There are two famous men in the Bible named Joshua.
One, of course, is the Joshua with a book named after him. This is Joshua, the son of Nun, the successor to Moses. This is the Joshua who led the people of Israel to embark upon the military campaign of defeating the Canaanites so that Israel might enter into the Promised Land.
The other Joshua is actually more well known, but we call Him something different. We call Him Jesus. The Hebrew pronunciation of His name, however, is Yeshua, which in English, is pronounced “Joshua.”
Nevertheless, despite their name similarities, these two Joshuas could not be more different. Yet far too often, Christians who claim to follow the second Joshua, often end up following the first.
Check out a few of the differences between Joshua of the Canaanite Conquest and Yeshua of the Gospel of Grace:
Joshua and Jericho
In Joshua 6, Joshua leads the people of Israel in their first campaign against the Canaanites. This is the battle of Jericho. After the walls of Jericho fell down, Joshua instructs the people to go into the city and kill everything, including the women, children, and animals, and then burn everything (Joshua 6:17-24). The only people who were spared were those who accepted and helped the Israelite people, which in this case, consisted of a prostitute named Rahab and her family.
The second Joshua, however, handled the rejection of cities quite differently. In Luke 9:51-56, as Jesus and His disciples headed toward Jerusalem, Jesus sent messengers before Him to invite the people of a Samaritan city to prepare for His coming. This is very similar to Joshua sending the spies into Jericho to prepare that city for his coming. But the people of this Samaritan city did not want to have anything to do with Jesus. So when Jesus arrived at the city, James and John asked if they could call down fire from heaven to burn the city and all its inhabitants.
Clearly, James and John were taking a play out of Joshua’s playbook.
But Jesus is not using the same playbook. Rather than follow in the footsteps of the first Joshua, Jesus rebukes His disciples for wanting to kill, destroy, and burn those cities that reject Him, and tells James and John that they do not know what manner of spirit they are of (Luke 9:55). Apparently, the first Joshua did not know either…
Joshua and Achan
After the battle of Jericho, Joshua leads the people of Israel to attack the city of Ai. But Israel is defeated (Joshua 7:1-10). So Israel looks for a scapegoat to explain why they were defeated. To find this scapegoat, they draw lots, and eventually, a man by the name of Achan is chosen (Joshua 7:14-18).
I would not be at all surprised to learn that there were thousands upon thousands of “guilty” men in Israel that day. Knowing what we know of the rules of war and the behavior of men, does it seem likely that of all Israelite warriors that took part in the destruction of Jericho, only one man took a bit of plunder for himself? I find it beyond belief.
So as the lots are cast to choose the guilty tribe, clan, and family, you can imagine thousands of nervous men breathing a sigh of relief as they get passed over by the casting of the lots. In this case, Achan ends up being the unlucky one. After he confesses his crime, Joshua takes Achan, along with his gold, silver, clothes, sons, daughters, oxen, donkeys, sheep, and tent, and stones everything and then burns everything (Joshua 7:24-25). It is especially touching how the sons and daughters of Achan get mentioned right alongside the clothes and the tent.
Anyway, if anyone who is reading this can ever imagine the second Joshua, Jesus, doing anything like this to “sinners” who are brought before Him for judgment, let me suggest that you know nothing about Jesus.
When the women caught in adultery is brought before Jesus, He forgives her and lets her go her way (John 8:1-11). If Jesus was like the first Joshua, Jesus would have not only agreed to have this woman stoned, but would have rounded up all her possessions, including Fido the dog, Fluffy the cat, and Mr. Ed the horse, along with the woman’s sons and daughters, as well as her little makeshift house, and would have had them all stoned, and then when they were lying there crumpled and broken and bleeding on the ground, would have ordered oil to be poured on them all so they could be set on fire.
No, Jesus doesn’t do anything of the sort, and never would. Jesus, as the Joshua of the Gospels, always forgives. And He not only forgives, but instructs others to do the same. And when asked how often we should forgive, He instructs to forgive without limit (Matthew 18:22).
