Joshua 4 English Standard Version Twelve Memorial Stones from the Jordan 4 When all the nation had finished passing over the Jordan, the LORD said to Joshua, 2 “Take twelve men from the people, from each tribe a man, 3 and command them, saying, ‘Take twelve stones from here out of the midst of the Jordan, from the very place where the priests' feet stood firmly, and bring them over with you and lay them down in the place where you lodge tonight.’” 4 Then Joshua called the twelve men from the people of Israel, whom he had appointed, a man from each tribe. 5 And Joshua said to them, “Pass on before the ark of the LORD your God into the midst of the Jordan, and take up each of you a stone upon his shoulder, according to the number of the tribes of the people of Israel, 6 that this may be a sign among you. When your children ask in time to come, ‘What do those stones mean to you?’ 7 then you shall tell them that the waters of the Jordan were cut off before the ark of the covenant of the LORD. When it passed over the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan were cut off. So these stones shall be to the people of Israel a memorial forever.” 8 And the people of Israel did just as Joshua commanded and took up twelve stones out of the midst of the Jordan, according to the number of the tribes of the people of Israel, just as the LORD told Joshua. And they carried them over with them to the place where they lodged and laid them down there. 9 And Joshua set up twelve stones in the midst of the Jordan, in the place where the feet of the priests bearing the ark of the covenant had stood; and they are there to this day. 10 For the priests bearing the ark stood in the midst of the Jordan until everything was finished that the LORD commanded Joshua to tell the people, according to all that Moses had commanded Joshua. The people passed over in haste. 11 And when all the people had finished passing over, the ark of the LORD and the priests passed over before the people. 12 The sons of Reuben and the sons of Gad and the half-tribe of Manasseh passed over armed before the people of Israel, as Moses had told them. 13 About 40,000 ready for war passed over before the LORD for battle, to the plains of Jericho. 14 On that day the LORD exalted Joshua in the sight of all Israel, and they stood in awe of him just as they had stood in awe of Moses, all the days of his life. 15 And the LORD said to Joshua, 16 “Command the priests bearing the ark of the testimony to come up out of the Jordan.” 17 So Joshua commanded the priests, “Come up out of the Jordan.” 18 And when the priests bearing the ark of the covenant of the LORD came up from the midst of the Jordan, and the soles of the priests' feet were lifted up on dry ground, the waters of the Jordan returned to their place and overflowed all its banks, as before. 19 The people came up out of the Jordan on the tenth day of the first month, and they encamped at Gilgal on the east border of Jericho. 20 And those twelve stones, which they took out of the Jordan, Joshua set up at Gilgal. 21 And he said to the people of Israel, “When your children ask their fathers in times to come, ‘What do these stones mean?’ 22 then you shall let your children know, ‘Israel passed over this Jordan on dry ground.’ 23 For the LORD your God dried up the waters of the Jordan for you until you passed over, as the LORD your God did to the Red Sea, which he dried up for us until we passed over, 24 so that all the peoples of the earth may know that the hand of the LORD is mighty, that you may fear the LORD your God forever.” So now we see why Joshua said for each tribe to select a strong man to represent them, for each representative was to take a stone from the center of the river where the priests had been standing and take it to the western shore of the Jordan River, and they were to use these stones to build an altar until the LORD that would be a memorial to them and to the generations that come after them so that their children and grandchildren and great-grandchildren would see the altar and ask what it was there for. We have seen this throughout the Old Testament, especially in the book of Genesis where God instructed the patriarchs to stop and build and altar and change the name of the place so that they and their children and their children's children would always remember what the LORD did in that place. So it was in this place that there would be a long-standing altar there to remind the people not only of the miraculous crossing of the Jordan River, but the miraculous victory that the LORD was about to provide in the Battle of Jericho.
