Joshua 1:1-9
Our passage this evening is from the book of Joshua and it is a reminder that we need to be careful not to “snatch defeat from the jaws of victory”
1. Background
I would like to look at the background of this text.
Moses, that great man of God has led the Children of Israel out of Egypt to the Promised Land, in accordance with God’s promises.
Moses then sent 12 spies in to reconnoitre the land of Canaan – the land that God has told the Israelites to go in and possess.
10 of the spies came back with a bad report and told the Israelites that the task of taking the land was beyond them. They said: “We saw the Nephilim (that is giants) there. We seemed like grasshoppers in our own eyes. And that is also how we seemed to them” (Numbers 13:33 NLB)
Only two of the spies, Joshua and Caleb, reported back and urged the people to trust God and go in.
However, the Israelites decided to follow the report of the ten and not to go in.
As a result God refused to allow them to go into the Promised Land until that generation except Caleb and Joshua had died. As a result the Israelites wander 40 years in the desert.
Now only Caleb and Joshua are left from that original generation. And now Joshua is standing on the threshold of success.
He is about to see what Moses never saw – the taking of the Promised Land - and he is worried.
And with good reason.
Moses his great mentor is dead. Moses - the only man who had such a close relationship with God that he spoke to God “as a man speaks to his friend” (Ex 33:11)
It would have been easy for Joshua to hesitate. But God has told him to go in
Story: Abraham Lincoln once said about his commander –in-chief George McClelland:
“That man has managed to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory!’
after McClelland allowed Lee’s army to escape down the Appomattox river following the battle of Antietam
And we, as Christians can “snatch defeat from the jaws of victory” if we are not careful
You can almost hear Joshua saying: “Have I really got this right. Will this little force of mine can I really overcome these mighty cities in Canaan?”
I believe that our reading reveals three ingredients that enabled Joshua to overcome his fear.
1. Joshua heard the word of God (Jos 1:3-6)
The first ingredient that enabled Joshua to overcome his fear was that God spoke to him and gave him his own promises in Joshua 1: 3 -5
3 I will give you every place where you set your foot, as I promised Moses. 4 Your territory will extend from the desert to Lebanon, and from the great river, the Euphrates-all the Hittite country-to the Great Sea on the west. 5 No one will be able to stand up against you all the days of your life. As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake you.
We need to listen for our own personal word from God.
Story: Back in 1997, God spoke to me and told me that I should become a Church of England minister.
At the time I was a successful patent lawyer and Head of the Group Patent Department at Reckitt and Colman.
I told Maddy and she said that God had shown her that God was calling me to become an Anglican clergyman two months earlier.
I had a number of prophetic confirmations that this was the right course throughout the year leading to the final ABM selection conference, where the final decision is made whether or not to recommend you for training.
One of these was particularly vivid.
On the Sunday evening, a week before the ABM final selection Conference, I went to the evening service on my home church at Christchurch, Bridlington.
As I walked in, I said to the Lord. “Give me a confirmation this evening that it really is your Will for me to go into the ministry”
When I got into Church, unusually the front rows - where Maddy and I used to sit - were taken. We had an outside speaker – who I’d never heard of before. So I sat half way to the back.
Just as the speaker, Bruce Collins got up to speak he said: “I don’t know what this means – but I’ll say it anyway, because I have been bothered by it all through the service.”
“You in the blue jumper” he said pointing at me “God is calling you into deeper leadership”.
I had my confirmation from a man who didn’t
know me and certainly had no idea what I was doing.
As we hear the word of God, be open to what God is calling you to do.
2. Joshua immersed himself in the Word of God (Joshua 1:7-9)
The second ingredient that enabled Joshua to overcome his fear was that he immersed himself in the word of God. God said to Joshua
8 Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful. 9 Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go."
What a promise – God will be with you.
The word of God is essential in our lives and we need to be immersed in it. I spoke to a lady recently who said she can’t stand the Scriptures and wonders why her prayers don’t go anywhere.
The Word of God has been important in my life.
It is a living word and still speaks to me each day
Story: Back in 1989, the Lord gave me a vision to founding an English speaking church in Basle, Switzerland. Although I didn’t fully understand what its distinctive call was to be at that time, it has had a powerful ministry among the refugees who come to Basle.
Maddy and I together with the two other leaders Dan and Catrin were invited to share our vision at Alban Arbeit, which was quite daunting because there were about 600 -1000 people there.
We sang one song and shared the vision and at the end of the service a young man came and stuck a piece of paper on with three verses.
He told me that God had told him to give me these verses to encourage me to persevere:
The first verse was Isaiah 43:19
19 See, I am doing a new thing!
Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?
I am making a way in the desert
and streams in the wasteland.
The second was John 4:38
38I sent you to reap what you have not worked for. Others have done the hard work, and you have reaped the benefits of their labour."
and the last was Exodus 14:14
14 The LORD will fight for you;
you need only to be silent."
There were many discouragements along the way in grounding that church – but these verses were – and still are a tremendous encouragement. Many Christians told me that this wasn’t God’s will. I made many mistakes – but the church is still running with a congregation of about 50-80.
God has been faithful to His word. In one year alone we had people from 53 different nationalities pass through the church and a number have made a Christian commitment.
We need to stand on God’s promises – and step out in faith. Which brings me to my final point.
3. Joshua had to take courage to act on God’s word (Jos 1:10-11)
The final ingredient that enabled Joshua to overcome his fear was the need to act on God’s word. He needed to have courage to respond to the call of God in his life.
I have recently been reading a very exciting book: “The Heavenly Man” by Brother Yun and Paul Hathaway about the house church movement in China which they have estimated to have 58 million Chinese Christians.
That’s almost 58 times the number of worshippers who go to church in the Church of England nationwide.
I don’t normally get excited about books – having spent a couple of years in theological college puts you off reading!! But I was up to 4am on morning reading this book.
Brother Yung and the other leaders of the Church have suffered terribly for their faith – but they have also seen tremendous miracles
What struck me about Brother Yun is that he took God at his word and had the courage to do what God told him to do. And yet he was still human.
Perhaps the greatest miracle for me was when God led Brother Yun to walk out of Zhengzhou prison after the Communists had broken his legs in 1997 – in a similar way to Peter in Acts 12:1-17.
God healed Brother Yung’s broken legs that day and led him out under the very noses of the guards who were meant to keep him in. When he was told by his Brother Xu that God was telling him to escape that day he wrote this:
“I prayed Lord, you have shown me that I must try to leave this prison. I will obey you now and will try to escape. But when the guards shoot me, please receive my soul into your heavenly dwelling”
(p.255 the Heavenly Man – Brother Yung and Paul Hathaway)
Brother Yung was not unrealistic but he took his fears to Jesus. And Jesus’ word to him was fulfilled.
How many Christians have lost out on God’s blessings to them through fear of stepping out?
Conclusion
Joshua overcame his fear by:
1. by hearing the word of God (Jos 1:3-6)
2. by immersing himself in the Word of God
(Jos. 1:7-9)
3. by having courage to act on God’s word
(Jos 1:10-11)
