© Matthew Tuel — 2025
Joshua 10:40 (NET, 2nd Ed.)
40 Joshua defeated the whole land, including the hill country, the Negev, the foothills, the slopes, and all their kings. He left no survivors. He annihilated everything that breathed, just as the LORD God of Israel had commanded.
Job 40:1-14 (NET, 2nd Ed.)
Job’s Reply to God’s Challenge
40 Then the LORD answered Job:
2 “Will the one who contends with the Almighty correct him?
Let the person who accuses God give him an answer!”
3 Then Job answered the LORD:
4 “Indeed, I am completely unworthy—how could I reply to you?
I put my hand over my mouth to silence myself.
5 I have spoken once, but I cannot answer;
twice, but I will say no more.”The Lord’s Second Speech
6 Then the LORD answered Job from the whirlwind:
7 “Get ready for a difficult task like a man.
I will question you, and you will inform me!
8 Would you indeed annul my justice?
Would you declare me guilty so that you might be right?
9 Do you have an arm as powerful as God’s,
and can you thunder with a voice like his?
10 Adorn yourself, then, with majesty and excellency,
and clothe yourself with glory and honor.
11 Scatter abroad the abundance of your anger.
Look at every proud man and bring him low;
12 Look at every proud man and abase him;
crush the wicked on the spot.
13 Hide them in the dust together,
imprison them in the grave.
14 Then I myself will acknowledge to you
that your own right hand can save you.
Ephesians 1:7 (NET, 2nd Ed.)
7 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our offenses, according to the riches of his grace
1st Corinthians 15:5-11 (NET, 2nd Ed.)
5 and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. 6 Then he appeared to more than 500 of the brothers and sisters at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have fallen asleep. 7 Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles. 8 Last of all, as though to one born at the wrong time, he appeared to me also. 9 For I am the least of the apostles, unworthy to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. 10 But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace to me has not been in vain. In fact, I worked harder than all of them—yet not I, but the grace of God with me. 11 Whether then it was I or they, this is the way we preach and this is the way you believed.
With Calvin, we see divine judgement. With Spurgeon, we see we have redemption from that same judgement. God's judgement is just. It may not make sense to us all the time, but he is not bound by our finite understanding.
Another thing to note in this text, is the concept of no half measures. "Joshua defeated the whole land. He left no survivors." This is how we should approach war with sin. No half measures. No mercy. No survivors.
In Matthew 12:43-45 we see the results of what half measures can bring. In the parable, the house is cleansed of the "evil spirit" which is half the job. The other half, bringing in the Holy Spirit to take it's place, was not accomplished. Because of this, the spirit returned (with allies) and the person was worse off than they were before.
We see this same thing with the conquest of the Promised Land as well. Half-measures are taken, tasks are not followed through with, and as a result there are negative consequences each time.