When I read I try to always ask God to give me eyes to see and ears to hear Him through His Word. God's Word is probably the primary way that He speaks to and encourages me. As I read I often read things that I think must be meant just for me at just that time. There are no random coincidences where God's Word is concerned, no matter how you get it, it's Him speaking to you. Amazing.
In Joshua 1 verses 6, 7, 9 and 18 all contain the same phrase to Joshua. The first three come from God the last, from Joshua's men, the fighting men of Israel. In Joshua 1 Moses has just died and the mantle of leadership is passed to Joshua who has been Moses' number 2 for many years. In fact, Joshua was the only other person who was allowed to go near the tent of meeting (when the pillar of cloud or fire would rest over the tent where Moses stayed to signify God was talking to him) and he was also the one that accompanied Moses in most ever circumstance.
Now, Joshua is number 1 and the people are all looking to him. So God speaks to Joshua and reassures of him of a few things. As God was with Moses He would be with Joshua, big relief. As the Israelites prepared to cross the Jordan river and begin to take possession of the land God had promised them they faced the inhabitants of that land who were not going to simply pack up and leave. So this was welcome news. So was the news that God would fight with Israel and every place they walked God would give them. Basically, God is going to do some incredible things and he is reassuring Joshua that He (God) is in charge.
But four times Joshua is told the same thing, "Be strong and courageous." Why, if God is going to drive out the people before them does he need to be strong and courageous? Well, I think for this reason. Just because God was guaranteeing victory did not mean Joshua and the people would not have to fight. God's favor for Joshua and the Israelites meant Satan was going to focus on them in an attempt to stop whatever God was planning to do.
Sometimes in our lives we can assume that if God is for us, no one can be against us so we don't have to try. But that is not the case. If God is for us no can stand against us but there will be plenty of people who will try! Joshua needed to be strong and courageous because there were going to be lots of times when he faced situations that looked completely hopeless. In those times he would need to be both strong and courageous to keep pressing on even though it looked like they wouldn't succeed.
You may have felt over this last year (2013) like everything went wrong. Nothing worked out the way you thought it would. Guess what. In the same way God was with Joshua He is with you. That's right. God was with Joshua through the Holy Spirit, but now, the Holy Spirit actually lives IN you so wherever you go He is there, going before you cleaning the way. What you need to do is be strong and courageous knowing that God is with you and will fight for you.
You have God's favor because you are a child of His. That means you also have the focus of Satan and he wants to stop you from seeing God's work in your life. Will you cower and run away? Or will you stand strong in the power of God and see Him gain the victory. God being with you doesn't mean you don't have to fight, it just means He's guaranteed the win. Fight on in strength and courage.
4 comments:
I was thinking of how we are called to be different in battle, use different weapons.
2 Corinthians 10:3-4 (NIV)Says "For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds."
And then I realize how often I try to fight the battles myself, to defend myself, when it is not my place to do that, even when I am attacked. The Lord is my defender, I am called to cry out to Him to rescue me, not try to fight the attacks hopelessly on my own.
Isaiah 19:20 (NIV)tells me "It will be a sign and witness to the Lord Almighty in the land of Egypt. When they cry out to the Lord because of their oppressors, he will send them a savior and defender, and he will rescue them."
When I cry out to the Lord, my focus changes from me to Him, and when I focus on Him directly on Him, I get to witness His might, and so do others.
It seems that we are called to fight by crying out to God, seeking Him and giving Him control and credit of all things in our lives. And we are assured He WILL defend us, He will save us. God wins. Every time.
It is true, anonymous, that we are to fight differently from the world and that we are to cry out to God for help and deliverance. However, that is not what this passage is about. It is about doing the hard thing, believing that God will show up - but in this case it was only through Joshua's strength and courage. Had Joshua not shown strength and courage God would not have had the opportunity (through Joshua anyway) to show off and drive the people out before them. We must be careful to let the text speak for itself. Joshua's hope was in the Lord but the Lord was telling him he still needed to go and do the hard thing. Had Joshua stayed on to the East of the Jordan and not faced his enemies in battle but simply cried out to the Lord for deliverance the Israelites would have never taken the promised land. There are times when we are called to sit and watch God fight for us and times when He asks that we strap on the weapons, physical weapons, and go to war. The challenge is to know when each is required. Thanks for your thoughts!
I always thought the strength and courage that Joshua had was not his strength and courage, but God's. I think it is often hard to step out, even when we know it is what God wants for us to do. I love how God was encouraging Joshua to 'be strong in the Lord', not turn to the right or the left, not try to do this thing on his own, but to meditate on God and His word day and night. When we try to depend on our own strength and courage is when we are looking to the right and the left, not straight ahead at what is God's love for us. I love that God was and is victorious, and Joshua got to enjoy the victory and the spoils because of his obedience, not his strength or courage.
God laid out the battle plan for Joshua, to obey, not turn. God told Joshua what He had to give Him, then told Joshua to be strong and courageous, right? I love that God does that for us. Shows us what HE has for us so that we can be courageous. He shows us Jesus, the abundance of life in Him and then gives us the Holy Spirit for strength and courage and more.
I like how this passage shows the strength of God, not Joshua, but also shows the plan of obedience for Joshua to have all that God wants for him. God's way to success not Joshua's battle or strength, but God's.
Joshua did have courage and strength from God but he also was a man of strength of courage. He did not sit on the sidelines and wait for God to move, he moved. In our weakness He is strong but how many weak individuals do see in Scripture? None. They were all strong, powerful individuals, Deborah, David, Noah, Abraham, Paul, they were all strong and courageous people who God used in spite of their weaknesses and failures. Joshua was a strong and powerful man who obeyed God. Jesus was a strong and powerful man who obeyed God. Abraham was a strong and powerful man who obeyed God, and believed that God could do what He said He would do. God credited that belief to Abraham as righteousness. God uses us in spite of our failures and He certainly wants us to rely on Him but He doesn't ask us to not be who He created us to be. He did not ask Joshua to shrink back, but to push forward. God said to Gideon, "Go in the strength you have..." but it was God who earned the victory because there is no other way that 300 men could defeat thousands of battle hardened military men. God does not ask us to stop being who He created us to be, but to use everything He has given us to accomplish, through Him, all that He has for us. Yes we keep our eyes on God, yes we must understand (think Samson) that our strength comes from the Lord... but then we pick up our sword and shield and move into battle for His glory not our own. Joshua and Israel would not have had the victories they did unless they physically fought their enemies and watched God powerfully work through them - giving them MORE strength and even keeping the sun in the sky so that the men could do battle longer. God works through us and at times in spite of us but not devoid of us because He loves the relationship.
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