The Eve of Victory - Joshua 8:1-9

And if you'll turn with me to Joshua chapter 8 Joshua chapter 8 we're gonna be looking at the first nine verses of the chapter this morning two weeks ago

We saw the in the in the aftermath of The destruction of the city of Jericho this victory that the

Israelites experienced we saw Akin's sin his stealing of the plunder from Jericho then we saw the subsequent defeat of the

Israelites at AI the failed attempt to Conquer that city we saw this this foreshadowing of the judgment that was to come

And then last week's message was was a hard one. It was a sad one in the life of Israel If we were of a mindset to preach messages that are easy to hear and are fun and draw a crowd

That's not the passage that you would pick out but in Preaching the whole council of God and preaching book by book

We also saw that there was great benefit. It was great blessing in considering that passage

Because it was in as we considered last week in the writing of Hosea the prophet

Who spoke of that valley of trouble? That would become a door of hope this promise that was fulfilled through Jesus Christ that these troubles that Israel experienced because of sin

There was a remedy for that a remedy in the man the

Savior the Son of God Jesus Jesus Christ We saw last week in the aftermath of this defeat

God called the nation to put Akin and all of his household to death Everything that drew breath under his household even his animals

It all was killed. It all was buried the things that he stole

Even down to his very tent Joshua points out was buried under this pile of stones the heap of the memorial stones on the banks of the

Jordan that had become this this Reminder of God's provision of God's power of God's grace in bringing them through the

Jordan It's now joined by this Pile of stones that is now used this time to bury

Akin in his household But again, we saw the gospel foreshadowed even in this tragic situation

We considered This door of hope that Jesus Christ is we considered the contrast between Akin and Jesus That Akin was a troubler of Israel and John tells us that Jesus was troubled for our sins

Akin was taken outside of the camp and killed under the curse of God and similarly the writer of Hebrews tells us

That Jesus suffered outside of the camp for us Akin died for his own sin, but Jesus bore our sins in His body on the cross so that we might die to sin and live to righteousness

When Akin died for his own sin God were told and Joshua turned from the fierceness of his anger

When Jesus died for our sins, he took on God's wrath for us Akin became a curse that brought shame upon all of Israel Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law having become a curse for us

So then Jesus again is this door of hope that Hosea speaks of Hosea is not speaking of some temporal relief or salvation

That's going to come to the people of Israel of that day. He's speaking. He's looking ahead

To Jesus Christ who would be that door of hope Who would perfectly fulfill?

The commands the righteous demands of the law for us And as God's Word To Joshua last week was one that was filled with grief over sin

The grief of these people of Israel who were then called to put to death this one who had disobeyed

God This week we see God's comfort. We see his grace. We see his mercy

We see his sovereignty So again, we're reading chapter 8 verses 1 through 9

Now the Lord said to Joshua do not fear or be dismayed Take all the people of war with you and arise

Go up to AI See, I have given into your hand the king of AI his people his city and his land

You shall go you shall do to AI and its king just as you did to Jericho and its king

You shall take only its spoil and its cattle as plunder for yourselves Set an ambush for the city behind it so Joshua rose with all the people of war to go up to AI and Joshua chose 30 ,000 men

Valiant warriors and sent them out at night He commanded them saying see you are going to ambush the city from behind it

Do not go very far from the city, but all of you be ready Then I and all the people who are with me will approach the city and when they come out to meet us at the first We will flee before them

They will come out after us until we have drawn them away from the city for they will say they are fleeing before us as at the first So we will flee before them and you shall rise from your ambush and take possession of the city

For the Lord your God will deliver it into your hand Then it will be when you have seized the city that you shall set the city on fire

You shall do it according to the word of the Lord. See I have commanded you

So Joshua sent them away and they went to the place of ambush and remained between Bethel and AI on the west side of AI But Joshua spent that night among the people father, we thank you that You have given us your word

That you have given us all that we need pertaining to life and to godliness in the pages of Scripture That you have preserved it for us

That you were honored and glorified In the reality that we are able to read your word

That you have you have brought together you have kept for your children

It is it is an honor and a glory to you that you have done this for us

But father it is also for our great good and our blessing For an eternal blessing to us that you have given us your word

So father we thank you that we are able to open your word and to read it we thank you from the promise from Especially from the

Gospel of John that tells us that if Jesus went away that he would send a helper who would guide us in all truth.

