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“Now Joshua was old and stricken in years; and the LORD said unto him, Thou art old and stricken in years, and there remaineth yet very much land to be possessed.” It’s fascinating that the Lord has to inform Joshua about his own situation. The passage captured my attention, because I sometimes notice how unaware we can be about our age and health. Joshua was old; I wonder how much he understood or realized it? Whatever the situation, God chose to inform him of the facts. The first possibility is that Joshua was all too well aware of his infirmities, wondering just how he could accomplish the last portion of the task God had given him. The other possibility is that Joshua was fooling himself about his age, believing he had just enough left in him to go “one more round”. Either way, God injects a dose of reality into the situation that serves as a comfort. Sometimes hearing the truth actually helps, rather than hurts. What’s more is that it’s better hearing it from God than anyone else. Our job is to listen, then take action on what we hear.

“Joshua made war a long time with all those kings. There was not a city that made peace with the children of Israel, save the Hivites the inhabitants of Gibeon: all other they took in battle.” Even God-given victory takes time, and sometimes excruciating effort. What’s more, it often faces great opposition. While enemies surround us, our success is never in doubt. Our job is to trust the Lord through each individual moment of trial. The challenge is to focus on the promise, and have confidence in the character of the One who made it. Israel was constantly confronted, but never in danger of loss. Believers in Christ may face persecution. We have the hope of heaven in our hearts, and the promise of God, as He will bring it to pass. We can also be certain that He will work all things together for good. These assurances should keep us in consistent obedience to Him. He is just as trustworthy, loving, and kind in the midst of war. When Joshua had a moment to look back on this season of constant battle, I am certain he treasured his relationship with God through every moment. He, like us, should not have taken consolation in final victory, but in the God of final victory.

“And it came to pass, as they fled from before Israel, and were in the going down to Bethhoron, that the LORD cast down great stones from heaven upon them unto Azekah, and they died: they were more which died with hailstones than they whom the children of Israel slew with the sword.” I really appreciate the way God becomes directly, physically involved with this conflict. It is the kind of action God often takes in a long season of obstacles. He seems to provide us with specific and visible signs of His guidance both to bless and reassure. We should choose to trust the Lord without such outward signs, still, He displays His affection and grace by granting them. It must have been amazing to see these mighty hailstones. They were an unmistakable sign of divine intervention on behalf of Israel. Not only did they encourage the Hebrews, they also made an indelible impression on the enemy of the day, and any potential future foes. These are the type of stories the critics dismiss as fiction or coincidence; don’t believe them. God is in the business of blessing His people with mighty, miraculous, and unusual acts. Not many are as dramatic as this one, but all affirm His unwavering faithfulness to His servants.

“And Joshua said, Why hast thou troubled us? the LORD shall trouble thee this day. And all Israel stoned him with stones, and burned them with fire, after they had stoned them with stones.” Trouble of this kind often comes after a major victory. Achan made the same calculation we often make regarding our sin; counting on its not being discovered. The problem is that sin never affects only one person. The secret evil of this one man derailed an entire nation. It seems to have been harshly dealt with here, though the punishment came at God’s command. Our own unrighteous actions should be just as decisively eliminated. If the plan of God is in jeopardy due to besetting sin, stoning and burning would not be out of line. I speak, of course, of the behavior, not the person. Repentance is all about turning to the Savior, with the total and complete abandonment of the sin that kept us from Him. Achan was not totally unlike us, but we are not likely to meet his end for unrighteousness. Our challenge is to learn a lesson from his death, and Israel’s failure; eliminating sin with both timeliness and precision.

“Now Jericho was straitly shut up because of the children of Israel: none went out, and none came in. And the LORD said unto Joshua, See, I have given into thine hand Jericho, and the king thereof, and the mighty men of valour.” This is a reminder from God on the eve of doubt. He points to the reality of Jericho’s fear, assuring His chosen leader, and preparing him for some difficult instructions. Let’s not fool ourselves; Joshua was not a spiritual superman. The coming battle plan sounded as “unconventional” to him as it does to us. It was the assurance of God that made Joshua press forward. We ought to seek the same today. While there will be moments when we think twice about the Father’s command, we must not let human understanding rule. Sometimes every piece of conventional (worldly) wisdom tells us we are fools. That is why we listen for the voice of God in the study of His word. Military experts may scoff, so-called experts will ridicule, but every man is a liar when God has spoken. Our greatest privilege is the development of our relationship with the Savior, but that is also our greatest task. In serving Him we must put His desires and thoughts far above those of our sinful world.

