Joshua

Message on Sunday, July 26, 2009 (Great men in the bible - series) by Pastor Philip Joseph at NLF, Vashi, Navi Mumbai.(...developed from what I recall on Monday & Tuesday - may not match word to word, but must convey the spirit of the message! Happy reading!)

There was a young man named Hoshea (or Oshea) - 'Hoshea' means 'Salvation'. What a wonderful proclamation in the name! But his name was changed to 'Joshua' - meaning 'God is my Salvation'. Look at Numbers 13: 16. "... And Moses called Hoshea the son of Nun, Joshua"

A subtle change - phonetically speaking! But the meaning gets clearer and better! No longer is it just 'Salvation', but it is 'God-my-Salvation'. Quite a few times in the old testament, we find people whose names were changed; Abram - to Abraham, Sarai - to Sarah, Jacob - to Israel and here from Hoshea - to Joshua!

Joshua was a mighty warrior, yet he learned even in his early life that it is God who saves! All through his life we see his dependence on God for Israel's battles; always remembering that 'Salvation is of the LORD'. He had a humble beginning - as a servant (or assistant) of Moses. Look at Numbers 11:28. "So Joshua the son of Nun, Moses' assistant, one of his choice men, answered...". In God's great plan for individuals, the beginning is almost always small. God's word encourages us 'not to despise the day of small beginnings'. It is not 'mighty acts' from day one. But God tests our faith and takes us step by step from one level to the next higher level.

Same was the case with Joshua! He had a mentor in Moses - who he observed from close quarters! Then it was time for his own life's lessons - when Moses put him - Joshua, in charge of the battle against the Amalekites...

Look at Exodus 17:8-16. What a peculiar battle! Here was a man - Joshua, leading the battle out in the plains; there was a man - Moses, on top of the hill, stretching out his hand toward God. And what happened on the battleground was dictated by the position of Moses' hands! Whenever Moses' hands were up, the Israelites were winning, and when it was down, the Amalekites were winning the battle! And at sunset, when Joshua and the Israelites won the battle, Moses comes down, builds an altar and calls it "Jehovah-Nissi" - "The LORD is my banner". For Joshua, it was a lesson of faith and victory in the heavenlies. He learnt that it was not his might, nor his strength that wrought victory, but God who answers prayers! (In Ex. 17: 14 God specifically instructs Moses to "Write this...and recount it in the hearing of Joshua..."). He learnt that victory is first wrought in the heavenlies and it is just a matter of time that we see the result come to pass on earth!

Then it was time, for Joshua, to lead the children of Israel into the promised land. What a daunting task! Moses was dead...Joshua, who was ONLY an assistant to Moses, is now set to lead Israel. God spoke to this man. We see it in Joshua 1:5-9 where God commands Joshua (again and again) to "Be strong and very courageous". And Joshua, instead of rushing ahead, took time, and did meditate on the Book of Law and God's word and all that Moses commanded. Then the test!

The first test of faith was to cross the river Jordan! Joshua knew exactly what lay beyond the river... Joshua and Caleb had spied the land beyond Jordan - that it was a land flowing with milk and honey. Out of twelve spies sent out to spy Canaan, these were the only two who were left alive - living by faith!

The ten other spies said "There we saw the giants...; and we were like grasshoppers in our own sight, and so we were in their sight" (Num 13:31). And all the people, who believed these ten spies, faced God's rejection; for forty years they would wander in the wilderness and perish. The ten spies who brought their bad report died immediately after...Joshua knew all this! Joshua also knew how God parted the Red Sea for Moses and Israel to cross-over!

You know, there is a difference in someway, how the Israelites crossed Red Sea and river Jordan! Moses stood and stretched out his rod and the red sea parted! Israelites walked thro' dry land! But now, for Joshua it required a even greater faith to cross Jordan! He commanded that the priests carry the Ark of the Covenant and enter the river!! Imagine that...But he had heard from God. And Joshua would only obey! And just as the soles of the priests' feet touched the water, God cut off the waters of Jordan!!

