The Living God Goes First!

9 So Joshua told the Israelites, “Come and listen to what the Lord your God says. 10 Today you will know that the living God is among you. He will surely drive (without fail) out the Canaanites, Hittites, Hivites, Perizzites, Girgashites, Amorites, and Jebusites ahead of you. 11 Look, the Ark of the Covenant, which belongs to the Lord of the whole earth, will lead you across the Jordan River! . . . 13 The priests will carry the Ark of the Lord, the Lord of all the earth. As soon as their feet touch the water, the flow of water will be cut off upstream, and the river will stand up like a wall.” Joshua 3:9-11, 13 (NLT).

 

The crossing of the Jordan River occupies two chapters of the Book of Joshua (Joshua 3 - 4).  This great event reveals Israel’s faith history and God’s presence on Israel’s behalf to save. This crossing meant this new Israel generation would not turn away from faithful following God as their parents had done forty years earlier (Numbers 13-14). With God’s leading, Israel would now claim the Promised Land and overcome the spiritual failures of the previous generation. 

 

Central to the Jordan River crossing is the priests carrying the Ark of the Covenant (also called the Ark of God or the Ark of the Testimony). Chapters 3 and 4 of Joshua reference the Ark of the Covenant. The Ark represented the visible presence and power of the living God with Israel (see Exodus 25:10-40; Numbers 7:89). This visible presence filled the people with grace and mercy as well as calming their fears and worries. God was said to occupy the “mercy seat” (covering) between the two cherubim of gold (Exodus 25:17–22). With the Ark of God leading, the true and living God Himself went into the Jordan River first as He led the people first across the flooding river on dry land (Joshua 4:7). God Himself remained in the river until all the people, weak and strong, had crossed (Joshua 3:17).

 

At the crossing, the Jordan River was at flood stage and the river banks were overflowing (Joshua 3:15). From a human viewpoint, crossing the Jordan River was humanly impossible.  But the new generation of Israel finally believed and trusted that nothing was too hard for God if God led first (see also Genesis 18:14; Numbers 14:5-9; Matthew 6:33).

 

When the people entered into the Promised Land, they would also faced a people who worshipped many gods and idols.  The Ark of God reminded the people they worshipped the “living God” (Joshua 3:10) of the “whole earth” (Joshua 3:11). He was the living and powerful “Lord of all the earth” not only of humans but also nature, including the Jordan River at flood stage. Revelation 11:19 reveals the Ark of God in God’s heavenly Temple. For Christians today, Jesus Christ is our Ark of God.  Jesus Christ is our symbol of God’s full and holy presence with us through Jesus Christ's Holy Spirit living within our hearts (John 14:17; Colossians 2:9; Hebrews 9-10).  Thus, God can always be trusted as we faithfully and obediently follow His leading and instructions first!  Our God, Jesus Christ, is with us now (Matthew 1:23).

Remember God!

19 The people crossed the Jordan on the tenth day of the first month. Then they camped at Gilgal, just east of Jericho. 20 It was there at Gilgal that Joshua piled up the twelve stones taken from the Jordan River. 21 Then Joshua said to the Israelites, “In the future your children will ask, ‘What do these stones mean?’ 22 Then you can tell them, ‘This is where the Israelites crossed the Jordan on dry ground.’ 23 For the Lord your God dried up the river right before your eyes, and He kept it dry until you were all across, just as He did at the Red Sea when He dried it up until we had all crossed over. 24 He did this so all the nations of the earth might know that the Lord’s Hand is powerful, and so you might fear (reverence, respect, or worship) the Lord your God forever.” Joshua 4:19-24 (NLT).

The crossing of the Jordan River was a miracle! Joshua reminded the people to remember that the Lord God had dried up the flooding Jordan River right before their eyes. Israel crossed the river while the river was overflowing and at flood stage. To memorialize this miraculous event, Joshua directed Israel to build a memorial of twelve stones taken from the riverbed. God wanted the people to never forget who was guiding and giving them the Promised Land (see also Joshua 4:6, 21). In this crossing, God demonstrated to Israel and the other surrounding nations His great power and a witness to His faithfulness. Most important, God revealed that He was the living, true, and powerful of heaven and the whole earth that cares for His people (Joshua 2:10-11; Joshua 3:10; Joshua 4:24). 

The crossing of the Jordan River occurred the tenth day of the first month.  On the ancient Hebrew lunar calendar, this event occurred in late March, April, or early May and a few days before Passover. The miracle of the Jordan River crossing on dry land (Joshua 3:14–17) recalled the miracle of the Red Sea crossing forty years earlier by Israel escaping Egyptian slavery (Exodus 14:21–31). Israel had its first Passover in the Promised Land signifying God’s faithfulness to keep His promises (Joshua 5:10). Thus, God can always be trusted! So, tell everyone to remember God and His great faithfulness (Lamentations 3:21-26).

