Gospel of the Kingdom

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5. Share the Gospel + Life Group Discussion Questions

Week 5 • Day 5

Week 5 • Day 5

One of the interesting subjects that often comes up in the era of Joshua through the reign of King David is the repeated mention of the conquest of Israel’s enemies. The question that often arises is why does the Old Testament God seem so violent when he orders their complete destruction? This week, our videos take on one of the most challenging objections to the Christian faith.

Share the Gospel Video:

Week 5 Life Group Discussion Questions

Icebreaker: What is your favorite action scene in the Bible?

Question: What observations / reflections / or prayers stood out to you about this week?

Joshua: The conquest stories of Joshua illustrate the final elements of God’s rescue mission from Egypt and the return of God’s people to His promised place. However the conquest stories of Joshua illustrate that God’s image-bearers still need a restored heart to rule in a way that loves God, loves others, and obeys His rule. Joshua leaves us wondering: would the serpent use the small opening of surrounding nations to destroy the Israelites?

Questions: When sharing the Gospel, how would you reconcile God’s love and God’s judgment, especially over the complete destruction of the people group of Canaan?

Judges: God wants us to obey His rule, to be amongst His family of people, and to enjoy His presence in His kingdom place. As image-bearers, we have been given delegating ruling power to bless the nations and to spread His glory in every square inch of His cosmic temple. Yet we are prone to compromise, distraction, disobedience, and our very own thrones under the serpent kingdom. However, we serve a God that, despite our failures, continues to work out the gospel of the kingdom in which God’s people are rescued from all enemies, returned to God’s kingdom place, and restored as rulers who love God and love others because of God’s reeestablished rule over the serpent!

Questions: Where have you seen the downward spiral of sin in your life that is similar to the book of judges? When sharing the gospel, where might someone else see a downward spiral of sin? How would you tie this downward spiral into a presentation of the gospel?

Samuel and King Saul: The life of Israel’s first king leaves us yearning for a new type of king chosen by God (instead of “asked for”) from the tribe of Judah (instead of Benjamin) who was going to be humble enough to faithfully follow God’s command and act according to His “knowledge of good and evil” in order to reestablish the rule of YHWH. The life of Saul is yet another story that makes us desperate for this king who would crush pride in order to open the escape hatch of restoration from the serpent kingdom back into the kingdom of God.

Questions: What are the things that you see people grasping for as an escape from their sin? Using this list of things, what are the ways that you can point to the coming Messiah?

King David: The story of King David is one that foreshadows a king of complete humility and total obedience. This is what it means to be “after God’s own heart”. Since David succumbed to the serpent kingdom, we await the one who would restore our crippled hearts so that we may dine at the table of God.

Questions: Who do you know that may need restoration? How can you practically offer them God’s mercy and restoration as a representative of Christ?

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4. The Promise of an Everlasting King

Week 5 • Day 4

Week 5 • Day 4

Israel was in search of a king who would humbly walk with the Lord; someone who would step down from his own throne and be faithful to the rule of God; someone who would allow YHWH to determine what was “good” and “bad” on their behalf. At the same time, the search continues for this long-awaited “serpent-crusher” who would use his delegated rule to resist the serpent and remain faithful to God no matter the cost. At the dawn of Israel’s monarchy, the imagery of the serpent-crusher and the king of Israel converges. But who on earth could this be?

But now your kingdom shall not continue. The Lord has sought out a man after his own heart, and the Lord has commanded him to be prince over his people, because you have not kept what the Lord commanded you – 1 Samuel 13:14 (Samuel to King Saul)

Immediately after Saul’s disobedience, God sets in motion a plan to search for a “man after his own heart” to take the throne. Accordingly, Samuel is led by God to the house of Jesse - who is from the tribe of Judah - in order to look for the next king of Israel. Here is the surprising scene that ensues:

When they came, he looked on Eliab and thought, “Surely the Lord’s anointed is before him.” But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him. For the Lord sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.” Then Jesse called Abinadab and made him pass before Samuel. And he said, “Neither has the Lord chosen this one.” Then Jesse made Shammah pass by. And he said, “Neither has the Lord chosen this one.” And Jesse made seven of his sons pass before Samuel. And Samuel said to Jesse, “The Lord has not chosen these.” Then Samuel said to Jesse, “Are all your sons here?” And he said, “There remains yet the youngest, but behold, he is keeping the sheep.” And Samuel said to Jesse, “Send and get him, for we will not sit down till he comes here.” And he sent and brought him in. Now he was ruddy and had beautiful eyes and was handsome. And the Lord said, “Arise, anoint him, for this is he.” - 1 Samuel 16:6-12

After 7 sons pass by, the forgotten and “ruddy” shepherd-boy named David secretly becomes the anointed king of Israel! As opposed to Saul who was “asked for” by Israel, David was chosen by God Himself!

The story of David and King Saul is one that shows how God exalts the humble and brings down the proud.

Even though David was chosen as God’s next anointed one, he had a long road ahead of him before he publicly stepped into his role as the king of Israel. In a twist that only God Himself could orchestrate, David was recruited to serve in King Saul’s administration. David’s role was to sooth King Saul with his musical skills whenever there were tormenting spirits that would come upon the King. However, since God had planned to give the kingdom to David, Saul began to recognize David for his astonishing accomplishments and started to grow jealous of him. This included the militaristic defeat of a countless number of surrounding enemies, including one “serpent-like” giant covered in scaly bronze armor.

And there came out from the camp of the Philistines a champion named Goliath of Gath, whose height was six cubits and a span. He had a helmet of bronze on his head, and he was armed with a coat of mail (scale-armor NASB), and the weight of the coat was five thousand shekels of bronze. And he had bronze armor on his legs, and a javelin of bronze slung between his shoulders.

So David prevailed over the Philistine with a sling and with a stone, and struck the Philistine and killed him. There was no sword in the hand of David. Then David ran and stood over the Philistine and took his sword and drew it out of its sheath and killed him and cut off his head with it. - 1 Samuel 17:5–7, 50-51

“Saul has killed his thousands, and David his ten thousands.” - 1 Samuel 18:7

Up to this point, David becomes one of the strongest candidates we have seen to become the long-awaited serpent-crusher from the tribe of Judah! Yet if David is in fact the great serpent-crusher, one might wonder why David is continually on the run from Saul’s jealous wrath for the remainder of Saul’s rule?

 
 
 

THE SERPENT BITES THE HEEL

The next day an evil spirit from God came forcefully on Saul. He was prophesying in his house, while David was playing the lyre, as he usually did. Saul had a spear in his hand and he hurled it, saying to himself, “I’ll pin David to the wall.” But David eluded him twice. Saul was afraid of David, because the Lord was with David but had departed from Saul. So he sent David away from him and gave him command over a thousand men, and David led the troops in their campaigns. In everything he did he had great success, because the Lord was with him. When Saul saw how successful he was, he was afraid of him. But all Israel and Judah loved David, because he led them in their campaigns. - 1 Samuel 18:10-16

Saul’s hunt for David would occur on numerous occasions and would always end up with David sparing Saul’s life because David so revered the anointed one of God. These chases even inspire some of David’s most influential Psalms.

