Genesis 33:1 And Jacob lifted his eyes and looked, and noticed Esau was coming, and four hundred men with him. So, he divided the children among Leah and Rachel and the two female slaves.
Genesis 33:2 And he put the slaves with their children in front, then Leah with her children, and Rachel and Joseph last of all.
Genesis 33:3 He himself went on before them, bowing himself to the ground seven times, until he drew near to his brother.
Genesis 33:4 But Esau ran to meet him and hugged him and fell on his neck and kissed him, and they wept.
Genesis 33:5 And when Esau lifted his eyes and saw the women and children, he said, “Who are these with you?” Jacob said, “The children whom God has favored[1] your slave.”
Genesis 33:6 Then the slaves drew near, they and their children, and bowed down.
Genesis 33:7 Leah likewise and her children drew near and bowed down. And last Joseph and Rachel drew near, and they bowed down.
Genesis 33:8 Esau said, “What do you mean by all this company that I met?” Jacob answered, “To find favor in the sight of my lord.”
Genesis 33:9 But Esau said, “I have enough, my brother; keep what you have for yourself.”
Genesis 33:10 Jacob said, “No, please, if I have found favor in your sight, then accept my gift from my hand. Because I have seen your face, which is like seeing the face of God, and you have been pleased with me.
Genesis 33:11 Please accept my blessing that is brought to you, because God has favored me, and because I have enough.” This is how he urged him, and he took it.
Genesis 33:12 Then Esau said, “Let us travel on our way, and I will go ahead of you.”
Genesis 33:13 But Jacob said to him, “My lord knows that the children are frail, and that the nursing flocks and herds are a concern to me. If they are driven hard for one day, all the flocks will die.
Genesis 33:14 Let my lord pass on ahead of his slave, and I will lead on slowly, at the pace of the livestock that are ahead of me and at the pace of the children, until I come to my lord in Seir.”
Genesis 33:15 So Esau said, “Let me leave with you some of the people who are with me.” But he said, “What need is there? Let me find favor in the sight of my lord.”
Genesis 33:16 So Esau returned that day on his way to Seir.
Genesis 33:17 But Jacob journeyed to Succoth and built himself a house and made shacks for his livestock. That is why the name of the place is called Succoth.
Genesis 33:18 And Jacob came safely to the city of Shechem, which is in the land of Canaan, on his way from Paddan-Aram, and he camped before the city.
Genesis 33:19 And from the sons of Hamor, Shechem’s father, he bought for a hundred pieces of money the piece of land on which he had pitched his tent.
Genesis 33:20 There he erected an altar and called it El-Elohe-Israel.
“Jacob had to do business with God before he was ready to do business with Esau. More particularly, Jacob had to do business with God before he was ready to subject himself to Esau. Jacob had acknowledged to the divine wrestler that his name was Jacob, Supplanter, Cheat, and had been given a new name, Israel, Prince. In the confidence of that new name Jacob can deal with the brother who has suffered most from Jacob’s flaws of character. The limp Jacob had gotten from the previous night’s wrestling makes easier his bowing before Esau.”
Kalas, J. Ellsworth. Grace in a Tree Stump : Old Testament Stories of God’s Love. 1st ed., Westminster John Knox Press, 2005. p. 25.
“It seems God had been working in Esau’s life as well as Jacob’s. We ought never to feel that anyone’s life is beyond the power of God to change it for the better. “You can’t make a silk purse out of a sow’s ear” says the old proverb, but it seems God is doing just that all the time. The Bible is full of instances where God takes a life that is ugly and distorted by sin and greed, and changes it into something that reflects His glory.”
Williams, Peter. From Eden to Egypt : Exploring the Genesis Themes. DayOne, 2001. p. 184.
“Jacob apparently did not journey to Seir, but, as verse 17 states, went to Succoth. We are not told how long he tarried at that location. The fact that he built a house at Succoth indicates that he stayed there some time, possibly even a few years. It is quite likely that there was good pastureland in the vicinity, and doubtless Jacob’s animals needed such after the long trail drive from Haran. Perhaps the availability of good grazing at Succoth explains why Jacob declined Esau’s offer of assistance, mentioned in Genesis 33:14-15. Eventually, however, Jacob and company journeyed on, to the land of Shechem.”
Flint, V. Paul. Strangers & Pilgrims : A Study of Genesis. 1st ed., Loizeaux Bros, 1988. p. 196.
Genesis 7:1 Then Yahveh said to Noah, “Go into the ark, you and all your house, because I have seen that you are righteous before me in this generation.