The text reminds us that the priests stood fast in place the whole time that the Israelites were crossing and the only ones who went near the Ark were these twelve representatives that needed to take stones from the river where the priests were standing. However, the other Israelites passed over quickly and then the priests took the Ark of the Covenant back to its place in front of the people with the tribes that wanted their inheritance to the east of the Jordan River being the group that led, just as Moses had commanded by the word of the LORD. The author specifically goes back to tell us that the priests did not move from their place in the Jordan until the LORD gave the command for them to move, and when He did, they came up out of the midst of the Jordan and as soon as they were safely out of the river bed and on dry ground, the LORD cause the waters of the Jordan River to return to their natural state--at flood stage, just like they had been. The record records that this all happened on the tenth day of the first month, if that date sounds familiar to you, it's because it is the date of Passover (Exodus 12:3). So it was that the LORD added a fuller picture of the gospel that Passover that we are not just saved from something, but we are saved unto something--that is that the LORD has prepared a place for all those that He has redeemed. For Israel they looked forward to the Promised Land that represented the kingdom of God here on earth, but we look forward to a better kingdom, the kingdom of heaven which will literally be heaven on earth one day. It is no mistake that the phrase "passed over" has been used so many times in this passage (go back and read it again) and all this is happening on the Feast of Passover. God is reminding the people that this is not just a time that the curse of the tenth plague passed over the people marked by the blood of the Passover Lamb, but that this was the time in which they crossed over the physical barrier of the Jordan River into the covenant Land that was forever promised to Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and their descendants. The connection is also made by Joshua that these Israelites have had their own Red Sea experience (all of the generation that was there at the Red Sea died in the wilderness except Joshua and Caleb) and that the LORD did this mighty work so that once again all the nations of the world--specifically the Canaanites they were about to face--would know that the hand of the LORD was might to save and so that all the peoples of the world would fear him (read that as "obey him") forever. Joshua 3 English Standard Version Israel Crosses the Jordan 3 Then Joshua rose early in the morning and they set out from Shittim. And they came to the Jordan, he and all the people of Israel, and lodged there before they passed over. 2 At the end of three days the officers went through the camp 3 and commanded the people, “As soon as you see the ark of the covenant of the LORD your God being carried by the Levitical priests, then you shall set out from your place and follow it. 4 Yet there shall be a distance between you and it, about 2,000 cubits in length. Do not come near it, in order that you may know the way you shall go, for you have not passed this way before.” 5 Then Joshua said to the people, “Consecrate yourselves, for tomorrow the LORD will do wonders among you.” 6 And Joshua said to the priests, “Take up the ark of the covenant and pass on before the people.” So they took up the ark of the covenant and went before the people. 7 The LORD said to Joshua, “Today I will begin to exalt you in the sight of all Israel, that they may know that, as I was with Moses, so I will be with you. 8 And as for you, command the priests who bear the ark of the covenant, ‘When you come to the brink of the waters of the Jordan, you shall stand still in the Jordan.’” 9 And Joshua said to the people of Israel, “Come here and listen to the words of the LORD your God.” 10 And Joshua said, “Here is how you shall know that the living God is among you and that he will without fail drive out from before you the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Hivites, the Perizzites, the Girgashites, the Amorites, and the Jebusites. 11 Behold, the ark of the covenant of the LORD of all the earth is passing over before you into the Jordan. 12 Now therefore take twelve men from the tribes of Israel, from each tribe a man. 13 And when the soles of the feet of the priests bearing the ark of the LORD, the LORD of all the earth, shall rest in the waters of the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan shall be cut off from flowing, and the waters coming down from above shall stand in one heap.” 14 So when the people set out from their tents to pass over the Jordan with the priests bearing the ark of the covenant before the people, 15 and as soon as those bearing the ark had come as far as the Jordan, and the feet of the priests bearing the ark were dipped in the brink of the water (now the Jordan overflows all its banks throughout the time of harvest), 16 the waters coming down from above stood and rose up in a heap very far away, at Adam, the city that is beside Zarethan, and those flowing down toward the Sea of the Arabah, the Salt Sea, were completely cut off. And the people passed over opposite Jericho. 17 Now the priests bearing the ark of the covenant of the LORD stood firmly on dry ground in the midst of the Jordan, and all Israel was passing over on dry ground until all the nation finished passing over the Jordan. With the return of the spies that Joshua sent out, the people who have been packed up and ready to head out for a while now get the command from the LORD to break camp and move out. They set out for a point on the east side of the Jordan River named Shittim, and they made camp there before setting out to cross the Jordan the next day.
