Joshua and Judges: Crossing the Jordan - Obeying God's delegated authority. Jos 1:10-18.

Title: Joshua and Judges: Crossing the Jordan - Obeying God's delegated authority. JOS 1:10-18.   

 

Announcements / opening prayer:

 

 

Preparations for crossing the Jordan.

 

JOS 1:10 Then Joshua commanded the officers of the people, saying,

 

JOS 1:11 "Pass through the midst of the camp and command the people, saying, 'Prepare provisions for yourselves, for within three days you are to cross this Jordan, to go in to possess the land which the Lord your God is giving you, to possess it.'"

 

JOS 1:12 And to the Reubenites and to the Gadites and to the half-tribe of Manasseh, Joshua said,

 

JOS 1:13 "Remember the word which Moses the servant of the Lord commanded you, saying, 'The Lord your God gives you rest, and will give you this land.'

 

JOS 1:14 "Your wives, your little ones, and your cattle shall remain in the land which Moses gave you beyond the Jordan, but you shall cross before your brothers in battle array, all your valiant warriors, and shall help them,

 

JOS 1:15 until the Lord gives your brothers rest, as He gives you, and they also possess the land which the Lord your God is giving them. Then you shall return to your own land, and possess that which Moses the servant of the Lord gave you beyond the Jordan toward the sunrise."

 

By these tribes remaining on the eastern side the Jordan threatens to become a source of division and therefore a threat to the unity of the new nation.

 

The Jordan River wanders about two hundred miles to cover the sixty five mile distance from the Sea of Galilee to the Dead Sea, dropping an additional six hundred feet below sea level as it goes. The river itself is generally quite shallow and narrow with numerous places where it can be forded, but the spring thaw brings flood waters down from Mount Hermon in the north. Still, the river forms a major geographical barrier because it is bordered by jungle like foliage in the river bed and the desolate hills just above. It offered no opportunity for navigation and little for settlement. It simply separated the land of Canaan from Trans-Jordan and made control of the fords [shallow places that can be crossed] a military necessity.

 

They were granted the right to remain on the east side of the river by Moses under the condition that they send an army along with the others to take the west side.

 

Although they were granted the right to remain on the east side of the river, Moses' solution to the potential threat of division was to have them agree to send a significant amount of fighting men to help take the western kingdom on the other side. They agreed, but now comes the time to act upon what they have agreed to do.

 

Joshua appeals to the two and a half tribes that they honor their agreement with Moses. They asked to settle in the lands conquered on the east side of the Jordan, to which Moses agreed provided they provided fighting men for the conquering of the lands to the west of the Jordan.

 

Though the Jordan presents a natural barrier and therefore a threat to the unity of the nation, the threat can be extinguished by faith and understanding in a common beginning, a common goal, and most of all, a common spiritual life.

 

There are no natural barriers, no matter how massive, high, or wide that can overcome a unity based on the same mind, love, spirit, and purpose.

 

Besides natural barriers there also exists in the church the barriers of race, culture, background, economic status, social status, age, gender, etc. that threaten unity. Man puts up these barriers out of fear and pride as well as out of small minded prejudice, but the unity of the body of Christ, based on the mind of Christ, agape love, the Spirit of God, and the purpose of God tears down these foolish and irrational barriers.

 

Now the time has come for these tribes to honor their agreement with Moses and to keep their word.

 

God honors His word and so should His children since they are to bear His image.

 

ROM 8:29

For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the first-born among many brethren;

 

If you ever make a vow to another person, especially a believer, there should never be a doubt as to whether you will honor the promise and do so at the proper time. The child of God should bear the image of His Father, whose promises are yes and amen.

 

JOS 1:14 "Your wives, your little ones, and your cattle shall remain in the land which Moses gave you beyond the Jordan, but you shall cross before your brothers in battle array, all your valiant warriors, and shall help them,

 

JOS 1:15 until the Lord gives your brothers rest, as He gives you, and they also possess the land which the Lord your God is giving them. Then you shall return to your own land, and possess that which Moses the servant of the Lord gave you beyond the Jordan toward the sunrise."

 

The promise is that after the completion of the conquest the Lord will give them and their brothers, the other tribes, rest. This rest is a rest from enemies and war.

 

Joshua repeats precisely what Moses told them.

 

DEU 3:18 "Then I commanded you at that time, saying, 'The Lord your God has given you this land to possess it; all your valiant men shall cross over armed before your brothers, the sons of Israel.

 

DEU 3:19 'But your wives and your little ones and your livestock (I know that you have much livestock), shall remain in your cities which I have given you,

 

DEU 3:20 until the Lord gives rest to your fellow countrymen as to you, and they also possess the land which the Lord your God will give them beyond the Jordan. Then you may return every man to his possession, which I have given you.'

 

But rest can be lost. Rest is not a permanent promise though the availability of rest certainly is. Rest can be lost and regained as will be shown in the book of Judges.

