Thursday, April 10

THURSDAY, APRIL 10, 2014

Deuteronomy 34:1–Joshua 2:24

Luke 13:22–14:6

Psalm 79:1–13

Proverbs 12:16

 

 

“No one will be able to stand against you all the days of your life.  As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake you.  Be strong and courageous, because you will lead these people to inherit the land I swore to their ancestors to give them….  Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses gave you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, that you may be successful wherever you go.  Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it.  Then you will be prosperous and successful.  Have I not commanded you?  Be strong and courageous.  Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.” (Joshua 1:5–9)

 

In today’s reading, we witness God’s anointing of His servant Joshua, passing the mantle of leadership from the now deceased Moses.  Joshua demonstrates himself to be a capable and humble leader, careful to follow God’s commands and to imitate his mentor Moses.  Crucially, we read here of the source of Joshua’s confidence and competence:  God Himself.  God commands Joshua to “be strong and courageous.”  By extension, it appears that God would have us to carry this strength and confidence because of His working in our lives.

 

Please notice the foundation for Joshua’s courage:  God’s constant presence and His Word.  Joshua understood and acted on the truth that God “will never leave you nor forsake you.”  If we trust this truth ourselves, no situation seems beyond control, for it lies in the hands of a loving and just Father.  Furthermore, we will never walk alone.  As David writes in Psalm 23:4, “even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,/ I will fear no evil, for you are with me;/ your rod and your staff, they comfort me.”  Elsewhere, David expresses the confidence of God’s imminence:  “The Lord is my light and my salvation – whom shall I fear?/ The Lord is the stronghold of my life – of whom shall I be afraid?” (Psalm 27:1)  Like Joshua, King David would find lasting confidence in knowing that God walked with Him and fought the battle on Israel’s behalf.

 

In Chapter 2, we recognize the collateral impact that emerges when God’s people follow hard after their King:  the revelation of His glory brings forth reverent fear.  Rahab explains, “I know that the Lord has given you this land and that a great fear of you has fallen on us, so that all who live in this country are melting in fear because of you.  We have heard how the Lord dried up the water of the Red Sea for you when you came out of Egypt, and what you did to Sihon and Og, the two kings of the Amorites east of the Jordan, whom you completely destroyed.  When we heard of it, our hearts melted in fear and everyone’s courage failed because of you, for the Lord your God is God in heaven above and on the earth below.”  In His grace, God had given Rahab a glimpse of His “chariots of fire” (2 Kings 6:17)

 

Our modern-day world often mixes up the proper source of confidence.  Most self-help literature encourages us to believe in ourselves, to have self-confidence.  This thinking may bring us temporary satisfaction, and it definitely makes sense to carry ourselves with confidence.  But where do we receive this confidence?

 

Paul urges us to “put no confidence in the flesh” – that is, by working to earn salvation.  But, in a similar manner, those who seek to build self-confidence are really after self-justification – perhaps not from sin, but rather to prove one’s worthiness.  Though I struggle to take hold of this message, I understand that any attempts to prove our worth or gain confidence are ultimately useless, apart from 1) God’s createdness in us; 2) His sovereign and perfect will; and 3) the gift of the promised Holy Spirit.

 

As David explains in Psalm 139:13.14, God “created my inmost being” as “fearfully and wonderfully made.”  Each human life has dignity and value because of God’s creative stamp.

 

God’s perfect will leads us to become more like His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ:  “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.  For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers.” (Romans 8:28,29)

 

Importantly, the Holy Spirit lives within each believer and His filling and power provides the New Testament parallel to the Presence described in Exodus through Joshua.  Starting with Pentecost, the Holy Spirit prompted bold faith and action from Peter, John, Paul, Silas, Barnabas, and others.  The early church received boldness through prayer (Acts 4:24–31) and spoke powerfully through the believers (Luke 12:11,12), even in challenging circumstances.

 

Let us take up Paul’s charge to Timothy, just as Joshua took up Moses’s charge to Joshua:  “For this reason, I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands.  For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline.  So do not be ashamed of the testimony about our Lord or of me his prisoner.  Rather, join with me in suffering for the gospel, by the power of God.  He has saved us and called us to a holy life – not because of anything we have done but because of his own purpose and grace.  This grace was given us in Christ Jesus before the beginning of time, but it has now been revealed through the appearing of our Savior, Christ Jesus, who has destroyed death and has brought life and immortality to light through the gospel.”  Amen!

 

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