Calvary Road Baptist Church

“A Survey Of Satanic & Demonic Warfare In Joshua”

Joshua 

The title of this message is “A Survey of Satanic and Demonic Warfare in Joshua.” The reason for this title has more to do with consistency in my surveys of spiritual warfare in each book of the Bible than with what I will spend most of my time dealing with in the book of Joshua. Keeping in mind that the first five books of the Bible, Genesis through Deuteronomy, are the books of Moses, known as the Pentateuch, the foundational books of all biblical revelation, the book of Joshua is the first of the historical books in the Hebrew Scriptures of the Old Testament.

Because so little attention is paid to Satanic and demonic warfare in the book of Joshua, being an account of the children of Israel’s military incursion into the Promised Land and the dividing up of the land after they occupied the region, I will use this occasion to accomplish five things: 

First, I WILL ADDRESS WHAT SOME REFER TO AS GENOCIDE 

A People’s History Of The United States was initially published in 1999 and was written by the late Howard Zinn, who self-identified as a historian, playwright, and social activist. He was a communist and a plagiarist who actively opposed everything about the United States of America, our way of life, our history, our lofty ideals, and our nation’s leadership in addressing problems that have plagued mankind for thousands of years, culminating in the Civil War.

I urge you to read A People’s History Of The United States, but only after you have first read Debunking Howard Zinn by Mary Grabar, whose book exposes Zinn’s shabby scholarship, flagrant plagiarism, despicable dishonesty, and ideologically driven approach to history. A People’s History Of The United States is political propaganda, plain and simple, stooping very low to persuade the gullible and ignorant that nothing about our nation’s founding was good or commendable. Sadly, the book is treated as gospel by most public school teachers and journalists.

You might wonder how a very popular, yet misleading, American history would have anything to do with the Old Testament book of Joshua. I would respond by saying that the political agenda behind the efforts to destroy the morale of our citizenry regarding the right of our nation to exist also drives a very skewed view of Israel’s history. Perhaps you are puzzled by so many Jewish people in the United States who are opposed to the state of Israel and who actively support and lobby for Hamas, Hezbollah, and other Palestinian efforts to destroy the Jewish state.

There is a parallel between The 1619 Project of the New York Times Magazine, claiming that American history did not begin in 1776 but with the arrival of the first slave ship. The sad reality is that slavery existed from almost the beginning everywhere globally. However, Zinn and his ideological disciples, who identify as Antifa, Black Lives Matter, and who we would term social justice warriors, pay no attention to that historical reality. They ignore any pertinent details and facts that undermine the conclusions they decided upon before they began to manufacture propaganda as supporting evidence to destroy the country and culture they hate. Epitomizing Romans 1.21, they are not thankful for the wonderful country they live in.

In like manner, to undermine the credibility of the modern state of Israel, an effort is underway to delegitimize the right of the ancient state of Israel to exist. This is done by attacking the basis on which the ancient state of Israel came to occupy the land God promised to the descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. This is accomplished by severely criticizing the events recorded in the book of Joshua. As described in the book of Joshua, the conquest of the Promised Land at the direction of the God of Israel is described by some as genocide.

Was it genocide? Webster defines genocide as “the systematic killing or extermination of a whole people or nation.”[1] Before anyone concludes that what the children of Israel accomplished under the command of Joshua at the direction of Almighty God was genocide, or that it was in any way ‘unfair,’ some considerations are in order: First, consider that sinning against God is a capital offense, punishable by death, even when such sins are committed by those who choose to worship false gods, especially when such sins are committed by those who choose to worship false gods.[2] Next, consider that God is good and that nothing He commands or prescribes is unrighteous or wrong. God directed Joshua to do nothing wrong because nothing God does is not good, and everything God does is righteous.[3] Third, consider that God is God and that as the Creator, He has the sovereign right to do as He chooses and that what He chooses must be right, proper, and good. After all, the earth is His; the land is His, everything under heaven is His, every animal is His, the world is His, you and I are His, and vengeance is His.[4] Fourth, consider that the Canaanites had forty years’ warning to leave the land. 

