RTBS: 10/07 | Joshua
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ROUNDTABLE BIBLE STUDY
ROUNDTABLE BIBLE STUDY
JOSHUA — A LIFE OF FAITHFULNESS
JOSHUA — A LIFE OF FAITHFULNESS
Exodus 17 – Joshua 24
INTRODUCTION
INTRODUCTION
Sunday we continued looking at the trials of Jesus, and specifically we looked at the decisions Pilate made as he tried to determine what to do with Jesus.
And what we saw was a man who repeatedly acknowledged that Jesus was innocent.
Pilate defended Him. He tried to release Him. He even publicly identified Him as the King of the Jews.
But when the time came to actually stand behind what he claimed to believe, Pilate refused.
And we spent a lot of time Sunday looking at how Pilate continually searched for a third option.
He didn't want to condemn Jesus, but he wasn't willing to stand with Him either.
And eventually we saw that his refusal to make the right decision became a decision itself.
But toward the end of the sermon, we looked at another man who faced a decision about whom he would serve.
14 “Now therefore, fear the Lord, serve Him in sincerity and in truth, and put away the gods which your fathers served on the other side of the River and in Egypt. Serve the Lord! 15 And if it seems evil to you to serve the Lord, choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”
Now what makes this statement so powerful is not simply that Joshua said it.
It's that by the time Joshua makes this statement, he has already spent the majority of his life demonstrating exactly what he is talking about.
Joshua isn't standing before Israel making some emotional declaration about what he might do someday.
He is an old man, nearing the end of his life, looking back at decades of following the Lord.
And he is telling the people that they need to make the same decision he has already made.
So tonight I want to look at the life of Joshua.
Because Sunday we saw a man who acknowledged what was right but refused to act upon it.
Tonight we're going to look at a man who acknowledged the authority of God AND SPENT HIS LIFE LIVING ACCORDING TO IT.
And I think when we get to the end of Joshua's life, we'll understand why he could make that declaration with such confidence.
CONTEXT — WHERE ARE WE IN THE STORY?
CONTEXT — WHERE ARE WE IN THE STORY?
Let's get ourselves back to where we are in the history of Israel.
God creates Adam and Eve. They sin, and eventually mankind becomes so wicked that God sends the flood.
Noah and his family survive, mankind multiplies again, and eventually God calls a man named Abraham.
God promises Abraham that He will make a great nation from him and give his descendants a land of their own.
Abraham has Isaac. Isaac has Jacob. Jacob has twelve sons who become the twelve tribes of Israel.
Eventually Joseph ends up in Egypt, and through him the rest of the family moves there.
Over time the Israelites become slaves in Egypt, and God raises up Moses to deliver them.
God sends the plagues, and leads Israel through the Red Sea.
And now the people are traveling through the wilderness toward the land God promised Abraham.
This is where we first meet Joshua.
And something I want you to notice throughout tonight's lesson is that Joshua doesn't begin as some great national leader.
He doesn't begin with thousands of people following him.
He begins as a servant.
JOSHUA THE SERVANT
JOSHUA THE SERVANT
The first time Joshua appears in Scripture is in Exodus 17.
Israel has been delivered from Egypt, but now they are facing an enemy called the Amalekites.
And Moses gives Joshua, his military commander, an assignment.
8 Now Amalek came and fought with Israel in Rephidim. 9 And Moses said to Joshua, “Choose us some men and go out, fight with Amalek. Tomorrow I will stand on the top of the hill with the rod of God in my hand.” 10 So Joshua did as Moses said to him, and fought with Amalek. And Moses, Aaron, and Hur went up to the top of the hill.
So Joshua's first appearance is as a man entrusted with leading Israel into battle.
And notice what verse 10 says.
JOSHUA DID AS MOSES SAID TO HIM.
Moses gives him a command, and Joshua obeys.
Now the battle itself is interesting.