Deliver me from my enemies, O God; be my fortress against those who are attacking me. Deliver me from evildoers and save me from those who are after my blood. See how they lie in wait for me! fierce men conspire against me for no offense or sin of mine, Lord. I have done no wrong, yet they are ready to attack me. Arise to help me; look on my plight! You, Lord God Almighty, you who are the God of Israel, rouse yourself to punish all the nations; show no mercy to wicked traitors. - Psalm 59:1-4

Eventually, David was persecuted so heavily that he was forced to flee to the land of his enemies: the Philistines. The suffering life of David as the anointed one is a stark reminder that yes, the promised offspring of the woman would indeed crush the head of the serpent, but it would come at great cost. The serpent-crusher would also have to suffer considering that in the act of crushing the serpent’s head, the serpent would also “bite the heel” of the great serpent crusher.

 

THE GOSPEL OF THE KINGDOM?

It wasn’t until David heard of Saul’s death that he returned to Israel. Upon his return he settled the tensions between Saul and David’s family and then was officially and publicly recognized as the anointed king of Israel. As king, David continued to rule by going out and crushing Israel’s enemies! Then, he established Jerusalem as the new capital city in the promised place by bringing back the ark of the covenant (God’s unique dwelling place at the heart of Israel). David’s desire was to build God a house in which God would permanently establish His rule over His people in the heart of promised land which now belonged to Israel! In response, God reaffirms His kingdom promises through David’s offspring:

Thus says the Lord of hosts, I took you from the pasture, from following the sheep, that you should be prince over my people Israel. And I have been with you wherever you went and have cut off all your enemies from before you. And I will make for you a great name, like the name of the great ones of the earth. And I will appoint a place for my people Israel and will plant them, so that they may dwell in their own place and be disturbed no more. And violent men shall afflict them no more, as formerly, from the time that I appointed judges over my people Israel. And I will give you rest from all your enemies. Moreover, the Lord declares to you that the Lord will make you a house. When your days are fulfilled and you lie down with your fathers, I will raise up your offspring after you, who shall come from your body, and I will establish his kingdom. He shall build a house for my name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. I will be to him a father, and he shall be to me a son. When he commits iniquity, I will discipline him with the rod of men, with the stripes of the sons of men, but my steadfast love will not depart from him, as I took it from Saul, whom I put away from before you. And your house and your kingdom shall be made sure forever before me. Your throne shall be established forever.’ - 2 Samuel 7:8-16

Do you see it? David wants to build God a house, but God promises to build a house through David and his offspring, a house that is an everlasting kingdom ruling at the center of God’s peaceful kingdom place over God’s kingdom people! 2 Samuel 7 is a beautiful picture of the gospel of the kingdom on full display! It’s HERE! Through this offspring, God would establish His throne FOREVER and there would be endless rest from all surrounding enemies!

But why did the Lord promise to establish the gospel of the kingdom through David’s offspring and not David himself? David was a descendant of Abraham from the tribe of Judah and is a man after God’s own heart. Why is king David not the one we have been looking for?

 

ANOTHER ONE BITES THE DUST

I hope by now you can predict the pattern! Throughout the process of David settling into his kingly role and receiving all of these promises, we are given suspicious hints in the scriptures that he too would be prone to succumb to his own pride and bow the knee to the serpent.

And David said to the young man who told him, “Where do you come from?” And he answered, “I am the son of a sojourner, an Amalekite.” David said to him, “How is it you were not afraid to put out your hand to destroy the Lord’s anointed?” Then David called one of the young men and said, “Go, execute him.” And he struck him down so that he died.

As the Lord lives, who has redeemed my life out of every adversity, when one told me, ‘Behold, Saul is dead,’ and thought he was bringing good news, I seized him and killed him at Ziklag, which was the reward I gave him for his news. How much more, when wicked men have killed a righteous man in his own house on his bed, shall I not now require his blood at your hand and destroy you from the earth?” And David commanded his young men, and they killed them and cut off their hands and feet and hanged them beside the pool at Hebron. - 2 Samuel 1:13–15; 4:9-12

So David went up there, and his two wives also, Ahinoam of Jezreel and Abigail the widow of Nabal of Carmel.

And David knew that the Lord had established him king over Israel, and that he had exalted his kingdom for the sake of his people Israel. And David took more concubines and wives from Jerusalem. - 2 Samuel 2:2; 5:12–13.

Law In Question (see Numbers 4:15, 7:9)

David was angry because the Lord had broken out against Uzzah. And that place is called Perez-uzzah to this day. And David was afraid of the Lord that day, and he said, “How can the ark of the Lord come to me?” So David was not willing to take the ark of the Lord into the city of David. But David took it aside to the house of Obed-edom the Gittite. And the ark of the Lord remained in the house of Obed-edom the Gittite three months, and the Lord blessed Obed-edom and all his household. And it was told King David, “The Lord has blessed the household of Obed-edom and all that belongs to him, because of the ark of God.” So David went and brought up the ark of God from the house of Obed-edom to the city of David with rejoicing. - 2 Samuel 6:8–12

Much like Moses and Samuel, we aren’t explicitly told that these actions derive from the serpent-kingdom. However, David has a desire for justice that borders on rage and neglect for human life (think Cain and Abel). David treats women as entities to be collected (think Lamech). David neglects to follow God’s rule (think flood Generation or Babel) which suggested that it was “good” for the Levites to “carry” the ark on their shoulders and “bad” to put it on any type of cart. These hints only increase the skepticism about whether or not David was capable of being the great serpent-crusher. David’s next move confirms that he too has bowed the knee to the serpent.

In the morning David wrote a letter to Joab and sent it by the hand of Uriah. In the letter he wrote, “Set Uriah in the forefront of the hardest fighting, and then draw back from him, that he may be struck down, and die.”…. When the wife of Uriah heard that Uriah her husband was dead, she lamented over her husband. And when the mourning was over, David sent and brought her to his house, and she became his wife and bore him a son. But the thing that David had done displeased the Lord. - 2 Samuel 11:14-15, 26-27

In direct juxtaposition of David’s military victories, the book of Samuel documents the story of David’s heinous act of Cain-like murder, Lamech-like adultery, and Babel-like rebellion against the rule of God. From this pivotal moment, David’s sin leads to his demise. Much like Cain and Abel, the first thing to unravel due to his sin are his relationships with his offspring, most notably through his son Absalom who murders his brother Amnon for acting like Lamech and raping his own sister. Much like Babel, Absalom ascends to his own throne soaring over his father and bringing David’s honorable kingdom a great sense of shame. Eventually, this revolt cost David the life of his own son.

