Called To Serve!

Joshua 5:13-15

Reaching the end of a job interview, the human resources person asked a young engineer fresh out of MIT what kind of a salary he was looking for.

           “In the neighborhood of $140,000 a year, depending on the benefits package."

“Well, what would you say to a package of 5-weeks vacation, 14 paid holidays, full medical & dental, company matching retirement fund to 50% of salary, & a company car leased every 2 years...say, a red Corvette?”

           “Wow! Are you kidding?”

           “Yeah, but you started it.”

A servant’s heart is sorely lacking in our society today.

           God’s people should have a servant’s heart.

                      A servants heart like Joshua had!!

Joshua was a respected General, the nation’s top leader.

           Yet he understood clearly his role as a servant of God.

           Joshua demonstrated a radical subservience to the commands of the King.

                      Joshua’s obedience was unflinching.

1. Joshua Yielded to God!

An unusual event in Joshua’s life occurred on the eve of his famous attack on Jericho.

           Jericho symbolized the very thing that had terrified the ten Hebrew spies forty years earlier.

                      It was a walled city protected by menacing soldiers.

                      It looked invincible.

           Jericho was the ultimate test of the Israelites.

                      They had finally entered the Promised Land, but they had yet to fight the enemy.

                      The following day would bring the first major test to this generation of Israelite warriors.

The evening before the battle, Joshua carefully surveyed the fortified city.

While doing so, he suddenly came face to face with a very impressive looking soldier with his sword drawn.

                      A drawn sword indicated battle-readiness.

           Joshua boldly confronted the stranger, to see if he was friend or foe.

Joshua found that he was neither for Jericho or for Israel; he was God’s servant!

           More than that, he was the commander of the Lord’s army.

           Being a military man, Joshua immediately recognized one who carried greater authority.

           Joshua knew he stood before one who far outranked him, and who was far more powerful.

Now, when Jacob encountered a heavenly messenger in Genesis 32, his first impulse was to fight.

           When Moses encountered his heavenly visitor at the burning bush, his first impulse was to resist.

           Joshua’s military experience taught him to recognize authority.

                      He knew that subordinates did not argue with superiors.

                      The moment he realized whose presence he was in, there was no fighting, no resisting.

                                 There was only obedience.

Resisting God is a costly venture.

           Jacob resisted God, and limped through the rest of his life.

           Moses resisted God and had to speak for God through Aaron, throughout the rest of his ministry.

           On the other hand, God chose to bless Joshua’s leadership throughout the rest of his life.

A gentleman was in front of a preacher coming out of the church one day.

           The preacher grabbed him by the hand, pulled him aside and said to him,

                      “You need to join the Army of the Lord!”

           The man replied, “I’m already in the Army of the Lord, Preacher.”

           The Preacher questioned, “How come I don’t see you except at Christmas and Easter?”

           He whispered back, “I’m in the secret service.”
 

Are you in the secret service?

           Are you resisting God?

The same God who encountered Jacob, Moses, Joshua and dozens of other Biblical characters, confronts each of us as well with His will.

                      Will we fight against it?

                      Will we flee from it?

                      Or will be submit to it?

The New Testament tells of a man in Jesus’ day who, much like Joshua, displayed remarkable faith.

           In Matthew 8, a Roman centurion approached Jesus on behalf of his ailing servant.

Jesus offered to accompany the Centurion to heal his servant, but the man humbly declined saying:

8 ..."Lord, I do not deserve to have you come under my roof. But just say the word, and my servant will be healed. 9 For I myself am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. I tell this one, 'Go,' and he goes; and that one, 'Come,' and he comes. I say to my servant, 'Do this,' and he does it."

                      This man recognize authority!

                                 For him there was no begrudging or questioning a superior’s command.

                                 There was only submission.

People sometimes speak of “wrestling” with God:

“I know God wants me to lead a Bible study in my home, but I have been wrestling with Him about it, because I don’t feel adequate for the task.”

“I sense God wants me to accept a job transfer, but I have been wrestling with Him, because it means moving away from my friends and relatives.”

Wrestling with God is not a legitimate step in the process of seeking His will.

           It’s blatant disobedience.

           Those who speak of wrestling with God don’t know Him.

                      God is not an equal to be resisted.

                                 He is God and we must yield to Him.

To respond appropriately to God’s will, we must understand His nature.

           God is Love!

                      He cannot and will not act out of any motive but perfect love.

                      Everything God will ever say to you is an expression of His love.

                      Even when he disciplines you, and convicts you of your sin, it’s because He loves you.

                      Why would anyone resist an expression of perfect love?

                                 It’s ludicrous, to say nothing of costly, to argue with Him.

           God is Omniscient!

                      He is all knowing.

                                 He sees the future.

                                 He understands our past and our present in minute detail.

                                 His wisdom is infinite.

                      To what purpose would anyone argue with a God such as this?

           God is Omnipotent!

                      He is all-powerful!

                                 There is nothing or no one that is as powerful as God.

Just listen to what John writes in Revelation 4:11 "You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they were created and have their being."

The evidence of His existence and greatness is all around us, but it still requires faith to believe Him and to obey Him.

