The Fall of Jericho

If you take your copy of Scripture and turn to the Old Testament, we're going to be in the book of Joshua this morning — chapter 6. I'm going to read the whole chapter. It'll take a few minutes, and then we'll jump in and begin the exposition of it.

So we have Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy, and then after that we have Joshua. In my Bible, it's around page 200. Joshua chapter 6.

I'll give you a few more seconds to get there. This is the Word of God, beginning in verse 1.

Now Jericho was shut up inside and outside because of the people of Israel. None went out and none came in. And the Lord said to Joshua, "See, I have given Jericho into your hand, with its king and mighty men of valor. You shall march around the city, all the men of war going around the city once. Thus shall you do for six days. Seven priests shall bear seven trumpets of rams' horns before the ark. On the seventh day you shall march around the city seven times, and the priests shall blow the trumpets. And when they make a long blast with the ram's horn, when you hear the sound of the trumpet, then all the people shall shout with a great shout, and the wall of the city will fall down flat, and the people shall go up, everyone straight before him."

So Joshua the son of Nun called the priests and said to them, "Take up the ark of the covenant, and let seven priests bear seven trumpets of rams' horns before the ark of the Lord." And he said to the people, "Go forward, march around the city, and let the armed men pass on before the ark of the Lord."

And just as Joshua had commanded the people, the seven priests bearing the seven trumpets of rams' horns before the Lord went forward, blowing the trumpets, with the ark of the covenant of the Lord following them. The armed men were walking before the priests who were blowing the trumpets, and the rear guard was walking after the ark while the trumpets blew continually. But Joshua commanded the people, "You shall not shout or make your voice heard, neither shall any word go out of your mouth, until the day I tell you to shout. Then you shall shout." So he caused the ark of the Lord to circle the city, going about it once. And they came into the camp and spent the night in the camp.

Then Joshua rose early in the morning, and the priests took up the ark of the Lord. And the seven priests bearing the seven trumpets of rams' horns before the ark of the Lord walked on, and they blew the trumpets continually. And the armed men were walking before them, and the rear guard was walking after the ark of the Lord while the trumpets blew continually. And the second day they marched around the city once and returned into the camp. So they did for six days.

On the seventh day they rose early, at the dawn of day, and marched around the city in the same manner seven times. It was only on that day that they marched around the city seven times. And at the seventh time, when the priests had blown the trumpets, Joshua said to the people, "Shout, for the Lord has given you the city! And the city and all that is within it shall be devoted to the Lord for destruction. Only Rahab the prostitute and all who are with her in her house shall live, because she hid the messengers whom we sent. But you, keep yourselves from the things devoted to destruction, lest when you have devoted them you take any of the devoted things and make the camp of Israel a thing for destruction and bring trouble upon it. But all silver and gold and every vessel of bronze and iron are holy to the Lord; they shall go into the treasury of the Lord."

So the people shouted, and the trumpets were blown. As soon as the people heard the sound of the trumpet, the people shouted a great shout, and the wall fell down flat, so that the people went up into the city, every man straight before him, and they captured the city. Then they devoted all in the city to destruction, both men and women, young and old, oxen, sheep, and donkeys, with the edge of the sword.

But to the two men who had spied out the land, Joshua said, "Go into the prostitute's house and bring out from there the woman and all who belong to her, as you swore to her." So the young men who had been spies went in and brought out Rahab and her father and mother and brothers and all who belonged to her. And they brought all her relatives and put them outside the camp of Israel. And they burned the city with fire and everything in it. Only the silver and gold and the vessels of bronze and of iron they put into the treasury of the house of the Lord. But Rahab the prostitute, and her father's household, and all who belonged to her, Joshua saved alive. And she has lived in Israel to this day, because she hid the messengers whom Joshua sent to spy out Jericho.

