Judges 2: The Gospel in Judges

Throughout the Bible, whenever the concept of the Gospel is introduced, it is usually accompanied by two components that could not be farther apart: 1) utter sinfulness of mankind; and 2) abundant grace and goodness of God. Just to list a few examples: God promised the restoration of mankind by crushing the head of the serpent as soon as Adam and Eve sinned (Gen 3); Romans 3 states that “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,” then says, “all are justified freely by His grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.”

Judges 2 shows repeatedly this exact pattern: utter sinfulness and hopeless of the Israelites followed by God’s grace and compassion. Although the events in Judges 2 can be depressing, hope is embedded in between lines.

Fake Tears

The angel of the LORD came from Gilgal to Bochim to rebuke the children of Israel with stark news because they had failed to obey the LORD: He would no longer drive out other nations and they would become as thorns in Israel’s sides and their gods would be a snare to Israel (Judges 2:3). In response, all the sons of Israel lifted up their voices and wept and sacrificed to the LORD in Bochim (2:4-5).

The form of repentance was there, but missing was the true substance in Israel’s reaction to the rebuke of the LORD. To borrow the term used by Paul in his second letter to the Corinthians, this action by Israel is considered worldly sorrows (2 Corinth 7:10): frankly, fake tears, not repentance. Israel demonstrated all the outside elements that are typical of repentance: weeping, voiced lifted, and sacrifices. They were sorrowful because they were losing the privileges granted by the LORD, such as God’s fighting for them to drive out other nations. They were sorrowful because they were merely afraid. Mostly importantly, their behaviors did not change in the aftermath. Israel continued to do evil in the sight of the LORD, serving Baal (2:11), and they forsook the LORD and followed other gods and served Baal and the Ashtaroth (2:13). Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but wordly sorrows brings death (2 Corinth 7:10). This event was not godly sorrow, but worldly sorrow that led to the death (at least spiritually) in Israel.

Failed Education and Stubborn Heart

After the death of Joshua, it was said “there arose another generation after them who did not know the LORD, nor yet the work which He had done for Israel (2:10).” This is indeed a sad statement, yet very instructional for us.

First, the arising of another generation who did not know the LORD reflects the extreme difficulty of instilling the knowledge of the true LORD God to our children. All throughout the books of Moses, especially from Exodus to Deuteronomy, Moses implored the Israelites over and over the importance of knowing the LORD and teaching this core, life principle to their children. Deuteronomy 6 was just one of the many examples where Moses commanded to teach children and their children so that they may fear the LORD (Deuteronomy 6:2). Joshua relayed this message as well. When Joshua led Israel to cross the Jordan River, he picked up twelve stones to remind the LORD to their children (Josh 4:4-7). After defeating Ai, Joshua wrote down the entire word of the LORD on stone before all the sons of Israel as well as aliens (Josh 8:34-35). Before his death, Joshua made an emphatic statement in his last public address to urge Israel to follow the true LORD (Joshua 24:14-15). Yet, despite all these efforts from the godly leaders, the next generation quickly forgot the LORD.

Second, the arising of the next generation who did not know the LORD points to the inherent evil condition of the heart of mankind. Sin made a grand entry to this world with Adam’s transgression (Genesis 3). Since then, it was described “every intention of the thoughts of his was only evil continually (Gen 6:5).” It also points to the book of Romans, where Paul stated, “There is no righteous, not even one; there is no one who understands (Romans 3:10).”

Without God, Israel was hopeless. Without God, mankind is hopeless.

Utter Hopelessness

The Israelites were amazingly good at two things: 1) forsaking the LORD; and 2) serving/following other gods. Their actions were listed aplenty in this chapter. They did evil in the sight of the LORD (2:11). They forsook the LORD and followed other gods (2:12). That they forsook the LORD and served other gods is repeated again (2:13). Even when the LORD raised up judges who delivered Israel, they still did not listen to judges or the LORD and they continued to prostitute themselves and worshiped other gods (2:17). After the judge died, they would act more corruptly than before, in following other gods (2:19). They continued to hold on to their stubborn heart, refusing to abandon their evil practices (2:19).

The list is overwhelming. Is there any hope for Israel?

God’s Continued Compassion

God is amazingly persistent in pursuing His people by reaching out to them and giving a second chance over and over.

In contrast to Israelite’s stubborn ways, God continued to demonstrate His grace and compassion. The LORD in HIs mercy raised up the judges to deliver disobeying Israel from a strong enemy (2:16). Even when Israel did not listen to the judges, the LORD stayed with the judge and delivered them from the hand of their enemies (2:18). The LORD had compassion for them when they were groaning because of the affliction and oppression (2:18)

Gospel: God’s Continual Pursuit over Utter Hopelessness of Mankind

This chapter shows these two components abundantly: Utter sinfulness of Israel and abundant grace and goodness of God.

Therefore, this chapter is the Gospel. Well, in fact, the entire Bible is the Gospel. I hope you perceive and experience this.

Joshua 24: Today, not tomorrow, Choose to Serve the LORD God

Two worldviews have clashed since the fall of mankind in Genesis 3. The last chapter of the book of Joshua depicts a microcosm of this clash: God vs. gods. Joshua, in love, confronted and challenged Israel to choose the truth over the falsehood.

