Joshua 7:1-13 God s Presence in Sin. Michelle Drewitz July 31, Riverdale Baptist Church Whitehorse, Yukon

Size: px

Start display at page:

Download "Joshua 7:1-13 God s Presence in Sin. Michelle Drewitz July 31, Riverdale Baptist Church Whitehorse, Yukon"

Kenneth Adams
5 years ago
Views:

1 Joshua 7:1-13 God s Presence in Sin Michelle Drewitz July 31, 2016 Riverdale Baptist Church Whitehorse, Yukon

2 Intro There are many Biblical texts that create countless questions, summon distress and disgust, and leave many to doubt and question the truth of a good God. A flip through the Old Testament, and passages of the New Testament, demonstrate an astounding amount of violence, heartache, and destruction. Our text this morning comes from a book of the Bible well known for its bloodiness, violence, and military conquest. The book of Joshua is named after its principal character, Joshua, whose name means the Lord is salvation. Joshua is well known as a Biblical military leader who oversaw the brutal conquest of the promised land. This morning, I will not look at this passage through the lens of Joshua or even Israel to draw out a moral lesson for our 21-st century context. I m not going to tackle the violence issue either. Instead, let me tell you how I ve repeatedly read through this passage this week. Don t focus on Biblical characters When reading the Bible, theologians, commentators, and pastors caution us from focusing primarily or exclusively on the individual lives of Biblical characters. It is natural for us, when we read a story or watch a movie, to find some way to relate to the characters. Maybe your children, or you, resonate with Queen Elsa or Anna from Frozen; or maybe you connect with one of the characters from C.S. Lewis Narnia series. We look for similarities and differences between ourselves and characters. This is how we connect to a story, how we make sense of a story, how we find comfort and companion in this journey of life.

3 Bible is story of God The Bible is the Word of God and, as such, tells us primarily the story of God Father, Son, Holy Spirit who works in creation, in humanity. So the Bible cannot be narrowed down to a set of moral lessons and personal examples, either to uphold or to abandon. The Bible, at its heart, tells us the story of God in relationship with humanity and creation. And so reading the Bible requires understanding and placing each Biblical story in the greater context of God s plan for redemption. We can t take the stories out of their historical context and somehow apply a one-toone moral lesson in our current cultural climate and context. We can t just cut and paste everything from the Biblical stories into our current life situation. When we read the Bible, we read to listen to, to understand, and to encounter the living God. The historical facts that we read help point us towards the goal of redemption and reconciliation. When we read these Biblical stories to our children or grandchildren or nieces or nephews, we read not to primarily teach moral lessons of do this, don t do this. We read and listen to Biblical stories to listen to the Word of God to know the personal, relational, divine God, to understand how our story fits in with God s big story of redemption, reconciliation, hope, restoration. Christian living, and hence morals, must always be understood and applied in the context of God s redemptive work. So we turn to Joshua chapter 7 with a couple of questions: what does this tell us about God and what does it tell us about God s plan for redemption? My prayer for you this past week has been that you would hear the Word of God in this text, that you would hear God s voice and know His presence. That, in your particular situation in all its simplicity or complexity, in all its calm or chaos, in all its thanksgiving or lament, the Word of

4 God would be real, relevant, and encouraging. I offer you this morning a few points about the text of Joshua 7 and I trust that the Holy Spirit will teach you the truth that you need to receive this morning. History is important In elementary and high school, my least favourite subject was history. I found it boring, irrelevant, and a lot of memorization of facts: dates, places, names. So you can imagine my excitement when I found out I needed to take a church history course in graduate theological school. Through her brilliant teaching and guidance, my professor, Sarah Williams, helped most of her students discover an appreciation for history. I bring that same appreciation into my own personal reading of the Bible. The historical context of the Bible helps to give shape and understanding to the Word of God. Entering the Promised Land First of all, the book of Joshua is situated in a time when God s promise to Israel of entering the promised land is being realized and actually happening. In the opening verses in the book of Joshua, Yahweh tells Joshua now therefore arise, go over this Jordan, you and all this people, into the land which I am giving to them, to the people of Israel. For forty years, the people of Israel have wandered in the desert, eaten manna, been angry at God, and now the promise is realized. In Joshua chapter 6, in a most dramatic and memorable conquest, Israel captures Jericho as its walls come crumbling down on the seventh day of circling its fortified walls.

5 Israel takes Jericho Israel has conquered Jericho and is on course to inherit and receive the entire promised land. Rahab the prostitute, whom Pastor Greg spoke of last week, and those with her were saved from destruction. Yahweh s command to Israel to take Jericho is clear: Shout; for the LORD has given you the city. And the city and all that is within it shall be devoted to the LORD for destruction; only Rahab the harlot and all who are with her in her house shall live, because she hid the messengers that we sent. 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 vessels of bronze and iron, are sacred to the LORD; they shall go into the treasury of the LORD. God s Anger After 40 years of waiting, Israel takes Jericho. With a sense of pride, joy, maybe some humility and gratitude like when you finish a reno project, go on a successful hunting trip, or win a softball final the nation of Israel likely felt accomplished and competent. So we come to Joshua 7 with this national victory. The opening verse of chapter 7 immediately bursts the victory and sets us up for a dramatic series of events. We are told that the anger of the Lord burned against the people of Israel. Now turn over to verse 26. It says Then the Lord turned from his fierce anger. Notice that Joshua 7 is bookended with Yahweh s burning anger. At the beginning of the chapter, we read that the anger of the Lord burned against the people of Israel. At the end, the Lord is no longer angry. Something happens in between that causes the Lord Almighty to turn from his burning anger. Let s continue on.

