JOSHUA (WEEK 4/9:...GOD S PLANS)

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1 JOSHUA (WEEK 4/9:...GOD S PLANS) SMALL GROUP DISCUSSION QUESTIONS CONNECT (from last week): What habits/rhythms can you grow and develop in your life to better remember all that God has done for us? WARM-UP Questions 1. When in your life have you come across a seemingly hopeless situation? 2. What is the strangest order/instruction you have ever followed? Did it work out for you? READ Joshua 6: Why did the Israelites need to conquer Jericho? Why was this such a difficult task? 4. What is significant about God s directions to the Israelites? Who is going to deliver the city? 5. What do you make of Joshua s reaction to God s directions in vv.6-7? 6. How would you have reacted if you were in the Israelite camp and heard these marching orders? READ Joshua 6: How do the people respond to Joshua s orders? What might be significant about this? 8. How would you have reacted if you were in Jericho, watching the people of Israel? 9. How many sets of seven do we have so far in this account? What happens on the seventh day? 10. What are Joshua s orders to the people before they go in to take the city (vv.17-19)? 11. What can the obedience of the people of Israel teach us today? READ Joshua 6: How do you feel about the violence in v.21? How might Christians approach these verses? 13. What is the contrast between Rahab and her family, and the rest of Jericho? What can this show us about faith? 14. Why do you think Joshua curses Jericho? What does this tell us about the type of city Jericho was? 15. What does v.27 tell us about Joshua s relationship with God? How might his fame impact his future campaigns? 16. What would this experience have taught the people of Israel? What does this account show us about God s faithfulness to his promises, to act in our world, and his plans for his creation? APPLY (to this week): How can we be more open to God s work among us and live in light of his plan to deliver his creation from evil each day? PRAY: Thank you God that you go before us and that you have already won the battle! Please help us to trust in your goodness and deliverance. In Jesus Name, Amen. For sermons and additional resources, visit STBARTS.COM.AU

2 JOSHUA (WEEK 3/9:...GOD S POWER) GOING DEEPER RESOURCES & SUGGESTIONS Each week we provide additional resources that help to go deeper with whatever series we re currently focusing on as a church. Resources could include recommended books, articles, online sermons, courses, or videos. These are optional extras! Please don t feel under pressure to look at every resource, but consider what could be useful to. Video VIDEO: This overview by the Bible Project is an excellent summary of the major themes in the book of Joshua: CHILDREN S VIDEO: God s Story: The Battle of Jericho CHILDREN S VIDEO: The Walls of Jericho VIDEO: Joshua (a dramatic depiction of the Battle of Jericho) Talks and other Audio AUDIO: Faith s Falling Walls a sermon by Kent Hughes AUDIO: Joshua 6 a sermon by Raymond Johnson AUDIO: The God of Promise a sermon by Andrew Price AUDIO: How to win a battle a sermon by Paul Blackman Articles and other Reading BOOK: Joshua, Judges and Ruth for Everyone by Professor John Goldingay. Available at Koorong (by order), or: Goldingay/ ?ref=grid-view&qid= &sr=1-1 EXCERPT: An excerpt from the above book is available at: ARTICLE: Yahweh, War and the Conquest of Canaan. A great article about the violence in Joshua 6 BOOK: Joshua: 6:1-27 by Dr. John Carter. A verse by verse commentary on Joshua 6 For sermons and additional resources, visit STBARTS.COM.AU

3 Talk 4/9 (Joshua): 14/05/2017 Can we trust his plans? by the Rev d Dr Daniel Rouhead Bible Passage: Joshua 6 INTRODUCTION \\ PROMISES, PLANS & OBSTACLES Today we continue our series on Joshua as we focus on the way Joshua s story helps us to trust in the promises of God. We see throughout the Book of Joshua, God s promises to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob come to fruition through the leadership of Joshua. In the last few weeks, we have been looking at different aspects of this. Joshua trusted in God s presence, he trusted in God s promises and he trusted in God s power. As followers of Jesus, we trust in God s presence, promises and power too, because Jesus has died and rose again, and Jesus is with us. Today, we focus on the way Joshua trusted in God s plan as we hear and think about the fall of Jericho. I m sure we have all experienced situations in which there is a big difference between promises, visions, plans and reality. This might have been a personal situation or our experience of professionals, businesses or even politicians. It is one thing to make big promises or dream up a grand vision. It can be altogether different to formulate a plan that will deliver on those promises and visions and bring them to reality. It can be really disheartening, maybe even despairing, when we are disappointed by broken promises or unrealized visions. We can only imagine, with Jericho looming in the distance, that the people of Israel may have had doubts about God s ability to deliver on the promise for them to occupy the promised land..doubts about God s ability to deliver on the vision of a peaceful life in a plentiful land. There was a big obstacle in their way. The city of Jericho was a well-fortified city with strong defenses. Jericho was definitely a big obstacle that would not easily be dealt with. Jericho was also an important obstacle that needed to be dealt with. Defeating Jericho would have made an important statement about God s power and God s presence with the Israelites. Jericho was also an unavoidable obstacle because it was such a short distance from the point where the Israelites crossed the Jordan River. There was no way for the Israelites to bypass Jericho and come back to defeat them when they were stronger and more experienced. We also face obstacles in our own lives. Some obstacles we face in life are small, some are big, and some seem bigger than they really are. Some obstacles are important and some not so important. And some obstacles are unavoidable, meaning we have to do deal with them now, while some obstacles can wait until we re stronger or better equipped to overcome them. I am sure most of us have faced obstacles in the past. Some of us may be facing obstacles right now. And, all of us will face obstacles at some point in the future. The story of Joshua and Jericho remind us that God does have a plan for us, even though