Background

It has been about 10-15 years since the completion of the land distribution to all twelve tribes of Israel. Joshua might have seen how the Israelites behaved as they started to settle in the land that the LORD gave. Unfortunately, Joshua saw a few alarming signs among the Israelite community, who started to gradually allow the penetration of false gods in their presence in the past 10-15 years.

In the midst of this background, Joshua summoned Israel in Shechem to confront them by delivering his last public address.

The Place of Gathering: Shechem before the LORD

Shechem was a very suitable place for Joshua to make his purpose clear in his last address. He wanted Israel to make an important decision and urged them to serve the true God.

The actual physical place where Joshua gathered the Israelites was Shechem. Shechem was a special place for the Israelites. Shechem was one of the first cities in Canaan that Abraham visited and built an altar (Genesis 12:6-7). In Shechem, Jacob took all foreign gods in his household and buried them under the oak at Shechem (Genesis 35:4-5). Also, Shechem was one of the cities given to the Levites and also a city of refuge (Joshua 20:7). Thus, a special place for the Israelites.

More importantly than the physical place itself was the presence of the LORD as Joshua and Israel gathered “before God (Joshua 24:1).” When Joshua cast lots, it was done before the LORD. When Israel made a big, important decision, it was before the LORD.

Historical Account: The LORD led Israel (Joshua 24:2-13)

Therefore, Shechem was a suitable place for Joshua. It was the place where God was first acknowledged by Abraham and where all foreign gods were buried. Joshua gathered the Israelites and urged them to make almost exactly the same action – acknowledge the true God and bury all foreign, false gods.

Joshua recounted the history of the Israelites, starting from Abraham. Joshua determined that this historical account that highlighted a few characters of God was the essential element in his last public address to Israel. Again, as in his statement in chapter 23, his message solely focused on what God did and His associated characters, as highlighted on the four points below. In other words, Joshua was illuminating there is no god like the LORD God, the God of Israel, who loved, rescued and led His people.

The LORD who rescues and leads: Terah made and sold physical idols made of woods or iron, and his son, Abraham was his assistant in the land of Haran. However, we see that the LORD in His sovereignty personally pursued and chose Abraham to lead him away from a life under idols.

The LORD who listens and delivers: During 400 years of slavery, the Israelites cried out to the LORD. The LORD had compassion on His people and chose Moses and Aaron and sent them to “deliver” the Israelites out of the bondage of slavery in Egypt.
The LORD who continues to fight: After crossing the Red sea, the LORD fought for the Israelites against the Amorites. After crossing the Jordan River, the LORD sent hornets to defeat the Canaanites and gave their land to Israel.
The LORD who bestows grace: In addition to the land, God gave cities, vineyards, olive groves that the Israelites did not build. Receiving something that you did not labor for? They are gifts, which are grace.

You may not think you have a “grand” history as stated by Joshua about Israel. However, you do have it. Have a quiet time to meditate on your life. Your life before and after Christ is fundamentally different with a new status although it may not be apparent outside.

Now, Today (not tomorrow) Fear and Serve the LORD

“Now…fear the Lord and serve Him in sincerity and truth…
choose for yourselves today whom you will serve…
but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord”
Joshua 24:14-15 (underline added)

Joshua made an emphatic message that it needed to be “now” and “today” that they make a determination. Why “now” and “today”? First, most of the Israelites at the time of Joshua’s final address, had experienced God personally. They saw how God parted the Jordan River. They saw how God fought for them in the battles of Jericho, Ai, southern and northern kings. They experienced the God who fought for them. Because Joshua knew that they experienced God, there was simply no excuse for them not to serve the LORD God “now” and “today.” That was why Joshua stated that “Now, therefore” and gave a command for them to “serve Him in sincerity and truth.” Joshua was asking them to come to their senses and do something very logical and natural – which was to serve God.

Joshua also made a second emphatic message in a declaration form and also a minor provocation to the rest of the Israelites. Regardless of external circumstance, whatever the rest of the Israelites would do, he claimed that he and his household would serve the LORD (Joshua 24:15). He, in fact, declared that he would choose the best option and would never let his faith in and serve of God be a “dependent variable” of the spiritual condition of the rest of society.

Wise Confrontation and Three Declarations (Joshua 24:16-24)

In this section, Joshua and Israel conversed back-and-forth. In this set of exchanges, we see wisdom displayed by Joshua in drawing out self-conviction of the Israelites instead of directly condemning them.

As soon as Joshua declared that his household would serve the LORD, Israel, who heard Joshua’s historical account, reiterated Joshua’ historical account in their word, and declared back “we will also serve the LORD (Joshua 24:18).” This was their first declaration.

Then, Joshua provoked them gently, responding back, “You will not be able to serve the Lord…” Perhaps, being challenged by this statement of Joshua, Israel emphatically made the same declaration the second time, “No, but we will serve the Lord (Joshua 24:21)”

After hearing the declaration the second time, Joshua finally told them that “you are witnesses for yourself.” It was not until the second declaration that Joshua pointed out their core problem – foreign gods. Joshua told them to put away the foreign gods which were in their midst and incline their hearts to the LORD (Joshua 24:23). Israel had nothing to counter Joshua’s remark because they had already stated twice that they would serve the LORD. With this, they made the same declaration the third time: “We will serve the Lord our God and we will obey His voice (Joshua 24:24).”

