Thursday
Evening Bible Study
February
10, 2011
Introduction
Do people see Jesus? Is the gospel
preached? Does it speak to the broken hearted? Does it build up the church? Milk
– Meat – Manna Preach for a decision
We are somewhere around the year 1446 BC.
Moses has led
the Israelites out of their slavery in Egypt.
They spent a
year at Mount Sinai where Moses received God’s commandments.
They spent forty years wandering in the wilderness.
They just
finished conquering the eastern side of the Jordan River, conquering the
Amorite kings Sihon and Og.
Moses has just died.
The book of
Joshua is a book about receiving God’s promises.
God has a Promised Land for them, and they are now ready to receive it.
1:1-9 Joshua’s
Commission
:1 After the death of Moses the servant of the LORD, it came to pass that
the LORD spoke to Joshua the son of Nun, Moses’ assistant, saying:
:1 servant
– ‘ebed – slave, servant
:1 assistant
– sharath – to minister, serve
Different words, same idea.
If you want to be used by God, you need to learn to be a servant.
(Mk 10:42–45 NLT) —42 So
Jesus called them together and said, “You know that the rulers in this world
lord it over their people, and officials flaunt their authority over those
under them.43 But among
you it will be different. Whoever wants to be a leader among you must be your
servant,44 and whoever wants to be first among you must be the slave of
everyone else.45 For even
the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve others and to give his life
as a ransom for many.”
:2 “Moses My
servant is dead. Now therefore, arise, go over this Jordan, you and all this
people, to the land which I am giving to them—the children of Israel.
:2 go over this
Jordan
The people have
been camping for a few weeks in the Plains of Moab (see map), across the Jordan
River from the city of Jericho.
:3 Every place
that the sole of your foot will tread upon I have given you, as I said to
Moses.
:4 From the wilderness and this Lebanon as far as the great river, the
River Euphrates, all the land of the Hittites, and to the Great Sea toward the
going down of the sun, shall be your territory.
:4 shall be your
territory
The boundaries of the Promised Land were quite large.
If you look at
a map of Israel today, it looks something like this.
When you look
at the boundaries that God points out, it looks like this, crossing into modern
Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, possibly into the Sinai Peninsula currently connected
to Egypt.
:3 Every place
that the sole of your foot will tread
I’ve heard this phrase used by people as a way of claiming “territory” for
the Lord.
Just like the
battle of Jericho, people will march against a strip club, abortion clinic, or
a porno shop so the walls come down. I
guess I’m okay with that, but I wonder if there isn’t a better application.
Lesson
Live it
I think that God has a “Promised Land” for us.
He has a kind of life that He wants for us to live.
It’s a life of freedom from slavery, slavery to sin.
It’s a life of living in a land of milk and honey – a life of fruitfulness.
(Ga 5:22–23 NKJV) —22
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness,
goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control.
In order to “possess” the land, you need to first “walk in it”.
This isn’t some sort of make believe life that we live as Christians.
We don’t just close our eyes and wake up one day with all
these blessings from God.
There is a sense in which the land must be “taken”, must be fought for.
The land very much belongs to us, but we must learn to
take it.
Part of that involves trusting in God.
Part of that involves swinging your sword and defeating a
few enemies.
:5 No man shall
be able to stand before you all the days of your life; as I was with Moses, so
I will be with you. I will not leave you nor forsake you.
:5 so I will be
with you
I imagine that Joshua might have been a little intimidated to follow in the
footsteps of Moses. Those were some
pretty big sandals to wear.
In reality, all that matters is that God is with us.
We get too caught up with comparing ourselves with other people when we
need to really focus on the main issue – Is God with me or not?
:5 I will not leave
you nor forsake you
The writer of Hebrews quotes this verse and uses it in a different way:
(Heb 13:5–6 NLT) —5
Don’t love money; be satisfied with what you have. For God has said, “I will
never fail you. I will never abandon you.” 6 So we can say with confidence,
“The Lord is my helper, so I will
have no fear. What can mere people do to me?”
Lesson
On my side
Whether your battle is with a Canaanite city, some sort of addiction, a
person at work, or financial difficulties, we need to remember who is on our
side.
(Ro 8:31–39 NKJV) —31 What then
shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? 32 He
who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He
not with Him also freely give us all things? 33 Who shall bring a charge against God’s elect?
