Joshua Study 5

Preparation Precedes Victory

Text: Joshua 5

Introduction

How many of you believe that God has nothing less planned for our current and future lives than victory?

You and I live in a world that says, “Victory (success) can be achieved simply through hard work and following your dreams.” That is not exactly what we learn from this chapter about the necessary preparation needed to have complete victory over their enemies and claiming the luscious land God had promised them.

Is the Christian life full of being faithful to necessary hard work? YES! However, success does not come solely from some kind of arbitrary hard work. Who we need to be and what we need to do must be directed by God. “Being” and “doing” must never be put in the reverse order. We will learn that it is important to have the “being” part settled and healthy before the “doing” of our life will yield healthy and powerful results.

Remember, they are at a place of reflection & meditation!

Quote: “Memories are important! They are the soil of our present experiences into which our roots sink deeply and from which we receive nourishment. The superstructures of our lives are built upon the foundation of our memories. We are instructed by our memories as to the most creative way to live in the present, and they help equip us with a positive hope for the future.” (John A. Huffman Jr.)

1) Reflect On What God Has Accomplished

VERSE 1

A. Their obedience was observed by kings

a) Notice who their audience was

The news of God’s power made it to all the kings near Jordan; Canaanites — Numbers 13:29 “29 The Amalekites dwell in the land of the south: and the Hittites, and the Jebusites, and the Amorites, dwell in the mountains: and the Canaanites dwell by the sea, and by the coast of Jordan.”

Q — Who would be the first kings and kingdoms the Israelites would face first? ANS — Canaanites.

Q — How many of these kings heard the news?

B. Their obedience removed all courage from the kings

Exodus 15:14–15 “14 The people shall hear, and be afraid: Sorrow shall take hold on the inhabitants of Palestina. 15 Then the dukes of Edom shall be amazed; The mighty men of Moab, trembling shall take hold upon them; All the inhabitants of Canaan shall melt away.”

a) Their obedience was toward God’s faithfulness

It was not just their obedience, but they were obedient to the God who remains faithful to His people.

There God cared deeply about every single person in covenant with Him.

The kings noticed a mutual movement of a covenantal love.

b) Notice the timing of the kings losing all courage

It was the right time!

APP — We need to learn that our obedience is a tool in the hand of God to use at the current moment, but also to assist us in making the future steps He has planned for us.

c) Notice where courage was growing strong

Joshua 1:6–9 “6 Be strong and of a good courage: for unto this people shalt thou divide for an inheritance the land, which I sware unto their fathers to give them. 7 Only be thou strong and very courageous, that thou mayest observe to do according to all the law, which Moses my servant commanded thee: turn not from it to the right hand or to the left, that thou mayest prosper whithersoever thou goest. 8 This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success. 9 Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest.”

Joshua 1:18 “18 Whosoever he be that doth rebel against thy commandment, and will not hearken unto thy words in all that thou commandest him, he shall be put to death: only be strong and of a good courage.”

Here lies the plan for every Christian to live every day with a growing courage!

2) Individual Death To Sin

VERSES 2-9

A. Their identification needed to become personal

a) Their resent ancestors submitted to circumcision

It was God’s way of showing them that they have “put off” their former paganism and sinful lifestyle.

They were removed from Egypt and given a new covenant with God.

Entering in a covenant with God means all former sinful ways are no longer where your allegiance lies.

Egypt’s paganism had invaded them to the core and God needed to symbolically “cut it away.”

b) Their passing through the Jordan presents a sense of corporate “death” to a life of doubtful journey in the wilderness.

A majority move is not indicative to each individual moving forward putting off their sinful past.

Illustration: A pastor could say, “Our church is largely healthy.” He can never really say for certain that everyone he is leading is dying to sin and living for God.

c) Their next challenge will hinge on nothing less than everyone dying to sin and trusting God’s plan

The former generation of men

One example of this will be when they fail to defeat Ai.

All it takes is ONE area of hidden sin to rob them of victory.

B. We must submit to an individual spiritual circumcision

a) True circumcision is that of the heart

Romans 2:25–29 “25 For circumcision verily profiteth, if thou keep the law: but if thou be a breaker of the law, thy circumcision is made uncircumcision. 26 Therefore if the uncircumcision keep the righteousness of the law, shall not his uncircumcision be counted for circumcision? 27 And shall not uncircumcision which is by nature, if it fulfil the law, judge thee, who by the letter and circumcision dost transgress the law? 28 For he is not a Jew, which is one outwardly; neither is that circumcision, which is outward in the flesh: 29 But he is a Jew, which is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit, and not in the letter; whose praise is not of men, but of God.”

b) It is needed because we have a lower nature that we need to be dead to

Q — How many of you are thankful you have another choice that to say yes to sin and temptation?

Colossians 3:1 “1 If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God.”

Romans 8:13 “13 For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live.”

Quote: It is not enough for me to say, “I died with Christ”; I must make this truth practical in my daily life by “putting to death” the deeds of the flesh. Warren W. Wiersbe, Wiersbe’s Expository Outlines on the Old Testament (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1993), Jos 5.

Notice a particular difference between OT circumcision and NT circumcision.

The OT Jew put off but a small portion of his flesh. Through Christ, however, the NT Christian has put off “the body of the sins of the flesh” Warren W. Wiersbe, Wiersbe’s Expository Outlines on the Old Testament (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1993), Jos 5.

