I came across this in my Bible reading today:
And the Lord said to Joshua, “Do not fear and do not be dismayed. Take all the fighting men with you, and arise, go up to Ai. See, I have given into your hand the king of Ai, and his people, his city, and his land.” – Joshua 8:1
The theme ‘do not fear’ is one that is repeated in the book of Joshua often. Imagine this: that a tiny nation like Israel is being asked to do battle against bigger, more numerous nations, and they are not to have fear. It’s a different time in redemptive history, when Israel had a real army, where they, by God’s command, took the lives of people who belonged to other nations and thus worshiped other Gods. That is not how God’s people are to operate today – we’re in a different moment in redemptive history. But this is God’s command, and they must follow God’s command. And not only that – they were to trust that God’s promises never come back empty, so if he says he’s given a nation into Israel’s hand, then he has done so. And the result of that trust is an absence of fear. And yet, see in this the compassion of our Lord. He knows that fear is a natural instinct for us humans, and he’s counseling them with love to push against that instinct.
It is hard for us to understand what God is doing in clearing the land of all inhabitants, men, women, and children. And yet that is just what he is doing. Today he is gathering worshipers from all tribes, tongues, and nations, but in his providence, this is what he commanded to happen – that those who worship other gods be destroyed to pave the way for God’s people to inhabit the land of Canaan. It is crucial to remember that God is God and we are not God, but also it’s crucial to remember that during this time, if sojourners fled other lands and joined Israel, they were provided all the care and comforts that the Israelites enjoyed, and they could become part of God’s people in Israel. The Lord brought the plagues on Egypt so that Israel would know there is one God in the world, but also that Egypt would know that there is one true God – it’s a comprehensive, long-view plan, and it’s not how we would have designed it, but it is God’s plan. The Lord has planned to send his Son, that’s part of the plan too – to save sinners, and if we trust that part of the plan, we must trust his plan that he executed thousands of years before as well.