Joshua - Chapters 2-5

The host discusses Joshua chapters 2 through 5. Joshua becomes the leader after Moses' death and is commanded to be strong and courageous. The spies enter Jericho and hide with Rahab, a prostitute. Rahab recognizes God's power and asks for protection for her family. The spies agree, and she ties a scarlet cord in her window as a sign. The spies report that the people are fearful of the Israelites. The Israelites cross the Jordan River on dry ground. Twelve stones are taken as a sign of God's wonders. The Israelites are circumcised, and the reproach of Egypt is rolled away. Joshua encounters a man who reveals himself as the commander of the Lord's army. The host encourages listeners to have faith, fear the Lord, and share their experiences of God's work. I am Julie Callio, your host, and thanks so much for taking time out of your busy schedules to tune in with me today. If by chance you want to contact me, you can do that at theab.bc.pc at gmail.com. Today we are covering Joshua chapters 2 through 5. In chapter 1 we learn that Moses has now died and Joshua, son of Nun, who was Moses' aid for years, became the God-elected leader. God told him three times to be strong and courageous as they are about to enter the promised land. They are still located on the east side of the Jordan River, across from Jericho. And in chapter 1 verse 11, Joshua ordered the people, go through the camp and tell the people, get your supplies ready. Three days from now you will cross the Jordan here to go in and take possession of the land the Lord your God is giving you for your own. One thing I remember my Old Testament professor Dr. Betz said was that God did not just hand it over to them as a gift, but they were commanded and expected to go and fight for it. It is a picture of both God's sovereignty and man's responsibility. He also said that God would not have told Joshua to be strong and courageous unless he needed it. Chapter 2 verse 1 says, Then Joshua, son of Nun, secretly sent two spies from Shittim, go look over the land, he said, especially Jericho. So they went and entered the house of a prostitute named Rahab and stayed there. Now I have heard pastors say, as one of my Bibles says, that Rahab could quote possibly be an innkeeper. Now let me read the definition that is from my Hebrew Greek Key Study Bible. To commit adultery, usually of the female, and less often of simple fornication, rarely of involuntary ravishment, to commit idolatry, commit fornication, play the harlot, play the whore, whoredom, go a whoring, whorish. There is no reference to innkeeping here in this definition. Why do I make note of that? Sometimes Christians like to make the Bible quote nice. We read it with rosy colored glasses instead of looking at the truth. I remember as a teenager I read the Bible for the first time through and I thought, boy if this was made into a movie it would be rated X. Teachers and preachers of the Bible need to be cautious that we don't make the word of God say what we want it to say, but that we come to the Bible and hear the truth of what it says. I love that the Bible tells a story about how bad we can become. Even the good guys are not perfect. And the reason I love that is because then we see how great God is. We see redemption. We see forgiveness. We see God's steadfast love in his power and glory and then we see that he alone is worthy of praise. Well, the king of Jericho heard from an unnamed source that the spies came into town and went to Rahab's house. She hid the spies on her roof under stalks of flax. She lied to the king's messengers and told them they had left. After the messengers left she spoke to the two spies who were unnamed to us but not to God and Rahab said, I know that the Lord has given this land to you and that a great fear of you have fallen on us so that all who live in this country are melting in fear because of you. 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 in Sion and Og the two kings of the Amorites east of the Jordan whom you completely destroyed. When we heard of it our hearts melted and everyone's courage failed because of you. For the Lord your God is God in heaven above and on the earth below. Now then please swear to me by the Lord that you will show kindness to my family because I have shown kindness to you. Give me a sure sign that you will spare the lives of my father and mother, my brothers and sisters and all who belong to them and that you will save us from death. Chapter 2 verses 9 through 13. The spies made an agreement that if she doesn't tell if she binds this scarlet cord in the window and only those who are inside her house which was on the wall of the city would be spared. But if not then they were released from the oath. The spies were let down out of the window on that scarlet cord. They hid in the hills for three days like she directed them. When they went back to Joshua they said verse 24. The Lord has surely given the whole land into our hands. All the people are melting in fear because of us. Chapter 3 the people crossed the Jordan. Joshua