Joshua 01: Trust and Obey

When reading the Bible, you need to be Big picture person plus a details person. The Big picture being the story of God’s plan of redemption to save the world through Jesus. But to understand more about God and His character and His dealings with people, you need to try and understand the details.

With Joshua, we need to understand how it fits into the big picture, but there is so much to learn from the details.

Big picture – Creation – Fall – God’s promises – Land, descendants blessing – God ‘s people in Gods place under His rule – Israel in Egypt – God rescues His people from Egypt – wanderings in the Wilderness – Not they’re standing on the brink of entering the promised land.

And then Moses dies.

And that is where the book of Joshua begins.

In fact, just look at Joshua chapter 1 vs 1-2.

(Vs 1) After the death of Moses the servant of the LORD, the LORD said to Joshua son of Nun, Moses’ aide: (2) “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 to them – to the Israelites.”

Moses is now dead. Moses was a big deal. Moses was their leader. Moses was the one whom God used to bring them out of Egypt. Moses was the one who led them while they were in the wilderness. Moses was their mediator between them and God. He would be the one who would go up to the mountain, and God would speak to Him. And he would come down and bring to the people what God had said.

And Moses is now dead. Just think of what this would have meant for Israel as a nation. Just think of the uncertainty that they would have been feeling. What was going to happen next?

So after the death of Moses, God speaks to Joshua and says: “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 to them – to the Israelites.”

Although Moses is dead, God’s promises and plans were still going ahead.

Joshua is the new leader. He was one of the spies that had been in to Canaan about 40 years prior. Out of 12 spies, him and Caleb were the only ones who trusted God.

So when you get to the end of Deuteronomy, the leadership is handed over to Joshua from Moses. He is the new leader that God has appointed. The New servant of the LORD.

God tells Joshua, that they’re going to cross the Jordan River into the land. It’s not a small river, it would have been a huge feat to be able to cross.

And then once they’ve crossed the Jordan, God will give Israel all of this territory. Just look at verse 3.

(Vs 3) I will give you every place where you set your foot, as I promised Moses. (4) Your territory will extend from the desert to Lebanon, and from the great river, the Euphrates – all the Hittite country – to the Mediterranean see in the west.

And if that wasn’t enough, look at verse 5.

(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.

Here is Israel, on the brink of entering the promised land. On the brink of this promise that they had been waiting years and years to be fulfilled. Remember the promises made to Abraham.

What they were about to face was daunting. Crossing the Jordan was one thing, But after that, they would have all these nations to conquer. Who weren’t going to just sit back, and say, “Hey, we believe this land is rightfully yours because your God promised it to you.”

But yet, here is God telling Joshua that He will give the territory to the Israelites. No matter how daunting this seems. No matter how big the opponents are. No matter how limited Israel is to engage in a military battle. God will give them the land.

And there are 2 specific things that God commands Joshua to do. As he leads God’s people into this next phase of his plan, there are 2 very important commands that he gives them.

The first one is there in verse 6:

(6) “Be strong and courageous, because you will lead these people to inherit the land I swore to their ancestors to give them.”

(7) “Be strong and very courageous….”

(9) “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go.”

Now as we go through the book of Joshua, we’re going to see that there are more commands than that. But this is the command that God gives Joshua right at the outset.

And here’s why he can be strong and very courageous. Here’s why he can go into battle in confidence.

Look at verse 9 again.

(9) Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go.”

Just go back to verse 5 and have a look at that verse.

(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.

Joshua can be strong and courageous. Joshua can have confidence against the enemy. Joshua can go into battle, he can lead the Israelites with the assurance that they will be victorious.

Why?

Because the LORD their God was going to be with them. God had promised to be with them every step of the way.

And then the next command was to obey God’s law. Look at verse 7 and 8.

(7) “Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses gave you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, that you may be successful wherever you go. (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.

In other words. God is saying to Joshua, “I am asking that you trust me. You go into battle being strong and courageous. Do what I say. Obey the law that I have given you. Show me that you trust me by your obedience. I’ve given you my law. Meditate on that day and night. Keep this law on your lips. Do what is written in the law. Then you will be prosperous and successful.

How does this apply to the Christian in 2020? I mean this was written to a Jewish leader thousands of years ago, what could it possibly mean for me today. So we’re not about to enter the promised land. We’re not about to cross the Jordan and take on enemies that look daunting. In fact, most of us aren’t going anywhere anytime soon. But we need to realize that God is still carrying out His purposes.

Back in the time of Joshua, Israel were Gods people, and God was with them. God is still working out His purposes. And the Bible tells us that he is working out His purposes for His glory and for our good. So we can have confidence in God. We have a mandate as Christians to live for God. We have a command to live for His glory. And we can do that boldly and confidently and courageously. In other words don’t be scared to do things Gods way. Don’t be scared to stand up for truth. Be strong and courageous for the Lord your God is with you.

