A very good morning to you. We are at Joshua chapter 12 today. Let us open our Bibles to Joshua chapter 12. Now before we begin, now let us pray.

“Our Father in heaven, we come now and look to You for help, for men can only bring words to people’s ears; only You can bring it to people’s hearts. And so we seek Your help and Your blessing. Transform us by Your Word. In Jesus’ name, we pray, Amen.”

Now imagine if you bought some concert tickets. You bought some concert tickets, let’s just say to a singer. Maybe let’s just say John Legend because I don’t know many singers. Maybe John Legend. And you bought it maybe in 2019. And you say excitedly that I got a ticket. Your friends don’t have a ticket, but you do. You have a ticket to see John Legend perform live in the following year. And you are excited. And your friends ask you: How sure are you that you’re gonna get to watch him live? And you say I’m so sure. I’m holding a ticket in my hand. Hundred percent I’m gonna get to watch John Legend perform live. And of course, 2020 comes and in the whole world, concerts all around the world got cancelled, and you get disappointed.

You see, in life, there are so many things that we are seemingly sure of, and yet we are not in control. The Olympics. We thought it was going to happen last year in 2020. Nobody would have predicted that a pandemic would come. And even something as sure as this did not happen. This life is full of unreliability, things that we are so sure of at the end of the day especially after the past two years that we have experienced, we can no longer say with confidence that I can do something, I can do this, I can plan for this. There is no surety anymore.

But today, we turn our gaze and see from this text Joshua chapter 12, and we look to one who is a God who would definitely never ever fail us, never ever disappoint us. Out of the many attributes this text will teach us about, none of the attributes stand more clearly than this attribute called the faithfulness of God. Today we want to consider the faithfulness of God. What is that? What is the faithfulness of God? How do we see it? Do we see it playing out? And what does it have to do with us? And so under these three headings- the definition of the faithfulness of God, the display of the faithfulness of God, and the demands of the faithfulness of God.

Now consider the definition. What does it even mean for a start? Consider the world that we live in today. This is a world full of broken promises. Big companies are giving their customers a surety. They’ll be guaranteed that this is going to happen and we sell you this product, and it’s going to last for years and years. But they don’t deliver on their promises. This is a world full of falsehood, full of lies. We don’t know who we can trust. Can we say there is anyone or anything in this world that is hundred percent reliable, that you won’t be let down by them?

I was just even Googling for fun banks, how do banks work. And apparently, even banks are not hundred percent safe. It is possible for banks to actually fail. I just thought that all my money in the bank is hundred percent safe all these while, I never worry before. But suddenly, I realised hey, even they are not hundred percent reliable. Why can’t we be hundred percent reliable?

Picture. Picture a little boy. Of course, we have not many little boys, so I’m gonna have to use Ezra. So picture Ezra, and he brings Eden to the playground. And he says to Eden: Come, kor kor will protect you. I bring you to the playground, and we can go and play. And Eden trusts Ezra, kor kor is going to protect her. Now of course we admire him for his love for his sister and his confidence, but that doesn’t hide the fact that there could be a bully at a playground who is a bit taller than Ezra, a bit stronger than Ezra. And as much as Ezra would like to be reliable to be a responsible brother, he’s a bit weak. There are people stronger than him. They’re gonna overpower him. He cannot be hundred percent reliable.

And that is humans. They’re going to be people stronger than us. We dare not say that oh, I’m the most reliable person. I can guarantee this and that. Think about parents who make promises to their children. Please do well in your exam, and I’m going to buy this and that. And then they do well, then parents forgot. They forget. Their memory is not perfect. Consider a husband who promises to his wife I will protect you with my life. Okay, good, I trust you. The wife trusts you. But what if you lose your life? You will die one day, and then no more- no more people she can rely on.

Think about this for a moment. Can we think of anything in this world or anyone or any created thing in this world that we can say they are a hundred percent reliable? Now how refreshing it is to turn our gaze upon one who is! This is the faithfulness of God. This is the definition of the faithfulness of God. It is the reliability of God to keep His word. It is the trustworthiness of God. It is the confidence we can have that God will keep all His promises. The faithfulness of God is God keeping His covenant no matter what men may do. It is not possible for men to do something, and God says you know what? Because of that, I’m going to break My promise. There is no such thing.