6 Ai After the defeat of Jericho, Joshua sends out a few men to spy out the land of Ai. This is a strategic move. Jericho has been conquered and now the surrounding Canaanite cities must slowly be overthrown for Israel to inherit the full and complete promised land. Ai is a strategic city to conquer next because of its location along the north-south route that goes to the city of Bethel. Bethel is an important city to have because it would be the centre for control of the surrounding hill country. Bethel would later become the place where King Saul built his capital. The city of Ai is not a typical Canaanite city with large fortified walls. Based on the report of the spies, Israel decides to wage war against Ai but suffers a humiliating defeat and loss. After defeating the stronghold of Jericho, Israel loses to one of the least fortified cities. Joshua mourns and prays In response to this loss, Joshua and the elders show signs of mourning and lament. And then Joshua does something that was missing in the battle at Ai. Joshua prays. You ll notice that in the narrative of this initial conquest of Ai, God is absent. Yahweh does not give any command to either spy out the land or to wage battle against Ai. Joshua does not inquire of God and seek God s direction or voice. It is only after the loss that God enters the narrative. God s burning anger is expressed through his absence, his lack of presence, at the battle of Ai. This is perhaps one of the insights we can draw from the book of Joshua. See, the book of Joshua was written to show in greater detail how the covenant between God and Israel was practically lived out. From that covenant, there grew a need to keep alive the memories of the past to perceive the significance of the present and open up the future. The book of Joshua thus seeks to establish a

7 sense of national identity, seeks to form the people of God. So when we come to this book we ask how Joshua constructs an identity for the people of God. Paul, in the New Testament, similarly helps to establish an identity for the believer, the church, the people of God. We notice that one way Joshua establishes Israel s identity is in relationship to God. It comes back to Yahweh. The history of the people of God must be understood in terms of God s actions, God s work, God s presence. By immediately turning to prayer, Joshua reminds Israel that they participate in God s work. Things don t happen by human initiative but by God s initiative. The same is true for the church in Corinth, in Thessalonnia, in the Phillipines, in Syria, in Whitehorse. Joshua vs Moses Intercession - complains So after disappointment, disaster and heartache, Joshua intercedes for the people. We have seen this happen before among the nation of Israel. More than once, Moses intercedes for the people of God after tragedy and misfortune. Now, there are a few differences between the prayers of Moses and the prayer of Joshua. I will highlight them not to say one is right and the other wrong. Remember, in reading this story we first look at what God is doing in the story. This is Joshua s prayer: Ah, Lord God! Why have you brought this people across the Jordan at all, to hand us over to the Amorites so as to destroy us? Would that we had been content to settle beyond the Jordan! O Lord, what can I say, now that Israel has turned their backs to their enemies! (vv 7-8). After the Israelites heard the report from the spies sent out to Canaan, they complained in Numbers 14:3 would that we had died in the land of Egypt! Or would that we had died in this wilderness! Why is the Lord bringing us into this land to fall by the sword? Our wives and our

8 little ones will become booty; would it not be better for us to go back to Egypt? You can hear the similarity between Joshua s prayer and the people s complaint. Unlike Moses, Joshua echoes the complaints of the Israelites. The repeated theme of suffering, sin, pain, and loss is woven most profoundly in God s story of redemption and restoration. Quite often along the journey to the promised land, along the journey towards redemption and restoration, the people of God prayed for death. The process of receiving the promises of God, the journey towards their inheritance, the path of becoming the people of God always included suffering, pain, loss, confusion, fear, helplessness. I wonder how our own individual and communal journey towards receiving the blessing and promise of the Kingdom of God is fraught with disruptions and heartache. Personal Example There were only a few times that I called my parents out of concern while I lived in Uganda. The third time I had gotten malaria, my immunity and ability to fight it off was, surprisingly, weak. The first round of drugs didn t help but I didn t know that. So after my 5-day treatment I walked to school to teach. Once I got there, I fainted and lost consciousness. When I woke several hours later, I was in such great pain that every few steps I needed to stop and go into the fetal position. Malaria isn t pleasant. It is far less pleasant when you don t have the convenience, the luxury, of running water, bathrooms inside the home, or your mom s chicken noodle soup. So I called my parents and asked that they pray for me. I had thought I had obeyed God s calling when I went to Uganda and much of the experience was marking with defeat, pain, sickness, rejection, and abuse. I was not as bold as Joshua or Moses to actually pray why have you brought me to

