Joshua

MOSTLY JOSHUA THIS MONTH

DECEMBER

The Old Testament is history. And lots and lots of stories. The Lord must like history. Sorry if you don’t. Get used to it. One thing that approach shows is that the deists were wrong. God did not wind up the earth like a clock and go off to let it run by itself. God is a God who acts in history. He is involved in His world. He is especially involved with His people. God created the world and time, and He moves within it. That’s the stance of the Bible from start to finish. God’s nature is revealed in His action, and His actions are recorded in the Bible.

Joshua and Judges are part of that history. Indeed, the two books are included in a section of the Bible we have labeled “history books.” We usually begin with these two and go on through Samuel and Kings. (Chronicles is a re-write from a different angle.) Part of the history is woven also in and out among the prophets, explaining what was happening in the world they spoke to. And even before Joshua, significant history begins in Genesis and Exodus.

Let’s review to place this quarter’s study in the correct place.

The story of God’s people begins with Abraham, the father of all Israel. (Three religions trace their story back to him: Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. They all claim him as ancestor.) In Genesis 12 God calls Abraham to leave his home and country to a land God would show him. In exchange, God would found a great nation from his descendants, a huge family! This was the basic covenant that underlies all the rest of the Bible! God is a covenant-making God. He renewed this covenant with Abraham’s son Isaac, his son Jacob, and his son Joseph. Indeed Jacob’s name was changed to Israel, and his 12 sons became the fathers (patriarchs) of the 12 tribes.

Under Joseph, the family went to Egypt for their salvation in a famine. As time passed and the regime changed, salvation turned into slavery. Eventually God sent Moses to deliver them. This Exodus the great saving act in the OT, holding a similar place to the cross in the New Testament. Several of the Psalms praise God for His deliverance in that great event. At Mt Sinai Moses, led by God, established the people as the nation Israel and gave them the Law, the foundation of the covenant until Jesus. The Lord also gave them a tabernacle in which to worship. That great tent was set up in the middle of every encampment, reminding them that God led them and dwelt in their midst.

 In Numbers the story is recorded of 12 spies sent to view and report on the land of Canaan. That was the land God sent Abraham to and where he roamed as a nomad, as did his descendants. From that land they descended into Egypt, and now God was planning to lead them back. At the end of Deuteronomy, Moses dies, and the leadership falls on Joshua.

                                                 CHAPTER ONE

Joshua begins with a strong chapter laying bare a number of truths useful today.

First, note that Moses was a servant of God, and Joshua was the servant of Moses. He was, of course, also serving God by serving Moses, but he was in a training role, a testing role. The Lord had prepared him to lead after Moses. Have you recognized those times in your life that God was preparing you for what is yet to come? The last lesson in 2 Peter included the injunction to grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. Don’t stay where you are.

In that same spirit, the Lord lays down a hard fact: Moses is dead. I was about 11 years old when I happened to pick up part of a torn-up letter blowing down the street. I remember a phrase from the letter: “the past is dead. Bury it…” I don’t know who wrote it nor why I remember it, but I do. And it’s great advice. Many people seem to be re-living over and over their athletic days, their military days, or other pinnacles of success. It’s ok for Sir Edmund Hillary to remember Everest, but I’m pretty sure he climbed a bunch of mountains afterwards. Are you hung up on something from your past – good or bad? The past is gone. Face the future!

“Now get ready to cross the Jordan.” Prepare to march into the future. God was about to give them a tremendous gift – the Land! The Land He promised Abraham and directed Moses to lead that nation to its borders. God may have blessed you in the past – as He did Israel in the Exodus – but He has more for you ahead. But we must move ahead to receive that blessing.

Notice the Lord says He will give them every place they set their feet. Ponder that a bit. I once heard a devotional asking whether Israel ever received all the land God had intended. Certainly they occupied somewhat less than the dimensions described here. They never took the land we know a Lebanon, Syria, or Iraq, and possibly a good bit of Turkey, which is where the Hittites lived. Maybe they were satisfied with less. I sometimes wonder whether I have been satisfied with less than God would give me. What about you?

In verse 5 He promises to lead Joshua as He led Moses. We must never think we have left God in the past. “I will never leave you nor forsake you!” THIS IS THE BASIC PROMISE OF THE ENTIRE BIBLE! It lies behind every promise to every individual and group. And this promise supports every promise the Bible makes to you. Be strong and courageous, because He is with you!