Digging Deeper Days
Finding the original intent of Scripture and making good application to our everyday lives as we become equipped to correctly handle the Word of Truth!
Today is 2-for-1 Friday!
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The Questions
1) What two assignments did the Lord give Joshua? (verses 6-7)
2) What is the source of Joshua’s success at being strong and courageous? (verse 8)
3) What foundational reason is given for Joshua to be strong, courageous and without fear? (verse 9)
Joshua 1:6-9
“Be strong and courageous, for you will distribute the land I swore to their ancestors to give them as an inheritance. 7 Above all, be strong and very courageous to observe carefully the whole instruction my servant Moses commanded you. Do not turn from it to the right or the left, so that you will have success wherever you go. 8 This book of instruction must not depart from your mouth; you are to meditate on it day and night so that you may carefully observe everything written in it. For then you will prosper and succeed in whatever you do. 9 Haven’t I commanded you: be strong and courageous? Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”
Original Intent
1) What two mission assignments did the Lord give Joshua? (verses 6-7)
The Lord gives two over-arching assignments that are to be Joshua’s “true north compass” for the years of battle to come. Moses, Israel’s first leader, had died and newly appointed leader, Joshua, had some big shoes to fill as he prepared to lead the nation of Israel into their Promised Land. The land of Canaan was occupied, and enemies were on all sides. In fact, their first city was the colossal Jericho, a feat of ingenuity for its time. Even before Jericho, however, is the raging Jordan River overflowing its banks at flood stage. Hurdle after hurdle awaited Joshua and the fledgling nation of wilderness wanderers. Fear would come naturally. A sense of impossibility, disaster, and utter incapability could easily consume the new leader. Before attempting the first impasse of the Jordan River, the Lord came to Joshua with His mission and the foundation for its future success. First, Joshua was tasked with distributing the land to Israel, tribe by tribe. This had been a long time in coming. The promise for land to one day be inherited by Israel came hundreds of years prior to Abraham. (Genesis 12:1) For the land to be divided, it must first be conquered; this was no small checkbox. The second assignment may not seem like a mission at all, but we would be wrong to miss it. Verse 7 reiterates the command to be strong and courageous followed by the second assignment, “[O]bserve carefully the whole instruction my servant Moses commanded you. Do not turn from it to the right or the left.” Yes, Joshua had been given the role of Commanding Officer for Israel, but equally as important, he had been tasked with carefully studying and following the Word of the Lord which had been given to Moses. Both were to be Joshua’s life’s work.
2) What is the source of Joshua’s success at being strong and courageous? (verse 8)
Both mission assignments were preceded by the fundamental, undergirding command to “be strong and courageous”. But where would the source of that strong courage come? Joshua’s gritty determination? No; the Lord would provide it through His Word. It would require strength and courage to observe and follow the ways of the Lord as uncovered through “observing” (think: rapt scrutiny and intensely meticulous study) the Word of the Lord, but verse 8 reveals a deeper mystery. The first word of Joshua’s second mission in verse 7 is “observe”. The Lord’s directive in verse 8 is for Joshua to “meditate” on His Word “day and night”. The follow-on reward of doing so is that Joshua would be given the ability to “carefully observe everything written in it.” The secret to being strong and courageous in accomplishing the Lord’s mission was woven into the fabric of the mission itself. Follow Me courageously, says the Lord, and the more you follow, the more I will equip you to follow Me even more courageously. Step out in faith, and I will increase your faith to keep on stepping out. The outcome of following the Lord deeper and deeper, of studying His Word with insistent constancy will absolutely mean success of the mission Joshua had been entrusted with accomplishing. “For then you will prosper and succeed in whatever you do.” (verse 8)
3) What foundational reason is given for Joshua to be strong, courageous and without fear? (verse 9)
The Lord spoke clearly with Joshua, making certain His mission was understood and His command to accomplish the mission by being strong and courageous was emphatically apparent. Nothing was vague about the Lord’s direct instruction to Joshua. In fact, the command to be strong and courageous is reiterated often throughout the book with an almost lyrical, rhythmic quality. The Lord had given the mission, given His command, provided the means of success for both His command and His mission, and finally, as if this were not enough rich kindness, He finished with an astounding assurance, “for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” Joshua had no need for the useless intangibles of fear and floundering for not only had the Lord provided the means by which Joshua’s faith would grow (God’s Word), but He provided the permanency of His Presence. There is no greater gift! The Lord has a way with words, and each one is chosen on purpose. He could have told Joshua “the Lord […] God [will] be with you wherever you go”, but His word choice proves richer and sweeter. He personally attaches Himself to Joshua, calling Himself “your God”. Neither did He use a future tense being verb of “will”, rather He chose a present, unchanging constant reality verb “is” to describe His presence with Joshua, “for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” Is that not beautiful?!
