The battle at Gibeon

When King Adoni-zedek of Jerusalem heard how Joshua had taken Ai, and had utterly destroyed it, doing to Ai and its king as he had done to Jericho and its king, and how the inhabitants of Gibeon had made peace with Israel and were among them, he became greatly frightened, because Gibeon was a large city, like one of the royal cities, and was larger than Ai, and all its men were warriors. So King Adoni-zedek of Jerusalem sent a message to King Hoham of Hebron, to King Piram of Jarmuth, to King Japhia of Lachish, and to King Debir of Eglon, saying, "Come up and help me, and let us attack Gibeon; for it has made peace with Joshua and with the Israelites." Then the five kings of the Amorites — the king of Jerusalem, the king of Hebron, the king of Jarmuth, the king of Lachish, and the king of Eglon — gathered their forces, and went up with all their armies and camped against Gibeon, and made war against it.

And the Gibeonites sent to Joshua at the camp in Gilgal, saying, "Do not abandon your servants; come up to us quickly, and save us, and help us; for all the kings of the Amorites who live in the hill country are gathered against us." So Joshua went up from Gilgal, he and all the fighting force with him, all the mighty warriors. The Lord said to Joshua, "Do not fear them, for I have handed them over to you; not one of them shall stand before you." So Joshua came upon them suddenly, having marched up all night from Gilgal. And the Lord threw them into a panic before Israel, who inflicted a great slaughter on them at Gibeon, chased them by the way of the ascent of Beth-horon, and struck them down as far as Azekah and Makkedah. As they fled before Israel, while they were going down the slope of Beth-horon, the Lord threw down huge stones from heaven on them as far as Azekah, and they died; there were more who died because of the hailstones than the Israelites killed with the sword.

On the day when the Lord gave the Amorites over to the Israelites, Joshua spoke to the Lord; and he said in the sight of Israel,

"Sun, stand still at Gibeon,
and Moon, in the valley of Aijalon."
And the sun stood still, and the moon stopped,
until the nation took vengeance on their enemies.

Is this not written in the Book of Jashar? The sun stopped in midheaven, and did not hurry to set for about a whole day. There has been no day like it before or since, when the Lord heeded a human voice; for the Lord fought for Israel.

Then Joshua returned, and all Israel with him, to the camp at Gilgal.

Joshua 10:1-15 NRSV

Grace and peace,

Ron

The Longest Day (original version)

Yesterday, we looked at the battle of the five kings from the perspective of Adoni-Zedek. But how did the Israelites see it?

Even though God had granted them success in peeling off one layer after another of the Canaanite onion, the five kings constituted a formidable foe. After the Lord encouraged Joshua ("Do not fear . . ."), the Israelites engaged them in one of the most dramatic battles ever recorded:

An all-night march
A surprise attack
A road pursuit
A barrage of hailstones
A poetic prayer
A sun frozen in time and space
A cave full of conquered kings
Victory.

It was the kind of victory that you remember your entire life. It was the kind of victory which is remembered across many lifetimes. Longer than the Battle of the Bulge, longer than the Battle of San Juan, longer than even Agincourt. And, as is the case with warriors, it was told by triumphant fathers to awed children. Good days or bad, it became part of the celebration of being an Israelite. Years later, a psalmist still celebrates the day:

"The Lord gives the command;
The women who proclaim the good tidings are a great host:
'Kings of armies flee, they flee,
And she who remains at home will divide the spoil!'
When you lie down among the sheepfolds,
You are like the wings of a dove covered with silver,
And its pinions with glistening gold.
When the Almighty scattered the kings there,
It was snowing in Zalmon." Ps 68.11-14 (NAS)

So, in the face of God's power, the power of earthly kings is as ephemeral as snow in desert mountains. God will bring victory to his people. And his people remember. Again and again, they relive the victory. The victors are the ones who are, after all, around to remember and relive. Those who fight God vanish from life and from memory.

Later, when the Israelites had to deal with oppression at the hands of the five kings of Philistia (Judges through 1 Sam 7), you have to believe that they were remembering the victory over five other kings, and wondering when God would act. God did. God sent a man after his own heart, and the five kings of Philistia disappear like snow on a May mountain.

But things aren't always that simple. In previous devotionals, we've talked about the reality that God doesn't always deliver victories in the way that we would want. But what is interesting is that, for his people, not only are we allowed to remember the victories which God has handed us, but we can remember the losses which he has allowed us to suffer. Losses which both test and build our faith.

But still, as faithful Israelites, we remember and hope.

Grace and peace,

Ron

Bad day at Black Rock

Adoni-Zedek. Offended and troubled by the defection of the Gibeonites to the Israelite camp, the king of Jerusalem gathers four other Canaanite kings, marches to the gates of Gibeon, and begins a siege (why attack the Gibeonites instead of the Israelites?). The Gibeonites call Joshua to come from Gilgal to help them out, and one of the most famous battles in history ensues.

