Passing on the Lessons of Leadership...

Today, I would like to begin by having us consider two questions. First, if you could only have one more conversation with those who were closest to you, what would you tell them? If you could have only one more conversation with your family, your closest friends, with those whom you have shared life together during your life, what would be the content of that conversation?

Now that you have thought about that first question, here is a second question to consider. If, on your final day on earth, you were given the opportunity to speak to the next generation for fifteen minutes about your life and share what you believed to be the single piece of advice that would lead them to have the very best for their life, what would you say? What would you tell them about your story? Where would direct them to invest their life as a result of what you have learned in your story? You have one opportunity. What would you say in that one conversation?

This week, I would like for us to look at one such conversation. And it is in this man’s final conversation with those closest to him; and it is in this one man’s final conversation with the nation that he led, that we discover a timeless and powerful principle that is necessary in order to restart our lives so that we would be living in the relationship with God and one another that we were created and called to live. Let’s look at this one final conversation together, beginning in Joshua 23:1:

Now it came about after many days, when the LORD had given rest to Israel from all their enemies on every side, and Joshua was old, advanced in years, that Joshua called for all Israel, for their elders and their heads and their judges and their officers,

As we enter into the final chapters of the Jewish nation’s attempt at restarting their lives as individuals and as a nation, we read that their leader, Joshua, was old and advanced in years. At the end of this story we discover that Joshua was 110 years old. After ten years of dividing, occupying, and settling that land that God had led the Jewish people to occupy and conquer, the Jewish people were experiencing the blessings that come from faithfully living in the relationship with God and one another that they were created and called to live. The Jewish people were free from conflict from without and conflict from within. And as Joshua looked in the rear view mirror of his life and recognized that his time on earth was coming to an end, he called for his leadership team to come to his side for one final conversation. We see the content of this conversation revealed for us, beginning in the second half of Joshua 23:2:

and said to them, "I am old, advanced in years. "And you have seen all that the LORD your God has done to all these nations because of you, for the LORD your God is He who has been fighting for you. "See, I have apportioned to you these nations which remain as an inheritance for your tribes, with all the nations which I have cut off, from the Jordan even to the Great Sea toward the setting of the sun. "The LORD your God, He will thrust them out from before you and drive them from before you; and you will possess their land, just as the LORD your God promised you.

Joshua begins his final conversation with those on his leadership team by reminding them about all that they had experienced together during their journey to restart their lives. Joshua affirms his leadership team for their faithful focus on following God’s commands and plans. And as a result of their faithfulness and persistence, they experienced the opportunity to be a part of God’s activity that led the Jewish people to restart their lives in the Promised Land.

After affirming their faithfulness and persistence, Joshua reminds them of his role and of God’s promise to continue to guide and lead the Jewish people. At Joshua’s leadership the land had been conquered, controlled, divided and distributed. And even after he is gone, Joshua explains that God’s presence and power will continue to accompany the Jewish people in future battles from those who would try to oppose the Jewish people as the continued to occupy and settle the land. Joshua, in telling his story, reminds the Jewish people of the reality that God is a promise maker and a promise keeper. Joshua then continues his final conversation by challenging his leadership team when it came to their responsibilities once he was gone. We see this challenge in Joshua 23:6:

"Be very firm, then, to keep and do all that is written in the book of the law of Moses, so that you may not turn aside from it to the right hand or to the left, so that you will not associate with these nations, these which remain among you, or mention the name of their gods, or make anyone swear by them, or serve them, or bow down to them. "But you are to cling to the LORD your God, as you have done to this day. "For the LORD has driven out great and strong nations from before you; and as for you, no man has stood before you to this day. "One of your men puts to flight a thousand, for the LORD your God is He who fights for you, just as He promised you. "So take diligent heed to yourselves to love the LORD your God. "For if you ever go back and cling to the rest of these nations, these which remain among you, and intermarry with them, so that you associate with them and they with you, know with certainty that the LORD your God will not continue to drive these nations out from before you; but they will be a snare and a trap to you, and a whip on your sides and thorns in your eyes, until you perish from off this good land which the LORD your God has given you.

Here we see Joshua charge his leadership with the responsibility to be strong, steadfast, and singularly focused in their leadership on following God’s word that is recorded for us in the first five books of the Bible, which the Jewish people referred to as the Law or the Torah. The reason that they were to remain strong, steadfast, and singularly focused was so that they may not turn aside to the right hand or the left. In other words, the leadership was charged with the responsibility of keeping God’s word so the Jewish people would not get off track when it came to living in the relationship with God and one another that they were created and called to live. And just like the Jewish people, God’s word is divinely designed to keep us on track and moving forward in our lives when it comes to our relationship with God and one another.

Joshua then explains to his leadership team the specific dangers that the Jewish people still faced that would cause them to get off track. When Joshua states that the Jewish people were not to associate with these nations, this phrase refers to the Jewish people assimilating into the culture of the nations and societies that were once inhabited the Promised Land. Joshua explains that the Jewish people were to remove from their memory and not even speak of the false, wicked, and evil religious systems of those nations and societies. When Joshua states that the Jewish people were not to make anyone swear by them, he is revealing for us the reality that the Jewish people were not to involve themselves in any act of worship and allegiance to false religious systems.

