The Theme of Joshua Part 2

The theme of Joshua is the victorious Christian life. This is what God wants for all His children. A life where God is fighting the battles for you and giving you the victories.

In Joshua their physical battles are pictures of our spiritual battles.

The book of Joshua shows us that no spiritual victories are won without battles. And the book of Joshua shows us how to have spiritual victories. We have victory by believing God and being obedient to His will for our life. It is God that fights the battles. It is only by the power of God that we can win. We have to let Him do the work in us. The forces that oppose us are too strong for us to battle alone.

To recap Gen. man is a sinner in need of saving and there is a God that wants to save.

Exodus Redemption – saved by the blood of the lamb

Lev. The sinner who is now redeemed is to worship God

Num. Numbering has to do with ownership and assignment to service. The book of numbers shows that God has a plan for every Christian’s life. A Christian can reject that and end up living a defeated Christian life in the wilderness.

Deu. The relationship between you and God is to be based on love. Obedience brings blessings. Disobedience brings judgment. Nothing God asks is wrong. He wants our best.

The generation in Numbers rejected God’s plan and failed. The generation in Deu. Believed God and they stepped out in faith and entered the Promised Land. They crossed the Jordan River into the victorious Christian life.

They have a major issue after they cross. They had been disobedient in the area of circumcision and get that resolved. God blesses and protects them.

Then they walk around Jericho and the walls fall. God gives them the victory. They just had to show up in faith, God did the rest.

So once they entered the Victorious Christian life, it is nothing but easy sailing from now on? Nope. I now have nothing but guaranteed spiritual victories all the time. Nope.

That is not how it works.

There are 3 things that you need to do to continue to have spiritual victories and to continually live the Victorious Christian life.

Show up in faith.

No need to say too much on this one. It should be really obvious. They showed up in faith and they put their feet in the water of the overflowing Jordan and God gave the victory and they crossed on dry ground.

They got circumcised after they crossed in faith, and God gave the victory of protection while all their fighting men were on their backs.

They showed up in faith and walked around Jericho in faith, and God gave the victory. God made the walls fall. Show up in faith. Be available to God. Be moving. God will not open doors and shut doors if you don’t show up and move in faith. He will not gently guide a stationary object sitting on the couch hiding in fear. Number 1 show up in faith.

Continue to be obedient.

After Jericho they got over confident.

Jos 7:3 And they returned to Joshua, and said unto him, Let not all the people go up; but let about two or three thousand men go up and smite Ai; and make not all the people to labour thither; for they are but few.

They took victory for granted. They thought that victory would always come regardless of what they did. Only send about 2 or 3 thousand. This will be easy. No need for us to show up to get the victory. Send only 2 or 3 thousand. They can get the victory for me.

Jos 7:5 And the men of Ai smote of them about thirty and six men: for they chased them from before the gate even unto Shebarim, and smote them in the going down: wherefore the hearts of the people melted, and became as water.

They got beat bad. What happened? Look at verse 1.

Jos 7:1 But the children of Israel committed a trespass in the accursed thing: for Achan, the son of Carmi, the son of Zabdi, the son of Zerah, of the tribe of Judah, took of the accursed thing: and the anger of the LORD was kindled against the children of Israel.

Jos 7:2 And Joshua sent men from Jericho to Ai, which is beside Bethaven, on the east side of Bethel, and spake unto them, saying, Go up and view the country. And the men went up and viewed Ai.

Jos 7:4 So there went up thither of the people about three thousand men: and they fled before the men of Ai.

Jos 7:6 And Joshua rent his clothes, and fell to the earth upon his face before the ark of the LORD until the eventide, he and the elders of Israel, and put dust upon their heads.

Jos 7:7 And Joshua said, Alas, O Lord GOD, wherefore hast thou at all brought this people over Jordan, to deliver us into the hand of the Amorites, to destroy us? would to God we had been content, and dwelt on the other side Jordan!

Jos 7:8 O Lord, what shall I say, when Israel turneth their backs before their enemies!

Jos 7:9 For the Canaanites and all the inhabitants of the land shall hear of it, and shall environ us round, and cut off our name from the earth: and what wilt thou do unto thy great name?

Jos 7:10 And the LORD said unto Joshua, Get thee up; wherefore liest thou thus upon thy face?

Jos 7:11 Israel hath sinned, and they have also transgressed my covenant which I commanded them: for they have even taken of the accursed thing, and have also stolen, and dissembled also, and they have put it even among their own stuff.

Jos 7:12 Therefore the children of Israel could not stand before their enemies, but turned their backs before their enemies, because they were accursed: neither will I be with you any more, except ye destroy the accursed from among you.

God said you have sinned. Obedience is tied to Victory. Sin is a great destroyer. It will stop the Victorious Christian life.

