Saturday, January 10, 2004
Joshua 8 the conquest, part 4
more spiritual baptism
Having confronted that within us which would preserve that which God intended for destruction, we are ready to take the stronghold of Ai.
Here are Joshua's instructions:
Joshua 8:4-8 "You shall lie in ambush against the city, behind it; do not go very far from the city, but all of you stay alert.
So first of all, we must stay alert. In the words of Jesus, Mark 13:35 Therefore, keep awake -- for you do not know when the master of the house will come, in the evening, or at midnight, or at cockcrow, or at dawn, 36 or else he may find you asleep when he comes suddenly. 37 And what I say to you I say to all: Keep awake."
These things are not accomplished instantly. Nor are they accomplished directly. Once again, their is no head on assault on the evil. Things of the spirit cannot be accomplished according to the workings of the human will.
Joshua 8:5 I and all the people who are with me will approach the city. When they come out against us, as before, we shall flee from them. 6 They will come out after us until we have drawn them away from the city; for they will say, 'They are fleeing from us, as before.' While we flee from them, 7 you shall rise up from the ambush and seize the city; for the LORD your God will give it into your hand.
George Fox often advised people not to "look at" the evil, distracting part of themselves that was troubling them, but to look at "the light." Then, he says, "you will have the victory." Victory over sin cannot be accomplished by the human will alone. We require the grace and power of God. We must learn to wait on God, to bring everything into the Light. Flee from evil: “resist not.”
Joshua 8:8 And when you have taken the city, you shall set the city on fire, doing as the LORD has ordered; see, I have commanded you."
After the baptism of repentance, there is the baptism of spirit and fire in which the evil is burnt up. This is the baptism of Jesus:
Luke 3:16 John answered all of them by saying, "I baptize you with water; but one who is more powerful than I is coming; I am not worthy to untie the thong of his sandals. He will baptize you with1 the Holy Spirit and fire. 17 His winnowing fork is in his hand, to clear his threshing floor and to gather the wheat into his granary; but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire."
And that is the meaning of the destruction of Ai. At least, if we look at it through the lense of the New Covenant and Jesus. John 3:17, "Indeed, God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.
Here are Joshua's instructions:
Joshua 8:4-8 "You shall lie in ambush against the city, behind it; do not go very far from the city, but all of you stay alert.
So first of all, we must stay alert. In the words of Jesus, Mark 13:35 Therefore, keep awake -- for you do not know when the master of the house will come, in the evening, or at midnight, or at cockcrow, or at dawn, 36 or else he may find you asleep when he comes suddenly. 37 And what I say to you I say to all: Keep awake."
These things are not accomplished instantly. Nor are they accomplished directly. Once again, their is no head on assault on the evil. Things of the spirit cannot be accomplished according to the workings of the human will.
Joshua 8:5 I and all the people who are with me will approach the city. When they come out against us, as before, we shall flee from them. 6 They will come out after us until we have drawn them away from the city; for they will say, 'They are fleeing from us, as before.' While we flee from them, 7 you shall rise up from the ambush and seize the city; for the LORD your God will give it into your hand.
George Fox often advised people not to "look at" the evil, distracting part of themselves that was troubling them, but to look at "the light." Then, he says, "you will have the victory." Victory over sin cannot be accomplished by the human will alone. We require the grace and power of God. We must learn to wait on God, to bring everything into the Light. Flee from evil: “resist not.”
Joshua 8:8 And when you have taken the city, you shall set the city on fire, doing as the LORD has ordered; see, I have commanded you."
After the baptism of repentance, there is the baptism of spirit and fire in which the evil is burnt up. This is the baptism of Jesus:
Luke 3:16 John answered all of them by saying, "I baptize you with water; but one who is more powerful than I is coming; I am not worthy to untie the thong of his sandals. He will baptize you with1 the Holy Spirit and fire. 17 His winnowing fork is in his hand, to clear his threshing floor and to gather the wheat into his granary; but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire."