Dr. Martin Lloyd Jones said that this is a simple but near-perfect definition of the faithfulness of God. He said the faithfulness of God simply says that God is One upon whom we may safely lean. And that is good enough. That is a good definition. We can safely rely on Him. We do not need to wake up in the middle of the night and wonder oh no, what if that promise that He made in Scripture He decides to change His mind? There is no such thing. A. W. Pink in his book “The Attributes of God”, he says that for God to be unfaithful, to break His promise is for Him to act contrary to His nature. He cannot do that. That is an impossibility. For God to be unfaithful is for Him to stop being God.

Consider Psalm 89:8 which says this: “O LORD God of hosts, Who is mighty like You, O LORD? Your faithfulness also surrounds You.”. Consider Numbers 23. Numbers 23:19- “God is not a man, that He should lie, nor a son of man, that He should repent.”. You see what the Bible says over here. It equates man to unreliability. Why is God reliable? Because He’s not man. That is good enough. God is not a man, so He cannot lie. God cannot repent. Has He said and will He not do, or has He spoken and will He not make it good? This is the faithfulness of God. He is hundred percent reliable. It is impossible for Him to ever say something and not mean it. It is impossible for Him to make a promise and fail to keep it.

We humans, we are weak. We are not immortal. There are so many things out of our control. Our memory is not perfect. We can forget things. We are not reliable. No one on earth can say that they are reliable, only God is hundred percent reliable. That is the definition of the faithfulness of God. Let’s consider the display of the faithfulness of God. Do we really find it in our text today? Let us go back to Joshua chapter 12 and let us look at what the narrator says. Now if you’re joining us for the first time in this series, so far what has happened is that there were seven years of war. God’s people have entered the Promised Land. They have been fighting. But last we saw, the war ended. They defeated their enemies, and God gave them rest.

Now instead of moving on to the next phase of their story, the writer uses chapter 12 in Joshua to just recount history. We’re not moving on to the next piece of the story. He spends an entire chapter pausing, reflecting. He wants us to look at this. These words recorded here is going to be read out to the Israelites. Years from now, it’s going to be read out to them over and over again. And when they read this, what can they see? They see the faithfulness of God on display. Do we see it? Let’s not forget that the promise made to these special people, God’s people was first made to Abraham. And you can imagine from generation to generation they passed down this promise that God is going to give you a land and you will get to rest in this land.

Even from Genesis 15 where God told Abraham your descendants are going to inherit this land, but maybe four hundred years later because the iniquity of the Amorites are not yet full. And so God is giving them time. The Amorites, God is giving them time. But more than four hundred years later, God will fulfil this promise. And imagine this promise being passed down from generation to generation, and they waited and waited. Would some of them start to feel oh no, God forgot His promise? Will they start to doubt and fear? Now consider the opening verses in this chapter.

Joshua 12:1- “These are the kings of the land whom the children of Israel defeated, and whose land they possessed on the other side of the Jordan toward the rising of the sun, from the River Arnon to Mount Hermon, and all the eastern Jordan plain: One king was Sihon king of the Amorites, who dwelt in Heshbon and ruled half of Gilead, from Aroer, which is on the bank of the River Arnon, from the middle of that river, even as far as the River Jabbok, which is the border of the Ammonites, and the eastern Jordan plain from the Sea of Chinneroth as far as the Sea of the Arabah (the Salt Sea), the road to Beth Jeshimoth, and southward below the slopes of Pisgah.”.

Now we might be wondering if you want to talk about history for a moment. If you want to just do a recap of what happened in the book of Joshua, why would the narrator go all the way back? Why don’t just talk about here, starting with Jericho? Why must you go all the way back and mention too long ago, this happened long ago? Why would you mention Sihon, this king, and after that mentioning Og king of Bashan? You see, what happened over here, what we see in this description is something we will see in Numbers chapter 21, where the children of Israel were trying to get to the Promised Land.