It is God who justifies. 34 Who is he who condemns? It is Christ who died, and
furthermore is also risen, who is even at the right hand of God, who also makes
intercession for us. 35
Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or
distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? 36 As it is written: “For
Your sake we are killed all day long; We are accounted as sheep for the
slaughter.” 37 Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him
who loved us. 38 For I
am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor
powers, nor things present nor things to come, 39 nor height nor depth, nor any
other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is
in Christ Jesus our Lord.
This doesn’t mean that I always get “my way” in every battle”.
Who is going to “win” with two Christians go face to face? What if God is on both our sides?
The issue is
about not being alone.
The issue is about God’s work getting done.
Sometimes the work that God wants to do in my life
involves me “losing” a battle or two, as long as His work is actually
progressing in my life.
Sometimes I don’t need that raise or that new car, what I
need is to learn to be content with what I have – and that’s the victory.
The real goal is about not being separated from God’s love, even if I’m
facing martyrdom.
:6 Be strong and
of good courage, for to this people you shall divide as an inheritance the land
which I swore to their fathers to give them.
:7 Only be strong and very courageous, that you may observe to do according
to all the law which Moses My servant commanded you; do not turn from it to the
right hand or to the left, that you may prosper wherever you go.
:8 This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall
meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that
is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will
have good success.
:9 Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage; do not be
afraid, nor be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.”
:8 prosperous
– tsalach – to advance, prosper, make
progress, succeed, be profitable
For Joshua, his “prosperity” was connected to the Word of God.
Lesson
Prosperity and the Word
Our American
Christianity has perverted the word “prosperity” to the point where all we
think about is financial prosperity.
Finances can be a part of it, but I have a hard time thinking that the King
of Kings was financially prosperous during His ministry:
(Mt 8:20 NKJV) And Jesus said to him, “Foxes have holes and birds of the air have
nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head.”
God wants us to have a prosperous “life”.
He wants our lives to be fruitful.
(Jn 15:7–8 NKJV) —7 If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask
what you desire, and it shall be done for you. 8 By this My Father is
glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples.
God tells Joshua to allow the Word to affect three areas of his life:
Mouth
The book was to not depart from his “mouth”.
I think God’s word should affect our mouths. I think it ought to be something that comes
out of our mouths.
I think it’s a good thing to be sharing the Scriptures with people, to
learn to answer people with things that the Scripture says.
Mind
Joshua was to “meditate” on God’s Word.
It should be a part of our thoughts.
For some of us, we need to cleanse our filthy minds with
the water of God’s Word.
We ought to spend time “chewing” on God’s Word.
Hands
Joshua needed to let God’s Word affected what he “did”.
You are a fool if you only talk and think about God’s Word and don’t do the
things it says.
Jesus said that you are like a foolish person building his house on the
sand – you won’t survive the storms. (Mat.
7)
Jesus rebuked the Pharisees because they were good at
knowing the Scriptures, but their lives didn’t match what they knew.
1:10-18 The Order
to Cross Jordan
:10 Then Joshua commanded the officers of the people, saying,
:11 “Pass through the camp and command the people, saying, ‘Prepare
provisions for yourselves, for within three days you will cross over this
Jordan, to go in to possess the land which the LORD your God is giving you to
possess.’ ”
:12 And to the Reubenites, the Gadites, and half the tribe of Manasseh
Joshua spoke, saying,
:12 Reubenites
… Gadites … Manasseh
These were the
groups that had already decided they wanted their inheritance to be on the
eastern side of the Jordan River. They
were going to live in the land that the Israelites had already conquered from
the Amorite kings Sihon and Og.
They had
promised that they would cross the Jordan with their Israelite brothers and
help them conquer the rest of the land.
:13 “Remember
the word which Moses the servant of the LORD commanded you, saying, ‘The LORD
your God is giving you rest and is giving you this land.’
:14 Your wives, your little ones, and your livestock shall remain in the
land which Moses gave you on this side of the Jordan. But you shall pass before
your brethren armed, all your mighty men of valor, and help them,
:15 until the LORD has given your brethren rest, as He gave you, and they
also have taken possession of the land which the LORD your God is giving them.