And a messenger came to David, saying, “The hearts of the men of Israel have gone after Absalom.” Then David said to all his servants who were with him at Jerusalem, “Arise, and let us flee, or else there will be no escape for us from Absalom. Go quickly, lest he overtake us quickly and bring down ruin on us and strike the city with the edge of the sword.” - 2 Samuel 15:13–14

And the king was deeply moved and went up to the chamber over the gate and wept. And as he went, he said, “O my son Absalom, my son, my son Absalom! Would I had died instead of you, O Absalom, my son, my son. - 2 Samuel 18:33

The two books of Samuel challenge us to imagine the gospel of the kingdom coming through a king that would have the heart of David in his best moments. Yet even David - a man after God’s own heart - could not resist taking his own throne in the name of the kingdom of the serpent. Therefore, it would be the offspring of David who would need to carry on the will of God entirely free of sin in order to defeat the serpent kingdom.

A KING AFTER GOD’S OWN HEART

One moment that I personally hold dear is when King David goes out looking for King Saul’s family. For most kings, they would go out searching for the families of their enemies to destroy them, but David was looking for King Saul’s family to bless and restore them. In his search, David finds the crippled nephew of King Saul hidden in a village. When he finds him, he brings the boy into his house to be a part of his family and eat at his table.

Mephibosheth the son of Saul’s son Jonathan came to David and fell on his face to the ground in respect. David said, “Mephibosheth.” And he answered, “Here is your servant!” David said to him, “Do not be afraid. For I will be sure to show kindness to you because of your father Jonathan. I will return to you all the land of your grandfather Saul. And you will eat at my table always.” Again Mephibosheth put his face to the ground and said, “Who am I? Why should you care for a dead dog like me?” Then the king called Saul’s servant Ziba and said to him, “I have given to your owner’s grandson all that belonged to Saul and his family. You and your sons and your servants will grow food on the land for him. You will bring in the food so your owner’s grandson may eat. But Mephibosheth your owner’s grandson will always eat at my table.” Now Ziba had fifteen sons and twenty servants. Then Ziba said to the king, “Your servant will do all that my lord the king tells your servant to do.” So Mephibosheth ate at David’s table as one of the king’s sons. Mephibosheth had a young son whose name was Mica. And all who lived in Ziba’s house were Mephibosheth’s servants. So Mephibosheth lived in Jerusalem, for he always ate at the king’s table. Both his feet had been hurt and he could not walk. - 2 Samuel 9:1-13

The outcast who is in opposition to the royal family by birth, crippled at birth, and now without a Father is rescued by this king and restored to a position at the king’s table! This is what the coming Christ (Greek word for “anointed one”) with the heart of God will look like. But if the long-awaited anointed serpent crusher was not David, then who? And how long until he comes to set us free from our crippling sin nature so that we may eat at the king’s table once more?

Samuel begins with the humble song of Hannah. The book ends with two songs of David who has now gone through the journey of life. David started in a humble position as the least likely ruddy shepherd-boy to become king. We leave David slowly descending the peak of his own pride. In fact, the book of Samuel reminds us of the pride of the kings by recounting some of Saul’s trouble with the sneaky Gibeonites (see Josh. 9) that resulted in 3 years of famine and David’s sin which results in 3 days of pestilence. Here is what David now has to say!

The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer, my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold and my refuge, my savior; you save me from violence. I call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised, and I am saved from my enemies.

For this I will praise you, O Lord, among the nations, and sing praises to your name. Great salvation he brings to his king, and shows steadfast love to his anointed, to David and his offspring forever.” - 2 Samuel 22:2-4, 50–51

Now these are the last words of David: The oracle of David, the son of Jesse, the oracle of the man who was raised on high, the anointed of the God of Jacob, the sweet psalmist of Israel:

“The Spirit of the Lord speaks by me; his word is on my tongue. The God of Israel has spoken; the Rock of Israel has said to me: When one rules justly over men, ruling in the fear of God, he dawns on them like the morning light, like the sun shining forth on a cloudless morning, like rain that makes grass to sprout from the earth. “For does not my house stand so with God? For he has made with me an everlasting covenant, ordered in all things and secure. For will he not cause to prosper all my help and my desire?

But worthless men are all like thorns that are thrown away, for they cannot be taken with the hand; but the man who touches them arms himself with iron and the shaft of a spear, and they are utterly consumed with fire.” - 2 Samuel 23:1–7

Surrounding these beautiful songs are passages about David’s mighty men and David’s involvement with the Philistines. The book of Samuel closes foreshadowing that this future anointed king would need to possess the same kind of sacrificial humility so that he too might crush the head of the serpent-giant!

Share the Gospel: The story of King David is one that foreshadows a king of complete humility and total obedience. This is what it means to be “after God’s own heart”. Since David succumbed to the serpent kingdom, we await the one who would restore our crippled hearts so that we may dine at the table of God.

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3. We Want a King

Week 5 • Day 3

Week 5 • Day 3

“To the young, I would whisper that the Bible is a myth. I would convince the children that man created God instead of the other way around. I’d confide that what’s bad is good and what’s good is square. And the old, I would teach to pray after me, “Our Father, which are in Washington [D.C.]” – If I were the Devil by Paul Harvey c.1964

Politics is a major concern in our world today. Debates are raging about different styles of leadership, theories of governance, authoritative structures, and power dynamics amongst a wide variety of other issues. As the Biblical authors reflect on the era of the judges, they were forced to wrestle with whether or not the solution to the serpent kingdom can be found in the latest governmental system. Is it true that the grotesque actions at the end of the book of judges took place because, "in those days Israel had no king; everyone did as they saw fit," or was there something deeper going on?

After a period of judges (who acted more like local tribal leaders) resulted in chaos, Israel was hungry for a new type of rule that would bring unity, justice, law and order to the entire kingdom community of people. Interestingly, even Moses advocates for Israel to adopt this type of governance:

(Law in Question) “When you come to the land that the Lord your God is giving you, and you possess it and dwell in it and then say, ‘I will set a king over me, like all the nations that are around me,’ you may indeed set a king over you whom the Lord your God will choose. One from among your brothers you shall set as king over you. You may not put a foreigner over you, who is not your brother. Only he must not acquire many horses for himself or cause the people to return to Egypt in order to acquire many horses, since the Lord has said to you, ‘You shall never return that way again.’ And he shall not acquire many wives for himself, lest his heart turn away, nor shall he acquire for himself excessive silver and gold.

“And when he sits on the throne of his kingdom, he shall write for himself in a book a copy of this 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, that his heart may not be lifted up above his brothers, and that he may not turn aside from the commandment, either to the right hand or to the left, so that he may continue long in his kingdom, he and his children, in Israel. - Deuteronomy 17:14-20

In his wisdom, Moses warns Israel to look for a leader whose heart would not be “lifted above his brothers,” in pride, but would rather humbly listen and obey God’s commandments as the true king. It’s not the governing structure that Moses was concerned about at all. It was the humility or pride of Israel’s king that would make all the difference. These two themes drive the entire conversation of 1st and 2nd Samuel, our next book in the Hebrew Bible order (Ruth to be mentioned later).

 
 
 

HUMILITY VS. PRIDE

Samuel, which records the origins story of Israel’s most powerful kings, ironically kicks off with the story of a barren woman named Hannah. Hannah’s attitude of humility in her situation before the Lord suggests that God’s blessings would lift up the humble (Hannah is blessed with a child) while God’s judgment would strike down the proud (Eli’s family downfall).

