Preached in Markham Baptist Church, July 1, 2007

The story is told of a young man who after hearing the evangelist D.L. Moody speak got up and gave his testimony. It was clear that he didn’t know much theology but he ended his testimony with the words, “I’m not quite sure, but I guess I’m going to trust and I’m going to obey.”  John Sammis the hymn writer was there and the words were an inspiration to him. As a result he wrote a classic hymn entitled “Trust and Obey”.  “When we walk in the Lord in the light of His Word, what a glory He sheds on our way!  While we do His good will, He abides with us still, And with all who will trust and obey.  Trust and obey, for there’s no other way, to be happy in Jesus, but to trust and obey.” 

Trust and obey.  It really is a great description of the Christian life.  To enable God to work in our lives, to enable God to work in our church we need to obey what God says and trust who God is.  In no way does this limit God’s sovereignty. There are times, of course, throughout Scripture where God acts in spite of people’s obedience and faithfulness – but it does not discount the truth, that God’s people are called to obey what God says and trust who God is and when they do, great things happen for the Kingdom of God. 

The old ad slogan for Coca-Cola was, “Life goes better with Coke”.  My friends, life goes better when God’s people obey what God says and trust who God is.

This is vividly illustrated for us in the Old Testament book of Joshua.  The key theme to this book is that God’s people are to trust who God is and obey what God says. 

Write this down - “God’s people are to trust who God is and obey what God says.”  This is the way to live a victorious Christian life.  This is the way to possess all that is ours in Christ.  This is the way God’s people are called to live.  And this is what the book of Joshua illustrates for us again and again and again.

The book can be divided into three simple parts.  In chapters 1 through 5 we have the people of God approaching the land.  In chapters 6-12 we have the people of God conquering the land and in chapters 13-24 we have the people of God settling the land. 

In chapters 1 through 5 we witness the people of God approaching the land.  For the past forty years they have wandered around in the desert because they have failed to trust who God is and obey what God says.  A whole generation has died off and failed to claim the promise that was theirs from the time of Abraham. 

In chapter one they now have a new leader in the man named Joshua.  He figures prominently throughout the book, but especially at the beginning of the book and the end of the book.  Of course this is not the first time we have met Joshua.  We read about him in Exodus, Numbers and Deuteronomy.  As we read through those accounts, we witness how God’s leader was prepared, mentored and ordained.  His name was originally Hoshea which means salvation.  That’s quite a name to live up to – if not a burden to bear.  Thankfully Moses changed his name to Joshua which means “Jehovah is salvation”.  That’s not a burden to bear, but a fact to celebrate. 

Joshua’s not perfect - he failed to consult God on two key occasions - but by and large he was a great man of faith who trusts who God is and obeys what God says.

He was one of two spies who forty years before came back from the promised land with a favourable report.  “We can take the land,” Joshua and Caleb said.  “God has said we should go and God has said He will give us the land.”  They were sneered at, maligned and almost murdered for their testimony. 

But no one is questioning his decisions now as the people prepare to enter the promised land.   A whole new generation has arisen and from the very start God puts before them a choice - will you trust who I am and obey what I say?

God states starting at chapter 1 verse 2, “Moses my servant is dead.  Now then, you and all these people get ready to cross the Jordan River into the land I am about to give to them – to the Israelites.  I will give you every place where you set your foot, as I promised Moses.  Your territory will extend from the desert to Lebanon, and from the great river, the Euphrates – all the Hittite country – the great Sea on the west.  No one will be able to stand up against you all the days of your life.  As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake you.  Be strong and courageous, because you will lead these people to inherit the land I swore to their forefathers to give them.  Be strong and very courageous.  Be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses gave you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, that you may be successful wherever you go. Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful.  Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.”

Across those 7 verses we could write the words trust who God is and obey what God says. 

His word to us Christians is no different today. Jesus says, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.  Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”  (Matthew 28:19-20)

The same reason the Israelites were able to go into the land and conquer it – because they were trusting who God is and obeying what God said – is the same reason that you and I are able to go out into the world and share the love of Christ – because we are trusting who He is and obeying what He says.

