A Promise at the Water's Edge: Part 1 - Joshua 1:10-15

Good morning. It's so good to see everyone here under the same roof Always look forward to Being together with my church family as many of you know last week.

We well actually two weeks ago We started in our study in the book of Joshua We're gonna be continuing on in chapter 1 of Joshua So you have a moment go ahead and take the time to turn to Joshua chapter 1 verses 10 through 15

This message is going to be the first of a two -part series

Where we're going to be finishing up Joshua We'll be going through verses 10 through 15 this

Sunday, and then we will be closing out the series in verses 16 through 18 next week

So this is part 1 And the title of this message is a promise at the water's edge

Now if you recall in our previous study at the beginning of Joshua chapter 1 we found ourselves in a period of historic transition where where Joshua assumes leadership after the death of Moses and he found himself

Tasked with the leading of an entire nation of people into the promised land

This was just not evident in the commission of Joshua, which I'm I could covered last week in verses 1 through 9

But we've also find in this passage here that we see a transition now, that's moving really from that of divine generational promise to the necessity of human preparation

Always remember that godly preparation is not trusting in our own devices, but but rather seeking out

God's guidance and God's grace It's knowing that that God ordains our steps and that God equips us for the task at hand

And that God has prepared us for every good work In the book of Proverbs we find this same sovereign principle

Summed up in one short sentence where we see in Proverbs chapter 16 verse 9

Where the writer says that a man's heart plans his way, but the Lord directs his steps

Now Likewise we find in his ministry as it was coming to a close here on earth the

Apostle Paul He touched on this very same point as well, which we see in his very last letter to the

Timothy Where we see in 2nd Timothy chapter 3 17 He said this he said that the man of God may be complete thoroughly equipped for every good work

So the scene in this passage here is one of great anticipation Perhaps a little bit of anxiety coming from the memory of past disobedience

I'm sure that there were many within the nation of Israel that were haunted by that previous Generation who had dismissed the report of the good spies on the promised land ultimately rejecting

God's promise So these things really cast a very long and foreboding shadow of past Disobedience and as such we find ourselves now at Israel's second attempt at obedience

Where they would once again be at the threshold of claiming God's promise That God made to Abraham so long ago

Thus in many ways the scene here is a familiar one for the Israelites and once again We find themselves standing at the brink of Canaan Where they're haunted by past failure and yet they're confronted with the challenge of inheriting the land

That had been promised to Abraham by God all the way back in Genesis chapter 15

So with that said let's take a look at the passage now that is before us Let's look at Joshua chapter 1 verses 10 through 15

The writer says this Then Joshua Commanded the officers of the people saying pass through the camp and command the people saying

Prepare provisions for yourselves for within three days You will cross over this

Jordan to go to possess the land which the Lord your God is given you to possess And to the

Reubenites and the Gadites and half the tribe of Manasseh Joshua spoke saying remember the word which

Moses the servant of the Lord commanded you saying The Lord your God has given you rest and given in and has given you this land talking about the land east of the

Jordan here Your wives your little ones in your livestock shall remain in the land of Moses That which

Moses gave you on the side of the Jordan this side of the Jordan But you shall not pass

But you shall pass before your brethren armed all your mighty men of valor to help them

Until the Lord has given your brethren rest as he gave you And they also have taken possession of the land which the

Lord your God has given them Then you shall return to the land of your possession and then enjoy it which

Moses the Lord servants Servant gave you on this side of the Jordan towards the sunrise

So now as we move further here to Joshua chapter 1

We will find ourselves now looking at a pivotal moment in history Where Israel will be called on to seize the moment and the following two points of our message this morning

The first point that I would like to draw your attention to is preparing for God's promise

This is clearly seen in Joshua chapter 1 verses 10 and 11 This will bring us to the second and then the final point of our message this morning, which is

Prioritizing God's covenant. This is clearly seen in Joshua chapter 1 verses 12 through 15

Now the passage that we just read here is one of recorded history and it demonstrates

God's Sovereign faithfulness to his covenant and it demonstrates how God unilaterally initiates and it sustains his people and It will ultimately become a challenge for each one of us to respond in obedient faith

