God's Way or Ours

"This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success."

Joshua 1:7-8

After Joshua was chosen and called by God to lead the Hebrews into the land of promise, God commanded him to be strong and courageous in heeding God's commands written in the Law.  He was not only called to familiarise himself with God's commands but to speak of them, meditate in them day and night, and observe them faithfully.  If you are not aware, there were hundreds of commands and prohibitions in addition to the 10 Commandments detailed in the Law of Moses.  Observing God's Law was a huge, life-changing demand placed upon Joshua he was responsible to keep before God--in addition to leading the Hebrews like Moses before him.

In observing God's command to Joshua, it is important not to reduce the relationship God and Joshua shared as transactional:  you do this, and I will do that.  God did not say He would make Joshua's way prosperous if he kept God's Law:  God promised Joshua would make his way prosperous and have good success in fulfilling his responsibility by choosing to walk in the way God revealed in His Law.  God had already told Joshua the way he and the children of Israel ought to live, and by going God's way their way would be prosperous.  In His wisdom, God allows people to face good and bad consequences of our own decisions.  Before Joshua and all His people, God placed clearly marked paths that lead to life or death, and under Mosaic Law they would be blessed or cursed depending on their choices and performance.

During a recent study of the book of Romans, we discussed how Paul explained the Law is good and by it is the knowledge of sin.  The Law of Moses does not provide any ability to keep the Law without fail!  The Law acted as a schoolmaster to bring Jews and Gentiles to Jesus Christ to be justified by faith and declared righteous by God's grace.  Jesus identified Himself as the Way, the Truth and the Life.  Jesus went beyond the requirements of the letter of the Law, for Jesus said many times while teaching His disciples:  "It has been written...but I say unto you..."  It is not by what good things we do or by sin we avoid we are made righteous but by faith in Jesus the Messiah.  God's word has revealed the Truth we ought to believe, and the Law, Psalms and prophets wrote concerning the Prophet like Moses God would raise up--and Jesus is more than a prophet but Immanuel, God with us, who frees us from the curse of sin and death.

All mankind proved unable to follow the the Law that revealed the righteous way to live, and Jesus has been revealed as the Way we can follow by grace through faith in Him demonstrated by obedience.  Having been born again by the Gospel, this ought to transform our hearts, minds and lives more than Joshua having a new leadership role.  Day and night we are to be led by our Saviour we seek to please by heeding wisdom of His word and the guidance of the indwelling Holy Spirit.  Jesus said in John 14:15, "If you love Me, keep My commandments."  Jesus commanded His disciples to love one another as He loves us, and by this all people will know we are Christ's disciples.  It is Jesus who leads us in the way of prosperity and success in doing God's will, and God places the choice before every one of us if we will choose to make God's Way our way.  If we choose to go our own way, we hinder our own prosperity and success.  If we trust Jesus to save us forever, we ought to heed Him in living today.