This blog serves as an outreach for Pastor Randy Powell of the First Baptist Church of Franklin, PA. Feel free to ask questions or send me an e-mail at pastorpowell@hotmail.com
As a sign to offer reassurance about the future to Abraham, the LORD utilizes an Ancient Near Eastern custom involving the cutting-in-two of animals to symbolize the seriousness of the covenant should anyone break it.
In addition, God explains the upcoming 400 years of sojourning in Egypt that Abraham's descendants will endure in part because his wrath against the Canaanites is not yet ready because theirs sins have not yet reached the "full measure." This has implications for how we understand God's judgment against sin and evil here in this life.
At the 10:50 mark, my daughter Clara interrupts the message to tell me that she can't find her donut from before church, being quick, she escaped the nursery volunteer and ran into the sanctuary to tell me this crucial bit of information...
Following the victory at Jericho, the army of Israel experiences and unexpected setback, caused, they would soon learn, by the sin of one man within the covenant community. The impurity within God's people contributes to the death of thirty-six men in the ensuing battle, after which the LORD enlightens Joshua about the sin that must be dealt with. Unfortunately, because the guilty party does not come forward of his own accord, in the end, his life is forfeit. The episode illustrates the seriousness of sin within the people of God, and its potential to cause harm far beyond the one who commits it.
The story of the fall of Jericho being fairly familiar to many Christians, the text itself from the book of Joshua contains two moments that often are overlooked: (1) The encounter that Joshua has with the "commander of the army of the LORD" in which he is told that God is on "neither" side in the upcoming battle, and the destruction of the "devoted" things in Jericho, which included all living things, people included.
The response to Joshua's question, "Are you for us or for our enemies?" is an important reminder that God is not on our side, rather we have been called to conform to his will. God cannot be on the side of any particular human being, or group of people, for God is entirely holy, righteous, and just, and no human endeavor can make such a claim. The focus of God's redemptive story in history is to call humanity back to communion with God, to his will, his mind, his perspective.
The destruction of the people of Jericho is a difficult and disturbing one to consider, but necessary just the same. Until we understand the absolute right of God to judge the living and the dead, and until we comprehend just how pervasive and vile sin (rebellion against God) truly is, we will fall short of understanding how/why God can pour out wrath on various segments of humanity. In the end, we must face the reality of the judgment of God, soberly without glee, for it is a tragedy whenever someone created in the image of God is lost, if we are to truly understand grace and mercy.
Having provided a supernatural way across the Jordan River, the LORD instructs Joshua to have the people of Israel construct a memorial using twelve stones carried from the midst of the river. The memorial is to serve as a object lesson to facilitate the teaching of future generations regarding the wonders performed by God on behalf of his people. In addition to the construction of the memorial itself, Joshua instructs the people that it will be the responsibility of future parents to teach their children about the LORD.
Both of the ideas in Joshua chapter 4 are easily applicable to the Church today. We too need to celebrate what God has done for us, finding appropriate ways to memorialize them, and we too need to emphasize the need for parental responsibility regarding the instruction of the next generation regarding the LORD. As a Church, it is our responsibility to reinforce and encourage the instruction that ought to begin in the home, which of course necessitates that those who are parents within the Church have themselves been instructed in order to make them capable of teaching their children.
The crossing of the Jordan River by the people of Israel as they entered at last into the Promised Land need not have required a miracle. The people could have entered into the land using a variety of means, but were directed to cross the Jordan, while it was at flood stage, for a very specific reason: God wanted to demonstrate his power to his people once more, and at the same time, to show that Joshua was his chosen leader.
For God, the performing of miracles is not a burden, nor a challenge, the focus then in scripture when we encounter God working miracles is the question: How do the people respond to seeing God at work? In this case, the response required of the people by God was simple, they need only watch the priests enter the river carrying the Ark and then cross the river once its flow had been interrupted.
What then do we glean from reading about the crossing of the Jordan by Israel? As the Church, we too know that when God chooses to act that the availability of power will not be an issue. Like Israel who had God among them, the blessing of having God in our midst (via the Holy Spirit indwelling believers) assures us that amazing things are entirely possible when we obey his Word.
As Joshua prepares to lead the people of Israel over the Jordan River and into the Promised Land, he sends two spies ahead of the host to ascertain the status of the first objective, the city of Jericho. In Jericho, the two unnamed spies encounter and unexpected ally, a local woman named Rahab. We know little about Rahab, other than the assertion that her profession was prostitution (although some contend the translation ought to be innkeeper, perhaps she was both), but the choice made by Rahab upon meeting the spies will not only preserve their lives but that of herself and her entire family.
Rumors of the victories of the God of Israel had proceeded the arrival of the people of Israel, and then subsequently enhanced by their destruction of the Amorites on the east side of the Jordan. Rahab recognizing the power of the LORD, through some combination of divine grace and an open heart/mind, chooses to protect the spies and make a pact with them regarding the future assault upon Jericho rather than remaining loyal to her own people. In the end, the faith of Rahab as evidenced by her choice is rewarded, her family is spared when the city is destroyed, and she herself will eventually marry a Jewish man, and their child together will be a direct ancestor of both King David and the Messiah Jesus.
** Note, we are utilizing new sound equipment for recording the sermons; hopefully you will notice considerable improvement.**
As Joshua prepares to take over the leadership role of Israel following the death of Moses, the LORD encourages Joshua with specific and powerful promises that he will be with Joshua as he was with Moses and that "I will never leave you nor forsake you." In light of his word, the LORD tells Joshua to "Be strong and courageous" as he leads the people across the Jordan into the land that God has promised to give to the people of Israel. The encouragement to be strong and courageous is repeated three times in the chapter, and the emphasis that God will give the land to Israel is repeated five times.
