From Joshua 1:110-18

Having received the blessing and instruction from God, Joshua returns to the people of Israel and assumes the mantle of leadership.  His first instruction has more meaning than we might give it credit for initially. He commands the Israelites to prepare themselves to cross the Jordan.  This marks the end of their years of wandering in the wilderness, their punishment for not trusting God to deliver them against the peoples who lived there. Even Moses was disallowed from entering, because he elevated himself and failed to glorify God in a significant way. A new generation of Israelites enters the promised land under Joshua’s leadership, being instructed on how they will support one another in taking the land.  The people respond with faith in Joshua’s leadership and a renewed commitment to the Law of God.

This is a great example of what yesterday’s devotion talked about.  God commanded the Israelites to take hold of the Promised Land – that is not a call for Christians today to do the same.  What we can learn from these verses is that God provides for His people, that He uses earthly means to accomplish His plans, and that He follows through on His promises.  God took care of the Israelites to get them to this point, He is using the tribes and their soldiers to install Israel into the Promised Land, and He is bringing them through like He promised.  In our lives today, we are not being asked to conquer some Promised Land, but we still trust that God will provide for the church.  We believe that God works through all kinds of people to accomplish His goals and we know that we can trust in His promises for us.  So while our situation is certainly distinct from that of the Israelites, we can mimic their response saying “all that God has commanded us we will do, and wherever He sends us we will go.”

Focus on God

We are reminded in these verses that God graciously follows through on His promises.

Function in Our Lives

We are encouraged to live according to the instructions that God gives us through Scripture.

Topics to Pray About                                                               

  • Thank God for the way He used history to point to Jesus.
  • Confess to God the times where you disregard His plans or His Word.
  • Ask God to give you wisdom to see where He is working.

In His Service,

J. LeBorious