Joshua

Did God Drag His Feet?

Yes.

Remember when we talked about Joshua saying God had fulfilled His promise, even though the totality of the land was not yet in possession of Israel? It was because God did His part, but the people had to do their part. That is confirmed here in Judges where God outright says as much.

Something is only worth what it costs you. I understand that this isn’t true in every possible circumstance, but the vast majority of time it is. That’s where the phrase ‘easy come, easy go’ comes from. If the totality of the land was given to Israel in one fell swoop they would have no opportunity (or need) to continue in trust of the Lord. Instead He gives some. And He sees how we handle it.

God gives us little bits. And if we do well with the little bits, He will give us medium bits. And If we do well with the medium bits, He will give us large bits. And so on.

However, if — like Israel — we let the little bits go to our head and give us a more inflated sense of ourselves than is justified (really, any inflation is bad) then we should not be surprised that God is going to pull back on the blessings and the trust.

Zechariah 4:10 encourages us to NOT overlook the day of small things. From small things, big things one day come.

Judges 1:1-3:30 | 090/365

You Are Your Own Witness

At the end of Joshua’s life, he recounts the story so far, spanning from God’s Covenant with Abraham to the arrival in Canaan. He outlines how God has been faithful and provided and delivered on His promises. And then he ends with an exhortation that I found deeply moving. In chapter 24 and verse 22 he says, “You are a witness to your own decision, you have chosen to serve the Lord”.

You are a witness to your own decision. Just think about that. Let it settle in your spirit.

God knows you inside and out, your coming and your going, He knows the deepest desires of your heart of hearts. But Joshua doesn’t point that out, instead he underscores that they know what they’ve said. And in the same way WE know what WE have said. This means that they are accountable for their choices. They understood what was at stake and we will be called to answer for how they have lived in light of that evidence.

The same is true for us. We know what we are committing to, and so if we choose to abandon that commitment we will have to reckon with the consequences for the oath we revoked. In a word that is trying everything it can — both subtly AND overtly — to cause distraction, doubt, disillusionment, and deconstruction… we MUST be on guard. We must stand witness to our decision. Joshua 24:31 paints an ominous picture:

Israel served the Lord throughout the lifetime of Joshua and of the elderswho outlived him and who had experienced everything the Lord had done for Israel.

We aren’t told that Israel continued to serve the Lord, but rather that those “who had experienced” continued to serve. Friends, there is no reason we cannot experience the work of the Lord every day of our lives. If we draw near to Him we are told explicitly that He will draw near to us. Let’s near ever nearer so that our hearts do not grow cold, so that we do not fall away, so that we do not receive due judgement for abandoning our oath, but rather that we receive our reward in Christ Jesus for a life lived for His glory. Amen.

Joshua 22-24 | 089/365

(Un)Fulfilled Promises?

Today’s reflection delves into a notable aspect of biblical interpretation: apparent contradictions. While some may relish pointing out such instances to discredit the Bible, it’s crucial to engage earnestly with these passages to grasp their deeper meaning.

Let’s examine Joshua 21:43-45, where it’s proclaimed that the Lord fulfilled His promises to Israel, giving them the land and defeating their enemies. However, earlier passages seem to present a different picture. For example, Joshua 13 outlines areas still unconquered, indicating an incomplete fulfillment of promises. Joshua 15:63, Joshua 16:10, and Joshua 17:12-13 further detail instances where enemies remained unconquered or subjugated.

How do we reconcile these apparent discrepancies? One key lies in understanding the Hebrew concept of completed (perfect) and ongoing (imperfect) actions. While the text presents events in past tense, indicating completion, it signifies ongoing fulfillment rather than a one-time occurrence.

Additionally, we must consider the conditional nature of Israel’s possession of the land. Their continued possession was contingent upon faithful obedience to God’s commands, as outlined in Deuteronomy 29-30. Thus, the presence of unconquered enemies reflects Israel’s failure to fully uphold their end of the covenant.

However, amidst Israel’s shortcomings, we find reassurance in the Abrahamic Covenant, an unconditional promise of land boundaries that will ultimately be fulfilled in the eschaton.

In essence, while the Bible may present apparent contradictions, a deeper examination reveals a consistent narrative of God’s faithfulness and humanity’s failure. Rather than dismissing these passages, we’re challenged to engage critically, recognizing the complexities of biblical interpretation.