Just as Joshua stood before his people and confidently said, “God has given us this land,” I can confidently stand before you today and say that God has given us Markham District High School.  I can confidently stand before you today and say that God has given us the community in which we live.  I can confidently tell you that God has given you whatever school you attend, whatever place you work, wherever you find yourself God has enabled you to make disciples. 

We are able to make disciples of the whole Markham District High School not because of our geographical location, (although that is helpful)  or because we are so winsome and attractive (although many of you are.) We are able to share the love of Christ with the world and have a great harvest because of who God is and He has said that the harvest is ready, it is ripe, it ready to be picked and all authority is in His hands so we can do what He says. 

We love those words that are a constant refrain in this book. God said to Joshua, “Be strong and courageous.”  But you know, those words cannot be taken out of context.  God is not saying to Joshua, “Okay, muster up some courage there, would you?  Strap on your sword and be a good little soldier.”  No, no.  

If we try to be strong and courageous all on our own we will certainly fail.  Joshua and the people of God were called to be strong and courageous only as they called to mind who God is.  He had given the land, He would conquer the land and He would make them great in the land. 

It is only as we draw on the resources of God that we are able to be strong and courageous in our testimony of Jesus Christ as Lord. 

In 1 Thessalonians 5:24 we read that, “the one who calls you is faithful and he will do it.”  (There’s the book of Joshua in a nutshell.) The truth is as God in Christ calls us to do something as a church, so God the Spirit enables us to do it.  That means that if God gives us calling to undertake, or gives us a task to be done, or a word to speak, the Holy Spirit will give us the strength to do it. 

So here’s the question – is there a task God has called you to do for which you feel totally inadequate?  Well, if He has called you, the Holy Spirit will enable you.  Do you find the demands of God in Scripture to be unrealistic?  Then the Holy Spirit is the one who will make it work.  Do you know the right thing, but cannot do it?  The Lord will never give instructions which the Holy Spirit is not totally adequate.¹ 

We can be strong and courageous in doing what God calls us to do because of who God is. 

Joshua.

Now you may say, “It may be easy for you to trust and obey.  Look at the environment you live, you are surrounded by godly things and godly people.  You don’t know my situation and how hard it is for me to trust and obey.” 

And at this point the Holy Spirit introduces us to Rahab in chapter 2 – a woman who believed in a hostile environment.  We are told that the people of God respond positively to God’s call to trust and obey.  So two spies are sent into the land – they go right into the centre of Canaan, to Jericho.  Now being a spy is a dangerous job.  It’s a life-threatening job.  To be discovered as a spy means certain death.  These spies needed to find someone who could give them factual information and clear direction. 

Can you imagine the angels in heaven watching all this drama and wondering what will happen next and God is there watching too? And He nudges the angels and says, “Now watch this.” 

The spies arrive at the house of Rahab the prostitute – of all the people in Jericho they arrive at the one house and speak to the one person in the whole city who has faith in the living God.  And she says to them at verse 9, “I know that the Lord has given this land to you and that a great fear of you has fallen on us, so that all who live in this country are melting in fear because of you.  We have heard how the Lord dried up the water of the Red Sea for you when you came out to Egypt and what you did to Sihon and Og, the two kings of the Amorites east of the Jordan, who you completely destroyed.  When we heard of it, our hearts melted and everyone’s courage failed because of you, for the Lord your God is God in heaven above and the earth below.”

Pharaoh, when presented with all the convincing truths of the living God through Moses – Pharaoh with all his supposed intelligence with all the evidence of God’s sovereignty right before his nose, never made such a heart felt confession. 

Rahab is a woman of faith and is commended as such in Hebrews 11:31.  She asks the spies for safety when they take the city. The spies agree and as a sign they give her a scarlet cord to tie to her window.  It is a sign of God’s protection – she and all who live under the sign of the scarlet cord will escape the coming destruction.

