February 2, 2014 - Sunday

Start Time: 4:43 A.M.

End Time: 6:11 A.M.

Title: Joshua to succeed Moses

Scripture: Deuteronomy 31:1 – 3o

God’s Message / God’s Promise / God’s Commands:

→ Then Moses went out and spoke these words to all Israel: “I am now a hundred and twenty years old and I am no longer able to lead you. The Lord has said to me, ‘You shall not cross the Jordan.’ The Lord your God himself will cross over ahead of you. He will destroy these nations before you, and you will take possession of their land. Joshua also will cross over ahead of you, as the Lord said. And the Lord will do to them what he did to Sihon and Og, the kings of the Amorites, whom he destroyed along with their land.  The Lord will deliver them to you, and you must do to them all that I have commanded you.  Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.”

NOTES:

Ø God goes over us and will never leave or forsake us! God continued in His conversation with His people that His promise includes His presence always with us.  When we face battles, when we’re happy, when we’re afraid, when we’re about to cross our Jordan in our lives… wherever and whatever we do, God promises to be with us the whole time.  So there is no reason to be afraid or scared but only to become strong and courageous because we know that God is true to His promises and He tells us that HE will be with us.  He promises to become our Deliverer and Savior.  He will walk before us and even with us as we take possession of the promises He gave us.  HE will destroy our enemies and whoever decides to go against us.  Let our confidence and trust be placed upon Him for His words are true and never broken so when He promises to be with us… He is with us!  And when He promises He will deliver us, He already did!  So lean on to Him and put our trust in Him alone.

→ Then Moses summoned Joshua and said to him in the presence of all Israel, “Be strong and courageous, for you must go with this people into the land that the Lord swore to their ancestors to give them, and you must divide it among them as their inheritance. The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.”

NOTES:

Ø God is a God who appoints leaders for us to satisfy our desire for leadership!  God works in the leaders He places upon us and He gives the same promise to them, His presence, as they lead His people; His directions to guide them; His Words, unbroken and with power to lead him to His plan.  God thought of everything for His people even for the leadership that He appoints over His people.  So we trust His decision and wisdom because it is infinite.  Let us submit to the people God places over us and at the same time trust Him to be the ultimate leader of us.  Casting all our fears to Him because His presence drives them away and leave us with peace in the midst of trouble.

→ So Moses wrote down this law and gave it to the Levitical priests, who carried the ark of the covenant of the Lord, and to all the elders of Israel. Then Moses commanded them: “At the end of every seven years, in the year for canceling debts, during the Festival of Tabernacles, ¹¹ when all Israel comes to appear before the Lord your God at the place he will choose, you shall read this law before them in their hearing. Assemble the people—men, women and children, and the foreigners residing in your towns—so they can listen and learn to fear the Lord your God and follow carefully all the words of this law.  Their children, who do not know this law, must hear it and learn to fear the Lord your God as long as you live in the land you are crossing the Jordan to possess.”

NOTES:

Ø God wants us to remember great memories of the past that allows us to remember what He has done for us!  He ensures that we never forget and that the younger generation knows who God is and what He has done for His people – again this is all for the sake of His people.  He wants them to remember all the good things He did because God’s goodness leads His people to repentance and thanksgiving, which ultimately lead us into choosing right decisions and choices in our lives.  God wants us to continue to obey, continue to live in prosperity with joy and gladness in His presence and never to serve other gods in poverty so He ensures that His people remembers and made the reading of His law a command, not only in their own houses, but as a community, they are to read His words in their midst.  To celebrate and reminisce God’s goodness and love for them.  This is God’s way of affirming His love for us.  Even as humans, we want our partners, our parents, our siblings, etc, to tell us that they love us and at times we want them to say it over and over again.  We don’t get tired of hearing it and God knows that.  He knows that we have that desire in us because He created us so HE ensures that we will never forget His love by commanding to read His law in every house and even as they gather as a community.  So we should do the same!  Hallelujah!  Thank You Lord for Your love truly endures forever and I am blessed for You ensure that I know about Your love every day.  Thank You Jesus!

