Fear No Fear

(All scripture from Lexham English Bible, Copyright 2012 Logos Bible Software)

“Then Moses went up from the desert plateau of Moab to Mount Nebo, to the top of Pisgah, which is opposite Jericho, and Yahweh showed him all of the land, Gilead all the way up to Dan, and all of Naphtali and the land of Ephraim and Manasseh and all of the land of Judah, up to the western sea, and the Negev and the plain of the valley of Jericho, the city of palms, on up to Zoar” (Deuteronomy 34:1-3). Up Moses went. That is where he died. No one knows where he was buried. The people wept and mourned thirty days – standard mourning time. He was a hundred and twenty and full of vigor, working eyesight, and mental faculties. Joshua, anointed by God and Moses, took his place as leader.

Either this chapter was written by Moses under the inspiration of Holy Spirit, writing future events – totally possible – or it was originally part of the beginning of Joshua – also possible. Either way, this was the end of the Law and the beginning of the history of the Israelites. Interestingly, the book of Joshua opens with God telling Joshua that Moses was dead and it was time for them to get going. Why did He need to do that? Thirty days was a standard mourning time. Why the announcement? Personally, I don’t think Moses died right away. It says God showed Moses the land. I think He showed ALL of it to him, supernaturally. Every corner. Every bush. Every rock. I also think that God told Moses what was going to happen. Maybe even right up and through the End of Days. God LOVES to show us things (Exodus 25:40). Moses LOVED to be shown things (Exodus 33:18). I don’t think either of them could resist and I think it took them the whole thirty days. Once God was done, Moses died, and then God told Joshua, ‘Okay, we’re done. Let’s go.’

The theme of the book of Joshua is POSSESSION. They had been GIVEN the land (Joshua 1:2-5). It was theirs. That wasn’t enough. They had to go GET it. It isn’t enough in the New Covenant for us to be blessed with ALL spiritual Blessings (Ephesians 1:3-6). We have to ENGAGE them. Basically, the book of Joshua is a textbook for HOW to go GET from God’s hands what He has put there for us.

The book is broken into five sections. Chapter 1 is the Commission and Command of Joshua. Chapters 2-11 is the Land Entered. Chapters 12-21 is the Land Divided. Chapter 23 is the Return of the Eastern Tribes. And Chapters 24-25 is the Last Message of Joshua. The accepted scribe of the book is Joshua himself, but the author – as with ALL the Word – is Holy Spirit.

Joshua is talked to by God. He’s given his commission to go into the land. leading the people to where they would need to take possession. This might seem cold and callous, but ALL the inhabitants of the land were descendants of godly people – so they KNEW of Yahweh and what worshipping Him was like. They had been worked on for four hundred years PLUS the last forty being given the chance to leave or convert. They KNEW the Israelites were coming. Plus, the Lord doesn’t spring judgment on ANYONE. Not EVER. Some of these nations He had originally brought into the land Himself (Amos 9:7). They had ALL turned away and had ALL engaged in demonic and unclean practices along with idolatry. They were a cancer that He had to remove to protect His people. But if you look at the promises God gave to Moses and the report of Rahab (Joshua 2), I think that if the Israelites had gone in when they were supposed to things would have been a lot different. Possibly even near bloodless. Judgment is necessary, but God does NOT delight in killing ANYONE. Ever.

Joshua is warned to be strong and courageous. Not to fear. Not to be discouraged. Strength derived from trust in God is the opposite of fear. Being dismayed is the opposite of courage. Joshua could do this if he focused on God. He was told to keep the Book of the Law (Genesis – Deuteronomy) in his MOUTH and to MEDITATE on it day and night. He had to SPEAK his trust in the Word. He had to verbally agree with God. He had to be thinking on it, considering it, and building up his trust in it so much that it was automatically coming out of his mouth. We are told to be the same way. Focus on the Word – out loud as part of your regular conversation – is the ONLY way to maintain a focus on God (Romans 12:2).

