Introduction to The Man Joshua

Transcript

GRS 2-38
8/20/2006
Introduction to the Man Joshua
Joshua 1-24
Gil Rugh

We are getting ready to look in to the Book of Joshua. So why don’t you turn to Book of Joshua in your Bibles. 6th Book in the Old Testament after the five Books of Moses, the five Books of the Law, those opening Books which are foundational to everything. We come to the Book of Joshua and we are going to look at some background material on Joshua, but least you will be at a good place to move around. As you are aware, Joshua will cover the conquering of the land that God has promised Israel and that goes back to Genesis Chapter 12. That is the beginning of the nation Israel with the call of Abraham. And we have the Abrahamic Covenant; that will be repeated several times in that context.

Why don’t you to go back to Genesis 12; that becomes one of the major dividing lines. The first 11 Chapters deal with the nations generally, the nations come into existence in Chapter 10 and then in Chapter 11 we have matters related to that. With Chapter 12, everything from Genesis 12, you remember, through the Gospels in the New Testament have to do with the nation Israel. So Genesis 12 becomes a major turning point in our Bibles and you have the call of Abraham and the Abrahamic Covenant, if you turn over to Chapter 13, where the covenant is repeated with Abraham. And the portion on the land is what we want to know, verse 14 and following, God told Abraham, lift up your eyes, look from the place where you are, northward, southward, eastward, westward, all the land which you see, I will give it to you, to your descendants forever. I will make your descendants as the dust to the earth. Rise, walk through the land, its length and its breadth I will give it to you. There is no reason to spiritualize or allegorize this. It is Abraham’s literal descendants, it is a literal land, walk around the land, look over the land, this is what you get.

And what you are going to have, and turn over to Chapter 15, verse 13, God said to Abraham, know for certain that your descendants will be strangers in the land that is not theirs while they will be enslaved and oppressed for 400 years. But I will judge the nation whom they will serve, afterward they will come out with many possessions, and you are going to die without seeing all of this. Abraham only had the promises; he had to live by faith in what God had said.

Verse 16, then in the fourth generation, they will return here for the inequity of the Amorites is not yet complete and then you have the confirming of the covenant sealing up with the divided animals. Down in verse 18, on that day the Lord made a covenant with Abraham saying to your descendants I have given this land, from the river of Egypt as far as the great river, the river Euphrates. Again you will note we are talking about specific physical land with certain boundaries. I mentioned this because of the tendency among many to say that the church inherits these promises and now they become somehow spiritualized and that the churches inherited them, we don’t get the promise of the land. It is important because since from the time God gave this promises to Abraham, time to the time of Joshua, we have about 600 years, look Joshua begins about 1405 BC, about 600 years had passed since Abraham, who was about 2000 years Before Christ. God had told him that there would be 400 years of bondage included in that time. However, note 600 years don’t change God’s promises. It is not well now, you know they have been down in Egypt, things changed and they come out. No, the land that you promise has to be given to them. So the purpose of the Book of Joshua is to show that God is true his word.

Turn to the end of the Book of Joshua, Chapter 21, Joshua 21, and look at verse 43, So the Lord gave Israel all the land which he has sworn to give to their fathers and they possessed it and lived in it and the Lord gave them rest on every side according to all that He has sworn to their fathers. Not one of their enemies stood before them; the Lord gave all their enemies into their hand and not one of the good promises which the Lord had made to the house of Israel failed; all came the past. So the Book of Joshua is written shows Israel taking possession of the land which is showing the God is faithful to his word. Now, this is the final possession of the land, which will take place under their Messiah, but it does show God is honoring his word because of the discipline of the Lord, Israel is removed from the land under the Syrians, under the Babylonians, under the Romans, but ultimately they will be back because the gifts in calling of God are irrevocable.

We have been looking in the New Testament and the Book of Corinthians, that how these things had happened to Israel, happened for us to learn from and one of the things we can be encouraged about is God is good to his promises. Before we go into many more in Joshua, jump over to the Book of Peter, Second Peter Chapter 3, you know when you read the history of the Bible, it’s easy to look at it and say there is no excuse for those people not to believe the word of God because we see God giving them his word, we see them failing to trust his word over the hundreds of years that passed and wonder why did they trust Him? Then we see how his word is fulfilled. And really what Peter says in Second Peter Chapter 3 is the passing of time doesn’t change in anyway God’ promises.

