I am teaching Joshua in Sunday school this quarter. What a terrific book it is! I am really enjoying both my study and my preparations to teach. I have taught the book before, but it seems to be resonating with me in a fresh new way. I really like it when that occurs . . . I always interpret it as the Lord communicating with me in a fresh, new way.
Joshua, is the guy appointed and anointed to succeed Moses, that great man of God! Joshua trusted God in his youth, and acted on his trust. As the book opens, he is an old guy, amongst a bunch of young folks, and he is drafted to be their leader. The book opens with God telling him to “take the folks present there with him across the river Jordan and take possession of the land God had promised to their fathers.” He does . . . and they follow! The Jordan River is in flood stage, but God does a miracle equal to the Red Sea crossing . . . and the folks cross over! The inhabitants of the land are apprehensive, and the Jewish people are apprehensive . . . once they cross that river, three things occur:
1. They simply cannot turn around and exit;
2. The inhabitants of the land understand that these folks are there to take their land and homes . . . to forever change how and where they live; and
3. The Jewish people gained their identity from the Promised Land . . . when they occupied the land they were “the Jews . . . the people of God.” When they were outside the Promised Land, they were “the wandering Jews.”
Their first two obstacles were to cross the flood-staged river, and to claim the oldest and most secured city in the world at that time: Jericho.
Joshua received instruction from God and the people marched down and circled Jericho, then returned back to their camp. The folks inside the secured city were nervous and baffled at first, but by the 7th day, they were surely chuckling and saying, “how peculiar”! Then, there was the great trumpet blast and the war-cry shout of the people of God, and instantly the wall collapsed (the wall was said to be approximately 12 to 17 feet tall and 4.9 to 6.6 feet thick), which declares that it was God, and God alone, that took that Great Wall down! The Jewish people effortlessly took possession of its first city in the Promised Land!
Then, as Chapter 13 opens, God tells Joshua, “You are getting old, and there is still much land to be conquered.” As I read that, I thought of myself . . . as I tried to think about how God’s words would have impacted Joshua. As I understand it, Joshua was 101 years old at the time, and he would live another 10 years!
As I meditated on that, it occurred to me that:
1. God’s promises to the Jewish people did not commence with Joshua, and they did not conclude with him either! He was there in that moment . . . and in that place for a purpose . . . to serve the Lord! He had free-will and he made the wise and prudent choice.
Nothing about God commenced with me, and certainly would not conclude with me! I am a simple speck of dust in time, but God loves me in an amazing way! He has been so very good to me . . . in so many ways! I am here for a purpose . . . I, too, have free will to choose. I chose to serve the Lord.
2. Even at the advanced age of 101, Joshua still had unfinished work to get done.
Last month, I turned 66 years of age. I, too, have unfinished business! I still have things to do . . . fences to mend, apologies to offer, requests for forgiveness to be made, obligations to be fulfilled, debts to be repaid, a couple of books to be written, a couple of precious granddaughters to help guide, a class to teach, a children’s home to serve, a business that serves people to operate, and some faithful employees to look after.
As I thought about the subject of unfinished business, my thoughts turned to Mt Rushmore, likely the biggest, most visible object of an unfinished project in American history. That great art project began with such determination and commitment; however, has now sat unfinished for over five decades, with no work done in that long period, as the entire world looks on. It seems to me . . . that it is reasonable to assume that no one is even embarrassed or troubled by its unfinished status.
As 2017 begins, may I challenge you to think about the unfinished business that is holding you back, and may I encourage you to make both a commitment and plan to change that in 2017.
I apologize for meddling . . .