When Is Repentance Required?

Joshua 2:8-13, 9:1-13 (text omitted for the sake of space, you can read the verses on your own.)

These two passages of Scripture are contrasted against each other, yet Israel’s task and the defeat of tribes in Canaan is very much in the backdrop.

Let’s first acknowledge that Joshua is a difficult book to read. Israel is attacking and conquering a number of cities, killing the inhabitants, and taking control of the land. Without any kind of context, these chapters read as an oppressive nation forcing weaker tribes into submission.

That is, if we ignore the context. In Scripture, context is everything. Thus, we have our key verses today.

To set the context, we can look to a simple verse in Micah 6:8, “He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?”

In Rahab’s conversation with the spies, she acknowledges God (read: repentance). When Israel defeats Jericho, Rahab is spared (read: salvation). The most basic reason that God was with Israel to defeat these tribes is that the tribes refused to acknowledge God.

Let’s remember why Israel is even on this task. “Then in the fourth generation they shall return here, for the iniquity of the Amorite is not yet complete.” Genesis 15:16 In this verse, God is speaking to Abraham who is living in Canaan. This is the “return here” part of the verse. It is a promise by God to Abraham that Israel will possess Canaan. However, why are they headed to Egypt? (Genesis 15:13 is a foretelling of Israel’s travel to Egypt and slavery there.)

God says in this promise that it is because the sin of the Amorite needs time to ripen. We don’t have the space here to get into this sin, however, the Canaanite, Amorite, and Moabite tribes were all descendants of the likes of Noah, Lot, and others who knew God. These children were born out of sexual sin or committed sexual sin and became depraved. They and their parents refused to repent. Yet, God would give them time to repent. They were allowed to live unchecked for four hundred years (plus a lot more) before God would judge them. Still, during this time, they refused to repent and acknowledge God.

They knew who God was and had His truth, but refused to abandon their depravity. This reads much like the end of Malachi and beginning of Matthew, where we find the same span of 400 years. But there, a specific command to repent is given on both ends of the 400 year span, first by the prophet Malachi and then by John the Baptist and Jesus Christ. Judgment follows Israel’s lack of repentance and is just because the command was refused. In fact, their refusal to repent is what led the Jews to crucify Jesus.

So, when is repentance required? The tribes in Canaan heard about the fame of God through miracles performed among Israel. This includes the crossing of the Red Sea, the crossing of the Jordan River, the defeat of Egypt, among other miracles in the wilderness. We should also note that Israel at times was very close to or requested to cross through the land of some of these tribes while they journeyed in the wilderness.

Having a knowledge of God but refusing to repent, refusing to humble themselves, is what justifies the judgment of God. That, and the passing of time. God gave them 400 years, and if this is not enough, then repentance will not come. Their iniquity was complete, and judgment was both ripe and just. Again, this scene is repeated from Malachi to the end of Matthew when we see Israel on the receiving end of God’s judgment.

Tragically, this refusal to acknowledge God and to repent is very evident today. As an example, I read a homeschool blogger’s review of a particular class. The blogger pointed out that the bonus to the class is that it is secular. I cringed when I read these words because it is a refusal to acknowledge God. In our early efforts to launch our church planting efforts, we found the same thing – a refusal to acknowledge God. Knowing that there is an option involves God, there is a refusal to draw near to Him.

This is what ripens the justice of God’s judgment. The proper response and the response which would have spared God’s judgment in Canaan as well as in Jerusalem in the gospels is repentance. Rahab acknowledged God and was saved. Everyone else knew of the fame of God in the land but hardened their hearts. Joshua 11:20 points out that God hardened their hearts, but we know that God does not harden hearts which are soft toward Him. He hardens the hearts of those who have already turned against Him.

Our nation is on the precipice today. The gospel has been widely disseminated. Even people who are not Christian understand that the teachings of God are available. Yet, there is a certain turning away from God. When is repentance required? It is always required when we have the option to turn toward or away from God.

Hebrews 4:7, “He again fixes a certain day, ‘Today,’ saying through David after so long a time just as has been said before, ‘TODAY IF YOU HEAR HIS VOICE, DO NOT HARDEN YOUR HEARTS.’”