Joshua 1:1-2 (NLT) After the death of Moses, the Lord’s servant, the Lord spoke to Joshua son of Nun, Moses’ assistant. He said, “Moses my servant is dead. Therefore, the time has come for you to lead these people, the Israelites, across the Jordan River into the land I am giving them.
The book of Joshua records the history of the conquest of Canaan (The Promised Land) by Israel. Evidently, the “sin of the Amorites” had finally “reached its full measure” (Genesis 15:16). God would bring justice to the land as He had promised Abraham four generations earlier. Leviticus 18 lists those sins. God said, “the land was defiled; so I punished it for its sin” (Leviticus 18:25). Righteousness and justice are two of God’s primary qualities. There is a limit to what God will tolerate before executing judgment. “Don’t you see how wonderfully kind, tolerant, and patient God is with you? …Can’t you see that His kindness is intended to turn you from your sin” (Romans 2:4 NLT). For those who resist God’s mercy and who continue to live as conduits of evil, judgment will come. We can take comfort in knowing that we serve a God who sees it all, measures it all, and is righteous and just in all His ways. PRAYER: “O righteous God, who searches minds and hearts, bring to an end the violence of the wicked and make the righteous secure” (Psalm 7:9).