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"And Moses called unto Joshua, and said unto him in the sight of all Israel, Be strong and of a good courage: for thou must go with this people unto the land which the LORD hath sworn unto their fathers to give them; and thou shalt cause them to inherit it. And the LORD, He it is that doth go before thee; He will be with thee, He will not fail thee, neither forsake thee: fear not, neither be dismayed." (Deuteronomy 31:7-8)
"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." (Joshua 1:5) |
Yet again there is a clear condition given – “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. 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” (Joshua 1:7-8). Joshua was the elect of God. He did not fail to fulfill these conditions, but God warned him again of the sure consequences if ever he did neglect the obedience of holy and just judgments. After Achan had caused 36 men of Israel to die under the wrath of God by his own, singlehanded rebellion, the Lord included Joshua in the same demise of wrath and condemnation unless he acted in obedience:
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“Therefore the children of Israel could not stand before their enemies, but turned their backs before their enemies, because they were accursed: neither will I be with you any more, except ye destroy the accursed from among you” (Josh. 7:12).
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God said to Joshua that He would not leave him, but rather that He would “be with” him (Deut. 31:8), that He would not “fail” him or “forsake” him (Deut. 31:8, Josh. 1:5), and yet now God says that He will not be with him anymore!
Achan took of the forbidden spoil of Jericho, which God commanded not to be taken. Jericho’s spoils were ordained by God to waste away into destruction, as hateful riches, wages won by wickedness and treachery. God said, “Thou shalt not seek their peace nor their prosperity” (Deut. 23:6)! Certain spoils of infamous sinners, by association, come to obtain the abominable identities of its owners, and so, the spoils – themselves – are doomed to suffer the same fate of destruction. Deuteronomy 13:16-18 speaks of such a scenario, a scenario which is telling of God’s awe-striking severity with Joshua, even God’s oath-breaching powers:
Achan took of the forbidden spoil of Jericho, which God commanded not to be taken. Jericho’s spoils were ordained by God to waste away into destruction, as hateful riches, wages won by wickedness and treachery. God said, “Thou shalt not seek their peace nor their prosperity” (Deut. 23:6)! Certain spoils of infamous sinners, by association, come to obtain the abominable identities of its owners, and so, the spoils – themselves – are doomed to suffer the same fate of destruction. Deuteronomy 13:16-18 speaks of such a scenario, a scenario which is telling of God’s awe-striking severity with Joshua, even God’s oath-breaching powers:
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“And thou shalt gather all the spoil of it into the midst of the street thereof, and shalt burn with fire the city, and all the spoil thereof every whit, for the LORD thy God: and it shall be an heap for ever; it shall not be built again. And there shall cleave nought of the cursed thing to thine hand: that the LORD may turn from the fierceness of His anger, and shew thee mercy, and have compassion upon thee, and multiply thee, as He hath sworn unto thy fathers; When thou shalt hearken to the voice of the LORD thy God, to keep all His commandments which I command thee this day, to do that which is right in the eyes of the LORD thy God” (Deuteronomy 13:16-18).
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Joshua, knowing this passage well, was not paralyzed by confusion, as you may be, when God did thus warn Joshua of imminent damnation in the matter of Achan. His faith was not foiled; he was not in a craze over what seemed to be biblical contradictions. Branded upon Joshua’s mind was now a holy resolve to make sure his election based upon what he did! Have you ever done that!? It is so easy to quote a promise with ungodly simplicity, removing care and consequence from personal morality and obedient deeds, couching yourself in imaginary assurances abounding forthwith to your relaxation, and why? Men have an unwavering confidence that a promise cannot fail – because of, they say, an everlasting and unconditional love in God – therefore election is sure with or without holiness. Myriads of men are “looking diligently” at the promises of God, and so, have come to understand that there are no sinful words, thoughts, or deeds that could interrupt saving grace…and lo, the conscience breaks loose from its “beginning” “wisdom” (Prov. 9:10), the man is rendered fearless – a fearless fool – set in opposition to and abhorrent of doing something, or anything at all, “lest any man fail of the grace of God” (Heb. 12:15). Spiritual eyes are gouged out, spiritual ears are deafened into silence, and Jesus speaks, “repent…or else I will come unto thee quickly and remove thy candlestick out of his place” (Rev. 2:5), and lo, they think the voice of impression which is coming upon them is the discouragement of false prophets or the condemnation of the devil.