4 that plan may be unexpected or even unusual. God calls us to trust these plans, and be obedient in following them. And, finally, we find that God s plans do work out. 1. UNEXPECTED PLANS \\ 5:13 6:5 God s plans for the defeat of Jericho were certainly unexpected, but the plans themselves come in an unexpected way: Now when Joshua was near Jericho, he looked up and saw a man standing in front of him with a drawn sword in his hand. Joshua went up to him and asked, Are you for us or for our enemies? Neither, he replied, but as commander of the army of the Lord I have now come. Then Joshua fell facedown to the ground in reverence, and asked him, What message does my Lord have for his servant? The commander of the Lord s army replied, Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy. And Joshua did so (Joshua 5:13-15). We are reminded of the call of Moses and the burning bush. God has revealed himself to Joshua at this important moment. Joshua, God s appointed commander of Israel, was by the city of Jericho, most likely gathering information about the city and its fortifications in preparation to launch his attack. It would seem that Joshua needed an encounter with the God he served that he might grasp afresh an important truth. The sudden appearance of the Commander of the Lord s Army made it clear that it wasn t for Joshua to claim God s allegiance for his cause no matter how right and holy it might be. Rather, the need was for Joshua to acknowledge God s claim over Joshua for God s purposes. This was God s battle not Joshua s. Therefore, it wasn t up to Joshua to come up with the plan. Joshua must have been concerned about how he would defeat Jericho. Besieging a city like Jericho was something for which they had little or no experience. They undoubtedly lacked equipment like battering rams, catapults, scaling ladders or moving towers. All they had were swords, arrows, slings, and spears which naturally would seem totally inadequate for the task before them. And so, God reveals his plan to Joshua: See, I have delivered Jericho into your hands, along with its king and its fighting men. March around the city once with all the armed men. Do this for six days. Have seven priests carry trumpets of rams horns in front of the ark. On the seventh day, march around the city seven times, with the priests blowing the trumpets. When you hear them sound a long blast on the trumpets, have the whole army give a loud shout; then the wall of the city will collapse and the army will go up, everyone straight in. Joshua 6:2-5 The tactics are unexpected because they don t depend on military strength or skill. The army march around the city while priests go in front of the ark of the covenant. The ark of the covenant is an important symbol of God s relationship with the Israelites and the promises God made to them. Events in Chapter 5 are a reminder of the importance of the relationship between Israel and God. After they cross the Jordan, the men are circumcised as a sign of the covenant between God and Israel, and they celebrate Passover, remembering that God had rescued the Israelites from slavery in Egypt. The plan given to Joshua makes it absolutely clear that God will defeat Jericho, not Joshua and the Israelite army.