I see a sheer brilliance in communication displayed by Joshua. Joshua knew that the presence of foreign gods and the spiritual condition of the Israelites was a looming problem. If Joshua told them to put away foriegn gods in their midst at first directly, Israel might have balked, denied, or rebelled. Instead, Joshua outlined all the good things that the LORD had done and how they had experienced and draw out their voluntary response that “they would serve the LORD.” Once they made these responses, they were possibly convicted in their heart and just had to agree with Joshua to put away foreign gods that resided in their midst.

Clash of Worldviews: God vs. gods

Since mankind sinned in the Garden of Eden (Genesis 3), there has been an inevitable clash between God and gods in our heart. Joshua chapter 24 also depicts a microcosm of this clash.

One of the most repeated vocabularies in this chapter is “God” – the true God. The other frequently repeated word in this chapter is “gods” – the false gods of this world. Joshua knew this fundamental, cosmic clash, and urged God’s people to choose and serve the true God.

How about you? This chapter is extremely relevant to our lives today. Let’s choose and serve the true God.

Conclusion

Chapters 23 and 24 together are Joshua’s last public address to Israel. He declared that his household and he would serve the LORD. In addition, he confronted the Israelites to draw out their declaration that they would serve the LORD God three times, and then made a witness of declaration in the stone under the oak tree in Shechem.

Acknowledgement

I am very thankful for the opportunity to participate in this bible study held by the UM Korean Bible Study Group, and congratulate on finishing the 2019-20 year strong, especially in such a time as turbulent as this, exacerbated by covid-19 pandemic. I appreciate all the dedication shown by every member of this group. The reflection on this blog is the product of discussion, thoughts, meditation by this group, guided by the Holy Spirit. Thank you, all.

Joshua 23: Where the Spirit of the LORD is, there is freedom

The title may seem strange and you may wonder where the concept of freedom resides in the first part of Joshua’s farewell address in Chapter 23. At the end of his leadership, Joshua was free from himself. The sole focus of his message was the LORD God. His humility was a byproduct of him being free in the LORD.

Chapters 23 and 24 together are Joshua’s Deuteronomy. Joshua’s last public message was essentially his will, which comprised both warning and love, before the sons of Israel.

The LORD: What He did

Although an incredible servant of God, godly leader, and brilliant military strategist, Joshua never boasted about his achievements. Rather, he highlighted what the LORD did and what He had shown to the Israelites.

His message started with “what the LORD God has done” for all the Israelites, and how He fought for them (Joshua 23:3). Joshua also emphasized that because the LORD fought for them, one man was able to fight a thousand and they were able to drive out other nations (Joshua 23:9-10). Although this was his last public message, his entire focus was on the LORD God, the true source of every blessing, victory, and miracle.

The Israelites: What to Do

In the midst of highlighting all the mighty acts of the LORD God, his message had three specific commands for the Israelites: 1) Be very firm to keep all that is written in the book of the law of Moses (Joshua 23:6); 2) Cling to the LORD your God as you have done to this day (Joshua 23:8); and 3) Diligently heed to yourselves and love the LORD your God (Joshua 23:11).

Does this sound like a set of burdensome commands to you? Perhaps. However, I think these “commands” are in fact a love call from the LORD God and his strong desire to have an intimate father-children relation. They are an expression from a loving Father and His desire to be close to the Israelites.

About Joshua: the LORD the Warrior

Joshua’s message in this chapter reveals a particular unique side of the LORD God he experienced. In more detail, how Joshua experienced God was different from how Moses experienced God. Moses’ first encounter with God was through the burning bush (Exodus 3:4). Another major encounter took place when Moses spent 40 days and nights to receive the word of God, the Ten Commandments. As such, Moses was a law giver to the Israelites. Mose experienced God the law giver.

On the other hand, Joshua experienced God the warrior. Joshua’s very first encounter with God was when he fought the Amalekites in Rephidim (Exodus 17:8-16). After the Israelites crossed the Jordan River, Joshua led the Israelites to major battles against Jericho, Ai, southern kings, northern kings, and many others. To Joshua, the most personal character of God was the LORD God who fought and gave victories for Israel. As such, Joshua gave his personal message with many references to God in this way: He has been fighting for you (Josh 23:3); He will thrust them [enemies] out before you and drive them before you (Josh 23:5); The LORD has driven out great and strong nations from before you (Josh 23:10); for the LORD your God is He who fights for you (Josh 23:10)

How was and has been your encounter with God? What is your personal description of God?

About Joshua: Humility

Many leaders usually do not think about the time they need to step away. Just take a look at many authoritarian leaders across the world today – they have done everything (i.e. rigging election, suppressing opposition parties, changing constitutions, etc.) to stay in power. However, Joshua admitted that his life on earth would end shortly and he did not worry too much about the next leadership as he fully trusted the LORD God. Even mentioning his death, he continued to emphasize the steadfastness of the LORD, who fulfilled all the promises He made (Joshua 23:14).

The LORD: Father heart of God

The message’s end may seem strange (Joshua 23:12-13, 15-16) as it comprises a set of very strong warnings and stark consequences. Some of these warnings may cringe you and wonder how can a loving God allow such atrocities to take place if they disobeyed?

