Key to Success

After the death of Moses the servant of the Lord, the Lord said to Joshua the son of Nun, Moses’ assistant, “Moses my servant is dead. Now therefore arise, go over this Jordan, you and all this people, into the land that I am giving to them, to the people of Israel. Every place that the sole of your foot will tread upon I have given to you, just as I promised to Moses. From the wilderness and this Lebanon as far as the great river, the river Euphrates, all the land of the Hittites to the Great Sea toward the going down of the sun shall be your territory. No man shall be able to stand before you all the days of your life. Just as I was with Moses, so I will be with you. I will not leave you or forsake you. Be strong and courageous, for you shall cause this people to inherit the land that I swore to their fathers to give them. Only be strong and very courageous, being careful to do according to all the law that Moses my servant commanded you. Do not turn from it to the right hand or to the left, that you may have good success wherever you go. This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success. (Joshua 1:1–8)

In this study of ‘therefore’ as a word about consequences, God is showing me how the OT points to Jesus and NT truths. That is, the OT events point to a greater reality. This passage is another one of them.

Moses and Law remind me of the promise of a Messiah and that God’s people wanted to obey but continually failed to keep the law. Then the death of Moses changed leadership. Joshua. Because Moses died, Joshua was given leadership into the land of promise. And I know this does not point to heaven but to a difference in their lives.

Joshua means “Jehovah saves” — another phase in the history of redemption. If I look at it as part of a salvation journey, it points to being set free from slavery to sin and learning how to walk in that redeemed freedom. It takes a lifetime and without the power of Christ, I cannot do it, just as the OT people of God struggled in their battle to live out the will of God in the land He gave them.

Again, this is not heaven. If it were, there would be no enemies and no battles, no lessons in how to live is total surrender to the God who saves. This is why He told Joshua and He tells me that He will be with me. All blessings are mine, and no one can take that from me. Obedience is vital to my success. So is reading and thinking about God's will day and night.

Fear and becoming down-hearted are my enemies so He adds: “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” (Joshua 1:9–10) This is not about emotional stability but about remembering and knowing that He is with me — all the time and wherever I am.

Jesus, Your presence is always with me, like the air around me. If I forget that, my life goes sideways or upside-down. It is never Your fault for You are faithful to Your word. May I alway be mindful that You never leave me alone. You are my strength and my obedience, my Savior and success.