There is no way Jesus ever would have stoned Achan, his children, or his animals. Furthermore, there is no way Jesus ever would have blamed Achan for the failure of Israel to defeat Ai. Jesus never played the blame game (John 9:2-3). Of course, there is no way Jesus would have gone to war with Ai in the first place…
Joshua and Ai
When it comes to the second battle against Ai, it is easy to see that what caused the people of Israel to win was not God’s blessing now that Achan and his children had been killed, but that the Israelites had better tactics this second time around. The Israelites set up an ambush and the people of Ai fall into it (Joshua 8:12-23). The Israelites split into two forces, and one force went and attacked the city, and then ran away, acting like they were losing. When the people of Ai saw the Israelites running away, they came out of the city into the fields around Ai to pursue the Israelites and kill them. This is when the second Israelite force descended upon the city, entered through the open gates, and killed everybody inside.
After the military men are defeated in the battle, Joshua returns to the city and kills all the women and children who were there (Joshua 8:24-26). This time, Joshua allows his men to take plunder from the city (Joshua 8:27).
Interestingly, Jesus also set numerous traps for people during His ministry, but they were always traps of love. He fed people, healed people, and taught people. And when people flocked out of the cities to come out into the fields to meet Him, He did not tell His disciples to enter the city behind the people and put all those who were left to the sword.
No, Jesus does the exact opposite. He lures people into His presence, and then He loves them, blesses them, and helps them. And when the disciples start to get annoyed at all the people coming to Jesus, and especially the noisy, rowdy children, they try to protect Jesus and limit His accessibility.
But Jesus says, “Let the children come unto me; do not forbid them” (Matthew 19:14; Mark 10:14; Luke 18:16). Jesus did get annoyed, but He was annoyed at His disciples for trying to keep people away from Him (Mark 10:14).
Jesus never set a trap for people, unless it was a trap of love.
And the only time Jesus gets annoyed is when people restrict others from accessing His love.
Joshua and the Gibeonites
There was one time that Joshua showed a little … restraint. I will not call it love.
As the Israelites started slaughtering Canaanites, one group of people, the Gibeonites, got a little nervous, and so they sent an envoy to Joshua to make a peace treaty. Yet they tricked Joshua into thinking that they were from a far away land. Joshua made a treaty with them because Joshua only wanted to kill and annihilate the people who were nearby (Joshua 9:1-15).
Later, when Joshua finds out that he has been tricked, he decides to remain true to his part of the peace treaty, but determines that the Gibeonites will become eternal slaves to the Israelites. Joshua curses the Gibeonites, and says that they and all their descendants forever will be slaves to the people of Israel (Joshua 9:21-27).
Does the second Joshua, Jesus, ever do such a thing? No.
Jesus did not come to enslave anyone or put any person in chains. Quite to the contrary, when Jesus embarked on His public ministry, He stated that His purpose and mission was to give liberty to the captives and set free those who were oppressed (Luke 4:18-19). As Paul writes later, there is freedom in Christ; not slavery and bondage (Galatians 5:1).
When people try to trick Jesus, as they often do, He does not consign them to everlasting slavery, but instead tries to liberate and free them from the fear, the shame, the guilt, and the thinking which causes them to behave this way (cf. Matthew 22:23-46).
Jesus does not enslave. He liberates. He frees. He breaks all chains and bonds.
Joshua Slaughters; Jesus Saves
The contrasts between Joshua and Jesus are best seen by comparing Joshua 10 with John 10.
In Joshua 10, we have a long listing of all the groups of people that Joshua slaughtered. This list is so long, it carries over into Joshua 11.
In John 10, the contrast could not be more clear. Whereas Joshua killed people so that he could supposedly create a “safe place” for the Israelites to live (How’d that work out for you, Joshua?), Jesus, as the Good Shepherd, did not put anyone or anything to death, but instead laid down His life for the sheep (John 10:11).
Whereas only a thief comes to steal, kill, and destroy (like Joshua?), Jesus came that people might have life, and might have it to the full (John 10:10).
Then in John 11, Jesus shows that He is completely opposed to death by raising Lazarus from death. Through this, Jesus shows that Jesus did not come to bring death, but came to reverse death. Death is the true enemy of God.
Tragically, the only people in John 10-11 who want to kill are the religious people who feel threatened by what Jesus is teaching about God: that God is not a God of death and war, but is a God of life and peace. By this, they showed that in rejecting Yeshua into life and love, they were following Joshua into death and hate.
