I Am Facing the Unknown, How Do I Trust God? (Joshua 1-5)

A Few Thoughts to Consider

What is the Book of Joshua all about?

“The name ‘Joshua’ is composed of two parts. The first part is a shortened form of the divine name ‘LORD.’ The second part is the Hebrew word for ‘salvation.’ Thus, the name means ‘the Lord is salvation.’”^[1] This book is a continuation of all God has said and done in the first five books of the Bible. As Richard Hess writes,  

Each part of Joshua emphasizes the gracious and redemptive work of God on behalf of Israel and of Joshua. From Chapter 1, God is in command of both. In chapter 2, Rahab’s confession of God’s salvation (vv. 9–11) provides the background for the whole story. This demonstrates the mercy of God in delivering Rahab. It also proves the justice of God in defeating and destroying all those who continued to resist God’s plan for his people.^[2]

In Joshua 1:6-7, we see this statement: “Be strong and courageous, for you will distribute the land I swore to their ancestors to give them as an inheritance. ⁷ Above all, be strong and very courageous to observe carefully the whole instruction my servant Moses commanded you. Do not turn from it to the right or the left, so that you will have success wherever you go.”

Now that Moses is dead, God shows Joshua he will be with him. Verse 14 says, “On that day the Lord exalted Joshua in the sight of all Israel, and they revered him throughout his life, as they had revered Moses.” Then, in Joshua 4:20-24, after the Israelites miraculously cross the Jordan River (like the Red Sea) and stand on the edge of Jericho, we see Joshua’s response:

²⁰ Then Joshua set up in Gilgal the twelve stones they had taken from the Jordan, ²¹ and he said to the Israelites, “In the future, when your children ask their fathers, ‘What is the meaning of these stones?’ ²² you should tell your children, ‘Israel crossed the Jordan on dry ground.’ ²³ For the Lord your God dried up the water of the Jordan before you until you had crossed over, just as the Lord your God did to the Red Sea, which he dried up before us until we had crossed over. ²⁴ This is so that all the peoples of the earth may know that the Lord’s hand is strong, and so that you may always fear the Lord your God.”

Notice the phrase “all the peoples of the earth.” This tells us that despite how we might be tempted to think Israel’s conquest of the land is exclusively for their benefit, this was not what God envisioned. God would work through Israel to bring justice and bless all nations. When those such as Rahab did what was right, they would receive grace.

This point is reemphasized in Joshua 5:13-15 when Joshua meets an angelic being with a sword. Joshua immediately asked if this man was for or against Israel, and the man responded, “Neither.” The real question for Joshua wasn’t if God was on his side. It was whether Israel was on God’s side. The same holds true for us today.

A Meditation to PRAY

Praise | I praise you for your mighty acts. You have shown your people that we can trust you in every situation and that anything is possible with you.

Release | I release my doubts and forgetfulness of all the times you have helped me with my own battles. I let go of the hesitations that hold me back from stepping into the fullness of what you have promised.