Week 6 - Day 2

THE STORY

Rescue (Old Testament)

THE THRILL OF VICTORY AND THE AGONY OF DEFEAT (Repeat)

God’s people the Israelites have wandered through the wilderness for 40 years and finally they are ready to go into the Promised Land—the land God had promised Abraham to give his descendants. The problem is the land wasn’t empty. It was inhabited by powerful people. And Moses their leader has died. Now Joshua would have to take over and lead the Israelites into the Promised Land.

Joshua 5:13-15 (NLT)

When Joshua was near the town of Jericho, he looked up and saw a man standing in front of him with sword in hand. Joshua went up to him and demanded, “Are you friend or foe?”

“Neither one,” he replied. “I am the commander of the LORD’s army.”

At this, Joshua fell with his face to the ground in reverence. “I am at your command,” Joshua said. “What do you want your servant to do?”

The commander of the LORD’s army replied, “Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy.” And Joshua did as he was told.

  • Who is this “man” that Joshua meets?

  • What does this supernatural encounter say about how the battles would be waged and won in the conquest of the Promised Land?

Joshua 6:1-5 (NLT)

Now the gates of Jericho were tightly shut because the people were afraid of the Israelites. No one was allowed to go out or in. But the LORD said to Joshua, “I have given you Jericho, its king, and all its strong warriors. You and your fighting men should march around the town once a day for six days. Seven priests will walk ahead of the Ark, each carrying a ram’s horn. On the seventh day you are to march around the town seven times, with the priests blowing the horns. When you hear the priests give one long blast on the rams’ horns, have all the people shout as loud as they can. Then the walls of the town will collapse, and the people can charge straight into the town.”

  • How in the world could this battle strategy actually work?

  • What would it take for Joshua and the Israelites to follow this battle strategy?

God’s unusual battle strategy worked. The Israelites conquered Jericho. But then something goes wrong.

Joshua 7:1-6 (NLT)

But Israel violated the instructions about the things set apart for the LORD. A man named Achan had stolen some of these dedicated things, so the LORD was very angry with the Israelites. Achan was the son of Carmi, a descendant of Zimri son of Zerah, of the tribe of Judah.

Joshua sent some of his men from Jericho to spy out the town of Ai, east of Bethel, near Beth-aven. When they returned, they told Joshua, “There’s no need for all of us to go up there; it won’t take more than two or three thousand men to attack Ai. Since there are so few of them, don’t make all our people struggle to go up there.”

So approximately 3,000 warriors were sent, but they were soundly defeated. The men of Ai chased the Israelites from the town gate as far as the quarries, and they killed about thirty-six who were retreating down the slope. The Israelites were paralyzed with fear at this turn of events, and their courage melted away.

Joshua and the elders of Israel tore their clothing in dismay, threw dust on their heads, and bowed face down to the ground before the Ark of the LORD until evening.

  • What does Achan’s sin with its personal and communal consequences say about sin and disobedience?

  • How would you describe the rollercoaster of Joshua’s emotions at this point?

  • Whom did Joshua and the Israelites fail to consult before attacking Ai?

  • Why didn’t they think this consultation was necessary?

  • What might this consultation have revealed?

The story of the conquest is one of more victories and other defeats, but in the end God was faithful to His covenantal promise to Abraham.

Joshua 21:43 (NLT)

So the LORD gave to Israel all the land he had sworn to give their ancestors, and they took possession of it and settled there.

IS THAT JUST?!

The ethics of the conquest of the Promised Land is often debated. How could the holy God of Israel order such a campaign? Here are three things to keep in mind as you come to terms with the conquest.

1. God did promise Abraham to give him this land (see Genesis 12:1-7). And now He has kept His promise. Here are the covenantal promises that God made to Abraham again.

  • I will bless you, make your name great and make you into a great nation—CHECK.

  • I will bless those who bless you and curse those who curse you—CHECK. Just ask the Egyptians.

  • I will bless all the nations of the world through you—CHECK. Not only did God bless Israel by giving them His law, He blessed the whole world with this revelation of His will. This isn’t the BIG BLESSING yet. That’s where The Story is headed. But, nonetheless, God’s law is an amazing blessing to the world. How else would we know the will of our Creator God?

  • I will give you a land—CHECK.

2. In Genesis 15:13-16 God makes this prediction to Abraham about their slavery to the Egyptians. Notice what He says about the sins of the Ammorites who were the inhabitants of the Promised Land.