Note Rahab’s testimony to the Jewish spies dispatched by Joshua: 

9  And she said unto the men, I know that the LORD hath given you the land, and that your terror is fallen upon us, and that all the inhabitants of the land faint because of you.

10 For we have heard how the LORD dried up the water of the Red sea for you, when ye came out of Egypt; and what ye did unto the two kings of the Amorites, that were on the other side Jordan, Sihon and Og, whom ye utterly destroyed.

11 And as soon as we had heard these things, our hearts did melt, neither did there remain any more courage in any man, because of you: for the LORD your God, he is God in heaven above, and in earth beneath.[5] 

Do you think Rahab was the only Canaanite who knew these things? They all knew, every one of them. Any one of them could have packed up and moved and would have faced no harm or injury to his person or property. Can it be called genocide when a population is given forty years’ notice to vacate? You know the answer to that.

Some liken God’s judgment against the idolatrous Canaanites at the hands of the children of Israel to Islamic jihad from the seventh century after Christ. Those historical revisionists choose to ignore two crucial details: First, what Israel did in Canaan was at God’s direction as a one-off act of divine judgment and was not an ongoing way of life against all others whose ways and values were different. Israel was not in a perpetual state of war against surrounding nations that did not attack them. Second, what Muslims justify as religious jihad at the direction of Allah is nothing less than barbarism and ruthless banditry under the guise of a divinely sanctioned imperative when their sanctioning authority is, in reality, the Devil himself. There is no comparison between what the Israelites once did in Joshua’s time and what the Muslims have been continuously doing since the time of Mohammed. 

Next, SOME ASSERTIONS ABOUT THE BIBLE 

Since I am now surveying a book of the Bible that enables me to address these issues, I want to set forth for those of you who are visiting, and for those of you who are new to this ministry, two positions that we as a Church have long embraced concerning God’s Word:

First, our position related to the characteristics of the Bible: As to the uniqueness of Scripture, and the intent of the Bible:

It is important to stress the uniqueness of the Bible. It towers above all other literature available to mankind. There are many facts that contribute to this uniqueness. First, the Bible is a divine-human book authored by God and penned by men. Second, the Bible is a covenant book, with those covenants being the Abrahamic Covenant, the Palestinian Covenant, the Mosaic Covenant, the Davidic Covenant, and the New Covenant. Third, the Bible was written within the covenant community, with the Hebrew Scriptures written within the Mosaic Covenant community and the New Testament written within the New Covenant community. Fourth, the Bible is transcultural. Fifth, the Bible contains a constant message to an ever-unfolding and increasingly complex manner of life.[6]

Then, our position related to the intent of the Bible. We believe, first, God gave the Bible to us to inform us. Some believe portions of the Bible cannot be understood, but if God did not want to inform us, He would not have provided the Bible for us. Second, the Bible is given so that we can be redeemed. Third, the Bible is given so that we can be restored. Fourth, the Bible is given to us so that we can rightly interpret the universe in which we live, understand ourselves, know our task, and grasp all that transpires. Fifth, the Bible is given to direct men and women, old and young, to live our lives and serve the Lord with wholehearted devotion per His revealed will.

Next, our Church’s position is related to the qualities of the Bible. Five things: First, the Bible was written by men who the Spirit of God inspired.[7] Second, the written record has authority. Third, the written record is inerrant. Fourth, the written record is infallible and, therefore, entirely trustworthy. Fifth, the written record is astonishingly free from ambiguity, revealing to the reader where he stands concerning the great issues of life.[8]

Though we are more than eager to explain our position on God’s Word, and discuss our position on God’s Word, our position on God’s Word is not the subject of dispute with anyone. 

Third, JOSHUA’S NAME 

The Hebrew name of this historical figure is a combination of two terms. The first term is an abbreviated form of the Hebrew word that means to become or to be and is the shortened form of the name of the God of Israel. The second Hebrew word means to deliver or save. In the account of the twelve spies sent by Moses to Canaan, Numbers 13.16, his original name was Oshea, which means salvation. However, Moses changed the son of Nun’s name by adding the name of the LORD, which was uniquely significant, making it Jehoshua.

