Welcome to the online sermons page.
Currently, this page includes summaries of recent messages
from the series "Forward, March!" on the book of Joshua.
Enjoy!

“5 AT A TIME” - JOSHUA 10:1-27

Sometimes life comes at you with more than one challenge at a time.

In sports, you might get double-teamed! 2 (or more) people cover you. How can you win?

At home, you might have to multi-task!

Joshua 10 gives an example that starts with unbelievable problems piling up,

WHEN OUR PROBLEMS GANG UP, OUR GOD STANDS UP.

PART 1- OUR PROBLEMS GANG UP ON US. 10:1-6

Gang Approach - “5 can do what 1 can’t!”

Israel had come south, stomping Ai in defeat and scaring Gibeon into surrender.

THE ENEMY'S ATTACK – 10:4-6

Have you ever made a mistake that made you sick?
Maybe it was a decision you made unintentionally.

. . . What will Israel do? This is a major threat.

PART 2- OUR GOD STANDS UP FOR US. 10:7-14

. . . Man was in the right place. But this takes more than man!

10:11- He struck them! (very visible)
He sent huge hailstones on them, the kind that can kill!

For all Israel rose up to do, God's hailstones coming down did more!

10:12-14 – He stopped time! (unique)

. . . These miracles turned the tables.

The enemies went into hiding!  God's servants went to work!

OUR AFTERMATH - 10:15-27

Israel's follow-up is faithful. They had some “finishing work” to do.

10:15-20 - Joshua and Israel returned to Gilgal, their home base.  What a service and celebration they must have had!

16 - Meanwhile, the 5 mighty kings fled for their lives and hid in a cave!

17- Word spread to Joshua,

18 - who instructed his army to guard them in the cave while others continued to fight.

10:21-27 - Israel returned to Joshua, having earned victory and gained confidence.

22-23 - Joshua had the guards open the cave where the 5 kings had hid.

24- He had his leaders put their feet on these kings' necks (!) to give them a symbolic taste of victory.

25- What God had done here, He can do anywhere.The 5-at-a-time kings were literally under their feet.

They present a picture of complete victory.

Unlike these kings buried behind stones, Christ had His stone moved, and He came forth.  And now, everything we do for Him lasts.

II Timothy 1:12 - “For the which cause I also suffer these things: nevertheless I am not ashamed: for I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day.”

5 AT A TIME

The enemy nations came at Israel 5 at a time!  The Lord fought off the enemy nations 5 at a time!

Deuteronomy 28:7 - “The LORD shall cause thine enemies that rise up against thee to be smitten before thy face: they shall come out against thee one way, and flee before thee seven ways.” The enemies that ran at them fast . . ran away even faster! Israel made short work of them.

Verses 28-43 describe the chase! They ran down these nations . . plus others!

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"ARE YOU SMARTER THAN A FISH?" - JOSHUA 9

Many people catch their dinner by hunting, trapping, and fishing. To do it, you’ve got to outsmart an animal or fish. You get them when, where, and how they don’t expect.

Fishermen use worms and lures to catch fish. Some lures work so well that they’re outlawed in certain states, since they don’t give the fish a chance! It looks good, but hooks bad.

We’re on the other end of that sometimes! We’re hunted and fished by Satan. He has declared "open season" on us.

Joshua 9 shares a story about this for us. It speaks of tricks, traps, and truth.
Beware of the blow from behind.
BEWARE OF WHAT LOOKS GOOD, BUT HOOKS BAD.

2 PARTS TO THE STORY

1- THE ATTACK 9:1-15
Israel faces deception.

9:1-2 - When all the kings hear, they gathered together to fight against Israel. Satan, like a roaring lion, made his move. Surprisingly, this wouldn’t work! Huge powerful armies align against Israel . . and fail! (in chapter 10)

9:3-5 - When Gibeon heard, they were wily and masqueraded. Satan, like a subtle snake, made his move. Surprisingly, this did work! A subtle, sneaky non-army tries to hook them . . and succeeds! (in chapter 9) Their key characteristic is that they’re wily. They end up like Wily E. Coyote (!): looking like they’ll win, but failing in the end.

Israel didn’t get overpowered, they got outsmarted. Deceit led to their defeat. God’s people made a mistake. They misjudged, missed.

9:6-11 - Gibeon said something. Israel judged by their ears. Beware of something that sounds exactly like what you want to hear. The enemy says, "We love your God. We want to . . serve Him, help you . . .". Later, Israel got this one right, perhaps from learning their lesson here: Ezra 4:1-2 - "Now when the adversaries of Judah and Benjamin heard that the children of the captivity builded the temple unto the LORD God of Israel; 2) Then they came to Zerubbabel, and to the chief of the fathers, and said unto them, Let us build with you: for we seek your God, as ye do; and we do sacrifice unto him since the days of Esarhaddon king of Assur, which brought us up hither."

