This is Part 3 of a 3-part series.
Part 3: Make It Personal
“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 were reminded that context is one of the most critical factors of interpretation and exegesis.
Part 2: My Process.
In Part 2 of this series we broke down the process I outline for myself to see what this looks like. To summarize, when I come to a passage like the one above in Joshua, I ask a few questions:
- 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 now covered the first 4 questions of my process, let’s wrap things up by asking how this applies to us.
Application For Me?
Now, you may be thinking….
Ok, this was great and maybe even a lot of fun! But SO WHAT?
Right. What do I do with this info? I’m certainly not going to go out and start raiding homes, burning barns, and pillaging villages! But here are the main points that were highlighted in my mind…
- Joshua was called for a specific task: to take possession of the land, apportion it out, and settle the Israelites from wandering the desert and into a permanent home.
- God promised he would be successful as long as he listened to and obeyed God fully.
- God also promised consequences, or curses, if Joshua led the nation in disobedience.
Keep in mind that when you read the Bible on a daily/regular basis as I have over the past few decades, certain passages will jump out at you depending on your current circumstances, season in life, or where you are in your walk with God. There will even be times where the same passage will take on a different meaning due to what I mentioned above – or from being given a new understanding and perspective of the familiar passage.
At the time of this writing, and after thinking through the 3 points above, I now ask myself, “Is there a specific task that I am called to do?” As a New Testament follower of Christ, the answer is “Yes”.
This is revealed In the context of building up the church, by exercising gifts I have been given by God through His Holy Spirit. This is a primary directive given to ALL believers, regardless of how and where our gifting lies.
My calling, in fact, is the same as what Joshua was commanded:
To love God with all my heart, soul, mind, and strength; and to love others.
Understanding this is key to defining success and prosperity.
OT Kings & Queens.
Before putting ourselves in Joshua’s shoes, let’s take another moment and check our context. Joshua was basically acting as a king, judge, general, or top leader over Israel. Starting with Moses and Joshua, the legacy of Israel’s (and Judah’s) leaders in the books of Kings and Chronicles were often summed up based on one criteria: whether or not they fully committed to worshiping YHWH alone, or prostituted themselves – and the nation they were leading – to other gods.
For example, let’s look at just 2 of the kings mentioned in 2 Chronicles, Uzziah and Hezekiah.
2 Chronicles 26:3-5 NIV Uzziah was sixteen years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem fifty-two years. His mother's name was Jekoliah; she was from Jerusalem. [4] He did what was right in the eyes of the LORD, just as his father Amaziah had done. [5] He sought God during the days of Zechariah, who instructed him in the fear of God. As long as he sought the LORD, God gave him success. 2 Chronicles 31:20-21 NIV This is what Hezekiah did throughout Judah, doing what was good and right and faithful before the LORD his God. [21] In everything that he undertook in the service of God's temple and in obedience to the law and the commands, he sought his God and worked wholeheartedly. And so he prospered.
The question I have is, “since I’m not a leader of Israel – or any nation for that matter – can I still apply these principles and promises to me?”.
NT Kings & Queens.
The answer to that question is not as nuanced as it may appear.
Reading through Romans and Ephesians, we’ll clearly see that Believers are called ‘Sons of God’ and ‘Heirs/Co-Heirs with Christ’ (Messiah/King). So as a New Testament saint, yes – in fact I am considered a child of The King. Royalty even. I also can’t get away from the excuse that I’m not the leader of a nation, because we are also told to go out and make disciples of every nation.
If I’m in a position of discipling/teaching another, then that puts me in a position of leadership. And if I’m not, then I’m in a state of disobedience.
To take it another step further for my own personal application, I am both a husband and father – as was Joshua – leaders of our families. Not only are there guidelines for me in Ephesians 5-6 among other places, but Joshua himself provides an encouraging example to follow:
Joshua 24:14-15 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."
Kingdom Values.
But over all, what is my mandate?
Matthew 22:37-40 ESV And he said to him, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. [38] This is the great and first commandment. [39] And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. [40] On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets."
