Joshua Caleb Eleazar: July 2022
Table of Contents
Joshua, Caleb and Eleazar
“David, after he had served his own generation by the will of God, fell on sleep and was laid unto his fathers” (Acts 13:26). “It came to pass after these things, that Joshua the son of Nun, the servant of the Lord, died” (Josh. 24:29). “Eleazar the son of Aaron died; and they buried him” (Josh. 24:33). These men and others like them served their generation, fell on sleep and now await their resurrection. The enemies they faced still existed and had to be faced by the next generation. And so it is today. We learn of Joshua’s generation: “Israel served the Lord all the days of Joshua, and all the days of the elders that overlived Joshua” (Josh. 24:31). Then what? The beginning of Judges answers the question. “After the death of Joshua it came to pass, that the children of Israel asked the Lord, saying, Who shall go up for us against the Canaanites? ... The Lord said, Judah shall go up. ... And Judah [and Simeon] went up ... and the Lord delivered the Canaanites ... into their hand.” But sadly, “Neither did Manasseh drive out the inhabitants of Beth-shean ... neither did Ephraim drive out ... neither did Asher.” Are we serving our generation by the will of God? Or are we not?
Joshua, Caleb and Eleazar
Back in the April 2022 issue of The Christian, we considered what it meant to “pass the torch” and to allow others who were younger to take over responsibilities from those of us who are growing older. We see a good example of this in the lives of Eleazar, Caleb and Joshua. All these men were a generation younger than Moses and Aaron, although Caleb was likely somewhat older than Joshua. All of these three had been in Egypt and had come out of Egypt when Israel came through the Red Sea. All had seen the wonderful works of the Lord in delivering them from the power of Pharaoh, and all had enjoyed the prospect of going into the land of Canaan.
Eleazar
Eleazar was one of Aaron’s four sons, and he was probably the third one, since Nadab and Abihu are always named first. But we know that Nadab and Abihu were careless about where they got the hot coals to put in the censer for offering incense, and it is recorded that “there went out fire from the Lord, and devoured them, and they died before the Lord” (Lev. 10:2). This was very sad, but it left Eleazar and his brother Ithamar to carry on the priesthood after Aaron. As the older of the two, Eleazar took the more prominent place, and both he and Ithamar served as priests along with Aaron their father. Eleazar proved to be a faithful man, and he also had a very faithful son named Phinehas, who had a real heart for the Lord’s glory too.
When it became time for Aaron to die, Moses was commanded to take Aaron and Eleazar up into Mount Hor, where Moses took Aaron’s priestly garments and put them upon Eleazar. Then Aaron died up in the mount, and Moses and Eleazar came down. From that time on, Eleazar took the foremost responsibility as a priest; later his son Phinehas followed his father in taking over those sacred duties. Also, it had been clearly set out that “the holy garments of Aaron shall be his sons’ after him” (Ex. 29:29). In this connection, with “passing the torch” from one priest to another, someone has written a very touching poem:
What shall he leave his son? Silver nor gold
Nor heritage has he, nor herd nor fold;
Not these can he bequeath, but this he can —
The holy raiment of a saintly man.
The fair example of a life well spent;
Of daily tendance at the sacred tent;
Of ever-praiseful heart and reverent mind;
What nobler gift could father leave behind?
That son who, drawing near the throne of grace,
Can say, “How well my father knew this place!
How oft I’ve heard his voice in fervent prayer!”
Happy that son, that richly-dowered heir!
Caleb
Caleb is first introduced to us when Moses sent the spies out to search the land of Canaan. He was from the tribe of Judah and was 40 years old at the time. He too was a faithful man who, along with Joshua, stood up against the other ten spies and argued strongly that Israel was well able to go up and conquer the land. He valued the land of Canaan, and Moses could say of him, along with Joshua, that “they have wholly followed the Lord” (Num. 32:12).
More than this, it is evident that when he was searching out the land with the other spies, he saw a place that specially appealed to him. But it was Hebron, exactly where some of the giants lived. Yet Caleb was not afraid of them, and he was ready to go in and take his inheritance. But as we have already mentioned, he and Joshua were outnumbered, and they were compelled to spend 40 years in the wilderness, with the rest of Israel. However, the Lord had promised him that piece of the land and had said, “To him will I give the land that he hath trodden upon, and to his children” (Deut. 1:36).
After the wilderness journey was complete and the land of Canaan conquered, Caleb reminded Joshua of this promise, and asked for that land. He could say, “I am this day fourscore and five years old. As yet I am as strong this day as I was in the day that Moses sent me: as my strength was then, even so is my strength now, for war, both to go out, and to come in. Now therefore give me this mountain” (Josh. 14:10-12). He was able to drive out the giants and take possession of Hebron.