9:12-15 - Gibeon showed something. Israel judged by their eyes.
Beware of something that looks exactly like what you want to see.
The enemy can play "dress up" well.
Verse 14 records Israel’s error:

They looked at the supplies.
Prudence would have revealed the error: Why did they keep dry, moldy bread?!
Patience would have revealed it. It only took three days to uncover the lie. (9:16)

They didn’t look to the Lord.
Prayer would have revealed this. Why didn’t they ask the Lord?
Israel didn’t come to the Lord - and got tricked along the way.

We need wisdom. One reason we make so many bad decisions is that they don’t look or feel bad at the time.
II Corinthians 11:3 - "But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtlety, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ."
II Corinthians 11:14 - "And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light."

Your enemy, the devil, is first and foremost deceptive.
From Genesis 3 to today, he works this way.
To judge only by ears and eyes . . is not wise.
It’s incomplete . . and can lead to deceit.
Do you fall for that?
It's easy to be led astray by friends and other people.
Some can cause you to stray. It looks good, hooks bad!
We've got to be careful in deals, decisions, purchases, and agreements also.
We even need to be careful with religions.  Some are cults, who use moral codes and sacred texts, yet are in error.

2- THE AFTERMATH 9:16-27
Israel faces a decision.

The enemy had entered! They had worked their way in like a Trojan Horse. Should Israel respond with the death penalty or a life of peace? Joshua put all the factors on the table, and the one that controlled the rest was his oath. He had given his word, in the Lord’s name. He kept it.

He allowed the Gibeonites to live and refused to put them to death. But he correctly questioned them about their method. They had deceived. ("beguile" - ramah - to cast, to throw, to shoot with a bow) The Gibeonites had fired a successful shot from a distance . . that allowed them up close! Yet, as in chapter 7 & 8, God used the corrected mistake to lead to good things. Israel had free labor from Gibeon, that actually furthered the worship of God. Gibeon had free life from the Lord, that furthered His work even more.

Gibeon came to the Lord - in a tricky way. After Rahab’s move in Joshua 2, they acted similarly in Joshua 9. She came alone as a woman. The Gibeonites came together as men. Both heard, believed, and feared. They did not come in the best way, but they came to stay and improved over time! Both became loyal, lasting people of God. (6:25 & 9:27 - "to this day") Rahab came into the line of Christ as His ancestor! (Matthew 1:5) Gibeon became the site of the tabernacle (I Chronicles 16:39, 21:29) and produced one of David’s mighty men. (12:4)

When we’ve given our word, faithfulness is our only option. Further Scripture reveals that this was unquestionably the right move. In II Samuel 21:1-9, Saul later broke this covenant, and it led to prolonged, widespread famine.

Psalm 15:1, 4 - "Lord, who shall abide in Thy tabernacle? Who shall dwell in Thy holy hill? He that sweareth to his own hurt, and changeth not". (Verse 4 is one of 10 answers.)

Matthew 5:33-37 - "Don’t swear lightly because when you swear in the name of God, God expects you to be faithful." This is the prime reason why the marriage vow is sacred and permanent. It’s an oath in God’s name.

DON'T DECEIVE ANYONE.
Don’t be deceptive. It hurts others and backfires on you.

DON'T BELIEVE EVERYONE. Even if you’re not a deceiver, plenty of others are!
Proverbs 14:15 -
"The simple believeth every word: but the prudent man looketh well to his going."
Proverbs 28:26 - "He that trusteth in his own heart is a fool:
but whoso walketh wisely, he shall be delivered."
Don’t be gullible.  Don’t believe everything you hear.
Expect the unexpected.
Live by faith, not by sight. Take God’s word over anything: any sight, any sense, any saying, any feeling.

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"SECOND TRY" - JOSHUA 8

We rarely get things exactly right on the first try. We often fail at first. How about your very first attempts at cooking, driving, public speaking? It can get scary - or silly!

Sometimes you’re allowed, even encouraged to fail the first time. Students do in school. First, they do a rough draft - the sloppy copy! Moses did in Egypt. He made a mistake at the age of 40 years that cost him 40 years! In a famous quote, Thomas Edison notes that when it took him 1000 attempts to make a light bulb, he had not failed, but had found 1000 ways not to make a light bulb. WD 40 is named for the fact that it took 40 attempts to perfect it. Makes you wonder what happened to the people who tried Preparation A-G!

We often pull up short on the first try. Israel did at Ai. Let’s pick up their story in Joshua 8 and see how they fared on their second try.

Failing at first is not failing in full. Failing at first is not failing with finality. First - failure. Second - success!

SUCCEED THE SECOND TIME WHERE YOU FAILED THE FIRST.