Moses goes up onto a hill with Aaron and Hur, and as long as Moses holds up his hands, Israel prevails.
But when his hands become heavy and begin to fall, Amalek begins prevailing.
So Aaron and Hur support Moses' hands until sunset.
13 So Joshua defeated Amalek and his people with the edge of the sword.
Joshua leads the battle, but the story makes it clear that Israel's victory depends upon the Lord.
Joshua is learning something here that will become incredibly important throughout the rest of his life.
He has responsibilities.
He has decisions to make.
He has battles to fight.
But ultimately, victory comes from God.
And this isn't the last time we see Joshua serving alongside Moses.
13 So Moses arose with his assistant Joshua, and Moses went up to the mountain of God.
Now notice how Joshua is described.
MOSES' ASSISTANT.
Joshua is not the leader of Israel.
He is serving the man God has placed in leadership.
And we see something else about Joshua in Exodus 33.
Remember when Israel sinned by worshiping the golden calf?
Moses would meet with God at the tent of meeting outside the camp.
11 So the Lord spoke to Moses face to face, as a man speaks to his friend. And he would return to the camp, but his servant Joshua the son of Nun, a young man, did not depart from the tabernacle.
So Joshua is repeatedly found near Moses and the place where God is communicating with His people.
He is serving.
He is learning.
He is preparing.
And I think this is important because sometimes we look at great leaders in Scripture and forget that they had lives before they became leaders.
Joshua didn't suddenly become faithful when God gave him authority.
HIS FAITHFULNESS WAS ALREADY BEING DEMONSTRATED BEFORE HE HAD THAT AUTHORITY.
Joshua is somebody that I have always really appreciated in his example
EX: I am still young in my life and I struggle a lot with always feeling like I need to be further ahead than I am
And Joshua is a great reminder that the faithfulness along the way is what matters in the end, no the destination
Joshua spent the vast majority of his life preparing to lead the people of Israel
It is estimated he was around 80 years old when he started leading them
BUT THAT DOESN’T MEAN THAT’S WHEN HE FINALLY GAINED PURPOSE
SOMETHING I HAVE LEARNED IS SOMETIMES IN LIFE WHAT WE THINK IS MEANLINGLESS PREPARATION IS ACTUALLY THE DESTINATION
JOSHUA DIDN’T BECOME RELEVANT ONCE HE LED ISRAEL, HE SPENT DECADES UPON DECADES SUPPORTING MOSES, AND HIS PART IN THAT WAS INTEGRAL TO THE PEOPLE BEING LED
And in one of his most popular moments, we see just how important his influence is
JOSHUA AND THE TWELVE SPIES
JOSHUA AND THE TWELVE SPIES
Now eventually Israel reaches the southern border of the Promised Land.
And remember, this is the entire reason God brought them out of Egypt.
He promised Abraham that his descendants would inherit this land.
And now Israel is preparing to enter
So Moses sends twelve men to investigate the land.
One man from each tribe.
And Joshua is chosen to represent the tribe of Ephraim.
16 These are the names of the men whom Moses sent to spy out the land. And Moses called Hoshea the son of Nun, Joshua.
So Joshua goes into the land with eleven other men.
They spend forty days examining it.
And when they return, they all agree on something.
THE LAND IS GOOD.
It is fertile, productive, and exactly what God promised them.
But there is a problem.
The people living there are powerful.
Their cities are fortified.
And some of the inhabitants are physically intimidating.
So ten of the spies begin telling Israel that they cannot take the land.
31 But the men who had gone up with him said, “We are not able to go up against the people, for they are stronger than we.”
Now understand what is happening.
These men have all seen the same land.
And they have all experienced the same deliverance from Egypt.
But they have reached two completely different conclusions.
Ten spies say WE CANNOT DO THIS.
But Joshua and Caleb say something very different.