Sometimes, in our lives too, God expects that we step forward, in faith, in the way that God has shown. If the people had waited till the river was stopped, before crossing over, they would have probably never seen the promised land!

Now beyond Jordan, and between the promised land, there was the next hurdle. Jericho! Yes, that fortified city whose boundary walls were so thick, that people built houses and lived on top of the wall! And what a battle Joshua fought! Again a peculiar sight! All men of war marching once around the walls with the priests carrying the ark and having trumpets - but not making a sound! This they continued for SIX days! This was again a test of faith for Joshua! If God so willed, he could have made Jericho fall in one day - or in an instant! But God had spoken...and Joshua continued to obey! Then on the seventh day, according to God's word, they marched around Jericho seven times! Now it was time to shout and blow the trumpets...and the walls of Jericho fell on itself! What a conquest!

Again, in Joshua's life, we see that faith and obedience always go together! The time when Joshua and his men were defeated at Ai...because of one man's sin (covetousness), the entire army of Israel was defeated by a small and insignificant army. Life's lessons were learnt the hard way (once again)...the fact that they would win was only because of the Lord who was with them. That was the ONLY defeat in Joshua's life...He soon made amends with God, put out the accursed things, and was on his way to victory!

With faith, Joshua would cry out, "Sun, stand still..." And God made the sun stand still for about 24 hrs - till Joshua would finish off their enemies! (Josh. 10:13). That day in history had 48 hours - which scientist can explain this? And it was Joshua who led the Israelites to the promised land.

Even today, Israel stands as a nation - surrounded by hostile neighbours - but Israel still stands! People have come to acknowledge that there is something special about this nation! But Israel stands even today because it is God, who has kept his promise to Abraham! And Joshua, in his farewell speech, reminded the Israelites of how God's promises were fulfilled! We see this Josh. 23:14 "Behold, this day I am going the way of all the earth. And you know in all your hearts and in all your souls that NOT ONE THING has failed of all the good things which the LORD your God spoke concerning you. ALL have come to pass for you; NOT ONE WORD of them has failed."

Consider two words - "Jehovah Nissi": The-Lord-is-my-banner - and it has never failed. Consider one word "Joshua" - God-My-Salvation - and the word has not failed. Joshua in Hebrew means the same as Jesus in Greek. Whenever we call out the name of Jesus, we can also remember Joshua! And remember that God-is-our-Salvation!

Jacob

Message (Great men in the bible - series) by Pastor Philip Joseph at NLF, Vashi, Navi Mumbai.(...developed from what I recall on Monday & Tuesday - may not match word to word, but must convey the spirit of the message! Happy reading!)

If you've been  in awe of the great men in the bible, about how well they had started their life journey, how close they were to God, you may tend to feel that we could never come up to that level of a relationship with God. But today, let me talk about a man, we could all easily relate to - one who was crafty, one who'd never shy to make underhand deals, one who'd get his right to live the 'good-life' by hook or by crook - the man JACOB.

He is introduced to us in the Bible in Gen. 25:23 "And the Lord said to her (Rebekah): 'Two nations are in your womb, two peoples shall be separated from your body; One people shall be stronger than the other, and the older shall serve the younger'" - This was the man, holding on to the heel of Esau his elder brother even while coming out of the mother's womb and hence named "Jacob" - a supplanter, one who usurps not necessarily by fair means. A shrewd man, and impatient. Yet God, who is merciful, met him, and his life had a turnaround for the better; God testifying about him in Rom 9:13 "Jacob I have loved; and Esau I hated"

What we learn from Jacob's life is the truth of this word, "Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap" - Gal. 5:7. The sooner we learn this truth, the better!

