Joshua | Chapter 1

Joshua

“More Abundantly”

I. Chp. 1-5 Preparing the person for the promises

Chp 1 Remember the word

    I. Intro

    II. Vs. 1-5 Every place I have given


    Intro

    In John 10:10 Jesus said “I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.” It is apparent by this statement from Jesus that His heart for us is far more than just salvation and eternal life it is “Abundant life” by which we enter into all that He has for us now. But be aware that though abundant life is to be found in the land of grace it still has many obstacles and enemies that must be defeated to be enjoyed. Based upon Numbers 13 clearly the 12 spies saw the fruitfulness of the land of promise but they were also very aware of the obstacles in possessing the blessings as well and like many Christians ten of them chose to live outside the blessings for fear of the obstacles.  

    There is an interesting observation to make with regards to this and it is to be found in the two water crossings, to which Paul references as a typology of a baptism in 1 Cor. 10:1-4, 11. The first such crossing was the Red Sea crossing in Exodus which symbolizes our being set free from the bondage of the world of sin and death and having passed through the Red Sea they made short order of the journey to the land of promise only to choice to live outside the blessings for fear of the obstacles and there they wondered 40 years. Forty years of living life outside the promises because of fear and 40 years of eating dust wandering around getting to the end of themselves. Now listen up saints as that is where this book brings into yet another baptism this baptism is through the Jordan the river of life and doesn’t speak of salvation but rather the Holy Spirit’s baptism to enter into the promises. Power granted for them to face the obstacles and enemies of abundant life. So how about it, are you tired of wilderness living? Are you ready to step into the river of the victorious Christian life?  


    Overview

    In Deut. 34:7-8 we read that “Moses was one hundred and twenty years old when he died. His eyes were not dim nor his natural vigor diminished. And the children of Israel wept for Moses in the plains of Moab thirty days. So the days of weeping and mourning for Moses ended.” Then in Deut. verses10-12 we are told “But since then there has not arisen in Israel a prophet like Moses, whom the Lord knew face to face, in all the signs and wonders which the Lord sent him to do in the land of Egypt, before Pharaoh, before all his servants, and in all his land, and by all that mighty power and all the great terror which Moses performed in the sight of all Israel.” And into this dramatic scene the 9th verse records “Now Joshua the son of Nun was full of the spirit of wisdom, for Moses had laid his hands on him; so the children of Israel heeded him, and did as the Lord had commanded Moses.” 

                It is beneficial to look at a time line with regards to this part of history prior to getting into the book of Joshua. From the Exodus from Egypt to the first census taken of the people at the foot of Mount Sinai 13 months had passed. The book of Numbers or as it is known to the Jews “In the wilderness” has an interesting time line which sheds some light upon Joshua.

    • From chapter 1 to chapter 10 of Numbers where they are at the foot of the Mount Sinai around 20 days.
    • From chapter 10 to chapter 22 they travel to Kadesh Barnea which is the boarder of Canaan and the promise land around 100 miles. And there they would remain for 38 years 3 months and 10 days. 
    • From chapter 23-36 Deal with primarily with the events of the 40th year of wanderings.  

    Moses said in Numbers 10:29 to his father-in-law, “We are setting out for the place of which the Lord said, ‘I will give it to you.’ Come with us, and we will treat you well; for the Lord has promised good things to Israel.” Yet 40 years would transpire and only two of the original 2 million or better that left Egypt would enter into the land of promise. Simple put the generation that came from the exodus was not the generation of conquest as their unbelief brought discipline not blessing. That generation that departed Egypt spent their life “killing time” in the wilderness instead of enjoying the land of promise as they were given 1 year for every one day that the 12 spies spent in the land of promise. Their earthly experience became one characterized by aimless wandering instead of a walk of anticipation.     

    Joshua is the sixth book of the bible and serves as the capstone of the first five books of Moses called the Pentateuch. Without this book we would be left with a gap in the history of the nation. The aims of the book are twofold:

    1. To proclaim the end of Israel’s wilderness wanderings where by it took a generation to rid the people of the world.
    2. To speak of the beginning of the new life in the land of promise.