The Lord also blessed Caleb’s family, and especially his daughter Achsah, who also valued the land of Canaan. She married Othniel, who had gone out and conquered a place called Kirjathsepher, for he also valued the land of Canaan. Later, when Israel needed a deliverer, Othniel was ready to take that responsibility and act for the Lord.
Joshua
Joshua too had learned a great deal from his long years spent with Moses, and when it came time for Moses to die, he was ready to step up and lead Israel into the land of Canaan. Although he learned much, no doubt, directly from the Lord, yet he also learned much from Moses and from his experiences in the wilderness. As Moses had had to spend 40 years in “the backside of the desert” before he was ready to lead God’s people, so the Lord ordered it that Joshua spent 40 years in the wilderness, learning God’s ways.
Neither Moses nor Aaron were perfect examples, for both had failure connected with them. There is only One perfect example for us, and that is Christ Himself. However, Moses and Aaron were faithful men, in the main, and walked before the Lord. Their steadiness stabilized Israel throughout the wilderness years. We do not know the exact place of the burial of either of them, for both went up into a mountain and never came down again. God did not want their tombs to become an object of veneration.
Because of their example, Moses and Aaron passed on a “good torch” to those who followed them, and particularly to the three men whom we have considered. All three men followed the Lord and were used in blessing to God’s people. In the cases of Caleb and Eleazar, their families also went on well for the Lord, for they had passed on a good torch. It is interesting that in the case of Joshua, we do not read anything either of his being married or having any children. If he had a wife and children, Scripture does not mention them. The closest we come to any mention of Joshua’s family is found in Joshua 24:15: “As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.” We are not told any details of his house. This is in keeping with his being a type of Christ. It could be said of the Lord Jesus, “Who shall declare His generation?” (Isa. 53:8), yet it could also be said, “A seed shall serve Him; it shall be accounted to the Lord for a generation” (Psa. 22:30). The Lord Jesus had no natural children, but many spiritual children. So it was with Joshua. He was a faithful man, and his influence was felt long after he had died. His children were those who saw his faith and felt the effect of his godly walk.
W. J. Prost
Caleb: A Lesson on Trueheartedness
With Purpose of Heart ... Cleave Unto the Lord
(Acts 11:23)
Caleb’s history is a sample of noble purpose, like a handful of the finest of the wheat; his spirit was after God’s own heart.
Caleb had been proved in the day of declension. He had stood firm with Joshua when all Israel practically forsook the Lord. When the spies that accompanied him to search out the promised land brought back their evil report, lamented over the presence of the giants, and made all Israel to languish, Caleb, only thinking of the goodness of the inheritance and of God’s delight in His people He had brought up out of the land of bondage, said out of the abundance of his heart, “Let us go up at once and possess it, for we are well able to overcome it.” His heart, being filled with God’s goodness and faithfulness, was garrisoned against unbelief and murmurings. The Secret of the Lord is with them that fear Him, and Caleb and Joshua “wholly followed the Lord,” and in the face of Israel’s faintness and unbelief — greater foes than all the sons of Anak — they earnestly declared to Israel, “The Lord is with us.” Caleb therefore occupied a separate place among his brethren who went up with him to spy the land (Num. 13-14 to verse 10). As is frequently the way of God’s dealings with His people, after the promise was given, trial was sent. The sorrows of the wilderness intervened—its discipline, its chastening. Caleb had to wander with rebellious Israel, to bear humblings in common with them; he saw the men of war drop down, one by one, and die; he saw the Lord dishonored by His people; he grieved over their neglect of circumcision and of the Passover feast. He mourned over the idols they carried with them, but the promise stayed him; his eye was upon it; it shone beyond the dreary waste; it lighted up his path; it framed his life; his soul was lifted out of the wilderness, having found his treasures in the promised land.
He had trodden that country once, and by faith he made it his own. He knew that it was an exceedingly good land and that the God of grace who had given such a land to His people would bring them, in whom He delighted, thither. He had not lost the savor of the first ripe grapes, nor forgotten the Valley of Eshcol. The fire of his love, which was kindled that first day, burned within him still.
Character
His wholeheartedness was in no way marred by waiting for the fulfillment of the promise, by afflictions, by prospects seeming blighted.
Neither was his strength impaired, for at 85 years old, this noble soldier was as strong for war, both to go out and to come in, as he was 45 years before. Looking back upon his rugged path in the wilderness, he said, “Behold, the Lord hath kept me alive, as He said, these forty and five years, even since the Lord spake this word unto Moses.”
He trusted God both for himself and his children and not one word of the Lord fell to the ground! Fellow believer, would that our hearts were true and strong like Caleb’s! Let not the murmurings nor the agitations of our companions draw away our souls from the grace of God.
We must undergo discipline, not only for our own sakes — to test our own hearts — but also in companionship with God’s family at large. If we walk for any length of time in the wilderness, we shall see “men of war” fall by our side. Some will step out of the ranks, some will go back into the world, some will make common cause with the adversary, but may none of these deep afflictions draw our hearts from God. The Lord is our Strength; His comforts never fail; if we abide in His presence, He will be with us all the way.