And that is the meaning of the destruction of Ai. At least, if we look at it through the lense of the New Covenant and Jesus. John 3:17, "Indeed, God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.
Friday, January 09, 2004
Joshua 7 the conquest, part 3
baptism in fire
It is true that despite God’s clear leading, many times, we do not put all that should be put to destruction to destruction:
Joshua 7:1 But the Israelites broke faith in regard to the devoted things: Achan son of Carmi son of Zabdi son of Zerah, of the tribe of Judah, took some of the devoted things; and the anger of the LORD burned against the Israelites.
We want to cling to some of those things we found precious even though we knew that they were intended by God for destruction. These are the lusts of the flesh, the pride of the eye -- the beautiful side of evil.
And so, the witness of the Lord in us is weakened. And when the witness of the Lord in us is weakened, our ability to witness for the Lord is necessarily weakened, as well. The assault of Ai, is the story of our diminished spiritual capacity because Ai is the place of the secret treasures that we have held back from the Lord. Self-deceived, we thought we would have the same wonderful spiritual experience that we had when the walls of Jericho fell, but when we attacked Ai:
Joshua 7:5 The men of Ai killed about thirty-six of them, chasing them from outside the gate as far as Shebarim and killing them on the slope. The hearts of the people melted and turned to water.
And so, having suffered loss, we turn to God and God tells us what has happened:
Joshua 7:11 Israel has sinned; they have transgressed my covenant that I imposed on them. They have taken some of the devoted things; they have stolen, they have acted deceitfully, and they have put them among their own belongings. 12 Therefore the Israelites are unable to stand before their enemies;... I will be with you no more, unless you destroy the devoted things from among you.
It is serious and alarming message to hear God say, “I will not be with you anymore.” Faced with that choice, we realize that we have put to death that which is rebellious against God within us. Only then is the possibility of spiritual victory and power again possible. Joshua searches out and finds that Achan son of Zera and his sons and daughters had taken things intended for destruction.
Joshua 7:25 Joshua said, "Why did you bring trouble on us? The LORD is bringing trouble on you today." And all Israel stoned him to death; they burned them with fire, cast stones on them,
The victory of Ai is the story of our baptism. (Baptism is the putting to death within us that which would live without God. For this, see Romans 6:3 Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? 4 Therefore we have been buried with him by baptism into death, so that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life.
Joshua 7:1 But the Israelites broke faith in regard to the devoted things: Achan son of Carmi son of Zabdi son of Zerah, of the tribe of Judah, took some of the devoted things; and the anger of the LORD burned against the Israelites.
We want to cling to some of those things we found precious even though we knew that they were intended by God for destruction. These are the lusts of the flesh, the pride of the eye -- the beautiful side of evil.
And so, the witness of the Lord in us is weakened. And when the witness of the Lord in us is weakened, our ability to witness for the Lord is necessarily weakened, as well. The assault of Ai, is the story of our diminished spiritual capacity because Ai is the place of the secret treasures that we have held back from the Lord. Self-deceived, we thought we would have the same wonderful spiritual experience that we had when the walls of Jericho fell, but when we attacked Ai:
Joshua 7:5 The men of Ai killed about thirty-six of them, chasing them from outside the gate as far as Shebarim and killing them on the slope. The hearts of the people melted and turned to water.
And so, having suffered loss, we turn to God and God tells us what has happened:
Joshua 7:11 Israel has sinned; they have transgressed my covenant that I imposed on them. They have taken some of the devoted things; they have stolen, they have acted deceitfully, and they have put them among their own belongings. 12 Therefore the Israelites are unable to stand before their enemies;... I will be with you no more, unless you destroy the devoted things from among you.
It is serious and alarming message to hear God say, “I will not be with you anymore.” Faced with that choice, we realize that we have put to death that which is rebellious against God within us. Only then is the possibility of spiritual victory and power again possible. Joshua searches out and finds that Achan son of Zera and his sons and daughters had taken things intended for destruction.
