It is common in the circles of influence that surround me to hear a constant barrage of sermons, blog posts, books, etc, summoning listeners to see the OT of the bible through the lens of Christ. I love this focus and I believe this is exactly what Jesus did in Luke 24. Jesus called his disciples to understand that the OT has a center and it is not Abraham or Sinai, It’s Calvary. So in almost every “Tribe” within Christianity the theme of Christ-Centeredness has caught on. We Christians are starting to rediscover redemptive themes and a Conventional God that makes the OT something more than simple moral tales. But what I have found, is there is very little teaching on how to understand the non-redemptive themes and stories from the OT. Have you ever met the skeptic who struggles with the OT because of Israel being brought out of slavery or because of God’s love for the people and animals of Nineveh? No! The objections of skeptics and sadly many believers rise from clear and visible expressions of the wrath of God in the OT. So how is it we are supposed to understand books of the bible like Joshua?
First, it is important to note that the wrath of God in the OT is a pointer just like the redemptive themes in the OT. It is easy to see how Abraham and Issac point forward and outside of itself but very confusing to see the same with the Canaanite conquest. If we never get past being confused about God’s wrath, we miss beautiful realities of the Cross of Christ. We can say it like this: The visible expressions of God’s wrath in Joshua reveal to us the horror of human sinfulness, the horror of what Christ propitiated, and the love of God for the Glory of God.
So how does God’s wrath in Joshua show us the depth of human sinfulness? God’s wrath actually does a great deal to show human sinfulness because the bible teaches that God is just. As sinners we will naturally disagree with the bible when it tells us that the just punishment for sinning against God is death and eternal torment. We don’t believe we deserve wrath. “How is Joshua fair? How is Hell fair?” What wrath reveals is that we don’t really believe our crime deserves wrath. Let me try to explain in a way that will be helpful.
A few years ago there was a church building in our area that got broke into. Inside the church building was two older ladies who were volunteering in the church library. The two men who broke into the church beat up the old ladies and stole from them. I remember being so horrified that people could be as evil as to hurt these innocent old ladies. I was not alone. It seemed everyone at every little country breakfast place was talking about how horrible these two men were. I wonder? Would there have been the same outrage if the victim was a priest who was known to abuse young children? I would suggest to you the conversations at mom and pop breakfast would have been filled with similar but different passion. Can you hear people exclaiming “That priest finally got what was coming to him”. You see, we get more angry with the first scenario because of the greater innocence of the ladies. The greater the perceived innocence the angrier we are with those who would dare sin against it. Our problem? We don’t think God is that Holy and we don’t think we are that sinful. The wrath in Joshua and in Hell show us how horrific and guilty we are by the fact that they are just punishments. “Does that not just feel wrong inside of you”? We just don’t think our sin is THAT big of a deal.
But what about the cross. How does Joshua scream to us the love of God and point us to the cross? It helps me to understand what I deserved. It helps me to see the furious flood of God’s righteous wrath that Jesus took in my place. It gives insight to the reasons that the sinless savior would be sweating drops of blood in the garden. Jesus took my place! I am a man who deserves the book of Joshua and hell’s eternity. Christ lived and died for me. It is finished!
So?….. Gratitude! Worship! God has graciously saved me. Why are you reading this? If you are a non-Christian hear this. Jesus lived a substitute perfect live, died a substitutionary death, and was resurrected to insure that sinners will respond and worship God forever. By Grace, I pray that you respond in repentance and faith by trusting in Jesus life, death, and resurrection.
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