Barry Metz 01/01/17

Facing the Challenges of a New YearJoshua 1:1-9

This morning we stand on the threshold of a brand new year--a brand new year full of possibilities, a new year full of opportunities, a new year full of challenges.

Let me take some vital signs up front. Where are you this morning as we think about a brand new year ahead? Where are you when we contemplate the gift of 365 days in 2017? Are you stoked about what’s coming down the pike? Are you optimistic about the year ahead? Are you on your tippy toes scanning the horizon for all the good news that might come your way? Or are you a bit more melancholy as you think about 2017 and wonder if it will be filled with difficulties and trials? Perhaps some of you when you think about 2017, imagine storm clouds filling the horizon.

Well the series we begin this morning in Joshua has the potential to encourage each of us no matter what 2017 brings our way. The counsel God gives Joshua as he is commissioned to lead the people of Israel into the Promised Land is the very same counsel that you and I need as we face the possibilities, the opportunities, and the challenges of 2017.

We, like Joshua, need a reminder to be strong and courageous because God will be with us.

And, we, like Joshua, need a reminder to keep God’s word at the very center of our lives so that we can readily obey it.

Those are our points of application up front. Let’s see them play out in the text. If you have your bibles, let’s begin reading in Joshua chapter 1, verse 1.

1 After the death of Moses the servant of YAHWEH, YAHWEH said to Joshua the son of Nun, Moses’ assistant, 2 “Moses my servant is dead. Now therefore arise, go over this Jordan, you and all this people, into the land that I am giving to them, to the people of Israel. 3 Every place that the sole of your foot will tread upon I have given to you, just as I promised to Moses. 4 From the wilderness and this Lebanon as far as the great river, the river Euphrates, all the land of the Hittites to the Great Sea toward the going down of the sun shall be your territory. 5 No man shall be able to stand before you all the days of your life. Just as I was with Moses, so I will be with you. I will not leave you or forsake you. 6 Be strong and courageous, for you shall cause this people to inherit the land that I swore to their fathers to give them. 7 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. 8 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 

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that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success. 9 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.” 

___________

The first phrase of verse 1 …After the death of Moses beckons us to spend a little bit of time reviewing the story of God’s people up to the time when Moses died. What’s the story up to this point?

To review the story of God’s people we’ve got to go way back to Genesis 12 where God called Abraham the pagan out of the darkness of moon worship. I often forget that Abraham wasn’t your usual Sunday school attendee or Awana sparky. Abraham was probably a moon worshiper; we talked about that in our series in Genesis. God’s call of Abraham was pure grace and in calling Abraham God was up to something completely new. If we were to turn to Genesis 12 we’d be reminded that God promised Abraham that he would bless him and make him a blessing.1 In fact, God promised Abraham that in him all the families of the earth would be blessed. It was a staggering promise to a pagan moon worshiper. And you and I are here today the fulfillment of that promise. God also promised Abraham that he would give him descendants as many as the stars of the sky.2 Another staggering promise, don’t you think? And finally God promised Abraham a land3, a special place that he and his descendants could call home.

So God promised Abraham blessing, descendants and land. And as the story of God’s people unfold in the first five books of our bible, the promises given to Abraham begin to be fulfilled by God.

What about the promise of blessing? Well wherever Abraham went he was blessed and he was a blessing to others. What about the promise of descendants ? At the end of the book of Genesis, Abraham’s descendants numbered just 70 people.4

Well what about God’s promise of a land ? The only plots of land the Israelites owned in Canaan by the end of the book of Genesis were a small plot of land in Shechem that Jacob had purchased to pitch his tent on5 and a field with a cave near Hebron where Sarah and several of the other patriarchs were buried6. So in the book of Genesis, there’s not much progress in the fulfillment of God’s promise of a land for his people. But the book of Genesis does close with an

1 Genesis 12:2-32 Genesis 13:16;15:5; 17:4-63 Genesis 12:7; 13:14-15; 15:8-19; 17:8; 26:3,4,24; 28:3,4,13-15; 35:9-124 Exodus 1:55 Gen. 33:196 Genesis 23

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interesting scene related to God’s promise of a land for his people. The book of Genesis closes with Joseph—you know the 18 year old son of Jacob who wore the coat of many colors and ended up ruling over Egypt, second to Pharaoh—the book of Genesis closes with that Joseph clinging to God’s promise of the land. He’s 110 years old and he’s dying. And even though he lived in Egypt, even though he ruled over Egypt, and even though he had an Egyptian wife, as “he died his eyes were glued to another land which Yahweh had promised (his people)” 7 Joseph was so taken with God’s promise of a special land for his people—it was such a passion to him—that he made his relatives swear to take his bones to Canaan when it was time for God’s promise to be fulfilled.

