“This law scroll must not leave your lips.  You must memorize it day and night so you can carefully obey all that is written in it.  Then you will prosper and be successful.”  Joshua 1:8

In this selection from the book of Joshua, God is encouraging Joshua, the successor to Mosses as the leader of the Israelites, to spend time in the Torah, that is the first five books of the bible which God had given to Mosses.  God instructs Joshua, to not just spend time in the word but to memorize it by day and by night, that he might ensure that those he was charged to lead would not stray from it.  The prosperity and success of the Israelites was dependent on keeping those laws.  That is the promise God made with them, that they would succeed, that they would prosper if they kept the laws.

What we find is that throughout those first five chapters God is working with his people, sharing with them, promising them, that if they kept God’s promise, they will live long lives and prosper in the lands that God would give them.  But, if they did not keep the promise, they would be, in essence kicked out.  So, by remaining in God’s word, in God’s law, Joshua would be capable of leading his people in accordance with and be able to obey the laws and in turn God’s people would prosper.

And that makes sense, that the more we read and study, the more time we spend in God’s word the deeper it settles into our existence guiding what we see, what we do and what we say.  Or another way of saying it is that the more of God’s word we observe the more of God’s word we will obey. 

Understand though that the bible does not promise to us, that the more we obey the better our lives will be.  It does not promise good health, abundance of wealth or peace, in fact Jesus tells us that as his followers we will be persecuted, that we will lose things 

So then, why do it, why follow Christ, why read scripture why, why, why…because we have a promise of a companion, that is the blessing of God’s Holy Spirit in relationship with us.  We look to the blessing of eternity with God’s presence to come is a treasure beyond anything any of us deserve.  We don’t receive the promised land of heaven because we obeyed God well enough, that is the old promise.

It is only through Jesus that we will know our final dwelling place in the Holy presence of God, trusting in Jesus, the Word of God made flesh who died for all the times we failed to keep God’s word.  Jesus is the promise that we will prosper, the cross our guarantee of success.   Find the promise of that peace in the words of scripture, never let that encouragement leave your lips by day or by night.

Prayer: “God of creation, of salvation, the one who sustains us, thank you for today, thank you for Jesus.  Please help me that your Word never leave me, that your promise dwell within me, that your encouragement is always fresh upon my lips.  Hold me firmly and guide me gently in you will and in your ways.  Amen