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JOSHUA (WEEK 6/9: ...IN WANT OF WISDOM) SMALL GROUP DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

CONNECT (from last week): How can we be BOTH more open to addressing the seriousness of the sin in our own lives AND delight in the knowledge that we are forgiven as we trust in Jesus?

WARM-UP Questions 1. What was a time in your life in which you really needed to rely on the wisdom of God? What do you

think would have happened if you instead tried to rely on your own wisdom?

READ Joshua 9:1-27 2. Why do you think that the people of Israel had so much trouble being faithful to God? Do we? 3. Quickly recap the two main events that have happened since the end of chapter 7. Why was Israel

victorious at Ai in chapter 8? Why was the covenant renewal important? 4. What most shocks you about the Gibeonite deception? What part of Deuteronomy were they appealing

to when they speak of having come ‘from a distant country’? 5. As we face daily temptation, how do deceit (or the erosion of what is true) and flattery often work

together to steer us away from the Lord and his ways? Can you think (and are brave enough!) to share of a practical example of this? How can we be on guard about it?

6. What was the main error of Joshua and the leaders? Do you think we’re ever in danger of this? 7. What is the irony of them tasting the provisions with their lips but failing to consult the words of the

Lord? Is this an irony that every plays out in our own lives? 8. When are you most likely not to consult God? Is there any particular area of your life in which you are

most susceptible of not seeking out the Lord? 9. If we need wisdom, why should we be confident in asking for it from God? Can you think of any

examples in the Bible in which God promises wisdom to those who ask? 10. What was the significance of the treaty/covenant that Israel made with the Gibeonites?

READ Joshua 10:12-15 11. What are the indicators that (a) Israel had returned to the Lord, and (b) it was the Lord who fought the

battle for them? How is God’s grace evident to Israel in his fighting of the battle? 12. How can we be confident that even when we’ve made mistakes and tried to do it on our own, that God

welcomes us home when we turn to him?

APPLY (to this week): Try to ask God for wisdom about every decision you make!

PRAY: Almighty Lord, please save us from relying on ourselves due to ignorance, foolishness, or rebellion. Please help us to consult you in all things, looking to your wisdom instead of our own. Thank you that we can be confident that even when we’ve turned away, that we can run home to you and be welcomed because of Jesus. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

For sermons and additional resources, visit STBARTS.COM.AU

JOSHUA (WEEK 6/9: ...IN WANT OF WISDOM) GOING DEEPER RESOURCES & SUGGESTIONS

Each week we provide additional resources that help to go deeper with whatever series we’re currently focusing on as a church. Resources could include recommended books, articles, online

sermons, courses, or videos. These are optional extras! Please don’t feel under pressure to look at every resource, but consider what could be useful to.

Video • VIDEO: This overview by the Bible Project is an excellent summary of the major themes in the book of

Joshua: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JqOqJlFF_eU

Talks & Other Audio • AUDIO: Sermon from Anglican Church of Noosa on Joshua 9 by the Rev’d Mark Calder.

http://anglicanchurchnoosa.org/multimedia-archive/joshua-do-we-leave-god-out/ • AUDIO: Sermon from by Canon Peter Adam on ‘Coping with Mistakes’:

http://resources.thegospelcoalition.org/library/coping-with-mistakes

Articles and Other Reading • ARTICLE: An interview with Dale Davis touching on various aspects of Joshua:

https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/help-me-teach-the-bible-dale-ralph-davis-on-joshua • BOOK: “Joshua, Judges and Ruth for Everyone” by Professor John Goldingay. Available at Koorong (by

order), or: https://www.bookdepository.com/Joshu-Judges-and-Ruth-for-Everyone-John-Goldingay/9780281061280?ref=grid-view&qid=1492859279769&sr=1-1

• EXCERPT: An excerpt from the above book is available at: http://stbarts.com.au/2017/04/22/violence-in-the-book-of-joshua/

• POSTER: A poster overview of the book of Joshua: https://s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com/tbp-wp/wp-content/uploads/woocommerce_uploads/2016/05/08-Joshua-FNL.jpg

Talk 6/9 (Joshua Series): 28/05/17 “In Want of Wisdom” by the Rev’d Adam Lowe

Bible Passage: Joshua 9-10

Today we come to the sixth week in our series on the book of Joshua, we’ve been looking at the faithfulness of God as he brings his people into the promised land.