Joshua laid an oath on them at that time, saying, "Cursed before the Lord be the man who rises up and rebuilds this city, Jericho. At the cost of his firstborn shall he lay its foundation, and at the cost of his youngest son shall he set up its gates." So the Lord was with Joshua, and his fame was in all the land. Amen.

Let's pray together. Our great God, we come before you this morning and we praise your holy name. We ask, God, that you would show us who you are, that you would show us our sinfulness, that you would help us in our weakness, that you would encourage us in our faith, and that, most importantly, you would show us the glory of your Son. And it's in Christ's name we pray. Amen.

What comes to mind when you think of war? Armies, guns, death, the ruthlessness, the misery, the pain, the heartache of those families back home, the value of human life, the dignity of those who fight. I'm sure some of these things come to mind when you think of war. War is never pretty, is it? And though war is a result of the fall, God has used it throughout history for his own sovereign purposes. This morning in Joshua chapter 6, we're looking at the nation of Israel in war — what I just read about.

Now, the book of Joshua is all about land. In fact, the word "land" is used over a hundred times in the book. Back in Genesis, God promised Abraham a land — Abraham and his descendants — a land flowing with milk and honey. This was the promised land. And this promised land was a symbol of the garden, a paradise. So it looked back, but it also looked forward to that paradise in the new creation. This land in the book of Joshua looked back to the paradise, the garden that was lost in the beginning, but it looked forward to the promised land of the new creation.

So the book of Joshua is a big deal. In Deuteronomy, they were on the verge of the promised land. In Joshua, they actually take the promised land for the very first time. One of the three promises made to Abraham was actually fulfilled in this book — the promise of the land. So this book advances the storyline of Scripture.

I want you to flip over with me to chapter 1, verses 3 and 4. This is the promise — God is speaking to Joshua here, and he promises him the land. Chapter 1, verse 3: "Every place that the sole of your foot will tread upon, I will give to you, just as I promised to Moses. From the wilderness and this Lebanon as far as the great river, the river Euphrates, all the land of the Hittites to the great sea toward the going down of the sun, shall be your territory." So here God promises Joshua the land at the start of the book.

Now I want us to flip over towards the end of the book, to chapter 21, and let's read verses 43 and 44. "Thus the Lord gave to Israel all the land that he swore to give to their fathers. And they took possession of it and they settled there. And the Lord gave them rest on every side, just as he had sworn to their fathers. Not one of their enemies had withstood them, for the Lord had given all their enemies into their hands."

So at the beginning of the book, Joshua is promised land. At the end of the book, we see that fulfilled — they've conquered the land. And starting in chapter 6, where we're at this morning, they actually begin taking the land. In our passage this morning, we're going to see clearly that God powerfully fulfills his promises and saves his people and judges his enemies.

God powerfully fulfills his promises and saves his people and judges his enemies. We're going to look at this passage in five sections: first, God's promise; second, God's instruction; third, Joshua's coordination; fourth, the people's action; and fifth, Rahab's rescue.

God's Promise

Let's look at God's promise in verses 1 and 2. Look down at verse 1 with me. "Now Jericho was shut up inside and outside because of the people of Israel. None went out and none came in." So in verse 1 we read for the first time about Jericho. This was the first city Israel would conquer in the promised land. As we read here, the people of Jericho were enclosed in the city — none went out and none came in. This city knew that they were on the verge of war.

In verse 2, Yahweh speaks to Joshua. But before we look at what the Lord says to him, I want to answer this question: Who is Joshua? We're first introduced to Joshua in the book of Exodus. He was Moses's assistant as a young man, trained up by Moses himself. When Moses died, God commissioned him to lead the people of Israel. And right before our passage, at the end of chapter 5, there's a theophany — an appearance of the pre-incarnate Son, the commander of the army of the Lord — and he meets with Joshua. If you have a chance later on, maybe read that this afternoon. God meets his chosen leader in a special way there at the end of chapter 5. Israel's new leader, Joshua, is empowered by Yahweh to bring them into the promised land. So that's a bit of context on who Joshua is.