    The book of Joshua not only reveals the grace of God and His power to keep His promises but it also reveals what He requires those who inherit His promises. Make no mistake about it the book is about the land and the people. God required the nation to overcome obstacles and fight battles before they could enjoy what He had given them. The truth concerning the book of Joshua seems to be paradoxical as the land was a free gift to the nation which they received by grace alone yet they had to fight for every square inch of it. In the 4th chapter of Hebrews the author uses this very book as a spiritual illustration for N.T. believers saying in verses 8-11 “For if Joshua had given them rest, then He would not afterward have spoken of another day. There remains therefore a rest for the people of God. For he who has entered His rest has himself also ceased from his works as God did from His. Let us therefore be diligent to enter that rest, lest anyone fall according to the same example of disobedience.” The point of the book is not to give account of Joshua’s life but rather to reveal how the Lord made good on His promises. The book covers roughly a 15 year period of time divided between three locations:

    1. Chp. 1-5 One Month East of the Jordan to crossing over into the land of promise
    2. Chp. 6-13:7 Seven years Conquering the land of Canaan (Chp. 6-8 central Canaan, Chp. 9-10 Southern Canaan, Chp. 11-12 Northern Canaan). Then the first seven verses of chapter 13 he lists the areas yet to be conquered.
    3. Chp. 13:8-21 Eight years settling the 12 tribes on both sides of the Jordan River. (In 13:8-33 he settles those 2 ½ tribes east of the Jordan river. Then in Chp. 14-19:51 he settles the other 9 ½ tribes west of the Jordan) Then in chapters 20-21 he sets up the judicial and religious community by settling the six cites of refuge and 48 cites given to the Levites which are scattered among the 12 tribes.
    4. Finally the book closes with Chapters 22-24 which constitute conditions for the continuance in the land of promise.      

    The authorship is believed by most to be the person who bares the title of the book and although it is never stated directly it is inferred by several things:

    1. The author was an eyewitness of the things recorded and we know this because of the detail accounts and the use of personal pronouns.
    2. It was written soon after the events by use of the phrase “unto this day”.
    3. Historical and traditional evidence identifies Joshua as the author.

    The Author (Joshua) was born in Egypt and along with Caleb was the only other person to survive the 40 years of wilderness wanderings. He is not your typical hero though being a soldier, he does no daring deeds, commits no great sins yet he follows the Lord at all costs, his life is best characterized by Joshua 1:5 “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.” He first is brought into scripture in Exodus 17 where we learn nothing of his ancestry but much about his character as verse 10 records that “So Joshua did as Moses said to him, and fought with Amalek.” As Aaron and Hur held up the hands of Moses upon the hill Joshua prevailed over the enemy. It is an interesting picture of cooperation as God worked through Moses but it was Aaron and Hur who held up his hands while it was Joshua who fought. So what we learn in this first mention is that early on Joshua had caught the eye of Moses for his courage and obedience. Apparently this first mention of Joshua was a foreshadowing of his future as we are given in the 14th verse God’s word to Moses saying, “Write this for a memorial in the book and recount it in the hearing of Joshua, that I will utterly blot out the remembrance of Amalek from under heaven.” Then in Exodus 23:20-21 there is yet another prophetic word but this one has a double meaning as we are told, “Behold, I send an Angel (messenger) before you to keep you in the way and to bring you into the place which I have prepared. Beware of Him and obey His voice; do not provoke Him, for He will not pardon your transgressions; for My name is in Him.” And they share the same name Joshua or “God with us”. In Exodus 24 as Moses went up into the mount Joshua went with him for awhile but was left in the wilderness of 40 days and 40 nights while Moses communed with the Lord and the people along with Aaron partied and made idols to worship Joshua remained separate and obedient to his calling. Then we read of him again in Exodus 33:11 where it says, “the Lord spoke to Moses face to face, as a man speaks to his friend. And he would return to the camp, but his servant Joshua the son of Nun, a young man, did not depart from the tabernacle.” Of coarse we are familiar Numbers 13 where he was chosen by the Lord along with 11 others to spy out the land of promise but perhaps we may forget that they were chosen from each tribe of their fathers every one a leader among them. All 12 returned with a report that the land was blessed but all but Joshua and Caleb said that the inhabitants of the land were too big and strong to over take. In other words God does indeed bless us but He isn’t big enough to enable us to possess His blessings. So only two of those who came out of the world (Egypt) ever entered the land of promise and such is the case today I’m afraid. In Numbers 27:18 we have his ordination before the nation and listen to how the Lord describes him, “Take Joshua the son of Nun with you, a man in whom is the Spirit”. A further affirmation of Joshua’s character can be found in Numbers 32:11-12 where twice the Lord says of him and Caleb that “they have wholly followed the Lord.” At Joshua’s coronation before the nation Moses said of him in Deut. 1:38 “Joshua the son of Nun, who stands before you, he shall go in there. Encourage him, for he shall cause Israel to inherit it.” The final reference of Joshua prior to this 6th book that bears his name is in the last chapter of Deut. 34:9 where we are told that “Joshua the son of Nun was full of the spirit of wisdom, for Moses had laid his hands on him; so the children of Israel heeded him, and did as the Lord had commanded Moses.”  


