Next: Deja Vu All Over Again (Joshua 11:1-10, 16-23)

Introduction

The more things change, the more they stay the same. Each one of us has some kind of bad habit or sin that we struggle with, even after we have already recognized the problem. Do you ever say something and as it comes out, you wish you could grab the words out of the air and pull them back into your mouth before they hit the ears of ho you’re talking about? Been there. Done that. Similarly today, Joshua is in the same predicament as he has been in many times before. We tend to go back to the same sins, the same struggles, and the same issues that we battled time after time after time. Our Westminster Confession of Faith says in section 2 of chapter 13, “this sanctification works in the whole person, but not completely or perfectly in this life. The old sinful nature retains some of its control in body, mind, and spirit. And so a continual and irreconcilable war goes on in every believer. The old nature tries to get its way in opposition to the Spirit, and the Spirit fights to assert its authority over the flesh.” Dane Ortland speaks of an idea that the Puritans called, “Sinning ‘against light.” This is when we know the truth, and our hearts have been fundamentally transformed by Christ. And then, still we fall. Have you been there?

Today we are getting close to the end of our journey through Joshua in the series we are simply calling Next. Over the past several months, we’ve seen God’s People triumph over their foes as they transition into a new phase of community life. It’s the story of moving into the land that God has given them. As we look at what God has next for the Israelites and for Joshua, we look at what God has next for us. Last week, we learned about God’s sovereignty as he has the power over the elements, but also the simple power to encourage and to protect those who follow him. This week, God rescues Joshua from himself.

Joshua and the Israelites are once again opposed by a Canaanite coalition, similar to the last chapter. As the famous catcher, Yogi Berra, said, “It’s like deja vu all over again.” Word of the Israelites successes have been spreading around the country, so once again, the Canaanite kings band together to fight them. In a lot of ways, the chapter we are in this week feels a lot like the passage we were in last week. Israel is once again outnumbered and in need of rescue. Once again, God will come to their aid as he fulfills his promise of a Promised Land for his people. Just as God rescues Joshua and the Israelites from the Canaanite coalition, God will rescue us from our deepest insecurities and fears. How does God rescue Joshua? And, how does he rescue us? We see three parts of God’s rescue.

Encouragement

After the author tells us of the Canaanites kings forming a coalition to fight against him, The Lord tells Joshua in verse 6, “Do not be afraid of them, for tomorrow at this time I will give over all of them, slain, to Israel. You shall hamstring their horses and burn their chariots with fire.” Remember how we said that this section is like deja vu all over again? Well, the phrase that we encounter finally changes. Instead of the Lord telling Joshua the usual, “do not fear” or “be strong and courageous,” God basically says, “don’t worry, they’ll all be dead tomorrow.” The words are very different, but the heart behind God’s words are the same. It’s a metaphorical hand on Joshua’s shoulder. It’s God leaning over to Joshua and saying, you’ve got this. I am with you. I am for you, and you will have victory, not simply because of anything you are going to do. Rather, because of my promises and my love for my people. When I moved from Ohio out to Illinois for my first pastorate, I took some time to visit my uncle, who was a long time pastor in the CMA denomination. For over 20 years, he faithfully and effectively shepherded a church near Erie, Pennsylvania. We had about an hour or so visit as I prepared to go from recent seminary graduate to new pastor. After an hour of questions and discussion, he put his hand on my shoulder, and he told me, you are ready. And then, he reminded me that every Sunday when you are about to walk into the sanctuary to lead Sunday morning worship, make sure to check that your fly isn’t down. He knew just what I needed to hear, at just the right time, to support the ministry that I was walking into. Is there someone like that in your life today? God went to Joshua and encouraged him. The body of Christ should regularly be Christ to others, knowing when and how to encourage one another.

George Truett was a tremendously effective pastor for decades in Texas. His heart was broken when he accidentally killed his best friend while they were on a hunting trip. His daughter said that she never heard him laugh after that day. Truett had a radio program, and each day when it came to a close he would say, “Be good to everybody, because everybody is having a tough time.” Because he knew personally what a heavy burden people could be carrying, he encouraged compassion toward them. John Goldingay says, “If God is involved, all you may need to do is blow your trumpets. If God is not involved, all the horses and chariots in the world may not win your victory.” Do you need encouragement from God for the same thing you’ve went to him about time after time after time? He is there for you. Trust in Christ. The first part of God’s rescue is to encourage us when and how we need it.

The Resume

Moving into verses 9-11, the author writes, “And Joshua did to them just as the Lord said to him: he hamstrung their horses and burned their chariots with fire. And Joshua turned back at that time and captured Hazor and struck its king with the sword, for Hazor formerly was the head of all those kingdoms. And they struck with the sword all who were in it, devoting them to destruction; there was none left that breathed. And he burned Hazor with fire.” Yet again, after we looked at Joshua 10 last week, it’s like deja vu all over again. Just like last week, the Canaanites have ganged up against Joshua and the Israelites. They outnumber them. God has once again told Joshua that the Canaanites will be defeated. And once again, Joshua and Israelites have overwhelming victory. But let’s take a step back for a second. Think of Joshua and the Isrealites going into this battle. Militarily, the odds are against them. They are outnumbered, and they are fighting on the home turf of their enemy. The war in Ukraine right now shows how valuable fighting on your home turf is. So, how would you feel if you on the one hand had everything against you militarily, but on the other hand, you had God’s promise that you would be victorious?

