The victorious Warrior

Ever wish you could banish the bad.

All the rubbish in your life, or in the world, just do away with it.

Maybe think of situation in Ukraine, and war, and existance of evil. countries torn by war, yemen, iraq, or Ethiopia

culture closer to home. growing further and further from biblical morality, and open way in which sex and drink and substances and power are abused.

Maybe look at your own life and own sin, the mistakes you keep making. The desires you wish weren’t there. Temptations that fed up of fighting and losing. and wish you could change.

Bad it gets everywhere. In here and out there. What hope is there is a world full of such wickedness. worry as we think about raising out children in such a world

We long for solution. Porblems in the world we put out trust in leaders, who let us down, or are corrupt, seeking a status above themselves. In our own lives we try and suppress or fix problems, but find either change doesn’t last or sin creeps in elsewhere.

What we need is someone who can banish the bad out there and the bad in here forever. Who can deal with it.

This is the God we meet in these verses.

LIVE in the victory of Jesus

Look to our passage. It’s passages like this that can get Christians into hot water. Sometimes feel embarrassed about, as we try to defent brutal warfare. Tempted to remove it or soften it. Scholars debate over the extremity of the language, and some try to contextualise to say everyone in it doesn’t really mean everyone, but only the military forces. Some try say its just record of events, not necessarily actions of God, execpt that our verses make clear that this was at the command of God and more than that he fought for Israel.

How are we to approach passages like this, Records of warfare. Not by excusing or diminishing, but by looking at it through the right lens.

(the right lens through which to look)

Tendancy to look at passage a certain way because in our minds already made our mind up what God is like. example

Athiests uses passages like this to rule God our saying even if he is real, he is angry moral monster.

others see God of good feeling. as long as it feels right, it must be right, and God won’t have a problem with it.

to help us look at these verse, and war narrative that’s to follow, let God tell us what he is like by seeing what these verses in context of Joshua as a whole and in context of OT show us about God. First is a reminder of key truth.

God is Holy

God of bible first and formost is one who is Holy Set apart. Creator and sustainor and ruler of all things. God who made us to worship him. Very essense of life is in a right relationship with him. A life of worship. In that life we were made to flourish, as he provides all that we need. And this is what was lost when Adam and Eve first sinned, and all of bible God working to restore what was lost, without compramising himself.

As we look below the surface of the battles and the killings and the putting to the sword and the total destructiong. We meet a God who is beating the bad.

Lanaguage used here “totally destroyed” = lit. devoted to destruction. It’s known as the ban. That nothing is held back from GOD, irrevocable giving over of things or persons to the Lord, often by totally destroying them.

Language is not first applied to God’s enemies, but to his own people.

Exodus 22:20 NIV

“Whoever sacrifices to any god other than the Lord must be destroyed.

God brings people out of slavery in Egypt, rescues them from oppression and in justice and promises them life. He gives law - showing how they are to live in right relationship with him and with each other, that life may thrive.

If we want to see and end of evil and corruption, need a God who is incorruptable, perfectly just, who isnt like all the other failed rulers. Who doesn’t lash out uncontroallably or fail to act when see wrong.

So what we see in passage is not God waging war on people because of race or background but waging war on sin. Lanaguage of totral destruction is about God reclaiming what is rightfully his. It’s about God justly punishhing people who have rebelled against their maker - who refuse to acknowledge him as their King.

That is what God is doing with the Canaanites. A people living outside his rule, whose sin was overfloowing. normal cultural practices of incets, immorality of every kind, child sacrifice and war for sake of it.

Bibles lesn through which we can look at this text and see Authors true purpose. Passages not to be embarrased about, but a celebration.

God brings victory for his people

Joshua 10:40–42 NIV

So Joshua subdued the whole region, including the hill country, the Negev, the western foothills and the mountain slopes, together with all their kings. He left no survivors. He totally destroyed all who breathed, just as the Lord, the God of Israel, had commanded. Joshua subdued them from Kadesh Barnea to Gaza and from the whole region of Goshen to Gibeon. All these kings and their lands Joshua conquered in one campaign, because the Lord, the God of Israel, fought for Israel.

Clearest thing writer wants to show us in this pasasge is picture of TOTAL VICTORY. 7 Armies fight, 7 armies are defeated. Even the surprise attack from the Geezar King of Geezar who’d marched up.

These poweful rulers of nations in the land of Canaan. Jericho, Ai, Makkedah, Libnah, Lachish, Gezer, Hebron, Eglon, Debir. Defeated by mighty warrior - the creator God Yahweh.

Everyone of them put to the sowrd - smitted. Every one of them a total knockout.

This is what happes to those who go up against God. Sooner or later his enemies will face his wrath

But for those who have God on their side. Victory. certain and total and complete, because the eternal all powerful God is fighting for them.

