Joshua: Servant of the Lord Lesson 7

Overview

The Land Allotted, the Promise Kept

Joshua 13–19 records the careful distribution of Canaan among the twelve tribes. To modern readers, the genealogies and boundary lines may feel tedious, but to Israel each detail was a treasure—visible proof that the God who had spoken to Abraham, Moses, and their fathers had now placed them in the land He had sworn to give. The summary verdict comes in Joshua 21:45: "Not one word of all the good promises that the LORD had made to the house of Israel had failed; all came to pass." The promised land itself was small—roughly the size of New Hampshire—yet strategically set as a land bridge among continents, what Ezekiel 5:5 calls the center of the nations. Through this small piece of ground, God was paving the way for the Seed, the Lord Jesus Christ.

From Earthly Soil to a Heavenly Inheritance

Scripture itself reinterprets the land in light of Christ. Jesus never speaks of a future restoration of territory to the Jewish people; He directs hope toward His second coming. After Pentecost, the apostles take the Old Testament language of "land," "rest," and "inheritance" and apply it to the eternal kingdom. Peter speaks of "an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you" 1 Peter 1:4. Hebrews tells us a Sabbath rest still remains for the people of God Hebrews 4:1-11, and that Abraham himself looked beyond Canaan: "He was looking forward to the city that has foundations, whose designer and builder is God… they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one" Hebrews 11:8-16. Even the promised land, as Peter reminds us, will one day be dissolved with fire along with the rest of creation, giving way to the new heavens and new earth 2 Peter 3:10-12.

Who Is Israel?

A careful reading of the New Testament redefines not only the land but the people. Paul declares, "If you are Christ's, then you are Abraham's offspring, heirs according to promise" Galatians 3:26-29. John the Baptist warned that physical descent from Abraham guarantees nothing, for God can raise up children to Abraham from stones Luke 3:8. When Paul writes that "all Israel will be saved" Romans 11:26, the context points to all the elect—Jew and Gentile together in Christ. The "forever" of Genesis 13:15 uses a Hebrew term that often denotes an indefinite period, and the promise of land was historically fulfilled under Joshua, lost in exile, regained under Cyrus, and ultimately reinterpreted by Jesus and the apostles as a new heaven and new earth.

A Pastoral Word

It is right to feel affinity for the places where Jesus walked. But we must not confuse the modern political state of Israel (formed in 1948) with the Israel of Scripture, nor treat the Middle East as a problem to be solved by claims of divine real estate. Theologies popularized by John Darby and the Scofield Bible in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries layered an incorrect biblical reading over what the church had long recognized as a political question—and that mistake has only made matters worse. The faithful response is to hold fast to what Scripture actually teaches: God keeps His promises, Christ is the true Heir, and our citizenship and inheritance lie in the heavenly country He has prepared. Live, then, as strangers and pilgrims, in lives of holiness and godliness, waiting for the day of God.

Transcript

Good morning. 7s

Let's join together, please, in a word of prayer. 10s

Gracious Heavenly Father, we give you thanks for this opportunity to open up the pages of 13s

Scripture. 19s

We know that the voice that we hear is your voice. 19s

And so bless we pray this time in your Word to your glory and your praise in Jesus' 22s

name. 28s

Amen. 29s

Well, last week we took a look at the longest day that is recorded. 31s

And we also took a look at the subject of divine warfare. 38s

Divine warfare. 42s

In other words, those passages in which God says, I want you to wipe them out. 44s

I want you to destroy them. 50s

And we said, what is the basis for that or why does that happen? 54s

We see in Scripture that God has every single right to end the time of grace when God so chooses. 62s

We saw continued rebellion. 73s

We saw the patience of God wanting the people to repent. 75s

But we also saw a lack of repentance. 79s

And so God indeed has every single right to enter into the actions that He did. 81s

We also saw the destructions of the pagans in Canaan as a prefiguration of the destruction 88s

of all unbelievers at the end of the world. 96s

In other words, we live in a period of God's patience. 99s

We know that indeed there will be a time when the time of grace comes to an end in the second coming. 103s