The Jewish people were not to be a Jesus plus people, where faith is viewed like a buffet line where we can pick and choose from what we like from various faith systems in the world and choose to ignore the parts of the faith systems of the world that we do not like. This attitude toward religion, which is called syncretism, is idolatry as you are worshipping something other than god as God. Instead, the Jewish people were to remain faithfully devoted to God and find their identity in God and God alone. They were to cling closely to God. They were to remain in an intimate and personal relationship with the Lord. You see, the Jewish people were experiencing the blessings that come from faithfully living in the relationship with God and one another that they were created and called to live as a result of God’s activity in their lives.

And because of that reality, Joshua challenges the leadership team in verse 11 to take diligent heed to love the Lord your God. If this letter was being written in the language and culture we use today this phrase would sound something like this: take care, for you very soul’s sake, to love the Lord your God. Joshua then proceeds to explain why they were to be so very diligent to take care of their souls by painting three word pictures for us as to the consequences that would occur if the Jewish people turned to worship the religious systems that previously were a part of the Promised Land. First, Joshua paints the picture of a bird trap filled with bait that was used to lure a bird to explain that, in the same way, these false religious systems would attempt to lure the Jewish people.

Second, Joshua paints a picture of a person enduring the pain that comes from a whipping to describe the pain that the Jewish people would experience if the turned to such idolatry. Third, Joshua paints a picture of a thorn in your eyes to describe the reality that becoming involved in a Jesus plus worship system would blind the Jewish people from following God. Joshua then reminds his leadership team of the consequences that awaited the Jewish people as a result of the choices that were before them:

"Now behold, today I am going the way of all the earth, and you know in all your hearts and in all your souls that not one word of all the good words which the LORD your God spoke concerning you has failed; all have been fulfilled for you, not one of them has failed. "It shall come about that just as all the good words which the LORD your God spoke to you have come upon you, so the LORD will bring upon you all the threats, until He has destroyed you from off this good land which the LORD your God has given you. "When you transgress the covenant of the LORD your God, which He commanded you, and go and serve other gods and bow down to them, then the anger of the LORD will burn against you, and you will perish quickly from off the good land which He has given you."

Here we see Joshua remind his leadership team that God had repeatedly demonstrated to the Jewish people that He says what He means and He means what He says. And because of that reality, just as God meant what He said by bringing the Jewish people into the Promised Land as a result of their faithful obedience, God also meant what He said about what His response would be toward rebellion and disobedience.

Any future disobedience that flowed from a failure to love and serve the Lord and only the Lord would result in damaging and devastating consequences for the Jewish people. Joshua wanted his leadership team to be mindful of God’s activity and their responsibility when it came to leading the Jewish people into the future. After affirming, challenging, and reminding his leadership team of their responsibilities, Joshua then turns to have his final conversation with the Jewish people that he had led over the years. We will look at that conversation tomorrow.

So this week, what would you say if you could have only one conversation with those closest to you?

To Restart Recognizes the Necessity of Unity...

Yesterday, we continued to look at a story in our Bibles from the book of Joshua. In this story, we looked at the tribes that lived west of the Jordan River make a decision to send a delegation across the Jordan River to meet with the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and the ½ tribe of Manasseh. This delegation was sent across the Jordan River to meet with and confront the tribes who had built this altar on their rebellious actions. Instead of rushing to judgment based on hearsay, the Jewish people decided to send ambassadors on a fact finding mission as to the true motives behind their seemingly selfish and sinful behavior. You see, when we rush to judgment based on a conclusion formed on partial information, we risk the danger of coming to a wrong conclusion, don’t we?

After being confronted by these tribes for their seemingly rebellious behavior, we see the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and ½ tribe of Manasseh’s response recorded for us in Joshua 22:21-29. And it is in their response that we see another timeless principle that is necessary when it comes to restarting our lives:

Then the sons of Reuben and the sons of Gad and the half-tribe of Manasseh answered and spoke to the heads of the families of Israel. "The Mighty One, God, the LORD, the Mighty One, God, the LORD! He knows, and may Israel itself know. If it was in rebellion, or if in an unfaithful act against the LORD do not save us this day! "If we have built us an altar to turn away from following the LORD, or if to offer a burnt offering or grain offering on it, or if to offer sacrifices of peace offerings on it, may the LORD Himself require it. "But truly we have done this out of concern, for a reason, saying, 'In time to come your sons may say to our sons, "What have you to do with the LORD, the God of Israel? "For the LORD has made the Jordan a border between us and you, you sons of Reuben and sons of Gad; you have no portion in the LORD." So your sons may make our sons stop fearing the LORD.' "Therefore we said, 'Let us build an altar, not for burnt offering or for sacrifice; rather it shall be a witness between us and you and between our generations after us, that we are to perform the service of the LORD before Him with our burnt offerings, and with our sacrifices and with our peace offerings, so that your sons will not say to our sons in time to come, "You have no portion in the LORD."' "Therefore we said, 'It shall also come about if they say this to us or to our generations in time to come, then we shall say, "See the copy of the altar of the LORD which our fathers made, not for burnt offering or for sacrifice; rather it is a witness between us and you."' "Far be it from us that we should rebel against the LORD and turn away from following the LORD this day, by building an altar for burnt offering, for grain offering or for sacrifice, besides the altar of the LORD our God which is before His tabernacle."

