Be strong and brave believer, God is with you
Text Joshua 1:1-9 Time 10 05 20 Place Childs Hill Baptist Church (Zoom)
I thought we could begin this evening a series of studies in the Book of Joshua. Joshua is the sixth book of the Bible. It follows on from the Pentateuch, the first five books. It literally begins And or Now after the death of Moses - it is meant to follow straight on from what went before.
This is the book you first hear about in Sunday School with the story of the Battle of Jericho and so on. It takes us from the entrance into the Promised Land through to the completion of the conquest and sets us up then for what happens after Joshua dies which is found in the Book of Judges.
Now the anonymous writer of the book did not simply write the history of those times, he wrote with purpose. He is seeking to teach lessons. So for example
1. He wants us to remember that God always fulfils his promises
2. That we are constantly being confronted by the question of which way to go (Think of the difference between Caleb and Achan and their choices)
3. It reminds us that with God victory is certain. We must look to him.
4. In this book we see the little by little principle. Back in Exodus 23:28-30 God says I will send the hornet ahead of you to drive the Hivites, Canaanites and Hittites out of your way. But I will not drive them out in a single year, because the land would become desolate and the wild animals too numerous for you. Little by little I will drive them out before you, until you have increased enough to take possession of the land. God wants to grow in grace day by day.
What are we to make of this book in our day? Surely it is significant that the book has the name of our Saviour. We say Jesus rather than Joshua but it is the same name. Joshua is the first man we know to have the name of God incorporated into his name. His name means the LORD saves. It is surely significant that Moses who stands for the law did not and could not bring the people into the kingdom. No, it was Joshua Jesus who did that. There is a lesson already. In Hebrews 4:7-11 it says
God again set a certain day, calling it "Today." This he did when a long time later he spoke through David, as in the passage already quoted: "Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts." For if Joshua had given them rest, God would not have spoken later about another day. There remains, then, a Sabbath-rest for the people of God; for anyone who enters God's rest also rests from their works, just as God did from his. Let us, therefore, make every effort to enter that rest, so that no one will perish by following their example of disobedience.
Joshua gave the people a sort of rest but not the rest the Bible is mainly interested in. No, that Sabbath rest comes when we rest from our own works (as God did from his on that first Sabbath) and trust in the Lord Jesus Christ.
In the Book of Joshua we have a picture of how in Jesus Christ we can enter into rest from sin. The picture is not so much of crossing Jordan and entering heaven (as the hymns love to put it) but crossing Jordan and living the Christian life. In some senses living as a Christian is a battle and here we learn something about it.
Peter Jeffery puts it well. He asks why in 1941 London was being bombed but not Paris. The reason was that Paris was occupied but London was not. In the same way, Satan has little need to attack the unbeliever but he will often attack the believer. The Christian life is a victorious life but it does involve being in a war against the forces of evil.
What I would like to do this evening is to look at the first nine verses of the book. In these verses the scene is set and God speaks to Joshua. Three times the phrase is repeated (6, 7, 9) Be strong and courageous. Of course, the words are addressed to Joshua but they are words for us too tonight if we are in the Lord Jesus Christ. Four things then
1. See that leaders don't go on forever; when one passes, another must take the work forward
The Book begins After the death of Moses the servant of the LORD, the LORD said to Joshua son of Nun, Moses' aide: 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. It was a significant moment. You remember that God let all that generation that came out of Egypt die (all except Joshua and Caleb) because of their disobedience. Even Moses had to die because of his failure. Now he was dead they could begin to enter the Promised Land. Perhaps Joshua was nervous, however, he had been number two but now as had long been planned he was the leader at a critical juncture. God speaks to reassure him. Two things for us here then.
1. Moses and other leaders don't go on forever
After the death of Moses the servant of the LORD, the LORD said to Joshua son of Nun, Moses' aide: Moses my servant is dead. This was not news but a statement of the situation. Imagine how apprehensive the people may have been feeling. All they had never known was Moses's leadership and now he was gone. Calvin says they were like a body with the head lopped off.
We have just been noting the 75th anniversary of V-E Day. You know that Winston Churchill ws the leader of the country at that time and his popularity had never been higher and yet in the election in 1945 his party was voted out and in came Labour under Clement Attlee. I'm sure many were apprehensive. What were these newbies going to do? How would they handle it?