Faithfulness to God!

Rahab:  11 When we (Canaanites) heard of it, our hearts melted and everyone's courage failed because of you (Israel), for the Lord your God is God in heaven above and on the earth below. Joshua 2:11 (NIV).

The Book of Joshua has much to teach us and much with which to inspire the church today. Joshua teaches on or develops a surprising number of important biblical themes. The most important theme of the Book of Joshua is that God is the center of redemption history.  In the Book of Joshua, God was the Divine Warrior and Defender for the people of Israel. God fought for Israel against the Canaanite kings and armies.  The entire Book of Joshua from beginning to end reveals God’s goodness, greatness, and gifts to His people as He through His servant and the main leader, Joshua, lead His people into the Promised Land.  Our Joshua, Jesus the Christ and our God, brings us out of bondage to sin and into a fellowship with God in the “new land” of freedom with Jesus (John 8:36).   

Moreover, the Book of Joshua highlights the fulfillment of God’s covenant and promise to the Patriarchs (Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob) (e.g., Genesis 15:18; Exodus 6:8; Deuteronomy 8:7-10). God had promised Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob the Promised Land (Canaan). Now, the Patriarch’s descendants (Israel) would possess the Promised Land as a gift from God. In essences, the Book of Joshua demonstrates the absolute faithfulness and goodness of God to His people and how God can always be trusted to fulfill His promises (see Genesis 15:18-21; Joshua 21:43-45).

Because God is good and faithful, God must be our object of love, allegiance, and spiritual affection. We must never worship another god, other than the true and living God (Deuteronomy 6:4-6; Joshua 2:11). The one true and living God is not a god of a particular place and purpose. Rather, God is highest everywhere and He loves us with an everlasting love (Joshua 2:9–11; John 3:16). God can be trusted!
 

Faith That Saves

14 What good is it, dear brothers and sisters, if you say you have faith but don’t show it by your actions (by helping others)? Can that kind of faith save anyone? 15 Suppose you see a brother or sister who has no food or clothing, 16 and you say, “Good-bye and have a good day; stay warm and eat well”—but then you don’t give that person any food or clothing. What good does that do? 17 So you see, faith by itself isn’t enough. Unless it produces good deeds (actions or works), it is dead and useless. . . . 24 So you see, we are shown to be right with God by what we do, not by faith alone. 25 Rahab the prostitute is another example. She was shown to be right with God by her actions when she hid those messengers (spies) and sent them safely away by a different road. 26 Just as the body is dead without breath, so also faith is dead without good works. James 2:14-17, 24-26 (NLT).

Rahab described in Joshua 2 exercised courageous faith. She trusted and believed that the Lord God of Israel was the true and living God of both heaven and earth (Joshua 2:10–13). Moreover, she not only believed in God but she also acted on her faith by hiding the two Israelite spies as Israel prepared to enter the Promised Land (Canaan) (Joshua 2:3-6). The people of Canaan also believed in God and heard of God’s miraculous actions on behalf of Israel (Joshua 2:9-11).  However, believing in God is not enough as God wants us to also act on our faith with good actions by helping others (James 2:14-17).

Rahab was a woman of great faith and courage. Because of her courageous faith in God and actions, she not only saved herself from death and destruction but the lives of her entire family (Joshua 2:18-20; Joshua 6:22-23). Rahab and her faith are commended in the New Testament as she demonstrated faith by good works (Hebrews 11:31; James 2:25-26). The faith that saves takes courage and obedience to God. 

Rahab was not a native Israelite. In fact, Rahab was a prostitute or a harlot (Hebrew zanah or zōnah) from Canaan and she even lied to protect the Israelite spies (Joshua 2:4-5). God did not approve of Rahab’s lying or her harlotry. The Holy Scriptures clearly prohibits lying and harlotry, and nowhere does God condone Rahab’s lying nor lifestyle (Proverbs 12:22). Proverbs 12:22 expresses how much God values truth. Nonetheless, many biblical scholars have noted that deception and espionage are part of warfare as an explanation for Rahab’s lying to protect the invading Israelites spies. Nevertheless, we must affirm Rahab’s courageous faith and leave any judgment to God.

But in God’s mercy and grace, God forgave and received Rahab into the family line of God because of her courage and faith in Him (see also Romans 5:8; Ephesians 2:1–10; 1 Timothy 1:15). Together with Sarah, Rahab is one of the only two women mentioned by name in the great faith hall of fame (Hebrews 11:31). Rahab later married Salmon of Israel and through whom was born Boaz, Ruth’s husband (Ruth 4:20-21). Thus, Rahab, a Canaanite prostitute, became part of the family lineage of King David (1 Chronicles 2:11-12) and hence of Jesus the Messiah (Matthew 1:4-6, 17; Luke 3:32).