WAYS TO NOW SUCCEED WHERE YOU HAVE FAILED

1- SEE WHAT YOU MISSED. 8:1-2
Israel had overlooked the Lord, His plan, and their dependence on Him.
Now this chapter starts "The Lord", so it will succeed.
The previous chapter started "The children of Israel", so it failed.
Chapter 8 is a lot like chapter 6 and the great victory at Jericho. 6:2 and 8:1 both include God’s promise "See, I have given"!

- First, there’s a "don’t", something to avoid: fear, discouragement. Fight the spiritual battle, against things that keep you down. Rise up. Overcome fear! Get up.

- Further, there are three "do"s.

1) "Take all" (after "not all" twice in 8:3). Fix your mistake. Be sure not to repeat it or continue a problematic pattern. Correct mistakes! Get ahead.

2) "Arise, go." As the Lord states so often in Joshua, they had to arise & act. "Forward, march!" Take action! Get going.

3) "See." He pointed to His promise, painting a picture of the victory He had in store for them.

Verse 2 notes not only "You can do it!" but also "You will do it!". Ai is going down like Jericho, except this time take prey for yourselves! The Lord instructed them to lay an ambush, a tactic still used today. "Ambush" is the key word of chapter 8, used 8 times: verses 2, 4, 7, 9, 12, 14, 19, 21. Have faith! Get on board.

PUT ASIDE YOUR PRIDE.
Don’t think you’re always right or unable to improve.
"If they won’t take me as I am, it’s their problem."
"If I can’t get it done, I’m done."
"If at first you don’t succeed, give up." "If at first you don’t succeed, get mad."
Isn’t that how we’ve all looked at it a time or two . . thousand!?"

If at first you don’t succeed, pray and try again!
If at first you don’t succeed, trust and try again.

LET GOD’S GRACE HAVE ITS PLACE.
Don’t spurn the second chance. See what He’s doing, and get on board.

2- SEIZE THE OPPORTUNITY. 8:3-29'
Here’s the bulk of the story. Work! Make the most of opportunity.
Give every situation a try. Don’t be afraid of sweating, even bleeding.
Commit; prepare; battle; continue!

- Follow the plan.

- Act - 1, 3, 10
Watch the words:
In 8:1, we have God’s command, "Arise, go to Ai".
In 8:3, we see Joshua’s answer, "Joshua arose to go up against Ai".
In 8:10, Joshua "rose up and went up".
It’s great when you can give word-for-word obedience.

- Ambush
See God’s strategy.
He had used "Surround Sound" in Joshua 6.
He now uses "Ambush Ai" in Joshua 8.
Here’s the genius of the story: the ambush.
Israel had previously fled and fallen before the men of Ai.
They reenacted this to draw them out again, only this time it was all an act.
Half the army faked fear in order to bring the men out of their city.
The other half of the army hid just outside the city in order to take it once the men left.
So Joshua and half the army lured them out, while half the army took their city.
The ambush set the whole place on fire.
They had Ai surrounded. Ai found itself in the middle of an Israel sandwich.
"What’s that sight, sound, smell? It’s our home in flames!" (8:20)
Israel had Ai surrounded, fished in by the ones who fled, fenced in by the ones who followed!
Gotcha! Game, set match!

Finish the job.

- Continue - 18, 26
"Stretch the spear". 18 & 26. Joshua had seen Moses do this in Exodus 17.
In 8:18, Joshua obeyed God’s voice and stretched out his spear.
In 8:26, Joshua kept it up. He didn’t give it up. He "stayed in the stretch". Luke 9:62

- Complete.
Do it with permanence. Verses 28 & 29 both mention lasting results.
What they did lasts "to this day".
The takedown of Ai was permanent.
The setup of a monument was permanent.

DON’T GET LEFT BEHIND.
"Forget what is behind, reach forth to what is before". (Philippians 3:13)

GO AHEAD.
Go get ‘em! "Forward, March!"

3- CELEBRATE YOUR SUCCESS 8:30-35
As is so often the case in the book of Joshua,
God had Israel commemorate what had happened.

- Celebrate with worship.
Step back and see what God has done.
Bow down and show who God is.

- Celebrate by renewing and reaffirming your commitment to Scripture.
Joshua built an altar, in verses 30-31.
He publicly read Scripture, the whole law, in verses 32-35.
God’s Word is central in their celebration.
He remembered it, in verses 31 and 33, making the altar according to God’s specs from Exodus 20:25 ("And it thou wilt make me an altar of stone, thou shalt not build it of hewn stone: for if thou lift up thy tool upon it, thou hast polluted it.") and lining up the people according to God’s directions in Deuteronomy 27:1-13.
He wrote it, in verse 32.
He wanted to personally show his submission to it and to get it into him.
Sometimes we’re tempted to "personalize" our Scripture (our own interpretation).
It’s better to Scripturalize our person!
He read it, in verses 34-35, thoroughly.