So what does God promise Joshua in verse 2? God says, "I have given Jericho into your hand, even with its king and mighty men." He promises Joshua victory. God speaks directly to Joshua and gives him this absolute promise. The obstacles are great — a whole city — but God's power is greater. God is greater. And Joshua doesn't doubt. Just as he worshiped before the commander of the army at the end of chapter 5, so he responds in faith by trusting and believing the Lord.

I think we can pause here for a moment and ask the question: God has spoken to us in his Word, through his Son — are we trusting? Are we believing? Are we obeying the Lord and receiving his word? God promises Joshua sure victory, that Israel will conquer and be brought into the promised land. This is good news for Israel.

God's Instruction

Second, we come to God's instruction in verses 3–5. Look down with me. "You shall march around the city, all the men of war going around the city once. Thus shall you do for six days. Seven priests shall bear seven trumpets of rams' horns before the ark. On the seventh day you shall march around the city seven times, and the priests shall blow their trumpets." Here God gives instruction to Joshua to conquer the city of Jericho.

Salvation will come to Israel and destruction will come to Jericho — but you've got to follow my instructions. This is what God was saying to Joshua. And these are strange instructions, aren't they? These aren't normal military instructions. He tells them that all the men of war are to march around the city once — and do that for six days. Then the priests with their rams' horns, their trumpets, are going to be leading the way, walking in front of the ark of the covenant. The ark of the covenant is a chest, a box with the tablets of the covenant that God made with Israel. Then on the seventh day, they're not supposed to march around it once, but seven times, with the priests blowing their trumpets.

Look down at verse 5: "And when they make a long blast with the ram's horn, when you hear the sound of the trumpet, then all the people shall shout with a great shout, and the wall of the city will fall down flat, and the people shall go up, everyone straight before him."

Tom Schreiner says, "The battle plan is quite plainly absurd. This is no ordinary battle. The bizarre strategy confirmed that Israel could not attribute victory to its own military prowess." Their victory was a gift of grace, an astounding work of the Lord. God here was going to show his great power in this extraordinary way. God will save his people through the defeat of his enemies, and he will bring them safely into the land.

It's also helpful to note from this text that we learn a bit about Israel. We get a glimpse of who Israel is. We see that they're a religious people. Now, that may sound obvious, but I don't want to overlook this fact. Just remember there are priests in our text. God fleshes out who the priests are and what they do in the book of Leviticus. They're mediators for Israel — they led in the religious practices for Israel, went into the tabernacle on behalf of the people, brought sacrifices, offered sacrifices for all the people, and prayed for the nation of Israel.

Then there's the ark of the covenant that I already mentioned, described in the books of Exodus and Leviticus — that rectangular box placed in the most holy place in the tabernacle. On top of the ark was a lid called the mercy seat, and on top of that lid there were carved angels which shielded their faces with their wings. The ark was where God's covenant presence dwelled — the holy presence of God dwelled above the ark. So as the priests were carrying the ark, God's presence was going with them.

We also see here that Israel is militaristic — they have a military. Those who march around the city are the priests along with the men of war. As it says in our text, God's people were warriors. This is kind of obvious if you've been a Christian for some time — you know that Israel fought battles and engaged in warfare. It's helpful to consider that and think back at the old covenant people and how they did things. It's a lot different than the new covenant age. We don't engage in warfare and we don't engage in battles like that in the new covenant. So this is unique history here.

So here we have God giving instruction to Israel's leader, Joshua. It's strange, for sure. It involves the military. It's religious in nature. It's supernatural — God will act. It's going to be devastating to Jericho. And God is going to powerfully save his people and bring them into the land. He's going to prove his faithfulness to his people.

Joshua's Coordination

Third, we come to Joshua's coordination in verses 6 and 7. We'll be brief here — this is pretty simple. Look down at verse 6: "So Joshua the son of Nun called the priests and said to them, 'Take up the ark of the covenant, and let seven priests bear seven trumpets of ram's horns before the ark of the Lord.' And he said to the people, 'Go forward, march around the city, and let the armed men pass on before the ark of the Lord.'"

