Joshua 1:12-18 – Settling into the New Year
I heard a story about a college student who once sent a telegram to his parents reading: "Mom – flunked all courses. Kicked out of school. Wasted all money, mine and yours. Prepare Pop."
Soon afterwards, Mom sent back a response: "Pop prepared. Prepare yourself."
This is, of course, the 1st Sunday in the New Year. I think it’s wise to prepare ourselves for what God might have in store for us in 2011. Could we be the people God wants us to be?
Today I’d like to share with you a thought or two from the book of Joshua, in the OT. It’s a book about new beginnings, so it seems appropriate for today, January 2nd. I’ll read the passage, then give you some background about what’s going on, and finally, what it means for us today. Let’s read Joshua 1:12-18.
Now, to understand what’s going on, I need to teach a little bit of Hebrew history. The Israelites were slaves for 300 years, but God used Moses to free them from the Egyptians. God wanted to lead them to a land called Canaan, an area rich in resources. It was the Promised Land. But because of unbelief, the Israelites wandered in the desert for 40 years. “Wandered” isn’t completely the right word, because they found places where they camped. Not places that they would establish a homestead forever, mind you, but places they could put up a tent and be comfortable.
At the end of that 40 years, Moses appointed a new leader – Joshua, a man of faith and courage. Moses died, and Joshua took over. It was his task to lead the 12 tribes of Israel – the 12 main families descended from Israel, a.k.a. Jacob – into the Promised Land of Canaan. Now, here’s the catch. Some of the groups decided that they liked the land so much they wanted to stay there. At first it was the tribes of Reuben and Gad, but the feeling spread to the half-tribe of Manasseh as well. I say “half-tribe” because they were not a full tribe. They were from the son of Joseph, who was a son of Israel. Joseph’s 2 sons Ephraim and Manasseh each got a full share of land division.
Anyway, this is what they said: Numbers 32:3-5. Now, you can see why they wanted to live there. First, they were already living there, as much as they had lived anywhere. Second, the land was already theirs. Third, it was just plain easier to stay there than moving on.
And I think this is the hinge of the argument. They wanted to stay there because it was just easier to stay than to go. It was easier on their families to stay put. It was easier on their livestock and herds to stay put. It was just easier not to leave and to stay right where they were at.
I like the word “settle”. I think it carries enough meanings for us to look at. Those 2-1/2 tribes just wanted to settle. Yes, it means that they wanted to pitch their tents and live on the eastern side forever. But, it also means that they were willing to accept less than the best. They were going to try to be content with their little share. They were going to be happy just making themselves happy.
And I don’t think that people are much different today. Even in the church. After all, look at what God has done for us. While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. He took the punishment we deserved. He carried our sins, our foibles, our mistakes to the cross. Every time we cursed, Christ carried it. Every time we lied, Christ carried it. Every time we rebelled, or we disobeyed our parents, or we harbored bitterness, or we showed selfishness, or we lusted, or we did the opposite of what we knew God wanted, Christ carried it. He took our sins and He took our punishment. He took our place.
He took the punishment for our sins so that we wouldn’t have to. Our death He died. But the grave was not the end, neither for Jesus nor for us. As we looked at last week, there was a resurrection on the 3rd day. He didn’t continue to carry our sins. He shook them off like an old rag. But the next part of the story is the part most miss. Folks, just as Christ got rid of our sins, so should we. The fact that Christ took our sins is no excuse for you to remain in them. Forgiveness is not a good enough reason for you to remain in sin.
Yet some see it that way. Once they are forgiven, they assume that nothing can ever separate them from God. They assume that they are now out of the water. After all, isn’t that what “saved” means?
So then, we are left with a group of people, born-again, forgiven saints who still act like sinners. I heard a quote one time from one pastor who spoke up and said, “Brother Brown, would you please stand and lead us in a word of criticism?” Why is that funny? It’s funny, because we have all seen it. We’ve all seen people with the worst critical spirits, people that are never pleased with what someone else does, and a lot of them are right here within a church’s walls. I’m not saying that a person should always blindly accept what goes on. But as another pastor said, “Critics don’t build churches; they inspect them.”
And here we are, back with the Israelites. The promises of God stretch past the horizon, and yet some want to stay right where they are. People settle. They settle for less than what God wants of them. They settle for habits that they don’t need to be in bondage to. They settle for a selfishness that Christ died to set them free from. They settle for a critical spirit, undermining the hard work of others, when God has really called them to pitch in.