Sound familiar? There’s more.
As a royal representative of God’s Kingdom, I need to know what are the interests and values within His realm. What are the things highly esteemed and considered successful and prosperous? Matthew 5-7 outline the Constitution of the Kingdom of Heaven and it is very different from what the rival kingdom of this world values. Let’s look at just the opening statement (Bill of ‘Rights’?) of King Jesus in Matthew 5:
I also can’t get away from the excuse that I’m not the leader of a nation, because we are also told to go out and make disciples of every nation. If I’m in a position of discipling/teaching another, then that puts me in a position of leadership. And if I’m not, then I’m in a state of disobedience.
Matthew 5:3-12 ESV "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. [4] "Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted. [5] "Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth. [6] "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied. [7] "Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy. [8] "Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God. [9] "Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God. [10] "Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. [11] "Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. [12] Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
There is a stark contrast between the Kingdom values of Jesus Christ, versus this world’s metric of material wealth & comfort being the indication of success and prosperity.
Margin Notes.
A last resource which may seem obvious, but still worth mentioning is, reading the margin or study notes from a study Bible or commentary. While I use several, I’ll share the margin notes from related passages lifted out of my NIV Quest Study Bible from which I have benefitted greatly since the mid 1990s
*The following sections are lifted from my NIV Quest Study Bible
On Defining Prosperity & Success.
2 Chronicles 31:20-21 NIV This is what Hezekiah did throughout Judah, doing what was good and right and faithful before the LORD his God. [21] In everything that he undertook in the service of God's temple and in obedience to the law and the commands, he sought his God and worked wholeheartedly. And so he prospered. 2 Chronicles 26:3-5 NIV Uzziah was sixteen years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem fifty-two years. His mother's name was Jekoliah; she was from Jerusalem. [4] He did what was right in the eyes of the LORD, just as his father Amaziah had done. [5] He sought God during the days of Zechariah, who instructed him in the fear of God. As long as he sought the LORD, God gave him success.
Does Seeking God Guarantee Success?
Yes and no. Faithfulness in seeking God does not guarantee that God will grant us success if we define success as acquiring wealth, prestige and power. That is not to say, however, that God doesn’t sometimes bless us with those gifts, as is clear from King Uzziah’s case. What God does guarantee is that when we seek him, we will enjoy the success of finding the source of love and peace and the reason for hope (Jer 29:11 – 13).
Whether or not God blesses us with the kind of success that society cherishes, the Chronicler makes it clear that we must focus not on seeking success but on seeking God.
On Leviticus 26.
Leviticus 26:3,9,14-15,32-33 NIV "'If you follow my decrees and are careful to obey my commands, … [9] "'I will look on you with favor and make you fruitful and increase your numbers, and I will keep my covenant with you… [14] "'But if you will not listen to me and carry out all these commands, [15] and if you reject my decrees and abhor my laws and fail to carry out all my commands and so violate my covenant, … [32] I myself will lay waste the land, so that your enemies who live there will be appalled. [33] I will scatter you among the nations and will draw out my sword and pursue you. Your land will be laid waste, and your cities will lie in ruins."
There is no question that righteous living has its own rewards. When the people of Israel served God, they enjoyed good social and economic climates. People who live disciplined lives of moderation generally enjoy the benefits of good health and finances. Even insurance companies formulate their premium rates according to the risks of certain lifestyles. However, these are general principles and cannot be expected to apply in every situation.
The New Testament agrees with the Old Testament that God honors obedience and disdains disobedience, but the New Testament differs in its application of that principle. Where the Old Testament insists that a person’s character, speech and actions immediately determine the resulting consequences, the New Testament teaches that by faith, righteous living will eventually be rewarded. The Old Testament says the faithful experience the good life now; the New Testament says they will one day.
At the heart of the New Testament is Jesus, the only perfect human being, a man whose life ended in the suffering and disgrace of the cross. Even though he was sinless, he was abandoned by God — hardly the picture of prosperity and blessing! Yet his obedience provided righteousness for those who believe and resulted in his exaltation as Christ the Lord (Ro 5:19; Php 2:8).