Everyday Application
1) What two mission assignments did the Lord give Joshua? (verses 6-7)
If you’ve never read the book of Joshua, I highly recommend it! It’s packed with adventure, downfall, mishap, drama, and of course, victory. Your jaw will drop at the incredible feats accomplished in this book, but more stunning than the victories is the Victor. One Champion wins out through Joshua’s narrative, and it isn’t our boy Josh, it’s Yahweh, God of Angel Armies. Joshua’s tales are told in 27 chapters. By reading 1 a day, you can gain a fresh perspective on the True Champion in just under a month! Joshua was given a mission that would fill the whole of his life, but it was two-fold, meant to be accomplished side-by-side. Both came after the command to “be strong and courageous”. (verses 6-7) Of course Joshua would need strength and courage to conquer and divide the land, but why did the Lord give the same command, even adding the emphatic qualifier “very” before assigning the second mission of studying and following the Word of the Lord? Sisters, as any Christ-follower can attest, following Jesus is hard. It’s costly. It’s dangerous. As difficult as regular work environments, relationships, and any number of other challenges in life can be, following Jesus is harder in them because we are fighting against the pull of our sin nature. (Romans 8:7) It’s easier to follow our sinful desires and do things our way. It requires fierce strength and tenacious courage from the Lord to not only read the Word of the Lord, but then follow what it says, holding unswervingly to its truths. Want an easy example? How “easy” is it to maintain a consistent quiet time every day? It’s hard because our flesh says it’s not important. Take the Lord’s command and His assignment to heart concerning His Word, “be strong and very courageous.” (verse 7) Study His Word, and follow it for life!
2) What is the source of Joshua’s success at being strong and courageous? (verse 8)
We often associate “strong and courageous” with hero-like status. Perhaps an underdog faced incredible odds, and through gritty determination, they came out victorious, earning our cheering applause. The Lord’s perspective, however is quite different. Strength and courage are required for the diligent work of being humble and the slow, often painful, work of waiting on the Lord and His timing instead of pressing insistently for our timeframe of victory. We might seem strong and courageous as we do things our way, but in the end, unless we study the ways of the Lord and choose to follow Him, our courage will crumble beneath us for its source is not the Lord, but ourselves. “Unless the Lord builds a house, its builders labor over it in vain; unless the Lord watches over a city, the watchman stays alert in vain.” (Psalm 127:1) The Lord emphatically instructed Joshua to “meditate on it [the Word of the Lord] day and night so that you may carefully observe everything written in it.” Suppose we did the same, allowing Joshua’s secret of success to become our own? Let’s begin with Psalm 27. Read it through several times each day. Be consistent. Courageously fight for this space to sit with the Lord and let His Word instruct your heart, giving you His own strength and courage. Consider how even the simple decision to memorize the last two verses of this psalm might stir up your heart to live courageously for the Lord, “I am certain that I will see the Lord’s goodness in the land of the living. Wait for the Lord; be strong, and let your heart be courageous. Wait for the Lord.” (Psalm 27:13-14)
3) What foundational reason is given for Joshua to be strong, courageous and without fear? (verse 9)
With baited breath, we turn the pages of the centuries to the New Testament and with astounding clarity we breathe in the depth of truth and grace intended for our hearts today. Joshua was tasked with a mission much bigger than himself and his abilities, and so are we. “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared ahead of time for us to do.” (Ephesians 2:10) The grand umbrella under which each of those good works falls is encapsulated in Jesus’ parting words, “Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe everything I have commanded you.” (Matthew 28:19-20) That is one massive mission! Make disciples of all nations?! Baptizing them and teaching them to, oh what’s that word? “Observe” everything I have commanded you. Hitting us like a ton of bricks we realize this whole “observe and follow” mission has been threaded through God’s grand mission since the beginning. And we, you and I, in our regular, normal, everyday lives, have been destined to play a role in accomplishing this mission since before time began. (Ephesians 1:4) Are you holding your breath like I am? Let that reality sink in! Oh yes, one more thing. That constant present active verb choice God used when speaking with Joshua? Guess who used it again when giving us our mission? The same God. “[…] teaching them to observe everything I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” Not “will be”, not “if you’re good”, just “am”. I Am is with you always, to the end of the age. Fear and floundering have no place, Sisters, go and accomplish His mission, His way, in His time, for He IS with us!
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Digging Deeper is for Everyone!
1) Take this passage (or any other passage).
2) Read it, and the verses around it,
several times
3) Write down your questions
as you think of them.
4) Ask specific culture related questions and be ready to dig around for your answers. Google them, use www.studylight.org, or look them up in a study Bible and read the footnotes (click on the little letters next to a word and it will show you
other related verses!). (www.esvbible.org)
5) Check your applications with other trusted Christians that you are in community with and embrace the fullness of God
in your everyday!
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Why Dig Deeper?
Finding the original meaning is a huge deal when we study Scripture and can make all the difference in our understanding as we apply God’s truths to our everyday lives.
In our modern-day relationships, we want people to understand our original intention as we communicate; how much more so between God and humanity?!
Here’s a little bit more on why we take Digging Deeper so seriously.
Study Tools
We love getting help while we study and www.studylight.org is one of many excellent resources, providing the original Hebrew (Old Testament) or Greek (New Testament) with an English translation.
Want to know more about a specific word in a verse? Click on “Strong’s Interlinear Bible” then click the word you’d like to study. Discover “origin”, “definition” and hear the original pronunciation – That Is Awesome!
Want more background? Click “Study Tools”, then pick a few commentaries to read their scholarly approach, keeping in mind that just because a commentary says it, doesn’t mean it’s true. (just like the internet :-))
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