9 Uganda only to suffer. If only I had been content to live in Waterloo, pursue my career as a teacher? Or if only I had died in University. No I wasn t that courageous to utter those words to the Almighty God. But my journey towards being called into ministry was certainly full of loss and suffering. I am reminded that even in our suffering, our sin, our woundedness; God does have a plan of restoration and redemption! Joshua vs Moses Intercession - appeal A second way that Joshua s prayer differs from Moses is that when Moses intercedes for Israel, he appeals to the reputation and name of Yahweh among all the nations. Moses implies that Yahweh must be concerned with the nations that extend beyond Israel. Joshua, on the other hand, focuses on the name of Israel and doesn t appeal to Yahweh s reputation throughout the earth. Again, I am not saying that one prayer is correct and the other is wrong. Rather, I think the value comes in noticing God s response to the prayers. God s Response: His presence Yahweh, in verses responds to Joshua s prayer and appeal. I notice a similarity between God s response to Moses and God s response to Joshua. In each, God speaks of His presence. Moses intercedes for the people of Israel at least five times: Exodus 32:10-12, Numbers 12:13, 14:12, 16:22, 16: Each time, God responds by providing a way forward, by not abandoning the people of Israel, by journeying with them. At stake seems to always be whether the nation of Israel will continue to be the people of God. In other words, the heart of the issue is

10 always the presence of God. Will God continue to be with His people or will God abandon, reject, destroy, betray His people. And in every situation, God s presence will be with Israel. So we come to Joshua 7 and should not be surprised that the issue here, once again, is the presence of God, the identity of God s people. In verse 12, Yahweh tells Joshua that I will be with you no more, unless you destroy the devoted things from among you. God then proceeds to give directive to Joshua as to what to do. Yahweh tells Joshua that the person responsible Achan, together with his family and livestock should be stoned and burned with fire. This is deeply disturbing and distressing. I do not pretend to have a satisfying answer. We must remember the historical context of the story to make sense of it. I had a difficult time reading through commentaries this week to reconcile the tension of God s wrath utter destruction with grace. We know that God, perfect, holy, righteous, cannot tolerate sin. Sin could be defined simply as that which rejects God and opposes God s truth. Achan sinned by coveting and stealing what belonged to God. Now the punishment by stoning and fire seems, to us, very extreme and inhumane. I am not making excuses but simply want to help you understand that in the ancient near eastern cultural context, this type of punishment was not considered foreign or criminal. Presence of God sustains Israel While it can be easy to get stuck on Achan s sin, on the destruction brought to his entire family; I think this text also helps us to focus on the presence of God. For it truly is the presence of God which sustains the people of God. Thankfully, we live under the new covenant. A covenant between the people of God and God. A covenant available to us because of Jesus Christ s death, resurrection, and ascension. A covenant that promises us the Holy Spirit.

11 Antidote to Covetousness is Presence of God Lastly, the sin of Achan is expressed very clearly in verse 21: I saw, I coveted, I took. Achan desired that which was God s and took it. Psalm 119 is a prayer that addresses covetousness. Verses says Make me walk in the path of Your commandments, for I delight in it. Incline my heart to Your testimonies, and not to covetousness. The psalmist prays to walk in God s law, in God s instruction, in God s voice. You will notice in this Psalm the importance, again, of remembering the Word of God, of remembering the stories that testify to the presence of God. Testimonies, in Hebrew, refers to the witness of God, the tabernacle, the ark of the covenant, the tablets of stone that contained the ten commandments. You could perhaps say that testimony refers to the presence of God; after all the nation of Israel understood the ark of the covenant and, later, the tabernacle as God s presence. So the antidote, the way to counter covetousness, is through the presence of God. Reflection on God s presence in life Preparing for today s message has led me to reflect this week on God s presence in the life of RBC and in my personal life. How, for example, each week a group of gifted and willing individuals lead us into the presence of God at our worship service. God s presence is experienced as we worship, led by our music leader and team, projection and sound, through children s moment, prayer, Scripture reading, and the exposition of the Word of God. Our Sunday School teachers lead the children into the presence of God. The moms and dads daily teach and model for their children the presence of God. Sometimes it is difficult to notice God s presence in life s circumstances. My family continues to wait for my sister to have her fifth heart

12 surgery which will hopefully treat the problem. God s presence in that situation is precisely where it is in every situation. Present, here, now. Sometimes quiet, but there. And so I encourage you to consider how you notice the presence of God in your life, in your family. How are helping the children in your life to discover this too?

Joshua - Exam 1 Review - Questions and Answers Al Macias, Jr. - BE-232 (3) Year 1 Quarter 3 - Sophomore

Joshua - Exam 1 Review - Questions and Answers Al Macias, Jr. - BE-232 (3) Year 1 Quarter 3 - Sophomore 1. From what did the book of Joshua derive its name? Its principle character 2. Who wrote the book of Joshua? Joshua 3. When was the book of Joshua written? About 1377B.C. 4. What are the five practical