Building a Biblical Foundation
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DEEPLY ROOTED FAMILIES |
Building a Biblical Foundation
Key Verse:
“This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success. Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”
— Joshua 1:8-9
Intro:
Have you seen this viral video on social media? A beach house in North Carolina was washed and swept away by the waves into the ocean. When I first saw this, there were a bunch of jokes about it. A person tweeted that Aquaman will have some new real estate opportunities. Another said that instead of being a beach house, it’s now a boathouse. But then, I couldn’t help but think about a parable of Jesus. I think the video can give us a real-life illustration of how people respond to Jesus’ words.
Matthew 7:26-27 says, “And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it.”
As we continue on our series of “Deeply Rooted Families,” we will talk today about the importance of setting a biblical foundation for our families. We are asking why it is necessary to build our lives on God’s Word. We will be using Joshua as our guide today to help us realize our need to revolve our lives around the Scriptures.
Background:
After 40 years of wandering in the wilderness, the people of Israel are finally ready to take hold of God’s promises and settle into the promised land. However, Moses had passed right before they were able to enter Canaan. Joshua was then tasked to lead the people of Israel and claim God’s promises for them. Canaan was a land that the people had rejected decades earlier. They were scared off. Their uncertainty and lack of faith turned them away from God’s promise. This time it was different.
In the first chapter of this book, we see a conversation between Yahweh and Joshua. The Lord Himself encouraged Joshua to be strong and courageous in leading this community. Many think that the book of Joshua is just about the military conquest to take over Canaan. But with a careful reading of this book, we discover it is more about God giving the land to Israel. God is simply fulfilling His covenant promise to them. This is why we do not see God giving Joshua a military strategy to conquer the land. Instead, God gives Joshua a spiritual foundation on how he can lead and receive the promised land for Israel. Joshua’s victory will not depend on how great a general he was, but it ultimately falls on how faithful He is to God and to His Word.
I think we could all relate to Joshua. We live in a dark and scary world where so much fear and anxiety lies. And yet, God tells us also to be strong and courageous. In this life, God does not give us a GPS or detailed instructions on how to get from A to Z. Our victory in this life will depend on how we will build our lives on His Word as we navigate and lead our families in our world today. So what do we see in our passage today?
I. A Holy Rhythm
“This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it...”
The Lord is telling Joshua that God’s Word should be a part of every aspect of his life. In this case, God’s Word consists of the Mosaic Law. God gave this record to Moses to pass on to the Israelites, so they would know how they would relate to Him. The Law will guide and form Joshua as someone who will lead God’s people to settle in the land of Canaan. These words will be the foundation of Joshua’s life and leadership.
Next, we see how Joshua needs to relate to the Law. There is a process which starts from his mouth, down to his heart, then out to his hands. First, Joshua needs to reflect on God’s word by continually reading it aloud and muttering it to himself. And then, he needs to meditate on it as he continues to think about it and let the truths of the Law change his heart. It simply means to soak in and reflect on God’s Word to let it become a part of us. Why is meditating on God’s Word essential? When we meditate on God’s Word, the process of transformation happens. Now, this process is not just a one-time approach. It’s a daily habit he must work on to let God’s Word permeate his life thoroughly. This is why we see the phrase “day and night.” Lastly, the Law is practically obeyed as he simply follows what it says.
Another thing that our biblical meditation does is that it also rearranges what we value in life. Do we want to know what we value the most? Listen to what we talk about the most. What are the things that dominate our thoughts? What do we think about the first thing when we wake up and the last things before sleep? Is it social media, pop culture, the news, politics, our jobs, or any other matter in our lives? All these things form us in ways we don’t realize. We are always being shaped by something in our lives. Now the Word of God renews our thinking and directs our hearts to something greater.