It is no accident that there is a scarlet cord that runs throughout Scripture.  It stretches back to the first Passover when the Israelites put the blood of the lamb over their door frames, and the angel of death seeing it passes their homes and none of them see death.   That scarlet cord runs through the story of Rahab so that all who lived under the scarlet cord had their lives spared.  And it runs all the way through Scripture to the cross of Christ where everyone who believes in the blood of Christ is given life.  

Rahab is a most interesting character. Consider it – perhaps like you she lives in an environment that is hostile to the truth about God.  Think of all the difficulties that she probably faced – she had no parents to teach her about the living God.  She wasn’t a believer because her family was.  She didn’t live in a believing country.  She had no Bible to feed her faith.  She had no pastor to teach her.  She had so little and it would have been difficult for her to trust and obey - but with the little she had she trusted who God was and obeyed what God said.

And as a result she received everything.  Her life was spared. Not only this, but she lived among the Israelites, married into the tribe of Judah and became the great, great grandmother of King David.  And in Matthew 1 she is listed in our Lord’s family tree.  

Rahab. 

In chapter 3, 4, 5 and 6 you have one incident after another that would make you think that God is crazy.  In chapters 3 and 4 you have God asking the people to cross the mighty Jordan at flood stage.  In chapter 5 you have God telling the people to circumcise themselves – because they had not been circumcised – an outward sign of an inward attitude toward God.  So they did it - three days before they go into battle!  And in chapter 6 you have God telling the people to march around heavily fortified city called Jericho doing nothing but blowing trumpets and having the ark of the covenant follow after – until the seventh day when they were not only to march and blow the trumpets but they were to shout.   

Now if any of those ideas were brought forward to me, the Deacons and Council, I wonder what would we say?  It’s hard to know. 

Now don’t misunderstand the text, the Holy Spirit is not telling us that the people of God need to support every way out idea that comes along as coming from God.  “The more outrageous the idea the more the people of God need to get on the band wagon.”  We have too many examples in recent history of people who have done the wackiest things in the name of God – most recently Bruce Wilkinson  author of the best seller Prayer of Jabez – had this idea of building a resort in Swaziland Africa – a place where orphans could work in a bed and breakfast, a game reserve, Bible college, industrial park, and a Disneyesque tourist attraction.  After raising millions of dollars it was discovered to be a huge mistake.  And it failed, it collapsed and the Christian testimony in Africa was left with egg on its face once again.  Just because an idea is grand and way out does not mean it is from God.

At the same time just because an idea is grand and way out doesn’t mean that it is not from God.   

The point of these chapters is that the people of God are to obey what says and trust who God is.  If God tells us cross the Jordan we need to do it believing that He will provide a way. If God tells us to go and share His gospel with all nations we need to do believing that God will provide the means and the way.  It’s all about trust and obey. 

The crossing of the Jordan, the defeat of Jericho, and Ai all show that God accomplishes His purpose through men and women who obey Him, no matter how foolhardy their action may appear in the eyes of those around us.

Now as we move into the second section of the book of Joshua - conquering the land in chapters 6-12, we see Joshua do some very logical things militarily.  He attacks Canaan at its heart.  He takes Jericho and Ai creating a wedge between the northern and southern cities preventing the people of Canaan making any sort of alliance against them.  This also gave the Israelites control of the ascents into the mountains of the promised land.  The ascents were old dried up river beds that came down from the mountains.  From a military point of view, the river beds of the day were exactly what the railroads were up through the second world war.  If you controlled these river beds then you controlled main access routes into the hill country. 

In chapters 6 through 9 the Israelites take the middle of Canaan. In chapter 10 they take the southern cities and in chapter 11 they take the northern cities. 

At chapter 7 we discover that the city of Ai doesn’t fall that easily.  The chapter begins with that awful word, “BUT”.  It’s a clue that something awful will happen.  Feeling confident after their defeat of Jericho they only send 3,000 men up to Ai. But they are roundly defeated and a number of them end up dead.

Joshua calls out to God – “What happened?”  And God says, “Someone has stolen from me.”  And through a process it is discovered that Achan has stolen from the things devoted to God in Jericho. 

