Joshua, Lover of God – The Great Commandment

Joshua, Lover of God

Matthew 22:37, 38

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. This is the great and first commandment.”

Joshua 24:14, 15

“Now therefore fear the LORD and serve him in sincerity and faithfulness. Put away the gods that your fathers served beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve the LORD. And if it is evil in your eyes to serve the LORD, choose this day whom you will serve, whether to gods your fathers served in the region beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.”

They love the Lord who serve Him.

We can sometimes get the impression that the conquest of the land of Canaan was a fairly short campaign. In fact, years were required to subdue as much of the land as the people managed in Joshua’s lifetime. And even then, as we read about the disposition of the land to the various tribes, it is clear that much work remained. Joshua refused to let the people rest on their laurels. If they truly loved God, they would serve Him, and serving Him meant reducing the rest of the land and beginning to cultivate faithfulness to the Law in pursuit of the promises. Joshua’s courage and faith enabled him to overcome mistakes – at Ai and with the Gibeonites – and to lead the people into the promises of God. He was a faithful servant all his days, and he stands for us as a model of what God requires of those who fear Him and to whom He reveals His glory. They must serve Him according to His Word, as Joshua had done all his days, and as he, at the end of his life, called Israel to do. It is not enough to testify of our fear of God or to retreat into His presence, waiting on His glory. Love for God begins and is renewed here; but love for God ultimately takes the form of obedient service to Him, according to His commands and with an eye on His precious and magnificent promises.

Which of God’s promises motivate you to serve Him faithfully each day?

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“In the Gates” is a devotional series on the Law of God by Rev. T.M. Moore

T. M. Moore is editor of the Worldview Church. He serves as dean of the Centurions Program of the Wilberforce Forum and principal of The Fellowship of Ailbe, a spiritual fellowship in the Celtic Christian tradition. He is the author or editor of twenty books, and has contributed chapters to four others. His essays, reviews, articles, papers, and poetry have appeared in dozens of national and international journals, and on a wide range of websites. His most recent books are The Ailbe Psalter and The Ground for Christian Ethics (Waxed Tablet).

Scripture quotations in this article are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version, (c) copyright 2001,2007 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Editor’s note: The use of a translation other than the Authorised Version in an article does not constitute an endorsement in whole or in part by The Christian Observer.