Joshua and Judges: Crossing the Jordan - Obeying God's delegated authority, part 35. Rom 13:1-7 - conclusion.

Title: Joshua and Judges: Crossing the Jordan - Obeying God's delegated authority, part 35. ROM 13:1-7 - conclusion.   

 

Announcements/opening prayer:

 

 

ROM 13:1 Let every person be in subjection to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those which exist are established by God.

 

ROM 13:2 Therefore he who resists authority has opposed the ordinance of God; and they who have opposed will receive condemnation upon themselves.

 

ROM 13:3 For rulers are not a cause of fear for good behavior, but for evil. Do you want to have no fear of authority? Do what is good, and you will have praise from the same;

 

ROM 13:4 for it is a minister of God to you for good. But if you do what is evil, be afraid; for it does not bear the sword for nothing; for it is a minister of God, an avenger who brings wrath upon the one who practices evil.

 

ROM 13:5 Wherefore it is necessary to be in subjection, not only because of wrath, but also for conscience' sake.

 

ROM 13:6 For because of this you also pay taxes, for rulers are servants of God, devoting themselves to this very thing.

 

ROM 13:7 Render to all what is due them: tax to whom tax is due; custom to whom custom; fear to whom fear; honor to whom honor.

 

Eighteen times, conscience is spoken of merely as a man's awareness of right and wrong.

 

The other 14 times, the word is modified by an adjective; we read six times of a good conscience, three times of a weak conscience, twice of a pure conscience, and of a seared, defiled, or evil conscience.

 

The conscience may be likened to a sundial, which is made for the sun even as the conscience, rightly directed, reflects God's will. But suppose a sundial is consulted by moon-light. The dial may read ten o'clock when actually it is two o'-clock. By a candle or some other light, the dial may be made to tell any hour, at the whim of the one who holds the light. Thus conscience, which in man is fallen and so can be fooled into thinking that which is good is bad and vice versa, can be a safe guide only when it is turned toward God for His illumination.

 

Once a believer turns away his conscience from God and lets some other light shine upon it, his conscience is no longer reliable.

 

Tax, custom, fear, and honor to whom it is due is the command of our Lord. Honor is proper authority orientation towards God and all the authority that is delegated by God.

 

Christians have to suffer many things and the reason for it is often hidden from them. But an obedient disciple will not say, "Why has this been appointed me to do? Why has that been given me to suffer? For until I comprehend the reason, I will not obey the command." His language would rather be, "Lord, what will You have me to do?" Instead delaying to keep His commandments might we not hear from Him, "What is that to you? You follow Me."

 

But the Christian's duty sometimes not only baffles his reason, but opposes his preferences. Apparent consequences do not diminish the obligation of an obvious command.

 

Christ foreknew every trial we should ever meet with when He laid down the route we should pursue. We must not dare to turn back. Better, infinitely better, to suffer the loss of all things in obeying God, than to purchase the whole universe by retreating from the storms of suffering, trial, and persecution. Better to perish in the tempest in while obeying than to seek safety in the disobedient fight.

 

MAT 16:25

"For whoever wishes to save his life shall lose it; but whoever loses his life for My sake shall find it.

 

If we pray always for the Father to take away the burden and He does, do you ever find the strength to bear a burden? Wouldn't an answer to prayer be to have the strength to bear any burden?

 

Whatever may be the truth respecting human agency and natural laws, there is a supreme Controller, without whose permission and direction no event transpires.

 

Regrets and murmurs will never end, if we look only or chiefly at secondary causes. "If I had not done this; if I had been more prudent in that; if such an one had not been so unfaithful and unkind." How endless such false reasonings become. What discontent they occasion. God allows the storm and it has a purpose, do not disparage the problem and seek for secondary causes. It doesn't matter how the storm came upon you, you know that God has permitted it, and so now bear up under that burden by fixing your eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfector of faith.

 

PSA 119:71

It is good for me that I was afflicted,

That I may learn Thy statutes.

 

Our founders knew all about the evil of oppression of religion by the power of the state, hence the Constitution was written to protect that freedom.

 

Amendment I

Ratified December 15, 1791

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.

 

So why government? The founders of our nation recognized human societies for what they are - a mixture of good and evil. They only recognized what God had instituted among fallen man. The founders reasoned that if people are to govern themselves and have the best possible government, then a  political process should be developed through which the wisest, the most experienced, and the most virtuous can be precipitated to the surface and elected to public office.

 

"If men were angels, no government would be necessary. If angels were to govern men, neither external nor internal controls on government would be necessary." [Federalist Paper #51, James Madison]

 

The utopian dream will never be possible in view of the obvious limitations and flaws of human nature.

 

"Of all the dispositions and habits which lead to political prosperity, Religion and morality are indispensable supports. In vain would that man claim the tribute of Patriotism, who should labor to subvert these great Pillars of human happiness, these firmest props of the duties of Men and citizens.

 

The mere Politician, equally with the pious man ought to respect and to cherish them. A volume could not trace all their connections with private and public felicity. Let it simply be asked where is the security for property, for reputation, for life, if the sense of religious obligation desert the oaths, which are the instruments of investigation in Courts of Justice?

 

And let us with caution indulge the supposition, that morality can be maintained without religion. Whatever may be conceded to the influence of refined education on minds of peculiar structure, reason and experience both forbid us to expect that National morality can prevail in exclusion of religious principle. [Farewell Address, George Washington, Sept. 19, 1796]

 

This is truly the source of our problems in the US.

 

Without delegated authority from God there would be anarchy and chaos.

