“And Moses called unto Joshua and said unto him in the sight of all Israel, Be strong and of good courage: for you must go with this people unto the land which the Lord has sworn unto their fathers to give them; and you shall cause them to inherit it. 8. And the Lord, He it is that goes before you; He will be with you, He will not fail you, neither forsake you: fear not neither be dismayed."
The occasion of this text is about the culmination of Moses’ leadership of Israel, and the start of Joshua’s leadership. The verse that caught my attention was verse 8. Moses made a promise to Joshua that he knew from his own experience over the last forty years. As I meditated on this verse, I realized that the promises given are not just for Joshua, but looking at the totality of the Bible, they are for all of God’s people. They are promises that transcend time and reach out to all of us. Promise one: “He it is that goes before you…” God had gone out before Israel from the beginning of their journey from Egypt. He led them with a “pillar of cloud by day” and a “pillar of fire by night.” They never had to doubt that God was leading and guiding them in their journey. Though some did doubt and did not trust God, that did not make His leadership void. It is a promise that we can take to our hearts. God is out there before us through the Holy Spirit. God has gone before us and knows what we will have to face. We just need to trust that this is true. Nothing that happens to you will surprise God, for He has gone before you. The future belongs to God and you belong to God; therefore, there is no need to fear the future. If you do not know Him, you can know Him today by putting your faith in Him. Promise two: “He will be with you…” David claimed this promise in Psalm 23:4: “Yea 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.” Joshua needed to know that God was with Him each day that he led the Israelites to the end of their quest for the Promised Land. Like Moses before him, Joshua had to deal with the rebellious Israelites and with all of the other problems involved in taking the Promised Land. He needed to know that God was with him. We can claim this promise for ourselves. God is with us in all that we face in this life. Promise three: “He will not fail you, neither forsake you…” This doesn't mean that Joshua would never fail, because he certainly did – and we will as well. But we can depend on the fact that God will not fail us. It might seem sometimes like He has, but when this appears to be the case; we need to remember that our loving Lord has gone before us, knows what is there, and will not forsake us. If we ever feel that God has forsaken us, we need to realize that we might have moved away from Him, but He has not moved away from us. Get this down in your heart, mind and soul: God will not forsake you!!!!” Claim this promise for yourself each day. The results of the promises: “Fear not, neither be dismayed…” If we will realize that God goes before us, that He is with us, and that He will neither fail us nor forsake us, we will not need to fear or be dismayed. There have been times in my life, and no doubt in your life as well, that I have been afraid and dismayed. It is in these times that we need to recall these promises to Joshua and to us. These promises are as sure today as they were when Moses made them, for they are illustrated and proven throughout the Bible. Bro. Joe
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AuthorDr. Joe Beauchamp is the author of this blog and website. Categories
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