Romans 8:35 – 39 lists a number of things that cannot separate the believer from Christ: trouble, famine, nakedness, etc. Many items listed match items from the “curse” texts of Leviticus 26 and Deuteronomy 28. Therefore, the New Testament teaches that to obey does not guarantee an absence of material problems. Rather, the guarantee concerns spiritual security despite material troubles.
On Deuteronomy 28.
Deuteronomy 28:1-2 NIV If you fully obey the LORD your God and carefully follow all his commands I give you today, the LORD your God will set you high above all the nations on earth. [2] All these blessings will come on you and accompany you if you obey the LORD your God:
Is This Like the Health and Wealth Prosperity Gospel?
The health-and-wealth gospel of modern times teaches that if we claim what we want in Jesus’ name, we will get it. If we do certain things, God will bless us and give us wealth, success and freedom from hardship — and if we don’t, he won’t. It suggests that our relationship with God, economically speaking, is a sort of reciprocal arrangement of goods and services.
But in this passage, God promised blessings to Israel as a community or nation — not to individuals. When Israel diligently obeyed his commands and lived according to his ways, he blessed the nation and its people. He gave them a clear and gracious rule for following him. He also gave them abundance in the promised land, where they could have lived in joy, peace and confidence that God would provide for their needs. But when the Israelites forgot the Lord or fell into the wicked ways of the peoples around them, they reaped the bitter consequences. When they failed to abide by their part of the covenant with God, they suffered the curses of the covenant.
However, doing good so that God will do good to us is not the motivation Jesus is looking for from his followers. The God of the new covenant still blesses faithfulness, and righteous living still has its own rewards, but authentic, Biblical Christianity does not promise good stuff in return for good works. On the contrary, Jesus repeatedly taught that his followers would suffer loss and persecution in this world. He and the apostles taught that under the new covenant the people of God would be dragged before rulers, would be falsely accused, would suffer for doing good — and some would even be killed for his sake (Mt 10:17 – 36; Lk 21:12 – 19; Jn 15:20; Ro 8:35 – 36; 2Ti 3:12; 1Pe 4:1,12 – 19). And only after all that happened would they attain their reward — dwelling with God forever!
We are not promised wealth, and we should seek neither poverty nor riches (Pr 30:8). But if God does give us wealth (Ecc 5:19), we should honor him with it (Pr 3:9). And when suffering comes, we should not be surprised by it, for Jesus said, In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world (Jn 16:33).
Is Success Guaranteed to Those Who Obey God?
In a general sense, yes. But the promise was made to the nation as a whole, not to individuals. Personal fortunes or misfortunes could vary widely from the overall prosperity of the nation.
The blessings and curses in Deuteronomy 28 are part of God’s covenant with Israel. If Israel obeyed God, he would bless them with success and prosperity. If they disobeyed him, God would punish them. Such blessings and curses were common in treaties between nations and peoples in ancient times.
The promised prosperity was not primarily intended for individual comfort and material gain. It was intended to witness to the surrounding nations that Israel served the one true God (v. 10). God would make Israel powerful, a leader among the nations — the head, not the tail . . . at the top, never at the bottom (v. 13). In addition, prosperity was to be shared among the less fortunate of the community so that all might have their needs met (15:7 – 11).
We see in Deuteronomy 28 a basic principle, not an absolute law. Typically, when we follow God’s ways, we will experience more success than when we go our own way. Still, suffering may come to those who are righteous (Mt 5:10 – 12). In fact, sometimes suffering comes because of godly living (2Ti 3:12).
God has promised to eternally bless those who obey him (Mt 25:34). And when God’s people see the wicked prosper, they can remember two things:
- God’s patience and grace permit many to enjoy things they do not deserve (Mt 5:45), and
- God’s justice will one day be accomplished (Mt 25:31 – 46).
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Conclusion.
While this was a lengthy exercise, I hope you will find something of value to use in your own studies and application of scripture as you continue to walk the King’s Highway enroute to the Celestial City.