5 We can be like Joshua when we face our own obstacles. We can investigate the situation, assess our own resources, and come up with our plan of attack. We can leave God out of the equation. God invites us to involve him from the very beginning. Only then can God guide us in the plans he has for us. 2. TRUST & OBEDIENCE \\ 6:6-19 Even though the battle is the Lord s and God provides Joshua with the battle plan, Joshua and the Israelites needed to trust in God and his plan. The story describes no hesitation in following God s plan. Unlike Moses, who had plenty of questions for God, Joshua has no questions and no doubts. God says, and the people do. No doubt, one important factor in helping the people trust in God, was God s faithfulness demonstrated through his previous actions. God had brought them out of Egypt, through the Red Sea, through the desert and through the Jordan River. The success of God s plan also required Joshua and the Israelites to be obedient. Even though the battle was the Lord s, the Lord did not defeat Jericho on his own. The Israelites were required to play their part in God s plan for Jericho to be defeated. In verses 6-14, we hear how the people were obedient to God s plan. For six days, the army and priests march around the city. On the seventh day, the city is circled seven times. The seventh time around, when the priests sounded the trumpet blast, Joshua commanded the army, Shout! For the Lord has given you the city! (Joshua 6:16) The story has been proceeding at a fast pace, so we expect, the army to shout, and the walls to come down. Instead, the action pauses and we hear Joshua giving instructions to the army. The placement of these instructions right after the instruction to shout emphasises how important they are and the importance of being obedient to God s plan. Joshua reminds the army: The city and all that is in it are to be devoted to the Lord. Only Rahab the prostitute and all who are with her in her house shall be spared, because she hid the spies we sent. But keep away from the devoted things, so that you will not bring about your own destruction by taking any of them. Otherwise you will make the camp of Israel liable to destruction and bring trouble on it. All the silver and gold and the articles of bronze and iron are sacred to the Lord and must go into his treasury. Joshua 6:17-19 The instructions for after the walls come down are just as important as the instructions before the walls come down. In the heat of battle, the army may have forgotten this part of the plan. If the battle is the Lord s, then the spoils of victory belong to the Lord. Only articles of silver, gold, bronze and iron are to be kept, and belong to the Lord, and so must be put in his treasury for the Lord s future work and purposes. Joshua and the Israelites cannot claim the victory for themselves. I wonder if we find it easy to trust God s plans for us. Are we like Moses, coming up with countless questions and objections, or can we trust God, given his record of faithfulness documented in the scriptures. I wonder also if we find it easy to hand over our obstacles to God. Just as Jericho was God s battle, when we hand over our

6 obstacles to God, the burden is lifted from our shoulders, and we are free to obey God s plans for us. 3. PLANS THAT WORK! \\ 6:20-27 God s plan works: When the trumpets sounded, the army shouted, and at the sound of the trumpet, when the men gave a loud shout, the wall collapsed; so everyone charged straight in, and they took the city (Joshua 6:20). No matter how unusual God s plan may have seemed, when the Israelites obeyed God s instructions, the city s defences came down and the battle could be won. What comes next should feel uncomfortable to our 21 st century ears: They devoted the city to the Lord and destroyed with the sword every living thing in it men and women, young and old, cattle, sheep and donkeys (Joshua 6:21). Men, women and children were killed in the battle only Rahab and her family survive. As I prepared this sermon, the images of the suspected Syrian Government chemical attack in April came to mind. Eighty-seven people, including women and children, were killed in the attack. We accept military casualties are a consequence of armed conflict, but regard the targeting of women and children as totally unacceptable. How then can the targeting of women and children be justified? Atheist, Richard Dawkins, says this about God, based on the Jericho story and other Old Testament texts: The God of the Old Testament is arguably the most unpleasant character in all fiction: jealous and proud of it; a petty, unjust, unforgiving control-freak; a vindictive, bloodthirsty, ethnic cleanser. How does this match up with our image of God as love? There are a few of aspects of the Jericho battle that refute the charge of genocide. Firstly, the destruction of Canaan s tribes was justified because they had rejected God and practiced immoral behaviours such as child-sacrifice, and religious prostitution. God was fulfilling his promise to the Israelites, but God was also executing judgment on the people of Canaan and their gods. Secondly, their destruction had not been rendered hastily, as God had been patient with them for more than five hundred years (see Genesis 15:16). Thirdly, this type of punishment was implemented on a rather limited basis - principally, upon the tribes of Palestine. Jesus show us that violence is not the way for Christians. When Jesus is arrested in the Garden, Peter struck the servant of the high priest, cutting off his ear. Jesus rebuked Peter with these words, Put your sword back in its place for all who draw the sword will die by the sword (Matthew 26:52). As disciples of Jesus, our distinctive quality is the love that we show to others. CONCLUSION God knows the obstacles that you ve faced in the past, the obstacles you re facing right now and the obstacles that you will face in the future. I hope the story of Jericho will help you trust that God can deliver his promises through the plans he has for you, no matter how unexpected or unusual the plans may seem.

7 The Israelites were facing an impossible mission. They listened to God s plan, they trusted God s plan, they obeyed God s plan, and they were victorious. In verse 27, we read that the Lord was with Joshua, and his fame spread throughout the land. Jesus disciples couldn t understand that his death on the cross could be a victory. But, we know that his death on the cross defeated sin and death, and through his resurrection we have the promise of eternal life. As followers of Jesus, we can have absolute trust in God s plans. These words to Jeremiah still apply to us today: For I know the plans I have for you plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future (Jeremiah 29:11). Let us pray