Joshua. Be Strong and Courageous Chapter 1:1-9

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1 Joshua Be Strong and Courageous Chapter 1:1-9 A fter the death of Moshe the servant of ADONAI, ADONAI said to Y hoshua the son of Nun, Moshe s assistant, Moshe my servant is dead. So now, get up and cross over this Yarden, you and all the people, to the land I am giving to them, the people of Isra el. I am giving you every place you will step on with the sole of your foot, as I said to Moshe. All the land from the desert and the L vanon to the great river, the Euphrates River all the land of the Hitti and on to the Great Sea in the west will be your territory. No one will be able to withstand you as long as you live. Just as I was with Moshe, so I will be with you. I will neither fail you nor abandon you. Be strong, be bold; for you will cause this people to inherit the land I swore to their fathers I would give them. Only be strong and very bold in taking care to follow all the Torah which Moshe my servant ordered you to follow; do not turn from it either to the right or to the left; then you will succeed wherever you go. Yes, keep this book of the Torah on your lips, and meditate on it day and night, so that you will take care to act according to everything written in it. Then your undertakings will prosper, and you will succeed. Haven t I ordered you, Be strong, be bold? So don t be afraid or downhearted, because ADONAI your God is with you wherever you go. (Joshua 1:1 9 CJB) Dr McGee had this to say about Israel and the Lord: Years ago a certain Englishman moved to the United States. Soon after he arrived he dropped out of sight. One day his uncle in England died and left him about a five-million dollar estate. Scotland Yard went about trying to locate the man whose last address had been in Chicago. They searched for him but never found him. Later I heard that he was found one morning frozen to death in a entry way of a cheep hotel. He could not afford twenty-five cents for a room although he was heir to five million dollars! He did not claim what was his. He did not lay hold of what belonged to him. Although God gave Israel the Promised Land they never possessed all of it. As a matter of fact, Israel got very little of the land. Many Christians today are like Israel in that they are blessed with all spiritual blessings and yet they die like bums in a doorway without claiming those blessings as their own. What a tragedy that is. 1 Sometimes we don t receive the blessings of our promised land because we don t risk moving into it. Each of us has a battle, a giant. The question becomes will we be like the 10 spies or Joshua and Caleb? II The Book C. Preparing to Enter the Land 1 McGee, J. Vernon, Thru the Bible with J. Vernon McGee, Vol. 2, Joshua - Psalms, Thomas Nelson Inc., Nashville, TN, 1981, p. 3.

2 1. Joshua Called Verses 1-9 a. God s Call Verses 1-2 b. God s Promises Verses 3-5 c. God s Challenge Verses 6-9 Introduction: As we go through the book of Joshua now and again I will remind us just how easy it is to misunderstand the implications of Scripture if one doesn t have the Holy Spirit. Specifically I ll touch on Jewish commentary and a demonstration of why we need to pray for the peace of Jerusalem and Israel s turning to her Messiah. Consider these opening remarks to the book. Ralbag summarizes the gist of this passage. Had Moses led the nation into the Land, they would have easily and permanently conquered all, because of his greatness and the miracles that would have accompanied him, but Moses was prevented doing so because the nation was not worthy. Great though Joshua was, he was not the equal of Moses, and so did not succeed in conquering all the land. 2 So what s wrong with this statement? This conveniently ignores three basic truths. 1. Moses didn t enter the land because of his sin. 2. Israel constantly got into sin and trouble even when Moses led them and they received signs and wonders. They complained because miracles don t convince anyone and 3. It was God s greatness not Moses which was behind any success he and the nation experienced. This whitewash of Moses and Israel is the result of venerating an individual and scripture itself over God. It was this kind of veneration of Moses rather than God which underlay the powers that be s hostility to Jesus they reviled him, saying, You are his disciple, but we are disciples of Moses. We know that God has spoken to Moses, but as for this man, we do not know where he comes from. (John 9:28 29 ESV). The warning to us is found in the same truth Joshua learned. True greatness is found by putting one foot in front of another in obedience to God. We all can accomplish anything we are called to in dependency on and obedience to God. Such is the confidence that we have through Christ toward God. Not that we are sufficient in ourselves to claim anything as coming from us, but our sufficiency is from God (2 Corinthians 3:4 5 ESV). So this morning, as we move into the book of Joshua proper, we will consider the basis of Joshua s confidence. We will see what he had to look forward to and, sadly, consider the fact that all the blessings were never received. Finally we will consider the truth that, just as Joshua, we too are called to enter into God s promises and we have the same challenges and same resources available to us as he did. Can you imagine how Joshua may have felt when the boss was God and the expectation was that he, instead of Moses, was the one who was going to lead the people into Canaan. Oh and 2 Scherman, Rabbi Nosson, The Prophets, Joshua Judges, Mesorah Publications, Ltd., Brooklyn, NY, 2000, p. 3. ) 44 (

