Today’s passage of Scripture is from the Old Testament. Moses had now died and the Lord chose Joshua to take his place and to lead the children of Israel into the Promised Land. So, these are God’s specific instructions to Joshua, but we can still learn from this passage, for it has lessons for us still today which are repeated for us in the New Testament, in one way or another.
Joshua 1:6-9 ESV
“Be strong and courageous, for you shall cause this people to inherit the land that I swore to their fathers to give them. Only be strong and very courageous, being careful to do according to all the law that Moses my servant commanded you. Do not turn from it to the right hand or to the left, that you may have good success wherever you go. This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success. Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”
When the Lord Jesus leads us in a direction that he wants us
to go, he encourages us to not be afraid, and especially to not fear any
opposition against us. We are not to fear those who will malign us because we
follow Jesus Christ with our lives. But whatever our Lord teaches us we are to
share with others. And we are not to fear being persecuted for righteousness’
sake. And so we are to fan into flame the gift of God within us and not give
way to fear. And we are to walk by faith and not by sight.
[Matthew 5:10-12; Matthew 10:16-28; Matthew 24:9-14; Luke
6:22-23; Luke 21:12-17; John 15:18-21; Philippians 1:12-14; 2 Timothy 1:6-7; 1
Peter 3:13-17; Revelation 2:9-10; Acts 23:11; 2 Corinthians 5:6-10]
Joshua was to be strong and courageous, for he was to cause
this people to inherit the land that God swore to their fathers to give them.
And what is our inheritance if we follow Jesus with our lives? It is our
salvation from sin and our eternal life with God in heaven. And if we are
sharing the gospel of our salvation with others, it is for the very purpose
that they will inherit the kingdom of God/of heaven. But this is why it is
critical that we are sharing the full gospel message and not a half-truth
gospel so popular today.
[Matt 5:13-16; Matt 28:18-20; Lu 9:23-26; Jn 4:31-38; Jn
13:13-17; Jn 14:12; Acts 1:8; Acts 26:18; Rom 10:14-15; 1 Pet 2:9,21; 1 Jn 2:6]
In their journey to their “Promised Land,” all of them, not
just Joshua, were to be careful to do according to all the law that Moses, the
Lord’s servant, had commanded them. And we, as followers of Jesus Christ, in
our journey to our eternal inheritance are to obey our Lord’s commands (New
Covenant), and we are to be dying with him to sin daily and walking in holiness
and in righteousness and not in sin. And we are not to turn away from these walks
of faith in our Lord, but we are to be steadfast in them until the very end.
[Lu 9:23-26; Jn 8:51; Jn 14:15-24; Jn 15:10; Matt 7:21-23; 1
Jn 2:3-6,15-17; 1 Jn 3:4-10,24; 1 Jn 5:2-3; 2 Jn 1:6; Rom 2:6-8; Rom 6:1-23; Rom
8:1-14; Rom 12:1-2; Tit 2:11-14; Heb 5:9; 1 Pet 1:1-2; Jas 1:21-25; 1 Co
10:1-22; Heb 3:1-19; Heb 4:1-13; Php 2:12-13; Jn 10:27-30; Acts 5:32]
The Book of the Law was to not depart from their mouths, for
again, although these were God’s specific instructions to Joshua, we know from
reading the Old Testament that these were God’s instructions for all his
people. And they were to meditate on God’s Word day and night so that they
might be careful to do according to all that is written in it so that they
would be spiritually prosperous and successful as well as physically prosperous
and successful, for theirs was a physical journey to a physical place.
Ours is a spiritual journey but it involves the physical,
for we must go where our Lord sends us and do what he commands us to do. And we
are to obey the Scriptures that are for the church, the bride of Christ, which
are taught us by Jesus and by his New Testament apostles. And we are to verbalize
to others what we are learning, but we must be living what we speak to others,
too. And we should meditate on the Word of God, too, whether during the day or
in the night so that we might be careful to obey the Word of God.
[Rom 12:1-8; Rom 15:14; 1 Co
12:1-31; Eph 4:1-16; Eph 5:17-27; Php 2:1-8; Col 3:16; Heb 3:13; Heb
10:23-25]
The
Lord’s Anointed
An
Original Work / December 16, 2011
Based
off Isaiah 61
The Spirit of the Sov’reign Lord on me;
Anointed to preach the Good News;
Sent me to bind up the brokenhearted;
Proclaim freedom for the captives.
He sent me to preach release for pris’ners
Who are walking in sin’s darkness;
Proclaim God’s grace to all men who’ll listen;
And tell them about God’s judgments;
Comfort all who mourn;
Give crowns of beauty;
Oil of gladness and thanksgiving.
They will be called oaks of God’s righteousness,
A planting of our Savior, God,
For the display of our Lord’s splendor, and
They will rebuild God’s holy church.
God will renew them, and will restore them,
And you’ll be called priests of the Lord.
You will be ministers of our God, and
You will rejoice in salvation.
The Lord loves justice;
He is faithful to
Reward those who are seeking Him.
I delight greatly in the Lord;
My soul rejoices in my Savior, God.
He has clothed me with His salvation,
And in a robe of His righteousness.
He has given me priestly garments to wear,
As the bride of Jesus Christ.
As the garden of our Lord and Savior,
He causes us to grow in Him.
He makes righteousness,
Praise, and thanksgiving
Spring up before all the nations.
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