Talk no more so very proudly, let not arrogance come from your mouth; for the Lord is a God of knowledge, and by him actions are weighed. The bows of the mighty are broken, but the feeble bind on strength.

….The adversaries of the Lord shall be broken to pieces; against them he will thunder in heaven. The Lord will judge the ends of the earth; he will give strength to his king and exalt the horn of his anointed.” - 1 Samuel 2:3-4, 10

In God’s kingdom, this dichotomy between the proud and the humble would be applied to everyone, from the lowest citizen to the exalted anointed one (“Messiah” in Hebrew; “Christos” in Greek) who would be chosen to rule as king! For example, Hannah’s son Samuel is blessed for humbly following the Lord’s voice as opposed to Eli’s family of priests who were stripped of their duties because they had become prideful and corrupt. The Lord exalts Samuel’s humility by turning him into a key representative voice for the people of Israel as a prophet, a priest-like figure (though he was not from the tribe of Levi) working in the place of God, and a judge who would powerfully rule on YHWH’s behalf! Through Samuel, the gospel of the kingdom breaks through once more in unique ways.

And Samuel grew, and the Lord was with him and let none of his words fall to the ground. And all Israel from Dan to Beersheba knew that Samuel was established as a prophet of the Lord. - 1 Samuel 3:19-20

So Samuel took a nursing lamb and offered it as a whole burnt offering to the Lord. And Samuel cried out to the Lord for Israel, and the Lord answered him. - 1 Samuel 7:9

Samuel judged Israel all the days of his life - 1 Samuel 7:15

However, Samuel’s sons were not quite so humble in this immense role of representing YHWH. This time, the inevitable spiral of sin caused Israel to look for a solution in a new system of governance. Like their neighbors, they desired one unified king to rule over them! However, God saw their true motive:

“Behold, you are old and your sons do not walk in your ways. Now appoint for us a king to judge us like all the nations.”...And the Lord said to Samuel, “Obey the voice of the people in all that they say to you, for they have not rejected you, but they have rejected me from being king over them. - 1 Samuel 8:5, 7

Instead of turning to God, who has been ruling as King over His people from the very beginning of time, the Israelites continued to be influenced y their foreign neighbors in their kingdom place adopting their structure of authority to resolve the issue of the serpent. Samuel warned that with the great power of a king comes the great potential for abuse:

“These will be the ways of the king who will reign over you: he will take your sons and appoint them to his chariots and to be his horsemen and to run before his chariots. And he will appoint for himself commanders of thousands and commanders of fifties, and some to plow his ground and to reap his harvest, and to make his implements of war and the equipment of his chariots. He will take your daughters to be perfumers and cooks and bakers. He will take the best of your fields and vineyards and olive orchards and give them to his servants. He will take the tenth of your grain and of your vineyards and give it to his officers and to his servants. He will take your male servants and female servants and the best of your young men and your donkeys, and put them to his work. He will take the tenth of your flocks, and you shall be his slaves. And in that day you will cry out because of your king, whom you have chosen for yourselves, but the Lord will not answer you in that day.” - 1 Samuel 8:11-18

The people had become proud, forgotten their God, and looked toward human thrones to solve their problems. Different era, same pattern of the serpent kingdom! As a result, Saul (which literally means “asked for” in Hebrew) is chosen by the people out of the humble - yet extremely troubled - tribe of Benjamin. Saul was a well-built man who looked the part and led Israel to some victories. However, the serpent had his fangs sunk deep into Israel’s monarchy from the outset.

Samuel’s Instructions

Then go down before me to Gilgal. And behold, I am coming down to you to offer burnt offerings and to sacrifice peace offerings. Seven days you shall wait, until I come to you and show you what you shall do.” - 1 Samuel 10:8

Saul’s Actions

He waited seven days, the time appointed by Samuel. But Samuel did not come to Gilgal, and the people were scattering from him. So Saul said, “Bring the burnt offering here to me, and the peace offerings.” And he offered the burnt offering. - 1 Samuel 13:8-9

Samuel’s Instructions

Now go and strike Amalek and devote to destruction all that they have. Do not spare them, but kill both man and woman, child and infant, ox and sheep, camel and donkey.’ ” - 1 Samuel 15:3

Saul’s Actions

And he took Agag the king of the Amalekites alive and devoted to destruction all the people with the edge of the sword. But Saul and the people spared Agag and the best of the sheep and of the oxen and of the fattened calves and the lambs, and all that was good, and would not utterly destroy them. All that was despised and worthless they devoted to destruction. - 1 Samuel 15:8-9

Notice the common denominator? Saul’s pride influenced him to take control of the offering meant for Samuel, spare good resources, and ultimately disobey the prophet of the one true King. Then, to maintain his public image, Saul begs Samuel to return with him as a P.R. stunt. As a result, Samuel is put in a tough spot.

Samuel’s Possible Sin?

Samuel said to Saul, “I will not return with you. For you have rejected the word of the Lord, and the Lord has rejected you from being king over Israel.” As Samuel turned to go away, Saul seized the skirt of his robe, and it tore. And Samuel said to him, “The Lord has torn the kingdom of Israel from you this day and has given it to a neighbor of yours, who is better than you. And also the Glory of Israel will not lie or have regret, for he is not a man, that he should have regret.” Then he said, “I have sinned; yet honor me now before the elders of my people and before Israel, and return with me, that I may bow before the Lord your God.” So Samuel turned back after Saul, and Saul bowed before the Lord. - 1 Samuel 15:26–31

For bending the knee to the serpent, God takes the kingdom of Israel away from Saul. Additionally, there is speculation that Samuel’s return was a serpent-like decision made in the heat of the moment. If you thought either of these men could be the serpent-crusher, it can confidently be said that Saul is a sinner and Samuel is questionable at the very least. Regardless, neither were from the line of Judah.

Has the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to listen than the fat of rams. For rebellion is as the sin of divination, and presumption is as iniquity and idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the Lord, he has also rejected you from being king.” - 1 Samuel 15:22-23

What follows is the tragic descent of Saul as an evil spirit overtakes him, as he violently seeks to kill the next king who would take his place, as he engages in sorcery to consult Samuel from the dead, and as he and his three sons fall to their death on the same day.

 

GOD’S MERCY RULES

The life of Hannah, Samuel, Saul, and Israel under the new era of the monarchy challenges God’s kingdom people to adopt a posture of humility while resisting our prideful tendencies. How do we do this? The story of God’s kingdom in the Bible continues to point out that in His mercy, YHWH remains entirely in control as ruler of all things. He has orchestrated the rescue and return of His kingdom people back to their kingdom place. He continues to orchestrate their eventual restoration as His rule is reestablished over the serpent in their lives.

No matter who wields power on earth, the gospel of the kingdom can never be thwarted!

