March 30, 2014
Joshua: Turning Obedience Into Blessing
Joshua 10:16-11:15 NOT EDITED
Joshua: Turning Obedience Into Blessing
Joshua 10:16-11:15 NOT EDITED
SIS – God is the “Warrior King” and we are His
soldiers fighting for the souls of men, women, and children.
Regardless of how
right or wrong it was, growing up as a boy in West Virginia meant
“fighting.” It’s what boys did. Now, we did not stoop the gang mentality you
see ravaging our streets today. Fighting
when I was a boy had recognized rules and protocols. In my case most fights occurred after school
where the bus stopped to let us off in the sub-division. Two opponents would square off, fists at the
ready while the crowd formed a circle—a boxing ring if you will. The fight usually started verbally with each
opponent saying, “Go ahead, throw the first punch!” Now, that sounds like each of the pugilists
were being civil and not wishing to be the aggressor. More often, I think it was a ploy to avoid
any actually physical altercation. The
majority of the time all the commotion and yelling would bring a parent who
broke the fight up. Each opponent would
walk away shouting back insults and the usual warning: “It’s a good thing someone broke this fight
up before I annihilated you.”
Well, those were
“the good old days,” as we say. American
freedom was born in struggle. America
has been hesitant to be an aggressor on the world stage, but we have never run
from a fight. Those born after the turn
of the 20th century are called, “The Great Generation,” in part
because they fought two Great Wars, WW1 and WW2. In both world wars young men flocked to
recruiters to sign up to fight the enemy.
Since the Great
Generation came the Baby Boomers, born sometime after the end of WW2. This is my father’s generation. With a horrible war behind them they settled
into a time of growing prosperity. The
middle class was strong and time was spent on work and leisure. Korea and Viet Nam did not find young men
flocking to the recruiters to fight the enemy.
These wars were seen as great interruptions in the lives of families
seeking prosperity and leisure. Since
the passing of the Great Generation who eagerly and enthusiastically entered
the battle against America’s foes, we have rejected a militaristic mindset for
a materialistic one. Argue whether or
not this is an improvement if you will, but you cannot argue this is how it is
today.
The church of God
has likewise abandoned a militaristic approach to preaching the gospel. Militaristic hymns like, Onward Christian
Soldiers, or the Battle Hymn of the Republic have fallen out of favor with
mainstream Christianity, and in fact have been removed from many hymnbooks as
being too “militaristic.” One Bible
scholar states the matter, thusly:
It
is too bad much of the church has lost this vision of God or Christ as the
warrior who fights for his people. Too
many of us regard this conception as substandard, by which we mean it does not
fit our sentimental twentieth-century graven images of what God ought to be like (emphasis mine).
It may not fit our
present sentimentality, yet whether politically correct Christians like or not,
the Bible—especially the O.T.—is very militaristic. In fact, Exodus 15:3 explicitly states:
3 The Lord is a warrior; Yahweh is
His name.
You can’t escape
the fact that Yahweh’s character includes a militaristic stance against
sin. LET’S READ what Joshua says about,
“Yahweh, the Warrior.” Take a deep
breath we are going to read all the way from 10:16 to 11:15.
Our text outlines
three aspects related to Yahweh as a Warrior.
1. The
Message of War (24-25)
Let me make it
clear what “Holy War” in the O.T. is not.
It is not a sanction for mankind
to do what it pleases to get what it wants! Holy War in the O.T. is also
NOT sufficient support for the idea of a “Just War Theory.” The Indian epic, the Mahabharata, offers one
of the first written discussions of a 'just war' (4th century, B.C.,
Wikipedia). The Christian version goes
back to Catholic scholars, Augustine (4th century A.D.) and Aquinas
(13th century). The Christian
version of a “just war” (jus bellum
iustum) has two prongs: a right to
go to war (jus ad bellum); and a
right conduct in war (jus in bellum). While these theories based on principles
drawn from God’s Word may give some insight into modern conflict, it bears
little resemblance, if any, to the O.T. idea of God as a Warrior.
War in the O.T. is
not seen as a game or contest between two earthly opponents (though there are
these types of conflicts in the O.T.).
War, especially in Joshua, is all about the Sovereignty of Almighty God
and His utter disdain for evil. That is
why the battles in Joshua result in total annihilation of all living
things—men, women, children and even livestock.
