'The Stoning of Stephen' (Acts 6-7).

Background Story:

God called Abraham promising him a homeland and multiple descendants to bless the world. Abraham’s descendants multiplied but they became enslaved in Egypt. God called Moses, who led Israel out of Egypt to Mt. Sinai where God formed them into the ‘Nation of Israel’. God led them into their land under Joshua and later God promised David a ‘perpetual kingship’ over God’s people. David’s son, Solomon built the Temple as a dwelling for God, but he also introduced an idolatry that led to the scattering of the ‘Northern kingdom’ by the Assyrians and the exile in Babylon of the ‘Southern Kingdom’. When the Persians conquered the Babylonians they let the Jews return to their land but they remained under Pagan rule. God’s people longed for a ‘conquering king’ and God sent Jesus. Jesus was ‘anointed by the Spirit’ at his baptism. He overcame the Devil’s temptations and proclaimed the ‘Kingdom of God’. He gathered a ‘new people (12)’ around himself and when they recognized his Messianic identity he went to Jerusalem where he was enthroned as ‘KING of the JEWS’ on a cross. Yet, God raised Jesus from the dead. Jesus showed his disciples that he was alive and then he ascended into heaven. From there Jesus poured out the Holy Spirit to empower his disciples to be his witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth. 

The apostles, Peter and John, healed a crippled beggar in the temple courts and explained that the man had been healed ‘in the name of Jesus’. Peter told the religious leaders that they had crucified Jesus, but God had raised him from the dead. This message continued to spread and the number who believed continued to increase. The religious leaders forbid that the apostles teach or preach in the name of Jesus in an effort to stop the message from spreading. But Peter and John had to obey God and couldn’t stop speaking about Jesus. In the previous story we saw what happened to ‘Ananias and Sapphira’ who lied to the Holy Spirit (Acts 4-5). Now we look at the story of the ‘stoning of Stephen’ (Acts 6-7). Watch the story here and read the comments below.

Stephen tells Israel's Story:  Their numbers were increasing, and they distributed food with their widows daily. However, things were not perfect for some widows were being favored and others were being neglected. So the apostles came up with an idea but trusted the community to settle the matter. The community was to select spiritually wise representatives to distribute the food fairly. They chose Stephen, he was a man full of the Spirit and wisdom, and 6 others who the apostles laid hands on and prayed for. In this way the ‘word of God’ spread and their numbers continued to increase. The early followers of Jesus shared their resources and lived as the extended family of Abraham. They had problems for some of their widows were being neglected in the distribution of food. The apostles let the people chose seven who were known to be full of the ‘Spirit and wisdom’ to take on this responsibility. The apostles had been doing the work themselves and yet there were still problems.  The crisis served to prioritize the ministry of the ‘word of God and prayer’ for the apostles (5:20). The community chose seven who were full of the ‘Spirit and wisdom’.  This was spiritual work and apostles set them apart by laying hands on them and praying for them. In this way the ‘word of God’ spread and their numbers continued to increase (Acts 6:1-7).

One of the seven was Stephen, a man full of God’s Spirit, wisdom, grace and power. Stephen did ‘signs and wonders’ but some from a local Synagogue opposed Stephen. They couldn’t stand up to Stephen’s wisdom or to the Spirit by which he spoke so they seized Stephen and brought him before the religious authorities. They got some false witnesses to testify that Stephen never stopped speaking against the temple and the law. They also claimed that Stephen said that Jesus would destroy the temple and change the Mosaic Law. Yet, Jesus said that he came to fulfill the law and that the temple would be destroyed within a generation (Matt. 5:17, 24:2, 34). So Stephen stood without fear before the religious leaders, with his face shining like that of an angel. Stephen defended himself by telling Israel’s story beginning with God’s covenant with Abraham. Stephen retells Israel’s story showing how their fathers rejected both Joseph and Moses who God used to rescue them. Moreover, Stephen connects the Abrahamic covenant with the story of the Exodus, and his story culminates in his vision of Jesus.