    Vs. 1-5 Every place I have given

    Vs. 1 After 40 years of doing nothing but wandering around a wilderness and attending funerals under Joshua they come upon the banks of the Jordan. Here in this verse we learn three things:

    1. Moses is dead: When according to Deut. 34:8 the 30 days of morning for Moses was over God spoke to Joshua to become the leader. Interesting that Moses the man who represents the law could not bring the people into the land of promise instead it would be Joshua a man who had spent his entire career as Moses assistant.
    2. Joshua was Moses assistant: The name ‘Jehoshua’ means “the LORD is salvation” his name was originally Hoshea but it was changed by Moses as he inserted the LORD’s “JEH” name into the name of Oshea, and they called him ‘Jeho-shua.’ In the New Testament Jesus is the Greek name for the Hebrew name Joshua. Friend’s Joshua was prepared for service in small things. Allen Redpath speaks of a plaque over a kitchen sink that read: “Divine service is conducted here three times daily.”  What a great word for all to remember that greatness is birthed by faithfulness to the small things.  
    3. That the Lord commissioned Joshua as the leader: The book of Joshua is the first of the books that bear the name of chief character, though following on the heals of a liberator, law giver Moses his life was no less impressive as he achieved all of what God had for him one step at a time.

    The closest Moses got to the land of promise was Mount Nebo where according to Deut. 34:1 “the Lord showed him all the land of Gilead as far as Dan” that is until we are Matthew 17 where he appeared with Elijah on the Mount of Transfiguration. Moses got the title to the land of promise but Joshua lived there and in this we see that those tow things a very different. In the little one chapter book in the Old Testament of Obadiah in verse 17 we are told that “But on Mount Zion there shall be deliverance, and there shall be holiness; the house of Jacob shall possess their possessions.” Oh own Zion our Zion in His holiness we shall possess our possessions.  

    Vs. 2-3 To Abraham 500 years earlier God had promised a land his descendants and was Joshua that was able to lead them into it. Deuteronomy contains the instruction of how to live once they enter the land of promise but says nothing about how to possess it. Think of this a moment the people changed over 40 years in the wilderness, the leader changed but the promises of God had remained 500 years and were waiting for those to enter into them.  

    There are those that spiritually see the promise land as a typology of heaven and crossing over the Jordan as death; “Swing low sweet chariot” was a hymn that popularized this notion. But the problem with this analogy is that it doesn’t fit the book of Joshua as the book is about defeating the enemy. In fact you will discover in the 12th chapter that Joshua records the fact that prior to entering the land of promise only two kings were conquered by Moses while 31 were defeated in the Land of promise by Joshua. The simple truth is that there were far more enemies and obstacles in the land of promise then there was in the wilderness wanderings. Now I say this as I don’t believe that heaven will be a place where we do battle but rather a place where we will be at peace. So I think that what we shall see here in this book is about “abundant life” living, a victorious Christian life enjoyed in God’s promises as we defeat the enemies of our faith.  

    Hey folks pay attention to the way the Lord speaks to Joshua here as He says that in verse 2 “I am giving” and then in verse 3 “I have given”.  “I am giving” can serve as a theme to this entire book. What this reveals is all the whole land was given, but they could only posses that which they claimed which is why the Lord said the phrase “every place that the sole of your foot will tread upon I have given you”. Now saints how much of God’s promises go unclaimed in our lives simply because we will not “tread upon what the Lord has given us”? Why not just cause Israel to face no obstacles or enemies in inheriting the land of promise? Listen carefully friends to what I’m about to tell you: 

    1. The promises could only be obtained by those who were not content with Egypt, not content with the things of this world and their former life.
    2.  The promises could only be enjoyed by those who would continue to press on with all of what God had for them to.

    Vs. 4 Based upon the geographical coordinates of verse 4 the total land God gave Israel was over 30,000 square miles and at the Zenith of Israel’s power under Salomon they only possessed 3,000 square miles or 1/10 of what God had given them. I can’t help but wonder if that is not true of each of us today they we are at best living in 1/10th of the blessings God has for us now. Friend’s I rather think that many of us today are far too passive with regards to possessing the blessings of God. The Lord desires to give us His promises but we have to be willing to walk in them go after them, kick out those things in our lives that are keeping us from enjoying them. 

    The sad truth is that the nation has never possessed all that God has for them and I’m afraid that this is also true of us individually as the Paul says, Ephes. 1:3 that the “the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ”. The author of Hebrews in 4:1 warned us, “Therefore, since a promise remains of entering His rest, let us fear lest any of you seem to have come short of it.”