3 by the way what was especially problematical was, when the he encouraged the people to enter the land last time they wanted to stone him to death. do not rebel against the Lord. And do not fear the people of the land, for they are bread for us. Their protection is removed from them, and the Lord is with us; do not fear them. Then all the congregation said to stone them with stones. But the glory of the Lord appeared at the tent of meeting to all the people of Israel (Numbers 14:9 10 ESV). Well God understood the problem and so His conversation with Joshua is intended to encourage, reassure and direct. And it should do the same for us because what God calls us to do we can do in dependency on Him. I can do all things through him who strengthens me (Philippians 4:13 ESV). a. God s Call: In this first section we see Joshua s meeting with God as he moves into his new position as the leader of Israel. And so he recaps what we already know. Moses is dead. Moses was God s servant. Oh and Joshua was Moses assistant. Accordingly God comes to Joshua to have a talk with him as he moves into his new role. God summarizes the situation by saying Moses is dead and you re going to lead the people into the promised land. Chrysostom notes: Moses, the lawgiver, could not bring Israel into the promised land, which shows that the Law of Moses cannot save the people. But Joshua brought them in, and in this he was a type of Jesus Christ, who brings His own into heaven through grace. 3 And certainly the entire HIStory of Israel demonstrates the truth of this. True obedience flows out of relationship with and trust in God. The Law saved no one. It is God s provision of grace and mercy which saves and which did save in the Old Testament. God is very specific in that He informs Joshua that he is going to take the people into Canaan via a crossing of the Jordan River. We ll look at this in more detail when we get to the even itself. But the most important truth we need to keep in mind throughout the book is the same one Joshua learned in fighting the Amalekites. Victory, and the land itself, is a gift of God, not earned but given. For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast (Eph. 2:8 9 ESV). As we ve already seen if ownership of the land was dependent on their obedience Israel would receive nothing. And God Himself will make this crystal clear in a few verses down. b. God s Promises: I m sure Joshua was thinking: What am I getting into? It certainly seems God is responding to this fear when He encourages Joshua. First God gives a general 3 Maximos, Metropolitan et al., eds., Orthodox Study Bible, Thomas Nelson Publishing, Nashville, TN, 2008 ) 45 (

4 promise, one tied to the nation. The second one is specifically intended for Joshua, though in principle it is also applicable to the nation. God promises Joshua, as He did Moses, that every place Joshua steps would be given to the nation. This is a promise of national and personal success. But it is God who will give to Joshua the land not Joshua who will take it. Any victory comes from the Lord. But as Dr. McGee notes: God gave Israel 300,000 square miles of land and the most they ever claimed was 30,000 square miles. They did not do very well, did they? They took possession of about one tenth of what God had given them. That is about the same amount of spiritual possessions claimed by believers today. 4 In verse 4 God goes on to describe the land He is speaking of, a description that will be more specifically spelled out further on in the book. Adam Clark states: That is, the whole land occupied by the seven Canaanitish nations, and as far as the Euphrates on the east; for this was certainly the utmost of the grant now made to them; and all that was included in what is termed the promised land, the boundaries of which have already been defined. See Deuteronomy 34:1-4, and see Joshua 1:4 below. It has been supposed that the words, Every place that the sole of your foot shall tread upon, were intended to express the ease with which they were to conquer the whole land, an instance of which occurs in the taking of Jericho. It was only their unfaithfulness to God that rendered the conquest in any case difficult. 5 Verse 5: All this was fine and confirmed God s promises all the way back to Abraham. But what was most important for Joshua was God s commitment to being with Him. Joshua was going to succeed. But this was a direct consequence of God being with Him just as he d been with Moses. This was a promise for Joshua but it was also a promise for the nation. And we to have received this same promise. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age (Matthew 28:20 ESV). Joshua didn t have to have confidence in his own ability to carry all this out through his own abilities. If fact if he d believed this he d have guaranteed his own failure. And notice that God s promise to be with Joshua and the nation, was unconditional. But, as we ll see in a moment, the promise of victory was conditional. c. God s Challenge: Now we come to God s challenge to Joshua. The challenge is repeated three times. It is be strong and courageous. After all Joshua was going to war and these were qualities needed. But I believe to simply tie them to battle is to underestimate the challenge he d be facing. The real challenge is standing firm for God not just before the enemies in the land but the enmity of the Israelites when things didn t go their way. And he d certainly experienced this problem when standing along side Moses. Whenever God gives a message like this, be strong and courageous it means there will be challenges. This is why we say, when giving the gospel, accepting Christ, while it means an eternity in God s presence, also means that life will become more challenging not less. 4 McGee, J. Vernon, Thru the Bible with J. Vernon McGee, Vol. 2, Joshua - Psalms, Thomas Nelson Inc., Nashville, TN, Clarke, Adam, Adam Clarke s Commentary on the Whole Bible, Public Domain ) 46 (