• They’ve crossed the Jordan, conquered Jericho and Ai, and are strategically positioned to drive a wedge through the land, and receive the place of rest that they have been promised.

• We’ve had no evidence to doubt the faithfulness of God so far; We’ve had every piece of evidence to trust in the faithfulness of God so far; But the question that has remains is: will the people will be faithful to him?

• Last week, in dramatic form, we got that answer, as you will recall in chapter 7, as it opened with the words that the people were unfaithful… their confidence was misplaced in themselves, their devotion was directed away from God, and as a result, the conquest of Ai that should have been a walk-in-the-park, ended up being a humiliating defeat.

• But God provided a way back, and between chapter 7 and 9 (where we pick up today),Ai is defeated according to the Lord’s instructions, on God’s terms not theirs, and the covenant, the covenant that they had broken, is renewed.

• We read that in chapter 8… !2

All the Israelites, with their elders, officials and judges, were standing on both sides of the ark of the covenant of the Lord, facing the Levitical priests who carried it. Both the foreigners living among them and the native-born were there. (8:33)

• This is an amazing scene - the Israelites and the foreigners: all of God’s people, no one is exempt, with their eyes on the ark: the tangible reminder of all that God had done, of who God is, and what God had promised.

• And as Joshua reads all of words of the Book of the Law, every word Deuteronomy, this is them together as a people committing themselves to the Lord.

• This is an image that points to Joshua, and the people, pledging obedience to God. • This is a real high point! It’s like a clean slate!

• Sure their faithfulness to God has come and gone, it’s had some bumps along the road, but as they are reminded now of God’s faithfulness, they are once again committing to following God with their entire lives. //

• It seems like everything is back on track!

• When I read this, there’s a sense of, sorry God, we’ve made some mistakes,

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you have never wavered in your faithfulness, but we’ve seen the error of our ways, and now it’s time for us to get back on program with your agenda for our lives.

• This is a glorious moment of corporate clarity and action. //

• But it’s amazing, in our human nature, of how, what we can have a complete clarity about in one moment, can become completely unravelled in the next, discovering that the very things which we commit not to do, are the very things that we end up doing, and the very one to whom we make the commitments, is the very one we end up sidelining from our lives.

• That’s what we see in chapters 9 and 10.

• And we’re reminded, that we desperately need to seek the wisdom of God in our lives.

• So three things as we reflect on the need for wisdom not of our own… • The Gibeonite’s DECEPTION (9:1-13);

Joshua’s DELUSION (9:14-27); andGod’s DELIVERANCE (10:ff).

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#1 THE GIBEONITE'S DECEPTION \\ JOSHUA 9:1-13

So first, the Gibeonite’s DECEPTION.

• With the defeat of Jericho and Ai, word has got around the region, of the might of the Lord at work through Israel, to such extent, that it is no longer just one city and one army,but coalitions now have formed against Israel.

• That’s the entire opening context of chapter 9, as we read from verse 1…

Now when all the kings west of the Jordan heard about these things—the kings in the hill country, in the western foothills, and along the entire coast of the Mediterranean Sea as far as Lebanon…they came together to wage war against Joshua and Israel. (vv.1-2)

• It’s quite incredible that with the defeat of Jericho and Ai, the threat of Israel is so great to other cities and rulers, that it forces together diverse people groups, as a united enemy against the people of God.

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• Coalitions of opponents will be a recurring theme in the coming chapters. We see: coalitions of Kings from the south, in chapter 10, coalitions of Kings from the north, in chapter 11.

• But right now, we’re dealing with a particular group who really want to stop Israel from making any strategic advancement into the land.

• They know that the next few steps, would allow Israel to control a very important slice of land, separating the north and south.