I want you to see this curious little vignette with your own eyes. Let me put the last three verses from the book of Genesis on the screen.

{Now make a mental note of this picture—the picture of dying Joseph with his eyes glued to the Promised Land, making his relatives swear that they will finally carry his bones there. Why make a mental note of that? Because the book of Joshua is going to end with three funerals. And one of those funerals, believe it or not… is Joseph’s; at the end of the book of Joshua, after the passage of over 500 years8, Joseph’s bones are finally laid to rest in the Promised Land. We’ll look at that at the end of the message. But here’s the headline for this whole idea—God was faithful to fulfill his promises.

Well in the early chapters of the book of Exodus, Abraham’s descendants began to multiply9. And over the span of 430 years10 Abraham’s descendants became a nation, great, mighty, and populous.11 It’s believed that upward of 2-3 million of Abraham’s descendants exited Egypt in the Exodus.

7 Gen. 50:258 James Montgomery Boice9 Exodus 1:710Exodus 12:4011 Deuteronomy 26:5

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And as the nation of Israel prospered numbers wise in Egypt, the people were oppressed as slaves by a new Pharaoh. And God raised up Moses to lead the people out of slavery in Egypt. God appeared to Moses in Exodus 3. Let’s look at what he said to Moses, Exodus 3:7-8 on the screen:

God basically said, “It’s time….It’s time for the promise of land to be fulfilled…I’ve come down to deliver my people out of the hands of the Egyptians and to bring them up to a good and broad land, a land flowing with milk and honey.”

Now some suggest that the description of Canaan as a good and broad land, a land flowing with milk and honey is a theological point rather than an agricultural point.12 What do we mean by that? The idea is that Canaan, in the mind of God, is the “Garden of Eden, part 2”.13 Listen to some other verses from Deuteronomy describing the specialness of the land of Canaan…

9 and that you may live long in the land that the LORD swore to your fathers to give to them and to their offspring, a land flowing with milk and honey. 10 For the land that you are entering to take possession of it is not like the land of Egypt… 11 But the land that you are going over to possess is a land of hills and valleys, which drinks water by the rain from heaven, 12 a land that the LORD your God cares for. The eyes of the LORD your God are always upon it, from the beginning of the year to the end of the year. (Deuteronomy 11:9–12)

Given that description, doesn’t it seem that the Land of Canaan is Garden of Eden, part 2?

(Now take that thought—that Canaan is in reality the Garden of Eden Part 2-- and then think about how the New Heavens and Earth are described in Revelation 21-22…

It’s really clear that the New Heavens and New Earth of Revelation 21-22 have a kinship with the Garden of Eden…you’re reading along in Revelation 21 and the first few verses of 12 New Dictionary of Bible Theology13 New Dictionary of Bible Theology, “The oft repeated description of the land as ‘flowing with milk and honey reveals that the land which the Israelites are about to enter is a new paradise (Deut 6:3; 11:9-12; 26:9,15;27:3; 31:20; Exod. 3:8, 17; 13:5; 33:3; Lev. 20:24; Num. 13:27; 14:8; 16:13-14. The promise of land guarantees the restoration of intimacy with God in terms which recall the description of Eden.’”