    Vs. 5 Victory is assured not based upon Joshua’s leadership or Israel’s supremacy but rather on the greatness of God and His promises to never leave or forsake them. God tells Joshua that no one would be able to stop them, no enemy defeat them, no limitation to contain them, but wait a minute they only possessed at best 1/10th of what God had for them. So what happened, what kept them in 1/10th of the blessings that were theirs? They just simply stopped going for it, they decided to settle for 1/10th !!!          


    Joshua 1:6-9

    “Be Strong and of good courage”

    I. Intro

    II. Vs. 6 The promise land

    III. Vs. 7-8 The power of the word

    IV. Vs. 9 The presence of the Lord


    Intro

    I lay in bed on Wednesday night thinking of why more people don’t press after the promises of God’s blessing, why is it that at some point we just stop and say by our actions that 1/10 of what He has for us is enough. I awoke with the answer at least for me; it is because at some point I don’t value the prize as much as I fear the work. The longer I stay in my 1/10 the more I forget how gloriously enjoyable obtaining them was. You see the prize was in discovering Jesus with every new step into the promise land and this far out weighs the gathering of more land. In this section verse 6-9 God reveals a threefold provision of grace given to Joshua:

    1. Vs. 6 The promise of the land: This is important for three reasons:
      1. The land was already in God’s possession, and was desirous to give them what He already possessed. As far as God was concerned the land was already theirs all they needed to do was go in and possess it.
      2. The land was an enormous blessing in size as well as quality. Truly God knows how to give good gifts to His children Matt. 7:11. Oh dear saint how little we recognize the size of God’s inheritance for us. Consider Paul’s word in 1 Cor. 2:9 “Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for those who love Him.”
      3. God not only promised the inheritance of the land He guaranteed to go with him to strengthen him and not fail him. In other words the land is your and I will go with you to get it. 
    2. Vs. 7-8 The power of the Word: There are those who claim that the bible was never thought of as inspired until after the 9th century before Christ but verse 8 dispels this. Success defeating the enemies and obstacles that currently inhabit our inheritance is based upon our continual reliance of the “sword of the Spirit” the word of God. 
    3. Vs. 9 The presence of the Lord: Finally God promised His continual presence to be with Joshua in victory as well as defeat, that He would not leave nor forsake him. Simple put this provision is that victory is not based upon our performance but rather dependence upon His.   

    Vs. 6 The promised land

    Vs. 6 In Exodus 3:7-8 we see that the goal of God was not just the deliverance from the bondage of Egypt (a typology of the world) it was “to bring them up from that land to a good and large land, to a land flowing with milk and honey”. The deliverance form the world was and is only preparation for the enjoyment of the land of promise. Even before this in Genesis 13:14-17 with God’s promise to Abraham that the fulfillment was in the possession of the land. Literally this phrase is “Be strong and rally your heart” and it will be repeated 4 times in the first chapter.

                Friends there will always be enemies in the land of blessing and their expulsion is the only way for us to enjoy our inheritance. God’s Word of encouragement to His servants is to believe Him and obey His commands. God’s promises are prods, not pillows. Ah but this is why the Lord tells Joshua first in verse 5 that no one will be able to stand before him and that the Lord will not leave or forsake him, which is followed by the thrice repeated encouragement to be strong of good courage. Victory was assured the possession granted all Joshua needed to do now was walk into it which would take two things:

    1. Courage
    2. Obedience    

    In Zech. 4:6 Zech the Lord said “This is the word of the Lord to Zerubbabel: ‘Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,’ Says the Lord of hosts.” God’s not asking Joshua to be or do something that He himself hasn’t provided. Saint’s God is calling is to walk into what HE has promised and provided in the energy and strength of His power not our own.  In Exodus 4:12 when God called Moses to go to Egypt and tell Pharaoh to let His people go God promised Moses that “go, and I will be with your mouth and teach you what you shall say.” What great assurances God gives those He calls, yet the truth remains it is a fearful thing to step into the promises that God has for us. Remember Jesus words at the commissioning of the disciples in Matthew 28:18-20 where He came to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” I don’t know about you but I’m fine with the All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth…I am with you always, even to the end of the age” part of this it’s the GO part that I have a problem with! “Go?”, “Can’t you just make it come to me?”

                Now you may recall in verse 5 God gave Joshua a threefold assurance that He would equip Joshua to accomplish all that He had called him to do:

    1. No man shall be able to stand before you all the days of your life
    2. As I was with Moses, so I will be with you
    3. I will not leave you nor forsake you

    Yet with those great divine assurances we read that the Lord still had to three times repeat the admonition to be strong and courageous. Friends listen up God’s assurances are never an invitation to inactivity instead they are a challenge to get up and get moving into what He has for us as Paul wrote in the final sentence of 1 Cor. 15:58 “Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.” 