We understand that the term is storing up eschatological wrath. 112s

Eschatology has to do with things of the end times. 118s

And so the time of grace will come to an end. 122s

It comes to an end when a person dies. 126s

In other words, there's no chance to be a believer. 129s

If you're an unbeliever once you die, it comes to an end when our Lord Jesus comes to an end. 132s

So we see in the destruction of pagan Canaan a prefiguration of what will come. 140s

We also saw paving the way to the seed. 148s

The ultimate air of the land as we studied last week is the Lord Jesus Christ. 151s

And we saw our Lord paving the way for the Lord from that land would save the world. 157s

Well, today I want to focus with you on chapters 13 to 19. 165s

What you have in these chapters is you have the land allotment then to the 12 tribes of Israel. 170s

The shape and size of the promised land is really relatively small. 179s

It's basically about the size of New Hampshire. 184s

New Hampshire isn't that wide swath of soil there. 187s

So the promised land is really relatively small. 193s

Though tiny in territory it has loomed large, large over the centuries. 198s

It provides a land bridge that connects Europe, Asia, and Africa. 206s

So it has an incredible importance simply in the geographical location of where the land is. 213s

Ezekiel, the fifth chapter, says, this is Jerusalem. 221s

I have set her in the center of the nations with countries all around her. 225s

As you go through chapters 13 and 19, on one aspect one might say, this is a little bit tedious. 233s

As you go through these chapters, the Israelites would have delighted in every single detail. 239s

Because it was a fulfillment of the promises of God and they would have delighted in those details. 246s

Well, what's the message here of these chapters? 255s

The first message is that God keeps His promises. 260s

Let's go to Joshua chapter 21, Genesis Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy, then Joshua, Joshua 21, verse 45. 270s

Joshua 21, 45. 293s

And there we read, not one of all the good promises that the Lord had made to the house of Israel had failed. 298s

All came to pass. 310s

And so as the people are in the promised land, as there's the allotment of the land here, we see here that the Israelites, 314s

in all of these details as you get in these chapters here of the land allotments, they would have delighted in every single detail. 322s

Because God was faithful to His promises. 329s

So the message then is these chapters is God is faithful to His promises. 335s

There is also an anticipation of the Messiah. 340s

Joshua points ahead to Christ. 346s

In fact, all of Scripture points ahead to Christ. 350s

Luther described in typical Luther language, he described the Scriptures as, 355s

it's a cattle prod that pushes you to Christ. 361s

Luther would sometimes you'd kind of want to say, take the edge off of that one, Martin, you know, a little bit. 366s

But all of Scripture pushes and points to the Lord Jesus Christ, pointing to Him who would spring up from the land, 372s

and the people of Israel. 383s

We see though in Scripture that that tiny little bit of land about the size of New Hampshire, 387s

that tiny bit of land will one day be consumed with fire with the rest of the world. 392s

So all of the importance of that land, it will be consumed along with the rest of the earth. 400s

Let's go to 2 Peter, please. 406s

Chapter 3. 409s

Go to find 2 Peter, go to the last book, Revelation, and slowly work your way backwards. 410s

You'll cross over the Johns, and then you'll get the 2 Peter. 417s

2 Peter, chapter 3, verses 10 and 12. 420s

But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a loud noise, 438s

and the elements will be dissolved with fire, and the earth, and everything that is done on it will be disclosed. 447s

Since all these things are to be dissolved in this way, what sort of persons ought you to be in leading lives of holiness and Godliness? 458s

Waiting for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be set ablaze and dissolved, 466s

and the elements will melt with fire. 474s

But in accordance with his promise, we wait for new heavens and a new earth where righteousness is at home. 477s

The Old Testament in Heritans 10 will bow and fade before the greater inheritance. 487s

Let's go to 1 Peter, chapter 1, verse 4. 494s

Now let's go to verse 3. 500s

Verse 1, verse 3. 503s

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. 508s

By His great mercy He has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 513s

and into an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, 520s

who are being protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. 533s

So that tiny little earthly territory, that tiny little spot about the size of New Hampshire, 545s

that strategically important spot simply as you look at the geography of it, 552s

that spot in that land where the Savior would come and be born and reconcile the world, 558s

that land too will be dissolved with fire on the last day. 566s

We have an affinity with that land, the Holy Land, don't we? And for good reason. 575s

