I would like to start this morning by asking 2 fundamental questions: first, Who is God?
A quick application for us today of course is, “Do I really consider my Creator Savior God in my daily activities?” We may even say God is my friend, but what am I doing with my friend?
The second fundamental question is this: If someone asks you “Why do you believe the Bible is God’s Word?”, what would you say? Can you state at least 3 reasons??
I have come up with at least 8 reasons why one should believe the Bible is God’s Word…….
I am highlighting this truth because we can see something significant in Joshua 18:1-10 regarding this; so please open your Bibles there and read along with me as if our Creator God himself is talking to us personally….
v1………. the whole nation gathered to worship and they had power!
Now according to v2-3, what else happened at the meeting??
v2-3: Joshua preached what they were supposed to do! It sounded like a reprimand, doesn’t it? – to some, it may even seem judgmental; some preaching can be like that. But, what did Joshua actually do??
Joshua actually was just reminding them of what God instructed them to do!! But they were lazy in doing it!
Now, did you notice it? Something was said 3 times! What was it??
Verses 4,6, & 8 state the same information!
If this is God’s Word and God spoke through Joshua, why in the world would He repeat Himself? Did God forget what He said? Actually, God does not really have to speak. God is self-sufficient! God is omniscient! God knows all! So, why does God have to speak??
God speaks so that people will know what the right thing to do is. God sometimes repeats Himself for the benefit of the audience, who needs to pay attention and will not have an excuse for not doing something!
When God repeats Himself, it is for our benefit and we need to pay attention for its importance, then just do it, or guess what? God will repeat His instructions for us until we do it!
So, God seem to repeat Himself in this passage.
The timing of the instructions seemed significant as well!
Did you notice that, The instructions were repeated twice to the leaders! v4-6 Leaders are responsible and they must get it right!
And we note in v8: the actual workers were told as they were on the move! The men already were told what to do because they were on their way! Why tell them again??
The workers needed a reminder and they were to keep in mind God’s Word as they do their work!
Did they hear what God was saying and did it right?
v9-10: they did exactly what God said and life went on as God desired!
And so, what can we apply for our lives today from this story??
Like Joshua,
1. Good godly leaders will always remind us of what God said (i.e. be Biblical!)
2. God speaks (through the Bible) for our benefit!
How diligent are we in listening to God’s Word?
What would happen to our lives if we didn’t listen to God’s Word??
3. Meditate on God’s Word day and night! We can note this from the very beginning of the Book of Joshua and Psalm 1:2 tells us “Blessed are whose delight is in the law of the LORD, and who meditates on his law day and night. Pick a Bible verse or a passage and meditate on it daily!
