Scripture to Meditate on This Week

Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” Joshua 1.9

This is such an encouraging bit of Scripture. Could it be? The presence of Yahweh our God wherever we go? At the same time, this passage affords us an opportunity to notice one very important aspect of careful meditation.

Who is the 'you' in this verse? It's not me or you. It's Joshua. This promise of God's presence was said to him. So, it's actually not a promise spoken to us. And that makes a difference.

It's always important to remember that nothing in the Bible was written directly to us. It was for Joshua or the Corinthians or whomever Mark was writing to, etc. And yet, everything in the Bible is to be applied to us, in one way or another. If we are careful, we will be able to see how what was written to Joshua actually does apply to us.

What we have here in Joshua 1.9 is simply another instance of the Immanuel principle. This is something that we bump into in many different places in the Scriptures. This example emphasizes certain aspects of that principle. It emphasizes that God has commanded some things - see the larger context - and that obedience to His commands is always possible because wherever that obedience leads, the Father is there. When we understand how the Immanuel principle applies also to us, we will see that what was true for Joshua is also true for us.