ACCLAIM WHAT GOD ACCOMPLISHED.
ACKNOWLEDGE GOD’S AUTHORITY.

These acts turned things around.
They turned defeat back to victory, shame back to glory, loss back to gain!

Can man get it right?
Joshua 7 & 8 is, in a way, the story of mankind.
Our first representative failed: Adam.
We’re all like him, by nature. We fail & flounder on our own.
Our second representative succeeded: Christ.
We can be like Him, with a new nature.

Fire prevention gets a lot of well-deserved attention.
You never know when you’ll have to be ready, so you should always be ready.
So we have fire drills, planned escape routes, theme weeks at school, poster contests, and slogans such as Smokey’s "Only you can prevent forest fires" and "Stop, drop, and roll!".
We understand that a fire requires immediate attention and action.

Sin prevention needs even more attention.
God Himself speaks about it all through His Word.
Similarly, it’s a matter of "Stop, drop, and roll!".
Stop to consider what you’re doing; drop the sin, and roll ahead past it.

Joshua 7 gives us a powerful example of this.
It records the first errors & casualties of the book.
Israel had known nothing but victory in this book, until now.
Sin brought the gears to a grinding halt. So they had to bring sin to a halt.

SNUFF SIN!
It’s not a matter of "Be alert to sin" or "Alleviate sin" or even "Avoid sin!".  It’s more a matter of eliminate, eradicate, and exterminate sin. Stop, drop, and roll!

3 STEPS TO SNUFF OUT SIN

1- RECOGNIZE 7:1-5
These verses mention the first failure in the book.
They disobey - and experience defeat.

At first glance, this sin seems small. It’s subtle.
One person does one thing wrong, and the whole operation comes to a crash.
Verse 1 equates "the children of Israel" with "Achan". And it takes half a day to identify him!  Your part affects the whole! The weak link of the chain hurts the whole thing.  The Lord’s anger sparked and began to burn.

At second glance, this sin seems larger. It’s widespread.
Verse 2 notes that Joshua sent men. Israel went on as though they hadn’t disobeyed.  Verse 3 mentions their conclusions.  These men bring back a wrong report, the other extreme of the mistake in Numbers 13-14.
There, they lacked confidence in God!
Here, they were overconfident - in themselves!
Twice, they use the phrase "not all".
They thought they could do it in their own strength - with plenty left over!
"Let not give it our all." "This is easy!" They were overconfident after Jericho. Nolan Ryan, after his last no-hitter, still stayed in the clubhouse and did his usual workout, despite happy friends wanting to treat him to dinner!
Give every situation your best.

Verses 4-5 share the results.
3,000 fall. (This was a group that hadn’t lost.)
36 die! (This generation had not know death from war.)
Israel "melts"! (2:11, 5:1 - This was supposed to happen only to the enemy.)
This was their first taste of defeat, and it took them by surprise.
At first glance, this seems subtle and small.
From God’s perspective, this is something to stop.
It’s "First and Ten": They all broke the first commandment, putting themselves before and apart from the Lord. Achan broke the tenth commandment, coveting and acting on it.

2- REPENT 7:6-15
Joshua asks. (7:6-9)
The first response seems right - but surprisingly is wrong.
Joshua seems to do all the right things, but he leaves out the most important thing.  He prays, but in an incomplete and ineffective way.
In verse 6, Joshua and the elders tore their clothes, fell down, and put dust on their heads.  They had all the outward signs correct. They looked the part!
In verses 7-9, Joshua prays up a storm. He pleads a la Moses in Exodus 32.
He appeals to God’s name.
He followed a good example. He sounded just right!

Jehovah answers. (7:10-15)
The Lord’s response sets them right.
He gives them a blueprint for proper repentance.
He addresses the 3 steps of snuffing sin.

First, we have to recognize. (10-12)
He wanted them to understand.
Verse 10 shockingly changes Joshua’s direction. "Get up (off his praying knees)!"
Verse 11 strongly condemns Israel’s disobedience.
He parses it. Israel sinned: taken, stolen, dissembled, put.
Verse 12 sharply concludes God’s decree. "That’s why!".
Not every loss and defeat is due to our specific sin, but it is the place to start in our evaluating.

Second, we have to repent. (13-14)
God insisted that what was done had to be undone.
They would "sanctify" themselves by taking away the banned substance.
They would set themselves apart to God by setting apart the accursed object.
God prescribed that they do this by taking Israel’s tribes, families, and households one by one.

Third, we have to remove. (15)
They had to burn - to death! - the offender and everything of his.

3- REMOVE 7:16-26
Joshua acts.
He follows God’s word directly.