5 I ve told you there have been times when I have told the Lord I didn t sign on to be the male Mother Teresa. It may be flattering to be told I can handle more than I am but I d just as soon not have God trust me with more opportunities. Have you every felt this same way? How did you deal with it? So, let s look at each of the three times God said the phrase and the context for each. First God says it in relationship to bringing Israel into her inheritance. Note that this is a clear statement of the fulfillment of God s word and Israel receiving the inheritance of that which and been willed to them through Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. I will be with you [Isaac] and will bless you, for to you and to your offspring I will give all these lands, and I will establish the oath that I swore to Abraham your father (Genesis 26:3 ESV). Verse 7: Second, and note the addition of the adverb very here, Joshua was to be strong and very courageous by keeping God s word, the Law. Very says this is extremely important and therefore God gives it greater emphasis. victory depends on obedience to God. So, what is meant by the Law here? Prior to Moses all God had said came via oral tradition. Then God spoke face to face with Moses. Moses recorded the history of the world, the Law and all the applications of the Law. He also recorded the history of Israel from it s birth and growth through the wilderness school. All this was written down, the Pentateuch. So now Joshua actually has scripture, a very brief one, but all that is needed at the time. These books, Genesis, Exodus, Numbers, Leviticus and Deuteronomy were the basis on which Joshua and the nation were to ultimately know God s will for how they were to live. But more importantly it was the basis for knowing God and their relationship to Him. Keep in mind the Law, and all that went with it, were detailed instructions for how the nation was to live in the land. But even here obedience must flow out of a commitment to God not some form of legalism. This was the problem that we see clearly in Jesus day. Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint and dill and cumin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faithfulness. These you ought to have done, without neglecting the others (Matthew 23:23 ESV). Scripture was the foundation of the Israel s walk before the Lord, the Law. All of scripture is the foundation for our walk. And God emphasizes just how important it is by telling Joshua he is constantly to focus on it. He is to absorb it. He is to meditate on it. Yes, God comes to him directly but nevertheless he is to focus on the Book of the Law. We too are to focus on, absorb, God s word. We are to meditate on it. How can we walk obediently if we don t know what God actually expects of us? The Psalmist in Psalm 119 gives an extended statement praising God s Word. but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night. I will meditate on your precepts and fix my eyes on your ways (Psalms 1:2; 119:15 ESV). ) 47 (

6 We see three aspects to Joshua s involvement with the written word. He was to know it. He was to speak it and he was to meditate on it. This means it must be studied and disseminated but the one who knows it and gives it out must also apply it to himself/herself. To study it is different than to meditate on it. The first, here, is for the purpose of instructing others. But the latter is for personal application. And we ve all seen those who disseminate the word but who clearly have not lived it out. Speaking of meditation Boice notes Meditation is a step beyond mere knowledge of the Scripture or mere talking about it. Meditation implies reasoning about the Word and deducing things from it. Meditation has application as a goal. Unfortunately, this is a discipline far too few Christians today know anything about. We live in an age of superficiality and spoon-feeding. Consequently, many of today s Christians think that all a person has to do to be successful in the Christian life is go to church, pay passing attention to the sermon, have a few Christian friends, and go on about their business as one would without these other elements. That is why Christians make so little difference in our society. They think like the world, and as a result, they act like the world. Their conduct and the conduct of pagans, apart from the grosser sins, is indistinguishable. What is missing? The missing element is deep, genuine, and persistent meditation on the Word of God. It is only as the Word of God gets into our minds and begins to become part of our normal, day-to-day reasoning and thinking that we begin to act differently and thereby make a difference. 6 Let s meditate on what Boice has just said. How are you meditating and therefore living out the living word on a regular basis? The connection to the word, in dependency on the Spirit, is how we can have an anchor of stability in the midst of the crazy storm of reality going on around us in a fallen world. Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter! (Isaiah 5:20 ESV). A successful and prosperous life comes out of having a living knowledge of God s commandments. It isn t enough to know God s word. It must be lived out. someone will say, You have faith and I have works. Show me your faith apart from your works, and I will show you my faith by my works (James 2:18 ESV). So Israel s, Joshua s success was dependent on obedience to God. And for us, while our salvation is free, the quality of our walk and our rewards in heaven are dependent on our obedience to God. Whoever has my commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves me (John 14:21 ESV) Verse 9: The final be strong and courageous is given as a commend with promise. God commands Joshua including the command to not be afraid. And of what is he not to be afraid? What did he have to fear? the responsibility of leading the people, the enemies the nation would have to fight, the giants in the land, nothing to be afraid of right? 6 Boice, James Montgomery, Boice Expositional Commentary Vol. 4, Joshua, Baker Books, Grand Rapids, MI, 1989, p. 17 ) 48 (