Genesis 7:2 Take with you seven pairs of all clean living things , the male and his mate, and a pair of the living things that are not clean, the male and his mate,
Genesis 7:3 and seven pairs of the birds of the sky also, male and female, to keep their seed alive on the face of all the land.
Genesis 7:4 You see, in seven days I will send rain on the land forty days and forty nights, and every living thing that I have made I will blot out from the face of the ground.”
Genesis 7:5 And Noah did all that Yahveh had commanded him.
Genesis 7:6 Noah was six hundred years old when the flood of water came upon the land.
Genesis 7:7 And Noah and his sons and his wife and his sons’ wives with him went into the ark to escape the water of the flood.
Genesis 7:8 Among clean living things , and among living things that are not clean, and among birds, and among everything that creeps on the ground,
Genesis 7:9 in pairs, male and female, they went into the ark with Noah, as God had commanded Noah.
Genesis 7:10 And after seven days the water of the flood came upon the land.
Genesis 7:11 In the six hundredth year of Noah’s life, in the second month, on the seventeenth day of the month, on that day all the springs of the great deep burst forth, and the windows of the sky were opened.
Genesis 7:12 And rain fell upon the land forty days and forty nights.
Genesis 7:13 On the very same day Noah and his sons, Shem and Ham and Japheth, and Noah’s wife and the three wives of his sons with them entered the ark,
Genesis 7:14 they and every living thing, according to its kind, and all the livestock according to their kinds, and every moving thing on the land, according to its kind, and every bird, according to its kind, every winged being.
Genesis 7:15 They went into the ark with Noah, in pairs of every flesh in which there was the breath of life.
Genesis 7:16 And those that entered, a male and female of every flesh, went in as God had commanded him. And Yahveh shut the door behind him.
Genesis 7:17 The flood continued forty days on the land. The waters increased and lifted up the ark, and it rose high above the land.
Genesis 7:18 The waters prevailed and increased greatly on the land, and the ark floated on the face of the water.
Genesis 7:19 And the water flooded so high on the land that all the high mountains under the whole sky were covered.
Genesis 7:20 The water flooded above the mountains, covering them fifteen cubits deep.
Genesis 7:21 And every flesh died that moved on the land, birds, livestock, living things, all swarming creatures that swarm on the land, and all humanity.
Genesis 7:22 All in whose nostrils was the breathing of life who were on the dry land died.
Genesis 7:23 He wiped out every living thing that was on the face of the ground, man and living things and moving things and birds of the sky. They were wiped out from the land. Only Noah was left, and those who were with him in the ark.
Genesis 7:24 And the water remained on the land 150 days.
Genesis 7 quotes:
“Notice in this fourth verse that God said He would destroy “every living substance.” This leads us to believe that the destruction of the flood was more general than anyone today has dreamed. However, we know that all plant life was not included in this sentence of doom, because when the dove went out from the ark after the flood, it returned with an olive branch in its mouth. Therefore, the olive trees must have been alive. Yet, how devastating this sentence of destruction was upon every living substance, no one will ever know, but we may be sure of this, that this old world got a thorough purging by the waters of the flood.”
Hogg, W. B. Talks on the Book of Genesis. Country Church; Pioneer Press, 1936-1937. p. 109.
“God did not say, “Now Noah, shut the door and slide the bar.” No, the Lord does not place the safety of His own in the hands of men. He Himself snaps the lock.”
Greig, Doris W. Discovering God’s Power : Studies in Genesis 1-17 : Life-Related for Personal and Group Study. Regal Books, 1984. p. 115.
“Something else in Genesis that speaks to the extent of the Flood is how high the flood waters rose. Genesis 7:19-20 says, “And the waters prevailed exceedingly upon the earth; and all the high hills, that were under the whole heaven, were covered. Fifteen cubits upward did the waters prevail; and the mountains were covered.” In these verses we find that the flood waters rose to a depth of 1 3 cubits (22.5 feet) above the highest mountains. Many devastating local floods probably do not often exceed water levels of 22.5 feet. But the Flood described in Genesis resulted in waters that rose 22.5 feet above the highest mountains, not just above ground level.”
Forlow, Stephen Bradley. Five Evidences for a Global Flood. Institute for Creation Research, 2011. p. 12.
