Lets get right to it….
Joshua 1:1- 6
“After the death of Moses the servant of the Lord, the Lord
said to Joshua son of Nun, Moses’ aide: ‘Moses my servant is dead. Now then,
you and all these people, get ready to cross the Jordan River into the land I
am about to give them- to the Israelites. I will give you every place where you
set your foot, as I promised Moses. 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. 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. Be strong and courageous, because you will lead
these people to inherit the land I swore to their forefathers to give them.�
said to Joshua son of Nun, Moses’ aide: ‘Moses my servant is dead. Now then,
you and all these people, get ready to cross the Jordan River into the land I
am about to give them- to the Israelites. I will give you every place where you
set your foot, as I promised Moses. 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. 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. Be strong and courageous, because you will lead
these people to inherit the land I swore to their forefathers to give them.�
Whenever I read the first 6 verses of Joshua I get pumped. I
always think to myself that Joshua must have been stoked to be THE ONE to lead
the Israelites into the Promise Land. Especially after they have been wandering
in the desert for 40 years! Also, he is leading them after receiving several
incredible promises from God. Here’s a few:
always think to myself that Joshua must have been stoked to be THE ONE to lead
the Israelites into the Promise Land. Especially after they have been wandering
in the desert for 40 years! Also, he is leading them after receiving several
incredible promises from God. Here’s a few:
– I will give you every place where you set your foot (v.3)
– Your territory will extend…(v.3)
– No one will be able to stand up against you ALL the days
of your life (v.5)
of your life (v.5)
– I will be with you (v.5)
– I will never leave you nor forsake you (v.5)
– Be strong and courageous…you will lead these people to
inherit the land (v.6)
inherit the land (v.6)
With promises like these, it seems like there is NO WAY
Joshua could be anything but confident in leading the Israelites. Plus, all my
Sunday school lessons about Joshua taught me how fearless he was. So, for
thirty years this has been my impression of him, until today, when I learned
that the Lord was leading Joshua to failure.
Joshua could be anything but confident in leading the Israelites. Plus, all my
Sunday school lessons about Joshua taught me how fearless he was. So, for
thirty years this has been my impression of him, until today, when I learned
that the Lord was leading Joshua to failure.
Check it out. In Deuteronomy 31:16 it says,
“And the Lord said to Moses: You are going to rest with your
fathers, and these people will soon prostitute themselves to the foreign gods
of the land they are entering. They will forsake me and break the covenant I
made with them.�
fathers, and these people will soon prostitute themselves to the foreign gods
of the land they are entering. They will forsake me and break the covenant I
made with them.�
Say what? Lets take a moment and put ourselves in Joshua’s
shoes. Here we have an individual who commanded an army and was Moses’ right
hand man. For years he has proven himself obedient, full of faith, and
teachable. I’m sure somewhere in the back of his mind he is thinking,
“Promotion is on it’s way and it’s going to be AWESOME! I’ve proven I have a
faithful and obedient heart, surely the Lord sees it and will bless me for it!�
And then he hears these dreaded words from the Lord. Not to mention, the Lord
isn’t even speaking directly to him about it, but to Moses, who is going to be
dead anyway by the time all this goes down. Of course, Joshua doesn’t know the
timeline for when this will all come to pass. He knows he will see a lot of
victory, but is he also going to watch it all come tumble down soon after?
shoes. Here we have an individual who commanded an army and was Moses’ right
hand man. For years he has proven himself obedient, full of faith, and
teachable. I’m sure somewhere in the back of his mind he is thinking,
“Promotion is on it’s way and it’s going to be AWESOME! I’ve proven I have a
faithful and obedient heart, surely the Lord sees it and will bless me for it!�
And then he hears these dreaded words from the Lord. Not to mention, the Lord
isn’t even speaking directly to him about it, but to Moses, who is going to be
dead anyway by the time all this goes down. Of course, Joshua doesn’t know the
timeline for when this will all come to pass. He knows he will see a lot of
victory, but is he also going to watch it all come tumble down soon after?
Can you feel the fear set in? Can you sense the resentment
rise up? How about the discouragement? Probably a lot of disappointment too?
rise up? How about the discouragement? Probably a lot of disappointment too?
The Bible never describes the thoughts racing through
Joshua’s mind or what emotions are piercing his heart. However, I think the
Lord’s words to Joshua reveal to us how he must have been feeling. We read in
Deuteronomy 31:23,
Joshua’s mind or what emotions are piercing his heart. However, I think the
Lord’s words to Joshua reveal to us how he must have been feeling. We read in
Deuteronomy 31:23,
“The Lord gave this command to Joshua son of Nun: Be strong
and courageous, for you will bring the Israelites into the land I promised them
on oath, and I myself will be with you.�
and courageous, for you will bring the Israelites into the land I promised them
on oath, and I myself will be with you.�
Be strong and courageous. Hmmm. Is it possible the Lord knew
Joshua was feeling weak and afraid? I mean, why wouldn’t he? After all, he just
found out that he is leading people to failure. Doesn’t really boost one’s
confidence does it. I have a feeling there was a nice little battle waging in
his heart because the Lord repeatedly encourages Joshua not to be afraid and
instead to be courageous. And the Lord constantly reminds him that He will
never leave him or forsake him.
Joshua was feeling weak and afraid? I mean, why wouldn’t he? After all, he just
found out that he is leading people to failure. Doesn’t really boost one’s
confidence does it. I have a feeling there was a nice little battle waging in
his heart because the Lord repeatedly encourages Joshua not to be afraid and
instead to be courageous. And the Lord constantly reminds him that He will
never leave him or forsake him.
This is a pivotal time in Joshua’s life. Everything he has
waited for, worked for, and endured has come down to this moment: Being
commissioned to lead people to failure. Wow.
waited for, worked for, and endured has come down to this moment: Being
commissioned to lead people to failure. Wow.
This is the conclusion I’ve drawn. When the Lord calls forth
leaders, He is more concerned with his or her heart rather than the outcome of
events. I say this because the Lord wanted Joshua to lead the Israelites into
the Promise Land knowing full well they would turn their backs on Him. The Lord
wasn’t looking for Joshua to bring the people to repentance, wholeness, or
freedom. He was looking for Joshua to be obedient…even when it meant failure in
the end. Sometimes we get caught up focusing only on the end results, which can
cause us to operate out of fear. If you find the Lord reminding you to be
strong and courageous, you may want to check your vision. Then, hide yourself
in the shadow of His wing and claim this promise for yourself:
leaders, He is more concerned with his or her heart rather than the outcome of
events. I say this because the Lord wanted Joshua to lead the Israelites into
the Promise Land knowing full well they would turn their backs on Him. The Lord
wasn’t looking for Joshua to bring the people to repentance, wholeness, or
freedom. He was looking for Joshua to be obedient…even when it meant failure in
the end. Sometimes we get caught up focusing only on the end results, which can
cause us to operate out of fear. If you find the Lord reminding you to be
strong and courageous, you may want to check your vision. Then, hide yourself
in the shadow of His wing and claim this promise for yourself:
“…I will never leave you nor forsake you.�
