Jesus At 2am - A Humorous, Intelligent Look At The Bible, Church History & The Life Of Faith

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 prea