           Some feel they can argue with God, because they have yet to learn what He is truly like.

However, those who really come to know Christ will deny themselves, take up their crosses, and follow Him.

2. Joshua obeyed God!

Joshua was not a halfhearted believer.

His unquestioned obedience, is seen in an event that occurred after the Israelites crossed the Jordan River, and just before they attacked Jericho.

           It was at this time, that God told Joshua to circumcise all the Israelite males. (Josh. 5:2)

Evidently, none of the children born during the 40 years of wandering in the wilderness had been circumcised as God’s Law directed.

Before God would use them to establish a nation in Canaan, He wanted all the men to physically bear the sign of His covenant.

However, from Joshua’s point of view, this was not a good time, to say the least, to do this.

           They had just enter enemy territory, and Joshua was about to lead his men into battle.

                      Having them circumcised at this time, would leave them vulnerable to attack.

Now, we would have excused Joshua for waiting for a safer, more convenient time, to take care of this matter.

                      But Joshua’s primary concern was not safety or convenience; it was obedience.

                      Joshua wisely concluded, that the best place for his army was in the center of God’s will.

                                 Even if God’s will didn’t seem to make since at the time.

Since God first established his covenant with Abraham, God directed that all Hebrew boys were to be circumcision as a sign of the covenant.

God was so serious about this, that when Moses failed to circumcise his son in Exodus 4, God sought to kill him.

Moses wife, Zipporah, realizing what was happening, quickly circumcised their son, saving Moses life.

Why Moses had put this off, we are not sure, but whatever the reason, God expected the leader of His people to adhere to His commands.

                                 Failing to do so, almost cost Moses his life.

It’s not clear why this command was not carried out during the 40 years of wandering in the desert.

But in light of Moses’ failure to have his son or any other males circumcised, Joshua’s immediate obedience to God’s instruction is even more impressive.

He understood that circumcision represented the people’s commitment to God’s covenant.

                      But more importantly, it represented their commitment to God Himself.

Before they invaded the promised land, every man was to signify his total commitment to God.

           In calling for every male to be circumcised, Joshua surely encountered some resistence.

                      He also risked his popularity as a leader.

           But when it came to following God’s commands, Joshua was single-minded.

A couple named Curt and Jerrie went on an African safari.

           They learned a lesson about following the instructions of the guide.

           One day the guide took them out to find an elephant herd.

                      But he made them promise in advance, to obey his rules before they even went out.

           He gave them some very specific rules.

He said, “First, if I say ‘Run!’ you run! Don’t pause. Don’t stop. Don’t take a picture. Don’t think you can hide. Don’t drop to your knees. You run! That’s law number one.

Number two, when you run, follow me exactly. Put your feet in my footprints. Follow me step by step. Don’t try to forge your own trial. Because in a panic, you’ll either get lost in the jungle, or you’ll step on things you wish you hadn’t stepped on. You run when I say run, and you follow my steps exactly.”

                      Sure enough they came upon an elephant herd and it stampeded.

                                 The guide said, “Run!” and some of the people froze in their tracks.

                                            The guide said again, “Run!”

Jerrie said, “at that moment, in spite of my fear, I had to move forward. If I hadn’t obeyed I would have been trampled. If I hadn’t followed exactly in the footsteps of the guide, I might have stepped on something dangerous

                                                                  or I might have gotten lost.

                                 The point was, she said,

                                            I had to make the decision to obey before I was in the circumstance.”

Throughout his life, Joshua took God’s instructions very seriously.

           Joshua saw God’s Word as wholly binding upon him.

           With Joshua there was no quarreling.

                      There was no negotiating.

                      There was no delaying.

                      There was no revising.

                      There was only absolute and immediate obedience.

Dave Bosewell tells a story about Earl Weaver, former manager of the Baltimore Orioles.

           Weaver had a rule, no one could steal a base unless given the steal sign.

                      This upset one of his star players, Reggie Jackson.

Jackson felt he knew the pitchers and catchers well enough to judge who he could and could not steal off of.

           So one game he decided to steal without a sign.

                      He got a good jump off the pitcher, and easily beat the throw to second base.

As he shook the dirt off his uniform, Jackson smiled with delight, feeling he had vindicated his judgment to his manager.

           Later Weaver took Jackson aside and explained why he hadn’t given the steal sign.

                      First, the next batter was Lee May, his best power hitter other than Jackson.

When Jackson stole second, first base was left open, so the other team walked May intentionally, taking the bat out of his hands.

Second, the following batter hadn’t been strong against this pitcher, so Weaver felt he had to send up a pinch hitter, to try to drive in the men on base.

                                 That left Weaver without bench strength later in the game.

           The problem was, Jackson saw only his relationship to the pitcher and catcher.

                      Weaver was watching the whole game.

           We, too, see only so far, but God sees the bigger picture.

                      When He sends us a signal, it’s wise to obey, no matter what we may think WE know.

For Joshua, the decision was made long ago, he would obey God in any and all circumstances.

           And it was that decision, that caused Joshua to go from ordinary to extraordinary.