Now Joshua starting in chapter 1 verse 10 and 11 is deciding to immediately be obedient to what God has called him to do. He is being bold and courageous already. Way to go Joshua!
"Then Joshua commanded the officers of the people, saying, "Pass through the camp and command the people, saying, 'Prepare provisions for yourselves, for within three days you will cross over this Jordan, to go in to possess the land which the Lord your God is giving you to possess.' "
I can just imagine Joshua and his men putting on their NIKE shoes and getting ready to "JUST DO IT!" HAHA!!!
Joshua tells them to get prepared. When God calls us to something we must prepare ourselves with much prayer and listening. God calls us to obey Him. Sometimes that's with our actions and sometimes it's through waiting on Him.
Verse 13 says, "Remember the word which Moses the servant of the Lord commanded you, saying, 'The Lord your God is giving you rest and is giving you this land.' "
Hold the phone! What??? God is giving rest AND what He has promised!
Resting in the waiting can be really hard for a lot of us, but if we can master the resting while waiting we will be better equipped for action. Our tendency is to strive to make God's promises happen when we see fit. This only causes lots of stress. We also risk getting in God's way or delaying what God wants to give us.
Sometimes God takes us through a waiting time that doesn't seem so restful and that can seem like wondering in a wilderness. When this occurs it's usually because we need God to cleanse us in an area of our lives before He gives us our rest and Promised Land. You can read about the Israelites Journey through the wilderness starting after they escape from Egypt in Exodus. But this is another topic for another day.
God is faithful and wants to give good gifts to His children. It's a gift to serve Him. God desires to use us to be living examples for Him. This is why He has a plan for us. This is also why He gives us time to rest. We should change our way of thinking about waiting on God as a gift. We can rest while He does all the hard work of moving those "mountains" so that when He says go we can take our Promised Land.
In verses 17 the Israelites confirm to Joshua that they will heed to Joshua as they had to Moses as long as God was with Joshua as He was with Moses. Verse 18 says, "Whoever rebels against your command and does not heed your words, in all that you command him, shall be put to death: Only be strong and of good courage." Once again Joshua is told now by the people to be strong and courageous.
"Then Joshua commanded the officers of the people, saying, "Pass through the camp and command the people, saying, 'Prepare provisions for yourselves, for within three days you will cross over this Jordan, to go in to possess the land which the Lord your God is giving you to possess.' "
I can just imagine Joshua and his men putting on their NIKE shoes and getting ready to "JUST DO IT!" HAHA!!!
Joshua tells them to get prepared. When God calls us to something we must prepare ourselves with much prayer and listening. God calls us to obey Him. Sometimes that's with our actions and sometimes it's through waiting on Him.
Verse 13 says, "Remember the word which Moses the servant of the Lord commanded you, saying, 'The Lord your God is giving you rest and is giving you this land.' "
Hold the phone! What??? God is giving rest AND what He has promised!
Resting in the waiting can be really hard for a lot of us, but if we can master the resting while waiting we will be better equipped for action. Our tendency is to strive to make God's promises happen when we see fit. This only causes lots of stress. We also risk getting in God's way or delaying what God wants to give us.
Sometimes God takes us through a waiting time that doesn't seem so restful and that can seem like wondering in a wilderness. When this occurs it's usually because we need God to cleanse us in an area of our lives before He gives us our rest and Promised Land. You can read about the Israelites Journey through the wilderness starting after they escape from Egypt in Exodus. But this is another topic for another day.
God is faithful and wants to give good gifts to His children. It's a gift to serve Him. God desires to use us to be living examples for Him. This is why He has a plan for us. This is also why He gives us time to rest. We should change our way of thinking about waiting on God as a gift. We can rest while He does all the hard work of moving those "mountains" so that when He says go we can take our Promised Land.
In verses 17 the Israelites confirm to Joshua that they will heed to Joshua as they had to Moses as long as God was with Joshua as He was with Moses. Verse 18 says, "Whoever rebels against your command and does not heed your words, in all that you command him, shall be put to death: Only be strong and of good courage." Once again Joshua is told now by the people to be strong and courageous.