Joshua Series #3
The Amazing Race
“Secret to Success Part Two”
Review / Introduction
The events of the book of Joshua are an obvious continuation of a long journey, an amazing race to the Promised Land. It was a journey filled with testing, trials, difficulties and opportunities to trust God to make good on His promise to bring Abraham’s multiplied descendants in to a rich land of rest and blessing. It was a journey also filled with spectacular displays for God’s sovereign power and specific guidance. (Cloud, fire, manna, water)
Now they stand for a second time on the verge of entering into the Land God. The previous generation forfeited their rest due to unbelief. The current generation is offered the opportunity again. The book of Joshua can be organized in two sections.
I. Purging the land
II. Possessing the land
Every person has an opportunity to join this continuing journey to rest in God and will encounter many of the same experiences they faced along the way. All the descendants of Adam were born into slavery. By a will act of rebellion against the Creator, Adam abdicated his privileged ruling position over the earth and all it contains to Satan. Only through the Second Adam will the human race be restored to that position. That restoration came at great cost flowing out of even greater love. The salvation story is vividly pictured in God’s dealings with Israel from their deliverance from Egypt to their entry into the promises Land. This all pictures not only our salvation and deliverance from the kingdom of darkness but our journey to an intimate relationship and walk with God. It is a journey to a life of complete trust in the promises of God on our way to ultimate rest and peace at the return of Jesus.
Joshua provides great insight regarding a life of peace and rest today. It is a guide to the walk of faith. There were cycles of peace throughout Israel’s history where God gave them rest through trusting Him. There are periods of rest when we trust Him today. True rest will only be realized when Jesus returns and restores all things. That will be the ultimate everlasting Sabbath rest.
God called Israel to celebrate a weekly Sabbath to illustrate the concept of a period where God is the prime focus and we rest from the kind of labor resulting from the rebellion. We live in a culture that fails to experience peace and rest because they fail to give priority to God. What is the secret to living in the heavenlies and possessing the blessing promised not just to Abraham but to every born again believer? Paul urged the Ephesians to bless God who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenlies in Christ.
Very few Christians possess what Christ provided. Joshua teaches us how to possess what God promises. Joshua teaches us how to enter into a rest promised to every believer here and now.
Unfortunately, like the older generation of Jews, many have adapted to a wilderness life. It is the difference between making due camping and enjoying a stable settled life at home. A great many people adapt to a far a reduced experience than what God intended. We, like they, just wander around with an ungrateful, unexpectant, unbelieving complaining heart. We blame God for not making our life comfortable. We harbor bitterness because God didn't fix it.
We ignore God's directions and still expect his blessings. We name and claim God's promises while ignoring God's principles.
God recorded the elements to victory that he shared with a reluctant leader as commander and chief of the nation of Israel con the brink of claiming her God-given inheritance.
Those principles are still the elements to every believer's fulfillment as a servant of God.
I. Purge the Land 1-12
A. God Prepared Joshua for leadership 1
1. The Lord personally commissioned Joshua 1:1-9
a. A Glaring Reality check – Moses is dead
“Moses My servant is dead.”
We observed that is not the instrument, but the one who wields the instrument that counts.
Leaders may change but God doesn't. God’s plan uses but is not dependent upon specific leaders.
b. An Impossible Assignment
Now therefore arise, cross this Jordan, you and all this people, to the land which I am giving to them, to the sons of Israel.
God sometimes asks the humanly impossible in order to demonstrate the divinely powerful.
Joshua is all of a sudden responsible to lead several million complaining, stiff-necked people against a raging river and formidable warriors.
Calling
What has God called you to do? God calls people to participate in the carrying out of His plan.
Moses appointed Joshua earlier in the “Tent of Meeting” under God’s direction. This was kind of a refresher, a reminder now that Moses was no longer in the picture. It is up to you Joshua to take the nation into the Promised Land.
c. The Powerful Promise
Whenever there is an impossible task or assignment there is always a powerful promise.