But just before that, before they could reach that river Jordan on the east side is a huge piece of land occupied by who? None other than Sihon and Og. They occupy as this description will show you the entire piece of land on the east side of the Jordan. Israel wanted to get to the Jordan. And so they say: Can you let us pass? We don’t want your land. We won’t take your resources, just let us pass. They said no. No, no, no way through. And this is what happened to them. Verse 6: “These Moses the servant of the LORD and the children of Israel had conquered; and Moses the servant of the LORD had given it as a possession to the Reubenites, the Gadites, and the half tribe of Manasseh.”.

And so they say no way through, Israel defeated them. We know that these are not two small nations, as Rahab mentioned in her confession. When we heard that you can defeat Sihon and Og, we were all terrified because these are two huge lands. These are two huge nations. These are two very powerful kings, but not the problem. Not the problem for God. Not the problem for His people. And as these people are reminded of these two kings, we are still wondering why do you mention purposely these two kings? They remember the promise. This is like the first instalment of that promise, which seems like God forgotten. Four hundred years later, and God still didn’t fulfil His promise. Until finally when they conquered Sihon, it clicked in their mind. We may not be part of these Israelites.

Maybe it doesn’t really click for us, so let me give you an illustration. Maybe we have a drummer, maybe Zongxu, and he was playing drums in his university. And that is the main thing that he’s doing there, practicing his drums. And his lecturer comes to him one day and he said: Zongxu, you performed well in this music college. When you graduate with maybe a CGPA of 3.5 and above, I will promise to give you a drum set, a complete drum set, premium brand. And so Zongxu does well and he graduates. And he waits and he waits. One day, two days. Every day sitting at home, he’s waiting for the doorbell to ring, nothing happened. Two weeks later, three weeks later, three months later, what is Zongxu thinking? Is my lecture joking or not? Was he just pulling my leg?

He doesn’t intend to fulfil his promise actually. He made a false promise to me. Three months later, nothing happened also. I graduated so long already, where is it? Now maybe three years later, suddenly Zongxu’s doorbell rings, and he receives a pair of drum sticks. Just drumsticks only. Now we might not think it’s impressive. What? Your lecture promise you what, give you drum sticks? But Zongxu sees it and he knows. This is the first instalment of that promise. My lecturer did not forget. He just needed to make some more money because he couldn’t afford it yet, but he did not forget. Of course, it’ll be cruel to just give him drum sticks. Of course!

And so one day, a few days later, then the few pieces come- the big one, the small one, the symbols, the stand, the pedal, the chair, and everything comes because when he received that first instalment, he realised that his lecturer was not joking. He fully intends to keep his promise. And so likewise when God made the promise to Israel and they waited more than four hundred years later, and they wondered maybe He forgot. Until when they defeated Sihon, it clicked in their mind. The Ammonites iniquity not yet full, but more than four hundred years later, finally this is the first instalment. God did not forget. His promise is going to be fulfilled. And so that is what we see when they defeated, when they conquered Sihon and Og these two kings, they know that God is about to fulfil the entire promise.

And that is what we see. The narrator continues. God gave you that first instalment of the promise. And then what happened? Verse 7: “And these are the kings of the country which Joshua and the children of Israel conquered on this side of the Jordan, on the west, from Baal Gad in the Valley of Lebanon as far as Mount Halak and the ascent to Seir, which Joshua gave to the tribes of Israel as a possession according to their divisions”. And so the promise started to come true. They entered the land. It was a huge piece of land. God described it in Joshua chapter 1. From here to there He described all the locations, and you will get it all. And He promised to Joshua. What did He promise to Joshua? Be strong and courageous. No man shall be able to stand before you.

God made a promise to Joshua. It sounded unlikely, especially once again if you put yourself in their shoes. Imagine the small nation of Israel. You go into other people’s land, don’t forget what they saw. Remember the old generation when they sent the twelve spies in, the spies said what? The people there, the armies very strong. The cities, the wall very big. They got giants there. They were so close to the Promised Land, but they saw all these things and they felt that it was impossible for God to give them the land, and God judged them. Now in this generation under Joshua, this second generation, they trusted God. God is faithful. It’s okay. I see tall walls, yes. I see giants, yes. I see people as numerous as the seashore, as the sand in the seashore, but God cannot break His promise.

