Joshua and Judges: God's sake in the NT and Joshua's rebuke but answered prayer, Jos 7:10-26.

Title: Joshua and Judges: God's sake in the NT and Joshua's rebuke but answered prayer, JOS 7:10-26.  

 

Announcements / opening prayer: Class to be held at 5pm Christmas Eve and New Years Eve.

 

 

A life lived for His name, for His sake, continues into the church age, but not under the Law, but under the unique plan for the church.

 

MAR 10:29 "Truly I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or farms, for My sake and for the gospel's sake,

 

MAR 10:30 but that he shall receive a hundred times as much now in the present age, houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and farms, along with persecutions; and in the age to come, eternal life.

 

MAR 10:31 "But many who are first, will be last; and the last, first."

 

MAR 13:9 "But be on your guard; for they will deliver you to the courts, and you will be flogged in the synagogues, and you will stand before governors and kings for My sake, as a testimony to them.

 

MAR 13:10 "And the gospel must first be preached to all the nations.

 

MAT 10:39

"He who has found his life [psuche = life of the soul, not bios] shall lose it, and he who has lost his life for My sake shall find it.

 

Paul is an example for all CA believers:

 

ACT 9:15-16

But the Lord said to him, "Go, for he is a chosen instrument of Mine, to bear My name before the Gentiles and kings and the sons of Israel; for I will show him how much he must suffer for My name's sake."

 

Because God is love, what is for God's sake is also for Paul's sake and the same is true for all believers.

 

1CO 9:24 Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but only one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may win.

 

1CO 9:25 And everyone who competes in the games exercises self-control in all things. They then do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable.

 

1CO 9:26 Therefore I run in such a way, as not without aim; I box in such a way, as not beating the air;

 

1CO 9:27 but I buffet my body and make it my slave, lest possibly, after I have preached to others, I myself should be disqualified.

 

2TI 4:6 For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure has come.

 

2TI 4:7 I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I have kept the faith;

 

2TI 4:8 in the future there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day; and not only to me, but also to all who have loved His appearing.

 

Php 1:29-30

For to you it has been granted for Christ's sake, not only to believe in Him, but also to suffer for His sake, experiencing the same conflict which you saw in me, and now hear to be in me.

 

This conflict, in light of the eternal glory of God, Paul saw as momentary and light.

 

2CO 12:10

Therefore I am well content with weaknesses, with insults, with distresses, with persecutions, with difficulties, for Christ's sake; for when I am weak, then I am strong.

 

Phm 4 I thank my God always, making mention of you in my prayers,

 

Phm 5 because I hear of your love, and of the faith which you have toward the Lord Jesus, and toward all the saints;

 

Phm 6 and I pray that the fellowship of your faith may become effective through the knowledge of every good thing which is in you for Christ's sake.

 

Phm 7 For I have come to have much joy and comfort in your love, because the hearts of the saints have been refreshed through you, brother.

 

The full knowledge within us of all that is good, and the service of others that results from it, is for Christ’s sake.

 

God rebukes Joshua yet in it He answers Joshua's prayer and points him in the direction of victory.

 

JOS 7:6 Then Joshua tore his clothes and fell to the earth on his face before the ark of the Lord until the evening, both he and the elders of Israel; and they put dust on their heads.

 

JOS 7:7 And Joshua said, "Alas, O Lord God, why didst Thou ever bring this people over the Jordan, only to deliver us into the hand of the Amorites, to destroy us? If only we had been willing to dwell beyond the Jordan!

 

JOS 7:8 "O Lord, what can I say since Israel has turned their back before their enemies?

 

JOS 7:9 "For the Canaanites and all the inhabitants of the land will hear of it, and they will surround us and cut off our name from the earth. And what wilt Thou do for Thy great name?"

 

JOS 7:10 So the Lord said to Joshua, "Rise up! Why is it that you have fallen on your face?

 

The rebuke to Joshua is that rather than seeking for the cause of the defeat in the great name of God he should have been looking to the people.

 

I still determine it to be a legitimate prayer, but we don't always know how or what we should  pray for. Joshua is sincere in his prayer but sincerity doesn't mean correctness or accuracy.

 

God made it carefully known that they were to keep the Law and also they were not to take anything that was under the ban, which was everything.

 

JOS 6:18

But as for you, only keep yourselves from the things under the ban, lest you covet them and take some of the things under the ban, so you would make the camp of Israel accursed and bring trouble on it.

 

JOS 7:11 "Israel has sinned, and they have also transgressed My covenant which I commanded them. And they have even taken some of the things under the ban and have both stolen and deceived. Moreover, they have also put them among their own things [furniture].

 

The action of the one affects the entire nation (Israel has sinned) since in her midst are stolen articles that were sanctified unto the Lord.

 

Achan put the stolen articles amongst his own things or furniture so that they might be used with the rest for his own purposes.

 

What is sanctified unto the Lord is not to be used for the purposes of another. This is a major theme in the doctrine of sanctification. Every believer is sanctified and so he is not to use his life for his own purposes. This in no way means asceticism but rather a life that has been entrusted to his faithful creator.