Look at verse 8 Chapter 3 of Second Peter, Do not let this one fact to escape your notice, beloved, that with the Lord one day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years like one day. In other words, we think that thousand years, that’s a long time. And we have been waiting 2000 years for the Lord to come, had his return, but you know the God who dwells in eternity of 1000 years is nothing to him. The Lord is not flow about his promise as some count slowness, but his patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish, but for all to come to repentance. This is in the context of Peter warning the believers that you know in the last days.

Verse 4 of Chapter 3, there will be mockers who come and say where is the promise of His coming, you have been talking about the Lord is coming, the Lord is coming, the Lord is coming, that’s going on for hundreds of years, now that’s going on for thousands of years, but we are not to grow faith in our confidence, the Lord is true to his word. And he is not slow about his promise; he is patient and giving opportunity to men, women, and young people to be saved.

All right back to the Book of Joshua, the Book of Joshua is named after the main character and the name Joshua means Jehovah saves, like the New Testament name Jesus is Joshua and Joshua’s name means Jehovah saves or Jehovah is salvation. God has been preparing him for this task for many years, for over 40 years. God has been preparing Joshua to assume the role that he is now taking when the Book of Joshua begins. Let me just walk through with you, some of the major events in Joshua’s life as God prepares him for the work that he has him to do in leading the conquering of the land.

Go back to the Book of Exodus; first time we meet Joshua is in a battle where he is leading the armies of Israel as Moses had directed him. We don’t know about his background before this. We know that he came out of Egypt with Moses. He is a young man, we will see him referred to by that terminology in a little bit, the young man, he is younger significantly, younger evidently than Moses, but he is old enough to lead the armies of Israel out to battle. Then remember, the men were numbered for military involvement until they were 20 years of age. So we know that Joshua will be 20 plus. But we don’t know how old he is at this point, at the beginning when we meet him, this is right after the Exodus, they haven’t arrived at Mount Sinai yet, which happened not too long after the Exodus from Egypt.

Verse 8, Exodus 17:8, Them Amalek came and fought against Israelites at Rephidim. So Moses said to Joshua, choose men for us and go out and fight against Amalek. So at this point already Joshua is the recognized military leader and so we will see he is called a servant of Moses later, he is closely associated with Moses. We have no information, as I said, on his background up to this point. We will pick him up here, choose men for us and go out, fight against Amalek, tomorrow I will station myself on the top of the hill with the staff of God in my hands. Joshua did as Moses told him and fought against Amalek. And this is going to be one of the characteristics of Joshua; unwavering faithfulness and serving Moses and doing as Moses would instruct. He fought against Amalek. Moses, Aaron, and Hur. Hur went up to the top of the hills, so it came about when Moses held up his hand that the Israel prevailed when he let his hands down, Amalek prevailed.

Moses arms get heavy, so Aaron and Hur supported his hands on each sides, so they can hold up his hands until sunset, verse 13, so Joshua overwhelmed Amalek and his people with the edge of the sword, I mean, Joshua is a military man, he is going out now here, this is hand to hand fighting, this is slaying your enemy with your sword, this is bloody brutal conflict. Then Lord said to Moses, write this in a Book as a memorial and resided to Joshua that I will utterly blot out the memory of Amalek from under heaven. You see, already God is working in the preparation of Joshua because Moses has been instructed to write this down as a permanent record for Israel and then he is to read it to Joshua that his intention is to complete the destruction of Amalek and some of you are familiar with the later account, under soul, when he becomes king. He is instructed to destroy and iolite the Amalekites and his failure to do will cost him the kingship in Israel.

Joshua learns an important lesson here at this battle with Amalek and that is the victory depends up on the Lord and he is reminded, it’s not his great military abilities that brought the victory because every time Moses arms sagged down, the Amalekites began to win and assume the offensive. So Joshua has a vivid reminder here that when he goes to war, the victory will depend upon the Lord. So the first time we come to Joshua, he is in a battle, leading in a war with an enemy of Israel and he is reminded the victory is the Lord that will prepare him with the instructions God will give him as he assumes leadership in place of Moses to be strong and courageous because the Lord is with him. Turn over to Exodus 24, next time we see Joshua is with Moses on Mount Sinai.