If God says we are going to get the land, we will get it. If God said no man shall be able to stand before us, we believe it. And this is a chapter about the faithfulness of God. Look at verse 9: “the king of Jericho, one; the king of Ai, which is beside Bethel, one”. As we go through this list, it might not seem like a very interesting list to us. But for the Israelites who were part of this war, they understood every single one. I was there. I was there when God helped us. He’s a faithful God. We went against an impossible opposition. How could we bring the walls down?

But I was there on that day when we blew the trumpets and God caused the wall to crumble down. I was there when we lost to Ai. We were taught a great lesson that God gives us victories over the big ones, God is also giving us victory over the small ones. We underestimated Ai. We got defeated. Do you remember that time where we tried to protect Gibeon who had a peace treaty with us, the five kings of the south, the king of Jerusalem? Verse 10: “the king of Jerusalem, one; the king of Hebron, one; the king of Jarmuth, one; the king of Lachish, one; the king of Eglon, one”.

The five kings went and attacked Gibeon, but we went and protect Gibeon. And God sent hailstones to help us again. When hailstones rained down from heaven, it hit only our enemies. It missed all the Israelites. Surely it was God. And on that one long day, we did not just defeat five kings. We went down south and defeat everybody in the south- “the king of Gezer, one; the king of Debir, one; the king of Geder, one; the king of Hormah, one; the king of Arad, one; the king of Libnah, one; the king of Adullam, one; the king of Makkedah, one; the king of Bethel, one”. On one long day when the sun stood still, on the longest day in history, God helped us. God stopped the sun. We took the entire south.

And the story did not end there, of course. We took the central part of the Promised Land. We took the south of the Promised Land. The north was getting serious, remember? Jabin king of Hazor was saying Israel is not to be underestimated. Let us gather together, gather all the armies together. The entire north, let us teamwork and defeat Israel. What did Israel see? Numerous, numerous armies, cannot even count, as many as the sand is on the seashore with their horses and their chariots.

But they trusted in God and they went up north and they took the north from verse 17 onwards: “the king of Tappuah, one; the king of Hepher, one; the king of Aphek, one; the king of Lasharon, one; the king of Madon, one; the king of Hazor, one; the king of Shimron Meron, one; the king of Achshaph, one; the king of Taanach, one; the king of Megiddo, one; the king of Kedesh, one; the king of Jokneam in Carmel, one; the king of Dor in the heights of Dor, one; the king of the people of Gilgal, one; the king of Tirzah, one—all the kings, thirty-one.”. God didn’t help them one time, two times. God didn’t help them defeat five or ten. God helped them defeat thirty-one out of thirty-one.

That is the faithfulness of God. He said no man shall be able to stand before you. And in this text, we see that it seemed like an impossible task. God’s promise to Abram four hundred years later, still nothing happened. But the people trusted in this God who is a faithful God. He cannot. He cannot not keep His promise. He will fulfil it. We see the faithfulness of God. What does it mean? We saw the definition of it, the reliability of God to keep His word. We see the faithfulness of God on display when he recounts history; when the narrator in Joshua 12 recounts history. The people read this book and they’re reminded of. And they will sing of the faithfulness of God.

Is the faithfulness of God some significant truth to you or is this a small truth to you? How do we respond to such a God? Would you say: Oh, good to know? God is faithful. Okay, thank God for three meals a day. He always provides for me three meals a day, very good, very nice. All from God. That is the faithfulness of God, always gave me what I need, providing for all my needs. Is this a small truth to you? Consider that disobedient generation under Moses. The faithfulness of God wasn’t really in their minds. When they went into this land, it was right in front of them. God promised to them this is for you, an inheritance. You will come into this land and you will enjoy rest. And yet they say I don’t think so. I don’t trust God.

The people here are more powerful than us. There are giants in this land. They did not see God as the faithful God. They did not hold on to that truth that God is One who cannot break His promise. Perhaps the promise sounds too good to be true. And that is what is happening every day in this world. When we preach the gospel, when we tell them of this glorious promise, we tell them that although you are sinners and judgement is coming, but God has already promised that there is salvation. He sent a saviour. But how many reject this God? How many do not believe this promise? How many people do not believe the gospel like that previous generation? They will perish. This is not a small truth.

