Joshua 1:1-5 "Now after the death of
Moses the servant of the LORD it came to pass, that the LORD spake unto Joshua
the son of Nun, Moses' minister, saying, (2) Moses my servant is
dead; now therefore arise, go over this Jordan, thou, and all this people, unto
the land which I do give to them, even to the children of Israel. (3)
Every place that the sole of your foot shall tread upon, that have I given unto
you, as I said unto Moses. (4) From the wilderness and this Lebanon
even unto the great river, the river Euphrates, all the land of the Hittites,
and unto the great sea toward the going down of the sun, shall be your coast.
(5) There shall not any man be able to stand before thee all the
days of thy life: as I was with Moses, so I will be with thee: I will not fail
thee, nor forsake thee."
Today, we start a study of the book of Joshua. This book has always fascinated me from early in my ministry. Perhaps it is because I was assigned this book for a presentation at one of the very first ministers' schools I attended. I thought it strange they would give such an assignment to a "rookie"; but, now I look back and I am thankful. It gave me the incentive to look at the book as a whole and to be able to see that our God plans, instructs, enables, and blesses His people. Our responsibility is to be attentive to Him and simply follow as He guides. Somehow, we tend to complicate things by trying to insert our own ideas and plans. That just will not work.
In the beginning of the book, we see a change in human leadership. Moses died. God took him to the top of Mt. Pisgah where he was able to look across into the land which God had promised to His people. Moses was not allowed to go into the Promised Land because of his disobedience. It is very important for us to understand that the Promised Land is not a picture or type of heaven. In heaven, there will be no enemies nor will there be battles or struggles. Rather, the Promised Land is a picture and type of the kingdom of heaven on earth. It is a picture of the struggle that you and I have in trying to overcome the tendencies of the flesh and relying completely upon the righteousness of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. Why is it important to understand this does not represent heaven? Moses was not allowed into the land of Canaan; but we can know for a fact that Moses is a child of God and he is enjoying the blessings of the eternal heaven. Remember on the mountain of transfiguration, Moses appeared unto Jesus with Elijah? Moses is in heaven, but he did not enjoy the blessings of the earthly promises of God concerning this land.
God is now changing the leadership of Israel. Moses is dead. But Israel needs a leader to go before them. It is the Lord's prerogative to choose who will be the next leader for Israel. Israel had been wandering through the wilderness for the past forty years. Joshua had stood beside Moses all that time. He was one of the two men who had stood firmly in their belief that the Lord is true to His promise and would give them the land that had been promised to them. He had observed Moses through all the times. Joshua was God's choice to be the leader of Israel that would take them into the Promised Land. They are as sheep and need a shepherd. Isn't that the way it is with us as God's children? We are referred to as His sheep. Aren't you thankful that we have the Great Shepherd of our soul? His name is Jesus.
One more quick thought concerning our introduction to the book of Joshua. God speaks directly to Joshua. Joshua needs the encouragement to be able to take on such a task. Our Heavenly Father is the greatest of all encouragers. God makes a statement to Joshua that I am sure gave him all the encouragement and determination that he would need. God spoke these words: "as I was with Moses, so I will be with thee: I will not fail thee, nor forsake thee." Those were the words needed for Joshua to undertake the great task that lay before him. He would walk before this large group of people and lead them into the land that God had promised to Abraham over four hundred years before this. You and I can also take refuge and be encouraged by the same words spoken to Joshua. God says to you and to me, "As I was... so I will be." Take heart. Depend upon the faithfulness of our God. He is true to His Word.
Today, we start a study of the book of Joshua. This book has always fascinated me from early in my ministry. Perhaps it is because I was assigned this book for a presentation at one of the very first ministers' schools I attended. I thought it strange they would give such an assignment to a "rookie"; but, now I look back and I am thankful. It gave me the incentive to look at the book as a whole and to be able to see that our God plans, instructs, enables, and blesses His people. Our responsibility is to be attentive to Him and simply follow as He guides. Somehow, we tend to complicate things by trying to insert our own ideas and plans. That just will not work.
In the beginning of the book, we see a change in human leadership. Moses died. God took him to the top of Mt. Pisgah where he was able to look across into the land which God had promised to His people. Moses was not allowed to go into the Promised Land because of his disobedience. It is very important for us to understand that the Promised Land is not a picture or type of heaven. In heaven, there will be no enemies nor will there be battles or struggles. Rather, the Promised Land is a picture and type of the kingdom of heaven on earth. It is a picture of the struggle that you and I have in trying to overcome the tendencies of the flesh and relying completely upon the righteousness of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. Why is it important to understand this does not represent heaven? Moses was not allowed into the land of Canaan; but we can know for a fact that Moses is a child of God and he is enjoying the blessings of the eternal heaven. Remember on the mountain of transfiguration, Moses appeared unto Jesus with Elijah? Moses is in heaven, but he did not enjoy the blessings of the earthly promises of God concerning this land.
God is now changing the leadership of Israel. Moses is dead. But Israel needs a leader to go before them. It is the Lord's prerogative to choose who will be the next leader for Israel. Israel had been wandering through the wilderness for the past forty years. Joshua had stood beside Moses all that time. He was one of the two men who had stood firmly in their belief that the Lord is true to His promise and would give them the land that had been promised to them. He had observed Moses through all the times. Joshua was God's choice to be the leader of Israel that would take them into the Promised Land. They are as sheep and need a shepherd. Isn't that the way it is with us as God's children? We are referred to as His sheep. Aren't you thankful that we have the Great Shepherd of our soul? His name is Jesus.
One more quick thought concerning our introduction to the book of Joshua. God speaks directly to Joshua. Joshua needs the encouragement to be able to take on such a task. Our Heavenly Father is the greatest of all encouragers. God makes a statement to Joshua that I am sure gave him all the encouragement and determination that he would need. God spoke these words: "as I was with Moses, so I will be with thee: I will not fail thee, nor forsake thee." Those were the words needed for Joshua to undertake the great task that lay before him. He would walk before this large group of people and lead them into the land that God had promised to Abraham over four hundred years before this. You and I can also take refuge and be encouraged by the same words spoken to Joshua. God says to you and to me, "As I was... so I will be." Take heart. Depend upon the faithfulness of our God. He is true to His Word.