20 Gehazi, the prophet Elisha’s servant, thought, “Look, my master did not accept what this Syrian Naaman offered him. As certainly as the LORD lives, I will run after him and accept something from him.” 21 So Gehazi ran after Naaman. When Naaman saw someone running after him, he got down from his chariot to meet him and asked, “Is everything all right?” 22 He answered, “Everything is fine. My master sent me with this message, ‘Look, two servants of the prophets just arrived from the Ephraimite hill country. Please give them a talent of silver and two suits of clothes.” 23 Naaman said, “Please accept two talents of silver. He insisted and tied up two talents of silver in two bags, along with two suits of clothes. He gave them to two of his servants, and they carried them for Gehazi. 24 When he arrived at the hill, he took them from the servants and put them in the house. Then he sent the men on their way. 25 When he came and stood before his master, Elisha asked him, “Where have you been, Gehazi?” He answered, “Your servant hasn’t been anywhere.” 26 Elisha replied, “I was there in spirit when a man turned and got down from his chariot to meet you. This is not the proper time to accept silver or to accept clothes, olive groves, vineyards, sheep, cattle, and male and female servants. 27 Therefore, Naaman’s skin disease will afflict you and your descendants forever!” When Gehazi went out from his presence, his skin was as white as snow.
One of my favorite movies is Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, where Indiana teams up with his father to track down the legendary holy grail. However, when they arrive at the spot where this treasure lies, their enemy, Walter Donovan, holds them at gunpoint and seeks the grail for himself. The ancient knight who has guarded the grail for centuries warns Donovan to choose wisely, but Donovan lunges for the shiniest gold chalice he can find. Confident that he has discovered the glorious treasure, he quickly fills it with water and drinks. For a moment, nothing seems to change. Then Donovan begins to age rapidly and violently, dying before everyone. That is when the ancient knight states without emotion, “He chose poorly.”
Last week, Penny preached about another man who made a poor choice. She spoke from 1 Kings 12 about Solomon’s son, Rehoboam. He was king over all Israel until he made one bad decision, resulting in most of his kingdom abandoning him. Life occasionally offers us choices. There is a song where the singer must decide whether to go right or left at Oak Street. It’s a simple choice, but the consequences will change everything. This theme of decision-making keeps appearing as we read about the kings of Israel and Judah. It isn’t just the kings who face choices; prophets, priests, and ordinary people do too.
On Wednesday, we read about Elijah on Mt. Carmel. The problem for the people in Elijah’s day was that they had a decision to make, but couldn’t come to a conclusion. Their decision involved which God they would serve. Yahveh, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, rescued them, and they should have been serving Him. However, a new god had emerged. The Canaanites worshiped Baal, and the people wanted to follow the crowd. They didn’t want to be different. So, even though they had a history with Yahveh, they were tempted to serve Baal. Many new prophets had appeared—prophets of Baal—urging the people to make a change.
The problem was that the nation could not make a choice, so for a long time, the people remained divided. Elijah asked them, “How long are you going to be paralyzed by indecision? If the LORD is the true God, then follow him, but if Baal is, follow him!” But the people did not say a word.
Elijah summoned King Ahab to gather all of Israel on Mt. Carmel, where he constructed two altars. One altar was built for Yahveh, and the other for Baal. They waited to see which God would send down fire to consume the bull on the altar. At one altar stood Elijah, while at the other stood 450 prophets of Baal. From a numerical perspective, the odds favored the prophets of Baal. But Elijah understood that God is sovereign; He will never be outnumbered. Following Him is always the right choice.
You know the story: The prophets of Baal yelled, jumped around, prayed, and cut themselves with daggers and swords until they were a bloody mess. But Baal did not show up. All afternoon, they waited. When it was Elijah’s turn, he ordered the altar of Yahveh to be doused with water three times. At the time of the evening offering, Elijah prayed, “O Yahveh God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, prove today that you are God in Israel and that I am your servant and have done all these things at your command. Answer me, Yahveh, answer me, so these people will know that you, Yahveh, are the true God and that you are winning back their allegiance.” Then fire from Yahveh fell from the sky. It consumed the offering, the wood, the stones, and the dirt, and licked up the water in the trench. When all the people saw this, they threw themselves down with their faces to the ground and said, “Yahveh is the true God! Yahveh is the true God!”
Today’s passage is from 2 Kings, chapter 5. At that time, Elijah’s successor, Elisha, was the prophet of Yahveh. The story of this chapter revolves around three men who had to make a choice. I want to talk about those three men, the choices they made, and the consequences of their choices.
Who was Naaman?