Did Jesus Ever Sin?

In every respect, Jesus’ body was just like that of any other human. Jesus was fully human with a human nature. He had a human genealogy (Matthew 1:1–17; Luke 3:23–28); a human birth and childhood; conceived in Mary’s womb (Matthew 1:20; Luke 1:26–27); a human birth by a woman (Matthew 1:25; Luke 2:1–7; Galatians 4:4); circumcised on the eighth day (Luke 2:21); visited the Temple as a boy (Luke 2:41–51); grew up as any other human (Luke 2:52); had a human soul (Matthew 26:38; Luke 23:46), and was handled by people (1 John 1:1; Matthew 26:12). At His passion (suffering, death, and burial), Jesus experienced bloody sweat in the garden (Luke 22:44); death on the Cross at Calvary (Matthew 27:50; John 19:33; Philippians 2:7–8); blood and water flowed from His wound (John 19:34–35); His body was taken down from the Cross (Luke 23:53); His body was prepared and laid in a tomb (John 19:39–41); and burial clothes were used (John 20:6–7).

Nonetheless, the New Testament states clearly that even in His humanity, Jesus did not sin. Jesus lived a human life with a complete absence of sin (Exodus 20:1–21; Deuteronomy 5). Unlike Adam and Eve, Jesus never disobeyed God (Genesis 3; 1 Peter 1:19–22; 1 John 3:5). Jesus fully obeyed God in our place and as our representative, thus succeeding where Adam and Eve failed, where the people of Israel in the wilderness failed, and where King David failed (2 Samuel 11–12; Romans 5:18–19; 1 Corinthians 15:45–47). Jesus never lied, cheated, coveted, disobeyed His Father, committed adultery, murdered, nor did He commit any of the many other sins noted in the Old Testament (John 15:10; John 18:38; 2 Corinthians 5:21). No deceit was found in Jesus’ mouth (1 Peter 2:22). However, King David did sin and he committed adultery, murder, and deceit (2 Samuel 11:27; 2 Samuel 12:1–15); nonetheless, he remained wholeheartedly devoted and loyal to God. Once his sin was revealed, King David confessed, repented, and received God’s forgiveness. However, the consequences of King David’s sin never departed from his household (2 Samuel 12:10, 15).

The author of Hebrews states that Jesus was tempted but He never sinned (Hebrews 4:14–16). He faced every temptation humans faced and continue to face (Hebrews 4:4–16). Being human, Jesus could not conquer temptation without a struggle. As fully God, Jesus did not yield to these temptations and, in fact, resisted and defeated evil in accordance with God, the Father’s, plan (John 5:19, 30). Jesus was tempted by evil—to disobey God for self-gratification, self-display, and self-aggrandizement (Matthew 4:1–11), and the temptation to avoid the Cross (Matthew 16:23; Luke 22:28). However, Jesus remained faithful to God and sinless, “a Lamb without blemish or defect” (Romans 6:6–7; 1 Corinthians 6:20; Colossians 2:13–14; Hebrews 9:12; 1 Peter 1:18–19). “Because He [Jesus] Himself suffered when He was tempted, He is able to help those who are being tempted” (Hebrews 2:18).

Throughout Jesus’ earthly ministry, while temptations were real, the Holy Spirit kept Jesus from committing any sin. Jesus had the Holy Spirit without measure to help Him in His earthly ministry (John 14–16). References to the Holy Spirit precede the temptation narrative in the Gospels: Jesus was “full of the Holy Spirit… and was led by the Spirit in the desert, where for forty days He was tempted by the devil” (Luke 4:1–2). Thereafter, “Jesus returned to Galilee in the power of the Spirit” (Luke 4:14). Jesus suffering as a human being led to His exaltation by God the Father (see Philippians 2:5–11; cp. Isaiah 52:13–53:12).

 

Fear!

1 After the death of Moses the Lord’s servant, the Lord spoke to Joshua son of Nun, Moses’ assistant. He said, “. . . . 5 No one will be able to stand against you as long as you live. For I will be with you as I was with Moses. I will not fail you or abandon you. 6 Be strong and courageous, for you are the one who will lead these people to possess all the land I swore to their ancestors I would give them. 7 Be strong and very courageous. . . .” Joshua 1:1, 5-7 (NLT).

In the first chapter of the Book of Joshua, God repeated to Joshua three times to be “strong and courageous” (Joshua 1:6, 7, 9).  Just to assure Joshua did not forget, the people of Israel also told Joshua to be “strong and courageous” (Joshua 1:18). Fear and unbelief often weakens our strength and faith in God. Yet, God remained Joshua of His continuous presence (Joshua 1:5) to give Joshua the confidence to trust in Him and His Word (Joshua 1:7-8).