The attribute, the faithfulness of God, this is one attribute that is not small at all. In fact, this attribute of God. Without this, our entire Christian faith crumbles down. Do you realise that if God is not faithful, what were you doing here? If the words in this book are not true; if the promises that God have made in this book can change, what are we all doing here? What is your faith based on? In that classic question, Don Whitney in his book “How Can I Know I’m A Christian”, he asked that classic question: If you were to die tonight and God were to ask you why should I let you into heaven, what is your answer? Because I did something. Because I read my Bible. Because I heard the gospel. Because I do this and that.

Don Whitney says that if your answer starts with “I”, something is already wrong. Your basis of your assurance cannot be I because I do something. Even because I believe also, because I made a decision to follow Christ one day. Is that what your assurance is based on? Are you sure you are a Christian? Don Whitney says our assurance is based on God, not I. We don’t answer the question because I. No, because God. Because God cannot lie. I know I’m going to heaven because God cannot lie. When He made those promises in His book, because He is a faithful God, I am sure. I am very sure. Consider Acts 2:21- “And it shall come to pass that whoever calls on the name of the LORD shall be saved.”.

Because God is a faithful God, I am sure. Because God is faithful, not because of me. The missionary to China, Hudson Taylor, in that command in the Bible “have faith in God”, he says have faith in God is not a focus on you. It’s not it’s not a command trying to tell you please work on your faith as if you can somehow increase your faith, motivate yourself. No, he says have faith in God should rather be hold on to the faithfulness of God. And that is what faith is about. It’s not you trying to pump yourself up and increase your faith. No, have faith in God is asking us to look to God. Who is He? Do you know who is He? Hold on to the faithfulness of God. That is how your faith can be strong.

Consider the heroes of faith in Hebrews 11 You think they are heroes? No, their faith is in God. God is the hero of Hebrews 11. Let’s look at Hebrews 11 for a while and consider a few examples. Hebrews 11, these people, the object of their faith is in a God who is faithful. Verse 11: “By faith Sarah herself also received strength to conceive seed, and she bore a child when she was past the age, because she judged Him faithful who had promised.”. You think Sarah has very strong faith? No, Sarah’s God is a faithful God, and that is why she believed in things so impossible. She was so old, but when she was told she can have a child, she judged God to be faithful who has promised.

By faith Abraham. What was the promise to Abraham? That your descendants, they’ll make your nation great. And yet when he was asked to sacrifice Isaac, did he say oh no, God got it wrong? No. In verse 19, Abraham did what? “Concluding that God was able to raise him up, even from the dead, from which he also received him in a figurative sense.”. God promised me a huge amount of descendants. Well, I believe it, even though now it seems like it’s quite impossible. I’m going to kill my son, my only son, Isaac here. And yet Abraham did it because God is a faithful God, and Abraham’s faith is in God. He held on to a God who is faithful.

How about us? Consider even from the beginning when God promised that a messiah is coming. Many years have passed. Many years have passed from the Old Testament, and people were waiting: Who is that prophesied king? The prophets in all the prophecies say that somebody is coming. In Galatians 4:4, it says: “But when the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son”. This is a faithful God. Consider First John 1:9 which says what? “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins”. Are you sure your sins are forgiven? Yes. Why? Because of God. Because God cannot break His word. He is faithful. He cannot break His promise.

Here is a warning. As the people of Israel entered this land, as they are looking back at their history, as they go through Joshua chapter 12 and they are reminded of the faithfulness of God, they must remember Joshua chapter 12 is written so that they would remember because consider the warning what if you forget. Deuteronomy chapter 8, Moses gives a warning. The entire chapter is about forgetting God. The entire chapter is about a warning. Deuteronomy 8:7- “For the LORD your God is bringing you into a good land, a land of brooks of water, of fountains and springs, that flow out of valleys and hills”.

Look at verse 10: “When you have eaten and are full, then you shall bless the LORD your God for the good land which He has given you. (Verse 11) Beware that you do not forget the LORD your God by not keeping His commandments, His judgements, and His statutes which I command you today”. Moses trusted that God will bring them into the Promised Land. He gives them a warning. I know you’re going to be there. I know you’re going to enjoy. I know you’re going to eat and be full. Here is a warning. Verse 17: “then you say in your heart, ‘My power and the might of my hand have gained me this wealth.’”. Be careful, lest we become so full and we forget.