It may take us a while to develop this kingdom way of looking at things, but consider how God uses Saul to move the gospel of the kingdom forward. After the dust is settled, the life of Israel’s first king leaves us yearning for a new type of king chosen by God (instead of “asked for”) from the tribe of Judah (instead of Benjamin). This king needed to be humble enough to faithfully follow God’s rule and act according to His “knowledge of good and evil”. In essence, this king would use his delegated rule as God’s image bearer to follow YHWH and work in harmony with Him to reestablish the rule of God on earth! Furthermore, the life of Saul is yet another story that makes us desperate for this king who would crush the serpent whose venom is pride and to open the escape hatch of restoration from the serpent kingdom back into the kingdom of God. Who would become the “anointed one” (Messiah, Christos) of Hannah’s song and when would this king come to establish God’s kingdom rule in His kingdom place over His kingdom people?

 

Share the Gospel: The life of Israel’s first king leaves us yearning for a new type of king chosen by God (instead of “asked for”) from the tribe of Judah (instead of Benjamin) who was going to be humble enough to faithfully follow God’s command and act according to His “knowledge of good and evil” in order to reestablish the rule of YHWH. The life of Saul is yet another story that makes us desperate for this king who would crush pride in order to open the escape hatch of restoration from the serpent kingdom back into the kingdom of God.

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2. There Was No King

Week 5 • Day 2

Week 5 • Day 2

Yesterday, we left the book of Joshua wondering if Israel was going to follow God’s rule which required the promised kingdom place to be cleansed of any serpent-like foreigners who could possibly influence God’s people with their foreign gods. This new generation verbally committed to following the ways of YHWH 3 times, but if you’ve been following the scriptural pattern of humanity under the influence of the serpent kingdom, you can probably predict the outcome.

The opening chapter of Judges not only suggests that the majority of tribes failed to drive out the serpent kingdom inhabitants of the land, the chapter goes so far as to highlight one tribe in particular that was “pressed back” by the enemies of Israel.

Judges 1:19-34

  • And the Lord was with Judah, and he took possession of the hill country, but he could not drive out the inhabitants of the plain because they had chariots of iron…

  • But the people of Benjamin did not drive out the Jebusites who lived in Jerusalem, so the Jebusites have lived with the people of Benjamin in Jerusalem to this day

  • Manasseh did not drive out the inhabitants…When Israel grew strong, they put the Canaanites to forced labor, but did not drive them out completely.

  • And Ephraim did not drive out the Canaanites…

  • Zebulun did not drive out the inhabitants…the Canaanites lived among them, but became subject to forced labor.

  • Asher did not drive out the inhabitants…the Asherites lived among the Canaanites, the inhabitants of the land, for they did not drive them out.

  • Naphtali did not drive out the inhabitants…so they lived among the Canaanites

  • The Amorites pressed the people of Dan back into the hill country

Even though Israel - now in the promised place - had repeatedly claimed that they would surely follow the Lord, they too remained in bondage to sin and the powerful kingdom of the serpent. As a result, the pattern of the book of Judges is as follows:

1. God’s people live peacefully while obeying God’s rule as their king.

And the people served the Lord all the days of Joshua, and all the days of the elders who outlived Joshua, who had seen all the great work that the Lord had done for Israel. - Judges 2:7

2. God’s people inevitably forget God and worship the gods of their neighbors.

And there arose another generation after them who did not know the Lord or the work that he had done for Israel. And the people of Israel did what was evil in the sight of the Lord and served the Baals. And they abandoned the Lord, the God of their fathers, who had brought them out of the land of Egypt. They went after other gods, from among the gods of the peoples who were around them, and bowed down to them. And they provoked the Lord to anger. They abandoned the Lord and served the Baals and the Ashtaroth. - Judges 2:10–13

3. God punishes His people by sending enemies to rule them.

So the anger of the Lord was kindled against Israel, and he gave them over to plunderers, who plundered them. And he sold them into the hand of their surrounding enemies, so that they could no longer withstand their enemies. Whenever they marched out, the hand of the Lord was against them for harm, as the Lord had warned, and as the Lord had sworn to them. And they were in terrible distress. - Judges 2:14–15

4 → 1. (4) God’s people turn to God and ask for His forgiveness. God hears the cries of His people and rescues them. (1) God’s people live peaceably once again.

Then the Lord raised up judges, who saved them out of the hand of those who plundered them….Whenever the Lord raised up judges for them, the Lord was with the judge, and he saved them from the hand of their enemies all the days of the judge. For the Lord was moved to pity by their groaning because of those who afflicted and oppressed them. - Judges 2:16–18

1 → 2. (1) A new generation of God’s people rises up in peace and (2) inevitably forgets God’s rule by beginning to worship the gods of their neighbors.

But whenever the judge died, they turned back and were more corrupt than their fathers, going after other gods, serving them and bowing down to them. They did not drop any of their practices or their stubborn ways. - Judges 2:19

Instead of seeing God reestablishing His rule over the serpent once and for all and restoring the hearts of His people to love God and love others, the book of Judges reeks with this ugly serpent-like pattern of rebellion that repeats itself over and over again. Yet in His mercy, YHWH remains faithful to the covenant promise made with Himself to bring the gospel of the kingdom through the judges He raises up. The stories that highlight Othniel, Ehud, Deborah, Gideon, Jephthah, or any of the 13 other judges offer a glimmer of hope that the kingdom plans might still be intact.

Perhaps you are wondering if any of these 13 judges (or tribal leaders) mentioned in this book could be the serpent-crusher we have been looking for. The fact is that Judges highlights 7 of these leaders in order to show how these leaders become more deeply associated with Israel’s foreign neighbors as time goes on.

 
 
 

The pattern of progression toward the kingdom of the serpent is best illustrated through the life of the final, and the most famous judge: Samson.

1. Samson begins his life by living in obedience to God’s rule.

A certain man of Zorah, named Manoah, from the clan of the Danites, had a wife who was childless, unable to give birth. The angel of the Lord appeared to her and said, “You are barren and childless, but you are going to become pregnant and give birth to a son. Now see to it that you drink no wine or other fermented drink and that you do not eat anything unclean. You will become pregnant and have a son whose head is never to be touched by a razor because the boy is to be a Nazirite, dedicated to God from the womb. He will take the lead in delivering Israel from the hands of the Philistines. - Judges 13:1-5

Even before Samson was born, he was destined to be used by God. He was to be a Nazirite - or set apart for God according to the law given in Numbers 6.

(Law in Question) “When either a man or a woman makes a special vow, the vow of a Nazirite, to separate himself to the Lord, he shall separate himself from wine and strong drink. He shall drink no vinegar made from wine or strong drink and shall not drink any juice of grapes or eat grapes, fresh or dried. All the days of his separation he shall eat nothing that is produced by the grapevine, not even the seeds or the skins.

“All the days of his vow of separation, no razor shall touch his head. Until the time is completed for which he separates himself to the Lord, he shall be holy. He shall let the locks of hair of his head grow long.

“All the days that he separates himself to the Lord he shall not go near a dead body. Not even for his father or for his mother, for brother or sister, if they die, shall he make himself unclean, because his separation to God is on his head. All the days of his separation he is holy to the Lord. - Numbers 6:2-8

As Samson’s life began, his commitment to his vow was strong. The Bible tells us that Samson would experience moments where, "the Spirit of the LORD came upon him in power." However, Samson, like the rest of Israel, inevitably begins to test the limits of his obedience to his vow. As he grew older, his commitment to his vow began to weaken.

