A series on God’s
calling: Joshua
Joshua 1:1-18
[Traditionally we think of someone who has received “God’s call on their life” as being a missionary or pastor or some other paid ministry position. But God has called all of us into ministry. And there’s not just one way that He does it. In this series, we will look at how God called people in the bible to ministry, and what that means to us.]
As a little boy, I loved to explore the area around our
house. To the east, was a gently sloping hill, covered with brushes and trees.
It went down to the Pine River which was about 100 yards from our house. I especially
enjoyed exploring along the riverbank where I would catch turtles.
To the north, was a deep field of weeds and sumac. But
if you walked far enough, you’d find a deserted salt mine with small mounds of dirt,
which must have been tailings from the mine. One time while exploring there, I found
an arrowhead.
As a young man, Joshua had an enthusiastic faith in
the God of Israel. And why not? He had personally witnessed the miracles of God
including parting the waters of the Red Sea. Joshua was gung – ho for God!
Therefore, it’s not surprising that when Israel was
about to possess the Promised Land, that Joshua was chosen by Moses as one of
the twelve men to explore the land. Like me, Joshua was an explorer.
But the damage was done, and the people of Israel
rebelled. Because of this, the Israelites wandered in the wilderness for forty
years never to enter the Promised Land. By the time the next generation had
grown up, Joshua had experienced some significant changes.
First, he was forty years older. In addition, he’d been
wandering in the wilderness with people who had rebelled against the Lord. Finally,
the Lord had chosen Joshua, in place of Moses who was very old, to lead the
people into Canaan.
It’s hard to say how all of these life circumstances
might have affected Joshua’s faith. Be that as it may, as Israel prepared to
cross the Jordan River, the Lord spoke to Joshua giving him these final
instructions.
5 No one will be
able to stand 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. NIV
6 Be
strong and courageous, because you will lead these people to inherit
the land I swore to their ancestors to give them. NIV (This was repeated three times.)
8 Keep this Book of
the Law always on your lips; 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. NIV
These instructions still apply to us today. The Lord
promises to always be with us. He encourages us to be strong and courageous in
the face of obstacles. He reminds us that we need to meditate on his Word and
to obey him.
If we follow these instructions, then like Joshua, we
will be gung – ho for God!
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