ROOTED - Saturday, February 21, 2026
1 Now Joshua was old and advanced in years, and the Lord said to him, “You are old and advanced in years, and there remains yet very much land to possess. 2 This is the land that yet remains: all the regions of the Philistines, and all those of the Geshurites 3 (from the Shihor, which is east of Egypt, northward to the boundary of Ekron, it is counted as Canaanite; there are five rulers of the Philistines, those of Gaza, Ashdod, Ashkelon, Gath, and Ekron), and those of the Avvim.
Reflection: Conquest and Crisis
Written By: Pastor Jesse Caro
In my undergraduate work at Liberty (my degree was in Biblical Studies), the first great class I took was titled “Joshua and Judges.” At the time the class was Bible 311 (or maybe 323?) (I am 99% certain that it was 311… though this was probably 30 years ago). I liked this class so much that I encouraged Kelly (she and I were dating) to take it as an elective… which she did, scoring the highest grade in the final exam among the all-male pastoral classmates (my 30-year-old memory remembers that fact for sure). The book for the course was entitled Conquest and Crisis: Studies in Joshua, Judges, and Ruth by John Davis. The book’s title is descriptive, telling the reader what we might expect from Joshua and Judges… a story of conquest turned to crisis.
You won’t be surprised to know that half of John Davis’ book deals with the conquest of Joshua. If Joshua and Judges are one long narrative (which it is), then Joshua is the upbeat, high part of the story. The Book of Judges is the low part. Joshua is conquering and the hand of God is going before him. Chapter 13 describes in detail all of the land yet to be conquered. And Joshua will do a great job at the task God sets him to do (even at his old age). Despite his age, God does not hold him back from his difficult tasks.
Two Observations: 1) despite your age, there is more spiritual battle ahead. 2) Notice also that as we finish Joshua, the destruction of the wicked cities is not thoroughly done. Therefore, the Book of Judges unfolds as a crisis. Since the wicked cities are not destroyed, the false idols not decimated, God’s people in the next Judges will suffer the consequences. People of God, we have a task to do. A battle. Do it thoroughly and deal with sin… or be prepared for crisis.
Prayer
Lord, help us fulfill the calling of God on our lives, no matter the age… and accomplish it thoroughly to your glory!