Many people will travel to the Holy Land and say it was really an amazing, amazing experience to walk where Jesus walked, 584s

to see the land here that Jesus would have seen. 595s

There is an affinity to that land, but we dare not harbor unscriptural understandings with regard to the land. 603s

We dare not harbor unscriptural understandings with regard to the land. 617s

Who owns the land now? Who owns the land? Well, I'm not going to touch on the political problem because that's out of my scope. 626s

It's out of my scope. But I am going to touch on a theology that is incorrect with regard to the land. 639s

Because that's in my scope. That's in my scope. 651s

So I'm not going to touch on the political problem because that's a political problem. 656s

And the role of a pastor is not to preach politics. 662s

Because if you preach politics, then it's just the say of myself, right? Instead of the say of the Lord. 668s

So I want to look at not the political problem in the Middle East, but I want to look at an incorrect theology with regard to the land. 679s

And how that incorrect theology is making the political problem worse. 694s

So let's start with the question. Who's Israel? Who's Israel? People will say that the land belongs to Israel. 705s

That God had made the promise, this is your land. It's your land. That the land belongs to Israel. 719s

So who's Israel? Scriptureally speaking. 728s

Let's go to Romans 11th chapter. Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, Acts, and then Romans. 734s

Romans 11, verse 26. 740s

And I want to reiterate the point that I just made. As we go through this, understand I am not addressing the political problem in the Middle East. 745s

I'm addressing an incorrect theology with regard to the land. 760s

So we got that, we got that firm, right? We got a firm. 768s

Because I want to stay within my scope. 773s

Chapter 11 of verse 26. It says, and so all Israel will be saved as it is written. 777s

Out of Zion will come the deliverer. He will banish ungodliness from Jacob. 785s

There are some that maintain that there will be an ultimate return of the Jews to the land and a mass conversion of the Jews to Christ. 793s

They maintain that, and then they pull Scripture. The problem with it is, is a Scripture that they're pulling from Old Testament, our passages, 806s

that has been fully satisfied in the return of Israel from Babylonian captivity. 815s

It's fully satisfied by that. And they're fully satisfied in terms of the preservation of the nation in anticipation of the offspring, Capillot, to come the Lord Jesus Christ. 822s

So who then, or who is Israel here, and what does it mean? So all Israel will be saved. 836s

Does that mean then that there's going to be this mass conversion here of Jews to Christ? 846s

In the context here, what you're talking about in terms of all Israel is all of the elect. 855s

All that are in Christ, both the Jew and Gentile. Look at verse 25, please. 863s

So that you may not claim to be wiser than you are, brothers and sisters, I want you to understand this mystery. 870s

A hardening has come upon part of Israel until the full number of the Gentiles has come in, and so all Israel will be saved. 876s

So who then is all Israel? 889s

Well, we see defined in the New Testament that all Israel is the followers of the Lord Jesus Christ. 893s

Go to Galatians, please, chapter 3, 1st and 2nd Corinthians, then Galatians. Galatians chapter 3, verse 26. 901s

For in Christ Jesus, you are all children of God through faith. 920s

As many of you were baptized into Christ have clothed yourself with Christ. 927s

There's no longer Jew or Greek. There's no longer slave or free. There's no longer male and female. 932s

For all of you are one in Christ Jesus, and if you belong to Christ, now catch this, then you are Abraham's offspring, heirs according to the promise. 939s

So who then falls under the banner of Abraham's offspring? 953s

But all that are in the Lord Jesus Christ. 958s

So who's Israel in accordance with the New Testament? 965s

Where Israel? Where Israel? 973s

So often what is associated is that land mass called Israel is Israel, but theologically who's Israel? 979s

All of us are Israel. 989s

Look at Luke the third chapter, please. Matthew, Mark, and then Luke, Luke chapter 3, verse 8. 995s

John the Baptist says, bear fruits worthy of repentance. 1015s

Do not begin to say to yourselves, we have Abraham as our ancestors. I tell you God's able from these stones to raise up children to Abraham. 1019s

And so God has raised us up, He has given us faith. And so who is Israel then? 1027s