Tone of this passage is a celebration of the creator God who is perfect in holiness and in justice cares about the problem of evil and has the power and willing to do something about. That is the hope we need in our world, and in our own lives. But it also brings a great tension. How can we be on the side of victory?

Phsycial events of OT are picture of spiritual reality. Gareth quoted last week

Ephesians 6:12 NIV

For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.

What lies behind the wars, the hurt, the injustice, the mess, out there and in here. It’s battle against our sinful nature - our natural refusal to let Jesus be King and Satan. And (as Gareth showed us last week) that is the fight we are called to, but its one we have no hope of winning on our own.

It’s one that God has already won for us in the Lord Jesus. Writer wants reader to look back and know for certain that their warrior God will always bring victory because he has never failed.

(notice pattern, no longer compared to Jericho,, but to previous - just like before)

And for the Christian we are to do the same. In world full of such evil, how can we be sure there will be an end. In our own lives as we do battle with the devil, own sin firing against our desire to live for God, how where do we draw our confidence.

It’s at the Cross.

at cross what do we see but height of man’s wickedness and satans power, working to put Holy one - sinless son of god on a cross. height of treason as kill King of kings

yet also place

Where God’s Holiness and justice and love and grace meet. As we see the Holy one enter into a broken world to live sinless life, bringing justice and hope. As we see the warrior King Jesus lay down his crown to serve, and as he willingly devotes himself to destruction, facing wrath of God that was due for us.

and it’s the place where we see the Warrior King Jesus bring forth greatest victory.

As with mighty power of Holy Spirit he defeats death itself and crushes Satan by offering new life to those who were once enslaved by him and under his power.

pause.

but here’s my question. if victory is won then why is there still fighting?

If victory is won then why are we still fighting?! Striking in these verses is that language of total destruction is used, and yet we read later we find popping up the mention of a number of these Canaanite nations, and later battles bring final defeat. This doesn’t undermind the totality of the victory. But tells us that even in total defeat there are those who keep fighting.

One author uses example from war.

On May 10th 1940, the Nazi army invaded France. In less that 2 months on June 22nd an armistice was signed, and the Axis powers had won a remarkable victory.. But that did not mean everybody suddenly swore allegiance to the Germans. The French resitance, sought to hinder the Germans in any way they could. Germany had conquered France, but there will still pockets of resitance, and the French people as a whole wanted to rid their country of all Nazi troops”.

This is is what author says in following:

The ongoing conditions in Canaan mirror what every Christian finds in his or her heart. Christ has conquered sin in our lives. He is King. But pockets of resistance known as remaining sin continue to rise up in rebellion.

That is true in our hearts and true in world. Satan rages in defeat. Corrupting hearts and minds away from Maker.

One day fighting will be done. Our Warrior King Jesus will return. Bad will be banished forever. Rebel forces finally crushed and we will be as we were made to be.

Revelation 19:11–16 NIV

I saw heaven standing open and there before me was a white horse, whose rider is called Faithful and True. With justice he judges and wages war. His eyes are like blazing fire, and on his head are many crowns. He has a name written on him that no one knows but he himself. He is dressed in a robe dipped in blood, and his name is the Word of God. The armies of heaven were following him, riding on white horses and dressed in fine linen, white and clean. Coming out of his mouth is a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations. “He will rule them with an iron scepter.” He treads the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God Almighty. On his robe and on his thigh he has this name written: king of kings and lord of lords.

If unbeliever - Is Jesus your King today? Will you let him rule in your heart and in your life. Not just because you fear being on the wrong side, but because life is only truly found in right relationship with your maker.

Brothers and sisters, how do we keep going in battle? By knowing victory is won.

Trust in the victory of Jesus - Fight with great perseverance:

don’t be naive about the battle. How often are we cuaght out because we believe life should be easier.

Trust in the victory of Jesus - Fight now with great expectation.

(Tendency towards timid view of sanctification)

Trust in the victory of Jesus - Fight by faith.

Gilgal. Read v43.

Joshua 10:43 NIV

Then Joshua returned with all Israel to the camp at Gilgal.

Gilgal was place where set up stones when first crossed into canaan after seeing God part jordan. place where they were to remember who God is and what he has done, that they might not fear but trust him completely to fight for them.

Look to the Cross and ressurection and asension of Jesus. When in the battle don’t look to your own willpower but look to your victorious King.

“Though we are poor, He is rich; though we are weak, He is strong; though we have nothing, He posseses all things… He conquered in his own person, and He will make eachg of his members more than conquerers in due season… He can control all that we fear; so that if our paths should be through fire or through water, neither the flood shall drown us, nor the flame kindle upon us.”

John Netwon

Who is this King of glory? The Lord strong and mighty, the Lord mighty in battle.