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After the death of Moses, God commanded Joshua to finish what Moses had started, which was leading the Israelites to the Promised Land.
Joshua 1:6-9 (NIV) states:
6 Be strong and courageous, because you will lead these people to inherit the land I swore to their ancestors to give them.
7 Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses gave you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, that you may be successful wherever you go.
8 Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful.
9 Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.
In the scriptures above, we see three times where God told Joshua to be strong and courageous. Was God asking Joshua to function out of Joshua’s own strength and courage? No.
God knows us. And God knows our limitations. Psalm 103:14 (NKJV) states: For He knows our frame; He remembers that we are dust. God knew that in order for Joshua to lead the Israelites, Joshua needed God’s help. And God gave that help to Joshua. Let us look at two scriptures.
Numbers 27:18 (NKJV) states: And the Lord said to Moses: Take Joshua the son of Nun with you, a man in whom is the Spirit, and lay your hand on him. This lets us know that Joshua had God’s Spirit within him. God knew that Joshua would need God’s Spirit as he carried out the task of assisting Moses. And God knew that Joshua would need God’s Spirit in later years when, after Moses’ death, Joshua would be commanded to lead the Israelites to the Promised Land.
Then in Deuteronomy 34:9 (NKJV) we see: Now Joshua the son of Nun was full of the spirit of wisdom, for Moses had laid his hands on him; so the children of Israel heeded him, and did as the Lord had commanded Moses. This lets us know that Joshua had God’s wisdom within him. Joshua was not to rely on the limitations of his own wisdom, but on God’s manifold wisdom.
John 14:26 (NKJV) states: But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you.
We may not all be asked us to do something on the grand scale as what Joshua was commanded to do. But God has asked all of us to advance His Kingdom here on earth. To do so, God has given us the Holy Spirit to help us.
As believers, we must listen and heed the call of the Lord. Not doing so is disobedience. So let us surrender to the Holy Spirit. And let us seek to continually be led and guided by the Holy Spirit as we carry out what God commands us to do. As God was with Moses, and as God was with Joshua, so God will be with us.
Acts 1:8 (NKJV) states: But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.
Except where indicated, scripture references are from the American Standard Version (ASV), Darby Translation (DARBY), or King James Version (KJV) – all public domain.