Stephen emphasized how God called Abraham in Mesopotamia to leave that country and that people to go to the land God would show him.  Abraham obeyed and after his father died God sent him to the land where Stephen and his hearers were living. Abraham had no land and no children, but he had God’s promise that he and his descendants would possess the land. This would not be until after 400 years in a land not their own where they would be enslaved. Yet, God would punish their oppressors and they would return to the land to worship God. God gave Abraham the ‘covenant of circumcision’ and when Abraham became the father of Isaac and he circumcised Isaac on the eighth day. Isaac became the father of Jacob, and Jacob became the father of Israel’s twelve patriarchs. The patriarchs were Israel’s fathers but they sold their brother Joseph to be a slave in Egypt out of jealousy. However, God was with Joseph and caused the Pharaoh to put Joseph in charge of all Egypt. Then when a famine struck Egypt and Canaan, Jacob sent their fathers to Egypt to buy grain. On their second trip to Egypt, Joseph revealed his identity to his brothers. Joseph sent for his father Jacob who brought his whole family, 75 in all, down to Egypt where Joseph could take care of them. God used Joseph, who they rejected, to rescue them and preserve their family. They settled in Egypt and died there, but they were brought back and buried in Canaan in the tomb Abraham had bought in Shechem.

The crucial moments in Israel’s nearly 2000 year history revolved around God calling Abraham, the calling of Moses, the Exodus and the giving of the law. In addition God uniquely shaped the lives of Joseph and Moses in order to rescue Israel. Again, Stephen tells this story to indicate how Moses, like Joseph, was Israel’s rejected rescuer. Stephen also pointed out how God called the place where God revealed Himself and His saving purpose ‘holy ground’. The Israelites multiplied in Egypt but they became enslaved by a Pharaoh who didn’t know Joseph. This Pharaoh forced them to throw out their newborn babies and this is when Moses was born. Moses was protected by his parents for three months then he was then placed outside. Pharaoh’s own daughter recused Moses and raised him as her own son in all the wisdom of the Egyptians. 40 years later, Moses saw an Egyptian beating an Israelite. He killed the Egyptian and he thought the Israelites would realize that God was using him to rescue them but they didn’t. The next day Moses tried to reconcile two Israelites who were fighting, but the Israelite who was in the wrong said, ‘Who made you ruler and judge over us?  Do you want to kill me like you killed the Egyptian?’  So Moses fled Egypt and settled in Midian, and another 40 years had passed when the Lord called Moses from the flames of a burning bush near Mount Sinai. The Lord revealed Himself to Moses as the God of his fathers, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and he told Moses to take off his sandals because he was standing on holy ground. God went on to say that He had seen the oppression of His people in Egypt and He had come down to rescue them. They had rejected Moses but God would send the very same Moses back to Egypt to deliver Israel out of Egypt (Acts 7:17-34). Moses did signs and wonders, leading Israel out of Egypt, through the Red Sea and for 40 years in the desert.

This is the Moses who was with the Israelites in the assembly in the desert and who God spoke to on Mt. Sinai giving him living words to pass on to them. Again, Stephen emphasizes how their fathers had rejected Moses and the law. The rejected Moses who had fled to Midian was called by God to return to Egypt to rescue Israel. Moses delivered Israel out of Egypt and he was given words of life, referring to the 10 commandments. But Israel turned back to Egypt in their hearts when they had Aaron make an idol for them to worship. This would happen again and God would carry them away into exile in Babylon. Stephen points out that they did this even though they had the tabernacle with them. Under Joshua they brought the tabernacle with into the land they took from the nations God drove out before them. The tabernacle remained in the land until David asked to build a house for the God of Jacob, though it was Solomon, David’s son, who would build the temple. While the temple was a more permanent dwelling for God, but Stephen points out that no man-made temple could contain the Lord of heaven and earth. Stephen concluded by saying that his hearers were no different than those who had persecuted the prophets. They were like those who killed those who predicted the coming of the ‘righteous one’ for they had murdered Jesus. They were stiff-necked, uncircumcised in heart and resistant to the Holy Spirit. They had the law but they didn’t obey it. His hearers were enraged but Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit, saw heaven open and Jesus standing at the right hand of God. Refusing to listen, they dragged Stephen out of the city and they laid their coats at the feet of a young man named Saul. As they were stoning him to death Stephen, in imitation of Jesus, prayed, “Lord, receive my spirit” and, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them.” (Acts 7:39-60).