As you can see here, Joshua simply calls the priests to him, tells them to take up the ark, and tells the people to go forward and march around the city, with the armed men leading the way in front of the ark. Joshua is the leader, and as prophet of the Lord, he receives revelation from God and then gives that revelation to the people. He takes up his task — he's faithful. The land is at stake. The enemies are real. God graciously gives Joshua instruction, and Joshua obediently gives those instructions to Israel. God is using his means here to conquer his enemies, save his people, and bring them into the promised land.

The People's Action

Fourth, the people's action in verses 8–21. We're going to spend most of our time here. Look down at verse 8: "And just as Joshua had commanded the people, the seven priests bearing the seven trumpets of ram's horns before the Lord went forward, blowing the trumpets, with the ark of the covenant of the Lord following them." Joshua gives the instructions to the people, and the people do exactly as he says.

From verse 8 through verse 21, the passage is broken up into a few sections. Right here is the first day of the ceremony — day one. In verse 8 you have the priests leading the way in front of the ark, blowing the trumpets. Imagine the scene. In verse 9, you have the armed men walking in front of the priests who are blowing the trumpets, and more soldiers walking behind the ark. Joshua tells them not to shout until he tells them to shout. Verse 11 reads, "So he caused the ark of the Lord to circle the city, going about it once."

Did you see how the text emphasizes the ark of the covenant? This was God's covenant, divine presence. The priests and the soldiers are described in relation to the ark — it's all about the ark encircling the city. God was encircling the city. As we read this, we're supposed to feel the anticipation. There's real suspense. This is about life and death. This is not some quaint, cute story that just gets little kids excited. It's for children, but it's for adults as well. This is real biblical history to show the greatness of God, to show us the sinfulness of man, and the mercy and power of Yahweh. Psalm 86:10 says, "For you are great and do wondrous things; you alone are God."

In the next paragraph, verses 12–14, this is day two. They spend the night in the camp, and the next morning they rise up early. Verse 12 — the same rituals: soldiers, priests, the ark, the blowing of the trumpet. They encircle the city, march around it once. And the last sentence of this paragraph, verse 14, says, "So they did this for six days." Joshua is leading, the people are obedient in days 1 through 6, and the anticipation is building.

Then we come to the climactic day seven, in verse 15 and following. This is climactic — but this time they march around the city seven times. Things are heightened here. They go around the city seven times, and then Joshua gives the people more instruction. First, in verse 16, he tells them to shout. Then he tells them that everything within the city is supposed to be destroyed. There are a few exceptions, though — Rahab and her family, and the bronze, silver, and gold vessels, which can be kept and put into the treasury of the Lord. We'll take a look at a few of those details in a moment.

But the key instruction at the moment is the shouting. Look down at the last half of verse 16, what Joshua says to the people: "Shout, for the Lord has given you the city!"

Now look over to verse 20 with me — this is the apex, the climax of the whole episode. "So the people shouted, and the trumpets were blown. As soon as the people heard the sound of the trumpet, the people shouted a great shout, and the wall fell down flat, so that the people went up into the city, every man straight before him, and they captured the city."

Imagine the scene here. You have all the people of Jericho shut up within the city, fearful of what's to come. They've heard about Yahweh, Israel's God, and what he's done to other nations. And then they hear, or maybe see, this strange ritual going on as Israel marches around the city. They hear the trumpets, then they hear the shouts of the soldiers, and the wall comes crashing down. This mighty wall falls by the powerful hand of God. God supernaturally intervenes. This ultimately isn't a military victory — this is not merely a human victory. This is God's victory. The walls were a fortress to the citizens of Jericho; they thought they were safe. But God, in a quick moment, slams them down. The sound must have been great. The earth must have shook. Jericho was hit with a massive blow. Psalm 93:4 says, "Mightier than the thunders of many waters, mightier than the waves of the sea, the Lord on high is mighty."

