Title Leading Joshua/Joshua 1:1~9
Content Guide Joshua / Joshua 1:1~9, Ephesians 6:10~20
People usually like to be ahead. I especially like the number one. So, there are many people who have a hard life due to the first and most serious diseases. It's not easy to become the second, second person, but I'm trying to get the first place.
Even more so today. Our culture is obsessed with celebrities, number one, and gold medals. So we make the stories of successful people a myth and make them superstars. But no matter how successful there are people, behind every first place, success, there have been second people who have taken on practically important tasks. For example, for Korean soccer to reach the quarterfinals of the World Cup, there was a first person like Hiddink, but behind him there was a second person like Park Hang-seo.
Joshua was the man in that position. Today's text also says, "Joshua the son of Nun, Moses' servant." It is literally the lieutenant and collaborator of the army. This Joshua was led by God. So how did God guide him?
First, he led him while staying close to Moses.
God made Joshua to always follow Moses like a shadow. This is very difficult. He led Moses to always be by his side and serve him when he went up to Mount Sinai or when he went in and out of the tabernacle. And this became Joshua's training and learning.
Second, he trained to be the number one in obeying orders.
There were many wars during Israel's wilderness life. Other than that, there were many difficult things that we couldn't even imagine. Joshua was always at the forefront of that. He took the lead in the war against Amalek and tried to persuade and obey God's commands even when the people were discouraged and complained. Although he is not a first-class man, God has led him to live as a person who can actively and courageously take on the tasks given to him by the first person. So Joshua himself said that he could go to and conquer Canaan “if God pleases”, and they even said that they were our food. He was not interested in the question of whether he was one or two, but was interested in God's leading and pleasing, and ultimately lived according to God's guidance.
Third, he guided us by giving us courage and encouragement with the Word.
God speaks to Joshua. “I will not leave you; I will give you the land I swore. make it strong Be bold. No one will be able to withstand you. you will prosper Wherever you go, the LORD your God is with you.” In this way, God acknowledges, encourages, and gives courage to the leadership position and the authority of the leader, which tends to become empty after Moses' death. That's right. Because of God's guidance, we can have future challenges.
Fourth, He leads them to Canaan.
The land promised to Israel is Canaan. The journey to get there has not been smooth. A lot of resentment and rebellion were made against God, and the leaders became discouraged and the people became discouraged. In the end, only Joshua and Caleb entered Canaan during their 40 years of wandering in the wilderness. God led Joshua as far as Canaan, where Moses wanted to enter, and through him he led his people. This is the fulfillment of the promise made in the days of Abraham. This is how God led Joshua.
Fifth, He even led them to conquer and distribute the land.
It was not easy to drive out the various tribes living in Canaan. He even went to war with the sun. They drove out the Gentiles whom God had commanded to drive out. However, they were deceived by the Jebusites and were also weary. In such a battle, God gives Joshua wisdom and courage to lead Joshua to the end.
In this way, Joshua was guided by God. He was a double, but he became a great double. Most of the time, I remember gold medals, but I don't remember much about silver medals, but he became a remembered person. It was because he followed and served Jehovah only humbly. In the end, he said, “As for me and my house, we will serve only the Lord.” Along with the confession of faith, the people of Israel decided to serve the Lord and formed a beautiful community of faith. In fact, even this was the guidance of God.
We have a lesson in faith that we need to realize in the life of Joshua. It is that the true second-person who is led by God is not the second-person. Rather, it is that he is God's collaborator and a faithful person who keeps his position as a lonely and difficult leader. Here's a story.
Today we see the conflict between the first and the second, the conflict and the clash between the predecessor and the successor. How often do you lose your faith in a tidal wave of competition?
However, it is clear that God only demands first place, and He does not lead only the first person to become the winner. He also leads the second person who is hiding right away. He also makes them the first, the cooperators, and the fulfillment of God's will.
If there is confidence in God's guidance, thanksgiving, and satisfaction among God's people today, everyone can enjoy glory before God as a child of God, a person of God, and a victor before God. Under the guidance of God, we can reach the goal of victory of glory.
As God's people who are victorious under the guidance of God, let's all live a life that rejoices and enjoys glory even if we become the second or the least, or the last. And I hope that we can live by praising and testifying, “You have led my praise, Jesus.