He would not speak of his own Accord but he would teach those things he would bring those things to remembrance

That are in the gospel the words of Jesus the gospel of Jesus Christ And so father would you speak to us this morning would you would you guide us in all truth

As you show us Where we need to continue in our work of Being conformed to the image of Christ father.

Would you remind us again of the great? Mercies the great depth the immensity of the love that you have for us

We ask this in Jesus name Amen last number of weeks have been a bit of a roller coaster as we've gone through the book of Joshua as We've as we've seen the

Israelites cross over the Jordan as they came to the city of Jericho and as they took the city of Jericho a very

What can only be described as a miraculous work of God? He calls as the walls of Jericho to fall and then the

Israelites burned the city with fire The same time as we considered previously we we saw the mercy the grace of God that he would take

Rahab and her family this woman who even in a city of Jericho would have been would have been looked down upon would have been seen as a

Of a certain class and yet this woman and her family

Were grafted into the nation of Israel and not only that but they were part of the lineage of Jesus Christ as We're reminded in Matthew's gospel when we study

Military history we sometimes see outcomes that are mixed. There are some battles where there is a decisive victor

There are others Pyrrhic victories where The victor technically wins, but it comes at such a great cost that ultimately it is to the victors detriment

At other times there's a stalemate where there is no clear winner and both sides agree to a to an uneasy truce

Jericho was unquestionable. It was a decisive victory and So on the heels of that victory there's at the same time this shadow of defeat

Aiken sins against God by plundering Jericho doing the thing that God commanded the people not to do

That they were not to take anything. They were not to be enriched From the spoils of the city of Jericho that these things the gold and the silver and the iron the bronze these things

Specifically belong to God they were to be used in service of worship to God And so this leads to the defeat of AI and then as we saw again last week to Aiken's death

So these highs and then these very lows spiritually Had to have been emotionally in the lives of the

Israelites And now on the heels of that sad account, there's again this glimmer of hope

There is this reminder that God has not left the people of Israel alone that there is still a hope for them

We see three things that God gives to his children as they stand on the cusp of Victory as they prepare to go into the city of AI and conquer it

We see first of all that God gives a word of peace He begins his words to Joshua with do not fear or be dismayed.

I Don't know about you But as I read the passage that we looked at last week as we considered it together

I feel like there was a lot of reason humanly speaking for Joshua to be afraid and dismayed yeah, we've seen it numerous instances all throughout

Scripture when God comes to an Individual and he says do not fear he comes to a group of people and he says do not be afraid

And it's interesting that almost always God follows that up Immediately with a reason why they should not be afraid

It's not a message of don't be afraid because you've got it in you and you can do it and you're a winner.

Oh There's a reason that God gives that is outside of that person for why they should not be afraid a reason that is grounded in God himself

Genesis 15 when God is speaking to Abram. He says do not fear Abram.

I am a shield to you Your reward will be very great Later on in Genesis the

Lord appears to Isaac and says I am the God of your father Abraham. Do not fear for I am with you

I will bless you multiply your descendants for the sake of my servant Abraham and Exodus 14

Moses says To the people do not fear stand by and see the salvation of the

Lord, which he will accomplish for you today And we also read of Joshua's calling

Have I not commanded you be strong and courageous do not tremble or be dismayed for the Lord your

God is with you wherever you go There are very real specific reasons why

God tells his people that they do not have a need to be afraid After this time of Joshua, we also see other exhortations

To not be afraid to take courage Isaiah gives two in particular in Isaiah 41

Isaiah record records the words of God do not fear for I am with you. Do not anxiously look about you

How easy is it for us to anxiously look about us in today's World the world that we live in but do not anxiously look about you for I am your

God I will strengthen you. Surely. I will help you Surely I will uphold you with my righteous right hand

Isaiah 43 Isaiah says but now this says the Lord Your creator

Oh Jacob and he who formed you Israel do not fear For I have redeemed you.

I have called you by name You are mine. And of course during this time of the

Advent season when we when we think especially about the Incarnation the birth of Jesus Christ This admonition not to fear reminds us of the words of the angels.

Does it not do not be afraid? Do not be afraid Mary for you have found favor with God To Joseph don't be afraid to take

Mary as your wife for the child who has been conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit And to the shepherds do not be afraid

For behold, I bring you tidings of great joy, which shall be for all the people Now our passage last week

God told Joshua to get up. It was not a message of comfort Get up It's time to deal with this sin and the way of dealing with it was in a drastic matter that would bring about literal death

This week God says to Joshua go up to AI. I Have given it into your hand

I've given into your hand the king of AI his people his city and his land Everything just as the punishment for Achan was complete.

