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1 Chronicles 1:8-16

The Sons of Ham

Filed Under: Devotions by Chuck
June 17, 2023

In the first chapter of 1 Chronicles, we have long lists of names. Verses 5-7 give us the list of those descended from Japheth. Verses 8-16 give us the names of those that descended from Ham. Much of this chapter is a rehearsal of the table of nations that were laid out in Genesis 10. 1 Chronicles 1:8-16 says, “The sons of Ham: Cush, Egypt, Put, and Canaan. The sons of Cush: Seba, Havilah, Sabta, Raamah, and Sabteca. The sons of Raamah: Sheba and Dedan. Cush fathered Nimrod. He was the first on earth to be a mighty man. Egypt fathered Ludim, Anamim, Lehabim, Naphtuhim, Pathrusim, Casluhim (from whom the Philistines came), and Caphtorim. Canaan fathered Sidon, his firstborn and Heth, and the Jebusites, the Amorites, the Girgashites, the Hivites, the Arkites, the Sinites, the Arvadites, the Zemarites, and the Hamathites.” The land of Cush has been recognized as Ethiopia. Mizraim is Egypt as many modern translations say, Put, “has been identified as Somalia by some scholars, but most identify it with part of present-day Libya, as do the Septuagint and the Vulgate in several passages in Ezekiel. Rather than transliterate the name, it will be better to use the modern name “Libya.”[1] Canaan, of course, is the land promised as an inheritance of the Israelites.

Sailer summarizes the descendants of these four, “The list of the Hamites contains four names of the sons of Ham, seven names of the descendants of Cush, seven names of the descendants of Mizraim, and ten names of the sons of Canaan, including five ethnic groups of ‘pre-Israelite’ Palestine and five ethnic groups from the Northwest of Syro-Phoenicia. The choice of these 28 names is historically justified and proves to be correct. The information from other such lists dates to the 7th cent. BC.”[2] Of the first four names, Cush, Egypt or Mizraim, Put, and Canaan, “Put is the only one of the sons of Ham who is not credited with descendants.”[3]

The thing to note about Ham and his descendants is that “These were all enemies of the people of God and would be remembered as such. Nimrod, the mighty hunter, epitomizes the rise of cities and nations that, at various times in the history of Israel, were the destroyers. Most prominent in the fortunes of Israel are the parts played by Egypt, Philistia, and Canaan. These, and others, posed significant threats to the ability of the Israelites to possess the Promised Land and to remove the influences of foreign gods.”[4]

All through Israel’s history, the people of God contended with enemies committed to their destruction. The Egyptians, the Canaanites, the Philistines, and the Babylonians are just a few of the many cruel and oppressive enemy nations featured in the Old Testament. Those nations, in opposing God’s people, were counted as God’s enemies, and God fought on Israel’s behalf. Throughout His life, Jesus Christ was opposed by human and spiritual enemies. Herod the Great tried but failed to have the infant Jesus killed. Satan tempted Christ in the wilderness.  At times Satan opposed the Lord through His friends and followers. As predicted in Old Testament Scripture, the Jewish leaders plotted to kill Jesus. Christ’s enemies succeeded in executing Him but were unsuccessful in thwarting God’s plan. Jesus overcame every enemy, including death, so that His followers might be set free by His victory. Jesus Christ made it clear that Christians would face many enemies because of their faith in Him: In fact, everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted according to the Scriptures.[5]

[1] Omanson, Roger L., and John E. Ellington. 2014. A Handbook on 1-2 Chronicles. Edited by Paul Clarke, Schuyler Brown, Louis Dorn, and Donald Slager. Vol. 1 & 2. United Bible Societies’ Handbooks. Miami, FL: United Bible Societies.

[2] Sailer, William, J. Creighton Christman, David C. Greulich, Harold P. Scanlin, Stephen J. Lennox, and Phillip Guistwite. 2012. Religious and Theological Abstracts. Myerstown, PA: Religious and Theological Abstracts.

[3] Pinches, T. G. 1915. “Put.” In The International Standard Bible Encyclopaedia, edited by James Orr, John L. Nuelsen, Edgar Y. Mullins, and Morris O. Evans, 1–5:2510. Chicago: The Howard-Severance Company.

