The 'Day of Pentecost' (Acts 2).

The Backstory: Remember how God called Abraham and promised him a homeland and multiple descendants to bless the world. Abraham’s descendants multiplied but were enslaved in Egypt. God called Moses who led Israel out of Egypt to Mount Sinai were God formed them into the nation of Israel that was to be ‘kingdom of priests’. They began to take possession of their land under Joshua but they would need a king to be a ‘light to the nations’. God found in David a king after His own heart and promised David a ‘perpetual kingship’ over God’s people. It was David’s son, Solomon, who built the Jerusalem Temple as a dwelling place for God among His people. But Solomon’s many foreign wives introduced an idolatry that split the nation. The ‘Northern kingdom’ would be scattered by the Assyrians and the ‘Southern Kingdom’ was later carried into ‘Exile in Babylon for 70 years’. When the Persians conquered the Babylonians they allowed the Jews to return to their land but Israel remained dominated by various Pagan empires. God’s people were waiting for a ‘conquering king’ to restore the kingdom and God sent Jesus, who was announced by John the Baptist and ‘anointed by the Spirit’ at his baptism. Then Jesus, after overcoming the Devil’s temptations in the wilderness, went around proclaiming the ‘Kingdom of God’. Jesus formed a ‘new people (12)’ around himself and once his disciples recognized his Messianic identity he made his way to Jerusalem where he was enthroned as ‘KING of the JEWS’ on a cross. He looked like a failure, but three days later Jesus was ‘declared with power to be the Son of God by his resurrection from the dead’ (Romans 1:4). Then after showing himself to be alive to his disciples with many convincing proofs he ascended into heaven after telling his disciples to wait in Jerusalem for the gift of the Father, the promised Holy Spirit. This brings us to the ‘Story of Pentecost’ from Acts 2. Watch the story being told and read the comments below.

Pentecost (Acts 2):

On the ‘Day of Pentecost’ all the believers were gathered together when the sound of a violent wind filled their house. Something like tongues of fire came down and rested on them. They were ‘all’ filled with the Holy Spirit and they spoke in other languages as the Spirit enabled them. God-fearing Jews from throughout the empire were in Jerusalem for Pentecost crowded around the house. The crowd was amazed because they heard these Galilean disciples ‘praising God’ but each in their own languages. Some in the crowd wanted to know what this meant but others accused the disciples of having had too much wine (Acts 2:1-13). So Peter addressed the crowd to explain the matter.

Pentecost was an agricultural festival fifty days after Passover. Pentecost was a celebration of the first fruits of the harvest and it had become associated with the ‘giving of the law’ at Sinai. The law was given at Sinai roughly 50 days after that first Passover. All this was a reminder of God bringing Israel out of Egypt and into the land promised. So the day was about God providing for His redeemed people whom He called to do His will on the earth. Moses had gone up Mt. Sinai and had come down with the law, and external summary of God’s will. In his ascension, Jesus had gone up into heaven and at Pentecost the Holy Spirit came down to empower God’s people to do God’s will. At Sinai 3000 were put to death because of the idolatry of the ‘golden calf’ incident. Yet, at Pentecost 3000 were baptized and added to the number of God’s people (Exodus 32:25-28, Acts 2:41).

Pentecost advanced the story of the covenant God made with Abraham to bless the world (Genesis 12:1-3, Galatians 3:8, 14). Abraham’s call follows and reverses the ‘Tower of Babel’ incident where God had confused language to prevent the people from working together in opposition to His will (Genesis 11). In contrast at Pentecost when the disciples declared the ‘wonders of God’ those in the crowd were enabled to hear them in their own languages with no translation. This linguist unity was a testimony that God was now extending His reign throughout the earth (Acts 1:8). This was the Spirit’s empowerment which Jesus had promised to enable his disciples to testify about him throughout the earth. So Pentecost represents a significant advance in God’s plan to bless the world through Abraham. To do this God was now has pouring out His Spirit on ‘all people’ as foretold by the Prophet Joel (Acts 2:4, 17, Joel 2:28-32).

Some in the crowd sought an explanation while others thought the disciples were babbling drunkards. So Peter explained that this was what God had said through the prophet Joel regarding God pouring out His Spirit on ‘all people’ in the ‘last days’. Their sons and daughters would prophesy, their young men would see visions, their old men would dream dreams and God would poured out His Spirit on ‘all His servants’. The ‘last days’ had come and the final ‘Day of the Lord’ when the sun would go dark and the moon would turn to blood would come. For now God would pour out His Spirit on ‘all peoples’ including all genders, all ages, all ethnicities and all who calling on the Lord, that is Jesus, will be saved (2:21). 

Peter preached Jesus as a man who had been accredited to them by signs and wonders and yet they had handed Jesus over to be put to death on a cross. But this was all part of God’s set purpose for David had foretold how God would ‘not abandon Jesus to the grave, or let His Holy One see decay’ (Psalm 16).  King David had died and was buried but God had promised to enthrone one of David’s descendants (2 Sam.7:12-14). David had foretold the resurrection and the ascension of Jesus Christ. So God exalted to Jesus to His right hand and Jesus had poured out the Holy Spirit. This was Peter’s explanation for what was observed that day at Pentecost. David hadn’t ascended into heaven, and yet the Psalm (Ps 110) said, “‘The Lord said to my Lord: “Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet.”  Peter concluded by announcing that God had made the crucified Jesus, both Lord and Christ (Acts 2:22-36). The resurrection confirmed that Jesus was true Messianic Davidic king and the ascension indicated that Messiah Jesus was the Lord of all the earth. This is the good news is that Jesus is both Messiah and Lord, and in his death Jesus had conquered sin and death changing everything.

Peter’s hearers were ‘cut to the heart’ and asked what they should do. Peter told them to repent and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of sins and they would receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. Peter assured them that the promise was for them and for their children and for all who were ‘far off’; for all who the Lord would call. 3000 believed Peter’s message and were baptized. The believers devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching, to the fellowship, the breaking of bread, and to prayer as essential practices. They shared everything in common and the apostles did many miraculous signs. They met together daily in the temple courts and they broke bread in their homes regularly and the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved (Acts 2:37-47).

These early Christians were a family unified around the resurrected Christ who had ascended into heaven where he was enthroned as the Lord of all the earth. From his heavenly throne Jesus had poured out God’s Holy Spirit and as a result these early Christians simply couldn’t help but speak about the Jesus they had seen and heard. Their speech was transformed but so were their lives for they were a family that shared everything in common. As we reflect on this early Christian community we can only wonder why we fall so short of their example. 

'The Ascension and Promise (Acts 1)'.

We have told the story of Jesus and then we went back and told the story from creation to the conquest of Canaan. We're now going to jump ahead to the story of the early church from the Book of Acts.  