told the people that the ark of the covenant and the priests would go first and the people were commanded to keep their distance from it. Then verse 5 Joshua said consecrate yourselves for tomorrow the Lord will do amazing things among you. The priest gathered the ark and went before the people. The Lord told Joshua that now the people will exalt him as God's given leader. We learn in verse 15 that the Jordan river was in flood stage. Ray Vanderlaan has a video series that the world may know and on his lesson on this story he explained that because it's a flood stage it's not like the ocean where you can slowly wade in. You take a step and you drop. With all the flooding in California and other places this winter which we have seen on the news it's easy to picture flood stage. It was not just Joshua that needed to be strong and courageous but also the priest and the people. I wonder if the priest threw straws to see who would be the front carriers of the ark. Verses 15 and 16a tells us yet as soon as the priest who carried the ark reached the Jordan and their feet touched the water's edge the water from upstream stopped flowing. Verse 17 tells us that the priest stood firm on dry ground in the middle of the Jordan while everyone else the whole nation crossed on dry ground. Joshua then commanded one man from each tribe to take a stone from the middle of the river bed and bring them to where they stayed that night. Chapter 4 verse 6 tells us that they were a sign so when the children asked what are these 12 stones for the people could tell them of the wonders of the Lord. Dr. Vanderlaan called them standing stones. At the end of verse 9 the writer says and they are there to this day. This helps us to date this book in the Bible and the conquest of Joshua is dated around 1407 to 1406 BC. Dr. Ray Vanderlaan made comment that no such stones have been found in our day. Verse 14 reads that day the Lord exalted Joshua in the sight of all Israel and they revered him all the days of his life just as they had revered Moses. Once that was all done Joshua commanded the priest to come out of the Jordan and in verse 18b it says no sooner had they set their feet on the dry ground than the waters of the Jordan returned to the place and ran at flood stage as before. Joshua told the people that the Lord had done this to the Jordan River just like he had done it with the Red Sea so that all the peoples of the earth might know that the hand of the Lord is powerful and so that you might always fear the Lord your God. Chapter 5 begins that once the Amorite kings on the west side of the river heard that the Israelites had crossed their hearts melted and they no longer had courage to face the Israelites. Before the Jews went into battle they first were called to be circumcised which was the sign of the covenant with Abraham way back in Genesis chapter 17. The Jews that came from Egypt had been circumcised but those who were born in the wilderness wanderings for 40 years were not. Chapter 5 verse 9 says then the Lord said to Joshua today I have rolled away the reproach of Egypt from you so the place has been called Gilgal to this day. Once this was done Joshua was near the walled city of Jericho when he saw a man standing in front of him and he had a drawn sword in his hand. Joshua asked are you for us or for our enemies and I love his response neither but as commander of the army of the Lord I have now come. At this Joshua fell face down and in reverence asked what message does my Lord have for this servant. Verse 15 says the commander of the Lord's army replied take off your sandals for the place where you are standing is holy and Joshua did so. I always think of this passage when I'm watching any kind of sports team. I was told at this last Super Bowl both quarterbacks on opposing teams were Christians. See God is not for the Chiefs or the 49ers he is for the souls of men and women. Whoever will come to him whoever is willing to bow before him in reverence honor him as Lord and acknowledge that we are his servants. So ladies let me ask you do you confess that there is a God in heaven above and on the earth below? Do you know that the hand of the Lord is powerful? Do you fear the Lord your God? Do you have standing stones in your life that you can point to and say God did this for me or God did this for us? If you are a Christian and you have seen some amazing things from the Lord even if you think they are so small have you told someone? Are you hanging on to reproach from someone or some place and what is the Lord telling you to do so that the reproach may be rolled away? Ladies Jesus Christ died on the cross for you and for me that if we confess our sins he is faithful and just to forgive us of our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. The Lord Jesus can roll away the reproach that hangs on your shoulders. If you have heard his voice today please don't be hard hearted and disobey instead let's have a soft heart a humble heart and let us bow before him and hear and obey. Until next time and thanks so much for listening.