Joshua 1–2

To stimulate further engagement with the Word this weekend, let me share a bit of personal history.  When I was struggling as a young Christian teen to read my bible regularly, my dad who loved redemptive history (particularly how we see Christ all over the Old Testament), recommended I read this book along with my studies.  My first thought was "Dad come on this is the OLD Testament, all the action is in the New!" but knowing he was smarter than I was, and feeling a dullness in my soul, I picked it up and read it "tolle lege!" and was I ever encouraged and edified and it began a lifelong appreciation of this obscure Southern Presbyterian preacher Dale Ralph Davis who has now written many books and commentaries and is the former professor of Old Testament at Reformed Theological Seminary, Charlotte.  

If you create a free account on the Internet Archive (which gives you access to lots of great books!), you can actually borrow the ENTIRE book electronically here: No falling words : expositions of the book of Joshua by Davis, Dale Ralph

If you're the "podcast" type, this interview with Davis may give you a flavour.

Joshua 4–5

Just a simple observation today. It’s hard to imagine succeeding a very successful leader. Moses was considered one of the greatest leaders in all of Israel’s history. The question is why. Was he such a great man? He certainly failed and was not allowed to enter the promised land because of his sin. I think the answer is found today in our text. Moses’s shoes were big ones to fill but, it was God that qualified Joshua to fill them. And He did:

“On that day the Lord exalted Joshua in the sight of all Israel, and they stood in awe of him just as they had stood in awe of Moses, all the days of his life.”
‭‭Joshua‬ ‭4‬:‭14‬ ‭ESV‬‬
https://bible.com/bible/59/jos.4.14.ESV

No leader is irreplaceable except God. He is the true Shepherd of His people. He will provide the leaders we need to accomplish His purposes. CBC let’s pray for the men we are discipling and for the next pastor(s) of Covenant Baptist Church whomever they may be that they would be godly and faithful men and that God would raise them up for His glory

Question: Deuteronomy 32:8-9 then 32:12. Could you enlighten me on these verses?

Answer: What you touch on is actually a large (and beautiful) subject of Covenant Theology. A good reference would be "The Mystery of Christ: His Covenant and His Kingdom" by Sam Renihan. But briefly:

In Dt. 32:8-9 and Dt. 32:12 We need to see Israel through the lens of redemptive history. They are a "typological covenant people" that point forward to the New Covenant people (i.e. the Church), but they are not the substance. In other words, they are a type and shadow of the fullness of the church. So "Jacob is his allotted heritage" refers to national Israel in the Old Covenant and is not yet the fulfillment of God's redemptive promise that we see in the New Covenant. They have a unique, set apartness in that at this point in history, they are directly governed by God (something newer political entities like the modern nation state of Israel are not). National theocratic Israel at this stage in Bible history is directly governed by God (they have no king, they are led only by prophets (Moses and Joshua at the time) as they prepare to fulfill the Abrahamic Covenant which is to be a blessing to all nations through the coming of the Messiah (promised in Gal. 3:16). This does not mean that Israel in Dt. was the church but they as an Old Covenant people typologically point forward to the fullness of God's covenant rescue plan which is the New Covenant church that Christ establishes in the New Testament which includes believing Jews and Gentiles. In other words, they are a prototype, or precursor. The New Covenant church is something greater than the New Covenant, which supersedes the Old (Jeremiah 31-32).

Another helpful book would be "The Israel of God" by O Palmer Robertson, but as it's Presbyterian, there would be some differences.

Joshua 7–8

It is important for us to see that sin affects the whole of the body of Christ, and this is why it is important (as we heard on Sunday morning from our series in James 5:19-20) to be our brothers and sisters' keepers. The Israelites expected a great victory after Jericho, only to be defeated at Ai. But they were defeated before the battle, as they were spiritually compromised. Here's a little devotional article from Ligonier on today's text: Achan’s Sin at Ai 

Joshua 10–11

The conquest must have been truly something to be seen. Imagine that you are in an army fighting, and you see the enemy getting away. Too often, we think that way in terms of the bad guys winning. Look at how they are living - but just as Asaph in Psalm 73 discerns, they cannot escape God. The God of all righteousness will do right. We don't need to get bent out of shape and become avengers of justice, because the justice of God is so complete. Imagine seeing your escaping enemies getting away, and all of a sudden, rocks come down and destroy them from heaven. There's no escape from the God of all the earth. What power! He is no namby-pamby God that can be ignored and rebelled against. He is the true justice warrior. Slow to anger, abounding in steadfast love, but also to be properly seen as a consuming fire of justice.

Do you sometimes struggle with all the details in these chapters? Dale Ralph Davis has a little helpful thought for you on 11:1–5:

Think carefully about verses 1–5 for a moment and then come at them again. Have you ever wondered why the writer spills so much ink and wanders into such particular detail? Why does he take up so much of your time to specify various kings, to identify locations, to indicate ethnic groups opposing Israel? Why does he dwell on the massing of their numbers and their armaments? Why didn’t the writer give you a break and make your Bible lighter and study brevity by saying, ‘King Jabin summoned his confederates and their armies in order to make a massive assault on Israel’? But then the text would lose its punch. You see, it is precisely in reading this extended, detailed, particularising description of Israel’s opposition that you begin to feel how overwhelming the enemy is, to sense in line upon line fashion the almost hopeless situation Israel faces. (More often than we know the Bible wants to impress our imaginations rather than merely inform our brains).

Want to read more? You can always borrow the book electronically this weekend to reflect some more on this book. As posted before:
If you create a free account on the Internet Archive (which gives you access to lots of great books!), you can actually borrow the ENTIRE book electronically here.