Background Story: God called Abraham promising him a homeland and multiple descendants to bless the world. Abraham’s descendants multiplied in Egypt but were enslaved. They cry out and God called Moses to deliver them from Egyptian slavery. God bound Himself to Israel in covenant at Sinai forming them into a ‘kingdom of priests and a holy nation’. They begin to take possession of their land under Joshua but the chaotic period of the Judges showed that they would need a king to be a ‘light to the nations’. God found in David a king after His own heart and He promised David a ‘perpetual kingship’ over God’s people. David made plans, but David’s son, Solomon, built the Jerusalem Temple as a more permanent place for God to dwell among His people. But Solomon took many foreign wives which introduced an idolatry that split the nation. The ‘Northern kingdom’ would be scattered by the Assyrians and the ‘Southern Kingdom’ was later carried into ‘Exile in Babylon for 70 years’. The Persians, who conquered the Babylonians, allowed the Jews to return to their land. The temple was rebuilt but things fell desperately short of the ‘glories of the prophesied coming kingdom’. So Israel remained dominated by various Pagan empires. The OT ends with God’s people waiting for a ‘conquering king’ to come and restore the kingdom.  

Into this story Jesus was announced by John the Baptist. At his baptism Jesus was ‘anointed by the Spirit’ and declared to be God’s son (Luke 3:22). Jesus was then led by the Spirit into the wilderness, where he overcame the temptations of the Devil, after which Jesus went around proclaiming the ‘Kingdom of God’ and ‘casting out demons by the Spirit of God evidencing that the ‘Kingdom had come’. Jesus formed a ‘new people (12)’ around himself and once his disciples recognized his Messianic identity he made his way to Jerusalem where he was enthroned as ‘KING of the JEWS’ on a cross. He looked like a false Messiah defeated by the Romans, but three days later Jesus was ‘declared with power to be the Son of God by his resurrection from the dead’ (Romans 1:4). This brings us to the ‘Story of the Ascension’ from Acts 1. Watch the story being told and read the comments below.

ACTS 1:1–26.        If Luke’s gospel is the story of what Jesus began to ‘do and teach’ then the Book of Acts is the story of ‘what Jesus continued to do and to teach’. Acts is the sequel to Luke’s gospel and it is based on the resurrection. If there was no resurrection then there would be no continuation to the ‘Jesus Story’ and no hope of transformation. But after dying on a Roman cross Jesus gave many convincing proofs that he was alive. He also taught his disciples about the ‘kingdom of God’ over a forty day period. Both the resurrection of Jesus and his teaching regarding the ‘kingdom of God’ were central and essential. Now the next step for the disciples was to wait for the promised Holy Spirit. John had baptized with water in preparation for the Messiah (Luke 3:16) but they would be baptized with the Spirit who would empower them to testify about the resurrected Messiah (Acts 1:1-5).

The disciples wanted to know when Jesus was going to restore the kingdom to Israel. But they were not to know the ‘dates and times’. They needed to know that the Spirit would empower them to testify about Jesus throughout all the earth. The disciples, like many Jews of that day, believed that the Messiah would restore Israel as top nation (Psalm 72, 89) and bring God’s judgement on the rest of the world. But their concept of the kingdom of God needed to be transformed. Then Jesus was taken up into the sky and hidden from their sight by a cloud. They stood gazing into the sky when two ‘men in white’ said that Jesus would return in a similar fashion as he was taken up into heaven. King Jesus had ascended to be enthroned in heaven and the next big thing was that the Spirit would be poured out to transform the world. The ‘Story of Jesus’ would continue by the Spirit-filled Church making known by ‘word and deed’ that Messiah Jesus was the world’s true Lord.

After Jesus’ ascension into heaven the disciples returned to where they were staying in Jerusalem. There they gathered together constantly for prayer. Peter stood among the 120 believers and said that the words of scripture that the Holy Spirit spoke through David had to be fulfilled regarding Judas. Judas had shared in their ministry but he accepted money for guiding those who arrested Jesus. Judas bought a field with the money he received for betraying Jesus where he fell headlong and his body burst spilling his intestines (Acts 1:12-20). Peter understood through what was written in the Psalms, that another would have to take Judas’ place of leadership (Ps 69:25, 109:8).

The twelve apostles chosen by Jesus correlate to the twelve tribes of Israel. The twelve represent the restored people of God. So Peter reasoned from scripture that they would need to replace Judas and a twelfth would need to be selected as his successor. It would need to be someone who had been with them from Jesus’ baptism until the ascension of Jesus into heaven. This shows that these early Christians saw Jesus and themselves as Jesus’ disciples to the continuation of the kingdom and through them the ‘Jesus Story’ would continue. But how could such a motley crew play such an important role? They would do this through the Spirit of God dwelling with them and within them.

So they decided to replace Judas to be one of the twelve and to share in their apostolic ministry. He would need to someone that had been with them from Jesus’ baptism to the time Jesus ascended. Together they would be witnesses that Jesus was the resurrected Messiah who had ascended into heaven. They selected Joseph, called Barsabbas, and Matthias and they prayed that the Lord would reveal the one He had selected. Then they caste lots and Matthias was selected to join the eleven apostles. But how could they be sure of the Lord’s leading as they sought to do the Lord’s will? They were led by the Apostles who were directed by the scriptures and prayer within the context of the community of believers. They gathered in constant prayer and they sought the Lord’s guidance and they acted as informed by the scriptures (Acts 1:20-26).

Despite their flaws, they could be sure that God was directing them, after all even the selection of Judas was part of God’s sovereign plan. Soon, they would have an even greater sense of the presence of the Lord with them to empower them to do God’s will when the Spirit was poured out on them. The resurrected Jesus ascended but the Spirit would be poured out so that the ascended Lord would dwell among them by the Spirit (Revelation 1). They had anticipated Jesus reigning from a throne in Jerusalem but Jesus would now reign from God’s right hand over all creation. The resurrection proved that Jesus was Israel’s true messianic king but the ascension meant that same Jesus was Lord of all the earth. Jesus would empower them by the Holy Spirit so through the Spirit-filled Church Jesus’ Story would continue.

The Battles at Ai (Joshua 7-8).

Background Story: God promised to bless the world through Abraham’s descendants who multiplied in Egypt but became enslaved. God called Moses to lead Israel and delivered Israel out of Egypt through the ‘Red Sea’. The Lord led them by the pillar of cloud by day and fire by night to Mt. Sinai where Lord established His covenant with Israel. God made them to be a ‘kingdom of priests’ and a ‘holy nation’ and gave them the 10 commandments. The Lord brought that generation to the border of their ‘Promised Land’ but they refused to enter. They ended up wandering for forty years only to die in the desert but their children would enter the land. Later when that second generation grumbled for water the Lord told Moses to speak to the rock but Moses said, “Listen, you rebels, must we bring you water out of this rock”. Moses struck the rock twice and water gushed out, but the Lord told Moses and Aaron that they couldn’t enter the land because they failed to honor the Lord as holy before Israel. Aaron died and his priesthood passed on to his son, Eleazar. Moses commission Joshua as Israel’s new leader, then Moses climbed Mount Nebo where he saw the ‘promised land’ before he died. Joshua sent two scouts to spy out Canaan and they stayed in Jericho at the house of a Canaanite prostitute named Rahab. When the king of Jericho found out, Rahab hid the spies from the king and sent the king’s messengers away in another direction. The Lord caused the waters of the Jordan to be cut off so and the whole community of Israelites crossed the Jordan on dry ground into Canaan. Joshua gave all the Israelite men the sign of God’s covenant with Abraham and the whole community ate the ‘Passover’ meal together (Joshua 3-5). After an encounter with the ‘commander of the Lord’s army’, Joshua was told that Israel was to march around Jericho with seven priests blowing trumpets before the ‘Ark of the Lord’ for seven days. On the seventh day they went around the city seven times. On the seventh time around there was a loud blast and the people shouted and the walls of Jericho collapsed. They were warned not to take any of the ‘devoted things’ or they would bring trouble on Israel and bring about their own destruction. Israel burned Jericho, killed its inhabitants but they spared Rahab and her household. Joshua cursed the city so that anyone seeking to rebuild it would try at the cost of their sons. After this Joshua’s fame increased.  Now watch the story being told and then read the comments below. 

