The Shepherd - Re-connecting People to God - Joshua 8:30-35

Sermon Series: Great Leader, Exceptional Follower

My generation had a very unique opportunity probably unlike any other generation in history.  With the invention of Facebook my generation has had the opportunity to re-connect with people from our past in ways that no other generation before us has had.  And as history moves forward and the next generation gets older, because of social media like Facebook, they will never lose contact with people from their past the way that we have.  It’s actually a pretty amazing thing to be a part of if you think about it.  Losing a connection with a person is no longer a reality for many of us.  But the question that I think I begin to wonder about is how this new reality – this idea of never losing a connection with someone – will impact the way we think about our relationship with God.  Will the generation after us have a harder time understanding the idea of loss of connection and separation?  Will our generation take the idea of re-connecting with God lightly because of how easy it is to re-connect with others via Facebook?  You may think these are silly questions, but let me share this with you.  Some very quick, certainly non-comprehensive, research that I did this week (it actually took me only about two minutes) led me to find that God actually has at least four Facebook pages with a total of more than 5,053,000 ‘likes.’  That’s a lot of people!

The fear that I have for many non-believers and many who have no understanding of what the Bible teaches is that this will eventually become the means by which many people believe they are able to re-connect (or stay connected) with God – simply ‘like’ Him on Facebook.  This could eventually become one of the reasons that people believe they are rightly connected with Him.  It may not be long before we hear people believe that part of their salvation is connected to their Facebook relationship with God.  You might chuckle at this, but 10 years from now don’t be surprised if you hear people say, “Well, I’m basically a good person.  I think I’ve done more good things then bad things.  And I ‘liked’ God on Facebook.”

Here’s a brief explanation of what the Bible teaches.  The reality for all of us is that we are all separated from God.  But it is also equally true that we can all re-connect with God.  But the thing we need to reconnect with God isn’t Facebook!  So what is it that every person needs to re-connect with God?  That’s the question that we are going to try to address this week.  And I’m going to argue that in this passage we’ll see that there is one thing every person needs to re-connect with God.

After Joshua, the God-appointed shepherd over Israel, deals with Achan’s sin and causes God’s burning anger to be turned away from the Israelites he receives his next set of instructions from God.  God tells Joshua to take all the fighting men and to go to battle with Ai.  You’ll remember from chapter 7 that this didn’t turn out so well for the Israelites when they went to battle against Ai the first time, but our text also makes a pretty clear point.  In chapter 7 we don’t see any command of God to rise up against Ai and to take that city but in chapter 8 we do.  God tells Joshua to go to battle against Ai and that this time He would both be with him and would give the city and the king into Israel’s hands. 

So as the first part of Joshua 8 plays out in the text we see Joshua being exceptional in his obedience to God’s command and leading Israel in its first ‘real’ military battle and conquest.  The first part of Joshua 8 tells us that the Israelites, lead by Joshua and carrying out God’s instructions to them to the letter, experienced great success this time around and that they successfully conquered the city of Ai and destroyed all of its inhabitants (including its king). 

At verse 30 the author of our text transitions to a different account, and this is where we are going to be spending our time this week.  One of the things that we have noted throughout the first seven chapters of the book of Joshua is that as the shepherd of God’s people Joshua was far more of a spiritual leader than he was a military leader.  As the shepherd of God’s people he has been strong and courageous and perfect in his obedience which has allowed the Israelites to begin taking possession of their inheritance.  Joshua has twice consecrated the people and set them apart for God and His glory.  Joshua has helped instruct and lead the people in following after God’s presence and he has been responsible for dealing with the sins of the people.  All of these were acts not of a military leader, but of a spiritual leader of the people.  However, in the first part of chapter 8 Joshua was portrayed as a great military leader for Israel – leading them for the first time in the book of Joshua in an encounter with a clear military strategy and battle description.  But in the second part of chapter 8 he resumes his more important role of spiritual leader for the people of God.  [Read Joshua 8:30-35]