Exodus Chapter 24, in verse 9, then Moses went up with Aaron, Nadab and Abihu and seventy of the elders of the Israel and they saw the God of Israel and under his feet there appeared to be a be a pavement of sapphire, it’s clear as the sky itself, yet he did not stretch out his hands against the nobles of the sons of Israel and they saw God, and they ate and they drank. Lord said to Moses, come up to me on the Mount and remain there, I will give you the stone tablets with the law of the commandment which I have written for their instruction. So Moses rose with Joshua, his servant and Moses went up to the mountain of God. But to the elders, he said, wait here for us until we return to you. Behold Aaron and Hur are with you. Context with Joshua is the only one going to accompany Moses. Even Aaron and Hur now are to stay behind and evidently, you get the sense in the context here.

Begin verse 9, when Moses, Aaron, Nadab, and Abihu and the seventy elders of Israel went and sat in the presence of God and saw the God of Israel, Joshua would have been there. And now as they are called to come back up into the presence of the Lord, it will only Joshua and Moses together and during the forty days and nights that Moses is in the presence of the Lord on Mount Sinai receiving the law, Joshua is there. We don’t know the proximity, but he has gone up to the mountain. Verse 13, Moses rose with Joshua, his servant and Moses went up to the mountain of God. The elders and Aaron and his sons, they are left behind, it’s Joshua and Moses going up here. Now where they are at mountain then, Moses went on further. We don’t know, but Joshua is up there for the forty days and forty nights. Again the Bible is not written to satisfy all of our curiosity or all of our questions. It concentrates on the major line that God is developing. So we don’t know any more about Joshua’s involvement there.

Verse 18 says Moses entered the mist of the cloud as he went up to the mountain and then Moses was on the mountain forty days and forty nights. You think well, it doesn’t say Joshua, no but it does say that verse 13, Moses rose with Joshua, his servant and Moses went up to the mountain of God and then turn over to Exodus 32, the next time we see Joshua, we saw him on the battle with Amalek, we see him in Mount Sinai and we know he is there because when Moses returns after forty days and forty nights, Joshua returns with him. I want to say that Joshua, his servant got up with him, you read here when he returns, Joshua returns with him. So we know he was up there for the full forty days and forty nights. While Moses is on Mount Sinai receiving the law, this great revelation is going to govern Israel’s life until the Messiah comes. While he is doing, you know what Israel is doing? Constructing a golden calf as an object to worship. Amazing! Amazing! So Moses has to return from the mountain. God tells him what is happening and Moses intercedes on the behalf of Israel and he intercedes not because Israel is worthy, but he intercedes on the basis of the promises God has made. And since God is the God who will honor His word, so God response to Moses request.

Then verse 15, then Moses returned and went down from the mountain with two tablets of the testimony in his hands. Tablets are so the commandments are written on here. Verse 17, now when Joshua heard the sound of the people as they shouted, he said to Moses, there is a sound of war in the camp. So you see he is returning with Moses. Joshua doesn’t know what is going on down there. So evidently he is not in the presence of the Lord as Moses received the command, but he is on the mountain. You think oh boy! I have learned patience, waiting up here forty days and forty nights on mountain by yourself. And Moses is receiving the law, but he hasn’t heard what God told Moses because when he comes down he thinks somebody is attacked and there is a war in the camp.

Moses responded, it is not the sound of the cry of triumph, nor does it the sound of the cry of defeat. It is the sound of singing, I hear and so they come into the camp and find Israel out of control and their worship of the golden calf and here you learn something of fierce anger of the Lord against sin, something that Joshua would have beheld here, he has this awesome of experience of being on the mountain with Moses, we don’t know what he saw, what he heard, what he knew, but he is aware that Moses is in communion with the living God and as they come down from the mountain, this is the result of sin and the judgment that God brings on the people who are sin and rebellion . You see something of the anger of Moses, the most meek man on the face of the earth could have a fierce of anger, here it is a righteous anger as he smashes the tablets that God himself has written the commandments on. In his anger, he threw them at the foot of the mountain and then grinds them to powder, makes the people eat it, then instruct people to take their swords and go through and slay those guilty of this worship. And so Joshua is learning lessons of leadership here. Learning Moses’ responses, learning to be a faithful man.

