For the past several days we have been looking at how God
encouraged His servant Joshua to lead the people of Israel to cross the Jordan
River and conquer the Promise Land. In verses 1-9, God gave Joshua a
commission, gave him His promises, gave him His Word, and gave him His command
to go! Every day in our spiritual journey we face new challenges, problems, and
issues and we need to be encouraged too!
I will never forget in my four years at Lynchburg Baptist
College (1971-1975), now Liberty University, how often that Dr. Jerry Falwell spoke
on the subject of discouragement. He knew this new generation of church leaders
that he was mentoring and preparing for ministry would be tempted to quit as
they faced the hardships of ministry. Dr. Falwell would often say that the
devil’s best tool to keep a Christian from serving is discouragement. He would
go on to say, “God can’t use a discouraged Christian”. The quote I really
remember was: "A man’s greatness is measured not by his talent or his
wealth, but by what it takes to discourage him."
It is amazing that fifty years later America is facing a
similar crisis to what we were facing in the late 60’s and early 70’s. And if
there was ever a time in our history that believers need to rise up, speak up,
and deal will the terrible evils that are destroying our great nation, it is
today! We need to be encouraged to remember that “The Battle is the LORD’s”,
and He will enable us and empower us to be victorious over all our enemies!
Joshua had been encouraged by the LORD and now he sought to
encourage his leaders (vv. 10-15). The nation of Israel was so organized that
Moses could quickly communicate with the people through his officers who formed
a chain of command (Deut. 1:15). Moses didn't assemble the leaders to ask for
their advice but to give them God's orders. There are times when leaders must
consult with their officers, but this was not one of them. God had spoken, His
will was clear, and the nation had to be ready to obey.
Forty years before, at Kadesh Barnea, the nation had known
the will of God but refused to obey it (Num. 13). Why? Because they believed
the report of the ten spies instead of believing the commandment of God and
obeying by faith. Had they listened to Caleb and Joshua—the minority
report—they would have spared themselves those difficult years of wandering in
the wilderness. There is a place in Christian service for godly counsel, but a
committee report is no substitute for the clear commandment of God.
Instead of the command to prepare food, you would have
expected Joshua to say, "Prepare boats or start building a bridge, so we
can cross the Jordan River." Joshua didn't try to second-guess God and
work things out for himself. He knew that the God who opened the Red Sea could
also open the Jordan River. He and Caleb had been present when God delivered
the nation from Egypt, and they had confidence that God would work on their
behalf again.
Though he trusted God for a miracle, Joshua still had to
prepare for the everyday necessities of life. Each family and clan had to
provide its own food. It was
important that the people stayed strong because they were about to begin a series
of battles for possession of their Promised Land.
Note that Joshua's words to his leaders were words of faith
and encouragement. "You shall pass over! You shall possess the land! The
Lord will give it to you!" Joshua had made a similar speech forty years
before, but that generation of leaders wouldn't listen. Now that generation was
dead, and the new generation was ready to believe God and conquer the land.
Caleb and Joshua were the oldest men in the camp, between
60 and 70 years of age, and yet they were enthusiastic about trusting God and
entering the land. It isn't a matter of age; it's a matter of faith; and faith
comes from meditating on the Word of God (Joshua 1:8; Romans 10:17).
Look up!!!!! God is still on His throne and be encouraged today!
God bless!