In 2 Kings 5:1, Naaman is identified as the commander of the King of Syria’s army. As most of you know, I was in the military. One of the things we learned in basic training is the ranking system to identify those in command. Officers in the army fall into three categories. The lowest category is company-grade officers, which include Second Lieutenants, First Lieutenants, and Captains. The next higher category is field-grade officers, which consist of Majors, Lieutenant Colonels, and Colonels. The highest category is general officers, which are Brigadier Generals (one star), Major Generals (two stars), Lieutenant Generals (three stars), and four-star Generals. Naaman would have held the highest rank, equivalent to a four-star general. The Bible says he “was esteemed and respected by his master, for through him the LORD had given Syria military victories.
But Naaman faced a challenge. He suffered from a skin disease, and it was more than just a minor annoyance. In those times, people believed that skin ailments indicated that a person was cursed. Naaman likely exhausted all the resources at his disposal to free himself from that affliction. Yet, the disease persisted.
The Syrians were oppressing the Israelites in many ways during those days. One thing they would do was launch raiding parties that would invade Israelite territory and capture people to make them their slaves. Naaman’s wife had an Israelite slave—a young girl. One day, Naaman’s wife was speaking to her slave about her husband’s disease. The young slave girl said, “If only my master were in the presence of the prophet who is in Samaria! Then he would cure him of his skin disease.”
Naaman, the king’s general, not only traveled to Israel but was also given a letter from the king that provided him protection and made his visit an official state occasion. He also went to the King of Israel with that letter and a considerable amount of loot. However, the King of Israel thought it was a trap, believing that Naaman was provoking him. But Elisha heard about this and told the king to send Naaman his way.
Who was Elisha?
Elisha was a great prophet who had been anointed by the prophet Elijah and had asked for double the spirit of that great prophet. The Lord answered that prayer. The Bible records seven great miracles performed by Elijah and fourteen great miracles performed by Elisha. Naaman came with horses and chariots and stood at the door of Elisha’s house. Elisha sent out a messenger who told him, “Go and wash seven times in the Jordan; your skin will be restored and you will be healed.” Naaman went away angry, saying, “Look, I thought for sure he would come out, stand there, invoke the name of the LORD his God, wave his hand over the area, and cure the skin disease. The rivers of Damascus, the Abana and Pharpar, are better than any of the waters of Israel! Could I not wash in them and be healed?” So he turned around and went away angry. His servants approached and said to him, “O master, if the prophet had told you to do some difficult task, you would have been willing to do it. It seems you should be happy that he said, “Wash and you will be healed.” So, he went down and dipped in the Jordan seven times, as the prophet had instructed. His skin became as smooth as a young child’s, and he was healed.
Naaman had a choice. He could have healing from the Lord, but it had to be on the Lord’s terms. Naaman chose wisely.
Not only was Elisha empowered by the Lord, but he also possessed the Lord’s wisdom. When Naaman approached Elisha, ready to express his gratitude with a gift (similar to the one he had given the king), Elisha declined. He refused to accept anything. Had he received the gift, Naaman would have perceived it as payment for the blessing, leaving no room for grace. Furthermore, according to the customs of that time, accepting the gift would have obligated Elisha to Naaman in the future.
Elisha allowed Naaman to bring back some dirt from Israel. Naaman believed that if he sacrificed his offerings over that dirt, it would be counted as a sacrifice to Yahveh. Elisha may not have thought that such a compromise would actually work. His only reply to Naaman was “Go in Peace.”
Elisha had a choice. He could represent the God of grace or pretend to be the power behind his ministry himself. Elisha chose wisely.
Who was Gehazi?
The title of today’s message comes from what happened next. After Naaman left, Elisha’s servant Gehazi thought that his master was wrong to refuse a gift from Naaman. He caught up with Naaman and lied to him, suggesting that Elisha really could use a gift. Naaman happily gave Gehazi twice what he asked for. But when Gehazi got back to his master, Elisha revealed that he knew what he had done.
Gehazi had a choice. He could either represent the God of grace or seek to satisfy his greed. Gehazi chose poorly. The consequence of that poor choice was that the skin disease that had afflicted Naaman now plagued Gehazi and his family forever. He had aimed to gain from Naaman, and he did gain. He gained Naaman’s pain and shame. Now, the name Gehazi is synonymous with greed. We don’t know about anything else that Gehazi did. His one choice irreparably altered his life.
