Q. What did the baseball player say after he ate a big meal?
A. That was a big hit!
A. That was a big hit!
Sunday, March 01, 2009
Matt's Messages "Even When"
“Even When”
Possessing the Promises: The Book of Joshua
March 1, 2009
Joshua 9:1-27
Last week, we learned that sin is serious. In chapters 7 and 8, Israel twice went into battle with the little Canaanite town of Ai. We watched Israel be first defeated by Ai and then victorious over Ai after purging sin from within their camp. Sin is serious.
With disobedience comes danger. And, with obedience comes blessing. At the end of chapter 8, the whole nation of Israel lined up on two different mountains and shouted “Amen!” at the reading of the blessings and the curses of God’s law. With disobedience comes danger. And, with obedience comes blessing. Amen!
Now, in chapter 9, Joshua and the leaders of Israel are faced with a new test.
It’s a test that comes not from frontal attack but by lies and deception.
Israel comes into contact with a people called the Gibeonites. And the Gibeonites lie to them.
How will Joshua handle this problem?
As we read the story, we’re going to see at least two points of biblical wisdom to apply our own lives even when it doesn’t seem like the thing to do. Even when.
Because, you know, what often seems right to us at first is not at all really the right thing for us to do. So, these two points of wisdom are for us to practice even when it doesn’t seem like it.
Joshua chapter 9.
“Now when all the kings west of the Jordan heard about these things–those in the hill country, in the western foothills, and along the entire coast of the Great Sea as far as Lebanon (the kings of the Hittites, Amorites, Canaanites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites)–they came together to make war against Joshua and Israel.” Stop there for a second.
You can see where this is going. Joshua and the Israelites have had victory so far, but now Canaan is awakening to the threat they bring and the Canaanite peoples are teaming up to take them on.
Perhaps the short lived victory at Ai has emboldened them. Or perhaps they see all-out war as their only defense against the Israelite onslaught.
Either way, they are banding together to take on Israel.
But not Gibeon. Gibeon (though probably a small subset of the Hivite people) decides to not try an attack–but to try a ruse.
Gibeon was a town just a few days journey from Ai. It was, perhaps, the next stop on Israel’s conquest agenda. V.2
“However, when the people of Gibeon heard what Joshua had done to Jericho and Ai, they resorted to a ruse [KJV: “they did work wilily”]: They went as a delegation whose donkeys were loaded with worn-out sacks and old wineskins, cracked and mended. The men put worn and patched sandals on their feet and wore old clothes. All the bread of their food supply was dry and moldy.”
Are you getting the picture? They are putting on their costumes for an elaborate performance. V.6
“Then they went to Joshua in the camp at Gilgal and said to him and the men of Israel, ‘We have come from a distant country; make a treaty with us.’ The men of Israel said to the Hivites, ‘But perhaps you live near us. How then can we make a treaty with you?’ [You need to understand that God has spoken clearly in Deuteronomy about NOT making treaties and covenant with the people in the land. They would only ensnare Israel into false worship. People from far away they could make treaties with. People within the Promised Land had to get out or be killed. Obviously the Gibeonites know this. And that’s why they say v.8...] ‘We are your servants,’ they said to Joshua.”
“But Joshua asked, ‘Who are you and where do you come from?’ They answered: ‘Your servants have come from a very distant country because of the fame of the LORD your God. For we have heard reports of him: all that he did in Egypt, and all that he did to the two kings of the Amorites east of the Jordan–Sihon king of Heshbon, and Og king of Bashan, who reigned in Ashtaroth. And our elders and all those living in our country said to us, 'Take provisions for your journey; go and meet them and say to them, ‘We are your servants; make a treaty with us.’' This bread of ours was warm when we packed it at home on the day we left to come to you. But now see how dry and moldy it is. And these wineskins that we filled were new, but see how cracked they are. And our clothes and sandals are worn out by the very long journey.’”
Wow. These guys are good, huh?
They could have won an Oscar with their performance. Maybe more than one Oscar: best screenplay, best makeup and costumes, best acting.
Everything seemed in order. At first, Joshua was skeptical. You can tell. “Who are you and where do you come from?”
But they sounded and looked the part.
And here’s the key sentence of the whole chapter. Verse 14.
“The men of Israel sampled their provisions but did not inquire of the LORD. Then Joshua made a treaty of peace with them to let them live, and the leaders of the assembly ratified it by oath.”
You see the problem?
“The men of Israel sampled their provisions but did not inquire of the LORD.”
King James: “[they] asked not counsel at the mouth of the LORD.”
New Living Translation: “They did not consult the LORD.”
Here’s application point #1. They got it wrong.
#1. SEEK THE LORD’S DIRECTION EVEN WHEN IT ALL SEEMS OBVIOUS.
It’s easy for us to point fingers at Joshua and the Israelites.
We saw the Gibeonites put on their costumes; we know that this is a trick.
But good tricks don’t seem like tricks! Joshua and the Israelites were fooled.
But they didn’t have to be.
They forgot one key thing: they know the LORD! And so they should be going to Him for direction.
But they didn’t.
And, so often, we do the same thing. We try to go it on our own without seeking the LORD’s direction.
Why do you think they made this mistake? What were they thinking?
Well, for one they were going on appearances. Everything seemed to be in order. And sometimes, we can make the mistake of not taking something to the Lord because it seems so obvious at the time.
And perhaps, they thought that this was a matter too small to “bother” the Lord with.
But the Lord had clearly spoken about these things in His Word, and it would have been right and good to take this case to Him to make sure that it fit His instructions.
Maybe they were emboldened by their recent successes at both Jericho and Ai. And they were “feeling their Wheaties.”
“Yeah, we can handle this one! Leave it to us.”
It probably boiled down to pride and a misplaced trust in their own understanding.
Remember what scripture passage we started the year with this year? Proverbs 3:5&6.
“Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight. [And does anybody know what verse 7 says?] Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the LORD and shun evil.”
They should have sought the Lord for direction.
And so should we.
Can you think of a time in your life, maybe recently, when you went on your on? When you didn’t seek the Lord’s counsel? When you did what seemed right at the time, but it wasn’t connected to the Lord’s way of doing things?
Heather and I made a big decision in the last month to formally pursue a doctoral degree in biblical counseling from CCEF and Westminster Theological Seminary.
I have taken a bunch of classes over the last 5 years but have never formally enrolled in a program. I’ve always been some sort of a visiting student up till now.
But the Lord orchestrated it that I connected with just the right professor at just the right moment to potentially be the last student ever to enter this program that I’m so impressed by.
And it’s a lot of work and lot of money and a lot of blood, sweat and tears.
And Heather and I needed to make this decision.
And do you know what she suggested we do to make that decision?
[You know, don’t you?]
She said that we should pray about it first before I apply.
And I said, “You’re right. We should.”
And I thought, “Why I didn’t I think of that?”
I’m a pastor, and I didn’t think of that first!
I might have come around to it, but it sure wasn’t the first thing I thought of.
We need to seek the Lord’s direction even when it all seems obvious.
There are two main ways to seek God’s direction.
The first is prayer. That’s our asking God for the wisdom and direction that we need.
Joshua missed it that time. The sampled the provisions, “but did not inquire of the LORD.”
Prayer is vital for decision-making.
And God has promised to answer it. James 1:5 says that if anyone lacks wisdom he should ask God, who give generously to all without find fault, and it will be given to him.
Are you struggling with a big decision right now? Most of us have something that we’re working on, something on the front-burner all the time.
Are you taking it to the Lord in prayer?
Sometimes, we get to thinking that prayer is chore, just a duty.
I know that I struggle with that.
A few weeks ago, Pastor John Piper preached on prayer and he dealt directly with that mistaken notion.
Because prayer may be a duty, but it also should be my delight.
And it’s vital for decision-making–because the Lord wants to be Lord of my choices.
We need to seek the Lord’s direction even when it all seems obvious.
The first way is prayer. And the second way (also easily overlooked) is Bible.
In these pages, we have the Word of God! This is the main way and the clearest way that God speaks to us.
They did not inquire of the LORD. But we can by searching the Scriptures.
The more we are prayerfully filled up with the Bible, the wiser our choices will be. And that’s because in here that we learn the mind of the Lord.
Prayer is, primarily, our talking to God. Bible is primarily God talking to us.
And what the Bible says is often very different from what ‘seems obvious” at the moment. Because the message of the Bible is different from the message of the world.
And we grow in wisdom as we go deeper in the Scriptures.
How many are still reading towards pancakes in January 2010?
I want to get an idea of how sore my pancake-flipping arm will be in January!
That’s great!
Don’t just read to get pancakes. Read to get wisdom.
God said in Proverbs chapter 4: “Get wisdom, get understanding; do not forget my words or swerve from them. Do not forsake wisdom, and she will protect you; love her, and she will watch over you. Wisdom is supreme; therefore get wisdom. Though it cost all you have, get understanding. Esteem her, and she will exalt you; embrace her, and she will honor you” [Proverbs 4:5-8].
And you get that from God’s Word!
