Joshua 10-12 - The Promise of Conquest (Josh 10.5-8)

[9.1, 10.3-5, 11.1-5]  The enemies gather.  Like ravenous wolves.  A gathering storm.  Those who oppose not only throw their collective might and resources against God and His people but they also come against those who are going over to the side of God’s people.  ‘Cuz rebellion not only loves company, it cannot abide [deserters].

The promise of conquest.  The [southern Canaanites] gather against the new allies of Israel, the Gibeonites, to whom Joshua has made a promise.  And Joshua keeps his word and comes to their aid [6-7].  To which God gives Joshua yet another promise:  Josh. 10:8 The LORD said to Joshua, “Do not fear them, for I have given them into your hands; not one of them shall stand before you.”  Same for the [northern Canaanites]:  Josh. 11:6 Then the LORD said to Joshua, “Do not be afraid because of them, for tomorrow at this time I will deliver all of them slain before Israel.”  Do not be afraid.  Why?  I will be with you, AND I will fight for you.  God is highly vested in fighting for His people.  Over and over again He repeats this promise and shows this truth to Joshua.  Just as sure as the world is against us, opposing the purposes and the people of God, God is with us.  He is for us [Rom. 8:31 What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who is against us?]  He is always with us [Matt. 28:20b “And lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”].  AND He is faithful.  Know this, Never.Doubt.This: 2Chr. 16:9 “The eyes of the LORD move to and fro throughout the earth that He may strongly support those whose heart is completely His.”  The promise of conquest.  How about you(r heart)?  How completely is it His?

The armies of the world line up against God’s people.  They even line up against the friends of God’s people.  Enemies are sure to come.  Temptations, and distractions are sure to come.  If we would live in God’s land of promise, there is sure to be opposition.  Those who oppose.  They point their arrows and their fingers and level their accusations against God’s people, would-be ambassadors of Good News who are far from perfect.  But in reality, this battle isn’t ultimately waged on any earthly plain.  When we pull back the curtain, we see a pitched battle in the heavenlies.  An age-old rebellion, led by the prince of darkness.  And his minions, those of like mind, are loathe to acknowledge God as God.  A desperate rebellion that is doomed to fail.  In the end, God always wins. 2Ki 6:16 So [Elisha] answered, “Do not fear, for those who are with us are more than those who are with them.”  We see the same thing in these next 3 chapters of Joshua: Joshua 10:25, 42  Joshua then said to them, “Do not fear or be dismayed! Be strong and courageous, for thus the LORD will do to all your enemies with whom you fight.” Joshua captured all these kings and their lands at one time, because the LORD, the God of Israel, fought for Israel.  Josh. 11.23  So Joshua took the whole land, according to all that the LORD had spoken to Moses, and Joshua gave it for an inheritance to Israel according to their divisions by their tribes. Thus the land had rest from war. Josh. 12:1,24b  Now these are the kings of the land whom the sons of Israel defeated…: in all, thirty-one kings.  We see total victory/vindication of the plans and purposes of the God Who.so.loves the whole world (including those who oppose)  The promise of conquest.

One message resounds throughout the entire Bible: God, His plans, His grace - and those who side with Him - overwhelmingly conquer: Rom. 8:37  But in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us.  The promise of conquest.  2Cor. 2:14  But thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and manifests through us the sweet aroma of the knowledge of Him in every place. Is. 54:17  “No weapon that is formed against you will prosper; and every tongue that accuses you in judgment you will condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, and their vindication is from Me,” declares the LORD.

Now, [12.24]  31 kings (+2).  Each one representing cities inhabited by hundreds if not thousands of people.  So we’re talking tens of thousands of people.  They ALL knew what was coming.  They all heard about the God of Israel [2:8-11][Rom. 1:18-20  The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of human beings who suppress the truth by their wickedness, since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them.  For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse.].  Everybody knows in their heart of hearts that there is a Great I Am, and I am not Him.  Life is all about surrendering to that truth.  Surrendering to Him.

