“The Key To Success: The LORD’s Lip Service” | Joshua 1:7-9 Bible Study

First shared 10.5.22. First posted 10.18.22. Much of this material was shared in a previous sermon on Joshua 1:7-9.

• Introduction
• Context
• Bible Study Audio
• Bible Study Video
• Live Stream Recording
• Bible Study Slideshow
• Conclusion
• Bibliography

Introduction

May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in Your Sight, O LORD, my Rock and my Redeemer (Ps 19:14).

You know, there’s a straightforward way to make sure that the words of our mouths and the meditation of our hearts are acceptable to God: Keep God’s word in our mouths, and keep meditation of God’s word in our hearts. That’s the key to success.

Now I mentioned last week in a study on the Parable of the Lost Son(s) that, since I was the student council president my senior year of high school, I had the first parking spot in the parking lot. The only problem was, I didn’t have a car I could park in the parking lot.

But after a lot of begging and pleading, my parents eventually got me my first car. And, at first, I was so excited. But then I found out that it had one of those millennial anti-theft devices. Have you heard of cars with millennial anti-theft devices?

Those are the cars with a manual transmission. And many millennials can’t drive a stick. You can find some funny videos on YouTube of would be carjackers who run off because they can’t even correctly handle what they’re trying to take.

In any case, my car was equipped with a millennial anti-theft device. It also had some really remarkable rust spots. It had some stupendous chips in the paint. The car was the same age as me. You know, all things that every 17-year-old dreams of… for their first car.

When my Dad offered me the keys, I’m thinking: this car don’t look cool, and it’s going to be hard to learn how to handle… do I even want these keys?

My brothers and sisters, do you even want these keys? According to God’s word, today I offer the keys to success, but do you even want these keys?

Simply put, the keys to success are continually reciting, meditating on, and obeying the word of the LORD. But do we even want these keys?

I’ll tell you straight up, it’s not going to look cool. What’s “cool” changes with the shifting sands of society. And in our culture, every day, being a true Christian is becoming less and less cool.

And I’ll tell you straight up, sometimes it’s going to be hard to learn how to handle. It’s often hard to understand and apply God’s word. But as Paul tells Timothy in 2 Tim 2:15:

Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth. (2 Tim 2:15, NIV)

We have to do our best even though the word is sometimes hard to handle – and it’s often not going to look cool. But do we even want these keys?

If we say yes, we have to mean it. We can’t just give idiomatic lip service. According to the popular expression, “lip service” often refers to saying one thing with one’s mouth but not backing up it with one’s actions. Talking the talk but not walking the walk.

But we must keep the instructions of the LORD on our lips so we can better serve the LORD. This is what I like to call, the LORD’s lip service. The LORD’s lip service.

As we see in Joshua 1:8 (NIV), the LORD tells Joshua:

Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful. (Jos 1:8, NIV)

The LORD’s lip service is the key to success.

Now many false prophets will try to twist this passage. It’s not saying if you do this and that… that God will make you rich. A lot of carjackers can’t even correctly handle what they try to take – out of context.

Context

So, let’s examine the context. In this context, the LORD is about to give the Promised Land to the people of Israel.

I think it’s beneficial to review some of the history – because there’s no history more important than the history in God’s word. And I don’t want the holy history to be a holy mystery.

Nowadays we have Netflix, Hulu, Disney+ and all these other streaming services. Now, you can binge-watch entire seasons of your favorite shows. Never in history have we had so much access to so much entertainment at our fingertips.

And never in history have we had so much access to so much Scripture at our fingertips. But do we binge on the Bible?

In any case, if you start watching a show at the start of season 6, and you don’t know what happened in seasons 1-5, you’re not going to understand everything that’s going on.

Well, in Scripture, Joshua is basically the start of season 6. And, if we don’t know what happened in the seasons 1-5 – the first five books of the Bible – we’re not going to understand everything that’s going on.

So, let’s review some of the holy history, so we can understand the significance of this historic moment in Joshua 1. And let’s see if we can trace some important themes.

As you may recall, after the Exodus, the Israelites were supposed to inherit the Promised Land – as the LORD had promised Abraham.

As we read in Genesis 13:14-17:

14 The LORD [YHWH] said to Abram after Lot had parted from him, “Look around from where you are, to the north and south, to the east and west. 15 All the land that you see I will give to you and your offspring forever. 16 I will make your offspring like the dust of the earth, so that if anyone could count the dust, then your offspring could be counted. 17 Go, walk through the length and breadth of the land, for I am giving it to you. (Gen 13:14-17, NIV)

Notice how Abraham is not earning this land. He is not working for the land. The LORD is giving the land – to Abraham and his offspring.

