Day Five
7 Then the Lord told him, “I have certainly seen the oppression of my people in Egypt. I have heard their cries of distress because of their harsh slave drivers. Yes, I am aware of their suffering. 8 So I have come down to rescue them from the power of the Egyptians and lead them out of Egypt into their own fertile and spacious land. It is a land flowing with milk and honey
The Children of Israel had been crying out to God to rescue them from slavery, and into this desperation, a baby boy called Hoshea, was born. His name means salvation or deliverer, perhaps he would be the one to deliver his people from their misery and distress. Every day when his parents would call out his name he was reminded of the weight of expectation of others. Imagine the pressure when he the ‘deliverer’ is summoned by Moses to represent his tribe and spy out the Promised land. He’s heard the tales of giants and the fierce people who inhabit the land, but as he steps up to accept his mission, Moses looks him in the eye and says “From now on you will be called Joshua” meaning “The Lord will deliver, or the Lord is salvation” Moses had the wisdom of a long relationship with Jehovah and knew that no matter how good a soldier Joshua was, no matter how skilled he was he needed to understand that it would only be with GOD that he could face the giants and succeed. Now instead of the pressure all on his shoulders, Joshua understood that he didn’t go into the land alone but with the Lord who would deliver.
Whatever promise you need to BOLDLY step into, you need to know that you are not expected to do this alone, the weight of victory doesn’t rest on you but with a God who has already gone before you, already given you the land, already won the victory. Take a minute to include Him in your plans for victory.
Blessings,
Jane Evans