 

2. Samson forgets his vow and compromises towards idols.

Samson went down to Timnah and saw there a young Philistine woman. When he returned, he said to his father and mother, “I have seen a Philistine woman in Timnah; now get her for me as my wife.” His father and mother replied, “Isn’t there an acceptable woman among your relatives or among all our people? Must you go to the uncircumcised Philistines to get a wife?" - Judges 14:1-3a

(Law in Question) You shall not intermarry with them, giving your daughters to their sons or taking their daughters for your sons, for they would turn away your sons from following me, to serve other gods. Deuteronomy 7:3–4

God wanted Samson to be set apart from the idol-worshiping Philistines, but here we find Samson falling in love with a Philistine woman and looking to marry her. The story continues:

"Samson went down to Timnah together with his father and mother. As they approached the vineyards of Timnah, suddenly a young lion came roaring toward him. The Spirit of the Lord came powerfully upon him so that he tore the lion apart with his bare hands as he might have torn a young goat. But he told neither his father nor his mother what he had done. Then he went down and talked with the woman, and he liked her. Some time later, when he went back to marry her, he turned aside to look at the lion’s carcass, and in it he saw a swarm of bees and some honey. He scooped out the honey with his hands and ate as he went along. When he rejoined his parents, he gave them some, and they too ate it. But he did not tell them that he had taken the honey from the lion’s carcass." - Judges 14:5-9

(Law in Question) “All the days that he separates himself to the Lord he shall not go near a dead body.” - Numbers 6:6

(Law in Question) And if any animal which you may eat dies, whoever touches its carcass shall be unclean until the evening, and whoever eats of its carcass shall wash his clothes and be unclean until the evening. And whoever carries the carcass shall wash his clothes and be unclean until the evening. - Leviticus 11:39–40

Samson is flirting with the serpent as he indulges in the honey of a dead carcass as opposed to remaining in God’s place that was said to “flow with milk and honey”.

 

3. God punishes Samson by turning him over to his enemies.

Samson eventually makes too many compromises and finds himself as a prisoner to the foreign powers under the kingdom of the serpent; in this case the Philistines.

Samson went to Gaza, and there he saw a prostitute, and he went in to her…After this he loved a woman in the Valley of Sorek, whose name was Delilah. And when she [Delilah] pressed him hard with her words day after day, and urged him, his soul was vexed to death. And he told her all his heart, and said to her, “A razor has never come upon my head, for I have been a Nazirite to God from my mother’s womb. If my head is shaved, then my strength will leave me, and I shall become weak and be like any other man.” - Judges 16:1, 4

She made him sleep on her knees. And she called a man and had him shave off the seven locks of his head. Then she began to torment him, and his strength left him….And the Philistines seized him and gouged out his eyes and brought him down to Gaza and bound him with bronze shackles. And he ground at the mill in the prison. - Judges 16:16–17, 19, 21

His hair had been shaved off, his eyes had been gouged out, and his hands were bound to a wheat grinding stone like a donkey. As one speaker put it: the kingdom of the serpent "blinds us, binds us, and grinds us." Samson found himself in the pit of despair, separated from God’s powerful rule, outside of God’s place, imprisoned by a foreign people.

4. Samson turns back to God and asks for His forgiveness

At the end of his life, Samson was brought into the Philistine temple to their idol Dagon. This is what happened when Samson was at this central place of the serpent kingdom.

"When they stood him among the pillars, Samson said to the servant who held his hand, “Put me where I can feel the pillars that support the temple, so that I may lean against them.” Now the temple was crowded with men and women; all the rulers of the Philistines were there, and on the roof were about three thousand men and women watching Samson perform. Then Samson prayed to the Lord, “Sovereign Lord, remember me. Please, God, strengthen me just once more, and let me with one blow get revenge on the Philistines for my two eyes.” - Judges 16:25b-28

4 → 1. God hears Samson’s cries and offers supernatural help

Then Samson reached toward the two central pillars on which the temple stood. Bracing himself against them, his right hand on the one and his left hand on the other, Samson said, “Let me die with the Philistines!” Then he pushed with all his might, and down came the temple on the rulers and all the people in it. Thus he killed many more when he died than while he lived." - Judges 16:29-30

This isn't just Samson's pattern, or Israel's pattern, but our pattern too. Just like Samson and as we have seen throughout this study, God wants us to obey His rule, to be amongst His family of people, and to enjoy His presence in His kingdom place. As image-bearers, we have been delegated ruling power to bless the nations and to spread the glory of YHWH across every square inch of His cosmic temple. Yet just like Samson, we are prone to compromise; we are prone to distraction; we are prone to disobedience; we are prone to the kingdom of the serpent and his rule which puts us on our very own thrones in life.

But also like Samson's story, God remains merciful to us. We serve a God who, despite our failures, continues to work out the gospel of the kingdom in which God’s people will be rescued from all enemies, returned to God’s kingdom place, and restored as rulers who love God and love others…if only the great serpent-crusher would come and reestablish God’s rule over the serpent!

WARNING - GRAPHIC CONTENT AHEAD

The book of Judges ends by making us consider the horrific degenerative pattern of sin and the serpent kingdom. How far would God’s mercy continue to extend? What are the consequences of generation after generation forgetting God and falling deeper into the schemes of the serpent? Would God remain faithful to the gospel of the kingdom even if sin spiraled out of control? The concluding “serpent stories” in Judges begins with a man named Micah from Ephraim (northern Israel), a Levite from Bethlehem (Judah), and the tribe of Dan (pushed back by God’s enemies). Israel had drifted so far towards the serpent that their inhabitants - including the Levites and a son of Moses - had entirely forgotten about God’s chosen kingdom place of worship.

(Law in Question) When you go over the Jordan and live in the land that the Lord your God is giving you to inherit, and when he gives you rest from all your enemies around, so that you live in safety, then to the place that the Lord your God will choose, to make his name dwell there, there you shall bring all that I command you: your burnt offerings and your sacrifices, your tithes and the contribution that you present, and all your finest vow offerings that you vow to the Lord. - Deuteronomy 12:10–11

And the man Micah had a shrine, and he made an ephod and household gods, and ordained one of his sons, who became his priest… “I am a Levite of Bethlehem in Judah, and I am going to sojourn where I may find a place.” And Micah said to him, “Stay with me, and be to me a father and a priest, and I will give you ten pieces of silver a year and a suit of clothes and your living.” And the Levite went in. - Judges 17:5, 9-10

The people of Dan took what Micah had made, and the priest who belonged to him, and they came to Laish, to a people quiet and unsuspecting, and struck them with the edge of the sword and burned the city with fire…And the people of Dan set up the carved image for themselves, and Jonathan the son of Gershom, son of Moses, and his sons were priests to the tribe of the Danites until the day of the captivity of the land. - Judges 18:27, 30

Moreover, the victims of this serpent-like degeneration were often the most vulnerable image-bearers in God’s kingdom family of image-bearing people.

