How is the study of God’s word going in your life? Do you seem to have difficulty allowing the words you read to transform into actions and attitudes in your daily living? In Joshua 1:8, he is taking a stand. He was choosing to know God’s word and to meditate on God’s word day and night. He even gives a promise to those who obey what they read. Those who obey will make their way prosperous, and they will have good success. Joshua does not suggest obedience to gain prosperity. However, if he follows God’s plan to “be strong and of good courage” to “study and meditate,” he will be able to achieve the specific purpose to which God has called Him.
Joshua 1:8 “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.”
As we look at Joshua’s life, it is evident that God was preparing him for something great. Joshua would take up where Moses left off. He would lead God’s people, and in this chapter, God tells him three times to have courage and to be bold. He will need those two character traits to follow through on leading the Israelites. But first, he is to meditate on God’s word.
To meditate means to think the verse over and over and over! We need to see the verse from every possible angle and then apply it to our own lives. Often, I read a verse and look it up in several different commentaries. I use a Bible dictionary to find out the original meaning. Sometimes, a word in English means something very different from Hebrew or Greek. Another way to meditate on God’s word comes from the Hebrew word for meditation: “hageh.” This means to quietly speak the word over and over to yourself. We need to make sure we understand what God intended a verse to mean so that we can put it into action correctly. This will help us to keep another command.
Psalm 119:11 “Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee.”
When we repeat the words, we memorize them, or rather, “hide it in our hearts.” This will help us avoid sin. We give the Holy Spirit something to work with, and when we need to apply the verses, he can bring them to our memory.
Joshua would need to understand completely what God wanted him to do. He was approaching a time when he would have to take a stand. The Israelites had waffled back and forth from obedience to disobedience. They were in great danger of the worship of idols. Because Joshua was very secure in the almighty God Jehovah, he had no qualms about the declaration in Joshua 24:15.
Joshua 24:15 “And if it seems evil unto you to serve the LORD, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.”
So, how’s your study time? Are you spending time meditating on God’s word? Are you meditating and doing what you learn? You never know when or what task God has planned for your life. You need to be ready, and the preparation time is now. Choose to think on God’s word day and night, and it will change your life!
