I Will and You Shall

I Will and You Shall The Mercy of God, the Responsibility of Faith, and the Victory of Obedience Scriptures: Joshua 11–12; Deuteronomy 11 and 30; Numbers 21; Psalm 136 Message Summary God's promises and our obedience are not in competition. They work together according to His Word. Throughout Joshua 11, we discover a beautiful relationship between what God promises to accomplish and what He commands His people to do: "I will, and you shall." God promised Israel the land, but Joshua had to go in and take possession of it. God promised to deliver their enemies, but Joshua had to engage in battle. God promised victory over the overwhelming armies gathered at Merom, but Joshua still had to obey the command to hamstring their horses and burn their chariots. The Lord was teaching His people that their confidence must remain in Him rather than in their resources, military strength, or natural understanding. Sometimes the very thing we believe will make us stronger becomes the thing that weakens our dependence upon God. Joshua could have preserved the horses and chariots to strengthen his army, but doing so would have violated God's instructions. The issue was not whether those resources were useful. The issue was whether Joshua would trust the Lord enough to obey Him. Either the horses would be hamstrung, or Joshua's dependence upon God would be compromised. Joshua chose obedience. The Word Already Given Joshua 11:15 declares that Joshua left nothing undone of all that the Lord had commanded Moses. God spoke through Moses, Moses instructed Joshua, and Joshua carried out the mission. Deuteronomy was the foundation of the instructions Joshua was following. This remin