Monday 16 June 2008
- Bible Book:
- Joshua
"Be strong and very courageous, being careful to act in accordance with all the law that my servant Moses commanded you; do not turn from it to the right hand or to the left, so that you may be successful wherever you go." (v.7)
Background
The books of Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy tell howGod rescued the Hebrew people from slavery in Egypt. Led by Moses,the Israelites travelled through the wilderness for 40 yearstowards the country God promised them as a safe place to settle. Asthey reached the frontier of their promised land, Moses died andthe leadership of the people passed to Joshua.
Poised on the eastern bank of the river Jordan, preparing to crossinto the promised land, the Israelites face a colossal challenge.Following the death of Moses, they also have to meet that challengewith Joshua, a new and untried leader, at their head. They needencouragement and reassurance.
The storyteller in the book of Joshua underlines God's promise andGod's faithfulness. The divine strength which equipped Moses willsustain Joshua and the promise of a homeland made to Moses isreiterated to his successor. Whatever the magnitude of the taskbefore them, God will not fail the people and will not forsakethem.
The shadow side of this story is that the promised land is alreadyoccupied. The wide tract of country described here, from the riverEuphrates in modern Turkey and Syria to the Mediterranean coast,was already the home of many peoples. Some were displaced by theinvading or migrating Israelites, but the Old Testament suggeststhat the different groups continued to live side-by-side.
Beneath the confidence in Joshua 1 there is an undercurrent ofanxiety. Israel must be careful to obey the law which God gavethrough Moses because obedience, as much as strength and courage,is essential to success and prosperity. It is likely that thesewords reflect a time, many centuries later, when Israel lost itsland and when people of faith were struggling to hold togethertheir confidence in God and their experience of defeat.
To Ponder
What are the particular challenges you face inlife and faith, at the moment?
How could you deepen your awareness andunderstanding of God's word?
As this is