Joshua 1:12-15
But to the Reubenites, the Gadites and the half-tribe of Manasseh, Joshua said, "Remember the command that Moses the servant of the Lord gave you after he said, 'The Lord you God will give you rest by giving you this land.' Your wives, your children and your livestock may stay in the land that Moses gave you east of the Jordan, but all your fighting men, ready for battle, must cross over ahead of your fellow Israelites. You are to help them until the Lord gives them rest, as he has done for you, and until they too have taken possession of the land the Lord your God is giving them. After that, you may go back and occupy your own land, which Moses the servant of the Lord gave you east of the Jordan toward the sunrise."
God made a promise to the Israelites to grant them the Promised Land, and he reiterated this promise to Joshua; however, who should go fight the battle? Should it be Joshua? Since this was a promise God gave to him, shouldn't he be sufficient? Should it be the elders? God had made them the leaders, so they're supposed to fight for God. How about the Israelites who wanted to enter the West Bank of Jordan River? It's the Promised Land that God gave them, so certainly they ought to fight for their homeland. In the time of the twelve tribes of Israel, two and half of the tribes saw the richness of the East Bank and they pleaded to Moses to just settle in the East Bank and not move forward, because they considered it their homeland. God, however, clearly told the Israelites through Joshua that crossing Jordan River was everyone's business, so all Israelites must go and fight hand in hand.
The spiritual warfare in the church is not an one-man show, but it's team work. Everyone must take part without any exception. It is God's will for the whole church, instead of just depending on one or two people, to be mobilized and move forward. Just like when Israelites crossed the Jordan River, it was God's will for everyone to cross the river together.
In the church wants to move forward today, everyone must fight together for the Lord, and you are no exception. Sometimes you might care about your own business and then you care about the business of the Kingdom of God. Joshua, however, said here that "all your fighting men, ready for battle, must cross over ahead of your fellow Israelites. You are to help them... Until they too have taken possession of the land the Lord your God is giving them... After that, you may go back and occupy your own land..." In other word, we must care about the business of God's Kingdom first, and then we can take on the land that God has given to each of us. The Lord said the same thing in Matthew 6:33: "Seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well." This order cannot be reversed and it's the same in either the Old Testament or New Testament time. May God help to understand this truth; as we build up the church, let us also be built up.
Lord, please turn our hearts and minds around; let us not just care about our own wellbeing, but to seek God's Kingdom first, and I trust that you will give all things to us. I thank you and I pray in the victorious name of Jesus, amen!
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