The word 'serve' here is pronounced as 'awbad' in Hebrew, which means 'to follow, to execute, or to work on somebody's plan (in this case, God's plan, blueprint, destiny, or desires for you)'.
What is a 'blueprint' then? One of its definition
is 'a detailed plan of action'. Each of us is given a specific 'blueprint'
in life (including our vocation or ministry) to follow. However, many never
reach where they should be (i.e. God's destiny for their lives), because they
quit following (or believing) God's blueprint for their lives. One common
reason is impatience. Another reason is thinking they know better. In short,
they want it quick fix, and they want it their way!
People of God, this is a time to align your
own desires (or even expectation) with His desires for your life. When these
two are aligned, it will result in many breakthroughs, and a life that
bears much fruit (see John 15:4-5).
Let's look at the life of Joshua in the Bible
now. He was definitely one of those great people in the Bible who had seen many
breakthroughs, and a life that bore much fruit! So,
what was the key to Joshua's success in fulfilling God's destiny in his life
(i.e. leading his people to possess the land promised to them)?
The answer is He kept following God's
instruction till the end! He kept believing God's blueprint every
step of the way! Of course, he did not quit believing and reaffirming all that
God had spoken to him. Neither did He grow weary of following all that God had
instructed him! Proverbs 13:13 (NIV)
says, ‘He who scorns instruction (i.e. God’s blueprints) will pay for
it, but he who respects a command is rewarded’.
You see, he could really have chosen his own way
(or even the worldly way) of conquest, but he did not. After the initial
victories in Jericho and Ai, notice that he chose to reaffirm God's instruction and covenant instead. Joshua
8:30-33 says, 'Now Joshua built an altar to the Lord God of Israel in
Mount Ebal, as Moses the servant of the Lord had commanded the children of
Israel... And they offered on it burnt offerings to the Lord, and sacrificed
peace offerings. And there in the presence of the children of Israel, he
wrote on the stones a copy of the law of Moses, which he had written. Then
all Israel, with their elders and officers and judges, stood on either side of
the ark before the priests, the Levites, who bore the ark of the covenant of
the Lord, the stranger as well as he who was born among them. Half of
them were in front of Mount Gerizim and half of them in front of Mount Ebal...'
Interestingly, the name of this place between Mount
Gerizim and Mount Ebal is called Shechem. In Hebrew,
this word 'Shechem' actually means 'to incline (oneself), to lean towards,
to move towards a direction, or to choose'. See the word 'to choose'
here? And it’s also here that Joshua and all of Israel chose to reaffirm all that
God had spoken to them before they moved on into further conquests!
People of God, this is also your time to re-visit
and reaffirm all that God has promised and spoken to you so far. Like what
Joshua did in Shechem, may you also choose
to keep following and believing.
Let's go all the way now to the last chapter in the
book of Joshua. Joshua 24:1 says, 'Then Joshua gathered all the
tribes of Israel to Shechem and called for the elders
of Israel, for their heads, for their judges, and for their officers; and they
presented themselves before God'.
After the end of all his successful conquests,
and towards the end of his life, notice that Joshua did come back to this very same
place Shechem. And here, just as he did in the earlier
days of his conquests, he gathered the people to reaffirm God's instruction
and covenant again! You see, he never gave up following and believing
till the very end! No wonder he also ended well in
his life!
In Joshua 24:14, he said to all the
people, "Now therefore, fear the Lord, serve ('awbad')
Him in sincerity and in truth, and put away the gods which your fathers served
on the other side of the River (Euphrates) and in Egypt. Serve ('awbad')
the Lord!
Note: 'The other side of the River' speaks of 'the
Babylonian system (literally meaning 'confused system') of mammon', and
'Egypt' speaks of 'the bondage, or being limited in the worldly way'.
In Joshua 25:15, he then said,
"...choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve
('awbad')... But as for me and my house, we will serve ('awbad') the
Lord." To paraphrase it, "...choose for
yourselves this day whose plan, blueprint, destiny, or desires you will follow, execute,
or work on... But as for me and my house, we will follow, execute, or
work on the Lord's plan, blueprint, destiny, and desires for our lives."
By the way, Joshua ('Yehowshuwa') in Hebrew means 'YHWH
saved', a 'type' of the Lord Jesus Christ Himself. In Luke 22:42,
He said, "Father, if it is Your will, take this cup away from Me; nevertheless
not My will, but Yours, be done." He humbled Himself, chose to
lay down His own will (and expectation) and allowed His Father's will and
desire be done instead. As a result, He was also exalted above all names!
(Philippians 2:7-11)
Just as Joshua chose to
‘awbad’ God’s blueprint and plan for Israel, which in turn released tremendous
blessing to the whole of Israel, Jesus chose to ‘awbad’
His Father’s blueprint and plan by laying down His life, which in
turn released salvation and tremendous blessing to the whole of mankind!
Beloved of God, in the New Covenant, His grace
(i.e. supply, ability) has already been released and poured out for you when He died on the cross some 2,000 years ago. Therefore, choose also
this day to receive all that He has given you (even His
specific strategies and plans for your life), and like Joshua, you too will
make your way prosperous and will have good success (Joshua 1:8). Amen!
