7.23.26 – The Book of Joshua, Chapters 1-3

 The Torah portions from Genesis through Deuteronomy are rehearsed and reviewed every year. Very seldom do we ever move past the first five books of the Torah into the prophets—Joshua, Judges, etc. But now we want to take the time to venture forward, to move past. Because oftentimes, just like the children of Israel, who were in the wilderness for 40 years, and they had the opportunity to get out of the wilderness after just a year and a half, we tend to get comfortable with where we're at.

And when you get comfortable, everything becomes status quo. Holiness becomes common, and commonality becomes mundane and boring. Moses led the children of Israel out of Egypt to take them to the border of the Promised Land. Joshua succeeded Moses—his apprentice, his disciple. And soon, the one whom Moses has been mentoring for all of these years is going to take the children of Israel into the Promised Land. The name Joshua in Hebrew, Yahoshua, is the same as our Savior and our Messiah, Yeshua. The Torah can take you so far, but it can't take you the rest of the way. But once you've gone into the land, now the Torah is to be re-established as the guidelines for our lives in the land, that we may live and live a long life in the land.

In Joshua's chapter 1 through 3, we find that there is the passing of the baton. Joshua is encouraged with the phrase "chazak v'ematz"—be strong and courageous. Several times the statement is said to him from the Lord on some occasions—two occasions specifically—and from the children of Israel on two occasions specifically in the opening chapter. Be strong. Why? Because when you're dealing with people, and people are finicky, and people are fair-weather fans—when you're winning, everybody's on your side. When you have money, you've got friends. When you are losing or challenging times have come, the fair-weather fans oftentimes go away. Maybe that's the reason why in Mark chapter 2, Yeshua made the comment, "I don't commit myself to any men." He knew what was in their hearts.

The reality of what the book of Joshua, Judges, the Samuels, the Kings, the Esthers, the Ruths, all the rest of the Tanakh—the purpose behind those books is to empower us on how to live inside of the land. The fact is that the wilderness journey, the place of miracles, is not where God designed us to be—where everything is provided: the water, the bread from heaven, the protection in the cloud, the leadership from Moses, the scorpions and the serpents all being pushed back and then being protected, nobody getting sick, no clothes wearing out. Nobody even has to pee or poo because the water and the bread from heaven is so efficient within their bodies that they don't even have to worry about soiling up their camp. But those days are coming to an end. That's not where God wants us to be. He doesn't want us to be in a place that's completely filled with creature comforts.

So the whole purpose, according to Deuteronomy chapter 6, verse 23 through 25, the reason why He delivered us out of Egypt was to take us into the land of our inheritance. And then through the obedience of keeping His commandments, walking in the power of the Spirit, doing what He commanded—those actions become your righteousness, that righteousness becomes your wedding garment, and your wedding garment guarantees you the spot as the bride of the Messiah in the Messianic era. That's the reality of the story of Joshua. The 24 chapters that lie before us are significant, and they're significant to encourage you, to strengthen you. My goal in doing these studies is to encourage you to put yourself inside of the story, to identify with each one of the characters.

And if you're like me, you'll find yourself identifying with the good guys and the bad guys. There's going to be times when your heart, which has been rebellious in days past, you'll be able to say, "Oh, I can identify with that." There'll be times when you're walking in complete obedience. There'll be times when you're confused, and you do things to preserve your own skin. And you'll say, "Oh, I can identify with that completely." Chazak v'ematz—be strong and courageous. That's the word.

The children of Israel, following the pattern, left Egypt. They crossed the Sea of Reeds. Now they're leaving the wilderness, crossing the River Jordan. The enemy was left behind in Egypt. The enemy is in front of them in the Promised Land. The Scripture makes it quite clear that one of the realities was that God delivered the children of Israel because He delivered individuals like Cain's descendants, like Lot's descendants, and He drove out the enemies for them so that they could have the land of their inheritance. So, if God's going to do it for them, wouldn't He do it for the faith of His people who are in covenant relationship with Him? And because God is faithful, the answer is yes. That is our hope.

In Joshua chapter 2, the spies are sent in. There are two specifically. Ironically, they don't do a very good job spying because the king of Jericho and the leadership of Jericho know immediately that the spies are there. They come to check Rahab, formerly known as a harlot, but as we have discussed in times past, that was her past life. That's not her present life. In fact, this decision that she makes to hide the spies, to lie, to protect them, to be able to establish the God of Israel in the land of Jericho—which is the commerce city of the land of Canaan, the Promised Land—the reality of being like a New York or a Kansas City or a Los Angeles or a Houston, a major thoroughfare of economic proportions—Jericho. The Hebrew word "Yireach" actually comes from the word "moon," and one of the issues was that they had moon worship, and moon worship kind of superseded all the other gods. Jericho was a melting pot, a hotbed for every type of religion. Sounds like America today. Sounds like different countries around the world today. We are a melting pot with more differences, more disagreements, more anything that you shake a stick at.

When the spies are hidden by Rahab, they make a promise to her that we will save your family. Archaeologists have told us that the walls, when they eventually fell down, literally fell straight into the ground—not just rubble, straight into the ground—but there was a section of the wall that wasn't destroyed. Archaeologists have mused in their mind: could this possibly be where Rahab lived? We don't know, but what we do know is that she is faithful.

In chapter 3, we find the reality of reminiscing with key phrases that are throughout chapter 3—key phrases that are going to tie us back to Abraham, phrases that are going to tie us back to Mount Sinai, phrases that are going to help us understand that there was something that was supposed to go before us. It wasn't just the physical cloud. Now the cloud is taken away. Now the Ark of the Covenant is going to go 2,000 cubits before the people. What an amazing introduction to the book of Joshua.

In these first three chapters, we find details, significant details to help us grow in our learning, to help us to recognize that when you fight for the Promised Land, God is not concerned about miracles. He wants you to participate. Yes, all throughout the wilderness, it was miracles, miracles, miracles, miracles, miracles. But now, it's participation, participation, participation. The reality is completely different. God's presence is just as real. This is the story of Joshua. This is the introduction.

Let me encourage you to take the time to read the first three chapters with anticipation of what Yahweh, the Lord our God, is going to do—to bless you, to guide you, and to cause you to be victorious in the land. Shalom as we start this journey. Shalom, shalom.