Joshua 1: I will be with you by Adria V. Holub
Introduction
In Joshua 1, Moses has just passed away and Joshua is commissioned to lead the Israelites into the Promised Land. Joshua hears God promise to be with him personally, and to grant him success.[1] Throughout Scripture God is said to be with certain people at specific times. Indeed, God's presence is reported in a variety of ways in the biblical witness. The question is, "what does it mean to say God is with someone?" One's answer depends on one's paradigm for who God is and how God will choose to act. Joshua believed in and testified to a God who was so righteous that his presence would cause the death of unrighteous people, be they the inhabitants of Canaan who worshiped idols and practiced destructive rituals, or members of Israel who disregarded the perceived commands of YHWH. This understanding of what it means for God to be present "with" his people is not universally held in the Old Testament witness, though it is the dominant theology, and is explicitly contradicted in the life and teaching of Jesus.
Instead of following Marcion in throwing
out the Old Testament, the text can be valued as
... an alloy of divine revelation and human interpretation—a necessary blend of God’s story (the gold) and human history (the iron). The result is a usable canon that the faith community can “put on” (receive authoritatively) as one dons a 10-karat wedding band. The biblical picture of God does indeed comprise our own social imperfections and misunderstandings (our iron) alongside God’s simultaneous, continual, and dynamic refinement of our knowledge of him.[1]
Methodology
The phrase hayah im, meaning "to be with", is used idiomatically 43 times throughout the Old Testament.[2] It can refer to people being present to one another, people communicating with one another, people desiring something in their hearts, and objects in physical relationship to one another. Since most of this range of usage is not pertinent to Joshua's context, this paper will focus on passages where God is said to be im, just "with", an individual or group in both the Old and New Testaments order to explicate the range of ideas associated with God's presence.
"With
You" in Scripture
Joshua 1 records God promising Joshua his presence and his support in taking the land, contingent on Joshua's obedience to the torah of Moses:
... arise, cross this Jordan, you and all
this people, to the land which I am giving to them, to the sons of Israel ... No
man will [be able to] stand before you all the days of your life. Just as I
have been with Moses, I will be with you; I will not fail you or forsake you...
This book of the law shall not depart from your mouth... so that you may be
careful to do according to all that is written in it; for then you will make
your way prosperous, and then you will have success. Have I not commanded you?
Be strong and courageous! Do not tremble or be dismayed, for the LORD your God
is with you wherever you go.” [3]
In verse 5, God exegetes what his presence
with Joshua will look like in three ways: a lifetime of favor, a life
experience like Moses, and lifelong companionship. In verse 9, God gives Joshua
two further commands predicated on his presence with him, showing what sort of
heart response Joshua should have to this divine promise. It is interesting to
note the pairs of synonymous verbs that occur between verses 5-9: not fail/not
forsake (1:5); be strong/be courageous (1:6, 7, 9); prosper/succeed (1:8); do
not tremble/do not be dismayed (1:9).[4]
These verbs are not automatically the language of warfare, and are used
elsewhere in reference to other subjects.[5] What colors the meaning of these verbs is
their context. In Deuteronomy, Moses envisions the violent elimination of the
inhabitants of Canaan, and in the narrative of
Joshua, such a campaign is undertaken. In verse 17, the Israelites say to
Joshua, “Just as we obeyed Moses in all things, so we will obey you; only may
the LORD your God be with you as He was with Moses," pledging their fealty
with a promise to kill anyone who disobeys their leader.[6]
What their expectation for God's presence to be with Joshua will be examined in
greater detail in the following section on Moses. Suffice to say their
obedience, and Joshua's success, are contingent upon how God is perceived to be
"with" Joshua.
In
the greater context of the book of Joshua, God's presence promised in chapter 1
is purported to secure military victory, and even fame for Joshua, contingent
upon his obedience to God's commands. In 3:7 God says, “This day I will begin
to exalt you in the sight of all Israel, that they may know that
just as I have been with Moses, I will be with you." This verse is located
in the context of God's instructions to Joshua concerning crossing the Jordan River
In
the Pentateuch, God explicitly promises to be "with" Isaac, Jacob,
Joseph, and Moses.[9] While
his presence is seen to be manifested in different ways with each individual,
some common themes would be: God's companionship, personal safety, and favor.
