At that time Joshua went and destroyed the Anakites from the hill country….Then the land had rest from war. Joshua 11:21a & 23b
The first five books of the Old Testament, aka Torah (aka Pentateuch, aka five books of Moses) are clearly distinguished as the first major section of the Hebrew Bible. These books are represented by the “T” in TaNaK, which stands for Torah, or Law (followed by Nevi’im, or Prophets and Ketuvim, or Writings). Yet, though it stands alone as a unit, the Torah is not left alone. Even an initial read through of the very next book, the first book of the prophets, makes clear that in Joshua the action continues! More than a sequel, Joshua fulfills much that is anticipated in the Torah. In Joshua, we find Israel entering the promised land, the land which God called Abram to “go to” (Gen. 12:1), the land flowing with milk and honey which God promised Moses (Ex. 3:8), the land which the people of Israel refused to enter out of fear for the giants in the land! All but two of the spies who returned from their recon mission gave a bad report about Canaan land, “We went into the land to which you sent us, and it does flow with milk and honey! Here is its fruit. But the people who live there are powerful, and the cities are fortified and very large. We even saw descendants of Anak there” (Num. 13:27b-28). Following this bad report, the people of Israel devolved into a bunch of whiners. They grumbled. They complained. But worst of all, they did not trust in Yahweh to defeat the giants in the land. Remember, these are the same people who had just witnessed the unleashing of unthinkable plagues which led to their freedom from captivity in Egypt. These are the same people who had just witnessed the waters of the red sea parting so they could walk through on dry land, the same waters which swallowed up Pharaoh’s army. Yet, these are the people who are now afraid to take the land God had promised to them out of fear for a handful of jocks. Don’t they realize that all the steroids in the world couldn’t make an army big enough to stand against Yahweh?!? Sadly, they don’t realize the simple truth that “God + one” is stronger than any, or all, of the armies of man. So, they balk, they grumble, they whine. And God, being a perfect gentleman, doesn’t force the issue, but allows them to go their own way and take a tour of the desert. More specifically, he causes his people to wander in the desert for forty years. This is no Rick Steves’ European vacation, mind you. This is a trek that would make the worst migrant story seem like a walk in the park. Yet, it was through this trek that God the Father was teaching His people His ways. It’s not too surprising, then, more than 1,200 years later, that God the Son would use three years of wandering with His disciples for their instruction and development prior to the establishment of His church. But Israel’s unwillingness to trust their God did not rattle their God’s determination to bless His people. Not only did Yahweh God bring them into the land, just as He had promised, but He gave them victory over the giants in the land. And it wasn’t because Joshua was John Wayne, Rambo or the Terminator, it was because their God was with them. Joshua did as Yahweh commanded and victory was achieved. It is God’s strong, faithful, merciful presence that leads to the conclusion of Joshua 11, “Then the land had rest from war.” Even so, the coulda, woulda, shoulda side of me wonders what might have been if Israel had trusted God forty years earlier? Of course, human inability to trust in God is nothing new. In truth, it is the crux issue which dominates not only the Torah, but also the Nevi’im (prophets) and the Ketuvim (writings). It is the same inability to trust that causes the disciples to scatter following Jesus’ arrest, even moving Christ’s #1 to deny knowing Jesus at His darkest hour. And it all goes back to Adam and Eve’s willingness to question whether or not God had their best interests at heart leading to expulsion from “the Land” God had prepared just for them and alienation from their Maker. Truth is, we all face giants. Not only this, but we are all tempted to doubt whether or not God’s got our back. But story after story in the Bible is there to provide for us a foundation of faith in Yahweh God. We have a choice to make: will we give in to doubt or will we choose to believe in Him? In this world where feelings reign supreme and we are taught to let our imaginations be our guides, it may seem counterintuitive to denounce our feelings and refuse to follow our imaginations. But the life of faith does require us, at times, to respond to unhealthy self-talk with the truth of God’s Word. It’s the example set for us in Psalms 42-43, “Why are you downcast, O my soul? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God.” Believers, don’t trust your instincts, your cleverness, your strength. Put your hope in God. He is merciful! In spite of the fickleness of our love, God’s love is unshakable. He is able! The God of angel armies is stronger than anything this world can send our way. He is faithful! Not a promise He has made goes unfulfilled and no one who trusts in Him will be put to shame. As this section concludes, “Not one of all the Lord’s good promises to the house of Israel failed; every one was fulfilled” (Joshua 21:45). There may be giants in the land, but no one and no thing is greater than our God!
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Dan GannonDan has ministered at Renton Bible Church, with his wife Debbie, since 2003. Archives
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