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Revelation 22 and you run across details that were present in the Garden of Eden… and you get the feeling that there is this thing going on at the beginning of our bible and at the end of our bible and now it’s in the middle of our bible. You see “Place matters” in the theology of the bible and we’ll explore that theme more next week)

Well Moses led the people out of Egypt and they traveled to Mt Sinai. There God gave the people the Law and the instructions in the book of Leviticus. Following God’s lead the people eventually left Mt. Sinai and headed up to the Promised Land. At Kadesh Barnea they sent 12 spies into the land—you know the rest of the story, 10 said ‘No’ and 2 said “Go!” Joshua was one of those spies who said ‘We can do it’… ‘We should go’… God will help us….But the people rebelled and didn’t enter the land. Again I think you know the rest of the story—that whole generation was forced to wander in the wilderness for 40 years until everyone over 20 had died. Joshua was forced to attend a host of funerals over those 40 years.

(Now briefly fast forward to our story in Joshua 1, couldn’t we imagine that Joshua could carry some fear about leading this ‘redo’? You bet! Listen to what happened the last time he stood up to lead the people into the land of Canaan… this is Numbers 14:5-10

5 Then Moses and Aaron fell on their faces before all the assembly of the congregation of the people of Israel. (This was in response to the people saying ‘We won’t go into the land’)  6 And Joshua the son of Nun and Caleb the son of Jephunneh, who were among those who had spied out the land, tore their clothes 7 and said to all the congregation of the people of Israel, “The land, which we passed through to spy it out, is an exceedingly good land. 8 If the LORD delights in us, he will bring us into this land and give it to us, a land that flows with milk and honey. 9 Only do not rebel against the LORD. And do not fear the people of the land, for they are bread for us…..and what do you do with bread? You slice it, put butter on it and then cover it with Promised Land honey and then you eat it!...  Their protection is removed from them, and the LORD is with us; do not fear them.” Joshua gave an Oscar winning performance that day. But do you know what happened next? The people of Israel said, “Let’s stone him!” Don’t you imagine that Joshua had some fear as he contemplated leading this ‘do over’? You betcha.)

Well after wandering 40 years, Moses led the people to the plains of Moab…

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Notice the people of Israel are camped east of the Jordan River. And Moses delivers 3 speeches or sermons that form the lion’s share of Deuteronomy. { The reason why Deuteronomy has so much of the same material as Leviticus and Numbers is that by the time you get to Deuteronomy it’s a whole new generation. Moses is preaching to a completely different choir. They needed to hear the same content as the first generation}

Let’s look at one last passage to get us up to speed….the last chapter of Deuteronomy, Deuteronomy 34, the chapter immediately before Joshua 1… Turn there if you would…Follow with me as I begin in Deuteronomy 34, verse 1

Then Moses went up from the plains of Moab to Mount Nebo, to the top of Pisgah, which is opposite Jericho. 

(So here’s the view from Mt. Nebo. Moses could really see along way into the land of Canaan in every direction. )

And the LORD showed him all the land, Gilead (the name of the land in the Jordan valley east of the river) as far as Dan (often considered the northern boundary of Israel), 2 all Naphtali, the land of Ephraim and Manasseh, all the land of Judah as far as the western sea, 3 the Negeb 

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(the south), and the Plain, that is, the Valley of Jericho the city of palm trees, as far as Zoar. 4 And the LORD said to him, “This is the land of which I swore to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, ‘I will give it to your offspring.’ I have let you see it with your eyes, but you shall not go over there.” 5 So Moses the servant of the LORD died there in the land of Moab, according to the word of the LORD, 6 and he buried him in the valley in the land of Moab opposite Beth-peor; but no one knows the place of his burial to this day. 7 Moses was 120 years old when he died. His eye was undimmed, and his vigor unabated. 8 And the people of Israel wept for Moses in the plains of Moab thirty days. Then the days of weeping and mourning for Moses were ended. 

9 And Joshua the son of Nun was full of the spirit of wisdom, for Moses had laid his hands on him. So the people of Israel obeyed him and did as the LORD had commanded Moses. And then in verses 10-12… we have this eulogy of Moses which paints him as bigger than life…. 10 And there has not arisen a prophet since in Israel like Moses, whom the LORD knew face to face, 11 none like him for all the signs and the wonders that the LORD sent him to do in the land of Egypt, to Pharaoh and to all his servants and to all his land, 12 and for all the mighty power and all the great deeds of terror that Moses did in the sight of all Israel. 

