No man shall be able to stand before you all the days of your life; as I was with Moses, so I will be with you. I will not leave you nor forsake you. Joshua 1: 5, NKJV
Heavenly Father, we are truly grateful that at every step of our journey You have been, and will be, with us. As we study this truth, may we be guided by Your Holy Spirit. In Jesus’ name; Amen
Perhaps not everyone can identify with this promise in its entirety, but there is something for everyone in this promise. Moses, the servant of God, had been laid to rest (Deuteronomy 34: 5, 6). Joshua, his faithful aid had been selected to lead this younger generation of Israelites into the promised land (38, 39). Moses had laid his hands upon him, and passed on to him the authority he would need to stand in his place (34: 9).
Now God is commissioning Him for the task; and what a task! Not many of us would have wanted Joshua’s job, and for good reasons. God, who had rescued the parents of this younger generation of Israelites from Egyptian bondage, knew just what it would require to get the job done. He had to instill in them the confidence they had had in Moses, the only earthly leader they had known since birth. He promised Joshua that He would be with him as He had been with Moses. For all that we have seen thus far, we know, beyond any doubt, that God keeps His promises!
We will look at two instances in which this promise was fulfilled, and in almost the identical manner, as during the time of Moses.
Event number one took place when they were crossing over the Jordan. God told Joshua that He would begin to exalt him in the eyes of the prople so ” ‘that they may know that I am with you as I was with Moses‘ ” (Joshua 3: 7, NIV). It was the time of harvest when the banks of the Jordan river overflow. God gave Joshua orders that the priests carrying the ark should start crossing first. As soon as their feet touched the water’s edge, the water flowing down from upstream stood in “a heap” and the water flowing to the Dead Sea “was completely cut off” (16, NIV)! A repeat, to a great extent, of the Red Sea miracle (Exodus 14: 21, 29)! God had done it again! “That day the Lord exalted Joshua in the sight of all Israel; and they revered him all the days of his life, just as they had revered Moses” (Joshua 4: 14).
Event number two: A new day had dawned for the children of Israel. They had celebrated the Passover. The manna had ceased to fall, because they were now at the place that God had promised to bring them to, a “land flowing with milk and honey” (Joshua 5: 6-12). They were preparing to conquer Jericho. Joshua was walking around inspecting the area. He wanted to launch the attack exactly as he had been instructed by God.
Suddenly, he looked up and saw a man dressed in military attire with a sword in his hand. Joshua drew closer to investigate and to inquire. When he found out that He was no other than the “[C]ommander of the army of the Lord,” he fell on his face in reverence. ” ‘What message does my Lord have for [H]is servant?’ ” “The [C]ommander of the Lord’s army replied, ‘Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy.’ And Joshua did so” (Joshua 5: 13-15, NIV). This was Mount Horeb all over again (Exodus 3: 5)!
“Israel served the Lord throughout the lifetime of Joshua…” (Joshua 24: 31), because our God, is a God who keeps His Word. As He was with Moses, so He was with Joshua!