Joshua 7-24: Although it drove him to the edge of despair, angering the Lord, (Joshua 7:6-15) Joshua’s emotional reaction after the rout at Ai showed his deep faith that God was going to do exactly as He had promised and ensure their victory everywhere they went. If only they’d continued in that kind of confidence and done everything commanded of them as Joshua 11:15 showed they were doing at that time. The first word of failure is in Joshua 15:63 when the Jebusites couldn’t be driven out. (See also Joshua 16:10, 17:12) Like Moses does in Deuteronomy, Joshua gives a farewell address to Israel when he knows his time of death is coming soon. In it, he reminds them who they are, what God has done for them: how He’s been faithful to every one of His promises. Joshua also notes His Covenant works both ways: He’ll bless and preserve them if they are careful to obey Him, but He has also promised calamity upon them if they do not. (Joshua 23:14-16)
Luke 2:22-6:49: Luke is unafraid to give more detail than the other Gospels and sharing at the end of Chapter 2: "And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favour with God and man.” He’s clearly Lord and God, (as seen in Luke 1:43, 47, 76; 2:11; 3:4, 6; 5:21-26 and 6:5.)
A made-up backstory designed to deify Jesus would never include such a statement. Isaiah 40:13-14 says, "Who hath directed the Spirit of the LORD, or [being] his counsellor hath taught him? With whom took he counsel, and [who] instructed him, and taught him in the path of judgment, and taught him knowledge, and shewed to him the way of understanding?"
But Luke reports it frankly, as it was, and we have to deal with it. Eternal God can never learn or gain wisdom. God the Son, however, "took on…” "the seed of Abraham” (Hebrews 2:16) and that part of His nature could grow and learn and improve His relationship with God and man. What a brilliant way to model the fulfillment of our responsibility as we walk out our salvation. A series of tests appears in Luke. John the Baptist warns them, that every unfruitful tree is cut down and cast into the fire (Luke 3:9). Jesus tells them He is the fulfillment of Isaiah 61, then they respond with a demand that He prove Himself to them. He refuses and tests them instead: when He calls attention to God’s mercy to individual believing Gentiles, how will they respond? All were filled with wrath. (Luke 4:28) Are they brought to repentance when He claims to be able to forgive sins, hears their anger, then heals the paralyzed man? (Luke 5:21-26) When He heals on the Sabbath after explaining why? (Luke 6:6-11) No. Only those aware they are sinners can hear His call, just as only “new wineskins” can hold the “new wine” (Luke 5:36-39). Those used to the old wine have come to enjoy it and have no taste for the new. We receive this warning, meant to get us to examine ourselves, just before the “Sermon on the Plain” in Luke 6:20-49. Like the Old Testament claim that it would take a new heart and a new Spirit (Ezekiel 36:26-27) to receive the New Covenant (Jeremiah 31:33), we must be made new ourselves before we can follow Christ.
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