Joshua Chapter 1 Verses 10 – 11

• The Book of Joshua opens, and we looked at this last week, with God speaking directly to Joshua. God giving His comfort, His promise and His command…a conditional command mind you…
• God said ,”Arise and go over this Jordan, you and all this people, to the land which I am giving to them…Every place that the sole of your foot will tread upon, I have given you…I will not leave you nor forsake you,” right there in verse 5. “No man shall be able to stand before you…I will be with you…”
• And then look, there in verse 7, “Only…” Powerful word there! “Only be strong and do according to all the law…do all according to the Word of God…do not turn from it to the right hand or to the left, that you may prosper wherever you go!”

• The wonderful promises of God. The intense and personal comfort of the Most High…notice the predication upon His Word. “Only,” God said, “Only, stay in My Word man…don’t stray, don’t trust in yourself, place your trust in Me…and even your enemies will be unable to stand against you…let alone all this land, all this promise…grapes the size of basketballs that take two men to carry one cluster! Let alone the salvation and joy and prosperity of all these people who are with you, looking to you…”

• What if Joshua had done his own thing? Set up his couch in his three story tent, plugged in his X-Box, back then it was probably an A-Box (get it, A-B-C, now we’re on X? Or maybe the Arc of the Covenant Box…looking for the place to plug in his control pad…HA!) What if he decided not to lead, not to provide for his nation, for his family…what if he decided to live for himself…would the promises of God still apply? Would they have still inherited the land which God swore to Moses?
• Not if he didn’t arise man…not if he didn’t go…see that? Remember that back in verse 2? “Arise, go!” Would he overcome his enemies? Would he take possession of what God has promised? Would Joshua be strong and of good courage as God has said He would not depart from Joshua? The answer is clear. Undeniable and yet folks brush it off like dirt off their shoulders!
• No way! No way would Joshua be anything but a tragic story if he had not heeded the call of God. If he had not followed and led according to God’s Word! But we think we’re the exception so many times don’t we? That we can live according to emotion or circumstance or our senses and still be ok…the Biblical word for that is deception. The devil’s word for that is PARTY! Because he is dancing all over your mess laughing at you man…and yet God has shown us so very clearly, He has shown Joshua so very EXACTLY, PRECISELY, SIMPLY and CLEARLY how to do the thing!
• Folks stop wondering what’s God’s will for you. Stop looking for the path to success in your life…God has given you the rules of engagement man…the plan, His will, the condition upon which you can know the power, the presence and the victory of Almighty God! He has given the cure for fear and dismay…see that in verse 9…He has given the cure for loneliness and emptiness…He has given the cure for worthlessness man…that your life might mean something…be full of purpose and eternal prosperity! Observe My Word, and do it! That takes dropping you though…
• And so Joshua receives the command of God and immediately he beats feet! Immediately he calls in the leaders of the people and commands them to command! I love that! General Joshua! He heeds the Word of God and he does it NOW and look at this confidence, look at this authority and power! Look at this order man! Is your life out of order? Mine is all the time! I need to return to the Word of God, His commandments…receive my orders again from Him and then guess what…once I’ve received orders, there’s order! HA! So simple!!!
• Remember there are also Jesus parallel’s everywhere in this book as Joshua is the Hebrew equivalent of the Greek name Jesus, remember we looked at that last week. And notice, Jesus said in John 20:21, “Just as the Father has sent Me (orders), I now send you (orders).” See that? Just like we see right here in Joshua. God has commanded Joshua so he turns and commands his officers and they turn and command the people…order flows.
• And what did God send Jesus to do? To judge the world! No. To condemn the world! No. To point out all the little sins of the world so that people would think He is so holy! No. So then why does religion look so much like that and so little like Jesus!? God sent Jesus in the world to bring peace, order, atonement and salvation…what is your religion bringing? In your home…in the workplace…at church? Jesus laid down His life to make me clean…is that what your religion looks like? Might be time to receive those orders again and correctly this time…

• So the commandment from Joshua to his officers is make them ready. Prepare and then in three days we ride. Now God didn’t mention three days did He? Does this mean Joshua wasted time? Or is out of God’s will? Not at all man! He is caring for the people, leading the people…what commotion, confusion, fear and panic would have saturated the people if Joshua in a fury forced them all up RIGHT NOW…into the water with you and your children!

• No doubt these three days were hard for him…anxious to go, anxious to fulfill what God had commanded him…but the people weren’t ready…so he waited…I didn’t say wasted…he waited as a compassionate and loving leader…He allowed them to prepare and ready themselves…I wonder if that is a word for someone here…someone who is just so ready to hit the mission field…to sell everything and go for it! But your little ones are too little…your wife isn’t spiritually or mentally prepared, your husband isn’t tracking with you just yet…wait. Serve right where you are…you think Joshua slept for three days? No way! He was up and about the camp, strengthening the people, encouraging them, reading them the Word of God, praying with them, helping them prepare man…so THAT is God’s will for you right now…

Joshua Chapter 1 Verses 12 – 15

• There were tribes that desired to remain and inhabit some of the wondrous and fortified cities which the Israelites had conquered on the East side of the Jordan including the Kingdom of Sihon and the Kingdom of Og and we read in Numbers 32 that they asked Moses if they could stay and rebuild and even continue to build right there on the East side of the Jordan. Moses permitted but made them promise that they would send their men of war with the rest of the nation across the Jordan to help establish them…and so they promised and so Moses permitted but guess who was there? According to Numbers 32:28, Joshua was standing there with Eleazar the priest and so Joshua comes to the them, the Reubenites and the Gadites (one more letter they would have been the Gladites and that would have been cool!) and reminds them of their promise…

Joshua Chapter 1 Verses 16 – 18

• This must have been super encouraging to Joshua because literally what God had said to him privately, He now confirms publically. “As I was with Moses, so I will be with you…” And all the people said, “Just as we heeded Moses in all things, so we will heed you!” God has a way, and by the way He loves to, confirm His Word and sometimes He’ll do it just like this…verbally…but He will also do it practically…check this out…
• Joshua purposes it, resolves, decides to do as God has commanded, to take God at His Word and move out in faith…deny his senses and his fears and his lusts and just move out…and what do the people of God do?   They receive him…they encourage him, they get behind him…God loves to confirm His word through His people just like this…practically.
• One final point and we’re through…the people say, “All that you command us we will do…” If they said otherwise, they would not have entered into the promised land…they would have stayed right where they had been wandering for the past 40 years…Remember the promised land is not a picture of heaven…there are still battles ahead of the Israelites yet there are no more battles in heaven…the promised land is a picture of the abundant life that Jesus promised…the zoe life…life alive man…surging forward, powerful…a weapon of healing and peace and power and righteousness…and yet so many have responded…as the Lord has commanded, I will not go…
• If that’s you, time to change your response. And look it’s more than just taking a step forward towards God. “One step closer today than I was yesterday…” The idea here, actually even the word in Hebrew means to die and to live…to transform into a new manner of life…Yalak in the Hebrew…such a cool word…it’s time to resolve…die to the stupidity of stupidity…the flesh and its lusts and sin and its degradation and death and give your WHOLE LIFE to following Jesus, give your WHOLE LIFE to Him as Commander of your moment to moment life, the eternal secret to eternal prosperity, power and peace…