[4] Goldsworthy, Graeme. 2021. 1 and 2 Chronicles: The Lion of the Tribe of Judah. Edited by Paul Barnett, Tracey Mayo, and Cassandra Cassis. Reading the Bible Today Series. Sydney, South NSW: Aquila Press.

[5] https://www.gotquestions.org/enemy-of-God.html

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2 Kings 1:9-10

Who is God?

Filed Under: Devotions by Chuck
June 16, 2023

Ahaziah was the son of Ahab and Jezebel. He was the 8th king of the Northern Country of Israel. He followed closely in the footsteps of his father and mother and worshipped the god Baal. From his capital in Samaria, he had looked to Baal to heal his sickness that Elijah said would never be cured. When Baal did not help him, he pursued Elijah to get a more favorable prognosis, but Elijah wouldn’t budge. As the king of Israel, Ahaziah sent a company of soldiers to capture Elijah and bring him to Samaria. He hoped to reverse the prophet’s prediction through intimidation and might. That did not work. 2 Kings 1:9-10 tells us what happened, “Then the king sent to him a captain of fifty men with his fifty. He went up to Elijah, who was sitting on the top of a hill, and said to him, ‘O man of God, the king says, Come down.’ But Elijah answered the captain of fifty, ‘If I am a man of God, let fire come down from heaven and consume you and your fifty.’ Then fire came down from heaven and consumed him and his fifty.” Constable observes, “To many readers, this story seems like an unnecessarily cruel demonstration of God’s power. However, the issues at stake justified severe action. Ahaziah showed complete contempt for Elijah and the God he represented by sending a band of soldiers to arrest the prophet like an outlaw and drag him before the throne.”

The Bible instructs us to obey those in authority over us, and you might say that Elijah did obey. But he obeyed, to Ahaziah’s dismay. The captain said that the king called Elijah to “come down” from the hill. You might say that Elijah did “come down” as a devouring fire from God. The captain called Elijah a “man” of God. The Hebrew word for man is “Ish.” The Hebrew word for fire is “Esh.” Elijah responded that if he were indeed an “Ish” of God, he would send an “Esh” from God upon the soldiers. Elijah wasn’t normally a man to mess with when he was on a mountain. He had earlier defeated all the prophets of Baal on Mount Carmel. Constable says, “Either the captain did not make this connection or decided to disregard it.” Either way, it did not work out well for him.

When Moses sent the plagues upon Egypt, they each had a particular focus on one of the many gods of Egypt. When Moses called Pharaoh to “let my people go,” Pharaoh asked, “Who is God that I should obey him?” This was the contest that Moses faced with Pharaoh in which God answered that question with mighty destructive miracles on the false gods of Egypt. When Elijah faced the prophets of Baal, it was the same contest. Who was “God” that he should be obeyed? The fire Elijah called down from heaven consumed the sacrifices on Mount Carmel, answering the question. Yahweh is God. Just as the plagues were from the Lord, the fire that consumed the offerings on Mount Carmel was from the Lord, and so too was the fire that consumed these soldiers from the Lord. Elijah’s name means “Yahweh is my God.” After the battle on Mount Carmel, the crowds shouted Elijah’s name. Maybe they were identifying the winner of the contest regarding who had the authority that everyone should obey, the God, the one God, of the whole universe. So as Constable concludes, “Elijah’s repetition of the fact that he was indeed a man of God shows that this was an important issue; God’s reputation was at stake. Was Ahaziah in charge, able to command God’s servants to obey him? Or was God in charge, able to command Ahaziah’s servants to obey Him? By sending fire … from heaven (cf. v. 12) to consume the soldiers of the king, God was reminding Ahaziah that He was Israel’s Ruler and that the king should submit to His sovereignty.”[1]

[1] Constable, Thomas L. 1985. “2 Kings.” In The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures, edited by J. F. Walvoord and R. B. Zuck, 1:538. Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.+