As best we can tell, the Canaanites were all hoping for some other form of deliverance besides surrendering their heart to the one true God.  The one exception we know of?  Rahab.  And maybe the Gibeonites?  But as we step back and we “assess the damage”, this conquest of Canaan, it’s tempting to point a finger and accuse the Lord of being too harsh.  It’s natural to feel a sense of shock and awe at the destruction we see in Joshua.  Maybe instead we should be shocked by the [rebellion].  Horrified.  Cuz truly, the consequences of sin ARE horrific.  Remember, God told us that at some point, the sins of the Canaanites (Amorites) would be complete [Gen 15.16].  We see that our holy AND merciful Maker reaches this breaking point with peoples, where the depth and depravity of their rebellion catches up with them and He brings physical destruction down upon their heads.  People not simply living apart from Him but standing against Him, against what He wants.  The days of Noah.  Sodom and Gomorrah.  Now the Canaanites.  Their sins in the name of religion - were horrific, AND catastrophic.  Sin has catastrophic consequences: definitely in the next life, often in this.   

But again, 2 key points: 1) life is not about our fate in this life. This life can be great, so enjoyable in so many ways.  But it is also broken on so many levels, and fleeting.  Once broken, this world ceased to be our ideal home.  In fact, God’s Word tells us that He is going to make a new world for His people - and it will be so much better than this.  The point of life in this world is getting ready for life in the next.  THAT is the promise of conquest!

2) God’s justice and white hot holiness requires that rebellion MUST be dealt with.  Sin must be punished.  The most shocking awesome thing is actually that God would delay at all in dealing with our sin.  Yet the history of the world is exactly that.  God delays the just penalty for sin because He is also full of mercy.  And He is giving people everywhere the chance to repent, to turn around in their hearts [Acts 17:30 “Therefore having overlooked the times of ignorance, God is now declaring to men that all people everywhere should repent.”].

And this is the real conquest in play here.  What we’re ultimately talking about is not you and me and ours conquering the things of this life, having everything turn out with us at the top of the heap [Frank Sinatra famously crooned, "I wanna wake up in the city that doesn't sleep, to find I'm king of the hill, top of the heap"].  The real conquest is where each and every heart puts the Lord at the top of their heap.  Where every knee bows and every tongue confesses that Jesus Christ is Lord.  [Phil. 2:10-11 At the name of Jesus EVERY KNEE WILL BOW, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.]  The promise of conquest.  AND the paradox of surrender [Lk 9.24].  Losing our life.  Sadly, this kind of surrender is super hard for many people to embrace (including and especially Americans) - cuz we hate to lose [cf the quote by Gen. Patton below].  But as it relates to God's promise, victory, conquest, is tied to our ability to surrender.

There ARE enemies.  Stumbling blocks.  Things that make victory seem unattainable.  Make faith seem unbelievable.  But there is hope, in the Lord.  And in Joshua we see the Lord fulfill His promise to His people. He does all the necessary fighting for them, even against overwhelming odds.  The promise of conquest.  He is faithful.  And merciful.  And we can trust Him.  Yeshua.  The God Who saves.

2Cor. 11:3 But I am afraid that, as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, your minds will be led astray from the simplicity and purity of devotion to Christ.

2Chr. 20:6 and he said, “O LORD, the God of our fathers, are You not God in the heavens? And are You not ruler over all the kingdoms of the nations? Power and might are in Your hand so that no one can stand against You.” 

Luke 9:24 “For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake, he is the one who will save it.

PATTON

"When you were kids, you all admired the champion marble shooter, the fastest runner, the big league ball players, the toughest boxers. Americans love a winner and will not tolerate a loser. Americans play to win all the time… Because the very thought of losing is hateful to Americans."

Joshua 9.14-15 - The Promise of a Promise

[14-15]  Israel here makes a big promise.  Bigger than a [pinky promise]. They swear an oath before the Lord.  But in making this big promise, they make a big mistake.  They don’t ask for "the mouth of the Lord."  What comes out of God’s mouth?  Words, words of life, living words.  How did God make the universe and everything in it?  He spoke.  Words.  That’s why it’s such a big deal that God’s Word is living and active [Heb 4.12] - these aren’t just dead words on a page.  THESE words ARE God-breathed [2Tim 3.16], out of His mouth, and they give life.  Food for our spirit, which is the very breath of life in us.

