Joshua 1:7-18 THE LORD THY GOD IS WITH THEE When faced with new situations and challenges, the wise person will recognize their need of God being with them to control and guide. Our need of God is always with us but when He leads us to a new work and gives us responsibilities we never had before, we need to hear His voice and be assured of His power working through us. The first conversation in the book of Joshua is God speaking to Joshua. After the assurance of God's written instructions as his guide, then Joshua told officers what to do to prepare for the crossing to the promised land. The third conversation was with the two and a half tribes of those who were settling the east side of Jordan. The fourth conversation was the assuring words from those Joshua was leading when they expressed confidence in him. Clear communication is needed when we are involved in the things of God. This is the first time we read of God communicating through the written word and the necessity of carefully meditating on it to get the full impact of God's intentions.
To succeed in God's eyes in the work to which He has called us, we need to be strong in faith and courageous in our actions. It is essential that we obey His word without putting our own slant on it to suit our ambitions. When we know what God says and have meditated on it enough to know what it means, then we are responsible to act on its truth and follow the path that opens up before us. The promises of God need to be taken personally and then acted upon. Those things God exhorts us to give ourselves to, will lead us to the place where we can claim His promises personally.
The children of Israel knew God's promises to their fathers. They were only young when they were at the edge of the promised land before and personally saw the sad results of their parents failing to be strong and courageous. Now as men and women who were responsible to go forward and claim the promised land, they may have been conscious of their own children looking across the flood waters of the Jordan River at the land beyond and wondering what was going to happen next. Now "the ball was in their own court." It is a wise generation of people who learn from the failures of the generation before them. It is a wise people who realize that when God buries His servant, He raises up another to lead His people. As far as Joshua was concerned, he was God's choice because he heard a distinct call from God assuring him, he was doing God's will and could trust him to lead His people. He had no rival claims to which he was attracted. On God's side of the choice of Joshua for leadership, He knew Joshua was a faithful man who had been trusted with the small things while he lived under the shadow of Moses' leadership for forty years and was effective in his duties.
Now Joshua had the word of God that Moses had written down to meditate and act upon. The presence of the Lord with us is linked to our obedience to God's word. To know what is right and be able to teach others is not what possession of truth means. The blessings promised do not come because we know truth. Truth must be acted on. We must practice what we know. We need to learn to measure the difficulties of life before us by comparing them with God's strength, not the degree of opposition. There will always be opposition to the work of God. But we need to constantly remember that God is greater than His foes.
Our strength is in the Lord and when we truly understand this fact, them we can stand firm when dangers and difficulties come. They are to be expected in the Christian's journey into the land of Beulah. The word of God does not change with the times or places, so we dare not deviate from the written word if we expect to claim the spiritual blessings promised. God's word should not depart from our mouths. It can be used in every situation in which we will be found. It should be our meditation so that we are ready to apply its truths to any matter without hesitation. Spiritual prosperity is not measured by financial success or popularity in the world. Even religious popularity may only be an increase in numbers rather than in faith and obedience.
Faith and obedience work together. There will always be obstacles like the flood waters of Jordan were before the Israelites. Some things we have to leave to God to deal with in His own way, and just do what we know we have to now, leaving the future to Him. Leadership is needed for a work to not be chaos and confusion. A leader's work is to coordinate what he knows to be right and have the people follow his leadership, rather than look at the work ahead with their own doubts. People expect from their leaders the same things that God expects - faithfulness, confidence based on God's word and obedience that acts upon God's will. Loyalty to our brothers and sisters, and obedience to God also go together.
We have obligations to those with whom we share our common faith, that we cannot postpone. The Lord doesn't force us down the road of obedience but He does make plain the choices I have to live by if I do, and the consequences to accept if I do not. The wise leader knows how to delegate work and is willing to let those carry out that work out to the benefit of all. Joshua gave the officers the responsibility of passing the word to prepare in three days, all the people would need for the coming journey and the conquest to follow. Three days would give them ample time to prepare the food they needed. This was not going to be an impulsive action directed by an impetuous leader. Acting on personal strength is bound to fail. When truth is revealed, take time to make that truth your own by faith. Then it will be useable when we are under pressure from events and people around us.
Quite often the work we do is perceived by the people as intrusive and none of our business. Most people want to decide and act on the things that happen in life without considering at all what the Lord our God wants. People who don't read the Bible consider the conquering of Canaan as an act of imperialism or expansionism. They have not understood the fact that righteous judgment will come upon those who practice extreme wickedness and refuse to repent and turn from their wicked ways. The Lord our God is with us in judgment and justice as well as in grace and blessing.