THROUGH THE BIBLE - The purp..

Welcome to Cornerstone Reformed Baptist Church. Thank you for using and sharing our resources. What you're about to hear is God's Word from one of our teaching elders. We trust that God's Word will inspire, instruct, and bless you. For further teachings or information on our ministry, please visit us on our website at cornerstonerbc.

com. That's cornerstonerbc.com. We're going to be reading in Joshua chapter 13. I want to speak to you about the purpose of the promise of the Lord in the Old Testament.

And the reason why I want to speak to you about the purpose of the promise of the Lord is because inverse six and inverse seven. Indeed, we have. I promise. I promise that God gives to the people of Israel in the Old Testament. There is a promise in which he is going to say that he's going to drive out all the enemies of the land.

And that is a promise given to Joshua, who is now very, very old. Before we read this chapter, it's very important that we will know not only the context of the chapter, but what we're going to be reading. So as we read it, that we will get the most of it. Now, we know, my dear brother and sister, that Israel have made it into the promised land, right? And not only that they have made it into their promised land, but now, because of the Lord with them, they have defeated not only one, but thirty-one different kings in the land.

They have defeated these kings, and also they have taken possession of the land of these kings. However, when we come to chapter 13, we realize something very important. That even though the successors of Joshua are very important, And even though the people of Israel have advanced progressively through the land, they still have not conquered the whole land. I think the word they use is yet. They have not yet conquered the entirety of the land.

Actually, there's a portion of the land that is still to be conquered, that is still to be taken. But there's something very important that happens, as we're going to read here in Joshua chapter 13. And that is that Joshua now is very old. this commander, this strong man who was commanding the people of Israel to defeat all of these kings and to take possession of the land, now he's very old and he's not able to command the people of Israel anymore. And because of that, when you lie to that situation now that Doshu is very old and that there's still land to be taken and to be conquered is when the Lord is going to give that promise to Joshua and to the people of Israel.

That independently of the many years of Joshua, and independently that now the land is still to be taken, the Lord is the one who is going to drive out all the remaining inhabitants of the land. And by virtue of that promise, Now the law is calling Joshua to distribute the land among the 9.5 tribes that are on the west side of Israel. Think about that. It is by virtue of the promise that now the law commands Joshua to distribute the land.

The land has not been taken in possession in entirety quite yet, but the Lord says, it's because I will drive out all the inhabitants of the land that you are to allocate, or you are to distribute the land. And what we're going to be seeing here in Joshua chapter 13 is precisely that. The beginning of the allocation I think that is the word that you use, right? Or the distribution of the allocation of the land here in chapter 13. We do see the land that has been allocated to the tribes on the east side, and that is to Moses.

But from chapter 14 onwards, we will see how Joshua, by virtue of that promise that the Lord has given him, he starts to distribute the land. It is from here that I wanted to speak about the purpose of the promise of the Lord in the Old Covenant. Let us read together these 33 verses and get the details of these that I have just explained. This is Joshua chapter 13, and this is the word of the Lord. Now, Joshua was old and advancing years, and the Lord said to him, You are old and advancing years, and there remains yet very much land to possess.

This is the land that yet remains. All the regions of the Philistines and all those of the Geshurites, from the Shihur, which is east of Egypt, northward to the boundary of the Kron, it is counted as Canaanites. There are five rulers of the Philistines, those of Gaza, Ashdod, Ashkelon, Gath, and Ekron, and those of Abim in the south, all the land of the Canaanites and Meara that belongs to the Sidonians, to affect to the boundary of the Amorites and the land of the Gabolites, and all Lebanon toward the sunrise from Balgat below Mount Hermon to Lebo, Hamath, all the inhabitants of the hill country from Lebanon to Mizrafat, Maim, even all the Sidonians. I myself will drive them out from before the people of Israel. Only a lot will distribute the land to Israel for an inheritance, as I have commanded you.

Now, therefore, divide this land for an inheritance to the nine tribes and half the tribe of Manasseh. With the other half of the tribe of Manasseh, the Reubenites and the Gadites received their inheritance, which Moses gave them beyond the Jordan eastward, as Moses, the servant of the Lord, gave them, from Aloer, which is on the edge of the valley of Arnon, and the city that is in the middle of the valley and on the table land of Medeba, as far as Dibon, and all the cities of Sihon, king of the Amorites, who reigned in Heshmon, as far as the boundary of the Ammonites, and Gilead, and the region of the Geshurites and Makathites, and all Mount Hermon, and all Bashan, to Selechah, all the kingdom of Og in Bashan, who reigned in Ashteroth and in Edreid. He alone was left of the remnant of the Rephaim. These Moses had struck and driven out. Yet, the people of Israel did not drive out the Geshurites or the Makathites, but Geshur and Makath dwell in the midst of Israel to this day.