Caleb looking back to the past in the power of the present was a sure sign that his heart did not condemn him and that he abode in God’s strength. It was not doubtingly he said: “If so be the Lord will be with me, then shall I be able to drive them out, as the Lord said,” but in the realization of the needs-be for the Lord’s strength and presence to enable him to obey His word. The gracious promise, “The Lord thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest,” was the energy of his strength. The delight of the Lord in His people, with which he had sought to encourage Israel at Eshcol, was his courage before the giants and their great and fenced cities.
A Good End
Sometimes the Christian soldier, after being long in God’s service, almost forgets that God alone is his strength, and “If so be the Lord will be with me” is exchanged for a vain-glorious self-confidence, “I will go out as at other times before and shake myself” (Judg. 16:20).
The Lord honored Caleb’s dependence upon Him; he took Hebron and “drove thence the three sons of Anak” (Josh. 15:14).
In Caleb we have a sample of the qualities of Christian soldiership, a whole heart, unabated strength and continued dependence.
“Joshua blessed him.” Doubtless his soul was moved at Caleb’s words.
With a note of praise, the history closes, “The land had rest from war.” Faithfulness earns rest. “Well done, good and faithful servant; ... enter thou into the joy of thy Lord.” Caleb had his portion in the great inheritance of Judah (praise!).
From The Young Christian, Vol. 6
Joshua: His Training and Development
The book of Joshua and its account of the conquest of the land of Canaan by the nation of Israel lends itself to many different applications, and some of the highest truth given to us in the ministry of the Apostle Paul is illustrated for us in type in this book. However, much of this precious truth has already been taken up in earlier issues of The Christian. In this issue, which is devoted to Joshua, we will seek to look at him mainly as a man — his training, his character, and how he handled various situations in the course of his life as a leader among God’s people. At the same time, we are considering two other faithful men who were with him and probably could be considered to be of the same generation as Joshua. These men are Caleb and Eleazar. Caleb was one of the two spies, along with Joshua, who did not agree with the other ten spies, all of whom strongly recommended that Israel not try to conquer the land of Canaan. Caleb, along with Joshua, were the only two men who survived the wilderness journey of 40 years and who eventually entered the land of Canaan. Eleazar was a priest, the son of Aaron, who was also a faithful man and who succeeded his father Aaron as priest when Aaron died.
Moses’ Right-Hand Man
We first hear of Joshua very early in Israel’s history, when they came out of Egypt. As soon as they entered on their journey to Canaan, the Amalekites met them and fought with them. Joshua already had established himself as Moses’ “right-hand man” and was commissioned to choose men to fight with Amalek. Amalek in Scripture speaks of the flesh in us, and at a young age, Joshua evidently took the lead in defeating them. This is a good example for all of us, for we need to learn at a young age that “the flesh profiteth nothing” (John 6:63). The Lord told Moses that there would be war with Amalek “from generation to generation,” and it was good for Joshua to realize this.
Later, when the Lord called Moses up into “the mount of God” in order to give him the ten commandments and the pattern for the tabernacle, we find that “Moses rose up, and his minister Joshua” (Ex. 24:13). Although Moses was the one specifically called up into the mountain, Joshua, as his servant, went with him. It would seem that Joshua was privy to all that Moses heard and saw while up in the mountain. Again, it is a good example for us. How good it is for younger ones to keep company with those who are older and wiser, and from whom they can learn! Later, when Moses and Joshua came down from the mount, they talked together as they heard the noise of the wicked celebration that was going on around the golden calf Aaron had made (Ex. 32:17-18).
He Remained Outside the Camp
Shortly after this very serious sin, we find that “Moses took the tabernacle, and pitched it without the camp” (Ex. 33:7). (This was evidently not the tabernacle for which Moses received the pattern up in the mount, for it was not completed until about a year later. It seems that a temporary tent for the Lord to meet with His people had been arranged.) Moses himself went out to the tabernacle from time to time, but then went back into the camp. Joshua, however, “departed not out of the tabernacle” (Ex. 33:11). As a type of Christ, Moses went back into the camp, but Joshua, a type of the believer today, remained outside of that which had dishonored the Lord. We get a reference in the New Testament to going outside the camp in Hebrews 13:13, but space does not permit our developing that thought here.
Going along further in Joshua’s history, we find that two of the 70 elders of the people, Eldad and Medad, who were among those chosen to assist Moses in the administration of the nation, “went not out unto the tabernacle: and they prophesied in the camp” (Num. 11:26). Joshua evidently felt this was an affront to Moses, and he wanted Moses to forbid them. But Moses, with the wisdom of his years and his relationship with the Lord, only replied, “Would God that all the Lord’s servants were prophets” (vs. 29). It would have been better for Eldad and Medad not to have gone back into the camp, but Moses did not envy them nor try to prevent them. They were prophesying, and Moses valued it, even in the camp.
