Sunday April 28
A New Beginning
Joshua 1:1-18
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.
3 Every place that the sole of your foot will tread upon I have given you, as I said to Moses.
4 From the wilderness and this Lebanon as far as the great river, the River Euphrates, all the land of the Hittites, and to the Great Sea toward the going down of the sun, shall be your territory.
5 No man shall be able to stand before you all the days of your life; as I was with Moses, so I will be with you. I will not leave you nor forsake you.
6 Be strong and of good courage, for to this people you shall divide as an inheritance the land which I swore to their fathers to give them.
7 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.
8 This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success.
9 Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go."
Yesterday we finished our study and chats through the Book of Psalms which almost took two years, and today we will begin a new study looking at the Book of Joshua. The Book of Joshua is a book of new beginnings. The people of Israel have been following Moses in the wilderness for the past forty years. Now finally they are going to get the opportunity to go into the Promise Land, the land of Canaan. And God has chosen a new leader by the name of Joshua.
Also, it is a new generation of Israelites that will also enter the Promise Land. If you remember when the twelve spies came back with their reports some forty years earlier, ten of them gave an “evil report” that lacked faith. They only saw the giants and the obstacles that they would face if they went in. But Joshua and Caleb gave a good report and by faith claimed that the LORD would go before them and take care of the giants and any other obstacles, and they could inherit the land the LORD had promised them.
Sadly, the people believed the ten spies and refused to follow Moses, Joshua, and Caleb and go in. Because of their lack of faith and unbelief the LORD told them that everyone that was twenty years old and older would never enter the land, only Joshua and Caleb. So, for the next forty years, everyone that was twenty years old or older literally died and was buried in the wilderness. Moses also has just died, and the new generation is preparing to go in with their new leader, Joshua.
But there were bigger issues involved in that conquest than the invasion and possession of a land, issues that touch our lives and our faith today. That's why we're embarking on this study. The Book of Joshua is the book of new beginnings for the people of God, and many believers today need a new beginning. After forty years of wandering in the wilderness, Israel finally claimed their inheritance and enjoyed the blessings of the land that God had prepared for them, "as the days of heaven upon the earth" (Deut. 11:21). That's the kind of life God wants us to experience today.
God spent many years preparing Joshua for his calling. He was born into slavery in Egypt and was given the name Hoshea (Num. 13:8), which means "salvation." Moses later changed it to Joshua (v. 16), "Jehovah is salvation," which is the Hebrew form of "Jesus" (Matt. 1:21; see Acts 7:45 and Heb. 4:8). When his parents gave the baby the name "salvation," they were bearing witness to their faith in God's promise of redemption for His people (Gen. 15:12-16; 50:24-26). Jesus Christ, our Joshua, wants to lead us in conquest now and share with us all the treasures of His wonderful inheritance. He has "blessed us with all spiritual blessings" (Eph. 1:3), but too often we live like defeated paupers.
Remember today is the first day of the rest of your life and you can by faith enjoy a new beginning today!
God bless!