It was comprehensive So the promise of victory is also complete and comprehensive

There's nothing there that is not included under this promise of victory that has already been accomplished.

God is saying to Joshua So there's this word of peace There is also a provision for temporal

Needs but even wants of temporal wealth that God is promising to the people

We see that God gives to the nation the ability to take the spoil and livestock as plunder

The only thing that is implicit here at least in the verses that we're looking at today

Is that they are not to take any of the people they're not to leave or to spare any of the people of AI But the spoil the plunder they can take all of that with them now

I've got to Be honest if I were in that place and I just seen what happened to ache and I'd be a little timid about taking anything at this point

But this is a reminder to us that there are times when God provides for us and God God gives us of those temporal things that we need

And even sometimes the things that we desire He gives us the desires of our hearts and then sometimes there are times when he withholds those things from us

And he makes it clear that they are not things that we are to pursue It occurred to me as I was studying this and I we were talking about this on Wednesday night

That there's this there's this tragic irony here and as we think about a consent if he had just waited

Just a few days between the Battle of Jericho and the Battle of AI He could have taken all of the goods of the city that he wanted the tragedy of not waiting for God's timing disobeying

God's Word Term spoils here is a is a term that is all encompassing

The term shall all means anything of any value it It's used here in comparison or in contrast or I guess as opposed to the livestock of the city

But this is the same word spoil that Aiken used when he said I saw among the spoil this this beautiful Cloak or the mantle and the gold and the silver

So the word spoil here is God telling them. Hey, you can take any of these things of value that you see it was a means of Providing for the needs of the nation of Israel of if we think about it in very temporal terms providing for the economy of the nation

So this is not about You know a consent was not about taking the goods of the conquered cities that was bad within and of itself

It was that disobedience to God was bad This this is the same lesson that God was teaching the

Israelites when they were back in the wilderness Remember when when they're walking they're traveling through the wilderness and God is providing manna for them

And he tells them take only what you need for each day except before the

Sabbath you're to take two days worth so that you're not gathering on the Sabbath and And there were some people who over overcorrected and did more than what

God said and they took more on the days that they were only supposed to take for one day and it

It spoiled and it became Became rotten and Then there were other days when some people

Didn't gather the day before the Sabbath. They didn't gather twice as much and so on the Sabbath they went hungry

God is teaching his people that we will have our needs met in his timing not in ours

This material wealth when taken in disobedience to God's command

This is the sin This is the sin against God It comes from a heart that is full of unbelief and pride as we considered last week the message of Satan in the garden to Eve was

Did God really say that? Did he really say that you would die? No That's not what he that's not what he said.

That's not what he meant the unbelief That God really said what he said then creates this power vacuum in our hearts

When we when we disbelieve when we don't believe that God said or or meant what he said

There's now this power vacuum But the throne of our hearts is now empty and if there's an empty throne then who better to occupy that throne than ourselves

And so the sin of Adam and Eve the sin of Achan the sin of all of us comes when we don't

Actively believe the Word of God And we succumb to the sin of pride

That we know better than God what we need and what we want. We also see

The third thing that God gives a sovereignly appointed strategy We've seen

God's Word to Joshua. We've seen God say to Joshua I have given it into your hand victory is assured

It's not a possible outcome We look back on on history and we see great battles that have taken place

We see particularly I think oftentimes about the Battle of D -Day And the odds that were given to a successful campaign of Making it up the the steep cliffs and on to the high ground

Victory was far from assured in that battle. This battle is different. This is not that battle here is

Guaranteed victory is guaranteed. And so we see the assurance

We see the provision that God makes we see now God's appointed strategy. It's appointed plan

We're told of Joshua's action in verse 3 what

Joshua does in response He he he basically does what God says he he obeys

God We kind of see this back and forth verse 3 we see or I guess I should say verse verses 1 and 2

We see God's Word to Joshua And then verse 3 we see Joshua's actions

Verses 4 and 8 we now see Joshua's words to the Israelites to the soldiers specifically and then in verse 9

We see the actions of the soldiers So we see this word from God to Joshua we see his actions we see his words to the people and We see their actions and in both cases we see obedience.