The tribes of Reuben, Gad, and ½ tribe of Manasseh’s respond to the questioning with a proclamation of their theology and their innocence: “The Mighty One, God, the LORD, the Mighty One, God, the LORD! He knows.” What is so interesting here is that these three phrases, in the language that this letter was originally written in, represent the three Hebrew words that were used for God. These three words refer to God’s might and power, God as the Creator of the universe, and the Lord, which was the personal and the covenant relational name for God used by the Jewish people.

These tribes were saying “the only true God, the Creator of the Heavens and the earth, He is our Lord who we both worship as a people, He knows our heart and our motives behind the altar. If we are rebelling and rejecting Him by building this altar, He will not save us from you or deliver us from you. If our motive in building this altar is rebellion and idolatry, then God can strike us dead right here right now”.

The tribes then reveal the motivation behind their building of the altar. You see, the tribes that lived east of the Jordan River were afraid that the unity that they had experienced over the past seven years would be severed as a result of the Jordan River, which naturally divided them from the rest of the Jewish people. And, at the same time, the tribes that lived west of the Jordan River viewed the building of this altar as an act of rebellion against God that would destroy the unity that they had as a nation. Both groups were motivated by the same fears and the same desires: the fear of division and the desire for unity.

And it is in this story that we see God reveal for us a timeless principle when it comes to restarting our lives in relationship with one another. And that timeless principle is that to restart recognizes the necessity of unity. To restart our lives in a way that enables us to experience the relationships with one another in the community that we were created for recognizes the absolute necessity of unity. And because the tribes that were to occupy and settle in the land that was east of the Jordan River recognized this reality, they desired to build an altar. This altar, however, was not to be used for worship; this altar was to be used as a witness. This altar was built to testify to the entire nation that it was their unity was based on their relationship with the one true God.

You see, the Jewish people who lived on both sides of the Jordan River recognized that is was their worship of the Lord that united them. The tribes that were to live east of the Jordan River feared that while God had commanded all Jewish people to appear at the altar three times a year at the sanctuary in Exodus 23:17, future generations of Jewish people who lived west of the Jordan may refuse to recognize those that lived east of the Jordan as being God’s people. Thus, this altar was the result not of rebellion, but the desire for unity. And as this story concludes, we see the delegation’s response to the tribe’s proclamation of innocence:

So when Phinehas the priest and the leaders of the congregation, even the heads of the families of Israel who were with him, heard the words which the sons of Reuben and the sons of Gad and the sons of Manasseh spoke, it pleased them. And Phinehas the son of Eleazar the priest said to the sons of Reuben and to the sons of Gad and to the sons of Manasseh, "Today we know that the LORD is in our midst, because you have not committed this unfaithful act against the LORD; now you have delivered the sons of Israel from the hand of the LORD."

The delegation responded to theses tribes’ proclamation of innocence by recognizing two things. First, the delegation recognized that the motives behind the building of this altar were well intentioned and focused on pleasing God. Second, the delegation recognized that God had actively entered into the situation in a powerful way in order to deliver the tribes that lived west of the Jordan River from sinning as a result of causing division by going to war for the wrong reasons. The delegation then returned to Shiloh to report back to the Jewish people, whose response is revealed for us in the final verses of this story:

Then Phinehas the son of Eleazar the priest and the leaders returned from the sons of Reuben and from the sons of Gad, from the land of Gilead to the land of Canaan, to the sons of Israel, and brought back word to them. The word pleased the sons of Israel, and the sons of Israel blessed God; and they did not speak of going up against them in war to destroy the land in which the sons of Reuben and the sons of Gad were living. The sons of Reuben and the sons of Gad called the altar Witness; "For," they said, "it is a witness between us that the LORD is God."

The Jewish people west of the Jordan responded to their relatives to the east’s heart for God by giving God praise and glory. God’s activity in the midst of this potentially divisive situation resulted in the Jewish people expressing praise and thanksgiving for God’s enabling and uniting power. They responded in praise and thanksgiving because the Jewish people recognized the necessity of unity. The tribes east of the Jordan River so recognized the necessity of unity that they built an altar to testify to the entire nation that it was their unity was based on their relationship with the one true God. The tribes west of the Jordan River so recognized the necessity of unity that they were willing to confront any potential threat that would destroy that unity.

And in the same way today to restart recognizes the necessity of unity. To restart our lives recognizes that unity is not uniformity. The Jewish people were descendants of twelve very diverse sons of Jacob who were united as a result of their confident trust in God and His word. And in the same way the church today is a diverse group of individuals economically, socially, and culturally that are united together as a result of their relationship with Christ. As followers of Jesus, we are united by the truth of who God is, what He has done, and what He has called us to do. And while we are to zealously protect against compromise when it comes to what we believe about the core truths of our faith, we are to reflect a unity in the midst of the diversity of God’s people.