Get up Joshua. All your crying and pouting, is not going to help. That is not going to fix it. God says deal with the sin. Just fix it. God does not say here, it is over for you forever. He does not say no more chances for you.

Instead it is get it right and victory will be yours once again.

The N.T. tells us the same thing.

1Jn 1:9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

You mess up, just get it right. God does not give up on you. To use a country illustration. If you fall off the horse, dust yourself off and get back on.

In Joshua they do that. They take care of the sin and move forward again for God in victory.

The next victory God gives them is the city of Ai. They place they failed. They very place of defeat God turned into victory.

To continue to live the victorious Christian life you first have to show up in faith. Second you need to stay obedient.

The third thing is you need to seek God.

In the entire book of Joshua there are two main failures highlighted. The first failure was AI and that was because of sin. And the second failure has to do with Gibeon. This second failure happens because of a lack of seeking God. We should continually ask Lord what will thou have me to do. When we stop asking that we make mistakes.

Jos 9:3 And when the inhabitants of Gibeon heard what Joshua had done unto Jericho and to Ai,

Jos 9:4 They did work wilily, and went and made as if they had been ambassadors, and took old sacks upon their asses, and wine bottles, old, and rent, and bound up;

Jos 9:5 And old shoes and clouted upon their feet, and old garments upon them; and all the bread of their provision was dry and mouldy.

Jos 9:6 And they went to Joshua unto the camp at Gilgal, and said unto him, and to the men of Israel, We be come from a far country: now therefore make ye a league with us.

Jos 9:7 And the men of Israel said unto the Hivites, Peradventure ye dwell among us; and how shall we make a league with you?

Jos 9:8 And they said unto Joshua, We are thy servants. And Joshua said unto them, Who are ye? and from whence come ye?

Jos 9:9 And they said unto him, From a very far country thy servants are come because of the name of the LORD thy God: for we have heard the fame of him, and all that he did in Egypt,

Jos 9:10 And all that he did to the two kings of the Amorites, that were beyond Jordan, to Sihon king of Heshbon, and to Og king of Bashan, which was at Ashtaroth.

Jos 9:11 Wherefore our elders and all the inhabitants of our country spake to us, saying, Take victuals with you for the journey, and go to meet them, and say unto them, We are your servants: therefore now make ye a league with us.

Jos 9:12 This our bread we took hot for our provision out of our houses on the day we came forth to go unto you; but now, behold, it is dry, and it is mouldy:

Jos 9:13 And these bottles of wine, which we filled, were new; and, behold, they be rent: and these our garments and our shoes are become old by reason of the very long journey.

They are lying out their teeth. Bold, blatant, well thought out in advance lies.

Jos 9:14 And the men took of their victuals, and asked not counsel at the mouth of the LORD.

Jos 9:15 And Joshua made peace with them, and made a league with them, to let them live: and the princes of the congregation sware unto them.

Look at verse 14 again. It says they examined their moldy food. And asked not counsel at the mouth of the LORD.

At this moment they are deciding to walk by sight and not by the word of God. God was there. He was available for Joshua to ask. God was not too busy!

God will let you exercise your free will. He will let you not seek His counsel. He will let you make a bad decision if you choose to make a decision without Him.

Now that they made this league with the Gibeonites without God they have to keep their promise.

There are consequences. The Gibeonites and their false gods stay in the land. And from studying some of the last kings of Judah we see the fruit that came down the road from not clearing out all the false idols.

So there will be long term consequences and there was a short term consequence.

When the kings of the land hear of Israel’s victories they gather together to fight against Israel but before they attack they hear how Gibeon had made a deal with Israel.

So they take their armies to Gibeon. Israel now has to go to their aid.

Now they had made a deal that was not advised of God. God could have left them alone.

But He does not. I think Joshua felt bad about it and confessed it to God.

God in His wonderful mercy and grace allows the mistake and continues to work in behalf of them.

Jos 10:10 And the LORD discomfited them before Israel, and slew them with a great slaughter at Gibeon, and chased them along the way that goeth up to Bethhoron, and smote them to Azekah, and unto Makkedah.

It was the Lord that discomfited them not Israel. It was the Lord that slew them.

Jos 10:11 And it came to pass, as they fled from before Israel, [and] were in the going down to Bethhoron, that the LORD cast down great stones from heaven upon them unto Azekah, and they died: [they were] more which died with hailstones than [they] whom the children of Israel slew with the sword.

More of the enemy died from hailstones than from Israel. That is God doing the work, that is God providing the power. It is God that gives the victory. All they had to do was be obedient. They just had to show up.

The victory was not going to be given if they did not show up. If they stayed back in their tents, nothing great would have happened.

God has the power and God wants to give victory, we just need to be obedient and show up for the battle.

