Joshua and Jesus. Joshua 1.1-9
Jesus throughout the Scriptures: Joshua, Judges, Ruth (1)
Pray Psalm 105.44, 45.
He gave them the lands of the Gentiles,
And they inherited the labor of the nations,
That they might observe His statutes
And keep His laws.
Praise the LORD!
Sing Psalm 105.44, 45.
(Warrington: Give to Our God Immortal Praise)
To them He granted the promised land, the portion of His gracious hand.
Though they were few, and wandered far, He kept them close within His heart.
So let us all in our Savior confide, and in His holy Law abide.
Let us observe His glorious Word, and praise our sovereign, faithful LORD!
Read Joshua 1.1-9; meditate on verse 8.
Preparation
1. What did God expect Joshua to do?
2. What promise did He attach to this?
Meditation
By the time of Moses, the promises God made to Abraham (Gen. 12.1-3) had become concentrated, at least for the short term, in the land of Canaan. God had promised this land to Israel, to bless them in it as they obeyed His Word. We have also seen that those promises—including the promised land—were a type of Christ and pointed forward to Him (2 Cor. 1.20).
Moses—whose name means “drawn out”—was appointed the task of defeating, by the Word of the Lord, the tyrant who held His people captive, to draw them out of their captivity into the very Presence of the Lord. We have also considered how each of these “drawings” foreshadowed the work of Jesus: overthrowing and plundering Satan’s realm and drawing people to the Father through Himself (Jn. 14.6).
Now here is Joshua, whose name means “He delivers” or even “He saves” and which is the exact Hebrew equivalent of the name, Jesus. He was so named because He would save (“deliver”) His people from their sins (Matt. 1.21). Of course, the people of Israel in Joshua’s day would not have understood the whole significance of his name or his work. But God was building a case for His Son Who would fulfill all these Old Testament types, shadows, and pointers by His coming among us. Joshua’s calling was to deliver the people of Israel into the promises. Jesus’ calling is to deliver the people of God into Himself! He was strong and very courageous. He fulfilled all the Law of God. He crossed the Jordan that separates time from eternity and has begun the conquest that must result in disciples of Jesus from all nations (Matt. 28.18-20).
And we who know Him are in this struggle. Beginning in ourselves, working out into our Personal Mission Field, and doing what we can to spread the Good News to all the world, we who have come into the Promised One and are increasing in Him must follow Him daily as He rides forth conquering and to conquer (Rev. 6.1, 2; cf. Ps. 45.3-5). Be strong, my friend, and very courageous. For He is with you always.
Treasure Old and New: Matthew 13.52; Psalm 119.162
“…I was with Moses, so I will be with you.
I will not leave you nor forsake you.
Be strong and of good courage…
Only be strong and very courageous…” (Josh. 1.5-7).
Only be strong and very courageous to fight off the Hittites?
Only be strong and very courageous to take down entire cities?
Only be strong and very courageous to fight against giants?
No, none of those things was what God was encouraging him to be strong and courageous about.
“Only be strong and very courageous,
that you may observe to do according to all the law which Moses My servant commanded you;
do not turn from it to the right hand or to the left, that you may prosper wherever you go” (Josh. 1.7).
That was the key to all of Moses’ victories, and that would be the key to all of Joshua’s.
There was, frankly, nothing more important to their success as conquerors—nor to ours.
“This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth,
but you shall meditate on it day and night,
so that you may be careful to do according to all this is written in it.
For then you will make your way prosperous,
and then you will have good success” (Josh. 1.8 ESV).
Meditate on it and do what is in it. With strength and courage.
“In the day when I cried out, You answered me,
and made me bold with strength in my soul” (Ps. 138.3).
“For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind” (2 Tim. 1.7).
“The wicked flee when no one pursues, but the righteous are bold as a lion” (Prov. 28.1).
We are to be bold to follow the Lord Jesus Christ, courageous to keep steadfast on the Jesus Path, regardless of the circumstances, and to love and obey Him come what may; and what comes may be nothing, but it may be everything. “Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us” (Rom. 8.37).
Hear this overwhelming Promise from God:
“Come near to Me, hear this:
I have not spoken in secret from the beginning;
from the time that it was,
I was there.
And now the Lord GOD and His Spirit
Has sent Me” (Is. 48.16) —Jesus—Yahweh Is Salvation.
To gain this through grace and faith, and to hold it close through being strong and very courageous, is the passion of each believer’s heart—following Him daily as “He rides forth conquering and to conquer”—into our Personal Mission Field to meditate on His Law and do what’s in it.
Reflection
1. Why does it take strength and courage to obey the Word of God? How can we have that strength and courage?
2. Does that mean that, when you are courageously obeying God’s Word, everyone will like you? Or applaud your efforts? Explain.
3. Whom will you encourage today to be strong and courageous in the Word of God?
When we are in the way of duty, we have reason to be strong and very bold. Our Lord Jesus, as Joshua here, was born up under his sufferings by a regard to the will of God, and the commandment from his Father. Matthew Henry (1662-1714), Commentary on Joshua 1.5-9
Pray Psalm 105.11.
Give thanks to God for exceeding great and precious promises (Gen. 12.1-3) and for Jesus, in whom all those promises are Yes! and Amen! (2 Cor. 1.20) Call on Him to give you strength and courage to walk the Jesus Path today, loving and serving others as He would.
Sing Psalm 105.1-11.
(Warrington: Give to Our God Immortal Praise)
Give thanks unto the LORD Most High; call on His Name, before Him cry!
Make known His deeds in every land; sing praise for all the works of His hand.
Glory in God, rejoice in heart, all you who seek His holy part.
Him and His strength and Presence seek; His works proclaim, His judgments speak.
You holy children of Abraham, you chosen ones of Jacob, stand!
He is our LORD, of wondrous worth; His judgments are in all the earth.
He will His covenant faithfully guard—His oath, the promise of His Word.
That which He to our fathers swore, He will perform forevermore!
T. M. and Susie Moore
If you have found this meditation helpful, take a moment and give thanks to God. Then share what you learned with a friend. This is how the grace of God spreads (2 Cor. 4.15).
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Except as indicated, all Scriptures are taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. For sources of all quotations, see the weekly PDF of this study. All psalms for singing are from The Ailbe Psalter.
