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Two Great African Joshua and Moses By Stephen L. Williams, Author Black Heritage Bible Lessons |
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Joshua 1: JOS 1:1 Now after the death of Moses the servant of the LORD it came to pass, that the LORD spake unto Joshua the son of Nun, Moses' minister, saying, 1:2 Moses my servant is dead; now therefore arise, go over this Jordan, thou, and all this people, unto the land which I do give to them, even to the children of Israel. 1:3 Every place that the sole of your foot shall tread upon, that have I given unto you, as I said unto Moses. 1:5 There shall not any man be able to stand before thee all the days of thy life: as I was with Moses, so I will be with thee: I will not fail thee, nor forsake thee. 1:4 From the wilderness and this Lebanon even unto the great river, the river Euphrates, all the land of the Hittites, and unto the great sea toward the going down of the sun, shall be your coast. 1:6 Be strong and of a good courage: for unto this people shalt thou divide for an inheritance the land, which I sware unto their fathers to give them. Moses in his day had set his face to a splendid, audacious and impossible adventure. He sought awaken a passion for liberty in born slaves, people broken with no hope, no stars No tomorrow. He sought to weld that soft crumbling stuff of which the Israelite People had been made into a nation, a people of pride and prosperity. Moses sought To wrest a home for these poor souls out of the hands of a sturdy vigilant strong Black race of Canaanite people, people who were not willing give up their land, no matter what Yahweh said. After all their God was Baal and Yahweh they thought was no match for Baal It was a dwarf dream that Moses had, nothing more. And yet patiently, persistently, whole heatedly, Moses gave his life to it, leading, coaxing, thundering, Rousing tired hearts rekindling hopes that had gone out till at last it all but came through. The hour had struck, the years of weary waiting had crawled past, there laid the land full in sight at last, another step or two, and it would be reached. Here they stand, at the edge of the Jordan. Millions of Israelite slaves. The Jordan's water swift hustling currents, cascading merrily over the smooth stones that had sat at the bottoms of its water for some 5000 years. According to the book of Numbers, their were 72,000 Black Families in this massive crowd awaiting the command of the Lord to cross over this Jordan. They were descendant of Ephraim and Manhasset. Further more, there was in this crowd the mixed multitude, black Egyptians who came with them for they had married into this Hebrew race, and where their family went, they went also. Then there were the Black in-laws of Moses, including Horab the Midianite, who according to Num 10:29-33 Moses convinced to go with Him to Canaan and be a Head Scout Numbers 1:33-34. Num 1:33 Those that were numbered of them, even of the tribe of Ephraim, were forty thousand and five hundred. Num 1:34 of the children of Manasseh, by their generations, after their families, by the house of their fathers, according to the number of the names, from twenty years old and upward, all that was able to go forth to war; Num 1:35 Those that were numbered of them, even of the tribe of Manasseh, were thirty and two thousand and two hundred. Gen 41:45. Gen 41:45 And Pharaoh called Joseph's name Zaphnathpaaneah; and he gave him to wife Asenath the daughter of Potipherah priest of On. And Joseph went out over all the land of Egypt. Genesis 41:50-
GEN 41:50 And unto Joseph were born two sons before the years of famine came, which Asenath the daughter of Poti-pherah priest of On bare unto him. 41:51 And Joseph called the name of the firstborn Manasseh: For God, said he, hath made me forget all my toil, and all my father's house. GEN 41:52 And the name of the second called he Ephraim: For God hath caused me to be fruitful in the land of my affliction.
Number 10:29 Num 10:29 And Moses said unto Hobab, the son of Raguel the Midianite, Moses' father in law, We are journeying unto the place of which the LORD said, I will give it you: come thou with us, and we will do thee good: for the LORD hath spoken good concerning Israel.
Here they are, millions of Hebrew slaves standing at the Jordan. Moses was their leader, their law giver, their oracle. This Senior Citizen Moses had staggered Pharaoh and outwitted all the wisdom of the Egyptians. This 80 year old man, showed up the youthful Ramses, out maneuvered the politicians of Africa by winning the vote of the Populace. Educated the Doctors, who themselves had taught Him all the wisdom of Egypt, the greatest civilization on earth. He blew the mind of the meteorologist, causing hail in the summer, and night in the day time. He confounded the oenologist who had never seen a red oceans, red rivers, or red lakes. This senior citizen bewildered the Agriculturist, by bring drought in the time of plenty. He amazed the Astrologist by showing fire at night in the Sky, and cloud by day which led the way to the Promised Land. He caused frogs, and flies, and caterpillars to appear in places they had never been before, so that the Counselors of the African King Ramses, begged Him, "Let the Hebrew people go, for we have never seen anything like this, in Egypt". This Senior Citizen Moses. Despite all this, when his dream still only a dream, His achievement not yet achieved. Still hoping to lead Gods people into the Promised Land, God said Moses, this is not a job for Senior Citizens, it the youths time. Choose you another leader. Moses, God said, I know you want to go into the promise land, I know you have longed for it, and prayed for it, I know you had dreamed of it, but I am the leader Moses. The pillar of fire by night, the pillar of cloud by day, I am the true leader, fall out Moses, It's Joshua turn. Its youth's time. One of the greatest insights in being a leader is knowing when to fall out. All good general must know when his soldiers have had enough, and Jesus is the greatest of Generals. And he knows when it youths time. Many a good work has been spoiled by the worker obstinately dragging it on after the finger of God has written finish upon it, [1] This thing is not ours, it is God's, and when Gods says quit, you quit, because God knows best. Fall out Moses, Gods says, its Joshua turn.