    Remember friend there were far more enemies and obstacles in the land of promise then in the wilderness:

    • There were races of giants who were famous for strength and stature.
    • There were others who were had better armed with iron chariots
    • There were the obstacles of fortified cites
    • There was the challenge of supplies for when they were in the wilderness God had provided the water for the rock and manna form heaven.         

    Now put with this the fact that those whom God had called to walk into the land of promise were inexperienced, unqualified and prone to rebellion. How many times I wonder did Joshua have to remind himself of those three promises of verse 5:

    • 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

    What more do want or need then these assurances and His presence and power to walk where He has given us to walk so that we may enjoy fully the blessings of these promises?

    I was reading on Fox News about the “Over night Oil Millionaires” in Beulah N.D. 83 year old Oscar Stohler who was born in a sod house on the property he has raised cattle on for all his life they found oil and he became an over night millionaire. Saints there is a great truth as it relates to us in old Oscar and that is he was living right above the wealth his whole life and never knew it and it wasn’t even he who dug the oil well someone else did he just reaped the rewards as he said, “It’s the easiest money we have ever made.”


    Vs. 7-8 The power of the word

    This is not a mere repeat of the above assurance but rather a specific application of it with regards to the word of God. How interesting to me that the man called to conquer the land of promise was a maverick in obedience and submission instead of a man that Frank Sinatra sang about one “who did it my way”!  

    Notice hear that God tells Joshua that the “book of the Law shall not depart” from his mouth. This is important as it tells us that the first five books of the law were already in a written form by this time the last being Deuteronomy. The events described by Moses were pinned during this time not many centuries latter as liberals would suggest. Joshua knew Moses, he knew he was just a man, he knew that he was a sinner and yet immediately right after Moses death Joshua accepts the first five books of Moses as God’s word which suggests that Joshua realized that the books were written by God through the pen of Moses. It didn’t take 100’s of years before God’s people realized that this was inspired writing they received it as such immediately. “Victory”, says the Lord “Depends upon adherence to the Word of God”. Take these 5 books and walk in obedience and you won’t need to fear any enemy because I’ll be walking with you. God doesn’t promise that we won’t have any enemies only that we will be able to defeat them by His presence and His word. John Bunyan the author of Pilgrims Progress had written in the front of his bible, “This book will keep you from sin, or sin will keep you from this book.”

    Friend we have a valued lesson right here and it is this that the man who will lead others into the promise land must first be a man who is willing to follow the Lord their, His way! We must first be those who are “strong and very courageous” to do according all the Word of God. Joshua’s commissioning was that he would be regulated by the Word of God not his own opinions or understanding nor the opinions or understandings of others. He was to be a God pleaser with full obedience not partial over his life as Canaan would not be defeat in a day but over a long period of time. Jesus asked in Luke 6:46 “why do you call Me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do the things which I say?” Obedience is the pathway to possessing the promises as the Lord tells Joshua that “you may prosper wherever you go”. The immediate tie here is that possession of the land of promise is set around first possessing the word of God personally. Friend we learn here that prosperity is not a direction it’s a decision; a decision to follow the Lamb where ever He goes! God didn’t tell Joshua that His word should not depart from his bookshelf or the glove box of his chariot but rather from his mouth. You know what means Christian? It means that God is saying that Joshua was to be a man of the Word, a man who took up the word of God and read it dug deep into its treasures. How does a person do this?

    There is four ways in which Joshua was to do so:

    1. Vs. 7 “That you may observe to do according to all the law”: First the use of the word “observe” suggests that Joshua was to know the word, to study it and make note of it in his life. There is a reason the first five books of the Bible was not placed in the ark of the covenant out of sight only worshipped inside the box. The Bible is a Holy book that is to be handled poured over like the love letter that it is, gone over and squeezed out as a thirsty man for every drop of refreshment that it contains.
      1. Vs. 8a “This book of the law shall not depart from your mouth”: Second Joshua was to talk about what he observed on a daily bases in everyday conversations. The Bible is so practical and is based served with conversation about what the Lord is revealing about Himself and us to each other.
      1. Vs. 8b “You shall meditate in it day and night”: The Hebrew word translated “meditate” means “to mutter” as it was the practice of the Jews to read Scripture aloud and then to talk about it to themselves and to one another. Meditation goes beyond mere knowledge of something and onto reasoning and deducing things that we can personally apply to our lives. The goal of our meditation in the word isn’t so that we can quote the bibles to others but rather that our lives will do the quoting. Warren Wiersbe says, “If you don’t talk to your Bible, your Bible isn’t likely to talk to you!”
      1. Vs. 8c “That you may observe to do according to all that is written in it”: Finally we see that the Lord tells Joshua that the goal is obedience to the Word of truth. We have a descent number of literate Christians with regards to the word but we have far too few who demonstrate their knowledge by obeying the Bible. Our problem does not lie in that we don’t know what to do it lies in that we don’t want to do what we know what to do.