Of course, now we know that Labour brought in the NHS and that is often celebrated on all sides. In a similar way we know that Joshua was a successful and effective leader. At this point, however, all that was unknown.
I remember when my own pastor died years ago. Realising he was gone was so devastating. It was similar when Dr Lloyd-Jones died. I remember a minister saying he felt not bereaved but bereft. Again it happened for me when Robert Sheehan the pastor at Welwyn died.
The thing is that leaders pass on One day it won't be me preaching here. One day I will die and others will carry the work on. God's leaders do not last forever.
2. When one passes, another must replace him as happens here with Joshua
This follows on. Now then, God says 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. I will give you every place where you set your foot, as I promised Moses. Your territory will extend from the desert to Lebanon, and from the great river, the Euphrates - all the Hittite country - to the Mediterranean Sea in the west.
This is not the end of the story. Far from it. It is the beginning rather. And so when an older leader is removed and a new one comes in under God this is the way to see it.
Further, when a person becomes a Christian, it is good news not bad. He is no longer under the law as he was but under Christ, which is far better. The Christian life has begun and it is now all about living to the glory of God. Our work now is to overcome the sins that remain and to live to God's glory. Do notice also that word give. The Lord is about to give the people the Promised Land. They would have to fight but it is God's gift. The Christian life is by grace but to enjoy it you must struggle and fight.
In one sense who leads is unimportant. What matters is the God who gives good things. Matthew Henry notes how God will change hands often to remind us that he is in charge. Look to him.
The continuity here arises from the fact that Joshua is carrying on what Moses began. In a similar way, nothing in the law contradicts the gospel. We carry on in the same direction but by grace.
2. Hear this call to be strong and brave with the promise of invincibility and God 's nearness
In verses 5-9 we have these three calls to be strong and brave. Each time the call is accompanied by a promise. In verses 5 and 6 the promise comes first and then the command. Although we are not all called to be leaders, if we are Christians then we are to live out the Christian life strong and brave in Christ. So
1. Hear this promise of invincibility and God's nearness
In verse 5 the promise is of invincibility and of God's nearness. 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.
If we belong to Jesus Christ then we are invincible in him. No one will be able to stand against you all the days of your life. As Paul puts it - if God is for us who can be against us?
It is like
Psalm 91:11-13 For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways; they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone. You will tread on the lion and the cobra; you will trample the great lion and the serpent.
Isaiah 54:17 No weapon forged against you will prevail, and you will refute every tongue that accuses you. This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, and this is their vindication from me, declares the LORD.
Be encouraged then. And then the nearness of the Lord. As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake you. This is how David spoke to Solomon too saying Be strong and courageous, and do the work. Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the LORD God, my God, is with you. He will not fail you or forsake you until all the work for the service of the temple of the LORD is finished. In John 8:28, 29 Jesus says When you have lifted up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am he and that I do nothing on my own but speak just what the Father has taught me. The one who sent me is with me; he has not left me alone, for I always do what pleases him. What Jesus knew we too can know through him. In Hebrews 13:5 it says to God's people Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, "Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you."
2. Hear this call to be strong and brave
It goes on (6) Be strong and courageous, because you will lead these people to inherit the land I swore to their ancestors to give them. Again the verse applies directly to Joshua but it shows us how we ought to be in Christ. The promises of God giving and being present do not encourage us to be complacent or lazy. Rather we should be active - strong and brave, looking to the Lord. The inheritance is ours, if we will only be stand up and be counted and live the Christian life with fortitude and courage.
3. Hear this call to be strong and brave and immersed in God's Word with the promise of prosperity and success
This time the order is command promise
1. Hear this repeated and strengthened call to be strong and brave
Verse 7 repeats and strengthens the call Be strong and very courageous. We have got to stand up for Jesus and take our courage in our hands and live for Jesus.
2. Hear this call to be immersed in God's Word
With this in the rest of verse 7 and in verse 8 this being strong and courageous is fleshed out in a specific way. It says Be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses gave you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, ... 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.