In verses 16-23, he prepares.
First, in verses 16-18, he goes 1 by 1, to get to Achan.
Then, in verses 19-23, he gathers the evidence and declares the verdict.
He tells Achan to confess his sin that had slowed down the nation.
Achan acknowledges his coveting and taking of 3 items.
They were meant to be devoted to God by being burned.
He, in effect, disagreed and stole them from the Lord.
Joshua investigates and confirms all of these facts.

In verses 24-26, he punishes.
Verses 24-25 describe a "Reverse Rahab" scenario.
Just as she saved her family along with herself, he lost his family with himself.
Israel stoned him. He was the "troubler" (akar - disturbing the peace) of Israel,
much like the wicked King Ahab later was. (I Kings 18:17-18)
Verse 26 describes a "Reverse Chapter 4" situation.
Just as Israel’s stones stood as a positive memorial,
these stones stood as a negative monument.

Achan’s sin can easily be seen for what it is:

- It’s deliberate disobedience. God forbid it; he did it!
He wouldn’t take God’s word as final. He had to have his own way.

- It’s simple, silly materialism. He wants that thing and stops at nothing to get it.
Then he’s stuck with that thing! He has it, but has to hide it. It’s his, but there’s no enjoyment.  He thought it would bring him joy, but it only led to trouble, eventually to death!

- It’s impish impatience. In 8:2, God actually allowed them to take this in the very next battle!  It wasn’t the thing; it was the timing!

Satan got Adam and Eve on all of the above. Achan followed suit. Can you see past it?

This became a story Israel repeatedly told, to remind each other of how one sin affects many. Joshua 22:20 references this deed because of its widespread effect.

In the OT, God had Israel deal with sinners this way. They did this to others.
In the NT, God has believers deal with sin this way. We do this to our own sin.

Romans 13:14 - "But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfill the lusts thereof."

Colossians 3:5 - "Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth; fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness, which is idolatry:"

I John 2:15 - "Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him."

Mark 9:43-48 - "And if thy hand offend thee, cut it off: it is better for thee to enter into life maimed, than having two hands to go into hell, into the fire that never shall be quenched:
44) Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched.
45) And if thy foot offend thee, cut it off: it is better for thee to enter halt into life,
than having two feet to be cast into hell, into the fire that never shall be quenched:
46) Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched.
47) And if thine eye offend thee, pluck it out: it is better for thee to enter into the kingdom of God with one eye, than having two eyes to be cast into hell fire:
48) Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched."

Deal with sin. Stop it; contain it. Stop, drop, and roll.
Put out the fire of sin. Snuff sin.

Extinguish sin. The "recognize/ repent / remove" method is a sin extinguisher.
Know where it is, how to use it. (If the building inspector sees you looking for the fire extinguisher, it’s not a good sign.)

Sin stinks; make it extinct!
Like a "back of the refrigerator" stink, you find it and throw it out.

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                                "ARE YOU AFRAID OF A LION?" - JOSHUA 6

Are you afraid of a lion . . that’s dead?! Its smell might frighten you (!), but not its strength.  You can dissect - not die!

God slew a lion in Joshua 6. The story starts with God promising victory.
6:1 - a work of God - paralyzing the enemy
6:2-5 - a word from God - preparing His people
Verse 2 states His pronouncement.
Verses 3-5 share His plan.

Jericho, the border town, stood like a lion. Its walls, high and mighty, looked unconquerable. Yet Israel needed no fear! God promised to slay that lion. A generation earlier, Israel’s parents had run away from it. They saw it and saw no way. Now, a new generation arose. They saw it and saw a way past it. They saw no way - for Jericho! The earlier generation saw the lion, but never noticed its cage! God held Jericho in place and promised Israel victory. But they saw only the teeth and heard only the growl. They were afraid of the caged lion! The new generation saw the lion and already looked at its autopsy. They believed God’s promises & acted on them. They weren’t afraid of an as-good-as-dead lion.

FOLLOW THE LORD, AND FLEE THE WORLD.

Joshua 6 shares the story of the famed walls of Jericho. It describes two groups of people with a message for each: Israel (those who already believe) and Jericho (those who don’t yet believe)

1- ISRAEL: OBEY!
- Go God’s way every day.
Constant, committed obedience gets the job done. It has to be there every day: remembered, renewed, and repeated. And it will be rewarded. Israel did it every day. Joshua tells the story day by day.

DAY ONE (6-13)
Joshua gave the marching orders. And the main order was to march! They traveled in a way that was both spiritual and militaristic. They had priests and soldiers. They had the ark and armor. The people made no noise, though the priests blew the trumpets.

DAYS 2-6 (14)
The first day and the last day get a lot of attention (like school, work, home ownership, life). The many days in between kind of run together. They’re indistinguishable from each other, yet each is important. Each is a building block. Each counts toward the overall contribution. They circled the city and returned to the camp. Nothing changed outwardly, but they were making progress every step of the way. They were working toward something. They couldn’t see it, but they believed it. Here is the heart of obedience: following God’s orders, believing them to be best.