Joshua 7:25 Joshua said, "Why did you bring trouble on us? The LORD is bringing trouble on you today." And all Israel stoned him to death; they burned them with fire, cast stones on them,
The victory of Ai is the story of our baptism. (Baptism is the putting to death within us that which would live without God. For this, see Romans 6:3 Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? 4 Therefore we have been buried with him by baptism into death, so that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life.
Thursday, January 08, 2004
Joshua 6 the conquest, part 2
the day of visitation
Jericho and Ai are strongholds -- walled cities -- within us that stand opposed to the will of God. Yet, there is within the possibility of the return to God. She is the prostitute Rahab. She received the spies who, in the night, visit. She makes welcome these intimations of the visitation of the Lord, and affirms that the Lord will triumph. Early Friends understood that the visitation of the Lord was a precious, but limited time, in which God approaches each soul, breaks through the hardness of the heart, and offers the possibility of salvation. Woe to the one who does not respond on the day of their visitation. Rahab represents that within us which is ready to respond on that day.
Nevertheless, there is much that is evil within us that is unwilling to answer God's call. Therefore, Joshua must attack the city. Following the commandments of God, he does not attack headlong. Instead, day after day, the army of God walks around the wall of our heart, in silence, awaiting the miraculous collapse of our defense:
Joshua 6:10 To the people Joshua gave this command: "You shall not shout or let your voice be heard, nor shall you utter a word, until the day I tell you to shout. Then you shall shout."
So after waiting and worship in silent preparation for God’s work, on the seventh day, (when the time is fulfilled) . . .
Joshua 6:16 And at the seventh time, when the priests had blown the trumpets, Joshua said to the people, "Shout! For the LORD has given you the city. 17 The city and all that is in it shall be devoted to the LORD for destruction. Only Rahab the prostitute and all who are with her in her house shall live because she hid the messengers we sent.
Then everything that is contrary to God within us falls to the sword of the word of God. (You can read about that sword in Ephesians 6:7 and Hebrews 4:12, as well as the Book of Revelation.) And that which is willing to be redeemed "shall live" -- Rahab and all who are with her.
Nevertheless, there is much that is evil within us that is unwilling to answer God's call. Therefore, Joshua must attack the city. Following the commandments of God, he does not attack headlong. Instead, day after day, the army of God walks around the wall of our heart, in silence, awaiting the miraculous collapse of our defense:
Joshua 6:10 To the people Joshua gave this command: "You shall not shout or let your voice be heard, nor shall you utter a word, until the day I tell you to shout. Then you shall shout."
So after waiting and worship in silent preparation for God’s work, on the seventh day, (when the time is fulfilled) . . .
Joshua 6:16 And at the seventh time, when the priests had blown the trumpets, Joshua said to the people, "Shout! For the LORD has given you the city. 17 The city and all that is in it shall be devoted to the LORD for destruction. Only Rahab the prostitute and all who are with her in her house shall live because she hid the messengers we sent.
Then everything that is contrary to God within us falls to the sword of the word of God. (You can read about that sword in Ephesians 6:7 and Hebrews 4:12, as well as the Book of Revelation.) And that which is willing to be redeemed "shall live" -- Rahab and all who are with her.
Wednesday, January 07, 2004
Joshua 5-8 the conquest, part 1
Joshua 5:13 through Joshua 8:29 is a unit that begins the conquest narrative with the destruction of Jericho and then Ai in the center of the country. Then there are narratives about the conquest of the south and then the north. All of this is tough stuff for a pacifist if this material is to be read at face value as history. The text attributes directly to God the command:
Joshua 8:2 You shall do to Ai and its king as you did to Jericho and its king
What did they do to Jericho? It was not pretty:
Joshua 6:21 Then they devoted to destruction by the edge of the sword all in the city, both men and women, young and old, oxen, sheep, and donkeys.
And, according to the text, that means that:
Joshua 8:25 The total of those who fell that day, both men and women, was twelve thousand -- all the people of Ai.