After repeating this promise to Abraham in Genesis 22 (Gen 22:17),[1] it is also reaffirmed to Abraham’s son, Isaac, in Genesis 26.

As we read in Genesis 26:2-5:

2 The LORD [YHWH] appeared to Isaac and said, “Do not go down to Egypt; live in the land where I tell you to live. 3 Stay in this land for a while, and I will be with you and will bless you. For to you and your descendants I will give all these lands and will confirm the oath I swore to your father Abraham. 4 I will make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and will give them all these lands, and through your offspring all nations on earth will be blessed, 5 because Abraham obeyed me and did everything I required of him, keeping my commands, my decrees and my instructions. (Gen 26:2-5, NIV)[2](cf. Gen 17:8)¹

There are some important themes here. First, the LORD says I will be with you and will bless you. As you may recall, our theme last year was “God is With Us”. And, isn’t it nice to know that God’s presence is associated with God’s blessing?

Now, as I’ve mentioned before, in 2021, my wife and I got a new kitten named Taliyah. I may be a bit biased, but she is – in fact – the cutest cat in the world.

Now, at first, Taliyah was very shy and wouldn’t even let us pet her. She was a scaredy cat. For the first week, she lived in the bathroom, behind the toilet. Until she warmed up to us, we had to let her have her space.

But now, she runs the place. She chases her toys. She purrs like a car engine. And she runs up and down the stairs at 4AM.

In addition, she’s become more affectionate – especially when it’s time to eat. Oh yeah, when she hears me open up that can of Fancy Feast – she starts rubbing up on me, making her cute cat noises and lookin’ at me with those cute kitty eyes. Oh, we best friends when she’s hungry.

At other times, we just cool. You know, cats can be moody. But one thing I’ve noticed is that when I reach out to pet her, she almost always does one thing: she sniffs my hand. And, sometimes, if my hand is closed, she’ll paw at me to open it up. She’s not even focused on my face, she’s focused on my hand.

Because you know what she wants: treats. Now, I know she’s just a kitten and I’m just a man. But, my brothers and sisters, do we seek God’s hand, more than we seek His Face?

That is, are we sometimes more focused with the treats God gives us than with God Himself? Are we more concerned with His confections than with His countenance? Do we love His presents more than His Presence?

As we said around Christmas, the greatest of all presents is the Presence of Christ. The Presence of Immanuel – who is God With Us.

My cat adores me – when she’s hungry, when she’s thirsty, when she wants something from me. Let’s not only adore God when we want something from Him. His Presence is a present. It’s a blessing that God is With Us – as He was withAbraham and Isaac.

And the LORD says to Abraham’s son, Isaac, that He will fulfill His promise to Abraham – because Abraham obeyed and did everything the LORD required in His instructions. And obeying and doing the LORD’s instructions is an important theme.

In Hebrew, “instructions” is the familiar word Torah or torah.[3] And the LORD reaffirms the familiar promise: Isaac’s family and offspring will be given the Promised Land.

And the LORD again reaffirms this promise to Isaac’s son, Jacob, in a dream. As we read in Genesis 28:13-15:

13 There above it stood the LORD [YHWH], and he said: “I am the LORD [YHWH], the God of your father Abrahamand the God of Isaac. I will give you and your descendants the land on which you are lying. 14 Your descendants will be like the dust of the earth, and you will spread out to the west and to the east, to the north and to the south. All peoples on earth will be blessed through you and your offspring. 15 I am with you and will watch over you wherever you go, and I will bring you back to this land. I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you.” (Gen 28:13-15, NIV)²

Again, the LORD promises to be with Jacob, and to give he and his descendants the Promised Land.

Then, as you may recall, Jacob’s son Joseph ends up in Egypt after being sold into slavery by his brothers. But the LORD was with him.