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1 Kings 1:7-8

The Lust For Power

Filed Under: Devotions by Chuck
June 15, 2023

The first thing that Adonijah did was present himself to Jerusalem as the new King as his father, David, lay on his bed close to death. He wanted to see who was with him and who would be against him. He found out. 1 Kings 1:7-9 says, “He conferred with Joab the son of Zeruiah and with Abiathar, the priest. And they followed Adonijah and helped him. But Zadok the priest and Benaiah the son of Jehoiada and Nathan the prophet and Shimei and Rei and David’s mighty men were not with Adonijah.” Lust brings devastation to everyone involved. David’s family problems were wrapped up in one kind of lust or another. His oldest son, Amnon, lusted for his half-sister and raped her. David did not take action to correct that sin. Her brother, Absalom, kills Amnon for his crime, and David does not take adequate action regarding Absalom. Absalom’s lust for power leads him to lead a rebellion against David, which ends up in Absalom’s death. David responds poorly to this conflict. There followed other tragedies in David’s family as well. The final one comes from his oldest remaining son, Adonijah. As David lies dying in his bed, Adonijah’s lust for power leads to one last great tragedy for David. Wiersbe says, “Following the example of his infamous brother Absalom, Adonijah began to promote himself and generate popular support. Like Absalom, he was a handsome man who had been pampered by his father, and the unthinking people joined his crusade. Wisely, Adonijah got the support of both the army and the priesthood by enlisting Joab, the general, and Abiathar, the high priest. Both of these men had served David for years and had stood with him during his most difficult trials, but now they were turning against him. Yet Adonijah knew that the Lord had chosen Solomon to be Israel’s next king, and Abiathar and Joab certainly understood this as well.”[1]

Lust for power destroys families, nations, churches, and countries. In the nation of Israel, we see how the lust for power destroyed David’s household and eventually destroyed the unity of the Nation of Israel after Solomon’s death. The specific details of that struggle are recorded for us in the book of Kings and Chronicles as well as in the prophets. It has its roots in Satan’s fall. Thompson says, “A lust for power is akin to the sin of Satan himself, who lusted after the power and position of the Eternal God. In our highly materialistic society, we are all aware of how not only does power corrupt, but the yearning for power has led to all kinds of sinfulness.”[2] It’s seen in Satan’s temptation of Adam and Eve. Dealing with this issue was one of Jesus main concerns with his own disciples. During the last supper, Jesus had to confront them because “a dispute arose among them as to which of them was considered to be the greatest.” Tidball comments, “Their unreconstructed lust for power and status clouded their perception and prevented them from attending to the needs of their Lord, as they should have done at this moment. Patiently he instructed them once more that in his kingdom, true greatness lies in lowly service.”[3]

The problem today is that the world is not listening to Jesus anymore. God is totally removed, and there is no teaching to restrain the uncontrollable lust for power. When we eliminate God from our cultural milieu, we allow our own depravity to shine through. We raise children like David’s,  who have no respect, no self-discipline, and are completely focused on self-gratification. R. C. Sproul put it this way, “…when a man’s thoughts are devoid of God, his life is characterized by not just a touch of unrighteousness but a fullness of unrighteousness that touches every part of his life. …The greedy person is self-centered, seeking to amass for himself things that he would rob from other people. Such a person has a hostile attitude to his fellow man, for he will stop at nothing for his own private gain. The greedy man’s thoughts are void of God. When we take God out of mind, there is nothing to restrain the human heart and the human spirit in their lust for power and for greed.”

[1] Wiersbe, Warren W. 2002. Be Responsible. “Be” Commentary Series. Colorado Springs, CO: Victor.

[2] Thompson, Leonard. 2005. Demons. Joplin, MO: College Press Publishing Company.

[3] Tidball, Derek. 2001. The Message of the Cross: Wisdom Unsearchable, Love Indestructible. Edited by Derek Tidball. The Bible Speaks Today: Bible Themes Series. Nottingham, England: Inter-Varsity Press.