In verse 20 and 21 Achan confesses and says, “It is true! I have sinned against the Lord, the God of Israel.  This is what I have done: When I saw in the plunder a beautiful robe from Babylonia, two hundred shekels of silver and a wedge of gold weighting fifty shekels, I coveted them and took them.”  

It all started with his coveting and then taking them. Some of the things he took we can understand, the gold, the silver, but he says he took a robe from Babylonia.  Why would he take that?

Babylon was the centre of success and power. Further on in the history of Israel, Babylon becomes a mighty power, but even in the day of Joshua, Babylon was the centre of influence and prestige.  To own a garment from Babylon was a mark of prominence and success.  It marked somebody as being “in”, as really being “ a man of the world”.  

You think designer labels are new?  Think again.  Achan coveted this designer wear from Babylon – his sin was not only greed but self-promotion and pride. 

From the very beginning of their time in the promised land God makes it clear that He is to be trusted and to be obeyed.  Sin would not be tolerated.  Achan and his family are stoned to death.

Now this brings us to a disturbing part of the book of Joshua.  In chapters 6 through 12 we have the Israelite army taking the cities first in the south and then moving those in the north.  And through it all you have the refrain, “So Joshua and the Israelites destroyed them completely.”   This whole idea of leaving no survivors comes to a climax in chapter 10:16-28 where Joshua has five Amorite Kings trapped in a cave.  He then has his commanders to place their feet on them – a symbol of victory, ownership – and then Joshua kills the five kings, not leaving one alive.  

Now the problem that people raise is that this seems to be out of sync with God as revealed for us through Jesus Christ.  We have the New Testament and we have this picture of God as being a God of love.  But in the Old Testament we have a picture of a warring God, a God of battles, capable of anger, exacting punishment by the sword. And the two pictures seem to be at odds.

But the fact is we do not have two pictures of God which are at odds, but we have one picture of God which is harmonious. 

And what we need to understand is that if God is not a God of war then He cannot be a God of love.  “All references to Him as a God of war in the Bible and all the activities attributed to Him, spring from one simple foundation – and that is the eternal and undying love of His heart.” ²  And the book of Joshua explains this and shows this. 

God is perpetually at war with sin.  He will not put up with it, He will not stand for it, that’s what is illustrated in the book of Joshua and that’s why we have the cross of Christ. 

Listen, the moment you believe that God Almighty will excuse sin – ignore it, make light of it – in the world and in your life – that moment that you believe He will excuse sin is the moment you stop believing in His love.  If God doesn’t battle against sin, He doesn’t love you.  

He is the foe of sin in you, in Markham, in Canada, in the world. 

Don’t think that He was merely clearing this land so that His favoured Israelites could live there.  The Israelites are warned again and again that if they turn to the same sins as the people of the land they would be cast out of the land.  And we know from Scripture that is precisely what happened. No one is immune – God hates sin wherever it finds itself and will act against it.

Suppose the Canaanites were allowed to stay in the land and keep their power.  Suppose the Israelites never came into being so that the words of revelation never were received.  Where would our world be right now?  By this purging God gave the human race a chance, a new opportunity. He prepared the way for Jesus Christ, the one in whom His love was to be incarnate, and His anger to be most perfectly shown.³ 

But we may say, “Surely the Canaanites weren’t all that bad?”  Read Leviticus 18 when you get home.  It is a long list of prohibitions God gives to the Israelites – He says, “Do not approach any close relative to have sexual relations.  Do not have sexual relations with your father’s wife. Do not have sexual relations with your sons daughter, or daughter’s daughter. Do not have sexual relations with the daughter of your father’s wife. Do not have sexual relations with your father’s sister. Do not give any of your children to be sacrificed to Molech. Do not lie with a man as one lies with a woman; that is detestable. Do not have sexual relations with an animal.”

And then verse 24 says, “Do not defile yourselves in any of these ways because this is how the nations that I am going to drove out before you became defiled.”

God hates sin and He will act against it. 

But you may say, “O we understand that – but this is so cruel, this wiping out of a nation without warning, without cause.  They didn’t have a chance.”