In Exodus 33, we meet Joshua again, the man privileged to have close and intimate association with Moses in these awesome times in Exodus 33 verse 7, now Moses used to take the tent and pitch it outside the camp, a good distance from the camp. He called at the “tent of meeting.” Everyone who sought the Lord would go to the tent of meeting which was outside the camp and this is where you have the meeting with the Lord, the tabernacle has not been constructed yet. This is the place where the Lord meets with his people, it came about wherever Moses went out to the tent, all the people would rise and stand each at the entrance of the tent and gaze after Moses as he entered the tent. Whenever Moses entered the tent, the pillar of cloud would descend and stand, so here Moses is meeting with God on behalf of his people. Moses is their representative and the cloud indicates the presence of the Lord.

Look at verse 11, thus the Lord used to speak to Moses face to face just as a man speaks to his friend. When Moses returned to the camp, his servant Joshua, the son of Nun, a young man would not depart from the tent. So Joshua’s responsibility was if you will to stand guard at the tent of meeting and when Moses left the tent to go back to camp Joshua remind at the tent. And so you see the unique responsibility entrusted to Joshua early. You will say, well, you know, here he is, you know, he gets not be really in it, but there, I mean he is on the mount that God is communing with Moses. Now he is at the tent of meeting, but he is standing there.

When Moses returns back, he is not the one going in and talking to Lord face to face. But you find Joshua doing faithfully what his responsibility is. His role is not to be Moses. His role is to be a faithful servant to Moses and to carry out his responsibility and he is doing that. So here we are told again that he is the servant of Moses and that he is a young man, now we don’t know since he is a military man, evidently he is over 20, how old is he? Let’s face it. Moses is 80, so when he leads the Exodus, he is going to die at 120. So Joshua could have been 40, still be young to someone 80, could have been 50, he has been young to someone 80. As I mentioned Joshua will die at 110 at the end of the Book of Joshua. So we know the end of his life, we know he is a young man here and he has key responsibility in his service.

Next time we see Joshua, we come to Numbers Chapter 13 and 14, Numbers Chapter 13 and 14, he is one of those selected to go in and spy out the land. They will go and spy out the land of Canaan, really it’s if you will to check it out, to bring back a report of the land and get an idea of what will be necessary for moving into the land and conquering it. Joshua is mentioned in verse 8, from the tribe of Ephraim, Hoshea, the son of Nun, and other name for Joshua, the son of Nun, down in verse 16, you are told, at the end of verse Moses called Hosea, the son of Nun Joshua. So we are not told why he called Hoshea, Joshua, but they are the same person, they are sent to spy out the land and you are familiar with the account of the spies sent, only two bring a good report, Caleb and Joshua. Caleb’s speaks giving a good report after the other spies were overwhelmed, oh we can’t do it, they are giants in the land, we won’t have chance and everything verse 30 of Chapter 13, Caleb quieted the people before Moses and said, we should by all means go up and take possession of it, for we will surely overcome it. But the other spies say, oh no, that is not possible, they are too strong for us. They gave a bad report.

Down in Chapter 14, the people now, you know, they don’t think much to sway them and here they are, all that God has done, all that they have seen him to do the visible presence of God with them in the cloud that comes down on the tent of meeting. And they are all in despair and in verse 6, Joshua, the son of Nun and Caleb, the son of Jephunneh are those who spied out the land, tore their cloths and they spokes to all the congregation of the sons of Israel, saying the land which we pass through to spy out and it is exceedingly good land; if the Lord is pleased with us, then he will bring us into this land and give to us, the land which flows with milk and honey.

Only do not rebel against the Lord, do not fear the people of the land. They will be our prey. Their protection has been removed from them. The Lord is with us, don’t fear them. All congregations take up stones, they are going to stone, Joshua and Caleb. Then the glory of the Lord appears, the clouds descends on the tent of meeting and that gets everyone’s attention, but you see the courage of Joshua willing to stand up when very few, Moses and Aaron and Caleb stands faithful to Lord. You see the faith of Joshua. He doesn’t argue that there are giants in the land, they are no giant in the land, he doesn’t argue whether they are great military people or they are not great military people. He says none of that matters.