Those opposing Stephen had descended from Abraham, but they weren’t obeying God like Abraham. They had accused Stephen of speaking against the law but they were being like their forefathers who had rejected Moses and the commandments God. Instead of acting like heirs of the Abrahamic covenant they were the heirs of those who persecuted the prophets and killed those who foretold the coming of the righteous one. They were like those who had the tabernacle in the wilderness but God wasn’t with them. For the ‘Most High’ doesn’t live man-made temples for the prophets had said that Heaven is God’s throne, and the earth is God’s footstool. Stephen’s vision demonstrates that the temple was superseded by Jesus. The high priest and the religious leaders condemned Stephen but Stephen’s Daniel 7 like vision of Jesus showed that Israel’s history culminated in Jesus and that Jesus stood as Stephen’s advocate. The story shows how important it is to be able to tell the story of Jesus as the climax of the Old Testament story. Then with the story of Jesus as the foundation, the ongoing story of the church is the continuation of the Jesus story.

'Ananias and Sapphira' (Acts 4-5).

Backstory: God called Abraham promising him a homeland and multiple descendants to bless the world. Abraham’s descendants became slaves in Egypt, so God called Moses, who led Israel out of Egypt to Mt. Sinai where God formed them into the ‘Nation of Israel’. God led them into their land under Joshua. Later God found David to be a king after His heart so He promised David a ‘perpetual kingship’ over God’s people. David’s son, Solomon built the Jerusalem Temple as a dwelling for God, but he also introduced an idolatry that led to the ‘Northern kingdom’ being scattered by the Assyrians and the ‘Southern Kingdom’ being ‘exiled in Babylon for 70 years’. The Persians conquered the Babylonians and let the Jews return to their land but they remained under Pagan rule. God’s people longed for a ‘conquering king’ to liberate them. God sent Jesus, who He ‘anointed by the Spirit’ at his baptism, and who overcame the Devil’s temptations. Jesus proclaimed the ‘Kingdom of God’, gathered a ‘new people (12)’ around himself and once they recognized his Messianic identity he went to Jerusalem where he was enthroned as ‘KING of the JEWS’ on a cross. Yet, God raised Jesus from the dead and Jesus showed himself alive to his disciples before he ascended into heaven. From there Jesus poured out the Holy Spirit, empowering his disciples to be his witnesses in Jerusalem, all Judea, Samaria, and to the ends of the earth. The apostles, Peter and John, amazed the people by healing a crippled beggar in the temple courts. Peter explained that the man had been healed ‘in the name of Jesus’ who they had crucified, but whom God raised from the dead. They acted in ignorance but the ‘prophets’ had foretold that the Christ would suffer so they were to ‘repent and turn to God’. Peter said that Jesus would remain in heaven until he returned to restore all things. Now number believed was over 5000 and when the religious leaders heard Peter’s preaching Jesus, they put Peter and John in prison. When questioned, Peter and John said that it was by the ‘name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth’ that the man was healed and that there was ‘no other name by which we can be saved’. To stop this message from spreading, the religious leaders forbid that they teach or preach in the name of Jesus. But Peter and John had to obey God and couldn’t stop speaking about Jesus. The crowd was praising God so the leaders didn’t know what to do. They threatened the apostles and let them go. When Peter and John told their fellow believers what happened they prayed and God shook the place where they were and they were filled Holy Spirit, and they spoke the word of God boldly. This brings us to the story of ‘Ananias and Sapphira’ from Acts 4-5 which you may watch here and read the comments below.