    Vs. 9 The presence of the Lord

    Literally this phrase is “Do not be struck with awe or terror neither be shattered”.    In Luke 1:37 in the ASV of the bible the angel Gabriel tells Mary the mother of Jesus “no word from God shall be void of power.” Friends God commands are His enablement’s for can not command that which He will not enable.   

    Every Christian ought to remember the promise God is making to Joshua here, “For the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” Oh I’m in such a place right now, what a mess I can’t see the end of this one. Yeh but the Lord says that He is with us wherever we go, so what are we afraid of He has already promised that He will not leave us nor forsake us. Three times the Lord tells Joshua “Be strong and of good courage” which tells us two things:

    1. Joshua wasn’t strong and courageous
    2. That the Lord was going to supply what he needed to do so 

    The final encouragement from the Lord is that success into the land of promise didn’t hinge completely upon Joshua and the nations faithfulness to the word but upon the Lord’s faithfulness to go with us where ever they went. There are three questions we need to ask ourselves:

    • Am I obeying the will of God? 
      • Am I empowered by the Spirit of God?
      • Did I serve to the glory of God?

    If we can answer yes to these questions, then our ministry has been successful in God’s eyes, no matter what people may think.

    Folks, I think it is important to realize that God was placing a huge responsibility upon Joshua and it was right for him to be afraid and to feel that he was totally inadequate to hold the responsibility. Do your realize that your inadequacies? In 2 Cor. 2 after speaking to the Corinthians of the responsibilities of the believer he asks in verse16 “who is sufficient for these things?” Then in the third chapter verse 5 he answers the question that he posed saying, “Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think of anything as being from ourselves, but our sufficiency is from God”. How great it is to realize that God will never call us to do anything that He won’t first equip us to do in His power. So how about you, do you feel as if your not sufficient for the Journey God has placed upon you right now, are you just a wee bit afraid? No worries my friend as our Father won’t call us down a path that He won’t provide the strength to our feet of faith to walk the path of His calling. Our inabilities become our enablings in Jesus my friend so press on to what He has for you. It seems that their greatest obstacle they would face was not an outward army or a geographical barrier; but rather it was the failure to:

    1. Magnify the Word of God with their mouths
    2. Encourage their hearts by remembering its truths
    3. Strengthen their steps by its application

    The enemies and obstacles in the land would be nothing because God would be with them where ever they went. Friends the enemies in the land must be driven out, (satan, the world system and our flesh) and this is down through the word. Look carefully the blessings of victorious Christian living come by invitation but the appropriation of those blessings comes by God’s command and power.  


    Joshua 1:10-18

    “Preparing borderline believers”

      I. Intro

      II. Vs. 10-11 Prepare provisions

      III. Vs. 12-15 Borderline believers

      IV. Vs. 16-18 Occupied with our occupation


      Intro

      Experts tell us geographically that though it took 40 years to arrive at the land of promise they could have done it in 11 days. Yet God didn’t want them to become discouraged incase of coming into contact with an established enemy so instead God lead them by way of the wilderness and it took them approximately two years to reach Kadesh-barnea on the southwestern edge of the Promised Land. Yet they choose not to trust that the God who promises can enable us to inherit His promises and they pent the next 38 years in the wilderness. They could have been there in 11 days but God understood that they weren’t ready so He took them through 2 years of preparation which they decided wasn’t enough so the Lord stayed with them 38 years tell they were done with themselves.

                  Three times in the first 9 verses the Lord told Joshua to be “strong and of good courage” and the 4th time in the first chapter this phrase appears it is said by those he is to lead. It is obvious based upon this that Joshua had a healthy sense of inadequacy in his abilities to lead the nation but he stepped forward non-the-less and the people encouraged him to continue to trust the Lord to enable him to lead. We need men and women of God who have been broken by the Spirit of God who desire only the glory of God. It is these types of people who will see walls fall down and giants slain in the land of promise.