We spent so much time analyzing what all the problems would be and why we couldn’t do it and why it does and when Joshua says if the Lord is pleased with us, then He will bring us into the land. It is a good land, that is what God promised, a good land. He is the military man, he lead the armies of Israel, we saw that’s where we first met him. He didn’t even address the issue of giants in that, they will be our prey, their protection has been removed, that’s the statement of faith. How do know until u go fight, its one thing to say all their protections were removed, it’s another thing and God would war with them. That will be the evidence; it is fine, you see, he is a man of faith. He is a man willing to stand when the whole nation has been swept along. When ten of spies have been overwhelmed by what they saw, Joshua will stand with Caleb, faithful to Moses in defending the honor of the Lord. So you see something of the character of Joshua.

Down in verse 30 of Chapter 14, while you are here, this is where God says, in verse 29, your corpses will fall on this wilderness even all your numbered man according to your complete number from 20 years old and upward, you have grumbled against me, surely, you shall not come into the land which I sworn to you, except Caleb and Joshua. But your children, they said all our little kids are going to die out here now, what we are going to do? God says, well I will turn this around, you are going to die and your kids are going to live and only Caleb and Joshua of those over 20 years of age will go into the land. Verses 36 to 38 also speak up the faithfulness of Joshua and Caleb. Joshua learns several important lessons on this occasion, I mean, he is going to spend along with Caleb and Moses the next forty years wandering around in the wilderness. He is going to get win to the land, but he doesn’t get to win that land and wait for them to arrive. He’s got to go wander the forty years as well. Among this something Joshua would have learned is you don’t take a pole and to sermon the majority will be right. The majority of spies are wrong. The majority of the nation is wrong because God’s promises are always right, when they get into stubbornness here. It is not his personal opinions or right and that others are wrong, but the word of God is always right. When they are taking both under the side whether we should trust what God has said or not, let God be true and every man a liar.

So Joshua learned the majority is not always right, he learned to stand in the face of physical danger, even from the people of God, You know who was going to stone Joshua and Caleb, their fellow Israelites and they were going to stone them for what? For standing firmly for the promises of God, for being unwilling to go against the word of God. Important lesson and they are willing to put their life on the line to be faithful to God and Joshua is key there. He also learned the terrible price of unbelief. I mean, these are lessons Joshua is learning to prepare him for the role he will have in the future. Unbelief has a terrible price to pay. These people were concerned about the price they would pay if they trusted God. They would have to go against an enemy that seemed overwhelming. They didn’t consider the price to be paid, for being disobedient to God, for unbelief, they would all die in the wilderness. He learned it being faithful God is all that matters. He will be one of the two survives when we get to the Book of Joshua. So faithfulness to God that would count. He is a man of faith, a man of courage, a man of unqualified obedience, unshakable loyalty to both Moses and to the Lord. And they go together because obviously here Moses is God’s appointed leader and so Joshua stands when almost the whole nation is opposing.

In Numbers 27, Joshua is commissioned to be the successor to Moses, in Numbers 27 verse 15, in verse 12,God has told Moses to go up to the mountain, look over and you will get the look at the land, but you don’t get to go because of your sin in striking the rock when God told him to speak to the rock and remember that was a failure to treat God as holy in the sight of the people which we noted when we studied Numbers that disobedience to God is always a matter of failing to treat his holy, it didn’t seem like a major act of disobedience in light of all the life of Moses faithfulness, all the rebellion of Israel. But it is a big issue with God and his opinion is the only one that accounts Moses is not going into the land, there is no going back, well I would like to undo what we did yesterday, we can’t, all we can do is live faithfully today and accept the consequences of yesterdays.

So Moses spoke to the Lord saying, may the Lord, verse 15, then verse 16, may the Lord the God of the spirits of all flesh, appoint a man over the congregation who will go out and come in before them, who will lead them out and bring them in, so that the congregation of the Lord will not be like sheep, who have no shepherd. And you appreciate the character of Moses. Here is a man who is forty years of leading Israel, was just being opposed by them and you know trouble, trouble, trouble and now he is going to die and it was an exasperation with them. He told them that he did sin, but he is not excused for his sin and he is concerned now as he is going to give the greatest privilege forfeited, not going to the promised land, but who is going to take care of the people, I mean, we just can’t leave them without a leader, I mean they are sheep, they have no shepherds. Lord, be gracious, appoint a successor who will lead them. So you see something of the gracious character of Moses. I would have said, Lord let him wander around here, let him be aimless, they deserve, that’s not the character of Moses.

