DELIGHT IN THE BOOK

Delight in the Book

Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips; meditate on it day and night.

Joshua 1:8

READ JOSHUA 1:1–9

Tsundoku. It’s the word I’ve always needed! A Japanese term, it refers to the stack of books on a bedside table waiting to be read. Books offer the potential for learning or an escape to a different time or place, and I long for the delights and insights found within their pages. So, the stack remains.

The idea that we can find enjoyment and help in a book is even more true for the book of books—the Bible. I see the encouragement to immerse oneself in Scripture in God’s instructions to Joshua, the newly appointed leader of Israel, commissioned to lead them into the land promised to the Israelites (Joshua 1:8).

Knowing the difficulty ahead, God assured Joshua, “I will be with you” (v. 5). His help would come, in part, through Joshua’s obedience to God’s commands. So God instructed him to “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” (v. 8). Although Joshua had the Book of the Law, he needed to regularly search it to gain insight and understanding into who God is and His will for His people.

Do you need instruction, truth, or encouragement for your day? As we take time to read, obey, and find nourishment through Scripture, we can savor all that’s contained in its pages (2 Timothy 3:16).

By Lisa M. Samra

REFLECT & PRAY

Heavenly Father, thank You for Your guidance through Scripture. Help us to desire more and more to hear from You in all the ways You speak.

What are the most common issues that keep you from opening Scripture? How might you commit to reading more this week?

SCRIPTURE INSIGHT

God’s promise to Joshua that “I will never leave you nor forsake you” (Joshua 1:5) was a promise first given to Israel (Deuteronomy 4:31; 31:6) to prepare the Israelites for the journey into Canaan. After the death of Moses (Joshua 1:1), God gave this promise directly to Joshua, promising to be with him just as He had promised to be with his predecessor (Exodus 3:12). By resting in God’s presence and meditating on “God’s law” (Joshua 1:8, referring primarily to the portion of Scripture we now call Deuteronomy), this new leader could find the courage to take on the great responsibility of leading God’s people.