 

During the dispersion [70 AD to the second coming of Christ] it will be lost to them as has been seen so fully in the CA by antisemitism.

 

DEU 28:64 Moreover, the Lord will scatter you among all peoples, from one end of the earth to the other end of the earth; and there you shall serve other gods, wood and stone, which you or your fathers have not known.

 

DEU 28:65 And among those nations you shall find no rest, and there shall be no resting place for the sole of your foot; but there the Lord will give you a trembling heart, failing of eyes, and despair of soul.

 

During the exile:

 

LAM 1:3

Judah has gone into exile under affliction,

And under harsh servitude;

She dwells among the nations,

But she has found no rest;

All her pursuers have overtaken her

In the midst of distress.

 

Yet rest was again restored at their return and ultimately restored at the second coming of Christ. So we can say that Israel lost her rest several times but finally, at the coming of Christ, it was restored.

 

This shows us that true rest is found only in Christ.

 

Rest for the nation of Israel represents freedom from enemy oppression and deadly war. Yet in the heart of the believer it is fellowship with God even in the midst of oppression or deadly war - a life lived with God by the gift of God.

 

In the heart of the believer rest depends upon faith, even in the whirlwind, rest puts him in the eye of the storm.

 

HEB 4:1-2

Therefore, let us fear lest, while a promise remains of entering His rest, any one of you should seem to have come short of it. For indeed we have had good news preached to us, just as they also; but the word they heard did not profit them, because it was not united by faith in those who heard.

 

For Israel there exists the dialectic that rest will come only after war is won. This is freedom through military victory. Our rest comes from the victory of the Lord. While our nation's freedom is preserved from enemies that are outside our borders by the tremendous power of our military, the rest in our souls comes to us by way of a war that was won on Calvary. It is through His victory that we find rest.

 

The two and a half tribes answered at the ready and ready to serve Joshua in the same capacity as they did Moses.

 

JOS 1:16 And they answered Joshua, saying, "All that you have commanded us we will do, and wherever you send us we will go.

 

JOS 1:17 Just as we obeyed Moses in all things, so we will obey you; only may the Lord your God be with you, as He was with Moses.

 

JOS 1:18 Anyone who rebels against your command and does not obey your words in all that you command him, shall be put to death; only be strong and courageous."

 

The two and a half tribes show tremendous honor by honoring God's choice of authority, though Joshua is not Moses in style or personality.

This is, and has been in the recent years, a difficult test for students of the word of God who have been forced to seek out and determine new right pastor teachers.

 

People get used to a certain personality type or the way of the leader and grow comfortable with that leadership style. But there is no one style of leadership. There is one way of virtue and humility, which is foundational to every good leader, but there are many styles. Joshua is not Moses, but God has anointed him as their leader replacing Moses and God is with him as he was with Moses.

 

These tribes honor Joshua's authority and so they honor God. All authority is from God. To honor authority is to honor Him.

 

ROM 13:1 Let every person be in subjection to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those which exist are established by God.

 

ROM 13:2 Therefore he who resists authority has opposed the ordinance of God; and they who have opposed will receive condemnation upon themselves.

 

ROM 13:3 For rulers are not a cause of fear for good behavior, but for evil. Do you want to have no fear of authority? Do what is good, and you will have praise from the same;

 

ROM 13:4 for it is a minister of God to you for good. But if you do what is evil, be afraid; for it does not bear the sword for nothing; for it is a minister of God, an avenger who brings wrath upon the one who practices evil.

 

ROM 13:5 Wherefore it is necessary to be in subjection, not only because of wrath, but also for conscience' sake.

 

ROM 13:6 For because of this you also pay taxes, for rulers are servants of God, devoting themselves to this very thing.

 

ROM 13:7 Render to all what is due them: tax to whom tax is due; custom to whom custom; fear to whom fear; honor to whom honor.

 

God's direct authority is issued today through the word of God only. He has delegated authority to others under the laws of divine establishment.

 

God's direct authority is expressed in the word of God.

 

For each individual, being made in the image of God as they are, authority over their own soul rests in their volition or free will. No matter what amount of tyranny may exist over their bodies no one can enter a person's soul unless they choose to allow them to.

 

In marriage the husband has authority over the wife. This has not been a popular doctrine in the last few generations in our nation, but culture does not dictate to God where He is to delegate authority, nor does sin or evil in the minds of mankind.

 

In the family the parents have authority over the children. This is not for the children to decide or agree with and it is for the parents to exercise. Every person faces their first authority test in the home under the authority of their parents or legal guardian.

 

Finally, the government has authority over the citizens in any nation. God will deal with the evil in governments or in sovereign rulers. If the government demands that a believer commit sin or be a party to the working of sin that believer must obey God rather than man, however, the government still bears the sword and that believer will likely suffer, but undeservedly, in which he can glorify God. Our founders knew all about the evil of oppression of religion by the power of the state, hence the Constitution was written to protect that freedom.