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Devotional/Inspiration
• Vol. 1: Genesis–Job • Vol. 2: Psalms–Malachi • Vol. 3: Matthew–Mark • Vol. 4: Luke–Acts • Vol. 5: Romans–Revelation
Theological Seminary at Richmond. From 1992–1996, he served as the first Coordinator of the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship. Previously he pastored churches in Texas, North Carolina, Georgia, and New Jersey. Cecil is a graduate of Baylor University and is the recipient of the Baylor Alumni Association Distinguished Alumni Award for 1992. He graduated from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary (B.D., Th.D.) and Princeton Theological Seminary (Master of Theology). He has written extensively, publishing numerous articles and two books: A Kingdom of Surprises: Parables in Luke’s Gospel and Modern Myths (sermons preached at First Baptist Church, Asheville, North Carolina). He continues to write Sunday school literature and other Christian educational resources for Baptists. A native of Fort Worth, Texas, Cecil enjoys gardening and travel. He and his wife, Dorothy, are parents of an adult daughter.
FORMATIONS SERIES
GENESIS – JOB
CECIL SHERMAN has most recently served as visiting professor of pastoral ministries at the Baptist
Formations Commentary
AVAILABLE VOLUMES:
SHERMAN
O
n most any Sunday, in thousands of Bible study classes across America, one common question is asked in the midst of discussing that day’s session: “What does Cecil Sherman say about this passage?” Cecil Sherman has served as the primary commentary writer for the Smyth & Helwys Formations series of adult Bible study for nearly fifteen years. Across these years, he has offered insight through nearly 700 sessions across 45 issues of the commentary and addressed an extensive amount of Scripture. His work with Formations has made him a fixture in many Sunday school classes. At long last, and after much request, many of these commentaries are being made available once again. These five volumes that make up the Cecil Sherman Formations Commentary collect the uncommon wisdom, insight, and wit that Cecil’s readers have come to treasure week after week through the years.
The Courage to Start Over Joshua 1:11, 16; 2:1-14 ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED MAY 1, 1994
Introduction A while back, I was writing commenary on Ezra. It is not often that I turn to Ezra for devotional reading. So, when that was our text, I had to become a student again. I found my Bible dictionary and I read the article on both Ezra and the Bible book that bears his name. Then I found an easy chair and read straight through the book of Ezra. The Bible dictionary had prepared me for what I would find in the text. Armed in this way with some background information, I went to the first lesson to study a particular text within the larger text. The reason I am going through this preparation pattern is because I hope some of you will follow a similar track. Not many of us know much about Joshua. To get ready to write this commentary for you I had to go through a little crash course. You may need the same, and I hope you have the resources either in your home or church library. This commentary has two sections. The first will be a setting and background piece; then I will give you a way you can organize and teach today’s lesson. Just teaching Bible history is not enough. Somehow the Bible has to be applied. The stories have to touch life. Your lesson has to make some sense and be of help through the week. God is telling us some thing in these stories, and what God is telling us is eternal truth. That is what makes the Bible different from other kinds of truth. But the stories have to be applied. That is where the teacher is the critical link. Getting the applied truth from
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the Bible to the student’s life is your part in God’s plan. You can see I think the work you do is very important.
I. Background Material on Joshua. (1) Joshua is the first of the history books of the Old Testament. Now this is not the name given this material by the Jews. The Jews referred to this section of the Old Testament as “The Former Prophets.” But for our purposes Joshua through Nehemiah are the history books. (2) Joshua was first assistant to Moses who then became leader of the people after Moses died. He lived through fascinating times. He was born a slave, went through the Exodus/Wilderness testing, and then was called upon to lead the people into the Promised Land. (3) Joshua did not write the book that bears his name. His name is on the text because he is the dominant figure through the period of time described in the book. Most Bible teachers date the events of Joshua in the thirteenth century BC. (4) The book of Joshua is written in three parts: (a) military campaigns that possess the land (ch. 1–12), (b) division of the land among twelve tribes (ch. 13–21), and (c) three stories about loyalty to God (ch. 22–24). (5) The book of Joshua is violent. Often there is a brutality in the text that offends New Testament sensibilities. It is good that we are offended, for if we aren’t, the gospel of Jesus has not taken root in us. But many times we do not understand the means of God’s purposes. Our salvation by way of the cross was not painless or beautiful, yet it was the design God used and turned for his purposes. I would not ignore the violence in teaching these lessons but would specifically comment on it. Help the class think about the way God changed his means but not his ends. What was permitted to accomplish God’s purposes in Joshua was not permitted in the gospels when the time came for Jesus to be crucified. (6) Joshua is about courage and obedience. These two ideas surface early and linger throughout the book. You may want to find some way to keep these ideas before the class each week. They are themes of the book and are the basic parts of the character of the man we study. I take it God wants of us courage and obedience, and to the measure we have become what God wants us to be we will have courage and be obedient.
