Study 2: 2 Joshua 1:7-9

This study presents an in-depth analysis of the leadership transition from Moses to Joshua as outlined in the Book of Joshua, emphasizing the importance of understanding the biblical context for a fuller comprehension of Scripture. Highlighting the conversation between God and Moses in Numbers 27, Trent showcases Moses' humility and readiness to follow God's lead, setting a foundation for servant leadership. It further explores Joshua's appointment and his symbolic representation of Yeshua (Jesus), drawing connections between their roles as leaders and shepherds of Israel. By focusing on the continuity of God's promises and the challenges faced by the Israelites, the sermon underscores the necessity of seeking divine guidance and allowing God's word to influence and transform our lives, encouraging listeners to pursue a life of service and faithfulness towards God.

Scripture Reference

The Appointment of Joshua:

• Numbers 27: God's conversation with Moses about appointing Joshua as the leader of Israel is discussed, revealing Moses' humility and willingness to serve as God's instrument and his request that God appoint a new leader for the community.

Joshua as a Forerunner of Jesus:

• Joshua Chapter 1: Highlights God's covenantal promises to the people of Israel as Joshua assumes leadership, emphasizing his role as a precursor to Jesus (Yeshua) and the true shepherd and savior, drawing parallels between Joshua and Jesus' lives and ministries.

Encouragement in Leadership:

• Psalm 37:23-24: Illustrates God's support for those who follow His path, providing a foundational scripture for understanding God's guidance in leadership transitions.

• 1 Corinthians 16:13: Calls for believers to be vigilant and strong in faith, echoing the encouragement given to Joshua to be strong and courageous.

• Romans 8:37: Affirms that believers are more than conquerors through Christ, supporting the sermon's theme of taking hold of God's promises with courage and faith.

Reflection Questions

Leadership Transition Reflection: How do you personally relate to the transition from Moses to Joshua in your own life experiences? Reflect on a time when you were called to step up in leadership or support someone in a new leadership role. How did faith play a part in this transition?

Servant Leadership Application: Joshua served under Moses before becoming a leader himself. In what ways can you serve others in your community or workplace to develop your own leadership skills? Identify specific actions you can take to embody servant leadership.

Faith and God’s Promises: Reflect on the Israelites' journey to the Promised Land. Can you identify a "Promised Land" in your life that requires a leap of faith? What promises of God do you need to hold onto to move forward?

Reflection on God's Story Through Your Life: Consider how your life reflects God's greater narrative. In what ways have you seen God's story unfold in your own experiences? How can you better align your actions and decisions with God's plan?

Courage in Spiritual Journey: Joshua's command to be strong and courageous was crucial as he led the Israelites. Reflect on areas of your spiritual journey where you must exhibit more strength and courage. How can you actively seek God's guidance to overcome fears or challenges in these areas?

Hebrew Word Study

Joshua (יהושע), Command (צוה), and Courage (חָזַק).

Joshua (יהושע - Yehoshua)

• Meaning: The name Joshua, or Yehoshua in Hebrew, means "The LORD is salvation." This name encapsulates the role Joshua played in leading the Israelites into the Promised Land, symbolizing God's deliverance and salvation for His people.

• Reflection Question: Reflect on the meaning of Joshua's name in the context of your own life. How have you experienced the Lord as your salvation in times of transition or challenge?

Command (צוה - Tsavah)

• Meaning: The Hebrew word צוה (Tsavah) means "to command," "charge," or "give orders." This word is crucial in understanding God's direct instructions to Joshua and the Israelites, highlighting the importance of obedience to God's commands in achieving divine purposes and blessings.

• Reflection Question: Consider a time when following a clear directive, possibly from Scripture or a spiritual leader, led to a significant outcome in your life. How does the concept of divine commandment influence your decision-making and actions today?

Courage (חָזַק - Chazaq)

• Meaning: The word חָזַק (Chazaq) translates to "be strong," "courageous," or "firm." It embodies the strength and courage Joshua needed to lead the people into the Promised Land despite the challenges they faced. This term is not just about physical strength but also about the inner resolve to trust in God and follow His will.

• Reflection Question: In what areas of your life do you need to apply חָזַק (Chazaq)? How can you cultivate a spirit of courage and strength in facing your personal "battles" or challenges?

Biblical Exegesis Opportunities

The Command to Be Strong and Courageous (Joshua 1:7-9)

• Opportunity: Explore the repetition and significance of the command "be strong and courageous" in Joshua 1:7-9, mainly focusing on the Hebrew words ‎חזק (chazaq) for "strong" and ‎אמץ (amets) for "courageous." Analyze how these commands, set against the backdrop of Israel's history and the challenges ahead, underscore God's consistent call for faith and obedience amidst transition. This study could also compare Joshua's experience with other biblical figures who received similar divine exhortations, reflecting on how such commands speak to the believer's journey today.

