JOSHUA’S SUCCESS
LIBERTY AND LOVE #124
Joshua is the first of the twelve “historical” books of the Old Testament. There is hardly a more positive book in all of Scripture. Contained within this marvelous volume is the description of the Hebrews' conquest of the land of Canaan (chap. 7-12), an event brought about by absolute faith and trust in Jehovah. For this reason (and many others), Joshua has been called a "success book." No other Old Testament work reveals more aptly the end result of faithful service to God and obedience to His word.
The book begins with the transfer of Hebrew leadership from Moses to Joshua (1:1-9). Because of the faith exhibited by Joshua during the original spying of the land (Numbers 13), God hand-picks him to lead the Israelites into the land of promise. Joshua and his followers went on to conquer a great foe in the Canaanites. These inhabitants were at one time described as "Anakim," a word denoting men of unusual size (Josh. 11:21). On the surface, the task before them seemed hopeless, and yet, they were able to “defy the odds” and gain the victory with the help of the Lord.
The manner in which the Lord instructed the Israelites to conquer the land seems foolish from a human standpoint. This, however, is the essence of the book: the Lord was the real conqueror. From chapter 6, let us notice three points as far as the actual conquest of the land is concerned.
The text says that “..Jericho was securely shut because of the children of Israel; none went out, and none came in” (Josh. 6:1). Jericho was near the Jordan River (Num. 22:1), and was described as the "city of palm trees" (Deut. 34:1-3). The city was encompassed with massive walls, making it humanly impossible to attack. This was a most unusual city to begin the seige of the land with. But God instructed them to begin at Jericho, no doubt to insure that they recognized who was responsible for the victory (cf. Judg. 7:2). We should compare the fortified city of Jericho with the obstacles and problems in our life, fully aware that God is able to grant us the victory just as he did the Israelites.
Again, God's instructions are most unusual. The Israelites are to march around the walls for seven days, and then the walls will fall (see Josh. 6:2-5; 12-16). This is reminiscent of Noah’s ark (Gen. 6), Naaman the leper’s “remedy” dipping (2 Kings 5), and a host of other God inspired instructions that prove that God does not think the way that man thinks (Isa. 55:8, 9). Indeed, the wisdom of God is foolishness to men (1 Cor. 1:18-25). Despite the fact that the Israelites did not fully understand God's instructions, they obeyed nevertheless. We should always obey God, whether we understand Him or not.
What was the result of the Hebrew obedience? “..The wall fell down flat...” (v. 20). When we obey God's plain and simple instructions, we receive His blessings. There are numerous examples of this (John 9 [the blind man]). God does not demand perfect understanding, but simple obedience.
The message of the book of Joshua is one of victory and hope. May we always look into those Old Testament narratives to gain from the rich storehouses of treasure therein.
Dewayne Dunaway
