Good morning my “Walking with Jesus” friends,
I wonder if you’ve ever been chosen to follow a leader who you and others thought was a great leader? It really doesn’t matter, does it, whether this was a sports team, a civic or community group, a church leader, an elected political leader, a leader in a work setting, or even a leader of a family. Stepping in to fill the shoes of another leader is quite a challenge and can be intimidating, can’t it?
We’ve been traveling with Moses and the time has come for the leadership transition process to begin. Yesterday we saw Moses had called the people together and told them that at age 120 God had made it clear Moses was not going with the people, whom he had led for more than 40 years, into the new land on the other side of the Jordan river. No election was held, no voting process, no seeking of applicants. God had already made His selection. Joshua would be the new leader. Fortunately, Joshua was well known by the people. He had been at Moses’ side for most of these 40 years.
Joshua had been the only person Moses had invited to go up Mount Sinai with him to meet with God, in the cloud of God’s Presence. (Exodus 24) Joshua had also accompanied Moses into the little ‘tent of meeting’ as they sought God’s guidance for the people. (Exodus 33) Joshua had been a warrior and successfully defended against the attack of the Amalekites who had come to drive them away from the miraculous water spewing rock at Rephidim. Remember Exodus 17? And Joshua had been, along with Caleb, one of only two scouts who had spent 40 days in the promised land Canaan and returned with an enthusiastic report calling the people to trust God and follow Him into the land. (Numbers 14)
But even with all those experiences and all those years with Moses, I can only imagine how anxious, probably frightened, and maybe worried Joshua was, as the day approached for Moses to hand over the leadership reins to him. In Deuteronomy 31:7 Moses records this for us: “Then Moses summoned Joshua and said to him, ‘Be strong and courageous for you must go with this people into the land that the LORD swore to their forefathers to give them, and you must divide it among them as their inheritance. The LORD Himself goes before you and will be with you; He will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid, do not be discouraged.”
I wonder what you hear in these words my friends. Have you ever heard such words spoken over you? While conquering the land is not mentioned on this occasion, Joshua and Moses both knew if the land was to be divided among the Israelite tribes, it would first have to be cleared of the people who already lived there. That would not be easy, battle never is. Nor would it be easy to divide the land among the Hebrew tribes. You and I both know what land ownership is like. Joshua would need to be able to discern God’s clear boundary lines for each tribe, and then help each tribe identify exactly where those boundaries should be, and then learn to be content with the land God gave them as their inheritance… no jealousy, no bickering, no infighting among the Hebrew tribes. Oh my, Joshua had a huge leadership challenge ahead of him, would you agree?! But Moses’ promise that God would be with him and lead him… was more than enough for Joshua! Over the past more than 40 years Joshua had seen first-hand, the power of God displayed so many times. I imagine Joshua was getting excited that very soon he’d be leading the people to that good land he had scouted out so many years before.
Moses records for us in Deuteronomy 31 that God “said to Moses, ‘Now the day of your death is near. Call Joshua and present yourselves at the Tent of Meeting, where I will commission him.’ So Moses and Joshua came and presented themselves to God at the Tent of Meeting. Then the LORD appeared at the Tent in a pillar of cloud, and the cloud stood over the entrance to the Tent.” (Deut. 31:14) Put yourself there friends… as one of the bystanders watching this scene. Or imagine being Joshua walking into this encounter with God which you know will change the rest of your life. Or imagine being old Moses, once again, as you have so many times before, standing at the entrance of the Tent of Meeting with the cloud of God’s Presence enveloping you, knowing when this cloud lifts things will be different… a new leader will have been commissioned by God!
When you read through the remainder of Deuteronomy 31 you will likely be surprised at what God spoke to Moses and Joshua. In truth, if I had been Joshua, what God said would have discouraged me, maybe enough to cause me to want to resign even before I start this new leadership role! “The LORD said to Moses, ‘You are going to rest with your fathers, and these people will soon prostitute themselves to the foreign gods of the land they are entering. They will forsake Me and break the covenant I made with them. On that day I will become angry with them and I will hide My face from them… Many disasters and difficulties will come upon them…” (Deut. 31:16-18) Now imagine if God were asking you to be the leader of the people, and yet you now know God’s prediction of what will happen in the near future, during the season of your leadership! I can imagine Joshua was already trying to think of options, alternatives in his mind, to try and keep these disasters from happening, or at least to warn the people sufficiently so that they would not do as God predicted. For Moses, I wonder if he might have even said to Joshua, “Been there, done that, my friend, I know the pain you will be experiencing!”
And then God said something that must have startled Moses and Joshua: “Now write down for yourselves this song and teach it to the Israelites and have them sing it, so it may be a witness for Me against them… And when the disasters and difficulties come upon them, this song will testify against them because it will not be forgotten by their descendants. I know what they are disposed to do, even before I bring them into the land I promised them on oath.” So, Moses wrote down this song that day and taught it to the Israelites.” (Deut. 31:19-22) The words to this new song God gave Moses that day are Deuteronomy 32:1-43.
I wonder, my friends, do you remember another time, in the early months of Moses’ leadership, when God gave His people a new song? You’ll find it in Exodus 15. As the Hebrew slaves stood on the shore of the Red Sea, watching the debris from Pharaoh’s chariot army floating on the water, Miriam, Moses’ sister, began leading the people in a glorious song of worship and praise to God who had delivered them from their slave bondage! Now, 40+ years later, God gives Moses a second song, but this time a song of judgment in anticipation of the days when the Israelites will turn away and again enslave themselves, not to Pharaoh, but to their own wickedness as they reject God.
It seems, after God finished dictating this song to Moses, then God turned to Joshua and made one, powerful, commissioning statement to His newly selected leader of His people, do you see it in vs. 23? “The LORD gave this command to Joshua son of Nun: “Be strong and courageous, for you will bring the Israelites into the land I promised them on oath and I Myself will be with you.“ Surrounded by the cloud of God’s Presence, Joshua, who had heard God speak with Moses, now heard God speak directly to him and the new leader of the Israelites. What do you think happened in his heart and mind as God spoke those words to him? I believe he was profoundly humbled to be God’s choice to be the next leader. And also profoundly encouraged that God promised HE would be with Joshua at all times, and He would help Joshua lead the people to gain the land of promise. Finally, yes… courage and strength rooted only in the assurance of God’s Presence and Power with him!
Let’s pause here friends. Walk around the “Tent of Meeting”, look at this scene as best you can imagine it, with Moses and Joshua standing in the fog bank of God’s Presence at the entrance to the Tent. History is being made here. And may I ask you… as you walk through the journey of your life, do you have a sense God has promised you that He will be with you and lead you and guide you, and empower you for how He wants to include you in what He is doing in your part of the world at this time? If you have trusted Jesus to be your Savior and the Holy Spirit of God lives within you then YES, my friend, YOU have that very same promise from God as Joshua received! Have courage, be strong, for the LORD your God is with you and leading you through life!! Romans 8:5-14 gives us, followers of Jesus, this assurance.
So, let’s linger in this scene and be overwhelmed with the potential found in God’s promise to Joshua, and here’s a worship song to help you consider the power of God’s words: “I will be with you” …
Today’s Scripture is Deuteronomy 31:14-23.
Choose below to read or listen.
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Bible images provided with attribution to www.LumoProject.com.
Have a comment or question about today’s chapter? I’m ready to hear from you, contact me here.
Pastor Doug Anderson 262.441.8785
“Let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, with our eyes fixed on Jesus…” (Heb. 12:1,2)
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