Then you shall return to the land of your possession and enjoy it, which Moses
the LORD’s servant gave you on this side of the Jordan toward the sunrise.”
:16 So they answered Joshua, saying, “All that you command us we will do,
and wherever you send us we will go.
:17 Just as we heeded Moses in all things, so we will heed you. Only the
LORD your God be with you, as He was with Moses.
:18 Whoever rebels against your command and does not heed your words, in
all that you command him, shall be put to death. Only be strong and of good
courage.”
:13 Remember the
word
Joshua reminds these tribes of their promise to Moses, that they would help
conquer the land.
:14 you shall pass
before your brethren armed
These three tribes were actually to be the tip of the spear. They had “point”. They were to be the first troops into battle.
:17 Only the LORD
your God be with you
The people were willing to follow Joshua, but not blindly. They wisely had the condition that it was
clear that God was with Joshua.
They’ll get a clear confirmation of this when they cross the Jordan River
and the water parts for Joshua like the Red Sea parted before Moses.
2:1-24 Rahab and
the Spies
:1 Now Joshua the son of Nun sent out two men from Acacia Grove to spy
secretly, saying, “Go, view the land, especially Jericho.” So they went, and
came to the house of a harlot named Rahab, and lodged there.
:1 two men
The last time that the Israelites sent out “spies” was when they were at
Kadesh Barnea, almost forty years earlier.
On that occasion, Moses had sent twelve spies into the land to find out
what the land of Canaan was like.
When they came back, ten of the spies gave the “evil” report, scaring the
people with the report of giants in the land.
Two of the
spies came back (Joshua and Caleb) and said that even though there were giants,
they were confident that God would help them conquer the land.
The people paid attention to the group of ten spies and as a result, the
nation ended up wandering for forty years in the wilderness.
I wonder if there is a connection with the fact that Joshua was one of the
two faithful spies, and here he only sends two spies into the city. Just curious…
:1 Jericho
– Y@riychoh – “its moon”
A city 5 miles
west of the Jordan and 7 miles north of the Dead Sea.
It’s in one of
the best locations in the world, near a river, great weather, a jewel of a
location. Called the “city of palms”
Herod the Great
had a palace in Jericho, sort of a winter retreat.
Jericho was
also the key citadel of the Jordan Valley.
It had the ability to command who travelled up and down the Jordan
Valley. It decided who went up into the
hills (like on the way to Jerusalem).
:1 Acacia Grove
BTW – there are acacia trees all through the valley near the Dead Sea.
:1 harlot
– zanah – to be a harlot, commit
fornication; to commit adultery
Yes, it looks like she really was a prostitute
Why hide at a brothel?
It might be a good way to get information and find out what the men of the
city were thinking.
It will also be a wonderful display of grace on God’s part. It will be this prostitute who along with her
family are the only survivors of Jericho.
Lesson
God uses “unworthy” people
She was a sinner. She was an
outcast. Sure she was popular with the
men in the middle of the night, but the rest of her life was one of shame and
rejection.
You may not feel like you’re anybody
that God could use.
God can only use “saints”, can’t
he? Don’t you have to walk six inches
off the ground for God to use you? Don’t
you have to walk on water? Paul the
apostle wrote,
(1 Tim 1:15-16 NLT)
This is a true saying, and everyone should believe it: Christ Jesus came
into the world to save sinners—and I was the worst of them all. {16} But that is why God
had mercy on me, so that Christ Jesus could use me as a prime example of his
great patience with even the worst sinners. Then others will realize that they,
too, can believe in him and receive eternal life.
Emory Campbell:
“God uses crooked sticks to draw straight lines”
This is not to say that if there’s a
particular sin in your life that you’re struggling with, that God doesn’t want
you free from that sin.
But God can still use you in the
meantime.
Illustration:
There was a very capable evangelist
whom God used in a significant way in the British Isles. But he lost his interest in spiritual things
and drifted into a life of sin, for a number of months. Some of his sin was done in secret but
ultimately, it became public knowledge and even made the headlines. At first, all he could think of was that he
had been ruined for life, but, finally, he realized what a fool he had been,
and he came back to God like the prodigal from the pigpen.