The instructions given by Joshua do not seem to make a lot of sense to military commanders who would study this for tactics, but it makes perfect sense to us who have been following the Exodus of the people since the book of Exodus. The Ark of the Covenant was to go out in front of the people with a distance of about 1,000 yards (a cubit is roughly 18 inches, so this is roughly 3,000 feet or 1,000 yards)--a great distance of separation between the people and the Ark that represented the presence of the LORD. Even with this great distances, they needed to consecrate themselves and be made holy for the LORD was about to do something wonderful among them bringing them into the Land of Promise. In many ways we can see some symbolism here of how crossing the Red Sea is like the process of justification when were freed from our slavery to sin, but we have still like the people wandering in the wilderness for forty years, struggled with the presence and power of sin in our lives, and we look forward to one day crossing over into a better Promised Land where there will be no more sin, no more death and no more pain, and there will be no more enemies to fight for the LORD will have conquered all of His enemies. Now the LORD speaks directly to Joshua and lets him know that today is the day that all the people will start to look at him differently. He will be exalted, that is lifted up, in the eyes of the people. They will see him as the leader God has made him to be, and they will know the LORD is with Joshua in the same kind of way that He was with Moses. Joshua commanded that there be a representative from each of the twelve tribes chosen (though he did not say why yet, but it will be for them to take something from the center of the Jordan River as their tribe crossed over safely) and gave them instructions on how the LORD would provide for the safe passage of the people. The priests with the Ark would enter the waters first, and they would be piled up in a heap far away so that the people would cross on dry ground, just like they did at the Red Sea, though there was no one alive from the Red Sea crossing anymore save Joshua and Caleb. This was a new generation and they were experiencing this for themselves. They had heard about it from their parents and grandparents, but now they have seen the hand of the LORD for themselves. The text even tells us that the waters were at flood stage at this time of year, so it would have been dangerous for them to try to cross, but the people knew that the LORD was with them and that they only needed to obey His command, even if that command made no sense to them. So the people crossed over opposite Jericho so that this miracle happened within full view of those from that city. Those who were in dread of the Israelites saw their last hope of safety--the Jordan River at flood stage--dry up before them, because even that mighty river could not stop or delay the LORD and His people. They would instead begin to hope and trust in the fortifications of their city, but that would be their demise, for the very walls they trusted in will collapse upon them and kill them. Joshua finishes this passage by saying that the priests carrying the Ark stayed in the midst of the river until all the people had safely crossed over. That's a long time to be shouldering a very heavy load that is the Ark of the Covenant, for it was made of gold and contained the stone tablets of the Law, the budding rod of Aaron, and an omer of manna. It would be no small task stand out in the river until the people closed the distance of 1,000 yards, but then they also had to wait for all the people to cross and likely had to wait for a similar distance of 1,000 yards to be between themselves and the people again before they left the river. We'll also see that they had to wait for the twelve representatives of the twelve tribes to each take a rock from the middle of the river that they would use to make an altar later (this is where we'll pick up next time). These priests were no weaklings and they had to be strong to carry this ark and shoulder the load for long periods of time, but they could not depend on that strength to save themselves or their fellow Israelites, though we know these Levites were zealous for the LORD as we saw at Mount Sinai. This will be a battle won not with sword or spear but by the hand of the LORD so that no one will misunderstand that the LORD is fighting this battle for His people. Like what we see in the book of the Revelation, God's people will be present at the battle, but it is the Lord that will destroy His enemies, and we will rejoice and praise Him for the victory that He has accomplished. Joshua 2 English Standard Version Rahab Hides the Spies 2 And Joshua the son of Nun sent two men secretly from Shittim as spies, saying, “Go, view the land, especially Jericho.” And they went and came into the house of a prostitute whose name was Rahab and lodged there. 2 And it was told to the king of Jericho, “Behold, men of Israel have come here tonight to search out the land.” 3 Then the king of Jericho sent to Rahab, saying, “Bring out the men who have come to you, who entered your house, for they have come to search out all the land.” 4 But the woman had taken the two men and hidden them. And she said, “True, the men came to me, but I did not know where they were from. 5 And when the gate was about to be closed at dark, the men went out. I do not know where the men went. Pursue them quickly, for you will overtake them.” 6 But she had brought them up to the roof and hid them with the stalks of flax that she had laid in order on the roof. 7 So the men pursued after them on the way to the Jordan as far as the fords. And the gate was shut as soon as the pursuers had gone out. 8 Before the men lay down, she came up to them on the roof 9 and said to the men, “I know that the LORD has given you the land, and that the fear of you has fallen upon us, and that all the inhabitants of the land melt away before you. 10 For we have heard how the LORD dried up the water of the Red Sea before you when you came out of Egypt, and what you did to the two kings of the Amorites who were beyond the Jordan, to Sihon and Og, whom you devoted to destruction. 11 And as soon as we heard it, our hearts melted, and there was no spirit left in any man because of you, for the LORD your God, he is God in the heavens above and on the earth beneath. 12 Now then, please swear to me by the LORD that, as I have dealt kindly with you, you also will deal kindly with my father's house, and give me a sure sign 13 that you will save alive my father and mother, my brothers and sisters, and all who belong to them, and deliver our lives from death.” 