Whatever God calls us to do, God equips us to do. God promised Joshua two things actually 4
Just as I have been with Moses, I will be with you; I will not fail you or forsake you.
1) No one will stop you.
2) I will be with you
3) I will not fail you
4) I will not forsake you
I will be with you like I was with Moses. Since Joshua had been with Moses the whole time, I am sure a flood of examples probably filled his thinking. 10 plagues, Red Sea, Bitter water turned sweet, Manna, Quail, water from the rock, serpents, ground opening up, battles won.
The reality and realization of God’s presence was a major factor in the life of every person used by God; Moses and Joshua, Samuel, David, Solomon, Hezekiah, John the Baptist
We need an all-powerful God to face impossible tasks or assignments. It is the realization of His presence and power that motivates us and encourages us to face impossible situations with courage and strength. We have difficulty at times fully perceiving His presence. Jacob had a dream earlier in his life.
Then Jacob awoke from his sleep and said, "Surely the LORD is in this place, and I did not know it." He was afraid and said, "How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven." Genesis 28:16-17
Jacob earlier powerfully encountered God when he was afraid of his brother Esau.
The stronger the realization of the presence of the Almighty God in our situation, the greater the courage to confront our obstacles. Even though these promises were spoken to Joshua, they have been repeated to all true followers of Jesus.
As I have been with other believers, I will be with you.
No one will stop you. (Rom 8 “If God is for us who can be against us?”)
I will be with you (even the end of the age – Jesus). (Matt 28)
I will not by any means fail you. (Heb 13)
I will not by any means forsake you. (Heb 13)
He who began a good work will finish right up to the day Jesus returns. (Phi 1:6)
d. A clear Charge
God next informs Joshua of his part in this venture. God expects cooperation from us.
There are conditions to His promise. There is the divine side and the human side.
1) Be strong and courageous
Be strong and courageous, for you shall give this people possession of the land which I swore to their fathers to give them. Only be strong and very courageous;
Be strong and courageous! Do not tremble or be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go." Joshua 1:1-9
The secret to success is to courageously face the obstacles to our inheritance. The key to maintaining such strength and courage is found in the repetition of the charge. The first is followed by a reason “for no one will stop you.” (You will give this land to the people)
The second is followed by a reason “for I am with you.” Courage to face opposition is based on the promise of God’s presence and power. Fear fades as we truly understand and embrace God’s manifested presence. When God show up, fear moves out.
The opposite would be dismay and fear because we feel threatened, inadequate and intimidated. Where does one get that kind of courage? Where does one gain a greater awareness of God’s involvement and presence?
Such awareness of His presence comes from the second charge or instruction.
2) Continually talk about, meditate on and obey the word
God charged Joshua to interact with the word on three levels. Obey it. Talk about it Meditate on it
“Be careful to do according to all the law which Moses My servant commanded you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, so that you may have success wherever you go. This book of the law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it; for then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have success. Joshua 1:6-8
It is clear that God was not just concerned about Joshua’s education level but his obedience level. God instructed Joshua to meditate day and night in order to know clearly, proclaim loudly and obey fully what God commanded. The term for meditate means to murmur or mull over and over, ruminate. You know how you get something stuck in your head and you think it to death. We are to interact with Scripture until it becomes like a tune in our head that won’t go away.
These people were adept and quick to complain and murmur over every difficult situation they ever encountered and it led to defeat and discipline. Because they did not believe God and obey Him, they wandered. What stopped them from entering the land in the first round was unbelief. Hebrews tells us that they did not enter the inheritance because of unbelief. They had plenty of foundation for their trust in God. They had abundant information and knowledge about God but they did not follow it with true trust.
By the way, I think I figured out the seemingly contradictory viewpoints concerning why Moses did not get to enter the land. The ultimate reason was that Moses publically dishonored God by disobeying God’s specific instruction and that he displayed anger and self-promotion.
