Josh 1 – ‘Who am I to…’ – sermon notes
The great moment had almost arrived. After 40 years of wilderness wandering, the Children of Israel were just 3 days away from their longed-for destination. They were about to cross the Jordan river, and enter the Promised Land. Their long-suffering leader all this time had been Moses. But it was not Moses who was to now lead them into Canaan. It was to be Joshua.
Joshua had a first-class CV for the job. He had the experience for it: he had been Moses right-hand man ever sense they left Egypt. He had the skills for it: he was an excellent military strategist. He had the character for it: unlike Abraham, Moses, and David, he had no glaring moral weaknesses. Moses could have had every confidence as he prepared to hand over the baton of leadership to Joshua.
But what did Joshua feel about it? Well, Joshua may well have felt considerable trepidation. No less than four times in this one chapter Joshua is urged to ‘Be strong and courageous’. That’s what you keep saying to someone who is feeling weak and afraid. In other words, it’s easy to imagine Joshua asking, “Who am I to lead these people into the Promised Land?”
Nor is it difficult for us to identify with Joshua at this point. How often do we stand on on the edge of some new territory, on the threshold of some new responsibility, on the verge of some new Christian enterprise, that both excites us and alarms us, and asked the same question, “Who am I to do this?”
This question has a habit of cropping up at every turning point and every moment of decision throughout the Christian life. “Who am I to open my mouth and tell others of what Jesus has done for me?” “Who am I to reach out into my local community in the name of Christ?” “Who am I to teach these children in the Sunday School?” “Who am I to lead this group?” “Who am I to take on this new responsibility?” And we are often overwhelmed by feelings of inadequacy. Our fear of the future, fear of change, fear that we won’t be able to cope, paralyses us, and we end up doing nothing. As individuals and as a church we are often dissatisfied with what we are, but we’re frequently too scared to do anything about it.
The good news is that there is great encouragement for Joshua as he faces the future, and also for us. Let’s see how Joshua was strengthened and encouraged for his task, and learn from this how we can be strengthened and encouraged for ours.
1. Joshua needed to know it was the Lord himself who had called him to this task. It is very clear in this chapter that it is not Joshua who volunteers to serve the Lord, but the Lord who commissions Joshua to serve. Back in Deut 3, when Moses was told that he would not be permitted to enter the Promised Land himself, the Lord had said to him, “But commission Joshua, for he will lead this people across and will cause them to inherit the land.” And here, in Joshua ch. 1, we have that commission.
Whatever we are, and whatever we have as Christians, is a result of God’s call. And because God has called us, we go in his name, and in his strength. When Paul needed to confront doctrinal error in the Galatian churches, his starting point was his own divine commission as an apostle. ‘Paul, an apostle–sent not from men nor by man, but by Jesus Christ and God the Father’.
When Paul wanted to express thankfulness for the ordinary Christians at Thessalonica, he wrote: ‘We ought always to thank God for you, brothers loved by the Lord, because from the beginning God chose you to be saved through the sanctifying work of the Spirit and through belief in the truth. He called you to this through our gospel, that you might share in the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.’ God’s call is more than an invitation; it is a summons. But God’s call is always an enabling call. God never calls a person and then leaves him to it. Which brings us to our 2nd point:-
2. Joshua needed to be reassured that the unchanging Lord would would never leave him nor forsake him, v5. Joshua and the Israelites must have wondered how they would now that Moses was dead. But God says, ‘As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake you.’ God buries his workers, but his work goes on. Underpinning God’s faithfulness to his people is the idea of ‘covenant’. Essentially, the terms of the covenant are, “I will be your God; you will be my people.” So, when God says to his people, “I will never leave you nor forsake you,” this is not because he happens to be a good mood on that day, but because is is being faithful to his covenant.
God is in a covenant relationship with his people today. He has given to us too this promise of his unfailing presence. The writer to the Hebrews (13:5) quotes Joshua 1:5 and applies it to Christians of his own day: “I will never leave you nor forsake you”. The Gospel of Matthew opens with “Emmanuel…God with us” Mt 1:23 and closes with Jesus saying, “Surely, I am with you always, to the end of the age” (Mt 28:20).
When afraid, when anxious, when angry, when resentful, think how differently you would feel if Jesus were right next to you. And then remind yourself that he is, just as he promised. Which leads us to our third and final point:-
3. Joshua needed to keep sight of his final goal. The final goal is expressed in a single word: ‘rest’, vv13, 15. This is something that the Israelites entered into immediately, but never experienced fully. They entered the Promised Land, but there always remained foreign influences who would vex them and who would tempt them back into idolatry. Indeed, it was their own sinfulness that led in the end to their being expelled from the land, and being taken off into exile. Heb 4 informs us Joshua never did bring the people into final, perfect and complete rest that they longed for. According to Hebrews, the promise of entering into God’s rest still stands. We enter into God’s rest when we come to Christ. Jesus says, “Come to me, and I will give you rest.” Through him, we have peace with God and the peace of God.
However, just like the Israelites in Canaan, our rest is not yet perfect or complete. There is a ‘now’, and there is a ‘not yet’ aspect to it. We have work to do, and a thousand frustrations and impediments in the way of getting it done. We have a battle to fight, ‘not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.’ But final victory is secure. And it will be an enormous help and encouragement to keep sight of that final victory. It is not a pie-in-the-sky mentality, but good, solid, biblical thinking, to look for, and long for, and work for, the time when the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, and he will sit on his throne in heavenly glory; the time when we shall rest from our labour; the time when God will wipe away every tear from our eyes; the time when we will be with the Lord for ever.
So take courage from Joshua. Remember, it was the Lord himself who called Joshua to his task, and who calls us to ours. Be reassured that the God who promised never to leave Joshua, nor to forsake him, has promised the same to us. And just as Joshua needed to keep his sights fixed on his goal, never lose sight of your eternal destiny.