We see them following what has been told We'll see a stark contrast also between the ill -advised attempt that we saw of AI previously and The plan that we see in our passage today back in chapter 7 if you remember

The spies go to the city they scout it out. They reckon order they come back and they tell Joshua Yeah, you don't need to send everybody up just two to three thousand soldiers is all

Now we're gonna see next week that the population of the whole city of AI was is given to us as 12 ,000 people total

So so militarily this in and of itself would have been somewhat risky just sending two to three thousand soldiers

Especially if you had more who could go so even if it weren't for God's judgment upon Israel for a consent, which that guaranteed their defeat, but Even besides that it shows that God was also

I was also allowing them to give poor advice to Joshua Which is a reminder to us as well that that wisdom

God often gives wisdom in many cases gives wisdom as we seek him As we don't seek him we don't have wisdom

But in our passage today

God tells Joshua to send 30 ,000 soldiers We're going to talk about the numbers next week

In terms of of the numbers of soldiers that are there that are referenced at different points in the passage

I could go into those and Involved in the outcome, but but Lord willing Brian's gonna be addressing that next week

I'm not gonna run over his verses and preach for him and as he says he'll have to do a cleanup on aisle five next week

But I'll leave that for now but suffice it to say there would have been good reasons for God sending a large number of soldiers to the city

To take it for now. We can see two sides of this plan that God gives first of all, there's there's the emphasis on God's sovereign plan of God's sovereign action and This taking of the city of AI Again, God says

I have given The city of AI the hand of the king of AI into your hand rather verse 7

Joshua Talking to the people of Israel says take possession of the city for Yahweh your

God will deliver it into your hand There's a clear assertion by God that is in turn repeated by Joshua Victory is not in question.

It is sure it has already been done at the same time

God also tells Joshua to create or to prepare an ambush. He says literally set for yourself

There's an implication here. And as we see the plans next week that are given in more detail There's there's a battle plan that's drawn out.

This is not just Oh God's given us the city So we can just sit here and wait for the city to fall

There's a there's a real plan that God has given and the passage again next week.

We'll see more of those details about the attack but but what we can see this week is that the plan would depend in Some part on the on the hubris of the king of AI on his pride of his arrogance verse 6

Joshua tells the people that that the king is going to come out He's gonna say see they are fleeing before us as at the first in other words they're fleeing before us just like they did last time we can just go chase them and the king of AI's mind that The the end would have already been determined and it was just not in the way that he thought it was going to be

So God had given AI into Joshua's hand But there was work for Joshua and the people of Israel to be done.

This didn't mean that they were to be inactive So the deliverance of victory was one and not in which

God's people were passive observers They're not just there with a little you in patch on their sleeve

Just kind of looking and seeing what all is going on through their binoculars. No, they were to be active participants

They were to be soldiers to be fighting in this battle But with the assurance that God had already won

Again a beautiful example of our life as believers That Victory for us has been assured.

It's been given to us in Scripture, but that doesn't mean that we are to be passive Observers.

In fact, we are to be active participants Taking up the spiritual armor

So ultimately all of these things that God gives to the nation of Israel.

He's done all the more through Jesus Christ We see that when

God spoke peace to people throughout Scripture. It wasn't because they were special In fact, it was because they needed

They needed courage. They had reason to be afraid in terms of their own

Circumstances in terms of their own human Reasoning they had reason to be afraid

God would always exhort his children to not be afraid because of of his actions Because of what he was going to do because of what he had already done and at this season

We Celebrate the coming of our Savior the incarnation the birth of Emmanuel God with us

We're reminded in a special way that we can take hold of comfort and joy not because of earthly circumstances but because of him

And even in spite of our Circumstances we can take comfort and joy because as John declares the word became flesh and Literally tabernacled among us

No accident that John uses the same word there the tabernacle the presence of God with his people

Presence of God that moved with his people. This was not it. It's not a temple that was in a fixed place a

Tabernacle that went with the people wherever they went God was there John John then later recalls

Jesus's promise it is to your advantage that I go away The helper will come to you.

He will guide you into all the truth Christ has taken away the heap of death that we should rightly share with Achan and he's replaced it with this table of feasting

This is why we can have peace We see also that Over the last two passages, we've been reminded that there are things there are ambitions

There are goals their desires that God has ordained for us and there are things that he has forbidden for us

What is it that God has called you to forsake today?

What is it that God has called you to lay hold of today? Matthew were reminded we think back to our study of the book of Matthew and Jesus says if you then being evil know how to Give good gifts to your children

How much more will your father who was in heaven give what is good to those who ask him?

Luke in chapter 11 of his gospel. He records these words, but he he also records an additional detail

It gives some some additional light and color on to what Jesus is saying If you then being evil know how to give good gifts to your children

How much more will your heavenly father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him?