One of the Twelve Spies
Going along further still, we find the 12 spies, one from each tribe, instructed to go and “search the land of Canaan” (Num. 13:2). Joshua was one of those spies, from the tribe of Ephraim. Caleb was another, from the tribe of Judah. After searching the land for 40 days, ten of the spies could not see how Israel could conquer the land, for they had forgotten the Lord’s power in bringing them out of Egypt. Only Joshua and Caleb were ready to go in and possess the land. Their eye was on the Lord, not on the giants, the high walls of the cities, and the strength of the people in Canaan. But Caleb and Joshua were outnumbered, and the people actually wanted to stone them for their positive attitude. Because Caleb was evidently a little older than Joshua, the Word of God focuses on him, but Joshua was with him, and together they resisted the bad report of the ten spies.
This was a very severe test for two young men, and especially for Joshua, for it meant that the nation would spend the next 40 years wandering in the wilderness, until all those who had resisted the word of the Lord had died. Joshua and Caleb would spend the best years of their lives, naturally speaking, in the wilderness, instead of entering into and enjoying the land. Would they submit to this? Thankfully we do not read of any complaint on their part; they went along with those who wandered in the wilderness, and the Lord preserved them. We read that “Joshua the son of Nun, and Caleb the son of Jephunneh, lived still of the men that had gone to search out the land” (Num. 14:38 JND).
Moses’ Request and God’s Choice
Finally, at the end of the wilderness journey, it came time for Moses to die. He had failed to honor the Lord when he was told to speak to the rock, to provide water for the people. Instead, Moses struck the rock, and the Lord told him that he would not be the one to lead the people into the land. But Moses’ answer to this disappointment is beautiful:
“Let the Lord, the God of the spirits of all flesh, set a man over the congregation, which may go out before them, and which may go in before them, and which may lead them out, and which may bring them in; that the congregation of the Lord be not as sheep which have no shepherd. And the Lord said unto Moses, Take thee Joshua the son of Nun, a man in whom is the spirit, and lay thine hand upon him ... and thou shalt put some of thine honor upon him ... and Moses did as the Lord commanded him” (Num. 27:16-18,20,22).
Moses cared for the people, and when he asked for a shepherd to lead them, the Lord had Joshua all ready to step into a place of leadership. It was the result of all the good training that Joshua had and the time he had spent in Moses’ company. Moses then is able to give Joshua a charge: “Be strong and of a good courage: for thou shalt bring the children of Israel into the land which I sware unto them: and I will be with thee” (Deut. 31:23).
Later we read that “Joshua the son of Nun was full of the spirit of wisdom; for Moses had laid his hands upon him: and the children of Israel hearkened unto him, and did as the Lord commanded Moses” (Deut. 34:9).
Again, Joshua’s story is full of meaning for us, for it shows us the need for purpose of heart when we are young, a time of training under the Lord’s hand, and a readiness to submit to real disappointment, until we may be considered ready to undertake leadership among the people of God.
W. J. Prost
"As I Was With Moses": An Encouragement for Joshua
Joshua 1:2,5-7
“Moses My servant is dead; now therefore arise, go over this Jordan, thou, and all this people, unto the land which I do give them, even to the children of Israel. ... As I was with Moses, so I will be with thee: I will not fail thee, nor forsake thee. Be strong and of a good courage: for unto this people shalt thou divide for an inheritance the land, which I sware unto their fathers to give them. Only be thou strong and very courageous, that thou mayest observe to do according to all the law, which Moses My servant commanded thee: turn not from it to the right hand or to the left, that thou mayest prosper whithersoever thou goest” (Josh. 1:2,5-7).
Founded on Grace
It is an unfailing principle that Scripture exhortations are founded on grace. God is the God of all grace; therefore, what He exhorts His people to do, He gives them power to perform. Perhaps in no portion of God’s Word is greater grace to be found than in His exhortations, for the object of them is to bring His people nearer to Himself and to lead them more deeply into their privileges.
In the moving exhortation which we have just read, the basis is that the land belongs to Israel according to promise. Thus, because God had given them the land, He bids them “arise, and possess it.” When this exhortation was given, Israel was brought by sovereign grace and forbearing kindness to the very borders of the land of promise. Its glories spread themselves before their eyes — the wheat fields, olive groves, vineyards, and the mountains out of which they should “dig brass.” Already, by anticipation, the “brooks of water, of fountains and depths that spring out of valleys and hills” were theirs, and one thing only was requisite to the enjoyment of their portion: They must “arise” and possess. It was harvesttime — the time of the year’s richest good — and Jordan (that is, the river of death or of judgment) threatened to bar their way, for “Jordan overfloweth all his banks all the time of harvest” (Josh. 3:15). Yet faith would lay hold on the word of the living God and, regardless of the difficulty, obey that word immediately.
