Joshua 1:1-9 Living by the Promises of God

Joshua 1:1-9 Living by the Promises of God

Let me ask you a question.

What keeps you going? What is your motivation to keep doing what you are doing?

For Joshua, his motivation was to know that God was going to keep His promises.

You see, Joshua followed in Moses‘ footsteps. He followed Moses as God’s servant. Can you imagine how that felt?

Moses was there when God delivered the plagues.

Moses was there when God parted the Red Sea.

Moses spoke to a rock and water came out.

But the people rejected Moses and God’s leadership. So God said “I am going to start over.” Joshua and Caleb were the only two to see the promises of God. The other 10 spies never could. So God sent 2 million people in the desert on the world’s longest funeral march in history. Forty years, they marched and each one of the 2 million adults died. Everyone who were in Moses’ generation died.

So the people die and Moses dies and God taps Joshua as the new leader.

So once a week, Joshua and Caleb would meet for morning coffee. They would ask each other, “How many did you bury last week?” Eventually, everyone from the Moses generation died out.

What kept Joshua going after the death of Moses? God’s promises.

Look with me in Joshua:

“I have given you every place where the sole of your foot treads, just as I promised Moses.” (Joshua 1:3, HCSB)

God fulfills His promise to the people in Joshua 21.

“So the Lord gave Israel all the land He had sworn to give their fathers, and they took possession of it and settled there. The Lord gave them rest on every side according to all He had sworn to their fathers. None of their enemies were able to stand against them, for the Lord handed over all their enemies to them. None of the good promises the Lord had made to the house of Israel failed. Everything was fulfilled.” (Joshua 21:43–45, HCSB)

In Joshua’s farewell address, Joshua acknowledged that God kept His promise.

““I am now going the way of all the earth, and you know with all your heart and all your soul that none of the good promises the Lord your God made to you has failed. Everything was fulfilled for you; not one promise has failed.” (Joshua 23:14, HCSB)

You know what kept Joshua going? The promises that God gave him back when Joshua was chosen to lead.

Let me share an important truth:

The world tends to live on explanations. For example: Why does this happen? What should I do about this?

The Christian lives on the promises of God. If you are going to serve God, you need to learn to trust God and His promises for you.

But because we live in this world, we tend to run into some dangers that can prevent us from living by the promises of God.

THE DANGER OF LOOKING BACK (1:2)

““Moses My servant is dead. Now you and all the people prepare to cross over the Jordan to the land I am giving the Israelites.” (Joshua 1:2, HCSB)

Moses is mentioned 6x in Joshua 1:1-9. Moses is also mentioned 57x in the book of Joshua. It is very easy to look at what God has done in the past and think: I don’t think I can move forward.

Lot’s wife made that mistake. Why did she look back anyway? I don’t it was because she lived Sodom. Jesus refers to this event in Luke:

“Remember Lot’s wife!” (Luke 17:32, HCSB)

Jesus is comparing the time of Lot to the time of the end of the world. Of course everything is familiar. People eat, drink, meet, and marry. They have children and work. Normal stuff. But God is a moving God. He is always moving. He is always doing more. He is moving forward into the future.

The danger that we can run into is that we look back. Instead of looking forward to see what God is doing, we want to look back at what we find familiar. In the beginning of Joshua, Moses was familiar. Moses the only leader the people of Israel ever had – for forty years. Now, there is a new leader. What are the people going to do about that? What is Joshua going to do about that? Does he just do the same things as Moses. Actually, Joshua will lead in a completely different way. The people of God are going to move forward. The constant thing are the promises, not the explanations.

What should I do about this? Should I do it like Moses? God says: I gave you a promise – follow Me.

These opening two verses stress the importance of living with our backs to the past. To me, these words of God to Joshua have to be among the most important in all the Bible. Let those words “Moses My servant is dead. Now therefore, arise” roll over again and again in your mind and in your ministry. Are we willing to live with our backs to the past? Are we willing to challenge our people to live with their backs to the past?1

THE DANGER OF STANDING STILL (1:3)

“I have given you every place where the sole of your foot treads, just as I promised Moses.” (Joshua 1:3, HCSB)

Fulfilling the promises of God requires that we walk by faith.

“The Lord answered me: Write down this vision; clearly inscribe it on tablets so one may easily read it. For the vision is yet for the appointed time; it testifies about the end and will not lie. Though it delays, wait for it, since it will certainly come and not be late. Look, his ego is inflated; he is without integrity. But the righteous one will live by his faith.” (Habakkuk 2:2–4, HCSB)

God wants us to keep moving with Him. When we stand still, we sink or go backward. God doesn’t go backward, He is always moving forward. The promises of God are for today – not yesterday. When you claim the promises of God, it may have come from your past, but it is always for the future.

Remember Peter and the walking on the water scene. Peter sees Jesus and Jesus asked him to step out. Jesus was making a promise. He said: Come to Me. Peter stepped out, until the disciples started complaining about the waves. Then Peter looked at the waves and stood still. As Peter stood still, the waves put him under. The other disciples weren’t walking. They were standing still in the boat. That was the danger. Because when you are standing still as a Christian, you are going to see the promises of God fulfilled.