Which Joshua do you follow?
The First and Second Joshua
Like the religious people in Jesus’ day, many in Christianity seem to prefer to follow the first Joshua, though the differences between him and the second Joshua, whose name we bear, could not be more stark.
The first Joshua sought to kill others in the name of God, while the second Joshua allowed Himself to be killed so that He might reveal God.
The first Joshua called for genocide and fratricide; the second Joshua called for grace and forgiveness.
The first Joshua was threatened by those who were different and killed them where they ate and drank; the second Joshua welcomed those who were different and ate and drank with them.
The first Joshua killed men, women, and children because he saw them as a threat to moral purity; the second Joshua welcomed all men, women, and children, no matter how “impure,” because He knew that any “impurity” in others could only be overcome by the ocean of God’s love, grace, and forgiveness.
Which Joshua do you follow?
When you call yourself a Christian, are you following the deliverer of Israel who provided the Promised Land through the slaughter of others, or are you following the deliverer of the world who provided eternal life through the sacrifice of Himself?
Please mention the Scripture where the two Joshuas are refered
The book of Joshua (for Joshua) and the entire New Testament (for Jesus … Yeshua).
Very perceptive, Jeremy. How easy it is to forget the examples Jesus set for us. We claim to follow Jesus, and yet Jesus and the stories about him in the Bible are forgotten and overlooked. That Old Testament death to our enemies stuff is so much more appealing. Let’s cleanse the land of everyone we perceive as a threat, of everyone we decide is immoral. In the end we end up being the immoral ones, and look nothing like Jesus. But that is good and right because of those Old Testament guys who slaughtered everything in sight. Right? – Not!
Jesus is God, and as God He commanded Joshua to utterly destroy all that breathed in the land of caanan, if you think the God of the old testament and the God of the new testament are different beings, well you are a fool and have no business teaching about the bible. Also the canaanites were so filthy that even the smallest children were infected with sexual disease, and the canaanites were an evil people who worshipped satan, and carried out human sacrifices, so God(Jesus) ordered the children of Israel to utterly destroy all that breathed. To curse the God of the old testament is to curse Jesus .
Jeremy wrote:
So Israel looks for a scapegoat to explain why they were defeated. To find this scapegoat, they draw lots, and eventually, a man by the name of Achan is chosen (Joshua 7:14-18).
I would not be at all surprised to learn that there were thousands upon thousands of “guilty” men in Israel that day. Knowing what we know of the rules of war and the behavior of men, does it seem likely that of all Israelite warriors that took part in the destruction of Jericho, only one man took a bit of plunder for himself? I find it beyond belief.
Beyond belief? You can believe God raises the dead, and you find it ‘beyond belief’ that only one Jew rebelled in this way? I’m noticing that when it comes to Israel, you seem to consistently, and almost without exception(at least the posts I’ve read the last several weeks), paint the Jews and the Israelites in the worst possible light. Worse than I’ve ever heard from any bible commentator. Even reading in negativity that isn’t there, not to mention usually omitting the atrocities that committed against them. I’m honestly starting to wonder, are you pushing an anti-semitic agenda here? I’m finding it beyond belief that you honestly think that every time Israel does something ‘violent’ that it’s completely and utterly impossible that there was anything that ever preceded it. It’s impossible that they could have been provoked. It’s impossible that they could be retaliating. Nope. There were all these innocent cultures that surrounded them, singing Kumbaya around the camp fire, and the Israelites just felt like killing some people because they were bored, or because they wanted to ‘scapegoat.’ Not to mention that there is zero mention of this scapegoating concept in scripture. Seems like a lot of eisegesis to paint Jews as negatively as possible.
But let’s look at this ‘beyond belief’ issue, that only Achan was the one that committed this sin. The Israelite regularly saw OVERT SUPERNATURAL MANIFESTATIONS. The shekinah glory over the tabernacle, the parting of the sea of reeds, the plagues of egypt, the staff turning into a serpent, the manna in the wilderness…..on and on and on. They saw the miraculous fingerprint of God in ways that we do not see today. In light of this, I find it almost beyond belief that Achan committed this sin in light of the tangible presence of God forever in their camp. Except I do believe it because scripture recorded it.
