God's Promises
Joshua 21:43–45 (ESV) Thus the LORD gave to Israel all the land that he swore to give to their fathers. And they took possession of it, and they settled there. 44 And the LORD gave them rest on every side just as he had sworn to their fathers. Not one of all their enemies had withstood them, for the LORD had given all their enemies into their hands. 45 Not one word of all the good promises that the LORD had made to the house of Israel had failed; all came to pass.
What a profound summation of the first 6 books of the Bible. God's good promises come to pass. This passage goes back to their "fathers" and not just to Moses' death. We have to remember God's long-term commitment to His people. So here is my thought about this passage. God's promises come to pass but not without a lot of time, effort, fighting, asking, planning and organizing through many people.
First: the time:
Yes God keeps His promises. No, they don't happen overnight. Think of the 450-year range of this entire narrative. God is not in a rush. Think also of the 40-year self-inflicted set back of the Israelites. They made terrible choices and failed to believe. It cost them dearly. God remained faithful through it even still.
Second: the effort:
What I mean is we cannot sit back and wait for promises to happen TO us. We have to be diligent in the work to which God has called us and get busy. This is the theme I keep finding in the book of Joshua, and for that matter, the entire narrative of Abraham's family.
Third: the fighting:
We are going to have to strive to lay hold of God's promises for our lives. I think of our promise of peace in Christ. Hebrews calls us to fight for it. Hebrews 4:11 (ESV) Let us therefore strive to enter that rest, so that no one may fall by the same sort of disobedience.
Fourth: the asking:
This is what has been happening for many chapters in Joshua up to this moment. Moses asked for God's presence and direction. The three Transjordan tribes ASKED for land before crossing over the river. Caleb asked for the high country. The Levites asked for their cities. Asking in prayer always accompanies the plan and purpose of God.
Fifth: the planning and organizing:
So many plans went into getting Israel to inherit the promises, especially in Joshua. There was scouting and war plans and dividing up the land according to boundaries. They organized the land portions according to each tribe. They planned the locations of cities of refuge. We sometimes deride plans as God's people. The old adage is, "Man plans and God laughs." But there are other scriptures and many stories where man's plans where used dynamically by God's hand.
The point is, God's promises are not what happen TO us. They are what happens THROUGH US. Perhaps some of us are living sub-standard lives because we keep waiting for God to act and He is asking us to act in accordance with His ways. This is not a passive faith. The Christian movement has been changing the world for 2000 years. History is replete with champions of the faith who stood up and acted in God's Name and saw their world change.
It should be noted finally that MANY different people in many different generations were involved in seeing God's promises fulfilled. The Christian faith is too often individualized in our modern age. God's people are a team. Jesus called 12 men. The church grew by thousands in a few days. Deacons took the Gospel to unreached people groups (see Philip in Acts 8). The Promises of God are not for a personal experience, it is for His people's experience - the big "C" Church that bears the Name of Jesus.
The ultimate truth of the promises God makes is that they will not fail as we act. So we do not act with fear or hopeless worry. We act with faith and positivity. Our God is working and we are working with Him. Amen.
What a profound summation of the first 6 books of the Bible. God's good promises come to pass. This passage goes back to their "fathers" and not just to Moses' death. We have to remember God's long-term commitment to His people. So here is my thought about this passage. God's promises come to pass but not without a lot of time, effort, fighting, asking, planning and organizing through many people.
First: the time:
Yes God keeps His promises. No, they don't happen overnight. Think of the 450-year range of this entire narrative. God is not in a rush. Think also of the 40-year self-inflicted set back of the Israelites. They made terrible choices and failed to believe. It cost them dearly. God remained faithful through it even still.
Second: the effort:
What I mean is we cannot sit back and wait for promises to happen TO us. We have to be diligent in the work to which God has called us and get busy. This is the theme I keep finding in the book of Joshua, and for that matter, the entire narrative of Abraham's family.
Third: the fighting:
We are going to have to strive to lay hold of God's promises for our lives. I think of our promise of peace in Christ. Hebrews calls us to fight for it. Hebrews 4:11 (ESV) Let us therefore strive to enter that rest, so that no one may fall by the same sort of disobedience.
This is what has been happening for many chapters in Joshua up to this moment. Moses asked for God's presence and direction. The three Transjordan tribes ASKED for land before crossing over the river. Caleb asked for the high country. The Levites asked for their cities. Asking in prayer always accompanies the plan and purpose of God.
Fifth: the planning and organizing:
So many plans went into getting Israel to inherit the promises, especially in Joshua. There was scouting and war plans and dividing up the land according to boundaries. They organized the land portions according to each tribe. They planned the locations of cities of refuge. We sometimes deride plans as God's people. The old adage is, "Man plans and God laughs." But there are other scriptures and many stories where man's plans where used dynamically by God's hand.
The point is, God's promises are not what happen TO us. They are what happens THROUGH US. Perhaps some of us are living sub-standard lives because we keep waiting for God to act and He is asking us to act in accordance with His ways. This is not a passive faith. The Christian movement has been changing the world for 2000 years. History is replete with champions of the faith who stood up and acted in God's Name and saw their world change.
It should be noted finally that MANY different people in many different generations were involved in seeing God's promises fulfilled. The Christian faith is too often individualized in our modern age. God's people are a team. Jesus called 12 men. The church grew by thousands in a few days. Deacons took the Gospel to unreached people groups (see Philip in Acts 8). The Promises of God are not for a personal experience, it is for His people's experience - the big "C" Church that bears the Name of Jesus.
The ultimate truth of the promises God makes is that they will not fail as we act. So we do not act with fear or hopeless worry. We act with faith and positivity. Our God is working and we are working with Him. Amen.
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