Joshua 1 1-9 After the death of Moses the servant of God, God spoke to Joshua, Moses’ assistant:
“Moses my servant is dead. Get going. Cross this Jordan River, you and all the people. Cross to the country I’m giving to the People of Israel. I’m giving you every square inch of the land you set your foot on—just as I promised Moses. From the wilderness and this Lebanon east to the Great River, the Euphrates River—all the Hittite country—and then west to the Great Sea. It’s all yours. All your life, no one will be able to hold out against you. In the same way I was with Moses, I’ll be with you. I won’t give up on you; I won’t leave you. Strength! Courage! You are going to lead this people to inherit the land that I promised to give their ancestors. Give it everything you have, heart and soul. Make sure you carry out The Revelation that Moses commanded you, every bit of it. Don’t get off track, either left or right, so as to make sure you get to where you’re going. And don’t for a minute let this Book of The Revelation be out of mind. Ponder and meditate on it day and night, making sure you practice everything written in it. Then you’ll get where you’re going; then you’ll succeed. Haven’t I commanded you? Strength! Courage! Don’t be timid; don’t get discouraged. God, your God, is with you every step you take.†(The Message)
____________ is dead! Who or what in your life have you been following for so long that even when they are dead and buried, you are still trying to follow rather than taking the role of leader? Even though Joshua was anointed by God to take over after Moses, he is afraid to take over the tribes of Israel who have proven the are prone to wonder off the path God has set before them.
Moses has brought them to the doorstep of the promised land. It is now Joshua’s job to claim the promised land. You and I have the same choice before us. The Lord anointed his disciples to go into all the nations and make disciples (Matthew 28). Since I accept that God is sovereign in my free will, and therefore, I believe that he will bring beautiful things out of my son’s death, it is now my job to lay claim to his promises. My story didn’t end with Jonathan’s death, any more than yours stop with whatever chapter has been closed in your life. So how do we move forward? How do we lay claim to all God has in store for his people?
Moses’ credentials include:
- Escaped genocide
- Became a prince
- Murdered an Egyptian to save a Hebrew slave
- Escaped Pharaoh
- Defended a group of girls trying to water their flocks
- Married one of the girls
- Shepherd for 40 years
- Talked to. . . (or arguing with)Â a burning bush (God)
- Became the God ordained spokesperson for Israel
- Returned to Egypt to face down Pharaoh
- Delivered the 7 plagues on Egypt
- concentrated the 1st born of Israel
- Parted the sea and brought Israelites to safety
- Drowned the army of Egypt
- Turned bitter water to sweet
- Manna and quail meals
- Produced water from a rock
- Settled disputes
- Delivered ten commandments . . .twice
- Saw God’s (butt) doubt me? Read the text: Exodus 33:21-23
- Built Tabernacle, Ark, Alter, and established the roles of the priests
- Led Israel to the doorstep of the promised land
- Wandered the desert for 40 years
- Only prophet to talk directly with God
- Defeated enemies of Israel
- Blessed the tribes
- Saw the expanse of the land God was giving to the people
- Buried on the mountain of Moab by God himself
And Joshua’s leadership is to follow all of this!!! His credentials include:
- Mighty warrior
- Only 1 of 2 spies who said Israel could defeat the giants and lay claim to the land
- Moses’ assistant
Do you feel insignificant to the call God has placed on your life? And, how do you determine when something is dead?
- God declares it so Joshua 1:1, 1 Kings 19:19-21
- He anoints a successor Matthew 28:18-20, Acts 1:8-11
- “Go” He commands the next steps
God declares the things of our past are DEAD! You were a cutter, that is dead. I despaired of life, that is dead. Be strong and courageous! And it isn’t a request, it’s a command. Obedience isn’t based on feelings, it is base on mission. There are things in front of you and I, and our part in the story of God is not an option. I see throughout scripture that though God is flexible with our weaknesses, there are times such as calling of people like, Moses, Joshua, or Jonah, disobedience is not an option.
In turning the page on depression and suicide, looking back, feeling inadequate to the task God has clearly called me to is not an option. So today I declare, Jonathan is dead, and lay claim to the beauty from ashes that God has set before me. There are walls to come down, there is a real enemy to defeat and God is with me, he will not leave or forsake me. What in your life do you need to declare is dead and lay claim to mission and commission God has placed on your life?