So do you recognize the necessity of unity amongst God’s people? Are you as zealous to protect the unity that is supposed to be reflected amongst God’s people as the Jewish people were in Joshua’s day?

A Caution Against Rushing to a Conclusion...

Yesterday we looked at a story in the book of Joshua where three tribes of the Jewish people were praised for keeping a commitment that that had made to their fellow countrymen. Joshua then dismissed these three tribes with a prayer asking for God’s enabling power and blessing to be upon them as they began this new chapter in their lives.However, before crossing the Jordan, these three tribes made a decision that had the potential for devastating and destructive consequences, which we read about in the verses that follow:

When they came to the region of the Jordan which is in the land of Canaan, the sons of Reuben and the sons of Gad and the half-tribe of Manasseh built an altar there by the Jordan, a large altar in appearance. And the sons of Israel heard it said, "Behold, the sons of Reuben and the sons of Gad and the half-tribe of Manasseh have built an altar at the frontier of the land of Canaan, in the region of the Jordan, on the side belonging to the sons of Israel." When the sons of Israel heard of it, the whole congregation of the sons of Israel gathered themselves at Shiloh to go up against them in war.

Here we see these three tribes, before crossing the Jordan River into the land that they had been given to occupy and settle in, decide to build an altar at the edge of the Jordan River. Now when we read that this altar was large in appearance, this altar was large enough that it could be seen from a great distance from both sides of the Jordan River. This altar was something that could not be missed by anyone who traveled in that region.

Now a natural question that arises here is “why even build an altar? And why build an altar that was that big?” To understand why these tribes would have built such an altar, we first need to understand the Jordan River and its surrounding terrain. The Jordan River runs through a deep gorge which may be called the earth’s deepest valley that contained step and sudden slopes. This natural boundary, then, could easily serve to separate these tribes and divide these tribes from the rest of the Jewish nation. These tribes were afraid that the phrase “out of sight, out of mind” would end up applying to them.

We quickly discover, however, that these tribes were not out of sight out of mind because word quickly reached the rest of the Jewish people that this altar had been erected. And as the Jewish people began to hear the stories about this altar, they responded by gathering together at Shiloh, which functioned like their capital city, and voted to go to war. But, this morning, why would the rest of the Jewish people respond to the building of an altar in such a way? I mean why go to war against your countrymen because of an altar?

There were two reasons why the Jewish people west of the Jordan River responded the way that they did to the building of this altar. First, this altar would violate God’s command that is recorded for us in Deuteronomy 12:10-11. This command required that all sacrificial worship was to be conducted at Shiloh, where the tabernacle and the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord was located. Second, the Jewish people had already learned the hard way that compromise is extremely costly when it came to the truth about God and the worship of God. The Jewish people did not want to repeat the pain of past mistakes and zealously wanted to protect against compromise when it came to following God’s word. And as the Jewish people prepared to go to war against this act of compromise and rebellion against God’s word, they made a very wise decision, which we see in verses 13-14:

Then the sons of Israel sent to the sons of Reuben and to the sons of Gad and to the half-tribe of Manasseh, into the land of Gilead, Phinehas the son of Eleazar the priest, and with him ten chiefs, one chief for each father's household from each of the tribes of Israel; and each one of them was the head of his father's household among the thousands of Israel.

The tribes that lived west of the Jordan River made a decision to send a delegation across the Jordan River to meet with the tribes of Rueben, Gad, and the ½ tribe of Manasseh. This delegation was led by Phinehas, who represented the religious leadership of the Jewish people. In addition, ten representatives were chosen from each of the tribes that lived west of the Jordan River in the Promised Land to represent the political leadership of the Jewish people. This delegation was sent across the Jordan River to meet with and confront the tribes who had built this altar on their rebellious actions.

Instead of rushing to judgment based on hearsay, the Jewish people decided to send ambassadors on a fact finding mission as to the true motives behind their seemingly selfish and sinful behavior. You see, when we rush to judgment based on a conclusion formed on partial information, we risk the danger of coming to a wrong conclusion, don’t we? How many of us have learned this lesson the hard way. And here we see that this danger is not a new danger, but a human nature danger. We then see this delegation confront the tribes that lived east of the Jordan River, beginning in Joshua 22:15:

They came to the sons of Reuben and to the sons of Gad and to the half-tribe of Manasseh, to the land of Gilead, and they spoke with them saying, "Thus says the whole congregation of the LORD, 'What is this unfaithful act which you have committed against the God of Israel, turning away from following the LORD this day, by building yourselves an altar, to rebel against the LORD this day? 'Is not the iniquity of Peor enough for us, from which we have not cleansed ourselves to this day, although a plague came on the congregation of the LORD, that you must turn away this day from following the LORD? If you rebel against the LORD today, He will be angry with the whole congregation of Israel tomorrow.

After arriving across the Jordan River, the delegation begins to question the actions of these tribes in a very clear and direct manner in an attempt to understand the motives behind their actions. The delegation then reminded these tribes of a devastating story from the history of the Jewish people, which is found in another letter in our Bibles called the book of Numbers. In Numbers 25:1-9, we read a story of how the Jewish people were invited by another culture and society, called the Moabites, to worship their false God, who was named Baal, their way instead or worshipping the true God His way. The Jewish people not only accepting the invitation to worship their false god; the Jewish people committed sexual sin by sleeping with the Moabites, which was also against God’s commands.

