Joshua: Entering God's Promised LandSample

Who taught you to drive? Maybe a parent, a friend, or a driver’s education teacher. Were you nervous the first time you got behind the wheel? When your instructor told you to turn on the lights, did you? When the instructor told you to speed up to merge with traffic, you followed the instructor’s commands because you trusted them to know what they were doing.

Joshua and the people of God have crossed the Jordan River and entered the land God promised them, but they still have work to do: the land is inhabited by God’s enemies, and the Israelites must fight for it. The thing is, God didn't instruct them to fight with weapons and force. He instructed them to march around the city walls and shout. (This might not sound like a particularly effective strategy when you think about it.)

But people who have faith in God will trust what he tells them to do. Even though God’s instructions didn’t make sense, they followed them anyway because they trusted God. These are the people who grew up in the wilderness, who watched God guide their way and provide for every need. They knew God wouldn’t lead them astray then, and he wouldn’t now.

But make no mistake - simply being obedient isn’t what earns us favor with God. Consider the story of Rahab, the prostitute. Here is a woman who has spent her adult life in sinful ways, but she, too, trusts the power of God. God saves her because of grace, the same unearned favor that he gives to all of us. And this woman, who is not part of God’s chosen people and an enemy of God, is still saved. She’s still adopted into the people of God, and she becomes part of Jesus’ family tree. We are saved by grace through faith. We follow God’s instructions because we love him and trust him.

Pray: Dear God, you are faithful, powerful, and merciful. You forgive my sins and you love me, not because of what I’ve done but because of who you are. Help me to follow you fully, with my whole heart, because you have proven I can trust you. Amen.