We need to seek the Lord’s direction even when it all seems obvious.
I know too many “Christians” who never open their Bible or never open their Bible to help them make a decision, at least. As if God hadn’t said anything to them.
No, He’s given us everything we need for life and godliness–right here.
Inquire of the Lord.
Seek the Lord’s direction even when it all seems obvious.
But that’s not, of course, what Joshua and the other leaders did. They (v.15) made a treaty of peace with the Gibeonites and let them live. They made an oath. V.16
“Three days after they made the treaty with the Gibeonites, the Israelites heard that they were neighbors, living near them.”
Three days. These guys are our neighbors. The Lord wanted us to fight them not make a treaty. V.17
“So the Israelites set out and on the third day came to their cities: Gibeon, Kephirah, Beeroth and Kiriath Jearim.”
What do you think they’re going to do?
They’re going to keep their oath. V.18
“But the Israelites did not attack them, because the leaders of the assembly had sworn an oath to them by the LORD, the God of Israel. The whole assembly grumbled against the leaders, but all the leaders answered, ‘We have given them our oath by the LORD, the God of Israel, and we cannot touch them now. This is what we will do to them: We will let them live, so that wrath will not fall on us for breaking the oath we swore to them.’”
“They continued, ‘Let them live, but let them be woodcutters and water carriers for the entire community.’ So the leaders' promise to them was kept.”
And that was the right thing to do. Application #2.
#2. KEEP YOUR PROMISES EVEN WHEN IT HURTS TO DO SO.
Man, it must have hurt these leaders’ pride to keep their oath.
And it definitely hurt their popularity with the people.
Those were the consequences of their rash decision.
But the good news is that they took the responsibility for their bad decisions and lived with the consequences.
You know that there are often consequences for our bad choices, don’t you?
Sometimes, we like to think that there are no consequences.
But there normally are consequences–even for sins that are forgiven.
I used to drive my Dad’s copper-toned 1982 Chevy Citation with a sun-roof.
Woo! Was that sweet ride?! That little Citation had pick-up. I should have had more traffic citations in that Citation than I did.
Well, it had 99,999 miles on it and then it flipped over to...what?
It’s a 1982. What did it flip over to?
Zero! The odometer only went up to 99,999.
So, the odometer said that the car been forgiven. Nothing on the odometer!
A clean slate. Forgiven! Perfect. Miles free.
But, were there still the marks of 100,000 miles on that little car?
There sure were. And no-matter what the odometer said, there were still natural consequences that we had to accept.
It’s the same in our lives. We can be forgiven our sins where it’s most important–by the death of Jesus Christ on our behalf.
But we may still have to accept some of the consequences of those sins in our lives.
And one of those is the consequences that come with foolish promises. Promises that we, perhaps, should have never made.
Taking out a foolish loan that would saddle you with a burdensome debt.
Marrying an unbeliever.
Committing to a foolish business venture.
Agreeing to tie up your time in something you’ll later regret.
I’m sure that Joshua wished that they never made this treaty, never swore this oath.
It’s made things difficult.
But he doesn’t compound his error by breaking his word. V.19
“We have given them our oath by the LORD, the God of Israel, and we cannot touch them now.” V.20
“We will let them live, so that wrath will not fall on us for breaking the oath we swore to them.”
Two wrongs do not make a right.
Psalm 15 describes a holy man. And it uses this phrase verse 4.
A holy man “keeps his oath even when it hurts...”
A holy man keeps his promises even when it hurts to do so.
Maybe right now you are disappointed with a promise that you’ve made.
Maybe you’re in a marriage that you wish you’d never committed to.
Maybe you have a loan that you need to repay that you wish you’d never taken out.
Maybe you’ve agreed to do something that now you see how it will cost you.
Keep your promises even when it hurts to do so.
Now, that’s not absolute. I don’t think that God wants us to keep our promises, if we’ve promised to do something sinful.
I don’t think that Jephthah’s daughter should have been sacrificed.
If you’ve agreed to cheat on your homework with someone, you still shouldn’t do so.
But, aside from things that are wrong, the general rule for Christians is that we should what we said we would do even if it isn’t to our advantage now.
And God will bless that.
That’s what happened to Israel and the Gibeonites. V.22
“Then Joshua summoned the Gibeonites and said, ‘Why did you deceive us by saying, 'We live a long way from you,' while actually you live near us? You are now under a curse: You will never cease to serve as woodcutters and water carriers for the house of my God.’ They answered Joshua, ‘Your servants were clearly told how the LORD your God had commanded his servant Moses to give you the whole land and to wipe out all its inhabitants from before you. So we feared for our lives because of you, and that is why we did this. We are now in your hands. Do to us whatever seems good and right to you.’ So Joshua saved them from the Israelites, and they did not kill them. That day he made the Gibeonites woodcutters and water carriers for the community and for the altar of the LORD at the place the LORD would choose. And that is what they are to this day.”
Israel ended up with good laborers because of this deal.
And Gibeon got enfolded, over time, not as a perpetual thorn in the side, or those who would drag them off into idolatry, but as loyal participants in Israel.
It’s interesting after the exile, hundreds of years after this, Gibeonites are listed as a part of Israel that returned under Nehemiah and helped to build the wall in Jerusalem.
There was grace for them and for Israel.
And, I think, that some of that came through the channel of Israel’s faithfulness to their promises. Even when it hurt.
We need to keep our promises even when it hurts to do so.
Because, as we keep our promises, as we stay faithful, we reflect the faithfulness of our God.
He made promises–binding promises. He made an oath.
He wasn’t fooled when He made His oath.
But it hurt Him even more to keep His promises.
His promises cost Him the death of His One and Only Son.
So that whoever comes to believe His promises will not perish but have eternal life.
March 1, 2009
Joshua 9:1-27
Last week, we learned that sin is serious. In chapters 7 and 8, Israel twice went into battle with the little Canaanite town of Ai. We watched Israel be first defeated by Ai and then victorious over Ai after purging sin from within their camp. Sin is serious.
With disobedience comes danger. And, with obedience comes blessing. At the end of chapter 8, the whole nation of Israel lined up on two different mountains and shouted “Amen!” at the reading of the blessings and the curses of God’s law. With disobedience comes danger. And, with obedience comes blessing. Amen!
Now, in chapter 9, Joshua and the leaders of Israel are faced with a new test.
It’s a test that comes not from frontal attack but by lies and deception.
Israel comes into contact with a people called the Gibeonites. And the Gibeonites lie to them.
How will Joshua handle this problem?
As we read the story, we’re going to see at least two points of biblical wisdom to apply our own lives even when it doesn’t seem like the thing to do. Even when.
Because, you know, what often seems right to us at first is not at all really the right thing for us to do. So, these two points of wisdom are for us to practice even when it doesn’t seem like it.
Joshua chapter 9.
“Now when all the kings west of the Jordan heard about these things–those in the hill country, in the western foothills, and along the entire coast of the Great Sea as far as Lebanon (the kings of the Hittites, Amorites, Canaanites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites)–they came together to make war against Joshua and Israel.” Stop there for a second.
You can see where this is going. Joshua and the Israelites have had victory so far, but now Canaan is awakening to the threat they bring and the Canaanite peoples are teaming up to take them on.
Perhaps the short lived victory at Ai has emboldened them. Or perhaps they see all-out war as their only defense against the Israelite onslaught.
Either way, they are banding together to take on Israel.
But not Gibeon. Gibeon (though probably a small subset of the Hivite people) decides to not try an attack–but to try a ruse.
Gibeon was a town just a few days journey from Ai. It was, perhaps, the next stop on Israel’s conquest agenda. V.2
“However, when the people of Gibeon heard what Joshua had done to Jericho and Ai, they resorted to a ruse [KJV: “they did work wilily”]: They went as a delegation whose donkeys were loaded with worn-out sacks and old wineskins, cracked and mended. The men put worn and patched sandals on their feet and wore old clothes. All the bread of their food supply was dry and moldy.”
Are you getting the picture? They are putting on their costumes for an elaborate performance. V.6
“Then they went to Joshua in the camp at Gilgal and said to him and the men of Israel, ‘We have come from a distant country; make a treaty with us.’ The men of Israel said to the Hivites, ‘But perhaps you live near us. How then can we make a treaty with you?’ [You need to understand that God has spoken clearly in Deuteronomy about NOT making treaties and covenant with the people in the land. They would only ensnare Israel into false worship. People from far away they could make treaties with. People within the Promised Land had to get out or be killed. Obviously the Gibeonites know this. And that’s why they say v.8...] ‘We are your servants,’ they said to Joshua.”
“But Joshua asked, ‘Who are you and where do you come from?’ They answered: ‘Your servants have come from a very distant country because of the fame of the LORD your God. For we have heard reports of him: all that he did in Egypt, and all that he did to the two kings of the Amorites east of the Jordan–Sihon king of Heshbon, and Og king of Bashan, who reigned in Ashtaroth. And our elders and all those living in our country said to us, 'Take provisions for your journey; go and meet them and say to them, ‘We are your servants; make a treaty with us.’' This bread of ours was warm when we packed it at home on the day we left to come to you. But now see how dry and moldy it is. And these wineskins that we filled were new, but see how cracked they are. And our clothes and sandals are worn out by the very long journey.’”