The books of Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy have been dominated by one human figure—Moses. “For 40 years Moses has been the constant factor, the mediator, and deliverer of his people—always there, always dependable, a man who spoke face to face with God. And now he has died.”14

And so finally……do do do do do! …..the book of Joshua begins in verse 1…. After the death of Moses the servant of the LORD, the LORD said to Joshua the son of Nun, Moses’ assistant…

Notice God is speaking directly to Joshua at this point just like he spoke to Moses. And it’s pretty clear that God desires to communicate to the people of Israel that just as He was with Moses, he will be with Joshua..that inn effect, Joshua is Moses, part 2.

Well notice in verse 1 how Moses is described as the ‘servant of the LORD’ and Joshua is described as ‘Moses’ assistant’. The title “servant of the LORD” is reserved for a select few men in the Old Testament—Moses, David, and then at the end of the book of Joshua, Joshua himself is finally given the title (Joshua 24:29)15

14 Jackman D, Joshua: People of God’s Purpose15 Howard, D. M., Jr. (1998). Joshua (Vol. 5, p. 72). Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers.

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What do we know about Joshua, Moses’ aide? He was from the tribe of Ephraim.16 His name was originally Hoshea which means “salvation”. Moses renamed him or called him Joshua which means ‘Yahweh is salvation.’17 Joshua is the first person in the Bible to be explicitly given a name that incorporates God’s holy, personal name, “Yahweh.”18 In Greek, Joshua is the name Jesus. When we meet him at this point in the journey—as he transitions to lead the people-- he is around 85 years old. {So he was born as a slave in Egypt and spent 45 years there, he then spent 40 years wandering in the Wilderness, and he will spend the last 25 years of his life leading the people of Israel in capturing and settling the Promised Land}19

Joshua was the general who fought the Amalekites in Exodus 17; Aaron and Hur held up Moses’ arms but Joshua led the fighting. In Exodus 24, Joshua traveled up Mt. Sinai with Moses and the elders when Moses went up on the mountain for 40 days and 40 nights. In Exodus 33, Joshua was put in charge of the ‘tabernacle’ when the idolatry of the people caused the tabernacle to be moved outside the camp.20 In Numbers 11, upon discovering two unauthorized men prophesying in the camp, Joshua dutifully and loyally reported this information to Moses. In Numbers 27 21 and then again in Deuteronomy 31 22 Joshua was publicly commissioned as Moses’ replacement. He was known as a man in whom (was) the Spirit23 and as one who followed the Lord wholeheartedly.24

Well look at verses 2-4…

2 “Moses my servant is dead. Now therefore arise, go over this Jordan, you and all this people, into the land that I am giving to them, to the people of Israel. 3 Every place that the sole of your foot will tread upon I have given to you, just as I promised to Moses. 4 From the wilderness and this Lebanon as far as the great river, the river Euphrates, all the land of the Hittites to the Great Sea toward the going down of the sun shall be your territory.

Let’s highlight two things in verses 2-4.

First, we want to highlight two different uses of the word ‘give’ in verses 2-3.

16 Nun is an Ephraimite (Num 13:8) Joshua’s father’s name was “Nun.” Nothing is known of his father except for his lineage: 1 Chr 7:20–29 gives a list of descendants of Ephraim and some of their holdings; Joshua and Nun are mentioned in v. 27.17 Numbers 13:1618 Howard, D. M., Jr. (1998). Joshua (Vol. 5, p. 73). Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers.19 He died at 110, Joshua 24:2920 Exodus 33:1121 Numbers 27:15-2322 Deut. 31:1-823 Numbers 27:1824 Numbers 32:12

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Look at verse 2…Do you see the phrase ‘into the land ‘I am giving to them’?

Now look at verse 3….Every place…your foot will tread upon I have given to you

In one sense God was still in the process of giving Israel the land. But in another sense God had already given Israel the land—the complete act of giving the land was in view. It’s as though Israel already possessed legal title to the land but they were awaiting God’s timing for the actual possession.25 We could say it this way, “Israel was given title to the land but they still had to possess it”26 There is a strong parallel here for us in our sanctification. Just as God has done all the work in Israel’s case… “he has assured them that the land is theirs….He will fight for them….yet they must obey….they must take possession of what has been given to them, remembering always that their doing so is entirely the work of God on their behalf.”27 In a New Testament context, you and I are to work out our own salvation, Philippians 2:12, because it is God who works in us, Phil. 2:13. We work because God works in us.