We believe in the promises of God because he is God. He is our Creator, and the Father sent Christ to die on the Cross for sin, once for all time. However, we grow in our trust of God as we see God fulfilling his promises. The Israelites had their trust in God built because of what God has done for them. God freed them from slavery in Egypt. God provided for them as they journeyed 40 years in the Wilderness on their way to the Promised Land. Then, God provided the encourage and the kick in the pants they needed at the beginning of Joshua to finally Cross the Jordan. And now, for 10 chapters, we’ve seen God deliver them victory after victory. Even after they failed him, such as their defeat at the initial battle for the city of Ai or in their foolish treaty with the Gibeonites, God has continued to call them back to him and to help them continue on in the mission he called them to. The Israelites had a detailed resume of how God had loved them, protected them, and cared for them time after time after time. In their victories and in their failures, there was no end to his love and care for them. Similarly, God slowly builds his resume with us of how he will care for us throughout our journey.

Dr. Harry Ironside taught that salvation was like Noah inviting an unbeliever to trust God’s Word and board the ark. Some believe that salvation is like Noah putting a peg on the outside of the ark and saying, “If you just hang on through the storm, you’ll be saved.” God holds onto the Christian—not the other way around.

John 10:29 ESV

My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand.

How does your resume look of God’s care and protection look? When we reflect on all the ways that God has been faithful to us, we can know that we can and should trust in Christ. The second part of God’s rescue is building a resume of faithfulness that we remember when we are tempted to not trust in Christ.

Rest

Verse 23 tells us that “Joshua took the whole land, according to all that the Lord had spoken to Moses. And Joshua gave it for an inheritance to Israel according to their tribal allotments. And the land had rest from war.” What comes on the other side of the Israelite mission? Rest. In the Old Testament, people were not the only ones who received rest. The land enjoyed a sabbath as well. After 11 chapters of fighting, Joshua, the Israelites, and the land itself would finally enjoy a much deserved rest. About this, Jackman writes, “For us this promise of entering God’s rest has been conveyed in the gospel and its promises. For the Israelites it was the promise of entering the land that God was giving to them where they would experience his rest; but this would only happen if the promises were met with a living faith expressing itself in obedient action. Joshua and Caleb had the faith to believe, but the majority did not.” Just as the majority of Israel did not have the trust in Christ to go into the land that they would one day experience rest from their enemies, in a similar way many of us fail to let go of one day of our week. In Mark 2:27-28, Jesus says, ““The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath. So the Son of Man is lord even of the Sabbath.” The Sabbath shows us the limits of our own humanity. While we have six days a week to work and to produce, God tells us to take one day per week free from our labor. Walter Brueggemann writes, “To serve God and wealth at the same time is impossible. It is like keeping Sabbath and at the same time planning for commerce...Sabbath is the regular, disciplined, visible, concrete yes to the neighborly reality of the community beloved by God.”

H.H. Hobbs shares the story from years ago where a railroad conducted an experiment. It purchased two new locomotives. One was kept in constant service, regardless of the day. In the use of the other, late each Saturday they pulled its fire and released the steam. On Sunday it was allowed to cool down, thus re-tempering its metal. Then it was fired up again on Monday. Over the years they found that they had less maintenance and trouble with the latter than with the former. If rest one day each week so benefited a piece of machinery, how much more does the fragile, delicate human body and spirit need it. Observing the Sabbath is more than taking a day off. The Sabbath is one day a week where we step aside from the stress and anxiety of the world, and worshipping God through worship and through rest. We have already talked about how Joshua has taught us about trusting in Christ meaning that we experience the encouragement of Christ and remember the resume of faithfulness God has provided. for the third part, Joshua teaches us that rest is a matter of trust. The third part of God’s rescue is resting, knowing that ultimately God is in control. Therefore, trust in Christ as you let God handle the affairs of the world for one day.

Recap

The first part of God’s rescue is to encourage us when and how we need it. The second part of God’s rescue is building a resume of faithfulness. The third part of God’s rescue is resting, knowing that ultimately God is in control.

Do you ever say something and as it comes out, you wish you could grab the words out of the air and pull them back into your mouth before they hit the ears of ho you’re talking about? Been there. Done that. There was one time when I said something I shouldn’t have. Kim came up to me afterwards, and she told me about how great of a day we were having. So, I of course gave her the look of, please don’t placate me. And she said, “don’t let two seconds ruin the rest of your day.” It’s a great point. Not only because two seconds do not need to ruin our day, but also, because when we stumble in that same way that we have stumbled time and again previously, God is there for us. Dane Ortland writes, “The gospel is the invitation to let the heart of Christ calm us into joy.”

Therefore, trust in Christ.