• Perhaps they’ve of Israel’s first defeat at Ai and think they’re in for a chance,. • But not everyone joins the coalition:

the Gibeonites decide that actually, their approach is to avoid fighting altogether, and so they hatch a plan to reach a treaty, a covenant, with Israel.

However, when the people of Gibeon heard what Joshua had done to Jericho and Ai, they resorted to a ruse: They went as a delegation whose donkeys were loaded with worn-out sacks and old wineskins, cracked and mended. They put worn and patched sandals on their feet and wore old clothes. All the bread of their food supply was dry and moldy. Then they went to Joshua in the camp at Gilgal and said to him and the Israelites, “We have come from a distant country; make a treaty with us.” (9:3-6)

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We should note just how intentional this plan is.

• In the previous book, the Lord had commanded that any nations within the vicinity of the promised land must be destroyed (cf. Deuteronomy 7:2).

• The Gibeonites know that, but it seems that they also know, that later on (Deuteronomy 20), the Lord made a provision to say that the cities that were ‘very far from you’, well with them they could make a peace treaty.

• So they concoct this, almost comic plan, to convince the Gibeonites they are from very far away.

• Can you imagine the brainstorming that went on back at base amongst the Gibeonite crew?Nowadays people often spend a lot of money to get the distressed look on clothes, but the Gibeonites invented it in order to try and trick someone into a political alliance!

• Joshua, just look at our dilapidated clothes, tools, and food. • Our sacks are worn out, they were new when we left,

the wine skins are old, but they were brand new too, there’s patches on our clothes, the bread is dry and mouldy.

• Clearly we’ve come a long way. What possible other explanation could there be?!

• That’s the deception. !7

But note that they don’t just use deceit, they also use flattery, in order to influence and manipulate Joshua.

• They not only say, we’re your servants, they say, ‘we’ve heard of the greatness of God, of what he did in Egypt…

• They failed to mention the recent victories at Jericho at Ai, because they couldn't have possibly heard of these latest developments, if they had traveled from a ‘far off land’ - so they leave that out!

• They’re not only providing flattery, but their also spiritualising it! • Imagine: they’re in awe of us, they’ve heard of all victories, they want to be our servants… • See what they’re doing: they’ve not only provided basic physical evidence for their case,

but their shaping the hearts of Joshua and co, to want to believe the evidence. • The superficial evidence will only confirm that they are from a far land,

if the ones who are listening want to believe what the Gibeonites are saying. • Now, it’s easy to feel smug at this point, to think: they really got hood-winked here,

in a way that appealed to their egos but allowed them to spiritualise the praise, but we’re all in danger of this.

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• Because the greatest temptations we face, to be led away from God and the commitment we’e made to him, often present not only in manner the erodes the truth, but sugar coats the lie.

• Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden’? • Surely won’t hurt you, it will actually be great for you.

Surely won’t hurt others, you deserve it. • We might not be facing military battles,

but we face a spiritual battle of lies and flattery, and human wisdom alone is an insufficient defence.

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#2 JOSHUA’S DELUSION \\ JOSHUA 9:14-27

Because whilst the Gibeonite’s were busy deceiving, it’s the response of Joshua and the elders, that is deluded.

• Why? Because they fail to consult God.

14 The Israelites sampled their provisions but did not inquire of the Lord.

• As I read this, with the memory of what just happened at Ai when they failed to consult God,you’ve got to wonder if whilst the Gibeonites are convincing and charming the leaders, if anyone is watching this play out, um, excuse me, sorry to mention this, but do you think we ought to consult God about this? It’s just, we’ve kind of tried relying on our own wisdom before, and Joshua you’re great, you’re really great, but it didn’t work out too well!

• It’s even worse than that, because in the recommitment of the covenant, they’ve just had an entire ceremony in which they heard the Law of God read out, which would have contained the very premise to consult God in all things.

• There was even a process (Numbers 27:21), of how Joshua should go to Eleazar the priest. // • God’s direction was available BUT IGNORED.