Meditation on the Law (Joshua 1:8):

• Opportunity: Delve into the concept of meditating on God's Law "day and night," emphasizing the Hebrew understanding of meditation not as emptying the mind, but as filling it with divine truth. Investigate how this practice of meditation differs from contemporary and Eastern notions of meditation. Further, examine the implications of this divine instruction for Joshua's leadership and the spiritual life of the Israelites. Consider the role of meditation in forming a leader's character and decision-making process, and its relevance for contemporary spiritual practice.

The Assurance of God's Presence (Joshua 1:9):

• Opportunity: Investigate the promise of God's unending presence with Joshua ("the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go") within the context of Israel's journey from slavery to the Promised Land. This exploration can include a study of the phrase's theological implications, its occurrence elsewhere in Scripture, and its significance in affirming God's covenant faithfulness. Reflect on how this assurance of God's presence addresses fear and discouragement, providing a foundation for courage and action in the face of daunting challenges. Consider how the promise of divine presence transcends the narrative of Joshua to offer comfort and motivation for believers in every generation.

Podcast Transcript

Hey, good morning. As you guys can see, we're in the second week of our study in the Book of Joshua, and if you guys were here last week, we were kind of laying the groundwork, the transition from the leadership of Moses into the introduction of the leadership of Joshua. 

And so we're going to continue with that this morning because we want to give you some context as we move forward throughout the Book of Joshua because I'm telling you, Scripture without context is void of the truth. 

You have to have context. What was really being said? What was the intent? What was the purpose? It's not proper nor correct for us to extract out of Scripture out of context and cling and try to derive a certain meaning from Scripture that was never intended to mean that or to at least lead us in that direction. 

So what we're trying to do is establish some context before we move deeper into the Book of Joshua. And what I want to try to do today is because we're only going to get to verse 9, right? And I know what you're thinking. 

Well, Trent, last week, didn't we touch on verses 1 through 6? And I'm like, yes, we did. And so this way, we're going to touch on verses 7, 8, and 9. This is a conversation that God is having directly with Joshua. 

And it sets up and establishes everything moving forward. And there's some truths that are revealed in these three verses that you and I desperately need to embrace ourselves and understand who God is. 

We see who God is in regards to Joshua. But God isn't a God who changes shifts or alters himself. God is this. And what God is commanding Joshua, I believe, is a command for you and I as well. And I think we'll see that as we dive into the Scripture, OK? 

And so we're going to step back a little bit. We're going to look at a couple of things in some previous Scripture, because what I'm wanting to do is I'm wanting to build for you this understanding of who Joshua was and how he came to be the leader of Israel. 

And I know what you're thinking. Well, we saw that last week, Trent. We saw that. No, no, no. There's a lot more to the building of Joshua than what we covered last week. And so we're going to touch on that, OK? 

And so if you're one of these people who come to church and are expecting anything other than God's word being preached and God's word being taught, then you're probably, I'll be honest with you, you're probably at the wrong church. 

Because we are a word first church, right? We are a word first church. Man, if it's not in the Scripture, man, we are not wanting to go that direction. We want to know what is the revelation that God has given us. 

That's what we cling to as a church. And we'll never concede that, never compromise that. That is who our identity is. And God is the revealed word and the knowledge of God and him wanting to open us up. 

We're not here to preach a five point sermon on building and strengthening your marriage or increasing your economics or how to get over anxiety or how to deal. Man, you can find that anywhere. We are here as God's church to read and study the word of God. 

I've said it a million times, right? I've said this a million times. We want to study that to know him better, right? We study the word of God and to know the God of the word. Amen? So let's jump in here. 

Let me pray. Let's pray because we're going to give us heavy stuff this morning. I really believe that. And so we're going to pray and then we're going to jump into this, OK? Everybody good with that? 

We need to pray before I jump into this. So let's do this, OK? Father, in Jesus' name, we're here as your sons and daughters not wanting to edify or glorify any man or woman, any gift or gifts. What we want to do is we want to come in and seek your counsel in your word. 

We want it to transform us. We want it to just sink deep into our hearts and our spirits that we would leave here effectively ordered and changed by the truth of your scripture. Oh, God, may it shape us this morning. 

May it shape us this morning. And it's in the name of Jesus, Father. We ask for your shaping power and influence through your word to work in your church this morning here at TDC. And these things we ask in the name of Jesus and the sons and daughters of God said, amen. 

Amen. Okay, let's look at this. Numbers, we're going to go into Numbers, Chapter 27. Do you have that, Clark? Chapter 27, we're going to read some scripture this morning. Okay, in fact, we'll be reading a lot of scripture this morning. 

That's the safest place for all of us to be in the word. All right, so in Numbers, Chapter 27, verse 12 through 23, God is having this conversation with Moses and God and the heart of Moses is revealed. 

And you see this transition literally take place or the beginning of the transition take place between Moses and Joshua, okay? Now you guys know, we touched on this last week, Joshua, the Lord is salvation. 

Joshua is the Hebrew name basically for Jesus. We understand that, right? The Hebrew name for Joshua is a Yoshia or Yeshua. That's the Hebrew name, right? When it is translated into English, it is translated as Joshua. 