After Joshua and the Israelites defeated Ai, Joshua led the entire Israelite nation to a set of mountains – Mount Ebal and Mount Gerizim.  While a quick reading of the text certainly doesn’t raise any kind of question for those who are unfamiliar with the geography of the promise land, this does seem to be a rather unusual destination.  First of all these mountains were located approximately 20 miles north of the area where Ai was believed to have been located.  So there would have been what some may believe to have been some unnecessary travel.  There was also a major city – the city of Shechem – that was located very near to these two mountains, which would have posed as a potential threat to the seemingly vulnerable Israelite nation.  With those things in mind, Joshua’s leading of the Israelites to these two mountains becomes a little more intriguing.  Why would Joshua do such a thing?  The answer to this question appears to be located in Deuteronomy 27:4-7 and 12-13.  “And when you have crossed over the Jordan, you shall set up these stones . . . on Mount Ebal . . . And there you shall build an altar to the Lord you God, an altar of stones.  You shall wield no iron tool on them; you shall build an altar to the Lord  your God of uncut stones.  And you shall offer burnt offerings on it to the Lord your God, and you shall sacrifice peace offerings and shall eat there, and you shall rejoice before the Lord your God . . . When you have crossed over the Jordan, these shall stand on Mount Gerizim to bless the people . . . And these shall stand on Mount Ebal for the curse . . .”  [see also Deuteronomy 11:26-32]  Joshua lead the nation of Israel to these two mountains so that he might continue to follow God’s commands in complete obedience.  And it appears that coming off of a time when Israel had acted in disobedience and broken the covenant they had made with God that this was a necessary time of sacrifice and recommitment to faith and obedient living to God. 

When Joshua and the Israelites arrived at Mount Ebal the text tells us that Joshua built and altar and that he led the Israelites to offer upon that altar both burnt offerings and peace offerings.  Burnt offerings were offerings that served to atone for the sins of the one making the sacrifice.  Leviticus 1:4 tells us that the one making the sacrifice would place his hand upon the head of the animal being sacrificed which served as a sign of the transfer of sin.  The sacrificial animal would receive the sin of the one making the sacrifice and then die, having its blood shed as an atonement for the sin.  Then the animal would be burned completely upon the altar.  So by informing the reader that burnt offerings were offered up at Mount Ebal the author of our text helps us to understand that one of the things Joshua was leading the people to do at Mount Ebal was to atone for the sin that had been committed.  Peace offerings (also known as fellowship offerings) were not to be wholly consumed by fire.  When presenting a peace offering the fat, kidneys, and liver of the sacrificial animal were to be consumed by fire, but other portions of the sacrificial animal were to be eaten by the one making the sacrifice.  It was symbolic of the fellowship that one had with God.  So by informing the reader that peace offerings were offered up at Mount Ebal the author of our text helps us to understand that another one of the things Joshua was leading the people to do at Mount Ebal was to re-establish a right relationship of fellowship with God.

In Deuteronomy 17:14-20 we find some specific requirements that God laid out for future kings of Israel.  When we look specifically at verses 18-19 we find this, “And when he sits on the throne of his kingdom, he shall write for himself in a book a copy of the law, approved by the Levitical priests.  And it shall be with him, and he shall read in it all the days of his life, that he may learn to fear the Lord his God by keeping all the words of this law and these statutes, and doing them.”  Verse 32 suggests that Joshua had made a copy of the law for himself, just as the future kings were instructed to do.  And in continuing to be exceptional in following what Moses had commanded in Deuteronomy 27 Joshua set up some large stones (which he probably covered in plaster) and then wrote on them the Law of Moses [see Deuteronomy 27:2-3] – part of God’s command that was to be carried out when the Israelites arrived at Mount Ebal.  By keeping the Law of Moses before the people in this fashion, it would serve as an ongoing reminder of God’s person and character.  So we see Joshua, the shepherd of God’s people, leading the people to make atonement for their sin, to re-establish fellowship with God, and to continually remember God’s person and character. 

In the remainder of chapter 8 we see Joshua carrying out the last responsibility given by Moses in Deuteronomy – it was the responsibility of communicating God’s messages to His people.  The people in obedience to God’s command in Deuteronomy 27:11-13 divided themselves into two groups and gathered themselves around the presence of God as symbolized in the Ark of the Covenant.  When they had all gathered around Joshua pronounced God’s blessing on His people – a people who had once again gone through the process of setting themselves apart for God by atoning for their sin and renewing their fellowship with Him.  Joshua also reminded the people of God’s Law by reading for all of the people all of God’s words.  Joshua made sure that God’s message was made available to those born a part of the God’s people (the Israelites) and those who were born from another nation but had become a part of God’s people because of their faith in Him (i.e. the sojourner).  He made the message available to men and he made the message available to women and children as well.  All that God had communicated to His people through what Moses had written and recorded was read to the people, so that they could know their God, know His commands, and be reminded of His presence and work in the lives of His people throughout all of history. 

In the last part of chapter 8 the Israelites, through their shepherd, are able once again to re-connect to their God.  In chapter 7 Joshua, the Israelites’ God-appointed shepherd, dealt with their sin and turned the burning anger of God away from Israel.  Here, the God-appointed shepherd, in obedience to the command of God, provides a way for atonement for sin to be made and a means for renewed fellowship with God through the sacrifices.  He also keeps before them a testimony of their God and His character by writing down the Law of Moses and reading to all of them all of the words of God that had been written down by Moses.  The people of Israel were able to re-connect with God because sin had been dealt with, atonement had been made, and fellowship had been re-established – all because of the obedience and action of their shepherd.

