Oct 8, 2025
Today we arrive on the cusp of Canaan, that is to say: the promised land. After a generation of wandering in the wilderness, Israel arrives at last on the eastern bank of the River Jordan. And what lies ahead of them – according to the book of Joshua – are many, bloody battles necessary to secure Israel within Canaan’s borders. (For the modern reader it makes Joshua difficult to interpret as it sure seems like God might be commanding… genocide?)
But even if the battle scenes are not the
whole story, Israel still enters Canaan in a very precarious
position. God’s people are the weaker party. And if the Canaanites
resist their arrival, Israel could easily be destroyed.
So as Israel prepares to cross their Rubicon, Joshua gives an
impassioned speech about God, and about faith and about the role of
God’s priestly people in the world.
It's a speech that we might do well to hear again today as
circumstances – at least for some of us - feel more than a little
precarious at present. (This sermon was originally preached in Feb.
2025, but it feels even more true today!)
And I hope – in the words of Joshua – it will help you not be dismayed.
Have a thought? A comment? A question? Or just up for saying, "helllo"? I’d love for you to get in touch! You can reach me anytime via the contact link at jesusat2am.com, by sending me email, chatting with me on BlueSky, or finding me on Facebook or Instagram.
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Want to follow along with the biblical texts for this sermon? Here's the link: Joshua 1:1-18 (NRSV) And here is a link to the map of Canaan.