DAY 7 (15-27)
This day was payday. They could finally let loose: shouting (16, 20), saving (17, 22-25), sacking (17, 21), sparing (18-19). It all paid off. God’s word came true . . again . . of course! When He says the waters will part, the waters will part. When He says the walls will fall, the walls will fall.

These seven days are like the seven years they spent conquering Canaan. They were filled with bold action, consistent obedience, and total victory.

No need to be afraid of this (dead) lion! God took down Jericho’s defenses:
their confidence - 1-2
their city - 20
their citizens - 21, 24

That’s the path to victory for us as well. Make obedience a lifestyle. Live by God’s Word, even when you don’t see progress all at once, even when you encounter obstacles, even when it contradicts your nature, preference, or "your own understanding". Hebrews 11:30 enshrines this whole group in the Faith Hall of Fame. "By faith the walls of Jericho fell down, after they were compassed about seven days."

Here’s another question: Is the lion itself afraid?! It can laugh at some threats and feel secure amidst others. But the strongest forces on earth are no match for the God of heaven. Matthew 10:28 - "And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell."

Are you afraid . . of death? You could have either answer here. If you’re saved, you don’t have to be. If you’re not, you do!

2- JERICHO: GET AWAY!
- Destruction is coming; deliverance is possible.
God’s judgment is usually a two-part story. He destroys - and delivers. He saves some, while He judges. Destruction is coming; deliverance is possible. Both are there.

Jericho had to learn. The majority experienced destruction. And it was violent:
21- "destroyed" (crush - depress, beat in) / 24 - "burned" (consume - drink up).

A minority enjoyed deliverance. And it was purposeful. Joshua sent men on a mission to save Rahab’s household. They saved every last one of them.

They could take the high way and come to the Lord. Or they could go down. God had given Israel a battle protocol in Deuteronomy 20:10-12 - "When thou comest nigh unto a city to fight against it, then proclaim peace unto it. 11) And it shall be, if it make thee answer of peace, and open unto thee, then it shall be, that all the people that is found therein shall be tributaries unto thee, and they shall serve thee. 12) And if it will make no peace with thee, but will make war against thee, then thou shalt besiege it".

They could and should humbly embrace the Lord.  Get out of the burning building. Get off of the sinking boat. Get away from the sliding hill.

Luke 17:30-36 - "Even thus shall it be in the day when the Son of man is revealed. 31) In that day, he which shall be upon the housetop, and his stuff in the house, let him not come down to take it away: and he that is in the field, let him likewise not return back. 32) Remember Lot's wife. 33) Whosoever shall seek to save his life shall lose it; and whosoever shall lose his life shall preserve it. 34) I tell you, in that night there shall be two men in one bed; the one shall be taken, and the other shall be left. 35) Two women shall be grinding together; the one shall be taken, and the other left. 36) Two men shall be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left.

They could and should wisely escape the world. The way to live is to leave! No good could come of, in, or for Jericho! Joshua even pronounced a curse on it, in verse 26, which was fulfilled in I Kings 16:34. "In his days did Hiel the Bethelite build Jericho: he laid the foundation thereof in Abiram his firstborn, and set up the gates thereof in his youngest son Segub, according to the word of the LORD, which he spake by Joshua the son of Nun."

That’s the forecast for today’s world as well. The whole thing is like Jericho, a burning bridge, a sinking ship. We can’t and won’t save it. We have to save ourselves and others from it. We do this by turning from worldly ways to living for the Lord. Matthew 6:19-21 words it well: 19) Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: 20) But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal: 21) For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.

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                                          "CATCHING UP" - JOSHUA 5:1-9

"What are you going to do today?" That question faces us every morning.
Life is full of choices: Which should I do?
How do you narrow down your options? What criteria do you use?
If you can only do one, how do you say "no" to the other?
Choices also involve chronology: Which should I do . . first?
If both look good, which goes to the front of the line?
We face these situations all the time, and God’s people Israel, led by Joshua, experienced this one legendary time in Joshua 5:1-9.

First, let’s look at their 2 OPTIONS.

OPTION 1 - OPPORTUNITY 5:1
Israel had just crossed the Jordan river, and their feet now stood inside the Promised Land. They had waited 40 years for this time! Everyone in the nation had been under 20 when this journey started - and was now over 40! They had spent decades in the desert because of their parents’ disobedience. (Numbers 13-14) It wasn’t their fault, but it was their wait! They had heard weeks of words from Moses, messages that now fill a Bible book.(Deuteronomy) They had a game plan and were ready to go! And now an event occurred that seemed to tip the scales in their favor. News of the miraculous parting of the Jordan had left the Canaanite nations stunned.  The enemy was weak; their morale was low. Scripture says their hearts melted. (The Hebrew word uses, mas-as’, means to turn to sauce!) The word is used once before and once after this:
- before - 2:11 - Rahab - Hearing of the Red Sea, the Canaanites lost confidence.