In his letter to the Ephesians The Apostle Paul explains what we were created to be where he said this at Ephesians chapter 2 verse 10

He said for we are his workmanship created in Christ Jesus for good works, which

God prepared beforehand That we should walk in them So our passage here in Joshua is an interesting one where we find really three distinct speeches now flowing from God's words to Joshua First we see where Joshua was preparing the people with a call to action

Secondly, we then see where he provides an important reminder to the officers of the people and those transjordan tribes of their obligation

To Moses and the rest of the nation to fight alongside them west of the

Jordan this of course would require them to leave their households to You know leave their belongings east of the

Jordan River and of course Leave the land that was previously allotted to them and move forward with the rest of the tribes in their conquest of the promised land

And of course we finally see here the tribes making their commitment known to Joshua Which will be addressed in a subsequent message next week when we get to verses 16 through 18 so now this brings us to the very first point on our message this morning and That is we see the nation of Israel now preparing for God's promise

You know as we look at the opening verses in our passage here we find Joshua now at the forefront of a generational imperative as You know, he commanded

God's people to prepare for God's promised inheritance This is a time of great anticipation

It's a time where they would begin to move from a nomadic people to a nation building people

And of course, it'd be a time where they are now being called on to seize God's promise

And in this opening verse here, we begin to see where a new leader rises in Joshua chapter 1 verse 10

We now find Joshua rising to the occasion as God's appointed leader and in his first order here would be to mobilize the officers

Directing them to have the people to prepare their provisions for the imminent crossing of the

Jordan Of course, this would lend one to question That is what exactly are these officers to the people?

You know the meaning of the word officers here is translated from this the Hebrew noun which is show to ream which is a word that is used to refer to as officers or or overseers or officials in the

Old Testament it denotes individuals that are in positions of authority or leadership oftentimes with administrative or judicial responsibilities

However within the context of Joshua chapter 1 verse 10, it appears that they refer to officers that were under Joshua's command

It oftentimes refers to officers who are responsible for for organizing and directing the people of Israel I mean, these are the guys that are responsible for ensuring order and the execution of God's instructions

It Was also likely that these individuals had a role in maintaining discipline sometimes serving as scribes depending on the context

We see references to these type of officials in Exodus chapter 5 verse 6 as well as in Deuteronomy chapter 16 verse 18

So as we examine these verses here We really begin to see a spiritual focus on these

Officers of the people as they would be assuming very important leadership responsibilities for the challenges that lay ahead

Thomas Brooks He was a prominent Puritan minister and author He lived from 1608 to 1680

He was known for works that he wrote Entitled heaven on earth as well as the crown and the glory of Christianity And as it related to the qualities of godly leadership, he'd have this to say

He said a good leader must first be a good liver One who lives rightly?

He must be a man of God before he can be a guide to men now as it relates to what we see here in Joshua's appointed leaders the

Status of the officers of the people is sometimes difficult to determine with any precision

I mean we do see they first appear in the infamous bricks without straw reference that's found in Exodus chapter 5

We see that the ESV actually will translate that word of official as a foreman like a work foreman

We see this specifically in Exodus chapter 5 verse 6 In Numbers chapter 11 verse 16

We see several occasions also in Deuteronomy that these men are aligned oftentimes being drawn from the elders

Within the community of Israel, but yet they're considered distinct from them In Deuteronomy chapter 20 verses 5 through 9

We see that the exercise management functions and a military rather than a civilian capacity

They're oftentimes drawn into judicial functions that's seen in Deuteronomy chapter 16 verse 18

Where we also find in later texts and first Chronicles and and in second

Chronicles We see them sometimes originating from the the tribe of the Levi Levites and of course the scribes

When we meet them though here in the book of Joshua They form really part of a group with the elders and the judges

We see references to them in Joshua chapter 8 in chapter 23 and 24 as well

So this reference to the officers of the people it really can mean many things It's it's rather broad

But I think within the context of this passage here and the challenges that lay ahead we can get a pretty good idea of what?

