Tag: Joshua

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Conquest and Judges – A Good Student

The people served the Lord throughout the lifetime of Joshua (but)… another generation grew up who knew neither the Lord nor what he had done for Israel. Then the Israelites did evil in the eyes of the Lord and served the Baals. They forsook the Lord, the God of their ancestors, who had brought them out of Egypt. Judges 2:7; 10-12

Think back, do you recall learning to ride a bike? Who taught you ? Was it a friend or maybe a parent or grandparent? Wasn’t an easy task; did you learn it quickly? Or did you struggle? Maybe you fell down and skinned your knee. Maybe you needed encouragement to get the job done.

There was once a young boy whose dad was trying to teach him to ride a bike, but he was always terrified of falling over and hurting himself. After years and years, he finally just gave up because he was so embarrassed about it and it was a sensitive subject. Eventually, he grew up and became a father too. One Christmas, his wife decided to buy their son a bike. Suddenly, the man had to confess that never learned to ride one himself.

Growing up, there are a lot of things that we have to learn. Riding a bike is a pretty small thing, but there are big things too. If you don’t study cooking, then you could cause a fire. If you don’t learn to budget your money, you’ll ruin your finances. If you don’t develop a relationship with God, then you will drift through life without purpose. 

In the book of Judges, a new generation is born and grows up in the promised land. This generation never knew slavery in Egypt or wandering in the desert. Most importantly, they never learned about God. The entire nation of young Israelites began to drift away from the God of their parents. They never took time to learn about God, and, as you can guess, things start to go wrong for God’s people. Throughout the story of Scripture, the people of Israel will turn away from God again and again. When they do, God will send leaders to help put them back on the right track. These leaders are the heroes and heroines of the Book of Judges. As we reflect on this part of the story, how can you be a better student of God’s teaching?

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Conquest and Judges – Serve Sombody

Now if you are unwilling to serve the LORD, choose this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served in the region beyond the River or the gods of those in whose land you are living; but as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD.” Joshua 24:15

Who are you going to serve? It’s a simple question that Joshua asks the people of Israel as they settle into the Promised Land. The Lord rescued them from slavery, brought them through the desert, and conquered their enemies. God has provided them every step of the way, but Joshua knows that humans are fickle. Now that God is asking for their loyalty will they give it?

In 1979, Bob Dylan released a song entitled “Gotta Serve Somebody.” It won a Grammy Award for Best Rock Vocal Performance, and the lyrics read in part: 

You may be rich or poor, you may be blind or lame

You may be living in another country under another name

But you’re gonna have to serve somebody, yes indeed

You’re gonna have to serve somebody

Well, it may be the devil or it may be the Lord

But you’re gonna have to serve somebody

Maybe you’re on the fence about following Jesus. Or maybe you consider yourself a Christian, but you’re just not all-in. Joshua’s words and Dylan’s song both remind us that we are tempted to divide our allegiance. As Christians, we are supposed to put our citizenship in the Kingdom of God before everything. We are children of The Spirit first-and-foremost. We are servants of Christ above all things. But, there are so many things that try to make a claim on our loyalty, and these are not all bad things. Nevertheless, nationality, ethnicity, political affiliation, gender, sports team, popularity group, occupation, hobbies, even friends and family must all fall in line behind our devotion to God. Let’s face it, most of us struggle to serve God with an undivided heart. We want to serve God, but we fall short. Only Jesus served God perfectly, and we need the power of the Holy Spirit to overcome our divided allegiance. Invite the Holy Spirit into your heart to make you a better servant of Christ and shore-up your loyalty to the Kingdom of God.

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Conquest and Judges – Unwavering Devotion

No one will be able to stand against you all the days of your life. As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake you. Be strong and courageous because you will lead these people to inherit the land I swore to their ancestors to give them. Joshua 1:5-6

After forty years of wandering in the desert, God decides that it’s time for the Israelites to inherit the promised land. If you think back to the covenant made with Abraham and his descendants, there were two parts. The first part was that Abraham’s family would become so large it would be a nation. That part has happened, but the second part was that they would inherit the land called Canaan to live on.

Moses has been leading the people of Israel for a very long time. He’s an older man now, and God decides it’s time to transfer leadership to someone else. Joshua is Moses’ assistant, his right-hand man. He is selected to lead the people of Israel into the promised land.

With a new leader, the Israelites are ready to put down roots in the land of Canaan. However, there’s a problem. There are already people living there. God’s people must conquer the land, and that means war.

The book of Joshua presents difficulties for us modern-day Christians. Historically, the church has misused the story of Joshua as a justification for conquering other people. In the US, people used the story of Joshua to justify taking land from the Native Americans. In medieval times, the Catholic Church used the story to justify conquering rival Christians in the orthodox church. There are tons of examples of the misuse of Joshua, but there are plenty of good lessons to learn from this part of the story.

The book of Joshua demonstrates God’s unwavering devotion even in the face of Israel’s fear and uncertainty. Israel is promised again and again that they will never be forsaken or abandoned. God extends that promise to us today along with the command to be courageous, to live without fear. We are called to rest in God’s unwavering devotion before stepping out in courageous acts of faith. Consider what God is calling you to right now. Do you need to rest in God’s devotion, or is God calling you to step out with courageous faith?