The Battles at Ai: Both battles at Ai teach us about trusting the Lord (7:1–26, 8:1–29). In the first battle Israel was defeated due to Israel’s sin (7:1) and all Israel was implicated (6:18).  When Achan, an Israelite, sinned Israel sinned and all Israel was affected.  In a similar fashion when Adam sinned all his descendants were implicated. While we may think of this as unfair but Bible teaches that death come to all men because we have all sinned in Adam. To opposed this teaching is to oppose that it is through the obedience of the one man, Christ Jesus, that we can be made acceptable to God (Rom. 5:12–19). Also in the previous battle the Lord had warned Israel that anyone taking the devoted things from Jericho would bring trouble on themselves and on Israel (6:18). The Lord took the command very seriously even if Israel did not.

Joshua sent scouts to spy out Ai as he had at Jericho (2:1). They returned saying no more than 3,000 Israelites were needed because the people of Ai were few. But the men of Ai chased the Israelites from their town and killed 36 Israelites causing the Israelites to lose their courage. Israel had evaluated the battle in mere human terms and they overestimated their own abilities and underestimated that of their opponents. Based on the mere numbers alone Joshua had reduced the size of the troops he sent to Ai. What they needed was the Lord’s presence and His continued intervention but they had failed to seek the Lord’s will (Nu. 27:21). In hind sight, the limited troop deployment without consulting the Lord was disastrous.

Having tasted defeat they tore their clothes, threw dust on their heads and fell prostrate before the ‘Ark of the Lord’ until evening. When Joshua enquired of the Lord he was immediately told the reason for their defeat. Joshua was afraid that the inhabitants of the land would hear of Israel’s defeat, surround Israel and wipe them out. Joshua’s comments actually imply that God was to blame for their defeat. According to Joshua they shouldn’t have obeyed the Lord by seeking to take possession of the land (7:7). Joshua insinuates that the Lord had been unfaithful to His covenant promise. Then Joshua goes on to suggest that God was planning to ruin them by letting the inhabitants of the land wipe out Israel. But the fault was Israel’s for keeping some of the ‘devoted things’ and transgressing God’s covenant.

The Lord told Joshua to get off his face because Israel who had violated God’s covenant. The claim that the Lord had brought Israel across the Jordan to let them be wiped out was unfounded. Moreover Israel would continue to flee from their enemies until they removed the ‘devoted things’. If Israel wanted their Lord to fight for them then they would need to rid themselves of these items.  In the morning the Lord told Joshua to bring the tribes of Israel before the Lord.  From among all the tribes the tribe of Judah was selected. From the tribe of Judah the clan of Zerah was selected. From the clan of Zerah the family of Zimri was selected. Then from the family of Zimri, Achan, was singled out.  Joshua told Achan to glorify God by telling Joshua the truth and Achan complied. He acknowledged taking a beautiful Babylonian robe, some silver coins, and a bar of gold that he had found in Jericho and had hidden beneath his tent.

God exposed the guilty party through a long process of elimination that singled out Achan. While he confessed it was only after a long drawn out process (7:16-19). That Achan referred to the ‘devoted things (hērem)’ as plunder may indicate that he thought of the items as a prize he deserved. But to steal what belonged to the Lord was to deny that the victory belonged to God. Ironically, if Achan had waited he would have received his share of the plunder from Ai (8:2, 27).  Joshua sent men who brought Achan, his family and everything that belonged to him to the Valley of Achor (‘disaster or trouble’).  Because of Achan all of Israel had been defeated at Ai so now all Israel was to participate in stoning Achan and his family.  They burned everything Achan had and they piled stones over them. Achan’s family may have known about the hidden items but we do know that by taking the ‘devoted things’ Achan, an Israelite, identified with the Canaanites. Consequently, Achan suffered the same fate as the Canaanites. On the other hand, Rahab, a Canaanite, identified with Israel and was treated like an Israelite (Josh 7:25). Rahab was not only incorporated into the Israelite community but she even became part of the family line of Israel’s King David as well as Messiah Jesus through David (6:25, Matthew 1).

In the first battle Israel underestimated both their opponents and their dependence upon God. Now Israel would need the Lord and their full army. Now Joshua was told to attack Ai and he was promised victory and this time Israel could keep the plunder (8:1-2).  Joshua and his army set out for Ai and a portion of Israel’s army was sent behind Ai to set up an ambush. Joshua stationed the main army in front of the town so the king of Ai and his men attacked the Israelites. The king of Ai and his men marched out for battle, and Joshua fled as they had previously so the men of Ai were drawn out of their city. At just the right time Lord commanded Joshua to raise his spear and those hiding in ambush rose up and entered Ai. The men of Ai tried to return to their city when they saw it going up in smoke. Then Joshua attacked the men of Ai who were caught between Joshua and the Israelite troops that came out of Ai.  The Israelites killed the men of Ai and brought the king of Ai alive to Joshua. The Israelites killed everyone in Ai—12,000 in all but they kept the livestock and the treasures of the town, as the Lord had commanded.  Joshua hung the king of Ai on a pole and the next day they threw the body down at the city gate. Then Israel piled a great heap of stones over the body and Ai became a permanent ruin.

After these battles Israel renewed the covenant as Moses had instructed (Dt. 11:29). Joshua built an altar on Mount Ebal, where they presented burnt offerings and peace offerings to the Lord.  Then Joshua divided all the Israelites—foreigners and native-born alike—into two groups and had one stand in front of Mount Gerizim, with the other in front of Mount Ebal. The Levitical priests stood with between them carrying the Ark of the Lord’s Covenant.  Joshua read all the blessings and curses Moses had written in the Book of the Law to all the Israelites, including the women and children and the foreigners living among them. These offerings depicted Israel’s total consecration to God and they prefigured Christ’s blood of the new covenant (Lk. 22:20).

Jericho Falls (Joshua 5-6).