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• Note the deep irony of verse 14: It is literally saying that they sampled the provisions with their mouthes,but the mouth of the Lord, they did not ask.

• One commentator, Davis, puts it like this:

“Now it was not that Joshua and the elders did not ask the right questions; they were suspicious at just the right points. It was not that they were sloppy in their investigation but that they were alone in their decision. It wasn’t that they didn’t think but that they didn’t pray.”

I wonder, how many things in our lives, that we fail to consult with God, because we already know and we don’t want to hear it, because we think it’s completely obvious and think have it under control, or because we haven’t even considered for a moment to consult with God. • Part of growing, as followers, part of growing in our faithfulness,

of setting the Lord as the Lord of our lives, is to recognise our deep need for a wisdom beyond our own, and then consulting the one who is not only in charge, but perfectly wise.

• Joshua needed a wisdom beyond his own. • We need a wisdom beyond out own.

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• And the amazing thing is, that God is so interested in our lives, lives which are part of his mission to the world, that it’s promised that if you want wisdom, all you need to do is ask.

If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you. (James 1:5)

• God has even given us his Spirit, to teach us, convict us, shape us. // • We need to run to God, not only when we are in doubt,

but also, perhaps especially, when we are certain.

The result for Joshua was, that they would make a treaty, that would not only break the covenant with God, to, but also bind up the fate of Israel, with that of the Gibeonites.

• This is the most serious promise that they could possibly make. • And they seal it with with the name of the very one,

whom they failed to consult in the process. • But it’s incredible, that despite the deception, despite the delusion,

God still delivers them. !12

#3 GOD’S DELIVERANCE \\ JOSHUA 10

This battle is actually the last one described in any detail in the book of Joshua.

• We hear of the defeat of the northern and southern coalitions, but they’re only summaries. • But in chapter 10, we discover that no sooner than the treaty being made,

Joshua and Israel now have to be true to their word, true to the name they swore by, and protect Gibeon against imminent attack.

But we’re to be left in doubt, that this time Israel did not do it on their own.

• Joshua goes to Gilgal, the place where they set the stones to remind them, and their children of all the God had done.

• And it’s here, that the Lord says to Joshua, once again, to be strong and courageous,and that these enemy armies would be given into their hands.

• How amazing is God’s graciousness! After all of these repeated times, when Israel broke the covenant and foolishly did it on their own, they’ve now hitched their wagon with the very ones whom God warned not to, but as they turn back to God, in light of their foolishness,

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God proves his faithfulness once more, coming through for them, and by implication, for the Gibeonites as well.

• I find that so encouraging, that despite the litany of times, I keep trying to do life on my own, of trying to make decisions on my own, that when we do eventually go back to God, even when it only is because we’ve learnt the hard way of our foolishness,God does not set about in humiliating us further, but rejoicing and welcoming us home.

• And there’s simply no better place to be. • For Israel, it’s clear that it really was God who makes them victorious! • Hail falls, killing more of the enemy then that by the sword (cf. 10:11),

The sun and moon, at the request of Joshua, and still in order that they can fight longer. • And they can be left with no doubt: as per the end of verse 14,

that surely the Lord was fighting for Israel.

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CONCLUSION \\ SIDELINING GOD

The Gibeonite’s go on to serve at the tabernacle, they were slaves yes,but all in connection with worship at the tabernacle.

• I can’t help but think this was a great act of grace too, that as they served at the tabernacle and witnessed the worship, heard God’s Word, saw his mercy, heard the praises, that they would seek out the Lord for themselves too.

• That doesn’t make what they did right, nor does it excuse the delusion of Israel in not consulting with the Lord, but it does once again show us of God’s faithfulness and grace.

• That’s a pattern we see over and over again in the Bible. That’s a pattern we see over and over again in our lives.

• The Lord will truly bring us to the ultimate promised land, not because of how amazing we are, but because of his grace: taking our mess upon himself on the cross to save us.

• So let’s not sideline God from any part of our lives, but instead run to him, that we might in all things, seek his will and his ways.

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