14 And the men said to her, “Our life for yours even to death! If you do not tell this business of ours, then when the LORD gives us the land we will deal kindly and faithfully with you.” 15 Then she let them down by a rope through the window, for her house was built into the city wall, so that she lived in the wall. 16 And she said to them, “Go into the hills, or the pursuers will encounter you, and hide there three days until the pursuers have returned. Then afterward you may go your way.” 17 The men said to her, “We will be guiltless with respect to this oath of yours that you have made us swear. 18 Behold, when we come into the land, you shall tie this scarlet cord in the window through which you let us down, and you shall gather into your house your father and mother, your brothers, and all your father's household. 19 Then if anyone goes out of the doors of your house into the street, his blood shall be on his own head, and we shall be guiltless. But if a hand is laid on anyone who is with you in the house, his blood shall be on our head. 20 But if you tell this business of ours, then we shall be guiltless with respect to your oath that you have made us swear.” 21 And she said, “According to your words, so be it.” Then she sent them away, and they departed. And she tied the scarlet cord in the window. 22 They departed and went into the hills and remained there three days until the pursuers returned, and the pursuers searched all along the way and found nothing. 23 Then the two men returned. They came down from the hills and passed over and came to Joshua the son of Nun, and they told him all that had happened to them. 24 And they said to Joshua, “Truly the LORD has given all the land into our hands. And also, all the inhabitants of the land melt away because of us.” This passage today is not simply a side-story, but is a main story in the gospel narrative that the Bible is telling. More on that later though....just don't forget the name Rahab and maybe look at the genealogy of Jesus in Matthew 1 for an important clue. Also, this will end up leading to another picture of the gospel in the Old Testament much like how we said the Flood, Abraham and Isaac on Mount Moriah, the Passover/Exodus out of Egypt and the Bronze Serpent in the Wilderness were. We are about to get another one of those gospel snapshots.
First, we need to see that Joshua is once again going to send in some spies, and they were to scout out the land, but were specifically to scout out the city of Jericho. Since they could not stay in any ordinary lodging in the city, they were taken in by one of the city prostitutes named Rahab. It was made known to the king of Jericho that the spies were lodging with Rahab and they came to her to tell her to give up the men of Israel, but she lied and said that she did not know where they were from and that she saw them leave the city and that the king and the army should give chase to them so that they might catch up to them, and she led the king and his men on a wild goose chase that took them all the way to the Jordan River. This story should remind us a bit of the midwives in Egypt where they lied to save lives and God blessed them for having pure motives even though they were technically lying. Rahab went up in the evening to check on the two spies before they went to bed and made it known to them that she knew that the LORD had given this land to Israel and how the LORD had caused fear and dread to fall upon all the people of Canaan, but especially those from Jericho, because they heard what happened to the Pharaoh in Egypt and to King Sihon and King Og of the Amorites, and it was clear to them that the LORD was making war for His people and that nothing that He promised them would be kept from them and all of them were devoted for destruction just like the Amorites were. So, she asked the spies to swear an oath to her that they would remember her kindness and that they would save not only her life, but the life of her father, mother, brothers, sisters, and all who belong to them when they came to conquer the city of Jericho. They swore with an oath that as long as she did not speak of them being there to anyone, they would deal kindly with her and her family when the LORD gave them the Land. We'll see later that this promise will require Rahab and all of her family to stay inside her house in much the same way that Noah and his family had to stay in the Ark, and also that Rahab was to give a sign to the Israelites by hanging a scarlet cord from her window that they could see so they would make sure not to attack the place where she and her family were protected (this should harken back to the Passover and the doorways of those being protected being marked by the blood of the Passover Lamb. In the same way, many think this scarlet cord represents the blood of Jesus). She then let them down a rope out her window, for her house was on the wall and they could get out of the city this way even though the gate was closed, and she gave them instructions to head for the hills and hide so that they would not encounter the army that went chasing after them as they returned to the city. They made her swear that she would hang the scarlet cord out her window so that all the Israelites could see it during the battle and that if she did not do this thing, then they could not promise her that her and her family would be safe and they would be guiltless if something happened if she failed to keep them in her house and mark it with the scarlet cord. Also, if she told this business of the Israelites to anyone then the LORD would make sure that she and her family were swept up in the judgment and destruction and there is nothing they could do about it--they would be guiltless in this regard too. Rahab agreed to these terms and sent them on their way and immediately tied the scarlet cord to her window. She knew the judgment was coming and that it was coming quickly and unexpectedly, and she was ready for it. So we too should encourage those who see the judgment coming to make preparation and mark themselves by the blood of the Lamb so that they too might be taken safely through the judgment. Just like the Ark provided safe passage from the Flood and the same Red Sea parted for the people of God, but swallowed up the armies of Egypt--so too the walls and city will fall on all those who were not in Rahab's house, and it would be the only structure left standing after God's judgment on this city and they would still see the scarlet cord handing from her window. The spies went to the hills and waited three days until they saw their pursuers return, and they knew it was safe for them to return to Joshua and the Israelites. They returned with a very good report unlike the spies that had gotten Israel in so much trouble forty years ago when only Joshua and Caleb brought back a good report. Joshua 1:10-18 English Standard Version Joshua Assumes Command 10 And Joshua commanded the officers of the people, 11 “Pass through the midst of the camp and command the people, ‘Prepare your provisions, for within three days you are to pass over this Jordan to go in to take possession of the land that the LORD your God is giving you to possess.’” 