The Conquest: A House Of Cards? Series

Let's start this morning, simply by rereading from the beginning of Joshua through verse 9:

(1) And then, after the death of Moses the servant of Yahweh,

Yahweh said to Joshua son of Nun, the one serving Moses, saying,

"Moses my servant has died,

and so then, Rise!, Cross! over this Jordan-- you and all this people to the land

that I am giving to them--to the sons of Israel.

(3) Every place that the sole of your feet walks on it, to you I give

just as I spoke to Moses.

(4) From the desert and this Lebanon and up to the great river--the river of Euphrates--, all the land of the Hittites and up to the great sea, the great setting of the sun will be your territory.

No man will stand before you all the days of your life.

Just as I have lived with Moses, I will be with you.

I will not abandon you,

and I will not reject you.

(6) Be strong

and be brave

because you will give this people the land

that I swore to your fathers to give to them.

(7) Only, be strong and be brave exceedingly,

to keep to do according to all the instruction

that Moses my servant commanded you.

(8) This scroll of the instruction must not depart from your mouth,

and you must mutter over it day and night.

in order that you may keep to do everything written in it

because then you will be successful in your roads/ways,

and then you will prosper.

(9) Did I not command you be strong and be brave?

Don't tremble, and don't be terrified,

because with you Yahweh your God is, in everywhere that you are walking."

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So that was Yahweh's speech to Joshua, and last week's sermon. Get up! Cross the Jordan! Be strong, and be brave." Now, in verse 10-15, we get Joshua's response. What will Joshua do? Will he trust? Will he obey?

We get our answer indirectly, from Joshua's words from two different groups of people. First, Joshua gives commands to the officers of the people, in verses 10-11. After this, Joshua speaks to the Reubenites and Gileadites and the half-tribe of Menasha in verses 12-15.

(10) And Joshua commanded the officers of the people, saying,

(11) "Cross in the midst of the camp,

and command the people saying,

'Prepare for yourselves supplies/provision,

because in three days you will be crossing over this Jordan to go to take possession of the land

that Yahweh your God is giving to you to possess it,'"

Yahweh had told Joshua to be strong, and be brave. And it sure looks like Joshua is obeying. Everything Joshua says sounds good, and we find ourselves optimistic. Joshua is taking Yahweh at his word; he is claiming Yahweh's promises. Yahweh is giving the land. Since this is true, Israel needs to respond in faith, and take it. They just need a few days to pack some food, and whatever else an army needs to do, before they are ready to march. That seems fair enough, right?

In verses 12-15, Joshua then turns to address the 2 1/2 tribes. What makes these tribes unique, is that the land Yahweh is giving them is actually already under Israel's control. They live on the wrong side of the Jordan-- the side that's already been captured, and is outside of the land God originally promised to give to Israel. Verse 12-13:

(12) while to the Reubenites and to the Gadites and to the half tribe of Manasseh Joshua spoke, saying,

(13) "Remember the word that he commanded you-- Moses, the servant of Yahweh-- saying,

'Yahweh your God/Elohim is giving rest to you,

and (then) He is giving to you this land.'

These three tribes seemingly already control the land they will call home. They have homes to live in; they have livestock. They appear to have inherited what Yahweh has promised them. It would be tempting for them to look at the rest of the tribes getting ready for war, and say, "May Yahweh be with you! We'll pray for you!"

But this simply doesn't work. Who is giving them rest? Who is giving them the land? Yahweh their God. And so, as they admire their new land, and cattle, and everything else, they need to remember who is giving these things to them. It is Yahweh. And if it's Yahweh-- and it is-- they know that they have a responsibility both to him, and to the nation of Israel as a whole. All the tribes need the land; all of them need to work together to take possession of the land Yahweh is giving them.

Verses 14-15:

(14) Your wives, your children, and your livestock shall dwell in the land that Moses has given to you beyond the Jordan,