Thursday, July 24, 2014

Living Under Authority-- following the example of Joshua and Caleb

The last verse of the Old Testament book of Judges reads ominously, “In those days there was no king in Israel. Everyone did what was right in his own eyes” Judges 21:25, ESV. In other words each person decided for themselves what was “right” and in the end did whatever they wanted to do. The result was calamity for the people of Israel-- rampant idolatry, famine, immorality, frequent invasion by hostile neighbors, and ultimately the loss of the nation’s most prized possession, the Ark of the Covenant.  

The worst part is these calamities were entirely avoidable.  When Joshua was called by God to lead His people into the Promised Land he received this command and promise from God.

Above all, be strong and very courageous to carefully observe the whole instruction
My servant Moses commanded you. Do not turn from it to the right or the left, so that
you will have success wherever you go. This book of instruction must not depart from
your mouth; you are to recite it day and night so that you may carefully observe
everything written in it. For then you will prosper and succeed in whatever you do.
Haven’t I commanded you: be strong and courageous? Do not be afraid or discouraged,
 for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”  Joshua 1:7-9

Imagine the thoughts that must have flooded Joshua’s mind when he learned that the time had come to fill the leadership shoes of Moses? As the book of Joshua unfolds we see Joshua himself possessed great leadership ability and military acumen but what set him apart occurred years earlier when he was a young man. Joshua was commissioned to succeed Moses in Numbers 27, “The Lord replied to Moses, ‘Take Joshua son of Nun, a man who has the Spirit in him, and lay your hands on him” (Numbers 27:18). From this time until Moses’ death Joshua served as second in command.

We first meet Joshua in Numbers 13 as one of the twelve scouts selected by Moses to explore the land of Canaan which God had promised to Israel. Following this mission only two scouts, Joshua and Caleb were willing to take God at His Word and enter the land of Canaan. Read the following selected Scriptures from Numbers 13 and 14. How does Joshua and Caleb’s recognition of the authority of God’s Word and Moses differ from the rest?

Numbers 13:1-2, 17-20, 25 (Instructions)

The Lord spoke to Moses: “Send men to scout out the land of Canaan I am giving to the Israelites. Send one man who is a leader among them from each of their ancestral tribes.

When Moses sent them to scout out the land of Canaan, he told them, “Go up this way to the Negev, then go up into the hill country. See what the land is like, and whether the people who live there are strong or weak, few or many. Is the land they live in good or bad? Are the cities they live in encampments or fortifications? Is the land fertile or unproductive? Are there trees in it or not? Be courageous. Bring back some fruit from the land.” It was the season for the first ripe grapes.
At the end of 40 days they returned from scouting out the land.

Numbers 13:27-29, 31-33 (Majority Report)

They reported to Moses: “We went into the land where you sent us. Indeed it is flowing with milk and honey, and here is some of its fruit. However, the people living in the land are strong, and the cities are large and fortified. We also saw the descendants of Anak there. The Amalekites are living in the land of the Negev; the Hittites, Jebusites, and Amorites live in the hill country; and the Canaanites live by the sea and along the Jordan.”

But the men who had gone up with him responded, “We can’t go up against the people because they are stronger than we are!” So they gave a negative report to the Israelites about the land they had scouted: “The land we passed through to explore is one that devours its inhabitants, and all the people we saw in it are men of great size. We even saw the Nephilim there—the descendants of Anak come from the Nephilim! To ourselves we seemed like grasshoppers, and we must have seemed the same to them.”

Numbers 13:30; 14:6-9 (Caleb & Joshua’s Report)

Then Caleb quieted the people in the presence of Moses and said, “We must go up and take possession of the land because we can certainly conquer it!”

Joshua son of Nun and Caleb son of Jephunneh, who were among those who scouted out the land, tore their clothes and said to the entire Israelite community: “The land we passed through and explored is an extremely good land. If the Lord is pleased with us, He will bring us into this land, a land flowing with milk and honey, and give it to us. Only don’t rebel against the Lord, and don’t be afraid of the people of the land, for we will devour them. Their protection has been removed from them, and the Lord is with us. Don’t be afraid of them!”

The people didn’t listen to Joshua and Caleb and unless God had intervened would have appointed another leader and gone back to Egypt (Numbers 14:4). The consequence of their rejection of God’s authority was that they would wonder in the wilderness for forty years. Only their children and Joshua and Caleb would live long enough to see the Promised Land! (Numbers 14:22-24)

Everyone is called to live under authority and the Christian understands ultimate authority is to rest with God and His Word. In our day we’ve not been promised a land, but just like Joshua we have been given a mission. To successfully fulfill that mission we must recognize the authority of the Scriptures over our lives.

All Scripture is inspired by God and is profitable for teaching, for rebuking, for
 correcting, for training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be complete,
equipped for every good work. 2 Timothy 3:16-17


How is the Holy Spirit leading you to recognize and submit to the leadership of God’s Word in your life?

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