Joshua

Coming up next on Renewing Your Mind, the story of Joshua strong, courageous, and a trust that God for the outcome and that characterized his entire ministry where he crossed over the Jordan and God didn't give them every place where he set his foot as long as the people were obedience to Moses died. Joshua took over as leader of Israel and wandering the desert for decades, but now they were on the cusp of the promised land.

We continue our look at the great men and women of the Bible here on renewing the mind to make a story of loyalty and courage is Dr. Cecil like to begin our brief capsule survey and profile of Joshua by looking at the opening words of the book that bears his name in the Old Testament.

The first chapter of Joshua. Beginning at the first verse. After the death of Moses the servant of the Lord it came to pass that the Lord spoke to Joshua son of nun, Moses his assistant saying Moses my servant is dead now therefore arise, go over this Jordan you and all the people to the land which I am giving to them the children of Israel. Every place the sole of your foot will tread upon I have given you, as I said to Moses when he goes and God describes the parameters of those lands that he is already delivered into the hands of Joshua and he says no man will be able to stand against you all the days of your life and as I was with Moses, so shall I be with you. I will not leave you nor forsake you will hear the admonition that God gives to Joshua, be strong and of good courage, for to this people you will divide an inheritance the land which I swore to their fathers to give them a listen to the second exhortation only be strong and very courageous, that you may observe to do according to all the law which Moses my servant commanded you. Do not turn from the right hand or to the left, that you may prosper wherever you go. This book of the law shall not depart from your mouth but you shall meditate it on it day and night.

The third exhortation verse nine have I not commanded you. Be strong and of good courage, do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go. I think there's something strange about this threefold exhortation that we find at the very beginning of the commissioning of Joshua to be the successor of Moses. Moses led the people out of Egypt and we remember that he took them to the entrance of the promised land and was allowed to go on to Mount Nebo and to gaze into that land and been promised centuries before to their fathers, but himself was not allowed to leave the people in that privilege and that task was given to Joshua. Why was Joshua selected to be the successor of Moses. Here we see God ordaining him and commissioning him and remind me three times.

Look, if you're going to do the job that I have commissioning to do. You need to be two things you need to be strong and you need to be courageous because remember that the fundamental task that God is giving to Joshua is a military task. It is the task of conquering hostile nation and how strong were the forces of the entrenched Canaanites perceive to be at that overwhelming the odds, humanly speaking, the Joshua faces in this military expedition are all stacked against him. And so if he's going to succeed as the military leader. He has to have strength and he cannot be paralyzed by fear. He's got to operate on a heavy dose of courage but that courage is directed really into place. First of all, it has to be courageous in his military task, but is that the only position God is calling them to.

He's also given the responsibility of being the successor of Moses, who is the judge over the people is not only the military leader of the nation.

Now is the spiritual leader of the next, and God said you're going to have to meditate in my word, and in my law and in my testimony day and night, and you don't turn away the left or to the right and worrying for you to be effective as the spiritual leader of my people. You have to be educated so we set that he said you have to be strong and you have to be courageous realize how much moral courage it takes to be an authentic spiritual leader to not play the political games of compromising in order to please everybody to be the leader of a holy nation, a man must have unbelievable strength of character and moral courage to make the decisions and if you look at the life of Joshua.

You will see the life of a man who is a man not only of brilliant military strategy and knowledge tactics, but a man of keen and acute spiritual sensitivity, a man of integrity. I think of Joshua as the Stonewall Jackson of the Old Testament.

I really do.

You coming to my house to find something about me and my heroes that the portrait that will jump out at you in my living room sizes great big framed portrait Stonewall Jackson Myanmar Stonewall Jackson because he was one of the most brilliant military geniuses that the United States has ever produced it The whole federal army talking to themselves in that campaign in the Shenandoah.