Here in Joshua chapter 1 you’ve got Joshua. He is faced with one of the most daunting tasks that anyone could face. He is being given one of the most difficult leadership tasks that anyone could be given. Leading the Israelites in this new era. Into the land where they will have all sorts of challenges. But there in verse 5, look at what God says to him.

(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 nor forsake you.

In the book of Hebrews in the New Testament, the writer of Hebrews he’s encouraging the Hebrews to carry on living the Christian life. He tells them to love one another, to be faithful in their marriages, not to be greedy and not to be lovers of money, but to rather be content.

And he says because God has said: and then he quotes what Moses said to Joshua. Before he died Moses told Joshua that God said, and the writer to the Hebrews quotes this when he says: because God said: “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.”

If you are a Christian, be encouraged, be strengthened, be empowered by the fact that God is with you. Take courage in that. Be bold in serving God, be bold in doing life Gods way and not the way that the world tends to do things.

In Matthew 28 where Jesus commissions His disciples to take the gospel to the ends of the earth.

Matthew 28 vs 18-20

Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been give to me. (19) Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, (20) and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

Living the Christian life takes courage. Fulfilling God’s purposes takes courage. Doing things God’s way takes courage. Telling people about Jesus takes courage.

But we can be strong and courageous. Why? Because the LORD our God is with us. The God who created the world. The God who led the Israelites out of Egypt, and parted the Red Sea. The God who provided for the Israelites during their time in the wilderness.

The God who was with Joshua and as we will see throughout the book of Joshua, led him and the Israelites to victory, against all odds. When they took on nations much greater than them, where in any normal situation it would have been impossible. But the LORD their God was with them. And that same God is with you.

The same God who had a purpose and a plan for his people. He still has a purpose and a plan for His people today. And He is working to fulfill that purpose and plan.

This call to be strong and courageous for the LORD our God is with us, is a call to trust God. Trust that as you live for God, that He is with you. As you take that message of the Gospel out. He is with you.

But as Christians we’re called to do a little bit more than just trust God. We’re also called to obey. Look at verse 7 and 8.

Vs 7-8

“Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses gave you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, that you may be successful wherever you go. (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.”

I think often we take this obedience thing very lightly. Some might say, “We’re not saved by what we do, therefore why is obedience important?”

Of course we’re not saved by what we do. What a relief that we’re not saved by what we do. What a relief that Jesus took care of that on the cross. But our response should be one of obedience. We now live under a new king. Our life is ruled by God. Jesus is on the throne. Let’s obey.

The law that Israel was given. Their obedience to the law isn’t what rescued them. God rescued them out of Egypt, and He freed them from slavery, not because of their obedience, but because they were His people.

But their response was to be one of obedience. Is your life, a life of obedience? We know how to obey Him through His word.

Vs 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.

At that point, the Law, the Torah, the first 5 books of the Bible, was what they had. That’s how much of God’s revelation they had received. We’re fortunate enough to have the full Bible.

What is God’s word to you? Is it a book that sits on your shelf collecting dust? Or for some of you it’s an unused app on your phone. But regardless of what format you read it. Would you consider God’s word to be something that has penetrated your hearts? Is it always on your lips? Do you meditate on it day and night? Do you get excited when the word is opened up in church.

Bottom line: Do you trust and obey?

Trust and obey, for there’s no other way, to be happy in Jesus, but to trust and obey.

For the Home Group Leaders:

Home group teaching notes:

Read Joshua 1 vs 1-9

• Show how Joshua fits into the bigger picture of the Bible and the fulfilment of God’s promises.
  • Remember God’s promises of land, descendants and blessing.
  • Remember how God had brought Israel out of Egypt to this point.

• Note the 2 commands that gave to Joshua.
  • Be strong and Courageous (a command to trust)
    • This is repeated a number of times.
    • Note why Joshua can be strong and courageous: vs 9 “. . . for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go.”
  • The second command is to obey (vs 7-8)
    • Note what it is they must obey.
      • The law that Moses gave you (vs 7)
      • This book of the law (vs 8)
    • Note how they are to treat the Book of the Law vs 8.
    • Also note that the God says that this will result in them being prosperous and successful.
      • That’s not talking about prosperity in the sense that God rewards our obedience with material things.
      • He’s telling Joshua as a leader that his leadership will be successful and Israel will be prosperous, if he is obedient to God’s law.

Questions for Discussion:

• How can we apply the command to be strong and courageous because the God is with us today? See also Hebrews 13vs1-6; Matthew 28vs18-20 / what are some examples where this could be a helpful encouragement? / Does your view of God give you confidence and courage to serve Him?
• Does verse 7-8 (Joshua 1) reflect your attitude to God’s word? / What could you do to meditate on it more often? / What could you do to ‘be more careful to do everything that is written in it?
• Personal examination: Are you a Christian who trusts (has confidence that God is with them) and obeys?