They're doing It is expository commentary on the book of Joshua David Reimer He summed up the role of these officers of the people in the following manner where he said this

He says what we do see across these texts is the officers are seen as exercising a broad organizational authority in the life of the

Israelite community One in which such authority is derived rather than inerrant and where it is a matter of function and not status

Here that authority involves serving as the conduit of Joshua's commands to the wider population

Much as Joshua himself is the conduit for God's commands to his people

You know one thing is for sure and that is despite what these specific duties or responsibilities may have been

We do find ourselves within a period of great transition for the nation of Israel and we also find a new and untested leadership here who would really have to dedicate themselves to God's mission and purpose

Joshua's leadership team no doubt no doubt would be tested in the days ahead For that what we're seeing here is really the early planning stages of God's promise here

We also understand that when it comes to God's sovereign plan as Joshua well knew and the officers of the people

Is that they would have to have a total reliance on him in order to complete and to fulfill this promise?

Unfortunately, we live in a day where leadership by the world's standards stands in stark contrast to what the

Christian view of leadership should be And yet so many times we look at our world as the standard -bearer when we really should be looking to God in his standard instead

Let us never forget that true leadership stems from personal holiness and submission to God let us understand that that it's not a mere position of popularity or charisma and let us also remember that leaders who fail in moral character will ultimately determine and undermine their own ability to guide others and This of course is the godly standard that not only are we to apply to ourselves

But as a congregation you're to apply to us and leadership as well So now that we've really considered the fact that a new leader is rising here

We now have to look at another observation where we find a foreshadow of things to come

Specifically what we find in Joshua chapter 1 verse 11 is we see this emphasis on on Practical preparation that may seem like a preliminary task on the surface, but it also it contains some very interesting parallels as well one thing that is for certain here and that is that narrative chronology and Joshua sometimes can be a little difficult for the modern

Christian to follow However, what we do see in Joshua here is that he's directing three days to be taken before breaking camp and crossing over into the

Jordan now What is so interesting here in this passage is that this story Will essentially take a pause when we start chapter 2 and what will happen there is it'll kind of take a pause

It'll move over to the story of the spies that were spying out Jericho And then it'll pivot back to our place where we're at now in chapter 3 verse 2

Which we will learn about here in ensuing Sundays another interesting thing that we see here is we're seeing a three -day like Preparation time for provisions before they cross the

Jordan and likewise when we're in Joshua chapter 2 You're gonna find that the story of the spies would also have their own three -day

Span as well, which we see in Joshua chapter 2 verse 22 now

So this time frame that we're seeing here within three days. It's found in this passage It really kind of builds anticipation and likewise

We see that this same anticipation and this same time frame is evident in the death burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ In fact, the

Apostle Paul tells us in 1st Corinthians chapter 15 verse 4 Where he says and that he was buried and that he rose again on the third day according to the

Scriptures So just as we have a new life in Christ due to his resurrection

So do do we find Joshua now the symbol of the new life that they would once they would they would achieve when they go

Into the promised land and while many may tend to write these things off as mere coincidence I'm here to tell you that taken as a whole.

We see this spiritual continuity Emerging through the ages over long periods of time.

Of course, it makes it quite difficult not to believe otherwise Thus as we consider this foreshadow of things to come

We find this to be of a very relevant consideration not just from Israel's future standpoint here

But also we find that there's a foreshadow of a greater covenant that would one day come to God's people

In his sermon on Acts chapter 16 verse 9 John Owen proclaimed that earthly events serves as Reflections of God's eternal plan where he said this

He said the events of this world are but a glass Wherein we see the shadow of God's eternal counsels pointing us to his ultimate design

Now before we get too far in our study of Joshua chapter 1 I would like to take a moment to offer a brief explanation of this doctrinal concept of foreshadows and covenants and I believe that this is important to us because We need to be familiar with this because we find ourselves here in the

Old Testament and with this passage and of course many more to follow as It relates to the doctrinal term of foreshadows anyone who attends this church

Will readily find that the elders view and teach the scripture through the lens of covenant theology

This is a theology that emphasizes the unity of God's redemptive plan through the ages

It is often viewed as God's intentional design It reveals glimpses of his ultimate salvation through through types and shadows and promises readily seen in the

Old Testament where we find ourselves this morning and They ultimately point forward to the greater reality realities that are found in the

