[A ‘Tuesday Challenge‘ originally prepared for the congregation of Horley Baptist Church during January 2026]
Moses my servant is dead. Now then, you and all these people, get ready
Joshua 1 v2 [NIVUK]
Miriam had died, Aaron had died and now Moses had died. The three siblings who had led the exodus from Egypt and the journey through the wilderness had gone. What would happen now?
Joshua was faced with a task that, by human reckoning, was impossible. He had lost his mentor and now God was asking him to lead a discontented and divided group of tribes into a land that was already occupied by people who would be hostile to the new arrivals.
Do you ever wonder about what would happen if you did not continue to do the things that you do? If you retired, would anyone take over your duties and, if so, would they discharge those duties to the same standard as you? If you stepped down from a role in the church would your successor maintain the quality of work that you achieved?
We are told to train up successive generations in the way that they should behave. There is a secular observation that shows what happens if we do not do this:
“When a generation tolerates a sin, the next will celebrate it, and the generation after them won’t even know it’s a sin”
Joshua had been an assistant to Moses for a long time[1] and his experiences had equipped him to take over the leadership. It is often a challenge for those of us who have to step into the roles that someone has vacated. We can try to build on the achievements of our predecessors or we can forget those things which have passed and press forward with new ideas, making our own mark on history.
In our opening verse, all the people were told to get ready. Their progress towards the Promised Land was not to be allowed to stagnate just because their leader had died. After an appropriate period for mourning and reflection they were to move on. God reiterated his earlier promise:
I will give you every place where you set your foot, as I promised Moses.
Joshua 1 v3 [NIVUK]
God has made promises to us too but those promises have terms and conditions.[2] God gave Joshua a very clear instruction, one which we would do well to heed:
Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses gave you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, that you may be successful wherever you go.
Joshua 1 v7 [NIVUK]
Obedience is the link between promise and provision. We have received the promise – what is hindering the provision?
References:
[1] Numbers 11:28
[2] 2 Corinthians 6:16
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Last week’s reflection: What Do We Do Now?
Contributed by Steve Humphreys; © Steve Humphreys