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2 Samuel 1:13-16, Various

Blood on the head

Filed Under: Devotions by Chuck
June 14, 2023

When word reached David of Saul’s death, he tore his clothes and wept over the death of the Lord’s anointed as well as the death of his good friend Jonathan, Saul’s son. He called all those with him to mourn as well. We are somewhat surprised at David’s grief over Saul’s death. It’s not what one would expect, but David was a great example of how one should love his enemies as Jesus directed. As much as we were surprised at David’s response to the news from the Amalekite, imagine how surprised the Amalekite must have been. He had most likely lied to court favor from David, who would now be the new king of Israel. But in 1 Samuel 1:13-16, “David said to the young man who told him, ‘Where do you come from?’ And he answered, ‘I am the son of a sojourner, an Amalekite.’ David said to him, ‘How is it you were not afraid to put out your hand to destroy the Lord’s anointed?’ Then David called one of the young men and said, ‘Go, execute him.’ And he struck him down so that he died. And David said to him, ‘Your blood be on your head, for your own mouth has testified against you, saying, I have killed the Lord’s anointed.’”

Saul may have been viewed as David’s enemy, but David knew that the real enemy was the Amalekite. David asked the man to confirm his nationality. He calls himself an Amalekite. As Bergen points out, “David had just conducted a holy war campaign against the Amalekites in fulfillment of Torah commands. Now when he learned that a member of the Amalekite nation had also played a direct role in the death of Israel’s king—’ the Lord’s anointed—David did not hesitate to execute judgment on him.” In Deuteronomy 25:17-19 we read, “Remember what Amalek did to you on the way as you came out of Egypt, how he attacked you on the way when you were faint and weary, and cut off your tail, those who were lagging behind you, and he did not fear God. Therefore when the Lord your God has given you rest from all your enemies around you, in the land that the Lord your God is giving you for an inheritance to possess, you shall blot out the memory of Amalek from under heaven; you shall not forget.” Bergen’s comment continues, “No doubt the Amalekite expected David to reward him. However, instead of crowning him with honor, David decreed that ‘your blood be on your head.’”[1]

This is an important phrase we often see in the Bible. It speaks of guilt before God. Just as Abel’s blood cries out to God for justice from the ground, so too the blood and death of Saul are bound up in the Amalekite. He is guilty of killing God’s anointed. We see the phrase again in the New Testament. In Matthew 27:24-25 we read where Pilate offered to release Jesus or Barabbas. The crowds clamored for Barabbas’ release and Jesus’ execution. The text says, “So when Pilate saw that he was gaining nothing, but rather that a riot was beginning, he took water and washed his hands before the crowd, saying, ‘I am innocent of this man’s blood; see to it yourselves.’ And all the people answered, ‘His blood be on us and on our children!’” It’s fascinating that on the way to Calvary when the women were weeping over him, he told them not to weep for him but to weep for themselves and for their children. The blood of Jesus will either save us from God’s wrath as faith in what Christ has done on the cross saves us from the blood guilt of our sins. Unbelievers will have his blood on their heads but in a different way. One writer says that these words “will haunt every unbeliever for all eternity, for those who reject the blood of Christ as their atonement will find it to be their accuser.”[2] Just like the Amalekite that David executed, the fate of unbelievers is on their own “head.”

[1] Bergen, Robert D. 1996. 1, 2 Samuel. Vol. 7. The New American Commentary. Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers.

[2] Deffingbaugh, Robert. n.d. Leviticus Commentary.

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1 Samuel 1:4-5

Hannah The Hopeless!

Filed Under: Devotions by Chuck
June 13, 2023

Let’s look at Samuel’s father for a minute. Elkanah took his family to Jerusalem to offer sacrifices during his annual pilgrimage to worship and offer sacrifices. Without commending his bigamy, it’s interesting to note that the love of his life was Hannah. Peninnah, his second wife, was taken because Hannah was barren. It was important to have sons and daughters, and God blessed Peninnah with those. 1 Samuel 1:4-5 tells us, “On the day Elkanah sacrificed, he would give portions to Peninnah, his wife, and all her sons and daughters. But to Hannah, he gave a double portion because he loved her, though the Lord had closed her womb.” The Lord had blessed Elkanah with children through his second wife, and the “Lord” had closed the womb of Hannah. This situation was part of God’s plan to bring Samuel into the world and, through him, to anoint David as king of Israel. He was referred to earlier as “a certain man.” That’s not a very prominent endorsement. He was from the region around Bethlehem, and being of the line of Levi; he was from the priestly line. Samuel’s father, Elkanah, appears to be the subject of these verses. But as Phillips points out, “The primary focus in Samuel’s birth is not on his father, however, but on his mother, Hannah. We can often trace the faith of remarkable children to their remarkable mothers. So it is with this woman who presents one of the most striking feminine characters in the Bible.”[1]