7 There was a reason he could be brave and not afraid. What was it? God would be with Him. God was going to be there along side him wherever he went in the land and before whomever he faced. If Joshua held on to this truth he really would have a reason not to be afraid. The LORD of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand (Psa. 46:7; Isaiah 41:10 ESV). Conclusion: God has constantly called Joshua to be strong and courageous. These are qualities that are sometimes found in individuals but when called by God to face overwhelming odds, they are only maintained by dependency on Him and being filled with His spirit. Joshua could have confidence in being able to do what God called him to, not because he had the strength, but because of the same truths that allow us to serve as we are called. 1. God loves us: God promised to be there with Joshua just as He had been with Moses. The reason Joshua didn t need to be fearful was because he wasn t in charge, God was. God would be there every step of the way for Joshua, for Israel and for us. And Jesus said to, All things are possible for one who believes. and therefore I will never leave you nor forsake you (Mark 9:23; Hebrews 13:5 ESV). 2. God is in control: God had brought Israel, led by Moses, out of Egypt to the border of Canaan. He had fed them, clothed them, provided water for them and protected from and gave victory over their enemies when they were obedient. He was the one who would go before Joshua and the people as they moved into and took the land He promised them. It is the same God who is in control in our world. He provides for us, shelters us, goes before us and protects us from our enemies as we are obedient to Him. Note it is not protection for the circumstances of life that is promised. Instead we have a God who understands our pain and struggles. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin (Hebrews 4:15 ESV) He is there to strengthen us, protect us from the evil one and to walk with us through the trials of life. I do not ask that you take them out of the world, but that you keep them from the evil one (John 17:15 ESV). Then one day He will reward our obedience when we go to be with Him. His master said to him, Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master. (Matthew 25:21 ESV) ) 49 (

8 3. God doesn t make mistakes: I wonder if Joshua wondered if God made a mistake choosing him to step in for Moses. This may have been especially true when times where trying and he felt in over his head. I know there are times when I wonder when called to a specific situation if God didn t make a mistake. This is an emotional question not a reflection of what is true. Nevertheless it is a question. But God doesn t make mistakes. For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts (Isaiah 55:8 9 ESV). So as we walk with Joshua, remember he is walking with the Lord. And we too can walk in the mist of the world and it s darkness if we remember God is with us, loves us and calls us to obedience. And He has provided His word as the road map we are to follow. So we are to learn it, study it and Meditate upon it. Happy is the man who has not followed the counsel of the wicked, or taken the path of sinners, or joined the company of the insolent; rather, the teaching of the LORD is his delight, and he studies that teaching day and night. He is like a tree planted beside streams of water, which yields its fruit in season, whose foliage never fades, and whatever it produces thrives. Not so the wicked; rather, they are like chaff that wind blows away. Therefore the wicked will not survive judgment, nor will sinners, in the assembly of the righteous. For the LORD cherishes the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked is doomed. ~ Psalms 1 JPS ) 50 (

9 Joshua Be Strong and Courageous Chapter 1:1-9 II The Book C. Preparing to Enter the Land 1. Joshua Called Verses 1-9 a. God s Call Verses 1-2 b. God s Promises Verses 3-5 c. God s Challenge Verses 6-9 Introduction: (John 9:28 29; 2 Corinthians 3:4 5; Numbers 14:9 10; Philippians 4:13) a. God s Call: (Ephesians 2:8 9) b. God s Promises:

10 Verse 5: (Matthew 28:20) c. God s Challenge: (Genesis 26:3) Verse 7: (Matthew 23:23; Psalms 1:2; 119:15; Isaiah 5:20; James 2:18; John 14:21) Verse 9: (Psalm 46:7; Isaiah 41:10) Conclusion:

11 1. God loves us: (Mark 9:23; Hebrews 13:5) 2. God is in control: (Hebrews 4:15; John 17:15; Matthew 25:21) 3. God doesn t make mistakes: (Isaiah 55:8 9; Psalm 1) Personal Application: Based on we we ve seen in this lesson do you anticipate any changes to how you interact with the Word? Prayer for the Week: Lord help me to be able to grow in my trust of You without needing to always have answers to Why?. In Jesus name, amen.