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Now for a review: (1) Abraham was called of God. Isaac, Jacob and Joseph are the patriarchs after Abraham. (2) Egypt became a trap. The Children of Israel went to Egypt to keep from starvation. In Egypt they become slaves. (3) Now called the Hebrews, they cry out to God for relief from their slavery. God heard their cry, remembered his promise and called Moses to lead them out of Egypt with the help of the mighty acts of God. This is the Exodus; and Joshua was present throughout as Moses’ helper. (4) The Wilderness time was necessary to get a new and strong leadership core. The Wilderness lasted forty years. Moses could not enter the Promised Land and died in Moab just short of the Land of Promise. (5) Joshua was called to the highest leadership. Here our text begins.
II. Powerful Ideas in the Text. It is important that you not just teach the history of this text. The history is the setting. But out of the history you draw lessons for life. Here are some of the lessons for life in this material. I do not offer all, but this is to help you start outlining what you will emphasize and apply. (1) No one is indispensable. Note the opening of the entire book: “After the death of Moses the servant of the LORD, the LORD spoke to Joshua son of Nun, Moses’ assistant, saying, ‘My servant Moses is dead. Now proceed…’ ” (Josh 1:1-2a NRSV). There is no way I can overstate the import of Moses. He was and remains the overpowering figure in the Old Testament. Until this day it is through the eyes of Moses that the Jews see the face of God. He was leader of the Exodus and receiver of the law. He is the primary source of the material in the first five books of the Bible and the reference point for all the prophets. He was the voice of God to a people. We know more about God after Moses than we knew before Moses. He opened the window wider. He let in a little more light. We can see God more clearly after Moses. He was the means to a revelation. What a man! But if we are not careful we are immobilized by people like Moses. We think no one can follow them, but this is not so. The power in the first chapter of Joshua is that Moses is gone and God is moving on. Joshua will not be Moses, but Joshua is what God needs to accomplish his purposes. Some churches need to hear this after they lose a good preacher. Some Sunday School classes need to hear this after they’ve had a teacher for a hundred years. No one is indispensable.
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(2) The character of God is unchanging. Built into this idea are two eternal principles: (a) God is faithful. God made some promises to Abraham and those promises were not lost in Egypt or in the Wilderness. Always God was intending to keep those promises. But the timetable is another matter. If people begin to push a calendar at God, God may look care less. But God does not measure time like we do. The promises of God to Abraham were kept over a period of more than a thousand years. No man’s lifetime would cover the span, but the Bible keeps the record. God was and is faithful. (b) God has a plan. It is not only that God remembers his people, but God is working a plan through his people. Read the story of Rahab in Joshua 2:1-14. She sensed the plan and could feel the power of the design of God. She threw in her lot with God’s larger schemes. Predestination is an abused idea today. We are amused at the idea more than we ponder it seriously. But when God has a plan and the time has come for that plan to be acted on history’s stage, that plan will prevail. So, “No one shall be able to stand against you all the days of your life” (Josh 1:5a NRSV), is not a line to be toyed with. God had predestined that land for the Hebrews. Joshua was simply God’s means to a much larger end. Joshua would not fail because God was about his larger purpose. (3) Joshua had a part to play in God’s plan. And this part was spelled out clearly. There were two steps: (a) Joshua was to have courage. Timidity is a great hindrance to the designs of God. Paul would write to young Timothy, “rekindle the gift of God that is within you…for God did not give us a spirit of cowardice, but rather a spirit of power and of love and of self-discipline” (2 Tim 1:6-7 NRSV). Usually we make much of the passive and the gentle gifts of the spiritual life. Courage is given small place. But life calls for courage. The leader’s life always requires courage. Joshua was not being called to help Moses. He was to get out front and lead. Leading the Hebrews was a test, and even Moses found it so. Leading them into combat was still another kind of test. My observation is that the average congregation begs for leadership. They want a pastor and some laypeople who will give leadership. No matter which way leaders turn, leaders will be criticized. No leader can keep everyone happy and lead. When people get unhappy only the courageous leader will continue. But, courage is not given in a course in college but is more
