“Have not I commanded thee?” Joshua 1:9
Few people like to be commanded. When you hear the word “Command” it seems to indicate that it is something that must be obeyed—no questions asked. In the Military you have Commanders. These men are expected to be shown respect and they must be obeyed, whatever they ask. There is to be no thought of even questioning the orders or disobeying them, no matter how unreasonable they may appear. They must be obeyed or punishment will be meted out swiftly.
The word “command” seems to indicate sternness, no room for negotiation. Many people do not like to be commanded. People do not mind being “asked” to do something, or even “told” to do something. These are requests with a softer tone. But to “command” seems to indicate sternness which would cause many to cringe. A command is an order that must be followed, and if not, then severe consequences will follow.
The word “command” and “commandments” appear many times in the Bible. Although when God commands it is not an unreasonable request; however, severe consequences will still follow if the command is not obeyed.
The first command we see in the Bible is to Adam and Eve. “And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.” Genesis 2:16–17. I am sure the command was conveyed in a loving manner, rather than in a stern manner such as you would expect from a military general. However, it still was a command and if disobeyed, catastrophic consequences would follow. We can see the results of that first disobedience in the world today; and yes, the consequences were not favourable.
Yet, there have been faithful men who had no problems following the commands of God all throughout history, as the commands of God are reasonable commands. “And Noah did according unto all that the LORD commanded him.” Genesis 7:5. It was a good thing that Noah did obey the command of the Lord, as this preserved life on planet earth. This was no unreasonable command.
“And Moses did as the LORD commanded him.” Leviticus 8:4. The success of the wilderness journey was largely due to the fact that Moses strictly adhered to the commands that the Lord gave him.
Even Jeremiah, as timid as he was, was told to speak what the Lord commanded him. He did, and he met a lot of trials in life, but his reward is in heaven. “But the LORD said unto me, Say not, I am a child: for thou shalt go to all that I shall send thee, and whatsoever I command thee thou shalt speak.” Jeremiah 1:7. When Jeremiah determined to obey, the Lord gave him the strength and energy to be the powerful preacher he was, without fear in the face of fierce opposition.
Holy men of God gladly, happily, obeyed the commands of the Lord. While the commands of God must be obeyed to keep in favour with the Lord, they are conveyed in a spirit of love.
When we look at the Ten Commandments—are these really stern, seemingly unreasonable commands that must be obeyed. . . or else . . . . ? They are not stern in the way we may think of commands—orders being barked out by unthinking and uncaring generals—words spoken with a very firm and stern countenance—words that would incur fear if they were disobeyed. Some may view the Ten Commandments as such. It is true that they were delivered to the nation of Israel in the wilderness in a very fearful and awful display of the grandeur of God.
The Israelites were terrified after God spoke the Ten Commandments on Mt. Sinai in the midst of a flaming fire and smoke. It was a fearful event that caused the nation of Israel to tremble. “And they said unto Moses, Speak thou with us, and we will hear: but let not God speak with us, lest we die.” Exodus 20:19. The Lord wanted to impress upon His people the importance and permanence of His laws, and the severity of disobedience which would result in eternal
death.
They are ten short commandments, but how hard for some to keep. People do not fear as they read them today as did Ancient Israel, since they did not witness the flaming fire on the mountain. Although spoken in a mild manner today from many pulpits, it is very true that God is unyielding when it comes to salvation and the keeping of His commandments; but the reality is they are not commanded as a matter of fear—trembling fear. They are commandments of love—love to God and love to our fellow man. The keeping of them is not a matter of force, but a matter of choice. However, depending on the choice a person makes, the consequences that follow are made very clear, as the commandments of the Lord are unchangeable.
Reading throughout the book of Deuteronomy we can see that the Lord gave many commands, but He also gave people the choice whether to obey them or not. “And it shall come to pass, if thou shalt hearken diligently unto the voice of the LORD thy God, to observe and to do all His commandments which I command thee this day, that the LORD thy God will set thee on high above all nations of the earth: And all these blessings shall come on thee, and overtake thee, if thou shalt hearken unto the voice of the LORD thy God.” Deuteronomy 28:1–2. The Lord uses the word “if” here, indicating choice. If, you hearken to the voice of the Lord. Reading further in the chapter, we see the consequences if a person chooses not to obey the commands of the Lord. “But it shall come to pass, if thou wilt not hearken unto the voice of the LORD thy God, to observe to do all His commandments and His statutes which I command thee this day; that all these curses shall come upon thee, and overtake thee.” Deuteronomy 28:15. The choice is up to the individual to make; the penalty may not be immediate, but the end result is eternal. “Because sentence against an evil work is not executed speedily, therefore the heart of the sons of men is fully set in them to do evil.” Ecclesiastes 8:11. But the truth remains that, “the transgressors shall be destroyed together: the end of the wicked shall be cut off.” Psalm 37:38
“I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live.” Deuteronomy 30:19
In worldly associations, corrupt governments and court systems, when commands are expected to be respected and carried out, the punishment for disobedience can be severe and swift. Just look back in history at the birth of the Reform Movement in World War I. What resulted when the faithful chose to obey God’s commandments which were in opposition to man’s commandments in time of war? The result was not pleasant. Many young men gave up their lives, preferring to adhere to the commandments of God rather than the commandments of men. But they died in peace.