Whatever be your spiritual position, if you sow an apple seed you are going to reap an apple tree - notwithstanding the amount of prayer and fasting you do for anything otherwise. Jacob learnt this lesson the hard way. He must have grown up hearing his mother (who loved him more than the elder Esau) say, 'The Lord told me that you will be greater than your brother". But then, when his brother was hungry for food, he was quick enough to make a deal for the birthright.  Later, when his father called to bless his sons, Jacob pretended to be Esau, fooled his father, Isaac, in order to obtain his blessings. An impatient man - he knew how to get what he wanted in more ways than one!

We see in the new testament written about this man Jacob, that God had chosen him, before he was born; before he had done anything good or evil, according to God's own election and plan (Rom. 9: 10, 11). But Jacob was impatient - not waiting for God's will to be fulfilled in its time, using his craftiness to achieve what was anyway promised.

And in Jacob's life, we see that his own sons cheated him - when they came and informed that Joseph, Jacob's well-loved son, was dead! And we know the story of how God made the circumstances so unfavorable for Jacob in Canaan, that he had to flee to another place, under another man - Laban, his mother's brother - a man more shrewd than him! A man who'd regularly cheat Jacob of his wages. (I remember, when I had joined my first job, they had promised a salary; but at the end of the month, they informed me, they would pay me only 50% of what was promised! I was so disappointed, but I stuck on; and the next month they gave me 75%. And praise God, from the 3rd month they gave me full salary!). But now imagine being cheated 'TEN times' (Gen 31: 7); the man Laban who'd trick him again in Jacob's choice of bride right on the wedding day; Jacob finding Leah instead of Rachel-whom Jacob loved...A man who made him toil day and night for years and years (Gen. 31: 38-41), without letting him go. "Whatever a man sows, that he also will reap".

Afterwards, we see, God intervening in Jacob's life! Jacob was desperate for a change and entirely frustrated in Laban's house, when God told him in a dream to return to Canaan. Jacob again used his craftiness to flee from Laban - when Laban left for shearing his sheep during 3 days! Laban pursued Jacob, only to be warned by God -"Be careful that you speak to Jacob neither good nor bad". Then when Jacob, while he was still on the way, sought to make peace with Esau, his estranged brother - when he heard that Esau was coming to meet him with 400 men (Gen. 32: 6). Jacob's heart sank.

This was the point of no-return for Jacob - in the wilderness, nowhere to turn, nobody to help! It was then he made a wise decision to seek the Lord God! He sent all his family members ahead of him across the Jordan river, while he himself was left alone...when he 'wrestled with God' (Gen. 32: 24). And God met this man - and how!  In our deepest crises of life, we can make a decision too - to be alone with God. Jesus has asked us to 'go into the inner room, shut the door, and there pray to the Father in heaven'. Jacob at wit's end, clinging to God and crying, "I will not not let You go, unless You bless me". And God touched him and blessed him and changed his name. "Your name shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel...". From that day onwards, Jacob's life was changed - he no longer depended on his mind to plan crafty things! He had to limp and depend on a staff to even walk!! It symbolises his dependence on God who met him there. Jacob was chosen even before birth, but took years learning to trust God...learning to lean on Him. It says in Heb. 11: 21 that "By faith Jacob, when he was dying, blessed each of the sons of Joseph, and worshiped, leaning on the top of his staff".

Jesus told his disciples, "You did not choose me, but I chose you". God has chosen us - each one of us here! If God can change Jacob's life and bless him, the same God can do the same, for you and for me. What he's done for Jacob, he'll surely do for you! Psalm 46: 1 says "God is our refuge and strength, A very present help in trouble"

The man Jacob, who fled from place to place and from one person to the other, (as if from the frying pan to the fire, in his early days), after he had met with God, could stand before Pharaoh, the king of Egypt and bless him. It records in the bible that Jacob blessed Pharaoh! And in return, Pharaoh made sure that Jacob and his sons had the best piece of land in all of Egypt!

In closing, let me read from Psalm 46: 10, 11 "Be still and know that I am God...The LORD of hosts is with us; The God of Jacob is our refuge". Yes, He is the God of Jacob who is our refuge.

"The LORD of hosts is with us; The God of Jacob is our refuge". Amen