More Than Beholding the Land
Now, beholding the wheat fields was not eating the fruits, and gazing on the mountains was not digging out their wealth. The one condition which the Lord imposed upon the people was that they should enter and have a foothold on the land which He had given them.
How true it is, regarding spiritual possession, that no (what may be termed) geographical acquaintance with the truth of God, no ability to map out doctrines or dispensations, is of itself possession. Real possession becomes the portion of those who have, by individual contest, step by step, won ground; to them is the promise, “Every place that the sole of your foot shall tread upon, that have I given you” (Josh. 1:3).
In order to stimulate His people to gain their possession, the Lord graciously promised His unfailing presence, strength and nearness to them in the conflict. The Lord had not forgotten their fears at Eschol. He knew that the sons of Anak trod the land still and that cities great and high, walled to heaven, filled the country. In His grace, He would so encourage His people that they should learn to measure the sons of Anak by Jehovah’s strength instead of by their own, and the walled cities by His power and not by the fitness of their weapons of war.
Be Strong in the Lord
The strength that Jehovah desired in His people was strength of hand for taking and firmly retaining, and strength of knees so that the wrestler should not be cast down. And we Christians are exhorted to “be strong in the Lord, and in the power of His might,” “for we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places,” which are to us like the hosts of Canaan were to Israel. Neither must we rest contented in the fact of overcoming a foe; “for having done all,” or as the margin reads, “having overcome all,” we are called upon “to stand” (Eph. 6:12-13). The walled city may be taken, but like sentinels at their post, we must “stand,” if we hope to retain it.
God, by giving exhortation and encouragement, warns us of danger and difficulty. But if we shrink from the difficulty, let us remember that we shrink from the land of promise. What! Shall a Christian sit down on the wilderness side of Jordan because of Canaan’s giants? Again, the Lord calls upon His people for strength and for courage. And this time it is that they may obey all His Word. Not the slightest deviation is permitted. It is a straight road, and one step aside would lead astray altogether; “turn not from it to the right hand or to the left.” His Word was not to depart out of their mouth. “It is written” was to decide everything, and it was to be their meditation, both by day and by night — their continual study. Prosperity and success would be theirs as they obeyed God’s Word.
And here is a good occasion to be plain with ourselves. Why is one without full peace with God? Why has another leanness of soul? Why has another trouble instead of joy? The Word of God is not implicitly followed; the plain path of Scripture has been sidestepped.
Three Times: “Be Strong”
A third time we have the Lord saying, “Be strong and of a good courage.” The first time, because all is of His grace; the second, because the word is His Word; and now, because His own authority is our commission. Once let the Christian lay hold of the fact of the divine authority of the Word of God, and forthwith all that is human must bow.
With the promise, “The Lord thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest,” the exhortation closes, for it would not be possible to obey His command unless blessed with His presence. Joshua had seen all that Moses did during the 40 years in the wilderness, and how he had trusted the Lord in every circumstance. He had seen more than once when Moses seemed to be overwhelmed with the burdens of his responsibilities, yet he had seen how the Lord had over and over again instructed Moses as to what to do. Most important of all, he had seen Moses’ love for the people and his desire to see blessing for them, in spite of their failure and, at times, their rebellion. It must have been a great comfort to Joshua to be told by the Lord, “As I was with Moses, so will I be with thee.” He had seen Moses count on the Lord time after time, and he realized that he too could count on Him.
So it is today. We have perhaps admired and respected those who have gone on before, and perhaps we covet their faith and godly walk. Let us each remember that the Lord is the same today and that faith can lay hold of Him and count on Him, just as the most faithful ones did in the past.
H. F. Witherby (adapted)
Joshua's Failures
In other articles in this issue of The Christian, we have spoken of Joshua’s training, his desire to follow the Lord, and his faithfulness to the Lord throughout his life. However, the Spirit of God faithfully records failure as well as faithfulness in the Lord’s servants, and we find failure on at least two occasions in Joshua’s life. Bearing in mind that “whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning” (Rom. 15:4), let us look at these two occasions of failure in Joshua’s life.
Defeat at Ai
In the first case, we find Joshua prostrate on the ground before the Lord after a disastrous defeat at Ai. Joshua had led Israel to a great victory in taking the city of Jericho, because they acted in strict obedience to Jehovah’s commands. But when it came to taking the much smaller city of Ai, it seems that Joshua and Israel took matters into their own hands. They made plans without asking guidance of the Lord, and the result was defeat, with the loss of 36 men. Understandably Joshua was very upset, as were also the elders of Israel. All of them fell on their faces “before the ark of the Lord” (Josh. 7:6) and put dust on their heads.
