This is Part 2 of a 3-part series.
Part 2: My Process
“Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses gave you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, that you may be successful wherever you go. [8] Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful.
Joshua 1:7-8 niv
Part 1: A Passage Speaks
In Part 1 of this series we took a look at this passage and stated some dangers of ‘cherry-picking’ passages of scripture and applying them outside of context.
I then shared 5 questions I asked myself as part of a process in ascertaining meaning and personal application. Those questions were:
- Who is God talking to here, and Why? (context)
- What do I know to be true of God? (givens)
- What do certain key words really mean? (definitions)
- Where else in scripture is this mentioned? (support)
- How does this apply to me? (application)
Having touched on ‘context’ in Part 1, we now turn our attention to the next 3 diagnostic questions in trying to accurately extract meaning out of this passage.
Knowing God.
I already touched enough on context, so let’s move on to what I know to be true of God.
The must read book, “Knowledge of the Holy” by AW Tozer was so impactful and valuable to me in my walk. It’s a great place to start when it comes to learning about the attributes of God.
One of the attributes I can apply in this case is the Immutability of God. That is, He never changes. So what He is saying here is true always.
And this brings me to a second attribute I can count on: He is Faithful. This means that I can trust Him and what He says.
God does not – CANNOT – lie.
I could probably go deeper in this area, but knowing that God doesn’t change and cannot lie is sufficient for me to move on to the next question.
Defining Success
Recall above that the core message of this passage that I’m trying to exegete in order to determine personal application is:
If I read, meditate, memorize, and obey God’s Word, then He promises that I will prosper and be successful.
It’s your classic “if-then” formula for action. If I do “this”, then I can expect “that”. Simplifying the message gives me all the key words I need to target for clarification.
Defining and understanding what it means to read & obey God’s Word/commands is pretty straightforward and simple – even though we sometimes make it more complex because we don’t like what we understand. And to be honest, the consequences of obeying God can be difficult on this side of eternity.
But ‘success’ and ‘prosperity’ can mean very different things to different people, depending on what they value. So I want to drill down even deeper and focus on the subjective terms “success” and “prosperous”.
In this particular passage, with context and the understanding of God’s character, how is success and prosperity defined – and how does it apply to me?
According to Strong’s Concordance, the Hebrew meanings of these words translate as such:
- Prosperous: to advance, progress, or be successful;
- Success: be wise, prudent, circumspect.
These are quite different from the pictures we may have in mind when we hear these words today.
Scripture Supports Scripture.
One of the best sources for supporting and interpreting scripture – is more scripture! So I’m going to start by looking right here at this story, since the passage takes place within a historical context involving real people, places, and events.
God is speaking to Joshua as a leader, but also to the whole nation of Israel through him. Not all passages provide the conclusion or closure to a story, but many do. Here’s what I’m looking for at the end of Joshua’s life:
- So how did Joshua do?
- Did he meet the ‘if’ conditions to get the ‘then’ results?
- And if so, what were those results – how did he define success and prosperity?
- And if not, why not and what’s the conclusion or takeaway?
Let’s build a snapshot of Joshua’s life from several passages in Joshua:
Joshua 3:5-7,13 NIV Joshua told the people, "Consecrate yourselves, for tomorrow the LORD will do amazing things among you." [6] Joshua said to the priests, "Take up the ark of the covenant and pass on ahead of the people." So they took it up and went ahead of them. [7] And the LORD said to Joshua, "Today I will begin to exalt you in the eyes of all Israel, so they may know that I am with you as I was with Moses… [13]And as soon as the priests who carry the ark of the LORD-the Lord of all the earth-set foot in the Jordan, its waters flowing downstream will be cut off and stand up in a heap."
Joshua 4:13-14 NIV About forty thousand armed for battle crossed over before the LORD to the plains of Jericho for war. [14] That day the LORD exalted Joshua in the sight of all Israel; and they stood in awe of him all the days of his life, just as they had stood in awe of Moses.