- here - 5:1 - Kings - Hearing of the Jordan River, another miraculous crossing, they melted!
Twice, 5:1 states that "all the kings" melted!
In 2:11, a woman heard of God’s work in the distance - and melted, which is impressive.  In 5:1, many men of power heard of God’s work much closer - & melted, even more impressive.

- after - 7:5 - Israel melted - like water, dissolving into something loose.

It seemed like the perfect time to strike.
They had waited . . for a long time. God had acted . . setting the stage.
. . . "WE GOT ‘EM WHERE WE WANT ‘EM!"

OPTION 2 - OBEDIENCE 5:2
The LORD gave a direct command. Israel had neglected a key duty: circumcision. He told them to do it at this time. This was the God-given sign of His covenant with the nation. Abraham had done it speedily. (Genesis 17:9-14 - ordered, 23-27 - obeyed) Israel had followed suit, through the years. (Joshua 5:5) Lately, they had grown lazy. (Joshua 5:6-7) Circumcision carries a key side effect: temporary, but major sickness and weakness. Israel had actually used this once to defeat an enemy, effectively but wrongly. (Genesis 34) They insisted that their neighbors become circumcised in order to intermarry & trade with them. When the neighbors agreed and did, Israel took advantage of their weakness and destroyed them! For Israel to circumcise themselves . . now . . would require them to recover and would give the enemy time to recover. Yet they were behind the time in obeying God and needed to obey Him. In Exodus 4:24, God almost took Moses’ life over not circumcising his son!
. . . "WE’RE NOT WHERE GOD WANTS US!"

Verse 1 represents opportunity: "We got ‘em where we want ‘em!".
Verse 2 requires obedience: "We’re not where God want us!".
It’s a choice: Which should I do?
There’s a chronology: Which should I do . . first?
Israel responded well - and wisely! They didn’t even look at it as a choice.
They simply obeyed. They got moving on it right away. Verse 8 words it as an after-thought. They did the deed, took the delay, and honored the Lord.

Result: WE HAVE TO CATCH UP BEFORE WE CAN GET AHEAD.

Pay the old debt before incurring a new one.
Keep the standing commitment before starting the new.

What’s your lagging area of obedience?
- It can’t be circumcision for us, because Scripture associates that with the OT. (Colossians 2:11)  It mentions something similar, though: water baptism, that first public sign. (Colossians 2:12)

- It can also be worship.
Joshua 5:10 notes that Israel then kept the passover. Many generations of Israel neglected this.  But this group made it a priority to assemble, worship, and ceremonialize.

- It can also be something the Holy Spirit keeps bringing to your attention. Be open for it.

Whatever it is, it comes first, even if you perceive it as a setback or as a lost opportunity.

So Israel got moving on it. Then the Lord rolled their reproach away. In fact, that’s what they called the place (!): "Gilgal". Verse 9 explains the title. "Gilgal" means rolled away. The term itself means "wheel" or "rolling". God moved it. He moved away their reproach. He took away their stigma of their time since Egypt. He moved them past the years of regret that had haunted them.

When we think of "wheels", we think of moving fast. It’s also synonymous with "car"! Move fast to obey God. Keep rolling! Cruise! To obey God, we’ve got to be on the move. On earth, we’re never done. We’re keeping up. A lot of life is about catching up and keeping up: mail, laundry, banking, car/home maintenance. It’s easy to let it slide - and hard to handle the avalanche! It requires keeping up; we keep on rolling. Spiritually, our past won’t keep us up-to-date. There’s daily maintenance to be done, ongoing thought, prayer, and action. Often, obedience means moving ahead when we want to stay put. Other times, like here, it requires staying still when we want to plow ahead. "Wheels" aren’t always rolling! The antiquers among us think of wheels as those large, old, wooden wagon wheels in front of homes. Gilgal was a temporarily stationery wheel. Israel later returned to Gilgal as a home base, in chapter 10:9, 15 & 43.

God’s glory is described as having wheels in Ezekiel 1:15-21. It’s a constantly moving thing. Obeying God is a moving target, an exciting journey, catching up, then keeping up.

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"KEEPING UP" - JOSHUA 5:10-15

Where do you go to get what you need?
- Gas - You may look for the best price or the open pump or a place that takes your credit card.
- Groceries - You go where you can’t beat the selection, can’t beat the price, with full shelves, or because your friend works there or owns it.
- Guidance - You look based on trust ("I know I can trust him") & time ("He’s got time for me").  In all these scenarios, you want to know that what you need is available (They have it; they’re not running out.) and accessible (I can have it, by asking or seeking or paying.)

The stories in Joshua 5:10-15 emphatically underscore that God has what you need.