Background Story: God called Abraham and promised him multiple descendants and a homeland, Canaan, to bless the world. Abraham’s descendants went down into Egypt due to a famine. There they multiplied but they became enslaved. God called Moses and delivered Israel out of Egypt and the Lord led Israel through the ‘Red Sea’ and through the desert by the pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night. They came to Mt. Sinai where the Lord established His covenant with Israel. He gave them the 10 commandments and called them to be a ‘kingdom of priests and a holy nation’. The Lord brought that generation to the border of their ‘Promised Land’ but in unbelief they refused to enter so they would wander forty years and die in the desert. Even Moses would not enter the ‘promised land’ because he had failed to honor the Lord as holy before Israel.  Before his death, Moses commissioned Joshua as Israel’s new leader before Moses died. The Lord promised to be with Joshua as He was with Moses and the Lord caused the waters of the Jordan to be cut off. Israel crossed the Jordan into Canaan were all the men received the sign of the Abrahamic Covenant and shared in the Passover meal. Joshua sent two men to spy out Canaan and stayed at the house of a Canaanite prostitute named Rahab. The king of Jericho found this out but Rahab hid the two Israelite spies and sent the king’s messengers off in another direction.  This brings us to the story of the ‘battle of Jericho’. Watch the story being told and then read the comments below. 

The Battle of Jericho: God had promised to give Israel the land of Canaan and the Lord was with Joshua. Joshua was to be ‘strong and courageous’ for the Lord was beginning the fulfillment of His long standing promise. Jericho was the first among several battles in Israel’s conquest of the land over a long time (11:18, 12:1–24). This first battle was initiated by Israel (6:1–27) but it would be fought by very unconventional means. Joshua’s preparation for Jericho included an encounter with a mysterious visitor (5:13–15). Like Joshua we can be confident that God will empower us to do His will. We can be strong and courageous knowing that God is faithful to His promises and that God uses flawed people who seek to do God’s will.

While approaching Jericho Joshua saw a man with a sword in his hand. Joshua needed to know whose side the man was on, but the man said, “Neither”.  The visitor had come as the ‘Commander of the Lord’s Army’. Joshua fell facedown and he was told to remove his shoes because the land was holy. This is what Moses was told at the ‘burning bush’ where the Lord called Moses to lead Israel from Egypt to the land Joshua was getting ready to fight for (Exodus 3:5–10). This visitor was no enemy or mere ally; he was the ‘Commander of the Army of the Lord’. Joshua was to lead the conquest but in submission to the Lord. It was Israel’s God who would fight these battles and give Israel their land. Above all else, Joshua needed to reverently worship and to realize the land was holy to the Lord.

Jericho was closed off so no one could go in or out because of the Israelites. The Lord assured Joshua that he would be given Jericho, its king and fighting men. Yet, the battle would require the Lord’s miraculous intervention (6:1–7). The Lord’s instructions made it clear that the land was God’s gift to Israel. By faith Israel would need to march around the city each day for seven days marking out the city as the Lord (Heb. 11:30). The priests were to carry God’s mobile sanctuary, the ‘Ark of the Covenant’, and seven priests with seven trumpets were to go before the Ark. Joshua sent armed guards ahead of the priests with the trumpets. A rear guard followed behind the ark (6:9) so that the Lord was in the middle. On the seventh day they were to go around the city seven times and on the seventh time around the horns would blast and the people would shout. Then Jericho’s walls would collapse and the soldiers could go straight in and attack the city (6:17–20).

Joshua was to devote (Heb. ḥērem) the city to destruction. The harsh reality was that the Israelites would have to kill all the people or later they would entice Israel to worship their gods and follow their detestable practices (Dt. 20:16–18). Everyone and everything in Jericho was to be devoted to the Lord. All the silver and gold and the articles of bronze and iron were to go into the Lord’s treasury. They were warned that if anyone took any of the devoted things they would bring trouble on Israel and they would bring about their own destruction (6:18). This was the Lord’s battle so Israel was not to take any plunder from the battle at Jericho since the victory was from the Lord (6:19, 21).

So when the trumpets or ram’s horn (shofar) sounded, the people shouted and the wall collapsed and the Israelites took the city. They destroyed every living thing in it—men and women, young and old, and livestock as well. Only Rahab the prostitute and her household was spared, because Rahab had hidden the Israelite scouts who had spied out Jericho. Israel burned the city and put the silver, gold and the articles of bronze and iron into the Lord’s treasury. They brought Rahab and her household safely outside the Israelite camp. Then Joshua swore this oath: “Cursed before the Lord is the man who tries to rebuild Jericho”. The Lord was with Joshua, and Joshua’s fame spread throughout the land (6:27).  

The story concludes with Rahab not only being rescued (6:22–23) but in time being assimilated into the community of Israel (6:25). The repentant Rahab ends up living permanently as one of God’s people while the rest of Jericho was ‘devoted to destruction’. While this is may be difficult for us to understand, we should remember that the Lord had promised Abraham the land of Canaan over 400 years earlier. The Lord patiently tolerated the sin of the highly idolatrous and wicked inhabitants of Canaan for over 400 years (Genesis 15:16, Deut. 9:4). So the story depicts the long-suffering of our gracious God towards even those who will never repent.

The severity of God’s judgment may shock us but God was zealous for the holiness of His people. We should also realize that from the beginning the devil has tempted man to doubt the reality and severity of God’s judgment (Genesis 3:4).  Moreover, that God would be so gracious to the stubborn and rebellious Israelites should equally shock us. In fact we have all sinned against the Lord in many ways so that all of us have merited God’s just judgement. The Lord’s acceptance of the repentant Canaanite, Rahab, highlights that though we have all sinned against a holy God the repentant who turn to the Lord Jesus will receive God’s favor and only by grace. 

Israel Crosses the Jordan (Joshua 3-5).

Background Story: God promised to bless the world through Abraham’s descendants who multiplied in Egypt but became enslaved. God called Moses to lead Israel and delivered Israel out of Egypt through the ‘Red Sea’. The Lord led them by the pillar of cloud and fire to Mt. Sinai where Lord established His covenant with Israel and gave them the 10 commandments. The Lord brought that generation to the border of their ‘Promised Land’ but they refused to enter. The Lord said that generation would wander forty years and die in the desert and their children would enter the land. Later when the second generation grumbled for water the Lord told Moses to speak to the rock and water would pour out. But Moses said, “Listen, you rebels, must we bring you water out of this rock”. Moses struck the rock twice water gushed out but the Lord told Moses and Aaron that they couldn’t enter the land because they failed to honor the Lord as holy before Israel. Aaron died and his priesthood passed on to his son, Eleazar. The Lord had Moses commission Joshua as Israel’s new leader. Then Moses climbed Mount Nebo and the Lord let Moses see their ‘promised land’ but he was not to enter it. After Moses died, Israel came to the border of Canaan and Joshua as Israel’s leader was to get the people ready to cross the Jordan and enter Canaan. The Lord promised to be with Joshua as He had been with Moses and Joshua was to be strong and courageous. Joshua sent two men to spy out Canaan and they stayed at the house of a Canaanite prostitute named Rahab. When the king of Jericho found this out Rahab hid the two Israelite spies and sent the king’s messengers away in another direction. Because Rahab protected the spies they promised to spare Rahab and her household when the lord gave them the land. This brings us to the story of Israel crossing the Jordan (Joshua 3-5). 