Joshua 6:2,16,27 NIV Then the LORD said to Joshua, "See, I have delivered Jericho into your hands, along with its king and its fighting men… [16] The seventh time around, when the priests sounded the trumpet blast, Joshua commanded the army, "Shout! For the LORD has given you the city! …[27] So the LORD was with Joshua, and his fame spread throughout the land.
Joshua 7:7,10-12, 25-26 NIV And Joshua said, "Alas, Sovereign LORD, why did you ever bring this people across the Jordan to deliver us into the hands of the Amorites to destroy us? If only we had been content to stay on the other side of the Jordan! [10] The LORD said to Joshua, "Stand up! What are you doing down on your face? [11] Israel has sinned; they have violated my covenant, which I commanded them to keep. They have taken some of the devoted things; they have stolen, they have lied, they have put them with their own possessions. [12] That is why the Israelites cannot stand against their enemies; they turn their backs and run because they have been made liable to destruction. I will not be with you anymore unless you destroy whatever among you is devoted to destruction…[25] Joshua said, "Why have you brought this trouble on us? The LORD will bring trouble on you today." Then all Israel stoned him, and after they had stoned the rest, they burned them. [26] Over Achan they heaped up a large pile of rocks, which remains to this day. Then the LORD turned from his fierce anger. Therefore that place has been called the Valley of Achor ever since.
Joshua 8:1,8,27-28 NIV Then the LORD said to Joshua, "Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged. Take the whole army with you, and go up and attack Ai. For I have delivered into your hands the king of Ai, his people, his city and his land. [8] When you have taken the city, set it on fire. Do what the LORD has commanded. See to it; you have my orders." [27] But Israel did carry off for themselves the livestock and plunder of this city, as the LORD had instructed Joshua. [28] So Joshua burned Ai and made it a permanent heap of ruins, a desolate place to this day.
Joshua 8:30-35 NIV Then Joshua built on Mount Ebal an altar to the LORD, the God of Israel, [31] as Moses the servant of the LORD had commanded the Israelites. He built it according to what is written in the Book of the Law of Moses-an altar of uncut stones, on which no iron tool had been used. On it they offered to the LORD burnt offerings and sacrificed fellowship offerings. [32] There, in the presence of the Israelites, Joshua wrote on stones a copy of the law of Moses. [33] All the Israelites, with their elders, officials and judges, were standing on both sides of the ark of the covenant of the LORD, facing the Levitical priests who carried it. Both the foreigners living among them and the native-born were there. Half of the people stood in front of Mount Gerizim and half of them in front of Mount Ebal, as Moses the servant of the LORD had formerly commanded when he gave instructions to bless the people of Israel. [34] Afterward, Joshua read all the words of the law-the blessings and the curses-just as it is written in the Book of the Law. [35] There was not a word of all that Moses had commanded that Joshua did not read to the whole assembly of Israel, including the women and children, and the foreigners who lived among them.
Joshua 10:7-8,40-42 NIV So Joshua marched up from Gilgal with his entire army, including all the best fighting men. [8] The LORD said to Joshua, "Do not be afraid of them; I have given them into your hand. Not one of them will be able to withstand you." [40] So Joshua subdued the whole region, including the hill country, the Negev, the western foothills and the mountain slopes, together with all their kings. He left no survivors. He totally destroyed all who breathed, just as the LORD, the God of Israel, had commanded. [41] Joshua subdued them from Kadesh Barnea to Gaza and from the whole region of Goshen to Gibeon. [42] All these kings and their lands Joshua conquered in one campaign, because the LORD, the God of Israel, fought for Israel.
Joshua 11:23 NIV So Joshua took the entire land, just as the LORD had directed Moses, and he gave it as an inheritance to Israel according to their tribal divisions. Then the land had rest from war.
Joshua 13:1,6-7 NIV When Joshua had grown old, the LORD said to him, "You are now very old, and there are still very large areas of land to be taken over. [6] "As for all the inhabitants of the mountain regions from Lebanon to Misrephoth Maim, that is, all the Sidonians, I myself will drive them out before the Israelites. Be sure to allocate this land to Israel for an inheritance, as I have instructed you, [7] and divide it as an inheritance among the nine tribes and half of the tribe of Manasseh."