6 But Joshua the son of Nun and Caleb the son of Jephunneh, who were among those who had spied out the land, tore their clothes; 7 and they spoke to all the congregation of the children of Israel, saying: “The land we passed through to spy out is an exceedingly good land. 8 If the Lord delights in us, then He will bring us into this land and give it to us, ‘a land which flows with milk and honey.’ 9 Only do not rebel against the Lord, nor fear the people of the land, for they are our bread; their protection has departed from them, and the Lord is with us. Do not fear them.”
Notice what Joshua and Caleb are NOT saying.
They aren't saying the concerns are genuine
They are saying that GOD HAS ALREADY PROMISED TO GIVE THEM THIS LAND.
Now think back to Sunday.
Pilate knew Jesus was innocent.
He knew what the right decision was.
But he was afraid of what the people would do if he made it.
And now look at Joshua.
Joshua knows what God has commanded.
He knows what the people want.
And he is standing in front of an entire nation telling them that they are wrong.
And look how the people respond.
10 And all the congregation said to stone them with stones. Now the glory of the Lord appeared in the tabernacle of meeting before all the children of Israel.
THE PEOPLE WANT TO KILL THEM.
He is risking his life.
And yet he refuses to change his position.
Why?
Because Joshua has already decided whose authority matters most.
Now God judges Israel for their unbelief.
That generation will wander in the wilderness for forty years, and the adults counted in that judgment will die without entering the land.
But there are two exceptions.
30 Except for Caleb the son of Jephunneh and Joshua the son of Nun, you shall by no means enter the land which I swore I would make you dwell in.
Joshua and Caleb will enter the Promised Land.
Joshua is going to spend the next forty years in the wilderness because of a decision he opposed.
And if any of us were him we would probably lose a little faithfulness here
He trusted God.
He urged the people to obey.
But he still has to endure the consequences of living among a rebellious generation.
And during those forty years, Joshua continues serving.
He doesn't abandon Moses and Israel
And he doesn't abandon the Lord.
JOSHUA BECOMES THE LEADER
JOSHUA BECOMES THE LEADER
Eventually those forty years come to an end.
Israel is preparing to enter the Promised Land again.
But Moses will not be the one to lead them into it.
Because of his own disobedience, Moses is not permitted to enter the land.
And God appoints Joshua to succeed him.
18 And the Lord said to Moses: “Take Joshua the son of Nun with you, a man in whom is the Spirit, and lay your hand on him; 19 set him before Eleazar the priest and before all the congregation, and inaugurate him in their sight. 20 And you shall give some of your authority to him, that all the congregation of the children of Israel may be obedient.
So now Joshua is receiving the responsibility that Moses carried for so many years.
Think about that for a moment.
Moses was the man God used to confront Pharaoh.
Moses led Israel through the Red Sea.
Moses received the Law at Sinai.
Moses had led this nation for forty years.
And now Joshua is supposed to take his place.
That is an enormous responsibility.
And after Moses dies, God speaks directly to Joshua.
1 After the death of Moses the servant of the Lord, it came to pass that the Lord spoke to Joshua the son of Nun, Moses’ assistant, saying: 2 “Moses My servant is dead. Now therefore, arise, go over this Jordan, you and all this people, to the land which I am giving to them—the children of Israel. 3 Every place that the sole of your foot will tread upon I have given you, as I said to Moses.
God is now commissioning Joshua to do what Israel failed to do forty years earlier.
ENTER THE LAND.
And then God tells Joshua something He repeats throughout this chapter.
7 Only be strong and very courageous, that you may observe to do according to all the law which Moses My servant commanded you; do not turn from it to the right hand or to the left, that you may prosper wherever you go. 8 This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success. 9 Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”
Notice what God specifically connects courage to.
OBEDIENCE TO HIS WORD.
God tells Joshua to be courageous so that he will observe everything commanded in the Law.
Don't turn to the right.
Don't turn to the left.
Meditate on God's Word.
Do what it says.
And remember that the Lord is with you.