I Chronicles 7:22-27. 1CH 7:22 And Ephraim their father mourned many days, and his brethren came to comfort Him 7:23 And when he went in to his wife, she conceived, and bare a son, and he called his name Beriah, because it went evil with his house. Beriah means - in times of trouble, God always has his man, in times of trouble. 1CH 7:25 And Rephah was his son, also Resheph, and Telah his son, and Tahan his son, 1CH 7:26 Laadan his son, Ammihud his son, Elishama his son, 1CH 7:27 Non his son, Jehoshua his son. Joshua, Yahweh is deliverance, the Son of Nun, born of the Black tribe of Ephraim, military commander of Moses during the wilderness wanderings. It was this man Joshua, born on the continent of Africa who went up into the mount that day, when God had invited Moses to come up to Mount Sinai so that He may give Him a table of stone containing law which God himself has written with his own fingers. It was this man Joshua, born on the continent of Africa to the descendants of an African Priest who stood by, When like a devouring fire, God appeared upon the mountain. And for forty days, and forty nights, communicated with Moses, and God shared with them, as he had shared with no man before. Joshua was there. It was this Man of African descent name Joshua who was inaugurated by Moses as His successor, and when Moses died, it was this man Joshua Who became Israel's great African leader, who began immediately to make preparations to enter into the promised Canaan. It was An African named Joshua. He led with all His might, no doubt, Just like Moses, He moved as a man possessed. He was a man on a mission; God had called Him and ordained Him for a specific purpose. Conquer the land, Joshua, Conquer the land. And when the people thought it was time to rest, Joshua kept pushing them on and on and on. Joshua, a black man of energy and push, Joshua, a black man who had great enterprise to his credit, Joshua, a black man with a long roll of fame to show. For forty years he observed the slavery and sorrow of a captive people. His childish eyes had witnessed the brutality of the Egyptian taskmasters. And deep within his breast burnt a desire to set his people free. Joshua was a soldier. He was not a teacher or a prophet. God did not appear to Him as a burning bush, no as Captain of the Lords Host God came, sword drawn in his hand. And Now God Speaks to this great Black leader. JOS 1:2 Moses my servant is dead; now therefore arise, go over this Jordan, thou, and all this people, unto the land which I do give to them, even to the children of Israel. Go over this Jordan, to Canaan. Canaan, home of the Giants. This is black mans country. Joshua. They are Canaanites, Sons of Ham, and Brothers to Nimrod. In this country are black giants. Military geniuses. They settle here because it is the cross Roads of the world, and they alone have proved to be militarily able to withstand the onslaught that living in Palestine requires. Genesis 10:6 Gen 10:6 And the sons of Ham; Cush, and Mizraim, and Phut, and Canaan. All Negroes, Cushites, were Ethiopians, Mizraimites - Egyptians, Phutites - Libyans and Canaanites. The People who dwelt in Palestine. We blacks have a tremendous heritage. Canaan, this is black mans country. Cities strongly fortified. Jericho, Ai, Gilgal, Jerusalem, Hebron, Lachish, Eglon, Jarmoth. Cities that had stood as a monument to the ability of the Black race to build structure of magnificence and beauty, where peace and tranquility existed within its walls, Mountainous fortress and strongholds that would defy any power in those days. Canaan, this was black man's country. They were a powerful people fierce and warlike. Armed and ready to stop any intruder, any nation ready to claim Palestine as their own. They have Horsemen, and chariots, and instruments of war, which Israel has none. Canaan, this is Black man's country empire builders. "Before you Joshua, Jericho, behind you Joshua, Egypt". To your right Babylon, to your left Hittites, all great black empires. Built by the sweat of their brows, with the strength of their hands. They fear no one thus far, But Joshua, You Great Black military leader of Israel, shall put fear into hearts, for with you is not Baal. With you is not Isis. With you is not Astoreth. Experience said, it could not be done, But youth says: Fear thou not, for Yahweh is with you, Be not dismay, for Yahweh is your God, I will strengthen you; I will uphold you with the right hand of my righteous. Arise, great Black Military leader, Arise, and take my people over this Jordan. When a man knows he had been called to a certain work, he is invincible. He is not unconscious of His own deficiency. He is not insensible of difficulties. None is as quick to see the great stones, the iron gates as he is. He sees the walled cities the broad flowing rivers He feels the shaft of ridicule and adverse criticism. But from all these he looks steadily away to the declared purpose to which God has called Him, and he yields himself a channel through whom God can operate. The supreme inquiry for each of us, when summoned to a new work is not whether we possess sufficient strength, not whether we possess sufficient qualifications no. When we are called by God; there is no further cause for anxiety. If it is in His plan that we should march through a river, march on. If it is in His plan that we take a walled town, take on. If it is in His plan that we turn to flight an army, then we simply must go forward, God will make a way through the mountains. God will make a way through the rivers. God will make a way through the fires. Rivers will dry up. Walls will fall down, armies will scatter, and the devil will tremble in his boots. There is no such thing as impossibility when God says forward; Arise go over this Jordan. JOS 1:5 There shall not any man be able to stand before thee all the days of thy life: as I was with Moses, so I will be with thee: I will not fail thee, nor forsake thee. All through the arduous campaign that followed, nothing could daunt Joshua courage. As long as that promise kept ringing in His ear, he had no fear, I will be with thee. The river may be deep, The Mountains may be high. But who can faint when there hand is in Gods hand. Rise Up Israel's Great Black Military leader, go over this Jordan. [1]Ibid P. 91 |
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