GOD KEEPS PROVIDING, EXCLAMATION POINT!

"God will provide?" We already learned that one. Realize that He just keeps on providing.

Our Lord is abundant. The human mind needs time to understand that He has all that we need. It’s an incredible proposition, yet totally true. Yet, we come to learn that He’s far more than we need, that having all we need is simply His small starting point. What He has in excess of that is far more.

GOD’S PROVISIONS . .

1- ALWAYS CONTINUE 5:10
Israel celebrated its annual feast of Passover, the one that reminded them of God’s salvation from their slavery, the one that connected year to year. Their calendar revolved around this, and they reflected on the previous year, much like we do at Thanksgiving/Christmas/New Year. It found them in the same place with the same people and led them to take stock. God had brought them through another year, to another Passover!

This Passover was extra special. They had celebrated it the night they left Egypt and one year later at Sinai - and not since! They had neglected it, as they had neglected circumcision, which was a requirement for the Passover. (Ex. 12:48) This could be the first of many in the Promised Land.

Philippians 4:19 - "But my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus." The provision is there. It’s a blanket promise.

2- OCCASIONALLY CHANGE 5:10-12
He always provides but not always in the same way.
He changed the ways and means of His provisions for His people Israel.
In 5:10-12, we see 3 days and 3 ways God provides.
Every day is different! And all point to Christ!

Sometimes they drop from the sky; sometimes they come from the ground. Sometimes, God grants; sometimes you earn. It might be corn; it might be bread. It could fall out of heaven; it could rise out of the ground.

John 6:35 - "And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to Me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on Me shall never thirst."

John 12:24 - "Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone: but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit."

I Corinthians 15:23 - "But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ’s at His coming."

The order of these three even subtly predicts Christ’s life, death, and resurrection!

It doesn’t usually change this quickly.
But it happens to almost all of us occasionally.

For Elijah, in I Kings 17, God used the unlikely:
first ravens (unfaithful birds), then a widow (unable provider).

For Isaac, in Genesis 22, God blessed Him in two ways:
first sparing Isaac’s life, then providing Isaac’s wife!

For us, God opens and closes chapters of our lives with certain provisions.
He changes our provisions, places, and even our people.
Among provisions, He will change little things like our discounts/donations
and big things like our health/abilities.
With places, He may alter where we live and where we work.
We have one for a while, then another after a while.
We tend to compare and rank the provisions. It’s likely better to give thanks and recognize that God is behind them and, though changing, still continuing them.
Among people, He will sometimes take our parents, spouses, and friends.
He replaces some; others remain irreplaceable.
Sometimes He replaces them with Himself! (Is. 54:4-7, Ps. 68:5)

- COME THROUGH CHRIST, (WHO NEVER CHANGES) 5:13-15
Christ isn’t just symbolized in this story. He shows up too! (13-15)
God is never named in verses 10-12. He stays behind the scenes.
He moves front and center in 13-15. We get a unique glimpse of Him.
The story is told from Joshua’s viewpoint. We feel like we’re standing behind him, looking over his shoulder. He gets a huge surprise! On the eve of the battle, Joshua looks up and sees something unexpected. He observes someone with a drawn sword, ready to participate in the battle. He wonders who this soldier is, and asks. He discovers that it’s the captain, and worships! This is more than an ordinary man, even more than an extraordinary man. This is Christ! As He had caught Moses’ attention at a burning bush 40 years earlier, He now drew Joshua’s focus near Jericho. He receives worship and makes an otherwise ordinary place into holy ground. This is enough to let us know it’s Christ. Almost everything else is a surprise! This brief glimpse is almost like the book of Revelation, unanticipated insight given by God.

- He appears. This teaches us that Christ existed before His human birth. He has always existed! In the Old Testament, before His birth, He occasionally appeared briefly to people, most notably under the title "The Angel of the LORD".

- He battles. He has a drawn sword! This shows His interest in faithfulness and justice. He will fight in order to fulfill. He will make things right, even at the cost of hard work & battle. This is the only time He appears in this exact way! The closest parallel is the next time He will come:  His second coming, on a white horse, with a sword in His mouth, as King of Kings.

- He commands. He leads and orchestrates God’s work. Interestingly, He comes to inspire, not to inform. We rightly emphasize information, teaching God’s Word and knowing it well. Yet, on occasion, God simply wants to give us inspiration, encouragement to do the right thing. In another point of great interest, He keeps Joshua as the visible leader. Christ can - and one day will - appear to all men and lead God’s armies. Yet now, He chooses to use us as His hands, feet, mouth, and arms.

- Hebrews 13:8 - "Jesus Christ, the same yesterday, and today, and forever."

Where do you go to get what you need? Go to God. He’s an abundant Provider, infinite. He’s got what you need. He’s not about to run out.