Hit the Hole Correctly: Joshua 1:1-9

“Only be strong and very courageous; be careful to do according to all the law which Moses My servant commanded you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, so that you may have success wherever you go” (Josh. 1:7, NASB).

Watching the news on television on Monday July 12, 2021 there was a report that the University Hospitals in Cleveland, Ohio had mistakenly made an error in surgery. The wrong patient had received a kidney transplant, and two employees have been placed on administrative leave. This type of error is rare because there are several checks made by hospital personnel to make sure that the right patient will have the right surgery. As I listened to the report it reminded me of an experience that I had in high school. My experience taught me that it is very important that you should be very mindful to do things the right way.

The football team was in the locker room getting dressed to play the game. Coach Robinson had designated me to be the starting fullback. A former player was in the locker room. He called me over and said to me: “Coach tells me that you run hard but you won’t follow your blockers. You need to follow your blocking, and hit the hole.” You see, I was the starting fullback because I had been able to switch from the position of right halfback to fullback because I knew the plays for the fullback position. I had gone from being one of several players trying to earn a spot on the team as a right halfback to fullback because one day in practice the coach needed a fullback. I was the only player that knew the plays for the fullback position. So, I was switched from halfback to fullback. I knew the plays, but I was not utilizing my blockers the way that I should. So, what does this have to do with our text? What does this say to us as Christians?

There are many people that identify themselves as a Christian. They attend church services regularly. They contribute to the ministries of the church financially and by volunteering to work in a ministry. Many of these people own a bible. However, many of these people do not read their bibles. Instead, they live by the wisdom of the world. Some error because they do not do things the way the Lord commands His people. They are like me, the fullback. They work hard at being a good church member, but often in their daily life they make errors that could be avoided if they would read their bible and do things the Lord’s way; if they would just hit the hole correctly. Let us look at our story.

Moses had led the sons of Israel out of bondage in Egypt. The people refused to enter into the land that the Lord was giving to them. Because they lacked faith, God made them to wander in the wilderness for forty years. During the journey the Lord commanded Moses to prepare Joshua to take over the leadership of the people when Moses died. Moses died and the Lord spoke to Joshua. The Lord affirmed that Joshua was now the leader of the people. The Lord promised Joshua that He would be with him just as He had been with Moses. God was indeed giving all the land that the Lord had promised to Moses; to the sons of Israel under the leadership of Joshua. The Lord would be with Joshua. The Lord would be Joshua’s blocker, his provider, and his protection. God reassured Joshua saying, “‘No man will be able to stand before you all the days of your life. Just as I have been with Moses, I will be with you; I will not fail you or forsake you’” (Josh. 1:6, NASB). Although the Lord was giving the land into the hands of Joshua, he would have to run the play the right way. He would have to hit the hole correctly if he was to be successful in taking possession of the land that the Lord was giving to the sons of Israel. What did Joshua need to do in order to hit the hole?

First, Joshua must have faith in God. Joshua must believe the Lord, and his faith must be demonstrated through his actions. The two key words are “strong” and “courageous.” Joshua must move ahead boldly and without hesitation. He cannot depend on his own strength and abilities alone. Rather, he must move forward to seize the land because the Lord has promised to give the land to him. He must have courage. He must not act as if the task will be easy. Instead, Joshua must accept the challenge knowing full well that the enemy has more natural capabilities than he has. They are better trained and experienced in war. They have superior weapons to fight with. It is their own land and they know the geography of the land. They are without a doubt the better prepared people. God does not want Joshua to think that he can somehow come up with a strategy by which he can overcome the natives in the land. Indeed he has every reason to be afraid. Against all odds Joshua must move forward to seize the land.

In order to be courageous, Joshua must be of the mind that he can trust God. Like an offensive lineman on a football team the Lord will go ahead of the runner moving the defensive player out of the way; blocking the assault of the opposing players. Joshua could never use his own abilities alone. He must depend entirely upon the Lord.

Joshua must obey the law. When I became the starting fullback, I knew the plays. I knew the right direction to run. I was fast and I was strong. I was not gaining the yards that I should have gained because I was not utilizing my blockers correctly. The Lord told Joshua that he must obey the law that Moses had given to him. This is not as simple as it might seem. In order to be successful Joshua must not only know what direction to run. He must hit the hole. He must not fail to do everything that the play calls for him to do. The instructions are specific and must be followed exactly as designed. “Be careful to do according to all the law which Moses My servant commanded you; do not from it to the right or to the left, so that you may have success wherever you go” (v. 7).

The runner must not get ahead of his blockers. He must run the play in a way that is already designed. I believe that this is a serious mistake made by many Christians. They do not obey God’s commands entirely. Like the woman in the garden (Gen. 3) they listen to the voices in the world. They try to do things their own way. They do not know the Lord’s way, and they are easily persuaded that the bible has flaws and errors that the world finds to be not practical and beneficial in our modern world. Thus, modern society has convinced the church that the mission and focus of the church ought to be centered on social issues instead of the issue of salvation that Jesus commissioned His disciples to do. Churches seek to bring about change in our society through laws while the way of God is the change of heart and mind through the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Joshua must study the law; we must study the scriptures. We cannot repeat what we have heard from other preachers and teachers of the scriptures. They too have memory lapses and are subject to the voices of the enemy. There are a lot of errors being made in the church and the Christian world simply because too many of the leaders of the people have inadequate knowledge of the scriptures. You see, a football team practices the plays regularly. The coach and the coach’s staff utilize the entire playbook so that a winning strategy can be designed. Likewise, the church and Christians as individuals must study the scriptures so that they can strategically live their lives in a manner that will bring about success. With faith, obedience, and knowledge we can be successful. We can take possession of the land that the Lord is giving to us.