As we see in Genesis 39:2-4:

2 The LORD [YHWH] was with Joseph so that he prospered [צָלַח | ṣālaḥ], and he lived in the house of his Egyptian master. 3 When his master saw that the LORD [YHWH] was with him and that the LORD [YHWH] gave him successin everything he did, 4 Joseph found favor in his eyes and became his attendant. Potiphar put him in charge of his household, and he entrusted to his care everything he owned. (Gen 39:2-4, NIV)[4]

Then, as you may recall, Potiphar’s wife lied on Joseph. And he ended up in prison (Gen 39:1-19). But the LORD was still with him. As we see in Genesis 39:20-21:

20 Joseph’s master took him and put him in prison, the place where the king’s prisoners were confined. But while Joseph was there in the prison, 21 the LORD [YHWH] was with him; he showed him kindness and granted him favor in the eyes of the prison warden. (Gen 39:20-21, NIV)

Later, after Joseph interprets Pharaoh’s dreams about the upcoming famine in Egypt, in Genesis 41:38-40, it reads:

38 So Pharaoh asked them, “Can we find anyone like this man, one in whom is the spirit of God?” 39 Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Since God has made all this known to you, there is no one so discerning and wise as you. 40 You shall be in charge of my palace, and all my people are to submit to your orders. Only with respect to the throne will I be greater than you.” (Gen 41:38-40, NIV)

You see, in the house of Potiphar, the LORD was with him. In prison, the LORD was with him, and in the palace– even Pharaoh recognized that the LORD was with him.

So Joseph becomes second-in-command in Egypt – he’s the head Hebrew in charge. And so he’s able to help his family and his people when they come to Egypt because of the famine (Genesis 42f.)

However, after the Pharaoh that put Joseph in charge died, the next Pharaoh started oppressing and enslaving the nextgeneration of Israelites (Ex 1:6-14). Because he thought the Israelites were getting too numerous, he even ordered that all newborn Hebrew boys be killed (Ex 1:15).

Similarly, in the first-century, King Herod ordered the execution all of the Hebrew boys in Bethlehem under the age of two. You see, wicked rulers have no problems with innocent babies being killed.

But thanks be to God, the LORD was with Moses and the people of Israel. Through Moses, he sent Ten Plagues (Exodus 7:14f), walked them through the Red Sea (Exodus 14), fed them manna and quail from Heaven (Exodus 16), gave them water from a rock (Exodus 17:1-7), and made a covenant with them at Mount Sinai – where He gave the Ten Commandments and other laws (Exodus 19-24).

Sometime later, as we see in Numbers 13:1-2:

1 The LORD [YHWH] said to Moses, 2 “Send some men to explore the land of Canaan, which I am giving to the Israelites. From each ancestral tribe send one of its leaders.” (Num 13:1-2, NIV)

Here, they are at the cusp of the Promised Land, and Moses sends out a man from each of the twelve tribes as scouts. And one of the twelve who is chosen is Joshua (Num 13:8, 16).

So, as you may recall, they explore the land for forty days (Num 13:25), and they find out that it’s a good land, flowing with milk and honey. But ten out of the twelve scouts said that the people who lived in the Promised Land were just too big to be defeated (Num 13:28f.).

Brothers and sisters, no matter what you are going through, no matter how hard your hardships are, no matter how problematic your predicament, there ain’t no problem that’s greater than our God.

Maybe the Israelites forgot how big their God was. Did they forget who sent the Ten Plagues? Did they forget who parted the Red Sea? Did they forget that the LORD was with them?

They must have, because everyone started grumbling against Moses and rebelling against God (Num 14:1-4). Everyone except the other two spies, Caleb and Joshua.

For we read in Number 14:6-9:

6 Joshua son of Nun and Caleb son of Jephunneh, who were among those who had explored the land, tore their clothes 7 and said to the entire Israelite assembly, “The land we passed through and explored is exceedingly good. 8 If the LORD [YHWH] is pleased with us, he will lead us into that land, a land flowing with milk and honey, and will give it to us. 9 Only do not rebel against the LORD [YHWH]. And do not be afraid of the people of the land, because we will devour them. Their protection is gone, but the LORD [YHWH] is with us. Do not be afraid of them.” (Num 14:6-9, NIV)

You see, Joshua understood that, if the LORD was with them, they need not be afraid. He had faith the LORD would be faithful to His word – that God would fulfill His promise, by giving them the Promised Land.

But the people were saying, “Man, we should just go back to Egypt. The LORD should’ve never brought us out” (Num 14:2-4). Could you imagine?

So, because of their rebellion, the LORD makes another promise. In Numbers 14:30, He says:

“Not one of you will enter the land I swore with uplifted hand to make your home, except Caleb son of Jephunneh and Joshua son of Nun.” (Num 14:30, NIV)

Then in Numbers 14:34-35, He says:

34 For forty years—one year for each of the forty days you explored the land—you will suffer for your sins and know what it is like to have me against you.’ 35 I, the LORD [YHWH], have spoken, and I will surely do these things to this whole wicked community, which has banded together against me. They will meet their end in this wilderness; here they will die.” (Num 14:34-35, NIV)

So, God’s like: Did y’all forget what I did in Egypt? You’ve seen with your own eyes what I can do. And yet you doubt that I can bring you into the land? You want to go back? Fine, you won’t go forward.

