241. Fear the Lord and serve Him with all faithfulness: Serve the Lord with gladness.

16 January 2022
Fear the Lord and serve Him with all faithfulness.

Joshua 24
14 “Now fear the Lord and serve him with all faithfulness. Throw away the gods your ancestors worshiped beyond the Euphrates River and in Egypt, and serve the Lord.”

Psalm 2 NKJV
11 Serve the Lord with fear,
And rejoice with trembling.
Psalm 100
2 Serve the Lord with gladness;
Come before His presence with singing.

“But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.” Joshua 24:15

That's the famous attribute to Joshua.

Let me say Joshua is the forerunner of what is today called "servant leader".

Of course, Jesus Christ is the epitome servant leader.

Let me add that Joshua is also the forerunner of the man of wisdom Solomon.

Fear the Lord.

“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom,
And the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.” Proverbs 9:10

Serve the Lord with all faithfulness.

Joshua has every right to say that, he lived to the very essence of faithfulness.

He was faithful to Moses for 40 years, as the latter's assistant while the Israelites were in the wilderness.

Most importantly, Joshua was faithful to the Lord at the onset. He stood, along with Caleb, against the other 10 spies (sent to explore Canaan) who gave a bad report to the Israelites arousing the anger of the Lord.

Joshua son of Nun and Caleb son of Jephunneh, who were among those who had explored the land, tore their clothes 
and said to the entire Israelite assembly, “The land we passed through and explored is exceedingly good. 
8 If the Lord is pleased with us, he will lead us into that land, a land flowing with milk and honey, and will give it to us. 
Only do not rebel against the Lord. And do not be afraid of the people of the land, because we will devour them. Their protection is gone, but the Lord is with us. Do not be afraid of them.”
But the whole assembly talked about stoning them. Then the glory of the Lord appeared at the tent of meeting to all the Israelites. 
The Lord said to Moses, “How long will these people treat me with contempt? How long will they refuse to believe in me, in spite of all the signs I have performed among them? Numbers 14:6-11

At that time the Israelites were already wandering in the wilderness for 2 years; the Israelites refusal to believe the Lord caused them to spend another 38 years in the wilderness.

As Joshua led the Israelites into the Promised Land, the Lord spoke to Joshua of His faithfulness.

And the Lord said to Joshua, “Today I will begin to exalt you in the eyes of all Israel, so they may know that I am with you as I was with Moses.” Joshua 3:7 

In turn, Joshua regarded himself as servant of the Lord.

Then Joshua fell facedown to the ground in reverence, and asked him, “What message does my Lord have for his servant?” Joshua 5:14

Joshua may be about 20 years old when he became Moses' assistant.


“Now I am about to go the way of all the earth. You know with all your heart and soul that not one of all the good promises the Lord your God gave you has failed. Every promise has been fulfilled; not one has failed.” Joshua 23:14

Serve the Lord with gladness.

As Joshua spoke to the Israelites about serving the Lord, he spoke of his own household, that is his family.

Joshua was firstly glad to lead his household in serving the Lord, in being faithful to the Lord. That gladness in leading his household to the Lord did wellspring his gladness in leading the Israelites in serving the Lord, in being faithful to the Lord.



""Know that the Lord is God.
    It is he who made us, and we are his;
    we are his people, the sheep of his pasture.
Enter his gates with thanksgiving
    and his courts with praise;
    give thanks to him and praise his name.
For the Lord is good and his love endures forever;
    his faithfulness continues through all generations" (Psalm 100:3-5). With praises and thanksgiving, this I pray in Jesus' name. Amen.

12 March 2018"

May you be blessed with God's Word.

Maraming salamat.

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