(Ch. 1) Moses is Dead!

At last, we are in Joshua 1! Moses has passed away and Joshua is left in charge of some very uncertain Israelites. The only leader they had ever known was Moses. And now that he was gone, things were so very different. God, in His infinite wisdom can see the people’s distress as well as Joshua’s. Let’s see what He says!

“After the death of Moses the servant of the Lord, it came to pass that the Lord spoke to Joshua the son of Nun, Moses’ assistant, saying: ‘Moses My servant is dead.’” (v. 1-2a)

Let’s stop there a moment. Because in the first verse is the entire point of this whole chapter. Joshua has stepped into some big shoes and the people are expecting a lot from him. I’m sure he’s nervous and waiting on God to show him what to do. So when the Lord decides to speak to him, you can be sure that Joshua is listening very intently. And what is the first thing out of God’s mouth? “Moses My servant is dead.”

Talk about Captain Obvious there, God. Why would He tell Joshua that? Joshua was VERY aware of that fact. Here’s the thing. God was telling Joshua right from the start “Hey, I know Moses was my representative to the people for a really long time, but that’s in the past now. Time to look to the future.”

Do you see the finality in God’s words? Moses had a way of doing things. Moses used to be around. Things worked out in the past. But…Moses is dead! Time to take a deep breath and accept that change is coming and let go of the past. If Joshua cannot let go of Moses, he can never be the leader God intends for him to be. So from the very beginning, God had to remind him that Moses was gone and Joshua had to let him go. It was time for Joshua to look forward and allow the change to occur. Too many of us resist change. We hate it. Yet this is a case in which Joshua could not control things. Moses was gone whether he liked it or not and God’s first piece of advice to him was to let Moses go and look to the future.

Let’s continue through the rest of the verse. “Now therefore, arise, go over this Jordan, you and all this people, to the land which I am giving to them-the children of Israel.” (v. 2b)

So first, God reminds Joshua to look to the future and let go of the ways things had been done before, and then He next tells him to “arise and go.” See, the Lord knows people really well (being our Creator and all). He knows how we naturally tend to sit down and think about “the good old days”. We are so easily satisfied with complaining and doing nothing. But God does not allow Joshua a chance to do that. He says “don’t think about the good old days right now because they’re behind you. Instead, get up and get to work.”

Let’s keep reading. “Every place that the sole of your foot will tread upon I have given you, as I said to Moses.” (v. 3)

Here’s an important key that we need to realize. God will never send you without equipping you to win. And so He says to Joshua “I want you to get up and lead this people across the Jordan River. Oh, and by the way…I promised Moses this territory to you, so anything you step foot on is yours.”

Now think about this radical idea with me a moment. Can you imagine if God said to you “every argument you ever have, I have ensured you will win. Every game you ever play, I have ensured that you will win. Every idea you propose, I promise to bring it to fruitfulness.” Isn’t that crazy? That God would say “wherever you are in life; I have delivered the victory of that situation into your hands.” Would He promise such a thing? As far as I can see, that’s what He just promised Joshua. The Israelites are staring at the land in front of them wondering if they will be able to conquer it all and God pulls Joshua to the side and ensures them that they get it all. Total victory.

“From the wilderness and this Lebanon as far as the great river, the River Euphrates, all the land of the Hittites, and to the Great Sea toward the going down of the sun, shall be your territory.” (v. 4)

Now please note that God did not say “so go explore the world and whatever you step on is yours!” He gave them a very clear and definite border. There was a line and as long as they remained in the parameters of what God had promised, Israel was guaranteed the land. In the same way, we can’t strut around life acting as if everything we touch God will bless. We must take the time to recognize what His guidelines are for us and be sure to remain within the box he has set. Within that box, we have God’s guaranteed blessings. But outside of it, we are in disobedience to where God has told us to be.

Now how does that look in our daily lives? Because God has not sat down and discussed with me what I am permitted to do and what I’m not with my life. I have moral standards to help guide me, and that is a start. But how do I know if God will bless a specific conversation with someone or if he will be angry if I decide to take this class in school. God was clear with Joshua what the approved territory was, but He’s not always so clear with us. So here is my suggestion: ask Him.

If you are unsure about whether or not God wants you to move forward in a certain area, just ask Him. God wants us to talk to Him; to trust Him and to desire His will for us. He will not refuse to answer us if we honestly ask Him for guidance in making a certain decision. And if we make a decision within His will and with His guidance, He will bless it.

Verses 5 and 6 say “No man shall be able to stand before you all the days of your life; as I was with Moses, so I will be with you. I will not leave you nor forsake you. Be strong and of good courage, for to this people you shall divide as an inheritance the land which I swore to their fathers to give them.”

So check this out: After God establishes the boundaries, He promised Joshua that He would be with him. Now here’s the thing: God promised Joshua victory in the war, but that would not mean Joshua wouldn’t get knocked around. God only promised that Joshua would never be defeated as long as he stayed in God’s will. That does not mean that Joshua and the Israelite army could waltz into enemy territory and take the land easily. No, a battle still had to take place. Sweat and blood still had to be spilled. God guaranteed the victory, but Joshua still had to get his hands dirty.

