Here there is an important assignment from God Himself: a work to do, a land to take, a home to make, and actions that will last and affect the generations to come! The responsibility of this place carries weight. It is time to create something that will honour God and go the distance.
So, in addition to the assignment, God gives instruction and direction, and teaches important lessons along the way. Let’s take a look at how God wants us to learn these lessons, too, and accomplish our assigned task in our “Promised Land”.
Identity and Commitment
The first order of business when the Israelites entered the promised land was circumcision (Joshua ch.5). This seems curious. In a land of enemies, with so much work to do, why should they immediately disable themselves and delay the conquest? Yet God commanded it, and the Israelites willingly obeyed. What was the significance of this initial instruction?
Circumcision identified the Israelites as God’s people. By marking their bodies in this way, they were confessing that they belonged to Him. They were committing themselves to Him and pledging their loyalty to Him. Not only was this an important start to their work in the land, but it would also be a constant reminder as they faced the challenges and temptations that awaited them. This marked them out as distinct from the people of Canaan. It impressed on them, before they met all the Canaanite gods that would vie for their affections, that they served a God who required exclusive loyalty and worship.
When we know God has called us to accomplish a work for Him, it is important that, before we even start, we have the assurance that we are His and that this work is for His glory, not ours. We must remember that He is our defining feature. Our chief identity lies in being His child, and the work we have been given to do flows out from that relationship.
Obedience and Faith
Next on the agenda was the conquest of Jericho (Joshua ch.6). Rahab had already informed the spies that the people of the land were melting in fear because of Israel’s God. But God’s method for conquering such a formidable city was quite unorthodox. Who had ever heard of bringing down a fortified city by marching around it, blowing trumpets and shouting? However, once again, we see that faith in and obedience to the God whose ways are higher than ours (Isaiah 55:8,9) wins the day.
Likewise, in our endeavours to carry out our God-given assignment we will encounter opposition. There will be difficulties, obstacles and seeming impossibilities. Even though God has called us to advance His kingdom, He has not promised smooth sailing. Why does God allow the obstacles?
To prove Him to be faithful. To grow us. To keep us dependent on His strength, direction and unconventional methods. God’s way is always the best way, but it is not necessarily the easiest.
So we must learn to lean into His directives, even when they are unexpected.
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him and he will make your paths straight” (Proverbs 3:5,6 NASB).
Integrity and Transparency
Following the victory at Jericho, we read that, despite clear instructions to the contrary, Achan sinned and assumed that, as long as no one knew, he would get away with it (Joshua ch.7). His lack of transparency and repentance proved costly for the entire company and reminds us of the need for integrity in our efforts for God.
Integrity is of utmost importance in any work we do for God. The severity of the consequences of Achan’s sin highlights this for us. God does not want to be represented by a false front, and, when we are working for the Lord, we are representing Him to others. God does not lie (Titus 1:2; Hebrews 6:18); “There is no shadow of turning in Him” (James 1:17). He is utterly holy and truthful, and therefore He expects us to live obediently for Him, openly confessing our sin and repenting of it before it affects the efforts and understanding of those around us.
Thoroughness and Loyalty
God tasked the Israelites with purging the land of anything that competed with their total commitment to Him – anything that would cause them to turn away from Him (Exodus 34:11-14). He was asking them to put their house in order thoroughly, leaving nothing that might tempt them into idolatry. In Deuteronomy chapter 7 we read the conditional “if” of obedience: if they obeyed, they could expect blessing; if they disobeyed, they could expect consequences.
It was failure in this area that haunted the nation for the rest of their time in the land. From this beginning until the exile, the Israelites never broke free from the temptation and bondage of the foreign gods they failed to destroy. All they ever received “at the hands of” these false gods was oppression and emptiness.
The same is true for us. Idols in our hearts that compete with the true God for our worship or displace Him altogether always deliver disappointment and heartache. An idol is something we turn to in order to satisfy our selfish desires and get what we want. It is anything we think we need beyond God or in addition to Him. It is something other than God that we feel we cannot live without: perhaps success, comfort, approval, or convenience. But these idols cannot satisfy. Something created can never deliver what only the true God can – permanence and security, love and peace, power and freedom. He knows that it is only when we realise that He is all we need that we are truly free. Only the Son can make you “free indeed” (John 8:36).
Endurance and Patience
Finally, this was to be a permanent home, and the Israelites were building for the long term. In their combat, organization, and appointment of leaders, they had to remember that they were laying a foundation for future generations.
As the work progressed, it became apparent that laying a good foundation would take time: these things could not and would not be done in an instant. This reality could equally tempt them to look for a shortcut in order to finish sooner, or to give up before they were finished.
Similarly, when we know something is going to take time, our tendency is to rush ahead or give up. Once again, God wanted them to leave the timing to Him, and just focus on doing a thorough job as He led them through each task. The quality of the work was more important than the pace at which it was finished.
Good and Faithful Servants
And so Canaan was a land of opportunity and temptation! It was an exciting new beginning with the prospect of lasting results . . . but it was also a weighty responsibility with far reaching implications for the future.
Maybe this is where you are right now. Perhaps you have been called to accomplish a task that will build into the kingdom of God and impact generations to come. If so, be sure to carry out your God-given assignment, confident in and committed to your identity as His child. Do it for His glory, obediently following his tactical plan; do it with integrity and transparency; do it with singleness of heart to the one true God. Keep working with patience and endurance, and do a thorough job, “work[ing] at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters” (Colossians 3:23 NIV).
Then may you hear the commendation, “Well done, good and faithful servant” (Matthew 25:21,23), and be able to respond, “We are unprofitable servants: [but] we have done that which was our duty to do” (Luke 17:10 KJV).