The normal translation of this passage tells that Elkanah favored the wife of his youth over his child-bearing wife. He would give Hannah a double portion even though she had no children. But even the footnote in the English Standard Version acknowledges that the Septuagint (Greek translation of the Hebrew Old Testament) says, “And, although he loved Hannah, he would give Hannah only one portion because the Lord had closed her womb.” But regardless of the proper translation, the storyline implies that there is a contrast in Elkanah’s affection for his wives. He definitely favored Hannah. Further, he didn’t blame Hannah for being childless. He recognized it as the will of God. It was God who “closed her womb.” Mackay says, “Not only is Hannah childless, but this condition is explicitly attributed to divine action. God kept Hannah from having children so that his sovereign purposes might be achieved by marking Samuel as a special child. Hannah’s trial also brings her closer to God by strengthening her faith and highlighting his gracious response to her plea for a child.”[2]

Greear explains Hannah’s circumstances well. He writes, “Women who bore a lot of children were, therefore, treated with honor. They were heroes. Women who were unable to bear children felt useless; they experienced shame rather than honor and were looked on with pity rather than respect. In biblical narratives, this theme comes up a lot. Barrenness ‘is an effective metaphor of hopelessness. There is no foreseeable future. There is no human power to invent a future’ (Brueggemann, Genesis, 116). Not many people think about children in this way today. We tend to put more value on the kind of job a person has, where a person went to school, or how a person looks. But think of this from Hannah’s perspective: in a culture that puts all of a woman’s significance and security in her children, she can’t have kids! Practically speaking, she has no significance, no life, and no hope!”[3] But our God is the God of the HOPELESS. He has the final say, just as He had at the grave of Lazarus.

[1] Phillips, Richard D. 2012. 1 Samuel. Edited by Philip Graham Ryken and Richard D. Phillips, Duguid Iain M. 1st ed. Reformed Expository Commentary. Phillipsburg, NJ: P&R Publishing.

[2] Mackay, John L. 2019. “1-2 Samuel.” In 1 Samuel–2 Chronicles, edited by Iain M. Duguid, James M. Hamilton Jr., and Jay Sklar, III:40. ESV Expository Commentary. Wheaton, IL: Crossway.

[3] Greear, J. D., and Heath A. Thomas. 2016. Exalting Jesus in 1 & 2 Samuel. Nashville, TN: Holman Reference.

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Ruth 1:6

The Bread of LIfe!

Filed Under: Devotions by Chuck
June 12, 2023

Naomi and her husband had abandoned their inheritance in the promised land because of a famine. They moved to Moab, where the famine had not reached, and attempted to make a living there. In the course of time, her husband died, followed shortly by both of her male children. She was left with two daughters-in-law. Ruth 1:6 tells us that Naomi got good news about the promised land that she had left. The verse says, “Then she arose with her daughters-in-law to return from the country of Moab, for she had heard in the fields of Moab that the Lord had visited his people and given them food.” It sounds as if Naomi and her two daughters-in-law were working the fields in Moab. It occurred to her that if she was to be a field hand anywhere, it should be in the promised land where she and her former husband had relatives. The message that Naomi received was that the famine in Israel was over, and the fields were producing food again. The news that Naomi heard was good news. The Lord had “visited,” meaning that he had acted to relieve the famine in the land to save His people. Notice that the news was not actually that the weather had changed or that conditions for growing crops were now favorable. This was true, but the news was that God had acted to save the people. Just as we had read at the beginning of the book of Ruth that the famine was from the Lord, so too do we see here that deliverance from the famine was from the Lord. Many preachers want prodigal believers to see in this that God will receive back repentant sinners as the father of the prodigal son welcomed home his penitent son. Gingrich sees it that way. He says, “As backslidden Christians, we must see the contrast between our present bankruptcy and our potential fullness in our Father’s house before we will arise and return to our Father’s house.”[1]