He found exactly the same thing the
prodigal did. The Lord welcomed him with
open arms and began to strengthen him and bless him. Finally, after a period of
waiting, he felt pressed back into a public ministry for the Lord. He was afraid that his sin would be found out
and brought up all over again, but after he felt sure it was hidden and tucked
away in the past, he went back to preaching, rejoicing in the forgiveness of
God.
One night, when he was in Aberdeen, he
was given a sealed letter. Just before the service began, he read the unsigned
letter. It described a shameful series
of events he had been engaged in. His
stomach churned as he read it. The
letter said, “If you have the gall to preach tonight, I’ll stand and expose
you.”
He took that letter and went to his
knees. A few minutes later, he was in
the pulpit. He began his message by
reading the letter, from start to finish.
Then he said, “I want to make it clear that this letter is perfectly
true. I’m ashamed of what I’ve read, and
what I’ve done. I come tonight, not as
one who is perfect, but as one who is forgiven.” God used that letter and the rest of his
ministry as a magnet to draw people to Jesus Christ.
-- Hearts of Iron, Feet of Clay, By Gary Inrig
:1 Rahab
– Rachab – “wide”
Matthew records
that Rahab would marry a fellow named Salmon, and they would have a descendant
named Boaz, who
would eventually marry Ruth, and they would have a great grandson named David, who would lead to Jesus.
One tradition has it that Salmon was one of the two spies sent to Jericho.
:2 And it was
told the king of Jericho, saying, “Behold, men have come here tonight from the
children of Israel to search out the country.”
:2 men have come
here tonight
Apparently
Joshua’s secret agents were not masters of disguise like inspector Clouseau. They had been spotted and recognized as
spies.
:3 So the king
of Jericho sent to Rahab, saying, “Bring out the men who have come to you, who
have entered your house, for they have come to search out all the country.”
:4 Then the woman took the two men and hid them. So she said, “Yes, the men
came to me, but I did not know where they were from.
:5 And it happened as the gate was being shut, when it was dark, that the
men went out. Where the men went I do not know; pursue them quickly, for you
may overtake them.”
:6 (But she had brought them up to the roof and hidden them with the stalks
of flax, which she had laid in order on the roof.)
:6 stalks of flax
After flax
stalks were pulled up at harvest time, they were soaked in water for three or
four weeks to separate the fibers. Then, after drying in the sun, the flax was
made into linen cloth. Rahab had stalks
on her roof they could hide behind.
:5 the men went out
Was it okay for
Rahab to lie?
Some criticize Rahab for lying about the spies. They suggest that if she truly trusted God,
that God would have protected the spies.
The concern is that some look at this as a justification for lying.
Others say that maybe sometimes it’s appropriate to lie, as it might be
during war.
Was it okay that people lied and hid Jewish people in Europe during WWII?
I don’t have a problem with that.
:7 Then the men
pursued them by the road to the Jordan, to the fords. And as soon as those who
pursued them had gone out, they shut the gate.
:8 Now before they lay down, she came up to them on the roof,
:9 and said to the men: “I know that the LORD has given you the land, that
the terror of you has fallen on us, and that all the inhabitants of the land
are fainthearted because of you.
:9 “I know that
the LORD has given you the land
It sounds as if Rahab believes in what God is going to do.
This is a declaration of her “faith” in God.
:10 For we have
heard how the LORD dried up the water of the Red Sea for you when you came out
of Egypt, and what you did to the two kings of the Amorites who were on the
other side of the Jordan, Sihon and Og, whom you utterly destroyed.
:11 And as soon as we heard these things, our hearts melted; neither did
there remain any more courage in anyone because of you, for the LORD your God,
He is God in heaven above and on earth beneath.
:11 our hearts
melted
This is what God had promised the Israelites:
(Ex 23:27 NKJV) “I
will send My fear before you, I will cause confusion among all the people to
whom you come, and will make all your enemies turn their backs to you.
Lesson
Preparing the way
God has gone ahead of Israel, preparing
the way for them.
God prepares our way for us, and when
we get there, it's ready for us!
(Eph
2:10 NKJV) For
we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand
that we should walk in them.
We’ve seen it at work in our church.
When our lease was up at the Ice House, we ran into a brick wall. We were suddenly faced with being out on the
street in six weeks.
And I had just coincidentally met Pastor Larry from the Lutheran church a
couple weeks earlier…
Don't be afraid of the work God may
call you to do. If He's really calling
you, you can be sure that He's gone before you, getting things ready for you.
