God Protects His People

June 19, 2011

Background Scripture: Joshua 2
Lesson Passage: Joshua 2:2 – 9, 15, 16, 22 – 24

As I studied today’s lesson, it reminded me of the events that took place forty years prior to the event recorded here in the book of Joshua. At that time, Israel was at Kadesh-barnea and on the brink of entering Canaan to possess it. Their leader, Moses, assembled twelve men—one from each of the twelve tribes of Israel—to go in to Canaan and spy out the land and bring back an assessment of it. When the twelve returned forty days later, they assured Moses that the land was as fruitful as God had promised it would be. However, they were careful to note that the inhabitants were men of large stature and their cities were heavily fortified. Ten of those men insisted that any attempt to occupy Canaan would be a suicide mission for Israel. Their report disheartened the people and caused them to lose hope and even worse, they loss faith in God. This led to forty years of delay and punishment in the wilderness. Only two of those men, Joshua and Caleb, tried to encourage the people to have faith in God and His divine protection of Israel. Israel refused to hear them and instead accepted the consequences of their faithlessness. Perhaps it was Joshua’s reflection on what it was like to be part of the losing minority report that prompted him to only select two men for this mission. (Some committees are too large to accomplish anything but the generation of confusion and despair.) It is somewhat puzzling as to why Joshua would even bother to send spies into the land at all knowing that Moses indicated that his reason for doing so was that the people suggested it and not that God required it of them. Although the book of Numbers record that God instructed Moses to send the men, Moses made it clear in Deuteronomy that it was the request of the people that initiated the action. No doubt, Joshua had learned much throughout the years of serving Moses and seeing God’s handiwork on behalf of Israel. One thing he certainly learned is that God protects His people. God constantly provided for them during their journey through the wilderness on their way to Kadesh-barnea. He protected Joshua and the other eleven spies forty days while they were in Canaan. He protected Israel whenever He sent them to battle against His enemy—with Joshua often being responsible for leading Israel into battle. So whether God had instructed Joshua to spy out Jericho or not, Joshua knew that God would be with the two men and bring them back safely. What Joshua did not know is what we too often don’t know as well, what obstacles would be encountered and how God would handle the situation. Nevertheless, to know that God protects His people is enough to give us holy boldness as we move forward and do His will. The spies went in and were detected and sought out but God had stirred up the faith of one of the residents of Jericho to choose His side rather than the side of her fellow townsmen. God knows how to use the enemy to thwart his own plans and defeat his own wicked intentions. Rahab the harlot became a part of the messianic line of the Christ perhaps because she allowed herself to have faith in God’s divine protection of his own and she too wanted that protection for herself and her family.

Robert C. Hudson
June 7, 2011

God Expects Obedience

June 12, 2011


Background Scripture: Joshua 1
Lesson Passage: Joshua 1:7 – 18

In our lesson today, God commanded Joshua to depend on the guidance of His word to ensure success in what he was about to undertake. In order for this to happen, Joshua needed to know the word and meditate on it day and night. Joshua had to read the word to know what was written in it. He was charged with keeping all of the law not just portions of it. The law had provisions for blessings or curses to Israel based on their obedience to the instructions found therein. Blessings required obedience to all of the law even as Moses had instructed Israel on the plains of Moab just a month prior to this encounter between God and Joshua. If Joshua failed to keep (or do) all that God commanded to ensure success, then he would not be able to avoid the curse of the law. The curse only required one infraction of the law to be invoked. Therefore, Joshua was reminded to not deviate from the word. He was to take heed not to do more or less than God prescribes in the law. For his obedience, he was assured above all else that God’s presence would keep him from becoming afraid or discouraged. Joshua indicated his understanding of God’s instructions and he demonstrated his willingness to be obedient to God by engaging all of the leaders in Israel to prepare them to enter the land of Canaan within three days. After over four hundred years of promises and waiting, within three days, the conquest of Canaan will commence. Joshua reminded the Reubenites, the Gadites and the half tribe of Manasseh about the commandment given by God through Moses concerning them. They were to lead their brethren into battle rather than discourage them by refusing to go into Canaan. They had previously agreed to this in exchange for being allowed to settle in the land east of the Jordon River rather than in the land of Canaan with the rest of the tribes of Israel. Although Moses was now dead, they had made a promise to follow through on this commitment and Joshua was reminding them of God’s commandment concerning this matter. In exchange for their commitment to lead the armies of Israel into battle, they would be allowed to leave their wives and children in the new settlement east of the Jordan River where they would be safe and could begin their new lives as shepherds in the lush grazing land. Once the other tribes were settled into their possessions, then the two and a half tribes could return to their families and possessions. Not only did the two and a half tribes consent to their original commitment to Moses, they went further and pledged their allegiance to Joshua as their commander-in-chief to be good soldiers under his leadership even as they were with Moses. Joshua’s willing obedience to God’s leadership of him had placed him in the position of receiving the same type of followers under his own command. As Joshua was obedient to God, so was Israel obedient to Joshua. Not only does God expect obedience from us, but He also makes us the recipients of obedient followers to our own leadership.


Robert C. Hudson
June 1, 2011