Since God's presence with Joshua is compared to his presence with Moses, it is
important to recognize the similarities between their stories.[10]
Their parallel experiences of God being "with" them include: Moses'
encounter at the burning bush and Joshua's encounter with the Captain of the
Lord's host (Exod 3-4:17; Josh 15:13-15) [11];
directly speaking to and for the Lord (Exod 3:1-4:17; 33:9-11; Num 12:6-8; Josh
1:1-9; 7:13; 24:2); being commissioned to give the promise land to the people
of Israel (Exod 3:16-17; 13:5; Deut 31:7); performing signs and wonders (Exod
7-11; 14:21-31; 15:22-25; 17:1-7; Josh 3:14-17; 10:12-15), especially parting
large bodies of water; commanding the respect and loyalty of the Israelites
(Num 12:6-8; Josh 1); and recording the acts of God in the book of the law of
God (Deut 31:9, 24-26; Josh 24:25-26). Also, God's presence, and the leaders'
success, is seen to be contingent upon Israel's obedience to the words of
God (Exod 33; Josh 7:11-12). Most notably, Moses transferred his
"mantle", meaning his calling and authority, to Joshua in Deut
31:7-8, 23:
Then Moses
called to Joshua and said to him in the sight of all Israel, “Be strong and courageous,
for you shall go with this people into the land which the LORD has sworn to
their fathers to give them, and you shall give it to them as an inheritance.
The LORD is the one who goes ahead of you; He will be with you. He will not
fail you or forsake you. Do not fear or be dismayed.” ... Then He commissioned
Joshua the son of Nun, and said, “Be strong and courageous, for you shall bring
the sons of Israel
into the land which I swore to them, and I will be with you.” [12]
In the context of Deuteronomy it is clear that Moses expects God's presence to signify military victory for the people, but the Pentateuchal witness shows greater latitude concerning what God's presence can mean, even based on the common experiences of Moses and Joshua.
In the remainder of the Old Testament, the concept of God being with someone has a broader range of potential meanings, including military victory, success in public undertakings, personal favor, and the companionship of God. Overwhelmingly, the narrators equate success in battle to God's being "with" someone.[13] Other public ventures where God is said to be "with" certain individuals include building the Temple (2 Sam 7:3 1 Chr 17:2; 22:11, 16; 28:20), rebuilding the Temple (2 Chr 36:23; Ezra 1:3; Hag 1:13; 2:4), prophecy (1 Sam 3:19; 2 Kings 3:12), judgments (Exod 18:19; 2 Sam 14:17; 2 Chr 19:6), and travel/journeys (Gen 24:40; 28:15, 20; 31:3, 5; 35:3; 46:4; 48:21; Exod 3:12; 33:14; Isa 43:5). In these passages, God's presence was said to further his own agenda. Then there are cases in the Old Testament where God being "with" someone refers to personal encounter or favor: general blessing (Ruth 2:4), provision (Gen 26:3, 24; 26:28; Deut. 2:7), prosperity (Gen 39:3, 23; 1 Sam 18:14; Job 29:5; Ezek 34:30), descendents, favor with God and men (1 Sam 10:7; 16:18; 18:12), and miracles (Josh 1:17?). There are also instances of the divine presence apart from divine activity.[14] While these references are not exhaustive, it is clear that the witness of God's presence is multifaceted.[15]
In the New Testament, the language of God being "with" or "indwelling" his people focuses on the abiding presence of God and the works of the Holy Spirit.[16] Unlike in Joshua, God's manifest presence is seen to be physically non-violent, non-nationalistic, and non-exclusive.[17] The fruit of God being "with" his people is "love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control," and is to be extended to the non-believers so that they may be won over.[18] God's desire to bless the world through the love of his people is universalized in a way not often understood or articulated in the Old Testament. This understanding of God as the violent warrior against spiritual enemies, yet passionate lover of human beings falls outside Joshua's paradigm.[19] One verse of particular interest is Heb 13:5: "[Make sure that] your character is free from the love of money, being content with what you have; for He Himself has said, 'I WILL NEVER DESERT YOU, NOR WILL I EVER FORSAKE YOU.” This verse picks up on the negative affirmation of God being "with" someone, directly quoting from Deut 31:6, 8 and Josh 1:5. While this use of the Old Testament in the New Testament is a paper topic unto itself, it could be said that covetousness is a form of physically striving for oneself. If God were to act in line with the theology of Joshua, then the coveter of Heb 13:5 should be treated like Achan, and the entire Church community should suffer defeat at the hands of their spiritual enemies for the coveter's sin. Instead, this coveter is given a promise of provision and exhorted into new behavior based on God's character. The New Testament takes liberty to re-contextualize God's promise in Joshua, validating the promise of God's presence while obviating Joshua's expectations of how God will act.
Conclusion
In the narrative of Joshua, military victory and military defeat were attributed to God's presence or absence, favor or wrath, towards his people. Joshua's understanding of God's promise was shaped by Moses' paradigm, which is the dominant theology of the Old Testament. While the biblical witness includes alternative ideas and expressions of God's immanence, for Joshua God's presence meant death for the unrighteous.