Well, that same name, Yeshua, when translated into the Greek is Jesus, right? Which once it's translated into English is Jesus. So the name Jesus and the name Joshua mean the exact same thing, the Lord is salvation. 

Now I want you to understand that. It's important, it's important. So this is what happens in Numbers, Chapter 27, and you can follow along with me up here on the monitors. And when you go home, or if you want you now, man, get into the scripture, follow along with me and hold my feet to the fire that we're not departing from the truth, okay? 

It says, one day the Lord said to Moses, climb one of the mountains east of the river and look over the land. I have given the people of Israel. After you have seen it, you will die like your brother Aaron for you both rebelled against my instructions in the wilderness of Zen. 

When the people of Israel rebelled, you failed to demonstrate my holiness to them at the waters. This is a revelation. This is God speaking directly to Moses. Now at this moment, if Moses were like you, and if Moses were like me, there would almost be a pushback, would there not? 

You'd say, but Lord, I've been a faithful servant. I spoke to a burning bush. I led the children out of Egypt. I did this and I did that. But what did Moses not do? In this situation, Moses did not honor the holiness of God. 

He struck the rock, he was in disobedience, and God said, for that very reason, you will not cross over into the promised land. This is the true thing. So right now, Moses knows he's not going into the promised land. 

God has just revealed this to him. As a matter of fact, you would die like your brother Aaron. You know what Moses' heart was? It's in the next verse. When you understand Moses' heart and God's influence on Moses, you can't help but understand the depth of the character and the heart of Joshua, for it was under this man that Joshua learned. 

It was under this man that Joshua was influenced. Here is what Moses says in response to God. He says, then Moses said through the Lord, oh Lord, you are the God who gives breath to all creatures. Listen to this. 

Please appoint a new man as leader for the community, speaking of Israel. Give them someone who will guide them wherever they go and will lead them into battle so the community of the Lord will not be like sheep without a shepherd. 

You know what Moses was saying to God? Give them a shepherd. I know I'm not going over there, but I don't wanna leave the people without a shepherd. So he tells him, give them a shepherd. And the Lord replied, take Joshua son of none who has the spirit in him and lay your hands on him. 

Check this out. Present him to Eliezer the priest before the whole community and publicly commissioned him to lead the people. Watch this. transfer some of your authority to him so the whole community of Israel will obey him. 

Moses demonstrated what real service and leadership looks like. It's becoming less than another under God's leading may become greater. It's the same thing that John says, right? I must decrease as he increases, right? 

So Moses is basically under the same influence of God's direction. Lay your hands on him, transfer some of your own authority to Joshua. Listen to what he says. When direction from the Lord is needed, Joshua will stand before Eliezer, the priest who will use the Urim, one of the sacred lots cast before the Lord to determine his will. 

This is how Joshua and the rest of the community of Israel will determine everything they should do. So Moses did as the Lord commanded, he presented Joshua to Eliezer, the priest and the whole community. 

Moses laid his hands on him and commissioned him to lead the people just as the Lord had commanded Moses. What we're seeing right here takes place is God establishing Yeshua the shepherd. He was a good shepherd, but he wasn't the good shepherd, but he was a forerunner, a shadow. 

Yeshua the shepherd of Israel. That was gonna be Joshua. And then in the beginning of Joshua, chapter one, we're gonna read these verses and then we're gonna get into our text because I want you to understand as we're transitioning, we need to understand context. 

After the death of Moses, the servant of the Lord, the Lord said to Joshua son of none, Moses is eight, Moses my servant is dead, now then you and all these people get ready to cross the Jordan River into the land I'm about to give to them, to the Israelites. 

You're like, Trent, you're just reading this, you're not covering this. You go back and listen to the podcast last week. We can't double you today, can we? I'm not gonna do that to you today. He says, I will give you every place you set your foot as I promised Moses. 

Your territory will extend from the desert to Lebanon and from the great river the Euphrates, all the Hittite country to the Mediterranean Sea in the West. This was equivalent to about 300,000 square miles. 

We covered this last week, right? Now at the greatest point of influence in the nation of Israel, they only occupied 30 ,000 square miles. And it wasn't because God had failed to deliver. They never set their foot on the ground that God had given them, right? 

Everybody understands that. So it's not God somehow 450. As a matter of fact, the property line that the book of Joshua just described runs up into Turkey, runs up into Iraq, into Saudi Arabia, runs into Egypt. 

I mean, this was a large amount of land. And they only occupied a small portion of it because God had said, you will possess every place you set your foot, but they didn't set their feet there. Right? Y 'all remember this, right? 

It says, no one will be able to stand against you all the days of your life as I was with Moses, so I will be with you. I will never leave you nor forsake you, be strong and courageous, because you will lead these people to inherit the land I swore to their ancestors to give to them. 