→The Lord said to Moses, “Now the day of your death is near. Call Joshua and present yourselves at the tent of meeting, where I will commission him.” So Moses and Joshua came and presented themselves at the tent of meeting. Then the Lord appeared at the tent in a pillar of cloud, and the cloud stood over the entrance to the tent. And the Lord said to Moses: “You are going to rest with your ancestors, and these people will soon prostitute themselves to the foreign gods of the land they are entering. They will forsake me and break the covenant I made with them. And in that day I will become angry with them and forsake them; I will hide my face from them, and they will be destroyed. Many disasters and calamities will come on them, and in that day they will ask, ‘Have not these disasters come on us because our God is not with us?’ And I will certainly hide my face in that day because of all their wickedness in turning to other gods. “Now write down this song and teach it to the Israelites and have them sing it, so that it may be a witness for me against them. When I have brought them into the land flowing with milk and honey, the land I promised on oath to their ancestors, and when they eat their fill and thrive, they will turn to other gods and worship them, rejecting me and breaking my covenant. And when many disasters and calamities come on them, this song will testify against them, because it will not be forgotten by their descendants. I know what they are disposed to do, even before I bring them into the land I promised them on oath.” So Moses wrote down this song that day and taught it to the Israelites.  The Lord gave this command to Joshua son of Nun: “Be strong and courageous, for you will bring the Israelites into the land I promised them on oath, and I myself will be with you.

NOTES:

Ø God is a God who sets right and accurate expectations to His appointed one!  When God told Moses to bring Joshua in His presence so that He will commission him to lead His people to the promise land, God ensures that Joshua knows what He is getting into.  He told Him what will happen to the people He will be leading and the future was revealed to Joshua.  God is the truth and He does not hide it from us.  He reveals them to His appointed one and gives them the assurance that He will be with them in facing the future.  Joshua can back out but with God on Your side, why would you?  This is our God!  That’s why it is amazing to serve Him and when you started giving Him Your all, You don’t want to leave in service of Him.  Praise God!  Thank You for You reveal the future to Joshua, to the people You appoint.

Ø God is a God who practices love in His anger!  God gave Moses a song for His people to sing so when the time comes that the people will turn to other gods and serve them and all the curses shall be upon them and God will hide His face from them, this song will become a witness of God’s goodness, of what God has done, of God’s love for them… amazing!  God created a song so that His people will remember His love and goodness and in times when curses consume their lives and darkness overcome them, this song will bear witness of God and the people will remember and God’s goodness and love will turn the people back to Him!  Hallelujah!

→ After Moses finished writing in a book the words of this law from beginning to end, he gave this command to the Levites who carried the ark of the covenant of the Lord:  “Take this Book of the Law and place it beside the ark of the covenant of the Lord your God. There it will remain as a witness against you. For I know how rebellious and stiff-necked you are. If you have been rebellious against the Lord while I am still alive and with you, how much more will you rebel after I die! Assemble before me all the elders of your tribes and all your officials, so that I can speak these words in their hearing and call the heavens and the earth to testify against them.  For I know that after my death you are sure to become utterly corrupt and to turn from the way I have commanded you. In days to come, disaster will fall on you because you will do evil in the sight of the Lord and arouse his anger by what your hands have made.”

NOTES:

Ø God is a God of long-suffering (Patient) for His people!  He is an enduring God!  This character is clearly shown in Moses.  Despite of what God knows - that the people will do evil in the future against Him, He is patient and enduring!  He created a song and had Moses finished the laws for His people.  Both the Book of law and the song speaks of God’s love and goodness, what God has done for His people, so that the people will always remember His love.  And in times when they have turned against God and God has turned His face upon them, these book and song will remind them of God and will lead them to cry out to Him…and God seeing His people oppressed, orphans, foreigners and hopeless, will hear their cry and deliver them!  What an amazing Lord we have!  A God who continues to endure all our complaints, our disobedience, our wrong decisions, our mistakes, etc.  No matter how messy and evil we become, His arms are wide open to accept us when we decide to return.  The Father’s love – incomparable and true and real!  Thank You Lord!

Prayer:

Lord amazing Jesus, the God of love, the miraculous One, Almighty and Great!  I am amazed and speechless of Your love and goodness!  Lord today, I learn of Your patient and I am moved and flabbergasted because You’ve endured so much from Your people.  You’ve endured so much from me.  Lord thank You because You are long-suffering and You keep me within reach even when I let go of You.  Thank You because You let me remember Your love and goodness and lead me back to You.  Father, I am sorry for the times I have let You endured so much pain because of my wrong decisions and choices.  Because of my disobedience and selfish actions.  Thank You because despite of all of my mistakes, You find a way to turn all these things for the good of me.  And You make a way that I remember Your love, Your grace, and Your favor.  Thank You Jesus.  Thank You for Your love and goodness that I can never understand.  Holy Spirit, help me to remember always, to dwell in Your love and goodness every day.  Lord, show me daily Your Grace, Your Favor and Your love that I will always live in You and never go away.  Lord, I want to rest in You and I want fill my days with Your love and goodness so I can live good days and long life, all in service to You.  In Jesus’ Name, Amen!