Encouragement For A New Era

by R. Hickling, Nottingham, U.K. | Category: Spiritual Lessons From Joshua | Feb 1985

A NEW ERA

The death of Moses must have had a considerable impact upon the people of Israel. Their great leader had been taken away; never again would they hear his voice. One era had ended; another was beginning. The thirty days of weeping which followed must have seen the outpourings of sincere grief (Deut. 34:8) and not-least among those who mourned would be Joshua, the man who, as his minister, had been so close to Moses (Josh. 1:1). Moreover, Joshua knew that in the purposes of God the responsibility for leading the people had passed to him (Deut. 31:14,23) and the time for him to undertake this serious task had come. As he stood that day on the borders of the promised land he might well have thought that all his earlier life had been but a preparation for that hour and that test. But Joshua's experiences had taught him to rely on the unchanging faithfulness of God; he was to find his strength and encouragement not in himself or his own abilities, but in the Lord.

THE CALL OF GOD

The call of the Lord to the son of Nun was clear, plain and allowed of no misunderstanding. "Moses my servant is dead; now therefore arise, go over this Jordan, thou, and all this people (Josh. 1:2). All those over 20 years of age who had left Egypt, with the exception of Caleb and Joshua, had perished in the wilderness because of unbelief, and can we doubt that, as Joshua heard the command of the Lord, he would reflect on his experiences at Kadesh and the judgement that fell on those who failed to put their trust in the Lord (Num.

14:7-10; 20-25)?

Let us note the word "therefore" in Joshua 1:2. God's faithful servant had been called away, but God never abandons His declared purpose, and the promises He had made were to be kept. The good work of Moses was to be continued by one whom God had raised up already for that purpose, for this was not the first time that Joshua had heard the Lord's call to service. The Scriptures give us no details, but it is evident that the man who "discomfited Amalek and his people with the edge of the sword" must have been a man who had some exercise of heart about his responsibilities before God and among His people (Ex. 17:13). "Stir up (stir into flame, RVM) the gift of God, which is in thee" wrote the apostle to the younger man Timothy and thus we are reminded that the ascended Christ "gave gifts unto men" and it is important that all believers should be exercised as to the nature of the gift or gifts which are theirs that proper use may be made of them to the glory of God. Failure to do this is detrimental both to the individual and to the people of God. Not everyone is called to a position of high responsibility and leadership as was Joshua, but how good it is if all the saints in a church of God are faithful in that work to which they have been called, developing and gaining experience, thus enabling them to take the place of those who are called to their eternal reward.

THE FAITHFULNESS OF GOD

Shortly before Moses died the Lord took him to Mount Nebo, to the top of Pisgah and, as Moses gazed at the panorama of the land spread before him, God said, "This is the land which I sware unto Abraham, unto Isaac, and unto Jacob, saying, I will give it unto thy seed (Deut. 34:4). Long years had passed since the promise was made (Gen. 12:7) and renewed (Gen. 35:12). As God had foretold, Abraham's seed suffered in a land which was "not theirs" (Gen. 15:13), but the promises of God are yea and amen (2 Cor: 1:20), and can never be thwarted by human agency. Many had been the changes in the affairs and kingdoms of men during the time which elapsed between the promise and the fulfilment but, as always, God's purposes were ripening fast. His declarations stood firm, and His faithfulness was displayed in no uncertain way, a fact that must frequently have impressed Joshua.

Writing to the saints in the Church of God in Corinth Paul declared, "God is faithful, through whom ye were called into the Fellowship of His Son Jesus Christ our Lord". In that city where wisdom and learning were almost idolized God had been faithful to His word. Some of those who had been ensnared in the deceits of Satan, entranced by earthly teaching, eloquence and the delights of the flesh, had been reached by the power of the gospel and, in accordance with the divine will had been brought together into a church of God associated with other churches of God to form the Fellowship of the Son of God.

There is no shadow of turning with the faithful God of heaven (James 1:17; Malachi 3:6) and that which the Lord taught His apostles and which they in turn passed on is still His truth for today. Just as some Corinthians and others of the time submitted to the teachings of the Holy Spirit, so now is there opportunity for any believer who wishes to know and practise the truth of God according to the divine pattern. One such believer, after relating the remarkable way in which God had exercised his heart and led him in his life, has written:

"The position to which we had been brought theoretically was exactly that which was taken, in doctrine and practice, in the churches of God in Great Britain and throughout the world. It was the one position for which Christ legislated ... and consequently for the whole of this age, in testimony on earth. Coming to such a definite focus-point, could we doubt the guidance of God in all this? Rather did we bow in deep gratitude, with a sense of awe, that God had taken such pains with such unworthy creatures, and through many years had been continually guiding and shaping until, in His faithfulness, He had brought us to the Church of God..." *

The faithful God of Joshua's day is the faithful God of today.