To the drive of Levi alone, Moses gave no inheritance. The offerings by fire to the Lord God of Israel are their inheritance, as he said to him. And Moses gave an inheritance to the tribe of the people of Reuben according to their plans. So the territory was from Aroer, which is on the edge of the valley of the Arnon, and the city that is in the middle of the valley, and all the table land by Matebah, with Heshbon, and all its cities that are in the table land, Dibon, and Bamoth-baab, and Beth-bal-meon, and Jahaz, and Kedemoth, and Meth-ab. and Kiryatayim, and Sidma, and Saref-Shahar, on the hill of the valley, and Beth-Pior, and the slopes of Pisgah, and Beth-Jeshimoth, that is, all the cities of the Tableland, and all the kingdom of Sihon, king of the Amorites, who reigned in Heshbon, whom Moses defeated with the leaders of Midian, Evi, Levi, and Rekem, and Sud, and Harb of Reba, the princess of Tihon, who lived in the land.

Balaam, also the son of Beor, the one who practiced divination, was killed with a sword by the people of Israel among the rest of their slain. At the border of the people of Reuben was the Jordan as a boundary. This was the inheritance of the people of Reuben according to their clans with their cities and villages. Moses gave an inheritance also to the tribe of Gad, to the people of Gad according to their clans. The territory was Jazer, and all the cities of Gilead, and half the land of the Ammonites.

to Ottawa, which is east of Rabat, and from Heshbon to Ramat Mispeh and Betonim, and from Mahanaim to the territory of the Beir, and in the valley of Bet-Haram, Bet-Nimrah, Sukkoth, and Shafan, the rest of the kingdom of Sihon, king of Heshbon, having the Jordan as a boundary to the lower end of the sea, Hinerach, is worth beyond the Jordan. This is the inheritance of the people of God, according to their clans, with their cities and villages. And Moses gave an inheritance to the half-tribe of Manasseh. He was allotted to the half-tribe of the people of Manasseh according to their clans. The region extended from Mahanaim through all Bashan, the whole kingdom of Bashan, and all the towns of Jair, which are in Bashan, 60 cities.

and have Gilead and Ashgaroth annotate the cities of the Kingdom of Og in Bashan. These were allotted or distributed to the people of Machir, the son of Manasseh, for the half of the people of Machir according to their plans. These are the inheritances, if that's how you pronounce it. These are the inheritances that Moses distributed in the plains of Moab, beyond the Jordan east of Jericho, but to the tribe of Levi, Moses gave no inheritance. The Lord God of Israel is there in faith and justice, he said to them.

And that is the reading of the words of the Lord. Amen. My dear brother, my dear sister, my dear friend here with us. As I said, I want to speak to you about the promise or better the purpose of the promise of the Lord in the Old Covenant or in the Old Testament. The Bible that you have in your hands have two testaments, the old one and the new one.

And through the scriptures, the Lord gives promises. And I want to speak to you about the purpose of the promise of the Lord in the Old Covenant. And the reason why I want to do that, as I said, is because here in verse seven, the Lord very clearly gives to the people of Israel a promise. That is a promise that He is the one that is going to drive out the inhabitants of the land. It does not matter that Joshua is now old and that soon he is going to die.

The Lord now has said, I will drive out the inhabitants of the land. And it's by virtue of that promise that He calls Joshua to distribute the land. As it has already happened, as it has already taken place, the Lord says, I will drive them out. And you are to distribute the land among the 9.5 tribes on the west side.

Why? Because the 2.5 tribes have already been allocated the land on the other side of the Jordan. Now, my dear brother, my dear sister, the promise of the Lord is something that is so powerful for the life of the genuine believer. It is upon the promise of the Lord that we derive rest and peace and satisfaction.

Our view of the future depends upon our understanding and belief on the promise of the Lord. Those who are outside of the Lord Jesus Christ have no hope because their hope is in themselves. They don't have the promise of God given to them in the person of Jesus Christ that guarantees absolutely everything that is going to take place. Because we know that the promise of the Lord, when he speaks, he brings that And he always brings about that what he has promised for his people that he will do. My dear brother, my dear sister, this is our understanding of the promise of the Lord in the person of Jesus Christ and under the new covenant.