All life in these pagan communities had become so corrupt and evil that
God demands the total eradication. God
is sovereign so His acts are beyond question by those He created. God is so holy that no evil can stand in His
presence. You must start with the
absolute sovereignty and holiness of God or the message of Yahweh as a Warrior
cannot be grasped. Most scholars take
great pains to point out that these “Warrior” acts of God are strictly limited
to the context of eradicating sin from the land the Israelites would soon
inhabit, so as to prevent—or at least mitigate—Israel’s compromising with pagan
peoples.
This is not an
altogether sufficient justification for Yahweh’s actions as a “Warrior.” Only
beginning with the sovereignty and holiness of God will the message of Yahweh
as Warrior make sense.
Look at verses 24
and 25
22 Then Joshua said, “Open the mouth
of the cave, and bring those five kings to me out of there.” 23 That
is what they did. They brought the five kings of Jerusalem, Hebron, Jarmuth,
Lachish, and Eglon to Joshua out of the cave. 24 When they had
brought the kings to him, Joshua summoned all the men of Israel and said to the
military commanders who had accompanied him, “Come here and put your feet on
the necks of these kings.” So the commanders came forward and put their feet on
their necks. 25 Joshua said to them, “Do not be afraid or
discouraged. Be strong and courageous,
for the Lord will do this to all the enemies you fight.”
Now this act of
stepping on the neck of the five kings may seem like some out-of-control
machismo on the part of the Israelites, but it is not. This goes to the very heart of the meaning
and message of Yahweh as a Warrior—particularly Yahweh’s sovereignty. As one
writer points out poignantly: “Now this act was not simple barbarism, nor
a mere macho move. It was, if one might
speak loosely, a sacrament [holy act]. . . . The leaders’ feet upon the necks
of these prostrate kings was an acted parable, an assuring sign, of how Yahweh
would certainly place all their enemies beneath them.”
This was an act of
obedience to a holy God demonstrating that there is only one King of Kings and
Lord of Lords and that is Yahweh. All
other kings and potentates play with phantom power, but Yahweh demonstrates
absolute power. The N.T. makes it clear
that Jesus Christ, Yahweh the Son, also has placed all kings and potentates and
provincial powers under his feet.
Prov.
21:1 A king’s heart is like streams of
water in the Lord’s hand:He directs it wherever He chooses.
Phil.
2: 10At the name of Jesus every
knee will bow —of those who are in heaven
and on earthand under the earth —11 and every
tongue should confess that Jesus Christ
is Lord,to the glory of God the Father.
So, the message
behind the Bible’s description of Yahweh, the Warrior is to demonstrate He is
absolutely holy and absolutely sovereign. Much of the O.T. will be hard to
grasp if you don’t grasp this important, two-fold message.
2. The Manner
of the War (10:28-43)
As I said above,
the Just War Theory developed by Augustine and Aquinas had two parts: jus ad
bellum, the right to go “to” war, and jus in bellum, the right conduct “in”
war. There is a very big flaw in any
“rules” regarding war—rules only work if both sides agree on them and abide by
them. Should one side decide to abandon
this idea, then they have a very distinct advantage. The other side abiding by the rules will like
suffer significant and irreversible loss.
For example, it is generally agreed that POW’s should be treated fairly
and humanely. American servicemen and service women know this is not the
case—as with Japanese camps and Vietnamese camps. Likewise, Jews suffered horribly in German
camps. If one goes to war there really
is only one significant guideline:
win! Losing with honor is, well .
. . honorable, but it may not be tolerable.
There is no international court strong enough to absolutely guarantee,
for example, that an enemy will not use weapons of mass destruction according
to the rules of modern warfare. Assuming they will may lead to living
under a tyrant.
So, two principles apply in
regard to Yahweh as Warrior. While we cannot fight wars with absolute holiness
and righteousness as Yahweh does, we can draw some lessons from Yahweh’s
example. First, the goal is the total
annihilation of evil. In other words,
the goal must be to win. Playing at war
like it is a game with service people as the pawns is unconscionable and will
lead to more evil, not less. America has
done a great disservice to our modern soldiers by trying to “contain evil,”
rather than conquer it. We saw this in
Viet Nam and Korea. Neither of these
wars were undertaken with any clear objective of eradicating an evil. If it is right to go to war in the first
place (jus ad bellum) then it is
right to win. This principle does not
suggest that “any means to the end” is justified. Torture, for example, was not countenanced by
Yahweh. His goal was eradicating
horrible evil. Verse 28 describes this manner of war involving total annihilation:
28 On that day Joshua captured
Makkedah and struck it down with the sword, including its king. He completely
destroyed it and everyone in it, leaving
no survivors.