Joshua's success isn't supposed to come from being a naturally gifted military leader.
It comes from trusting and obeying the God who has promised to go with him.
And now we're going to see Joshua put that into practice.
THE JORDAN RIVER
THE JORDAN RIVER
The first major obstacle Joshua faces is the Jordan River.
Israel is on the eastern side, and the Promised Land is on the western side.
But the Jordan is overflowing its banks during harvest season.
And God tells Joshua that the priests carrying the Ark of the Covenant are to step into the river.
13 And it shall come to pass, as soon as the soles of the feet of the priests who bear the ark of the Lord, the Lord of all the earth, shall rest in the waters of the Jordan, that the waters of the Jordan shall be cut off, the waters that come down from upstream, and they shall stand as a heap.”
Now remember what happened forty years earlier.
Israel stood before the Red Sea, and God opened a path through the water.
And now God is going to do something similar for the next generation.
But notice that the priests are commanded to step into the water.
They have to act upon what God has told them.
And when they do, God stops the flow of the river.
17 Then the priests who bore the ark of the covenant of the Lord stood firm on dry ground in the midst of the Jordan; and all Israel crossed over on dry ground, until all the people had crossed completely over the Jordan.
So Joshua has now led Israel into the Promised Land.
And God has demonstrated to the people that He is with Joshua just as He was with Moses.
And one of the first cities Israel faces is Jericho.
THE BATTLE OF JERICHO
THE BATTLE OF JERICHO
Jericho is a fortified city.
And before Israel attacks it, Joshua has an interesting encounter.
13 And it came to pass, when Joshua was by Jericho, that he lifted his eyes and looked, and behold, a Man stood opposite him with His sword drawn in His hand. And Joshua went to Him and said to Him, “Are You for us or for our adversaries?”
14 So He said, “No, but as Commander of the army of the Lord I have now come.”
And Joshua fell on his face to the earth and worshiped, and said to Him, “What does my Lord say to His servant?”
Now there is some debate about the identity of this figure.
Many think this as a preincarnate appearance of Christ, while others understand Him as an angelic representative of the Lord.
But regardless of that question, notice the answer Joshua receives.
Joshua asks whether this commander is on Israel's side or the enemy's side.
And the answer is essentially that Joshua needs to recognize whose authority he is standing under.
THE QUESTION ISN'T WHETHER GOD IS GOING TO SUBMIT TO JOSHUA'S PLANS.
THE QUESTION IS WHETHER JOSHUA IS GOING TO SUBMIT TO GOD'S.
And then God gives Joshua instructions for taking Jericho.
But they are not the kind of military instructions we would expect.
3 You shall march around the city, all you men of war; you shall go all around the city once. This you shall do six days. 4 And seven priests shall bear seven trumpets of rams’ horns before the ark. But the seventh day you shall march around the city seven times, and the priests shall blow the trumpets. 5 It shall come to pass, when they make a long blast with the ram’s horn, and when you hear the sound of the trumpet, that all the people shall shout with a great shout; then the wall of the city will fall down flat. And the people shall go up every man straight before him.”
So Joshua is supposed to take this fortified city by having Israel march around it.
Once a day for six days.
Then seven times on the seventh day.
And when the priests blow the trumpets, the people shout.
Now from a normal military perspective, that is a strange strategy.
But Joshua has already spent decades learning that God's commands are not dependent upon whether they make sense to him.
So what does Joshua do?
HE OBEYS.
And when the people follow God's instructions, the walls fall.
20 So the people shouted when the priests blew the trumpets. And it happened when the people heard the sound of the trumpet, and the people shouted with a great shout, that the wall fell down flat. Then the people went up into the city, every man straight before him, and they took the city.
Now understand something important.
Joshua did not bring down the walls of Jericho through superior military strategy.
God gave Israel the victory.
But Joshua was responsible for obeying the instructions God had given him.
And that distinction is important.
