Joshua 1:1-2
1 After the death of Moses the servant of the LORD, it came
to pass that the LORD spoke to Joshua the son of Nun, Moses' assistant, saying:
2 "Moses My servant is dead. Now therefore, arise, go
over this Jordan, you and all this people, to the land which I am giving to
them--the children of Israel.
Today we are going to begin looking at Joshua’s background
and history that brought him to the place where God would appoint him as the next
leader of Israel who would take the place of Moses and lead them into the
Promise Land. God always has a plan and purpose for our lives. That plan and
purpose begins even before we are conceived in the womb. I believe as we study
the early life of Joshua, we will get a picture of how the Lord works in our
lives on our spiritual journey.
When the LORD commissioned Jeremiah to prophesy to the
nation of Israel centuries later, He told him, “Then the word of the LORD
came to me, saying: "Before I formed you in the womb I knew you; Before
you were born I sanctified you; I ordained you a prophet to the nations."
(Jeremiah 1:4-5). Later Jeremiah was told to tell Israel, “For I know the
thoughts that I think toward you, says the LORD, thoughts of peace and not of
evil, to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call upon Me and go and
pray to Me, and I will listen to you.
13 And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me
with all your heart.” (Jeremiah 29:11-13). Even if we get off track on God’s
purpose and plan, He will restore us if we pray and seek Him with sincerely
hearts.
God spent many years preparing Joshua for his calling. We
first meet Joshua as a slave in Egypt. This is a picture of every person born
into the human race. Interestingly, in the Book of Exodus, Egypt is a picture
of the world and Pharoah is a type of Satan. We are born into world that is
under the dominion of Satan and we are enslaved in sin. We desperately need a
deliverer! God sent Moses to deliver the people of Israel. God sent His Son,
Jesus Christ to deliver us from our sins.
Joshua belonged to the tribe of Ephraim and was the
firstborn son of Nun (1 Chron. 7:20-27). Joshua must have been in his early
twenties when Moses came to deliver Israel. This meant that his life was in
danger the night of Passover, when the firstborn of every family would perish
if the blood of the Lamb was sprinkled on the lintel and doorpost of their
house. Obviously, Joshua’s dad, Nun and his family, including Joshua, had faith
in the Lord and was protected and redeemed by the blood of the lamb (Ex.
11-12).
While in Egypt, Joshua saw all the signs and wonders that
God performed (Ex. 7-12); and he knew that Jehovah was a God of power who would
care for His people. The Lord had humiliated the gods of Egypt and demonstrated
that He alone was the true God (Ex. 12:12; Num. 33:4). Joshua saw the Lord open
the Red Sea and then close the waters and drown the pursuing Egyptian army (Ex.
14-15). Joshua was a man of faith who knew the Lord and trusted Him to do
wonders for His people.
This is how our spiritual journey begins! We realize we are
sinners under the dominion of Satan, bound by our sin, separated from God,
without understanding, and with no hope. But when we repent of our sin, and we
believe and receive the Lord Jesus Christ as our Savior a miracle takes place, and
we are released from our bondage and slavery to sin and Satan, and we are set free.
We experience the Truth, and “the Truth sets us free” and if “the Son
sets us free we are free indeed” (John 8:32-36).
We can never fulfill God’s desire, plan and purpose for our
lives without first experiencing His great salvation through Jesus Christ
alone! It is my prayer that you have begun this awesome spiritual journey, and
you are now on mission with God to lead others to hope and victory in their lives
too!
God bless!