You wrote:
So as the lots are cast to choose the guilty tribe, clan, and family, you can imagine thousands of nervous men breathing a sigh of relief as they get passed over by the casting of the lots.
—
Silly. They had no reason to be nervous.
In proverbs it is written: The lot is cast into the lap, but its every decision is from the LORD.
Solomon wrote that, and he was considered the wisest person(save Jesus) that ever walked the earth. And yet, Jeremy here is essentially saying that Solomon was deluded when He penned that. Should we believe the wisest man ever(save Jesus)? Or should we believe Jeremy?
This a strange dichotomy you are setting up here. Don’t you think it’s possible that people might have different rolls? Different missions?
I think if you were a journalist, and a US soldier used lethal force to take out an ISIS cell, you’d spend months harping on how evil this person was, how ISIS was just sitting around the campfire singing ‘We are the world’ when they got blown up. How evil that US Soldier was, and say by contrast how righteous the US soldiers were that dropped off food in Haiti and how it’s IMPOSSIBLE that a US Soldier could be involved in both mission without being dishonorably discharged, because it ‘violates the true essence’ of what a solider is.
Dave,
I am amazed at how you misunderstand and distort everything I am saying. I could go point by point through your criticism and try to explain to you what I was saying, but I think that you would likely misunderstand and distort that as well.
Regardless, it appears that my blog posts only make you angry. If that is the case, why read them? I don’t want to make you (or anyone) angry. Life is too short to spend time reading a blog that only angers you… Please feel free to simply stop reading my blog.
Jeremy wrote:
Like the religious people in Jesus’ day, many in Christianity seem to prefer to follow the first Joshua………The first Joshua sought to kill others in the name of God…….The first Joshua was threatened by those who were different and killed them where they ate and drank
This comes off like intentional dishonest propaganda from someone with an agenda. Can you name one Christian Church that teaches and practices emulating Joshua’s actions by going out and literally slaughtering and killing people? Do you believe there are christian churches here in the US wiping out all the citizens of a town, or berg? Why haven’t we heard about this on the news? We have some different viewpoints to be sure, different canons of scripture even, but I’ve always given you the benefit of the doubt that you actually believed the positions you espoused, but this is over top demonization on a scale that I’ve never seen from someone claiming to be a christian before, not even from the most holier-than-thou fundamentalist.
Why do you hate the Jews so much?
Dave,
Relax! Take a deep breath. Calm down.
I could provide quote after quote from religious leader after religious leader that endorses the bombing and killing of our neighbors in the Middle East … and all in the name of God.
I love, value, and respect all Jewish people, and I learn from them and their writings on an almost weekly basis.
Once again, let me reiterate: Life is too short to get this worked up about something some guy writes on a blog. If my posts about the love, grace, and forgiveness of God make you this angry, simply stop reading.
I love posts about the love, grace, and forgiveness of God.
You have a strange way of expressing ‘love, value, and respect’ for the Jewish prophets and the ancient Jewish people.
>Do you believe there are Christian churches here in the United States wiping out all of the citizens of a town.
There are several self-described Christian churches in the United States whose members have been convicted of murdering, or attempting to murder the inhabitants of the town.
Skipping those, look for the churches that oppose the use of force and coercion by government authoriies. Such churches are few and far between. The rest have sanctioned the murder of everybody in the village.
Then there is the concept, derived straight from the Torah,that gossip is murder.
I certainly believe that there are “Christian” churches wiping out (knowingly or not) people by what they preach and/or practice. By that I mean that those who preach LAW or a LAW/GRACE mixture are poisoning their hearers by proclaiming doctrines of demons. May all come to truly KNOW Jesus and have a relationship with Him.
Great post Jeremy. Both Yehoshua were just expressing the prerogatives of kings and priests: Exodus 19:6
The first by securing a first step of sanctification by the slaughter of even innocent victims, and the second by bringing salvation to a great number in a less hostile environment. Nonetheless, the Year 70 CE was the Year of the Lord, the gentle, gracious and meek one, with the slaughter of thousands of thousands in Jerusalem by the Romans.