He was undermanned, understaffed, undersupplied, overwhelmed, in terms of the strength of his opposition and he was like a phantom, so highly mobile. He rewrote the military textbooks on mobility that you know that and he was a godly man, the life of Stonewall Jackson, the great biography Stonewall Jackson, the authorized bar groups – but many written but the greatest rooms ever written was written by his aide-de-camp is personal military advisor who was Maj. Robert Dabney, have you heard that name you've heard of Robert Dabney the clergy put their hands up in Presbyterian history. You have the Northern Presbyterian Church in the southern Presbyterian Church and the two greatest theologians in the history of the southern Presbyterian Church or man by the name of Thorne well and the other one is a man named Robert that same man.

Stonewall Jackson had us his military aid. The best theologians he could find, and before he went into battle he would pray with his troops and he would say to his men. The battle is ours. The outcome is God's that he was the kind of general who wrote in front of his troops and was a model of integrity and courage. But ours lecture today is not about Stonewall Jackson is about Stonewall Jackson Joshua Irene everything that Stonewall Jackson was Joshua even was greater.

He surpassed Stonewall Jackson in terms of courage in terms of military brilliance and in terms of spiritual integrity again.

I mentioned that there's something odd about this threefold exhortation to be strong and be courageous because strength and courage already were Joshua's middle name member asked a few moments ago.

Why was he selected.

Why did he lead the people in the promised land and not Moses remember when the people of Israel spec campus, Cadiz, Borneo, and they sent out the spies into the promised land.

The spies were not the spot to land the commission to bring back the reconnaissance advanced scouting reports. What man does the world without first assessing the strength of the enemy is a sibling. These guys went out and they saw grapes like they never saw my wife. They saw land flowing with milk and honey.

What also they see the Anna King, the Giants and those spies come running back and said hey I got a great place for us to go Egypt okay to the rear. March okay it is time for strategic withdrawal. That was the message of the spies they so you won't believe those people Giants were like grasshoppers in front of them. We all have a chance. Moses asked him for a report and everyone there, all crying the blues there already to surrender without a battle everybody mentions every humanly possible reason why they shouldn't move ahead 12 wanted security Caleb said hey's incredible land, Joshua said let's go God is with us, let's go strong, courageous, and he trusted God for the and that characterized his entire ministry where he crossed over the Jordan and God didn't give them every place where he set his foot as long as the people were obedience. Jericho crumbled to the curse. The walls fell down before the Army of Joshua and the people came in to possess the land.

They crossed the Jordan and the promised land that landed and promised Abraham and Isaac, and Jacob. Now came into the possession of the children of this road until they came to the city of AI were there totally unexpected work. All the other people were fleeing in fear from now, the most feared person were not the Giants but Joshua today.

I the people sin and did not carry out the instructions that God had given them. God led them to defeat, but Joshua read the story handled it was such spiritual sensitivity. It's amazing that my favorite story about Joshua takes place early on in his book in chapter 5. After the children of Israel celebrate the Passover. We read in verse 13 of chapter 5 where it says this it came to pass that when Joshua was by Jericho that he lifted his eyes and he looked, and behold, a man stood opposite him with his sword drawn his hand and Joshua went to him and said to him, are you for us or for our adversaries. Let's stop right there.

Joshua hanging around Jericho. Remember, he's a professional soldier. He's been to West Point or better in the ancient world and now he notices a soldier who shows up almost warrior that catches his eye. He doesn't recognize, but it is obvious just from the man's appearance that it is a formidable opponent. Have you ever seen two high-powered men get in the same room or they size each other up. It's like two tigers that meet in the jungle. Nothing is said but there's all this unspoken evaluation going up there's a jockeying for position. There's a pecking order.

I remember a few years ago when some psychiatrist announced that a a a an evaluation of football teams the NFL were said that there's a structure and organizational structure on every football team where there is a father and a mother and the favorite son and that there's always structures and that there's a pecking order.

Just as clearly established on a football team, as there is in a henhouse and Pittsburgh Steelers who was the mother the mother hen was mean Joe Greene we got a football for member and that's why there were some tremendous dynamic lost on that team would mean Joe left tremendous void had nothing to do with playing ability, it had to do with the dynamic of the cohesiveness of the group will men always nonverbally size each other up and fall into a pecking order and is very rare when two titans clash 12 titans site for King of the Hill. It's like two stags that meet in the forest to giant box that lock horns to the desk and all of a sudden Joshua who wasn't afraid of anybody sees this guy and he knows right away. Oh there's a tiger here so he's got one question is mind what the question you would is this guy on our team RAC on the other team.