I think imagining yourself as a parent (if you are not already) would help understand this part of the message. Because the world is a fallen place, most parents would give many warnings to children out of their love, such as: “make sure you cross the street after checking left and right”, “do not ever follow a stranger”,”do not take any food from a stranger”,”avoid dangerous places,” etc. So does God. He knows that His children are vulnerable in a place ruled by the prince of the power of the air (Ephesians 2:3). Therefore, He provided a set of strong warnings and stark consequences – not to destroy, but to protect their lives.

A very similar message was given by Moses to the Israelites in Deuteronomy 28. His message covered a lot more curses and adverse consequences than blessings. God loves His children and wants to protect them in a fallen world. The only way they are protected is to stay within the LORD God and fully love Him by obeying His commands.

Conclusion

In his last public message, Joshua solely focused on the LORD His God. It was not about him, but about what the LORD God did for him and for the Israelites. Many of the most respected leaders in history started great, but fell precipitously at the end of their lives because they kept focusing on themselves and their glory, which eventually led to their downfall. By focusing on the true God, even at the end of his leadership tenure, Joshua was free. By focusing on the LORD God Himself and His love to His people, Joshua naturally imbued humility and peace in his farewell address to Israel.

Joshua 20-21: Signs that Point to God

Summary

After the distribution of land to the twelve tribes, chapters 20 and 21 describe cities given to the Levites, including cities of refuge. A total of 48 cities were given to the Levites, of which six were cities of refuges. With the allotted cities to the Levites, land distribution concludes. With the conclusion of the land distribution, the author attributed all the successes that Israel experienced to the LORD their God.

Institution of the Cities of Refuge

Although not a topic frequently highlighted in today’s Christianity, the cities of refuge must have been a very important topic for God and for the Israelites as it was repeated multiple times. The cities of refuge were given so that the man slayer who killed any person unintentionally could flee there to take asylum from the avenger of blood. The first set of commands associated with the cities of refuge were given by God to Moses in Numbers 35. In Deuteronomy 19, in his last message to the second-generation Israelites, Moses reiterated the importance of the cities of refuge. In Joshua 20, the LORD reminded Joshua of this command and told him to establish the cities of refuge. The repetition probably means the importance of this to the formation of Israel’s future society. Let’s find out why.

The institution of the cities of refuge embodied the loving, caring heart of God and His very practical wisdom to protect people in the fallen nature of the world.

The necessity of establishing cities of refuge originated from the fallen nature of the world since Adam transgressed God’s command to allow the entrance of sin to the world (Genesis 3). Because the world was tainted by sin, homicides as well as unintentional murder took place. To protect those people who accidentally kill others by mistake without any premeditation or hatred, God placed this institution. God knew the fallen world, and placed a very practical way to prevent unnecessary vengeance and murder.

The protection that the cities of refuge provided is two-way. The most visible purpose of the cities of refuge was to protect any person who accidentally kills another person from the hand of the avenger of the blood. The other important purpose, though not explicit, was to protect the avenger of the blood from committing a presumptuous sin by killing an innocent person. Hence, the cities of refuge provided a two-way protection: 1) person from the avenger of the blood; and 2) the avenger of the blood from committing an unnecessary murder. By establishing this institution, the LORD desired the society of His people to minimize the adverse effect of the revenge cycle.

Then, who was eligible to be protected? Note that in Joshua 21:9, these cities of refugees were appointed for all the sons of Israel as for the strangers. The strangers, in other words, even the foreigners or non-Israelites who resided within the Israelites communities were also to be protected. The heart of God was to encompass everyone.

Finally, this institution also pointed out the caring heart of God for especially the marginalized in the society. Unintentional killing of other people was probably more prone to occupations that were hazardous, requiring strenuous physical labors, as shown in the example provided in Deuteronomy 19 (i.e. when a man accidentally swung the axes to cut down the tree strikes someone else). God wanted to ensure that social structure would be in place to protect those in the hazardous occupations from unintentional, fatal mistakes.

Presence of Levites by Number and Table

The table below summarizes the number of cities, including the cities of refuge, given to the Levites by each tribe.

Tribe	Population (Based on Numbers 26)	Number of Levite cities	Refuge Cities (included in the Levite cities)
Reuben	43,730	4	1
Gad	40,500	4	1
Judah & Simeon	76,500 (Judah) and 22,200 (Simeon)	9	1
Issachar	64,300	4
Zebulun	60,500	4
Ephraim	32,500	4	1
Manasseh	52,700	4	1
Benjamin	45,600	4
Dan	64,400	4
Asher	53,400	4
Naphthali	45,400	3	1
Total	601,730	48	6

Number of Levite Cities by Tribe

The number of Levite cities were roughly given in proportion to each tribe’s population. Because Judah and Simeon together accounted for the largest population, they together provided the most number of cities to the Levites.

Ubiquitous Presence of Levite: A Sign that points to God

The Gospel of John uses this word more often than the other three Gospels when describing miracles done by Jesus. That word is “sign.” The Gospel of John highlights seven miracles of Jesus Christ and John deliberately use the word “sign.” A sign for what? Miracles in themselves were meaningless – unless they point to Jesus. In other words, miracles were merely a sign that points to Jesus Christ.

Land is one of the major topics of the book of Joshua. The LORD God swore to give this land to the Israelites with the first promise tracing all the way back to Abraham. Land is described as inheritance to the sons of Israel. Although land is a very important topic, it can and should never displace the LORD God. Other than providing a physical space for the Israelites to reside and settle, what was the purpose of the inherited land?

