The Promises of God
After the death of Moses, the servant of the Lord, the Lord said to Joshua son of nun, Moses, his minister, Moses, my servant is dead; now, therefore, arise, go over this, Jordan, you and all this people, into the land, which I am giving to them, to the people of Israel.
No man shall be able to stand before you all the days of your life, as I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will not fail you or forsake you.
Be strong, and of good courage; for you shall cause this people to inherit the land which I swore to their fathers to give them. Only be strong, and very courageous, being careful to do according to all the law, which Moses, my servant, commanded you; turn not from it to the right, or to the left, that you may have good success wherever you go.
Joshua 1:1–2, 5–6
In this passage, we see the transfer of leadership of the children of Israel from Moses to Joshua. It is a political transfer, but God infuses it with his presence and makes it holy. God makes some incredible promises to Joshua. No one, he tells Joshua, will be able to stand before him throughout his life. He promises Joshua success.
Joshua, of course, has his role to play. He has his decisions to make. He is not some wind-up toy that God simply sets in motion. He is a human being with free will to make his own choices, but God cautioned him to follow in the ways of Moses, and to turn neither to the left or to the right. Joshua will be successful only as long as he acts in concert with God.
This is a powerful passage, one that demonstrates God’s direct intervention into the life of a person. Joshua is to “go and do,” as we all are, but we are always to go with the Lord. What do we see and hear when we imagine the conversation between God and Joshua? Does God treat us any differently from Joshua?
God makes promises to us. What are we to do to fulfill our part of those promises? Joshua, as we know from later parts of the story, had many successes in leading his people into the land of Canaan. What successes does God have in store for us?
Let us pray together: Dear God, give us the strength to fulfill your promises. Give us the wisdom to turn, neither to the right, nor to the left, but to follow in your Paz, and to act with your guidance. Amen.
