Joshua 11-12

Dear RTB’ers,

My apologies for late and short posts this past week. We had our Maryland daughter and her kids here all week, plus the rest of our kids and grandkids at the end of the week. In some measure, I was fortunate to be able to post at all! A big thank-you to Carol for watching the young-uns and giving me the morning space for notes to you all.

My post yesterday was short – intentionally so. I wanted to point out the complete destruction of the peoples in the Promised Land that the Lord had asked of Moses and Joshua and the Israelites. The author of Joshua continues that outcome today: And all the spoil of these cities and the livestock, the people of Israel took for their plunder. But every person they struck with the edge of the sword until they had destroyed them, and they did not leave any who breathed …, and so Joshua did. He left nothing undone of all that the LORD had commanded Moses. (Joshua 11:14-15) Joshua is doing what the Lord had commanded, simply following instructions, no matter how hideous to our minds.

A bit of the geography of the Conquest. Phase One is Jericho, Ai (and Bethel?), and Gibeon, Joshua 6-9. Phase Two is the southern campaign, most of which became the territory of Judah (and Simeon), yesterday’s chapter, Joshua 10. Phase Three, then, is the northern campaign, today’s reading, Joshua 11. Surprisingly (to me), that coalition of armies doing battle with Israel today had gathered in the far north of the Promised Land, at the waters of Merom (Joshua 11:5, 7), northwest of the Sea of Galilee. You may recall from our reading of Luke’s Gospel that Samaria separated Galilee from Ephraim and Judah. So this coalition gathering in the far north showed the north-south extent of the Conquest of the Promised Land.

Finally, there is also a Phase Zero (if you will), Moses’ defeat of the two kings east of the Jordan – Sihon, the king of the Amorites (Joshua 12:2-3) and Og, the king of Bashan (Joshua 12:4-5). Two and one-half tribes (Reuben, Gad, and a half-tribe of Manasseh) settled there before Moses died. However, their warriors battled with Joshua and the Israelites in conquering the Promised Land.

Blessings!

Joshua 10

Dear RTB’ers,

He devoted to destruction every person in it; … none remaining. (v. 28; see also Joshua 10:30,33,36,39,40, ESV, translated as …no survivors… in the NASB). Complete destruction – buildings and people; save the animals for sacrifices and the gold and silver for worship materials. Inconceivable for our earthly minds. But God is God, we are not.

Blessings!

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See also: March 6 (2023) / Joshua 9-11

Joshua 9

Dear RTB’ers,

The Gibeonites. One key verse today; I’m sure it jumped off the page for all of you: So the men took some of their provisions, but did not ask counsel from the LORD. (v. 14) No doubt multiple thousands of sermons have been preached on this chapter and the Israelites’ mistake of not first seeking the Lord. And it’s a good caution. Yesterday I posted about making plans and seeing successes. What I did not say (I left it up to all of you) was that all of our plan-seeking needs to be submitted to the Lord. He alone, our Creator and Redeemer, knows what’s best for us, in what direction we should go.

So Joshua and the leaders did not seek the Lord. That doesn’t mean that they were cursed because of that failure. Many chapters down the road we will see that Israel pays the price for not seeking God. However, in the present instance, the Lord smiles on them with a good outcome: But Joshua made them that day cutters of wood and drawers of water for the congregation and for the altar of the LORD, to this day, in the place that He should choose. (v. 27) We will see in II Chronicles 1 that the place that He should choose (for the Tabernacle, the Tent of Meeting prior to the building of the Temple in Jerusalem) was, in fact, Gibeon.

Blessings!

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See also: March 6 (2023) / Joshua 9-11

Joshua 8

Dear RTB’ers,

The battle for Ai – actually, not much of a battle!! After Ai’s defeat of Israel in yesterday’s reading, the people of Ai had gotten a bit overconfident – not knowing that their gods could not do serious battle with Israel’s God.