I can remember the most intimidating part of football gazes we would come out of the locker room on the field for warm-ups before the game and we would watch the other team come out on the field and what we look at Abigail.

How mean they look as so much of the psychology of the competition and warfare is settled among men before the whistle even blows to start the game by that sizing up process and that's what Josh was doing so yourself.

Tony says well I'll read it. He said the are you for us or for our adversaries. Question is an either or question was the answer first for the answer. What does the warrior say no you never get to get cute with a sales clerk in the store were they compasses this cash or charge. I can't resist saying yes they want to say wiseguy carrots one of the other. But that's that that's the question, are you for us or for our adversaries. Now that is an either or question the idea is that it hears a soldier's gonna be for one side of the other.

So you expect that the answer is going to be fine for you or for the other side.

Instead, the answer is no. But as commander of the Army of the Lord I have now come.

No Joshua. So the question of whether I am for you or for your adversaries questions.

Who are you for because I'm taken over Joshua on the new CEO. I am the new Chief Executive Officer. I am the new commander-in-chief. I am the general of the day about that Wicca says no but as commander of the Army of the Lord or captain of the Lord of hosts, I have now come and Joshua fell on his face to the earth, and worshiped. And he said to him, what does the Lord say to his or this is the first record that we find anywhere in Scripture of the strongest, most courageous military leader in history up to this point committing an act of on conditional surrender without a fight. Joshua meets this warrior and he gives up. He's on his face.

What ever you say I will do. He got in line immediately.

Who was this soldier we don't know we know that Joshua warship sent we knew that Joshua surrenders to him. We know that Joshua obeys him and some call it an angel, but the title suggests, is Calvin in the case and others argue that what we have here in this text is a Christoph any on Old Testament pre-incarnation, appearance of Christ himself.

And when he appears, Joshua challenges him for you for you for us to you for them.

That's not the question. The captain sets you asked me questions I asked you questions in the capital Lord of hosts, the commander taking over and Josh was on his face is the point matter how strong the matter how courageous the matter how heroic Joshua was he never forgot who he was. He never became political he never stretched out his hand for the throne. He knew how to give orders but he knew how to take orders. He was courageous enough to lead and courageous enough to what the fall and when Christ appeared.

He surrendered. We have this idea in our culture the to be a man to be a real man to be macho man is to surrender to nobody, nobody is going to tell me what to do. That's one of the stupidest statements that could ever come on the mouse of a million real men don't make statements like because there's lots of folks out there who can come by and tell me what to do and I was safe yourself because they're stronger than I more courageous line. Their smart and beautiful not to follow, but the quintessence of foolishness would be to try to get God on your side under your leadership under your authority to sweep to.

We promise okay God. Now I'm going to appreciate what you did yesterday did a great job on the battlefield there and I'll give you your assignment for tomorrow. We think that our prayers or our petitions are mandates for the deity to go into action and we forget who is in charge and this happens not only individually but it happens corporately with churches.

Jesus Christ is the Lord of his church, not a general assembly, not a session, not a Presbytery not convention Christ is the Lord of the church and as a Christian, your conscience is to be held captive, not by the institution which is only a secondary source. It is supposed to respect that and listen to it and all that but your conscience is captivated only by Jesus Christ. Only Christ has the right and the power and authority to bind your conscience because only God has the authority ultimately to bind your conscience in Christ is God, he is the captain of the Lord of hosts, and that's what I like about Joshua was that he knew who was Lord, there was never any question in his mind where his fidelity and his loyalty is devotion and his commitment were direct God commissioned him. God gifted him. God enables him and God blessed strong and he was courageous and humble enough to be on his face before. That's what made Joshua one of the great men of the Bible. Glad you joined us today for Renewing Your Mind. Kindly web and the each week, we returned to Dr. RC Sproul series which surveys the lives of scriptures heroes and heroines and we invite you to return every Saturday.

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