Joshua 14–15

Just a quick note today. God keeps His word. That's it. Joshua 14 is a fulfillment to Caleb of God's promise way back in Numbers 14:24. Take that with you today. God keeps His word. Trust Him. Follow Him

Joshua 16–17

Following yesterday's readings, we see again God's faithfulness to Joseph's sons Manasseh and Ephraim and promises made way back in Genesis 49, but it takes into account the sin of Reuben, and because of this, Manasseh and Ephraim get more of an inheritance. (For more on Joseph's sons and why exactly they got what they got - which is always exactly right, merciful and just in God's Providence see this short devotional from Ligonier: The Sons of Joseph 

But there's also an important contrast in these chapters that is worth noting - God keeps his promises to the letter and more (!), but the Israelites do not do their part to clear the land and follow God's instructions (possibly because they coveted slave labour). They also complain about the size of their inheritance (which was a pure gift). Wholeheartedness is a biblical theme, and we would do well ourselves to be wholehearted in our pursuit of the Lord and His promises in our own lives, grateful for His merciful provision.

Also, notice a cool detail: that the women are always provided for, no matter what their cultural or societal status - God provides for their care in Joshua 17:3 as Zelophehad's daughters get their share even though Zelophehad had no sons. Being a daughter of the King of Kings is just as valuable and important as being a son.

Tonight's Session on Joshua

We did the whole book of Joshua tonight and covered a bunch of things. It was a joy once again to engage in it with you all and to have a good discussion. To those who weren't able to attend (some who love the charts, here were the slides that generated the most discussion and interaction. The first is the outline of the book as we traced the geography of the book and its movement through the Promised Land. The second slide is another way of organizing the book through the "visual bible" that Joshua gave the people in the memorial stones erected throughout the conquest. The third slide formed a large part of the discussion tonight on "Defending the conquest biblically" to talk about how God used Israel as a judicial instrument among the nations and to preserve it. We looked specifically at biblical texts that explained this use of Israel by God as we thought through the conquest itself.

I also shared this video on the archaeology of the city of Jericho and how it matches the Biblical account: Amazing Evidence of The Walls of Jericho Found!

Question: 

What do passages such as Joshua 5:1 mean when they say that when the other Kings and people heard of the Lord’s actions for Israel “their hearts melted and there was no longer any spirit in them?”

Answer: 

1) The heart's melting is a fulfillment of God's prophecy in Deut. 2:25 "This day I will begin to put the dread and fear of you on the peoples who are under the whole heaven, who shall hear the report of you and shall tremble and be in anguish because of you."
2) The collapse described in the melting heart is a result of what it's like to oppose God. It's an utter and complete defeat. That may yield ultimate victory, like it did in Rahab's case, where she conceded the greatness of God and followed him in obedience, or defeat, in the Canaanites who remained in their idolatrous ways
3) It is felt by ALL who oppose God, even at times God's people - Israel, "melted" after the sin of Achan as discussed in Joshua 7:5

The way to avoid melting is to submit to God like Rahab did and not like her fellow city citizens did. Fear God as your God, keep His commandments and do not oppose Him by sinful action. Instead, submit, worship and delight in Him that you may also know all the benefits of His steadfast love, mercy and true justice in Jesus Christ.

Joshua 21-22

1. Joshua 21:43-45 is the theological climax of the book - "not one word of all the good promises that the Lord had made...had failed, all came to pass..."
   For us: Don't doubt God's word. Trust it. Live by it. Unlike everything else in life doesn't end or fail.
2. The Levites have no land given to them as the priests of the nation. They are distributed among the tribes, and their cities are places of refuge. Worship was to be everywhere, and Israel's spiritual leadership was integral to its establishment as a nation.
   For us: We would do well to pray that the Lord would help us raise up more spiritual leadership in the church and across our nation. Our greatest need for human flourishing in our nation of Canada is actually spiritual assets, not material ones.
3. The potential for disunity in the church is great, as demonstrated by the questions over the establishment of the altar by the Eastern tribes. Clear communication and an emphasis on gracious response are always needed when there is a misunderstanding.
   For us: In humility, think best of others (channelling Phil. 2:5 ff.) before attacking. Seek a fair-minded clarification. This applies not only in the church but in the working world, politics etc. Don't just feed a narrative. Examine and be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry.
   But also, the zeal of the Israelites for pure worship is important too. Be spiritually alert, biblically informed and willing to stand for truth if it is needed (after clarification and gracious engagement).

Joshua 23

Remember today with God, “not one word has failed of all the good things that Yahweh your God promised concerning you.” (V. 14)

In the New Covenant, He has also promised us (you and me - ingrafted Gentiles) something far better than Palestine of old, which was just a type and a shadow of “…[a] city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God” Heb. 11:10.

Look forward to your inheritance this week, even as you meaningfully strive to glorify God in your activity and work this week, serving Him, the people He has put under your responsibility and His church.

Question: 

I came across Joshua 24:19–21 and wondered how to interpret it based on the belief that even in the Old Testament, we are saved by faith and not by works.

Answer:

• This is a pastoral type warning, not a statement on the means of salvation. Joshua is exposing their self-confidence, not denying grace. Essentially saying: "Do you get this - He will not take this lightly." This is similar to Jesus in Luke 14:25-33. He's pressing them to treat God's covenant blessings and curses seriously.
• This passage reflects Old Covenant theology and not works-based salvation. Dt. 28 has blessings and curses for obedience/disobedience.
• Faith here is expressed in obedience - failure to obey demonstrates a lack of covenant faith.
• V.19 is a warning, conditional and not absolute. See Heb.10:26-27 - "if we go on sinning..."
• Faith and works go together, but salvation is always by faith through grace. Faith leads to obedience.