 

Direct authority of God - the Word.

Delegated authority:

Individual - volition of the soul.

Marriage - the husband.

Family - the parents.

Nation - the government.

 

The tribes that settle east of the Jordan, Reuben, Gad, and half of Manasseh, will honor their word and follow the God given authority of Joshua.

 

Joshua faces a difficult test as being in the shadow of Moses. The leaders in Israel will forever be compared to Moses and evaluated against Moses.

 

DEU 34:10 Since then no prophet has risen in Israel like Moses, whom the Lord knew face to face,

 

DEU 34:11 for all the signs and wonders which the Lord sent him to perform in the land of Egypt against Pharaoh, all his servants, and all his land,

 

DEU 34:12 and for all the mighty power and for all the great terror which Moses performed in the sight of all Israel.

 

Joshua is called to be strong and courageous with the promise that the Lord will be with him. Part of that strength is the courage to be himself and not attempt to imitate Moses so as to win popularity. I'm sure people in Israel said, "He's no Moses." No he's not and he never will be. He must learn to imitate the faith, virtue, and humility of Moses but never his personality or style.

 

We only get one shot at this life, and I mean at this spiritual life, and none of us should spend this precious time attempting to imitate someone else.

 

The Lord is with you just as much as He is with anyone else, including the apostles, the OT heroes, all believers.

 

Moses' shadow is large but there is a much larger one, the shadow of the Lord. Joshua must understand that he serves the Lord and not Moses. We all serve the Lord, even when we serve one another.

 

JOS 1:1 Now it came about after the death of Moses the servant of the Lord that the Lord spoke to Joshua the son of Nun, Moses' servant, saying,

 

JOS 1:2 "Moses My servant is dead; now therefore arise, cross this Jordan, you and all this people, to the land which I am giving to them, to the sons of Israel.

 

JOS 1:3 Every place on which the sole of your foot treads, I have given it to you, just as I spoke to Moses.

 

JOS 1:4 From the wilderness and this Lebanon, even as far as the great river, the river Euphrates, all the land of the Hittites, and as far as the Great Sea toward the setting of the sun, will be your territory.

 

JOS 1:5 No man will be able to stand before you all the days of your life. Just as I have been with Moses, I will be with you; I will not fail you or forsake you.

 

JOS 1:6 Be strong and courageous, for you shall give this people possession of the land which I swore to their fathers to give them.

 

JOS 1:7 Only be strong and very courageous; be careful to do according to all the law which Moses My servant commanded you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, so that you may have success wherever you go.

 

JOS 1:8 This book of the law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it; for then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have success.

 

JOS 1:9 Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous! Do not tremble or be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go."

 

JOS 1:10 Then Joshua commanded the officers of the people, saying,

 

JOS 1:11 "Pass through the midst of the camp and command the people, saying, 'Prepare provisions for yourselves, for within three days you are to cross this Jordan, to go in to possess the land which the Lord your God is giving you, to possess it.'"

 

JOS 1:12 And to the Reubenites and to the Gadites and to the half-tribe of Manasseh, Joshua said,

 

JOS 1:13 "Remember the word which Moses the servant of the Lord commanded you, saying, 'The Lord your God gives you rest, and will give you this land.'

 

JOS 1:14 "Your wives, your little ones, and your cattle shall remain in the land which Moses gave you beyond the Jordan, but you shall cross before your brothers in battle array, all your valiant warriors, and shall help them,

 

JOS 1:15 until the Lord gives your brothers rest, as He gives you, and they also possess the land which the Lord your God is giving them. Then you shall return to your own land, and possess that which Moses the servant of the Lord gave you beyond the Jordan toward the sunrise."

 

JOS 1:16 And they answered Joshua, saying, "All that you have commanded us we will do, and wherever you send us we will go.

 

JOS 1:17 Just as we obeyed Moses in all things, so we will obey you; only may the Lord your God be with you, as He was with Moses.

 

JOS 1:18 Anyone who rebels against your command and does not obey your words in all that you command him, shall be put to death; only be strong and courageous."

 

 

Although Joshua states that all their fighting men cross the Jordan to fight, JOS 4:13 states that 40,000 men of these tribes crossed and we know that there was 110,000 fighting men from these tribes, Num 26, so then 70,000 remained behind to protect the women, children, livestock, and land. This is not a violation of the pact, for the "all" of verse 14 must be used to mean all of the men committed for the campaign.

 

Josh 2:1 Then Joshua the son of Nun sent two men as spies secretly from Shittim, saying, "Go, view the land, especially Jericho." So they went and came into the house of a harlot whose name was Rahab, and lodged there.

 

Although Joshua had received a promise from the Lord of His almighty help in the conquest of Canaan, he still thought it necessary to do what was requisite on his part to secure the success of the work committed to him, as the help of God does not preclude human action, but rather presupposes it.

 

Some have criticized him for this, but God does not. Christians often realize an objective that God wills for them to accomplish and then they greatly over think the steps.

 

God calls us to action, but He paints actions in broad strokes and allows us to figure out the details as we go. He doesn't give us step by step instructions, but commands and virtues through which to function.

 

Our steps are numbered by the Lord, but it is we who must take the steps. There are no procedures or rituals in the NT. A believer can find a situation “like” his own in the Bible and so find great help in application of truth, but he will never find his exact situation in the scripture, and so from the truth to which he has put his faith, so he must apply it to his unique life.

 

DEU 29:29

"The secret things belong to the Lord our God, but the things revealed belong to us and to our sons forever, that we may observe all the words of this law.