Outside of a heretic’s eyesight, in truth, a regenerate Christian has a new nature which affectionately and adamantly shouts – “God is faithful and His promises are sure!” – Rightly so! It is shouted loud to out-sound every lie. Yea, God’s promises are true, trustworthy, lifesaving, worldwide regenerating, resurrection without end, and no one has ever gone to heaven while believing that God is a liar! Any one that “hath made him a liar” is damned for sure (1 John 5:10)! It is not that His promises fail, but that men come short of them (Heb. 4:1) – and this, how? By a failing faith, wrath-provoking disobedience, and impenitent rebellion, thus God executes the curses and conditions which those promises hinged upon. The promises of God do fill God’s good mind as He thinks upon you, but simultaneously, His faithfulness is also to justice, to conditions and curses when necessary, therefore let all men understand: you will survive the pilgrimage journey of your salvation as long as the saving faith that you have is not turned into evil unbelief, evidenced by sinful thoughts, words, and deeds. Heresies may excuse it, but if certain rebellion does exist with continuance, it will aggravate and arouse the hatred of God to break loose from its wrestling Opponent – God’s love – and thereby wrath will arise unrestrained and God will judge you as a guilty sinner.
Come now! What is your understanding of the words of Jesus Christ, “Lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world” (Matt. 28:20)? Had Joshua believed that such a promise, commitment, and confirmation substantiates the impossibility that the contrary could ever be possible, he would have been damned. Oh how the words of God are wrested because Calvinism was not prayerfully, biblically, and successfully tested, thus on the basis of the words of Hebrews 13:5, “I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee,” saints conclude that they cannot be left nor forsaken. They mistakenly blind themselves to the conditions of the New Covenant promises, concluding that the subject matter of the promises themselves make impossible the binding effect of any condition. This logic is an abominable snare. Had Joshua not heard the words, “neither will I be with you any more,” would he have persevered to the end? Even David was terrorized by the reprobation of King Saul. As the next king in line to rule Israel, David carried with him the awful apprehension of reprobation – which is healthy – and it drove him to repentance when he had, at sundry times, left the God he loved. The terrifying possibility that the Holy Ghost could be taken from him just as it was taken from Saul, made David cry out the heart-rending words – “Cast me not away from Thy presence; and take not Thy Holy Spirit from me” (Ps. 51:11). Had not Saul’s reprobation been his meditation, he would not have cried these words. Jeremiah would be in hell today if he was so indoctrinated by false hopes that he believed the wrath of God could never be kindled over his precious and loved soul. He would be in hell, had not he been convinced that he was going to hell, and by that fearful exercise he was “moved with fear” and found place of repentance (Heb. 11:7).
Outside of a heretic’s eyesight, in truth, a regenerate Christian has a new nature which affectionately and adamantly shouts – “God is faithful and His promises are sure!” – Rightly so! It is shouted loud to out-sound every lie. Yea, God’s promises are true, trustworthy, lifesaving, worldwide regenerating, resurrection without end, and no one has ever gone to heaven while believing that God is a liar! Any one that “hath made him a liar” is damned for sure (1 John 5:10)! It is not that His promises fail, but that men come short of them (Heb. 4:1) – and this, how? By a failing faith, wrath-provoking disobedience, and impenitent rebellion, thus God executes the curses and conditions which those promises hinged upon. The promises of God do fill God’s good mind as He thinks upon you, but simultaneously, His faithfulness is also to justice, to conditions and curses when necessary, therefore let all men understand: you will survive the pilgrimage journey of your salvation as long as the saving faith that you have is not turned into evil unbelief, evidenced by sinful thoughts, words, and deeds. Heresies may excuse it, but if certain rebellion does exist with continuance, it will aggravate and arouse the hatred of God to break loose from its wrestling Opponent – God’s love – and thereby wrath will arise unrestrained and God will judge you as a guilty sinner.
Come now! What is your understanding of the words of Jesus Christ, “Lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world” (Matt. 28:20)? Had Joshua believed that such a promise, commitment, and confirmation substantiates the impossibility that the contrary could ever be possible, he would have been damned. Oh how the words of God are wrested because Calvinism was not prayerfully, biblically, and successfully tested, thus on the basis of the words of Hebrews 13:5, “I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee,” saints conclude that they cannot be left nor forsaken. They mistakenly blind themselves to the conditions of the New Covenant promises, concluding that the subject matter of the promises themselves make impossible the binding effect of any condition. This logic is an abominable snare. Had Joshua not heard the words, “neither will I be with you any more,” would he have persevered to the end? Even David was terrorized by the reprobation of King Saul. As the next king in line to rule Israel, David carried with him the awful apprehension of reprobation – which is healthy – and it drove him to repentance when he had, at sundry times, left the God he loved. The terrifying possibility that the Holy Ghost could be taken from him just as it was taken from Saul, made David cry out the heart-rending words – “Cast me not away from Thy presence; and take not Thy Holy Spirit from me” (Ps. 51:11). Had not Saul’s reprobation been his meditation, he would not have cried these words. Jeremiah would be in hell today if he was so indoctrinated by false hopes that he believed the wrath of God could never be kindled over his precious and loved soul. He would be in hell, had not he been convinced that he was going to hell, and by that fearful exercise he was “moved with fear” and found place of repentance (Heb. 11:7).