Allow me to conclude this week by connecting some dots and demonstrating how the life of Joshua as the shepherd of God’s people in the OT continues to foreshadow the life of Jesus, the “Good Shepherd” whom God had promised to send.  Because God is perfectly holy and without sin, and because of the sin in our lives, all of humanity has been cut off from God.  And in the same way that God’s anger burned against all of Israel when Achan sinned in chapter 7, God’s anger burns against all of humanity because Adam, the first man, sinned and we have followed suit.  We are all sinners – all guilty of unrighteous acts – and we are all deserving of God’s wrath and eternal punishment as a result.  And what’s even worse is we are all without hope of being able to reconcile ourselves to God on our own.  But just as God was faithful to send Joshua to deal with the sin of the Israelites in chapter 7, God has been faithful to us and sent a shepherd to deal with our sin and the sin of all humanity.  We now have a hope because of Jesus, who is a perfect shepherd and was able to deal with sin, not by condemning the guilty like Joshua did, but by dying for the guilty.  The Bible tells us that Jesus came to rescue mankind from sin by taking the penalty for sin that we deserved and dying in our place.  On Mount Ebal Joshua led the people to atone for their sins by leading them to place their sins upon an imperfect substitute.  The shed blood of those bulls and lambs covered the sin that they had already committed, but it wasn’t able to cover over all of their sin.  When Jesus came to earth he ascended a different mount – Mount Calvary.  And there upon that mount the sins of all humanity were transferred to the only perfect sacrifice – Jesus, Himself.  There Jesus shed His perfect blood and died, making atonement for our sin.  Not an incomplete atonement like the atonement of the burnt offerings, it was one that was sufficient to cover over every sin that had been committed and that ever would be committed.  Ephesians 1:7 says, “In Him [Jesus] we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace . . .”  Jesus, hanging on the cross, suffered all of God’s burning anger toward humanity’s sin, and made it possible for God to turn His burning anger away from people.  Now because of Jesus’ death on the cross, we no longer have to remain separated from God.  Now we can once again re-connect with God and share an ongoing and eternal fellowship and relationship with Him.  Ephesians 2:19 says, “So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God . . .”   We can now know intimately who He is and gather in His presence as He makes Himself known to us.  But not because of anything we have done or can do – our re-connecting with God is solely the result of the work our “Good Shepherd,” Jesus, has done.

So let me ask you to consider a few questions.  Is there sin residing anywhere in your life right now?  Listen, if there is then I need to share with you this week some uncomfortable truths from the Bible.  The first is this – God hates sin.  Now make sure that you hear me rightly this week.  I didn’t say that God hates you - nothing could be further from the truth.  But God does hate the sin in your life, in fact the Bible teaches that God’s anger burns against those who have sin in their lives.  The second uncomfortable truth this morning – God deals justly with our sin by promising to judge it and condemn it.  God doesn’t weigh our good and bad deeds out on a balance to see which way the balance tips.  God requires a payment for our disobedience and the payment He has set forth is death and eternal separation.  So even just one sin makes you guilty in His eyes.  A third uncomfortable truth this morning – there is nothing that you can do on your own to earn God’s forgiveness or merit any favor with Him.  Once we commit a sin we become imperfect beings and there is no amount of good works that can make us perfect again.

Next question – if there is sin residing anywhere in your life right now, do you understand your need?  The Bible teaches that the need that each and every one of us has is the need to be rescued from the awful consequences that await us and to be restored into right relationship with God.  In order for that to take place we need forgiveness and salvation.  If we can’t accomplish that on our own as I mentioned just a moment ago, that means we need someone who can accomplish it for us.  We need someone who can rescue us from our sin and its consequences – we need a Savior. 

Don’t be discouraged by this bad news though, because the story of the Bible tells us that while we messed up God loved us enough to send that rescuer!  God wrapped His Son in flesh, sent Him to earth, and gave Him the command to go deal with our sin.  Jesus died a horrifying death on a cross to make the payment for the sins of all humanity.  On the cross Jesus suffered the wrath of God that we were deserving of.  In shedding His blood, Jesus once and for all, sufficiently atoned for our sins.  And because He lived a perfect life, Jesus is able to offer us the most unbelievable exchange – our sin for His perfect righteousness.  When we believe in faith that Jesus died in our place to pay the penalty for sin that we could not, then the Bible teaches that not only is Jesus’ death counted towards the one we deserve, but His righteousness is also credited to us.  So now when God looks upon us, instead of our sin He sees only the righteousness of His Son.  That grants us access once again into the presence of God and eternal fellowship with Him.