It’s about settling. It’s about settling in when we really should be pressing on. It’s about being content with our own anemic spirituality, without daring to step outside of our comfort zone. It’s about being happy where we are, instead of helping others rise above where they are.
You see, we settle too easily, too soon, and too often. We settle for our own convenience. We settle for our own pleasure. We simply settle. President John F. Kennedy said, “Once you say you're going to settle for second, that's what happens to you in life.” And Maureen Dowd said, “The minute you settle for less than you deserve, you get even less than you settled for.” For a Christian, settling for less than God’s best is a shame. Settling for a meager spiritual life when challenges get too hard is a shame. And settling for what we have, instead of helping our Christian brothers and sisters reach their maturity, is a shame too.
It would have been too easy for them to just sit still where they were. But they were commanded to press on. For a number of reasons, I suppose. That original story in Numbers 32 says in v7 that for the 2-1/2 tribes to stay back would have discouraged everyone else. “Why do you discourage the Israelites from going over into the land the Lord has given them?” You see, when you settle in, and hold back, and give up growing, you do a disservice to everyone else. Your staying home when you just don’t feel like going to church discourages the rest of us. To see you stop fighting the good fight, just because you get ticked off or tired, discourages the rest of us. You see, what you do affects us all.
That word, “settle”, is found in the New Living Translation. It’s translated “occupy” in the NIV, and it’s translated “enjoy” in the KJV. That word “enjoy” – I like it. That’s how some Christians get. They like the blessings of forgiveness. They like the blessings of prayer. They like to worship. They enjoy it all. They enjoy it so much in fact, that that’s where they stay. They don’t care to share it. They don’t care to display it. They keep it all to themselves.
I remember a discussion I had once at a prayer meeting. We were talking about the fruit of the Spirit, and I asked why some fruit goes rotten. That is, why do some people stop getting better and they just get bitter instead? Well, why does any fruit go bad? Why does an apple get rotten? Well, it's simple. Because it wasn't shared. No-one used it. It didn’t bless anyone with its sweetness. It just got unused. And so will you. When you think you are unusable, you will grow rotten. When you stop blessing others, you will grow rotten. When you would rather criticize than contribute, you will grow rotten.
Folks, even though the Lord had given these tribes rest (v15), they were not to be at rest yet. There was still more to be done. They were to help others reach the blessings that God had for them. And so are you. Don’t settle for less than the best for yourself, and don’t settle for less than God’s best for those around you.
Well, the good news is, the tribes didn’t. V16. They fulfilled the promise they made back in Numbers 32 after Moses scolded them for wanting to settle. They told Moses and they told Joshua that they would not settle for less than the best. They would press on. They would help their fellow tribes conquer the land. They would help others find God’s blessings.
You say, But I’m only one person. Or, I’m too old. Or, I’m too young. Or, I’m not talented enough. Or, I’ve failed too many times. Folks, those are the wrong thinking. You’re thinking of how small you are, when you should be thinking of how big God is. You’re saying, God is just not smart or wise enough to use me. You’re speaking much more of your faith in Him than your faith in yourself.
The truth is, God can use you. And He will if you let Him. Ask Him how. How do You want me to grow? And, how can I contribute to this church? How can You use me to make a difference? How can I be used to help others into Your blessings for them? Yes, you will need courage for the assignments. Yes, you will need to be strong. But if God sends You, God will strengthen you.
In conclusion, I’d like to share a poem I found. It’s called “The Perfect Church,” written anonymously. It says: “I think that I shall never see A church that’s all it ought to be; A church that has no empty pews, Whose preacher never has the blues; A church whose deacons always “deke”, And none is proud but all are meek; Where gossips never peddle lies Or make complaints or criticize; Where all are always sweet and kind And all to other’s faults are blind.
“Such perfect churches there may be, But none of them are known to me. But still we’ll work, and pray and plan To make our church the best we can! If you could find the perfect church, Without one fault or smear, For goodness sake, don’t join that church - You’d spoil the atmosphere. If you should find the perfect church, Then don’t you ever dare To tread upon such holy ground - You’d be a misfit there.
“But since no perfect church exists, made of imperfect men, Then let’s cease looking for that church and love the one we’re in. Of course it’s not a perfect church - that’s simple to discern - But you and I and all of us could cause the tide to turn.”
It takes strength. It takes courage. It means not settling for anything less than God’s best. It means helping others. This year, in 2011, will you decide to do your best for God?