Those of us who enjoy discussions around faith, are attempting to settle on God’s opinion and what He is actually like. How many readers of this site have called into question, the violent verses in the Quran? Do we hate all Islam when we confront our Muslim friends about these texts? Yet, when we are confronted about Joshua and similar other characters, we get all huffy and defensive of ‘The Bible’. Why is this?
I’ll tell you why: because ‘The Bible’ is the authority in the lives of those who defend it; just as the Quran is supposed to represent Islam. Somehow, these defenders equate ‘The Bible’, with God! Is this fair to God? Are you bowing down to a book? Are you so certain, that The Book in it’s entirety actually represents God? The believers of ‘inerrancy’ of the Quran, believe that all the violent verses represent God! Naturally, we question Islam, for aren’t we concerned how the (lukewarm) Islamist might suddenly become the ‘hot’ literalist, and carry their arguments to the logical conclusion? This is not so far fetched is it, since we see this happening more and more. It is therefore, not a huge jump to think a “Christian Nation’, might see it way to bomb men, women, children, and totally annihilate their places. Oh, wait a minute- that did happen in Hiroshima, and Nagasaki!
Finally, what is your authority? Is it the authority of the Holy Spirit? If so, that is where Jesus said authority should come. Is it the Bible? Does The Bible give itself that authority? Many honest believers think not! Consider the vulnerable history of the Bible. Consider the actual people who physically wrote the Bible: The ancient Jew: They did not go into Babylonian exile, for nothing! The scribes, “Woe unto you scribes, hypocrites”; The Catholics: your own faith has likely led you to despise the history of the Catholic institution!
Good thoughts, Peter. I hope fewer and fewer Christians bow down to the book! Thank you.
Thank you Jeremy. It’s always good to study the word truthfully. At times like this it’s good to be reminded that Jesus is our savior and Lord. Following His example and teachings is not a sign of weakness, it’s what are commanded to do as Christians.
Yes, it takes greater courage to follow Jesus into self-sacrificial love for our enemies than it does to cry out for their death and destruction.
AMEN!!!
I love that you always make us look at things with fresh eyes and don’t take a standard view of things. Thanks for the lessons in this which are made so clear. I shall never be able to read of Joshua, son of Nun, in the same way that I used to, and without contrasting his actions with those of Yeshua, our Lord. Thank you for helping us see the real Yeshua. What a blessing! What life He brings! What joy!
Whoa! Sounds like you really got it in for our Joshua….I have never had a problem with what God did to get His people to the PL = apparently some do, but I don’t. I also think its worth mentioning Joshua was a prophet, and what he did was God’s Will. Also not much here about smashing up the temple etc. You draw good parallels between them, but if you learn a tiny bit about the ways of the ancient world, the only ways to wage war, and hence survive, were to enslave or kill. Israel was chosen by God, and the only way to survive and survive as a pure race was to eradicate the existing Canaanites…who probably were pretty terrible. As Jesus said, in the parable of the sower, bad seed is taken out and burned. Of course we must follow Jesus – its just not as simple as a peaceful God or an angry God. God has feelings, and its up to us to worry about how we make Him feel, not the other way around. Don’t oversell Christianity : its a complex, narrow path.
I’m trying to understand where you are coming from. Is the old testament God different from Jesus? Is OT allowing or creating violence, and Jesus is not? Is God the same yesterday, today, forever? Are you saying that all violence perpetrated in the OT was as a result of men’s decisions without God’s direction? Is it possible that God works in different ways at different times?
I’m also uncomfortable with your implication that “Christians” want to kill and wipe out all those they disagree with. I guess it depends on your definition of who American Christians are…those in the middle east consider all americans Christians…we are a “Christian” nation right? So anyone who labels themselves a Christian is in fact a follower of Christ? So when we elect the corrupt pandering politicians who claim to be “born-again” to DC, and then they invade countries, and kill people unlike us…they are Christians?
I think we have a problem in this country that is similar to national sot Germany, Americans have linked their church, religion, teachings to the party. The party policy and actions often override the teachings of Jesus because party politics are of more importance to them than the understanding of the word of God. Look at the polls from Pew and Barna about what “Christians” believe…it is shocking.