OBEDIENCE DOESN'T MAKE US POWERFUL.
OBEDIENCE DEMONSTRATES THAT WE TRUST THE ONE WHO IS.
THE DEFEAT AT AI
THE DEFEAT AT AI
Now after Jericho, Israel faces another city called Ai.
And compared to Jericho, Ai appears to be a much smaller challenge.
So Joshua sends men to investigate the city.
And they come back saying that Israel doesn't need to send the entire army.
A few thousand men should be enough.
But when Israel attacks, something unexpected happens.
4 So about three thousand men went up there from the people, but they fled before the men of Ai. 5 And the men of Ai struck down about thirty-six men, for they chased them from before the gate as far as Shebarim, and struck them down on the descent; therefore the hearts of the people melted and became like water.
Israel loses.
And Joshua is devastated.
He falls before the Ark of the Covenant and begins crying out to God.
Thinking...why has this happened?
God had just given them victory over Jericho.
Why would they now lose to a smaller city?
But God tells Joshua that there is sin in the camp.
A man named Achan had taken things from Jericho that God had forbidden Israel to take.
And he had hidden them among his possessions.
11 Israel has sinned, and they have also transgressed My covenant which I commanded them. For they have even taken some of the accursed things, and have both stolen and deceived; and they have also put it among their own stuff.
So Joshua now has a difficult responsibility.
He has to confront the sin within Israel.
And he does.
And this is where I think one of the greatest examples of his leadership comes
It is easy to lead when everyone is supportive, everyone is doing what they should
But it becomes very difficult when now you are fighting your primary enemy, and at the same time those who are supposed to support you
Joshua should only have to worry about Ai, but now he is fighting Ai and his own men, and that is where the true test of a leader comes...
Will you get discouraged, fall into sin, or use this as an opportunity to come back even stronger
Joshua addresses the sin openly....
Achan is identified, confesses what he has done, and judgment is carried out according to God's command.
Only after that does Israel return to Ai and receive victory.
JOSHUA'S FINAL CHARGE
JOSHUA'S FINAL CHARGE
By the time we reach Joshua 23, Joshua is an old man.
The major campaigns are behind him.
And Joshua knows that his life is coming to an end.
So he gathers the leaders of Israel and begins reminding them of everything God has done.
3 You have seen all that the Lord your God has done to all these nations because of you, for the Lord your God is He who has fought for you.
Notice where Joshua directs their attention.
Not to himself.
Not to his accomplishments.
Not to his years of leadership.
THE LORD YOUR GOD IS HE WHO HAS FOUGHT FOR YOU.
Joshua knows that the victories Israel experienced were ultimately God's work.
And then he gives them a warning.
This is the same warning we looked at Sunday.
15 Therefore it shall come to pass, that as all the good things have come upon you which the Lord your God promised you, so the Lord will bring upon you all harmful things, until He has destroyed you from this good land which the Lord your God has given you. 16 When you have transgressed the covenant of the Lord your God, which He commanded you, and have gone and served other gods, and bowed down to them, then the anger of the Lord will burn against you, and you shall perish quickly from the good land which He has given you.”
Joshua reminds them that God's faithfulness to His promises does not give them permission to disregard His commands.
But now they must decide whether they are going to continue serving Him.
And then in chapter 24, Joshua gathers the people at Shechem.
He reminds them of the deliverance God provided.
He reminds them of the land they now possess.
And after reminding them of everything God has done, Joshua gives them a choice.
14 “Now therefore, fear the Lord, serve Him in sincerity and in truth, and put away the gods which your fathers served on the other side of the River and in Egypt. Serve the Lord! 15 And if it seems evil to you to serve the Lord, choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”
Now I want you to think about this statement in light of everything we've looked at tonight.
Joshua is not a young man making a promise about what he hopes his life will become.
He is an old man who has already lived that life.
He has spent decades following the Lord.