The truth implied in today’s text is summarized in one of God’s titles. He is Yahveh Yireh, which you may have heard pronounced Jehovah Jireh. It means that the Lord is the provider. Gehazi—a servant of Elisha—had likely witnessed many miracles. However, he trusted Naaman’s money to get what he desired. His actions were driven by more than greed; he failed to trust God. This is where this story connects with us. We trust in God’s grace for our eternal salvation. Will we trust Him with the daily decisions we make? The same God who saved us wants us to follow Him. He desires for us to depend on Him.
At some point in the future, you and I will face a choice. The way of the Lord will lie before us, but we will also encounter a shortcut. We will have to choose between staying on the path God has given us or taking the shortcut to achieve what we desire. Our Savior encountered the same choice. The devil offered him all the kingdoms of the world without requiring him to die on the cross. Jesus rejected that shortcut, and that rejection was a victory over Satan and his lies. Therefore, when we confront temptation, we should remember Christ and Gehazi, trust God, and continue following his way.
32 Then David said to Abigail, “Praised be the LORD, the God of Israel, who has sent you this day to meet me! 33 Praised be your good judgment! May you yourself be rewarded for having prevented me this day from shedding blood and taking matters into my own hands! 34 Otherwise, as surely as the LORD, the God of Israel, lives — he who has prevented me from harming you — if you had not come so quickly to meet me, by morning’s light not even one male belonging to Nabal would have remained alive!” 35 Then David took from her hand what she had brought to him. He said to her, “Go back to your home in peace. Be assured that I have listened to you and responded favorably.” 36 When Abigail went back to Nabal, he was holding a banquet in his house like that of the king. Nabal was having a good time and was very intoxicated. She told him absolutely nothing until morning’s light. 37 In the morning, when Nabal was sober, his wife told him about these matters. He had a stroke and was paralyzed. 38 After about ten days the LORD struck Nabal down and he died.
We have committed to reading through the Bible, two chapters a day. Our calendars have brought us to today’s text, in which David responds to Abigail’s appeal to him not to attack and destroy her husband and his men, even though he had acted foolishly and provoked David. Abigail listened to the Holy Spirit and saved her husband and David from making a rash decision. I’m going to approach today’s text by first looking at the background that helps explain what is going on. Then, I’m going to explore Abigail’s character by asking what made her such a wise person. Finally, I’m going to walk us all through the process of applying today’s lesson to our own lives by outlining how we should follow Abigail’s example of listening to the Holy Spirit when we face trouble.
The background to the story
In last week’s sermon, we learned that Samuel was an older man who promised to instruct the people in living God’s way. However, they wanted a king, and Samuel was allowed by God to give them one. The king’s name was Saul. Despite starting well, Saul proved to be a disappointment, both to Samuel and to God. So, God promised that he would tear the kingdom away from Saul, just like Saul accidentally tore Samuel’s robe.
In today’s chapter, Saul is still king, but Samuel had already anointed David and was biding his time before God’s promise would be fulfilled. At the beginning of this chapter, we learned that Samuel had died, and all Israel assembled and mourned for him. Having just experienced the death and funeral for Pope Francis, we have some idea what that would have been like. After this period of mourning, David went with his men to the open country. It was there that he started planning for the coming holiday. He had remembered that his men had protected the property of a wealthy man named Nabal while they were in Carmel.
David sent ten of his men to request that Nabal provide what they needed to celebrate the coming feast. This was not an unreasonable request since David’s men had protected his property in the past. Also, Nabal had thousands of animals, so meeting the request would not have harmed him. But Nabal was in a mood. He absolutely refused the request and spoke harshly about David. When David’s men returned and told him what Nabal had said, David was incensed. David decided to visit Nabal himself – fully armed – with four hundred of his men (to-thirds of his army)!
In the meantime, one of Abigail’s slaves had witnessed Nabal’s bad behavior and rushed to tell Abigail. The slave knew that Nabal had done something both foolish and dangerous. The slave did not appeal to Nabal’s sense of propriety. Apparently, Nabal did not have any common sense, and the slave knew it. Instead, the slave went to the one person in the household who could make a difference: her mistress, Abigail.
When Abigail heard about her husband’s insult, she assumed David would respond in anger. She quickly gathered 200 loaves of bread, two skins of wine, five sheep, five seahs of grain, 100 clusters of raisins, and 200 fig cakes and loaded them onto donkeys. She determined to intervene to keep Nabal’s foolishness from destroying him. She took the gift and met David’s army on the road. She bowed to David and apologized, accepting all the responsibility and seeking to make reparation for the insult. What we read in today’s text is the result of that act of wisdom.