Land was to serve as a “sign” that points to the LORD God. That the Levites were dispersed to 48 cities across the twelve tribes was to facilitate this role. For the Levites, the land was not inherited because the LORD Himself was the inheritance to them. By having the Levites in inherited land for other tribes, other tribes were to be continually reminded that the “true” inheritance was the LORD Himself, not the land. For us, likewise all the blessings and great gifts are merely signs that nudged us to see the true origin of the blessing: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

Fitting Conclusion: Acknowledge the True Source of the Promises

With the assignment of cities to the Levites, chapters 20 and 21 concluded the logistics section of the land distribution, which began back in Chapter 15.

Joshua acknowledged the true source of all the fulfilled promises – the LORD God. The LORD gave Israel all the land (Joshua 21:43). The LORD gave them rest on every side as He defeated all the enemies (Joshua 21:44). All the promises that the LORD had made to Israel were fulfilled (Joshua 21:45). These three statements ensured that the main subject was the LORD God, not the Israelites, not Joshua. This surely was the fitting conclusion of the land distribution section of the book of Joshua, from chapters 15 to 21.

Joshua 18-19: Land Division to the Rest; Judah vs. Dan

Summary

The whole congregation of Israel assembled at Shiloh. At that place, Joshua urged the rest of the tribes to proactively take possession of the land which the LORD the God had given to them. To facilitate this process, Joshua commanded the remaining seven tribes to send three men from each tribe to survey the land for the lot. After the land survey, they came back and Joshua cast lots for them in Shiloh before the presence of the LORD. The rest of the land was divided and given to the remaining seven tribes (Benjamine, Simeon, Zebulun, Issachar, Asher, Naphthali, and Dan).

Before the LORD

Casting lots may be considered a strange way to discern how the land would be distributed to each tribe. However, there is a key phrase that was continually repeated in these two chapters, “before the LORD” (Joshua 18:6, 18:8, 18:10, and 19:51). The LORD commanded Joshua to distribute the land by lot, and Joshua and Eleazar the priest did this before the presence of the LORD. Casting lot in itself may not be a valid method, but it being conducted before the presence of the LORD was the most important aspect.

Reset by Joshua: Bite-sized Tasks

Chapter 18 goes in tandem with Chapter 13. Back in Chapter 13, the LORD reminded Joshua of the remaining land that needed to be possessed and of the promise that the LORD had made that He would drive out the inhabitants (Joshua 13:6). In Chapter 18, Joshua himself urged the remaining seven tribes to enter to take possession and gave them a concrete mission – to select three men from each tribe to survey the land and report back to him.

A modicum of wise leadership by Joshua can be noted here. Perhaps, the seven tribes were afraid and were lost in the grand purpose of conquering the vast land area, or the thought of possessing a remaining large size land paralyzed their next actions. Therefore, Joshua broke down the task for them. First, select three men from each tribe. Second, dispatch those selected men to survey the land. Third, divide the remaining land into seven parts. By taking a few small steps, Joshua gave a digestible concrete mission for the tribes to the next step. By leading them to see and survey the land themselves, Joshua made the task more concrete for the remaining tribes. By dividing the whole land into seven areas, Joshua directed them to engage in a divide and conquer strategy to reduce their mental burden and facilitate their action.

The order of Lot Allotment

During the bible study, there was a question about how the lot order was determined. Although not explicitly stated in the text, upon some pondering, we found that the allotment order was roughly the reverse of the birth order of the seven remaining tribes – the only exception was Simeon.

Birth order for the remaining tribes	Simeon, Dan, Napthali, Gad, Asher, Issachar, Zebulun, and Benjamin
Allotment order for the remaining tribes	Benjamin, Simeon, Zebulun, Issachar, Asher, Naphtali, and Dan

Benjamin was the youngest, and his tribe received the first allotment located in between Ephraim and Judah. Simeon, although he was the oldest of the seven, received next probably because Simeon tribe was the fewest in numbers of all tribes.

Although the order may not be of significant importance, if we assume that the youngest roughly equates to the weakest, this may show that God’s intricate care of the weak first.

Meek Leadership: Judah and Simeon

*Side note: Biblical definition of meekness is “power under control.”

Let’s take a closer look at the inheritance given to Simeon (Joshua 19:1-9). Inheritance given to the Simeon tribe stood out because unlike other six tribes, Simeon received thirteen cities within the Judah’s inheritance. Although the explicit reason was that Judah inheritance was more than they needed, some things may have been ongoing behind the scene.

First, we may wonder why Simeon was not given the land for themselves on the northern territory. Was it possible that the Simeon tribe was not liked by the others? The leadership in the Simeon tribe committed a huge sin at Shittim (Numbers 25), and as a result, many people, probably those in the Simeon tribe, died, reducing their size significantly. It was possible that the Simeon tribe was not looked upon favorably by the other tribes due to this incident and the three dispatched men were not able to do a proper survey of the land.

