God Gives the Victory by Sam Reeve, 12 August 2007, Joshua 5:13-6:27
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Interest rates have gone up again. It's a tough time for people trying
to buy their own home. In some parts of Sydney, they reckon 20% of the
homes on the market are those where people just can't meet payments
any more. It all points to the fact that there is more to home
ownership than simply finding the right place and getting a loan.
There's the difficult task of paying it off, as most of you are all
too painfully aware. Those who move in to their first home almost
always experience great excitement (so I'm told) - at last no more
rent, and in a place of their own that they can alter to suit their
tastes and needs without referring to the owner or the agent.
The Israelites are in the Promised Land at last. They have
miraculously crossed the Jordan river when it was in full flood, with
the Ark of the Covenant, the symbol of God's presence, in place of
prominence to powerfully remind them that God is with them and He has
given them the land. The bread from heaven, the manna, has stopped,
now that they are in the land. But there is still more to happen
before the land can be fully occupied. God has promised that they will
conquer, but they need to trust and obey him. This is powerfully
illustrated by the conquest of the first city, a fortified city, which
they are camped outside. This is what the next section describes for
us in detail. We can learn heaps from this about our own inheriting of
God's kingdom, how it occurs and what our task is every day for the
rest of our lives.
1. The real commander 5:13-15
The first thing that God reminds Joshua of as he prepares for the next
move is that He is in charge of this whole operation. Sometimes we can
get an over inflated view of our own importance in God's work. We
don't know if Josh had done that, but we do know that the Lord
graciously revealed himself to him again and told him clearly who was
the real commander in this battle. The appearance of this man must
have frightened the daylights out of Joshua. Josh is near Jericho -
the city they are coming against. He looks up and suddenly there is a
bloke standing in front of him with a sword drawn. You can imagine
what would run through your mind if you were Josh. Has someone
infiltrated though our security and come to rub out the leader? How
did this bloke get here without me noticing? Is this the end?
Questions aside, Josh is a brave man, and goes up to the bloke and
asks him "Are you for us or our enemies?" Whose side are you on? An
important question to know the answer to when somebody is waving a
sword in your face.
The answer is very clear - "neither". He's there as the commander of
the Lord's army. Even though God has made a covenant with his people
Israel, if they turn away from Him, then the sword could be used
against them. So, in that sense He is not eternally bound to let them
have their way. Joshua understands who he is talking to and falls
facedown, and asks "What message does my Lord have for his servant?".
What is God's word for me? This is the question that every believer
must have on their lips in every situation. What is God's word and
will? Joshua has the humility to ask it and keep on asking it, even
when the times are really tough (as we'll see next week). The
immediate answer is to take off his shoes - where he is standing is
holy ground. He is powerfully reminded, as Moses was too, that His God
is a God of immense and intense holiness. The appropriate response,
indeed the only one, is to humbly recognise that, and express our
reverence and awe. Joshua is powerfully reminded that the real
commander of this battle is the Lord, and the real soldiers are His
army. There is a real sense in which the Israelites will be spectators
in this battle, and yet another sense in which they will be real live
participants on the battlefield as they see God do his victorious work
.
2. Jericho shut tight 6:1
Jericho is under siege. We have already been told that they are scared
stiff. The city is locked down. It's not just that they are scared of
defeat, but it's also symbolic of the fact that they are not open to
Israel's God and his message. Apart from Rahab and her family, who are
expectantly waiting for their rescue, they have closed themselves off
to Him. Rahab trusted in God and is to be saved. But the others have
closed themselves to him. There are many in our world who try to do
that - shut themselves off from God and his good news. It's
disastrous. If we take that stand, we will be overcome in the end,
just as Jericho was, and every other human being who has tried to shut
God out of their lives.
3. God's plan for victory 6:2-5
God unfolds his plan to Joshua. You have to say that it is a pretty
bizarre strategy. It's a bit like the Kiwis doing the Haka before the
game and expecting that the opposition will just roll over and not
bother playing, and give it to them by forfeit. It's not going to
happen - the opposition is going to give them a run for their money
(and hopefully a good hiding, if it's the Aussies playing them!). It
does reinforce what we know from elsewhere in Scripture "My thoughts
are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways" says the Lord
(Is 55:8). That's for sure! This strategy wasn't repeated in any other
place in the conquest of the land, so it's not God's blueprint for
victory in every situation - arguably not in any other. Why does He
order it to be done this way here? There is a hint in v2. "I have
delivered Jericho into your hands". This is the real situation - God
has handed it to them on a plate. The actual taking of it will reflect
that, in the plan of God. It will be abundantly clear to the
Israelites and to the people of Jericho, that this is something that
God is doing. That is why the Ark of the covenant, God's symbolic
presence with the people, has such a prominent place in this drama.
What happens next reflects this. Joshua is.....
4. Trusting God 6:6-26
Joshua, after getting God's plan, doesn't call a meeting of his war
cabinet, or generals, or the chiefs of staff of the forces. He calls
the priests.