So, the Israelites wander in the wilderness for forty years – until that entire generation dies. And at the end of Moses’ life, he appoints Joshua as his successor.

Now, in the Book of Deuteronomy, which means “Second Law”, in a sense, Moses reminds the younger generation of Israelites of the LORD’s law a second time.

And in Deuteronomy 31, after Moses reaffirms the promise that God will give them the Promised Land, and drive out the pagan nations who occupy it, in Deuteronomy 31:5-8, he says:

5 The LORD [YHWH] will deliver them to you, and you must do to them all that I have commanded you. 6 Be strongand courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the LORD [YHWH] your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.” (Dt 31:5-6, NIV)³

7 Then Moses summoned Joshua and said to him in the presence of all Israel, “Be strong and courageous, for you must go with this people into the land that the LORD [YHWH] swore to their ancestors to give them, and you must divide it among them as their inheritance. 8 The LORD [YHWH] himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.” (Dt 31:7-8, NIV)⁴

Then, in Deuteronomy 34, Moses climbs up on a mountain and looks at the Promised Land. In Deuteronomy 34:4, it says:

Then the LORD [YHWH] said to him, “This is the land I promised on oath to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob when I said, ‘I will give it to your descendants.’ I have let you see it with your eyes, but you will not cross over into it.” (Dt 34:4, NIV)

So, once again, Israel is on the cusp of the Promised Land. And now Joshua, Moses’ successor, is about to take office.

Then, as we read right before today’s text, in Joshua 1:1-6, it says:

1 After the death of Moses the servant of the LORD [YHWH], the LORD [YHWH] said to Joshua son of Nun, Moses’ aide: 2 “Moses my servant is dead. Now then, you and all these people, get ready to cross the Jordan River into the land I am about to give to them—to the Israelites. 3 I will give you every place where you set your foot, as I promised Moses. 4 Your territory will extend from the desert to Lebanon, and from the great river, the Euphrates—all the Hittite country—to the Mediterranean Sea in the west. (Jos 1:1-4, NIV)

5 No one will be able to stand against you all the days of your life. As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake you. 6 Be strong and courageous, because you will lead these people to inherit the land I swore to their ancestors to give them. (Jos 1:5-6, NIV)

So, through our recap of seasons 1-5, we can see that Joshua 1 contains a lot of familiar language and a lot of familiar themes from earlier in the show.

The LORD promises to be with Joshua as he was with Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph and Moses. And Joshua knows that they could take the Promised Land, which God had first promised in Genesis (also see Gen 50:24), if the LORD was with them.

It’s important to know holy history so Scripture is not a holy mystery.

Joshua is to lead Israel into the Promised Land as Moses’ successor, and the LORD is going to give him the keys to success.

[1] Matthews, 139

[2] Matthews, 139

[3] ZIBBC, 16

[4] Cf. NIDOTTE, 804; Howard, 88-89

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Joshua 1_7-9 Bible Study Slides 10-5-22

Conclusion

In conclusion, we must keep the LORD’s instructions on our lips so we can better serve the LORD. In this world, our lips can be in the service of a lot of things, but our lips should be in the service of the LORD.

We sing that song to the LORD, “Your words my mouth, your thoughts my mind” – “I’m Yours.” That’s the key to success. And let’s not let the holy history be a holy mystery.

On the cusp of the Promised Land that was currently inhabited by pagan nations, we’re not told that God gave Joshua military strategy. We’re not told that He gave him economic advice. Rather, he’s told to follow the LORD’s spiritual instructions.

If he didn’t keep God’s righteous requirements, his leadership would fail.⁵ And if you read the history of Israelite leaders, you’ll see that when the leaders turn from the law of the LORD, the whole nation suffers.⁶

So, if Joshua wanted to be successful as Moses’ successor,⁷ this was to be his first and foremost priority.

Likewise, this should be our first and foremost priority. We must first seek the kingdom of God and His righteousness and then other things will be added unto us (cf. (cf. Mt 6:33).

The key to success is not having a great army (Dt 17:14-20), but putting on the great armor of God (Eph 6:10f.) and knowing how to handle the sword of the Spirit – the word of God.