There's this work of the Holy Spirit again that he is guiding us in all truth He is the one who will bring to remembrance the words of Jesus He doesn't speak on his own accord

This is why we can speak of the desire for the Holy Spirit the love of the Holy Spirit the desire for the

Holy Spirit to work more in our hearts We don't have to have the fear that that some groups

Might instill in us that would say that the Holy Spirit is going to give you some new revelation some new word.

No Jesus tells us clearly he's not going to speak of his own accord He's going to bring to remembrance the things that I have already said

So the indwelling

Holy Spirit is the means by which we can understand The will of God those things that he has for us and those things that he does not have for us finally the word to Joshua And We've seen today reminds us that God has declared us victorious but he's also

Called us and commanded us to be active participants in this victory. I Love the book of Ephesians I sometimes people ask me what's your favorite book of the

Bible and always feel like books are like children, right? You you can't really say that you've got a favorite one

Maybe some people do but I I honestly can't say that. I have a favorite one. All right And I and I feel the same way about books of the

Bible there are books that I See God's God's hand throughout all of them, but the book of Ephesians I have to say holds a special place for me in the sense it's the first book that I truly studied as a teenager just really as a believer and and there was a period of time where I didn't study the

Bible and then as a Maybe 14 15. I was encouraged to study and start with the book of Hebrews.

I mean start with the book of Ephesians and And so every time I read the beginning

Paul's opening his introduction. It's like this nostalgic feeling I don't I don't know if that makes sense or not, but there's always this kind of where I remember going back to that initial time and There's this uniqueness to the opening of Paul's letter to the

Ephesians. I feel like it's Like any other book that he's writing Where that first that first part of chapter one is like this run -on sentence

It's almost like Paul's talking so much about what God's done He can't stop talking about it and he can't finish his thought and move to another one

We have punctuation in the English but as you read it It's like yeah, this should just be one big long sentence of what

God has done in the midst of this Opening Paul declares for by grace you have been saved through faith and that not of yourselves

It is the gift of God not as a result of works so that no one may boast for We are his workmanship

Created in Christ Jesus for good works Which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them

There's this balance right we have peace because we have been saved by faith not because of anything that we've done

And we have been created as in an act of intentional workmanship This is not the work of somebody who has an idea to build a table

So he goes to Home Depot and he buys some stuff and then he has to buy a few more things and then he tells His wife. Oh, I got to buy a few more things.

That's not intentional workmanship This this is like when I watch Norm Abram and he's got all this stuff and he makes this beautiful furniture that could be sold

For tens of thousands of dollars. That's an idea a picture of the intentional workmanship That that God has done when he has created you if you are in Jesus Christ Intentional workmanship so we would in turn walk

In those works that God has prepared beforehand for us We as reformed folk talk a lot about God's foreordained

Salvation we unfortunately talk less often about the foreordained work that God has prepared for us

But this is what Paul has in mind just as much as anything else As he's writing to the

Ephesians By chapter 5 Paul brings his letter back to the application in light of all that God has done for us

What he is doing what he will do Be imitators of God and walk in love as Christ Love you be an offering and a sacrifice to God just as Jesus Christ was an offering and a sacrifice

So what about you? This in this declaration of victory This is yours if you are in Christ this morning

Christ has been victorious Are you being a passive observer am

I being a passive observer in that If so, this is a gracious reminder from God's Word to be an active participant what a better way to Immediately put that into practice together as brothers and sisters in Christ then to come to the

Lord's table together Lord we We thank you for your mercy in your grace.

We thank you that Even last week in our our study a very difficult very tough passage very humbling and sobering passage it reminds us of the the penalty and the fruit the payment of sin the wages of sin

It's death But we thank you father that even in that you gave us

You pointed forward Through the writing of Hosea through the through the full counsel of your word of Scripture That the valley of trouble would become a door of hope in Jesus Christ We thank you that today and and the passage that we've looked at that.

We're reminded that you You did not leave your people alone that you did not abandon them that your love for them was constant that you called

Joshua to rise up and to Take the city in victory

We thank you father that it reminds us that that all of these promises point forward to the infinitely greater promises that are made in Jesus Christ That Jesus has given us victory

That Jesus does Provide for us that in him we are provided all of the things that we need

That in him we have been given a purpose Works that you have created beforehand that we should walk in them so father as we come to the

Lord's table now as we celebrate together and as we remember afresh the

Sacrifice the body that was broken the blood that was shed Father when we eat and drink with thankful hearts with hearts that are overwhelmed and overcome by your mercy and your grace