It sounds like genocide, and genocide ordered by God; that is a hard thing to reconcile oneself to. Certainly, the New Covenant (which according to Jeremiah 33 "is different from the old") is different in this respect, and it would be impossible to reconcile Jesus -- who breaks down the wall of enmity -- with Joshua.
Archeology, which apparently finds no evidence that the walls of Jericho (so vital to this story) were actually standing at the time of the entry of the Hebrews into the land. And while there is evidence of destruction, it is clear that the intent of these passages is not so much history as we understand the word (as factual and objective reporting of events) as much as expressing and interpretation of the intent of God in giving over the land to the Hebrew tribes.
So, if we want to hold all of scripture as authoritative, we have to find a more subtle way of reading the text that honors it for what it wants to say according to its own form and nature. This is affirmed by the structure of the story with its many intentional parallels to the Exodus account. The most important of these parallels is the appearance of the commander of the Lord's army:
Joshua 5:13-15 Once when Joshua was by Jericho, he looked up and saw a man standing before him with a drawn sword in his hand. Joshua went to him and said to him, "Are you one of us, or one of our adversaries?" 14 He replied, "Neither; but as commander of the army of the LORD I have now come." And Joshua fell on his face to the earth and worshiped, and he said to him, "What do you command your servant, my lord?" 15 The commander of the army of the LORD said to Joshua, "Remove the sandals from your feet, for the place where you stand is holy." And Joshua did so.
So, we see that this is not strictly a history of a specific event in time, but an affirmation of faith. Here is the burning bush of (Exodus 3:2ff), repeated. This signals to those who would read the scripture attentive to its form that the story that follows is the word of the living God saying to another Moses, "go down to Pharaoh, and set my people free." In other words, we are not reading the chronological history of a military adventure; instead we must be prepared to read the story as the spiritual history of God’s salvation.
Next post, we read the taking of Jericho and Ai in this light.
Joshua 8:2 You shall do to Ai and its king as you did to Jericho and its king
What did they do to Jericho? It was not pretty:
Joshua 6:21 Then they devoted to destruction by the edge of the sword all in the city, both men and women, young and old, oxen, sheep, and donkeys.
And, according to the text, that means that:
Joshua 8:25 The total of those who fell that day, both men and women, was twelve thousand -- all the people of Ai.
It sounds like genocide, and genocide ordered by God; that is a hard thing to reconcile oneself to. Certainly, the New Covenant (which according to Jeremiah 33 "is different from the old") is different in this respect, and it would be impossible to reconcile Jesus -- who breaks down the wall of enmity -- with Joshua.
Archeology, which apparently finds no evidence that the walls of Jericho (so vital to this story) were actually standing at the time of the entry of the Hebrews into the land. And while there is evidence of destruction, it is clear that the intent of these passages is not so much history as we understand the word (as factual and objective reporting of events) as much as expressing and interpretation of the intent of God in giving over the land to the Hebrew tribes.
So, if we want to hold all of scripture as authoritative, we have to find a more subtle way of reading the text that honors it for what it wants to say according to its own form and nature. This is affirmed by the structure of the story with its many intentional parallels to the Exodus account. The most important of these parallels is the appearance of the commander of the Lord's army:
Joshua 5:13-15 Once when Joshua was by Jericho, he looked up and saw a man standing before him with a drawn sword in his hand. Joshua went to him and said to him, "Are you one of us, or one of our adversaries?" 14 He replied, "Neither; but as commander of the army of the LORD I have now come." And Joshua fell on his face to the earth and worshiped, and he said to him, "What do you command your servant, my lord?" 15 The commander of the army of the LORD said to Joshua, "Remove the sandals from your feet, for the place where you stand is holy." And Joshua did so.
So, we see that this is not strictly a history of a specific event in time, but an affirmation of faith. Here is the burning bush of (Exodus 3:2ff), repeated. This signals to those who would read the scripture attentive to its form that the story that follows is the word of the living God saying to another Moses, "go down to Pharaoh, and set my people free." In other words, we are not reading the chronological history of a military adventure; instead we must be prepared to read the story as the spiritual history of God’s salvation.