The name Joshua has a profound messianic significance in the context in which Moses and Joshua lived, led Israel, and served on behalf of the God of Israel. When this factor is understood, it becomes obvious why the same name, coming from Hebrew to Greek to English as Jesus, was given to the Son of God when He became incarnate. He came to save–deliver–enrich His people, Matthew 1.21: 

“thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins.” 

As this man led his people to victory in the Promised Land, so the Lord Jesus Christ leads His people to life and liberty in the spiritual and eternal realm. 

Fourth, A SURVEY OF THE BOOK OF JOSHUA 

Outline of JOSHUA 

  1. Israel Conquers the Land (1-12)
  2. Preparations for Conquest (1-5)
  3. Chapter one contains the LORD’s charge to Joshua, including this timeless passage:

5 There shall not any man be able to stand before thee all the days of thy life: as I was with Moses, so I will be with thee: I will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.

6 Be strong and of a good courage: for unto this people shalt thou divide for an inheritance the land, which I sware unto their fathers to give them.

7 Only be thou strong and very courageous, that thou mayest observe to do according to all the law, which Moses my servant commanded thee: turn not from it to the right hand or to the left, that thou mayest prosper whithersoever thou goest.

8 This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success.

  1. Chapter 2 contains the record of the two spies dispatched by Joshua and their interaction with Rahab, the harlot.
  2. Chapter 3 records the crossing of the Jordan River, and God stopping the floodwaters so the ark of the covenant and the people could cross over dry shod.
  3. Chapter 4 records the twelve stones set up as a memorial of what God did that day.
  4. Chapter 5 records the circumcision of the Israelite men after a lapse of forty years, and Joshua’s encounter with the captain of the LORD’s host, the preincarnate Christ.
  5. The Central Campaign (6-9)
  6. Chapter 6 records the taking of the city of Jericho and the rescue of Rahab and her family.
  7. Chapter 7 records the debacle against the small city of Ai because of the theft by Achan of the accursed thing in Jericho, and the discovery of Achan and the stoning and burning of Achan and his children, who had conspired to conceal their father’s sin.
  8. Chapter 8 records the destruction of the city of Ai and the construction by Joshua of an altar unto the LORD God of Israel on Mount Ebal.
  9. Chapter 9 records the deception of Joshua by the Gibeonites, and their willingness to be perpetual slaves to the Israelites rather than suffer death. How could genocide have been Joshua’s intent when he honored his word and preserved the lives of the clever Gibeonites?
  10. The Southern Campaign (10)
  11. Verse 12 of this chapter records Joshua commanding the sun to stand still to preserve the daylight for Joshua’s victory in battle.
  12. Did this miracle actually occur? Although the historical record of the event does not employ scientific language, but rather point of view observation, this miracle did occur.
  13. From an astronomical perspective, God stopped the rotation of the earth so His servant Joshua would enjoy daylight to complete his victory in battle.
  14. The Northern Campaign (11:1-15)

The ruins of the city of Hazor mentioned in this passage is now a valued archaeological site that has been adapted for tourism.

  1. Summary Statement (11:16-12:24)

Especially important at the end of chapter 12 is the list of Canaanite cities that were conquered by Joshua, lending credibility to this book of the Bible as an accurate history of events. 

  1. Israel Divides the Land (13-21)
  2. Israel’s Remaining Challenge (13)
  3. Israel’s Land Inheritances (14-19)
  4. Israel’s Designated Cities (20-21)
  5. The cities of refuge mentioned in chapter 20 refer to three cities on either side of the Jordan River, located in the North, in the Center, and in the South, totaling six. These were cities a man slayer could flee to in order to escape an avenging family member of the person whose life was taken.
  6. Once in the refuge city, which was a neutral venue, the homicide would be adjudicated. If the homicide was a murder the man slayer would be stoned. If the homicide was judged to be accidental the man slayer was required to remain in the city of refuge for the duration of the current high priest’s life.
  7. If the man slayer was ever caught outside the city of refuge during the lifetime of the high priest, any member of the victim’s family was legally permitted to exact vengeance upon him by taking his life.
  8. Chapter 21 deals with the 48 cities given to members of the tribe of Levi, the priestly tribe of Israel. 