Well, where is Israel? The Christian church, the New Testament defines it. 1035s

There's a theology that says that Palestine belongs to the Jews forever. 1042s

And what they'll do is they'll go back to Genesis the 13th chapter. 1052s

So let's turn there, Genesis chapter 13. 1056s

Genesis chapter 13, verse 15. 1062s

Here the Lord is speaking to Abraham. 1068s

And Genesis 13 verse 15, it says, 1073s

for all the land that you see, I will give to you and to your offspring forever. 1079s

And so this theology that says that the land belongs to Israel forever, they say, 1088s

because Genesis chapter 13, verse 15 says it's for ever. 1100s

Here's the problem. 1108s

That Hebrew word in many contexts, including I would argue here, means an indefinite period of time. 1110s

It does not mean forever in an absolute understanding. 1121s

It's not the meaning here of the Hebrew word. 1129s

The Israel of today has no continuity with the Israel of Scripture. 1134s

Has no continuity to it. 1145s

So when people say the land belongs to Israel, well, the Christian's response is, well, who's Israel? 1149s

What we see defined in a New Testament is, where is Israel? 1163s

Where is Israel? 1168s

And when you look back at that word in Hebrew there, it's an indefinite period of time. 1169s

Okay, let's layer this a little bit. Let's go deeper. 1175s

The question of who owned Palestine was answered politically in 7080. 1179s

That's when the Romans absolutely crushed Jerusalem, absolutely crushed it, and the Romans were in charge. 1186s

Whoever had the military might or the diplomatic ability over history has owned the land. 1196s

So in 7080 when the Romans come in and they flatten, they own it. 1206s

That was military might there, or you see other times in which there's diplomatic ability in terms of the ownership of the land. 1212s

That was the common understanding of the ownership of the land until 1840. 1220s

And a guy by the name of John Darby, who was a minister in England, 1230s

John Darby maintained that Palestine's ownership needed to be answered, theologically. 1242s

He didn't see it as a political problem. 1254s

He saw it as, no, I'll tell you right now, who the owner is, and that's answered theologically. 1257s

Hence you had in 1840 with John Darby the introduction of an incorrect theology to the question of land ownership. 1266s

Up until that point, up until that point, in the history of the church here, up until that point, 1281s

the church believed, including Lutherans by the way, that land ownership was a political issue, it was political. 1293s

It's a political problem, it's a political issue. 1301s

Darby says, no, no, it's a theological issue. 1304s

Then you have a guy, last name is Skofield. 1307s

Have you ever heard of the Skofield study Bible? 1313s

Yeah, don't use it. 1318s

Skofield maintained that God had permanently given the land to the Jews. 1324s

So until Darby and Skofield here, it's a political problem that the church looked at it. 1331s

There's millions and millions of Christians, well, let's focus it in the United States. 1341s

Millions of Christians today that hold and embrace the idea that the ownership of the land is determined 1348s

theologically, not politically. 1359s

So now you have an incorrect theology layering over a political problem, and it makes it worse. 1368s

It makes it worse. 1382s

Because it's not a theological problem, it's a political one. 1386s

Now, when Jesus speaks about the land, he makes no reference to it ever being restored to the Jews. 1396s

There's not one reference where Jesus was ever considered about that. 1406s

What he taught was, look forward to the day of the second coming of the Messiah. 1411s

That's what he focused on. 1420s

And when you look at the disciples, after the coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, their language changes. 1424s

They start using the Old Testament language. 1431s

They start using the Old Testament language concerning the land in a different way. 1434s

So take a look at 1 Peter again, chapter 1. 1445s

Go to Revelation, then work backwards, 1 Peter chapter 1, verse 4. 1450s

And into an inheritance, so this is a new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you. 1467s

The land after the Spirit is given, you see the language change, Old Testament image reused, but the land is redefined, and the land is redefined to heaven. 1485s

Let's go to Hebrews, the 4th chapter. 1500s

We'll just turn right next door. 1503s

Hebrews chapter 4, verse 1. 1505s

Therefore, while the promise of entering his rest is still open, let us take care that none of you should seem to have failed to reach it. 1518s

For indeed, the good news came to us just as to them, but the message they heard did not benefit them because they were not united by faith with those who listened. 1525s