Now here's the incredible thing about that, about that 300 ,000 square miles, is that God could have given all of it instantly, right? God could have given it all instantly. He could have wiped out every adversary, everyone who opposed the purpose of God. 

He could have wiped them completely out and given them access and possession to the entire lot of land. But what I want you to understand is this biblical principle, okay? And it is this, premature success is the seeds for ultimate failure. 

And this is what I mean by that. I want you to get this. If you don't have maturity to maintain the success that God is granting, then it will not be long before you forfeit that success. The incredible thing about it is that God knows us and God isn't gonna give us more than we're mature enough to navigate. 

Now we may try to take more, but God will never grant more than we're mature enough to possess and to maintain. God actually reveals this to Moses earlier in the scripture about his strategies in the book of Exodus. 

Listen to what God says to them. I will send my terror ahead of you and throw into confusion every nation you encounter. I will make all your enemies turn their backs and run. I will send the hornet ahead of you to drive out the hibites, Canaanites, Hittites, all out of your way. 

But listen what he says. But I will not drive them out in a single year because the land would become desolate and the wild animals too numerous for you. Not for me, for you. Little by little, I will drive them out before you until you have increased enough to take possession of the land. 

You read that? You read that? It wasn't about God wanting to give them victory. It was about them not possessing a mature state in their being, the capacity to maintain the victory. So to give victory that we can't maintain is to forfeit the victory that God has given us. 

God is wanting to give us a maturation on his timetable little by little until we're in that place where we're able to receive and honor what God has given us for his glory. You understand what I'm saying? 

So now let's look at the scripture. Let's look at the scripture. Joshua chapter one verse seven. This is what he says. Now this is a very familiar scripture. Many of you walk around with this written on your shirt. 

You got this on your Facebook profile picture. I mean, this is one of those scriptures, man, that we gotta cling to. Now we don't know what it means. We just cling to it. We've heard it quoted many times. 

We don't know the context. We're not even sure who's quoting. But man, it sounds good. It's encouraging. You know, it speaks life to us. We're like, hey man, that's fine. I'll throw it up there. Like, what book of the Bible is that in? 

You're like, is it, I don't know, New Testament, Old Testament. I don't know. This is what the scripture says, okay? 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. Now Moses has died. He's given direction to Joshua. And he says right off the bat, be strong and courageous. 

The word strong is called zak in the Hebrew. And it means to be or grow firm or strong. Now listen, the Old Testament written in Hebrew. We know this, right? New Testament's written in Greek. Well, the Septuagint, which is the Old Testament written in Greek, uses some of the same words that is used in the New Testament to draw a correlation so you can cross reference and understand that the meanings are one and the same. 

So in the Septuagint, the Greek Old Testament, the word that is used for strong is the word androzeme, you know what that means? When he says to be strong, you know what that means? It means to man up, to play the man, to mature, to grow, to man up. 

That word androzeme, it is used seven times in Deuteronomy and in Joshua it is used five times and it is used twice by Moses when addressing Joshua. In the New Testament, that word is used once. You know where it's used? 

It's used in 1 Corinthians 16, verse 13. The Apostle Paul uses that word. And this is what the verse says. Be watchful, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong. Basically, the Apostle Paul was saying to the young church, using that exact same word, man up, man up. 

And let me say to you guys, as we study the scripture, this isn't direct. And when he writes it to church in the first Corinthians, he isn't speaking just to the men of the church to man up because the word actually means to mature up, to grow up. 

He is speaking to every person in the church who has ears to hear, men, women, children. It is time, regardless of your age, much like Timothy, don't let people hold it against you because of your youth. 

It is time for all of us regardless of whether we're 14, 15, 16, 30, 40, 50, 70, 80. It is time in our lives, in the faith, to man up, to grow up, to play the part of the man. Thank you. I'm going to tell you why it's time to man up and to grow up and mature up, to rise up because kingdom business isn't for the faint of heart. 

Kingdom business isn't for the faint of heart. Man, if you're in this thing as long as things aren't going well for you, you're not going to be in this thing long. If you're like, well, I'll follow Jesus as long as the brakes go my way, then you ain't going to be following Jesus very long. 

You're not going to be following Him. Gospel, the gospel, follow the building of the kingdom. You, regardless of what your circumstances are, you had better find some maturation and some growing up in you. 

It is absolutely essential and He says to Joshua, right out of the gate, right out of the gate, be strong and courageous. What I'm about to give to you is going to require you to man up. And if you're not willing to man up and following Jesus, if you're not willing to grow up and following Jesus, it's hard for you to move any further in this scripture. 

Now we want to look at all these things that Joshua does and just depart from manning up. Part of the reason that Joshua is a vessel that he's used in the fashion that he's used in is because he obeys God's Word and he does grow up. 

He does man up. So we can't get to the other side and walk around our walls and expecting them to fall. We can't speak to the sun and have it stand still in the sky like Joshua did. We can't do those things if we're not willing to grow up in the faith and be strong. 