12 And to the Reubenites, the Gadites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh Joshua said, 13 “Remember the word that Moses the servant of the LORD commanded you, saying, ‘The LORD your God is providing you a place of rest and will give you this land.’ 14 Your wives, your little ones, and your livestock shall remain in the land that Moses gave you beyond the Jordan, but all the men of valor among you shall pass over armed before your brothers and shall help them, 15 until the LORD gives rest to your brothers as he has to you, and they also take possession of the land that the LORD your God is giving them. Then you shall return to the land of your possession and shall possess it, the land that Moses the servant of the LORD gave you beyond the Jordan toward the sunrise.” 16 And they answered Joshua, “All that you have commanded us we will do, and wherever you send us we will go. 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! 18 Whoever rebels against your commandment and disobeys your words, whatever you command him, shall be put to death. Only be strong and courageous.” The Israelites are on the east side of the Jordan River still mourning the loss of Moses when Moses commands the officers of the people (probably referring to the 70 elders) to pass through the camp and command the people to make ready to break camp and cross over the Jordan River. They were to pack everything up because when the LORD told them it was time to move, they needed to move, and while Joshua didn't know the exact date it would happen, he told the people to expect the command to come within the next three days (a very short timeframe for the millions of people to prepare to break camp). They are getting ready to cross over and take possession of the Promised Land! Now, remember that there were two and a half tribes that wanted to claim their inheritance on the east side of the Jordan River and did not want to cross over and fight with the others, but the LORD and Moses made them swear that the men would cross over and fight with their brothers, and then and only then could they come back to their women, children and animals that they were leaving on the east side of the river to live in that apportionment which they had chosen for themselves. God had made a better choice for them, but they rejected His better choice for their own selfish choice. Jesus seems to draw a parallel to this in the New Testament saying that those who seek their reward in this life will have their reward in full and should expect no eternal reward (See Matthew 6 where Jesus makes this statement three times in verses 2, 5, and 16, but the whole passage teaches of earthly rewards verses the rewards that are being saved up for us in heaven--Our greater Promised Land). The two and a half eastern tribes renewed their covenant that they had made with Moses with Joshua and swore that they would fight alongside their brethren before resting in their possession to the east. They also sword to obey Joshua as they had obeyed Moses (they meant this as a positive statement as they had selective memory about their rebellion and wanting to kill Moses, but they will be more true to this statement than they know as they will definitely treat Joshua just like they treated Moses). They swore that whoever disobeyed Joshua's commandment should be put to death--for Joshua is not only their leader, but their military commander, and they are now at war, and Joshua is also the one speaking to them for the LORD. To disobey Joshua's command was to disobey the very command of the LORD. Then interestingly enough, the people repeat to Joshua the charge that the LORD has made to him--"Only be strong and courageous." How encouraging it must have been to Joshua to hear these words from the people--especially from these two and a half tribes in particular who seemed to be the most likely to swear allegiance only to themselves and not to God or the man God had chosen to lead all the people, yet God put His words in their mouths, for He knew that Joshua needed to hear this message once again, and he will continue to need to hear it throughout the book of Joshua. Joshua 1:1-9 English Standard Version God Commissions Joshua 1 After the death of Moses the servant of the Lord, the Lord said to Joshua the son of Nun, Moses' assistant, 2 “Moses my servant is dead. Now therefore arise, go over this Jordan, you and all this people, into the land that I am giving to them, to the people of Israel. 3 Every place that the sole of your foot will tread upon I have given to you, just as I promised to Moses. 4 From the wilderness and this Lebanon as far as the great river, the river Euphrates, all the land of the Hittites to the Great Sea toward the going down of the sun shall be your territory. 5 No man shall be able to stand before you all the days of your life. Just as I was with Moses, so I will be with you. I will not leave you or forsake you. 6 Be strong and courageous, for you shall cause this people to inherit the land that I swore to their fathers to give them. 7 Only be strong and very courageous, being careful to do according to all the law that Moses my servant commanded you. Do not turn from it to the right hand or to the left, that you may have good success wherever you go. 8 This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success. 9 Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” Today, we start our journey through the books of History of the Old Testament. Most are written in the form of Historical Narrative just like the book of Genesis and most of the book of Exodus and the book of Numbers were, and like how the book of Acts was that we just studied together. Joshua follows immediately after the book of Deuteronomy in the Old Testament and the story in Joshua is meant to pick up where Deuteronomy left off. In fact, most people suppose that Joshua wrote the final chapters of the book of Deuteronomy, since Moses could not write of his own death and burial. The opening line of the book of Joshua is the LORD speaking to Joshua in the same kind of candid, face-to-face way that he spoke with Moses, "Moses my servant is dead." The people cannot camp out and mourn the loss of Moses forever. He was a great leader, but God intends for the people to claim the promises that He had had given to Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Moses. He renews His covenant with them for the Land--and much more land than we normally think of when we think of the land that has been given to the people of Israel. Look carefully. A picture is worth a thousand words here and it's debatable whether or not Israel ever owned all this land, even when the kingdom was its largest under King Solomon. The image below can be found at https://www.fromtpm.