Joshua 1:16-18(NKJV)
16So they answered Joshua, saying, “All that you command us we will do, and wherever you send us we will go. 17Just as we heeded Moses in all things, so we will heed you. Only the Lord your God be with you, as He was with Moses. 18Whoever rebels against your command and does not heed your words, in all that you command him, shall be put to death. Only be strong and of good courage.”
Yesterday we began to look at the difference between the first generation of Israel to leave Egypt and the second. The first Generation came to the border of the promised land and could not go in. The second generation, the Joshua generation, did what their parents could or would not. What made them different?
Although both yesterday and today’s lessons focus on only two and ½ tribes, I believe they are symbolic of the attitudes of this whole generation. These tribes had lands on the east side of Jordan while the inheritance of the rest of Israel was on the west side of the river. They were established, they had homes and livestock. However they had agreed to help the others fight for their land. They honored this agreement when Joshua came to power.
Why is this important? Because it shows that they were unselfish. This is the first characteristic we need to cultivate if we are going to enter the destiny God has for us. We must put away selfishness.
Today we see another characteristic we need to cultivate. As a leader myself I think this contrast is the most striking of them all. The first generation was constantly threatening to kill Moses. Every time there was a challenge their solution was, “Let’s kill Moses and pick someone who will do what we want!”
In this scripture we see the direct opposite expressed. “Joshua, we will do whatever you need us to do and if someone disobeys, we’ll kill him!” Wow, what a thought. Instead of attacking Joshua’s back they have it. This second generation went in because they understood “Divine Order.”
Particularly in America we are enamored of government “of the people, by the people and for the people.” Don’t get me wrong, this is the best form of earthly government. However the Kingdom of God is neither earthly nor a democracy. It is a kingdom ruled by a perfect King who has perfect motivation and perfect knowledge. He is all powerful and only uses that power for the highest good. He establishes order amongst his people and when his people follow that order things go well.
This in no way replaces or diminishes our personal relationship with the Lord. One of the things that makes Christianity different is the fact that I have a relationship with my Father on a personal level. There is no hierarchy between me and God. He speaks to me and I speak to him on a personal level every day. I get my instructions for life from Him and if I sin, I go directly to him with my repentance and receive my forgive the same way.
However the new testament does have some important things to say about the order of God’s kingdom. For instance Galatians 3 tells us very specifically that, in Christ or in our relationship with him, there is no male nor female. We are all the same. However Ephesians chapter 5 tells wives to submit to their own husbands as to the Lord. Why? If there is no difference why doesn’t it say husbands submit to wives as well?
To understand this we must realize that this submission is not in the area of the wife’s personal relationship with Jesus. It is only in her relationship within the marriage. It does not say women submit to men. It says wives submit to your own husbands. This gives us insight into the whole question of submission to authority in the body of Christ. The order established by God is wives submit to husbands because families are called in the earth to a destiny. To work together there must be order. God says that order in the family flows from God to the husband and then to the wife.
Some don’t like this and I don’t have space for full explanations, but it is the order God has established. For the family to fully function within God’s plan this order must be established and established properly. (Now men don’t get carried away, you have to love your wives as Christ loved the church, so you get to die daily to self for the privilege of being the head.)
This principle carries throughout the whole body of Christ. Hebrews says this.
Hebrews 13:17(NKJV)
17Obey those who rule over you, and be submissive, for they watch out for your souls, as those who must give account. Let them do so with joy and not with grief, for that would be unprofitable for you.
Rule and submit are not words we like, but there they are right in the bible. Again, this has nothing to do with our personal relationship with God. It also is not a matter of who is better. There is not better or worse in the Kingdom of God, only different jobs. However, if we are going to flow together there must be order. Someone must have the final say and that order is established by God.
As the church today we have a job to do. God intends for us to be salt and light in the world. God intends for us to win the lost. I believe God intends to use us to have impact in a world that is increasingly out of control. That is part of our current “promised land.” To enter in we must recognize and submit to God’s order.
Here at Living Word I am not afraid to say, “If you can’t trust the leadership here, go somewhere that you can.” I believe that is God’s way. Don’t stay and complain. You may be unhappy because you belong somewhere else. You are not called to blindly obey anyone but God. The bible is the final authority. If any leader does anything that contradicts the word, you should humbly decline to obey. However if you know that God has placed you in a church and the leadership is walking according to the Word, stay. Submit to the leaders and together we will enter into our destiny and do great things for the Kingdom of God.
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