Next post, we read the taking of Jericho and Ai in this light.
Tuesday, January 06, 2004
Joshua 5 no more manna
As a final preparation before the conquest, the people celebrated the Passover together and all the males were circumcised. This marked the end of the period of wandering in which all the men died who had fled Egypt but rebelled against God in the desert when they refused to fight the "giants" reported by the spies. Now, a new generation was ready to follow the one survivor of that time who had shown a willing spirit: Joshua.
Joshua 5:11-12 11 On the day after the passover, on that very day, they ate the produce of the land, unleavened cakes and parched grain. 12 The manna ceased on the day they ate the produce of the land, and the Israelites no longer had manna; they ate the crops of the land of Canaan that year.
It is a remarkable law of the spiritual life that the miraculous provision of God comes to us in times of weakness. The manna came when the people were hungry in the desert. When the people could eat the produce of the land – they no longer needed the manna, and God no longer provided it.
I have noticed in my own life that in times of prosperity, God's provision is less visible. Of course, we always give thanks for the blessings we have, because we know that everything that is, in the last analysis belongs to God and is ours only on loan. But when we were poor, then we had to pray to God for miraculous provision, and in those circumstances we could see that God was acting powerfully, and unusually, to provide. The most dramatic instance was the provision of a car when we were living in the country and expecting our first child. But we had no money -- maybe less than $200. So, a car showed up in our driveway, and the keys and title were laying on our kitchen table. No visible hand. And when we did discover the human agent of this provision, the circumstances were no less miraculous. I wonder if this is not why Jesus told the disciples that it was hard for the rich to enter the kingdom of God. After all, the rich hardly know their need for God. They believe that they can do it on their own, and that is fatal.
Joshua 5:11-12 11 On the day after the passover, on that very day, they ate the produce of the land, unleavened cakes and parched grain. 12 The manna ceased on the day they ate the produce of the land, and the Israelites no longer had manna; they ate the crops of the land of Canaan that year.
It is a remarkable law of the spiritual life that the miraculous provision of God comes to us in times of weakness. The manna came when the people were hungry in the desert. When the people could eat the produce of the land – they no longer needed the manna, and God no longer provided it.
I have noticed in my own life that in times of prosperity, God's provision is less visible. Of course, we always give thanks for the blessings we have, because we know that everything that is, in the last analysis belongs to God and is ours only on loan. But when we were poor, then we had to pray to God for miraculous provision, and in those circumstances we could see that God was acting powerfully, and unusually, to provide. The most dramatic instance was the provision of a car when we were living in the country and expecting our first child. But we had no money -- maybe less than $200. So, a car showed up in our driveway, and the keys and title were laying on our kitchen table. No visible hand. And when we did discover the human agent of this provision, the circumstances were no less miraculous. I wonder if this is not why Jesus told the disciples that it was hard for the rich to enter the kingdom of God. After all, the rich hardly know their need for God. They believe that they can do it on their own, and that is fatal.
Sunday, January 04, 2004
Joshua 3-5:1 The importance of standing still
Here, Yahweh begins to act as a warrior on behalf of Israel in occupying the promised land. Does he drown an army as at the Red Sea? Does he order a slaughter? No. He appears to Joshua to arrange a sign:
Joshua 3:8 'When you come to the edge of the waters of the Jordan, you shall stand still in the Jordan.’
Recall that earlier, at the Red Sea, the God instructed the people through Moses:
Exodus 14:13 "Do not be afraid, stand firm, and see the deliverance that the LORD will accomplish for you today; for the Egyptians whom you see today you shall never see again. 14 The LORD will fight for you, and you have only to keep still."