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/Greater-Israel.jpg. It correctly includes all the land from the Nile River to the Euphrates River, all the land of the Hittites (what we now call Turkey) and has all of the Mediterranean Sea as its Western/Northwestern border. God promises that if they are obedient to Him that no one will be able to stand against them all the days of their lives, because the battle belongs to the LORD and He would fight for them. Then the LORD tells Joshua to be strong and courageous several times because the LORD is going to use Joshua to cause these promises that He has made to the people to be fulfilled, but he must be careful to do all that the LORD has commanded in the book of the Law (the book of Deuteronomy) and not turn from it to the right or the left so that the LORD will be able to bless the people and will not have to have the curses of that covenant come upon His people. If they were able to completely and totally obey that conditional covenant (which they cannot), then the LORD promises that they would experience success, blessing and prosperity wherever they would go.
How is it even feasible for Joshua to keep all of the words of the covenant renewed in the book of Deuteronomy? God tells Joshua to constantly keep the Law before himself and to be speaking it to himself and to the others all day, every day. Saying to not let it depart from his mouth is equivalent to saying that it should always be on his lips. The words will always be in his mouth because he'll always be praying them, speaking them and singing them so that they are always before himself and the people. God tells Joshua in addition to speaking and praying and singing the words out loud to meditate on the words of the Law day and night so that they would transform his heart and mind. Then, and only then, once his heart and mind have been transformed will he be able to carefully do everything written in the Law. But we know that even this is an impossible task and it is why we needed Jesus to come and fulfill the righteous requirements of the Law for us, for none of us that have fallen through the Original Sin of Adam and have been born with a sin nature will ever fully keep the Law of the LORD until we are born again and we are one day saved from the very power and presence of sin when God makes all things new and puts everything under the authority and dominion of His Christ, that is Jesus, the Son of God. This passage ends with one of the verses that we love to quote, but notice it is a command. The LORD knows that Joshua is afraid to lead these people and that he could never fully step into the void left by Moses, even though God and Moses have been preparing Joshua for this for quite some time. Joshua has seen how stubborn and stiff-necked these people can be, and the LORD is telling Joshua that he must choose for himself to be strong and courageous and to cling to the Law of the LORD no matter what anyone else does. When they are afraid, he is not to be afraid, because his trust and hope are in the LORD--just like when he was one of the two spies that gave a good report after spying out the land of Canaan. So it is now that the LORD will require him to show the people how they should respond in faith in the face of what seems like an impossible task, because the battle belongs to the LORD. With man this would be impossible, but with God, all things are possible. Acts 28:17-31 English Standard Version Paul in Rome 17 After three days he called together the local leaders of the Jews, and when they had gathered, he said to them, “Brothers, though I had done nothing against our people or the customs of our fathers, yet I was delivered as a prisoner from Jerusalem into the hands of the Romans. 18 When they had examined me, they wished to set me at liberty, because there was no reason for the death penalty in my case. 19 But because the Jews objected, I was compelled to appeal to Caesar—though I had no charge to bring against my nation. 20 For this reason, therefore, I have asked to see you and speak with you, since it is because of the hope of Israel that I am wearing this chain.” 21 And they said to him, “We have received no letters from Judea about you, and none of the brothers coming here has reported or spoken any evil about you. 22 But we desire to hear from you what your views are, for with regard to this sect we know that everywhere it is spoken against.” 23 When they had appointed a day for him, they came to him at his lodging in greater numbers. From morning till evening he expounded to them, testifying to the kingdom of God and trying to convince them about Jesus both from the Law of Moses and from the Prophets. 24 And some were convinced by what he said, but others disbelieved. 25 And disagreeing among themselves, they departed after Paul had made one statement: “The Holy Spirit was right in saying to your fathers through Isaiah the prophet: 26 “‘Go to this people, and say, “You will indeed hear but never understand, and you will indeed see but never perceive.” 27 For this people's heart has grown dull, and with their ears they can barely hear, and their eyes they have closed; lest they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears and understand with their heart and turn, and I would heal them.’ 28 Therefore let it be known to you that this salvation of God has been sent to the Gentiles; they will listen.” 30 He lived there two whole years at his own expense, and welcomed all who came to him, 31 proclaiming the kingdom of God and teaching about the Lord Jesus Christ with all boldness and without hindrance. Today marks the end of our study of the book of Acts together. Next, I'll be returning to the Old Testament to cover much of what we have missed there. The Old Testament is full of lessons that are still for us as the people of God today, and while the priesthood and sacrificial system we see in it are "old" in that Christ has fulfilled them, there is still much to be learned about who God is and how He wants us to live so that we may experience the blessings of His covenant (which come through Christ) and not the curses of the covenant (which were all put on Christ for those who are in Christ, but for those who remain in sin, they will drink the fullness of the wrath that has been stored up for them). We will see this not only in the Old Testament but also when we come back to look at the book of Revelation, which is probably one of the last books of the Bible we will study together.