And at times we struggle to understand how the promises of the Lord work under the old covenant, because I'm going to submit to you that the promises, not all of them, but the promises of the Lord in the old covenant were not contingent so much upon the finished work of the Lord Jesus Christ that ensures everything for the Christian, but rather the promises of God in the Old Testament were contingent upon obedience. The promises of God in the Old Testament were contingent not only upon obedience, but also upon some human elements. And here we have in this chapter 13, a promise of the Lord that if we just simply read it there in verse six and seven, one will think. that the outcome of the people of Israel is that indeed they are going to inhabit the land and that there is going to be no one from the Canaanites because the Lord has promised, right, that he will drive all the inhabitants of the land. He has said with his mouth.

that all the inhabitants of the land are going to be removed and taken. And because of that promise that the Lord has given, Joshua and the people of Israel are to distribute the land. But I'm going to tell you and submit to you that not only these promises, but the promises of the Old Covenant are to be understood in light of the obligation of people for obedience. Yes, the Lord has promised that he is going to drive out all the inhabitants of the land, but that was contingent upon human factors first, and also obedience from the people of God. Think about this.

The fulfillment of the promise of the land for the people of Israel was contingent, first of all, upon an intermediary. On the east side, that intermediary was Moses. And when Moses died, it was the need to replace Moses now with Joshua. And it's through Joshua that the Lord is giving the land to the people of Israel. This is soon going to change, but there's the need of an intermediary at least here.

But more importantly, we know from Joshua, from the scriptures, that the fulfillment of the promise of the land, my dear brother and sister, was contingent upon themselves, obeying the Lord and driving those enemies out. And we have seen already that not only Joshua, but also Moses failed. You remember with the Gibeonites that are going to remain in the land with Joshua. But also we are told there in verse 13, if you paid attention, careful attention there. Speaking of what Moses accomplished, And Moses struck them and driven out.

Yet, it says in verse 13, the people of Israel did not drive out the Geshurites and the Maccathites, but Geshur and Maccath dwelt in the midst of Israel to this day. Moses was not able to drive out all the inhabitants. Yet the Lord says here that He will drive out all the inhabitants of the land. He's the one that says that He's going to remove all of the Canaanites and the Amorites and give that land to the people of Israel. And my dear brother, my dear sister, let me tell you something very important.

That promise was fully contingent upon the obedience of the Israelites. To the point that if the Israelites did not fulfill what was required of them, the Lord will have to go against the words that we have just read here in Joshua chapter 13. In fact, if you come to the Book of Judges very quickly, we meet in Chapter two. You will see here that after the Lord has given the promise to the people of Israel that he will drive out all the enemies, he has said, I will drive out all the enemies in Chapter one. He requires the tribes to do their own part.

And to drive all of those people from the Canaanites and the Amorites, to drive them out. And they failed. If you remember chapter 2, even just one verse there, we have in chapter 1, verse 27, it says Manasseh did not... Did I say judges? Judges chapter 1, verse 27.

Manasseh did not drive out the inhabitants of Bershean and its villages. But Lord, you said that you will drive out the inhabitants of the land. And then it says, verse 29. And Ephraim did not drive out the Canaanites who lived in Gezer. But Lord, you said that you were going to drive out the inhabitants of the land.

Verse 8, Zerulun did not drive out the inhabitants of Kitran. And it continues in 31 and in 33. The promise of the Lord in the Old Testament, my dear brother and sister, was contingent upon obedience. And when the people would not obey, if they did not obey, it happens what happens in chapter two. Read that with me very quickly.

It says, Now the angel of the Lord went up from Gildad, remember Gildad? Very important city, to Bukhim. And he said, I brought you up from Egypt and brought you into the land that I swore to give to your fathers. I said, I will never break my covenant with you and you shall make no covenant with the inhabitants of this land. You shall break down their altars.

Here comes the accusation. But you have not obeyed my voice. What is this you have done? So now I say. I will not drive them out before you.

You remember what we read in Joshua chapter 13, brother, right? I will drive them out. It was the promise of the Lord given to Israel. Here he says. So now, because of your disobedience, I say I will not drive them out before you, but they shall become thorns in your sides and their guts shall be a snare to you.

As soon as the angel of the Lord spoke these words to all the people of Israel, the people lifted up their voices and wept, and they called the name of that place but Him, and they sacrificed there to the Lord. Whippers, the ones that cry. The promise of the Lord in the Old Testament was contingent upon obedience to the point that the promise then that promise is taken even to the opposite. I will not drive them out of the land. What is the purpose of that?

