You will no doubt remember how this study on Joshua started out. On day 1 we read that God told Joshua 3 times to be strong and courageous and once He said make sure you obey the law. Today we see Joshua at the end of his term of leadership passing on the baton to the leaders who will follow on from him. It’s fascinating that just as we saw God opening up pathways through great bodies of water to let the people pass through at the beginning and end of the journey we see the same message, albeit in reverse, being passed on at the beginning and end of Joshua’s journey.
3 times Joshua entreats the leaders to stick with God (see vs. 6, 8 and 11). First he says ‘Obey the Book of the Law’, then ‘Hold fast to the Lord your God and finally, ‘Be careful to love the Lord your God.’ It’s a perfect reflection of God’s words to Joshua as He said ‘Be bold and courageous’ 3 times and ‘Obey the Book of the Law’ once. When we see things being repeated in the Bible it’s almost always because it’s information or instruction that’s critical. Remember that ‘Say it 3 times and you’ll remember it better,’ was the maxim we discovered on 1st March. Add to that the physical ways that the people were asked to mark their journey by making a monument out of a pile of stones there are some powerful reminders of the ways in which God was working among them.
These reminders keep us pointing the right direction, they keep us focussed on the God who has already marked our path out ahead of us and who will guide us on that path if we let Him.
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Question:
Reflect on your walk with God so far. How has God marked the key points in your journey? Where have you heard Him repeat the same things to you? Ask yourself, ‘Have I taken care to listen to His words and to be obedient to His law?’
Prayer:
Father God, forgive me for the times that I have turned away from You. Forgive me for the times when I haven’t taken notice of the things You’ve been saying to me. Help me now to hear Your voice and to see the places in my life where You have marked my journey with You so that my faith in You might be strengthened. Amen.