If we get serious with God’s Word, it can change our hearts and value systems consistently. When we reflect and meditate on the Bible seriously, its words have the power to form us from looking from an earth-bound perspective to a sacred one. We are changed as we let His Word flow from our mouths to our hearts and right to our hands. Henri Nouwen writes in his book Spiritual Formation:
“The Bible is primarily a book not of information but of formation, not merely a book to be analyzed, scrutinized, and discussed but a sacred book to nurture us, to unify our hearts and minds, and to serve as a constant source of contemplation.”
The Lord’s instruction for Joshua is to let His Word form him to be the man God will use for a greater purpose. Joshua needed this process to continue to change Him and be the man God wants him to be. This is the same for us today. We also need to go through this process by building our lives under God’s Word. Think of it as some sort of being in a spiritual rhythm.
In a way, God designed everything to have rhythm. Nature all around displays precise and magnificent rhythms. The earth rotates at a certain rhythm, and that is why we have our days and nights. It’s why we have our seasons: winter, spring, summer, and fall. Animals follow a natural rhythm as they hunt, eat, migrate, and rest at certain times. The most beautiful music we have is made possible because of rhythm.
When we can develop our spiritual disciplines and habits like meditating, worship, prayer, and rest, we can experience being in God’s rhythm. These things become a part of our lives. Slowly and surely, we are changed from the inside out. They root us in God and His will in our lives. However, when we neglect these things, we can easily become disoriented by life’s ebb and flow. We get easily worried about tomorrow. We get frustrated with life’s circumstances much more easily. We become distracted by other people’s opinions. We can even make immoral decisions. When spiritual disciples have no place in our lives, It becomes easy to step out of God’s rhythm for us. We miss out in becoming the man and woman God has eternally prepared us to be. In Psalm 1:2, David describes the blessed man as, “... his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law, he meditates day and night.
II. A Heavenly Promise
“For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success.”
God then offers Joshua a promise after instructing him on where he needs to build his life on. The Lord tells Joshua that his way will be prosperous and have good success. When Joshua heard this, I wonder how he reacted. He saw how the past generation of Israelites failed because of their unfaithfulness. Even the Lord’s most outstanding servant, Moses, couldn’t enter the promised land of Canaan. But here, The Lord Himself promises Joshua that his way will be different. Joshua will need to claim this promise. He will be instrumental in fulfilling the covenant of Yahweh to Abraham that his children will possess the land given to them.
Today, we all long for prosperity and success, but what kind? The kingdom of God has a different offer than the world. God has a different kind of promise to His people. We might think of money, health, and a good life as the best things God can bless us with. What if I tell you that God can give us so much better?
Psalm 1:3 writes, “He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither. In all that he does, he prospers.” This verse paints a picture of someone built and rooted in the foundation of God’s Word. Everything that this person will touch and be a part of will be prosperous. This verse talks about more than just material blessings. It’s also spiritual blessings readily available to those who His Word forms. These blessings include peace, contentment, joy, love, and other treasures this world will never take away. So it’s not just there will be countless blessings, but this man will also be a blessing to others.
The Lord builds us by making us into men and women who choose the way of godliness. He also puts us on the path of holiness to bring good to others. But how come we still don’t experience this kind of blessing? We’ve been Christian for so long, and it seems we still aren’t prosperous or having success?
We live in an “instant” world. We want everything as convenient and as immediate as we can have it. Do we need a question answered? We’ll Google it. Need a dinner? We’ll DoorDash it. Need to watch a movie? We’ll stream it. Do we need to talk about something? We’ll use social media to get our thoughts across to countless people worldwide. We have so many ways to get it as quickly and efficiently as possible if we need anything. Unfortunately, many of us apply the same mindset regarding our relationship with God.
As God is patient with us, we also have to be patient with His promise and process in us. He will be faithful to His word to us. The question is, are we going to claim His promises? Are we going to desire to be the men and women He made us be? If we are, it starts with asking what He is trying to tell us today. It starts with opening the pages of the Bible and letting HIs words shape our lives. Are we going to step in faith and live out His Word? Then we will be on the way to prosperity and having good success.