I watch people, my God, I watch people who have been in the faith for 20, 30, 40 years and they're still infants. They have no resolve, no restitution. I had a young man say to me this morning, Gus, you can thank me for that later. 

It was Gus, my young brother. He said to me this morning, I said to him in a visiting fridge, hey, I hope today you're encouraged. And Gus says to me, hey man, are you encouraged? I said, man, I'm always encouraged. 

And it isn't because of me, it's because of God. It's because of God. It isn't something that I've found in myself, but it is the maturation and maturing in God. And if it's there for me, it's there for you, right? 

So let's look at what he says here. 

there. Be strongly very courageous. Listen, be careful. Shamar means to guard or watch. So to guard or watch all the law my servant Moses gave you. Be careful to obey that. He's saying guard yourself. 

Be on watch to obey all the law that my servant Moses gave you. Now this is one of those little stickler things, man, that sometimes in the church, man, it's just a hard sale. And it's the only sale. 

There's nothing else being sold. And that is this. I'm telling you, you can't obey what you do not know. I've listened to multiple people in the Muslim faith and Islamic faith. And one of the one of their issues they have with the Christian faith is how so many people who claim to be followers of God do not know the Word of God. 

They said, if you really believe that this is the Word of God, how do you just dispose of it and not really consider it? If you really believe it's the revelation. And so he says to be careful, he says Shamar guard it. 

And the only way you can guard it and obey it is to know it. Growing up, manning up requires you to engage in the scriptures. Why? Why do I need to engage in the scriptures? So we can experience the transforming power of God's Word. 

That's why we engage in the scriptures to know God which transforms us. Let me, can I give you a little bit of insight into the scripture that the scripture says we reveal, but we know it because of context. 

This is one of those things when you understand context, you understand the reality of some of these things. When you look into the scriptures and you look into the numbers chapter 14 verse 29 through 30, this is what the scripture says, in this wilderness your bodies will fall. 

You know why they're falling? Because the 12 spies had come back, remember? And they had given a good report. But only Caleb and Joshua had said, let's take the land for the glory of God. And this is God's response because they grumbled against God. 

In the wilderness your bodies will fall. Every one of you 20 years old or more who was counted in the census after leaving Egypt, who was counted in the census and who was grumbled against me, not one of you will enter the land I swore with uplifted hand to make your home except Caleb son of Jeff and Joshua son of none. 

Now, what does that tell us about them? When you read that scripture, what does it tell you about Joshua and about Caleb? Rhetorical, you don't have to answer it. I've got the answer. They were over 20 when they left Egypt. 

He said, you're the only guys who have left Egypt after the census above the age of 20 who are going to enter into the promised land. So what does that then tell us about Caleb and Joshua? They were adults, young men, probably strong young men. 

We find out they were fighters. They had some resolve. You know what else it tells us? That more than likely, because the whole nation was in bondage, that they were slaves. They were probably in poverty. 

And they were probably abused as slaves would be abused in Egypt. So all of a sudden, the transforming power of God takes a man who was more than likely abused in poverty and a slave and changes him into a leader. 

Because at some point, Joshua began to understand the significant power of the revealed word of God that Moses had given them under the authority of God. And it began to transform him, meaning he's no longer identified as Hoshiah, the son of none, but he is identified as Yoshiah or Joshua, the Lord is salvation. 

And he can lead now with the wounded scars still on his back from the beatings he probably experienced in Egypt. And he can leave that stuff behind him and move forward and being a leader in God for Israel. 

Many of us who have not engaged in the transforming power of the written revealed word of God are still packing the identity of a impoverished, written, scarred -back slave. And we haven't yet been transformed. 

We get out there, out of Egypt, but Egypt is still in us? And we're always talking about my scars. We're always talking about my poverty. We're always talking about the slavery I experienced. 

But when you get into the work. 

and you begin to allow the Word of God to transform your mind, it begins to separate you from your past. It begins to liberate you from your past. Some of us, we can't be strong and rise up. Why? We're still so entangled in our past. 

We're by our past. And God is saying, I want you to be something more. I want you to be free. I want you to walk in a new identity. I brought you out of Egypt. It's time to get Egypt out of you. Then the scripture says this, do not turn from it to the right. 

He says, be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses gave you. Listen, do not turn from it to the right or to the left. 

Right? 

Hold the line is what he's saying. Whatever the revelation is. 

Whatever God's word teaches us. He says, don't go to the left of it, don't go to the right of it. Let me make this application for you. Don't diminish what the word is saying, because that's destructive. 

Don't add to it, because that's destructive. And you know what I'm talking about. Some of you cats have come out of those churches, man, where the word of God, you're like right here, and then you're like, yeah, but I gotta wear my dress down to my ankles. 

I gotta have my sleeves down to my wrists. I can't cut my hair. I gotta look a certain way. I've gotta do this, and all of a sudden, the word of God, man, you've just slid all the way to the right, and now there's a burden that was never yours to take. 

And then you've got the others, man, who are on the far side of it, who are looking at God's word and say, I don't have to be like that. I don't have to say that. I don't have to be this kind of person. 