Secondly, we want to point out that verse 4 gives us a very general description of the Promised Land. 4 From the wilderness (that would be the desert in the south) and this Lebanon (that would be the north) as far as the great river, the river Euphrates (that would be the east) all the land of the Hittites to the Great Sea (the Mediteranean )toward the going down of the sun (that would be the west) shall be your territory.

It’s interesting that the scriptures describe the extent of the Promised Land in a host of ways. Sometime it’s described simply as the land from ‘Dan to Beersheba’-- Dan in the north to Beersheba in the south. Other times three or four landmarks delineate the Promised Land like we see it here in verse 4.28 One of the most complete descriptions of the Promised Land is given in Numbers 34:1-12.

On the back of your sermon notes you’ll see an artist’s representation of the land given the landmarks in Numbers 34:1-12 and you’ll see an artist’s representation of the extent of Saul’s, David’s and Solomon’s kingdom from the ESV Study bible. Under Solomon, ‘Canaan’ extended further than any other time.

Look at verse 5…5 No man shall be able to stand before you all the days of your life. Just as I was with Moses, so I will be with you. I will not leave you or forsake you. 

25 Howard, D. M., Jr. (1998). Joshua (Vol. 5, p. 76). Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers.26 Kaiser, The Promised Land: A Biblical-Historical View27 “Land”, New Dictionary of Biblical Theology28 Genesis 15:18; Exodus 23:31; Numbers 13:21; Deut. 11:24; 1 Kings 8:65 (2 Chron. 7:8); 2 Kings 14:25; Isaiah 27:12

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As we said earlier, the text presents Joshua as Moses, part 2, the New Moses. Just as God was with Moses, so he will be with Joshua

■Just as Moses urged the people of Israel to obey the Torah, Joshua will urge the people of Israel to obey the Torah.

■Just as Moses sent spies into the Promised Land, Joshua will send spies into the Promised Land and it will go much better.

■Just as the Red Sea parted for Moses, the Jordan River will part for Joshua.■Just as Moses celebrated the Passover before the Exodus, Joshua will celebrate the Passover

before crossing the Jordan River■Just as Moses met God in Exodus 3 and had to take off his shoes, Joshua will meet with God

in Joshua 5 and have to take off his shoes. ■Just as Moses gave three speeches at the end of his life in Deuteronomy, so Joshua will give

three speeches at the end of his life29

Just as I was with Moses, so I will be with you. I will not leave you or forsake you. 

Follow along as I read verses 6-9…

6 Be strong and courageous, for you shall cause this people to inherit the land that I swore to their fathers to give them. 7 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. 8 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. 9 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.” 

Notice the word ‘inherit’ in verse 6. It’s a rich theological word that bridges from the Old Testament across to the New Testament. Just as the people of Israel would one day inherit the Promised Land, a place of rest, I Peter 1:3-4 tells us that God has caused us to be born again to a living hope …to an inheritance…kept in heaven for (us).

Notice also the repetition of the phrase be strong and courageous in verses 6 and 7 and then in verse 9.

What’s the basis for Joshua being challenged to be strong and courageous in our text?

29 This list comes From a sermon by Richard Coekin, “Leaders We Follow” (Joshua 1) and Joshua Bible Project Video

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What’s the basis for you and I to be strong and courageous when we’re faced with a bigger than life challenge? Or in the face of a difficult medical prognosis? Or when storm clouds cover the horizon? Or we face a problem that seems unsolvable? Or our aching singleness never seems to end? Are we to grit our teeth?Are we to screw up our courage? Are we to think positive edifying thoughts?

I think the answer is found in verse 9… 9 Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed….why? Here’s the basis for being strong and courageous… for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.” 

You and I, like Joshua, need a reminder to be strong and courageous as we walk into 2017 because God will be with us.

We need to be strong and courageous for He is with us!