Wow. These guys are good, huh?
They could have won an Oscar with their performance. Maybe more than one Oscar: best screenplay, best makeup and costumes, best acting.
Everything seemed in order. At first, Joshua was skeptical. You can tell. “Who are you and where do you come from?”
But they sounded and looked the part.
And here’s the key sentence of the whole chapter. Verse 14.
“The men of Israel sampled their provisions but did not inquire of the LORD. Then Joshua made a treaty of peace with them to let them live, and the leaders of the assembly ratified it by oath.”
You see the problem?
“The men of Israel sampled their provisions but did not inquire of the LORD.”
King James: “[they] asked not counsel at the mouth of the LORD.”
New Living Translation: “They did not consult the LORD.”
Here’s application point #1. They got it wrong.
#1. SEEK THE LORD’S DIRECTION EVEN WHEN IT ALL SEEMS OBVIOUS.
It’s easy for us to point fingers at Joshua and the Israelites.
We saw the Gibeonites put on their costumes; we know that this is a trick.
But good tricks don’t seem like tricks! Joshua and the Israelites were fooled.
But they didn’t have to be.
They forgot one key thing: they know the LORD! And so they should be going to Him for direction.
But they didn’t.
And, so often, we do the same thing. We try to go it on our own without seeking the LORD’s direction.
Why do you think they made this mistake? What were they thinking?
Well, for one they were going on appearances. Everything seemed to be in order. And sometimes, we can make the mistake of not taking something to the Lord because it seems so obvious at the time.
And perhaps, they thought that this was a matter too small to “bother” the Lord with.
But the Lord had clearly spoken about these things in His Word, and it would have been right and good to take this case to Him to make sure that it fit His instructions.
Maybe they were emboldened by their recent successes at both Jericho and Ai. And they were “feeling their Wheaties.”
“Yeah, we can handle this one! Leave it to us.”
It probably boiled down to pride and a misplaced trust in their own understanding.
Remember what scripture passage we started the year with this year? Proverbs 3:5&6.
“Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight. [And does anybody know what verse 7 says?] Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the LORD and shun evil.”
They should have sought the Lord for direction.
And so should we.
Can you think of a time in your life, maybe recently, when you went on your on? When you didn’t seek the Lord’s counsel? When you did what seemed right at the time, but it wasn’t connected to the Lord’s way of doing things?
Heather and I made a big decision in the last month to formally pursue a doctoral degree in biblical counseling from CCEF and Westminster Theological Seminary.
I have taken a bunch of classes over the last 5 years but have never formally enrolled in a program. I’ve always been some sort of a visiting student up till now.
But the Lord orchestrated it that I connected with just the right professor at just the right moment to potentially be the last student ever to enter this program that I’m so impressed by.
And it’s a lot of work and lot of money and a lot of blood, sweat and tears.
And Heather and I needed to make this decision.
And do you know what she suggested we do to make that decision?
[You know, don’t you?]
She said that we should pray about it first before I apply.
And I said, “You’re right. We should.”
And I thought, “Why I didn’t I think of that?”
I’m a pastor, and I didn’t think of that first!
I might have come around to it, but it sure wasn’t the first thing I thought of.
We need to seek the Lord’s direction even when it all seems obvious.
There are two main ways to seek God’s direction.
The first is prayer. That’s our asking God for the wisdom and direction that we need.
Joshua missed it that time. The sampled the provisions, “but did not inquire of the LORD.”
Prayer is vital for decision-making.
And God has promised to answer it. James 1:5 says that if anyone lacks wisdom he should ask God, who give generously to all without find fault, and it will be given to him.
Are you struggling with a big decision right now? Most of us have something that we’re working on, something on the front-burner all the time.
Are you taking it to the Lord in prayer?
Sometimes, we get to thinking that prayer is chore, just a duty.
I know that I struggle with that.
A few weeks ago, Pastor John Piper preached on prayer and he dealt directly with that mistaken notion.
“Is it true that intentional, regular, disciplined, earnest, Christ-dependent, God-glorifying, joyful prayer is a duty? . . . You can call it that.That was really helpful to me. I printed it out and put it on my wall in my office.
* It’s a duty the way it’s the duty of a scuba diver to put on his air tank before he goes underwater.
* It’s a duty the way pilots listen to air traffic controllers.
* It’s a duty the way soldiers in combat clean their rifles and load their guns.
* It’s a duty the way hungry people eat food.
* It’s a duty the way thirsty people drink water.
* It’s a duty the way a deaf man puts in his hearing aid.
* It’s a duty the way a diabetic takes his insulin.
* It’s a duty the way Pooh Bear looks for honey.
* It’s a duty the way pirates look for gold.”
Because prayer may be a duty, but it also should be my delight.
And it’s vital for decision-making–because the Lord wants to be Lord of my choices.
We need to seek the Lord’s direction even when it all seems obvious.
The first way is prayer. And the second way (also easily overlooked) is Bible.
In these pages, we have the Word of God! This is the main way and the clearest way that God speaks to us.
They did not inquire of the LORD. But we can by searching the Scriptures.
The more we are prayerfully filled up with the Bible, the wiser our choices will be. And that’s because in here that we learn the mind of the Lord.
Prayer is, primarily, our talking to God. Bible is primarily God talking to us.
And what the Bible says is often very different from what ‘seems obvious” at the moment. Because the message of the Bible is different from the message of the world.
And we grow in wisdom as we go deeper in the Scriptures.
How many are still reading towards pancakes in January 2010?
I want to get an idea of how sore my pancake-flipping arm will be in January!
That’s great!
Don’t just read to get pancakes. Read to get wisdom.
God said in Proverbs chapter 4: “Get wisdom, get understanding; do not forget my words or swerve from them. Do not forsake wisdom, and she will protect you; love her, and she will watch over you. Wisdom is supreme; therefore get wisdom. Though it cost all you have, get understanding. Esteem her, and she will exalt you; embrace her, and she will honor you” [Proverbs 4:5-8].
And you get that from God’s Word!
We need to seek the Lord’s direction even when it all seems obvious.
I know too many “Christians” who never open their Bible or never open their Bible to help them make a decision, at least. As if God hadn’t said anything to them.
No, He’s given us everything we need for life and godliness–right here.
Inquire of the Lord.
Seek the Lord’s direction even when it all seems obvious.
But that’s not, of course, what Joshua and the other leaders did. They (v.15) made a treaty of peace with the Gibeonites and let them live. They made an oath. V.16
“Three days after they made the treaty with the Gibeonites, the Israelites heard that they were neighbors, living near them.”
Three days. These guys are our neighbors. The Lord wanted us to fight them not make a treaty. V.17
“So the Israelites set out and on the third day came to their cities: Gibeon, Kephirah, Beeroth and Kiriath Jearim.”
What do you think they’re going to do?
They’re going to keep their oath. V.18
“But the Israelites did not attack them, because the leaders of the assembly had sworn an oath to them by the LORD, the God of Israel. The whole assembly grumbled against the leaders, but all the leaders answered, ‘We have given them our oath by the LORD, the God of Israel, and we cannot touch them now. This is what we will do to them: We will let them live, so that wrath will not fall on us for breaking the oath we swore to them.’”
“They continued, ‘Let them live, but let them be woodcutters and water carriers for the entire community.’ So the leaders' promise to them was kept.”
And that was the right thing to do. Application #2.
#2. KEEP YOUR PROMISES EVEN WHEN IT HURTS TO DO SO.
Man, it must have hurt these leaders’ pride to keep their oath.
And it definitely hurt their popularity with the people.
Those were the consequences of their rash decision.
But the good news is that they took the responsibility for their bad decisions and lived with the consequences.
You know that there are often consequences for our bad choices, don’t you?
Sometimes, we like to think that there are no consequences.
But there normally are consequences–even for sins that are forgiven.
I used to drive my Dad’s copper-toned 1982 Chevy Citation with a sun-roof.
Woo! Was that sweet ride?! That little Citation had pick-up. I should have had more traffic citations in that Citation than I did.
Well, it had 99,999 miles on it and then it flipped over to...what?
It’s a 1982. What did it flip over to?
Zero! The odometer only went up to 99,999.
So, the odometer said that the car been forgiven. Nothing on the odometer!
A clean slate. Forgiven! Perfect. Miles free.
But, were there still the marks of 100,000 miles on that little car?
There sure were. And no-matter what the odometer said, there were still natural consequences that we had to accept.
It’s the same in our lives. We can be forgiven our sins where it’s most important–by the death of Jesus Christ on our behalf.
But we may still have to accept some of the consequences of those sins in our lives.
And one of those is the consequences that come with foolish promises. Promises that we, perhaps, should have never made.
Taking out a foolish loan that would saddle you with a burdensome debt.
Marrying an unbeliever.
Committing to a foolish business venture.
Agreeing to tie up your time in something you’ll later regret.