I don't have to really listen to that. I don't have to make those types of decisions. Both, either to the left or to the right, will lead us into a place that is destructive to each of us. And what he is saying to him is obey the word, the reveal, the law that Moses has been given, and man, walk the line. 

Walk the line. Be true to it, faithful to it. 

But once again, how are you faithful to it? You have to know it, right? 

Psalm 37, 23 and 24 says this, the Lord makes firm the steps of the one who delights in him. 

Though he may stumble, he will not fall for the Lord up holds him with his hand. 

And then God says this, listen to this, this is so important. 

He says, be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses gave you, do not turn from it to the right or to the left. And then he says this, that you may be successful wherever you go. You know what that says to me? 

God's success travels. God's success travels. It's not predicated on circumstances being favorable. It's not predicated on advantageous conditions. God's success travels. I need to know that game. I need to know that God's success, God's success, not my success, but God's success isn't confined to this place. 

God's success travels. 

travels even to Buffalo, Kentucky. 

God's success travels to Reineville. God's success travels to Cumberland Products. God's success travels to Blue Oval. God's success travels into the school systems, into your homes, into your places of influence. 

God's success travels, man, and if it isn't traveling in your life, it's probably because it isn't God's success. There's nothing worse than trying to hold up and maintain your own success, especially your own, quote, unquote, spiritual success. 

That's a heavy thing to undertake and try to maintain. 

Then he says this. 

Listen, keep this book of the law always on your lips. Keep this book of the law always on your lips. You know, people have a tendency to talk about a thing that's on their heart, don't they? You know what I'm talking about? 

You know what I'm talking about. You can talk to Darwin, Darwin may be, you know, inclined to is exercise, physical training, this, that, and the other. You go talk to Jeff, and Jeff, we want to talk to you about politics, or wants to talk to you about sports. 

You go talk to Kevin, I ain't talking to Kevin Capel and forget that, I don't want to know what Kevin Capel's talking about. But typically, whatever we end up talking about is the thing that kind of resides in our heart, doesn't it? 

You know what, ain't that what the scripture says? From the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks? Ain't that what the scripture says? And so he's saying to Joshua right here, always, always keep this book of the law on your lips. 

He knowing who we are, God the creator, then lays out the how to keep it on your lips. And he says this, listen, meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. 

Meditate on it day and night. Now, as we've kind of grown into a global community, there's certain words in Christendom that have been hijacked, you know, and been robbed. I mean, to the extent that we don't even like to use them. 

And one of those words is meditate, isn't it? Because it is a word that we have kind of connected to Eastern religions and Eastern philosophies and whatnot. Hinduism, Buddhism, and just philosophies of Eastern cultures. 

Because their notion of meditation is the idea of becoming one with whatever. And you'll see stuff like this on TV. You'll see it even sometimes in some of these animation movies you'll have, I remember there's some animated movie where there's a frog and the frog's got its fingers up and the frog is going, meditating. 

You know what I'm talking about? And their idea of meditation is emptying oneself that you might become connected to the source. Well, that's not the biblical meditation that he's talking about. The biblical meditation isn't about emptying yourself. 

The biblical meditation is about filling yourself. It's about filling your mind, filling your spirit. That's what, when God says to meditate on a day and night, he's saying, chew on this, devour this. 

It's the notion, the idea of meditation is the idea, how many of you have been on a farm? Any of you ever been on a farm, you've seen a cow or two, maybe you've seen a cow on TV. Boy, this is disappointing. 

Disappointing, disappointing. I need some people to see that, at least one cow. You've eaten plenty, right, at least one cow. You ever watch a cow or a deer or anything else? When they eat their food, they chew on that cud. 

You know what I'm talking about? You ever seen a cow eat, they'll take that food, they'll chew on it, they'll swallow it. The acids will kind of activate and then they'll regurgitate it and they'll chew on it again. 

And it's called chewing the cud, right? That's what the scripture is talking about here on the meditation. Do you know why those animals chew the cud? They're trying to extract all the nutrition that is available in the food that they're consuming. 

He's saying to Joshua right here, when he says meditate on it day and night, he's saying extract every bit of nutrition that is in the Word of God, consume it and allow it to consume you, regurgitate it, chew on it, devour it and let it devour you. 

The very idea of chew the cud, the very phrase means to think slowly and carefully. Let me ask you this, I'm just being honest, I'm just another dude up here talking to you guys. What are you chewing on? 

What are you chewing on? Just be, I mean, in your own heart and your own mind, don't be screaming at me over here. What are you chewing on? I know some of you are chewing on. You're chewing on worry. 

Every time I talk to you, you're worried. Some of you are chewing on depressing situations. Every time I talk to you, man, what was me? I got a Eeyore response. It doesn't take long, man, to engage people and understand what they've been chewing on. 