For we who have believed enter that rest, just as God has said, as in my anger I swore, they shall not enter my rest, though his works were finished at the foundation of the world. 1537s

For in one place it speaks about the 7th day as follows, and God rested on the 7th day from all his works. 1551s

And again, in this place it says, they shall not enter my rest, since therefore it remains open for some to enter it, and those who formally receive the good news fail to enter because of disobedience. 1557s

Again, he sets a certain day, today, saying through David much later, in the words already quoted, today if you hear his voice do not harden your hearts. 1570s

First Joshua had given them rest, God would not speak later about another day. 1583s

So then, a Sabbath rest still remains for the people of God. For those who enter God's rest also cease from their labors as God did from us. 1590s

Let us therefore make every effort to enter that rest so that no one may fall through such disobedience as theirs. 1601s

The lands being redefined here, the lands being redefined not as dirt, the land is being redefined as heaven. 1610s

Look at Hebrews 11, verse 8, Hebrews 11, verse 8. 1622s

By faith, Abraham obeyed when he was called to set out from a place that he was to receive as an inheritance, and he set out not knowing where he was going. 1634s

By faith, he stayed for a time in the land he had been promised, as in a foreign land living in tents, as did Isaac and Jacob, who were heirs with him of the same promise. 1645s

For he looked forward to the city that has foundation whose architect and builder is God. 1656s

By faith, he received power, appropriation, even though he was too old, and Sarah herself was barren because he considered him faithful, who had promised. 1662s

Therefore, from one person, and don't you love the description here, and this one is good as dead, descendants were born as many as the stars of heaven as innumerable grains of sand by the seashore. 1673s

All of these died in faith without having received the promises, but from a distance they saw and greeted them. 1685s

They confessed that they were strangers and foreigners on the earth. For people who speak in this way make it clear that they're seeking a homeland. 1693s

If they had been thinking of the land that they had left behind, they would have left had opportunity to return. 1701s

But as it is, they desire a better country. That is a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, indeed he has prepared a city for them. 1708s

So what you see then is Jesus never talks about a return of the Jews to the land. What you see is that the disciples redefining Old Testament language, redefining the land to heaven. 1726s

And what you see in this incorrect theology is you see a confusion of terms. One of the terms that we see in Scripture are the signs of the world. 1739s

The Israelites. That's a term that defines the worship Yahweh, the Lord, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. 1755s

Then you have Hebrews. That was the term that the Israelites used of them cells to identify themselves to non-Israelites. 1765s

So you've got the Israelites and then you've got this communication of who they were to non-Israelites. Then you've got the term Jew. 1779s

Jew is understood. You can understand it via ethnicity. You can also understand it as an adherent to Judaism. 1789s

Judaism is not the Christ-centered faith of the Old Testament. Judaism was a later development. It's not the Christ-centered faith that you see in Scripture. 1799s

And then you have an Israeli. Israeli is a citizen of Israel that was formed in 1948. When the UN formed the current state of Israel, that's 1948. 1817s

So what you have in this incorrect theology is you have the understanding of the Israelites as being the same thing as the Israelis. They're not. They're not. 1845s

Israel was formed in 1948 by the UN. There's no connection between current Israel and this. No connection here. 1860s

The incorrect theology it conflates those and says that the promises to the Israelites are applicable to the Israelis. There's no connection between the two. 1873s

Israel's. Professor Reed Lansing is a Missouri Senate theologian. He puts this very succinctly what we're talking about today. He writes this quote. 1893s

There is no suggestion that Jesus or the apostles believed the Jewish people still have a divine right to the land. Or that the Jewish possession of the land would be an important let alone central aspect of the world. 1908s

I catch this. The land was promised to Abraham. Taken possession under Joshua. Lost in the Assyrian and Babylonian exiles. 1931s

Regained by Judah under Cyrus's decree in 538 BC. And catch this. And reinterpreted by Jesus, Paul and others as a new heaven and a new earth. 1949s

Spod on. Spod on. Here's the point. The situation in the Middle East is a political problem. It is not a theologically solvable problem. 1973s

And when a false incorrect theology is laid over a political problem, it makes it worse. 1996s

We'll continue on. Next week. 2014s

You 2025s