17 May 2010
Psalm 89:1-18; Joshua 1:1-9; Eph. 3:1-13; Matt. 8:5-17

Three times in these nine verses the Lord tells Joshua to be strong and courageous. In Deuteronomy 31 Moses had commissioned Joshua to be his successor and had used these same words as he encouraged him to step into the anointing of God. In fact, Moses had promised in that same passage that God would be with Joshua and the Lord had promised it as well. Why does Joshua, of all people, have to be told to be strong and courageous so many times? He was one of two who said that they should enter the land to conquer it forty years before, surely this man had no fear. The move from aide-de-camp to leader is a large one. Leaders have a greater burden than assistants and they need a different variety of courage, they bear the responsibility for the people, they make the final decisions and must live with the consequences. Joshua is promised success here but is also cautioned to be careful where he puts his feet, neither right nor left, but where the Lord tells him to go. He is to be the first leader whose responsibility it is to be under the book of the Law.

The faith of the centurion is remarkable. His confession is that he leads men and they do what he tells them to do. His confession of Jesus is that he believes that illness will obey Jesus in the same way his men obey him. Jesus’ response was to marvel at the faith of this Gentile in light of the unbelief He saw among the Israelites. I had a friend who pastured a church for “seekers” in Oklahoma City several years ago. One Sunday a month he had a group of people from the church with prophetic gifts come forward and speak words to the congregation, words of knowledge typically for someone or someones in the church. I asked my friend if this was “seeker-sensitive” and his response was that he had found people outside the church were typically more open to a big God than people inside the church. We are often lulled to sleep by our comfortable theological boxing in of God in ways that keep us from seeing His greatness.

Paul speaks of himself as a prisoner of Christ Jesus for the sake of the Gentiles. He was a man taught to see the Gentiles, non-Jews, as of lesser value in the grand scheme of things. He was taught to take great pride in his chosenness and that was all undone in the flash of a moment on the road to Damascus. The Pharisee of Pharisees had become the one who took salvation to the Gentiles. Paul was a man whose entire worldview and self-understanding were radically altered and instead of resisting, Paul devoted the rest of his life to the mission. Are we willing to allow God to re-direct our thoughts and our steps in this way? Are we ready to become a prisoner of Christ Jesus, a servant of the Gospel, for the sake of others? Can we live our lives inside out for the sake of the Gospel as Jesus did, as the apostles did, and as Paul did?

Righteousness and justice are the foundation of your throne;
steadfast love and faithfulness go before you.
Blessed are the people who know the festal shout,
who walk, O LORD, in the light of your face,
who exult in your name all the day
and in your righteousness are exalted.
For you are the glory of their strength;
by your favor our horn is exalted.