I’m sure that Joshua wished that they never made this treaty, never swore this oath.
It’s made things difficult.
But he doesn’t compound his error by breaking his word. V.19
“We have given them our oath by the LORD, the God of Israel, and we cannot touch them now.” V.20
“We will let them live, so that wrath will not fall on us for breaking the oath we swore to them.”
Two wrongs do not make a right.
Psalm 15 describes a holy man. And it uses this phrase verse 4.
A holy man “keeps his oath even when it hurts...”
A holy man keeps his promises even when it hurts to do so.
Maybe right now you are disappointed with a promise that you’ve made.
Maybe you’re in a marriage that you wish you’d never committed to.
Maybe you have a loan that you need to repay that you wish you’d never taken out.
Maybe you’ve agreed to do something that now you see how it will cost you.
Keep your promises even when it hurts to do so.
Now, that’s not absolute. I don’t think that God wants us to keep our promises, if we’ve promised to do something sinful.
I don’t think that Jephthah’s daughter should have been sacrificed.
If you’ve agreed to cheat on your homework with someone, you still shouldn’t do so.
But, aside from things that are wrong, the general rule for Christians is that we should what we said we would do even if it isn’t to our advantage now.
And God will bless that.
That’s what happened to Israel and the Gibeonites. V.22
“Then Joshua summoned the Gibeonites and said, ‘Why did you deceive us by saying, 'We live a long way from you,' while actually you live near us? You are now under a curse: You will never cease to serve as woodcutters and water carriers for the house of my God.’ They answered Joshua, ‘Your servants were clearly told how the LORD your God had commanded his servant Moses to give you the whole land and to wipe out all its inhabitants from before you. So we feared for our lives because of you, and that is why we did this. We are now in your hands. Do to us whatever seems good and right to you.’ So Joshua saved them from the Israelites, and they did not kill them. That day he made the Gibeonites woodcutters and water carriers for the community and for the altar of the LORD at the place the LORD would choose. And that is what they are to this day.”
Israel ended up with good laborers because of this deal.
And Gibeon got enfolded, over time, not as a perpetual thorn in the side, or those who would drag them off into idolatry, but as loyal participants in Israel.
It’s interesting after the exile, hundreds of years after this, Gibeonites are listed as a part of Israel that returned under Nehemiah and helped to build the wall in Jerusalem.
There was grace for them and for Israel.
And, I think, that some of that came through the channel of Israel’s faithfulness to their promises. Even when it hurt.
We need to keep our promises even when it hurts to do so.
Because, as we keep our promises, as we stay faithful, we reflect the faithfulness of our God.
He made promises–binding promises. He made an oath.
He wasn’t fooled when He made His oath.
But it hurt Him even more to keep His promises.
His promises cost Him the death of His One and Only Son.
So that whoever comes to believe His promises will not perish but have eternal life.
Saturday, February 28, 2009
Sunday, February 22, 2009
My New Saturday Evening Prayer
"Lord, allow me to preach to sinners the news so good that we must struggle against the joy of it."
I get this from RCO: Joyful Tidings.
Thankfully, I had that experience this morning!
I get this from RCO: Joyful Tidings.
Thankfully, I had that experience this morning!
Matt's Messages "Sin Is Serious"
“Sin Is Serious”
Possessing the Promises: The Book of Joshua
February 22, 2009
Joshua 7:1-8:35
Last week was a major decisive victory for the people of Israel and for their leader, Joshua! The walls came tumblin’ down. And they rushed in and captured the city of Jericho.
It was exciting, wasn’t it?! Yes!
And, in their victory, they basically had only one command from God–to NOT take any of the things in the city devoted to destruction. The LORD Himself had fought the battle of Jericho for them. And He wanted all of the spoils of the battle for Himself–either in the treasury or in the giant heap of a burnt sacrifice that the city of Jericho had become.
But...we find out in chapter 7 that they had NOT been obedient to this one command.
And they were about to experience terrible defeat because of it.
From amazing victory to overwhelming defeat in a heartbeat.
All because of sin.
“Sin Is Serious.”
That’s what we are going to see today.
Sin is not slight.
Sin is not silly.
Sin is not small or slim.
Sin [thinking, wanting, or doing that which displeases God] is deadly serious.
Joshua chapter 7, verse 1.
“But the Israelites acted unfaithfully in regard to the devoted things; Achan son of Carmi, the son of Zimri, the son of Zerah, of the tribe of Judah, took some of them. So the LORD's anger burned against Israel.”
Notice that this chapter begins with “but.”
Chapter 6 ended with “The LORD was with Joshua and his fame spread throughout the land!”
“But...” there was sin in the camp.
“But the Israelites acted unfaithfully [sinfully] in regard to the devoted things; Achan...took some of them. So the LORD's anger burned against Israel.”
Sin is serious.
#1. SIN MAKES GOD ANGRY.
Do you see that in verse 1? “So the LORD’s anger burned against Israel.”
Sin makes God angry.
Sometimes, we get to thinking that God doesn’t care about our sin. We know that God is love, and God is loving, and we tend to dismiss the seriousness of sin.
But sin is not a laughing matter.
Many in our culture today dismiss sin as a relic from a time past. And the mention of the word causes people to titter. “Ha ha. Sin. Ha ha.”
Perhaps you’ve engaged in something you know to be sinful and you’ve just laughed it off recently.
But sin–violating God’s holy standard, falling short of the glory of God, failing to obey His commands and missing the mark that He has set out for us–is not light thing.
It is serious.
It makes God mad.
Now, some people think of God as mad for no reason. God is capricious and mad in general. But the Bible presents God as mad for only one reason–because He is holy.
And sin is a rebellion against His holiness. And wrath, anger, is the right response to unholiness.
Sin is serious because sin makes God mad.
#2. SIN AFFECTS OTHERS AROUND US.
How many people sinned in verse 1? Warning. It’s a trick question.
Well, the verse says that Achan sinned. He took some of the “devoted things” that were supposed to be accursed and burnt and “under the ban.”
But what else does the verse say? Who else sinned? “But the Israelites acted unfaithfully...”
There was a connection between Achan’s sin and the whole covenant community.
Sin affected more than just the sinner.
We’ll see that really clearly in the next battle. V.2
“Now Joshua sent men from Jericho to Ai, which is near Beth Aven to the east of Bethel, and told them, ‘Go up and spy out the region.’ So the men went up and spied out Ai. [Now, notice that it doesn’t mention anything about the LORD in this. Where is He? V.3] When they returned to Joshua, they said, ‘Not all the people will have to go up against Ai. Send two or three thousand men to take it and do not weary all the people, for only a few men are there.’”
“Hey, don’t worry about it! We took Jericho, no problem. There isn’t even a big wall here. Send up a little commando force and we’ll show you another victory!” v.4
“So about three thousand men went up; but they were routed by the men of Ai, who killed about thirty-six of them. They chased the Israelites from the city gate as far as the stone quarries and struck them down on the slopes. At this the hearts of the people melted and became like water.”
Whoa! What happened? If we didn’t have verse 1, we sure would have been surprised to read about this! This is the first bad thing to happen to Israel in the whole book of Joshua.
The little army went up and got whipped. 36 died. Doesn’t sound like too much until you realize that it was a littler town and nobody had died so far. Not at the River and not a Jericho. They had to get chased home! Humiliating and devastating and demoralizing.
And Joshua hits a low point here. V.6
“Then Joshua tore his clothes and fell facedown to the ground before the ark of the LORD, remaining there till evening. The elders of Israel did the same, and sprinkled dust on their heads. [Mourning. Sadness. Grief.] And Joshua said, ‘Ah, Sovereign LORD, why did you ever bring this people across the Jordan to deliver us into the hands of the Amorites to destroy us? If only we had been content to stay on the other side of the Jordan! [There’s some unreasonable, unbelieving self-pity there.] O Lord, what can I say, now that Israel has been routed by its enemies? The Canaanites and the other people of the country will hear about this and they will surround us and wipe out our name from the earth. What then will you do for your own great name?’”
Now, he’s talking to the right person. But he’s saying the wrong things. He should be asking what they’ve done wrong. But he’s acting almost like God has done something wrong.
That’s why the LORD responds to strongly. V.10.
“The LORD said to Joshua, ‘Stand up! What are you doing down on your face? [You’ve got work to do.] Israel has sinned; they have violated my covenant, which I commanded them to keep. They have taken some of the devoted things; they have stolen, they have lied, they have put them with their own possessions. That is why the Israelites cannot stand against their enemies; they turn their backs and run because they have been made liable to destruction. I will not be with you anymore unless you destroy whatever among you is devoted to destruction. Go, consecrate the people. Tell them, 'Consecrate yourselves in preparation for tomorrow; for this is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: That which is devoted is among you, O Israel. You cannot stand against your enemies until you remove it. In the morning, present yourselves tribe by tribe. The tribe that the LORD takes shall come forward clan by clan; the clan that the LORD takes shall come forward family by family; and the family that the LORD takes shall come forward man by man. He who is caught with the devoted things shall be destroyed by fire, along with all that belongs to him. He has violated the covenant of the LORD and has done a disgraceful thing in Israel!’’”