The Lord who knows all things? The Lord who knew that the people of Israel will not obey? The Lord who created the heavens and the earth and everything in them? The Lord who has degree absolutely all things? The Lord that is ruler above everything, the hearts of men, the emotions of men, the thoughts of men, every single thing that happens, the Lord who knew that the Israelites will not obey.

Yet after you say promise to them, do that which is contrary to what he has said. The Lord does not change, and He is not a liar like men. Yet there is a purpose for the promise of the Lord given in the Old Testament. What is that purpose that we need to ask? Let me just simply say a couple of things.

First, to demonstrate that humans are completely unable to receive the blessing of the Lord in and of themselves. If the promises, if the blessing of the promise of the Lord is contingent upon the obedience of men, then nobody will be ever blessed and receive the favor of the Lord. Yet the Lord gives these promises under the old covenant to demonstrate the human inability, not only of the people of Israel, but of every single person who has been born. that they are not able in and of themselves to submit to the requirements of the law. That is what Romans chapter eight says, that there is absolutely no one who is able to please the Lord in and of themselves.

So the Lord under the Old Testament gives promises that are contingent upon obedience so that we will know that if it depends on us, then there absolutely will be no blessing that comes from above. But by pointing to our inability, the Lord also demonstrates his grace. Because the Lord is not like a prideful man who rejoices only in showing and demonstrating the inability of the other, but the Lord who is merciful, kind and loving and almighty and so gracious by demonstrating the inability not only of the people of Israel, but of all humans through the demonstration of our inability. He also demonstrates his grace in a better way. Because what we have in the Old Testament is a covenant that depend upon the obedience of the people of Israel.

And through that covenant of obedience, the Lord demonstrates a better way. A new covenant, a new covenant that is still contingent upon human obedience, but upon the obedience of one who happens to be not only men, but also God. And his name is the Lord Jesus Christ. the one who comes and fulfills not only all the requirements of the law of God, but all the requirements that God had given the son before the foundation of the world. So that he, representing humanity, will be the one that obeys perfectly the requirements of the father.

And in the person of Jesus Christ, the father will demonstrate his grace and say, it is not about the people's obedience, but it's about the obedience of my son. And those who by grace through faith Come to the Lord Jesus Christ. Now receive the blessing that they could have never received on their own, but rather they receive the blessing of God through the person of Jesus Christ. But there's something more powerful and more glorious than that, my dear brother and sister, because through they all promises of the old covenant and by demonstrating the inability of all people and by demonstrating his grace in the new covenant in the Lord Jesus Christ, He also demonstrates the only way in which the promises of the Lord can come to happen for our lives. And that is given to us in 2 Corinthians.

If you come with me, you will know this very popular verse. At times, the people put it in their mouths and repeat, at times, carelessly. 2 Corinthians chapter 1, please. This is how the promises of the Lord work and operate, my dear brother and my dear sister. Let us read verse 20 until verse 22.

For all the promises of God find their yes. Now pay attention in him. That is why it is through him. Brethren, who is him? That is why it is through him that we utter our amen to God for his glory.

Just read that once again. For all the promises of God find their yes in him. That is why it is through him that we utter our amen to the glory of God. And it is God who established us with you in Christ. and has anointed us and who has also put his seal on us and given us his spirit in our hearts as a guarantee.

How can humanity receive the fulfillment of the promise of God the Father? Only in Christ. The God-Man. Jesus Christ. The One who loved us and gave Himself for us.

The One who came to this world 2,000 years ago to die upon that cross, to fulfill the requirements of the law and all the righteousness of God. The one who chose us in him before the foundation of the world, the Lord Jesus Christ. He is the one that has established a new covenant so that those who believe in him are united in him. will receive the blessing that can only be obtained in full and perfect obedience. And my dear brother, my dear sister, the promises of the Lord indeed will come to happen, but it will come to happen in the person of Jesus Christ.

And just as the one who is in Christ will receive the blessing of eternal life, forgiveness and salvation, the one who is not in Christ, the one who is not receive the promise that God has said that if you do not believe in the name of my son you will be condemned that if you forsake the gospel if you listen to the gospel and if you listen to the call of God for you to repent and believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you reject the The name of the Lord Jesus Christ, then the promise for you is one of condemnation, is one of eternal death, is one of eternal punishment, because he has already given his son so that those who by grace through faith are in him and believe in him will be recipients of the greatest purpose of the promise of the Lord, eternal life and union with the Savior. Amen.