Joshua 1:1-9
January 18, 2004
God’s Powerful Presence
Just before five o'clock on the afternoon of April 12, 1945, Franklin Delano Roosevelt's heart stopped. Within the hour the news broke around the world: the man who had been President of the United States for the past twelve years was dead. In Berlin an ecstatic Goebbels telephoned Hitler, proclaiming this piece of good news could be the turning point in the war. Some feared such a prediction would be correct.
Suddenly Harry Truman was president, but hardly anyone had any idea who he was. Truman had been vice-president for only eighty-two days before FDR's sudden death. All most people knew about Truman was that he was a largely uneducated former haberdasher from Independence, MO. He was untried, unknown, untested on the world stage and yet now he was in charge of a full-scale war in the Pacific and in Europe.
When he became president, Truman had no experience in foreign relations, did not know Churchill or Stalin, had never been told a whisper about the development of the nuclear bomb, and above all he was not Franklin Roosevelt--and most Americans could not imagine anyone else occupying the Oval Office. Upon hearing that Roosevelt was dead, a stunned Harry Truman said to Eleanor Roosevelt, "Is there anything I can do for you?" Mrs. Roosevelt replied, "Is there anything we can do for you, for you are the one in trouble now." And so he was.
Of course, we now have the luxury of looking back and knowing that Truman did just fine as president.
But how scary and uncertain it all was at first? The Nazi menace was still alive; the war with Japan was taking a horribly bloody toll. And so as this unknown man stepped into the White House, the entire world held its breath. What would be next?
The Book of Joshua opens with a similarly tense question. Look at the very first words and let them sink in: "After the death of Moses . . . ." Moses was dead! No one in all Israel had ever known a different leader. Even the parents and grandparents of all the Israelites now living had been led by Moses.
Moses had been the mouthpiece of God, at times been the sole buffer that stood between Israel and God's wrath. Moses led them out of Egypt, met personally with God Sinai, and kept them safe those forty years of wilderness wandering.
But in the face of a funeral, God’s powerful presence is declared to be with Joshua, Moses’ lieutenant. As we move into this new phase in the history of God’s people, we will see how God’s gracious presence empowers God’s people to follow in obedience. READ Joshua 1:1-9
As frightening as it was for Truman to fill the Oval Office in `45, the task was more daunting as Joshua had to fill Moses’ sandals. He, like us, faced huge problems.
We all face problems
Our problems may be absent help
The first problem Joshua faced was his help from the past is now gone. Moses is dead. Joshua was well trained and qualified. He had proven himself a faithful assistant in the past and God’s stamp of approval was upon him. But that would not be enough to quench the fear which could easily well up inside of him. The text itself tells us how intimidating his job was.
Moses was the servant of the Lord. This term was often used of Moses through his life, but it is a term we do not see used of Joshua until the very end of his life. Moses was unique in the history of Israel as the first prophet, the one who spoke with God, whose face shone with the brightness of God’s glory after he was given a glimpse of God. His status is summed up in the final verses of Deuteronomy 34…
Joshua is Moses’ assistant, lieutenant. While it is all well and good to be an assistant to such a man as Moses, there is a clear gap between Moses and Joshua. While Joshua withstood the tests of military battle as he defeated the Amalekites at Rephidim, ventured up Sinai with Moses when the Law was given, and gave a faith-filled report after spying out the desert with Caleb, he still was no Moses.
The name Joshua means ‘Yahweh is salvation’. It translated into Greek as ‘Jesus’. He was originally called ‘Hoshea’ (Num 13.8), but Yah was added when he became God’s appointed man (Num 13.16).
Yet Joshua, as qualified as he was, as proven in battle and in faith stood out, he would lead God’s people into this critical phase of their existence without the help he had in Moses. His problems are demoralizing as the help in the past is now past, not to return.
But what this tells us is that death does not cripple a nation. Moses the servant is dead, but God is the Master and he lives forever more. God’s faithfulness does not hinge on human achievement, no matter how gifted; it does not evaporate in the face of funerals or floods.
The plaque affixed to Wesley’s tomb says: “God buries His workmen, but His work goes on.”
You may be facing problems in your life and the loss of the support you once had now gone only makes those problems loom larger. This is especially true as you move from one phase of life to another. Entering college may be overwhelming, your first job scary, marriage paralyzing, children – menacing! But just as God’s grace did not end with Moses’ death, so God’s grace does not evaporate when we make those transitions in life, when those who in the past have been there for us and suddenly they are gone.
Our problems may be present troubles
Joshua had physical barriers.
