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3 (verse 7) 4 (verse 8) 5 (verse 8) 6 (verse 8) -1
These six commands are all in a similar vein. God is essentially telling Joshua to trust Him and
pursue relationship with Him above all else. None of us can live in alignment with God without
pursuing relationship with Him. When we pursue Him, our trust in Him will grow. Joshua couldn’t
lead well without fully trusting and obeying God’s plan. The same is true for us.
Now, it’s important to remember that the directives God gave Joshua were a promise for him
and no one else. He was the leader of Israelites, and this vow was between him and the Creator of
the Universe. This being said, each of the principals listed will certainly bring us into closer
relationship with our God. Everything in the Bible loops back around to teach us about who God
is, and one thing that’s clear within His character that is He wants a close relationship with us. I
see three main ways we can translate these principles through that lens: recognize, repetition, and
reciprocate:
Recognize: God told Joshua to carefully observe the whole instruction that was given to Moses,
making sure he understood the law given to his predecessor. We can translate this into our
own lives by being scripturally literate. As Beth Moore once said, “You and I can’t fulfill our
calling without being in the Scriptures.” We need to know who God is and how He calls us
to follow Him—and we cannot do that without being in His Word constantly and consistently,
“meditating on it day and night” (Joshua 1:8).
Repetition: Joshua needed to practice the Word of God in both his personal and public life. He
needed to use it while leading both the nation and himself so he would not “turn to the right
or to the left” (Joshua 1:7). None of us is perfect, but when we practice the Word of God in
all aspects of our lives, we also won’t have the tendency to veer to the right or left, losing
focus on how God has called us to lead.
Reciprocate: As Joshua received wisdom and direction from the Lord, he also needed to share
it with his people, communicating God’s love and plan for them, too. Joshua 1:8 shares that
he was to “let the words from the book of the law be always on (his) lips” (The Voice
1 7
Only be strong and very courageous, being careful to do according to all the law that
Moses my servant commanded you. Do not turn from it to the right hand or to the
left, that you may have good success wherever you go. 8 This Book of the Law shall
not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you
may be careful to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make
your way prosperous, and then you will have good success.
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