Joshua told everyone to prepare. In three days they were going over, so bring food. Manna was going to stop. They were in a civilized place: Shittim, the same place where the spies had led them into rebellion. They were to gather food together and make sure they had enough to last them. They were entering the land. He also took the opportunity to talk to the Eastern Tribes (Reuben, Gad, and half the tribe of Manasseh. He reminded them of their bargain. The women and children were to stay behind – trusting in God’s protection. The men were to accompany their brothers and fight to free the land from those the Lord said must go – also trusting in God’s protection. They would not return until they stopped fighting to possess the land.

“And she said, “According to your word it will be.” Then she sent them away, and they went, and she tied the scarlet cord in the window.” (Joshua 2:21)

Joshua sent two spies to see the land, especially Jericho. NOT to see if they could take it, NOT to see if it was a good idea, and NOT to see how possible everything was. Joshua was not letting there be a chance for a repeat of history. They were the advance spies to see how they would position themselves and what equipment they might need. They went and entered Jericho and hid in a whorehouse or inn – depending on what you believe. There is NO evidence they did ANYTHING immoral or planned to, but instead showed wisdom in going into the same places as everyone else and the kind of place representatives of a holy people (they had a rep) would go.

While they were there, Rahab saw them, recognised them, and hid them on her roof. She told them the land had been in mortal worry for themselves since the Red Sea crossing. They were desperate and scared and prime for a takeover. The king sent a messenger (instead of soldiers) and asked for the spies. She claimed they were already in the hills running for the Israelites. Off the soldiers went. In the meantime, she went to the spies. Begged to be spared (her and her family). They agreed since she had spared them. They said she would be spared IF there was a way they could identify her (red cord on her window) and IF her family was in her house. If she couldn’t manage that, they weren’t responsible. She agreed and let them out with a red cord – which she attached to her window. They hid in the hills for three days and then reported back to Joshua: the people have been terrified of us since God parted the Red Sea.

Joshua got up on the designated day and checked in with God. Got their marching orders and went out to tell the officers so that they could tell the people. They were to spend the day consecrating themselves so that the following day they would cross. The Levites would carry the ark of the covenant and the people would stay back two thousand cubits (about 1.2km or three quarters of a mile). When the ark moved, they would move. Where the ark went, they would go. And they were going right across the Jordan.

The Jordan was NOT a peaceful, lazy river at that time. Also, it was the HEIGHT of the spring thaw with rushing water that overflowed the banks for quite a distance around itself (it was a flood plain like the Nile). So much of the Jordan has been subject to irrigation canals and runoffs that we do not know what it was like then. A 2010 agricultural report claimed it had only 3% of what it once had (30,000,000 cubic meters per year in 19th century vs 1, 300, 000, 000 cubic meters per year currently). What we DO know is that the people around them felt themselves safe at that time. It was probably greater than 100 feet wide and ten feet deep. It may have flooded the whole area. Either way, it was not a little trickle to wade across.

Joshua wanted 12 men selected – one from each tribe – and then when the Levites went, the whole people would go with them. He told them the water would part without ANY evidence of it. This was TOTAL trust in God. If it didn’t happen, his leadership was sunk. But the Levites marched with the ark and when their feet entered the water, it parted. It didn’t part like you do your hair. The waters rolled back, up the river, as far as Adam (quite a spiritual picture). We don’t know exactly where it was, but it was not close. The water was totally stopped. The priests stood in the middle of the Jordan on dry ground. And the people crossed on dry ground. From the first man to the last man. Dry ground.

The people could clearly see that God was with Joshua like God had been with Moses. They were going to possess the land they had been promised.

Summary

Key Players: Joshua, Two Spies, Rahab

Key Themes: Possession, Trust, Mercy

Key Verse(s): Deuteronomy 34:1-4, 10-12; Joshua 1:1-4, 16-18; 2:1, 3, 12-14, 21, 24; 3:1, 6, 13, 17