Ananias and Sapphira: Now we find all the believers were together and unified. They shared everything in common and the apostles testified powerfully about the resurrected Christ.  Some believers even sold their houses and their land and gave the money to the apostles to be distributed to those in need (4:34). These believers shared everything in common and they were God’s ideal community. God had established the ‘new covenant’ through Jesus and they were the renewed ‘covenant community’. Jesus had claimed to have brought about the Jubilee (Luke 4:18-19) and these believers are described in terms of the Jubilee (Deuteronomy 15:4) ‘there will be no needy person among you, because the Lord is sure to bless you in the land that the Lord your God is giving you.’ They were the true covenant community who had experienced the forgiveness of sins and who had been released from their debts (Luke 4, Isaiah 61). A man named Barnabas, a true Levite, sold some land and entrusted the proceeds to the Apostles. As a true priest among a ‘kingdom of priests’, Barnabas sold his property and the apostles shared the proceeds with those in need (Ex. 19:6, 1 Peter 2:9).

Ananias and his wife Sapphira also sold some land but claimed to give all the money from the sale to the apostles. But they kept some of the money for themselves which was revealed to Peter. Peter said, “Ananias, how is it that Satan has filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and to kept some of the money you received for the land for yourselves?”  Evidently, Ananias was trying to make it look like they were giving all the money from the sale to the church ?as Barnabas had. According to Peter, Satan had put it in Ananias’ heart to lie to the Holy Spirit so that Ananias had not lied to men but to God. Then Ananias mysteriously fell down and died and some young men came in, carried out Ananias’ body, and buried him. The result of all this was that ‘great fear’ seized all who heard about this.

According to Peter, the land and the money belonged to Ananias so it is not that Ananias had to do what Barnabas had done. The problem with Ananias and Sapphira was that they were deceiving the community and lying to God the Holy Spirit. Sapphira was unaware that Ananias had died so when Peter asked her about the price of the land she had the opportunity to tell the truth. Yet, she continued the lie, which according to Peter was ‘testing the Spirit of the Lord’. Peter, mysteriously, was made aware that Sapphira would suffer the same fate as her husband. She died and the young men who buried Ananias buried her as well. The result was that ‘great fear’ seized the whole church and all who heard about this (Acts 5:1–11). This story is similar to the story of Achan (Joshua 7). After the victory at Jericho, Achan had taken some of the things that were to be devoted to the Lord, and had kept them for himself. Achan’s deception, like that of Ananias and Sapphira, was exposed and a supernatural judgment resulted.

The apostles continued to perform ‘signs and wonders’ and the people held them in high regard. Due to the circumstances, people were fearful about joining them, and yet the number of those who believed increased. The people put their sick on mats in the streets hoping that if Peter’s shadow passed by them then they would be healed. Moreover, crowds from all around Jerusalem brought their sick and those tormented by evil spirits, and all of them were healed. The miraculous signs validated the apostle’s message, but the high priests and the religious leaders were filled with jealousy. They put the apostles in jail, but the Lord sent an angel who released them and told them to go into the temple to speak the message of ‘new life’ (5:12–16). In the morning the apostle went into the temple to teach he people while the religious leaders of Israel met to discuss the problem of the apostles. They sent to the jail for the apostles but they found the jail locked and guarded with no one inside. Then someone reported that the men they had put in jail were in the temple courts teaching the people. They had the apostles brought to the elders without using force for fear that the people might stone them. The high priest questioned the apostles about their filling Jerusalem with their teaching and that they were trying to make them responsible for Jesus’ death. The religious leaders feared the people, but the apostles feared and obeyed God rather than men! They testified that the religious leaders had hung Jesus on a tree, but that the God of their fathers had raised Jesus from the dead. Moreover, God had exalted Jesus to His own right hand as Prince and Savior that he might give repentance and forgiveness of sins to Israel. The apostles were witnesses of these things and so was the Holy Spirit, whom God gives to those who obey him (5:17–32).