Second, perhaps, Simeon, having nowhere to settle, Judah took them in and voluntarily provided 13 cities. In Judges 1:3, we also see that Judah helped Simeon to fight together against the Canaanite and the Perizzites, defeating 10,000 men at Bezek to claim the territory allotted to Simeon. Judah was not required to help Simeon to claim his lot. However, from this episode, we see that not only Judah voluntarily provided 13 cities for Simeon, but also helped the Simeon tribe (about 22,000 men compared to 76,500 men in Judah) to claim the allotted territory.

The strongest tribe helped the weakest tribe and fought alongside with them to claim the allotted land. This is a meek leadership – using power appropriately to serve the weak.

Colossal Failure: Dan Tribe

Varying degrees of “success” across each tribe was pronounced. Most of them were not able to drive out 100% of the inhabitants in their allotted land. Even Judah was not able to drive out Jebusites and they remained in Jerusalem until King David. However, the contrast between Judah and Dan drew our attention.

The Dan tribe was a prime example of a colossal failure in inheriting the land. Although the size of the Dan tribe was second only to that of the Judah Tribe (64,400 to 76,500), they were humiliated by the Amorites (Judge 1:34). The Amorites were determined to stay in the land allotted to the Dan tribe, and Dan tribe was driven out, instead of driving out the inhabitants. As a result, the Dan tribe had to meander toward the very north of the Canaan region until they settled in Leshem, which was named Dan (Joshua 19:47).

What a difference between Judah and Dan!

Conclusions

Joshua continued to demonstrate his leadership over the seven tribes who needed a nudge to take action to take possession of the land. Most importantly, however, Joshua submitted before the presence of the LORD when he cast lots for the land inheritance.

We see that the way in which the land was inherited to each tribe varied greatly. Judah not only settled well, but also used its strength to help Simeon to settle. Dan, despite having the size, was overpowered by the Amorites and was pushed out of its land to settle in the very north of Canaan area.

The contrast between Judah and Dan gives us something to think about claiming the promise of God.

Joshua 13-14: Inheritance; Active Inheritance; and True Inheritance

Summary

The LORD directly told Joshua that he was old and advanced in years and reminded him that very much of the land remained to be possessed. The LORD reinforced His promise that He would drive out the rest of inhabitants from before the sons of Israel, and commanded Joshua to apportion the land to the nine and a half tribes. Then, the author recounted all the land which was on the east side of the Jordan that was inherited to the two tribes and the half tribes (Reuben, Gad, and half of Manasseh).

The sons of Judah and Caleb, the leader of the tribe, drew near to Joshua in Gilgal to demonstrate their insatiable desire to fulfill God’s promise by asking for one of the most difficult lands to conquer, Hebron in the hill country. Joshua was pleased and blessed Caleb and gave Hebron to Caleb for an inheritance.

Remaining Land

Why was still very much of the land remaining to be possessed (Joshua 13:1)? Joshua probably exerted his best effort with the help of the LORD to make the most of his ability to conquer a large portion of the Canaan region. Not every tribe was likely to be as fully engaged as Joshua was in fulfilling the promise of God, however.

First, two and a half tribes already received their inheritance on the east side of the Jordan. Although they did send their men of war to the west side of the Jordan River, it would have been very difficult for them to sustain their best effort in every battle for the land that would be for other tribes. Therefore, over the long period of war of seven years from chapters 10 to 13, their enthusiasm for this conquest was almost inevitably to decline over the time.

Second, because the two and a half tribes already inherited the land on the east side of the Jordan, there might have been other tribes that were jealous over them or to some extent demonstrated discontent. Instead of focusing on the land that they could acquire in the future through the battles, some tribes might have longed for some land in the east side of the Jordan River.

Third, a varying degree of God-aligned leadership across the nine and a half tribes would have played an important factor in how much each tribe exerted its effort in fulfilling the promise of God in possessing the land.

For example, the Judah tribe had a leader who followed the LORD fully like Caleb, who in chapter 14 demonstrated his insatiable desire to fulfill God’s promise as much as possible even at an old age of 85. The Judah tribe under the leadership of Caleb, who followed the LORD fully (Joshua 14:14), would have had many followers who were motivated to fulfill the promise of God. On the other side of the spectrum, one of the leaders among the Simeonites, Zimri played the harlot with the Midianite woman in the sight of Moses and all the congregation of Israel while they were at Shittim (Numbers 25), only a few months before entering the land of Canaan. Zimri was soon killed by Phinehas the son of Eleazor (Numbers 25:7-15), who righteously demonstrated the zeal of the LORD. Given that Zimri, who prioritized his sexual pleasure over the holiness of the LORD, was one of the leaders of the Simeon tribe, it would be hard to imagine that the Simeon tribe would have had a leadership quality commensurate with that of the Judah tribe. Therefore, as a whole tribe, it would be hard to imagine that the performance of the Simeon tribe was anywhere near that of the Judah tribe.

Perhaps for the aforementioned three reasons, it was a difficult task, even for Joshua, to conquer all the land of Canaan. Therefore, some land remained to be possessed.

Reset

Despite the land that remained to be possessed, God reminded of His promise to Israel again that He would drive the inhabitants of Canaan out. Then, He commanded Joshua to apportion the land as an inheritance.

This was a call to reset. The LORD acknowledged that Joshua did well in spite of a difficult task of uniting the diverging interests of the twelve tribes over the past seven years. God was encouraging Joshua to reset to start again to motivate each tribe again to conquer the remaining land.