Do you see how the people were connected?
The one man’s sin affected all of the others.
No man is an island.
No one stands completely alone.
Sin is serious because it affects the people around us.
In this case, so much that the LORD says, “Israel has sinned. They have violated my covenant. They have taken. They have stolen. They have lied.”
And they are all reaping the consequences of it.
Sin is serious because it affects the people around us.
Now, just because one person in our church sins or our family sins, doesn’t mean that we are all guilty of that sin in the same way.
But, don’t think that you can sin and it NOT affect the people around you.
A couple of weeks ago, I gave in, in a major way to gluttony. Which, as many of you know, is one of my besetting temptations.
I had had a long day, and decided that I was entitled to a huge supper at the Jumbo Chinese Restaurant–by myself–no accountability whatsoever.
And I went back and I went back and I went back.
And I began to feel sick.
Did it stop with me?
Well, no one else got sick. But I had a meeting that night.
And everyone at the meeting had to put up with a pastor who was not able to pay as much attention, much more prone to anger or impatience with other, and uncomfortable–not as sharp for providing good leadership in the meeting.
I had to apologize.
And then I went home. And my sin affected my family, too.
In fact, I was up for hour in the middle of night, thought I was going to upchuck. And I lost sleep.
And then, do you think I was a lot of good for my family the next day?
I had to apologize, especially to my wife–for my sin.
You say, well, that’s a small thing. But it could easily add up to something bigger.
Sin is not isolated. It affects the people around us.
Are you lying to yourself right now about a sinful habit that you have picked up?
I know that many men, including many many Christian men struggle with pornography.
I’m going to be writing an article for EFCA Today on Christian leaders who struggle with pornography.
One of the lies men believe is that their secret lusts don’t affect anyone else.
Don’t believe it. Not for a second.
You’re not just letting yourself be defeated, you are hurting others–especially the women and children around you–and all of your relationships.
It might be subtle for a while, but it is inevitable.
Sin is serious because it affects others around us.
#3. SIN CAN’T STAY HIDDEN FOR LONG.
Did you get the LORD’s plan for rooting out the sin in the camp? Everyone is supposed to go home and consecrate themselves. Tomorrow, God is going to reveal who is the problem that his plaguing Israel. V.16
“Early the next morning Joshua had Israel come forward by tribes, and Judah was taken.”
Stop for a second. Imagine what that night must have been like in the Israelite camp.
And now, the entire nation gets out on parade.
All 12 tribes come marching past. And God (somehow) indicates: Judah. A leader trible.
Judah.
And everyone else can sit down. V.17
“The clans of Judah came forward, and he took the Zerahites.”
Everyone else can sit down. It’s this tribe.
“He had the clan of the Zerahites come forward by families, and Zimri was taken.”
Everyone else can sit down. It’s this family. Do you see the picture? V.18
“Joshua had his family come forward man by man, and Achan son of Carmi, the son of Zimri, the son of Zerah, of the tribe of Judah, was taken.”
The Lord knows.
And it’s just a matter of time before everyone does.
Sin is serious. And it can’t stay hidden for long.
I’m sure when he did what he did, Achan didn’t think that anyone was watching.
Now, the entire nation is staring at him.
How would you like your sin to be broadcast on CNN.com?
Jesus said “There is nothing concealed that will not be disclosed, or hidden that will not be made known. What you have said in the dark will be heard in the daylight, and what you have whispered in the ear in the inner rooms will be proclaimed from the roofs.”
Moses said, “Be sure your sin will find you out.”
Sin can’t stay hidden for long.
Achan stands revealed and Joshua calls upon him to confess. V.19
“Then Joshua said to Achan, ‘My son, give glory to the LORD, the God of Israel, and give him the praise. Tell me what you have done; do not hide it from me.’ [Confess. Agree with God. Give Him the glory by confessing your sin. V.20] Achan replied, ‘It is true! I have sinned against the LORD, the God of Israel. This is what I have done: When I saw in the plunder a beautiful robe from Babylonia, two hundred shekels of silver and a wedge of gold weighing fifty shekels, I coveted them and took them. They are hidden in the ground inside my tent, with the silver underneath.’ So Joshua sent messengers, and they ran to the tent, and there it was, hidden in his tent, with the silver underneath.”
We look at it that nobody was going to use these things, anyway, so what harm was it?
But Achan had broken at least 4 of the 10 commandments.
1. You shall have no other gods before me. He was worshiping this because he wanted it more than God.
2. You shall not steal.
3. You shall not bear false witness. He lied. He hid.
4. You shall not covet. “I coveted” he said.
You know, coveting is one of our cultures most accepted sins. It’s not just accepted, it’s the basis of our troubled economy!
Sin is serious.
#4. SIN ALWAYS BRINGS TROUBLE. V.23
“They took the things from the tent, brought them to Joshua and all the Israelites and spread them out before the LORD. Then Joshua, together with all Israel, took Achan son of Zerah, the silver, the robe, the gold wedge, his sons and daughters [who probably aided and abetted his theft–at least by keeping things hidden], his cattle, donkeys and sheep, his tent and all that he had, to the Valley of Achor. Joshua said, ‘Why have you brought this trouble on us? The LORD will bring trouble on you today.’ Then all Israel stoned him, and after they had stoned the rest, they burned them. Over Achan they heaped up a large pile of rocks, which remains to this day. Then the LORD turned from his fierce anger. Therefore that place has been called the Valley of Achor [The Valley of Trouble] ever since.”
Sin always brings trouble.
There are always consequences.
“The way of the unfaithful is hard” (Proverbs 13:15).
Sin always brings trouble.
Achan’s sin made him like the Canaanites.
He’s getting the same treatment as Jericho did.
Remember how Rahab got the same treatment as Israel? She was basically counted as an Israelite?
Achan is counted as a Canaanite.
And his whole family suffers.
The whole nation suffered! “Why have you brought this trouble on us?” Joshua asked.
He was stoned, and burnt, and they piled up a pile of rocks on him.
And they called that place the Valley of Trouble.
Friends, if you are flirting with sin, don’t allow yourself to be fooled.
There will be consequences.
There will be trouble.
You are not bullet-proof.
We tell our children, “With disobedience comes danger.”
That’s the way it is in God’s world.
It doesn’t always seem that way. The Book of Job and Psalm 73 explain that it doesn’t always seem that way while this short life goes on.
That’s why the media portrays a very different story.
“You can life like you want and there are no consequences!” Nu’uh.
You can’t have sex outside of marriage without trouble.
You can’t gossip about your friend or your enemy without trouble.
You can’t cheat on a test without trouble.
You can’t cut corners at work without trouble.
You can’t click to those websites without trouble.
You can’t read those smutty stories or lustfully watch those vulgar movies without trouble.
You can’t take those drugs or get drunk with that beer without reaping trouble.
You can’t dishonor your parents without reaping trouble.
Sin is serious. It always leads to trouble.
#5. SIN MUST BE DECISIVELY JUDGED. V.25
“Joshua said, ‘Why have you brought this trouble on us? The LORD will bring trouble on you today.’” And they stoned and burned him.
There is a necessary punishment for sin.
Sin is so serious, so other-affecting, so unable to stay hidden, so trouble-inducing, so wrath incurring–that it must be dealt with decisively.
It must be judged.
God is holy, and He must judge sin.
In His wisdom, He decided that NOW was the time for Achan.
In His wisdom, He has set a time for you and me to stand before judgment.
To give an account of our deeds done in the body.
And justice will be done and be seen to be done.
Sin must be decisively dealt with. Decisively judged.
But here is the good news for us. Here it is!
There is One who has taken on the judgment for our sins FOR US.
There is One who, in His love for us, bore the punishment we deserved–not just for one act of covetousness and hidden theft–but for all of our sinful failings, all of our direct and indirect sins, all of our passive and aggressive sins, all of our sins of omission and commission–all of our sins, past, present and future.
There is One who bore our sins in His body on the tree, the just for the unjust to bring us to God!
There is a Redeemer! Jesus, God’s own Son!
And He has taken our judgment for us at the Cross!
That’s how serious sin is, friends!
It’s serious enough for us to need a Savior!
Do you know Jesus as your Savior?
It’s the greatest thing in the world.
If you don’t I invite you, I implore you, I challenge you to turn from your sins and trust in Him alone.
He is mighty to save.
Do you know Jesus as your Savior?
If you do, why would you stay in your sins?
Why would you hold on to secret sin? Hidden sin? Offensive habits?
Say, “No!” to your besetting temptations.
Say, “No!” to the world’s enticements.
Say, “No!” to what your flesh has been trying to talk you into.
Say, “No!” to the devil’s plan for your life.
Because as serious as sin is, it’s no longer that powerful in the life of a real Christian.
Victory is possible for Christ-followers.
#6. SIN SPELLS DEFEAT BUT OBEDIENCE RESULTS IN BLESSING.
Achan’s death was not the end of the story. We have to look at chapter 8.