And this generation of Jewish people was very familiar with this story because it was their parents who participated in this false worship. And Phinehas, the leader of this delegation, was very familiar with this story because he was there. Phinehas was a young associate pastor at the time who was so offended and the selfish rebellion of the Jewish people that he stepped into action in order to stop the selfish rebellion and sin of the Jewish people.

Now when the delegation asks “is not the iniquity of Peor enough for us, from which we have not cleansed ourselves to this day”, they are referring to guilt or punishment that comes from selfish sin and rebellion. You see, the delegations point was that the root cause of that selfish rebellion had not been eradicated from the people; there was still the temptation to follow the example of the previous and rebellious generation into idolatry and immorality that resulted in the Jewish people wandering in the desert for 40 years.

And as the Jewish people had become all too aware of, there is no such sin as personal and private sin; our selfish rebellion and sin impacts all who are in our sphere of influence. And because of that reality, the delegation reminds these tribes that their rebellion today would result in consequences for the whole nation tomorrow. The delegation then provides these tribes with an incredible offer in verses 19-20:

'If, however, the land of your possession is unclean, then cross into the land of the possession of the LORD, where the LORD'S tabernacle stands, and take possession among us. Only do not rebel against the LORD, or rebel against us by building an altar for yourselves, besides the altar of the LORD our God. 'Did not Achan the son of Zerah act unfaithfully in the things under the ban, and wrath fall on all the congregation of Israel? And that man did not perish alone in his iniquity.'"

When the delegation asks if the land is unclean, this phrase refers to something or someone being not right in God’s sight and therefore not appropriate to either worship or reside. Here we see the 9 ½ tribes generously offered to share their land if the issue was that the land east of the Jordan was not right with God and not appropriate for them to worship or reside. These tribes were willing to sacrifice and share what God had given them in order to ensure that the entire Jewish people would be in right relationship with God and one another.

The delegation then reminds these tribes of some recent history with the story of Achan. As we discovered earlier in this series, after the battle of Jericho, Achan decided to pass by God’s commands to do what he desired to do instead of what God commanded him to do. And Achan’s selfish rebellion and sin resulted in his entire family, who assisted in hiding the banned items under his tent, along with all of His possessions were destroyed. Here we see the delegation pointing to a recent example to reinforce the timeless reality that our selfish rebellion and sin causes damage and destruction to all of those who are in our sphere of influence. After questioning the actions of these tribes in a very clear and direct manner, it was now time to hear their response. How would they respond?

Tomorrow, We will look at the tribes of Rueben, Gad, and ½ tribe of Manasseh’s response. And it is in their response that we see another timeless principle that is necessary when it comes to restarting our lives. Do you have a tendency to rush to a conclusion based on partial information? And what consequences have you experienced as a result?

Clinging to a Commitment...

As a church we are nearing the end of a sermon series that is looking at a letter in our Bible, called the book of Joshua that records the frustration, tension and trouble that the Jewish people experienced as they attempted to restart their lives as individuals and as a nation. This past week we came to a story that reveals a powerful principle that is necessary in order to restart our lives so that we would be living in the relationship with God and one another that we were created and called to live. This story begins in Joshua 22:1:

Then Joshua summoned the Reubenites and the Gadites and the half-tribe of Manasseh, and said to them, "You have kept all that Moses the servant of the LORD commanded you, and have listened to my voice in all that I commanded you. "You have not forsaken your brothers these many days to this day, but have kept the charge of the commandment of the LORD your God. "And now the LORD your God has given rest to your brothers, as He spoke to them; therefore turn now and go to your tents, to the land of your possession, which Moses the servant of the LORD gave you beyond the Jordan.

We see Joshua here proclaiming the faithfulness of the tribes of Rueben, Gad, and the ½ tribe of Manasseh for keeping the commitment that they had made that is recorded for us in another letter of our Bibles, called the book of Numbers. In Numbers 32:20-22, these tribes made an agreement with Moses, who was the previous leader of the Jewish people that would allow them to settle in land that was east of the Promised Land on the other side of the Jordan River on the condition that these tribes would help the remaining Jewish nation take over and possess the Promised Land.

And here we Joshua praise these tribes for keeping their commitment. These tribes left their families behind and laid their lives on the line in order to help their fellow Jewish countryman. As a result of their faithfulness God had given rest to the entire Jewish people. As we talked about last week, the word rest refers to the blessings that come from faithfully living in the relationship with God and one another that we were created and called to live. So, having faithfully fulfilled their commitment, Joshua releases them to go back to their families and their land which was located east of the Jordan River. As Joshua releases them, however, he provides some parting commands and counsel, which is recorded for us in Joshua 22:5-6:

"Only be very careful to observe the commandment and the law which Moses the servant of the LORD commanded you, to love the LORD your God and walk in all His ways and keep His commandments and hold fast to Him and serve Him with all your heart and with all your soul." So Joshua blessed them and sent them away, and they went to their tents.