I believe that America is becoming, or has become an apostate nation. The Church in China is growing rapidly through persecution. Iran has one of the fastest growing churches in the world. If more “Christians” took the time to see how God is working throughout the world they would be less apt to fall into line with the American imperialist leaders attempting to force their version of “Christian” America on other nations.
That said, I do believe in defending ones self. That too needs to be defined as party politics has redefined what defending ones self is in this world.
Yes, this post raised a lot of questions and answered few of them. I do not believe the God of the OT is different than the God revealed in Jesus. How I work that out will have to wait for a different post (or book, more likely).
I completely agree with you that we have wedded religion and politics so that God is seen to be blessing our violence against others. It is sad and shocking.
Look forward to your further posts…or book!
Hey Jeremy,
I would also like to read further blog posts related to how you are able to see both God revealed in Christ in the NT similar to how God is revealed in the OT. I think the thing I find difficult to get past is that upon reading the story it doesn’t seem that Joshua is leading the nation of Israel on military conquest by his own planning or authority. When I read the story I read God commanding Joshua and the nation of Israel to use military force to take Jericho (Joshua 6:2-5) to kill the Hittites, Amorites, Canaanites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites (Deut. 20:17). Do you think the OT is inaccurate in recording God’s commands to kill? Do you think the biblical authors recorded conversations between God and Joshua that just didn’t happen? Tell me how you make sense out of condemning Joshua for doing something that God commanded him to do (not saying I like what he did at all… it is very confusing to me)? I’m genuinely curious because I don’t like the command to kill passages in the OT, but can’t seem to make sense of the story any other way without doing some serious mental gymnastics. Thank you in advance for your thoughts.
A bunch of ex-slaves led by Joshua to the promised land, after 40 years in wilderness, defeat a militarily superior enemy who vastly outnumber them! Don’t be a hippie! God is amazing, and the story of Joshua is something you shouldn’t miss out on!
Harry,
actually the did not conquer the whole land. They grew sick of killing children and stopped short. Hippies were all about peace and love. Too bad more Christians aren’t.
I think that when we read of God sending Israel to kill people we naturally recoil from our ingrained cultural mores. The thought of God killing “innocent” women and children is troubling. However, I don’t think I’ve ever heard a Christian complain about God killing all people, including “innocent” women and children in the flood.
Our ways are not His ways…and in my opinion sometimes I just have to cede those actions to God’s perfect nature.
Ward, look at the flood from a child’s point of view because this is a great favorite for toddlers.
“People were bad that God was sorry he made them. So, God killed everyone of them with a flood and all the animals too.”
What message does this send to a child? If you are bad, God will kill you and your puppy and your sister and mommy and daddy and Nanna and Boppa and all your playmates at the Day Care.
If Christians don’t complain about the flood story it’s about time they do.
Two tidbits of food for thought:
1) God used the Israelites to judge wicked and poisonous nations. These were not “innocent” nations. God did judge all (small children) equally, but these nations were often involved in human sacrifice, hideous blasphemy and unnatural sin. He judged them righteously according to their sin, and not before. There was even a time when God told Israel NOT to fight against the heathen Amorite nation because their “iniquity was not yet full” (Genesis 15:16). Also, “mercy” in dealing with heathen nations like these often resulted in the corruption of the Hebrew nation (this happened multiple times in the Old Testament).
2) God intended the Old Testament to be a shadow of the spiritual environment of the New Testament. Heb 8:5 “Who (the laws of Moses) serve unto the example and shadow of heavenly things…” and Heb 10:1 ” For the law having a shadow of good things to come, and not the very image of the things…” As Abraham sought a physical Promised Land, we now seek a spiritual Promised Land. As they crossed a physical Red Sea during the Exodus, so we cross a spiritual Red Sea through baptism. And as they killed every sinful ungodly nation they encountered on their quest for a perfect inheritance, so we must mercilessly destroy every spiritual opposition standing in our way of spiritual perfection.
Again, food for thought!
Tom have you never read Jerm 8:8 “”How can you say, ‘We are wise, and the law of the LORD is with us’? But behold, the lying pen of the scribes has made it into a lie.”
Perhaps all the genocides were done by the Israelis and the lying scribes said El Shaddai told them to do it. Have you considered that?