      Vs. 10-11 Prepare provisions

      Vs. 10 Forty years before, at Kadesh Barnea, the nation had known the will of God but refused to obey it. Had they listened to Caleb and Joshua—they would have spared themselves those 40 years of wandering in the wilderness. There is a place in Christian service for godly counsel, but a committee report is no substitute for the clear commandment of God. Right upon the heels of God’s thrice repeated exhortation to be “strong and of good courage” we notice that Joshua acts decisively by commanding the officers of the people. He didn’t say, “So fellows what do you think?” There was no committee to see how many wanted to go for it, he had heard from the Lord and was going forward. 

      Friends it is never a wise thing once the Lord has spoken to you it procrastinate as such action is a sign of disobedience and a lack of faith. There have been many times that I have said I’m willing to follow You Lord all the while I’m delaying to do so. If we want to take possession of all that God has for us there can be not delay only obedience. That’s what Paul says to the Colossians in Col. 3:23 “whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men”. Remember the word’s of Jesus’ who listened to Jesus when they said of Him, “He taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes.” First in verse 9 God tells Joshua “Have I not command you?” then here we read that based upon this Joshua commands his officers who will in turn command the people. In other words there was a chain of command and those that rule must be ruled themselves.

      Vs. 11 Some believe that this command to “prepare provisions” indicates that Manna had already ceased from falling from heaven to be gathered. But even if it was still being gathered we know that it couldn’t last more than one day. Yet with that said all that was required of them was to prepare the provisions and cross over. We don’t see very often that part of “preparing the provisions” to posses the land of promise is learning to wait three days. I’m afraid that we Christian’s tend to think of waiting on God as inactivity because we are ready and He is dilly dallying around somewhere. But the waiting on the Lord for three days was the same time that they were to be preparing provisions. Friends preparation is never the enemy of inspiration and let me tell you that in your preparation there will be some perspiration. Joshua’s words to his leaders were words of faith and encouragement. “You shall pass over! You shall possess the land! The Lord will give it to you!” Joshua was with Caleb 40 years earlier when Caleb had made a similar speech in 13:30 saying, “Let us go up at once and take possession, for we are well able to overcome it” as well as his own words in Number 14:9. Warren Wiersbe had this to say with regards to this “It’s unfortunate but true that sometimes the only way a ministry can move forward is by conducting a few funerals.” Hey saints before you think that to harsh I rather think that the funerals we need to be conducting are our own death to self centeredness. How glorious it is to observe that the two oldest men in camp were still the most enthusiastic in their faith instead set in their ways.

                  They needed to prepare the provisions so they could take possession of the promises. The provisions are no less given to us as are the yet obtained promises all we need to do is prepare them. Friend one of the reasons so many of us fail to enter into the inheritance of the promises of God is lack of preparation of God’s provided provisions. And what has He provided for us? What hasn’t He? He has given us the Word of God, gifts and enablings, each other all of which are at our disposal and only require organization.  As great a blessing as the promises of “as I was with Moses, so I will be with you. I will not leave you nor forsake you.” And “do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” Are; they are not without our part of “observe to do according to all the law which Moses My servant commanded you; do not turn from it to the right hand or to the left, that you may prosper wherever you go. This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success.” And “Prepare provisions for yourselves”. We have no right to expect the former with out the latter.

                  Hey did you notice what God does not say was part of the provisions which they were to prepare for? He does not say get the boats ready or build a bridge cause we are going to cross over the Jordan river in three days. It was the Lord that had brought them out of the bondage of Egypt on dry land and it would be the Lord who would bring into the inheritance of the promises on dry land. The work of preparation of God’s provisions does not mean that it is still not His work of grace and our walk of faith. Joshua commanded them and with great confidence in God’s ability to do what He had promised he said in “three days we shall cross over this Jordan” not swim across or row over or go under but cross over. Thus we see that faith and obedience work hand in hand for you and I to be able to enter into the land of promise. Of further interest these two things can not be a mere theory on our part, they can not be something we say intellectually we believe but practically we will not practice for if they are but theory we will forever remain outside of what He has already given us. You can only possess your possessions experientially not experimentally they are to be enjoyed now.   

          

      III. Vs. 12-15 Borderline believers

      Vs. 12-13 This reference by Joshua to these two and half tribes goes back to Numbers 32:1, 5 where we are told that “the children of Reuben and the children of Gad had a very great multitude of livestock; and when they saw the land of Jazer and the land of Gilead, that indeed the region was a place for livestock,…they said, “If we have found favor in your sight, let this land be given to your servants as a possession. Do not take us over the Jordan.” The other side of the promise land was comfortable it fit their life style but they were going to have to send the men over to the promised land to fight the battle yet without ever possessing the ground themselves. Now fast forward a few thousand years and you will find out the land that the Reubenites, Gadites and the half tribe of Manasseh wanted because it was a perfect fit in Luke 8 is called Gadarenes was not a place of pigs and demons. Hear me out Christian the safest and best place for us, the perfect fit, is always going to be when we are pressing forward into the land of promise. There were no less battles in the land of comfort as God still required of those 2 ½ tribes to send over their armies to fight on behalf of the other tribes but there certainly was far less blessings!