Not only is it a bad day at black rock for Adoni-Zedek, God holds the sun still at Joshua's request so as to make it the longest bad day ever. Adoni-Zedek and the four kings hide out in a cave, which the Israelites seal with rocks until the battle is over and the combined Canaanite forces are wiped out. Instead of waiting for the kings to starve to death in the cave, Joshua sends for the five kings and has them brought before his army. He has his commanders put their feet on the necks of the kings (the acme of insult in the ancient world), beheads them, hangs their bodies on five trees for a day, and then buries them in a cave. What a humiliating way to end someone's life!

Why is the humiliation so significant? Those of you with study Bibles will find a notation that Adoni-Zedek means "Lord of Righteousness", or "My Lord of Righteousness". That's a fair understanding of the Hebrew. Now, although "Lord" is a title that is often used of kings in the OT (especially of David), there is a hint that this is a divine title. Adoni is also a title that is used for God. Remember that the predecessor of Adoni-Zedek only called himself Melchizedek, which means "king of righteousness" (this is the king of Salem who blessed Abram, Gen 14.18). But here, the current king of Jerusalem (Salem) is no longer content with merely being a king, but must title himself "LORD". How proud can you get?

Can you imagine the affront to his power to have one of his neighbors choose to make a deal with the enemy? If no Godfather would put up with that kind of nonsense, then you can bet that no god (little g) would tolerate it either. Besides which, the turf the Israelites possess plus Gibeon cuts Canaan in half. So, pride offended, Adoni-Zedek acts.

But God, the Father of all humanity, reduces this proud man to the status of a humiliated man suffering a humiliating death. The Gibeonites, though many and strong, humbled themselves and survived. But a proud ruler exalted himself in front of the people of God and found humiliation instead of glory.

Just before the end, Moses warned Pharaoh to humble himself before God (Ex 10.3). Aid comes to Daniel because he humbles himself (Dan 10.12). And both James and Peter counsel us to humble ourselves before God so that he can exalt us (James 4.10, 1 Pet 5.6). So will we actively humble ourselves, or passively suffer humiliation?

P.S. - There is going to be a "Lord of Righteousness" who will rule over Jerusalem and every other place, but he doesn't appear in this part of the story. When he does appear, not only will he be a better king - he will be a better priest as well (Heb 7). This Adoni-Zedek will deliver his people to glory, not to death. Oddly enough, this mighty king knows more about humility than any other leader humanity has ever known.

Grace and peace,

Ron

Is there any gentleness in the God of Joshua?

David Keck has noted that "it seems a somewhat strange combination of the book of Joshua with being kind, humble, patient, compassionate, and gentle. But I remember the words of James Cail from way back: 'people tend to behave the way they believe their God would'."

I agree with David; at first Joshua's story seems disconnected from kindness, but a look at the larger story reveals God's kindness. When the Israelites were in Egypt, there were the haves and the have nots. The Egyptians had; the Israelites had not. Oppression was the rule of the day. But an ancient proverb reveals the heart and the behavior of God:

"He who oppresses the poor shows contempt for their Maker,
but whoever is kind to the needy honors God." Prov 14:31 (NIV)

So after God removes his people from oppression, he creates a nation patterned after his values. He creates the "gentler and kinder" country of its day: Israel. How is this so?

Chapters 13-21 of Joshua reveal that God's plan was for the land to be divided by tribes and by family. When you couple this with the knowledge that the laws for ownership of land and indebtedness specified in Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy (i.e., Lev 27.14-25; Num 36.5-9; Deut 15) did not, in theory, allow any family to permanently lose their land, you see the kind hand of God protecting people from falling permanently into poverty and need. Oppression was against the law. Instead, there is the Levitical imperative (19.18) to "love your neighbor as yourself." In this nation, blessings were to be found in behaving kindly (as God would), and curses come to those who are unkind or oppressive. How does that connect with Joshua?

According to Josh 8.30-35, The Israelites stood on Mount Gerazim and Mount Ebal and did what "Moses had commanded." What was that? The people recited the blessings and curses listed in Deut 27.12-26, half speaking the curses, half speaking the blessings. Read them and see the curses for those who are unkind, who are oppressive. Here is effectively their "Declaration of Dependence" on God and his kindness, and their agreement to be kind themselves or else face the consequences. It is the covenant to be a different and "kinder" nation than the world had yet known.

If people "tend to behave the way they believe their God would," God would have us (and Cail would, too) see God and his behavior as it truly is: kind.

Grace and peace,

Ron

Loss, lament, and leadership

But the Israelites broke faith in regard to the devoted things: Achan son of Carmi son of Zabdi son of Zerah, of the tribe of Judah, took some of the devoted things; and the anger of the Lord burned against the Israelites.

Joshua sent men from Jericho to Ai, which is near Beth-aven, east of Bethel, and said to them, "Go up and spy out the land." And the men went up and spied out Ai. Then they returned to Joshua and said to him, "Not all the people need go up; about two or three thousand men should go up and attack Ai. Since they are so few, do not make the whole people toil up there." So about three thousand of the people went up there; and they fled before the men of Ai. The men of Ai killed about thirty-six of them, chasing them from outside the gate as far as Shebarim and killing them on the slope. The hearts of the people melted and turned to water.

