DEVOTIONAL

“moses My Servant Is Dead; Now Therefore Arise, Cross This Jordan, You And All This People, To The Land Which I Am Giving To Them, To The Sons Of Israel.” Joshua 1:2 Nasbs

THE REFUGEE

After 40 years of wandering in the desert because the sin of unbelief, Joshua, whom Moses made the commander of the army of Israel, is now the leader of the entire nation. He would be the successor of the greatest leader of all the Old Testament, Moses.

There is no doubt that fear was raging inside of him. Joshua was to lead God’s people across the Jordan river into the land which He had promised his servant, Abraham, over 700 years earlier.

This was a land flowing with milk and honey, a land of fertile soil surrounded by streams of water, and the vines were clothed with large clusters of grapes, pomegranates, and figs. This was a land where God’s nation could flourish and it exceeded all the expectations of the people.

As Joshua girded himself for this great military conquest, He commanded the priest to consecrate the people, setting them apart as holy to God. Joshua knew the people of the land would not freely give the land over and that a great battle was on the horizon. He would need God to go before them if there was going to be success.

The Canaanites possessed the land; they had built strong cities which were fortified with large walls, they had chariots fitted with iron and they were very strong. God commands Joshua and all of Israel to drive the evil out of the land.

The Canaanites were a cruel people; they had been guilty of such horrible offenses that God judged their race to destruction. It was necessary for the purity of the world, because they had become so depraved, to be removed. The Israelites would be the tool in which God would purge the land of its idolatry and fulfill the promise He made to His servant Abraham.

God told Joshua, “Moses my servant is dead; now therefore arise, cross this Jordan, you and all this people, to the land which I am giving to them, to the sons of Israel. I will give you every place where you set your foot, as I promised Moses. No one will be able to stand against you all the days of your life. As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake you. Be strong and courageous, because you will lead these people to inherit the land I swore to their ancestors to give them.”

The Lord God was gracious to Joshua and gave him many victories during his military explorations in the land of Canaan. God established His nation in the land displaying His strength through the feebleness of human ability.

As believers, God, through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ and the regenerating power of the Holy Spirit, calls us to a new life. He moves us from a place of darkness to a place of light; He redeems us from our vocation of sin and death to being His sons and daughters through adoption.

He gives us a new heart along with new affections that desire to love and serve Him. He creates in us a longing for prayer and a hunger for His word that becomes a lamp unto our feet and a light unto our pathway. And just as Joshua would lead the nation into a new land, flowing with milk and honey, we are given a new life where sin is vanquished and grace and mercy abounds.

Along with this new life comes to putting to death of the old. The scriptures tell us, “Consider the members of your earthly body as dead to immorality, impurity, passion, evil desires, and greed, which amounts to idolatry.”

Sin is a powerful enemy; and if you are a child of God, you will have to fight against it. If you are an heir of Jesus Christ, you are born first to a heritage of warfare and are called to fight the good fight that leads to holiness.

Charles Spurgeon pens in one of his sermons, “Every sin has to be slaughtered. Not a single sin is to be tolerated. Off with their heads! Drive the sword into their hearts! They are all to die. Not one of them may be spared. Every sin is to be exterminated, and so buried that none of them can be found. Here is a labor worthy of all the valor of faith and the power of love.”

Will you fight the good fight of faith, or will you allow your love for sin to render you useless for the work of Christ?

“Moses My servant is dead; now therefore arise, cross this Jordan, you and all this people, to the land which I am giving to them, to the sons of Israel.” Joshua 1:2 NASBS