As we reflect on this, let’s reaffirm our commitment to faithful obedience, understanding that God remains steadfast in His promises, despite our shortcomings.

Joshua 19:49-21:45; 1 Chronicles 6:54-81 | 088/365

Spiritual Leadership

Once Israel moved into the Promised Land and “the land had rest from war” (your translation may vary), the Israelites set up the Tabernacle at Shiloh and worshipped the Lord there. But Joshua challenged some of the tribe who were have a touch of the ol’ failure to launch and said — basically — ‘hey fellas, do you maybe want to go map out the rest of the land and divide it into 7 lots?”

This is genius on the part of Joshua, by the way. He sends them off to map out the land into 7 plots, but says that he (Joshua, with the help of the Lord) will then give those plots of land to the tribes. So there is no opportunity for squabbling over ‘yours is bigger’ and ‘mine is smaller’ or whatever other nonsense might have cropped up.

But then Joshua stays encamped by the Tabernacle. We’ll see tomorrow that Joshua takes a town for himself, but at this time, while the people of Israel are not yet fully settled, He chooses to stay with God, to be close to Him. To be guided and influenced primarily by God.

I guess the moral of our story today is that when big decisions have to be made, they should be made in close communion with God. Just because you CAN do it alone, doesn’t make it a good idea.

Joshua 18:1-19:48 | 087/365

Conquest & Compromise

Today’s passage has us reading about the land allotments for Judah, Ephriam, and Manasseh. While passage like this with an inventory of town names that mean little to those among us who have never been to Israel or studied ancient geography. But! There is a very interesting pattern that emerges in today’s chunk.

Judah received their allotment of land, but could not drive the Jebusites out of Jerusalem. And this despite the fact that the King of Jerusalem had already been captured and killed along with, presumably, many of his fighting men. Ephriam and Manasseh were also unable to remove the Canaanites from their allotments of land. Curiously, however, they were eventually able to subjugate the people as slaves.

Did the Israelites forget the command God gave them?

But in the cities of these peoples that the LORD your God is giving you for an inheritance, you shall save alive nothing that breathes, 17 but you shall devote them to complete destruction, the Hittites and the Amorites, the Canaanites and the Perizzites, the Hivites and the Jebusites, as the LORD your God has commanded,
Deuteronomy 20:16-17

Did the Israelites forget what they were able to do in Egypt despite being slaves? Did they forget what happened to Achar? Compromise might be a good way to mediate a dispute, but it is a terrible way to serve God! Watch over the coming months how things go with the Judges, and then the Kings, and then the Captivity. It’s so sad to watch the fall of the chosen people of God.

As a Christian, compromise is a concession to defeat. To compromise is to the wave the white flag at Satan and drop the drawbridge. It’s either conquer with Christ or be conquered by death. To compromise is to choose the latter.

Choose wisely.

Joshua 15:20-17:18 | 086-365

The Long, Long Awaited Promise

When Moses sent in his 12 spies, only two of them came back with a good report. Caleb and Joshua. Joshua took the mantle of leadership from Moses while Caleb was passed over for that role. But when the time came to send in spies again, Caleb was called on once more. And once more he believed the Lord.

40 years passed between these two incidences. 40 years.

After the first show of faith, Caleb was promised (Num 13:24) to inherit the land that his fellow spies didn’t believe God could give them, and then he had to wait. And wait. And wait.

This is how it can feel sometimes, isn’t it? we feel like God is leading us somewhere, we get a glimpse of our own “Promised Land” and then we are asked to wait. Doors close in front of us. I, myself, feel like this happened to me for about 4 years while God was preparing to bring me back into ministry. But while the wait for God’s faithfulness to come through often feels… long, He knows better than we do why the fulfilment of that promise will come when it does.

Israel had to wait through 400 years of prophetic silence for John the Baptist to show up on the scene and herald their long-awaited messiah. Abraham was shown told about the Promised Land — again — 400 years before his descendants would actually possess it WELL after his death.

What I am saying is that while the waiting is indeed the hardest part, it is worth it. When the fulfillment finally comes it is incredible to look back at the path you’ve come down and how thoroughly it has prepared you for what lies ahead.

Be blessed today, friends.

Joshua 12:7-15:12 | 085/365

The Sun Stood Still… Really?