Crossing the Jordan

This story demonstrates that Joshua was God’s chosen leader and that God was fulfilling His promise to give Israel their land.  It marks the end of Israel’s wilderness wandering and the beginning of their conquest of Canaan. The Israelites were to consecrate themselves because the Lord would do amazing things and would exalt Joshua. The Lord would lead Israel into the Jordan, dry it up, and lead them into the Promised Land. This would exalt Joshua so that Israel would know that the Lord was with them and with Joshua. The Lord would drive out the inhabitants of Canaan in order to give Israel their promised inheritance (9–13).  While Israel camped by the Jordan River their officers told the people to move out when they saw the Levitical priests carrying the ‘Ark of the Covenant’ of the Lord. They were to follow the priests but they were to stay back about a thousand yards from the Ark. The Ark of the Covenant was the very throne of God and was no mere symbol (4:11; Dt. 10:8; 1 Sa. 6:7–12). The Ark (Josh. 3:13) demonstrated that God was leading Israel and would give them their land. The throne and presence of God went before the Israelites, in order to give all Israel a full view that it was God who was leading them.

Joshua, the Lord’s appointed leader, tells the priests to carry the Ark to the river’s edge. When the feet of the priests touched the Jordan River the waters of the river upstream piled up and the water flowing downstream was cut off. This would demonstrate to Israel that God was with them and that He would drive out the inhabitants of the land. As the Lord divided the Red Sea when Israel left Egypt, so now the Lord would cut off the waters of the Jordan and drive out the inhabitants of the land in order to give Israel their promised inheritance (Joshua 3:6-10). This was in fulfillment of the Lord’s covenant with Abraham (Gen. 15:18-21) and which He confirmed to Moses (Deuteronomy 34:1-4).  The Israelites followed the priests, and as soon as the priests put their feet in the river, the waters of the Jordan upstream piled up and the water flowing downstream was cut off. The priests stood in the middle of the Jordan with the ark of the Lord and all Israel hurried across the Jordan on dry ground. The Lord had Joshua choose a man from each tribe to take up a stone from the middle of the Jordan where the priests stood with the Ark. The chosen representatives from each tribe collected a stone from the middle of the Jordan and carried it to the other side. Through these events the Lord exalted Joshua so that Israel revered Joshua as they had revered Moses.  (Joshua 3:14-4:14). 

After this the Lord told Joshua to command the priests with the ark to come up out of the Jordan. They did and when the priests set their feet on the dry ground the waters of the Jordan returned to flood stage. Israel camped at Gilgal and there was no turning back now. Joshua set up the twelve stones from middle of the Jordan as a sign and as a memorial (Ex. 12:26–27; Dt. 6:20–25). When their descendants asked the meaning of the stones they were to say that the Lord dried up the Jordan for Israel to cross over just as He did to the Red Sea when Israel came out of Egypt. This would demonstrate the power of Lord to the peoples of the earth and it would remind Israel to fear the Lord their God. The memory of these acts of God on Israel’s behalf would help to further shape Israel’s identity as God’s people. When the Amorite and Canaanite kings heard that the Lord had dried up the Jordan and Israel had crossed over they lost their courage to face the Israelites. These kings knew about the Lord’s mighty act, but instead of fleeing to him in faith, as Rahab had done, their rebellious hearts sank in fear and they were immobilized (2:10; 11:20).

Now before Israel could receive the land they were promised in the Abrahamic covenant they would need to receive the sign of that covenant (Genesis 15:18-19). After all, God had said that if an Israelite male failed to receive the sign of the covenant then they had broken the covenant (Genesis 17:14). So the Lord had Joshua circumcise the Israelite men because the men who were circumcised had all died in the desert for not obeying the Lord. Joshua circumcised the sons of those who died in the desert, and they stayed in the camp until they were healed. The Lord said to Joshua, “Today I have rolled away the reproach of Egypt from you.” Now the ‘Covenant Community’ stood in the land ready to take possession of it. No one in Egypt could now say that the Lord had delivered Israel out of Egypt only to kill them in the desert (Exodus 32:12, Numbers 14:13-16). The Lord had rolled away the reproach of Egypt from Israel so the place was Gilgal (Hebrew for ‘roll’). Then while they were camped the time came to celebrate the Passover. So the Israelites celebrated the Passover. The day after they ate the ‘Passover’ the Lord stopped supplying manna for the Israelites and the Israelites started eating the produce of Canaan. The celebration of Passover reminded the Israelites that they began their journey with God through his Passover. The years of eating manna ended and they tasted the food of their promised land, but now they must take possession of their inheritance.

Rahab and the Spies (Joshua 1-2).

Background Story: God promised to bless the world through Abraham’s descendants. They multiplied in Egypt but became enslaved until God called Moses to lead Israel out of Egypt. God delivered Israel leading them out of Egypt through the ‘Red Sea’ on dry ground. The Lord led Israel by the pillar of cloud and fire and miraculously provided them ‘food and water’ in the desert. At Mt. Sinai the Lord established His covenant with Israel and gave them the 10 commandments. Israel fell into idolatry by making a ‘golden calf’, but Moses pleaded with the Lord and the Lord forgave the Israelites and promised to go with them. That generation came to the border of their ‘Promised Land’ but they refused to enter. So the Lord said that generation would wander forty years and die in the desert but their children would enter the land. Later when the second generation came to a place where there was no water they gathered against Moses and Aaron. The Lord told Moses to speak to the rock and water would pour out for the people and their livestock but Moses said, “Listen, you rebels, must we bring you water out of this rock?”  Then Moses struck the rock twice and water gushed out. So the Lord told Moses and Aaron that they would not enter the land because they failed to honor the Lord as holy before Israel. Aaron died on Mount Hor and Moses transferred Aaron’s priestly garments to Aaron’s son, Eleazar.  Then a Canaanite king attacked Israel and captured some of them. So the Israelites vowed to destroy them if the Lord would deliver them into Israel’s hands. The Lord did this and Israel completely destroyed them.

When it was time for Moses to die the Lord had Moses commission Joshua as Israel’s new leader.  The Lord would go before Israel and destroy the land’s inhabitants and Joshua would lead them into the land the Lord promised their forefathers. Moses climbed Mount Nebo (Deuteronomy 32:48–52) and there the Lord gave Moses a vision of the land but he would not be able to physically enter in. Moses dies and the Lord buried Moses in an unknown grave somewhere in Moab (Deuteronomy 34:1–12). There had never been a prophet in Israel who knew the Lord face to face like Moses and who did such miraculous signs and wonders before Egypt and in the sight of all Israel. This brings us to the story of Rahab and the Israelite spies (Joshua 1-2).

Rahab and the Israelite Spies.

There had never been a prophet in Israel who knew the Lord face to face like Moses did. Moses had led Israel to the border of Canaan, but now the Lord’s faithful servant is dead. Now Joshua as Israel’s leader was to get the people ready to cross the Jordan and enter Canaan as the Lord had promised Moses. The Lord promises that He would be with Joshua as He had been with Moses and to never leave or forsake Joshua. Therefore Joshua is to be strong and courageous and lead Israel into the land the Lord swore to their forefathers. However, Joshua was to meditate day and night on the ‘Book of the Law’ that God gave Moses and to be careful to do everything written in it. The Lord would be with Joshua so Joshua need not be afraid or discouraged (Joshua 1:1-9). 