New Testament Where we find it in the person in the work of Jesus Christ now this concept here is rooted in the belief that God's sovereignty is seen throughout the ages and that his

Redemptive plan is is unified across both Old and New Testaments here So in the

Old Testament for which Joshua here is a part of we find it serves as a preparatory

Revelation here a revelation that would find its fulfillment in Christ and the New Covenant therefore in the end

We must really keep this in view as we consider the preparations that are being undertaken by Joshua and his officers here

We need to understand that this is a precursor to the fulfillment of God's greater promise and the honoring of his covenant

Now I don't want to get too far in the weeds here But I would also like to quickly address another term of doctrinal significance, which is that of covenants?

In the Old Testament covenants on the other hand We see such as the Abrahamic the the Mosaic and the

Davidic covenants are there understood as progressive? Revelations that anticipate the

New Covenant established by Christ's death burial and resurrection We see this evident in Hebrews chapter 8 verses 6 through 13

Ultimately the promised land for which Joshua and his people of Israel would begin to possess is a

Gift from the Lord your God it is not earned by merit But it is sovereignly bestowed which is what we see in Deuteronomy chapter 9 verses 4 through 6

And as we consider this anticipated event of the Israelites crossing over into the promised land

We are reminded of God's irresistible grace where he draws his people into blessing

Yet commands them to exercise an act of faith, which is seen in James chapter 2 verses 14 through 26

So in the end where there's a foreshadow We often find a covenantal theme close by Where there's a foreshadow we find a covenantal promise being fulfilled or alluded to Where there's a foreshadow we often find a covenantal transition taking place

So covenants are a very important thing to view the Old Testament through this is why scripture here is so profound

Especially due to the spiritual continuity that we see throughout the ages and all of these things are bound together

By God's covenants to his people not as much that we can apply to our lives here

But I would say that within our church family we see many imperatives Where a leader will rise

Whether it is the God -given leadership responsibilities of husbands and fathers over their respective families in our church or Deacons and elders that are called on to lead a church history shows us the importance of spiritual preparation in these matters for example men especially need to be mindful of those transitions from from singleness to dating relationships from dating relationships to Responding to the call of husband and marriage to becoming a father or the appointment of deacons and elders within a church context so the question that we need to be asking all of ourselves is

Are we preparing our hearts and lives for God's advancing purposes or we just complacent?

In each case where God Calls on a man to be married. We see that a leader rises

Each case when a church congregation calls on a deacon or an elder to assume a ministerial responsibility

Within the body we see where a leader rises and therein We find an example here with Joshua where we too are called on here to lead courageously to accept

Responsibility and to always keep an eye on the greater reward And just as Joshua called on the people of Israel to prepare to cross over into the promised land

Or perhaps a family in our midst that one day will pack their belongings for a long -awaited move

Or a young married couple that will become parents for the first time and any and all of these things

One thing is consistently seen here and that is God's people must ready themselves spiritually for every season of life through prayer through the study of Scripture through repentance renewal and purpose

And why is this My brothers and sisters.

It's because that our inheritance is secured in Christ The Apostle Paul said as much in Colossians chapter 1 verse 12

He said given thanks to the Father who has qualified us to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints of the life

So let us not forget That just as we see Israel's call to prepare as a foreshadow of things to come

We too are to demonstrate a covenantal Solidarity here amongst believers because in the end

No one is exempt from the need for spiritual preparation Now we've really covered some doctrinal territory here, and I really appreciate your

Paris patience But I believe that to be a necessary exercise Especially when we look at the next point in our message this morning where we see the nation of Israel prioritizing

God's covenant You know as we move into Joshua chapter 1 verses 12 through 15, we now see

Joshua and the people prioritizing covenantal unity over personal rest the passage highlights the unity of God's covenant people the necessity of Corporate obedience and the outworking of divine grace and human responsibility

Now this brings us to some important observations as well and of course as it relates to these covenant priorities

We need to really take a look at the fact that rest will ultimately come Specifically what we see here in Joshua chapter 1

Verses 12 and 13 Joshua now Joshua is now reminding the tribes of Reuben and dead and half of the tribe of Manasseh He reminds them of Moses's command that the rest will come

Now it should be noted that this rest is not self -achieved But rather it will come from God and it will come at some future point in time

And while rest is indeed a divine gift These two and a half tribes of Israel would have to wait until God's promise was completely fulfilled

Whether that rest followed God's six days of creation, which is seen in the book of Genesis Whether we see that that rest would come after the conquest of the promised land

Which we see here whether that Sabbath rest comes after six days of labor Like we deal with on a weekly basis in our workplace and all these things rest is a blessing.

