Title: Joshua 1:5-9 / Strongly and boldly
Content Humans, no matter who they are, have weaknesses. No matter how loud a person may be, when confronted with that weak point, it is easy for humans to be disappointed, discouraged, and frustrated. Today, God gives us a blessed message by emphasizing it three times through the words of the Bible to us who live in this way. (Joshua 1:6) "Be strong, be courageous." (Joshua 1:7) “But be strong and extremely courageous” (Joshua 1:9) “Strengthen and be courageous, do not be afraid or be dismayed. Be strong and courageous.” How appropriate these words are for us living today. Even so, are these words of great comfort and courage? These are not the words of humans who cannot solve their own problems, but the words of Almighty God who created the heavens and the earth.
1. Joshua, a new worker in a new age
What kind of faith is Joshua, the main character of today's sermon?
(Numbers 27:18) "The LORD said to Moses, "Joshua the son of Nun is a man inspired by a god." He was a great leader who realized the entry into Canaan, which Moses could not achieve.
Returning from spying to enter Canaan (Numbers 14:9), he said, "They are our bread; their guardian has gone away, and the Lord is with us."
Why did God say these words to Joshua, who was so full of faith and a hundredfold in courage? It was because Moses, a powerful leader, could not enter the land of Canaan due to a single mistake, and because of the incident where he died on Mount Nebo, Joshua was gripped with strong doubts and fears, 'Who will be able to enter the land of Canaan?' .
And you can see that there are people who start the work of God's work of salvation, and there are people who progress and finish it. Because Moses' responsibility for that task was over, there was a plan to call Joshua, who had been training as a servant near Moses, as a new worker in the new era, and to build the foundation for the conquest of Canaan. In the same way, we are called to be partners in the work. This is God's grace that we should be thrilled with every day.
2. God's promises and commands
Although Joshua was called to be the protagonist of the new work, Joshua had many weak points and obstacles to undertake this task in many ways. 1) He was in a situation where he had no choice but to feel inferior to Moses. 2) Crossing the Jordan and destroying the impregnable fortress of Jericho, fighting the Canaanite natives who are capable of war and conquering them was difficult with only Joshua's strength. 3) The Israelites were a selfish, unbelieving people who always swallowed sweet things and spit them out when they used it in their relationship with them. God did not just tell Joshua to go unconditionally to Joshua, who became weak and fearful in the face of this reality. (Joshua 1:6) "Be strong, be courageous, and you will make this people inherit the land that I swore to their fathers." This is the dramatic dynamics of grace: the horizontal reality experienced by Christians living in all difficult times and the vertical promise of God's hopeful words.
And to Joshua who has a promise, God firmly commands. (Joshua 1:7) "But be strong and very courageous, and keep and do all the law that Moses my servant commanded you; do not turn to the left or to the right." In this way, God's commands always take precedence over promises.
3. Faith and Obedience
Joshua, a man of faith, got up from God's command and gave the orders to the leaders of the people. (Joshua 1:11) “Prepare food, for within three days you will cross this Jordan and go in to obtain the land the LORD your God is giving you to possess.” What does this mean? It proves that Joshua's faith has been restored. Not only that, but it is a precious attitude to obey God's Word. As a result, the people became united and pledged to be loyal to the leader of the new era, and they were able to lay the foundation for the conquest of Canaan together with the great leader as they went on to fight with faith. This is the blessing of God brought by faith and obedience.
* How do all human beings eat their hearts? Depends on its behavior. A person who always lives with a negative mind will also become a negative person in the words and actions that come out of his mouth. As social theologian John Bradley argued, "If you want change and growth, you must be able to say 'Goodbye'." Today we are faced with difficult times, but compared to the good days of the past, it is time to say goodbye and be strong and courageous, without too much frustration or guilt. This is because the God who promised and commanded Joshua is not limited to the times, but has promised and commanded us today as well. What we must practice in this difficult situation today is to believe in the Lord's promise, "I will always be with you until the end of the world" (Matthew 28:20), do not be discouraged, and move forward toward a new generation like Joshua.