That day, Abigail saved two men who were acting on their emotions. Her actions demonstrated wisdom, and David rightly commended her for rescuing both her husband and David himself.
What made Abigail a wise person
Abigail showed that humility is wise. She was beautiful and intelligent, but she approached David with humility and wisdom, acknowledging his authority and the fact that he could rightly bring harm on her husband and his men. She used her intelligence not for pride but to discern the situation and act appropriately. Abigail’s story demonstrates that wisdom and humility are not weaknesses but powerful virtues that can be used to overcome adversity, bring peace, and ultimately glorify God.
Abigail gave the soft answer that the Bible says turns away wrath. All too often, we have been led to believe that the only way to fight fire is with fire. But ask a firefighter. A firefighter will tell you that the proper way to fight a fire is with water. It puts out the fire. Abigail teaches us that in a volatile situation, you don’t need to strap on your swords. Sometimes, what you need is to bring a present.
Abigail showed that peacemaking is wise. The first act of peacemaking was not to run to Nabal and explain to him how foolish he had been. Instead, she snuck out without going to Nabal because he had made a mess that had to be cleaned up. Later, there would be time to approach Nabal, not while he was still in a drunken rage.
Her gift to David and his men effectively diffused a potentially deadly situation by offering a peace offering and acknowledging her husband’s wrongdoings. Her words and actions prevented a bloody confrontation and spared her family and servants.
Later, Abigail showed constraint when she returned and found Nabal drunk. She waited until he was sober to reveal what she had done to save him and his men. Sometimes peacemaking means knowing when to wait for the right time to act.
Abigail showed that Intercession is wise. Some think that Abigail’s story prefigures Jesus’s sacrifice, as she placed herself between David and Nabal, just as Jesus placed himself between God and humanity. Abigail showed wisdom by taking the blame for her husband’s actions and making reparation even though she knew he was wrong.
Even if Abigail’s story were not intended to teach about the coming Messiah, we can see him in her actions. He was a man of peace in a time of violence and anger. He taught his followers to be peacemakers. He came to die in our place to keep us all from receiving the punishment that we deserve.
Abigail showed that following God’s will is wise. She could have told her slave to go away and mind her own business. She could have said that her husband was a fool and he deserved whatever would happen to him. But Abigail was wise enough to realize that what was happening was her prompt to get involved. God’s will would not work itself out without her involvement.
We need to realize that as well. God has a plan to make a difference in our community, our homes, and our church. But his plan requires that we get off our easy chairs and make things happen. The message came to Abigail, not somebody else. If Abigail had decided to pass the buck, the story would have ended badly for everyone.
Abigail’s actions are a powerful reminder of the importance of choosing righteousness and aligning oneself with God’s will, even when it’s difficult. She decided to align herself with David, the future king, and did not let her husband’s actions dictate her behavior.
How we can act as wise people.
We can take our debts seriously. Abigail realized that her family owed David for his protection. When she found out that her husband had offended David by not helping out his men, she took it on herself to pay that debt. Paying our debts is a spiritual matter. The Apostle Paul told the believers to owe nobody anything except the continuing debt of love. Wise people determine to live with integrity. That means never skipping one’s obligations.
We should never hide behind anyone else. Abigail could have left everything to her husband, but that was not the wise approach in this situation. Wise men know they sometimes make mistakes, and are grateful for wives who will not let those mistakes go uncorrected. We should be correctors of problems. Passing the buck and leaving the problems for others to fix is not wise.
We should think and act beyond ourselves. When she did what she did, Abigail undoubtedly acted outside the expectations of others. That does not make her a rebel; it makes her a hero. As a wise person, she looked outside the box when staying inside the box would have ended in disaster. She demonstrated insight when she was moved to action. She could not remain passive. She did not say, “It’s not my place.”
Abigail was the precursor to Queen Esther. Both women recognized that they were placed into their circumstances by God because God had a mission for them. If either of these women had not taken the initiative, innocent people would have died. Neither of them was a person of violence. But if they had not acted, violence would have been the result.
We don’t know whether Abigail was a mother, but she probably was. It would have made sense for her to intercede to try to prevent the deaths of some of her sons. Today happens to be Mother’s Day here in this country. Some of the most outstanding leaders the world has ever known owe their greatness to the wisdom they acquired by following their mothers. Those mothers might have had a reputation for being passive and unassuming. But watch out when their children are in trouble. As a hiker, I learned the most dangerous thing you can encounter on the trail is a mother bear with her cubs.
