Twenty four hours a day, seven days a week and three hundred sixty five days a year. What is in control of your life today?
Almost all of us are familiar about the story of Moses delivering God’s people out of Egypt yet few of us understands why did the Chosen People of God (Israelites) needed to wander for forty long years in the wilderness (Desert) where in fact the distance going to the Promise Land (Canaan) would only cost them for about a year only. The following aspects reason out why reaching the Promise Land was not that simple:
UNBELIEF
Moses performed several miracles to convince the pharaoh of Egypt to free the Israelites from slavery and captivity and to release them from the land. Through the miracles the Israelites also believed in God which also moved them to follow Moses in the journey. But when the time cam that these people went out of supply of food and of water, they start complaining and unbelieving, they forgot the glorious intervention of God in delivering them from the tyranny of Egypt. It is like us today, we only believe in Him in times of prosperity and abundance. But when trials and problems arise, we start to lose our faith and thus unbelief follows.
SIN
While the Israelites were in the wilderness, they kept sinning as if there is no God knowing their actions. Some of these were adultery, murder, and idolatry. A righteous God could not overlook their sin. He could not pretend that nothing had happened. God is holy and He cannot have fellowship with us if we keep on sinning. The only way to get right with God is to come to Him and humbly confess our sins for the bible says, “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from our unrighteousness.” I John 1:9 KJV
DISOBEDIENCE
God gave Moses instructions for all of them to be on the right track yet these people keeps on neglecting and continues to go on their independent ways. Partial obedience is not obedience at all; we need to do exactly what God commands us to do and to trust Him fully in spite the presence of negative circumstance. In this way, we will be able to live in line with God’s purpose and His wonderful plan for our lives.
REBELLION
One reason why people rebel is that they cannot get what they want or cannot get what they want instantly. The Israelites got tired of waiting for the “Promise Land” that led them to make a carved image of a calf and considered it as their God. Let us wait patiently on God’s wonderful manifestation in our lives—for a strong and a beautiful house cannot be built for just a day, it is carefully planned and runs through a process.
“No one will be able to stand up 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 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." Joshua 1:5-9 KJV
In contrary to the aspects enumerated above—to those who are steadfast in believing in the Lord, hating and leaving sins behind, obeying God moment by moment and remaining faithful to him in whatever circumstance, God has promised that HE will be with them throughout the ages (verse 5). God who promised is faithful yet He allows temptations, persecutions, problems, and trials to come before us, even Moses during the time when he must pass through the stubborn pharaoh who after many plagues allowed the Israelites to be freed from Egypt. It is a challenge for us not to be weak instead we must be strong in facing such circumstances believing and trusting that God is with us.
Verses 6 and 7 taught us to be strong and very courageous. This is not just an encouragement for us; it is a command direct from God; being strong in a way that we will not be outside God’s perspective through bearing in to our hearts HIS word. A house has a narrow span of sight which makes it neglect what it cannot see. As we can observe on a horse race we can attest that a horse only aims to finish the race without turning its head to the right or to the left—this is the secret of winning. Let us focus in God’s word and never turn away from it.
Constantly read the bible, make it a routine. Let it be a source of strength and encouragement in good times or in bad times. Also understand and meditate it on it then I assure you that a fresh revelation from God will come your way. Read—meditate—apply/do is equal to prosperity and success in everything you do and wherever you will follow (Verse 8). If you will be afraid and be dismayed or you will be just sinning for it is contrary to what God commanded that you must be strong and of good courage (Verse 9).
“Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked or stand in the way of sinners or sit in the seat of mockers. But his delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law he meditates day and night. He is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither. Whatever he does prospers.” PSALMS 1:1-3 KJV
When we are frying a fish, we usually coat it with a small amount of salt or any seasoning. What will be the taste of the fish without salt or seasoning? It would be “tasteless”, isn’t it? Even though it was dipped and soak under the salty waters of the sea, it will remain tasteless if we will directly cook it without salt or seasoning, why? It is because the skin of the fish has the property of “insulation” wherein it will not absorb salt water. That is why Jesus is represented by a fish or ‘ichthus’. Jesus is holy, even but He himself had fellowship with sinners—tax collectors, prostitutes and the like. He remained ‘Holy” (mark 2:15). Jesus never isolated himself from the sinners, He insulated. In verse 1, you are blessed if you will not walk in the counsel of the ungodly nor stand in the path of the of the sinners nor sit in the seat of the scornful but this does not mean that we stay away from the sinners and the ungodly especially some of our friends and relatives. Jesus is our example that we keep our fellowship with them without conforming, showing to them that Christ is alive in you while you share God’s love unto them. In this way, you can reach out and pull them away from the fires of hell. Instead of the worldly things or on sinning we have to delight (joy, happiness, pleasure, satisfaction) on the word of God (verse 2). The moment we delight on God’s word, we establish an intimate relationship with God because there is a direct message and revelation from God being conveyed to you. You will be well-nourished in a way that your steps and words that come from your mouth are ordered by the Lord—not to harm you but to prosper you. You will bear fruit in its season its perfect time (verse 3).
Before Moses died, he made Joshua as his successor. Joshua was the one who directed everything to the Israelites of the conquest of the Promised Land. Out of the twelve spies sent to the Promised Land, Caleb and Joshua believed that they can overcome Canaan. Joshua and Jesus—mean “God saves”. Joshua prefigured Jesus because through him the image of a savior was enhanced being the one who led the people of God—the Israelites and to their rest (from wandering) as well. He also took the role of being a servant of God who pondered His word day and night. Likewise to the biblical image of Jesus, “the holy servant of God” (acts 3:13, 3:26, 4:27, and 4:30)
“For if Joshua had given them rest, God would not have spoken of another day later on. So then, there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God, for whoever has entered God's rest has also rested from his works as God did from his. Let us therefore strive to enter that rest, so that no one may fall by the same sort of disobedience. For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart. And no creature is hidden from his sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give account.” Hebrews 4:8-13 KJV
In verses 8-11, the Israelites did not enter His rest because of Joshua alone nor human might but it was because God was with them. God gave the Israelites rest after forty years of wandering.
We Christians can find REST
*If we are steadfast with belief.
*When we deprive ourselves from sinning.
*Through opening our hearts to hear God’s voice.
Again he appoints a certain day, “Today”, saying through David so long afterward, in the words already quoted, “Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts.” Hebrews 4:17
*By obeying all of Gods commend.
*And by not being a part from Him.
We must enter that rest through listening, not just hearing God’s voice during the Sabbath days for even God himself rested (Genesis 2:2) yet Sunday is not just the day of the week. We must not be like Sunday Christians, seat shiner or the ‘amen’ ministry. Let’s take part of doing what we are ought to do in God’s perspective, in season or in out of season. Let us not be like the generation which God was angry of (Hebrews 3:10) but instead be guided by the word of God—bible (Basic Instructions Before Leaving Earth). Let us be a Joshua generation!