But Moses also blamed the people.
First they made him angry because of their complaining and he misspoke (Psalm 106:32)
They also refused to God into the land the first time which lead to the problem later.
If they had not rebelled, Moses would have been the one to lead them into the land.
We are intricately connected. Everything we do affects someone else not just us. We suffer for our own choices but sometimes because of the choices of others. God instructed Joshua to continually mull over the will of God and verbalize it to others rather than obsess and complain about the seemingly impossible obstacles. The content of Joshua’s talk was to be saturated with the truth of God’s word. He was to be saturated with what God had taught through Moses contained in the first five books of the Bible.
What saturates our talk?
Do all things without grumbling or disputing; so that you will prove yourselves to be blameless and innocent, children of God above reproach in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you appear as lights in the world, holding forth the word of life, so that in the day of Christ I will have reason to glory because I did not run in vain nor toil in vain. Philippians 2:14-16
The first five books contain (Pentateuch) everything they would need to live prosperous lives in the new land.
It provided instruction on how to…
Draw near to God who is faithful, holy, loving, forgiving, Almighty, just
Discern and deal with sin – the law clarifies God’s will based on what is right
Detect and defeat the enemies (Deuteronomy war instuctions.)
Develop and live in community
Devote ourselves to His service
Delight in declaring His worth
God charged Joshua to saturate in the word all through the day and night so that he would not get sidetracked from the path of success and focus on fully realizing God’s continual presence and know exactly what to do.
Paul prayed that the Colossians would find strength and courage through saturation with God’s will and a strengthening with His might to attain all steadfastness and patience and a deep gratitude they had been qualified by God for an eternal inheritance. (Col 1)
Especially important would be the instruction of God through Moses regarding life in the land and the process to lay claim to it found in Deuteronomy. By the way – When Jesus responded to Satan’s temptation with Scripture, all three Bible quotes came out of Deuteronomy.
Paul shared his secret to peace and rest in Philippians 4 “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.
e. The Promised Result
so that you may have success wherever you go
for then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have success.
God’s concept of success and ours are much different. Success in God’s eyes is doing what He asks us to in His strength to His end. Putting all these things together we come to the key to success in every area of life.
Regular interaction with and obedience to the word of God is the key to a greater awareness of God’s active presence which is the key to strength and courage to face the things that block us from our inheritance in the heavenlies and the key to success in every area of life.
2. Joshua assumed command 1:10-15
It was to be a community effort. All the tribes were required to work together to purge the land of the enemies. All were to focus on the whole victory not just victory of their individual territory. Oh how often we quit when we get our needs met when it is a corporate thing.
God designed the church around unity, diversity and mutuality. Unity is that we are all connected to the same Head; Jesus. Unified in purpose. Diversity is that we all play a different part in serving the Head. Individually gifted. Mutuality is that in our diversity, we still need each other. Interdependent.
3. The people committed to follow Joshua as they did Moses 1:16-18
That was probably not so comforting to Moses. He probably thought about how stiff-necked they had been the whole way through the desert.
Application
I am convinced that we are not attaining to what we could because we have not focused to what we should; continual interaction with the word and the God of the word until it transforms every area of my life and touches every person in my life.
How much time do you give to interaction with the word of God? I don’t understand it!
Two things then.
You are too unmotivated to avail yourself to the thousands of tools available to help you or you do not have a relationship with the Holy Spirit sent to give you understanding.
If you want to be prosperous in spirit…
If you want to learn the secret of contentment in any circumstance of life in a broken world…
If you want to courageously confront the obstacles that stand in the way of your inheritance…
Continual interaction with the word of God and the God who spoke it is indispensable.
Regular interaction with and obedience to the word of God is the key to a greater awareness of God’s active presence which is the key to strength and courage to face the things that block us from our inheritance in the heavenlies and the key to success in every area of life.
What are you going to do?
How will you change your lifestyle to include such interaction?