“And the LORD said unto Joshua, This day will I begin to magnify thee in the sight of all Israel, that they may know that, as I was with Moses, so I will be with thee.” Joshua was about to gain the confidence of Israel. They would need it for the challenges that lay ahead. He and Caleb failed to convince their parents to obey forty years earlier, but this new generation had no fear of giants. They were ready to follow the leader God had chosen. It was not Joshua’s personality or leadership style that persuaded them. The Lord was at work all along preparing both leader and followers. We are never successful in carrying out spiritual work without God’s enabling. He chose to use Joshua, just as he had chosen to use Moses years before. He was not ready to complete his mission until he encountered the burning bush. This was a similar moment for Joshua. It was the day His Father had chosen to begin His process of magnification in the sight of Israel. None of it was done for the glory of men. Today we instead praise the Lord for keeping His promises to Israel; just as He intended when He said these words.

After both writing about, and preaching from the book of Genesis over the past few weeks, I couldn’t help but remember this message from chapter 19. It is one of the most difficult passages to comprehend, yet it contains tremendous application if we are brave enough to internalize it. Play or download the file below.

Download The Tragedy of Lost Influence MP3

(This sermon was originally published in January of 2007.)

“And as soon as we had heard these things, our hearts did melt, neither did there remain any more courage in any man, because of you: for the LORD your God, he is God in heaven above, and in earth beneath.” It would be an understatement to say the blessing of God upon Israel was “well known”. According to Rahab, even the fighting men of Jericho were terrified. However, their hearts did not “melt” because of the Israelite’s bravery and terror in battle. It was, in fact, cowardice that had stopped them from entering the promised land forty years earlier. Instead, it was the God of Israel that made their enemies fear. He had done many wonderful, and legendary works, which armies all around had noted. The military mind is pragmatic. It measures the skill of the generals, the discipline of the foot soldiers, the circumstances of the battle, and above all: the odds. If these factors are favorable, they march boldly into battle. It is only a supernatural force that can turn these considerations upside down. The God of heaven above and earth beneath was on the side of Israel, and it was clear they could not be stopped. What conclusion have you reached about Jehovah? Rahab made a decision, by faith, to trust in this “one and only” God with her entire life. I would encourage you to do the same.

“Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the LORD thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest.” Sometimes this passage is applied rather casually. We may use it when we encounter a momentary, uncomfortable situation in life. Joshua was facing nothing of the sort. He was charged with taking his people into a foreign land, where they would face armed conflict and constant danger. In all reality they were headed to war; and while the land had been given to them by God, much of it was obtained in battle. While we read the story today and see the ease with which it was accomplished, the fighting men of Israel still had to draw swords and stare the enemy in the eye. Certainly God has a plan in mind for every one of us. For Joshua and the children of Israel it was to dwell in the land of promise. No enemy can derail God’s plan, but circumstances may arise that test our faith. Just as God commanded Joshua to be strong, and we ought to do the same. In the heat of battle or the calm of everyday life, we should keep God’s plan in mind. If all else fails, remember Joshua’s assignment; it should help to put your “difficult” situation into focus.

Our pastor asked that I fill in for him during the Sunday morning service last week, as he was out of town visiting family. I chose to preach on the subject of forgiveness, from the story of Joseph (Genesis 37 through 50). Play, or download the message below. The congregation had just finished singing “Is Your All on the Alter”, therefore I began by discussing how its lyrics related to the topic.

Download The Forgiveness Perspective MP3

Much of the material for this sermon was gathered while preparing our daily devotions series from Genesis. Download a PDF copy from our Catalog page.