Inheritance

In chapters 13 and 14, the word “inheritance” appeared very often. Although the land was taken after defeating the inhabitants, inheritance, not conquest, was the main principle that guided how the land was given.

The use of the word “Inheritance” reveals a few important aspects of God. The first important aspect is the relation between the LORD God and Israel. Inheritance is typically defined as a transaction of properties from parents to children. Even in the midst of fierce wars, the word “inheritance” implicitly reveals an important relational aspect between the LORD God and the Israelites – a father and sons, and a father and daughters. The second important aspect of the word “inheritance” points out the ownership of the land. The ultimate, true owner of all land, including the land of Canaan, is the LORD God – as mentioned in the book of Leviticus (Leviticus 25:23). Notwithstanding however many years the Canaanites had occupied the land, the true owner of all the land is the LORD God.

“Active” Inheritance

The land was not just given to the Israelites to each tribe in a “supernatural” way, with no action from the Israelites. Although the LORD promised to give the land as an inheritance to the twelve Israel tribes, the role of the Israelites was to obey the LORD. They had to step on the land that God promised and drive out the inhabitants (Joshua 1:3). They had to actively proclaim the promise of God.

Fulfilling the promise of God requires active obedience.

True Inheritance

For the Levites, land was not given to them because the LORD Himself is their inheritance. This was repeated twice in Joshua 13 (Joshua 13:14 and 13:33).

Land is one of the most important topics in the book of Joshua. Inheritance was mainly manifested as land from the LORD God to the Israelites. However, these two verses in Joshua 13 emphasize a very important message, not just to the Levites, not just to the other twelve tribes and Joshua, but to all the followers of Christ. The true inheritance, the true portion and wealth, is the LORD our God Himself. In addition, many psalmists also expressed this truth.

Let’s not forget. Let’s remember that gifts – in this case the land – mainly serve as a sign that points to the giver – our God. Our Lord Jesus Christ is our most valuable possession. He is our true portion and inheritance.

Caleb and His Identity

The latter part of chapter 14 exclusively focused on Caleb. Caleb was described as “the son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite.” So, who was Caleb in the Bible?

His father Jephunneh was a Kenizzite. Genesis chapter 15 shows that the land of Kenizzites was one of the many nations in the land of Canaan (Genesis 15:19). This indicated that Caleb was not a direct descendant of Abraham. It might have been that his father was integrated to the Israel society when Israel was under slavery in Egypt. As a gentile, his family might have easily been marginalized in the community. Besides, the name of Caleb also possibly indicated his humble background as it meant dog.

Although we do not know exactly how he rose to become a leader of the Judah tribe, one thing that was clear in this chapter was that the LORD God showed no partiality in ethnicity as long as the person was fully dedicated to the LORD. He actively obeyed the LORD to claim the promised inheritance by the LORD. Because Caleb knew the LORD, the true inheritance, he was able to actively obey to claim the promised inheritance, land, by the LORD.

Lesson

Caleb and Judah knew the LORD, the true inheritance. Therefore, Caleb was able to actively claim the promise of the LORD’s inheritance, which in this case manifested as the land in Canaan.

I pray that you will be able to actively follow our Lord Jesus Christ to claim all the promises and blessings that He has granted. More importantly, I pray that all these promises and blessings will allow you to have greater intimacy with our Lord Jesus Christ, the true inheritance.

Introduction to Joshua – Military Perspective

Book Overview

Personally, the book of Joshua is one of my favorite books in the Bible. The book portrays a victorious living through overcoming battles in Christian life. The book can be divided into three sections: 1) Entering the land; 2) Conquering the land, and 3) Distributing the land. From a military standpoint, Joshua’ sequence of attack reveals many insights. First, the Israelites’ attack route dissected the Canaan area into half by first tackling Jericho and Ai. Then, Joshua defeated the coalition of southern kings. Subsequently, the Israelites fought against the northern kings and defeated them as well. His strategy – guided by God – although not a perfect comparison, reminded me of “blitzkrieg” of Germany during the Second World War. Germany planned to quickly defeat and subdue France with an overwhelming force, then focus on the eastern front to fight against Russia. If failed, Germany knew that it would face a two-front war. Although Germany failed, Joshua and the Israelites, empowered by God, succeeded. After defeating Jericho and Ai, he was able to swiftly dispatch the southern kings, who formed a coalition, with the help of the LORD. Then, Joshua defeated the northern kings. Military strategy was brilliantly executed under the guidance of the LORD God.

The book teaches us to take risks and challenges – in full trust based on our intimate relation with God. Without intimate relation with God, these risks and challenges become a reckless gambling. The size of the land God promised to the Israelites was a moving variable – it depended on the risks and challenges that the sons of Israelite took to conquer the land. His promise was “wherever the sole of your foot treads, I have given it to you.”

Most of the book is filled with victorious achievement by the Israelites. However, the book also reminds us of falling short of reaching our potential that God envisioned for us. For instance, the total land size promised in Joshua 1:4 amounts to approximately 300,000 square miles. However, even at the zenith of the Israel Kingdom, under the reign of Solomon, Israel’s territory reached only 30,000 square mile, 1/10th of the promise made by God. Was the expectation of the LORD too much, or the sons of Israelites failed to live out their full potential? We shall find out.

