The third thing that is impressive about the early life in the faithful past of Joshua concerns the earlier incident where Moses sent the spies into the Promised Land. There were twelve of them on that occasion. They went in, and their job was to search out the land from north to south and from east to west—from Dan to Beersheba, and from the Jordan River to the Mediterranean. They were to search out the kinds of people who lived there in the cities to bring a report. They went all through the land, and then they came back and could tell where all the tribes were and what the people were like. The twelve spies agreed on what they saw and said, "It is indeed a marvelous land flowing with milk and honey. It is exactly the way the Lord said." They even brought back some of the produce of the land.
There are two main sections to the first chapter of Joshua. The first part, in verses 1 through 9, contains an account of Joshua’s commissioning by God. The second part, verses 10-18, tells us how Joshua assumed command of the people and began to make preparations for the invasion of the Promised Land.
Yesterday we looked at the first two elements of Joshua’s commission. Today we look at the last two, and also conclude our study of Joshua 1:1-9. The third thing Joshua was told to do was to meditate upon them, also in verse 8: “Meditate on it day and night so that you may be careful to do everything written in it." Meditation is a step beyond mere knowing or even speaking. Meditation implies reflection and thought. It has to do with application. Meditation is the kind of thing that says, “Now, this is the truth. How does it apply to my life? How does it apply to my society?" We need to be reminded of the need for that in our day because we live in a superficial age of quick remedies, where even in Christian churches the teaching is often so superficial that people think that to be a good Christian, all you have to do is go there once in a while, pay passable attention to the sermon and then go out and live very much the way you would otherwise. No wonder we fail to make a significant impact in the secular world. We need Christians who will meditate on these things, think about them, make it a part of their lives, and try to frame their thinking in all other areas around what they know to be true on the basis of the Word of God. That's meditation. I don't hesitate to say that it’s one of the greatest needs in the evangelical church today.
Now, it’s worth reflecting on the specific things that Joshua was told to do so far as this law is concerned. There are four of them. First of all, he was to know God’s Word. Now, it’s true that the word “know” is not used specifically. The other things I’m going to mention are said specifically. But everything else that’s said presupposes the fact that he had to know it. This book that Moses had written at the direction of God was not to be some religious relic that was laid up in a holy place, revered, but unknown. Rather, this book was something that Joshua was to take out of the Ark of the Covenant and study, or to have copied by the scribes and then, as he had it copied, to take that book and to hold it in his hands, studying what those words actually were on that page, and getting to know those words personally.
This first section of Joshua 1 that we’re particularly considering in this study, Joshua 1:1-9, is divided into two paragraphs. The first paragraph indicates the transitional nature of the book. It's what identifies it as a bridge, “After the death of Moses, the Lord said to Joshua...” The second paragraph in this first portion of Joshua 1 deals with the Word of God. And it deals with it in such a way that we recognize at once at the very beginning of the book that this is to be the focus of Joshua’s life and the life of the people. It's really worth looking at in detail. "Be strong and courageous," God says to Joshua, “because you will lead these people to inherit the land I swore to their forefathers to give them. 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. Do not let this book of the law depart from your mouth. 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. Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified. Do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go."