The elders were furious and they wanted to kill the apostles. However, Gamaliel, a Pharisee respected by all the people, stood up and addressed them. Gamaliel gave two examples of men who led revolts but were killed so that their movements died with them. Gamaliel’s advice was to let the apostles go for if their purpose was of human origin it would fail. On the other hand, if it was from God then wouldn’t be able to stop it for they would be fighting against God.  Gamaliel persuaded them so they flogged the apostles, ordered them not to speak in Jesus’ name and let them go.  The apostles left rejoicing for being considered worthy of suffering disgrace for the name of Jesus. Moreover, despite the warning, the apostles went daily into the temple courts and from house to house proclaiming that ‘Jesus is the Christ’ (5:33–42).

These religious leaders, instead of being guardians of Biblical faith, they were actually opposing God and God’s people. They were filled with jealousy and they wanted to kill the apostles until Gamaliel intervened. Gamaliel’s wise words won the day so the elders took his advice and left the apostles alone. The story highlights how far we fall short of the example set by the early church. The unity of purpose and the care they had for one another puts us to shame. The generosity of Barnabas in selling his property and sharing the proceeds with the community should challenge our complacency. The powerful working of God’s Spirit and the bold proclamation of the apostle in the face of opposition even their glorying in suffering for Jesus should humble us. Let us to pray in the words of the psalmist, “will you not revive us again, that your people may rejoice in you?” (Psalm 85:6, NIV84)

Peter Heals a Cripple (Acts 3-4).

Backstory: God had called Abraham promising him a homeland and multiple descendants to bless the world. Abraham’s descendants became slaves in Egypt, so God called Moses to led Israel out of Egypt. At Mt. Sinai God formed them into the nation of Israel and eventually led them into their land under Joshua. Then God found a king after His own heart in David and promised him a ‘perpetual kingship’ over God’s people. David’s son, Solomon, built the Jerusalem Temple as a dwelling place for God, but his 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 taken into ‘Exile in Babylon for 70 years’. The Persians conquered the Babylonians and allowed the Jews to return to their land but Israel remained dominated by various Pagan empires. God’s people were waiting for God to send a conquering king to liberate God’s people and God sent Jesus. After being ‘anointed by the Spirit’ at his baptism, Jesus overcame the Devil’s temptations and he proclaimed 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. Three days later Jesus was ‘declared with power to be the Son of God by his resurrection from the dead’ (Romans 1:4). Then Jesus showed himself alive to his disciples and ascended into heaven. He told his disciples to wait in Jerusalem and then on the ‘Day of Pentecost’ God poured out his Spirit on disciples empowering them to be his witnesses. This brings us to the story of Peter healing a crippled beggar at the temple gates. Watch the story being told and read the comments below.

A Cripple is Healed: The apostles, Peter and John, were on their way to the temple to pray when a crippled beggar asked them for money. Peter tells the beggar that they didn’t have money but Peter tells the man, “In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk.” Then Peter helps him up by the hand. The man’s legs became strong so that the man was able to walk into the temple courts, jumping and praising God. Peter had something better than money and he didn’t even ask if the man wanted to be healed. Peter just told the man to get up in the name of Jesus and then Peter helped the man up and he was able to walk. Clearly the point of the story is that the ‘name of Jesus’ carries the restorative power of God.

The people recognized him as the cripple who normally begged at the temple gate and they were ‘filled with amazement’. They gathered around looking at Peter and John as if by their own power and godliness they had healed the crippled man. Peter wanted them to look to Jesus who the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob had glorified. They had turned Jesus over to Pilate who was willing to release Jesus but they had Pilate release a murderer instead. According to Peter, they killed the ‘author of life’ but God raised him from the dead. Peter and John were witnesses of this and the healing confirmed their testimony. It was not that Peter and John had special power or that the name of Jesus is magical. They trusted in Jesus who had the power and it was through faith in the name of Jesus that the man was made whole (3:16).