Joshua as a General

Before diving deeper into the first chapter of Joshua, it is noteworthy to pinpoint a few events and verses about Joshua in the prior books. It was not a sudden rise that took Joshua to a leadership position. For many years through a variety of roles, including a military general, gatekeeper, servant of Moses, and spy, the LORD God slowly prepared him to lead the Israelites. In this section, I would like to focus on Joshua as a general.

The very first episode of Joshua took place in Exodus 17, not very long after the miraculous crossing of the Red Sea into the wilderness. The first fight broke out, although a reason was not exactly known, with the Amalekites at Rephidim. Moses appointed Joshua to lead the fight. With the LORD’s help and the supporting prayer of Moses, Joshua was able to overwhelm Amalek with the EDGE of THE SWORD. Then, the LORD told Moses a very specific instruction to write this victory as a memorial and recite to Joshua. The LORD gave this victory.

The fight with the Amalekite could have been the turning point in the life of Joshua. Moses’ first encounter with the LORD was through a burning bush. Joshua’s first encounter with the LORD was through a battle against the Amalek. A very unique experience for Joshua was that his very first “ministry” experience was a fight against the despicable Amalek.

What prompted the fight against the Amalkites in Exodus 17? Also, what prompted the LORD to declare such a strong statement that says “I will be at permanent war against the Amalkite?” Although Exodus 17 did not provide any explicit explanation about the cause of this fight, the book of Deuteronomy provided a few clues. Duet 25:17 showed that the Amalekites attacked all the stragglers at their rear front when the Israelites were faint and weary – this action was considered despicable with no fear of God. Who would be the stragglers at the rear of the march? Naturally, the old, the weak, the young, nursing mothers, lame, and etc. Amalek’s attack must have enraged the LORD, who subsequently declared His judgment against the Amalek.

The LORD’s rage was passed onto Joshua through Moses. In the fight against the Amalek, Joshua became one with the LORD in (justified) anger. Moses, Aaron and Hur prayed on top of the mountain in the vicinity. By the sun set, the Israelites prevailed

What was the lesson of this war? Holy and powerful God. God who defends the weak.

Imagine as if you were Joshua. The first attribute of God that he experienced was the God who judged the evil – truly the LORD of hosts and the chief commander of the army.

I think this is very cool – experiencing the God of power and justice in your first personal encounter.

Deuteronomy 34: The LORD buries Moses

Finally, the last chapter of the book of Deuteronomy. Moses was a great leader because he trusted his great God.

Obedient to the point of death

After Moses blessed the sons of Israel by each tribe, he obeyed the command of the LORD by immediately going up from the plains of Moab to Mount Nebo. At the end of Chapter 32, God commanded Moses to die on the mountain where he ascended, and Moses followed the command of the LORD fully and swiftly. Literally, Moses was obedient to the point of death – at least some resemblance to our LORD Jesus Christ, who was also obedient to the point of death, the death on the cross.

The LORD shows Moses the land

Why did the LORD show all the land to Moses? Perhaps, to fulfill Moses’ curiosity. It is possible to imagine that the LORD acted as Moses’ personal tour guide in His mercy and compassion. Although the LORD prohibited Moses from leading the Israelites to conquer the land of Canaan, He still accommodated Moses’ longing as much as possible.

Were the lands and the part of Mediterranean Sea visible from the top of Mount Nebo? Yes, based on our google map and search, in a clear day, 50 kilometers (about 30 mile) can be seen without special help of binoculars. So yes, Moses was able to see all of them without a supernatural help from the LORD.

What do you think was going through Moses’ heart and mind as he gazed on the land of Canaan? Jot down some of your thoughts as if you were Moses.

The LORD ultimately leads

Moses was a great leader. He led approximately 2 million grumbling people (estimated based on 600,000 adult males) into the wilderness for 40 years with an infinite amount of patience, including multiple crucial intercessory prayers to save them from the wrath of the LORD. However great Moses was, the ultimate leader had always been the LORD, their God. The LORD reminded Moses that this was the land that the LORD swore to their ancestors (Deut. 34:4). The LORD was, is, and will forever continue to be the ultimate leader.

The role that Moses played was clearly articulated in the book of Hebrews. Hebrews 3:5 states that Moses was faithful in all His [God’s] house as a servant. Moses, although greatly venerated by the Jews, was still only a servant. The glory, honor, and praise belong to our God, and the LORD Jesus Christ.

The LORD buries Moses

Let’s recollect the process of Moses’ death chronologically. The LORD commanded Moses to go up to the mountain. Moses went up and the LORD showed all the land. Moses died on the mountain – presumably at the top of the mountain. The LORD carried Moses down and buried him in the valley, at the lower ground, in the land of Moab. No man knew the burial place.

Amazing is the intimate, special treatment by the LORD on Moses. Duet 34:6 indicates that the LORD Himself buried Moses. Moses was the only person to be buried directly by the LORD God. Unfathomable.

The LORD commences

This was not it. The LORD raised up a new leader for the new conquest. Joshua was filled with the spirit (34:9) and the sons of the Israelites listened to him.

The LORD honors Moses

Although it was ultimately about the LORD, He made sure that Moses was honored. Moses was described as a man of God (Deut. 33:1) and the only person in history whom the LORD knew face to face (Exodus 33:11). The close, intimate relation between the LORD and Moses was manifested through the mighty power and all the great terror which Moses performed in the sight of all Israel.