That's to be enjoyed After hard work and accomplishment and this scriptural pattern here we see here as well

Another observation that I think is important for us to take a look at is the significance of the transjordan tribes now

Let me explain this a little bit to you You know as we consider this subgroup here within the nation of Israel We really have to consider that there's some prior history that we kind of need to bring forward into our passage this morning

You know when we look back at God on God's speech in Joshua chapter 1 verses Chapter 1 verses 1 through 9 we find really it included several

Implied references of passages that reach all the way back into the book of Numbers in Deuteronomy And of course the same is true in these verses this morning as well as a group the

Rubenites and the Gadites and half of the tribe of Manasseh are sometimes designated as the Transjordan tribes or perhaps the

Eastern tribes or sometimes we see people refer to them as the two -and -a -half tribes These naming conventions are generally assigned to that group within the nation of Israel that would possess the promised land east of the

Jordan River These are the people that kind of had their land secured first Prior to the

Jordan River being crossed and the rest of the Israelites having to claim their promise

So what we find now is we got really this subgroup that this Joshua now is focusing on and the origin of this grouping is found all the way back in Numbers chapter 32 verses 10 through 32

And we see references to this same group later back in Joshua as well However, this exchange will also have something of a foreshadowing to the dramatic events that we see in Joshua chapter 22

So we see this connectivity here with this group And in this way of course the claims and the actions of the

Transjordan tribes Would have a special role in displaying the status of all the tribes of the nation of Israel And it would also serve as an opening glimpse of God's fulfilled promise to the nation as a whole as well

But the rest that would come would have to wait until the commitments of the present were accomplished

The arrangements with the Transjordan tribes here are predicated on a promise that was made by Moses Where they would be given the land east of the

Jordan River We see this in Numbers chapter 32 and we also find a summary repetition of it in Deuteronomy chapter 3 verses 18 through 20

Again, we also find it in this passage as well However, we do find a significant difference here in this account that we find in Joshua where Joshua is actually in turn endearing this term of rest a place of rest in his preconditional charge here to these

Transjordan tribes And in this significant difference we see this in verse 13

Where he assured the tribes that God would indeed be providing them a place of rest This assurance is not seen in either account which we see in Numbers chapter 32 or Deuteronomy chapter 3

So now that we've really discussed the fact that rest would ultimately come And we've also kind of seen the relevance of the

Transjordan tribes here in this story We also need to really carefully consider the warning against individualism.

Now, what do I mean here? You know as we move further into Joshua chapter 1 verses 14 and 15

We are once again having to go back and bring some history forward into the text that we're considering this morning

This is especially important for us to really understand what is going on here you know one thing is for certain and that is that when we examine these verses through the lens of Numbers chapter 32 and through the experience that we see with these two and a half tribes within the nation of Israel We find that really when they first engaged

Moses on this Request of theirs that Moses really was kind of somewhat taken aback

Moses actually responded in anger We find that Moses said hey look you're you guys are a brood of sinners here

You're wanting to claim your inheritance so you don't have to to commit yourself to the rest of the conquest

Now what we find here, of course Moses would hold them to their commitment He would make sure that they promised that they would see this thing through with their brethren as well

And in an effort to maintain this unity of purpose when it came to God's promise Moses would secure this commitment

To a full conquest of the promised land before they would be allowed to enjoy the rest from the land that had already been secured east of the

Jordan So Joshua Remaining faithful to this promise.