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nearly a spiritual quality given of God. And when you see courage, you may be seeing evidence of the presence of God. (b) Joshua was to be obedient. After being told to be “strong and courageous,” Joshua was told, “be careful to act in accordance with all the law that my servant Moses commanded you, do not turn from it to the right hand or to the left…” (Josh 1:7 NRSV). Joshua was not given a blank check and told to go lead the Hebrews wherever it seemed good to him. Rather, Joshua was an agent of God in his leadership. There were rules he was to follow. Those rules had been given in “the book of the law” (see Josh 1:8a). So, “by the book” Joshua was to do his leadership. Throughout Christian history two competing ideas have been held in tension. The Church has been the battleground. Obedience competes with freedom. Both are good ideas. Both have strong Biblical support. Knowing when to use one set of texts to emphasize obedience and when to use another set of texts to emphasize freedom is the test. In our time I think much comment has been spoken in support of freedom. Maybe we need to go back and review the times in the Bible where we are told to be obedient. The Christian religion is not simply anything we want to make it. It is defined by Hebrew history, the prophets, the life and death/resurrection of Jesus, and the writings of Paul and the Apostles. We are supposed to mirror those words, learn them by memory, live like the saints (and in our best moments like Jesus), tell the truth, love the neighbor, forgive others, have compassion for the hurting, strive for peace, strive for justice, live in hope, and die in faith. Always we are to build up the Church of Jesus Christ. We are to witness to Jesus and long for his appearing. This is what being a Christian is. We are to be obedient to Jesus and long for his appearing. We’re cutting too much slack on obedience. We need to tighten up a little. But then when we do we will be tending toward the Pharisees. But just now it seems to me the Church needs more obedience. Think about this.
Conclusion It seems to me that Joshua is an extension of God’s plan. Moses was gone. Joshua was God’s leader for a time (in due time he would be gone). The plan of God and the ways of God are the pattern we need to see. So that is what I put before you. There is a sense in which this text is starting over. The Wilderness wanderings were a holding pattern for the people of God. Moses was a symbol of an “old guard.” They are gone. Joshua was a bridging person. He didn’t
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exactly fit the old, but he had the wisdom and experience that came of standing close to Moses. When Joshua rose to leadership the holding pattern was ended. Almost immediately the people of God moved out, started over, and went forward. There could be a parable here for some churches that have been caught in their own holding pattern. If this application touches your experience and carries the ring of truth about it, use this idea and apply it to your Church. For me Moses died but the larger plans of God were still in place and I needed to serve them. And God bless you.
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Devotional/Inspiration
• Vol. 1: Genesis–Job • Vol. 2: Psalms–Malachi • Vol. 3: Matthew–Mark • Vol. 4: Luke–Acts • Vol. 5: Romans–Revelation
Theological Seminary at Richmond. From 1992–1996, he served as the first Coordinator of the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship. Previously he pastored churches in Texas, North Carolina, Georgia, and New Jersey. Cecil is a graduate of Baylor University and is the recipient of the Baylor Alumni Association Distinguished Alumni Award for 1992. He graduated from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary (B.D., Th.D.) and Princeton Theological Seminary (Master of Theology). He has written extensively, publishing numerous articles and two books: A Kingdom of Surprises: Parables in Luke’s Gospel and Modern Myths (sermons preached at First Baptist Church, Asheville, North Carolina). He continues to write Sunday school literature and other Christian educational resources for Baptists. A native of Fort Worth, Texas, Cecil enjoys gardening and travel. He and his wife, Dorothy, are parents of an adult daughter.
FORMATIONS SERIES
GENESIS – JOB
CECIL SHERMAN has most recently served as visiting professor of pastoral ministries at the Baptist
Formations Commentary
AVAILABLE VOLUMES:
SHERMAN
O
n most any Sunday, in thousands of Bible study classes across America, one common question is asked in the midst of discussing that day’s session: “What does Cecil Sherman say about this passage?” Cecil Sherman has served as the primary commentary writer for the Smyth & Helwys Formations series of adult Bible study for nearly fifteen years. Across these years, he has offered insight through nearly 700 sessions across 45 issues of the commentary and addressed an extensive amount of Scripture. His work with Formations has made him a fixture in many Sunday school classes. At long last, and after much request, many of these commentaries are being made available once again. These five volumes that make up the Cecil Sherman Formations Commentary collect the uncommon wisdom, insight, and wit that Cecil’s readers have come to treasure week after week through the years.