Now I am not talking about stillness times with God. I am talking about times of serving God. When you are serving God, you aren’t standing still. You need to keep moving, and keep doing what God asks you to do. Sometimes, we want to stop. When we stop and stand still, we are going to sink.

THE DANGER OF GIVING UP (1:5)

“No one will be able to stand against you as long as you live. I will be with you, just as I was with Moses. I will not leave you or forsake you.” (Joshua 1:5, HCSB)

Joshua had 31 kings waiting for him as he entered the Promised Land. Joshua had many challenges ahead of him. So it is not easy to serve God. Sometimes it can be very difficult serving God. But God promises never to leave you.

God said this to Jacob in Genesis 28:15, 31:3, and 46:2-3.

Jacob and Joshua had the same kind of feelings of loneliness. They had feeling of wanting to giving up on their journey. But God reassured them, as He reassures us – that God will always be with you.

THE DANGER OF FALLING SHORT (1:6)

““Be strong and courageous, for you will distribute the land I swore to their fathers to give them as an inheritance.” (Joshua 1:6, HCSB)

This verse talks about an inheritance. The inheritance is the land that God promised. The Bible talks about geography sometimes. In this journey that the Israelites have been going, there are three geographical positions.

THREE SPIRITUAL GEOGRAPHICAL POSITIONS

1. Egypt – this represents the world system that keeps us in bondage. We can be put into slavery by the world, our fleshly nature, and Satan. Egypt represents this. The Israelites were in slavery in Egypt. They were freed from their slavery by the blood of a lamb.

So each and every one of us spiritually speaking has been in Egypt. We have all be placed into spiritual slavery. Jesus has delivered us from this slavery by dying for each and every one of us on the cross.

1. Canaan – This represents the claim of inheritance for the people of Israel. For us today, it represents the inheritance we can claim in Jesus Christ. When we accept Jesus Christ and what He has done for us to bring us to God, we can claim an inheritance.

An inheritance is something that is given by our fathers to enjoy. Just as our earthly fathers give us an inheritance, God gives us an inheritance. What is that inheritance? It is a place to serve. You see, eternal life is the result of God wanting to bring us back to a relationship with Him. It is the benefit of Jesus’s sacrifice. But the inheritance is something that God wants you to have now on this earth. God wants you to go to work, to enjoy the land and to serve the Lord.

God didn’t say, “I will give you the land upon which you walk.” He said, “I have given it to you.” The same is true today. Concerning the things of God, whenever you choose to step out and engage your “sole,” that land is already yours. It’s a matter of possessing your possession. It’s a matter of appropriation. Where do you want to put your soul? Where do you want to plant your foot and say, “I believe You for this, Lord. I’m stepping out in this. I’m going after this”?2

1. Wilderness – The wilderness represents the inability to believe God’s promises.

Remember what the ten spies said when they gave their report:

“It is as God has said, BUT….”

There are giants in the land. It is a land of strong walls. We are not able to conquer the land.

They never denied the promises of God. They just didn’t believe that they could claim the promises of God.

Are you going to believe and claim the promises of God, or are you going to just wander in the wilderness?

THE DANGER OF TAKING OVER (1:7-9)

“Above all, be strong and very courageous to carefully observe the whole instruction My servant Moses commanded you. Do not turn from it to the right or the left, so that you will have success wherever you go. This book of instruction must not depart from your mouth; you are to recite it day and night so that you may carefully observe everything written in it. For then you will prosper and succeed in whatever you do. Haven’t I commanded you: be strong and courageous? Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”” (Joshua 1:7–9, HCSB)

God says in these verses to literally “mutter” over the words. It is like when a Jewish man bows and quietly speaks the words to himself. That is muttering and that is the kind of meditating God has in mind.

God says to us basically: “You are working for Me!” I will give you the words and I will give you the things to do.

Now sometimes along the way, we think that we can do it better than God. God calls that pride. Pride will get us into trouble. What keeps you from getting proud? Spending time with God in His Word.

The Book of the Law is the place of the promises of God. The Book of the Law was the Bible that Joshua knew. The Old Testament was the Bible that Jesus read. The entire Bible that we have is the Book that God has given to Christians.

Claiming the promises of God requires that we start the day with God’s word. We don’t start the day with “Good Morning Israel” or the latest newscast, or the morning soaps.

The work of God is based on the promises of God. You can’t serve God with claiming the promises of God. You can’t claim the promises without knowing the promises of God. You can’t know the promises of God without reading them in the Book.

On a personal note, I will tell you that God has shaped me and comforted me with Joshua 1:9. When I first entered the ministry 18 years ago, this was a verse that was given to me. God wants to give you success. He gives success to His servants. He will never leave you alone. But He wants you to trust Him and His promises. He leads you by His promises and brings you success.