Genesis 15:13-16 (NLT)

Then the LORD said to Abram, “You can be sure that your descendants will be strangers in a foreign land, where they will be oppressed as slaves for 400 years. But I will punish the nation that enslaves them, and in the end they will come away with great wealth. (As for you, you will die in peace and be buried at a ripe old age.) After four generations your descendants will return here to this land, for the sins of the Amorites do not yet warrant their destruction.”

Moses reiterates that it wasn’t the righteousness of the Israelites that led to the conquest of the Promised Land, but the wickedness of the people who lived there.

‭‭Deuteronomy‬ ‭9:1-5 (NLT)‬‬

Listen, O Israel! Today you are about to cross the Jordan River to take over the land belonging to nations much greater and more powerful than you. They live in cities with walls that reach to the sky! The people are strong and tall—descendants of the famous Anakite giants. You’ve heard the saying, “Who can stand up to the Anakites?” But recognize today that the LORD your God is the one who will cross over ahead of you like a devouring fire to destroy them. He will subdue them so that you will quickly conquer them and drive them out, just as the LORD has promised.

After the LORD your God has done this for you, don’t say in your hearts, “The Lord has given us this land because we are such good people!” No, it is because of the wickedness of the other nations that he is pushing them out of your way. It is not because you are so good or have such integrity that you are about to occupy their land. The LORD your God will drive these nations out ahead of you only because of their wickedness, and to fulfill the oath he swore to your ancestors Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

3. The danger of spiritual corruption was real. The inhabitants of the Promised Land practiced idolatry to other gods which led to sexual immorality and child sacrifices. To say the least, these were detestable to God. God’s concern was that His people would adopt and adapt these detestable practices. So Moses gave them this command and warning.

‭‭Deuteronomy‬ ‭12:2-4 (NLT)‬‬

When you drive out the nations that live there, you must destroy all the places where they worship their gods—high on the mountains, up on the hills, and under every green tree. Break down their altars and smash their sacred pillars. Burn their Asherah poles and cut down their carved idols. Completely erase the names of their gods! Do not worship the LORD your God in the way these pagan peoples worship their gods.

Unfortunately, God’s fear was founded and Moses’ command was ignored. As The Story continues the Israelites would worship these pagan gods and fall into their detestable sins.

  • Do these three points help you understand the conquest? Why or why not?

THE AGONY OF DEFEAT AND THE THRILL OF VICTORY (Repeat)

After the death of Joshua, the danger of corruption became a reality. And the pattern of victory and defeat repeated itself, especially during the time of the Judges.

This is from the introduction to the book of Judges in the NIV Bible.

The events in Judges followed a certain pattern:

  1. The Israelites lived in peace while serving and loving God.

  2. The Israelites forgot God and worshiped idols.

  3. God punished his people by sending a neighboring nation to fight and rule over them.

  4. The Israelites turned to God and asked for forgiveness.

  5. God forgave his people and saved them by sending a judge to help conquer their enemy.

  • How do you see this pattern of victory—defeat—victory (repeat) at work in your life?

PREVIEW

It would be wonderful to be able to say that God’s people have put their foolish ways behind them. In the last book of the Bible, however, Jesus addresses seven churches in Asia Minor. They too were struggling with the rollercoaster of obedient victory and disobedient defeat.

This is Jesus’ letter to the Church in Ephesus.

Revelation 2:2-6 (NIV)

I know your deeds, your hard work and your perseverance. I know that you cannot tolerate wicked people, that you have tested those who claim to be apostles but are not, and have found them false. You have persevered and have endured hardships for my name, and have not grown weary.

Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken the love you had at first. Consider how far you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at first. If you do not repent, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place. But you have this in your favor: You hate the practices of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate.

To remove their lampstand meant to remove their church. Since the church is to be a witness to Jesus who is the Light of the World, obviously, this is a serious matter.

Proverbs 3:11-12 (NLT)

My child, don’t reject the Lord’s discipline,
    and don’t be upset when he corrects you.
For the LORD corrects those he loves,
    just as a father corrects a child in whom he delights.

Revelation 3:19 (NIV)

Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline. So be earnest and repent.

  • From the above two passages, why does God discipline us?

  • Have you experienced His loving discipline in your life? How?

  • How might God be disciplining you right now and calling you to repent and change with His help?

  • In light of what you have discovered through the Bible readings and your personal reflections, how will you respond? Finish this sentence: I will …

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Week 6 - Day 1

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Week 6 - Day 3