Doesn’t it make sense? God will guide us to godly success, if we just follow God’s guidelines. The key to greatness is to be on the side of our Great God. The key to victory is to follow the divine directions of the Almighty who is undefeated.

So, don’t be afraid of this wicked world, don’t be discouraged by this sinful society. Be strong! Be courageous! Because the LORD is with us – as he was with Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, and Joshua – we can be holy in hostile territory!

It’s not going to look cool, and it’s often going to be hard to handle.  But reciting, meditating on, and obeying God’s word are the keys to godly success.

The question is, do we even want these keys?

May the LORD bless you and keep you. And may the words of our mouths, and the meditation of our hearts be acceptable in Your Sight, O LORD, our Rock, and our Redeemer (Ps 19:14). In Jesus’ Name, I pray. Amen.

Bibliography

• Bratcher, Robert G., and Barclay Moon Newman. A Translator’s Handbook on the Book of Joshua. UBS Handbook Series. London; New York: United Bible Societies, 1983. [UBS]
• Brown, Francis, Samuel Rolles Driver, and Charles Augustus Briggs. Enhanced Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew and English Lexicon. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1977. [BDB]
• Coleson, Joseph. “Joshua.” In Cornerstone Biblical Commentary: Joshua, Judges, Ruth, edited by Philip W. Comfort. Cornerstone Biblical Commentary. Carol Stream, IL: Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., 2012.
• Dallaire, Hélène M. “Joshua.” In The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Numbers–Ruth (Revised Edition), edited by Tremper Longman III and David E. Garland, Vol. 2. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2012.
• Davidson, A. B. Introductory Hebrew Grammar Hebrew Syntax. 3d ed. Edinburgh: T&T Clark, 1902.
• Firth, David G. The Message of Joshua. Edited by Alec Motyer and Derek Tidball. The Bible Speaks Today. Nottingham, England: Inter-Varsity Press, 2015.
• Gesenius, Friedrich Wilhelm. Gesenius’ Hebrew Grammar. Edited by E. Kautzsch and Sir Arthur Ernest Cowley. 2d English ed. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1910.
• Harris, R. Laird, Gleason L. Archer Jr., and Bruce K. Waltke, eds. Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament. Chicago: Moody Press, 1999. [TWOT]
• Harris, J. Gordon. “Joshua.” In Joshua, Judges, Ruth, edited by W. Ward Gasque, Robert L. Hubbard Jr., and Robert K. Johnston. Understanding the Bible Commentary Series. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 2012.
• Hess, Richard S. Joshua: An Introduction and Commentary. Vol. 6. Tyndale Old Testament Commentaries. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1996.
• Hess, Richard S. “Joshua”. In Zondervan Illustrated Bible Backgrounds Commentary (Old Testament): Joshua, Judges, Ruth, 1 & 2 Samuel. Vol. 2. Edited by Walton, John H. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2009. [ZIBBC]
• Howard, David M., Jr. Joshua. Vol. 5. The New American Commentary. Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1998.
• Hubbard, Robert L., Jr. Joshua. The NIV Application Commentary. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2009.
• Joüon, Paul, and T. Muraoka. A Grammar of Biblical Hebrew. Roma: Pontificio Istituto Biblico, 2006.
• Mathews, K. A. Genesis 1-11:26. Vol. 1A. The New American Commentary. Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1996.
• Matthews, Victor Harold, Mark W. Chavalas, and John H. Walton. The IVP Bible Background Commentary: Old Testament. Electronic ed. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2000. [IVP]
• Merriam-Webster, Inc. Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary. Springfield, MA: Merriam-Webster, Inc., 2003.
• Pitkänen, Pekka M. A. Joshua. Edited by David W. Baker and Gordon J. Wenham. Vol. 6. Apollos Old Testament Commentary. Nottingham, England; Downers Grove, IL: Apollos; InterVarsity Press, 2010.
• VanGemeren, Willem, ed. New International Dictionary of Old Testament Theology & Exegesis. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 1997. [NIDOTTE]
• Waltke, Bruce K. “Joshua.” In New Bible Commentary: 21st Century Edition, edited by D. A. Carson, R. T. France, J. A. Motyer, and G. J. Wenham, 4th ed., 233–60. Leicester, England; Downers Grove, IL: Inter-Varsity Press, 1994.
• Wong, Gregory T. K. “Joshua” In The Baker Illustrated Bible Commentary, edited by Gary M. Burge, and Andrew E. Hill. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 2012.
• Woudstra, Marten H. The Book of Joshua. The New International Commentary on the Old Testament. Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1981.