The Lord said to Moses, take Joshua, the son of Nun, a man in whom is the spirit and lay your hand on him. Have him stand before Eleazar, the priest and before all the congregation and commission him in their sight. You shall put some of your authority on him in order that all the congregation of the sons of Israel may obey him. Moreover, he shall stand before Eleazar, the priest who will acquire for him by the judgment of the Urim for the Lord, at his command they shall go out and at his command they shall come in, both he and the sons of Israel with him even all the congregation. So though Moses did just as Lord commanded him. He took Joshua, said him before Eleazar, the priest before all the congregation. Then he laid his hands on him, commissioned him just as the Lord had spoken through Moses. So the laying on of hands indicates that the authority for leadership is passed from Moses to Joshua. The authority from God to lead God’s people is now on Joshua.

You know, Joshua comes to this point, not by outstanding things as we have read, but by faithfulness in carrying out his responsibilities. He didn’t know that God was preparing him to be the successor to Moses. He knows that time-wise he was the servant of Moses and he had to be faithful as the servant of Moses and he had to be faithful to God and the word that God had given to Moses. And you know being faithful in the tasks and standing true prepared him for what God had for him. Joshua is the man prepared, he has long friendship, forty years and I wonder he didn’t get thinking, you know, I don’t replace Moses here, you know, any time you with somebody, Moses was a man. He had his weaknesses, he had a great strength, he has his weaknesses and there will be no power play here God’s time. Joshua, he doesn’t get any idea, Joshua had any idea that before this time that he would be the man, he just being faithful with what God’s called him to do, always looking sometimes something big, I am ready and may be the biggest thing I can do is be faithful today. Honor the Lord with my obedience today, and you will be ready for what God has tomorrow, my preparation for tomorrow is not desiring, I think of I say a statement to his servant.

You desire great things yourself, don’t decide them, I mean, why he got to do, you will be worried about by being faithful today, that is my concern, that’s Joshua’s concern. Be faithful, go out and battle with Amalek, that’s what I need to do to be faithful, go up to the mountain and wait. That’s what I need to do to be faithful. Stand at the tent of meetings when Moses isn’t here, that’s what I need to be faithful, stand through to the word of God and the leadership of the Moses when all the nations and everyone else abandons, I need to do is be thankful. So when you look at these things, it’s one doesn’t seem like a great thing, it’s just doing what he should. He is not going up on the mountain to get the law; he is going up accompanying the man who will give the Lord. He is not going up to speak to God face to face, he is accompanying the man who is going to speak to God face to face. I mean, better in all these things, he is faithful and now here God determines, now he is prepared and forty years of faithfulness hired him for the task that God has for him.

Deuteronomy 31, jump over to Deuteronomy 31, we looked in some of Deuteronomy in preparation, but go to Deuteronomy 31, Moses giving his closing instructions to the nation Israel. Verse 2 of 31, I am 120 years old today and that will be the age of Moses at his death, which is to happen here shortly. He tells them what God’s going to give them victory and deliverance. Verse 5, the Lord will deliver them up, your enemies before you, shall do to them according to all the commandment which I have commanded you. Be strong and courageous, do not be afraid or tremble at them, for the Lord your God is the one who goes with you. He will not fail you or forsake you. Then Moses calls to Joshua and said to him in the sight of all Israel, be strong and courageous.

Thee is a theme of the transition of leadership from Moses to Joshua, it has to be the strong and courageous. We are going to see it repeated in several times in Joshua Chapter 1, be strong and courageous, be strong and courageous, be strong and courageous, that’s what you need to do because you trust the Lord, so that making clear all that Joshua is the successor. Joshua’s a role; model yourself after me Joshua, now be strong and courageous Joshua, as we said before Joshua won’t be another Moses. He won’t sit and talked to Lord face to face, but he will be God’s man. Look over Chapter 34, Moses dies, verse 9. Now Joshua, the son of Nun was filled with a spirit of wisdom for Moses had laid his hands on him. So he has that special enablement from God to be able to lead God’s people and the sons of Israel listened him and did as the Lord had commanded him. That reminded you several times is not another Moses.