Prom•ise /ˈpräməs/: “a declaration/assurance to do a certain thing”.  There’s no word for “promise” in Hebrew.  The notion of a promise exists, on two levels.  1) God/people say things, and what they say, they do.  The ideal is, words hold true [Num 32.24 “Build yourselves cities for your little ones, and sheepfolds for your sheep, and do what you have promised.” lit, do what came out of your mouth].  In our culture, when someone says, I will do [this/that], we ask, do you promise?  We say, I promise I will.  But God doesn’t say, I promise.  He simply keeps His Word, always.  To not do so would be totally and otherwise inconceivable.  [Gen. 28:15 “Behold, I am with you and will keep you wherever you go, and will bring you back to this land; for I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you.” —> Literally, “until I have done what I said to you”].  I said it, I will do it.  It’s about trust, and the Lord is completely trustworthy.  Always faithful.  God says it, it’s [money in the bank][a check that will NEVER bounce].

2) Then, sometimes people (and God) swear an oath.  AND they invoke a deity, on threat of divine retribution.  [God Himself swears an oath to Abraham:  Gen. 22:16-17 “By Myself I have sworn, declares the LORD, because you have done this thing and have not withheld your son, your only son, indeed I will greatly bless you, and I will greatly multiply your seed…”]  And if they want to make it super permanent, they [CUT a covenant].  For these peoples there is/was no firmer guarantee of legal security or personal loyalty than the covenant [Gen 15.9ff].  It's exactly what the Gibeonites ask for here [6,11], and that’s what Israel does.  

(In contrast we Westerners sort of operate on three levels, don’t we?  We say things, and we promise things, and then we vow/promise/swear before God (and these witnesses).  But the Hebrews had no middle ground.  If I said it, you could expect it).

Obviously, dealing falsely IS a problem.  Anyone ever dealt falsely with you?  Said something, and not done it?  Happens in business, in relationships.  Sadly, for most people around the world, where values are not rooted in the Judeo-Christian ethic [whose ideal is the character of God], dealing falsely is a fact of fallen life.  Everybody does it.  But whenever/wherever people don’t keep their word, you can’t trust them.  Leaders.  The police.  Your neighbor.  Maybe this doesn’t sound too bad - UNTIL it happens to you.  Someone we assumed we could trust did not keep their word, and in that moment we FEEL how wrong it is.  We’re disappointed, and hurt - because a part of us KNOWS the Ideal.  If I say it, you can (should be able to) expect it.  We’re supposed to be able to trust what comes out of someone’s mouth.  That’s how kids are - they believe everything you tell them (faith of a child?).  The fact that we grow up and learn we too often cannot trust what people say just points to how broken the world and people are.  But make no mistake - we can always trust what comes out of God’s mouth.

Of course, we still deal with people.  Gen. 21:22-23 At that time that Abimelech said to Abraham, “God is with you in all that you do; now therefore, swear to me here by God that you will not deal falsely with me or with my offspring, but you shall show to me and to the land in which you have sojourned, the kindness that I have shown to you.”  A Gentile king makes Abraham swear that he won’t deal falsely.  Cuz this supposed “man of God” had already dealt falsely!  Abimelech SEES the hand of God on Abraham, knows enough to honor the Lord in SPITE of Abraham’s false-dealing, even calls him on the carpet for NOT keeping his word.  Swear an oath, he says.  Which means, call on God Himself, as a witness to what you’re saying, and God-forbid that you go back on your word now.  

How does this apply to us?  James 5:12  But above all, my brethren, do not swear, either by heaven or by earth or with any other oath; but your yes is to be yes, and your no, no, so that you may not fall under judgment.  1) We ought not make flippant oaths.  God will hold us accountable, and we ALL can struggle to keep our word at times (especially when our culture more and more does NOT keep its word). But then 2) by God’s grace, we make our yes be yes, and our no no.  The promise of a promise. 