Colossians 2:9–13 “9 For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily. 10 And ye are complete in him, which is the head of all principality and power: 11 In whom also ye are circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, in putting off the body of the sins of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ: 12 Buried with him in baptism, wherein also ye are risen with him through the faith of the operation of God, who hath raised him from the dead. 13 And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses;”

Galatians 2:20 “20 I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.”

3) Healing, Rest, & Worship

VERSES 10-12

A. God brought them to a place to heal holistically

a) The physical aspect of circumcision demanded a restful time of healing.

God demonstrates for us here how physical rest is necessary.

Sad thing is, we often times want to put physical rest on the back burner.

You’ve heard the saying, “You can rest when you are dead.” To be honest, if you don’t take time to get sufficient rest, you will be dead soon than later!

We have developed this stigma of “it’s more honorable to work more and rest less.”

A lack of fatherhood in the home and our government has developed a culture of lazy and entitled people.

Some of my regretful moments have come when I was operating without good quality rest.

Q — Is a time of physical rest necessary to develop spiritual growth?

Illustration — It would be like thinking you are getting good nutrition through a drive through just so you don’t have to stop the progress.

Illustration — When you take the time to pick your ingredients and cook your meal, you will live a healthier life.

So it is with your spiritual life. Spiritual growth comes through taking the time to pause the external to and feed to internal.

Once again, we must place a high priority on “being” and not just the “doing.”

They would have been prone to have rushed right in to the battle if not for this time of healing.

Illustration — Have you ever read or watched a story where one character rushes into something because they didn’t take a moment of pause?

Q — How many of you have ever rushed things?

c) Their rest allowed them to renew the neglected things of God

First — they kept the passover

It has been 40 years since that first night of passover in Egypt.

A time of remembering how God spared them through a sacrificial lamb.

A time of remembering God delivering them from bondage.

Today, we faithfully participate in the Lord’s Supper

Jesus applied a new significance to those ancient symbols.

Who is our passover???

What does the Lord’s Supper remind us of?

How does taking time to observe that ordinance help you spiritually?

Some seasons of the greatest neglect of the things of God is when we’ve “robbed ourselves” of a time of rest.

Over three millennia stands between us today and them then. However, is there must difference spiritually between us?

Our new spiritual life through Christ is a land of rest we must spend time in.

Searching the scriptures, conversing with God through prayer, faithfully spending time with the saints, worship, etc.

Colossians 1:19 “19 For it pleased the Father that in him should all fulness dwell;”

Colossians 2:9 “9 For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily.”

Ephesians 3:8 “8 Unto me, who am less than the least of all saints, is this grace given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ;”

Ephesians 3:19 “19 And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God.”

d) This time of healing was at a particular location; on a hill where they could see Jericho.

This first big battle would require a rested body and mind.

Coming more to terms with the kind of enemy they would be facing would move them to worship.

e) Their rest presented opportunity to enjoy the blessing of the new land

Once they harvested some of the produce from the new land, the mana ceased.

Q — I would think this would have been a little startling.

A whole generation had depended on the mana miracle.

They had come to the point of working to provide their own food.

Deuteronomy 6:10–11 “10 And it shall be, when the Lord thy God shall have brought thee into the land which he sware unto thy fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give thee great and goodly cities, which thou buildedst not, 11 And houses full of all good things, which thou filledst not, and wells digged, which thou diggedst not, vineyards and olive trees, which thou plantedst not; when thou shalt have eaten and be full;”

Q — How many of you believe that God’s provision is always well suited to our current circumstances?

Go supplies both in supernatural and natural ways.

When we grow beyond on type of provision, He transitions us to another.

It is important that we remain open hearted to this kind of growing process.

This process really does allow us to live creatively for God’s glory!

What did they eat?

Unleavened bread and parched grain (roasted corn).

NT speaks of corn in lue of a spiritual teaching — John 12:24–25 “24 Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone: but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit. 25 He that loveth his life shall lose it; and he that hateth his life in this world shall keep it unto life eternal.”

4) Leadership For The Leader

VERSES 13-15

A. Leadership rises through humility

a) Joshua gets a closer look at the fortress of Jericho

God doesn’t leave you alone to figure out how to defeat the enemy!

“captain of the host of the Lord”

Q — Who do think this is?

Some believe it to an angel.

Some believe this to be an OT theophany of God. Possible in the very pre-incarnate Jesus Christ. (This would make sense)

b) Joshua humbles himself to be led

Joshua was “prepared” to fall down and worship God!

“We can talk to Him. He has promised never to leave us or forsake us. Our extremity is God’s opportunity. He is the Captain, the Commander in Chief, the One who gives the orders and then gives us enough strength to live one day at a time.” (John A. Huffman)

“It is a noble illustration of the truth, that, in the great causes of God upon the earth, the leaders, however, supreme and solitary they seem, are themselves led. There is a rock higher than they; their shoulders, however broad, have not to bear alone the awful burden of responsibility. The sense of supernatural conduct and protection, the consequent reverence and humility which form the spirit of all Israel’s history, have nowhere in the OT received a more beautiful expression than in this early fragment.” (George Adam Smith)

B. We must be led by Christ

Pride can so easily take over when God is trying to lead us.

Every believer in Jesus Christ is called to some form of leadership.

Your leader is Christ alone!

Our energy and precision to lead comes from Jesus!