III.     Israel Begins to Settle into the Land (22-24)

  1. An Early Misunderstanding Almost Leads to Civil War (22)
  2. Remember the Reubenites, the Gadites, and the half tribe of Manasseh, who decided to occupy the region on the east side of the Jordan River.
  3. If you recognize the potential problem of those tribes living on the far side of a natural barrier such as the Jordan River, you would be correct. Those three tribes are an example of people who place themselves at risk by the decisions they make.
  4. A person can choose to live anywhere he wants to live. It is his choice. When my wife and I left the South Bay for Bible college, we chose to live near our Church rather than living near our school. Why so? We anticipated several years of dealing with stress and fatigue associated with our educational pursuits. We knew that fatigue makes cowards of us all. We thought it would be better for us to be tired near Church than to be tired near school, because Church is more important than school. In our case, it proved to be a wise decision.
  5. The beginning of the problems of these three tribes was their decision to construct a memorial, with the other tribes becoming aware of the memorial after the fact. They came to the brink of civil war. It would have been better for them to consult with the other tribes before building the memorial. It would’ve been even better for them to have opted to live closer to their place of worship and to their fellow countrymen.
  6. Joshua’s Final Challenges to God’s People (23:1-24:27)
  7. Here we find the only references in the book of Joshua to the spiritual warfare that impinged upon the Israelites. Joshua raised the issue during his final challenge to God’s people.
  8. We will look at those passages after concluding our survey of the book of Joshua.
  9. Three Burials (24:28-33)
  10. Joshua’s death is recorded, in verse 30.
  11. Joseph’s bones, brought with them in the Exodus from Egypt, were buried in Shechem, on property purchased and still owned by Jacob, verse 32. Not an insignificant detail.
  12. And Eliezar, the high priest who succeeded his father Aaron, Israel’s first high priest, died. He was buried on property owned by his son, Phineas, verse 33. 

Finally, ADDRESSING WHAT FEW PASSAGES THERE ARE IN JOSHUA THAT DEAL WITH SATANIC AND DEMONIC ACTIVITY 

In his advanced age, Joshua delivered two addresses. The first address is recorded in Joshua chapter 23. The second address is recorded in Joshua chapter 24. It is only in these two addresses that mention is made in the book of Joshua to “their gods,” “other gods,” swearing by them, serving them, and bowing unto them. Let us examine each chapter’s mention of the tools used by the Devil and the demons to provoke apostasy.

Joshua chapter 23. Notice how Joshua’s address begins in Joshua 23.2: 

“And Joshua called for all Israel, and for their elders, and for their heads, and for their judges, and for their officers, and said unto them, I am old and stricken in age.” 

“The term elders is the general term used to denote all the representatives of the people, who were divided into heads, judges, and officers. And the heads, again, were those who stood at the head of the tribes, families, and father’s houses, and out of whose number of the most suitable persons were chosen as judges and officers.”[9] 

Thus, in this first instance in which Joshua mentions the tools employed by the Devil and the demons in their war against the people, plan, and purpose of God, he directs his comments to leaders. Though each individual is targeted by our enemies, the preparation of individuals to cope with spiritual assault begins with the leaders. Let us not lose sight of that reality. Read Joshua 23.6-16 with me: 

6  Be ye therefore very courageous to keep and to do all that is written in the book of the law of Moses, that ye turn not aside therefrom to the right hand or to the left;

7  That ye come not among these nations, these that remain among you; neither make mention of the name of their gods, nor cause to swear by them, neither serve them, nor bow yourselves unto them:

8  But cleave unto the LORD your God, as ye have done unto this day.

9  For the LORD hath driven out from before you great nations and strong: but as for you, no man hath been able to stand before you unto this day.

