Memorizing Scripture is an important spiritual practice through which believers store God’s word in their hearts, so that they may meditate on it repeatedly and carefully obey it. In the book of Joshua, there is a key verse at both the beginning and the end, which we often quote. The first is: “Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful” (1:8). The second is Joshua’s declaration at the close of his life: “But as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD” (Joshua 24:15b). These two verses give us a clear impression: the book of Joshua is about faithfully holding fast to the LORD’s ways, experiencing the fulfillment of His promises, and committing ourselves wholly to serve Him.

        Indeed, “holding fast” or “persevering” is a key theme in the book of Joshua. Yet, at this year’s “Understanding and Walking in the Truth Bible Exposition Seminar,” Dr. Chun Luen Wu helped us see that the people of the LORD were learning to hold fast to His instruction, commands, and promises amid transitions in many aspects. The Hebrew verb for “transition” is עָבַר (ʿāḇar) (a verb that carries meanings such as to pass over, cross, go through, move beyond, overstep, and even transgress). It appears 58 times in the book of Joshua. Moreover, the word “Hebrew” (designating the people) comes from the Hebrew word עִבְרִי (singular Ivri) that means “one who crosses over,” which carries the sense of migration and boundary-crossing. As the Israelites crossed over from the wilderness into the Promised Land, they experienced transitions in environment and circumstance and a change in leadership. Except for Joshua and Caleb, the old generation died in the wilderness. The new generation that entered Canaan had grown up in the wilderness and had never experienced events such as the Exodus or the crossing of the Red Sea. In the midst of so many transitions, would the Israelites be able to hold fast to all that the LORD had given them, to be strong and courageous, united and single-minded?

         This year, the theme of the NPAC family is “Future-focused, Mission-driven,” and the title of our annual Bible study resource is Inheritance · Fulfillment. As we study the book of Joshua together, let us remember that we, too, are a people who are to “cross over” eras, circumstances, and changes in personnel. Believers of all ages must move forward together, “crossing” obstacles that resemble the Jordan River. In the past, when the priests’ feet touched the waters of the Jordan, the river from upstream near the town of Adam twenty-five kilometers away stopped flowing. In the course of river of twenty-five kilometers, water was still rushing past the priests’ feet until the water from upstream completely dried up. The priests and the people stepped into the river in faith, trusting that the waters would stop at any moment. They strove to stand firm and moved forward at a steady pace. The book of Joshua shows Joshua’s growth and perseverance in trusting the LORD and holding fast to His commands. It also reveals both the people’s successes (such as obeying the command to march around the city) and their failures, including “passing over” the LORD’s command by stealing “things devoted to destruction.” May the LORD help us, through our study of this book, to trust Him more fully, to pass on truth and mission faithfully, and to witness how He brings His covenant plan to completion.