                  Based upon Number 1:3 it was only the men 20 years and older that went to war. Now according to Numbers 26 the two and a half tribes that remained on the other side of the Jordan had 136,930 men available to fight but only 40,000 men actually crossed the Jordan and fought in the Promised Land according to Josh. 4:13 the others chose to remain to protect the women and children in the cities the tribes had taken in the land of Jazer and the land of Gilead. Joshua now has a special message for those who would be content with second best these two and half tribes who were willing to trade their inheritance in the land of promise for that which met their needs on the boarder. First he reminds them that doing so would not let them off the hook for warfare. We sometimes settle for 2nd best because we feel that it will be a lot easier and that my friend is not the case. In fact it will require separation from that which is nearest and dearest to your heart. Friends listen up to live on the boarder is to live a divided life one in which you will never truly be satisfied. God will allow you to have what you want but it will be at the expense of the blessings that were to be yours in the land of grace and blessing. I’m not saying you’re saved or that you aren’t loved for you are but have decided to make your home out side of the best God has for you. Geographically speaking they stayed out side of the warfare of inheritance but remained vulnerable to the attacks of the Assyrians and Babylonians and were always invaded first. Far to many folks want to know how close they can live to Christ while still making their home outside of His precious promises yet I have never had anyone ask me how far they can go into the land of blessings. Oh how the Lord wants His children to be grace explorers and blessing hunters who will abandon the entire world for another glimpse of His goodness. Don’t be like these 2 ½ tribes that said, “Oh I’ll go with you for a while but them I’m heading back to my stuff of the boarder.”                 

      Vs. 14-15 Not only were they required to fight they were required to be on the point during the battle as they were to pass before their brethren armed. So they obtained there portion before any of their brothers and sister so now they were to go before them in battle. According Num. 32:1, 4, 16 the tribes liked the land on the other side because it was “a place for cattle”. Now listen up friends as it appears that their first concern was making a living, not making a life. They settle for having big flocks and herds outside the promises of God rather than to dwell with their brothers and sisters in the inheritance God had given them. Because of this based upon Josh. 22:10 they were far from the place of worship and had to erect a special monument to remind their children that they were citizens of Israel. I’m afraid that there are far to many Christians today who are content to be “borderline believers” who live close to the inheritance but never quite live there themselves no matter how successful they may seem to be. They are willing to serve the Lord and help their brethren for a time; but when their job is finished, they head for home to do what they want to do. Judges 5:16 tells us that later on “The divisions of Reuben have great searchings of heart.” The rest given them would never be enjoyed fully until all tribes achieved it.  

           

      Vs. 16-18 Occupied with our occupation

      Vs. 16-18 Think of this for a moment God was calling the nation to enter into the land promised 500 years earlier a whole generation died in the wilderness because they didn’t believe that the God who had promised to give them the land was able to accomplish what He promised and now on the eve before you go into the land 2 ½ tribes say, “Hey remember we are happy to live in what has already be won.” But Joshua was up for the task by reminded them of the promise to go in and defeat the enemy in the land before they enjoy their own. Hey saints don’t expect to have everything to be hassle free when you take a step towards your inheritance in Christ. The first thing Joshua faced was that 2 ½ tribes didn’t want what God had promised and that would have been a let down in morale. Just before entering in the numbers appeared to be dropping and the inclination would have naturally been “God’s not in this” but Joshua just reminded them that their choice to stay outside of the promises of God didn’t negate their obligation to the body to help others enter in. Joshua simply reminded them of the promise they made to Moses and responded in verse 17 by saying “Just as we heeded Moses in all things, so we will heed you”.                 

                  “All that you command us we will do, and wherever you send us we will go” they promised Joshua. In a novel one of the characters complained “I find the doing of the will of God leaves me no time for disputing about His plan.” Oh that you and I would say these words to our Joshua, Jesus who has gone before us already defeated the enemies of our inheritance. “We will keep the peace and make sure now one rebels against your authority”, they said. But notice that they had one request, “Only be strong and of good courage”. Friends if we are going to lead we need to do so with conviction and vision other wise the troops that follow will become discouraged and dismayed.