From: April 7, 2025
‘Then Moses summoned Joshua and said to him in the sight of all Israel, “Be strong and courageous, for you shall go with this people into the land that the Lord has sworn to their fathers to give them, and you shall put them in possession of it”‘ (Deuteronomy 31:7 ESV).
Moses, at 120 years old, stood before the people of Israel one last time. He had faithfully led them through forty years in the wilderness, yet he was not permitted to bring them into the Promised Land. That responsibility fell to Joshua, his faithful assistant, who would now lead God’s people across the Jordan.
Here, we see more than just a leadership transition—we see a powerful spiritual picture. Moses, the great lawgiver from the tribe of Levi, represents the Law. Joshua, from the tribe of Ephraim (a son of Joseph), shares his Hebrew name “Yehoshua” with “Yeshua”—Jesus. And like Jesus, Joshua would lead the people into the land of promise and rest.
The Law, as Paul says, was like a tutor that could point us to Christ (Gal. 3:24), but it could not save. As Romans 8:3 tells us, “For what the law was powerless to do… God did by sending his own Son.” Moses led the people to the Promised Land, but only Joshua could bring the people in. It is not by works of the Law, but by grace through faith that we inherit salvation (Eph. 2:8–9). As the apostle John writes, “For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ” (John 1:17).
This reminds us to stop trusting in our own performance to earn God’s promises. The Law can convict us, guide us, and show us our need—but it cannot give us the victory. Only Jesus can. Only Jesus brings us into rest, into spiritual inheritance, into freedom. Just as the Israelites had to follow Joshua’s leadership to enter the land, so we must trust Jesus’ leadership in our lives every day.
Are we trying to win God’s approval by our own effort? Or are we resting in the finished work of Jesus? Are we living by grace and drawing from the power of the Holy Spirit—or striving in our own strength?
PRAYER: Dear Father, thank You for Your grace, freely given to us in Jesus. Thank You that You have not left us under the burden of the Law, but have fulfilled it in Your Son. Help us to rest in Him, trust in Him, and follow Him into all that You have promised. Strengthen us by Your Spirit to declare Your grace to a world that still tries to earn what You freely offer. In Jesus’ name, amen.