Joshua 2
Notes
Transcript
Handout
1 After the death of Moses the servant of the Lord, the Lord said to Joshua the son of Nun, Moses’ assistant, 2 “Moses my servant is dead. Now therefore arise, go over this Jordan, you and all this people, into the land that I am giving to them, to the people of Israel.
Joshua is not a new character to the story of the bible but is now at the forefront.
He was a valiant warrior
13 And Joshua overwhelmed Amalek and his people with the sword. 14 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Write this as a memorial in a book and recite it in the ears of Joshua, that I will utterly blot out the memory of Amalek from under heaven.”
He was a servant of Moses
13 So Moses rose with his assistant Joshua, and Moses went up into the mountain of God.
He went through a name change.
16 These were the names of the men whom Moses sent to spy out the land. And Moses called Hoshea the son of Nun Joshua.
Joshua meaning Jehovah saves or the Lord is salvation comparable to the NT word for Jesus.
Joshua & Caleb were the faithful spies when scouting out the land. (Numbers 14)
He was indwelled with the Holy Spirit
18 So the Lord said to Moses, “Take Joshua the son of Nun, a man in whom is the Spirit, and lay your hand on him.
He followed the Lord fully.
12 none except Caleb the son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite and Joshua the son of Nun, for they have wholly followed the Lord.’
He was put in line to replace Moses.
23 And the Lord commissioned Joshua the son of Nun and said, “Be strong and courageous, for you shall bring the people of Israel into the land that I swore to give them. I will be with you.”
He was filled with the spirit of wisdom.
9 And Joshua the son of Nun was full of the spirit of wisdom, for Moses had laid his hands on him. So the people of Israel obeyed him and did as the Lord had commanded Moses.
This Joshua takes over. We see in chapter 1 Joshua has been instructed and empowered to be the leader. He was told multiple times to be what? (Grant)
Be strong and courageous.
Joshua has been given this leadership role and is leading the Israelites and God has reaffirmed a promise he gave them which was what?
He would give them the promised land. The problem is people were currently living there—they would have to go take the land.
Working at your tables: when your starting a new project, what steps do you take at first?
Are there things that hinder or stop you?
Are there things that motivate to start and/or finish?
Chapter 2 is unique in that it is not needed in the narrative of the book of Joshua. It would actually make more sense for Chapter 1 to flow right into Chapter 3. Chapter 1 being this reaffirmation of the promise, the empowerment of Joshua and then this rally cry of we can do it!
Joshua got the people rallied willing to do anything.
16 And they answered Joshua, “All that you have commanded us we will do, and wherever you send us we will go.
Lets go, lets do it. Chapter 3 is them then heading out and moving toward battle. It might of flowed more logically to go from 1 to 3, so what is with chapter 2? Why is it here? What can we learn from it.
Obviously this is a well known story, but have you considered why it is where it is on the storyline of scripture and what purpose it serves?
Lets read chapter 2.
Chapter 2 is bookended with Joshua sent these spies and they return to him. But the 22 verses in between is where all the meat is at.
Our main character today is Rahab. What do you know about Rahab? Work at your table to come up with 10 or so words to describe Rahab.
Harlot, sinner, Canaanite, whore, harlot, seductive, dirty, unclean, scandalous.
What stands out to you about what Rahab did? What did she do—what was wrong with that? She lied—she looked them in the eye and lied. That was a sin—that was wrong. And yet does that mean God cannot use that?
What are times that God used sin and/or evil in the bible ultimately for good? Give me a couple examples—work at your table and come up with some.
Joseph. Judas. Israels impatience.
God uses these things that sprouted from bad circumstances. He used these things that were sin and yet they were used for God.
Pastor Mike reminded us from Romans 8 that God causes all things to work together for good. They might not be good in and of themselves. They probably suck—they probably are really hard. We wouldn’t wish them upon our worst enemy and yet they are used for our good and His glory.
Joseph verbalizes this principle:
20 As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today.
The focus of this story is not about the lie that Rahab says but rather the truth she proclaims.
9 and said to the men, “I know that the Lord has given you the land, and that the fear of you has fallen upon us, and that all the inhabitants of the land melt away before you. 10 For we have heard how the Lord dried up the water of the Red Sea before you when you came out of Egypt, and what you did to the two kings of the Amorites who were beyond the Jordan, to Sihon and Og, whom you devoted to destruction. 11 And as soon as we heard it, our hearts melted, and there was no spirit left in any man because of you, for the Lord your God, he is God in the heavens above and on the earth beneath. 12 Now then, please swear to me by the Lord that, as I have dealt kindly with you, you also will deal kindly with my father’s house, and give me a sure sign 13 that you will save alive my father and mother, my brothers and sisters, and all who belong to them, and deliver our lives from death.”
Rahab has knowledge of Yahweh but at some point she has faith in Yahweh. That knowledge changes her heart.
31 By faith Rahab the prostitute did not perish with those who were disobedient, because she had given a friendly welcome to the spies.
25 And 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?
She was made right with God by faith that was shown evident by her works in hiding the spies. Why? Because she know of this great God and what He had done and put her faith in that God.
Let’s go back to this picture of Rahab. At the end of it all—she is chosen child of God. She is forgiven. She is clean. Consider this
5 and Salmon the father of Boaz by Rahab, and Boaz the father of Obed by Ruth, and Obed the father of Jesse,
What is going on in Matthew 1? The lineage of the Savior of the world. All these words we had to say about her and yet she is in that. God used her in mighty ways despite all of this. Isn’t the church filled with those people. Aren’t you one of those people. Dirty, unclean, sinner—redeemed.
And so when we consider this story the focus is not on what she did for Israel—saving the spies and setting up this upcoming battle between Israel and Jericho. That is part of it—that God uses in his grand plan. But the point of this story is this unclean, scandalous women having her heart changed through her knowledge of God and belief in His saving power.
What is interesting is I mentioned chapter 2 isn’t needed for the storyline—I don’t even think the spies surviving was even necessary. With how excited the people are at the end of chapter 1, my personal opinion is losing a couple of lookouts wouldn’t discourage them from wanting to press on and go to battle. Perhaps discouraging, perhaps a change in strategy—but I believe they still would have went. And so the point of the story can’t even be that she saved those two men.
But rather this: through her saving faith their are actions and results that help further along the story line. God at work redeeming a people through himself including using a harlot from the town of Jericho in a seemingly small way and yet having such huge results.
At your tables:
Rahab moved from knowledge of God to trust in God. How do we see this?
God is faithful. What ways has God specifically shown himself to be faithful to you?