Do not be deceived into believing you are invincible. Even if you are within God’s will, that does not mean you will not get hurt. If God had promised Joshua victory in every battle he faced, then He lied. The Israelites were beaten badly in Joshua 7 against the people of Ai because they had sinned against God and were not in right standing with Him. But we’ll get to that later. But what I want us to see is that God promised Joshua the war. Yet Joshua still had to fight every single battle. He had to work for every inch of the territory that had been promised to him. When in God’s will, we are not given a golden ticket to do nothing. Even if God promises us victory, we must work to achieve it and accept that we’ll be knocked down a few times in the process.

And that is hard. Fighting every battle that arises can get tiresome and exhausting and even overwhelming. And that is why God continued on to tell Joshua to “only be strong and very courageous.” (v. 7) Joshua was up against quite the challenge. Dozens of pagan kingdoms against Israel. Not the best odds. This conquest would mean constant war for many years. Joshua would get tired; he would question if all the effort was worth it. God knew this and so He told Joshua up front to stick it out and bravely press on. These words of encouragement apply to us as well.

God has given each of us a specific purpose and task that we alone are designed to do. If you do not do your part, no one else will. Each one of us is vital to the cause of Christ as a whole. And when the Lord reveals to you His purpose for your life, there will be hard points. There will be rough patches and times of fear and doubt. And when those times crash against our defenses, we have to remember God’s words here: “I will never leave you nor forsake you. Only be strong and very courageous.” ONLY be strong…God specifically told us that we’re not allowed to doubt and fear or do anything other than be brave and press on. He knows our fears and our weaknesses and He is there by our side through it all when we are taking the time to make sure we stay with Him and His will for us. For you see, God does not take sides…He IS a side. And with every choice we make, we must choose to step across the line and join God’s side. And once we’re there, it’s a daily decision to stay on His side no matter where He leads. But as long as we’re with Him, He promises us His presence and His strength for all the battles of life. If you’re apart from Him and His will, He makes no such promises. I encourage us all to take the time and seriously consider where we stand with Jesus. Are we on His side? If not, we’re not doing anyone any favors. And we cannot claim any of His promises when He are living outside of the way He directs us to live. Check yourself, as I must continue to do, and make sure you’re still on God’s side.

Skipping down to verse 10 “Then Joshua…”

Stop! Read that again. The Lord spoke, then Joshua did. How many of us have received a word from God that we need to act in some way? Whether that be to take a stand in a conversation or to act in a generous way towards another. Now how many of us immediately obeyed upon hearing God’s command? If we answer ourselves truthfully, we will find that we’re not so willing to obey the Lord. We want to analyze His orders and weigh the pros and cons and see if that is really the wisest course of action. Usually, by the time we’re done thinking about it, the opportunity has been missed and we have failed to honor God in that situation.

Yet this is not what we see from Joshua. God spoke, He said “Arise, go over this Jordan…” and the moment God finished speaking, Joshua is summoning his officers and telling them to prepare to cross the river in three days. This is obedience! And this is the secret to Joshua’s success.

Verses 12 through 15, Joshua gives the people the same encouragement that God offered him. In fact, if you see how he speaks to the people you will see that he is modeling his words after the very words God spoke to him! God showed Joshua the next step and encouraged him and urged him to step forward with confidence. Joshua did the same for the people. He told them of the Lord’s plan and told them of his plans to gather Israel’s army. “Mighty men of valor” were the elite soldiers in Joshua’s army. He was gathering his strength and separating the soldiers from the civilians early on. He knew once they crossed the Jordan things would escalate quickly and he wanted to be ready. He was trained in combat; this was his field of expertise.

And throughout giving his orders, you can see Joshua dropping encouragement everywhere. He was firm in his command, yet he strengthened the hearts of the people. And look how they responded in verses 16-18: “All that you have command us we will do, and wherever you send us we will go. Just as we heeded Moses in all things, so we will heed you. Only the Lord your God be with you, as He was with Moses. Whoever rebels against your command and does not heed your words, in all that you command him, shall be put to death. Only be strong and of good courage.”

The people responded in submission to Joshua’s authority because they knew God was with him. They knew because they could see that same level of strength in Joshua that Moses had. Truly, what is it that makes Christians different from the rest of the world? Is it our eating habits or our choice in music? Of course not. It is the Holy Spirit inside of us. Our personal connection with Jesus Christ separates us from those who have not trusted in Him for salvation. And when we have the Spirit of God residing inside us, don’t you think others ought to see that? Shouldn’t there be something different about how Christians think and live? Well the difference was obvious with Joshua and the people saw that. They knew he was from God and he led them with confidence and passion. They were drawn to him and swore loyalty to him and to God…even to the point of killing any who would not follow through with their oath. Can you imagine your fellow church members killing someone in your church because they would not heed the pastor or minister? A bit extreme, right? Well that is pretty much what these men were saying. They trusted that Joshua would not lead them astray and dedicated themselves to Joshua’s plan because they knew that he was getting his plans from God.

Is there anyone in your life right now that you can swear such loyalty to? Can you pick out someone in your life who you know for certain lives their life for Christ and receives their plans from God as Joshua did? BE that someone. Surrender your own will and give it up to God. Moses is dead! The old ways are in the past and God has a plan for the future. Choose to be on board with Him. Choose to side with Him no matter how things appear and receive your plans from Jesus Himself. Be a Joshua and be willing to lead those around you in the will of God with courage.