Daily Lesson for May 14, 2018

Today’s Daily Lesson comes from Joshua chapter 1 verses 1 through 9:

After the death of Moses the servant of the Lord, the Lord spoke to Joshua son of Nun, Moses’ assistant, saying, 2‘My servant Moses is dead. Now proceed to cross the Jordan, you and all this people, into the land that I am giving to them, to the Israelites. 3Every place that the sole of your foot will tread upon I have given to you, as I promised to Moses. 4From the wilderness and the Lebanon as far as the great river, the river Euphrates, all the land of the Hittites, to the Great Sea in the west shall be your territory. 5No one shall be able to stand against 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. 6Be strong and courageous; for you shall put this people in possession of the land that I swore to their ancestors to give them. 7Only be strong and very courageous, being careful to act in accordance with all the law that my servant Moses commanded you; do not turn from it to the right hand or to the left, so that you may be successful wherever you go. 8This book of the law shall not depart out of your mouth; you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to act in accordance with all that is written in it. For then you shall make your way prosperous, and then you shall be successful. 9I hereby command you: Be strong and courageous; do not be frightened or dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.’

The times call for strength and courage. 

Moses has departed and the whole exodus generation with him. Now the times belong to Joshua and his generation. The future belongs to the Joshua generation. It must be strong and courageous and not frightened or dismayed.

Not frightened because the enemies are strong and entrenched.

Not dismayed because there will be setbacks and losses and times when the problems of this world seem intractable and the powers unbreakable.

Courageous because this new land to which they are going was never touched by the feet of Moses and so there is no map. 

Strong because the stones of righteousness and justice are heavy yet necessary for the laying of the foundation of the City of God.

The times now belong to the Joshua and his generation.  They must cross Jordan now. But they do not cross alone.  For just as the LORD was with Moses and his generation in days past so too will the LORD be this generation in the days that are to come.