I talk to people, man, they get, 

They're angry, man, they got this current under them. 

this flow, this current, right underneath the surface of just a resting, simmering anger. And I'm like, brother, you need to turn off CNN. You need to turn off MSNBC. You need to turn off Fox News. You need to turn some of that stuff off, man. 

Because every time you watch that stuff, every time you take that stuff off, all of a sudden, the thing you've been chewing on, it begins to kind of influence you. And what was the script? What's Joshua saying? 

He said, man, chew on the Word of God. Chew on the Word of God. Meditate on it. That's what he's saying. Meditate on it. And then he says this, so that you may be careful, once again, the Shemar to guard to do everything written in it. 

That's what he's saying. Meditating on God's Word creates a guarding and sensitive awareness of God's direction in our life's decisions. He's saying, meditate on it, let it consume you so that, listen, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. 

When we're in God's Word, we're chewing on God's Word, there's a sensitivity and awareness that is generated by that, by the chewing of that, that allows us then to navigate life's decisions, to discern those decisions when they arise, to choose left or right, split the middle, wherever God is leading you. 

Alright, give me a hand. He says, and then you will be prosperous and successful. Now here's the word. 

Here's the word...prosperous. We like that, don't we? 

We like that, because you know what we like to do? We like to take our word prosperous and inject it into the meaning of the biblical text and say, this is what prosperous is. But prosperity, biblically speaking, also travels. 

That's the reason there are certain things in America that are preached in America, that aren't preached in third world countries. You know why? Because the context and the culture isn't conducive with that doctrine, that philosophy, being preached and being successful. 

Within American culture, oh, it can happen. You'll hear that stuff. But you know what it means right here? It is the Hebrew word salak. And when it says prosper, it means to penetrate. It means to break out, to go over, to push forward. 

It's what it means. So to prosper in the sense that he's revealing to Joshua would include, guess what? Adversity. What are you penetrating? What are you pushing into? What are you breaking out of? What are you going over? 

What are you pushing forward against, other than opposition? And if you read the scripture in context, guess what Joshua experiences? Listen. So the prosperity that's being spoken of right there is this idea that by meditating on God's word, being careful to obey it, applying it, is gonna give you the capacity in God to go over, to push forward, to penetrate. 

To go over. A similar word is used in Romans chapter eight verse 37 in the Septuagint. Say word, the Old Testament and the New Testament. And it's used in this scripture. Listen to this. Knowing all things, we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 

more than conquers, very similar words. 

We are more than Hooper, Hooper in the Greek. Hooper more than, more than just penetrators. 

were more than just push back, push forward. 

we're more than breaking out and that's what he's telling Joshua and he's setting all this up for Joshua and then he goes on he says this now listen this is the crazy part of the scripture and it reveals God's omnipotence in his understanding of who we are as a created being he then says to Joshua have I not commanded you be strongly courageous do not be afraid do not be discouraged for the Lord God your God will be with you wherever you go he literally says two verses later have I not commanded you you know what he's saying are you listening 

You know, that's kind of how he does me, because God will tell me things to Tom, then he has to come back and tell me again. 

And sometimes it's just a verse or two later, you know what I'm talking about? I'll be in the middle of a conversation with God, you'll be praying, and God will give you a revelation, God will speak to you, give you some direction. 

The longer you pray, you talk yourself out of what God had already told you. Have you ever done that? And then at the end of that conversation, God revealed the answer at the very beginning. By the end of it, you've done, tried to get it all twisted, and God has to say to you at the end of it, right before you say amen, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, have I not commanded you? 

Are you not listening? Trent, are you not listening? And that's what he says to Joshua right here, he says, have I not commanded you? And these are the four things he commands him. Listen to what he says here. 

Be strong, remember, the androzeme, androzeme, remember, to man up. Be courageous. Those are the first two commands, and then he says this, do not be afraid, and then the Septuagint, that word right there, is deliaio, you know what that means? 

cowardly or to shrink down. 

And then he says the fourth command, do not be discouraged. And you know what he's saying to Joshua, and Joshua must get 

as he was becoming the leader of this new nation. 

There are things that I'm telling you to be that will not allow you to be this. We can't be both. Listen to me, listen. We can't man up and shrink down at the same time. When he says be strong and then he says do not be afraid, he is literally saying be strong, don't shrink down. 

Both are present imperatives in the Greek, which means it's a continual command. This thing doesn't exhaust itself. It was there then when it was spoken and it continues on. And then he says this, be courageous and don't be discouraged. 

We can possess courage and be discouraged when discouraged means the absence of courage. What sense does that make? God is literally saying in this moment, Joshua, I'm calling you to be this. And when I call you to be this, it absolutely removes the option of being that. 

You can be both. Let me say it like this because Joshua's the perfect picture, considering he had come out of Exodus, a slave as word. 

all the Hebrews. 

You can't be the victor and the victim at the same time. You can't conduct your life where you want the respect of being the victor, but then you want the benefit of being and the excuse of being the victim. 

