Joshua takes Moses’s Place
Open Your Bible
Deuteronomy 31:1-23, Numbers 20:2-12, Hebrews 13:5-6
BY Rebecca Faires
It was just after sunset and all the fireflies were out. We only have them for about three wondrous weeks in Tennessee, and the show from our hilltop is breathtaking. Walks to see the fireflies are special.
My youngest son, Leo, and I were starting a trek up the hill in the fading light. Rowan ran out of the house to join us. I really like him too—just as much as I like Leo. But this was a walk for two. I sent the older fella back and we kept walking up the hill. On his way back to the house, I know he didn’t think it was quite fair.
It’s definitely not fair. But I often wonder if we really want fair, or if we just want things to go our way. When my own heart cries “no fair!” I have to check myself against the Word. And anytime a child tries to plead fairness with me, I try to lead them right down the Roman Road: we are all guilty, we all have earned death, Jesus died to pay our debt, and in Him we have glorious salvation.
The gospel isn’t fair. It’s gracious. It seems so unfair that Moses didn’t get to see the promised land. He was a man of the law. But he was forbidden from entering because of a single offense. God brought the Israelites, who spent years complaining in the wilderness, “into the land [He] swore to them” (Deuteronomy 31:23). The faithfulness of God has never been dependent on the faithfulness of men. It isn’t rooted in our sense of fairness, our timing, or our preferences. Every good gift is from God’s own hand. Every gift is full of grace.
And boy, do we need that grace because we just don’t have the full picture here on earth. Our hearts clamor for temporal fairness, but God offers us eternal grace. Moses didn’t set foot in Canaan, yet he inherited eternal fellowship with God. Like all of us Israelites at heart, he received grace upon grace, to inherit a promise that he did not deserve.
From our earthly perspective, it’s pretty hard to parse out what we do or don’t deserve. Did Rowan deserve to walk with us to the top of the hill to see fireflies? I could have taken him along, but he also needed the blessing of a good night’s rest, and Leo needed some extra time with his mama. I’m an imperfect caretaker. But God is perfect, and He invites us to join Him on some walks and to see some wonders in His good providence. We can fix our hope on the God who replaces “fair” with “beauty, goodness, and truth.” Thanks be to God.
47 thoughts on "Joshua takes Moses’s Place"
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Praying for you K Swenson that God may hold you tightly in His righteous right hand and give you comfort and help you with your battle with PTSD.
Praying for you my sister in Christ -
Is “fairness” something that I was needing to hear today? (Another devotion via podcast also talked of “fairness” today!) I need to remember that His faithfulness does not depend on mine… good thing, right? Sleep well tonight, sisters!
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I miss Churchmouse. Has anyone heard anything about her? I have been doing these studies for years, and always read her comments. It’s so strange to not see them.
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” Be strong and of a good ciurage, 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”
Moses was such a good leader during the time he was with the Israelites! I pray that he will always get the respect from us and future generations that he deserves. Also, the Israelites turning away from God after being brought into the promised land remind me of how many people are given a blessing, or a lucky break from God, given a victory, and rarely thank Him. Even in the times where God saves us from doing something dangerous, people still don’t thank Him. I will always hope that in the future, we will all give God all of our victories, and failures. It is by His strength and timing that we go through them, not ours.
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ANGIE – I pray God will guide you. You are in a tight spot. When I read that you think your SIL will think you are interfering, pay attention to that. One of my SIL’s moved right on the lake we live on. I just told my husband that she is very intrusive. I feel that she interferes a lot. Even though she thinks she’s doing the right thing, it is driving me crazy. As a matter of fact I was planning on asking for prayer for my heart to be softened towards her. They may be believers, but only from catholic guilt. They do not have a relationship with God. It is so hard for me to have been happy in my home to now feel like when she’s here that she takes over all the time. I feel like I’m just complaining, but it feels so real to me. I’m struggling. My husbands family tend to be a very controlling. Ugh…
I loved where Rebecca said “the the gospel isn’t fair, it is gracious.” It’s not rooted in our sense of fairness, our timing, or our preferences. Every good gift is from God’s own hand. Every good gift is full of grace. We need that grace. -
I read Psalm 103:10 today and I think it goes perfectly with this reading: “He has not dealt with us as our sins deserve or repaid us according to our iniquities.” Thank God “the gospel isn’t fair. It’s gracious.” ❤️
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Wow!! Rebecca’s devotion really packed a punch for me today. Part of what Rebecca wrote I had to copy down to remember later because of the message it brought across to me. This is what I copied, “The faithfulness of God has never been dependent on the faithfulness of men. It isn’t rooted in our sense of fairness, our timing, or our preferences. Every good gift is from God’s own hand. Every gift is full of grace.” I always enjoy reading Rebecca’s devotions.
Be blessed sisters and have a great day. -
Angie, I read your post at 3:30 AM PST time. I was still so sleepy then I wasn’t able to respond. But I did pray for you. I am in the youth ministry. I will be praying for discernment. But this is your sister-in-law. Your family. And as a mother of a teenage daughter, I would want to know. I would want somebody to say something to me. But meantime, I will be praying for you Angie.
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