As these three tribes began the journey back to the land that they were to occupy and settle, Joshua reminds them to carefully keep the commandments that God had given the Jewish people through Moses, their previous leader and are recorded for us in another letter in our Bibles called the Book of Deuteronomy. In Deuteronomy 10:12-13 and 11:22, Moses commanded the Jewish people to do five things.

First, the Jewish people were to love the Lord with all of their heart and their soul. In the language that we use in our culture today, we would say that we are to love the Lord with our total being. Second, they were to walk in His ways. In other words, they were to live their life in light of how God called them to live; they were to reflect God in their character and conduct.

Third, the Jewish people were to keep His commandments that were recorded in the Torah, which is the first five books in our Bibles. Fourth, they were to serve God with their total being. Fifth, the Jewish people were to hold fast to Him. What is so interesting is that this phrase “hold fast” literally means to cling to someone or something. It is a word picture of a child clinging to their parent. In other words, God desired that the Jewish people live in a relationship with Him that relied upon Him and would not let go of Him.

Joshua then dismissed these three tribes with a prayer asking for God’s enabling power and blessing to be upon them as they began this new chapter in their lives. However, before crossing the Jordan, these three tribes made a decision that had the potential for devastating and destructive consequences, which we will look at tomorrow.

So how faithful are you when it comes to keeping your commitments? To following God? To others around you?

God's Constant Passion for Justice and Pursuit of Love...

Yesterday, we looked at a section of a letter in the Book of Joshua and discovered the timeless principle that to restart recognizes that God desires justice. God is not just righteous and just. God delights in justice. And God desires justice. And because of that reality, God set up a process in the Promised Land that was designed to promote justice for all. And as this story continues, we see God’s desire for justice in the lives of the Jewish people revealed for us through a second specific action, beginning in Joshua 21:1:

Then the heads of households of the Levites approached Eleazar the priest, and Joshua the son of Nun, and the heads of households of the tribes of the sons of Israel. They spoke to them at Shiloh in the land of Canaan, saying, "The LORD commanded through Moses to give us cities to live in, with their pasture lands for our cattle." So the sons of Israel gave the Levites from their inheritance these cities with their pasture lands, according to the command of the LORD.

Here we see the Levites, who were descendants of one of the twelve sons of Jacob who formed the Jewish people, approach Joshua and his leadership team. While one of the twelve sons of Jacob, the Levites were not given a portion of the Promised Land to possess. The Levites developed into three divisions based on the three sons of Levi, Kohath, Merari, and Gershom, which formed what was called the levitical priesthood. We see how God gave the Levites cities within the Promised Land in Joshua 21:4:

Then the lot came out for the families of the Kohathites. And the sons of Aaron the priest, who were of the Levites, received thirteen cities by lot from the tribe of Judah and from the tribe of the Simeonites and from the tribe of Benjamin. The rest of the sons of Kohath received ten cities by lot from the families of the tribe of Ephraim and from the tribe of Dan and from the half-tribe of Manasseh.

As we have discovered in this series, casting lots was a process that was similar to picking names out of a hat. This process, however, was not simply a random act of chance. Since the Jewish people were without the Holy Spirit’s indwelling presence and the Bibles guidance, casting lots was a way that God used to guide and direct the decisions of the Jewish people. The Kohathites were descendants of one of the three sons of Levi that formed the priests and were given special responsibilities that related to the tabernacle, which is where the Ark of the Covenant resided amongst the Jewish people.

As a result of their special responsibilities, the Kohathites were given thirteen cities from the territory of the tribe of Judah, Simeon, and Benjamin. The Kohathites who were not a part of the priestly line received ten cities from the tribes of Ephraim, Dan, and the ½ tribe of Manasseh. The descendants of Gershon, who was another of the three sons of Levi, received thirteen cities from the tribes of Issachar, Asher, Naphtali, which were located in the region of Galilee, and the ½ tribe of Manasseh that was located east of the Jordan River. The descendants of Merari, who was another of the three sons of Levi, received twelve cities from the tribes of Reuben, Gad and from the tribe of Zebulun. And the rest of chapter 21 describes in detail all of the cities that the Levites received throughout the Promised Land. But, this morning, why would God scatter the Levites throughout the Promised Land like He did?

We find the answer to that question in another letter in our Bibles called the book of Numbers. In Numbers 35:2-8, Moses commanded the Jewish people to give the Levites cities scattered throughout the Promised Land, in order to enable them to be able to love, serve, and minister to the Jewish people. In addition, the Levites were responsible to teach and proclaim God’s commands that are recorded for us in the Old Testament to the Jewish people. Thus, the Levites had a prominent role in the establishment and reinforcement of justice in Jewish society and culture.

And because of the unique role that the Levites had in Jewish society and culture, God dispersed them throughout the Promised Land to help promulgate and promote a culture and society of faithfulness and justice. God dispersed them throughout the Promised Land because God delights and desires justice. And as chapter 21 ends, we see a summary of God’s activity in the lives of the Jewish people:

So the LORD gave Israel all the land which He had sworn to give to their fathers, and they possessed it and lived in it. And the LORD gave them rest on every side, according to all that He had sworn to their fathers, and no one of all their enemies stood before them; the LORD gave all their enemies into their hand. Not one of the good promises which the LORD had made to the house of Israel failed; all came to pass.