God here is conquering his enemies and bringing his people into the promised land — the holy love of God, fulfilling his promises to Abraham. And the judgment continues. Once the walls are down, the men rush the city. Verse 21 says, "Then they devoted all in the city to destruction, both men and women, young and old, oxen, sheep, and donkeys, with the edge of the sword." This is serious and scary. The soldiers take their swords and wipe out all the people — all men, all women, all children, animals, everything. Let that sink in. Thousands of lives, cut short. It's gruesome. It's bloody. It's a sad scene.

This is warfare commanded by God. In fact, that figure at the end of chapter 5, the pre-incarnate Son who showed himself to Joshua, was leading the way — he was the leader of the army. If you read through Joshua, things like this happen all throughout the book. They wipe out city after city. This is serious stuff. This is about life and death, judgment and salvation, heaven and hell.

I want to take a few moments and press into this further. Let's consider how the Lord could have his people wipe out a whole city in warfare. Now, Scripture doesn't give us all the reasons, and there's definitely mystery involved here. We can't completely comprehend why, but Scripture is fairly clear in the reasons it does give, and there is one central issue: the sinfulness of sin. We actually sang about the sinfulness of sin in some of our songs this morning.

Is this fair — to wipe out Jericho, including little boys and little girls? I'm sure there were nice men and women in Jericho. The destruction of the city points to the greatness of their sin against God. I want us to remember this: sin is no small matter in God's eyes. We know this, right? But we need God's Word to hit us again and again and teach us again and again.

In the very beginning, Adam's disobedience was a revolt against the cosmic King. Before Adam was the promise of life and joy and unending fellowship with his covenant King, God — but he believed the serpent's lie. He chose to believe Satan's word over God's Word. God gave him the whole garden, the whole creation, to enjoy and rule under his lordship — and that wasn't enough for Adam. So he sinned. Death entered the world. And as our covenant head, Adam was our representative. We are guilty in Adam because of his sin, and we've been made corrupt in Adam as well — physical corruption and soul corruption. Physical corruption is the reason we die. Soul corruption, we all know too well — our minds are bent against God, our affections are bent against God, our will is bent against God. Our mind, will, and affections are twisted and rebellious toward him. This is moral evil.

King Solomon says, "There is not one human being on earth who does not sin." Herman Bavinck writes, "If the history of the world clearly teaches us anything, it is this: that God has a quarrel with his creature." All of this is deserving of death — physical death and spiritual death in hell. God told Adam what the penalty would be if he disobeyed, and he's told us what the penalty will be in his Word. Are we listening?

So was it just for Israel to slay all the people in Jericho? If we trust God's Word, we will say yes — it was just. It may not be easy to swallow, but it's just. It's right. Think about the flood in Genesis. Was it fair that every human being on earth was wiped out except Noah and his family? It was fair. It was just. Everybody deserved judgment, and God showed mercy to Noah and his family.

What about later, in Joshua 10, when the Israelites are battling the Amorites and God sends giant hailstones to knock out hundreds, if not thousands, of the Amorites? Was that just? It was just. All are guilty in Adam. All do evil deeds from their youth on up, and all deserve to be judged by the Lord.

This chapter from Joshua 6 even points us forward to the day when Christ will return and judge all unbelievers, sending them to hell for eternity. He is a perfect judge, and all sin will be punished. May this be a loving warning to anyone here this morning who hasn't yet trusted in Jesus Christ for salvation from God's wrath. We must see God rightly, and we need to see our sin rightly.

If you're without Christ this morning, it's like you're tied to the train tracks and the train is coming. The train of God's wrath is coming. What's your escape? Your escape is God himself. He is the judge, and he will punish sin — but he is merciful, and he does not delight in the death of the wicked. In fact, the same one who punishes sinners is the same one who gives extravagant grace to all who look to his Son, Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ died for sinners, he rose from the dead, and he'll rescue all who cry out for mercy — all those who cry out on the train tracks and say, "Lord, save me. I need help. I need rescue." He's compassionate. He's good. He'll save you. Cry out to him if you haven't yet done so.