God’s command in v2 is overwhelming – not only is Moses dead, but you’ve got the hardest job yet - cross the Jordan. Not simply wadding through a creek, he had to guide his people down into a dangerous gorge, surrounded by mountains on both sides, steep, sudden, with great precipices. The very name of the river means to descend, and descend is what it did. Its headwaters are found in the underground springs and melting snows of Mt. Hermon in the north. It flows downward some 30 miles to the Sea of Galilee. From Galilee the river rushes downward 65 miles to the Dead Sea, almost 1400 feet below sea level. In 95 miles, it drops approximately 10,400 feet. Today it is dammed and controlled for the needs of modern Israel, in the days of the exodus, it was a turbulent river.
Joshua had personal barriers.
It would be challenge enough for Joshua to do the work himself. Even more for him to lead an army, but the command is for him and this entire people. They weren’t the most willing, unified outfit the world has ever seen. While those now entering were the new generation who were less than 20 some forty years before, they had proven themselves easily distracted by sin and fear.
Joshua may well have appreciated the words of General John Gavin who was the Supreme Allied Commander in Europe, who when asked what was it like to be in charge of so many and various forces. His response was …“I often feel like the director of a cemetery. I have a lot of people under me, but nobody listens.”
God's people still face barriers, both physical and personal. For you it is probably not a river, but a habit, an attitude, a sin, an addiction, a grudge, a financial challenge, joblessness, a divorce … What Joshua faced from the loss of his past, the present troubles of leading is only compounded by his future obligations. See v3-4
Our problems may be future obligations
Joshua’s future obligations loom too large to accomplish.
We won’t take the time now, but look at a map in the back of your Bible and notice the expanse of land they were to conquer. This nomadic band of refuge slaves were called upon to occupy a territory rough the size of Wisconsin. And all that rested on a single man.
The problem was not just one of geography, but military might – this is the land of the Hittites.
The Hittites were a superpower of the Bronze Age. They had technological advances in weaponry, such as the chariot, fortifications that could withstand an assault, and a fierceness that kept even the Egyptians at bay.
We face issues that are vastly different, but equally paralyzing in our lives. The loss of past help, the present physical or personal troubles, the future obligations paralyze our bodies from moving forward. We may not say we’re scared, but may identify with the story told by a sergeant in the 101st Airborne, who was taking a routine nighttime jump. Seated next to him in the plane was a Lieutenant fresh from Jump School. The Lieutenant was pale and sullen, so the sergeant asked
"Scared, Lieutenant?", he asked.
The Lieutenant replied, "No, just a bit apprehensive."
"What’s the difference?," inquired the sergeant.
He replied, "That means I’m scared with a university education."
Yet in the face of all this, God gives a promise of his presence. We have a hint at how this promise works in verse 2 and 3. There is the promise in process in v2 – the land that I am giving to them – and the promise guaranteed in v3 – [the land] I have given you. Same verb, different tenses.
The land was theirs, but had to be possessed. Joshua pictures the Christian life – the now/not yet. It is the becoming what God declares we are. It is living out your sanctification in light of your justification. It is claiming your inheritance. But it is at that moment the battle begins.
A.W. Pink said, "The moment a sinner believes in Christ peace of conscience, rest of soul is his; nevertheless, only then begins the fierce battle between the flesh and the spirit."
How do we move forward? We have God’s promise.
We all have God’s promise
We all have the promise of God’s presence
There is corresponding presence- "Just as I was with Moses."
Moses may be dead, but God is not. Just as God was with Moses so will he be with Joshua. God’s presence depends not upon the quality of character of the person, but upon the character of God. He does not waiver like we do, but is constant, consistent, and present.
God promised his presence to Joshua, but also to his people, for he said to the apostles in Matthew 28 before he ascended: “I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
There is continual presence - "I will not leave nor forsake you."
Despite the problems Joshua would face, God’s absence will never be one of them. God will not fail to be always present and supportive. This promise was first given to Jacob as God confronted him in Bethel as he fled an angry brother and faced an uncertain future. The words are applied to us in Hebrews 13, thereby allowing us to say that just as God promised his presence to Joshua, in the very same way he is with me.
We heard this passage read earlier. What stands out is how this passage promises God’s presence in the nitty-gritty aspects of life. Do you struggle with loving those you know? (1) How about reaching out to those you don’t know? (2) What about those whose lives do not match your standard, that if you befriend them, it may cost you your reputation? (3) Do you wrestle with immorality, impure thoughts or actions? (4) What about wanting what others have? Desiring a standard of living that God’s not given you? (5) To all this God’s promise to Joshua is his promise to you and me – I will never leave you or forsake you.
If you fail – certainly God’s presence is there to bring you back to see your need of Christ. But before failure – God’s presence is what will enable you to do what is right. There is no reason to fear, no reason to imagine God will leave you go.
There is a commanding presence –"Be strong and courageous."
