by Jon Burnett
In the first chapter, Joshua has just taken his place at the helm of God�s people when He promises: �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. 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.� (Jos 1:4,5)
Such an amazing inheritance! Many a people lived in the land that God had promised to the Israelites, but God tells Joshua here, �Let me lead you and I will overcome.� Before the Israelites could sharpen their swords or horse their chariots they had to begin their conquest with the knowledge that the battle was in better hands: God�s. The Israelites were often outnumbered and had little or no weapons and training. The advantage they possessed that allowed them to be victorious was their faith in God.
But God�s promise did not come without work to be done. Though ultimately God�s hand guided the people to victory, such an outcome was conditional. In Joshua 1:7 God tells His people, �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.� God has always commanded obedience of His people, and this was just another case. God�s Law was to be followed absolutely by God�s people in order to reap the benefits of His marvelous gift.
Today we have distorted what faith really is. The faith of the Israelites was not dead (James 2:26), but rather was one that trusted God and obeyed him. In speaking of Abraham we read, �Do you see that faith was working together with his works, and by works faith was made perfect?� (James 2:22) Likewise, Christians today should practice a lifestyle of �faith working through love� that we might �serve one another.� (Galatians 5:6,13)
The blessings of such a faith comes quickly to the Israelites, only a chapter later, �And they said to Joshua, �Truly the Lord has delivered all the land into our hands, for indeed all the inhabitants of the country are fainthearted because of us.�� (2:24) As God was obeyed the blessings continued to flow: �So Joshua conquered all the land; the mountain country and the South and the lowland and the wilderness slopes, and all their kings; he left none remaining, but utterly destroyed all that breathed, as the Lord God of Israel had commanded.� (10:40) And as always, �Not a word failed of any good thing which the Lord had spoken to the house of Israel. All came to pass.� (21:45)
Many wish to stop there: God makes a promise and lays down the conditions, you both do your parts and you receive God�s grace. But God�s promise did not just end with the conquest, but a warning: �When you have transgressed the covenant of the Lord your God, which He commanded you, and have gone and served other gods, and bowed down to them, then the anger of the Lord will burn against you, and you shall perish quickly from the good land which He has given you.� Upon reception of the Promised Land, God still commanded obedience. Christians today follow the same thought, though before we obeyed Christ in order to be saved, we now obey Him out of debt, �Now to him who works, the wages are not counted as grace but as debt.� (Romans 3:31)
Joshua, toward the close of his life made one final address to admonish God�s people saying, �And if it seems evil to you to serve the Lord, choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve� (Jos 24:15). God had been good to the people, and now the decision was theirs: follow God, or accept foreign idols. As pointed out to me recently, this is God�s ultimate respect for mankind: our freewill. God has blessed us with everything we have, our life, our property, our health, our family, a chance to live with Him eternally�the list goes on and on. So �how shall we escape if we neglect so great a salvation�? (Hebrews 2:3)
Today we�re not much different from those Israelites 4000 years ago. First we must become God�s people by submitting ourselves to Christ. We can do this by hearing and believing the word of God (Romans 10:17), repenting of our lawlessness (Acts 17:30), confessing Christ as Lord (Rom 10:9,10), and being baptized into Christ for the remission of our sins (Acts 2:38). In Christ our promise is eternal life on the condition of faithfulness (Revelation 2:10). However, once saved our faith continues to work in love to serve one another (Gal 5:6-13). Unfortunately many will neglect this salvation, and to them Christ has given a warning: �I tell you, no; but unless you repent you will all likewise perish.� (Luke 13:3)
By God�s grace He has given us the freewill to choose good and evil, �For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.� (2 Timothy 1:7) The choice is clear: spirit or flesh, God or man, good or evil. The results are obvious: salvation or damnation. And the choice is yours. �Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling�. (Phlippians 2:12)