Fear No Fear

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

If you remember, at the end of yesterday’s reading it talked about being done and the land resting from war. To see how exactly that was possible, there is a bit of a recap.

It starts with possession done under Moses (Numbers 21 & Deuteronomy 2-3). It was all the areas they came across as they came to the land of promise and the land that was occupied east of the Jordan River by Reuben, Gad, and half the tribe of Manasseh. Next, it heads into the long list of possession west of the Jordan River in the land of promise itself. Between the two regions of conquest, thirty-one kings were defeated. These were kings of cities and areas, not nations as we think of them today.

According to the Jewish sources I have found, Joshua is believed to have been born as Hosea ben Nun in Egypt, in the year 1355 BCE. Caleb is believed to have been born the son of Yefuneh (or Chetzron), in the year 1353 BCE. There is no real empirical evidence for either. It goes by tradition, or is altered by very human thinking. For example, there are a lot of people who drop Joshua’s age down because how could an eighty year old be charging through battles in the land? Well, Moses was 120 and hadn’t stopped being vigorous. It DOES say he no longer could go in and out – a reference to being the one leading the men – but that could EASILY have been by temperament choice and not age. I mean, He was almost 120 when he said it, and after awhile you get sick of leading the people, you know? Delegation can be the better track and the secret of longevity. In any case, it is generally felt that Joshua and Caleb are a VERY similar age. Within a few years on the inside, and about fifteen years on the outside. Why is this important? We’ll see.

“This is the remaining land: all the regions of the Philistines, and all of the Geshurites,” (Joshua 13:2)

God speaks to Joshua and tells Joshua that he (Joshua) is old and advanced in years (Joshua 13:1). Caleb – no more than fifteen years older – is described as being as spry, vigorous, and capable as he was at forty years of age (Joshua 14:11). There is a DISTINCT difference between these men. I’ve seen this kind of thing myself. You have two people in the same basic environment who are similar in age and activity. Yet one ages rapidly and one ages slowly. Put me beside some of the people in my circle who are within five years of age as myself and you’ll be hard pressed to see it (I like to think I’m the more youthful looking. I certainly look younger than I did two decades ago.). The LORD makes a difference. The pursuit of His face. The trust you’re willing to strengthen and deepen. The mental switch from relying on yourself and your abilities to relying on HIM as your Source make a difference. I’m not there yet, but I’ve started driving.

Joshua was quick to despair at Ai. Sounding a LOT like the Israelites who didn’t want to enter the land in their whining. You don’t have it recorded that Caleb did that. Now, Joshua repented and never did it again, but I think it shows that though they had been the same, they were moving on in life differently. Maybe it was the burden of leadership. In any case, Joshua was old in his thinking and his body and God told him so. Sadly, God also told him that there remained very much land yet to be possessed.

This is NOT a contradiction. Remember that the land promised to Abraham had never been taken. It was HUGE compared to where they ended up. Why is that?One reason is that they lost their heart for doing the work. They got some of that good land and decided this is okay, I can stop here. Another reason is that God asked them to be faithful in the small before He would give them the all (Deuteronomy 30:19-20). They were never fully faithful in the small. They had not reached or driven out the five lords of the Philistines or the Geshurites. The Avites were still around. So too were the Sidonians, the Gebalites, and the inhabitants of the mountains (like the Maachathites). The Israelites only took a tenth or so from the total amount of land that was granted to Abraham. But the scriptures clearly state that they WOULD have it all (Ezekiel 37:17,21, Amos 9:14-15; Exodus 23:31). This hasn’t happened, not even today, so there WILL be a TOTAL fulfillment of that to come. Watch for it.

Since the Israelites had stopped the fight for their land, Joshua moves from the role of military commander to bureaucrat. He apportions the land to the people of Israel by tribe, as Moses had laid out for them. No one was going to be left out. No one was going to be cheated. They were all going to get what they had been promised by God through Moses.

Summary

Key Players: God, Joshua, the kings of Canaan

Key Themes: Possession, Going All the Way, Inheritance

Key Verse(s): Joshua 12:1; 13:1-7