Joshua 11:15-23
15 As the Lord commanded His servant Moses, so Moses commanded Joshua, and Joshua did it; he left nothing undone of all that the Lord commanded Moses. 16 So Joshua took this entire land: the hill country, all the Negev, the whole region of Goshen, the western foothills, the Arabah and the mountains of Israel with their foothills, 17 from Mount Halak, which rises toward Seir, to Baal Gad in the Valley of Lebanon below Mount Hermon. He captured all their kings and struck them down, putting them to death. 18 Joshua waged war against all these kings for a long time. 19 Except for the Hivites living in Gibeon, not one city made a treaty of peace with the Israelites, who took them all in battle. 20 For it was the Lord Himself who hardened their hearts to wage war against Israel, so that he might destroy them totally, exterminating them without mercy, as the Lord had commanded Moses. 21 At that time Joshua went and destroyed the Anakites from the hill country: from Hebron, Debir and Anab, from all the hill country of Judah, and from all the hill country of Israel. Joshua totally destroyed them and their towns. 22 No Anakites were left in Israelite territory; only in Gaza, Gath and Ashdod did any survive. 23 So Joshua took the entire land, just as the Lord had directed Moses, and he gave it as an inheritance to Israel according to their tribal divisions. Then the land had rest from war.
Chapter 11 of the book of Joshua marks an important shift. As Pastor Chris taught, it is the point in which united action in Canaan by the people of God ceases. Their previous victories have been decisive, and though the enemy still lives in Canaan, nevertheless they have been beaten and scattered throughout the land. God has given the whole land to His people. But here in chapter 11, we notice another significant change. In the verses above, we are told that the Lord commanded and Joshua acted in obedience and left nothing undone. He waged war. He took the land. He went and destroyed. While the Lord is providing the victory, Joshua and the people of God must move out in obedience and apply their faith. They must see what God is doing and then join Him.
Much territory was yet to be possessed, but it was left to each tribe to take possession of what they had potentially received through the conquest of the whole nation. Each tribe was to apply individually the lessons it had learned in united war if it was to possess its inheritance. When certain tribes failed to do so, it was not a reflection on the power of God, but their failure to take for themselves what Joshua allotted to each of them.
At this point, it is tremendously important to learn something from God’s Word. Every precious truth we learn from God’s Word must be applied by faith into our personal lives or else it will mean nothing whatsoever. The blessing and the glow and the warmth that we receive in our hearts from studying God’s Word can be lost very quickly after we close His book unless there is personal application. May God raise in His church a people who are desperate to be right with Him and utterly dissatisfied when they are apart from His grace. The greatest source of conflict in the Christian life is in not being right with God, in living a life that is contrary to the will of God. Such a life is at war with God’s desire for us. The moment a person begins to obey, his soul is immediately at rest from war. One of the fruits of victory that the Israelites enjoyed is found in verse 23 of Joshua 11 – “So Joshua took the entire land, just as the Lord had directed Moses, and he gave it as an inheritance to Israel according to their tribal divisions. Then the land had rest from war.”
Think for just a moment with me about “the rest” of the Lord Jesus. What kind of rest is it? Jesus desires that you and I should enter into His rest in our daily lives. The fruit of victory is rest. What is the effect of that rest in the Christian life today? You will never get the highest result from your work if you are always rushing at a fervent pace.
The work that God wants to accomplish in us and through us can never be done effectively until we learn to rest in His strength. The restful Christian is the one who lives his life above the storm trusting Jesus. He is sensitive to the sorrow and troubles of other people but he is always able to discern the wisdom of God. He is willing to trust the loving heart of God and therefore is able to endure conflict as he anticipates the unfolding of God’s plan. He is able to keep silent while he waits on the Word of God. The Christian who is living above the toil and traffic of daily life, who is constantly living in touch with the throne, is truly resting in Jesus.
The resting Christian – are you like that? I didn’t say the lazy Christian, I said the resting Christian: busy, keen, always at the work of the Master, while deep in his heart is peace that no storm, however unexpected, and no sorrow, however miserable and hard to bear, can ever disturb.
How can that rest be yours and mine? It can be yours when you begin to see that Christ has provided everything for you that you will ever need. It can be yours when you understand that Satan is a conquered foe. When that happens in your life, you are at rest. There is a trust that God is in control. There is an assurance that the battle has been fought and won by our Savior. There is a confidence that no circumstance, no trouble, no testing can ever touch me until it has gone past God and past Christ, right through to me. If it has come that far, it has come with a great purpose. I may not understand the purpose at the moment it comes but as I refuse to become panicky and as I lift my eyes up to Him, I can accept it as coming from the throne of God. I am able to accept that my circumstances are for some great purpose of blessing to my own heart. No sorrow will ever disturb me. No trial will ever disarm me. No circumstance will cause me to fret and I will rest in the joy of who my Lord is. That is the rest of victory.
Let me ask you this: do you desire this life of rest in Jesus? Do you desire the rest of assured forgiveness, the rest of unbroken fellowship, the rest of a surrendered will, the rest of a life that is satisfied in Him? Has your Christian life been a battle of frustrated desires and unsatisfied longings?
All that is asked of you and me to enter into the land of rest in Jesus Christ is that we take our share in the victory of the Cross. Surrender your life to His will and His ways. Surrender your past, present, and future. Surrender your desires and your dreams, and allow Him to replace them in your heart and mind with His desires and dreams.
Psalms 37:4-5 (NIV) tells us this – “Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the Lord; trust in Him and He will do this.” So many people have misinterpreted this verse. They suppose if we go through some obligatory religious exercises – the bare minimum even – God will smile upon us and like some genie in the sky, He will give us our hearts desires. Our every wish will be granted.
NO!!
What these verses tell us is this; when we cross the line and commit our lives to our Lord Jesus – when we sell out and wholeheartedly follow – when our most genuine delight is found in Him and His way for our lives, He then replaces our old desires and will give us a new set of desires – HIS desires. He will plant within our heart, His heart.
That is rest. That is a life that honors God. Love the Lord with all your heart, soul, mind and strength. Let everything you do in this life flow from that love you have for our Lord. “I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father.” John 14:12
Tom Renew
Deeper In To God’s Word
Resources:
The Making Of A Super Hero – Mat Morgan at Escalate Church, NC – Sermon
Pick Up Your Sword – DevotionaloftheDay.com
Nothing Left Undone – Linda Hull – Devotionalchristian.com