The Deep End

When Recitation Time Becomes Shoutin’ Time

Now these are the kings of the land, which the children of Israel smote, and possessed their land on the other side Jordan toward the rising of the sun, from the river Arnon unto mount Hermon, and all the plain on the east:

Joshua 12:1

Joshua Chapter 12 reads, at least at first glance, like a mere itemization of the kings and cities which Joshua and his people had managed to defeat, but it starts out talking about victories that happened way before the crossing of the Jordan and the victory of Jericho.

Sihon king of the Amorites, who dwelt in Heshbon, and ruled from Aroer, which is upon the bank of the river Arnon, and from the middle of the river, and from half Gilead, even unto the river Jabbok, which is the border of the children of Ammon;

Joshua 12:2

And the coast of Og king of Bashan, which was of the remnant of the giants, that dwelt at Ashtaroth and at Edrei,

Joshua 12:4

These victories went back to the time of Moses. Sihon and Og were mighty kings who had been defeated on the eastern side of the Jordan.

Them did Moses the servant of the Lord and the children of Israel smite: and Moses the servant of the Lord gave it for a possession unto the Reubenites, and the Gadites, and the half tribe of Manasseh.

Joshua 12:6

Two and a half tribes of the 12 tribes of Israel would continue living on what might not technically be the “promised” land of Canaan proper, but would nevertheless be a fertile and blessed location. It was very wise for the Holy Spirit to have Joshua remind the people (and us) of their importance. Sadly, as Christians, we still struggle at times with a spirit of divisiveness or factionalism. We have a human tendency toward cliqueishness and alliance-forming. Please remember that God’s Church – and the local church to which you belong – is not made up of identical carbon copies. The worldwide Christian Church includes people from all nationalities, locations, and different cultures. The local church to which you belong might very well be made up of people from different backgrounds, economic classes, skin colors, and even secondary beliefs. The eastern tribes were still Israelites, still God’s people. Fellow Christians who disagree with you on what to wear, styles of music, or some worship preferences, are still your brothers and sisters in Christ. Some things can’t be peaceably disagreed upon in ministry – Jesus as God, the Virgin Birth, the Bible as the Word of God, God as creator of the world – but don’t try to exclude true Christians who don’t think about every questionable issue exactly like you do.

Starting in Joshua 12:7,  the rest of the chapter is a list of conquered kings and geographical areas that were conquered, and, despite a little poetical flair at the beginning, you could be excused for thinking this is somewhat tedious…

In the mountains, and in the valleys, and in the plains, and in the springs, and in the wilderness, and in the south country; the Hittites, the Amorites, and the Canaanites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites: The king of Jericho, one; the king of Ai, which is beside Bethel, one; The king of Jerusalem, one; the king of Hebron, one; The king of Jarmuth, one; the king of Lachish, one; The king of Eglon, one; the king of Gezer, one;

Joshua 12:8-12

… and so forth. If you were called upon – as a somewhat disinterested third party – to pray a public prayer of thanksgiving about these tremendous, miraculous, victorious blessings, these fulfillments of ancient promises, these wonderful works of God, you might just say, “Thank You, Lord, for all that You’ve done. Thank You for giving those people victory over Canaan.” I know I’m guilty of praying that way at times. However, if you or your loved ones had been in the actual battles, if you personally stood to inherit Arad or Adullam or Bethel, you wouldn’t be so concise or cavalier. Let somebody ask me about the time God healed my daughter, or the time my wife and I didn’t know how we would pay our house note or buy groceries until God suddenly provided, or the time we went to 14 churches trying to find out where God wanted us to be until He brought us to the perfect place for us, or the time that He arranged the complex and intricate surgery that saved me from going blind! Somebody who didn’t know me or hadn’t experienced those things with me might get bored hearing me recite the things God has done in my life, but I wouldn’t! Part of Joshua 12 may seem about as inspiring as a grocery list or as exciting as the outline for an AP History study guide to some people, but it’s really a praise song! We might read it in a monotone, but for Joshua and the Israelites, this was shoutin’ time! For the Israelites standing victoriously in Canaan land, this was like a combination of your most exciting childhood Christmas morning and the reading of your rich uncle’s will in which he gave you the best property you could ever dream of having. This is like the day you tore up your mortgage or the day one of your children for whom you had been praying for decades finally came to Christ! Maybe we should be more specific, detail-oriented, and even long-winded in our prayers – both the requests and the thanksgiving sections.