“And if it seem evil unto you to serve the LORD, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.” Joshua 24:15
There are many times when God has commanded His people in the Bible, often directing them as to the best course of action they should pursue—one that would be in keeping with the purpose He has for them in their lives, such as when Jesus spoke to the disciples: “These twelve Jesus sent forth, and commanded them, saying, Go not into the way of the Gentiles, and into any city of the Samaritans enter ye not: But go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” Matthew 10:5–6. Success comes to the work of the Lord when faithful men and women seek counsel from the Lord and then faithfully adhere to the commands He gives them.
The gospel went to Africa beginning with the Ethiopian eunuch because Philip obeyed the command of the Lord. “And the angel of the Lord spake unto Philip, saying, Arise, and go toward the south unto the way that goeth down from Jerusalem unto Gaza, which is desert. And he arose and went.” Acts 8:26–27
The message of salvation went to the Gentiles in Macedonia because the apostle Paul obeyed the command of the Lord. “And a vision appeared to Paul in the night; There stood a man of Macedonia, and prayed him, saying, Come over into Macedonia, and help us. And after he had seen the vision, immediately we endeavoured to go into Macedonia, assuredly gathering that the Lord had called us for to preach the gospel unto them.” Acts 16:9–10
In keeping with our original point that commands that are disobeyed often bring disastrous results, would there be disastrous results if these people had not obeyed the command to go and do missionary work? Although God is a righteous judge, there would be negative results. Loss of souls, retarding the work of the Lord, delaying His coming, as the evil continues to increase on this earth, and loss of personal salvation due to neglected duties.
Every true Christian is called to be a missionary. Some are foreign missionaries, and some are volunteer missionaries at home and in their neighbourhoods and places of work. No matter where the Lord leads you, pray for guidance and direction and then obey the commands He gives you. Be not like Jonah and run in the opposite direction when the Lord commands you to go forward. “Jonah rose up to flee unto Tarshish from the presence of the LORD.” Jonah 1:3. Be fearless in the strength of the Lord and go.
Joshua reacted differently than Jonah when he was given a task that seemed very challenging. He was given the daunting task of leading the nation of Israel into the Promised Land. He felt unworthy for the task. Why? Did he have the largest army in comparison to the Canaanites? No, he did not. In fact, his army was small. “The LORD did not set His love upon you, nor choose you, because ye were more in number than any people; for ye were the fewest of all people.” Deuteronomy 7:7. But the Lord understood Joshua’s fears and came to meet him to encourage him. When the Lord met him He gave him a command. “Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the LORD thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest.” Joshua 1:9. And Joshua heeded the command of the Lord, and we see him later encouraging his soldiers. “And Joshua said unto them, Fear not, nor be dismayed, be strong and of good courage: for thus shall the LORD do to all your enemies against whom ye fight.” Joshua 10:25
I find this command very interesting. A command to go forward and do the work of the Lord; a command to be strong and of good courage. Jesus did not just “tell” Joshua to be strong. He did not “encourage” him to be strong. He “commanded” Joshua to be strong. Have you ever had to face a situation with which you felt uncomfortable, inadequate, or fearful of performing? Has anyone encouraged you to go ahead, be strong and go? Children sometimes have been told by parents they were to do some task, or performance in which they had no choice, and when the children are fearful, they were commanded to go and to be strong.
If we would ask, pray, and seek guidance and counsel for direction and purpose in our lives, the Lord will command us in which way we are to go, “thine ears shall hear a word behind thee, saying, This is the way, walk ye in it.” Isaiah 30:21. And then if the way seems difficult, He commands us to be strong. And He goes on to promise, “I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.” Hebrews 13:5. And then we can go forward with courage, “So that we may boldly say, The Lord is my helper.” Hebrews 13:6
Disobedience to the command to be strong brings fear and “fear hath torment.” 1 John 4:18. A tormented person cannot be useful in the cause of God. Fear is prohibitive to many endeavours on this earth also.
What are people afraid of? When the Lord commands obedience, this often means change. It could be a change of job (loss of job due to Sabbath, or a call into full-time missionary work); a change of friends (leaving worldly friends behind); a change in diet (eliminating all unhealthful, stimulating foods). Or any other change in our lives—or idol that the Lord is asking us to give up. People do not always like change. To have no job, friends or eating foods that do not satisfy the palate can be very stressful for people. However, if the commands are obeyed, sure, we may lose something of this world, but we gain much for eternity. We can have peace, happiness, and security on this earth and most importantly we will be granted everlasting life when Christ comes. No wonder true Christians are always happy and contented, whether they have much or whether they have little. They have obeyed the commands of God and left the results in His hands, and most importantly they have obeyed the command to “be strong and of good courage” in the face of any and all adversity.
The greatest fear that unconverted people have is the fear of death, but the true Christian can face death strong in the love of the Lord and in good courage, because they believe the promise of their Father: “be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life.” Revelation 2:10
In the near future, the people of God will face many and more severe trials than they are facing today. The whole world will be arraigned against the true Sabbath keepers. It is then that the command to Joshua will be for us, to “be strong and of good courage.” It is my prayer that we can have the confidence of the Apostle Paul who said when he reached the end of his life, “I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith: Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love His appearing.” 2 Timothy 4:7–8
May we all prove faithful under the adverse conditions prophesied that God’s faithful children will experiences as the days of this earth’s history draw to a close. The command is to, “Be strong and of a good courage, fear not, nor be afraid of them: for the LORD thy God, He it is that doth go with thee; He will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.” Deuteronomy 31:6. If we obey the command of the Lord to be strong, He will see us through. If we do not obey, we will falter. And today, in our day-to-day living—Go—and obey the command of the Lord, whatever He may tell you and wherever He may lead you and then be strong and of good courage. Amen.
Wendy Eaton