:11 He is God in
heaven above and on earth beneath
This sounds like a believer?
She is listed as a believer in the Hebrews 11
hall of fame:
(Heb 11:31 NKJV) By
faith the harlot Rahab did not perish with those who did not believe, when she
had received the spies with peace.
How can she be a believer and still be a prostitute and a liar?
Give people a chance to grow. New
believers don’t have all their problems fixed over night.
:12 Now therefore,
I beg you, swear to me by the LORD, since I have shown you kindness, that you
also will show kindness to my father’s house, and give me a true token,
:13 and spare my father, my mother, my brothers, my sisters, and all that
they have, and deliver our lives from death.”
:12 kindness
– checed – goodness, kindness,
faithfulness
This is a word often used in the Old Testament to describe God’s grace and
mercy toward us.
She wants an agreement of “kindness” with these men.
:14 So the men
answered her, “Our lives for yours, if none of you tell this business of ours.
And it shall be, when the LORD has given us the land, that we will deal kindly
and truly with you.”
:14 none of you – I wonder if they are talking to more than just
Rahab. Perhaps her whole family is
present???
:15 Then she let them down by a rope through the window, for her house was
on the city wall; she dwelt on the wall.
:15 her house
was on the city wall
Jericho at this time was surrounded by two walls about 15 feet apart.
Planks of wood spanned the gap and then houses were built on this foundation.
:16 And she said
to them, “Get to the mountain, lest the pursuers meet you. Hide there three
days, until the pursuers have returned. Afterward you may go your way.”
:16 Get to the
mountain
She wants them to head
up into the hills to the west of Jericho instead of heading to the river to the
east.
Scarcely a half-mile west of Jericho are limestone cliffs about 1,500 feet
high, honeycombed with caves.
:17 So the men
said to her: “We will be blameless of this oath of yours which you have made us
swear,
:18 unless, when we come into the land, you bind this line of scarlet cord
in the window through which you let us down, and unless you bring your father,
your mother, your brothers, and all your father’s household to your own home.
:19 So it shall be that whoever goes outside the doors of your house into
the street, his blood shall be on his own head, and we will be guiltless. And
whoever is with you in the house, his blood shall be on our head if a hand is
laid on him.
:20 And if you tell this business of ours, then we will be free from your
oath which you made us swear.”
:18 scarlet cord
Almost like the picture of the Passover.
Get everyone inside the house before the judgment.
The house is covered by the “scarlet”.
Some scholars
like to talk about the “scarlet thread” in the Scriptures.
They hint at Jesus, the one who would die for us, shed His blood, so we
could find safety from the penalty of our sins.
:21 Then she
said, “According to your words, so be it.” And she sent them away, and they
departed. And she bound the scarlet cord in the window.
:22 They departed and went to the mountain, and stayed there three days
until the pursuers returned. The pursuers sought them all along the way, but
did not find them.
:23 So the two men returned, descended from the mountain, and crossed over;
and they came to Joshua the son of Nun, and told him all that had befallen them.
:24 And they said to Joshua, “Truly the LORD has delivered all the land
into our hands, for indeed all the inhabitants of the country are fainthearted
because of us.”
:21 she bound
the scarlet cord in the window
Lesson
Belief and Action
She believed and responded to her belief by taking action.
(Jas 2:18–26 NKJV) —18 But someone will say, “You have faith, and I have works.”
Show me your faith without your works, and I will show you my faith by my
works. 19 You believe that there is one God. You do well. Even the demons
believe—and tremble! 20
But do you want to know, O foolish man, that faith without works is
dead? 21 Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered Isaac
his son on the altar? 22
Do you see that faith was working together with his works, and by works
faith was made perfect? 23 And the Scripture was fulfilled which says, “Abraham
believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.” And he was called
the friend of God. 24 You
see then that a man is justified by works, and not by faith only. 25
Likewise, was not Rahab
the harlot also justified by works when she received the messengers and sent
them out another way? 26
For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is
dead also.
We are saved by believing in Jesus.
Yet if our belief in Jesus is real, it will result in action.
Our actions “justify” our faith, they show that our faith
is real.
To see whether your “faith” is a living faith or a dead
faith, all a person should have to do is to look at your works.