The people commit themselves to do what Joshua says to do and to go where Joshua says to go. They commit to obey Joshua as they claimed they fully obeyed Moses (Joshua 1:17). Hadn’t their obedience to Moses been somewhat questionable? Isn’t their perception of their own faithfulness distorted?  Well compared to their parents who died in the wilderness; they were relatively faithful. Then in the recent events there was less rebellion than at previous times (Numbers 21:1-3). So now the second generation out of Egypt commits to do what Joshua commands and go wherever Joshua sends them. What they request is that the Lord be with Joshua as He was with Moses and that Joshua be ‘strong and courageous’ (Joshua 1:16-18)!

Joshua sends two men and not twelve to spy out Canaan. The spies stay at the house of a Canaanite prostitute named Rahab. When the king of Jericho finds out about this he sends a message telling to Rahab to bring out the men because they were spying out their land. The king sees these men as a threat to Jericho but Rahab aligns herself with Israel and their God over against Jericho’s king. Rahab hides the two Israelite spies and deceives the messengers of Jericho’s king so that they leave the city to search for the spies. Rahab knew where they were from and that they were hiding in her house. While the ethics of her tactics have been debated but what is clear is that her allegiance was to Israel and their God. Rahab feared the Lord more than she fears the king of Jericho and she actually sought to preserve the lives of those spying out the land to destroy it (Joshua 2:1-11).

 Rahab confesses her belief to the spies that the Lord would give Israel the land of Canaan. She says her whole country was melting with fear because they knew how the Lord dried up the Red Sea when Israel came out of Egypt and how more recently Israel had completely destroyed the kings of the Amorites. She goes on to acknowledge that the God of Israel is God in heaven above and on the earth below. Then she pleads that the Israelites spare the lives of her family and her whole household.  Rahab had protected them so now they assure Rahab that they will do the same for Rahab when the Lord gives them the land. Then Rahab let them down by a rope through the window in her house which was built into the wall.  Rahab tells them to go hide in the hills for three days until those pursuing them return to Jericho, then they could go on their way back to the Israelite camp .  

The oath would be binding as long as Rahab tied a scarlet cord in her window, and keep her family inside her house during the attack. Rahab agreed and she tied the scarlet cord in her window and she sent the spies to hide in the hills until their pursuers returned to Jericho without finding them. After this the two men went and told Joshua son of Nun everything that had happened to them. They told Joshua that the Lord had surely given them the land because all the people in the land were melting in fear because of the Israelites. A Canaanite prostitute may seem like an unlikely person to come to Israel’s aid. But, Rahab hid the spies and sent those searching for them off in another direction. Her testimony that her whole country was melting with fear encouraged the Israelites that God was working behind the scenes on their behalf. That Rahab lied to protect the spies creates an ethical tension which the story does not resolve. The story highlights Rahab’s confession showed she feared Israel’s God. The New Testament goes on to tell us in James that by concealing the spies and sending them off in a different direction Rahab demonstrated that she had faith. Also the writer of Hebrews tells us that Rahab welcomed the spies by faith and she was not killed with those who were disobedient.

James 2:25–26 (NIV84) ²⁵ In the same way, was not even Rahab the prostitute considered righteous for what she did when she gave lodging to the spies and sent them off in a different direction? ²⁶ As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead.

Hebrews 11:31 (NIV84) ³¹ By faith the prostitute Rahab, because she welcomed the spies, was not killed with those who were disobedient. 

Moses Dies; Joshua Succeeds Moses (Deut.31-34).

Background: God promised to bless the world through Abraham’s descendants who multiplied in Egypt but became enslaved. God called Moses to lead them and God delivered Israel out of Egypt leading them through the ‘Red Sea’ on dry ground while drowning the Egyptian army. The Lord led Israel by the pillar of cloud and fire and miraculously cared for them despite Israel’s grumbling. At Mt. Sinai the Lord established His covenant with Israel and gave them the 10 commandments. Israel fell into idolatry by making a ‘golden calf’, but Moses pleaded with the Lord and the Lord forgave the Israelites and promised to go with them (Ex. 34:1-9). The Lord lead the Israelites to the border of their promised land and they ‘twelve spies’ into Canaan. The spies confirmed that it was a land flowing with milk and honey (Numbers 13-14), but some of the spies spread a ‘bad report’ and Israel refused to enter the land. That generation would wander forty years and die in the desert but their children would enter the land. Then when the Israelites tried to enter Canaan without Moses and against the Lord’s decision the Canaanites living in the hills came down and attacked the Israelites and beat them back at Hormah (14:39-45). The Lord confirmed that the priests must descend from Aaron by causing the earth to swallow those opposing Aaron and by causing Aaron’s staff to miraculously blossom and produce almonds (16-17).

After Miriam, Moses’ sister, died the second generation came to a place where there was no water. They gathered against Moses and Aaron so the Lord told Moses to speak to the rock and water would pour out for the people and their livestock to drink. But Moses said, “Listen, you rebels, must we bring you water out of this rock?”  Then Moses struck the rock twice and water gushed out. However, the Lord told Moses and Aaron that they would not enter the land because they failed to honor the Lord as holy before Israel. Aaron died on Mount Hor and Moses transferred Aaron’s priestly garments to Aaron’s son, Eleazar.  When a Canaanite king attacked Israel and captured some of them the Israelites vowed to destroy them if the Lord would deliver them into Israel’s hands. The Lord did and Israel completely destroyed them. These were the very people that had driven the Israelites back forty years earlier when the first generation tried to enter the Canaan without Moses and against the Lord’s command (Numbers 14:44-45, 21:4-5). Then when some of the Israelites complained against Moses and against the Lord the Lord sent venomous snakes that bit the people and many Israelites died. They confessed their sin and asked Moses to pray to the Lord to take away the snakes. Moses prayed and the Lord told Moses to make a snake and put it up on a pole. Moses made a bronze snake and put it on a pole and all who looked to the bronze snake on the pole lived (Jn. 3:14–15). This brings us to the story of the ‘death of Moses’ (See Deuteronomy 31-34).

Moses Dies and Joshua Succeeds Moses.

Moses’ life task had come to an end (1:37–38; 3:23–29). He was 120 years old and no longer able to lead Israel but only because he had failed to honor the Lord as holy at Meribah. Not Moses, but the Lord would cross the Jordan and destroy the inhabitants of the land. God would go before Israel so Israel was to trust God and be courageous (6, 8). This was something they had failed at badly in the past (1:26–36).  With God promising to go with them and to destroy the land’s inhabitants Israel was to do all that Moses had commanded and they were to take possession of the land. They were to rid the land of its idolatrous worship and keep God’s covenant (Deuteronomy 31:1–8).  

The Lord would go before Israel and Moses’ aid, Joshua, would cross over the Jordan and would lead them. Moses exhorts the Israelites to ‘be strong and courageous and not to be afraid of those in the land’. They need not be afraid because the Lord their God was with them (Numbers 14:6-9) and He would never leave them nor forsake them (Deuteronomy 31:5-6, Hebrews 13:5). Then Moses exhorts Joshua before all Israel to ‘be strong and courageous’ Joshusa was to go with Israel into the land the Lord swore to give their forefathers and he was to divide it among the Israelites as their inheritance. Why should Joshua not be afraid to lead Israel into the land and take possession of it? Joshua need not be afraid for the same reason he and Caleb were not afraid to take the land forty years earlier. The Lord their God was with them (Numbers 14:6-9) and would not leave or forsake him (Deut. 31:5-6, Hebrews 13:5).  

