I'm not always sure why God leads me to certain books of the Bible for my personal study, but I always know that He teaches me something whether I understand the initial prompting or not. This afternoon, he lead me to open up to Joshua. It's time for a few weeks studying this Old Testament book. Typically, I'll read one chapter trying to discover the important theme and then look to digest the details surrounding the theme. If you want to join with me in this, then check our Joshua chapter 1 and then finish reading this post. Either way, here are few thoughts that I see from this opening chapter.
1. We don't win or earn good things; God gives them--The Israelites were finally ready to enter the land that God promised them 40 years ago. Because of the previous generations disobedience to God, they were not allowed to enter the incredible land God had for them and God caused them to wander in the wilderness for forty years until their generation died out. Once the new generation had arrived, God called Joshua to prepare for the new land. However, the thing that strikes me most is that seven times we read that this special land for Israel was "given to them." Seven times God reminds Joshua and Israel that this land was not earned by their superior wisdom or military power, but it was prepared and given to them by God himself. Knowing that God is giver of good things both to Israel in the Old Testament and to us in 2008, leads us to a second though we must consider.
2. If God is the giver of good things, then fear is destroyed and courage is expected--Because Joshua and Israel realized God was giving them this land, they had nothing to fear and were courageous enough to take on overwhelming odds. Even though they were expected to fight the elements and the inhabitants of the land, their faith in God's faithfulness overshadowed fear and led to incredible courage. Whatever good thing God has chosen to give will require obedience. You will have to take action. But, no matter the odds or the size of opponent, fear is extinguished and courage begins to swell as we know that our God cannot and will not break the promise to give us good and incredible things for His glory.
3. People expect courage from their leader--This was the most personal truth as I read chapter one. In the last few verses of chapter 1, the tribes of Israel expressed their alligence to Joshua's command, but issued a command of their own: "Be strong and courageous!" Those who follow a leader want their leader to be knowledgable, compassionate, gentle, empathetic, but they also want them to be courageous. Leaders must be willing to take a risk, to fight overwhelming odds, and make tough decisions. They must be willing to lay themselves on the line for what they believe in. But this expectation can be overwhelming if isolated from the first two truths of this chapter. We must remember that God is the giver of all good things. This should remind us to discard fear and embrace courage. As a leader, you have no excuse for being a wuss. You must lead with strength and courage. It's expected from those who follow and it's expected from God himself (v. 9--This is my command; Be strong and courageous!).
What a great opening chapter to Joshua. Thank God that the good things in life aren't based on your skill, your strength, or your merit. Then leave fear behind and be courageous. Man up. Woman up. Obey God's leadership in your life and then get ready to see the impossible happen.
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