Challenges in the Promised Land Judges 2:1-5, 11-23

“I also will no longer drive out before them any of the nations which Joshua left when he died, in order to test Israel by them, whether they will keep the way of the LORD to walk in it as their fathers did, or not’” (Judg. 2:21, NASB).

Today we complete our series of articles that parallel the journey of the Israelites from bondage in Egypt to their possession of the Promised Land with the journey of African slaves in America from 1619 to 1865. The civil war ends, President Lincoln had signed the Emancipation Proclamation and the slaves are now free people. They journey from 1865 to 1964 in somewhat of a wilderness wandering until the passing of the Civil Rights Bill in 1964. In 1964 Blacks begin to take possession of the Promised Land. Many doors are opened giving the slaves’ sons and daughters opportunities that they had never enjoyed before. Today’s article addresses how Israel is confronted by the challenges they encounter in the Promised Land. In like manner, African Americans are faced with challenges that they too encounter in the Promised Land marked by their integration into mainstream America. Let us begin by recounting the conquest of the Promised Land by the Israelites that are led by Moses’ successor Joshua.

The book of Joshua is a history book that gives an account of the wars that take place between the Israelites and the natives of the land. The Lord gives Joshua and the Israelites victory in their wars. Joshua divides the land and gives to each tribe their inheritance according to the commands that Moses had given.

The book of Judges gives us an account of the challenges that the Israelites face after the death of Joshua. The Israelites do not completely drive out the inhabitants of the land as the Lord had commanded them to do (Judg. 1:27-36). The Lord rebukes Israel because they fail to keep the covenant. “Now the angel of the LORD came up from Gilgal to Bochim. And he said “I brought you up out of Egypt and led you into the land which I have sworn to your fathers; and I said, ‘I will never break My covenant with you, and as for you, you shall make no covenant with the inhabitants of this land; you shall tear down their altars.’ But, you have not obeyed Me; what is this you have done? “Therefore I also said, ‘I will not drive them out before you; but they will become as thorns in your sides and their gods will be a snare to you’” (2:1-3, NASB).

The Israelites live in the Promised Land, the land of their inheritance. God has kept His promise. God is faithful to His covenant and He promises that He will never break the covenant. Thus the failures that the Israelites have are the results of their own failure to keep the covenant. They fail to obey the Lord’s commands.

Joshua dies and the elders that serve with him die also. This leaves the responsibility of leadership upon the next generation. “All that generation also were gathered to their fathers; and there arose another generation after them who did not know the LORD, nor yet the work which He had done in Israel” (2:10, NASB). Joshua 2:11-23 gives us an account of the sons of Israel’s relationship with the inhabitants of the land. This account helps us to understand the challenges that the Israelites face in the Promised Land.

The first challenge is the result of their failure to know their history with the Lord. Remember, Joshua commands the people to take stones from the Jordan River and build a memorial. The altar will cause following generations to ask the reason for the stones. In response they are to tell their children about how the Lord opened the Jordan River and they crossed on dry land (Josh 4:1-7). I ask: Has Black America passed along its history with the Lord as it relates to their freedom from slavery; their wandering in the wilderness; their conquest of the Promised Land? I suggest that we have not. Let me explain.

Black America celebrates the birthday of Martin Luther King, Jr. every year. Dr. King’s birthday is a national holiday. The nation recognizes the civil rights work of Dr. King as a great achievement for all Americans. His “I Have a Dream” speech is heard all over America, and it is known by people of every social and economic group in this country. Yet, most people do not know that the speech is Dr. King’s way of saying that he, like Moses sees the Promised Land because God has shown it to him. In fact, how many people that know about the speech know that Dr. King was a Baptist Preacher that based his work upon the belief that God had called him to his work? The Holy Scriptures; and especially the words of the Old Testament prophets and the life and teaching of Jesus Christ guided his ministry?

Now, it is okay that the nation recognizes Dr. King. However, there is one problem. The African American Church fails miserably in making known to its members that Dr. King was an instrument of God just as Joshua was. The stones are not a memorial to Joshua. They are a memorial to the Lord, and it is the Lord that the people are to recognize and celebrate. This brings us to the second challenge.

The Israelites are satisfied because they have enough land to live on. They forget about the Lord’s command to drive the natives out completely. This raises a question: How important is it that we obey the Lord’s commands completely? Are we, the Lord’s people, at liberty to determine what we should do? Joshua 2:11-14 tells us that the sons of Israel forsook the Lord. They begin to worship the gods of the people of the land. So, the challenge is to remain faithful to the Lord so that they do not take on the lifestyle and worship of the people of the land. When we forsake the Lord, He allows other people to plunder us. The same people that the Israelites assimilate with and worship with turn against them and oppressed them.

Black America fails to keep the covenant with the Lord like Martin Luther King, Jr. Our churches no longer hold to the scriptures as their fathers did. The leaders in our churches today compared to their fathers are better educated, have access to better jobs and the money that comes with the jobs. Yet, our leaders are often more apt to try to get along with and to be accepted by the secular culture that denies the power of God. The culture that Black Americans befriends is the same culture that leads them to break covenant with the God that gives them freedom and opportunities.

A third challenge of the Israelites is to live under the authority of the Lord and reject all other authorities that challenge His Lordship. At Mount Sinai in Exodus 20:1-3 the Lord declares His Lordship and warns the people that He alone is the God that they are to answer to. The Lord commands Israel not to intermarry with the inhabitants of the land (Deut. 7:3) because He knows that these people that worship other gods will lead them to worship other gods also. “For they will turn your sons away from following Me to serve other gods; then the anger of the LORD will be kindled against you and He will quickly destroy you” (Deut. 7:4, NASB). It is a challenge for the sons of Israel to stay away from worship that satisfies the desires of the flesh. The lifestyle of the native people seems to bring more pleasure and personal benefits. However, we have seen that the same people that the Israelites associate with lead them away from the Lord. These same people turn against them and oppress them.

This is a list of some things that I believe that Black Americans; especially African Americans that claim to be Christians, should consider. This list is not exhaustive.

1. How much of our history do our children know?

2. We know about the work of famous African Americans, but do we know about their faith in God?

3. The secular culture allows for and in some cases encourages divorce and children born outside of marriage. As a result it is estimated that fifty-nine percent of household are led by a single parent. How has this affected the family life of African Americans?

4. How does divorce contribute to economic problems, lack of education, and a decrease in community among all Black people?

5. How has the lack of community led us to abandon those whose lifestyles different from our own?

6. If the poor and disenfranchised are not accepted into our churches where can they go and who are they to turn to?

7. Why does the African American church insist on emotional and entertainment worship practices and at the same time refuse to critically discuss issues such as mental health, LBGTQ persons, and being in relationship to God above performance for God?