Joshua determined that at the Jordan God would perform a tremendous sign -- essentially a repetition of the parting of the water at the Red Sea. When the priests carrying the ark (the symbol of the presence of the Lord) put their feet in the Jordan, God would cause the river to stop flowing and the people could cross over dry. And this would be a sign, as Joshua explains:
Joshua 3:10 "By this you shall know that among you is the living God who without fail will drive out from before you the Canaanites, Hittites, Hivites, Perizzites, Girgashites, Amorites, and Jebusites
This is indeed what happens. To commemorate this miracle, in Chapter 4 Joshua sets up twelve stones ("in the middle of the Jordan” [4:9]) and “in Gilgal” [4:19]) as a memorial, to be recalled in questions and answers reminiscent of the questions and answers to be repeated at the Passover celebration:
Joshua 4:21 "When your children ask their parents in time to come, 'What do these stones mean?' 22 then you shall let your children know, 'Israel crossed over the Jordan here on dry ground.' 23 For the LORD your God dried up the waters of the Jordan for you until you crossed over, as the LORD your God did to the Red Sea, which he dried up for us until we crossed over, 24 so that all the peoples of the earth may know that the hand of the LORD is mighty, and so that you may fear the LORD your God forever."
During this crossing of the Jordan, Joshua 4:13 tells us, "About forty thousand armed for war crossed over..." But, according to the Bible, this show of force was not what impressed the kings of the land.
Joshua 5:1 When all the kings of the Amorites beyond the Jordan to the west, and all the kings of the Canaanites by the sea, heard that the LORD had dried up the waters of the Jordan for the Israelites until they had crossed over, their hearts melted, and there was no longer any spirit in them, because of the Israelites.
The essential victory was won before any battle was fought or any sword raised. This is the power of God to defeat the most powerful army, by depriving it of the will to fight. This is why people of faith rely on God, not arms, for victory. This, incidentally, is the heart of the pacifist strategy of the followers of Jesus.
Joshua 3:8 'When you come to the edge of the waters of the Jordan, you shall stand still in the Jordan.’
Recall that earlier, at the Red Sea, the God instructed the people through Moses:
Exodus 14:13 "Do not be afraid, stand firm, and see the deliverance that the LORD will accomplish for you today; for the Egyptians whom you see today you shall never see again. 14 The LORD will fight for you, and you have only to keep still."
Joshua determined that at the Jordan God would perform a tremendous sign -- essentially a repetition of the parting of the water at the Red Sea. When the priests carrying the ark (the symbol of the presence of the Lord) put their feet in the Jordan, God would cause the river to stop flowing and the people could cross over dry. And this would be a sign, as Joshua explains:
Joshua 3:10 "By this you shall know that among you is the living God who without fail will drive out from before you the Canaanites, Hittites, Hivites, Perizzites, Girgashites, Amorites, and Jebusites
This is indeed what happens. To commemorate this miracle, in Chapter 4 Joshua sets up twelve stones ("in the middle of the Jordan” [4:9]) and “in Gilgal” [4:19]) as a memorial, to be recalled in questions and answers reminiscent of the questions and answers to be repeated at the Passover celebration:
Joshua 4:21 "When your children ask their parents in time to come, 'What do these stones mean?' 22 then you shall let your children know, 'Israel crossed over the Jordan here on dry ground.' 23 For the LORD your God dried up the waters of the Jordan for you until you crossed over, as the LORD your God did to the Red Sea, which he dried up for us until we crossed over, 24 so that all the peoples of the earth may know that the hand of the LORD is mighty, and so that you may fear the LORD your God forever."
During this crossing of the Jordan, Joshua 4:13 tells us, "About forty thousand armed for war crossed over..." But, according to the Bible, this show of force was not what impressed the kings of the land.
Joshua 5:1 When all the kings of the Amorites beyond the Jordan to the west, and all the kings of the Canaanites by the sea, heard that the LORD had dried up the waters of the Jordan for the Israelites until they had crossed over, their hearts melted, and there was no longer any spirit in them, because of the Israelites.
The essential victory was won before any battle was fought or any sword raised. This is the power of God to defeat the most powerful army, by depriving it of the will to fight. This is why people of faith rely on God, not arms, for victory. This, incidentally, is the heart of the pacifist strategy of the followers of Jesus.