And now, standing before Israel, he says:
AS FOR ME AND MY HOUSE, WE WILL SERVE THE LORD.
Joshua is telling Israel to make a decision.
But notice something.
HE IS NOT WAITING FOR THE PEOPLE TO DECIDE BEFORE HE MAKES HIS OWN DECLARATION.
It doesn't matter what the rest of Israel chooses.
Joshua has already decided whom he will serve.
And he intends for his household to follow that same direction.
Now notice how the people respond.
16 So the people answered and said: “Far be it from us that we should forsake the Lord to serve other gods;
They say the right thing.
They acknowledge what God has done.
They claim that they will serve Him.
But Joshua doesn't simply accept their declaration and move on.
He continues warning them about the seriousness of what they are saying.
And eventually he tells them:
23 “Now therefore,” he said, “put away the foreign gods which are among you, and incline your heart to the Lord God of Israel.”
Now why does Joshua say that?
Because declaring that you serve God is not the same thing as actually putting away the things that compete with Him.
Israel could stand there and say WE WILL SERVE THE LORD.
But Joshua tells them that their allegiance must be demonstrated by their actions.
PUT AWAY THE FOREIGN GODS.
INCLINE YOUR HEART TO THE LORD.
And I think this is where the entire story connects back to Sunday.
THE CONTRAST — PILATE AND JOSHUA
THE CONTRAST — PILATE AND JOSHUA
Sunday we saw Pilate standing before Jesus.
He knew Jesus was innocent.
He publicly defended Him.
He acknowledged His kingship.
But when doing what was right threatened his position, Pilate chose to protect himself.
And at the end of the story, Pilate washed his hands and attempted to separate himself from the decision he had made.
Now look at Joshua.
Joshua stood before Israel and declared that he would serve the Lord.
But that declaration wasn't an attempt to make himself look righteous in front of the people.
It was consistent with the life he had already lived.
And when he reached the end of his life, he still stood before the people declaring his allegiance to the Lord.
PILATE ACKNOWLEDGED THE TRUTH BUT WOULD NOT SUBMIT TO IT.
JOSHUA ACKNOWLEDGED THE AUTHORITY OF GOD AND SPENT HIS LIFE FOLLOWING HIM.
Now Joshua wasn't sinless, and he certainly wasn't Israel's savior.
But Joshua gives us an incredible example of what genuine faithfulness looks like over the course of a lifetime.
And there is one final passage I want us to see.
THE TESTIMONY OF JOSHUA'S LIFE
THE TESTIMONY OF JOSHUA'S LIFE
29 Now it came to pass after these things that Joshua the son of Nun, the servant of the Lord, died, being one hundred and ten years old.
Notice how Scripture describes Joshua at the end of his life.
THE SERVANT OF THE LORD.
Remember how we met him?
He was Moses' assistant.
He was serving under Moses.
And now, after decades of leadership, battles, victories, failures, and responsibilities, Scripture identifies him as the servant of the LORD.
He didn't begin as the great leader of Israel.
And his life doesn't end with Scripture celebrating how powerful or impressive he had become.
It ends by identifying the One he served.
And look at what happened among the people he led.
31 Israel served the Lord all the days of Joshua, and all the days of the elders who outlived Joshua, who had known all the works of the Lord which He had done for Israel.
Joshua's leadership had an influence that continued beyond his own lifetime.
Now we know that Israel would eventually turn away from God again.
The book of Judges makes that painfully clear.
But during Joshua's lifetime, and during the days of the elders who outlived him, Israel served the Lord.
And I think there is a tremendous lesson here, especially for those of us responsible for leading families, raising children, or influencing others.
Joshua couldn't guarantee that every generation after him would remain faithful.
He couldn't control every decision Israel would make.
But he could determine whom he was going to serve.
He could lead his household in that direction.
And he could spend his life demonstrating what that commitment actually looked like.
And that ultimately proved to be incredibly impactful to the people as well