Joshua’s reaction, however, shows weakness and failure, for his concern is first of all for Israel, and then for the expected reaction of the Canaanites. Worse still, he almost reproaches the Lord for even bringing them over Jordan, saying that it would have been better for them to have dwelt on the other side of Jordan—and all this from a man who, more than 40 years before, had strongly advocated, along with Caleb, that Israel immediately go over Jordan and conquer the land of Canaan! It is only at the end of his speech to the Lord that he says, “What wilt Thou do unto Thy great name?” (Josh. 7:9). This is in great contrast to Moses’ discernment when Israel had made the golden calf. Up on the mount, he was intelligent as to what was happening in the camp of Israel; the Lord revealed it to him. More than this, his concern was first of all for the Lord’s holiness and glory, rather than for the people.
Joshua ought to have known the cause of Israel’s defeat, and had he and the elders of Israel consulted the Lord before making their own plan of attack on Ai, surely God would have revealed the sin of Achan to them. It was a serious sin — a presumptuous sin, for which there was no atoning sacrifice. Instead of lying on his face, the Lord tells Joshua, “Get thee up” (Josh. 7:10). Humbling himself before the Lord was good, but more was needed; Joshua needed to act for the Lord’s glory.
Restoration: The Door of Hope
Thankfully, Joshua was restored to communion with the Lord and immediately followed His instructions for dealing with the sin. It might have seemed a harsh judgment for one act of theft resulting from covetousness, but God’s holiness must be maintained. It is always the way of blessing, for only when God’s holiness is vindicated can He come in and bless. Achan and his family were stoned and then burned in the valley of Achor, and much later in Israel’s history, we find the prophet Hosea referring to this very act. In speaking of millennial blessing, he says, “I will give her ... the valley of Achor for a door of hope” (Hos. 2:15). The millennium will be introduced by judgment, for “when Thy judgments are in the earth, the inhabitants of the world will learn righteousness” (Isa. 26:9). Joshua had to learn this, for the sin of one man defiled the whole congregation and occasioned their defeat at the hands of the men of Ai. Only after the sin was dealt with could Israel go forward in their conquest of Canaan. The second time they attacked Ai, they did so according to the Lord’s instructions, rather than with their own ideas.
The Deceit of the Gibeonites
The second failure in Joshua’s career concerns the Gibeonites, and in one sense it is the same failure, for once again, it resulted from a lack of asking the Lord for His mind and His guidance. Having seen the power of God in Israel and the defeat of Jericho and Ai, the Gibeonites resorted to deceit in order to save their lives. Pretending to have come from a far country, they brought moldy bread, worn-out garments and shoes, old sacks on their donkeys, and old wine bottles. They pretended to have heard of the fame of the God of Israel and asked that Israel make a league with them. Joshua and the men of Israel were taken in by this ruse, but it is specifically recorded that they “asked not counsel at the mouth of the Lord” (Josh. 9:14). Accordingly, “Joshua made peace with them, and made a league with them, to let them live” (Josh. 9:15). Three days later Joshua and the men of Israel found out that the Gibeonites lived in the area and were actually some of the Canaanite nations whom the Lord had commissioned Israel to destroy. But after swearing by the name of the Lord to let them live, Israel recognized that “we may not touch them” (Josh. 9:19).
Once again Joshua’s reaction to this discovery of the true identity of the Gibeonites is rather regrettable. Instead of reproaching himself and Israel for not having consulted the Lord, Joshua rather turns his anger on the Gibeonites, asking them, “Wherefore have ye beguiled us ... when ye dwell among us?” (Josh. 9:22). Their answer was simple: “We were sore afraid of our lives because of you, and have done this thing” (Josh. 9:24). We cannot expect the world around us to act uprightly before the Lord, and especially when they act simply to preserve their lives. It would have been better for Joshua to confess his own failure first and realize that this was the real cause of the problem.
The Gibeonites were made “hewers of wood and drawers of water” from that time on, and they were no doubt thankful that their lives had been spared. But trouble came many years later because of them, for in misplaced zeal, King Saul tried to destroy them and brought a famine upon the land during David’s reign. Sometimes failure in our lives can have far-reaching consequences.
In summary, then, from these two incidents in Joshua’s life, we learn that there is no substitute for acting in dependence on the Lord and seeking His guidance in every circumstance of our lives. We also learn, in the case of Ai, the supreme importance of maintaining God’s holiness and His glory.
W. J. Prost
Peace With Gibeon
Joshua 9
If acting faithfully, to every step of faithfulness the Lord will surely add more light; only we must be careful to take counsel of the Lord at every step. Peace with Gibeon only deprives us of victory and brings upon us other wars and troubles, for the presence of what is not of God always opens the door to Satan. This, perhaps, is not so much felt when all is in vigor in the soul, but when there is decline, then the evil and consequence is felt. In the days of David, there was a famine three years; it was for Saul and for his bloody house, because he had slain the Gibeonites. All this arose from the little act of not taking counsel with God. When all was war, it appeared a convenient thing — a blessing, to find some peace and recognition from those who said, “The Lord your God.” It sounded like Rahab’s believing voice, and in appearance with these far distant travelers, there was nothing wrong in peace — they were supposedly not of the forbidden and accursed race. But they did not ask counsel of the Lord, and it turned out that they were of the accursed race. It almost caused a separation between Joshua and the people. So cunning is the enemy that it is almost as bad or worse to lean on one’s own wisdom in the ways of God as on one’s own strength for the battles of God. Peace with Gibeon and war with Ai in self-confidence end in confusion and shame or in defeat.