It will not be every day that you and I are called on to do such extraordinary things. When the time is right, we will know it. Then, it will be up to us to listen to the Holy Spirit and make the wise decision, like Abigail did. It will be a decision that we must make because God wants to use us to accomplish his will. When the people most capable of making peace choose to do nothing, that will be our prompt to do what must be done to make peace.
1 After Moses the LORD’s servant died, the LORD said to Joshua son of Nun, Moses’ assistant: 2 “Moses my servant is dead. Get ready! Cross the Jordan River! Lead these people into the land which I am ready to hand over to them. 3 I am handing over to you every place you set foot, as I promised Moses. 4 Your territory will extend from the wilderness in the south to Lebanon in the north. It will extend all the way to the great River Euphrates in the east (including all of Syria) and all the way to the Mediterranean Sea in the west. 5 No one will be able to resist you all the days of your life. As I was with Moses, so I will be with you. I will not abandon you or leave you alone. 6 Be strong and brave! You must lead these people in the conquest of this land that I solemnly promised their ancestors I would hand over to them. 7 Make sure you are very strong and brave! Carefully obey all the law my servant Moses charged you to keep! Do not swerve from it to the right or to the left, so that you may be successful in all you do. 8 This law scroll must not leave your lips! You must memorize it day and night so you can carefully obey all that is written in it. Then you will prosper and be successful. 9 I repeat, be strong and brave! Don’t be afraid and don’t panic, for I, the LORD your God, am with you in all you do.”
We are still bunny-hopping our way through the Bible, stopping every Sunday at the place where we are in our reading—two chapters a day. This week, we finished Deuteronomy and began Joshua on Friday. Because I am planning two special messages for Palm Sunday and Easter, this will be our only message based on the book of Joshua. I am focusing on these introductory words from Joshua 1 as the text for my message.
It is essential at the outset that I establish the relevance of the study of Joshua. Some Christians find it difficult to study Old Testament books like Joshua because they fail to see what these ancient narratives have to do with them in their modern setting. We might remember some of the stories in Joshua from Sunday School lessons or past sermons, or cartoons. But aside from these little dips into the pool, we tend to shy away from Joshua because we might be tempted to think of it as a relatively shallow book. The truth is that Joshua is just as deep as the other biblical books we are studying. It had a purpose in the canon of Scripture, and that purpose is still as crucial today as it was when its words were first written.
But what is the purpose of the book of Joshua? Why are its words relevant for 21st-century Christians? The Bible teaches that every Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for us. But how can we profit from these old words and ancient stories?
The key to answering that question might be to come at the question from the other end first. Before asking what the old stories have to do with us, maybe we should take a closer look at what we are doing to see if there are some points of contact. There are lots of things we do today that are different than what God’s people were doing in the time of Joshua. What are some things that are the same?
One thing that is the same is that we are serving the same God that Joshua did. Marcion was wrong when he suggested that the God of the Old Testament was an evil, wrathful God and that a loving, compassionate God had replaced him. Remember, God does not change. He is immutable. Times change, circumstances change, but the God we believe in does not change.
When they asked Jesus what the greatest commandment was, he indicated that loving God wholeheartedly is #1. The second greatest commandment is to love our neighbors as ourselves. Those two life priorities were valid and relevant in Joshua’s time, and they are still valid and applicable to us today.
So, what has changed? The simple answer is that the mission God has called us to is different than the mission God was calling Joshua to. Jesus calls us all to a mission of cross-cultural evangelism. He commanded us to disciple all the nations. God called Joshua to a different mission. We are going to examine that mission this morning. However, the thing that we need to keep in mind is that even though our mission is different from Joshua’s, there will be points of contact. Some of the things that Joshua learned about his mission are helpful for us to keep in mind as we seek to fulfill our mission.
Joshua’s Mission
Instead of outlining every task Joshua was to do, the Lord described Joshua’s mission by summarizing the first three steps of that mission. We find that summary in verse 2. The Lord said that Joshua was to “Get ready! Cross the Jordan River! Lead these people into the land which I am ready to hand over to them.” The first phase was to get ready. This involved Joshua getting himself ready. You cannot get your team prepared if you are not ready yourself.
The principle of personal preparation applies to us in our mission as well. We should not expect to step into the task of global evangelization without preparation. Jesus prepared his apostles for the task over several years of training. Then he challenged them to feed the sheep – to get the other disciples trained so that they could continue the mission by being disciplers.
