowing and reaping. She was not only spared the destruction of her city but also was adopted into the family of Israel. She became an heir of Abraham’s blessing – she is the only other woman, besides Sarah, the wife of Abraham, included in the role of the faithful in the eleventh chapter of Hebrews. She would not have been included unless she had indeed been ‘changed’ and proven to be one of the elect. We may refer to the book of James, chapter 2 verses 24-25 – “You see that a person is justified by works and not by faith alone. in the same way was not also Rahab the prostitute justified by works when she received the messengers and sent them out by another way?” In this we see that though Rahab made the good confession, she also hid the spies and hung the red chord from her window on that dreadful day. The Apostle James isn’t saying that her works saved her, no, the works that Rahab did originated with the regenerative power of the Holy Spirit and the fact that she did those ‘works’ were ‘proof’ of her conversion.

We don’t know why Rahab was a prostitute but let’s consider some possibilities. There are and were, of course, prostitutes because of greed, prostitutes because of need, and prostitutes because of slavery. A slave prostitute had little choice but this seems not to have been Rahab’s situation. She was free enough to live with her family in her own home. She had the privacy necessary to hide the spies and she apparently had enough freedom to choose to follow Jehovah. Furthermore, we see no evidence of poverty on her part. We don’t get the impression that her family would have starved if she had chosen a different profession. More likely she was motivated by a desire for more … things! Whether it was jewelry, a bigger home, the best food we don’t really know. We do recognize that love for money (stuff) is a great temptation for nearly all.

When Rahab was a little girl she was probably no different that my daughter or yours. Perhaps you can remember your own life as a child - loving life and beauty in all innocence and joy. Yet somewhere and somehow, because of her desire for beautiful things, or a desire to be accepted and loved, or perhaps simply a desire for luxury, the enemy snares her, chains her into sin - deeper and deeper into the mire until she is a hopeless slave to her circumstances. As the Preacher said, “… riches were kept by their owner to his (her) hurt …”(Ecclesiastes 5:13)

By the grace of God, she may eventually see that that her loves have consumed her and now have deserted her. Those things that she loved most, whether pleasure, relationships, luxury – she discovers to her dismay that they provide no lasting joy. A child-like life of joy and contentment now turns into a life of dismal servitude to her lust for more riches. “Can these bones live” (Ezekiel 37:3)? Can such a woman ever find her way to the “King’s chamber” (Song of Solomon 1:4)? That is the glory of the gospel – that dead men and women may live again! Our Lord Jesus Christ said, “For all things are possible with God” (Mark 10:27). The Apostle Paul reminds us that, “… you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God” (1 Corinthians 6:11). So we see that the Lord may change, “the sexually immoral … idolaters ... adulterers ... men who practice homosexuality ... thieves ... the greedy ... drunkards ... revilers ...” (1 Corinthians 6:9-10). “And such were some of you.” The happy feelings of her childhood return to her, as if she had drunk from the River of the Water of Life, and we can imagine she sang like a child again for the joy of her new life!

So now, Rahab with newness of life, begins this new life with the Lord’s people. Verse 23B says, “And they brought all her relatives and put them outside the camp of Israel.”point here is simply that they were to be treated as unclean until the rites of purification would be performed. She was not an actual physical descendant of Abraham – and her past was obviously ‘unclean’ due to her former title: harlot. For both reasons she required the rites of purification. We might be stretching the point a little but might the rite of purification represent the washing of regeneration and the renewal of the Holy Spirit?

Do you suppose her new sisters gave much encouragement to her as she joined the ‘church?’ She was a big unknown from their point of view and surely the ladies knew who she was in her previous life. Perhaps in their minds she was a threat to their marriages and to their children. Furthermore she was of a different race. It is possible that she was given the, ‘cold shoulder’ by her new sisters? If so, was Rahab disappointed to find that the people of God were so suspicious and cold? She had lived in a thoroughly quid pro quo society in Jericho, and would have expected the society of God’s family to be different. She had received grace and mercy from God; she had hoped that this new community might reflect that same grace of God – not the market based trading of affections as in her former life. Would not the foreigner expect the society of God’s people to reflect His love, generosity, purity, and nobility?

If she was treated thus is to her credit that she was not deterred by any of these disappointments. She was apparently more in love with the God who saves and His glorious attributes than the possible failures of his imperfect family! She apparently was looking beyond the fickle attitudes of men; keeping her eyes instead on the unchanging glory of Jehovah. Admiring His grace and power; in doing so insulating herself from the disappointment that comes from looking to people, even God’s people, for satisfaction.

Application:

1. As the Spirit of God moves in revival (are we praying for revival?) we may expect formerly ‘vile’ sinners to be saved. How may we receive such believers? Do our lives reflect the grace of God? It has been said that if the church today would take seriously 1 Corinthians 13, unbelief would vanish. I don’t know about that but if we want to be a serious witness for Christ we might spend less time devising clever ‘evangelistic’ methods and work on this: “Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things” (1 Corinthians 13:4-7). Brother Brandon mentioned a few weeks ago about meeting some youth with Mohawk hair, multiple piercings, and tattoos – these things can become distractions for us but if we desire to be like Christ we will welcome the outcast. With whom did the Lord spend more time – the underclass or the outwardly ‘religious’ and politically powerful? As the Apostle James said, “show no partiality as you hold the faith in our Lord Jesus Christ ..” (James 2:1)

2. Even though we are saved we may also, like the child Rahab, be seduced into thinking that things or persons may give us real joy. Things and persons are not, in themselves, bad things. It is when we put our trust in their ability to satisfy that they become idols – and our God is a jealous God who will not allow any to steal His glory. Idol worship is prohibited primarily because it ‘steals’ God’s glory (and He deserves all glory), but also because idols do not deliver joy and, in fact, idols distract us from true worship and eventually destroy hope and joy.

3. Fellow believers and even our spouses will disappoint us - look to Christ! He will not disappoint.

Robin