It is silly. It is nonsense for anybody to say that my power and the might of my hand have gained me all these things. We know from their story in Joshua 12. We know all that has happened so far. It is impossible for any one of them to boast and say we are here because we are strong. It’s impossible for them to tell their next generation and the children ask them why are we in this land? Oh, because we’ve always been here. We inherited this land from our ancestors. Or because I’m so strong. We have mighty armies. No, do not forget the faithfulness of God.

Verse 19, Deuteronomy chapter 8: “Then it shall be, if you by any means forget the LORD your God, and follow other gods, and serve them and worship them, I testify against you this day that you shall surely perish. As the nations which the LORD destroys before you, so you shall perish, because you would not be obedient to the voice of the LORD your God.”. You see what Moses is saying here? If you forget the faithfulness of God, if you think it’s because of you that you are saved, you forget that God is the One who made all these promises to you, Moses says what? If you forget the LORD your God and follow other gods, he’s equating you forgetting to you following other gods. Moses is saying that if you forget, you’re no different from those people of the world.

Now I’m not saying here that if you are a Christian and you, maybe a few years of being a Christian and you started to become boastful and full of pride and forget that it was God who saved you that you’re going to lose your salvation. No, I’m not saying that. We cannot lose our salvation. All I’m saying is this- meekness, humility, thanksgiving, these are all qualities of a Christian, a true Christian. If you do not have all these things, we have to ask ourselves a serious question: Are we Christians? Because a Christian is not one who is proud. A Christian is one who is meek because if he truly understands the gospel, there’s nothing to boast about. Blessed are those who are what? The meek.

We are people who know that we got nothing- nothing to commend ourselves to God. Poor in spirit, nothing about me. It was all of God. A Christian is one who is full of thanksgiving. He knows he is saved by the grace of God. Nothing to boast about, full of thanksgiving. We have plenty of reason to be in church on a Sunday. Why? Because we know how much God has done for us, and we come to church on Sunday in church to praise Him, to thank Him for all that He’s done for us. Do not forget, the warning is severe. This is the faithfulness of God. This is the God that we proclaim to this world, this world where everywhere we see is falsehood and lies and broken words and broken promises.

This is a God that we preach to this world, a God who cannot lie, impossible for him to forget, a God who always keeps all that He has promised us. Let me conclude. This faithful God has promised rest for the Israelites. And four hundred years later, He fulfilled that promise. Joshua 12 testifies to that that God by His mighty hand and His outstretched arm have secured this inheritance for them so that they can enjoy rest. Similarly, for you and me, God has promised us rest. And who is the guarantee of that rest? Is there any proof that God is going to fulfil that promise? Yes, when He sent His only Son.

When we look at Jesus, we can be a hundred percent sure that God intends to fulfil His promise. He sent His only Son to die for us, to save us, take away our sins. Consider one last verse. First Thessalonians 5:24- “He who calls you is faithful, who also will do it.”. Think about what God has promised you today. Hopefully, we’re not filled with the ideas from this world and even maybe from some churches out there who are giving us promises that God did not say. God promised you health, oh. God promise you prosperity, oh. No, not found here. Hold on to the promises that God really made- rest, eternal rest, eternal life. In heaven, it is a place where it is undefiled.

Imagine that. That is promise to us. The promise is that evil will not rise again. It will be done away once and for all. No more sin, no more evil. This is the security we have, a God who cannot break His promise. We’re not promised enjoyment in this life, but we have a sure promise by the Lord Jesus Himself, and none who believe in Him will perish but we will be with Him in the future. Let us pray.

“Our Lord and our Father in heaven, You are the faithful God. We praise You this day. We praise the faithfulness of God. You are a God who cannot lie. It will be contrary to Your nature. It is an impossibility. And we thank You, for we hold on to the many promises You have made to us. Without a faithful God, we will all not be here today. We thank You and we pray this day for many who do not yet know You to be the God who is faithful, that they would know You, they will know the promises You have made to them, and they will put their trust fully in a God upon whom they may safely rely on. In Jesus’ name, we pray, Amen.”

This transcript has been lightly edited for readability.