When sin was dealt with, victory returned. V.1
“Then the LORD said to Joshua, ‘Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.”
Does that sound familiar? That’s more like it! That’s how He sounded in chapter 1. “Be strong and courageous!”
“Take the whole army with you, and go up and attack Ai. For I have delivered into your hands the king of Ai, his people, his city and his land. You shall do to Ai and its king as you did to Jericho and its king, except that [this time!] you may carry off their plunder and livestock for yourselves. Set an ambush behind the city.’ [Achan didn’t wait for the generosity of God. V.3] So Joshua and the whole army moved out to attack Ai. He chose thirty thousand of his best fighting men and sent them out at night with these orders: ‘Listen carefully. You are to set an ambush behind the city. Don't go very far from it. All of you be on the alert. I and all those with me will advance on the city, and when the men come out against us, as they did before, we will flee from them. They will pursue us until we have lured them away from the city, for they will say, 'They are running away from us as they did before.' So when we flee from them, you are to rise up from ambush and take the city. The LORD your God will give it into your hand. When you have taken the city, set it on fire. Do what the LORD has commanded. See to it; you have my orders.’
“Then Joshua sent them off, and they went to the place of ambush and lay in wait between Bethel and Ai, to the west of Ai–but Joshua spent that night with the people. Early the next morning Joshua mustered his men, and he and the leaders of Israel marched before them to Ai. The entire force that was with him marched up and approached the city and arrived in front of it. They set up camp north of Ai, with the valley between them and the city. Joshua had taken about five thousand men and set them in ambush between Bethel and Ai, to the west of the city. They had the soldiers take up their positions–all those in the camp to the north of the city and the ambush to the west of it. That night Joshua went into the valley. When the king of Ai saw this, he and all the men of the city hurried out early in the morning to meet Israel in battle at a certain place overlooking the Arabah. But he did not know that an ambush had been set against him behind the city. Joshua and all Israel let themselves be driven back before them, and they fled toward the desert. All the men of Ai were called to pursue them, and they pursued Joshua and were lured away from the city. Not a man remained in Ai or Bethel who did not go after Israel. They left the city open and went in pursuit of Israel.”
Do you get the picture? They ran towards the city, and then said, “Oh No! Ai is attacking us again” and ran away. V.18
“Then the LORD said to Joshua, ‘Hold out toward Ai the javelin that is in your hand [kind of like the staff of Moses], for into your hand I will deliver the city.’ So Joshua held out his javelin toward Ai. As soon as he did this, the men in the ambush rose quickly from their position and rushed forward. They entered the city and captured it and quickly set it on fire. The men of Ai looked back and saw the smoke of the city rising against the sky, but they had no chance to escape in any direction, for the Israelites who had been fleeing toward the desert had turned back against their pursuers.”
“For when Joshua and all Israel saw that the ambush had taken the city and that smoke was going up from the city, they turned around and attacked the men of Ai. The men of the ambush also came out of the city against them, so that they were caught in the middle, with Israelites on both sides. Israel cut them down, leaving them neither survivors nor fugitives. But they took the king of Ai alive and brought him to Joshua. When Israel had finished killing all the men of Ai in the fields and in the desert where they had chased them, and when every one of them had been put to the sword, all the Israelites returned to Ai and killed those who were in it. Twelve thousand men and women fell that day–all the people of Ai. For Joshua did not draw back the hand that held out his javelin until he had destroyed all who lived in Ai.”
“But Israel did carry off for themselves the livestock and plunder of this city, as the LORD had instructed Joshua. So Joshua burned Ai and made it a permanent heap of ruins, a desolate place to this day. He hung the king of Ai on a tree and left him there until evening. At sunset, Joshua ordered them to take his body from the tree and throw it down at the entrance of the city gate. And they raised a large pile of rocks over it, which remains to this day.”
When Achan’s sin had been decisively dealt with, victory returned to Israel.
Sin spells defeat but obedience results in victory and blessing.
What a difference between the battle of Ai in chapter 7 and the battle of Ai in chapter 8!
And the difference was whether or not there was sin or obedience.
Which one are you pursuing?
Joshua wanted to cement this lesson into their heads, so he used this moment in their history to obey the commands that Moses had given them in Deuteronomy chapter 27.
The entire nation took part in a dramatic ceremony of reminding themselves of the warnings and promises of God. Look at verse 30.
“Then Joshua built on Mount Ebal an altar to the LORD, the God of Israel, as Moses the servant of the LORD had commanded the Israelites [You can look it up in Deuteronomy 27]. He built it according to what is written in the Book of the Law of Moses–an altar of uncut stones, on which no iron tool had been used. On it they offered to the LORD burnt offerings and sacrificed fellowship offerings.”
Worship! And reminders of how God deals with sin.
“There, in the presence of the Israelites, Joshua copied on stones the law of Moses, which he had written [the Word of God!]. All Israel, aliens and citizens alike, with their elders, officials and judges, were standing on both sides of the ark of the covenant of the LORD, facing those who carried it–the priests, who were Levites.”
Now, catch this:
“Half of the people stood in front of Mount Gerizim and half of them in front of Mount Ebal [six tribes on one side, six tribes on the other], as Moses the servant of the LORD had formerly commanded when he gave instructions to bless the people of Israel. Afterward, Joshua read all the words of the law–the blessings and the curses–just as it is written in the Book of the Law. There was not a word of all that Moses had commanded that Joshua did not read to the whole assembly of Israel, including the women and children, and the aliens who lived among them.”
Do you get the picture?
Half of Israel here. Half of Israel here.
And as Joshua reads, they listen.
And [Deuteronomy says] they get to the promises. And this group over here says, “Amen!”
With obedience comes blessing!
And then they read some warnings. And this group over hear echos back like a great big stadium, “Amen!”
With disobedience comes danger!
With sin comes defeat!
And they go back and forth through the whole law.
And they are saying, “Let’s follow the LORD!”
Let’s not give in to sin.
Let’s not go there.
Sin is serious business.
Let’s not go there. Let’s follow the Lord!
And how much more, you and I having the Spirit, having the completed Word, and (espeicially) living on this side of the Cross and the Empty Tomb–should we say, “Yes, Lord! Amen! We will obey.”
February 22, 2009
Joshua 7:1-8:35
Last week was a major decisive victory for the people of Israel and for their leader, Joshua! The walls came tumblin’ down. And they rushed in and captured the city of Jericho.
It was exciting, wasn’t it?! Yes!
And, in their victory, they basically had only one command from God–to NOT take any of the things in the city devoted to destruction. The LORD Himself had fought the battle of Jericho for them. And He wanted all of the spoils of the battle for Himself–either in the treasury or in the giant heap of a burnt sacrifice that the city of Jericho had become.
But...we find out in chapter 7 that they had NOT been obedient to this one command.
And they were about to experience terrible defeat because of it.
From amazing victory to overwhelming defeat in a heartbeat.
All because of sin.
“Sin Is Serious.”
That’s what we are going to see today.
Sin is not slight.
Sin is not silly.
Sin is not small or slim.
Sin [thinking, wanting, or doing that which displeases God] is deadly serious.
Joshua chapter 7, verse 1.
“But the Israelites acted unfaithfully in regard to the devoted things; Achan son of Carmi, the son of Zimri, the son of Zerah, of the tribe of Judah, took some of them. So the LORD's anger burned against Israel.”
Notice that this chapter begins with “but.”
Chapter 6 ended with “The LORD was with Joshua and his fame spread throughout the land!”
“But...” there was sin in the camp.
“But the Israelites acted unfaithfully [sinfully] in regard to the devoted things; Achan...took some of them. So the LORD's anger burned against Israel.”
Sin is serious.
#1. SIN MAKES GOD ANGRY.
Do you see that in verse 1? “So the LORD’s anger burned against Israel.”
Sin makes God angry.
Sometimes, we get to thinking that God doesn’t care about our sin. We know that God is love, and God is loving, and we tend to dismiss the seriousness of sin.
But sin is not a laughing matter.
Many in our culture today dismiss sin as a relic from a time past. And the mention of the word causes people to titter. “Ha ha. Sin. Ha ha.”
Perhaps you’ve engaged in something you know to be sinful and you’ve just laughed it off recently.
But sin–violating God’s holy standard, falling short of the glory of God, failing to obey His commands and missing the mark that He has set out for us–is not light thing.
It is serious.
It makes God mad.
Now, some people think of God as mad for no reason. God is capricious and mad in general. But the Bible presents God as mad for only one reason–because He is holy.
And sin is a rebellion against His holiness. And wrath, anger, is the right response to unholiness.
Sin is serious because sin makes God mad.
#2. SIN AFFECTS OTHERS AROUND US.
How many people sinned in verse 1? Warning. It’s a trick question.
Well, the verse says that Achan sinned. He took some of the “devoted things” that were supposed to be accursed and burnt and “under the ban.”
But what else does the verse say? Who else sinned? “But the Israelites acted unfaithfully...”
There was a connection between Achan’s sin and the whole covenant community.
Sin affected more than just the sinner.
