Joshua, you're up!

Anyone else thankful for all these Bible movies and TV shows that have come out lately?! My sister had a far better prospective on them then I did the other day, as we walked out of the movie theater after seeing Exodus. She reminded me that even if these movies and TV shows are not 100% accurate maybe it will lead people, who might not have otherwise, to pick up the Bible and read the actual account.

She’s so much smarter than me!

The Bible nerd in me was  squirming in my seat as I watched Hollywood basically just make their own version of the Exodus. There were moments I would look over  at my sister and say, “That’s not what happened!! That’s not even close to what happened.” She looked at me and said, “Welcome to what happens when Hollywood gets a hold of book—it’s NEVER like the book.” I shrugged and tried my best to enjoy the “remake."

What made seeing this movie so fitting, and added to my passion of how off the storyline was, was that at the same time I was reading through the story of Moses and the Exodus in my quiet time. Just the other day I closed the chapter on Moses, and opened it to Joshua.

But there was something that struck me as I read the final goodbyes of Moses, and at the same time reading about Joshua being called out. It was the moment in between Moses dying and God saying, “now go…”

Take a moment and go there with me. Here Joshua is, one of the original two Israelites who God spared  and has called to lead the people into the Promisedland. Joshua experienced slavery in Egypt, he saw the signs and wonders, he saw pharaohs army coming after them, he then saw the parting of red sea, he walked on dry ground, he saw the sea swallow up the Egyptian army, he saw the golden calf, he saw the radiant face of Moses, he sat outside the tent of meeting, he saw the manna come from heaven, and heard the 10 commandments as they were read for the first time.

He’s seen it all!!!!

You’d think that when the time came to lead he’d be more than ready, right?

I don’t care who you are, but even the best equipped and prepared leader gets nervous when the moment comes and all lights and eyes are on you!

That was Joshua. He’d be well trained and equipped for this role. God told Moses before he died that Joshua would lead the people. Joshua is described as having the spirit of leadership on him, and yet we see Joshua being told, even before Moses died, to “be strong and courageous.” It’s no small feet he was being commissioned to take on.

My mind has stayed on the thought of Joshua in that moment in between though.

The staff was now in his hands. You know his heart had to be in his feet for a few days! He knew what God had called him to do, and he was going to do it, but that didn’t mean he was shacking in his sandals some.

It’s like when you’re in a play. You’ve practiced, rehearsed and you know the day is coming when you are going to have to step on the stage, but even knowing it’s coming doesn’t keep the butterflies from coming either. That moment arrives and it’s your time to shine, this is what all the practices was for…NOW GO!

Joshua did lead the people into the Promised Land, the whole way God told him over and over again to be strong and courageous, to not fear. But what I love is how Joshua is described at the end of the book of Joshua.

“And they buried him in the land of his inheritance.” – Joshua 24:30

Let the power of that verse settle on you for a moment! At 110-years old can you imagine what he has seen and experienced?!?! He saw the seas part, the sun stand still & the walls of Jericho come crashing down!

He saw and experienced some signs and wonders!

Joshua not only experienced God freeing the Israelites from slavery in Egypt, but he also was able to experience God bringing them into the promised land! He was one of the few who actually got to not only hear, and see but taste the faithfulness of God! 

That’s what it’s about right there! I want that to be said of me! I hope you want that to be said of you! 

May we not just stop at being set free (saved), but may we continue on into our land of promise! Be strong and courageous for you have been equipped to do great things for the Kingdom of God! You have been well prepared and trained!

The Lord came to Joshua and said in Joshua 1:2, “Moses my servant is dead. Therefore, the time has come for you to lead these people, the Israelites, across the Jordan River into the land I am giving them.”

Joshua, you’re up!

This is what all the practice, pain and training was for. Step into it! Is there something is your life that maybe God is calling you to step into? Is God saying in different ways, "the time has come for you to lead...?" 

You're up!