Levite Travels with Concubine to Gibeah in the land of Benjamin

As they were making their hearts merry, behold, the men of the city, worthless fellows, surrounded the house, beating on the door. And they said to the old man, the master of the house, “Bring out the man who came into your house, that we may know him.” And the man, the master of the house, went out to them and said to them, “No, my brothers, do not act so wickedly; since this man has come into my house, do not do this vile thing. Behold, here are my virgin daughter and his concubine. Let me bring them out now. Violate them and do with them what seems good to you, but against this man do not do this outrageous thing.” But the men would not listen to him. So the man seized his concubine and made her go out to them. - Judges 19:22-25

Levite Butchers Concubine to Send Message of Gibeah’s Crime

And when he entered his house, he took a knife, and taking hold of his concubine he divided her, limb by limb, into twelve pieces, and sent her throughout all the territory of Israel. - Judges 19:29

Civil War Ensues Between Benjamites and Israel

And the men of Israel went out to fight against Benjamin, and the men of Israel drew up the battle line against them at Gibeah. The people of Benjamin came out of Gibeah and destroyed on that day 22,000 men of the Israelites…. And the men of Israel turned back against the people of Benjamin and struck them with the edge of the sword, the city, men and beasts and all that they found. And all the towns that they found they set on fire. - Judges 20:20-21, 48

The Surviving Benjamites Kidnap Wives for Inheritance

And they commanded the people of Benjamin, saying, “Go and lie in ambush in the vineyards and watch. If the daughters of Shiloh come out to dance in the dances, then come out of the vineyards and snatch each man his wife from the daughters of Shiloh, and go to the land of Benjamin….And the people of Benjamin did so and took their wives, according to their number, from the dancers whom they carried off. - Judges 21:20-21, 23

Simply put, the Bible does not sugarcoat the serious ramifications of sins. By now, hopefully you are growing more and more desperate for God’s solution to the chaos and disorder of the serpent kingdom. The uncensored images in the book of Judges fuels our desire to see God’s powerful rule “crush the serpent”. Judges ends with a hint at God’s solution by reciting this key phrase stated 4 different times throughout this glimpse into the serpent kingdom at its most wicked:

"In those days Israel had no king; everyone did as they saw fit." - Judges 17:6; 18:1; 19:1; 21:25

Would this finally be the era of the promised king that would come from Jacob, from the tribe of Judah, the greater Moses who would finally take the scepter and crush the serpent? The next segment of Israel’s history begins with their quest for this promised king. In the meantime we pray that the Lord would somehow put an end to this vicious cycle of sin once and for all.

Share the Gospel: God wants us to obey His rule, to be amongst His family of people, and to enjoy His presence in His kingdom place. As image-bearers, we have been given delegating ruling power to bless the nations and to spread His glory in every square inch of His cosmic temple. Yet we are prone to compromise, distraction, disobedience, and our very own thrones under the serpent kingdom. However, we serve a God that, despite our failures, continues to work out the gospel of the kingdom in which God’s people are rescued from all enemies, returned to God’s kingdom place, and restored as rulers who love God and love others because of God’s reeestablished rule over the serpent!

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1. Return of the Israelites

Week 5 • Day 1

Week 5 • Day 1

My wife and I started dating at a relatively young age. The more serious we got about our relationship, the more we dreamed of our marriage in the future! When our wedding day finally arrived, we were beyond thrilled after enduring many years of highs and lows. As I stood at the altar before the crowd waiting for my bride to enter the room, flashbacks and memories of those youthful years flooded my mind. This was the start of a new and exciting chapter of life together. As the music began, I couldn’t help but mentally utter the words, “Here…we…go!”

Have you ever anticipated something this much? Maybe you are anticipating something right now! As the moment gets closer to you, what does that heightened anticipation feel like?

Consider the Israelites at this particular moment of God’s kingdom story. Generations of their people had been enslaved in Egypt for 400 years with only a vague promise to hang onto. For the last 40 years, this new generation had to watch their parents wander in the wilderness because of their unfaithfulness to God. Now, they stood at the border of God’s promised place having just heard an incredibly motivational “pregame speech” from Moses about God’s rule! Everything has led up to this moment! For Joshua and this generation, it was “show time”.

Here…we…go!

Now therefore arise, go over this Jordan, you and all this people, into the land that I am giving to them, to the people of Israel. Every place that the sole of your foot will tread upon I have given to you, just as I promised to Moses. - Joshua 1:2-3

Perhaps these moments are so thrilling because we never know what to expect. In order to guide His people into the promised place, God splits the Jordan river just like He did for Moses at the Red Sea. Furthermore, right before they approach the first city of the Canaanites, Joshua runs into this mysterious figure:

When Joshua was by Jericho, he lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, a man was standing before him with his drawn sword in his hand. And Joshua went to him and said to him, “Are you for us, or for our adversaries?” And he said, “No; but I am the commander of the army of the Lord. Now I have come.” - Joshua 5:13-14

What an amazing encouragement this must have been for Joshua! An encounter with the Commander of the Lord’s Army showed that the Lord’s powerful rule was with Joshua as he led God’s people towards Jericho and into the promised place!

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. - Joshua 6:3-5

Could you imagine thinking that you are going to battle and then hearing these instructions from God? And then it actually works! I’m sure Joshua had every reason to praise God for His power to reestablish His rule by crushing the enemy inhabitants of Jericho. Praise God for His faithfulness to return Israel back into the kingdom place promised to Abraham long ago!

Perhaps this would be the generation in which Joshua, along with the Commander of the Lord’s Army, would rescue God’s people from all enemies of the serpent kingdom and restore their hearts to love God and love others! Might Joshua be the serpent crusher even though he was from the tribe of Ephraim?

 
 

THE SERPENT STRIKES BACK

It didn’t take long for the Israelites to show that they were still under the rule of the kingdom of the serpent. At the battle of Ai (Josh. 7), the Israelites suffered casualties due to the secret sins of one man named Achan. This time, in an attempt to preserve this fresh start, the Israelites took this man’s sin so seriously that they sentenced Achan to death. They hadn’t waited all these years only to have one individual pollute the entire campaign by disobeying the ruling commands of the Lord. God’s people were absolutely determined to live under God’s rule as they entered God’s promised place for them!

Sure enough, after the Achan episode is resolved, Israel successfully conquers the land of Ai (Josh. 8). Then, the Lord causes the Sun to stand still in order to guide Israel as they conquered the land of Jerusalem (Josh. 10). The pattern here showcases that God’s people could not be thwarted so long as the commander of the Lord’s army was with them and they remained faithful to YHWH, even if their battle was against multiple kingdoms at the same time (Josh. 11-12). The Lord was determined to reestablish His kingdom rule by crushing the head of all serpent-like nations and people groups. The Lord was committed to finishing His rescue mission for His people by restoring their hearts as image-bearing rulers and returning

them to His kingdom land in which He would dwell in the middle of their place. Then, as promised to Abraham, other nations would find refuge under the wings of YHWH if they acknowledged His kingdom rule, much like the foreign prostitute Rahab who hid the spies before the Jericho attack!