He would address these trans Jordan tribes Recalling Moses's command and reminded him that they may one day settle in the east of the area east of the

Jordan But they must first aid their brothers in conquest So many ways we see this implied warning against individualism

Because these tribes would risk a covenant curse If they were not to fulfill this commitment made to Moses This is seen in Numbers chapter 32 verse 23

And when you think about it from a New Testament Church perspective We find this akin to the church discipline that sometimes imposed on on individuals engaged in unrepentant sin

Now one of the most noteworthy things that we do see is in verse 14 where these men of valor

They would be crossing the Jordan River armed before their brothers Which essentially stresses this sacrificial unity here that we should have as a church body as well

It was very clearly demonstrated in this passage that None of Israel would enjoy this rest until all of them were able to receive it

Now, you know, we live in a time where promises are quite disposable Commitments are untimed

Oftentimes not kept and a kindness extended is oftentimes a kindness to be forgotten

And this is in large part due to the disposable nature of our culture here Unfortunately self -interest rather than self -sacrifice becomes the order of the day and we see this increasingly becoming part of the cultural norm

However Christians as our church family as our body of Christ here we are challenged to view promises and commitments differently

This should be within the context of these promises and commitments being with Christ in mind They should be directed for the good of others.

They should be a statement of our faith and our honor instead So prioritizing

God's covenant is what we see here in Joshua and likewise. It should be the case for our church family as well

Again, there's much to be applied here You know one thing that is distinctive in Reformed baptist churches and that is that each member within our congregation.

We are in covenant commitment towards one another Some of the ways that we accomplish this is supporting one another within the context of a church family

Or through missions or through discipling others or through safeguarding the church's doctrine

So that way it can be enjoyed by ensuing generations What we see here in this passage today

Is an example that we should follow So the question that we should all be pondering is this

Are we willing to leave personal rest in order to advance God's kingdom? You know one thing that we do see in this passage is that it serves as a model for the perseverance of the saints

In his letter to the philippians the apostle paul also stressed this point Especially as it relates the importance of God's elect

Especially when they are remaining faithful in trials where he said this We see this in philippians chapter 1 verse 6

He said being confident in this very thing that he Who has begun a good work and you will complete it until the day of jesus christ

We also find joshua's imperative here It reflects a covenant theology

Where the visible community which in this case is the nation of israel includes obligations to one another

We see the foreshadowing of the church as a covenant body under christ We see this in hebrews chapter 4 verses 8 through 11 actually

And of course we see christ as our greater joshua Now let us be judicious in the promises that we make

Let's make sure that a promise made is a promise kept Let us realize that each one of us here are imperfect humans.

And so we should only make promises with great care and introspection And we do this so that way it does not become an occasion for sin on our part you know, we

Live in that world where promises can easily be broken or made with the wrong motivation However, we need to run counterculture to the world today

We need to understand that a broken commitment can result in a damage to ourselves or other people sometimes we may find ourselves in a position as a christian where God may require us to follow through with the commitment made by others

Which in turn would require a change in our own priorities and if we're called to do that So let's do so with honor and dignity and in a manner that will glorify our god, which is in heaven

One last thing that does come into view And that is that there's clear echoes here of the new covenant where christ here and his finished work secures our inheritance

Yet as a church, of course, we are Basically called on to persevere and faithfulness in the time in which we find ourselves

As it relates to this challenge of persevering in confidence Richard seabees encouraged us to trust christ grace to overcome personal setbacks where he said this

He said there is more mercy in christ than sin in us Let us therefore go on with boldness in the way of godliness

And this is really what god's covenant Looks like to these soldiers who would leave their families and fight alongside of their brothers in battle

And likewise we as believers should forsake worldly ease for the gospel mission

This reflects the important doctrine of perseverance Where the true faith is evidenced by not just a fleeting zeal that by a steadfast endurance through trials

Rooted in god's preserving grace Let us pray Our heavenly father lord, we come before you as a covenant people united in christ in mission and purpose

Lord let us take the example of joshua and these officers of the people who found themselves at the water's edge of promise

Let us understand that your redemptive plan transcends history

It begins in the old testament and goes all way through the final words in our new testament experience

Dear lord, I just ask that we stay focused on you That we understand that we were created for a specific time such as this

Lord that we will honor you Lord that we will glorify you in all our ways And lord that we will be ready to stand with the ensuing generations that are to come