This idea of “total destruction”
would be extended throughout all the areas of the Southern part of the Promised Land in verses 28-40, and later extended throughout the Northern cities in chapter 11:1-15. Total destruction must be viewed, as I’ve
already said, in light of God’s absolute holiness.
Now, what lesson can we draw from
this idea of “totality” in regard to the spiritual battle between our flesh and
our spirit? I’ve preached this before
but it is helpful to repeat. Paul
declares in this regard that success in the spiritual battle requires that we
“annihilate the deeds of the body, or the flesh.” Look at Romans
8:12-13:
12 So then, brothers, we are not
obligated to the flesh to live according to the flesh, 13 for
if you live according to the flesh, you are going to die. But if by the Spirit
you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live.
The word translated, “put to death,”
come from a very ancient Greek word literally meaning to “cause to cease from
all activity” (thanatos). The goal of the Spirit-filled life is the
daily, moment by moment eradication all vestiges of the old life. Sadly, most Christians hang on to old habits,
old ideas, and old desires. We fail to
gain victory over evil in the world because we are tripping over evil in our
own lives. Paul said in Hebrews 12:1-2:
Therefore, since we
also have such a large cloud of witnesses
surrounding us, let us lay aside every weight and the sin that so easily
ensnares us. Let us run with endurance
the race that lies before us, 2 keeping our eyes on
Jesus, the source and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that lay before
Him endured a cross and despised the
shame and has sat down at the right hand
of God’s throne.
All of heaven watches from the
celestial grandstands as we “run this race of life,” or in regard to our
present text, “fight the battle of life.”
To run or to fight requires great energy and much discipline. Evil a little sin will keep you from the
victory God wants you to have in the battle, or battles of life. The moment we let our guard down by treating
sin with any degree of familiarity, we expose ourselves to grave danger.
Last
week, a young
Petty Officer standing watch was shot dead on the quarterdeck of a U.S. Navy
guided missile destroyer. A civilian who
had access to the base, but not to the ship wrestled the Petty Officer’s gun
away from him and shot him dead. Another
security officer on the ship shot the civilian.
The Petty Officer let the civilian get too close and paid the
price. This is what happens when we let
sin creep in and set up camp in our lives.
We pay an awful price.
The manner of war as followers of
Yahweh must involve the total eradication of evil in our own lives, before we
will have any affect on the evil in our world.
Now, interestingly, as complete
as Israel’s victory was over the Central, Southern, and Northern cities, Judges
1 tell us that it was not complete enough.
Decades later in Judges 1 we find the Israelites still being troubled by
remaining Canaanites. This is a further
reminder that we must always seek the total eradication of evil in our own
lives—this is the “manner” by which we follow Yahweh’s example.
Godliness requires constant
vigilance and self-discipline to eradicate any vestige of the old nature.
So, by examining the teaching of
Yahweh as Warrior we learn the message behind the wars in the O.T. and the
manner by which they were fought. Our
text also gives us insight into
3. The Model Warrior (11:1-15)
The key to winning any war,
spiritual or otherwise lies in the quality of the warrior. The best gun in the world is of no use if the
one firing that gun is not a model soldier.
Wars are not fought with weapons, but wars are fought with
warriors. Weapons are of secondary
importance. America has some of the most
technologically advanced weapons ever conceived but the strength of our
military is the quality of our warriors.
The Bible concludes this section with a reference to the leadership of
Joshua, God’s warrior:
15 Just as the Lord had commanded
His servant Moses, Moses commanded Joshua. That is what Joshua did, leaving
nothing undone of all that the Lord had commanded Moses.
We all should be model warriors
capable of leading out in ministry. You
may be a follower now, but God’ calls us all to lead. Joshua had demonstated three fundamental
characteristics of a model warrior.
(1)
He
could identify the enemy (1-5)
Throughout history, armies have
worn identifying uniforms. When the British Army was approaching Lexington, Paul
Revere supposedly sounded the alarm by saying, “The Redcoats are coming. The Redcoats are coming.” Historians debate whether Revere actually
said this or not but it was certainly possible because the British Army wore an
easily recognizable uniform including ‘red coats.’