10 One man of you shall chase a thousand: for the LORD your God, he it is that fighteth for you, as he hath promised you.

11 Take good heed therefore unto yourselves, that ye love the LORD your God.

12 Else if ye do in any wise go back, and cleave unto the remnant of these nations, even these that remain among you, and shall make marriages with them, and go in unto them, and they to you:

13 Know for a certainty that the LORD your God will no more drive out any of these nations from before you; but they shall be snares and traps unto you, and scourges in your sides, and thorns in your eyes, until ye perish from off this good land which the LORD your God hath given you.

14 And, behold, this day I am going the way of all the earth: and ye know in all your hearts and in all your souls, that not one thing hath failed of all the good things which the LORD your God spake concerning you; all are come to pass unto you, and not one thing hath failed thereof.

15 Therefore it shall come to pass, that as all good things are come upon you, which the LORD your God promised you; so shall the LORD bring upon you all evil things, until he have destroyed you from off this good land which the LORD your God hath given you.

16 When ye have transgressed the covenant of the LORD your God, which he commanded you, and have gone and served other gods, and bowed yourselves to them; then shall the anger of the LORD be kindled against you, and ye shall perish quickly from off the good land which he hath given unto you. 

I want to make five comments in passing: First, fidelity to God begins with a commitment to God’s Word, verse 6. From verse 7, we see Joshua’s prohibition of mentioning the names of the false gods, swearing by them, serving them, or bowing down to them. False gods and matters related to false gods should be purged from the thoughts of anyone committed to obeying God. “But cleave unto the LORD your God,” verse 8. Fourth, Joshua warns that those who worship false gods 

“shall be snares and traps unto you, and scourges in your sides, and thorns in your eyes, until ye perish from off this good land which the LORD your God hath given you,” 

verse 13. Idolaters are dangerous to God’s people. Finally, verse 16: 

“When ye have transgressed the covenant of the LORD your God, which he commanded you, and have gone and served other gods, and bowed yourselves to them; then shall the anger of the LORD be kindled against you, and ye shall perish quickly from off the good land which he hath given unto you.” 

Joshua chapter 24. Joshua’s farewell address begins, in verses 1 and 2, 

1 And Joshua gathered all the tribes of Israel to Shechem, and called for the elders of Israel, and for their heads, and for their judges, and for their officers; and they presented themselves before God.

2 And Joshua said unto all the people, Thus saith the LORD God of Israel, Your fathers dwelt on the other side of the flood in old time, even Terah, the father of Abraham, and the father of Nachor: and they served other gods.

Joshua spoke not only to the leaders, as he had before, but also “Joshua said unto all the people,” because he wanted to remind them that even father Abraham had come from a family that served other gods. Thus, spiritual conflict is both serious and long-standing. In verse five, Joshua rehearsed God’s words, “and I plagued Egypt.” But the plagues in Egypt were directed against the false gods of the Egyptians, were they not? Notice the names of the idolaters in verses 8-13. The Amorites, Balak the son of Zippor, king of Moab, the men of Jericho, the Perizzites, the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Girgashites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites. The common feature of the mortal enemies who had enslaved them, the Egyptians, and their mortal enemies who stood in their way, was their idolatry, and behind all that the demons. 

14 Now therefore fear the LORD, and serve him in sincerity and in truth: and put away the gods which your fathers served on the other side of the flood, and in Egypt; and serve ye the LORD.

15 And if it seem evil unto you to serve the LORD, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.

16 And the people answered and said, God forbid that we should forsake the LORD, to serve other gods;

17 For the LORD our God, he it is that brought us up and our fathers out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage, and which did those great signs in our sight, and preserved us in all the way wherein we went, and among all the people through whom we passed:

18 And the LORD drave out from before us all the people, even the Amorites which dwelt in the land: therefore will we also serve the LORD; for he is our God.