Then you shall rise up from the ambush and seize the city, for the LORD your God will give it into your hand. (v. 7) There are times when we make our plans, when we undertake our preparations, when we are confident of the result, and the outcome is as we had anticipated. Think back to a school exam or graduation or to a successful interview. You’ve made your plans, you’ve worked hard, and you’ve succeeded. Now, looking back, where was the Lord in all that? In the planning – where did you get the initial idea? In the preparation – how did you come by the necessary resources to adequately prepare? In the actual exam or interview – might God have acted on your mind on the exam or in the heart of the interviewer or in everything that led to your graduation? With or without your seeking Him, He was there! You “rose up” and you “seized the city”, but it was God who “gave it into your hand”. Again, as I’ve so often suggested, look back on your life and see God at work, whether you had invited Him or not! He was there!

Blessings!

Joshua 7

Dear RTB’ers,

Does today’s story surprise you? Everything has been going so well for the Israelites, and then: …about three thousand men went up there from the people. And they fled before the men of Ai, and the men of Ai killed about thirty-six of their men and chased them… (vv. 4-5a). One man violates the ban against taking anything of value, yesterday’s direct command from the Lord: But you, keep yourselves from the things devoted to destruction, lest when you have devoted them you take any of the devoted things and make the camp of Israel a thing for destruction and bring trouble upon it. But all silver and gold, and every vessel of bronze and iron, are holy to the LORD; they shall go into the treasury of the LORD. (Joshua 6:18-19) I’m sure that hundreds of stewardship sermons have been preached on this story, with Achan’s materialism set up against his personal responsibility, how one man’s greed, one man’s covetousness affected an entire nation. Makes me wonder how my sin can have impacts far beyond my own personal space…

I had a question from one of you yesterday about the Israelites utterly destroying all of Jericho, including the men, women and children. I had no answer, other than it’s God’s call, His judgment, His responsibility. Today we find a similar fate for the household of Achan: And Joshua and all Israel with him took Achan the son of Zerah … and his sons and daughters and his oxen and donkeys and sheep and his tent and all that he had. … And all Israel … burned them with fire and stoned them with stones. (vv. 24-25) Why the sons and daughters and all that he had? Again, God’s call, His judgment, His responsibility.

Blessings!

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See also: March 5 (2023) / Joshua 6-8

Joshua 5-6

Dear RTB’ers,

Two chapters today – preparation and conquest. The preparation was two-fold; the first was the circumcision of all adult males and the second was the celebration of the Passover. My Study Bible indicates that neither of these covenant activities had been celebrated since the Israelites had celebrated the Passover at Sinai. I cannot find Scriptural evidence for these claims, but they are not unreasonable.

As for the conquest of Jericho… This is an event that we find covered in every children’s Bible! I’ll leave it at that! The number “seven” is repeated fourteen times in this chapter, and fourteen, itself, is twice seven. Interesting.

Blessings!

Joshua 3-4

Dear RTB’ers,

Israel crossing the Jordan River. I was first going to re-tell the story a bit, but then thought to have the rest of you do that–finding all the differences between Israel’s Exodus crossing of the Red Sea and their crossing the Jordan River today. There are many. I’ll hope to hear from you before I post again much later in the day.

There appear to be two sets of twelve stones, one from stones carried from the river by men from each tribe and set up at Gilgal (Joshua 4:20) and a second pile set up by Joshua in the middle of the Jordan (Joshua 4:9). My Study Bible offered a second translation, “Then Joshua set up the twelve stones that had been in…” that would argue for only one set of twelve stones. You decide…

I neglected to mention yesterday about the two-and-one-half tribes – Reuben, Gad and the half-tribe of Manasseh. Owing to the fact that they had much livestock, they had requested of Moses that they be allowed to remain east of the Jordan River. Moses granted their request, but required that they join the other tribes in conquering the Promised Land. So we see them today (actually, a portion of their numbers) crossing over in battle array (Joshua 4:12-13).

So, until later today…

Blessings!

