This week Pastor Robert continued our walk thru Joshua as he is taking over command of the Israelites after the passing of Moses in the desert. These verses show us how God calls us to follow him through faith, and the components of a Godly plan.
He started with v.10 this week but I want to refer back to v.9 for a little better understanding. V.9 ends with "For the Lord you God is with you wherever you go." V.10 states "And Joshua commands the officers of the people." We can see here that Joshua has received his instructions from God. And then, upon hearing God's plan he immediately commands the people. There was a promptness to the plan he had for them. As parents, we teach our children to obey us immediately. When we tell them to stop, we want them to stop right then instead of running out into the road; or to stop before touching a hot stove or grill. The same holds true if we command them to go to their room, this is not a suggestion. They are being commanded by their father or mother to do something right then. So too, when God commands us to do something we are to act on that command then. In Luke 9:57-62, Jesus tells potential followers that in order to follow him, they must let the dead bury the dead, and that no one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God. In Luke 5, we see where Simon Peter leaves his livelihood and career of fishing at once to follow Christ.
V.11 shows us how Joshua's command included a plan. He starts out by communicating his plan to the officers and then they in turn "Pass through the midst of the camp and command the people..." Joshua pulled his officers together and gave them the plan and they passed it on to the people. This gives us a glimpse of how the church is to operate when the pastor meets with deacons, teachers, and other leaders in the church to communicate his vision and plan for worship. Ephesians 4 gives us instructions as to how we are to be unified in the Body of Christ. Acts 6 also gives us an example of church structure when the apostles selected seven men to help serve so that they could focus on prayer and the ministry of the word.
V.11 also included a plan with preparation. "...Prepare your provisions, for within three days you are to..." The officers commanded the people to get their stuff together for the upcoming actions. The verse goes on to say "...you are to pass over this Jordan to go in to take possession of the land that the Lord your God is giving you to posses." The people did not think about preparing, they knew to prepare because they were given a command that was backed by faith. They were told that they WILL CROSS, WILL POSSESS, GOD IS GIVING. These were definite words, not maybes, so they had to be prepared to invade the land. Are we prepared? Matthew 25 tells the parable of the ten virgins, five of whom were prepared and the others were not.
V.12-15 tell us that the plan included a people. All of the people were to go into the land of promise. In v.15 we can see that some families with much livestock would be allowed to eventually return to the lush pastures and river they were currently inhabiting but all peoples would travel to the promised land first.
V.16-17 show the commitment of the people to Joshua. "All that you have commanded us we will do, and wherever you send us we will go. Just as we obeyed Moses in all things, so we will obey you. Only may the Lord your God be with you, as he was with Moses." The people pledged to do what Joshua commanded them to do. They followed that with a prayer that God would be with Joshua as he was with Moses. This is how we are to follow our pastor in the church. If the Lord is with him and the pastor is following God's plan, then we should follow as well to see Christ's kingdom increase.
How many of us are willing to stand up for, or defend our pastor or other church leaders if someone says something negative about them? In v.18 the people offer to defend Joshua and put to death any that oppose him. Now it's a good thing we don't go that extreme these days but shouldn't we at least stand up for and defend our spiritual leaders and our Lord!?
So to recap, when God gives us a plan, we are to act with promptness, quickly beginning his works. Following his commands will have a plan, a structure with how we are to operate to best do his work. Godly plans will include preparation and faith. A plan will also include a people, both those participating in the plan and those who are the recipient of the planned action. So how prepared are we? Are we preparing everyday for the spiritual warfare that is taking place in our country? The way we do that is thru bible study and prayer. Once we prepare ourselves, God can use us to accomplish his ultimate plan of going out and making disciples of all people.
He started with v.10 this week but I want to refer back to v.9 for a little better understanding. V.9 ends with "For the Lord you God is with you wherever you go." V.10 states "And Joshua commands the officers of the people." We can see here that Joshua has received his instructions from God. And then, upon hearing God's plan he immediately commands the people. There was a promptness to the plan he had for them. As parents, we teach our children to obey us immediately. When we tell them to stop, we want them to stop right then instead of running out into the road; or to stop before touching a hot stove or grill. The same holds true if we command them to go to their room, this is not a suggestion. They are being commanded by their father or mother to do something right then. So too, when God commands us to do something we are to act on that command then. In Luke 9:57-62, Jesus tells potential followers that in order to follow him, they must let the dead bury the dead, and that no one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God. In Luke 5, we see where Simon Peter leaves his livelihood and career of fishing at once to follow Christ.
V.11 shows us how Joshua's command included a plan. He starts out by communicating his plan to the officers and then they in turn "Pass through the midst of the camp and command the people..." Joshua pulled his officers together and gave them the plan and they passed it on to the people. This gives us a glimpse of how the church is to operate when the pastor meets with deacons, teachers, and other leaders in the church to communicate his vision and plan for worship. Ephesians 4 gives us instructions as to how we are to be unified in the Body of Christ. Acts 6 also gives us an example of church structure when the apostles selected seven men to help serve so that they could focus on prayer and the ministry of the word.
V.11 also included a plan with preparation. "...Prepare your provisions, for within three days you are to..." The officers commanded the people to get their stuff together for the upcoming actions. The verse goes on to say "...you are to pass over this Jordan to go in to take possession of the land that the Lord your God is giving you to posses." The people did not think about preparing, they knew to prepare because they were given a command that was backed by faith. They were told that they WILL CROSS, WILL POSSESS, GOD IS GIVING. These were definite words, not maybes, so they had to be prepared to invade the land. Are we prepared? Matthew 25 tells the parable of the ten virgins, five of whom were prepared and the others were not.
V.12-15 tell us that the plan included a people. All of the people were to go into the land of promise. In v.15 we can see that some families with much livestock would be allowed to eventually return to the lush pastures and river they were currently inhabiting but all peoples would travel to the promised land first.
V.16-17 show the commitment of the people to Joshua. "All that you have commanded us we will do, and wherever you send us we will go. Just as we obeyed Moses in all things, so we will obey you. Only may the Lord your God be with you, as he was with Moses." The people pledged to do what Joshua commanded them to do. They followed that with a prayer that God would be with Joshua as he was with Moses. This is how we are to follow our pastor in the church. If the Lord is with him and the pastor is following God's plan, then we should follow as well to see Christ's kingdom increase.
How many of us are willing to stand up for, or defend our pastor or other church leaders if someone says something negative about them? In v.18 the people offer to defend Joshua and put to death any that oppose him. Now it's a good thing we don't go that extreme these days but shouldn't we at least stand up for and defend our spiritual leaders and our Lord!?
So to recap, when God gives us a plan, we are to act with promptness, quickly beginning his works. Following his commands will have a plan, a structure with how we are to operate to best do his work. Godly plans will include preparation and faith. A plan will also include a people, both those participating in the plan and those who are the recipient of the planned action. So how prepared are we? Are we preparing everyday for the spiritual warfare that is taking place in our country? The way we do that is thru bible study and prayer. Once we prepare ourselves, God can use us to accomplish his ultimate plan of going out and making disciples of all people.
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