Moses would soon die so the Lord had Moses commission Joshua as Israel’s new leader.  Moses and Joshua went to the ‘Tent of Meeting’ and the Lord appears in the ‘pillar of cloud’ (15). The Lord spoke to Moses first saying that while Moses would rest with his fathers the Lord would bring Israel into the land He promised their forefathers. Yet, despite God faithfulness the Israelites would turn to other gods and forsake the Lord’s covenant (16). Then the Lord spoke to Joshua commanding him to be courageous (23). Joshua had demonstrated this courageous faith when he wanted to take possession of the land forty years earlier (Nu. 14:30, 38).

The Lord would go before Israel and destroy the land’s inhabitants and Joshua would lead them into the land the Lord promised to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Then Joshua would divide the land among them and they would eat their fill and thrive there. The Lord would fulfill His promises but Israel would prostitute themselves to other gods and break God’s covenant. As a result the Lord would turn His face from Israel and disaster would fall on Israel. Now despite this the Lord exhorts Joshua to be strong and courageous to bring the Israelites into the land and encourages Joshua that the Lord will be with him. 

Moses climbs to the top of Mount Nebo in obedience to God’s command (32:48–52). There the Lord gave Moses a vision of the land but he would not be able to set foot on it. The time had come for the promise to Abraham to be fulfilled but Moses would only get a glimpse of the land (4; Gen. 12:1; 15:7). It was now time for Moses to die, but his death was no tragedy. Moses was still strong (7, 10–12) and he had lived faithfully before God. Moses’ eyes are strong enough to see the land but he dies without being able to physically enter in. The Lord buries Moses outside of Canaan in an unknown grave somewhere in Moab. Moses was 120 years old and his body was strong enough to climb Mount Nebo and his eyes were strong enough to see the land from afar. Then the Israelites, who had been such a frustration to Moses, grieved for Moses for thirty days (Deuteronomy 34:1–12).

Israel’s new leader Joshua was filled with the spirit of wisdom because Moses had laid his hands on Joshua. So the spirit of wisdom was upon Joshua and as a result the Israelites listened to Joshua as he exhorted Israel to obey the word of God given to Moses. There had never been another prophet in Israel who knew the Lord face to face like Moses. No prophet ever did such miraculous signs and wonders as the Lord did through Moses in the land of Egypt and no leader demonstrated such power as Moses did in the sight of all Israel. There was no one like Moses, neither before nor after, whether as prophet or as powerful leader—that is until the coming of the prophet ‘like Moses’ the Lord Jesus Christ (Deuteronomy 18:15, Acts 3:22-23).

Moses Strikes the Rock (Numbers 20-21).

Background: God promised to bless the world through Abraham’s descendants who multiplied in Egypt but became enslaved. God called Moses to lead them and God delivered Israel out of Egypt leading them through the ‘Red Sea’ on dry ground while drowning the Egyptian army. The Lord led Israel by the pillar of cloud and fire and miraculously provided ‘manna and water from a rock’ despite Israel’s grumbling. At Mt. Sinai the Lord established His covenant with Israel and gave them the 10 commandments. Israel fell into idolatry by making a ‘golden calf’, butMoses pleaded with the Lord and the Lord promised to go with Israel and to forgive them (Ex. 34:1-9). The Israelites set out from Sinai in their tribal divisions with the ‘Ark of the Covenant’ before them and the eventually came to the the border of their promised land. They sent ‘twelve spies’ into Canaan who confirmed that it was a land flowing with milk and honey (Numbers 13-14). But ten of the spies spread a ‘bad report’ and the community refused to enter the land. So the Lord said that generation would wander forty years and die in the desert and that their children would enter the land that they had rejected. Then the Israelites tried to enter Canaan without Moses and against the Lord’s decision the peoples living in the hills came down and attacked the Israelites and beat them back at Hormah (14:39-45). Then Korah and his followers lead a rebellion against Moses and Aaron, but the earth opens up and swallows them and the Lord confirms that the priests must come from Aaron’s line by causing Aaron’s staff to miraculously blossom and produce almonds (16-17).  This brings us to the story of ‘Moses striking the Rock’ (Num. 20-21).

Moses Strikes the Rock and Snakes Strike Israel.

Miriam, the sister of Moses and Aaron, dies marking the end of the generation that couldn’t enter Canaan. The second generation comes to a place where there was no water and thinking they would die they gather against Moses and Aaron. Almost forty years has been wasted (Numbers 33:38) and yet the second generation apparently haven’t learned from their parents sins. So Moses and Aaron fall on their faces before the Lord at the ‘Tent of Meeting’. The Lord tells Moses and Aaron to take the staff and gather the people before the rock. Moses is to speak to the rock and water will come out for the people and their livestock to drink. They gather at the rock and Moses said, “Listen, you rebels, must we bring you water out of this rock?”  Moses strikes the rock twice and water gushes out for the people and their livestock to drink. Before the previous generation Moses had been to strike the rock (Exodus 17:6). Here Moses is told to speak to the rock and his words suggest that Moses was the one bringing out the water (Numbers 20:10). Moses had been told at one time to strike the rock But the Lord told Moses and Aaron, “Because you didn’t trust me enough to honor me as holy in the sight of the Israelites, you will not bring the Israelites into the land I give them.” These were the waters of Meribah or quarrelling, because the Israelites quarreled with the Lord and the Lord showed himself as holy.  

After this Moses sends messengers to the king of Edom asking to let Israel pass through your country. Yet, Edom comes out with a large army and Israel turns away. The Israelites come to Mount Hor, near the border of Edom. The Lord says it is Aaron’s time to die. So Moses takes Aaron and Eleazar, Aaron’s son, up Mount Hor as commanded by the commanded. On the mountain, Moses removed Aaron’s garments and puts them on Eleazar. Aaron dies and when Moses and Eleazar come down the mountain the people mourn for Aaron thirty days. The Lord did not allow Aaron to enter Canaan yet Aaron was privileged die in peace having seen his son succeed him as priest. Aaron accepted the Lord’s decision and the Lord graciously let Aaron die peacefully there on the mountain. God dealt severely with His prophet Moses and His high priest Aaron, but Aaron comes across as being content with the Lord’s decision. The Lord held His appointed leaders to a high standard which He continues to do today (James 3:1).

Next we find a Canaanite king attacking Israel and capturing some of them. Israel vows to destroy these Canaanites if the Lord would deliver them into Israel’s hands. The Lord gave the Canaanites over to them and Israel completely destroyed them. These were the very people that had driven the Israelites back nearly forty years earlier. This time, however, Israel relied on God and the place was named Hormah or destruction. This was the very place where the first generation tried to enter the land against the Lord’s command and they were driven back (Numbers 14:44-45, 21:4-5). They rely on the Lord to fight for them but they’re still inclined to complain. Having to travel around Edom some of the Israelites say, “Why did you bring us up out of Egypt to die in this desert? There is no bread or water here and we hate this miserable food!”  The Lord sends venomous snakes that bit the people and many Israelites died. They confess their sin and ask Moses to pray to the Lord to take away the snakes. Moses prays and the Lord tells Moses to make a snake and put it up on a pole. Moses makes a bronze snake and put it on a pole. All who were bitten that looked to the bronze snake lived. Jesus compared this incident to his being lifted up on the cross, so that whoever looks away from self to Jesus in faith shall live (Jn. 3:14–15, 2 Cor.5:21). 