Joshua 19:49-50 NIV When they had finished dividing the land into its allotted portions, the Israelites gave Joshua son of Nun an inheritance among them, [50] as the LORD had commanded. They gave him the town he asked for-Timnath Serah in the hill country of Ephraim. And he built up the town and settled there.
Joshua 21:43-45 NIV So the LORD gave Israel all the land he had sworn to give their ancestors, and they took possession of it and settled there. [44] The LORD gave them rest on every side, just as he had sworn to their ancestors. Not one of their enemies withstood them; the LORD gave all their enemies into their hands. [45] Not one of all the LORD's good promises to Israel failed; every one was fulfilled.
Joshua 21:43-45 NIV So the LORD gave Israel all the land he had sworn to give their ancestors, and they took possession of it and settled there. [44] The LORD gave them rest on every side, just as he had sworn to their ancestors. Not one of their enemies withstood them; the LORD gave all their enemies into their hands. [45] Not one of all the LORD's good promises to Israel failed; every one was fulfilled.
Joshua 23:1-3,6-8,11,14-16 NIV After a long time had passed and the LORD had given Israel rest from all their enemies around them, Joshua, by then a very old man, [2] summoned all Israel-their elders, leaders, judges and officials-and said to them: "I am very old. [3] You yourselves have seen everything the LORD your God has done to all these nations for your sake; it was the LORD your God who fought for you. [6] "Be very strong; be careful to obey all that is written in the Book of the Law of Moses, without turning aside to the right or to the left. [7] Do not associate with these nations that remain among you; do not invoke the names of their gods or swear by them. You must not serve them or bow down to them. [8] But you are to hold fast to the LORD your God, as you have until now. [11] So be very careful to love the LORD your God. [14] "Now I am about to go the way of all the earth. You know with all your heart and soul that not one of all the good promises the LORD your God gave you has failed. Every promise has been fulfilled; not one has failed. [15] But just as all the good things the LORD your God has promised you have come to you, so he will bring on you all the evil things he has threatened, until the LORD your God has destroyed you from this good land he has given you. [16] If you violate the covenant of the LORD your God, which he commanded you, and go and serve other gods and bow down to them, the LORD's anger will burn against you, and you will quickly perish from the good land he has given you."
Joshua 24:14-15,24 NIV "Now fear the LORD and serve him with all faithfulness. Throw away the gods your ancestors worshiped beyond the Euphrates River and in Egypt, and serve the LORD. [15] But if serving the LORD seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD." [24] And the people said to Joshua, "We will serve the LORD our God and obey him."
Joshua 24:29-31 NIV After these things, Joshua son of Nun, the servant of the LORD, died at the age of a hundred and ten. [30] And they buried him in the land of his inheritance, at Timnath Serah in the hill country of Ephraim, north of Mount Gaash. [31] Israel served the LORD throughout the lifetime of Joshua and of the elders who outlived him and who had experienced everything the LORD had done for Israel.
Conclusion From Scripture.
As far as Joshua is concerned, I think there’s no doubt that Joshua was successful and prosperous because he sought after, listened to, and obeyed God throughout his lifetime. And part of his success is reflected in Joshua 24:31 where it says…
Israel served the LORD throughout the lifetime of Joshua and of the elders who outlived him and who had experienced everything the LORD had done for Israel.
Joshua 24:31
Israel’s success & prosperity was tied to Joshua’s decisions.
Being prosperous, for Joshua, was contingent on his being successful, which was contingent on his obedience to God.
While it’s true that, Joshua did receive some material benefits (plunder/land) from his successful war campaigns, it should also be noted rather acutely that he was equally as rich -if not more so – in experience, life stories, and deeper relationship with God. This is evident by scant references in Joshua we are given about any material wealth he gained.
Going back to the actual definitions of prosperity and success, Joshua certainly advanced and progressed in his relationship with God as he communicated with and obeyed Him. All of this culminated in the legacy he left behind, the book we are now reading.
In Part 3 of this 3-part series, I’ll share some key takeaways from this passage that I found meaningful for personal application.