Conquering the Promised Land
Moses was an exceptional man of faith who led the people of Israel out of their slavery in Egypt and guided them during their forty-year journey through the wilderness. But he was not the one to lead them across the Jordan into the Promised Land. Instead, that responsibility would fall on Joshua, the successor to Moses. Joshua was likely feeling nervous about the task that God gave him. Conquering the Promised Land wouldn’t be easy, and he wasn’t sure if the people would respect him as much as they respected Moses.
But then, in Joshua 1:7-9, God showed up to encourage and inspire Joshua as this next phase of his leadership began. God’s message was essentially a roadmap of what Joshua would need to do to be successful at the mission God was giving him (and the rest of the Israelites). When we study that message carefully, we see four main themes: 1. Be strong in battle, 2. Stay rooted in the Law of the Lord, 3. Dwell in the presence of God, and 4. Be willing to venture into the unknown. If Joshua could do those four things well, he would find success in the Promised Land.
Thankfully, despite the challenges ahead, Joshua was more ready than he realized.
One of my favorite things about Joshua’s story is the fact that God has been preparing and equipping Joshua for this moment all his life, even though Joshua might not have realized it at the time. If you go back and look at the previous times Joshua is mentioned in the Bible, God was training him in all four of these areas long before it was Joshua’s time to officially start leading the people.
1. Be Strong in Battle: In Exodus 17, Joshua led the people of Israel in the battle against the Amalekites and gained valuable experience as a military leader.
2. Stayed Rooted in the Law of the Lord: In Exodus 24, Joshua ascended Mt. Sinai with Moses as he received the tablets of the Law of the Lord. That experience solidified for Joshua how valuable the Word of God is.
3. Dwell in God’s Presence: In Exodus 33, Joshua was instructed to stay in God’s presence at the Tabernacle all day long. He learned how important it is to stay in God’s presence daily.
4. Venture into the Unknown. In Numbers 14, Joshua was selected as one of the twelve spies who entered Canaan to discover what it was like. And even though most of the other spies were paralyzed by doubt, Joshua chose faith over fear and encouraged Israel to be bold and courageous.
All along, God had been preparing Joshua for this moment. And all along, God has been preparing us, too. He has given us the experiences, spiritual gifts, and training we need to glorify God, love others, and make disciples. The only question is whether we are willing to rise to the occasion and pursue God’s purpose for our lives.
Blessings,
Bryan Fojtasek