Korah's Rebellion and Aaron's Staff (Numbers 16-17).

Background: God promised to bless the world through Abraham’s descendants who multiplied in Egypt but became enslaved. God called Moses to lead them and God delivered Israel out of Egypt with many ‘miraculous signs’. The Lord led Israel by the pillar of cloud and fire and miraculously provided ‘manna and water from a rock’ despite Israel’s grumbling. At Mt. Sinai the Lord established His covenant with Israel and gave them the 10 commandments. Israel fell into idolatry by making a ‘golden calf’, but Moses pleaded with the Lord and the Lord promised to go with Israel and to forgive them (Ex. 34:1-9). The Israelites set out from Sinai in their tribal divisions with the ‘Ark of the Covenant’ before them and the pillar of cloud above them. However, the journey was a difficult one and the Israelites complained about their hardships (11:1) and even claimed they were better off in Egypt.  Moses began to see his calling as a burden, so the Lord anointed seventy of Israel’s elders with His Spirit to help Moses. (Ex. 18:13–26, Num. 11:24–30). They came to the border of their promised land where the ‘twelve spies’ confirmed that Canaan was a land flowing with milk and honey (Numbers 13-14). Caleb and Joshua believed they could take possession of the land, but the others spies spread a ‘bad report’ and the community refused to enter Canaan. So the Lord said that generation would wander forty years and die in the desert and that their children would enter the land that they had rejected. Then the Lord struck the ten spies who gave the ‘bad report’ with a plague and they died. When the Israelites heard of this they tried to enter Canaan without Moses and without the ‘Ark of the Covenant’ but the peoples living in the hills came down and attacked the Israelites and beat them back (Num. 14:39-45). This brings us to the story ‘Korah’s rebellion’ and the ‘budding of Aaron’s staff’ (Num. 16-17).  

Korah's Rebellion and the Budding of Aaron's staff:

The Levite, Korah, and his followers Dathan and Abiram and 250 Israelite leaders rose up in opposition to Moses’ leadership and Aaron’s priesthood. They claimed the whole community was holy and that Moses and Aaron had set themselves above the Lord’s people. Just prior to this the Israelites had failed to enter their promised land so the Lord said that generation would wander forty years and die in the desert. Also the ten spies who stirred the rebellion were struck with a plague and died. When the Israelites heard of this they tried to enter Canaan without Moses and the ‘Ark of the Covenant’ but they were driven back. Moses responds by falling facedown, and then Moses tells Korah and his followers that the Lord would reveal who He had chosen to draw near the Lord as priest. Korah and his followers were to put fire and incense in their censers and the Lord would chose who the one who was holy. According to Moses it was Korah and his followers who had banded together against the Lord and they were trying to get control of the priesthood.

When Moses summoned Korah’s collaborators, Dathan and Abiram, refused to come. They even claimed that Moses had brought them out of a land flowing with milk and honey only to kill them in the desert. They shift the blame for not entering the Promised Land to Moses and accuse him of trying to make them his slaves. This angered Moses who asked the Lord not to accept their offerings for he had not wronged any of them. So Korah stood with his followers at the Tent of Meeting in opposition to Moses and Aaron. Then the glory of the Lord appeared to the assembly and the Lord told Moses and Aaron to separate from the assembly so the Lord could put an end to the people. Yet, Moses and Aaron fell face down and cried out, “O God, will you be angry with the entire assembly when one man sins?”  The Lord said that the people were to move away from the tents of Korah, Dathan and Abiram. Then Moses said that if Korah and his followers died in an ordinary way then the Lord had not sent Moses. But if the earth swallowed them then these men had treated the Lord with contempt. Immediately, the earth opened swallowing Korah and his followers and the Israelites fled, shouting, “The earth is going to swallow us!” Then fire came out from the Lord and consumed the 250 men offering the incense.

This dramatic display confirmed that God had called Moses to lead Israel and that Aaron was God’s chosen priest. Eleazar, Aaron’s son, was to remove the censers from smoldering remains and hammer the censers into sheets to overlay the altar. This would be a sign to remind the Israelites that only the descendants of Aaron were to burn incense before the Lord. Yet, after all this the Israelites grumbled and even claimed that Moses and Aaron had killed the Lord’s people. Then the glory of the Lord appeared and the Lord told Moses that He would put an end to the people. Once again, Moses and Aaron fell facedown. Then Moses told Aaron to take his censer and put incense and fire from the altar in it and to hurry to the assembly to make atonement for the people. Aaron ran into the midst of the assembly and offered the incense and the plague stopped. Aaron stood between the living and the dead and the plague stopped. Yet, 14,700 people died from the plague, in addition to those who had died because of Korah.

After this the Lord told Moses to collect the staffs of the leaders of Israel’s twelve tribes. They are to write their names on their staffs and Aaron’s name was to written on the staff of Levi. Moses placed the staffs in the Tent of Meeting and the staff of the man the Lord would choose would sprout. This was to end the constant grumbling against Moses. The next day Moses retrieved the staffs from the tent of meeting and Aaron’s staff had sprouted, blossomed and produced almonds. Aaron’s staff was to be placed in front of the Testimony as a sign to the rebellious. This end the grumbling against the Lord, so that the people wouldn’t die! Moses did as the Lord commanded and the Israelites thought that they were all going to die.

In the story the Lord confirmed Aaron’s priesthood by causing the earth to swallow Korah, Dathan and Abiram and fire to consume the 250 Israelite others who opposed Moses and Aaron. Is this the indicator of those who have been chosen by God? Should we expect the dramatic destruction of those who oppose us? Perhaps our attitude towards those who oppose us is a better indicator that we are Lord’s people. The first thing Moses did when he faced opposition was to fall on his face before God (Numbers 16:4). Then when Lord told Moses and Aaron to separate from the people so He could can put an end to them Moses and Aaron fell face down and cried out, “O God, will you be angry with the whole assembly when one man sins? (Numbers 16:22)” Moses gave the people the opportunity to separate themselves from the tents of Korah, Dathan and Abiram. Then after the earth swallowed these men and fire consumed the 250 others the Israelites claimed that Moses and Aaron had killed the Lord’s people. Again the Lord tells Moses and Aaron to separate from the people so He could put an end to them. What did Moses and Aaron do? Moses told Aaron to take his censer and offer the incense in the midst of the assembly to make atonement for the people. Aaron did this and the plague stopped. So Moses and Aaron didn’t seek the destruction of those opposing them, rather they desired that they be reconciled to God. The Lord further confirmed the priesthood of Aaron by causing Aaron’s staff to sprout, blossom and produced almonds.  Aaron’s staff testified that Israel could only approach God through God’s designated high priest. In the new covenant—we are to draw near to God through our high priest, that is Christ the Lord.