1 After the death of Moses the Lord’s servant, the Lord spoke to Joshua son of Nun, Moses’s assistant: 2 “Moses my servant is dead. Now you and all the people prepare to cross over the Jordan to the land I am giving the Israelites. 3 I have given you every place where the sole of your foot treads, just as I promised Moses. 4 Your territory will be from the wilderness and Lebanon to the great river, the Euphrates River—all the land of the Hittites—and west to the Mediterranean Sea. 5 No one will be able to stand against you as long as you live. I will be with you, just as I was with Moses. I will not leave you or abandon you. 6 “Be strong and courageous, for you will distribute the land I swore to their fathers 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.”

1) What was Joshua feeling?
Moses had just died. Moses, the one who came to the Israelites in slavery as God’s spokesman and performed miracles both in Egypt and the wilderness. I can only imagine that Joshua was overcome by grief and concerned for his future and the future of his people. He obviously felt weak and scared, or else God wouldn’t have to keep telling him to be strong and courageous. Joshua was about to take the place of the only leader the Israelites had known since they left Egypt. This would require skills Joshua might not even believe he possessed.  I’m sure the situation felt hopeless as they had been traveling for 40 years in the wilderness, and the people had already proven that they had trouble listening to their leader. They even disregarded Joshua’s plea to go into the Promised Land when they’d arrived decades earlier (Numbers 13:1-14:10); instead, wanting to stone him for encouraging them to take the land. I can only imagine all the thoughts and concerns running through Joshua’s mind.

2) What were the promises of God?
God promised to give them “every place where the sole of their feet tread.”  He promised them that no one would be able to stand against them as long as they lived. He promised to be with them WHEREVER they went and not leave them or abandon them. These promises weren’t new. They began way back in Genesis 12 when God called Abraham out of the land of Ur and told him to go to a land that He would show him. He promised to give the land to Abraham’s descendants (Gen. 12:7). Hundreds of years had passed. I’m sure that the Israelites wondered if God had forgotten them. God may be slow according to us, but He ALWAYS fulfills His promises!!

3) What were the commandments of God?
Prepare to cross over the Jordan into the land that I am giving you. This was the first step in claiming the promises of God. The people needed to be ready. The next thing He commands them is to be strong and courageous. He had promised to make them successful. There was no reason for them to tremble or be uncertain of the outcome of their future. Then finally, observe CAREFULLY the WHOLE INSTRUCTION that was given to you through Moses. Meditate on it day and night so that you may CAREFULLY OBSERVE all that is written in it. Without knowing the law that God had given, it would be impossible to reap the benefit that He had in mind for them.

4) What is the benefit of trusting and placing our hope in His Words?
God told the Israelites that if they didn’t stray from His Word, they would have success wherever they went. He said if they were careful to observe all that was written, they would prosper and succeed in whatever they did.

1) What was Joshua feeling?
What about you? Are you feeling weak? Are you scared? Does it feel like your world is crumbling around you? Does your future seem uncertain? Are there people in your life that just won’t listen? Maybe not. Maybe everything today seems ok, but there’s always tomorrow. Do you fear what will come tomorrow? Are you a worrier? There is hope for you, and this Hope is not based on your current circumstances. This Hope is based on the God of the Universe who is faithful and true. The One who does not lie. He’s a living Hope! We are to fix our hope COMPLETELY on the grace that will be brought to us at the revelation of Christ (1 Peter 1:13) not on our current feelings or circumstances. All of our feelings and circumstances are changeable, but God is never changing, always constant, always a sure thing.

2) What were the promises of God?
God offers us many of the same promises that He offered the Israelites. He promises to never leave us or abandon us (Hebrews 13:5.) He has promised us eternal life in Heaven with Him (Romans 6:23) through Christ Jesus. He has promised that we will reign with Him (Ephesians 1:20-23 & Ephesians 2:4-6.) He has promised us that no weapon formed against us shall prosper because of the power of the promised Messiah (Isaiah 54:17). God is for us!! We have an amazing inheritance waiting for us if we keep the faith and persevere. In Him, all things hold together (Colossians 1:17).

3) What were the commandments of God?
Just like the Israelites, we need to be prepared for what is coming in the future. God has promised us that He is returning, and over and over in the New Testament, He tells us to be ready. We do not need to be scared about the future. He has given us everything we need in His Word. He knows the whole story from beginning to end, and we have no reason to be afraid as long as we place our hope and faith in Him. He deeply desires for us to be in His Word, daily meditating on it, just as you are doing right now. It’s the only way that we can know that we know that we know that we are truly following Him. His Word has a way of cutting to the very depths of who we are. It convicts, equips, trains, and prepares us for whatever the day might throw at us. Meditate on it!

4) What is the benefit of trusting and placing our hope in His Words?
The true benefit of trusting God and placing your hope in Him is that you will have peace no matter what the world throws at you. When you really know Him, when you really know His Word, you have a surety that NOTHING can take you from the palm of His hand, no weapon, no emotion, no feeling, no broken relationship, no circumstance, no heartache, no health issue, no mean words from others, no failure on your own part, NOTHING can separate us from His love (Romans 8:37-39).  In that knowing, you can truly rest in His arms. He is sovereign. He is in control, and He is for you!! Place your hope in Him!

Don’t miss today’s other Journey Study, Hope Changes Everything
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