We’ll see that really clearly in the next battle. V.2
“Now Joshua sent men from Jericho to Ai, which is near Beth Aven to the east of Bethel, and told them, ‘Go up and spy out the region.’ So the men went up and spied out Ai. [Now, notice that it doesn’t mention anything about the LORD in this. Where is He? V.3] When they returned to Joshua, they said, ‘Not all the people will have to go up against Ai. Send two or three thousand men to take it and do not weary all the people, for only a few men are there.’”
“Hey, don’t worry about it! We took Jericho, no problem. There isn’t even a big wall here. Send up a little commando force and we’ll show you another victory!” v.4
“So about three thousand men went up; but they were routed by the men of Ai, who killed about thirty-six of them. They chased the Israelites from the city gate as far as the stone quarries and struck them down on the slopes. At this the hearts of the people melted and became like water.”
Whoa! What happened? If we didn’t have verse 1, we sure would have been surprised to read about this! This is the first bad thing to happen to Israel in the whole book of Joshua.
The little army went up and got whipped. 36 died. Doesn’t sound like too much until you realize that it was a littler town and nobody had died so far. Not at the River and not a Jericho. They had to get chased home! Humiliating and devastating and demoralizing.
And Joshua hits a low point here. V.6
“Then Joshua tore his clothes and fell facedown to the ground before the ark of the LORD, remaining there till evening. The elders of Israel did the same, and sprinkled dust on their heads. [Mourning. Sadness. Grief.] And Joshua said, ‘Ah, Sovereign LORD, why did you ever bring this people across the Jordan to deliver us into the hands of the Amorites to destroy us? If only we had been content to stay on the other side of the Jordan! [There’s some unreasonable, unbelieving self-pity there.] O Lord, what can I say, now that Israel has been routed by its enemies? The Canaanites and the other people of the country will hear about this and they will surround us and wipe out our name from the earth. What then will you do for your own great name?’”
Now, he’s talking to the right person. But he’s saying the wrong things. He should be asking what they’ve done wrong. But he’s acting almost like God has done something wrong.
That’s why the LORD responds to strongly. V.10.
“The LORD said to Joshua, ‘Stand up! What are you doing down on your face? [You’ve got work to do.] Israel has sinned; they have violated my covenant, which I commanded them to keep. They have taken some of the devoted things; they have stolen, they have lied, they have put them with their own possessions. That is why the Israelites cannot stand against their enemies; they turn their backs and run because they have been made liable to destruction. I will not be with you anymore unless you destroy whatever among you is devoted to destruction. Go, consecrate the people. Tell them, 'Consecrate yourselves in preparation for tomorrow; for this is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: That which is devoted is among you, O Israel. You cannot stand against your enemies until you remove it. In the morning, present yourselves tribe by tribe. The tribe that the LORD takes shall come forward clan by clan; the clan that the LORD takes shall come forward family by family; and the family that the LORD takes shall come forward man by man. He who is caught with the devoted things shall be destroyed by fire, along with all that belongs to him. He has violated the covenant of the LORD and has done a disgraceful thing in Israel!’’”
Do you see how the people were connected?
The one man’s sin affected all of the others.
No man is an island.
No one stands completely alone.
Sin is serious because it affects the people around us.
In this case, so much that the LORD says, “Israel has sinned. They have violated my covenant. They have taken. They have stolen. They have lied.”
And they are all reaping the consequences of it.
Sin is serious because it affects the people around us.
Now, just because one person in our church sins or our family sins, doesn’t mean that we are all guilty of that sin in the same way.
But, don’t think that you can sin and it NOT affect the people around you.
A couple of weeks ago, I gave in, in a major way to gluttony. Which, as many of you know, is one of my besetting temptations.
I had had a long day, and decided that I was entitled to a huge supper at the Jumbo Chinese Restaurant–by myself–no accountability whatsoever.
And I went back and I went back and I went back.
And I began to feel sick.
Did it stop with me?
Well, no one else got sick. But I had a meeting that night.
And everyone at the meeting had to put up with a pastor who was not able to pay as much attention, much more prone to anger or impatience with other, and uncomfortable–not as sharp for providing good leadership in the meeting.
I had to apologize.
And then I went home. And my sin affected my family, too.
In fact, I was up for hour in the middle of night, thought I was going to upchuck. And I lost sleep.
And then, do you think I was a lot of good for my family the next day?
I had to apologize, especially to my wife–for my sin.
You say, well, that’s a small thing. But it could easily add up to something bigger.
Sin is not isolated. It affects the people around us.
Are you lying to yourself right now about a sinful habit that you have picked up?
I know that many men, including many many Christian men struggle with pornography.
I’m going to be writing an article for EFCA Today on Christian leaders who struggle with pornography.
One of the lies men believe is that their secret lusts don’t affect anyone else.
Don’t believe it. Not for a second.
You’re not just letting yourself be defeated, you are hurting others–especially the women and children around you–and all of your relationships.
It might be subtle for a while, but it is inevitable.
Sin is serious because it affects others around us.
#3. SIN CAN’T STAY HIDDEN FOR LONG.
Did you get the LORD’s plan for rooting out the sin in the camp? Everyone is supposed to go home and consecrate themselves. Tomorrow, God is going to reveal who is the problem that his plaguing Israel. V.16
“Early the next morning Joshua had Israel come forward by tribes, and Judah was taken.”
Stop for a second. Imagine what that night must have been like in the Israelite camp.
And now, the entire nation gets out on parade.
All 12 tribes come marching past. And God (somehow) indicates: Judah. A leader trible.
Judah.
And everyone else can sit down. V.17
“The clans of Judah came forward, and he took the Zerahites.”
Everyone else can sit down. It’s this tribe.
“He had the clan of the Zerahites come forward by families, and Zimri was taken.”
Everyone else can sit down. It’s this family. Do you see the picture? V.18
“Joshua had his family come forward man by man, and Achan son of Carmi, the son of Zimri, the son of Zerah, of the tribe of Judah, was taken.”
The Lord knows.
And it’s just a matter of time before everyone does.
Sin is serious. And it can’t stay hidden for long.
I’m sure when he did what he did, Achan didn’t think that anyone was watching.
Now, the entire nation is staring at him.
How would you like your sin to be broadcast on CNN.com?
Jesus said “There is nothing concealed that will not be disclosed, or hidden that will not be made known. What you have said in the dark will be heard in the daylight, and what you have whispered in the ear in the inner rooms will be proclaimed from the roofs.”
Moses said, “Be sure your sin will find you out.”
Sin can’t stay hidden for long.
Achan stands revealed and Joshua calls upon him to confess. V.19
“Then Joshua said to Achan, ‘My son, give glory to the LORD, the God of Israel, and give him the praise. Tell me what you have done; do not hide it from me.’ [Confess. Agree with God. Give Him the glory by confessing your sin. V.20] Achan replied, ‘It is true! I have sinned against the LORD, the God of Israel. This is what I have done: When I saw in the plunder a beautiful robe from Babylonia, two hundred shekels of silver and a wedge of gold weighing fifty shekels, I coveted them and took them. They are hidden in the ground inside my tent, with the silver underneath.’ So Joshua sent messengers, and they ran to the tent, and there it was, hidden in his tent, with the silver underneath.”
We look at it that nobody was going to use these things, anyway, so what harm was it?
But Achan had broken at least 4 of the 10 commandments.
1. You shall have no other gods before me. He was worshiping this because he wanted it more than God.
2. You shall not steal.
3. You shall not bear false witness. He lied. He hid.
4. You shall not covet. “I coveted” he said.
You know, coveting is one of our cultures most accepted sins. It’s not just accepted, it’s the basis of our troubled economy!
Sin is serious.
#4. SIN ALWAYS BRINGS TROUBLE. V.23
“They took the things from the tent, brought them to Joshua and all the Israelites and spread them out before the LORD. Then Joshua, together with all Israel, took Achan son of Zerah, the silver, the robe, the gold wedge, his sons and daughters [who probably aided and abetted his theft–at least by keeping things hidden], his cattle, donkeys and sheep, his tent and all that he had, to the Valley of Achor. Joshua said, ‘Why have you brought this trouble on us? The LORD will bring trouble on you today.’ Then all Israel stoned him, and after they had stoned the rest, they burned them. Over Achan they heaped up a large pile of rocks, which remains to this day. Then the LORD turned from his fierce anger. Therefore that place has been called the Valley of Achor [The Valley of Trouble] ever since.”
Sin always brings trouble.
There are always consequences.
“The way of the unfaithful is hard” (Proverbs 13:15).
Sin always brings trouble.
Achan’s sin made him like the Canaanites.
He’s getting the same treatment as Jericho did.
Remember how Rahab got the same treatment as Israel? She was basically counted as an Israelite?
Achan is counted as a Canaanite.
And his whole family suffers.
The whole nation suffered! “Why have you brought this trouble on us?” Joshua asked.
He was stoned, and burnt, and they piled up a pile of rocks on him.
And they called that place the Valley of Trouble.
Friends, if you are flirting with sin, don’t allow yourself to be fooled.
