Land. Lord.
(Joshua 1:10–18)
The Need for Peace
40 years…three days. Dealing with Israel after the exodus narrative is a crazy study, and I believe it is one of the most necessary teachings for believers today. In it we learn some of the most valuable lessons as people of God. Allow me to start with a hot take that I think sets the tone in the best way. Buckle up. This one is fun.
So I know we always discuss the history of exodus from the perspective of the Israelites; how their disobedience turns what’s supposed to be an 11 day trip into a 40 year debacle. And as much as the detailed depiction of their debauchery is valid, I can’t help but put my finger on another very obvious and important observation about the matter.
Moses didn’t enter.
That’s right. Could it be that the reason they took so long to enter is because not only were the people disobedient, but their leadership was?! Say what you want about the people. At the end of the day, some of them still made it through. Especially Joshua and Caleb…the obedient ones. We’ll jump back to that in a second, but what do we do with an individual who was an amazing leader yet refused to deal with a sin issue (anger) that went unchecked for 79 and a half years? I’d like to propose that this was a major factor in why the people weren’t able to enter the promised land in the first place and that, because he never got right, they never had a chance.
Now…enter Joshua, the one that Moses discipled. I’m pretty sure that under the tutelage of this amazing man, Moses, Joshua learned a lot of great things. He learned what to do as a leader…and I’m very willing to bet he also learned what not to do. And the thing he learned not to do the most, witnessing his mentor and leader not enter the land that was promised to him and the people because of his actions, was to be disobedient to God. There was no way he was going to disobey the Lord, and for this reason the land they waited to occupy for so long was about to be available to them almost immediately.
40 years becomes three days, because obedience expedites.
The Call to Courage
The people of Israel had been wandering for forty years, but now the command came: The time has come. Prepare provisions. Take possession of the land, in the posture of knowing that this has been promised. Listen, the pivot in position here is real! Three days the people have to prepare for what they had been waiting for, for four decades! For many to most of them, they’d been waiting for this their entire lives, and it was all about to go down thanks to Joshua heeding the call to be strong and courageous! He may not have understood it all but he didn’t need to. Did the Lord tell him to go study and do research to form a comprehensive analysis of the tasks he was about to perform? No! All he had to do was be strong and courageous. I know this ain’t always easy for us to grasp in the moment as, but allow me to offer some encouragement in this space: God, in His providence, prepares us even before we know it’s time to prepare, and we may not be able to understand it all but we really don’t need to. All we have to do is be strong and courageous as well!
The Lord continues to offer this inheritance to His people today.This is our land figuratively if nothing else, and He is our Lord, but we have to lay hold of it. Joshua paints a luminous and vivid picture of the sovereignty of God on display and the imperative reminder of our responsibility to act. Surely, God in His omnipotency, in His almighty power, could have given them the land without the need for conquest, without any effort on their part, but He chose to make his will evident through the means of their actions. The awareness of their agency. The necessity that ultimately produced their urgency. BE STRONG AND COURAGEOUS! But in order to do that, we have to commit. You gotta sign your life on that lease. Prepare to act.
Partnering to Possess
Joshua reminded the tribes who had already received land east of the Jordan that their mission wasn’t complete. Their families could rest, but their warriors were called to help the rest of Israel take possession of their inheritance. This was risky—it meant leaving homes and loved ones vulnerable while fighting for others. But it underscored an important truth: God’s people are called to care not just for themselves, but for the whole community. Even if we’ve found a measure of blessing, we are not free to stop there. We are called to co-sign, to walk with others until they too enter into God’s promises. Faithful discipleship always extends beyond self to serve and support the family of God.
The Call to Obedience
When the people responded to Joshua, their words echoed the command God had already given: “So be strong and courageous!” They pledged obedience, not because Joshua was flawless, but because God had appointed him to lead. The story points us to a greater truth: human leaders will fail (recall my rant about Moses at the top. Aaron wasn’t any better…nor any of the other leaders we see in the Bible besides Jesus. This is pretty straight forward.), but God remains faithful. Obedience to His Word is never optional if we want to experience the fullness of His promises; aka obedience expedites! The people’s vow to follow Joshua reminds us that faith is not just about believing in God’s promises—it is about acting on them. Words without action eventually falter. A faith that works must be rooted in obedience to the God who leads us forward.
I don’t know what your “40 years” has looked like, but I know that if you’ve truly thought it through and see where His grace and mercy have continued to keep you, in a place where you realize what you’ve been disobedient on, it only makes sense to start the shift that aligns you with obedience to him. That positions you for your “three days.” It’s never too late to start.
— Jordan Brown
Pastor (Ministries and Outreach) [OV] Church