Rahab's Rescue

Last, from this passage, we come to Rahab's rescue in verses 22–27. This last section isn't the main aspect of the story, but it adds layers and depth, and of course it's important. We see God's great love set forth in verse 22. Joshua tells the two spies who spied out the land back in chapter 2 to go to Rahab's house — this prostitute — and rescue her and all her family.

So we have to ask: what happened back in chapter 2? Joshua sends out two spies to go spy out the land and prepare for war. They end up hiding in this prostitute's house, who lives in the wall of the city. The king of Jericho hears about these two spies and sends his men to Rahab's house, but Rahab hides the men under the flax on her roof. The spies are grateful — their lives are spared. And she says some pretty amazing things to them. She says, "I've heard about your God, how he destroyed Egypt and other kings." She even says this, back in chapter 2: "For the Lord your God, he is God in the heavens above and on the earth beneath." She was expressing faith in the covenant Lord of Israel. This is amazing.

Rahab asked for mercy from the spies — "When you come into Jericho and take this city, please have mercy on us." And the spies happily agree: "You saved our lives from the king; we will save your life and your family's lives." Here in chapter 6, four chapters later, the story continues. Look down at chapter 6, verse 23: "So the young men who had been spies went in and brought out Rahab and her father and mother and brothers and all who belonged to her. And they brought all her relatives and put them outside the camp of Israel. And they burned the city with fire and everything in it. Only the silver and gold and the vessels of bronze and of iron they put into the treasury of the house of the Lord. But Rahab the prostitute, and her father's household, and all who belonged to her, Joshua saved alive. And she has lived in Israel to this day, because she hid the messengers whom Joshua sent to spy out Jericho."

Rahab was on her way to destruction. Her family was on the way to death. But our triune God, in his rich mercy, saves these Gentiles from judgment. Back in chapter 2, God providentially led these two spies to stay in Rahab's house — he wove it into his own plans and purposes. If she had never met the spies, she and her family may never have been saved. If she had been caught by the king, no salvation. If the two spies had been caught by the king of Jericho, no salvation. But God was orchestrating it all. In extravagant grace, he rescues. In great power, he saves Israel and he saves Rahab and her family. All who trust in God's promises are saved, but the rest of Jericho is judged by the Lord.

Shouldn't this lead us to not only marvel over God's mercy toward Rahab, but to marvel over God's mercy in our own lives? If you're in Christ this morning — if you've trusted in Jesus's death and resurrection — aren't you kind of like Rahab? You're not a part of old covenant Israel. More than likely, if you're not a Jew, you're a Gentile, just like Rahab. Though you probably weren't a prostitute, didn't you inherit the same sin that Rahab had? Rahab, as a citizen of Jericho, was an enemy of God, just like us. Romans 5 says that while we were enemies of God, God reconciled us to himself through the death of his Son.

And did not God, through his hidden hand of providence, cause you to hear the Word of God, just like Rahab? For me, it was my mom who told me about Jesus's death and resurrection as a little boy, as she tucked me into bed at night and prayed with me and told me about heaven and hell. That mysterious hand of God brought me the Word of God through my mom. He did the same for you, if you're a Christian — you probably didn't hear it through spies, but maybe through a coworker, a friend, or a parent. Maybe someone gave you a Bible. We must never forget that we are Rahabs, saved by the faithful kindness of God, though countless others were passed by. This is amazing.

In verse 26, Joshua makes an oath: if anyone rebuilds Jericho, they'll be cursed, and their firstborn son will be judged. Not only is the city destroyed, but God wants to ensure that this judgment is final — that it's completely secure and complete, that no man would rebuild this wicked city again, that the land would be completely purged from all evil. God would now bring his chosen people to rest in the land, under his presence and care, in complete joy and delight. He would be their God, and they would be his people.