And we should continually seek God and always ask Him what do you want me to do. It is a bad idea to run off making a major decision without consulting God and letting Him direct our path.

To continue in the victorious Christian life we need to

Show up in faith
Stay obedient
Always ask Lord what will thou have me to do.

One more thing I would like to mention. When living the Victorious Christian life our attitude should be more like Joshua’s and his men.

Jos 10:8 And the LORD said unto Joshua, Fear them not: for I have delivered them into thine hand; there shall not a man of them stand before thee.

Jos 10:9 Joshua therefore came unto them suddenly, [and] went up from Gilgal all night.

God told Joshua that He had delivered them into his hand and that not a man of them would stand.

That was a promise of God. Joshua could have took his time and it would have still come true because it was an unconditional promise of God.

So why did Joshua hurry. Why did he travel all night?

I think he was excited in the promise of God and could not wait to claim it. He could not wait to see what God would do. Joshua and his men could not wait to show up so that they could see God work. They wanted to see God’s power displayed before them.

And we should have the same attitude. For God has also given us a promise.

1Jo 5:15 And if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him.

1Jo 3:22 And whatsoever we ask, we receive of him, because we keep his commandments, and do those things that are pleasing in his sight.

Joh 14:14 If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do [it].

Joh 14:13 And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.

We need to have faith in the word of God. We need to believe all these verses. We need to put it into action. We need to be like Joshua and join the battle so that God could give the victory.

And look what Joshua asked for

Jos 10:12 Then spake Joshua to the LORD in the day when the LORD delivered up the Amorites before the children of Israel, and he said in the sight of Israel, Sun, stand thou still upon Gibeon; and thou, Moon, in the valley of Ajalon.

And God answered.

Jos 10:13 And the sun stood still, and the moon stayed, until the people had avenged themselves upon their enemies. [Is] not this written in the book of Jasher? So the sun stood still in the midst of heaven, and hasted not to go down about a whole day.

Jos 10:14 And there was no day like that before it or after it, that the LORD hearkened unto the voice of a man: for the LORD fought for Israel.

The Lord did the fighting. He gave the victory.

And God did it over and over in the book of Joshua. At the end of chapter twelve there is a list of 31 wicked kings that God gave victory over.

That list of kings represents a lot of power. Their combined armies dwarfed the size of the Israelites in number and in the technology of war. These kings were much better armed. They had vast numbers of horses and chariots.

But it did not make a difference because God was on Israel’s side.

Rom 8:31 What shall we then say to these things? If God [be] for us, who [can be] against us?

That was Caleb’s attitude.

Jos 14:10 And now, behold, the LORD hath kept me alive, as he said, these forty and five years, even since the LORD spake this word unto Moses, while [the children of] Israel wandered in the wilderness: and now, lo, I [am] this day fourscore and five years old.

Caleb is now 85 years old.

Jos 14:11 As yet I [am as] strong this day as [I was] in the day that Moses sent me: as my strength [was] then, even so [is] my strength now, for war, both to go out, and to come in.

Jos 14:12 Now therefore give me this mountain, whereof the LORD spake in that day; for thou heardest in that day how the Anakims [were] there, and [that] the cities [were] great [and] fenced: if so be the LORD [will be] with me, then I shall be able to drive them out, as the LORD said.

Jos 14:13 And Joshua blessed him, and gave unto Caleb the son of Jephunneh Hebron for an inheritance.

Jos 14:14 Hebron therefore became the inheritance of Caleb the son of Jephunneh the Kenezite unto this day, because that he wholly followed the LORD God of Israel.

Caleb shows us that age is no excuse for not believing the promises of God and taking action upon them.

Jos 15:13 And unto Caleb the son of Jephunneh he gave a part among the children of Judah, according to the commandment of the LORD to Joshua, [even] the city of Arba the father of Anak, which [city is] Hebron.

Jos 15:14 And Caleb drove thence the three sons of Anak, Sheshai, and Ahiman, and Talmai, the children of Anak.

God give Caleb victory.

The theme of Joshua is the victorious Christian life. A life of victory. A life where God is leading. A life where God is fighting the battles and giving the victory. What a contrast to the book of numbers which is the defeated Christian life.

A life full of whining, complaining, and belly aching. A life of getting chastised from God.

A life of uselessness.

38 years of their life in the wilderness passes in silence. Not one verse of scripture during the 38 years. Nothing happened worth mentioning for 38 years.

That is the defeated Christian life. A life where nothing worth mentioning takes place for God. A life of uselessness just wondering around in the wilderness.

We have before us contrasted the defeated Christian life in numbers and the victorious Christian life in Joshua.

God would rather give you the victorious Christian life.

Joh 10:10 The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have [it] more abundantly.

All you have to do is show up in faith, be obedient, and continue seeking God’s will.

See more lessons on themes of Old Testament Books