Joshua 1
Grace peace and mercy from God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ.
In our day and age it's hard to imagine the leader of a nation that is beyond reproach. A person that is of the highest integrity, acts on behave of the people, and isn't afraid to tell the people when their expectations are askew. The reality is that through out history there have been very few true leaders. So it's no surprise that our experience for the most part is with individuals that attain an office of importance then stumble.
Of course no mortal can be everything to everyone so they are going to fail from the viewpoint of the people some of the time. Unfortunately there are more than a few that had their priorities in other places than the people's interest and when they stumbled it touched everyone. I think it's safe to say that these same people had their priorities askew when it comes to our supreme leader as well.
This week we read Joshua 1 in the Essential 100 study and began to learn about a true leader. He had the confidence of the people and had great confidence in God to fulfill His promises. Joshua was a brilliant military leader and a stalwart spiritual leader for the Israelites. If we look back through the books of Exodus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy we read that Joshua has some very special qualifications as a leader.
Joshua and Caleb were the only two to settle in the Promised Land that had also witnessed the plagues of Egypt. Two men out of a million or more that were considered righteous, the rest of that first generation died in the desert. Joshua and Caleb had shown that they were strong and courageous from the beginning. In the first year of the exodus Moses sent 12 spies into Canaan to learn about the people in the land. Upon their return only two of the twelve had the utmost confidence in God's plan to conquer Canaan, Joshua and Caleb. They boldly proclaimed their confidence but the people trusted in the ten who were weak and fearful. As a result Israel spent another 39 years in the desert.
We also read that Joshua learned the meaning of true leadership from the best, Moses. Early in his life Joshua became Moses' aide and was at his side through all of the trials, he accompanied Moses to the tent of meeting where God would speak to Moses directly, and he accompanied Moses up the slope of Sinai to receive the Tablets of the Ten Commandments. Joshua was truly in a unique position of learning.
Then we find that in the first recorded battle of the Israelites Moses appointed Joshua to lead the men into battle against the Amalekites. The Amalekites were a fierce warrior tribe that raided and plundered for pleasure as much as for profit. The curious thing about this battle is that Moses told Joshua, to choose some men and go out to fight the Amalekites. It would appear that Joshua and his men were outnumbered and under skilled in the confrontation with the Amalekites. Joshua again proved to be strong and courageous, absolutely confident in the Lord. The blessing of the Lord and the skills of Joshua's leadership soundly defeated the Amalekites.
When we arrive at the end of Moses' life God appoints Joshua to lead Israel in the conquest of Canaan, the land promised to Abraham's descendents.
Imagine being in Joshua's sandals at his point in his life. He spent most of his life as the assistant to a man that actually talked to God directly. Moses must have been like a father to him and now he was no more. Although Moses trained him and gradually transitioned duties to him, Joshua was now leader of a nation without his mentor to guide him. Then consider God didn't appoint Joshua to keep the status quo; He gave Joshua a challenge beyond ministering to the people, conquering the Promised Land.
By all worldly standards Joshua was successful beyond our dreams. He essentially rose up through the ranks to be the leader of a nation. In our world such prosperity would be the product of networking, having influential contacts to help us along the path to success. To achieve Joshua's level of success in our world requires building up ones image to amaze and charm the people.
However Joshua achieved the highest level of prosperity in a completely different way. Joshua was anything but the self-centered individual campaigning for grandeur. Joshua took a path that is totally contrary to the sinful world we live in. Joshua was successful because he never wavered in his obedience to God. When God gave a command Joshua acted with the confidence that few of us could imagine. Joshua was truly strong and courageous in his love of the Lord.
Despite all that Joshua had demonstrated God says to Joshua three times be strong and courageous. Be strong and courageous to inherit the land, be strong and very courageous to follow all the law given to Moses, and be strong and courageous do not be frightened or dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.
Despite all that Joshua had been through God knew that he would face challenges much greater than in the past.
My sinful and spiritually immature nature would take this in and say if I do everything according to God's law He will make me prosperous. If I just follow the rules everything will be rosy. If something doesn't go as I planned it then either I'm being punished for braking a rule, or God doesn't care about me, or worse I may decide He really doesn't exist. I believe we have all encounter someone that thinks God doesn't care when they encounter troubles. I'm sure many of here have struggled with the reason for trials in our lives.
If I take a more spiritually mature look at Joshua I would realize that God didn't tell Joshua he would be prosperous but chose Joshua to be Moses' successor. God didn't tell Joshua all would be rosy, Moses had his trials and Joshua would have his trials as well. So what we discover is that Joshua is showing us what it means to have a real relationship with God. Joshua wasn't just following the rules; he was obedient because of his relationship with God.
We have to ask ourselves how often we just follow the rules rather than obey God out of love. He gave us free will so that we could have a real relationship with Him. If God made us so that our only choice was to obey what would that prove? That's not a relationship, a relationship is a two way street. A relationship is saying I love you and I will obey you because I know you love me too and I know it will hurt you when I disobey.
God knew that once fallen we could never obey the law in its entirety. We are not able to live without committing sin, it's our human nature. So God sent Jesus to mediate between us and Him. God reached out to us in the most loving way he could to see whether we will show our love for Him. Jesus followed the law to the letter so that the guilt of our failings could be blotted out forever. He was blameless so His blood could wash away our every sin.
As you approach each challenge in life be strong and courageous. God promised Joshua I will not leave you or forsake you. Jesus has also made the same promise to all who place their confidence in Him. Everyone who acknowledges Jesus in this world, Jesus will acknowledge before God. How we handle the challenges of this life show whether we acknowledge Jesus as our savior, so be strong and courageous in times trouble.
Be strong and courageous by building your understanding of the Word he provided us in scripture. Take the time to learn about the relationship God wants to have with each and every one of us. Take time to build the relationship God asks of us. We think we are short on time in this hurried world but God provides all the time we need to carry out His will.
Be strong and courageous do not be frightened or dismayed; Jesus said I will build my church and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. No matter what we say or do if it is out of a right relationship with our heavenly Father we need not fear what this world has to throw at us.
In the name of our Risen Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.