As we have discovered throughout this sermon series, God is a promise maker and God is a promise keeper. And here we see that reality revealed once again. The word swore here literally is a vow or covenant promise that is not to be broken. The question before the Jewish people, was not whether or not God had promised them the land, the only question was whether or not they were going to live their lives in a way that would enable them to receive those promise. And as the Jewish people restarted their lives so that they could live in the relationship with God and one another that they were created and called to live, God fulfilled His promise by giving them three things.

First, God gave them all of the land that He had promised to them. Second, God gave them rest. Now when the Bible uses the word rest, it is referring to the blessings that come from faithfully living in the relationship with God and one another that we were created and called to live. Third, God gave them relief from opposition. None of the enemies of the Jewish people were able to make a stand against them. This story ends with the explanation that not a single word of every word that God promised the Jewish people failed. All of God’s promises came to pass because God is a promise maker and a promise keeper. And God delights and desires justice.

And today, the timeless reality is that to restart recognizes that God desires justice. God so delights and desires justice that some 1400 years after this story, we read another story in the Bible. Another story about God’s desire for justice. This story, however, does not involve a city that provides refuge from retribution that is undeserved. This story involves a man going to a cross to provide rescue from retribution that is deserved.

The Easter story reveals God's desire for justice. And the Easter story reveals God's loving pursuit of His creation through His Son, who lived the life we refused to live and suffered the death we deserved to live to provide the opportunity for forgiveness and rescue. It is the cross the reveals God's justice and love.

To Restart Recognizes that God Desires Justice...

Yesterday, we looked at one of the most controversial issues in society, which is capital punishment. We discovered that the Bible makes a clear distinction between killing and murder. So because of the distinction that exists between killing and murder, there needed to be these cities of refuge that would provide the opportunity to be able to determine the motivation behind the actions of the accused in the death of another human being. And in Joshua 20:4, we see how the Jewish people were to make the distinction between killing and murder and the role that Cities of Refuge played in determining that distinction:

'He shall flee to one of these cities, and shall stand at the entrance of the gate of the city and state his case in the hearing of the elders of that city; and they shall take him into the city to them and give him a place, so that he may dwell among them. 'Now if the avenger of blood pursues him, then they shall not deliver the manslayer into his hand, because he struck his neighbor without premeditation and did not hate him beforehand. 'He shall dwell in that city until he stands before the congregation for judgment, until the death of the one who is high priest in those days. Then the manslayer shall return to his own city and to his own house, to the city from which he fled.'"

Here we see the process by which the Jewish people were to maintain justice and differentiate between murder and an accidental killing. A person who caused the death of another was responsible to flee as fast as possible to one of the cities of refuge. Upon arriving at the gates of the city of refuge, the person who caused the death of another was to take ones stand and make their defense as to why their actions were accidental and without previous thought or knowledge. Upon hearing the evidence, the Elders, who were the leaders of the city, could make an initial determination that could result in the accused being brought into the city where they would be allowed to dwell and live until they faced a trial.

If the avenger of blood pursued the accused to the city of refuge, the residents were not allowed to hand them over to be killed, because enough evidence was found to warrant their asylum in the city until they stood trial. The accused would remain in the city of refuge until their trial, which would occur in the city nearest to where the crime took place. The accused would then receive a trial, where they would be able to take the stand and make a defense before their fellow Jewish citizens.

If the accused was found to have committed actions that accidentally caused the death of another, their sentence would be to remain in asylum as a resident of the city of refuge until the death of the high priest. Upon the death of the high priest, the person would then be able to return to the city in which they had previously lived. If the accused was found to have committed actions that involved plotting and planning to take the life of another human being, or murder, they were to be put to death by the avenger of blood. So with all this background information in mind, we see how Joshua responded to God’s command in verses 7-9:

So they set apart Kedesh in Galilee in the hill country of Naphtali and Shechem in the hill country of Ephraim, and Kiriath-arba (that is, Hebron) in the hill country of Judah. Beyond the Jordan east of Jericho, they designated Bezer in the wilderness on the plain from the tribe of Reuben, and Ramoth in Gilead from the tribe of Gad, and Golan in Bashan from the tribe of Manasseh. These were the appointed cities for all the sons of Israel and for the stranger who sojourns among them, that whoever kills any person unintentionally may flee there, and not die by the hand of the avenger of blood until he stands before the congregation.

Joshua and his leadership team responded to God’s command by setting apart six cities that were located throughout the Promised Land as cities of refuge. On the west side of the Jordan River, the cities of Kedesh, Shechem, and Kiriath-arba, were established as cities of refuge. On the east side of the Jordan River, the cities of Bezer, Ramoth-gilead, and Golan, were established as cities of refuge.

Now at this point, a natural question that arises here is “well that seems fine Dave, but what if they lived far away from a city of refuge? What were they supposed to do then?” What is so interesting is that each of these cities was positioned to be a one days trip from any part of the Promised Land. In other words, regardless of where you lived within the Promised Land, you were only one day away from a city of refuge. In addition, according to Jewish tradition, the roads leading to these cities were kept in excellent condition and the crossroads were well marked with signposts reading “Refuge! Refuge!” Runners were also stationed along the way to guide those fleeing to a city of refuge.