Stuart,
God is love and is not willing that any should perish. To be his child we must be peacemakers like him. The anonymous writer of Hebrews admits the old story was so messed up that Jesus had to come with the new and better one (about the father). The picture presented of the father in the Old is a peevish, jealous genocidal monster. Yahoshua/Jesus shows us a God who feeds his enemies and loves the just and the unjust. Is it possible that the Jewish scribes tried to hide their slaughter of children by saying “God told us to do it?” Just a thought.
Where is defending yourself fit with in “doing good to your enemies” And Mt.5:39 “But I say to you, Do not make use of force against an evil man.” as Jesus/Yahoshua taught?
Hi Jeremy.
I really enjoy your posts when I take time to read them. I don’t read the comments section, however today I had time . Wow. I was shocked at the harsh responses. I can imagine some of these being willing to rush in and commit murder “for God and country”. I saw a comment the other day where someone said, “If the bible said 2+2=5,I would defend it.” I see the same attitude in this defending of the scriptures. I love the contrasts you present.I think the bible is amazing.’ but I don”t worship it. The Lord had humans to work with when He inspired it. I t almost brings me to tears to think that anyone could believe that the Father revealed by Jesus could condone killing and plundering.
I have become convinced that no one alive today or any days prior understands everything in the Bible, except for those who originally wrote the letters and those to whom they were originally written. And I am hopefully optimistic that when we stand before God after we die, He is not going to condemn us for not having all this figured out in a nice neat and concise list of theological bullet points. I simply believe that Jesus is Who He says He is and has done exactly what the Gospel writers have said He has done. I believe He is our Savior, indeed the Savior of the entire world. I believe I need to live in repentance, forgive others even if it hurts, and keep trying to help others along the way. My actions matter not because God is going to torture me if I get it wrong, but they matter because other people matter. I love God by loving others. Thank you, Jeremy, for pointing out the contrast here. I am not going to try and come to a conclusion about whether or not God actually told the OT character to slay women and children, or if this was simply recorded for us to see the contrast. I am must going to do my best to treat others the way Jesus treated others. He is my only option to make any sense out of life, but I am REALLY SUPER enthralled with having Him as my option. There will be wars, but as far as is possible with me I will be at peace with all others.
Spot on Jeremy,
whenever I tell Christians we should not engage in violence or go to war or serve in the police force they have a knee jerk reaction and immediately say the First Joshua was a warrior. You have written a very clear comparison between the Messiah and the first Joshua. I have never won a single debate with a pro-military Christian. Usually I end the conversation telling them they are free to follow the first Joshua but as for me and my house we will follow Jesus.
BTW BarAbbas is Aramaic for son of the father and his first name was Joshua. In my translations I usually ask the same question, “which Joshua will you follow?” the zealot, murdering patriot or the forgiving loving Messiah?
I love that point about Joshua Barabbas, which could be translated as ‘Jesus, son of the father.” This makes for a startling image at the trial of Jesus where there are two people that can be called “Jesus, Son of the Father.” And the two could not be more different.
I follow both Joshuas. If I lived back in the day I would do as God commanded me. I live today I do as God commands me. This is the foundation of what Law is “God’s commands”. Not to be confused with the 10 commandments. Things did change between Old Testament and New Testament. From what I gather you are attacking Joshua’s character, Why? Not sure you want to face Joshua in heaven with this post. Maybe a different approach would bring better light on the things you want to emphasize. Why not compare Ephesians to Joshua? We fight not against flesh and blood but against the principalities and power of the dark world. Is it now the war we are talking about here? Are we not in the war ourselves? This is what Joshua represents and gives us an example about. If you want to attack Joshua’s actions then I would suggest you learn historical facts. I don’t think you would have acted any differently. Let’s take it down from a nation to a personal level. Would you not defend your wife if someone was about to rape her? What about your friend’s wife? The loving thing to do is to defend the weak. What about if you were in a Muslim country and the police there were about to take your friend and torture him for being a Christian? And let’s suppose all you had to do is punch the guy in the face as hard as you could to stop him. Would you do it? (by the way that is violence) What would be the loving thing to do? Just think about it and speak to the Holy Spirit about it as well. It’s not an easy answer.