Scripture
The Lord’s Charge to Joshua
1After the death of Moses the Lord’s servant, the Lord spoke to Joshua son of Nun, Moses’ assistant. He said, 2“Moses my servant is dead. Therefore, the time has come for you to lead these people, the Israelites, across the Jordan River into the land I am giving them. 3I promise you what I promised Moses: ‘Wherever you set foot, you will be on land I have given you— 4from the Negev wilderness in the south to the Lebanon mountains in the north, from the Euphrates River in the east to the Mediterranean Sea[1] in the west, including all the land of the Hittites.’ 5No one will be able to stand against you as long as you live. For I will be with you as I was with Moses. I will not fail you or abandon you.
6“Be strong and courageous, for you are the one who will lead these people to possess all the land I swore to their ancestors I would give them. 7Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the instructions Moses gave you. Do not deviate from them, turning either to the right or to the left. Then you will be successful in everything you do. 8Study this Book of Instruction continually. Meditate on it day and night so you will be sure to obey everything written in it. Only then will you prosper and succeed in all you do. 9This is my command—be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”
Translation notes (1)
- 1:4 Hebrew the Great Sea.
Study this Book of Instruction continually. Meditate on it day and night so you will be sure to obey everything written in it. Only then will you prosper and succeed in all you do.
When you ask any successful actor, athlete, or entrepreneur the secret to their success, the majority of these successful people will not tell you that their secret was skill or opportunity. Instead, they will tell you that the secret to their success is hard work and discipline. You know this to be true. All true success requires hard work and discipline. The same is true in studying our Bibles deeply. If we want to truly dig into Scripture and understand it on a deep level, we must be willing to work hard to study it and learn from it.
When Moses, the leader of Israel who led the Israelites out of Egypt, died, God appointed Joshua to be the new leader of Israel. In His instructions to Joshua, God told Joshua to be dedicated to the hard work of studying Scripture. He commanded Joshua in Joshua 1:8, "Study this Book of Instruction continually. Meditate on it day and night so you will be sure to obey everything written in it. Only then will you prosper and succeed in all you do." This call was not just to simply read Scripture. It was a call to study it continually and meditate on it day and night. This was a call to be dedicated to the hard work of knowing and studying Scripture. Moreover, this instruction came with a promise: if Joshua studied Scripture diligently, he would prosper in all he did. This prosperity does not mean prosperity in the world's eyes. Instead, it meant prospering in his faith and relationship with God.
Being a successful student of the Bible requires hard work and discipline. We have to be willing to put in the hard work if we want to succeed. However, this hard work is certainly worth it. If we study God's Word diligently, we will be rewarded. We will be successful and prosper. Remember, this success is not necessarily the way we might typically view success. Instead, it is success in God's eyes: living for Him and His kingdom.
As you think about your own life, are you dedicated to studying Scripture deeply and diligently? What is going well? What needs improvement? Are you willing to make changes to center your life around studying God's Word?
Moving Toward Action
Take some time today to begin memorizing Joshua 1:8. For the next week, work toward memorizing this verse. As you commit it to memory, let this verse be an encouragement to be disciplined to work hard to study the Bible on a deep level.
Going Deeper
Read Joshua 1:1-9 (NLT)
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