Then Joshua tore his clothes, and fell to the ground on his face before the ark of the Lord until the evening, he and the elders of Israel; and they put dust on their heads. Joshua said, "Ah, Lord God! Why have you brought this people across the Jordan at all, to hand us over to the Amorites so as to destroy us? Would that we had been content to settle beyond the Jordan! O Lord, what can I say, now that Israel has turned their backs to their enemies! The Canaanites and all the inhabitants of the land will hear of it, and surround us, and cut off our name from the earth. Then what will you do for your great name?"

Joshua 7:1-9 NRSV

About six years ago, I started using Michael Carotta's model of spiritual formation as one way to understand spiritual growth. In his view, spiritual growth happens in three areas (frequently unequally): spiritual growth, moral living, and emotional intelligence. Obviously, when we first encounter a disaster as Joshua and the Israelites did, our first response tends to be neither spiritual nor moral/intellectual, but rather emotional. Fear. Hurt. Grief. Uncertainty. Remorse. God wired us to be emotional beings. Somewhere along the line we have to acknowledge that, and stop denying or disconnecting from our emotions and passions as I believe that we have been falsely taught to do in the past.

But after we have a moment to consider the crisis from more of a temporal (or geographic) distance, then we naturally begin to try to figure out whether what happened did so as a result of our behavior (moral living) or God's plan (spiritual faith) or something else. Many things happen in this world that don't correspond to our view of God and what we believe he ought to allow. And so yes, you would be so right if you were to say that this has more to do with us (and our mental and emotional adjustments) than it really does with God. But at the same time, God is not a disinterested observer in this process. Who knows but this adversary or adversity has been placed before us to strengthen or test us. It is not given us to know. But God made us beings who would consider these questions.

Joshua's attitude toward God (and that of the elders) is one of lament. Is he confused? No doubt, because Joshua is obviously blind-sided by all of this. A possible reason that God asked him to stand was to let him know that no amount of lament or worship was going to make this right; other action would be required and that action is consecration. In this situation, God tells Joshua exactly went wrong and devises a process by which not only is it possible to define who is responsible, but it is possible to make the people ready to continue their faithful obedience to God.

To feel emotions is a part of being human. And what they tell us is important, but before we make them the final analysis, we need to remember that they are only a part of the evidence. We need to weigh the emotion, the moral, and the spiritual whenever we are working our way through any situation. This may take time, if for nothing else than to make sure that we have brought them into balance. May God help us find balance in our lives.

Grace and peace,

Ron

The integrity of community

Luke wrote both a gospel and a history of the early church in his two volumes, Luke and Acts. Not only was he a gifted writer, but he was an earnest student of the Old Testament. That doesn't mean that he had to read Hebrew; like most people in the early church, his Hebrew scriptures were most likely a Greek translation called the Septuagint. Most biblical scholars believe that Luke writes his gospel so as to tell the story while keeping it in parallel with the events that happened in the first five books of the OT (the Pentateuch). He also deliberately uses OT language as he writes his books. But what does Luke have to do with Joshua?

Well, what happens in Joshua? A man named Joshua (Yeshua in Hebrew [it means "salvation"], Iesous in Greek) leads God's people into a new, but long promised relationship with God. Sound familiar? In Acts, Jesus (a derivative of Joshua and the same in Greek as Joshua) leads his people through his spirit into a new, but long promised relationship with God. In both cases, community, and the holiness of that community are markers that these people are in relationship with God.

But what happens early on in the life of these new fellowships (koinonias)? Both Achan and Annanias commit an act which undermines the integrity of the fellowship. Both men are supposed to make an offering before God, but that which was supposed to be given to God is held back, and misrepresentations are made. As a matter of fact, Luke uses the same Greek verb in Acts 5.2 and 5.3 for "held back" that the translators of the Septuagint used in Josh 7 (this Greek verb is only used 3 times in the NT, and 2 of them are here in Acts 5). Not an accident.

These stories have in common sudden death: stoning in one case, and becoming as dead as a stone in the other. Their burials were also disgraceful. As for Achan, who would want a pile of rocks over them to remind everyone in perpetuity of their crime? In the case of Annanias, both he and his wife were buried swiftly and without ceremony. This is not typical of funerals of the day, any more than it would be today (the fast funerals may more closely parallel Lev 10.1-7).

OK, so what? The writers of Joshua and Luke/Acts all believe that the koinonia of God's people is so sacred that it requires God's people to passionately maintain its integrity and its unity. We will be severely tested, but we must offer whatever we offer to God with a courageous faith like that of Barnabas. To hold back is an act of faithlessness, of cowardice. Such cowardice affects not just our relationship with God, but for our relationship with the community and the community's with God. It is a unity issue. One of the few places in Acts where church growth is not described is Acts 5, and that, again, is probably not coincidental (the Israelites didn't take any land during Josh 7, either).

Achan is not so far from Annanias, who is not so far from us. Just because no one lately has been hauled to the cemetery after an offering does not mean that God has lost interest in receiving the offering that we claim we are giving.

Grace and peace,

Ron