Now, not all uniforms of the
enemy are equally intimidating. Take for
example the uniform of the elite Greek Army unit, the Evzones. SHOW
SLIDE. Their uniforms don’t
exactly strike terror in the heart of their enemies.
The writer of Joshua goes to
great lengths to identify who the enemy is and what particular military power
they possess. The first five verses of
chapter 11 describe Israel’s enemies, and their prospective power in great
detail. Together these Northern kings
amassed a huge army, “as numerous as the
sand of the sea.” Joshua identified
the enemy and was prepared to face them.
Too often in church, we do not
have a clear idea of the enemies identity.
Evil moves in and among congregations seemingly unnoticed. Most churches see the world as their enemy
when in fact it is usually “friendly fire” that brings down most
congregations. A good leader has the ability
to adequately identify and assess the enemy.
(2) He drew energy from God’s sovereignty (6-7)
6 The Lord said to Joshua, “Do not
be afraid of them, for at this time tomorrow I will cause all of them to be
killed before Israel.
Too many Christians have lost the
warrior spirit because they fail to adequately understand the true nature of
Yahweh’s sovereignty. Many believers
never engage the enemy because they feel that fighting evil is “God’s
job.” After all, who among us cannot
quote that verse, “Judge not lest ye be judged.” Or, how about the verse that tells us to
“turn the other cheek.” I can assure you
that whatever you think these verses mean, they do not mean Christians are not
supposed to actively engage the enemies of God in this world—whether that be
pro-abortion activists or pro-homosexual lobbyists. It IS INDEED our job of “Model Warriors” to
engage the enemies of God in the marketplace.
God’s warriors cannot limit their activity to within the four walls of a
sterilized cathedral. The church
building is not a “hiding place,” but a “headquarters.” The sovereignty of God as we have learned
does not mean there is nothing for God’s people to do, but simply means that
what we do will be miraculously successful—but, we have to “DO” SOMETHING! Understanding sovereignty energized the
“warrior spirit” in us because we know that we are engaged in a conflict sanctioned
by and is being led by Yahweh the Warrior. Nothing energizes a warrior like knowing
one is in God’s battle with the assurance of victory!
(3) He trusted completely in the sufficiency of
God’s help (6, 9)
6 You are to
hamstring their horses and burn up their chariots.
9 Joshua treated
them as the Lord had told him; he hamstrung their horses and burned up their chariots.
Joshua and Israel invaded the
enemy camp but instead of taking their weaponry and using it against them—they
disabled the horses and destroyed the chariots.
Hamstringing a horse made the horse unfit for military service by
cutting the large tendon behind the knee on the hind legs. Horse-drawn chariots were hi-tech weaponry.
Why not just commandeer the
horses and chariots instead of destroying them?
One scholar points to a very probable reason: “Yahweh’s intention is to teach Israel not to depend on [worldly] modes
of assistance but to [rest] in God’s help alone.” This aligns with what the Psalmist said,
“7 Some
take pride in chariots, and others in horses,
but
we take pride in the name of Yahweh our God.
A “Model Warrior” in Yahweh’s
army trusts completely in the sufficiency of God’s help, rather than one’s own
cunning or ingenuity. We must avoid
taking our cue from culture as to how we should wage our war against the
enemies of God. We must never trust in
worldly methods or carnal weapons to fight the battle before us. We must trust God and His Word as absolutely
sufficient to bring us to victory.
Joshua was a model warrior in
Yahweh’s Army. We can be also if we
search His Word to discover how to identify the enemy; if we get energized knowing
that this is Yahweh’s fight and His sovereign power guarantees our efforts will
be successful; and if we place all our trust in God alone, and not our
cleverness or ingenuity.
Sadly, the fighting spirit that
allowed the Great Generation to win two world wars and build the greatest super
power on earth, that spirit seems absent from our present culture. We now seem more driven by a “peacenik-politically-correct-I-got-mine-you-get-yours”
spirit” than by Yahweh, the Warrior’s Holy Spirit. Much like the Jews we are going too willingly
into the cattle cars of a train on the track of societal suicide, or like children
dancing merrily behind a politically correct Pied Piper as he tweets them away
to doom.
Yahweh is a Warrior. We must be warriors, too! At stake in this
present war is the eternal souls of men, women, and children.
<<<end>>>