It might be true that Elimelech and Naomi were victims of little faith. If so, we see nothing but the wonderful grace of God extended to sinners. Most commentators suggest that when Elimelech left Israel, he did the wrong thing. For example, Prime says, “Elimelech’s decision to leave Judah had not been a good one. He and his family should have stuck out the famine, waiting for the Lord to come to their aid.”[2] Driesbach noticed this also and writes, “Some have viewed Elimelech’s move to Moab as a disobedient act because it involved leaving the Promised Land; in this case, his death is viewed as a divine judgment. God similarly judged Elimelech’s two sons. Abraham and Jacob’s sojourns in foreign lands are sometimes interpreted as a sign of lacking faith.”[3] But there was more to moving Naomi back to Bethlehem, the house of bread, than meets the eye. Block caught this and said, “The narrator’s eyes of faith undoubtedly recognized in this gift of food the grace of God. He does not explicitly speak about divine grace, but the absence of any hint of repentance on the part of Israel as a whole or Naomi, in particular, suggests that the motivation behind the lifting of the famine and the provision of food lies elsewhere. The reader will recognize here the providential hand of God, guiding natural and historical events for the fulfillment of his purpose and setting the stage for the ultimate emergence of David’s ancestor.”[4] God wanted to the birth of David, Ruth’s grandson, to be in Bethlehem as prophesied in the Old Testament. In the city, whose name means “House of Bread,” was born the line of David. His ancestor will be the “bread of life.”

[1] Gingrich, Roy E. 2006. The Books of Judges & Ruth. Memphis, TN: Riverside Printing.

[2] Prime, Jonathan. 2007. Opening up Ruth. Opening Up Commentary. Leominster: Day One Publications.

[3] Driesbach, Jason. 2012. “Ruth.” In Cornerstone Biblical Commentary: Joshua, Judges, Ruth, edited by Philip W. Comfort, 512. Cornerstone Biblical Commentary. Carol Stream, IL: Tyndale House Publishers, Inc.

[4] Block, Daniel Isaac. 1999. Judges, Ruth. Vol. 6. The New American Commentary. Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers.

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Judges 1:4

The Lord Gave Them…

Filed Under: Devotions by Chuck
June 11, 2023

God had commanded Moses and then Joshua to be strong and courageous and not to be afraid of the enemy occupying the land that was their promised inheritance. God had promised to be with them through the conflict and to give them success if they followed in His ways. When Judah’s clan was chosen as the lead army after Joshua’s death, we see some initial success. Judges 1:4 tells us, “Then Judah went up, and the Lord gave the Canaanites and the Perizzites into their hand, and they defeated 10,000 of them at Bezek.”  Haddon Robinson once introduced one of his sermons by saying, “Normal people do not lose sleep over the Jebusites, the Canaanites, or the Perizzites, or even about what Abraham, Moses, or Paul has said or done. They lie awake wondering about grocery prices, crop failures, quarrels with a spouse, diagnosis of a malignancy, a frustrating sex life, or the rat race where only rats seem to win. If the sermon does not make much difference in that world, they wonder if it makes any difference at all.”

The applicable part of this verse that speaks to me is “the Lord gave them” into their hands. Judah did what God called him to do in faith. It resulted in God giving them success. They didn’t take the victory. God gave it to them. In the same way, we will see over and over again in the book of Judges that the various tribes didn’t lose the victory over their enemies. God gave them into the hands of their enemies. Over and over again in the book of Judges, we will read about the Israelites abandoning God to worship, in many different ways, the gods of the various different brands of Canaanites. This would end up reversing the phrase. In Judges 6:1, the phrase shows up, not giving their enemies into their hands, but giving them into the hands of the enemy. It says, “Israelites did evil in the sight of the Lord, and the Lord gave them into the hand of Midian for seven years.” The gods of Canaan promised something that they could never deliver, but their appeal was unmistakable. The values, morals, and practices of the pagans were so severe that Israel would throw away their faith in the God that saved them to worship or value the gods of the peoples of the land.