PRECEPTS AND PROMISES

As Israel stood on the threshold of the promised land Joshua was faced with no small task. Humanly speaking it must have seemed a formidable undertaking. But Joshua's trust was in God and the promise he received must have been a strong encouragement to him: "As I was with Moses, so I will be with thee: I will not fail thee, nor forsake thee". But this was not all the Lord said to Joshua. Coupled with this promise was a precept contained in the Lord's further words, "Only be strong and very courageous, to observe to do according to all the law, which Moses My servant commanded thee: turn not from it to the right hand or to the left" (Josh. 1:5,7).

Joshua was told to meditate in the law day and night (Josh. 1:8) that he might keep it. There was to be no deviation; man's ideas were not to be substituted for it and there was to be no lowering of standards for the sake of expediency. Many years afterwards the writer of the Hebrews letter could exhort, "Therefore we ought to give the more earnest heed to the things that were heard, lest haply we drift away from them" (2:1). Drifting is one of the states into which a believer can so easily fall, not only in respect of personal spiritual condition but also with regard to the teachings of Scripture in relation to the Truth of God. Such a drift is often started by allowing a popular course to be followed at the expense of the standards of the Word of God.

According to Dr. Strong the Hebrew word translated "observe" in Joshua 1:7,8 is from a primitive root meaning "to hedge about (as with thorns), i.e. to guard, protect, attend to ..." Joshua needed first to know the law and then it was his responsibility to guard it. The knowledge would come by a study of it and so today let us avoid a mere superficial reading of the Scriptures but rather dig deep into the sacred page. Timothy received a very similar exhortation from the ageing apostle when Paul wrote to him urging him to "Hold the

pattern of sound words which thou has heard from me... that good thing which was committed unto thee guard through the Holy Spirit which dwelleth in us" (2 Timothy 1:13,14). The young man Timothy had been well taught in the Scriptures from his earliest years and now it was his responsibility to protect the truth committed to him. The need is still with us today for there are those who would turn away from the "pattern of sound words".

COURAGE

Joshua had to go in and "possess the land". To do so he must drive out those who were already in possession, and this involved conflict which, in turn, demanded courage. "Be strong and very courageous" was the word of the Lord (Josh. 1:7) and the people echoed these words as they answered Joshua, "... only be strong and of a good courage" (Josh. 1:18). Courage is essential in the service of God, and the true source from which this can be drawn is from the Master Himself. Israel's enemies were "flesh and blood" but "our wrestling is not against flesh and blood, but against the principalities, against the powers, against the world-rulers of 'this darkness, against the spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places" (Eph. 6:12). We need the "whole armour of God" as we face these terrible foes but take comfort in the knowledge that our God is greater than all. Paul wrote about "the mystery of lawlessness" which "doth already work" (2 Thess. 2:7). Witnessing in the gospel may bring ridicule. Testifying to and standing for the Truth sometimes brings opposition and involves cost but the Lord said, "Lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world" (Mat. 28:20). What courage must have been given to Paul when he heard those gracious words "Be not afraid, but speak, and hold not thy peace: for I am with thee, and no man shall set on thee to harm thee:

for I have much people in this city" (Acts 18:10). The fruit of the work of the Holy Spirit was a great cheer to the apostle Paul as he suffered so many hardships for the sake of the Name. "He thanked God, and took courage". Let us do likewise.

IN CONCLUSION

When Joshua was an old man he must have reflected on the call that came to him on the death of Moses. How he would treasure the memory of the way God had led him and been faithful to His promises! Joshua could look back on a life full of service as have many of those who have laboured for the Lord. He bought up the opportunity that life had afforded him. "As for me and my house, we will serve the LORD" (Josh. 24:15) epitomized his determination in life. We shall be wise if we take care not to let the days s1ip by, but emulate Joshua's example.

* J.R. Luck, "God is Faithful" (Hayes Press).

R. Hickling, Nottingham, U.K. | Feb 1985
Spiritual Lessons From Joshua