This is no small theme in the scriptures.

God promised to be with Gideon… The LORD is with you O mighty man of valor!” (Judges 6:12)

God promised to be with David…. O LORD, how many are my foes! Many are rising against me; many are saying of my soul, there is no salvation for him in God…But you are a shield about me (Psalm 3:1-3)

God promised to be with Moses… Who am I to talk to Pharaoh? I will be with you. (Exodus 3:12

God promised to be with Jeremiah… Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you (Jer. 1:8)

God promised to be with the people in Haggai the prophet’s time… Be strong…work…for I am with you (Haggai 2:4)

Jesus promised to be with the disciples when he challenged them to go throughout the world and make disciples… I am with you always, to the end of the age (Matthew 28:20)

And God promises to be with us… Hebrews 13:5-6…5 Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for (WHY? HERE’S THE REASON WHY?) he has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” 6 So we can confidently say, “The Lord is my helper; I will not fear; what can man do to me?” 

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The promise of God’s abiding presence is for us as we move into 2017. And his presence is the solution to the sin of covetousness and discontent, which in turn leads to the great freedom of life without fear! You see there is nothing more essential for the people of God than to hear their God repeating to them amid all their changing circumstances, ‘I will be with you’ or ‘I will not forsake you.’30

We need to be strong and courageous for He is with us!

So as we stand here on the threshold of a brand new year—lots of possibilities, lots of opportunities, perhaps lots of challenges—we need to be reminded that God is with us, he is our helper, we have no need to fear! We should expect his presence daily! We should cry out for his grace daily! We should strengthen ourselves with the strength of His might daily!31 We should live in utter dependence on him!

We need to be strong and courageous for He is with us!

Secondly, God tells Joshua and us that we need to put God’s word at the center of our lives

7 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. 8 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.

What does verse 7 tell us? ….that keeping the Law would be the key to Joshua’s success. Given that Joshua was going to be fighting lots of battles in the near future, I’ve always found it a little bit striking that God’s instructions to Joshua are not about military matters. The point it seems is that Joshua really needed to fight only one battle—the battle to stay close to God –and he needed to leave all the other battles to God.

We can generalize that truth for you and me. When faced with lots of battles to fight, the main battle we need to fight is the battle to walk closely with God. And we leave all the rest of the battles to him.

And what will happen to Joshua if he doesn’t turn from the Law of Moses to the right hand or the left? He will have good success wherever he goes. What a promise!!! He will have good success wherever he goes!!! Can we apply that promise to our lives? (Hold that question)

30 Davis, D. R. (2000). Joshua: No Falling Words (pp. 18–19). Scotland: Christian Focus Publications.31 Ephesians 6:10

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Well God elaborates on his instructions in verse 8… 8 This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth….we should be muttering Gods commands, we should be talking about them, you should be reading them, they should be the topic of your conversations with others…. but you shall meditate on it day and night…when we meditate the bible way, we don’t empty our mind and think on nothing, put our fingers together and go ‘ooommmm’...No, we focus on:

God himself (Psalm 63:6 when I remember you upon my bed, and meditate on you in the watches of the night)…or we focus on…

God’s works (Psalm 77:12 I will ponder all your work, and meditate on your mighty deeds) …or we focus on…

God’s law (Joshua 1:8 This book of the Law..you shall meditate on it day and night)…

Thomas Watson, a puritan scholar defined meditation as a “holy exercise of the mind, whereby we bring the truths of God to remembrance, and do seriously ponder upon them, and apply them to ourselves.” In other words, to meditate is (1) to remember God’s truths, (2) to think deeply upon them, and (3) to apply them to one’s life.32

Watson said, “A good Christian is a meditating one….a Christian without meditation is like a soldier without arms or a workman without tools.” In other words, meditation is the instrument that enables the Christian to carry out his task. A soldier with no weapon is no soldier; he is merely a civilian. In the same way, it is not enough for a workman to know his trade; he must also have the necessary tools to carry out his tasks in order to bear the name workman.33

Another author writes this…

As we meditate upon God’s Word, there comes a fresh understanding which heals and cleanses our minds, which feeds and satisfies our souls and which quickens and strengthens our spirits. As the ideas and words of men swirl around us, we will know that we have found ‘a place of quiet rest’ where we can say with all humility, ‘God spoke to me today.’ This is how we get to know God.