19 And Joshua said unto the people, Ye cannot serve the LORD: for he is an holy God; he is a jealous God; he will not forgive your transgressions nor your sins.

20 If ye forsake the LORD, and serve strange gods, then he will turn and do you hurt, and consume you, after that he hath done you good.

21 And the people said unto Joshua, Nay; but we will serve the LORD.

22 And Joshua said unto the people, Ye are witnesses against yourselves that ye have chosen you the LORD, to serve him. And they said, We are witnesses.

23 Now therefore put away, said he, the strange gods which are among you, and incline your heart unto the LORD God of Israel. 

The people responded to Joshua with a commitment. Still, our interest is in his warning to the people, reminding them of the danger to them from any distraction away from worshiping and serving God. 

For the most part, the book of Joshua is an account of the children of Israel crossing the Jordan River and waging three campaigns to take possession of the Promised Land. Along the way, we are informed of the miracle of stopping the floodwaters of the Jordan River, the miracle of Jericho’s walls coming down, and the personal stories of Rahab, the harlot, and Achan’s disobedience regarding the accursed thing.

After the military campaigns, the land was divided according to tribes and clans and families, details related to the cities of refuge and the Levitical cities, and the almost tragic misunderstanding related to the memorial. Except for brief personal accounts associated with Rahab, Achan, and Joshua’s encounter with the captain of the LORD’s host, Joshua is a rather impersonal book until we arrive at the final two chapters.

Chapter 23 records the faithful old general’s final message to his lieutenants, challenging them for what lies ahead. They are more than a generation younger than him, yet he loved those men he had trained and led in battle.

He wanted to equip them for future success in a war even more difficult to wage than their campaign for the Promised Land had been. Central to their success was an awareness of the spiritual conflict, the discipline necessary to fight the good fight, and the weapons to be used against them by their spiritual adversaries taking the form of false gods.

Chapter 24 records Joshua’s final challenge, charge, and death. He once more reminds them regarding their visible adversary, the false gods that proved so effectively valuable for the Devil and the demons. However, we must understand that it’s not just a carved figure that poses a threat. It is the entire system of belief and practice put forth by the Devil and the demons that makes use of such objects made with men’s hands.

Significantly, Joshua reminded the people where they had come from. Father Abraham had come out of idolatry. They had grown from a clan to a nation over four centuries in Egypt, enslaved by idolatrous people.

Liberating them from idolatry in Egypt with the ten plagues, God then took them on a journey to the Promised Land via the Exodus, with conflict all along the way courtesy of idolaters. Then, when it came time to cross over the Jordan River and take possession of the land, they were opposed once again by idolaters.

They had either been openly opposed by idolaters, or idolaters had made attempts to seduce them at every step in their existence. But the actual conflict was always between the one true and living God, Who made promises that He always kept, and the god of this world, who sought always to use idolaters to oppress them or use idolaters to seduce them.

Has anything changed from Joshua’s day to our day, other than the victory we have in Jesus Christ?

__________

[1] Webster’s New Universal Unabridged Dictionary, (New York: Barnes & Noble Books, 1996), page 764.

[2] Romans 6.23; Ezekiel 18.4, 20

[3] Genesis 18.25; John 17.25; Romans 3.26

[4] Exodus 19.5; Leviticus 25.23; Job 41.11; Psalm 50.10, 12; Romans 12.19

[5] Joshua 2.9-11

[6] Gerard Van Groningen, Messianic Revelation In The Old Testament, Volume One, (Eugene, OR: Wipf and Stock Publishers, 1990), pages 65-67.

[7] 2 Timothy 3.16

[8] Van Groningen, pages 68-70.

[9] C. F. Keil & F. Delitzsch, Commentary On The Old Testament, Vol 2, (Peabody, MA: reprinted by Hendrickson Publishers, Inc., 1996), page 163.

Would you like to contact Dr. Waldrip about this sermon? Please contact him by clicking on the link below. Please do not change the subject within your email message. Thank you.

Pastor@CalvaryRoadBaptist.Church