Now to today's passage. First, Paul makes the case to the local brothers (the Jews that lived in Rome, but clearly not the Jewish Christians because of their response at the end that they wanted to hear more about the gospel). I would consider this as both practice for Paul as he laid out his legal arguments but also one of "don't believe everything you hear." These are the facts from my side. Paul explained that he had to appeal to Caesar because the Jews wished to seek jurisdiction and a change in venue only so they could assassinate Paul either on the way or while he was in their custody. The only way that he could guarantee a fair trial, especially with his life on the line was to make use of his Roman citizenship to appeal to Caesar. The Jewish brothers in Rome assured Paul that the Jews in Jerusalem had not sent letters ahead of time telling a different story and they didn't even know he was coming. It seems like the Jews weren't interested in trying the case in the court of public opinion and they may not even have been willing to put much effort into the prosecution for this case. Paul leaves his argument with the Jews of them wanting to hear more about what they thought was just a sect of Judaism, the followers of the Way, and how they interpreted the Word of God differently and how they are claiming that it had been fulfilled in the person of Jesus the Christ. All they have heard about them is that they are spoken against everywhere by the Jewish leaders, but Paul seems to have persuaded them that he is knowledgeable in the Scriptures and sure of what he believes about the gospel. They set a time and day for them to all come to his house where he was under house arrest and he shared with them from the Law and the Prophets (the entire Old Testament) how Jesus had to be the Christ. The text tells us that some believed, but others rejected this message. That's to be expected. However, Paul spoke through the Holy Spirit to tell these Jews (and all the Jews) that Isaiah was right in what he prophesied about them that their hearts were cold and callused and they didn't hear or see what they didn't want to, and God was going to now cause them to not be able to see, hear or understand the gospel they had rejected and that this very gospel message they rejected that was meant to go to them first was now also going to go to the Gentiles, and they would accept it first and beat many of the Jewish people into the kingdom of God. This was very upsetting to the Jews, as they imagined their eternal security to be certain because they were children of Abraham and they had done everything within their power to keep the gospel form the Gentiles so that they might stay lost in their darkness and wickedness and idolatry. They didn't want any of them in the kingdom of God with them, and if the Gentiles were going to be there, the Jews weren't sure they wanted to be there. That's how much bigotry there was there not just of Gentile against Jew (which we still see today) but also Jew against Gentile. The book of Acts ends telling us that Paul lived there for two year under house arrest at his own expense (probably working as a tent maker again) and freely sharing the gospel with anyone and everything there in Rome without hinderance. The text doesn't tell us the end of the story that we would want to know (what happened with the trial before Caesar?), but we find that out from Paul's epistles that he wrote during this time that it became more and more evident to him that he was going to die for the gospel and even the means by which he was to die (beheading) seemed to become more obvious as he was talking of being poured out like a drink offering at the end. He seemed to know what was coming either by how the trial was going or by the Holy Spirit revealing it to him. However, it is great to see that God have him two years of unfettered ministry in Rome with the Jews and the Gentiles there, which was one of the greatest desires of Paul's heart. We know he wanted to go to some other places as well, like Spain, but it doesn't seem like he would ever make it there as it had been his plan to no longer go to the region of Asia Minor or Greece and Macedonia and to visit Rome on his way to Spain, but upon his return to Jerusalem, he was arrested and it seems he was never set free. As I mentioned in earlier journal entries, it's important for us to realized this is not the end of the story. This is only the beginning of Church history and you and I are still living today in the midst of Church history unfolding. The Holy Spirit is still at work today in the Church all around the world and persecution of Christians today is stronger than ever. Therefore there are many who read this history and immediately connect with it because the gospel is both flourishing and believers are being persecuted as well, just like here in the book of Acts. I can't say whether there are areas of the world in which the kinds of miracles and signs and wonders that we see in the book of Acts are still taking place. Part of me says "probably not" because those were usually signs for the Jewish people who God wanted to call to repentance, and we don't see another massive