Joshua 2

Dear RTB’ers,

Today’s key verse (Rahab speaking): … for the LORD your God, He is God in the heavens above and on the earth beneath. (v. 11b) Today’s reading is a good example of God at work in our lives – with His work done alongside our efforts. Consider man’s contribution: Joshua’s leadership, the spies’ activities, and Rahab’s deception. And God’s intervention: He led the spies to Rahab and He gave her a heart of faith in Him.

Joshua’s plan would have failed and the spies likely would have been executed had it not been for the Lord’s guiding the spies in Rahab’s direction and His gifting Rahab with active faith. However, Joshua did not sit idly by, waiting for the Lord to bring devastation on the Promised Land as He had on the Egyptians. Joshua acted, using his God-given wisdom and training. The spies went forward as directed, gathered the necessary information about the town and the people, and returned safely to Joshua. A plan was formed and the mission succeeded.

Before the advent of power steering, we used to say that it was easier to turn the steering wheel on a car in motion than on one that was still. Likewise, if we are waiting for God to act in our lives, He might act more quickly, moving us in one direction or the other if He sees that we are already at work. I can truthfully say that the Lord led me to the University of Maryland where I met my wife, Carol. However, there’s a lot of back-story leading up to that outcome – God at work in both our lives!

Blessings!

Joshua 1

Dear RTB’ers,

Joshua. A person. The first five books in the Bible are named for events or time frames. Joshua is the first book named after a person, Joshua. We met Joshua once before in Exodus 17:9-16, when Moses had put him in charge of a battle the Israelites had with the Amalekites. Then, had we read further in Exodus, we would have seen him as Moses’ right-hand-man. He played a big part in Israel’s history when he and Caleb were two of twelve “spies” sent to search out the Promised Land while the Israelites were journeying in the wilderness. (See Numbers 13-14). When the people chose to believe the ten “fearful” spies instead of the “faithful” Joshua and Caleb, their one year in the wilderness became forty. It’s at the end of this forty years that we find Israel east of the Jordan River, ready to cross over and take the Promised Land. Moses has passed on; Joshua is now their leader.

The Lord speaking to Joshua: Just as I was with Moses, so I will be with you. I will not leave you or forsake you. … Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go. (vv. 5b, 9b) I have posted before that I claim Biblical words that the Lord has spoken to other people as if He has spoken those words to me. Those words in bold above have been with me a long time and in a number of different contexts. Wherever I have gone, whether I knew it or not, the Lord has been with me. It’s a comforting feeling, especially looking back on my life, to see His hand guiding me then and walking with me now. And today and tomorrow and next week and next month…and forever – wherever I go!

Blessings!

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See also: March 4 (2023) / Joshua 1-5

II Thessalonians 2:13-3:18

Dear RTB’ers,

I have a problem with food – I eat more than I need. Mostly it’s not a problem at mealtimes; the bigger problem is between meals when I am being lazy or when I’m bored, when I’m just sitting around not doing much. But contrast, when I am outside working I seldom think about food. And if I do realize that I’m hungry, I typically choose to finish the task before me rather than quitting just to get something to eat. Idleness is a problem for me.

Today’s reading connected with me on this idleness issue, although Paul has a bigger problem in mind: Now we command you, brothers, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you keep away from any brother who is walking in idleness and not in accord with the tradition that you received from us. (v. 3:6) Apparently there were Thessalonians who had chosen a lazy life. But not only were they not working, they were also compounding their idleness by engaging in gossip: For we hear that some among you walk in idleness, not busy at work, but busybodies. (v. 3:11) Paul’s answer to his Thessalonian believers: …take note of that person, and have nothing to do with him, that he may be ashamed. (v. 3:14b) [The NASB has an even stronger translation, …that he will be put to shame.] For Paul, this idleness is shameful and that person is to be humiliated, to be shunned by the believing community. That may sound harsh, but I suspect that Paul’s intent is “tough love”, that his hope is for the Holy Spirit to quicken that idle person’s heart toward repentance and a changed life. Bottom line: better not to be too idle – for them or for me!

Blessings!