For Joshua, all that God promised to him and Israel came true. We see this in Joshua 21:43, 45. It says, “Thus the Lord gave to Israel all the land that he swore to give to their fathers. And they took possession of it, and they settled there… Not one word of all the good promises that the Lord had made to the house of Israel had failed; all came to pass.” The same can also happen to us. The Lord will always be true and faithful to us. How will we then respond to His promises?
III. A Divine Fellowship
“Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”
God then finishes His conversation with Joshua by reminding him that he needs to be strong and courageous. There should not be any fear or dismay in him. Why? Because Yahweh Himself will be with Joshua every step of the way. We see here an intimate fellowship between the Lord and Joshua. This is only possible if Joshua steps into this kind of relationship by letting the Law of the Lord take root in his life.
In a way, this is the ultimate goal of it all. Yes, there’s a promise of success to Joshua and the Israelites. There is also the promised land of Canaan. But more significant than those promises is the Lord’s presence. Just as the Lord was with Moses, the fantastic thing is, so is he with Joshua. In Joshua 1:5, it says, “No man shall be able to stand before you all the days of your life. Just as I was with Moses, so I will be with you. I will not leave you or forsake you.” Joshua needed to see that his relationship with the Lord would define his life and purpose. This is why he needed to meditate on God’s Word. Through it, he gets to know his God more intimately.
You might say you have no idea how to meditate on God’s Word. In reality, we meditate much more than we realize. We give careful attention to the words of people special to us. Have you ever gotten a text from someone you were interested in? You would be careful reading every word because you want to develop a relationship with them right?
For example, I met my wife online. Our very first interaction was sending messages on a chatbox. Believe me, when she first replied to my messages, I meditated on her words carefully. I wanted to interpret her words the right way. She messaged me about what kind of dates she liked; I had to memorize those things and plan so I could impress her. When she said she had a tiring day, I asked myself if it meant it was a hard day for her or was she tired of talking to me? I had to meditate on her words. Why? Because I knew behind those words was a person I am deeply invested in.
When we read the Bible, please don’t read it just to gain more theological knowledge. We do not engage with the Bible to know more about God theoretically. We read it so that we might know God more intimately. The Bible is God’s way of revealing Himself to us. This is His love letter to us. We can get to know Him more profoundly through this book's words, narratives, and principles. We get closer to Him as we read, obey and walk in His precepts. We can rejoice in His Word because it brings us closer to our Greatest Lover and Creator.
This is why when we pray and read the Word, please do not assume it as just another obligation or duty. Instead, realize that it is a delight to have our time with the Lord. Let it move us, shape us, and change us. Then, we will understand what it means. Rich Villodas, in his book Deeply Formed Life, writes, “The troubling reality is that believers can be deeply committed to being Christian without ever being deeply formed by Christ.” Let’s pray this is not our mindset. God is still not finished with us at whatever stage of life we are. He is still forming us as we get to know Him deeper and as we are formed deeply as well.
God was faithful to Joshua until the very end of his life. Today, we have Jesus promising us that He will forever be with us and never forsake us. He gave us the Holy Spirit to be our Advocate and Helper in this life. Now we can get to know him much more than we ever have before. Let His Word so completely pervade us that we can be the people He called us to be today. We can build families that can make a difference in our world. We can be a church that will display God’s Kingdom here on earth and let others know who our God is.
So today's question is, how can we help our families build a biblical foundation? Whether you’re a husband, wife, father, mother, son, daughter, or even a friend, whatever your role is in the family, we all need to have a part in building a biblical foundation together. As we end, I would just like to give some practical steps on how we can build a biblical foundation:
Develop a rhythm of a personal time with the Lord every day.
Slow down in reading, meditating, and praying God’s Word.
Share how the Lord is speaking to you through His Word with your family and friends and memorize passages that give you life.
Take advantage of the opportunities to deepen your understanding of God’s Word. (Sunday school, VBS, fellowship ministries, small groups, seminars, and classes).
Be sensitive to how the Lord is changing you through His Word.
Tell others about Him.
-Rev. Jerusalem Ona