One of the most contested passages in the entire canon of Scripture. It reads:

Then Joshua speaks to YHWH in the day of YHWH’s giving up the Amorites before the sons of Israel, and he says before the eyes of Israel, “Sun—stand still in Gibeon; and moon—in the Valley of Ajalon”; and the sun stands still, and the moon has stood—until the nation takes vengeance [on] its enemies; is it not written on the Scroll of the Upright, “and the sun stands in the midst of the heavens, and has not hurried to go in—as a perfect day?” And there has not been like that day before it or after it, for YHWH’s listening to the voice of a man; for YHWH is fighting for Israel.
Joshua 10:12-14, Literal Standard Version

I chose the most literal English translations I could find to talk about this passage. Theories to explain this phenomenon abound but I will briefly touch on the five most common ones, why I think rigid literalism is dangerous, and which one I find the most compelling.

Theory 1: The Earth LITERALLY Stopped Rotating

Is this possible? Yes. Of course it is. Any Christian who thinks this is not possible grossly underestimate God. He created the universe, including all the laws of physics that would send a suddenly-stopped earth into chaos the likes of which humanity has never seen before. He could certainly pause all of that as well. Yes this is unequivocally possible! BUT the sheer number of Christians I have seen who say that if you believe anything OTHER than a literal interpretation, you are denying the existence of miracles and therefore the resurrection of Christ and therefore Christianity itself… is staggering to me! If that’s you, please just take a beat and think about this for a moment. My thoughts about any one thing are not equally applied to all things of that type. If I think a patent-leather dress show looks great with a tux, that does not mean I feel the same way about Crocs. Every shoe is no more the same than every miracle is the same.

Again, this is certainly possible for God, but I think it is unnecessary in scope to explain the evidence.

Theory 2: Appearance of Extended Sunlight Only

This theory essentially says that time proceeded as normal, and the miracle that happened was the appearance of extended sunlight to those fighting the battle. Of course if we factor in that verse 9 tells us Joshua attacked in the morning… why would Joshua be asking the Lord for more daylight in the morning? Did he already know that the battle would go on for longer than the typical daylight hours?

This is also possible, but I don’t find this theory especially compelling.

Theory 3: A Solar Eclipse

This is pretty far-fetched to me. Joshua asks the sun to stand in Gibeon and the moon in the valley of Ajalon. Gibeon is to the east and Ajalon is to the west. These are on opposite ends of the sky. This is about as far away from a solar eclipse as we can get, yet we are told that “God listened” to Joshua. By giving him the opposite of what he asked for? This is highly doubtful to me.

Theory 4: Figurative Language

This theory basically holds that the language of Joshua is poetic and symbolic rather than literal. There are times when we see things attributed directly God which are more likely indirectly attributable to God. Perhaps this is another one of those times. Recognizing that things went well in that battle and rightly thanking God for His provision and leadership. This would turn the events into a glorious abstract attribution to God of the victory over their foes. And if I’m honest, I can see why this is so appealing. It neatly sidesteps actually dealing with the problem presented by the text. We no longer need to do the work of sorting out what has happened, and we can instead just say, “God was with Israel” and move on.

But that easy way out is the very reason I also find this theory un-compelling.

Theory 5: A Bad Omen

This theory takes the reader from a 21st century AD world of cosmology and physics into a 14th century BC world of symbols and omens. Joshua, not given to omens but knowing his opponent is, looks into the sky and sees the sun over Gibeon and the full moon over Ajalon. This would have been a fantastic sign to Israel’s enemies that they would be successful in battle… if this were the 14th day of the month. Any other day of the month and this would be a terrible sign. Joshua knew that and also knew that the sun and the full moon would only be visible in the sky together for about 4 minutes. His prayer was that God would hold those things in place long enough for Israel’s enemies to see them and become demoralized by them. If you are interested in additional reading about this theory, a more robust treatment can be found here.

This is my preferred theory. I think it makes the most sense of all the data…. and I love the idea of Joshua and the Lord using the omens and signs and superstitions of their enemies against them. Something very poetic about that in my mind.

In conclusion, feel free to adopt whichever theory you believe makes the best sense of the Biblical data. This is very much a secondary issue. One on which believers can disagree in good faith. Be blessed today my friends!

Joshua 10:1-12:6 | 084/365

Exercising Control In Order To Yield It

All to Jesus I surrender,
All to Him I freely give;
I will ever love and trust Him,
In His presence daily live.

I surrender all, I surrender all;
All to Thee, my blessed Savior,
I surrender all.
All To Jesus I Surrender // Judson W. Van DeVenter (1896)

This old hymn exemplifies what I want to focus on in today’s passage. The story of Achan. Israel is given the city of Jericho and Achan decides to keep for himself some of the things to be set aside for consecration to the Lord. Dude literally steals from God.