Joshua was encouraged to be ready emotionally and physically for the task of leadership. He was commanded to be strong and brave. He was told to resist the temptation to be afraid and panic when things got rough. He had to build up the strength he needed because the mission he was called to would not be an easy one. He was expected to display the confidence that comes from knowing that God was with him.
The second phase of Joshua’s to-do list in today’s text is to cross over the Jordan river. He could not do that himself. The command to him (as leader) was a command to the whole people of Israel. It was going to be a miracle that only God could accomplish, but the people needed to be prepared for it. The leaders needed to prepare the people. That is part of the job for anyone called into ministry. Our task is not simply to maintain the status quo, but it also requires us to prepare the church for the next thing God is going to do among us.
The third phase for Joshua was to lead the people into the Promised Land. He was not to merely point in the direction and drive the people into it. He was to be a frontline leader. It is one thing to be an armchair general. It is another thing to strap on the sword and tell the soldiers to follow you into battle. As I said, these three commands do not encompass all of Joshua’s mission. God did not reveal everything to Joshua. We should not expect him to do that for us either. If we knew all the details, most of us would go hide in the woods. Our Lord is wise to only show us the next few steps in our path of following him.
Joshua’s Master
Notice how many times the word “I” shows up in today’s text. These words are God’s words. He is challenging Joshua to lead his people to where he wants them, but the emphasis is not entirely on Joshua. Joshua is challenged to be strong and brave, but notice what God says he will do:
God says he is ready to hand over the land to them. He promises to give them all the land that they set foot on.
God promises to be with Joshua the same way he was with his predecessor, Moses.
God reminds Joshua that he solemnly promised his ancestors to hand the land over to their descendants. Now was the time to fulfill that promise.
God promises to be with Joshua in all that he does.
There are two truths that every Christian should remember every day. These two things seem like diametrical opposites, but they are both true. The first truth is that we are slaves of God. He is our owner and our master. That may seem to be a depressing reality, but it is actually quite freeing.
The second truth is that our Master is Almighty God. He controls the universe. Nothing happens that he does not allow. We pray to him because only he can make the impossible possible. We can face any challenge—not because we are able, but because our Master is always able.
Joshua’s Manual
Note also how God stresses to Moses his absolute reliance upon the holy Scriptures. God tells him to obey all the laws his servant Moses carefully charged him to keep! He said that Joshua should not swerve from it to the right or to the left so that he may be successful in all he does. He said that the law scroll must not leave Joshua’s lips! He had to memorize it day and night so he could carefully obey all that is written in it. Then, he would prosper and be successful. God was sending Joshua on a mission, and the word of God was to be his mission manual. He did not have the whole Bible, but every word he had was the Holy Bible.
What Joshua the missionary had for his missionary work would help him accomplish that work. The same is true for you and me today. We read and study the Bible not to entertain us – not even to inform us. Our goal is not to learn the Bible as if it were an encyclopedia of religious trivia. It is our mission manual. It empowers us to do what God has called us to do.
As we read Joshua this month, let’s remember that its words do not describe a king or a military general. Joshua’s work was missionary work. May its words help us to be strong, brave, and faithful in the missionary work God has called us to do.
Holy Communion
1 John 2:14 NET.
“I have written to you, children, that you have known the Father. I have written to you, fathers, that you have known him who has been from the beginning. I have written to you, young people, that you are strong, and the word of God resides in you, and you have conquered the evil one.”
As we consider the death of our Lord this morning, let us remember that what Jesus did for us on the cross is enough, no matter where we are in life’s journey.
If you are new to the faith – a mere child of God – you might wonder if you are going to survive the challenges of life and come out on the other end with a genuine faith. God’s word to you is that you have known the Father. That is all you need because your confidence is in Him, not yourself.
The same promise applies to the old-timers in the faith—the Fathers and Mothers who have fought most of their battles—their mission is almost accomplished. But their confidence is not in their own accomplishments. It is in the fact that they have come to know the Father because of the finished work of Christ on the cross.
And what about the young men and women? Those who are going to be first into the battle, claiming territory for God and his kingdom? The manual tells them that they are strong, that the word of God resides in them, and that they have conquered the evil one. Their battle is fresh, and they are in the front of it, but from God’s perspective, they have already won. They are challenged to let the word of Christ dwell in them richly because it is the manual that will take them from the present battle to the future glory.
Lord, we thank you for your finished work of redemption. We pray for your power to take us to the finish of our mission for you. We ask that you make us strong and brave warriors and faithful slaves of our Almighty Master. Amen.
jeffersonvann 