Fight For Each Other First
Joshua must have been worried about taking command of the Lord's armies. God repeatedly tells him in the first 9 verses of Joshua 1 to not be afraid and to be bold and strong. Leading anything after a man named Moses led it would be intimidating to anyone of us.
But as soon as the Lord empowers Joshua with encouragement, he takes charge quickly and dynamically. What's really interesting is Joshua's first consideration for how they will fight going forward:
Joshua 1:12–15 (ESV) And to the Reubenites, the Gadites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh Joshua said, 13 “Remember the word that Moses the servant of the Lord commanded you, saying, ‘The Lord your God is providing you a place of rest and will give you this land.’ 14 Your wives, your little ones, and your livestock shall remain in the land that Moses gave you beyond the Jordan, but all the men of valor among you shall pass over armed before your brothers and shall help them, 15 until the Lord gives rest to your brothers as he has to you, and they also take possession of the land that the Lord your God is giving them. Then you shall return to the land of your possession and shall possess it, the land that Moses the servant of the Lord gave you beyond the Jordan toward the sunrise.”
This command is in reference to Numbers 32 where the three tribes come to Moses on the opposite side of the Jordan thinking they will stay there. Moses severely reprimands them, they repent quickly and Moses then instructs them to fight for the land opposite the Jordan and return home to their land once the battles are completed. This will be reinforced late in Deuteronomy as well by Moses. Joshua picks up where Moses left off for these tribes reminding them of their commitment to fight for their brothers first and then return home.
I think this is a great lesson for the people of God today. We are called to fight for each other. And the number one enemy of fighting for my brother/sister in Christ is my personal ambition. Have you noticed that many Christians are just like the world when it comes to this obsession with "self" and image, gifts and talents? Have you noticed the American Idol nature of all we do? It's been like this for a while in America. Someone wants to "minister" but really they want to be on stage with a microphone. Someone wants to teach a class but rarely will set up or tear down a mobile church environment. This is not fighting for each other, this is fighting for ourselves.
We can behave just like the Reubenites, Gadites and the half-tribe of Manasseh. They were enthralled with their piece of the land! They wanted the rich and fertile fields for their flocks. They wanted what they saw for themselves.
Now don't get the Bible's message wrong here. God wants it to go well with us. He wants us to enjoy His creation and what He can give us. But the problems arise when we forget about one another in pursuit of our wants. This kind of "me" and "mine" attitude will always decimate the resolve and results of God's mission in God's people.
So Joshua's first order of business is to get the people to commit to one another before they begin fighting. They agree and things begin really well for the nation in the new land.
It makes me think of how important it is for the Church of today to stop thinking about only what we want out of our walk with Christ and how God has called us to fight for one another. We should show the world that it is possible to be successful in our own lives AND completely committed to the benefit of our corporate lives! We should also learn well from the many "one another's" of the New Testament. Here are a few:
Serve one another in love.” (Galatians 5:13)
“Carry each other’s burdens…” (Galatians 6:2)
“Be kind and compassionate to one another…” (Ephesians 4:32)
“…Have equal concern for each other.” (1 Corinthians 12:25)
“Be devoted to one another in brotherly love…” (Romans 12:10)
“Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ.” (Ephesians 5:21)
“Bear with each other…” (Colossians 3:13)
“…Encourage each other…”(1 Thessalonians 4:18)
“…Pray for each other.” (James 5:16)
“Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others…” (1 Peter 4:10)
“…Build each other up…” (1 Thessalonians 5:11)
But as soon as the Lord empowers Joshua with encouragement, he takes charge quickly and dynamically. What's really interesting is Joshua's first consideration for how they will fight going forward:
Joshua 1:12–15 (ESV) And to the Reubenites, the Gadites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh Joshua said, 13 “Remember the word that Moses the servant of the Lord commanded you, saying, ‘The Lord your God is providing you a place of rest and will give you this land.’ 14 Your wives, your little ones, and your livestock shall remain in the land that Moses gave you beyond the Jordan, but all the men of valor among you shall pass over armed before your brothers and shall help them, 15 until the Lord gives rest to your brothers as he has to you, and they also take possession of the land that the Lord your God is giving them. Then you shall return to the land of your possession and shall possess it, the land that Moses the servant of the Lord gave you beyond the Jordan toward the sunrise.”
This command is in reference to Numbers 32 where the three tribes come to Moses on the opposite side of the Jordan thinking they will stay there. Moses severely reprimands them, they repent quickly and Moses then instructs them to fight for the land opposite the Jordan and return home to their land once the battles are completed. This will be reinforced late in Deuteronomy as well by Moses. Joshua picks up where Moses left off for these tribes reminding them of their commitment to fight for their brothers first and then return home.
I think this is a great lesson for the people of God today. We are called to fight for each other. And the number one enemy of fighting for my brother/sister in Christ is my personal ambition. Have you noticed that many Christians are just like the world when it comes to this obsession with "self" and image, gifts and talents? Have you noticed the American Idol nature of all we do? It's been like this for a while in America. Someone wants to "minister" but really they want to be on stage with a microphone. Someone wants to teach a class but rarely will set up or tear down a mobile church environment. This is not fighting for each other, this is fighting for ourselves.
We can behave just like the Reubenites, Gadites and the half-tribe of Manasseh. They were enthralled with their piece of the land! They wanted the rich and fertile fields for their flocks. They wanted what they saw for themselves.
Now don't get the Bible's message wrong here. God wants it to go well with us. He wants us to enjoy His creation and what He can give us. But the problems arise when we forget about one another in pursuit of our wants. This kind of "me" and "mine" attitude will always decimate the resolve and results of God's mission in God's people.
So Joshua's first order of business is to get the people to commit to one another before they begin fighting. They agree and things begin really well for the nation in the new land.
It makes me think of how important it is for the Church of today to stop thinking about only what we want out of our walk with Christ and how God has called us to fight for one another. We should show the world that it is possible to be successful in our own lives AND completely committed to the benefit of our corporate lives! We should also learn well from the many "one another's" of the New Testament. Here are a few:
Serve one another in love.” (Galatians 5:13)
“Carry each other’s burdens…” (Galatians 6:2)
“Be kind and compassionate to one another…” (Ephesians 4:32)
“…Have equal concern for each other.” (1 Corinthians 12:25)
“Be devoted to one another in brotherly love…” (Romans 12:10)
“Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ.” (Ephesians 5:21)
“Bear with each other…” (Colossians 3:13)
“…Encourage each other…”(1 Thessalonians 4:18)
“…Pray for each other.” (James 5:16)
“Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others…” (1 Peter 4:10)
“…Build each other up…” (1 Thessalonians 5:11)
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