And why does it matter?  Because this what God is like - and we are created/recreated in His image.  We keep our word because God keeps His Word.  That’s what it means to say God is faithful.  We can always take Him at His Word.  When HE says something, we can trust/expect it.  (This is also why the enemy tries SO HARD to get us to question what God has said.  He so desperately wants to make the Lord look bad and to undermine our faith in the God Who is forever and eternally faithful.)  And yes, WE struggle to keep our word.  BUT God gives us His Spirit - Who helps us!  Lord, help me…

[14-15]  It says the MEN of Israel take these stale moldy provisions, and Joshua cuts a covenant with these Gibeonites, not to harm them.  This is Joshua’s first big mistake.  And this big mistake begins when they undertake such a big decision WITHOUT seeking the “mouth” of the Lord [or their wives? God can speak through them...!].  Big mistake.  Huge.  Never make any big decision, without seeking God’s counsel [Lord, what do You want].  And of course, the important part about seeking counsel is actually being open to doing what the Lord wants.  And IF God doesn’t want it for us, then we DON’T want it.  I may think I want it, my feelings are saying I want it, but I am mistaken.  Feelings can’t be trusted [case in point - flying an airplane by instruments, when your feelings sometimes don't agree with the instruments, but when more likely than not, the instruments are right].  God's words are our instruments for flying thru the fog of life.  God’s Word is far more trustworthy than my feelings.  What does God say?  Are you and I willing to believe that God knows what’s best for us?  Then we ought to trust Him.  Ask Him what He wants.  And follow.

But I (mostly) love how Israel responds here.  [18]  The people know their leaders didn’t follow what God said.  Now I don’t love that they grumble against their leaders.  But the leaders know that to go back on the oath they made before the Lord would have been just as bad as making the ill-advised oath to begin with [I.e. in 2Sam 21 - Years later, we see the anger of God against Israel when King Saul breaks the oath].  Having made the oath, God’s people honor it [19-20, 10.5-10].  We look to the Lord to help us make the decision, and we look to Him to help us abide by the decision.  And when we mess up, we look to His amazing grace.  His forgiveness thru Christ.  We own it/confess it, and keep going….

Joshua messes up - but going forward he resolves to do what he knows God wants.  There are consequences, but the Lord uses the process.  And how about the Gibeonites?  They start out as deceivers, but I think we see a genuine fear of the Lord in them [24].  They serve in the temple for generations [27].  Later we see Gibeonites helping to rebuild the wall of Jerusalem [Neh 3.7, 7.25].  In the account of the Gibeonites, we see that God’s divine purposes can be furthered even in spite of the shortcomings of His people.  The promise of a promise.  That’s God’s grace.  So immense.  So free.  Greater than all our…you name it.  He can take our foolish self-centeredness and turn it around for His glory.  The promise of a promise.

•(on flying by instruments) A helicopter pilot based on an aircraft carrier in the Pacific told this story: "I was flying the helicopter back to the ship when a blinding fog rolled in. Flying at a low altitude, I knew that a single mistake would plunge my crew and me into the ocean. Worse yet, I was experiencing a complete loss of balance -- which is common for pilots flying by instruments. This loss of balance was so bad that despite the instrument readings I was certain that I was lying on my side. For 15 minutes I flew the helicopter by its instruments, fighting the urge to turn it according to my feeling. When we finally broke safely through the fog, I was deeply thankful I had been trained to rely upon my instruments rather than on my feelings.”

•(on covenants in the Near East) In the Ancient Near East, when two parties made an agreement the weaker party would cut animals in half and walk through the halves, in essence saying: “May this be done to me if I don’t uphold my side of the covenant.”  Ancient Hebrew reflects this understanding because in Hebrew you don’t “make” a covenant, you “cut” a covenant.  What’s amazing about the covenant the Lord makes with Abraham in Genesis 15 is that the Lord is the One Who passes between the animals, not Abraham.