As believers of Jesus Christ, we too have the promise of God’s daily presence with us. Therefore, we must also be “strong and courageous” to trust God and live our lives according to God’s Word. God’s Word is a treasure chest of instruction, inspiration, and wisdom. Most important, God’s Word helps us understand and learn the heart and mind of God.

All believers of Jesus Christ have become a part of “the Israel of God” or the people of God (Galatians 6:16). God promises all His people that He will never leave them nor forsake them. This was Jesus Christ's promises just before He ascended and return to heaven (Matthew 28:20). The reality of this presence is evident in the fact that God has given His people the Holy Spirit of Jesus (John 14:15-17). So let everyone be “strong and courageous”.

Reference
Coleson, Joseph. Joshua, Judges, Ruth. Cornerstone Biblical Commentary. Tyndale House, 2012.

Strong and Courageous

1 After the death of Moses the Lord’s servant, the Lord spoke to Joshua son of Nun, Moses’ assistant (aide). He (the Lord) said, “ . . . 5 No one will be able to stand against you as long as you live. For I will be with you as I was with Moses. I will not fail you or abandon you. 6 Be strong and courageous, for you are the one who will lead these people to possess all the land I swore to their ancestors I would give them. 7 Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey (do or observe) all the instructions Moses gave you. Do not deviate from them, turning either to the right or to the left. Then you will be successful (or act wisely) in everything you do. 8 Study this Book of Instruction (the Law) continually. Meditate on it day and night so you will be sure to obey everything written in it. Only then will you prosper and succeed in all you do. 9 This is My command—be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” Joshua 1:1, 5-9 (NLT).

After 40 of wandering in the wilderness, Joshua led a new generation of Israelites into the Promise Land (also called Canaan). Joshua had a spirit and heart for God (Numbers 27:18). He had a wholehearted devotion, faith, and love for the one true and living God (Joshua 24:15; see Genesis 26:5).  As one of the 12 spies to first enter Canaan (Numbers 13 – 14), only he and Caleb believed and trusted that God would help Israel triumph and possess the Promised Land.

God had promised the patriarchs of Israel (Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob) that the people of Israel would possess this great land (see e.g., Genesis 12:1-7; Genesis 15:12-20; Genesis 17:7-8; Genesis 22:17; Genesis 26:4; Genesis 28:13-14; Exodus 32:13). Furthermore, God repeated this promise to Moses (Exodus 3:6-8; Exodus 13:3-5; Numbers 14:30–31; Deuteronomy 1:6-8; Deuteronomy 6:10-19). God always keeps His promises, as the Book of Joshua illustrates (Joshua 23:14).

God instructed Joshua to constantly mediate, study, and do God’s Word (Joshua 1:7-8). God’s presence and His success come by daily obeying and doing God’s Word (Joshua 1:7; see also Deuteronomy 8:1; Deuteronomy 11:8-9, 22-25; Deuteronomy 29:9; John 15:1-17). By faith and obedience to God, God’s people are victorious in spite of great challenges and obstacles (see also Deuteronomy 31:1-8). Victory comes from the power of God that is released when we obey God by faith. Nothing is impossible for God (Luke 1:37)!

But before Joshua and the people could enter this great land and obtain God’s promise, God gave both Joshua and the nation teaching on the importance of obedience, courage, and faith in Him. As God appointed Joshua as the new leader, God’s instruction to Joshua to be “strong and very courageous” is repeated from Deuteronomy 31:6, 7, 23 and Joshua 1: 6-7, 9, 18 (see also Joshua 10:25). The Divine instruction from God is for a courageous faith centered on obeying God’s Word. True and lasting success comes from daily meditating, study, and doing God’s Word as one’s lifestyle (Psalm 1:2-3). God wanted Joshua and the people to be confident in Him and His Word. Without God and God’s guidance, Joshua and the people would not succeed (Proverbs 16:9). God’s victory can be claimed only by obedience, courage, and faith in God. God encouraged Joshua by giving His promise (Joshua 1:6) and His presence (Joshua 1:3, 5, 9) but his success came from obeying God’s Word (Joshua 1:7–8).

Thirty-nine years earlier, the people had an opportunity to enter the Promised Land. However, the previous generation was filled with fear and lack of faith in God (Numbers 13-14). As a result of their lack of faith and fear, the Israelites wandered in the wilderness desert for 40 years. The earlier Israelites failed to realize that obedience, courage, and faith in God brought victory (see also 1 Samuel 15:22-23; Psalm 40:6-8; Psalm 51:16-19; Isaiah 1:11-15; Jeremiah 7:21-23; Hosea 6:6; Amos 5:21-24; Micah 6:6-8; Matthew 9:13). As we faithfully obey and trust God, God is with us (Matthew 28:20; John 14:15-17). But we must first love, seek, and obey God and ask God to direct our daily paths (Deuteronomy 6:4-6; Proverbs 3:5-6; Matthew 6:33).