"After the death of Moses the servant of the Lord, the Lord said to Joshua son of Nun, Moses' aide: 'Moses My servant is dead. Now then, you and all these people, get ready to cross the Jordan River into the land I am about to give to them---to the Israelites.'" (Joshua 1:1-2) Moses has passed into the presence of the Lord. The period of mourning has been observed. It is time to begin taking hold of the Lord's great promises.
Sometimes we have to be stirred out of a particular place or a particular emotion. There was nothing wrong with observing thirty days of mourning for Moses; as we discussed yesterday, grief is a sacred thing and a necessary thing. It was entirely appropriate for the nation to grieve together as a group for a whole month for a great man like Moses. Even as they move forward, in their hearts they can still love him and miss him. The Lord isn't saying, "Okay, you've mourned enough. It's time to put Moses and his administration behind you and move on." He's saying something like this, "The promises are at hand. Moses worked hard for many years preparing you for the day in which you would cross the Jordan and begin to inherit all that I promised your forefathers. He is now in My presence receiving the eternal rewards of My faithful servants. The era of Moses and the days of preparation are concluded. Now it is time for action. This is the moment you've all been waiting for---the moment Moses longed to see---and he'd be the first to urge you onward."
The Lord continues His comforting message to Joshua, "I will give you every place where you set your foot, as I promised Moses. Your territory will extend from the desert to Lebanon, and from the great river, the Euphrates---all the Hittite country---to the Mediterranean Sea in the west. No one will be able to stand against you all the days of your life. As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake you. Be strong and courageous, because you will lead these people to inherit the land I swore to their ancestors to give them." (Joshua 1:3-6) The Lord is giving Joshua a pep talk because he needs one. We can be confident of this because the Lord doesn't waste words or resources. If the Lord is telling Joshua to be strong and courageous it's because Joshua doesn't feel especially strong and courageous right now. Moses left behind some very big shoes to fill. The Bible tells us that Joshua had been Moses' aide since Joshua was a very young man and that means he beheld the confidence and faith of Moses, day in and day out. He saw Moses go up on the fiery mountain to speak with the Lord. He saw Moses perform miracles through the power of the Lord. Joshua must have been thinking, "How can I possibly take Moses' place as leader of these people? I am not Moses."
But at this time in Israel's history the people don't need another Moses. They need a Joshua. They need a leader with Joshua's military talent. They need a leader whose faith is strong but whose faith is displayed by action. My pastor has been teaching a course on the book of Joshua for several months now and he pointed out that Moses shepherded and comforted and taught the people and did a great number of things on their behalf but that Joshua was of a sterner nature. Joshua will not coddle them; he will encourage them to be strong and courageous, just as the Lord is encouraging him. Joshua will urge them to be bold, to stand strong, to take action.
Joshua himself must be strong and courageous if he's going to inspire anyone else to be strong and courageous. The Lord repeats His instructions to stand firm in the faith. "Be strong and very courageous." (Joshua 1:7a) This time He says to be very courageous. How is Joshua to manage this? Through the help of the Lord and by remaining close to Him through prayer and meditation upon His word. "Be careful to obey all the law My servant Moses gave you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, that you may be successful wherever you go. Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful." (Joshua 1:7b-8) Joshua will be a man of bold action but his boldness will come from his confidence in the Lord. He will study the Lord's laws. He will maintain a close relationship with the Lord. The Lord will be on his mind twenty-four hours a day every day. He can't help but be successful in taking the promised land if he allows himself to be guided by the Lord at every turn.
A third time the Lord encourages Joshua. "Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go." (Joshua 1:9) Aren't we thankful for the Lord's patience with our weakness? He knows we often need to be told something more than once. If He only tells us something once, we may begin to doubt whether we heard Him correctly. If He tells us twice, we might be able to convince ourselves that it's just a coincidence. But three times is difficult to explain away or ignore. Three times the Lord says to Joshua, "Be strong! Be courageous! Do not be afraid! I am with you!"
As the Apostle Paul so famously asked, "If God is for us, who can be against us?" (Romans 8:31) If the Lord is with Joshua and the armies of Israel, who can stand against them? If the people remain faithful to the Lord and do not turn from Him to idols, what enemy is there to fear? King David, who is believed to be the author of Psalm 118, was a man who faced plots against his life and plots against his throne---sometimes from even his own family!---and yet he said, "The Lord is with me; I will not be afraid. What can mere mortals do to me? The Lord is with me; He is my helper. I look in triumph on my enemies." (Psalm 118:6-7)
We must always keep our eyes fixed on the Lord. We must always keep our minds fixed on His word. Then we can be strong and courageous. Then we can have the peace and confidence the prophet Isaiah spoke of when he declared to the Lord, "You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in You." (Isaiah 26:3)
No comments:
Post a Comment