God is faithful to complete the good work He starts within us. We are brought out of sin in our Christian lives so that we can be brought into abundant life. God never intended for us to wind up in the wilderness.
Canaan is a picture of the rest and victory that is enjoyed by every believer. We are brought out of sin so that we might be brought into abundant life. And ultimately, Joshua is a type of Jesus.
5 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. 6 Be strong and of good courage, for to these people you shall divide as an inheritance the land which I swore to their fathers to give them. 7 Only be strong and very courageous, that you may observe to do according to all the law which Moses My servant commanded you; do not turn from it to the right hand or to the left, that you may prosper wherever you go. 8 This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success. 9 Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”
Joshua 1:5-9 NKJV
Joshua is urged to be courageous before God. This reveals Joshua’s frailty; even a great leader like Joshua required such strengthening, hence the need for such a duty.
3 reasons Joshua had to be strong:
- God’s promises – A sure victory (verse 5-6)
- God’s word – A safe guide (verse 7-8)
- God’s presence – A sustaining power (verse 9)
The real battle of faith is this: Not what we are, but what He is. Not what we feel, but His facts
T. Austin Sparks
Then Joshua rose early in the morning; and they set out from Acacia Grove and came to the Jordan, he and all the children of Israel, and lodged there before they crossed over. 2 So it was, after three days, that the officers went through the camp; 3 and they commanded the people, saying, “When you see the ark of the covenant of the Lord your God, and the priests, the Levites, bearing it, then you shall set out from your place and go after it. 4 Yet there shall be a space between you and it, about two thousand cubits by measure. Do not come near it, that you may know the way by which you must go, for you have not passed this way before.” 5 And Joshua said to the people, “Sanctify yourselves, for tomorrow the Lord will do wonders among you.”
Joshua 3:1-5 NKJV
Joshua knew this was a spiritual problem, not a logical problem to be solved. Joshua did not first deploy his Army. Instead, he dispatched the priests who were responsible for transporting the ark of the covenant, which served as a physical reminder of God’s presence among the people.
Then Joshua spoke to the priests, saying, “Take up the ark of the covenant and cross over before the people.” So they took up the ark of the covenant and went before the people.
Joshua 3:6 NKJV
Joshua took an extraordinary step of faith even with God’s clear direction and specific direction from His word. This kind of trust, rather than slavish reliance on a “law” connection with God, is what enables one to live and move about in the Promised Land.
9 So Joshua said to the children of Israel, “Come here, and hear the words of the Lord your God.” 10 And Joshua said, “By this you shall know that the living God is among you, and that He will without fail drive out from before you the Canaanites and the Hittites and the Hivites and the Perizzites and the Girgashites and the Amorites and the Jebusites: 11 Behold, the ark of the covenant of the Lord of all the earth is crossing over before you into the Jordan. 12 Now therefore, take for yourselves twelve men from the tribes of Israel, one man from every tribe. 13 And it shall come to pass, as soon as the soles of the feet of the priests who bear the ark of the Lord, the Lord of all the earth, shall rest in the waters of the Jordan, that the waters of the Jordan shall be cut off, the waters that come down from upstream, and they shall stand as a heap.”
Joshua 3:9-13 NKJV
Impossible problems in our way do not have to be seen as an oppressive trials, but as a glorious opportunity to see God work.
14 So it was, when the people set out from their camp to cross over the Jordan, with the priests bearing the ark of the covenant before the people, 15 and as those who bore the ark came to the Jordan, and the feet of the priests who bore the ark dipped in the edge of the water (for the Jordan overflows all its banks during the whole time of harvest), 16 that the waters which came down from upstream stood still, and rose in a heap very far away at Adam, the city that is beside Zaretan. So the waters that went down into the Sea of the Arabah, the Salt Sea, failed, and were cut off; and the people crossed over opposite Jericho. 17 Then the priests who bore the ark of the covenant of the Lord stood firm on dry ground in the midst of the Jordan; and all Israel crossed over on dry ground, until all the people had crossed completely over the Jordan.
Joshua 3:14-17 NKJV
To face impossible challenges in our lives, we must look to Jesus, our Joshua. He always leads us to victory. As we keep our eyes on and follow behind our victorious Jesus, the river of impossibility will dry up. We must believe that nothing is too difficult for God. We must focus our souls on Christ and follow Him. And we must be ready to move when He does His work, always being mindful that if anything is going to last, it’s from the Lord.
being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ;
Philippians 1:6 NKJV