First there is the general point. Yes, Moses is dead but his words live on. Be careful to recall those words and to act upon them. When you become a Christian you are no longer under the Law but do not abandon the Law. Rather, Be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses gave you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left. In particular, God speaks about the Book of the Law which was then the first Five Books of the Bible, the Pentateuch but that would become the Hexateuch and eventually the whole Old Testament then Old and New Testaments -the Bible. Three things for Joshua and by implication for all of us who are resting In Christ
Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips. Keep reading it, keep learning it. Don't neglect it. Try and read it every day. Get to know it.
Meditate on it day and night. Simply reading it is not enough. We need to think about it, meditate on it. Immerse yourself in its message. Let it permeate deep into you.
So that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Again, simply reading and thinking about it is not enough. You need to put it into practice. Take care to do that. $ Remember James's story about the man looking in the mirror. When he looks in the mirror he can see he toothpaste on his mouth and egg on his tie and he needs to sort it out but when he turns from the mirror he quickly forgets what he has seen and does nothing about it. What good is that? We need to gaze into the Word to see what we are really like and then act on what we learn.
I read recently of a Hindu Temple, Ajata Nagalingaswami in Navalgund, Dharwad, Karnataka, South India. There they offer flowers and light lamps before an idol. The strange thing about this idol is that it a copy of the Bible. Temple head Veerendra Swami told The Hindu that the copy of the Bible in Kannada was published by a Committee of the Missionaries of Germans, London, and Wesleyan Missionary Societies and printed at Mangalore in 1865. This truly is bibliolatry. Christians are sometimes accused of this but reading, meditating and living it out is not that.
3. Hear this promise of prosperity and success
As for the promise, it is repeated. 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. ... and then 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. We are not talking about worldly prosperity and success but true prosperity and success - peace and jpy and all things good. The key to it is in a determined and brave living oput of what is found in God's Word. Let's live like this.
4. Hear this call to be strong, brave and unafraid and the promise of God constant nearness
Verse 9 is mostly repetition
1. Hear the call to be strong and brave with its negative call not to be afraid or discouraged
Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged ... On the third repetition rather than strengthening the expression, God simply gives it in negative as well as positive form.
So, believer, positively, as we have said already Be strong and courageous. Stand firm, keep believing. Be brave. Don't let it worry you what they say against you.
Negatively, don't be afraid. Don't get downhearted. It is so easy to get like that, especially facing what we are facing at the moment. But don't - be strong, be brave.
2. Hear this repeated promise of God's constant nearness
And then for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go. It doesn't matter what happens, where we find ourselves, God will be with us. That is the greatest thing about being a believer - the withness of God, as it has been put.
Remember Joseph. His brothers sold him as a slave. Wat a disaster. But (Genesis 39:1-4)
Now Joseph had been taken down to Egypt. Potiphar, an Egyptian who was one of Pharaoh's officials, the captain of the guard, bought him from the Ishmaelites who had taken him there. The LORD was with Joseph so that he prospered, and he lived in the house of his Egyptian master. When his master saw that the LORD was with him and that the LORD gave him success in everything he did, Joseph found favour in his eyes and became his attendant. Potiphar put him in charge of his household, and he entrusted to his care everything he owned.
But then Joseph for no fault of his own and was put in prison. But it happens again (Genesis 39:20-23) But while Joseph was there in the prison, the LORD was with him; he showed him kindness and granted him favor in the eyes of the prison warden. So the warden put Joseph in charge of all those held in the prison, and he was made responsible for all that was done there. The warden paid no attention to anything under Joseph's care, because the LORD was with Joseph and gave him success in whatever he did.
Or think of what happened to Daniel's three friends and how they were thrown into the fiery furnace but even there God was with them. When Nebuchadnezzar looked in he could see one who looked like a son of the gods there with them in the fire.
If you are strong and courageous then be in do doubt that God will be with you whatever you face. Yes, the Devil and the world are against us and our own flesh but we will overcome sin and evil as we look to the Lord.
This is all really, of course, a repetition of Deuteronomy 31:6-8 Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the LORD your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Then Moses summoned Joshua and said to him in the presence of all Israel, Be strong and courageous, for you must go with this people into the land that the LORD swore to their ancestors to give them, and you must divide it among them as their inheritance. The LORD himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged. The Bible loves to repeat itself to make sure we get it. We are rather slow. Let's try to get it, however. Amen.