The Christian Friend, 1:124
Joshua as a Type of Christ
Joshua is Christ as leading by the Spirit, which we have elsewhere seen, and thus he seeks victory; he will attack and overcome. Even supposing Amalek sought to slay the weak ones (Deut. 25:17-18), this does not alter his character, but only gave the occasion to the exercise of the energy of the Spirit. We have already seen Israel in conflict with Amalek in Exodus 17.
J. N. Darby
Ai and the Accursed Thing
When Israel was defeated at Ai, what does Joshua do — the man of God? Alas! he rends his clothes and falls to the earth upon his face before the ark of the Lord (Josh. 7:6). Where was the ark in the war with Ai, before which the walls of Jericho had fallen? Joshua’s godly soul acknowledges its worth, but he does not know what to do, and, ignoring the accursed thing, he gives vent to regrets. These are not primarily regrets as to what he has done, nor as to what the people have done, but, alas! as to what God had done when He brought them over Jordan! “Would to God we had been content and dwelt on the other side Jordan,” said he. How plainly these words show what man’s heart is! This blessed place, across the Jordan, is the only one that Joshua would gladly have avoided.
The tone of his request betrays weakness. First it is the name of Israel which occupies his thoughts; then it is the Canaanites — the world. “Israel turneth their backs before their enemies!” “The Canaanites ... shall hear of it.” They shall “cut off our name from the earth.” Then quite at the end, “What wilt Thou do unto Thy great name?” (vss. 8-9). The example given us in the history of God’s faithful servant Moses is very different (Ex. 32:11,13). He had been on the mount of God, and there God reveals to him the evil which had gone on in the camp. The sin of the people does not remain hidden from the eyes of Moses. Aware of it before coming down from the mount, does he think of Israel’s shame? No, he is occupied with what is suited to the Lord’s name. He recognizes the claims of offended holiness. As for the nations, his only concern is as to whether God would be glorified in the eyes of the Egyptians by the defeat of His people. As for Israel, he appeals to the grace of God — to the only thing which glorifies Jehovah’s name in the presence of guilty Israel. Moses had no need, like Joshua, to recover lost communion; he can intercede for the people, and he is heard.
Joshua, on the contrary, is found precisely in the attitude in which he ought not to be. “Get thee up,” said the Lord to him. “Wherefore liest thou thus upon thy face?” (vs. 10). To humble himself for his lack of power was not the only thing to be done; it was time to act. We find the opposite to this in Judges 20, where Israel ought to have humbled themselves first and then acted. Miserable flesh! What disorder it introduces into the things of God! It is always outside the current of His thoughts, if not in open hostility to Him. May we join with the Apostle in saying: “We ... have no confidence in the flesh” (Phil. 3:3). Joshua had to act; the accursed thing had to be put away from among them.
Food for the Flock, Vol. 9
The Leader's Memorial and Glory
Jehovah wrought “wonders” for Israel at the Jordan, both in the actual work performed and in the typical meaning of the work. Hence, in the type before us, great things of God’s mind are to be found.
“Joshua set up twelve stones in the midst of Jordan, in the place where the feet of the priests which bare the ark of the covenant stood: and they are there unto this day” (Josh. 4:9). When the record was written, the swelling of Jordan had not swept away the stones which the leader placed in the passage of the river’s bed. Israel’s memorial set up at Gilgal in Canaan was for all in the land of promise to see—“a memorial unto the children of Israel forever.” The stones which Joshua reared in the bed of the river were for no eye to behold when the waters were at their flood, but nonetheless they were a memorial for the leader himself. In the river, we may justly say, his deepest feelings would center; there, where the priests stood, the whole burden of Israel’s security was borne, and there the secret power of all Israel’s blessing in entering Canaan lay.
The Waters of Judgment
Joshua in Canaan being a type of Christ, we have in this action a significant teaching. Our Lord never forgets the deep waters through which He passed—those sufferings in and unto death, by which He vanquished him that had the power of death, the devil, and by which He opened to His people their heavenly inheritance. From the throne on high He remembers the travail of His soul — His cross, its shame and agony. Jesus, whose work has brought the people of God into heavenly places, ever remembers the swellings of Jordan, the flood of deep waters, where He, blessed be His name, stood firm for us to bring us to His God and Father.
