Wednesday May 1: 26 Aviv

According to tradition, it was on this day that Joshua, the son of Nun, passed away, as recorded in Joshua 24:

“Now it came to pass after these things that Joshua the son of Nun, the servant of the Lord, died, being one hundred and ten years old. And they buried him within the border of his inheritance at Timnath Serah, which is in the mountains of Ephraim, on the north side of Mount Gaash.” (Joshua 24:29-30)

There are many things we could say about Joshua: that he was committed to serving Moses and serving his people. He, along with Caleb, were the only ones of those who left Egypt who were allowed to enter the land. When they came into the land, he led Israel into battle to conquer the Ammorites and the fortified cities of Canaan. He is, in fact, a prototype of the Messiah, his name meaning, “He will save.” Then there is one of the most quoted Scriptures in all of the Bible; a statement that Joshua made near the end of his life:

“As for me and my house, we shall serve the LORD” (Joshua 24:15).

One of the most significant things to point out about Joshua is another statement that is made about him and that is, he was faithful to make sure that everything that had been given to him to do, was done. It’s recorded in Joshua 11:

“As the Lord had commanded Moses his servant, so Moses commanded Joshua, and so Joshua did. He left nothing undone of all that the Lord had commanded Moses.” (Joshua 11:15)

This is the kind of person we should all strive to be. This should be the desire of every believer and the body at large – to leave nothing undone that has been set before us to do. As we look around, it would appear there is a lot that needs to be done. And so, what should we be focused on, today? What have we left undone that we know we are to do? All of us hope to stand before our King and hear Him say, “Well done, good and faithful servant.” We certainly don’t want to hear, “You didn’t do what I asked you to do and, as a result, others suffered.”

In remembering the passing of Joshua, who passed away millennia ago, even in death his life speaks to us, today. Like him, may we commit ourselves to finding, to knowing and fulfilling what the Creator has set before us to do, individually, as a family, as a ministry, as a fellowship and as a people.