The God of the Abraham, Isaac and Jacob had glorified Jesus, who the people of Israel handed over to Pilate. They killed the author of life, but God raised him from the dead. Peter and John were eye-witnesses and the healed man validated their testimony. Peter said that Israel and their leaders had acted in ignorance but they were without excuse since the ‘prophets’ had foretold that the Christ would suffer. Therefore they were to ‘repent and turn to God’ and they would be forgiven and ‘refreshed’ by God sending the appointed Christ Jesus. For now Jesus would remain in heaven until his return at the time when God would restore all things. After his ascension, Jesus waits for the time to return to renew all creation and to make heaven and earth one as foretold by the prophets.

The Israel story was culminating in the Jesus story. Jesus was the prophet like Moses who would usher in an age foretold by all Israel’s prophets. The story of Jesus was the unexpected fulfillment of God’s promise to Abraham to bless ‘all peoples on earth’. The resurrection and ascension of Jesus was the culmination of the story told by all of Israel’s prophets. The appropriate response was to repent of their wicked ways and turn to the resurrected Jesus. Israel and their leaders had killed the Christ in ignorance, but they were without excuse for all the prophets had foretold these days.

The religious leaders heard Peter’s preaching of the resurrection of Jesus and they were greatly disturbed. Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, responded boldly by saying the crippled man had been healed in ‘the name’ of Jesus Christ of Nazareth. Many believed the message and the number of believers increased to over 5000. The religious leaders, however, put Peter and John in prison overnight.  The next day the religious rulers questioned Peter and John about the healing. Then Peter ‘filled with the Holy Spirit’ made it clear that all Israel needed to know that it was by the ‘name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth’ that the man stood healed. Moreover, the whole incident showed that there was salvation in no one else and that there was no other man by which we can be saved, other than the name of Jesus.

The religious leaders were astonished by the boldness of these two ‘unschooled ordinary’ men. They knew that their courage came from being with Jesus. Now they couldn’t deny that a miraculous healing had occurred because the man was standing right there. Peter had said that the miracle had been done in the ‘name of Jesus’; who they had crucified but whom God raised from the dead. To try to stop the message from spreading they threatened the apostles and forbid that they teach or preach in the name of Jesus. However, for Peter and John to obey the religious leaders would mean they would have to disobey God. So Peter and John said that they couldn’t stop speaking about what they had seen and heard. Now the crowd was praising God and the leaders didn’t know what to do. They threatened the apostles and let them go.

They were ‘untrained, ordinary men’ but they had the first-hand experience of being with Jesus and that was the source of their bold witness. They had a clear and focused way of understanding Israel’s story as culminating in Jesus. They proclaimed the risen Christ who had transformed them and they were not going to stop testifying about the Jesus they had seen and heard. The crowd was praising God and not knowing what to do the leaders further threatened them and then released them. Peter and John went and told their fellow believers all that had happened. They went to God in prayer and asked Him to continue to do miracles in Jesus’ name and to enable them to speak the word with boldness. God answered their prayers by shaking the place where they were and filling them with the Holy Spirit, so that they spoke the word of God boldly.

Ironically they don’t pray that the Lord would judge those who were threatening them. They didn’t pray that the opposition and the persecution would stop. They prayed, ‘Lord, please continue to work miracles in Jesus’ name and enable us to speak boldly and work powerfully among us.’ What they wanted was for God to miraculously work among them and that they would be enabled to speak of Jesus boldly and confidently. They wanted God’s powerful presence, shaking them up, filling them with the spirit, and giving them boldness. How should we respond to their example? Do we want and pray for what they wanted?

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.