Deuteronomy 31-Judges 3: Conquering the promised land but the real battle is within

We will be taking a panoramic sweep through three books this week - the closing chapters of Deuteronomy, the whole book of Joshua and the beginning chapters of Judges! You may want to consider listening through these narrative collection using your favorite audio Bible version. Do note that in the Read Scripture program, there is one particular day where you are required to go through 9 chapters (Joshua 13-21) - the advice given is to skim through these chapters as they cover all the geographical details of land allocation for the tribes. It is OK - some parts of the Bible can be read quickly while certain sections require rumination. 

Again, do not feel bad if you are lagging in the Read Scripture schedule, just pick up from this week's reading onwards. Remember, we are about progression, not perfection. For a quick overview, CLICK HERE to download the one-page graphical overview of the books of the Bible. 

Connect the dots
In the closing chapters of Deuteronomy, we discover that Moses is a "rock singer"! Let me explain:

  • In Deuteronomy 32, Moses sang a song as part of his farewell discourse - instead of singing, "I did it my way!" - Moses recounted the faithfulness of Yahweh, the Rock and contrasted the impotency of other rocks (lower case "r"). You can almost hear him singing - "Ascribe greatness to our God the Rock! His work is perfect for all His ways are just!"

  • Five times in the song, Yahweh is referred to as the Rock. A large rock is solid and strong, emphasizing God's strength, providing a "fortress" and place of "protection". you can hide upon a rock when pursued by enemies. thus a rock can be your "salvation". Exodus 17:6 reminds us also of the life-giving waters which flowed from the smitten rock. Paul alluded to this in 1 Corinthians 10:1-4, "For they drank from the spiritual Rock that followed them, and the Rock was Christ." 

  • From verse 35-43, it appears that Yahweh is preparing the Israelites to be ready for battle - not for their personal acclaim but as the instrument of God's justice. "Vengeance is Mine, and retribution ... I will render vengeance on My adversaries" (Deut 32:35,41). This then leads on to the book of Joshua where the second generation of the sons of Jacob starts to conquer the land where their fathers failed to enter because of disbelief and disobedience. 
The book of Joshua with its many battles is a difficult book to "swallow" especially if we read it from our contemporary cultural lens. Although there are no neat answers for the violence of war depicted, we can observe a few consistent themes.

  • The consistency of God's character. There is the factor of divine timing in the execution of God's divine judgment on sin. Note in Genesis 15:16, God told Abraham that his descendants will be enslaved for 400 years and then they will claim the promised land because the iniquity of the Amorite is not yet complete. Even in the book of Revelation (6:10-11), we find that God executes judgment righteously in His timing after evil has been shown for what it really is, so that when He judges, there is no one who can accuse Him of wrongdoing. The primary reason for Yahweh's action against the Canaanites is their "iniquity." In this respect, the conquest closely resembles the Genesis flood, an exceptional event of a Gpd-initiated, God-directed judgment.

  • The consistency of God's covenant. Despite Israel's repeated acts unfaithfulness, Yahweh remains faithful. "If we are faithless, He remains faithful; for He cannot deny Himself." (2 Tim 2:13). The two markers of the covenant - the multiplication of Abraham's seed and the giving of the land continue to find its fulfillment in Joshua. Despite the "boring" details of geographical boundaries of Joshua 13-22, it represents a historical milestone for the nation of Israel as they witness the fulfillment of God's promise to Abraham. In the midst of the holy war, we also see the manifestation of God's mercy where God saves those who put their faith in Him. Note the case of Rahab (Joshua 2) - she and her family chose to worship Yahweh and was thus saved. Not only that, she ended up being part of the covenant promise fulfillment as she was later to become the great-great grandmother of King David! (Matt 1:5-6).

  • The consistency of God's calling. Although Joshua is now leading the nation of Israel, the name of Moses is mentioned 57 times in the book of Joshua. The "Shema Yisrael" remains at the heart of Israel's calling as a nation - "Hear, O Israel! The Lord is our God, the Lord is one! And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. and these words, which I am commanding you today, shall be on your heart." (Deut 6:4-6). Unfortunately, the inconsistency of Israel in following this call to obedience from the heart sets the stage for the drama in the book of Judges. 
Activity idea
Ever wondered how Rahab and her family was rescued since her house was incorporated into the Jericho's city walls (Joshua 2:15)?  As you recall, the spies had instructed Rahab to bring her family into her house and they would be rescued. When the Israelites stormed the city, Rahab and her family were saved as promised (Joshua 2:12–21, 6:17, 22–23). 

At the north end of the ruins of Jericho, archaeologists made some astounding discoveries that seem to relate to Rahab. Check out the details at (and then tell this story over your next family meal):
https://answersingenesis.org/archaeology/the-walls-of-jericho/

Christ in Scripture
In covenantal terms, the book of Joshua and later on in Judges, show that the Sinai covenant does not inevitably change the human condition. Death as a punishment for sin threatens all, and Joshua repeatedly asserts that faith and obedience are the way to life. Yet, the covenant's fullest blessings cannot be realized because no one is able to keep the law perfectly from within. Conquering the bondage of sin is a battle that we can never win on our own, in our human efforts.

The most profound change in our heart only happens when we are united in Christ in His death and resurrection, making those united with Him alive to God and dead to sin (Rom 6:11) and sealing them with the Spirit who is given as the ultimate blessing of the Abrahamic covenant (Gal 3:28). "And if you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham's offspring, heirs according to the promise." (Gal 3:29). Praise God for the new Covenant of Grace in Christ Jesus! "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!" (2 Cor 5:17).

CLICK HERE to submit your questions for an upcoming Emmaus Fireside Chat edition - especially questions from your children (appreciate if you could do it latest by March 15). We look forward to receiving your responses. Our focus is on the first five books of the Bible (Genesis to Deuteronomy).

We welcome your comments, feedback and questions - please post them in the comments below.

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