(2) The Story of Joshua
1) Invitation to God’s War
Fight by Relying on the Word of God Who Is With You
After Moses died, God commanded the Israelites, the “army of God,” to advance into Canaan. Though it was the promised land, it was not an empty land—it had to be fought for and conquered. God appointed Joshua to succeed Moses and carry out this mission. Joshua, who lacked many of Moses’ strengths, faced this task, trembling with fear. But the outcome of God’s war did not depend on Joshua’s abilities, only on the fact that God was with him. Joshua had to focus not on himself, but on the word of God who was with him. The battle belonged to God.
》Scripture Prayer
(Joshua 1:1–3, 5–9,NIV) 1 After the death of Moses the servant of the LORD, the LORD said to Joshua son of Nun, Moses’ aide: 2 “Moses my servant is dead. Now then, you and all these people, get ready to cross the Jordan River into the land I am about to give to them—to the Israelites. 3 I will give you every place where you set your foot, as I promised Moses. 5 No one will be able to stand against you all the days of your life. As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake you. 6 Be strong and courageous, because you will lead these people to inherit the land I swore to their ancestors to give them. 7 “Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses gave you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, that you may be successful wherever you go. 8 Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful. 9 Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go.”
》Pray that the Word may become the Conclusion.
1. Moses died, but just as Joshua’s generation continued the Lord’s war, God’s battle still continues in our generation. Let us pray that the church will not avoid this war until the day comes, and that we will fight strong and courageous by trusting the Lord, or Immanuel, and depending on His word.
2. Let us pray for leaders who, like Joshua, will guide the next generation. Pray that they will obey the word of God without compromise. Especially pray for seminaries and disciple-making communities that raise up leaders who meditate on God’s word daily and live it out in obedience.
2) Understand God’s Warfare
The Key to Victory in God’s War Is Holiness and Obedience
Victory is impossible without the holiness of the whole body. Though it was the sin of just one man, Achan, all Israel suffered defeat because of it. Just as a little yeast leavens the whole batch (1 Corinthians 5:6), the entire community must be holy. Israel had to completely remove the sin of unbelief before joining God’s battle.
To win God’s war, holiness and obedience are essential. Without going through the cross, no one can participate in His war, and defeat is inevitable. Therefore, God first deals with the holiness of those who are to engage in the battle. Without holiness, victory is impossible—because God is holy and cannot dwell with what is unholy.
》Scripture Prayer
(Joshua 7:1-4, 7, 10-13,NIV) 1 But the Israelites were unfaithful in regard to the devoted things; Achan son of Karmi, 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. 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. 3 When they returned to Joshua, they said, “Not all the army will have to go up against Ai. Send two or three thousand men to take it and do not weary the whole army, for only a few people live there.” 4 So about three thousand went up; but they were routed by the men of Ai, 7 And Joshua said, “Alas, 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! 10 The Lord said to Joshua, “Stand up! What are you doing down on your face? 11 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. 12 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. 13 “Go, consecrate the people. Tell them, ‘Consecrate yourselves in preparation for tomorrow; for this is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: There are devoted things among you, Israel. You cannot stand against your enemies until you remove them.
》Pray that the Word may become the Conclusion.
1. God cannot be with those who are unholy. A war cannot be won without God’s presence. Therefore, a people who have lost their holiness cannot be victorious. Let us pray that all Christians, through faith in the way of the cross, will partake in the holiness of Jesus Christ and, by that holiness, gain victory in spiritual warfare.
2. Achan’s sin led to the defeat of all Israel. Because of this, all Christians must not ignore or merely criticize the sins within the church, the body of Christ. Let us consider the sins within the church as our own, seek God’s face, and ask for His mercy so that the church may overcome. Let us pray for repentance that leads to sanctification, so that the church may receive the grace of the cross.
3) The Purpose of God’s War
Only God’s Glory and Power Must Be Revealed
God’s war is a battle that God Himself fights. Through this war, His glory and power are revealed—this is the purpose of His war. Jericho, the first city in Canaan that the Israelites had to fight against, was a large and fortified region that seemed impossible to conquer. But when the Israelites obeyed God and marched around it seven times on the seventh day and shouted, the walls fell. God’s war excludes all human effort. The more impossible the situation appears, the more clearly God’s glory and power are displayed. In God’s war, only His glory and power must be revealed.
》Scripture Prayer
(Joshua 6:15-21,NIV) 15 On the seventh day, they got up at daybreak and marched around the city seven times in the same manner, except that on that day they circled the city seven times. 16 The seventh time around, when the priests sounded the trumpet blast, Joshua commanded the army, “Shout! For the Lord has given you the city! 17 The city and all that is in it are to be devoted to the Lord. Only Rahab the prostitute and all who are with her in her house shall be spared, because she hid the spies we sent. 18 But keep away from the devoted things, so that you will not bring about your own destruction by taking any of them. Otherwise you will make the camp of Israel liable to destruction and bring trouble on it. 19 All the silver and gold and the articles of bronze and iron are sacred to the Lord and must go into his treasury.” 20 When the trumpets sounded, the army shouted, and at the sound of the trumpet, when the men gave a loud shout, the wall collapsed; so everyone charged straight in, and they took the city. 21 They devoted the city to the Lord and destroyed with the sword every living thing in it—men and women, young and old, cattle, sheep and donkeys.
》Pray that the Word may become the Conclusion.
1. Let us pray that all churches will fight the seemingly unbreakable forces of the world and sin—like the walls of Jericho—with faith and prayer, and experience God’s victory.
2. Let us pray that all Christians will put on the full armor of God and go into battle so that after fighting His war, they may still stand firm. Let us pray that only His glory and power will be revealed.
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