God’s people are much occupied with their blessings and, indeed, of moral necessity, these must at first fill the heart, for until, by grace, it is known how the saints are blessed in the heavenly places in Christ, it is not possible to meditate upon the way our Lord has brought us into our blessings. Our stones of memorial tell us of Jordan’s depths and what Christ suffered for our sakes and of our blessings, but let not His memorial be forgotten! His holy Person in glory still bears the marks of the wounds of Calvary, and from heaven Jesus, speaking of His death, says to His people, “Remember Me.”
The sacred memory of the place where His feet stood firm when the billows of God’s wrath rolled over Him should be present to the heart. True, He is no longer the sufferer; His sorrows are forever passed; He is the ascended Son of Man, triumphant in His victory over death, but forever shall memories of His death fill the hearts of His people; eternally shall it be said of the Lord’s stones of “witness,” “They are there unto this day.”
The Leader Magnified
Jehovah magnified Joshua by the passage of the Jordan, and thereby obtained for him the leadership in Israel’s eyes. “On that day the Lord magnified Joshua in the sight of all Israel; and they feared him, as they feared Moses, all the days of his life” (Josh. 4:14). The present exaltation and place of the Lord Jesus as man is of His God and Father, and His glories and exaltation are the blessed answer to His sufferings and humiliation. “Now that He ascended, what is it but that He also descended first into the lower parts of the earth? He that descended is the same also that ascended up far above all heavens, that He might fill all things” (Eph. 4:9-10). The Lord Jesus, the Son of Man, who went down to the lowest depths, occupies the highest height in heaven, and there He bears in His person the solemn witness to Calvary. Because of His obedience unto death, even the death of the cross, God has “highly exalted Him, and given Him a name which is above every name” (Phil. 2:9). He has been raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, and God the Father has “set Him at His own right hand in the heavenly places, far above all principality, and power, might and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age, but also in that which is to come” (Eph. 1:21-22 JnD). As this exaltation of the Lord is apprehended, He becomes indeed the Leader of His people and is magnified by them.
The Present Glory of Christ
The Lord is not fully honored by His people until His present glory is recognized. In the light of His present exaltation as a man, on the life side of death, His glory as the Lord who died is seen. He, the risen and ascended Christ, is the firstborn from among the dead, the Head over all things, the Head of His body, the church. The more the heart apprehends Him thus, the more all that He did in dying for us is remembered.
The heavenly Leader is before His people in the teachings of the portion before us. Even in earthly matters, a leader’s influence over his followers is proportionate to the honor in which they hold him. Now Christ is in heaven and in glory, and as His greatness and majesty, His strength and power, are apprehended by faith, a mighty influence is exercised over the souls and lives of His people. His position in glory and His victory determine the blessing of the redeemed; the fullness of the blessing of the members is determined by the glory of the Head. His honor and their blessing are not to be separated. Our heavenly position in Christ is exclusively of divine grace, but it is ours in Christ on high. Now indeed it is a subject for faith, but soon it will be displayed in glory, and that display will be seen to be to the honor of our exalted Savior, Jesus Christ the Lord.
H. F. Witherby
Lines on the Death of G. V. Wigram (1879)
2 Timothy 2:4; Joshua 14:14
The day of his conflict is over and done;
The voice of his Master, that glorified One,
Has called him away with his welcome, “Well done”;
His part in the war is finished and o’er:
He has gone to the One whom he loved and adored,
And peacefully entered the joy of his Lord.
His heart had been won; though the foe oft enticed,
He gladly confessed that his heart was sufficed —
To find all his joy—all his treasure—in Christ,
Neath whose banner unfurled, he fought in the world;
How true was his pleasure, poor sinners to win,
For the One who had purchased and cleansed him from sin.
Through conflict, confusion and errors abroad—
The truth “his equipment,” with grace sweetly stored,
He faithfully followed his Master and Lord;
And daily and yearly he lived in the smile
Of Him by whom actions and motives are known —
Who guided His servant in paths of His own.
He heard the recall, and laid down his shield,
With the trust that his part was accepted and sealed,
Befitting the war — quitting the field
At the call of his Lord to receive his reward,
And enter at length on the full tide of joy
And perfect communion which never can cloy.
The breastplate no longer he needs for his breast—
The armor gives place to the garments of rest,
The full flowing robes of the home of the blest:
His girdle’s untied and his sword’s laid aside;
The Lord whom he clung to and fought for so well,
Has called him away in His presence to dwell.
He has lain down to sleep, and we weep, yet rejoice,
Well pleased that our Lord should lay claim to His choice;
We wait for “the trump” the archangel’s voice,
To fold up our tents and to summon us hence,
Where sorrow, defilement, and conflict shall cease,
The haven of hope, and of rest, and of peace —
To be with the Lord — where no one can sever,
To be with the Lord — in His glory forever;
May we who are left in the desert below
Use our strength for the Lord wherever we go;
He has faithfully promised, to all who endure
The hardness of soldiers — the victory is sure!
Author unknown