As God is with us, he commands us to obey. Just as Hebrews uses this promise in the midst of a section that points to God’s demands of our lives, so also here. The God who will not leave is the God who can then require us to do the impossible – be strong and courageous.
This thrice repeated command in this passage forms the crux of God’s commissioning of Joshua … and for us, too. The response to God’s presence is that we have no reason to fear and every reason to be resolute, determined, and unwavering.
Yet the focus of his strength and courage is not so much the military battles he will face, not the daunting task to assuming the mantle of Moses as the leader of Israel. The command to be strong and courageous is focused on the source of God’s promise … God’s Word. For Joshua to withstand the problems he will face, it is imperative that he be strong in the source of God’s power, found in God’s Word.
We all have the promise of God’s power
This power must be obeyed.
The call to courage is a call to obedience. The greatest battle you and I face is in the daily grind to live out what we believe, it is to obey the moral law of God. The struggles we have in our lives are struggles ultimately in whether we will obey what God commands us to do. We desire for his power to work through us, but for that to happen, holiness is necessary.
Strength of character, courage to do what is right does not come without much effort. Joshua is commanded to be careful to do the law. This is something that takes constant attention, determination. It does not just happen. The key to success in Joshua’s life would be found in his single-minded obedience to God’s law above all else.
God’s instructions to Joshua are not about military matters. The keys to his success were spiritual, directly related to the degree of his obedience to God. Here we see that our success in the Christian life is rooted not in how we stack up against others in what we have or do in life, but in whether we are obedient to what God commands for his people.
This power must be owned.
If ever any man's business might have excused him from meditation, and other acts of devotion, one would think Joshua would be exempt. God calls him not to train his body for war, not to steel his mind for the battle, but see God’s presence is his power and that power comes through God’s Word. For this reason, he must own God’s Word, feed on it continually.
In words similar to Psalm 1 which we read earlier, mediation on God’s Law is necessary. While mediation in our age has more akin to the Eastern mystics, as it means to empty the mind. In Scripture to meditate is, J.I. Packer says," the…activity of calling to mind, thinking over, dwelling on, and applying to oneself the various things one knows about the works and ways and purpose and promises of God. It is an activity of holy thought, consciously performed in the presence of God, under the eye of God, by the help of God, as a means of communication with God. Its purpose is to clear one's mental and spiritual vision of God, and to let his truth make its full and proper impact on one's mind and heart. It is a matter of talking to oneself about God and oneself. It is, indeed, often a matter of arguing with oneself, reasoning oneself out of moods of doubt and unbelief into a clear apprehension of God's power and grace. (Packer, Knowing God, 18-19)
The word to mediate means to mumble, as reading in the ancient world was always audible, not silent. This is why God said the Law should not leave mouth, instead of mind or heart.
This is an activity to which I can point you, but you must do yourself. It is not uncommon for some people to try to encourage me to spell out the application in preaching more, wanting to know what they are to do. While I seek to direct you as I preach, I would say the application of this passage is a call on each of you to be engaged in this process.
If you wish to live lives obedient to God, you must meditate on His Word. Like a cow chewing its cud, you must ruminate on the truth of God’s Word. I can not and will not chew your food for you. I don’t know all you face, so it is important for you to listen and go from here asking yourself how you should live in light of God’s Word. You must meditate so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it.
This power will give success.
Success as we define it from this context is not an easy or prosperous life. Success in Hebrew is related to understanding. To prosper for Joshua, to succeed is to know and apply God’s Word to his daily life. Material benefits from obedience may or may not come in this life. They are not the measure of success. Rather for Joshua and for us, success comes when we can, at the end of the day, know that we lived according to God’s Word.
God’s Word is not a prescription for triumph in the stock market, or achievement in your profession. You may fail miserably at your job, in finances, in relationships – but all the while, if you meditate on God’s Word, you will prosper in that which is most important in life, your relationship with Jesus Christ.
Erik Weihenmayer is blind, yet on May 25, 2001, he reached the peak of Mt. Everest. Suffering from a degenerative eye disease, he lost his sight when he was 13, but that didn't stop him. On a mountain where 90 percent of climbers never make it to the top—and 165 have died trying since 1953—Erik succeeded, in large measure because he listened well.
He listened to the little bell tied to the back of the climber in front of him, so he would know what direction to go. He listened to the voice of teammates who would shout back to him, "Death fall two feet to your right!" so he would know what direction not to go. He listened to the sound of his pick jabbing the ice, so he would know whether the ice was safe to cross.
When we take a perilous journey, listening well can make all the difference. The focus of our attention must be on God’s Word, taking time daily to read and meditate, considering how we must conform our lives to God’s Law and where we see sin, confessing our failures, looking to Christ alone as our help and hope.