In keeping with Haddon Robinson’s plea, let me end with Wilcock’s words, “The gods have not changed, for human nature has not changed, and these are the gods that humanity regularly re-creates for itself. What does it want? If it is modest, security and comfort and reasonable enjoyment; if ambitious, power and wealth and unbridled self-indulgence. In every age, there are forces at work that promise to meet our desires—political programs, economic theories, philosophical movements, entertainment industries—all having one feature in common: they are big enough to do things for us that we cannot do for ourselves, yet at the same time amenable to our manipulating them so as to get from them what we want.”[1]

[1] Wilcock, Michael. 1992. The Message of Judges: Grace Abounding. Edited by J. A. Motyer and Derek Tidball. The Bible Speaks Today. England: Inter-Varsity Press.

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Joshua 1:5-6

Be Strong and Courageous!

Filed Under: Devotions by Chuck
June 10, 2023

 Moses had passed away, leaving the nation in the capable hands of Joshua. Joshua lived through the plaques in Egypt. He witnessed the miracles God performed at the hand of Moses. He saw the enemy army drown in the Red Sea. He witnessed the quail and manna and the bitter water turning into fresh water. He saw the many miracles performed by God at the hand of Moses. In Joshua 1:5-6 God assures Joshua that he what he saw in Moses’ life will continue in his own life, “No man shall be able to stand before you all the days of your life. Just as I was with Moses, so I will be with you. I will not leave you or forsake you. Be strong and courageous, for you shall cause this people to inherit the land that I swore to their fathers to give them.” John Calvin comments, “Joshua, therefore, is ordered to behold in the assistance given to Moses the future issue of the wars which he was to undertake under the same guidance and protection. For the series of favours is continued without interruption to the successor.”[1]

“Be strong and courageous” was the command that Moses gave to Joshua. It was the command that God gave to Joshua in this passage. It is also the command that Joshua gives to the people of Israel in Joshua 10:25, “And Joshua said to them, ‘Do not be afraid or dismayed; be strong and courageous.’” The preaching of this passage is probably well-known. Like Moses, Joshua, and the children of Israel, we are called to be “strong and courageous” as well. Redford challenges all of us with his comments, “God had given the order to advance and take the land of Canaan. That was reason enough to be strong and courageous. When God’s people are obeying his orders, there is no reason to be terrified of giants or to be discouraged by formidable city walls. When you are committed to his will, the Lord … will be with you wherever you go. The enemy may be too strong for you alone, but he cannot stand against you and the Lord.”[2]

There is another take on the understanding and application of this passage, I’d like to mention. Moses failed. Joshua could be said to have failed at times as well. The people of Israel surely failed to fulfill God’s call to occupy the land. Furthermore, throughout the Old Testament, we see how all of the Old Testament reproduces the failures of all of the heroes, including King David. There is only one who did not fail to be “strong and courageous” to the very end. That was Jesus, the true deliverer of failures. Gage puts it this way, “What is being suggested by the shadow in the typology of Joshua, who required seven challenges to be strong and courageous for the battle? When the reality of the type came in the great battle of Jesus, the Lord had to summon all His strength and courage to win the promised inheritance of all of God’s people. What was the nature of the struggle in the garden when the whole of redemptive history was ventured on the strength and courage of one man, in truth a God-man, but nonetheless an authentic man, who was commissioned to bear the weight of the sins of the world? The sins of finite man had aroused the wrath of an infinite God. Who would be able to stand in so great a battle? In the mystery of the incarnation the immortal God became a mortal man that finite man, who had offended an infinite God, might by His infinite sacrifice deliver us from eternal death through the mystery of God’s redemption. Such was the battle faced by Jesus, for which He must be strong and courageous like Joshua before Him.”[3]

[1] Calvin, John, and Henry Beveridge. 2010. Commentary on the Book of Joshua. Bellingham, WA: Logos Bible Software.

[2] Redford, Douglas. 2008. The History of Israel. Vol. 2. Standard Reference Library: Old Testament. Cincinnati, OH: Standard Publishing.

[3] Gage, Warren Austin. 2013. Gospel Typology in Joshua and Revelation: A Whore and Her Scarlet, Seven Trumpets Sound, A Great City Falls. Fort Lauderdale, FL: St. Andrews House.

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