And it is in the establishment of these cities of refuge that we see God reveal to us another timeless principle that is necessary to recognize when it comes to restarting our lives. And that timeless principle is that to restart recognizes that God desires justice. You see, God is not just righteous and just. God delights in justice. And God desires justice. God desires justice for the victims of crime. God desires justice for those accused of a crime. God does not delight in the innocent receiving unfair punishment. And God does not delight in the guilty receiving no punishment. God delights in justice for all. And because of that reality, God set up a process in the Promised Land that was designed to promote justice for all.

And as this story continues, we see God’s desire for justice in the lives of the Jewish people revealed for us through a second specific action. Will will look at that action tomorrow. In the meantime how does God's desire for justice impact your view of God? Your view of the world?

Capital Punishment and an Important Distinction...

One of the most controversial issues in society revolves around whether or not capital punishment should be allowed and enforced. And many different religious systems either promote or prohibit capital punishment. Those who follow the teaching of the Bible, however, seem to be able to make arguments, from the Bible, on both sides of this issue. Now a natural question that arises here is "how can that be?" In a section of a letter in our Bible called the book of Joshua, we see the issue of capital punishment come to the forefront. And it is in this story that we see an important distinction that needs to be made when talking about this issue from a Biblical perspective. So let's look at this story, beginning in Joshua 20:1:

Then the LORD spoke to Joshua, saying, "Speak to the sons of Israel, saying, 'Designate the cities of refuge, of which I spoke to you through Moses, that the manslayer who kills any person unintentionally, without premeditation, may flee there, and they shall become your refuge from the avenger of blood.

Upon finishing the task of dividing the Promised Land amongst the twelve tribes that formed the Jewish people, which we looked at last week, God commands Joshua to designate cities of refuge. Now, in order to fully understand what God is commanding Joshua to do in these verses, we first need to understand what cities of refuge were and their significance to the Jewish people.

In another letter that is recorded for us in our Bibles, called the Book of Numbers, God commanded Moses, who was the previous leader of the Jewish people, that upon entering into and settling the Promised Land, the Jewish people were to set aside six cities that were to be called cities of refuge. These cities of refuge were designed to be a place where a person could seek asylum while awaiting trial for their actions that resulted in the death of another person.

You see, the Bible makes a clear distinction between killing and murder. From a Biblical perspective, there is a significant difference between a person whose actions accidentally cause the death of another, which is defined as killing, and a person who plots and plans to take the life of another, which is defined as murder. The words unintentionally and without premeditation here literally mean something that occurs accidentally or without previous thought or knowledge. And just like today, there were tragic times when death occurs as a result of the accidental and unplanned actions of others. Unfortunately and tragically, there are occasions that people are killed as a result of the accidental and unplanned behavior of others. And just like today, there were occasions where people act by taking the life of another human being as a result of a plot and plan that flowed from selfish rebellion and sin. The Bible refers to that act as murder.

In addition, the Bible is also very clear about the consequences that should occur when one human being acts on a thought out plan to murder another human being. In the first book of the Bible, called the book of Genesis, we see God provide clear instructions as to the consequences that the person who had committed murder was to face. We see these consequences revealed for us in Genesis 9:6:

"Whoever sheds man's blood, By man his blood shall be shed, For in the image of God He made man.

God’s consequence for willingly and thoughtfully taking another’s life was death. Murder was to receive a punishment that matched the crime. Today, we call this capital punishment. And as you might imagine, the subject of capital punishment provokes strong and heated debate from those on both side of the issue. And while a full discussion on capital punishment would easily involve several posts, I want to take a minute to address the most common objection that I hear from those who oppose capital punishment, which is that capital punishment is inhumane and devalues life. If you would identify with that statement, I would like to lovingly challenge that objection.

And my loving challenge to that objection comes from this verse. Notice the reason why God calls for the death of the person who committed murder: "for in the image of God He made man". God established capital punishment to demonstrate how much He values life. God cares and values life so much that He demands the life of those who would take another’s life. Let me say that again. Because mankind is created in the image of God; because mankind was designed to represent and reflect the nature and character of God on earth; and because God values all human life; God demands the life of those who would take another’s life by the act of murder.

How God demanded the life of those who took the life of another through the act of murder in the Old Testament was through the avenger of blood. The avenger of blood usually was the closest male relative of the one who had been slain. The avenger of blood was responsible to seek retribution, or justice, and not vengeance, for the death of a member of the Jewish people. The avenger, however, was not expected to make the distinction between murder and an accidental killing; he was simply the instrument to execute justice and punishment upon the murderer by killing the murderer.

So because of the distinction that exists between killing and murder, there needed to be these cities of refuge that would provide the opportunity to be able to determine the motivation behind the actions of the accused in the death of another human being. Tomorrow, we will look at how the Jewish people were to make the distinction between killing and murder and the role that Cities of Refuge played in determining that distinction.

So, where do you stand on capital punishment? Does this clear up, or cloud up, the issue for you?