Don’t you think that God practiced grace?  Don’t you think God practiced patience?  Of course He did.  When He first called to Abraham and told him He was going to give him this land He said – you can have it, but not right now,  you will have to wait 400 years, why?  “Because the sin of the Amorites has not yet reached its full measure.” (Genesis 15:16)  He gave the Canaanites 400 years to repent, to clean up their act. 

The priest Melchizedek lived in Canaan and preached the truth about God.  Abraham lived in Canaan and demonstrated the reality of the living God.  Sodom and Gomorrah happened in Canaan and showed the power of the God who will not tolerate sin.  They heard about God, the witnessed God, but they failed to repent.

The God of the Old Testament who hates sin and who battles against it, is the same God of the New Testament who hates sin and battles against it by allowing His own son to die on the cross to defeat sin and wipe it out.  He does it not out of vengence, not out of carelessness but in love and because of love.  If God does not battle sin, He does not love you or me. 

Even today God does battle with sin.  He has brought an end to its reign in your life through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.  And now daily, He seeks to cut it out of your life.  His Holy Spirit convicts you, His Word acts as a double edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. (Hebrews 4:12) 

When you are under conviction, repent – but be sure to give thanks too. It is God’s exercising His love toward you as He does battle with sin in your life.

Well, the last section of the book in chapters 13-24 we have the people of God settling the land.  Each tribe is given their allotment of land as God perscribed through the patriarch Jacob. 

I love chapter 14 that tells of Caleb.  Caleb, you remember, was one of two who gave a favourable report way back at the start when the Israelites came out of Egypt.  Because he was one who trusted God for who he was and obeyed what God said he is given a special allotment in the promised land.  Do the land he is given?  He is given a city that he had no doubt spied out 45 years before – in the land of the Anakites – the other 10 had described them as giants – but Caleb says at verse 12 – “Now give me this hill country that the Lord promised me that day.  You yourself heard then that the Anakites were there and their cities were large and fortified, BUT, the Lord helping me, I will drive them out just as he said.”  And he drove out the Anakites – not because he was big and strong – but because he followed the Lord, the God of Israel whole heartedly.   Then the land had rest from war. 

The book of Joshua ends as it opened.  It ends with a focus on Joshua and a challenge to the people of God – a challenge to you and to me – to choose. 

He says, think of all that God has done – He brought you into the land of the Amorites, He gave them into your hand – God destroyed them before you.

Now, on the basis of what God has done – think about what you need to do for God.  God’s action requires your reaction.  God’s commands require your obedience.  His sovereignty requires your humility, God’s sufficiency requires your dependency.⁴

And Chapter 24 verse 15 – “Choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your forefathers served beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living.” 

And so it is for us. We are called to choose.  Think of what God has done for you in Christ.  His action in your life requires your reaction.  His commands require our obedience.  His sovereignty requires our humility, God’s sufficiency requires our dependency.  In other words we are called to trust and obey.

Joshua responds with that great phrase, “As for me and my house we will serve the Lord.”  He didn’t say, “As for me and my house we will think about serving the Lord.”  Nor did he say, “As for me and my house we will say we will serve the Lord.”

No he said, “As for me and my house we will serve the Lord.”   It is a call to each one of us to trust and obey. 

Was it worth it?  Verse 29 – “After these things, Joshua son of Nun, the servant of the Lord, died at the age of a hundred and ten.  And they buried him in the land of his inheritance.”    My friends, the book of Joshua vividly illustrates for us – “But we never can prove the delights of His love, Until all on the altar we lay; For the favour He shows, for the joy He bestows, Are for them who will trust and obey.”

Copyright MBC and Tom Cullen - July 2007

ENDNOTES:

1. Charles Price, Alive in Christ (Grand Rapids Michigan: Kregel Publications, 1995), 110.

2. G. Campbell Morgan, A Bible Survey Genesis – Revelation (U.S.A.: AMG Publishers, 1993), 55.

3. Ibid., 58.

4. Charles Price, Discovering Joshua (Leicester, England: Crossway Books, 1997), 177.

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