1. It is going into a land flowing with milk and honey, a land with grapevines too huge for one person to carry, a land of fortified cities and humongous people and coming out saying: “Let’s conquer it! It’s God’s promise land!” (Numbers 13 – 14:1-38)
Joshua was to lead the people of God into the Promise Land — Moses sinned against God and lost his privilege to enter the land — and even before he was tasked with the job of leading the Nation of Israel, he showcased unwavering trust in his God.
Growing up in church, I’ve always despised how foolish the Israelites were to doubt God’s supremacy in delivering to them a land that has been promised to their ancestors — way before they were in Egypt. Also, it never made sense to me how the people who lived through the 10 Plagues (Exodus 7-11), saw the parting of the Red Sea (Exodus 14), had quail and bread miraculously rain down on them IN THE DESERT (Exodus 16), drank water that was turned sweet by a piece of wood (Exodus 15:22-27), drank water that came from a rock (Exodus 17:1-7, Numbers 20:1-13), had God guide them through a “magical” pillar of cloud and pillar of fire (Exodus 13:21-22), among others, COULD ALL OF A SUDDEN FORGET HOW GREAT THEIR GOD IS!
Sadly, we, Saints, usually end up forgetting the amazing feats God has shown us, too. It’s just so much easier to see what’s in front of us and forget that there is a God waiting for us to simply trust Him!
What giant infested cities are you faced with conquering right now? Take it from Joshua, our God is SO MUCH BIGGER!
2. It is getting a whole nation to cross a HUGE RIVER at its FLOOD STAGE and letting the priests — not the more able bodied men who would have had better chances of surviving the rapids — to step into the waters first. (Joshua 3)
When the Israelites crossed the Red Sea, the Lord parted the waters FIRST before having them advance; however, when He wanted them to cross the flooding Jordan River, He did not part the waters UNTIL the priests stepped into them.
There is no other way to please God but through FAITH.
“And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to Him must believe that He exists and that He rewards those who earnestly seek Him.” (Hebrews 11:6)
How much do you trust God to part the waters for you? Would you take the step into the raging waters and trust that when He said He’d allow you to cross, you would be able to cross?
The Israelites were people who rarely got their feet wet — they crossed the Red Sea ON DRY LAND and the Jordan River ON DRY LAND, too!
I’ve come to see life and the world as a scary Jordan River that I have to cross.
Why won’t it be scary? You have to worry about what career to pursue, where to get the money to pursue that, how to pursue it (do I just study? do I work? do I get volunteer experiences? do I pump my CV up with hectic extra-curricular stuff?). First you worry about getting into a good school, then you worry about grades, then you realize grades aren’t enough, you start thinking about things to add to your resume, then you think of what to do after university, and you realize you need further studies, but that you also need more experience, and you need money to study and get experience … and the list goes on and on and on.
What did God tell me?
“Son, just cross the river. Just GO!”
He’d part the waters for me.
Besides, for a nation in conquest of the Promise Land, the Jordan River was the LEAST of their problems — likewise, we, as Saints, are to fulfill a higher calling, the world and all it’s “important” things are the least of our concerns.
3. It’s leading a nation of desert-wandering freed slaves to conquer a FORTIFIED CITY. No military men, just desert-wanderers. (Joshua 6)
It’s one thing to conquer a city, it’s another to LEAD inexperienced people to conquer it with you. Joshua was not only a soldier in God’s army, he was a commander and a leader. He was tasked to LEAD A WHOLE NATION.
The mistakes and the falls that he might encounter will not only affect him, it will affect ALL of Israel.
Talk about pressure!
But in all these, he stood firm. Not because he was a great man, but because he had a GREAT GOD.
A God that did not lack in encouragement. In Joshua 1 alone, God told Joshua FOUR TIMES to “Be strong and courageous!”
Not to mention, He also said: “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” (Joshua 1:5)
He was fully set with God by his side.
4. It’s fighting your first battle in the Promise Land with priests in the front lines and trumpets and lung-bursting shouts as your main artillery — again, no advanced military weaponry nor training, and same fortified city. (Joshua 6)
They destroyed Jericho, conquered it, and took over it in the name of the Lord — all by marching around it for 7 days, trumpet sounds, and shouts.
No order was too ridiculous for Joshua to obey, he knew where he had his faith placed.
They had their first victory ENTIRELY by trusting God and obeying Him — FAITH to conquer all — ’nuff said!
5. It’s having a “When I say jump, you JUMP” mentality — hearing from God every step of the way and simply carrying out orders. (Jos. 1:1, 3:7, 4:1, 4:15, 5:2, 5:9, 6:2 … and so on)
In Joshua chapters 1 to 6, the Bible records SEVEN phrases that said: “The Lord said to Joshua,” In all seven, there was no special mention that he retreated to a mountain top, or locked himself up in his tent, etc — nope, it was written as though God was simply with him and told him things like normal people would!
Well, God did say that He will be with him ALWAYS, like how He was with Moses. God kept His promise — like He always does. And Joshua listened.
It’s important to note that in the Old Testament, God’s relationship with His people was that of a GOD and a PEOPLE who worshiped Him and belonged to Him. He was a KING, the people were His servants — it’s a pretty impersonal relationship, BUT we see how intimate people like Joshua are to Him.
If Joshua could be so certain of God’s commands, His presence, and His deliverance — HOW MUCH MORE WE, SAINTS?
Joshua was a military leader, a conqueror through a God who delivers. We?
We’re MORE THAN CONQUERORS through HIM who LOVED us so.
As Saints, we are BOUGHT by Jesus’s precious blood and are given the privilege to call God our FATHER — the Israelites in the Old Testament would shudder at the thought of addressing such an awesome Being with intimate names like “Father” and “Lover.”
We are co-heirs of Christ in the promise of eternal life — we are no longer just His servants, we are His FRIENDS; we are no longer just His people, we are His children.
Think about what that means; with such intimacy, why can’t we exercise faith like Joshua?
We serve the same God, we share the same promise of His constant presence and His help, and we even have it better than Joshua — we have a LOVE relationship with Him! Why can’t we fulfill the same calling to be consecrated and set-apart for Him?
Saints, Joshua led the Israelites in the way of the Lord. They lived as a nation set-apart from the rest of the world. We have that same calling. The glory, fame, and victories they enjoyed were mere by-products of them seeking God first.
Every victory came from obedience, fame and glory came as bonuses for being faithful — God does not want us to focus on this world, but ON HIM — we’re simply transients on this world, we’re CITIZENS of HEAVEN.