Meditation is the digestive faculty of the soul. It is like a cow chewing its cud. All day long a cow gathers the grass and stores it in the large storage stomach. Then evening falls and the cow lies down to chew its cud—it ruminates. Lumps of grass are brought up from the storage stomach and are chewed and swallowed again, being absorbed and digested in the other stomachs. There has been reception, deglutition, regurgitation, insalivation, mastication, ingestion, digestion and absorption! That is rumination! The black cow eats green grass and produces white milk and yellow butter. The grass has been absorbed into her system, has become part of 32 Neimeyer, J. C. (2010). Thomas Watson: The Necessity of Meditation. Puritan Reformed Journal Volume 2, 2(1), 171.33 Neimeyer, J. C. (2010). Thomas Watson: The Necessity of Meditation. Puritan Reformed Journal Volume 2, 2(1), 173.

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her life and results in ongoing fruitfulness. People eat and drink and are strengthened by what that cow has absorbed and given away. Every growing Christian is a ruminating being!34

This book of the law shall not depart from your mouth but you shall meditate on it day and nightso 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.

“According to the bible, the secret to success (in 2017) is to know God’s word, speak about it, meditate on it, and then above all do it”35 Can we clear the deck and focus there?

Well…I asked if we could apply God’s promise to Joshua to our lives? Psalm 1 answers that question with a big YES!

Psalm 1 (ESV) 

1 Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, 

     nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers; 2  but his delight is in the law of the LORD, 

and on his law he meditates day and night. 3 He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither. In all that he does, he prospers. 4 The wicked are not so, but are like chaff that the wind drives away. 5 Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous; 6 for the LORD knows the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish. 

Joshua 1 and Psalm 1 alike tell us that a life pleasing to God does not arise from mystical experiences or warm feelings or from a new gimmick advocated in a current release from one of our evangelical publishers; no, it comes from the word God has already spoken and from obedience to that word.36

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Epilogue

34 Peckham, C. N. (2007). Joshua: a devotional commentary (pp. 60–61). Leominster, UK: Day One Publications.35 James Montgomery Boice36 Davis, D. R. (2000). Joshua: No Falling Words (pp. 19–20). Scotland: Christian Focus Publications.

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Three more ideas and then we’ll pray…

Here’s a proposed outline for the book of Joshua. Simple enough.

Here is the theme for the book again straight from the ESV Study Bible

You’ll notice I’ve highlighted the words redemption, redeemed, and rest. I appreciate this theme for the book of Joshua so much because it headlines the idea that there was a work of redemption in the Old Testament as well as the work of redemption we know so well in the New Testament. And given Jesus’ words to the two disciples on the road to Emmaus—that everything written about (him) in the Law of Moses and the prophets and the psalms must be fulfilled—as we walk through our series in Joshua we want to highlight the shadows we see, the seeds we see that ultimately point to Jesus.

This whole book is about Jesus and we want to look for him in the book of Joshua.

Finally…the book of Joshua closes with three funerals

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Turn me with me to the last chapter of Joshua….we’ll begin reading in verse 29….

29 After these things Joshua the son of Nun, the servant of the LORD, died, being 110 years old. 30 And they buried him in his own inheritance at Timnath-serah, which is in the hill country of Ephraim, north of the mountain of Gaash.

31 Israel served the LORD all the days of Joshua, and all the days of the elders who outlived Joshua and had known all the work that the LORD did for Israel.

32 As for the bones of Joseph, which the people of Israel brought up from Egypt, they buried them at Shechem, in the piece of land that Jacob bought from the sons of Hamor the father of Shechem for a hundred pieces of money. It became an inheritance of the descendants of Joseph.

33 And Eleazar the son of Aaron died, and they buried him at Gibeah, the town of Phinehas his son, which had been given him in the hill country of Ephraim.

Joshua, Joseph and Elieazer were buried in the Promised Land….each tombstone a billboard that God had been faithful to his promises.

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