There will be consequences.
There will be trouble.
You are not bullet-proof.
We tell our children, “With disobedience comes danger.”
That’s the way it is in God’s world.
It doesn’t always seem that way. The Book of Job and Psalm 73 explain that it doesn’t always seem that way while this short life goes on.
That’s why the media portrays a very different story.
“You can life like you want and there are no consequences!” Nu’uh.
You can’t have sex outside of marriage without trouble.
You can’t gossip about your friend or your enemy without trouble.
You can’t cheat on a test without trouble.
You can’t cut corners at work without trouble.
You can’t click to those websites without trouble.
You can’t read those smutty stories or lustfully watch those vulgar movies without trouble.
You can’t take those drugs or get drunk with that beer without reaping trouble.
You can’t dishonor your parents without reaping trouble.
Sin is serious. It always leads to trouble.
#5. SIN MUST BE DECISIVELY JUDGED. V.25
“Joshua said, ‘Why have you brought this trouble on us? The LORD will bring trouble on you today.’” And they stoned and burned him.
There is a necessary punishment for sin.
Sin is so serious, so other-affecting, so unable to stay hidden, so trouble-inducing, so wrath incurring–that it must be dealt with decisively.
It must be judged.
God is holy, and He must judge sin.
In His wisdom, He decided that NOW was the time for Achan.
In His wisdom, He has set a time for you and me to stand before judgment.
To give an account of our deeds done in the body.
And justice will be done and be seen to be done.
Sin must be decisively dealt with. Decisively judged.
But here is the good news for us. Here it is!
There is One who has taken on the judgment for our sins FOR US.
There is One who, in His love for us, bore the punishment we deserved–not just for one act of covetousness and hidden theft–but for all of our sinful failings, all of our direct and indirect sins, all of our passive and aggressive sins, all of our sins of omission and commission–all of our sins, past, present and future.
There is One who bore our sins in His body on the tree, the just for the unjust to bring us to God!
There is a Redeemer! Jesus, God’s own Son!
And He has taken our judgment for us at the Cross!
That’s how serious sin is, friends!
It’s serious enough for us to need a Savior!
Do you know Jesus as your Savior?
It’s the greatest thing in the world.
If you don’t I invite you, I implore you, I challenge you to turn from your sins and trust in Him alone.
He is mighty to save.
Do you know Jesus as your Savior?
If you do, why would you stay in your sins?
Why would you hold on to secret sin? Hidden sin? Offensive habits?
Say, “No!” to your besetting temptations.
Say, “No!” to the world’s enticements.
Say, “No!” to what your flesh has been trying to talk you into.
Say, “No!” to the devil’s plan for your life.
Because as serious as sin is, it’s no longer that powerful in the life of a real Christian.
Victory is possible for Christ-followers.
#6. SIN SPELLS DEFEAT BUT OBEDIENCE RESULTS IN BLESSING.
Achan’s death was not the end of the story. We have to look at chapter 8.
When sin was dealt with, victory returned. V.1
“Then the LORD said to Joshua, ‘Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.”
Does that sound familiar? That’s more like it! That’s how He sounded in chapter 1. “Be strong and courageous!”
“Take the whole army with you, and go up and attack Ai. For I have delivered into your hands the king of Ai, his people, his city and his land. You shall do to Ai and its king as you did to Jericho and its king, except that [this time!] you may carry off their plunder and livestock for yourselves. Set an ambush behind the city.’ [Achan didn’t wait for the generosity of God. V.3] So Joshua and the whole army moved out to attack Ai. He chose thirty thousand of his best fighting men and sent them out at night with these orders: ‘Listen carefully. You are to set an ambush behind the city. Don't go very far from it. All of you be on the alert. I and all those with me will advance on the city, and when the men come out against us, as they did before, we will flee from them. They will pursue us until we have lured them away from the city, for they will say, 'They are running away from us as they did before.' So when we flee from them, you are to rise up from ambush and take the city. The LORD your God will give it into your hand. When you have taken the city, set it on fire. Do what the LORD has commanded. See to it; you have my orders.’
“Then Joshua sent them off, and they went to the place of ambush and lay in wait between Bethel and Ai, to the west of Ai–but Joshua spent that night with the people. Early the next morning Joshua mustered his men, and he and the leaders of Israel marched before them to Ai. The entire force that was with him marched up and approached the city and arrived in front of it. They set up camp north of Ai, with the valley between them and the city. Joshua had taken about five thousand men and set them in ambush between Bethel and Ai, to the west of the city. They had the soldiers take up their positions–all those in the camp to the north of the city and the ambush to the west of it. That night Joshua went into the valley. When the king of Ai saw this, he and all the men of the city hurried out early in the morning to meet Israel in battle at a certain place overlooking the Arabah. But he did not know that an ambush had been set against him behind the city. Joshua and all Israel let themselves be driven back before them, and they fled toward the desert. All the men of Ai were called to pursue them, and they pursued Joshua and were lured away from the city. Not a man remained in Ai or Bethel who did not go after Israel. They left the city open and went in pursuit of Israel.”
Do you get the picture? They ran towards the city, and then said, “Oh No! Ai is attacking us again” and ran away. V.18
“Then the LORD said to Joshua, ‘Hold out toward Ai the javelin that is in your hand [kind of like the staff of Moses], for into your hand I will deliver the city.’ So Joshua held out his javelin toward Ai. As soon as he did this, the men in the ambush rose quickly from their position and rushed forward. They entered the city and captured it and quickly set it on fire. The men of Ai looked back and saw the smoke of the city rising against the sky, but they had no chance to escape in any direction, for the Israelites who had been fleeing toward the desert had turned back against their pursuers.”
“For when Joshua and all Israel saw that the ambush had taken the city and that smoke was going up from the city, they turned around and attacked the men of Ai. The men of the ambush also came out of the city against them, so that they were caught in the middle, with Israelites on both sides. Israel cut them down, leaving them neither survivors nor fugitives. But they took the king of Ai alive and brought him to Joshua. When Israel had finished killing all the men of Ai in the fields and in the desert where they had chased them, and when every one of them had been put to the sword, all the Israelites returned to Ai and killed those who were in it. Twelve thousand men and women fell that day–all the people of Ai. For Joshua did not draw back the hand that held out his javelin until he had destroyed all who lived in Ai.”
“But Israel did carry off for themselves the livestock and plunder of this city, as the LORD had instructed Joshua. So Joshua burned Ai and made it a permanent heap of ruins, a desolate place to this day. He hung the king of Ai on a tree and left him there until evening. At sunset, Joshua ordered them to take his body from the tree and throw it down at the entrance of the city gate. And they raised a large pile of rocks over it, which remains to this day.”
When Achan’s sin had been decisively dealt with, victory returned to Israel.
Sin spells defeat but obedience results in victory and blessing.
What a difference between the battle of Ai in chapter 7 and the battle of Ai in chapter 8!
And the difference was whether or not there was sin or obedience.
Which one are you pursuing?
Joshua wanted to cement this lesson into their heads, so he used this moment in their history to obey the commands that Moses had given them in Deuteronomy chapter 27.
The entire nation took part in a dramatic ceremony of reminding themselves of the warnings and promises of God. Look at verse 30.
“Then Joshua built on Mount Ebal an altar to the LORD, the God of Israel, as Moses the servant of the LORD had commanded the Israelites [You can look it up in Deuteronomy 27]. He built it according to what is written in the Book of the Law of Moses–an altar of uncut stones, on which no iron tool had been used. On it they offered to the LORD burnt offerings and sacrificed fellowship offerings.”
Worship! And reminders of how God deals with sin.
“There, in the presence of the Israelites, Joshua copied on stones the law of Moses, which he had written [the Word of God!]. All Israel, aliens and citizens alike, with their elders, officials and judges, were standing on both sides of the ark of the covenant of the LORD, facing those who carried it–the priests, who were Levites.”
Now, catch this:
“Half of the people stood in front of Mount Gerizim and half of them in front of Mount Ebal [six tribes on one side, six tribes on the other], as Moses the servant of the LORD had formerly commanded when he gave instructions to bless the people of Israel. Afterward, Joshua read all the words of the law–the blessings and the curses–just as it is written in the Book of the Law. There was not a word of all that Moses had commanded that Joshua did not read to the whole assembly of Israel, including the women and children, and the aliens who lived among them.”
Do you get the picture?
Half of Israel here. Half of Israel here.
And as Joshua reads, they listen.
And [Deuteronomy says] they get to the promises. And this group over here says, “Amen!”
With obedience comes blessing!
And then they read some warnings. And this group over hear echos back like a great big stadium, “Amen!”
With disobedience comes danger!
With sin comes defeat!
And they go back and forth through the whole law.
And they are saying, “Let’s follow the LORD!”
Let’s not give in to sin.
Let’s not go there.
Sin is serious business.
Let’s not go there. Let’s follow the Lord!
And how much more, you and I having the Spirit, having the completed Word, and (espeicially) living on this side of the Cross and the Empty Tomb–should we say, “Yes, Lord! Amen! We will obey.”