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 6:25

After all these years of anticipation, the gospel of the kingdom breaks through in powerful ways! God was actively rescuing His kingdom family of people and returning them into His kingdom place so that they might become restored rulers who live under YHWH’s powerful rule. In so doing, the blessings of YHWH were actively extending to the nations (Rahab). God’s people were ready and willing to continue forward and spread His glory throughout the land! Surely, it’s time for the serpent to be defeated!

 

REVENGE OF THE SERPENT

When the inhabitants of Gibeon heard what Joshua had done to Jericho and to Ai, they on their part acted with cunning and went and made ready provisions and took worn-out sacks for their donkeys, and wineskins, worn-out and torn and mended, with worn-out, patched sandals on their feet, and worn-out clothes. And all their provisions were dry and crumbly. And they went to Joshua in the camp at Gilgal and said to him and to the men of Israel, “We have come from a distant country, so now make a covenant with us.” - Joshua 9:3–6

As we learned in the Achan debacle, even the slightest hint of unfaithfulness would cause the Lord to withdraw His mighty rule in this conquest process. Centered at the middle of all these successful conquest (6,7,8 **Josh. 9** 10,11,12) is a story about the neighboring Gibeonites who were not defeated, but were spared because they fooled Joshua into making a covenant of peace with them.

Here is our bread. It was still warm when we took it from our houses as our food for the journey on the day we set out to come to you, but now, behold, it is dry and crumbly. These wineskins were new when we filled them, and behold, they have burst. And these garments and sandals of ours are worn out from the very long journey.” So the men took some of their provisions, but did not ask counsel from the Lord. And Joshua made peace with them and made a covenant with them, to let them live, and the leaders of the congregation swore to them. - Joshua 9:12–15

Here, we discover the leaders of Israel along with Joshua bending the knee to the serpent. The faithful serpent-crusher would not be found in this generation.

Instead, in this moment of weakness, the serpent invites them into his own kingdom by elevating their own thrones above the Lord’s. This story may seem rather innocent, but it foreshadows a potential problem that the Israelites were going to face moving forward. Pay close attention to the instructions given to them by Moses back in Deuteronomy:

(Law in Question) But in the cities of these peoples that the Lord your God is giving you for an inheritance, you shall save alive nothing that breathes, but you shall devote them to complete destruction, the Hittites and the Amorites, the Canaanites and the Perizzites, the Hivites and the Jebusites, as the Lord your God has commanded, that they may not teach you to do according to all their abominable practices that they have done for their gods, and so you sin against the Lord your God. - Deuteronomy 20:16-18

Here is the cliffhanger of the book of Joshua: would the serpent use the small opening of surrounding nations to destroy the Israelites?

The conquest stories of Joshua illustrate the final elements of God’s rescue mission from Egypt.
The conquest stories of Joshua illustrate the return of God’s people to His promised place.
However…
The conquest stories of Joshua illustrate that God’s image-bearers still need a restored heart to rule in a way that loves God, loves others, and obeys His law.
The conquest stories of Joshua illustrate that in order for God’s kingdom rule to be fully reestablished, the serpent still needed to be crushed once and for all!

 

A NEW HOPE?

Now Joshua was old and advanced in years, and the Lord said to him, “You are old and advanced in years, and there remains yet very much land to possess.” - Joshua 13:1

The rest of the book (Josh 13-22) goes on to tally Israel’s great victories and how Joshua geographically divides up this promised land. The important thing about this commonly skipped-over section is that God had successfully brought Israel from a state of hopelessness in Egypt to fulfilling one of His great kingdom promises made to Abraham long ago - a return back to God’s kingdom place. Yet the book of Joshua leaves us wondering whether or not God’s people would

faithfully follow God’s rule in this land? Or would they be influenced by the neighboring people groups and begin to worship their gods?

As Joshua summons the leaders of Israel to urge them to follow the ways of the Lord and complete His mission, the people exclaim that they will surely be able to resist and overcome any temptations of the serpent!

“Now therefore fear the Lord and serve him in sincerity and in faithfulness. Put away the gods that your fathers served beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve the Lord. And if it is evil in your eyes to serve the Lord, choose this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your fathers served in the region beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”

Then the people answered, “Far be it from us that we should forsake the Lord to serve other gods, for it is the Lord our God who brought us and our fathers up from the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery, and who did those great signs in our sight and preserved us in all the way that we went, and among all the peoples through whom we passed. And the Lord drove out before us all the peoples, the Amorites who lived in the land. Therefore we also will serve the Lord, for he is our God.”

But Joshua said to the people, “You are not able to serve the Lord, for he is a holy God. He is a jealous God; he will not forgive your transgressions or your sins. If you forsake the Lord and serve foreign gods, then he will turn and do you harm and consume you, after having done you good.” And the people said to Joshua, “No, but we will serve the Lord.” Then Joshua said to the people, “You are witnesses against yourselves that you have chosen the Lord, to serve him.” And they said, “We are witnesses.” He said, “Then put away the foreign gods that are among you, and incline your heart to the Lord, the God of Israel.” And the people said to Joshua, “The Lord our God we will serve, and his voice we will obey.” So Joshua made a covenant with the people that day, and put in place statutes and rules for them at Shechem. - Joshua 24:14-25

All of God’s kingdom pieces have fallen into place in the book of Joshua: God’s powerful rule in God’s place over God’s family of people. And just like on my wedding day, the newly formed kingdom of God is excited to follow through on their life-time covenant relationship with the Lord. But as my wife and I learned after our wedding, there is an entire journey still to come.

Joshua leaves us wondering what this new season of life would look like. Will this be the generation that actually resists the serpent kingdom that has plagued all of humanity up to this point? Would this actually be the generation that remained true to their commitment and obedient to God’s rule? Would we see this king figure from Israel defeat the serpent and take the throne over this generation of

people? Or will the surrounding serpent-like neighbors continue to rule over them? Joshua’s parting words encourage the Israelites to choose the way of life and warn them of the consequences of choosing the path of the serpent.

Therefore, be very strong to keep and to do all that is written in the Book of the Law of Moses, turning aside from it neither to the right hand nor to the left, that you may not mix with these nations remaining among you or make mention of the names of their gods or swear by them or serve them or bow down to them, but you shall cling to the Lord your God just as you have done to this day.

And now I am about to go the way of all the earth, and you know in your hearts and souls, all of you, that not one word has failed of all the good things that the Lord your God promised concerning you. All have come to pass for you; not one of them has failed. But just as all the good things that the Lord your God promised concerning you have been fulfilled for you, so the Lord will bring upon you all the evil things, until he has destroyed you from off this good land that the Lord your God has given you, if you transgress the covenant of the Lord your God, which he commanded you, and go and serve other gods and bow down to them. - Joshua 23:6-8, 14–16

Share the Gospel: The conquest stories of Joshua illustrate the final elements of God’s rescue mission from Egypt and the return of God’s people to His promised place. However the conquest stories of Joshua illustrate that God’s image-bearers still need a restored heart to rule in a way that loves God, loves others, and obeys His rule. Joshua leaves us wondering: would the serpent use the small opening of surrounding nations to destroy the Israelites?

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