It is time for the Israelites to begin to move on into the Promised Land and Joshua has been commanded by God to lead them. We have heard some of the things that God told them to do already. Last week we discussed how they should always remember to be strong and courageous.
Now God tells them not to be afraid or discouraged.
We can read that whole passage in Joshua 1:9: “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid, do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you where ever you go.”
INTRODUCTION
Welcome to the Joshua study of the COME AS A CHILD BIBLE STUDY from The IN SEASON Lifestyle blog. We are happy that you have joined us today!
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Our group (now 117 and growing every day) is slowly making its way all through the whole bible; page-by-page and word-by-word. We are not in a hurry. Our goal is to look at the scriptures with the heart of a child; as if we had never seen the passages before and explore what God shows us from that perspective.
It has been a great journey so far!
GOING INTO THE UNKNOWN TAKES COURAGE
Courage needs to belong to anyone going anywhere into the unknown. The people were going to a place they had never been before and it was inhabited with pagan cultures that were very unfamiliar and opposed to their way of life.
None of God’s best ways were being observed by the people in the lands where they were headed. Yet; God had given them the secrets to a successful life and the keys to happiness on this earth in the commandments which they had learned to follow.
God tells them not to be afraid.
BE NOT AFRAID
This passage always reminds me of an old hymn by the same words; BE NOT AFRAID. Here are the very beautiful and accurate words which were written by Robert J. Dufford.
You shall cross the barren desert but you shall not die of thirst. You shall wander far in safety though you do not know the way. You shall speak your words to foreign men and they will understand. You shall see the face of God and live.
Be not afraid. I go before you always. Come, follow me and I will give you rest.
If you pass through raging waters in the sea you shall not drown. If you walk amid the burning flames you shall not be harmed. If you stand before the power of hell and death is at your side, know that I am with you through it all.
Be not afraid. I go before you always. Come, follow me and I will give you rest.
And blessed are your poor for the kingdom shall be theirs. Blessed are you that weep and mourn for one day you shall laugh. And if wicked men insult and hate you all because of me, Blessed, Blessed are you.
Be not afraid. I go before you always. Come, follow me and I will give you rest.
I WILL GIVE YOU REST
That beautiful song holds fond memories for me. It has always been so comforting whenever I’ve had to face the unknowns in my own life. No matter who you are and no matter what journey God leads you to take; He never fails to go along and take the journey with you. Your needs will be met and you will be comforted. When you decide to drop the stress and not be anxious and learn to simply trust him; you will find that peace that leads you to rest.
Take hope; not sorrow!
God always keeps his promises.
FACING THE MOUNTAINS AND GIANTS OF LIFE
I have a very close relative that is going through a horrible battle with cancer right now. The doctors don’t hold out a lot of hope, but she is a believer. She tells me that she isn’t afraid because God is with her. She feels like He has a greater purpose for her on the other side of this huge mountain she faces.
I have to think of the people of God every time she says those words to me. They had to face the great unknown too; but they knew that God was right beside them and that made all of the difference in the world.
When you can see the purposes of God working out as you travel through the bumps and dark places in this life; you just have to trust that God is there and He knows what is best for you in this moment.
HE WILL BE THERE
Notice that God doesn’t say that everything will be easy or painless. We may have to go through some very rough places; but He will be there.
God will never forsake us or leave us.
As we begin to study this lesson together today; I realize that we have just entered the Hebrew month of Av. It is the eleventh month of the civil calendar and the fifth month of the religious calendar.
Soon we will come to the ninth of Av. Its Hebraic meaning relates to mourning.
We studied one aspect of this meaning when we studied The Book of Numbers. You might recall that the people had been in this very spot before; about 40 years ago. God had commanded Moses to send out spies into the land to find out what it was like before they entered. They came back to Moses saying that the land’s inhabitants were too big and too strong for them to face.
They were afraid! The only two that were not afraid or discouraged were Joshua and Caleb. Now these two are the only two of that generation left to return to the rightful place that God had chosen to put his name.
DO NOT BE DISCOURAGED
Joshua must have remembered all of this from before. He must have stressed over and over to the people that God does not want anyone to be afraid or discouraged.
The first generation of Israelites forgot to put their trust in their mighty God. They made the tragic mistake of listening to the words of men instead. That very fact is part of the reason that Israel mourns this day even now. It helps them remember to always have faith.
If only their faith had been stronger; the past generation as well as the people we speak of now would have already been living peacefully and prosperously in the land of milk and honey. They would not have had to wander through the desert for 40 long years.
God had given them the time that they needed in order to get them ready and to increase their faith. He had shown them how much they needed Him to guide and protect them in all that they ever did.
Now they had to put their fears aside and step out into the place where God was going to teach them some very important new facts about living.
MOVING TOWARD NEW LIFE
Their moving on was all about moving on toward a new life and a better way of living.
They had to trust in the invisible things; the evidence of things not seen. That is the most important element of faith.
Faith is what God requires of all of us.
He required it of his people in the wilderness, and he requires it of my friend battling cancer. Those of us living in this crazy and uncertain world of today are also required to have a strong and steady faith in God. We must keep trusting Him for the unspoken answers that we seek and the new tomorrow that we need.
As these old Israelites made a better decision than their past generations and they blindly moved forward and followed Joshua into the new place; their faith was about to grow stronger.
God was going to teach them things they had never known before.
He will do the same for you and me.
There is no need to be afraid.