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.
For the past several days we have been looking at the
history and background of Joshua and how God prepared him to be the leader that
would follow the great Moses. Now as Joshua assumes this new awesome task of leadership,
he must have had a great amount of fear and a lot of questions. His experiences
with the people of Israel to this point has not always been a good one. They have
complained, murmured, rebelled and refused to listen to Moses on many
occasions.
For sure leaders need advice, but more than that they need
encouragement! For the next several days we will be looking at these first nine
verses of the Book of Joshua and see how God encouraged Joshua to overcome his
fears and have the courage to take on this great task of leading God’s people
to victory in the Promise Land.
When you feel like a midget taking the place of a giant,
you appreciate all the encouragement God sends your way. "To
encourage" literally means "to put heart into." As God's people
today face the challenges that God gives us, we would do well to learn from the
threefold encouragement found in this chapter.
First, in verses 1-2, we find out how God encouraged Joshua
by giving him a commission! Leaders don't lead forever, even godly leaders like
Moses. There comes a time in every ministry when God calls for a new beginning
with a new generation and new leadership. Except for Joshua and Caleb, the old
generation of Jews had perished during the nation's wanderings in the
wilderness; and Joshua was commissioned to lead the new generation into a new
challenge: entering and conquering the Promised Land. "God buries His
workmen, but His work goes on."
It was God who had chosen Joshua, and everybody in Israel
knew that he was their new leader. God commissioned Joshua to
achieve three things: lead the people into the land, defeat the enemy, and
claim the inheritance. God could have sent an angel to do this, but He chose to
use a man and give him the power he needed to get the job done. As we have
already seen, Joshua is a type of Jesus Christ, the Captain of our salvation
(Heb. 2:10), who has won the victory and now shares His spiritual inheritance
with us.
Every believer has a commission from God. Jesus told His disciples
in John 15:16, “You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you
that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain, that
whatever you ask the Father in My name He may give you.” It is our calling and commission from God that
gives us the confidence and courage to face the challenges of leadership in our
homes, our churches, our vocations, and in our nation!
Be encouraged today and remember God has a special calling,
purpose and plan for every believer!
God bless!