Steals.

From God.

But what is interesting is that this one guy — out of a nation of more than 1 million members — decides to go rogue and cuts off the blessing of the Lord for everyone! The Apostle Paul gives this analogy in his first letter to the Corinthians:

Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one receives the prize? So run that you may obtain it. Every athlete exercises self-control in all things. They do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable. So I do not run aimlessly; I do not box as one beating the air. But I discipline my body and keep it under control, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified.
1 Corinthians 9:24-27

One rogue member of our body NOT under submission can jeopardize everything. Your hands, eyes, mouth, heart, mind? Is everything ‘disciplined’? Satan only needs a foothold, he is patient and willing to play the long game. He’s not likely to jump out and challenge you to abandon God, but rather take our uncontrolled mouth and use it as a vector for attack that will rob us of the blessing of God. And slowly, insidiously, he will rob us of our imperishable reward. And just like Achar, that one area that went unchecked will disqualify us from receiving the prize that had been waiting for us.

Don’t let any part of you be an Achar, bring every part of you under control. So that you can indeed surrender all to our blessed Saviour.

Joshua 7-9; 1 Chronicles 2:7 | 083/365

Let’s Try That Again

This is the testimony of Rahab in Joshua 2:9-11:

I know that the Lord has given you this land and that a great fearof you has fallen on us, so that all who live in this country are melting in fear because of you. We have heard how the Lord dried up the water of the Red Sea for you when you came out of Egypt, and what you did to Sihon and Og, the two kings of the Amorites east of the Jordan, whom you completely destroyed. When we heard of it, our hearts melted in fearand everyone’s courage failed because of you, for the Lord your God is God in heaven above and on the earth below.

Note the two things cited by Rahab of Jericho. 1) Crossed the sea on dry land and 2) Completely destroyed the kingdoms of Sihon and Og. Step 1, part the sea. Step 2, conquer.

Here is Joshua 3 we see the very fears of the people of Jericho realized. Step 1 has come to pass. And the Jerichoians… Jerrricans? Jerichoites? Jerichoers? The citizens of Jericho know that step 2 is coming. The smart ones will have fled beforehand, and those who chose to stand their ground would have to contend with the God of Joshua, Moses, Joseph, and Jacob.

God once again had Israel cross the sea on dry land and step into the promise He had been holding for them the last 40 years (or 400, depending when you started counting). And there’s no reason God can’t do it again for you. Let him move you. Step into the water of the overflowing river and watch Him make a way where there was no way before. Your enemies are only as big as you think they are if God is with you.

Joshua 3-6 | 082/365

The Power of Positive Thinking

I don’t want to get all “Joel Osteen” on everyone, but I think it’s worth comparing how Moses’ sending of the spies and Joshua’s sending of the spies came out quite differently and what conclusions we might draw.

Back in Numbers 13 we read about the 12 spies who went into the Promised Land and when they returned, 10 of them stoked fear, uncertainty, and doubt amongst the Hebrew people. This ultimately led to God’s judgement and 40 years of wandering about in the wilderness. There were only 2 holdouts who had faith in God: Caleb and Joshua.

Here at the beginning of Joshua’s book we instead read that one of those faithful spies would send out spies of his own, but just two of them. And unlike Moses’ account, Joshua does not name the spies who were sent. While we can never be certain about their identities, the Jewish Midrash claims they were Caleb – the other original spy – and Phinehas our spear-wielding friend from a few chapters back. This seems entirely plausible to me. So these spies return with a favourable account. They are terrified of us! They heard about what happened in the Red Sea!

Wait… what? The citizenry of Jericho was scared of Israel because of what happened at the Red Sea? Are they more scared NOW than they were 40 years ago? Doubtful. Rather, the original spies had an idea about how this was going to go and their confirmation bias only allowing them to see the problems rather than the path. How often do we do this? We come up with a bunch of reasons why we can’t do a thing, rather than looking to the God who can do anything.

(Probably also worth noting that this time the leader only chose 2 men who were trustworthy and had adopted the vision of leadership. We should not invest in the council of people who don’t even believe in what we’re doing.)

Let’s not defeat ourselves before God even gets a chance to come through. Push past the lies that try to keep you mired in complacency and watch God make you say “WOW!”

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