effort to redeem the Jews until the book of Revelation when God actually sends two evangelists from heaven to witness to all of Israel so that there are 144,000 Jews saved who themselves become evangelists and go out to all the world. God's plan is for His people to understand and receive the gospel and there is some prophecy in the Old Testament that seems to indicate that the end will not come until the Jews recognized who Jesus was and sing "Blessed is He who comes in the name of the LORD," and then the feast of Trumpets will be fulfilled when the Lord Jesus returns for His people and brings in the new year of the LORD's favor. Acts 28:11-16 English Standard Version Paul Arrives at Rome 11 After three months we set sail in a ship that had wintered in the island, a ship of Alexandria, with the twin gods as a figurehead. 12 Putting in at Syracuse, we stayed there for three days. 13 And from there we made a circuit and arrived at Rhegium. And after one day a south wind sprang up, and on the second day we came to Puteoli. 14 There we found brothers and were invited to stay with them for seven days. And so we came to Rome. 15 And the brothers there, when they heard about us, came as far as the Forum of Appius and Three Taverns to meet us. On seeing them, Paul thanked God and took courage. 16 And when we came into Rome, Paul was allowed to stay by himself, with the soldier who guarded him. While the island of Malta had been unknown to the crew of the ship that Paul and the other prisoners were originally on, it was not unknown to other sailors, as, after three months of being the guests of the people of Malta, a ship of Alexandria (probably referring to the Alexandria that is in Egypt since it is probably the largest and most well-known of the cities that Alexander the Great named after himself), made port and took these men aboard and offered them passage to Rome. Luke notes that the ship had the heads of the twin gods (I assume Gemini) as a figurehead that showed the allegiance of the crew and was supposed to say "if you mess with us, you mess with these gods that are supposed to protect us, because we have sworn allegiance to them."
The next several verses tell of the exact route they took to get to Rome. It's probably not very direct because the Alexandrian ship likely had other goods to deliver first and the soldiers and prisoners would have to wait until they had completed their promised deliveries before they could be ferried to Rome. However, God knew the exact route and allowed Paul to find some Christian brothers to fellowship with right before they were to leave for Rome, so that he could be encouraged and could encourage them. So they stayed there for seven days before leaving for Rome. When Paul arrived in Rome, news of his arrival spread far and wide and people from far away came to see him (we'll learn later that his friends Aquilla and Priscilla have been in Rome and leading the church there, so it is not too surprising that they were expecting him and had the Christians in Rome ready to meet him and encourage him). The text does say how they were greatly encouraged. Now Paul finally arrived in the city of Rome, and was allowed to live under house arrest, but even so he was given great liberty as he was given his own house to live in where his friends could come and go as they please and many came bringing letters to him and Paul would write letters back to the churches that he had ministered to. Yet there was always a soldier there with him. Imagine being one of those soldier being with Paul as he was writing these letters and being visiting by the church members of Rome and having guests from other churches far away come and visit him. All this man did day in and day out would be pray and study the Scriptures and write letters to inform and instruct the churches, and the home that was meant to be a prison turned into a place for him to disciple others and have Bible study with them. In this way we will see Paul say in later letters that the whole Pretorian guard and all of Caesar's household (which probably included all the government officials near Caesar too) had heard the gospel and many of them greeted the saints Paul was writing to as brothers and sisters in the Lord. We would never imagine that the Lord would have a plan to let someone be arrested so that his gospel could go forth to the officials and authorities of a country, but we saw the LORD do that with Joseph and in a way with Hananiah, Mishael, Azariah, and Daniel, and now again with Paul. God uses these kinds of circumstances to allow his people to stand before kings and governors to share the gospel and now look at all the people that Paul has shared the gospel with even as the ship was talking him to Rome--places that he had never imagined going to, but God directed those ships to take him to unreached people groups and then to places where there were brothers and sisters to encourage him. |
Daniel WestfallI will mostly use this space for recording my "journal" from my daily devotions as I hope to encourage others to read the Bible along with me and to leave a legacy for others. Archives
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