I don’t like change, though. Most any kind of change is difficult for me. I don’t adapt well at all. I’m one of those people that believe in the old saying "If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it." The girls I work with have heard me say that many times. Changes just push me way out of my comfort zone. Most people change their furniture around every once in a while – NOT ME – my living room has been arranged the same way for years now. I rarely ever move furniture around.
Yet, change is a part of all our lives – summer’s over and it is time to go back to school– then the school year is out and summer vacation is here again. Kids grow up and move away; people come and go at work; somebody always has a better of way of doing things. Change is just a natural progression of life.
I like the song, "Time is Filled With Swift Transition." It tells us that "naught of earth unmoved can stand" – fancy way of saying that there’s nothing on earth that is not going to change sooner or later. But God is always there for us. He never changes and for those of us who are Christians – our faith in God and Christ is a comfort for us. We can build our hopes on things eternal --- & hold to God’s unchanging hand.
That is what Joshua did. Many Biblical characters went through transitions in thier lives. For some reason, my thoughts keep turning to Joshua. He had just lost his leader (Moses) and probably his good friend. He was called upon to take the leadership of a great number of people. They were preparing to cross over Jordan and conquer the land God had promised to them. That was a lot of changes all at once – but Joshua turned to God & God promised to be with him.
Some of my favorite verses in the Bible are found in Joshua 1:5-9:
"There shall not any man be able to stand before thee all the days of thy life: as I was with Moses, so I will be with thee: I will not fail thee, nor forsake thee. Be strong and of a good courage: for unto this people shalt thou divide for an inheritance the land, which I sware unto their fathers to give them. Only be thou strong and very courageous, that thou mayest observe to do according to all the law, which Moses my servant commanded thee: turn not from it to the right hand or to the left, that thou mayest prosper whithersoever thou goest. This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success. Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest."
What is God telling Joshua? If you read the verses, it is pretty self explanatory; but basically God is say - "Hold my hand Joshua - I won't let you go. If you hold my hand, I will always be with you." God tells Joshua that he will be with them through these great transitions that he is facing. BUT there was one thing that Joshua had to do -or to put in another way- there was one thing he could NOT do. He could not forget God or His laws.
So you see, God tells us that He will be with us through everything as long as we are following Him.
Joshua learned this well & tried to teach his people – the people of Israel. Before Joshua died he encouraged them to follow God all their lives. He knew he was old and was near death and he really wanted to get this message across. The Israelites had conquered many nations and were getting ready to go through another transition -- another change -with Joshua’s death.
In Joshua chapter 23, we see that at the end of his life, the Israelite ruler tells his people pretty much the same thing that God Himself told Joshua as he took on the challenge of leading God's people. He exhorts them to be strong and courageous in following the law of Moses. Joshua warns the people to remain steadfast & faithful. He tells them not to go out among the other nations – not to take their gods, but to cleave to the LORD GOD.
Throughout the Old Testament as long as the people were faithful to God, He blessed them, but when they fell away, He didn’t. Joshua warns the people about this.
One classic example of falling away is Samson. He let a woman from another nation entice him & she was ultimately the cause of his downfall. Samson made a change in his life by making this poor decision. But later he came back to God and asked God to bless him one more time.
As we study these examples, we realize that God never changes. He will be there for us if we don't change -- if we don’t stray from him. We can’t change God’s laws to suit our purposes. We must be faithful to him. God was very specific when He spoke to Joshua. Follow my law. As long as Joshua following God's law -- God was going to be there for him.
In other words, hold to God's unchanging hand. God never changes. He is always there. We can find Him when we look for Him. He waits for us to come to Him. He is not the one who leaves. We are the ones who drop His hand and go another way. Why would we want to do that?
Be strong. Be courageous. Follow God's laws. Build your hopes on eternal life. And don't let go of His hand.
Christ above all things,
Robin
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