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Joshua 1:1-9  After the death of Moses the servant of the LORD, the LORD said to Joshua son of Nun, Moses' aide:  ² "Moses my servant is dead. Now then, you and all these people, get ready to cross the Jordan River into the land I am about to give to them-- to the Israelites.  ³ I will give you every place where you set your foot, as I promised Moses.  ⁴ Your territory will extend from the desert to Lebanon, and from the great river, the Euphrates-- all the Hittite country-- to the Great Sea on the west.  ⁵ No one will be able to stand up against you all the days of your life. As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake you.  ⁶ "Be strong and courageous, because you will lead these people to inherit the land I swore to their forefathers to give them.  ⁷ Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses gave you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, that you may be successful wherever you go.  ⁸ Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful.  ⁹ Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go."

This Sunday I’m beginning a two week series on Joshua’s New Years’ Resolutions, looking at a couple of passages from the Book of Joshua that I believe are important for us to meditate on as we look forward to 2009.  These will be two sermons heavy on application, lighter on in-depth analysis of the passage.  There are some passages that really highlight the importance of not just hearing God’s Word but doing it:  Psalm 95 & Hebrews 3 (If you hear God’s voice, do not harden your heart); Matthew 13 (the parable of the sower); and James 1 (don’t just be hearers of the word, but doers of the word).  There is a strong value in the Bible and in our church on not just hearing the word but responding to what you hear, applying God’s Word to your life.  Asking the question, “What will you do with what you have just heard?”  So this isn’t going to be one of those where you can come away saying “nice sermon, pastor.”  The question is more “what are you going to do with what you’ve heard today?”

Back to Joshua 1.  Let me share the historical context – remember that in the book of Exodus, Israel has been rescued from slavery in Egypt.  They are brought out into the wilderness, heading to the Promised Land.  They get the law at Sinai, they construct the tabernacle, and then they make it to the edge of the Jordan.  They send 12 spies, one from each tribe of Israel, to go and check out the Promised land.  When they return, only two of them – Caleb & Joshua – think they can take the land, because God told them so.  The other 10 are too afraid of the size of the inhabitants. As a result, everyone loses heart and rebels against Moses, asking him why he led them out to die in the desert.  And because of their rebellion, God tells them the whole generation will die out in the desert, and only Caleb and Joshua will enter the Promised Land.