And verse 10 says since that time no prophet has risen in Israel like Moses whom the Lord knew face to face. For all the signs and wonders which the Lord sent him to perform in the land of Egypt against Pharaoh, against all his servants and all his hand and for all the mighty power, for all the great terror, which Moses performed in the sight of Israel, there won’t be another Moses. But that not a cause for to despair because the same God is still sovereign and Joshua is the one who has the spirit and wisdom from God to do what God would have him to do in leading his people. He doesn’t need to be another Moses. It’s not God’s intention he be another Moses. It is God’s intention he be Joshua, the faithful servant of the Lord now and he is enable by God to do that.

Just a couple of lessons that we were done will be ready to start into the Chapter 1 next time. I just noticed several things that I have mentioned to you, I will just pull them together. It often takes time for God to prepare a person. Joshua was forty years in preparation. I was young in ministry, now I am old in ministry and I have noted often a characteristic of young men, they are ready today. They are going to do it today. We appreciate the energy of youth, the aggressiveness of youth, but God takes his time in shaping his servants, and lead to be willing to do it in God‘s time. Forty years was a long time to shape Joshua for leadership, but it was the just the right amount of time in God’s plan.

Number 2 as we have noted the training process is carried out as we are involved in serving the Lord, just serve the Lord today, serve the Lord tomorrow, be faithful, be faithful, be faithful, that is my third point, faithfulness in the little tasks is crucial. So serving the Lord, faithfulness in whatever and I am sure we will get to eternity, stand before the Lord, to be evaluated by Him all we have done and we look back and say, I didn’t know that matter that much. I was just telling what I believe the Lord wanted me to do at that time; I didn’t think it would make that big a difference. We find, yes, that’s what mattered greatly.

Number 4, Joshua was a man Moses could count on, never had to wonder where Joshua was. You know, we have seen how Joshua appears in the story over forty years; the story is not about Joshua if you will. There is not that much there, but every time we seeing, he is being faithful, he is the man that Moses could count on and he was a man that stood faithful no matter what others did, simple lessons, but you know, that’s the way our lives are, doing the simple everyday things, being faithful, keeping with the task until the end. May not end up like Joshua did the God was preparing this all these years for some great task. But that doesn’t matter. Joshua was faithful.

Turn to Joshua 24, and we just jump ahead to the end of the story, I went ahead and read the closing Chapter since I always read that. So I know how the story ended and I know you have read it too. Joshua was the man who not only started well, he finished well. We not only find him being faithful as a young man, we find him being faithful at the end of his life. He is going to die at 110, faithfully serving the Lord. As he comes to the end of his life, look verse 14, as he challenges the people, now therefore fear the Lord and serve him in sincerity and truth. How great testimony at the end of his life. Here is what I have to say, fear the Lord, reverence and honor him, fear him, serve him in sincerity and truth, put away the other God, verse 15, if it is disagreeable in your sight to serve the Lord, choose for yourselves today whom you will serve.

The end of verse 15, but as for me, my house, I don’t want to say it doesn’t matter what you do, but what you do won’t affect my decision, you choose for yourselves today whom you will serve, but as for me and my house, the decision is served. If everyone else chooses to go after other Gods, for me, my house, we will serve the Lord, nothing change, will find him, pick him up as young man in exodus 17, first report of him, we find he is already approved in servant, I don’t know what lead up to that, but he is the man that Moses says god lead the people out, to do battle with the descendants of Amalek, the Amalekites, and here is at the end of his life, at the age of 110, he says, fear the Lord and serve him in sincerity and truth, and if you make the decision not to serve him, but to serve other Gods, that’s your decision, but as for me and my house the decisions made, same thing with what, when the spies were in the land, come out and the whole nation swayed, I stand. Remember we have been talking about our morning study of Corinthian, finish well, right up to the end, he is on 110.

Down in verse 29, after these things, Joshua the son of Nun, the servant of the Lord died been 110 years old. Faithful to the end, finished well. So we will pick up and look through how God uses Joshua, give them the land he promised, the land of Canaan that we will take up our next study.

Let’s pray. Thank you Lord for Joshua, thank you for the testimony of his life, even up to this point faithfulness to you, to your word to Moses, and all that you were preparing him for the service of the latter part of his life, where we are reminded again of the importance of faithfulness to you, up to the very end, and unshakable commitment to fear the Lord and to serve him in sincerity and in truth. Lord that must be true of each one of us, no matter what others do that we will serve the Lord. Thank you for your grace and your faithfulness. Thank you for the confidence we have that none of your promises can fail. We praise you in Christ’s name, amen.