The chapter ends in verse 27 with an important statement: "So the Lord was with Joshua, and his fame was in all the land." God was powerfully with his prophet. He gave him strength, courage, and wisdom to lead this nation. And because of God's grace in his life, Joshua was now famous in all the land. Israel was on the move, and Joshua was leading the way. They still had to conquer the rest of the cities — the work wasn't done — but this first victory was decisive, and it was all of grace. All of grace.

Applying the Text

I want to end our time together by considering a couple of uses of this text.

First: glory in the new Joshua. The names Joshua and Jesus are actually the same — they're just in different languages. It means "Yahweh is salvation," "the Lord saves." I think that's an intentional connection meant by God in their lives. To be more specific, Joshua is a pattern of Jesus, and we're supposed to recognize this as we read Scripture. He's a divinely appointed pattern of Christ, a prophet who points to Christ. Joshua speaks the word of God, and Jesus speaks the Word of God — in fact, Jesus is the Word of God. Joshua leads the people into victory, and Jesus leads the people into victory. Yahweh saves through Joshua — that's what his name means. And Yahweh saves through Jesus Christ — that's what his name means. As our final prophet and mediator, Christ leads his people to a greater victory, a greater salvation. What the law and the prophets were anticipating finds its climactic fulfillment in Jesus Christ. It's all about Jesus Christ. What no other man could do, what no other prophet could do, what no other soldier or leader could do, Jesus could — because he's more than man. He's God come in the flesh, without sin. So may we glory in this one, brothers and sisters. May we praise and worship our new Joshua, Jesus Christ. We shouldn't hope in earthly things — not the US soccer team, though I'm rooting for them, not my bank account, not our health, not a husband or a girlfriend or boyfriend. No, we can enjoy these things, but we don't put our ultimate hope in them. We put our hope in Jesus Christ.

Our second application is to remember that salvation, from first to last, is all of grace — it's all of God's work. The fall of Jericho is one snapshot that shows it's God who did it all. It's all of God's power and grace. And the same is true of our salvation. Who of us would dare to boast that we were part of the cause of our salvation? Christ says in John 10, "I give them eternal life." He doesn't say, "I give them 75 percent of eternal life, and then you have to do the other 25 percent to give yourself eternal life." From first to last, your life is saved by Christ. The Father elects, the Son accomplishes, and the Spirit applies. Romans 5 says, "Since therefore we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God." So if you've been justified, you'll be saved from God's wrath on the final day. It's guaranteed.

Martin Luther, the great Reformer, said that Christ is like an umbrella that shields us from God's wrath. That's a great image. It's all of God — God completes it all. Are you doubting your salvation because you struggle with sin? Look to your new Joshua. It's his work. Rest in him.

Though Joshua brought them into the land, it didn't give them their ultimate rest. It turns out that most of Israel under the old covenant didn't actually know the Lord. But in the new covenant, all who call upon Jesus know the Lord. And he who began a good work in you will complete it at the day of Jesus Christ. He's mighty to save. He's conquered your enemies. So go to him again and find renewal in his faithful work and power.

What does Jesus say? "Come to me, all who are weary and heavy laden, and I will give you rest." Joshua couldn't bring the full rest. Jesus gives us the rest that we long for — rest from works. It's all of his grace. He's forgiven us all our sins, and he will bring us into the new creation, where we will delight in our triune God forever.

In closing, brothers and sisters, may we remember God's power and faithfulness to save his people and judge his enemies. Our God is awesome. He is good, and he is worthy to be trusted with our entire lives. Amen.

Let's pray. Our gracious Lord, thank you for our new Joshua. Thank you for the gospel. We pray that we would know more of your great grace, and that we would walk by faith — walk by faith today, and even the rest of this week, for your glory, our Lord. Amen.