This
view of God being "with" someone is not paradigmatic for the
Christian because Jesus evaluates and overrides Israel's "core testimony"
of its understanding and definition of enemy, warfare, and more than can be
covered in this paper.[20]
The Old Testament "counter-testimony" is sometimes more agreement with
the New Testament than Israel's
"core testimony." [21]
In addition to this, while the New Testament does not override the metaphors of
God as king, judge, priest, and even warrior, it does redefine the sense of
these nouns by attributing them to the person of Jesus, who does not act in the
expected manner of an Old Testament monarch, righteous accuser, religious
intermediary, or military leader.[22]
The way he chose to fulfill his messianic role was unexpected, to the great
consternation of his followers. If Jesus is the expressed image of God, and
true God and true man, then Christians need to submit their understanding of
who God is to how God revealed himself in the person of Jesus. Jesus' baptism,
40 days in the wilderness, and re-entry into the land through the Jordan
recapitulates the imagery of Moses' Exodus/Red Sea crossing, wilderness
wandering, and Joshua's entry into Canaan.[23]
Jesus, as a new Joshua figure, "takes the land" through casting out
demons, healing the sick, raising the dead, and preaching the good news of the
kingdom to the poor, often times in parables. He is opposed by both physical
and spiritual aggressors, but while Jesus only resists people with rhetoric, he
combats demons, sickness, and death with unmitigated force. Ultimately, his
tactics include identifying himself with the unrighteous, submitting himself to
the will of the people, suffering crucifixion, and forgiving his enemies;
through him all nations are finally blessed.[24]
Because "God is with us," we are to follow the example of Jesus,
God's perfect expression of Joshua, in taking the land by undoing the works of
the enemy.
2006/06/but_i_say_to_yo.html; Internet; accessed 5 April 2008.
[2]
Gen 26:3; 31:3, 5; Exod 3:12; 4:12, 15; 22:30; Lev 25:40, 50, 53; Num 11:8;
Deut 18:13; 22:2; 31:8, 23; Josh 1:5, 17; 3:7; Judg 6:16; 1 Sam 3:19; 17:37;
20:13; 2 Sam 3:17; 7:9; 13:20; 24:16; 1 Kings 1:37; 8:18, 57; 10:2; 22:35; Isa
10:22; Ezek 43:6; 47:10; 1 Chr 11:13; 17:8; 22:7; 2 Chr 6:8; 9:1;18:34; 24:4; Adolph
L. Harstad, Joshua. Concordia Commentary (Saint Louis:
Concordia Pub. House, 2004), 66.
[3] Josh 1:1-9. All Scripture quotations are from the NASB.
[4] Harstad, 67.
[8]
Chris Hoke, interview by Adria Vizzi Holub, 4 April 2008, Vancouver, BC.
[10]
J. Gordon Harris, Cheryl A. Brown, and Michael S. Brown, Joshua, Judges,
Ruth. Old Testament 5, New International Biblical Commentary (Peabody: Hendrickson Publishers: 2000), 21;
Boling, 115.
[18]
Gal 5:22-23; 1 Cor 14: 3, 24-25
[19]
Hoke
[20]
Matt 5:3-12, 43-48; 6:9-15; Luke 9:51-56; John 2:19; 4:1-42; Eph 2:11-22;
6:10-17. The concept and terminology of "core testimony" and
"countertestimony", if not their specific applications, are borrowed
from Walter Bruggemann, Theology of the
Old Testament (Minneapolis: Augsburg Fortress, 1997).
[21]
Josh 6:22-25; Ruth; Job; Psa 51; Isa 2:4; 56:1-12; 58:1-14; Jer 7:1-11
[22]
Contrast Deut 17:14-20, 1 Kings 10:23-11:8 and Matt 27:37 concerning kingship;
John 5:24-30 and 8:1-20 concerning judgeship; Lev 9:7 and Heb 9-10 concerning
priesthood; and 1 Sam 18:7 and Eph 4:7-16 concerning war. Brueggemann, 234,
238, 241.
[23] Bob Ekblad, A New Christian
Manifesto (Louisville: Westminster John Knox Press, 2008), 34.
[24] For a further discussion of "identification theory"
consult Brad Jersak and Michael Hardin, eds., Stricken by God? (Abbotsford, BC: Freshwind Press, 2007).
On second reading, it occurred to me that the New Testament version of "God with us" is the incarnation itself... Emmanuel. How much more then are we to look at Jesus of Nazareth to know what that looks like. When "God-with-us" says, "Blessed are you when...", we get a radically new read of what God-with-us looks like. Jesus' life demonstrates the truest manifestation of that promise.
Posted by: Brad Jersak | April 10, 2008 at 04:22 PM