You know what I'm talking about? You want to be applauded for overcoming and then every time you fail, you want to hang on to this identity. Well, I'm a victim, you got to understand. And I'm like, man, we can't live in a schizophrenic church. 

We can't live in a schizophrenic kingdom where we have this identity and that identity. We're victors one day and victim's the next. We become victims when it benefits us to be victims. When those moments arise, when being a victor requires a deeper sense of responsibility, we want to default out. 

No, I'm a victim. Hide from the responsibilities what has been official and comfortable. And God's saying, victors don't hide, victors don't run. Who are you? Victor or victim? Have I not commanded you be strongly courageous? 

This is the last verse, we're closing. Do not be afraid. 

Should I be discouraged? Listen, he says, listen, listen. The caveat. 

how all this happens. For the Lord your God will be with you, wherever you go. 

the revealed word, God's... 

presence. It travels. See, it travels. I'll be with you. I'm going to the land of the Hittites, Canaanites, Jebusites, Hittites, termites, all thoseites. 

ladybugs. I'll leave it for another time. 

I'll go with you everywhere. I'll go with you everywhere. He'd already told me, you know, I'm not leaving or forsake you. As I was with Moses, I'll be with you, Joshua. Joshua, Yeshua, shepherd, I'll be with you. 

Those are the words, Yeshua, the shepherd, the good shepherd, the good shepherd. 

Spoke those very same words to you and I, Denny J. I'll not leave you. 

forsake you. But here's the crazy thing about it, and we're gonna close right here. 

Why was this so important? 

But Joshua, get this, man, at the very beginning of this great race. 

This is a great race, this great journey. was. 

important for you and I to get these things that we need 

to be fixated on God's word, we need to meditate on it, man, we need to consume it and let it consume us. Why is it so important that you and I, as leaders in whatever capacity we lead in, because believe me, we're all leading in some capacity. 

You have an influence in your family, you have an influence at your workplace, you have an influence with your peers, you have an influence with your neighbors. We're leading in some capacity. Why is it important that we all get this? 

I'm gonna tell you why it's important that we all get this. 

because there's gonna come a time that those who are under our influence. 

They're going to need that, and we can't give what we don't have. 

If you, listen, listen, there's a beautiful scripture in Joshua, and I don't want to jump too far ahead, but I've got to say it, right? In Joshua chapter 10, verse 12 and 14, this is what takes place. 

Joshua is warring against the five Amorite kings, and he slays them just as God had directed. But as they were fleeing, you know what Joshua does? 

Thank you. 

This is what he does. On the day the Lord gave the Amorites over to Israel, Joshua said to the Lord in the presence of Israel. You think this guy didn't get this? About being strong manning up? Not shrinking down? 

This is what he says. Joshua said to the Lord in the presence of Israel, son, stand still over Gibeon, and you move over the valley of Agiline. Listen to what the scripture says. So the sun stood still and the moon stopped. 

And there has never been a day like it before since a day when the Lord listened to a human being. Surely the Lord was fighting for Israel. 

And hey, you think he didn't know when those cats were fleeing and he looks to the Lord? He looks to the Lord because he knows. 

he knows the purpose of God. He's been meditating. You know why he doesn't confer with God? About, Lord, do you want to stop the Son? Because he knew what God was wanting to give him, victory. And he just speaks because he already knows it. 

the heart of God, and he says to the Lord... 

Son, could you imagine how the Lord was of hell? Son, stand still. 

And you know what happens, God says, stand still. 

victory was given. And you know what Joshua ends up saying to the children of Israel right before they... 

in the lives of those Amorite kings, you know, he said to them. 

Joshua said to them, listen, do not be afraid, do not be discouraged, don't shrink down. Be strong and courageous. This is what the Lord will do to all the enemies you are going to fight. Can you imagine one of those Israelites looking at Joshua? 

I said, man, that's a good line. That's a really good line. That sounds like a motivational speech. Yeah, man, don't be afraid, you know? Don't be discouraged. Be strong. Man, I like that. Where'd you get that at? 

What website did you get that? We'll put that on the banner off the road of the church. It wasn't his at all. 

wasn't his at all. You think he hadn't been meditating on that? You think he hadn't been chewing on that? You think he hadn't consumed that? And then he was able to look at those who needed what he possessed and give it to him. 

I'm telling you, brothers and sisters, it's man up time. There's too much on the line. There's too much on the line. There's too much on the line. 

So this morning, we're going to close with this and with this question. 

Because the Scripture always challenges us. What are you chewing? Because that's what you're becoming. And it's what you're becoming what those in your realm of influence are really needing. 

If not, then your spiritual diet may need to change and you may need to start consuming, chewing on something else and that something else is God's Word and God's presence. Thank you. 

So when that time comes and they need what you got, you don't have to call me. Trent, give them what you've got. Let's call the leadership of the church and what do we do? What do we call, let me call my Sunday school teacher. 

No, no. 

You've got it. 

God's granted it. You possess it, and you give it, and we'll all celebrate with you. 

Thank you. 

Amen. 

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