Prerequisite to Entering the Promised Land
In chapter one of Joshua we see God handing the reigns of the leadership of the Israelite people over to Joshua—and then giving a charge to him as he prepares to lead the people into the land. Joshua in turn gives a charge to the people as their leader.
Joshua 1:1
After the death of Moses the servant of the LORD, it came to pass that the LORD spoke to Joshua the son of Nun, Moses’ assistant, saying:
It is interesting to me that a man with no parents could scratch and claw his way up to become the leader of a nation…the “son of nun”… (Come on… it’s funny!)
Joshua 1:2-4
“Moses My servant is dead. Now therefore, arise, go over this Jordan, you and all this people, to the land which I am giving to them—the children of Israel Lebanon as far as the great river, the River Euphrates, all the land of the Hittites, and to the Great Sea
In verses 2 and 3 God says something interesting. He tells Joshua that “I am giving” and “I have given” the land to the people. Before this time His verbiage was that the land will be theirs and that He will give it to them. (Genesis 26:3-4; Exodus 12:25) Notice the difference? From future tense to present tense. Why did that happen? What caused the change in the tense?
Forty years prior to that day when the Lord spoke to Joshua, he and his friend Caleb were trying to convince their friends that though the Promised Land was filled with giants and other scary things, God was going to give it to them… Yet their friends weren’t convinced. That disbelief caused them to wander in the wilderness for forty years. During that time of wandering, the people of Israel incessantly complained about how hard it was in the wilderness, that it would have been better to have remained enslaved in Egypt
God knew the first generation wouldn’t follow Joshua and Caleb into the Promised Land when they were first given the chance. He knew that while they wandered they would complain and crave being back in Egypt
But now, forty years later the new generation did believe and were ready to go in, so God said… it’s yours… go take it!
God’s Promises Remain
That’s how it works for us as well, that’s how it plays out in our lives. Here are a few promises the Lord has given us:
Matthew 6:25-30
“Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? Which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature?
“So why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; and yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. Now if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?”
John 10:10
“The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.”
Matthew 11:28-30
“Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”
John 14:27
“Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.”
Jeremiah 29:11
“For I know the thoughts that I think toward you,” says the LORD, “thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.”
Philippians 4:6-7
Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.
Romans 5:3 (NLT)
We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they are good for us—they help us learn to endure.
James 1:2 (NLT)
Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy.
We hear these verses, yet many of us never see the fulfillment of those promises in our lives. Jesus (Joshua is a picture of Jesus) is trying to convince you to go ahead and enter into His rest, that He’ll give you these promises. But you looked at all the changes that were looming inside those promises and decided it wasn’t worth giving up your current life to enter the Promised Land of a Spirit-filled life… so you wander and complain:
• “Woe is me I’m going through soooo many trials, God is really testing me.”
• “The enemy is trouncing me, and I’m having a hard time holding up under the pressure.”
• “Everything—and everyone—is attacking me because of my faith.”
• “At least when I was in the world I was having fun!”
• “Woe is me I’m going through soooo many trials, God is really testing me.”
• “The enemy is trouncing me, and I’m having a hard time holding up under the pressure.”
• “Everything—and everyone—is attacking me because of my faith.”
• “At least when I was in the world I was having fun!”
Peace, Rest, and Joy
We’re worried, yet God said don’t worry. We’re carrying burdens when Jesus said give Me your burden. We’re not joyful in our trials when we’re told we can be. We’re wandering outside of the life we want because we don’t believe it is attainable—even though God has told us that it is. Why don’t we believe God when He gives us these promises?
For me it was because I had the tendency to read the previous verses and define the promises in them using my own desires. I would see the word peace and think, “I’ll find peace when I become financially secure.” I would see the word rest and think, “I’ll be able to rest when I find Mrs. Right.” I saw the word joy and said, “I’ll be joyful when the trial passes.”
What we don’t see is that God wants to give you peace while helping you out of debt. He wants to allow you to rest while He brings you your spouse. He wants to help you find joy in the midst of your trial. We are fickle people, so we think we know what we want—and we will fight tooth and nail for those things. But when we get the things we think we want, we find they don’t satisfy. So we try to get more of what we think we want, because we think more will satisfy us!
But in reality God knows you better than you could possibly know yourself. He knows what is going to make you happy… He created you. We see God so often as a kill-joy, but in reality He is the single source of truly satisfying joy. All you have to do to receive His joy is believe that He is the source.
Why, Why, Why?
A while back as I was reading Genesis 1:1: “In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.” I asked myself, Why did God create the heaven and the earth? Why did He create man? Why did He create me? God wasn’t lonely. He wasn’t bored. He wasn’t so naïve as to think that He would create man and they would never let Him down. So why?
Because He wanted to have a relationship with you! Yes you, not in the general sense of a universal you, but literally you, as an individual; you, the person reading this book. He knew you before He created the foundations of the earth, yet He decided it was worth it to go through all the garbage that we humans have thrown at Him to be able to have a relationship with you. He loves you that much. As a matter of fact, He loves you so much that He sent His Son to be the propitiation (big word—I looked it up—see below) for your sin.
Propitiation:
Pronunciation: \prō-pi-shē-ā-shən\
Function: noun
Date: 14th century
Do you think that someone who loves you so much that He came into this world to become an “atoning sacrifice” for you would lead you to a place that would make you miserable? Stop defining your own happiness and allow Him to give you what He knows is best for you. And even if you don’t understand how His work in your life will lead to contentment or why it will make you happy, just trust that He wants to bless you. Believe it, trust it, and pull up your bootstraps and follow Him! The second you do that, the promises will be yours.
A Simple Requirement
So what then is the prerequisite to entering the Promised Land? It’s not anything you can achieve or earn, it’s not something tangible, and it’s not a class you can take. The prerequisite for entry into this wonderful place is simply faith or belief that God wants to bring you there.
Once you believe, you’ve attained. Once you believe that your relationship with God is not and cannot be based on your faithfulness but is solely based on His faithfulness… once you believe that God wants to fill you with His joy… that is when the Promised Land becomes real… That is when I was able to move forward and enter the life God had waiting for me all along.
Hebrews 11:6
But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.
James 1:5-7
If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him. But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind. For let not that man suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord.
