#195: Joshua's Story

Audio Transcript

 The death of Moses was significantly tragic for the Children of Israelites. A seemingly unreplaceable vacuum had been created, for he was someone whom the Lord knew face to face (Deut 34: 10). They grieved for Moses on the plains of Moab for 30 days (Deut 34:8). The Israelites now wondered who they would look up to guide them to the Promised Land. However, God does not leave His people without guidance. Shortly before Moses died, He laid hands on Joshua who was then filled with the Spirit of Wisdom to lead the people.

Joshua was a man who stood out among his peers. This was seen when He and Caleb brought a good report and believed that God would help them succeed; contrary to the remaining 10 spies sent for exploration (Num 14:30). Joshua, now the elder leading the newbies of Israel because the previous generation had phased out. This new generation did not see the great works that the hand of God executed in Egypt and the Red sea.

Because all those men which have seen my glory, and my miracles, which I did in Egypt and in the wilderness, and have tempted me now these ten times, and have not hearkened to my voice; Surely they shall not see the land which I sware unto their fathers, neither shall any of them that provoked me see it:

Numbers 14:22-23

In the cool of the evening, Joshua gathered the children of the Israelites. This was after the mourning of Moses was over. They gathered in family units and groups around the campfire listening keenly to Joshua’s speech; for it was time to continue on the road to reconciliation with God and to the land, He had promised.

Ahead of them was the Jordan River which at that time was at flood level and the magnificent wall of Jericho wide enough for a house to be staged in it. Joshua’s speech was therefore timely, encouraging them with the words of the Lord and backing it up with the Tale of the Red Sea. He assured them with God’s assurance;

³Every place that the sole of your foot shall tread upon, that have I given unto you, as I said unto Moses.⁵There shall not any man be able to stand before thee all the days of thy life: as I was with Moses, so I will be with thee: I will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.

Joshua 1:3;5

With a baritone voice, he began

In 3 days, we shall pass over the Jordan to take possession of the land that the Lord has given to us. You all should prepare your provisions for the journey ahead. A lot of you may be scared of what lies ahead. But God who has been our guide since our liberation from Egypt will see us through. A long time ago we were captives in Egypt until Moses empowered by God set us free. It took 10 plagues to break the stony heart of Pharaoh. On our journey out of Egypt, we were guided by a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire at night. After a few days, we camped at Pi Hahiroth between Migdol and the Red sea. Seeing the magnificent waves, we wondered how we would forge ahead. This caused a lot of grumbling from many who felt we should have been left in Egypt to continue as slaves. Complicating this was the fact that Pharoah regained the hardness of his heart and followed us with his best armies. With the Egyptian army behind us and the Red sea ahead, our hearts melted with fear. The feeling of doom was palpable as survival seemed impossible, it was either we die on the red sea or at the hands of the Egyptians. I was very much baffled by how calm Moses was in the midst of this chaos. He said to us “Fear ye not, stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord, which he will shew to you today: for the Egyptians whom ye have seen to day, ye shall see them again no more forever. The Lord shall fight for you, and ye shall hold your peace.” (Exo 14:13-14). Here was when we saw the mighty hand of God working through Moses to divide the sea; creating dry land for us to pass through. We went through the dry land with a wall of water on our right and left; a wonderful sight to behold. The Egyptians also followed but were consumed by the sea, we saw them lying dead on the seashore (Exo 14:30). This mighty act of God made us fear Him the more and trusted his guidance through to our Promise Land. God saved us from the hands of the Egyptians; their lives for ours. This, he will also do as we cross the Jordan and meet Jericho.

Joshua’s speech stirred up courage in the children of Israelites and they vowed to follow him doing as God has commanded. This made them believe that even at the level of flooding, they could cross the river Jordan. Also, irrespective of the size of the walls of Jericho, if God could do it at the red sea, then it is possible.

God will always create a path for us to enter our promised land and partake in the reconciliation plan He has set for us. Today, God is reminding us of the Beautiful exchange that happened on the cross for the remissions of our sins. Jesus died on the cross for our redemption and for reconciling man to God; His life for ours.

Friends this beautiful exchange gave us a gift money cannot buy. It has given us eternal life and saved us from eternal damnation. However, if you have not surrendered your life to Christ as your Lord and personal saviour or you did but have fallen off at some point, then this redemption package is not for you. Notwithstanding, the goodnews is that you can easily align with this redemption package by saying this prayer;

Lord Jesus, I confess my sins and ask for your forgiveness. Please come into my heart as my Lord and Savior. Take complete control of my life and help me to walk in Your footsteps daily by the power of the Holy Spirit. Thank you, Lord, for saving me and for answering my prayer. Amen.