Joshua, Praying Boldly (Part 2)

3. Joshua was chosen by God, and full of the Spirit

Num 27:15-20  Moses spoke to the LORD, saying, "Let the LORD, the God of the spirits of all flesh, appoint a man over the congregation who shall go out before them and come in before them, who shall lead them out and bring them in, that the congregation of the LORD may not be as sheep that have no shepherd."  So the LORD said to Moses, "Take Joshua the son of Nun, a man in whom is the Spirit, and lay your hand on him. Make him stand before Eleazar the priest and all the congregation, and you shall commission him in their sight. You shall invest him with some of your authority, that all the congregation of the people of Israel may obey.

Deu_34:9  And Joshua the son of Nun was full of the spirit of wisdom, for Moses had laid his hands on him. So the people of Israel obeyed him and did as the LORD had commanded Moses.

True bold, audacious prayer must be led by the spirit. It is possible to ask God for anything, but we can be bold when we believe that we are praying what God has put on our heart.

 

4. He had his own encounter with God.

Jos 1:1-7 After the death of Moses the servant of the LORD, the LORD said to Joshua the son of Nun, Moses' assistant,  "Moses my servant is dead. Now therefore arise, go over this Jordan, you and all this people, into the land that I am giving to them, to the people of Israel.Every place that the sole of your foot will tread upon I have given to you, just as I promised to Moses. From the wilderness and this Lebanon as far as the great river, the river Euphrates, all the land of the Hittites to the Great Sea toward the going down of the sun shall be your territory.No man shall be able to stand before you all the days of your life. Just a s I was with Moses, so I will be with you. I will not leave you or forsake you.   Be strong and courageous, for you shall cause this people to inherit the land that I swore to their fathers to give them. Only be strong and very courageous, being careful to do according to all the law that Moses my servant commanded you. Do not turn from it to the right hand or to the left, that you may have good success wherever you go.

God was very direct here, even blunt, "Moses is dead."  Clearly,

Joshua is now “the man”.  Every person with a strong mentor has to come to a place of dependence on God alone. Joshua had experienced many things, but always as an assistant to Moses. He is now on his own. Joshua must have been very afraid, because God tells him several times to not be afraid, to be courageous. God will be with him, will lead him, just like he did with Moses.

 5. Joshua Experienced God’s guidance

 Joshua 3-5 God gives instructions, which Joshua follows carefully to enter the land. When they came to the river Jordan, God did not part the river before them like He had parted the Red Sea. The priests had to carry the ark into the swollen, flooded river and stand there as the water subsided after God stopped the waters up the river several miles. Joshua could not just do what he had seen Moses do, he had to hear God for himself.  

 Joshua 6 is the story of the battle of Jericho, which was very unconventional. God was very specific, Joshua followed his commands, and they defeated Jericho.

 After many experiences of God's miraculous works, Joshua comes to fight the Amorites, recorded in Joshua 10.

Joshua 10:8-14  And the LORD said to Joshua, "Do not fear them, for I have given them into your hands. Not a man of them shall stand before you."

  So Joshua came upon them suddenly, having marched up all night from Gilgal.
  And the LORD threw them into a panic before Israel, who struck them with a great blow at Gibeon and chased them by the way of the ascent of Beth-horon and struck them as far as Azekah and Makkedah.  And as they fled before Israel, while they were going down the ascent of Beth-horon, the LORD threw down large stones from heaven on them as far as Azekah, and they died. There were more who died because of the hailstones than the sons of Israel killed with the sword.  At that time Joshua spoke to the LORD in the day when the LORD gave the Amorites over to the sons of Israel, and he said in the sight of Israel, "Sun, stand still at Gibeon, and moon, in the Valley of Aijalon."

(If the story ended here, I would say, "Too bold, Joshua, you went a little crazy with this one, too audacious. You can't tell the sun to stand still, it affects everyone on earth!")

 And the sun stood still, and the moon stopped, until the nation took vengeance on their enemies. Is this not written in the Book of Jashar? The sun stopped in the midst of heaven and did not hurry to set for about a whole day. There has been no day like it before or since, when the LORD heeded the voice of a man, for the LORD fought for Israel.

 God did it! He made the sun stand still because Joshua asked Him to.

 

But, as we went back and looked at Joshua's life, I think we can see that Joshua grew to a point that I could pray such a bold prayer.  We don't just wake up one day with that kind of bold spirit, we grow into it.