· Faith 6:6-20
Joshua acts in simple faith and trust in God's plan and promises. I
think I would have been tempted to have a military back-up plan, just
in case this walking around the city for 7 days thing didn't come off.
But Joshua just goes ahead and organises just as God has told him. He
has total faith in God and his promises. So must we as we live this
side of the cross. Jesus has saved us. There is a real sense in which
we are in his kingdom, if we are believers in Jesus. There is also a
real sense in which we still wait for His kingdom to come, and we live
in faith in God's promises. Simple trust in Him. The writer to the
Hebrews, giving God's view of this whole episode 1400 years later,
says "By faith the walls of Jericho fell, after the people had marched
around them for 7 days" (Heb 11:30)
But it's not just faith that Joshua had to exercise, it was a
particular kind of faith - faith that resulted in obedience to God.
· Obedience 6:22,24,26
God had ordered that everything had to be destroyed. This seems very
harsh. But 400 years before when God promised the land to Abraham, he
said that it wouldn't happen yet because the sins of the people there
had not reached their fulfilment. Later in Deut 9:5 & 20:17,18. He re-
iterates this - that the people in this part of the world are doing
things that are detestable to God, and their defeat in battle is not
just that they lose the fight, but it's the judgment of God on their
sin. What was their sin? Why was their religion so detestable to God?
There are many things but 2 that were particularly offensive were the
degrading of people God created in temple prostitution and in human
sacrifice that was made to their gods. God is implacably opposed to
evil, and it had to be judged. Later, when Israel disobeys and turns
away from God and starts indulging in some of these practices
themselves, they feel the fire of his judgment as they are turfed out
of the land themselves. Even later still, we see how serious this
whole sin thing is to God as He gives up His beloved Son as a
sacrifice to pay for it for those who turn to Him. Sin is a life and
death matter. We take it so lightly, but God doesn't - He is so holy.
So the people followed God's plan and destroyed the people, the city
and everything in it, except those things that were devoted to God -
the metals - they were kept for the treasury of God's house. (24).
Destruction is total and Joshua pronounces a curse on anyone who tries
to rebuild the city. Sadly this comes true about 550 years later in
the time of the evil king Ahab, when a bloke called Hiel of Bethel
rebuilds Jericho and his son Abiram dies when the foundations are
laid, and when the gates are hung, another son Segub dies (1 Kings
16:34).
The people obeyed God - their faith issued in obedience. Well, almost
- next week we are going to see that there was a terrible glitch in
this whole thing, but there's no mention of it yet
· Rescue 6:22-25
In the middle of all this judgment, destruction and carnage, is the
wonderful account of the rescue of Rahab, the prostitute. The king and
the great ones of Jericho didn't have the sense to turn back from
their sin and shutting themselves off from God. But Rahab the
prostitute did. She is rescued - it's part of the battle plan that
Joshua gives to his people - the 2 spies are sent in to rescue her -
they knew her and would be able to go straight to her house. They find
her and her family and they are all safely rescued from the
destruction of the city and the judgment of God. Again, the writer to
the Hebrews tells us that this all happened as a result of faith. It
was Rahab's faith that led her to protect the spies, and trust in
their God, and thus she was saved. "By faith, the prostitute Rahab,
because she welcomed the spies, was not killed with those who were
disobedient" (Heb 11:31). This shows us that the position of the
Canaanite people was not irredeemable. Rahab stands as a testimony to
God's mercy and grace in the midst of judgment. So do we, if we are
Christians. All sin is detestable to God, large or small. We all
deserve the judgment of God. The fact that we have passed from death
to life is evidence of the abundant mercy of God.
1. God's presence 6:27
The conclusion at the end of this chapter is that God was with Joshua.
The unbelievable victory at Jericho, at the end of the day, is clear
evidence, not of a smart army, or even a faithful obedient people, but
of the presence of the faithful God - He has been faithful to His
promises. His people have simply believed and followed. The result is
that God's man, Joshua, becomes famous.
2. Fix your eyes on the commander Heb 12:1-3
Jericho was the first big obstacle for the people on their way to
claim God's promised land. God gave it to them on a plate. But they
responded to God's revelation to them with faith and obedience.
Two applications:
If you have been shutting God out of your life, I need to warn you
that in the end you will be overcome. You will face the full force of
God's judgment. But I don't just want to warn you. I want to plead
with you to stop shutting him out. Turn your life over to him - tell
him you're sorry that you have shut the Creator and ruler of the
universe out of your life. Ask his forgiveness and trust him as the
Master of your life from here on. He will forgive you and empower you
to live for Him.
If you are a follower of Jesus, let me encourage you to persevere. You
are an inheritor of His kingdom, eternal promised land. Realise again
who the real commander is in this battle to live for Him - Jesus. Fix
your eyes on him, don't grow weary or lose heart.