(This sermon is part of Dr. Manuel's sermon series: "What is Foremost?" Links to
each of the sermons in the series will be found here as they are posted.)
When we embark on a new venture or move to a new area, we my find ourselves overwhelmed by the novelty of what we encounter.
By the second time the Israelites reach the border of Canaan, following an additional forty years in the wilderness...
XLII. The Foremost Concentration2
...which meditates on...
Among the people of Israel in Joshua's day (c. 1200 B.C.), there are far fewer volumes, and they are probably not in private collections4 but part of a national repository in the care of Levites, whose responsibility it is to study them and teach their contents to the public.5 As Israel is about to enter the Promised Land, one text comes to the fore as being especially important:6 The Book of the Covenant (Exod 24:7)7 or, as it is more commonly known, The Book of the Law (Deut 28:61; 29:21; 30:10; 31:26; Josh 1:8; 8:31,4; 23:6; 24:26)8 This is what Joshua commends to the Israelites as they embark on a new chapter in their national life together. It is also good advice for God's people in general. Joshua says...
Using the events of this past week as a model, and apart from when you are in church, how much time, if you quantified it, do you devote to conversation and contemplation about God's word? ...Is it a regular part of your discussions at home and with close friends? ...Is it what you think about often when you are by yourself in your house or in your car?
In the late 60s, the Beatles brought more than their music to American culture. They introduced the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, an Indian mystic who was promoting his particular Hindu technique of Transcendental Meditation that he claimed would foster personal well being by a combination of regulated breathing and the repeated chanting of a mantra, which is generally a series of sounds without meaning (or the name of a Hindu god). TM is similar to Krishna Consciousness, another Indian movement popular in the US at the same time. Its devotees, heads shaved and wearing saffron-colored robes, would frequent airports, train stations, and bus depots, selling flowers and the organization's magazine, "Back to Godhead," and chanting, "Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna."12 Transcendental Meditation and Krishna Consciousness were just two of several religious movements that gained popularity at this time (along with Sun Myung Moon's Unification Church).13 There was a burgeoning interest among American youth who were trying to find their way in a society that had lost its biblical moorings. They sought meaning in 'sex, drugs, and rock 'n roll,' as well as in religious alternatives to Christianity.
One of the activities TM and Krishna Consciousness promoted—new to many in this country—was called meditation. It sparked discussion even among Christians, many of whom wondered if it was okay for them to meditate. Some dismissed the practice out of hand as a cult activity, unacceptable for children of God. Others noted that the Bible recommends it in several passages, which raised the question: Is there good meditation and bad meditation? If so, what is the difference between meditation that God commends and meditation He condemns?
Indeed, there is a difference. Although not exactly the same, biblical meditation is similar to biblical prayer in the way it engages the mind. Jesus, in his Sermon on the Mount, warns his disciples not to imitate the pagan practice common in the first century, which often uses mindless repetition. He says...
While the reflection on God's law, being a mental activity, is very much a personal activity, your attention to His instruction must not remain private. Joshua also says...
Because there are such exceptions in scripture, we must understand that Joshua is not stating an absolute rule but a general principle, and general principles have exceptions. Suppose you are one of the exceptions, one of those whose service to God is not rewarded with success from God. Should you give up on Him and go your own way? ...That would be very short-sighted because, while there is no guarantee of prosperity now, there is assurance of it later.
When Jesus wondered if the apostles would leave him as others had done, Peter replied...
It is easier to wait for that future if you are prosperous and successful now, but whether you are or not—and most people are somewhere in between—there are at least three qualities the apostle Paul recommends as essential to all people, whatever their situation may be.
These three qualities—patience, contentment, endurance—the apostle Paul recommends as essential to all people, whatever their situation may be, as they wait for the future God has planned for His people.
Joshua has already seen one generation fail and suffer for its lack of commitment to God's instructions, so in his address to another generation he explains that the secret of prosperity and success is The Foremost Concentration on the precepts of God. Whether you, like the Israelites, are setting out on a new venture or continuing on one you started some time ago, Joshua's advice is still good, and it will guarantee the best outcome for God's people today, including you.
Having considered The Foremost Contemplation, we will look next at The Foremost Conviction, which threatens the priority of God, in Job 19:25-27.
For the Bibliography and Endnotes, see the pdf here.
On a family vacation in Texas, Mike exhibited the exuberance of a typical tourist. At a diner, he and his brothers ordered cheeseburgers. When his meal arrived, the first thing Mike noticed was its size. "Wow," he exclaimed, "everything is bigger in Texas!" As he lifted the burger to his lips, his eyes met the cold stare...of a 300-pound waitress.When we embark on a new venture or move to a new area, we my find ourselves overwhelmed by the novelty of what we encounter. While the Israelites did not encounter extremely large waitresses in Canaan, they did encounter formidable challenges1 that required them to maintain The Foremost Concentration on what God expected from them, if they were to overcome those challenges.
By the second time the Israelites reach the border of Canaan, following an additional forty years in the wilderness...
- There is a new generation, a turnover in the population, after the previous generation had died off, those who first refused then failed to enter the land.
- There is a new covenant, a renewal actually of the original contract God made with His people at Mt. Sinai.
- There is a new leadership, a transfer of authority from the administration of Moses to that of his protégé Joshua.
XLII. The Foremost Concentration2
...which meditates on...
- The precepts of God (Josh 1:8)
Josh 1:8 Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; 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.Since the invention of the printing press in 1450, the expansion of literature (and literacy) has exploded, with public and private libraries amassing countless books. Book production, though, did not wait for Gutenberg's invention. Scribes produced them by hand and, by Solomon's day, the king recognized where this was headed, writing in his own book, "Of making many books there is no end" (Eccl 12:12).3
Among the people of Israel in Joshua's day (c. 1200 B.C.), there are far fewer volumes, and they are probably not in private collections4 but part of a national repository in the care of Levites, whose responsibility it is to study them and teach their contents to the public.5 As Israel is about to enter the Promised Land, one text comes to the fore as being especially important:6 The Book of the Covenant (Exod 24:7)7 or, as it is more commonly known, The Book of the Law (Deut 28:61; 29:21; 30:10; 31:26; Josh 1:8; 8:31,4; 23:6; 24:26)8 This is what Joshua commends to the Israelites as they embark on a new chapter in their national life together. It is also good advice for God's people in general. Joshua says...
1. Your attention must adhere to what God requires....to what He reveals in "This Book of the Law." To that end...
a. It must occupy your conversation (mouth): "Do not let [it] depart from your mouth."...and...
b. It must occupy your contemplation (mind): "Meditate on it day and night."Joshua is reiterating here what Moses told this same generation earlier, as recorded in...9
Deut 6:6 These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts.... 7b Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.It is also what one psalmist later writes about the typical righteous man, in a passage many commit to memory (KJV).10
Ps 1:2 ...his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night.11With all that vies for our attention, especially in the field of entertainment—there is always some book, or movie, or TV show that seeks to captivate us—we give little time to regular conversation and contemplation about God's word.
Using the events of this past week as a model, and apart from when you are in church, how much time, if you quantified it, do you devote to conversation and contemplation about God's word? ...Is it a regular part of your discussions at home and with close friends? ...Is it what you think about often when you are by yourself in your house or in your car?
In the late 60s, the Beatles brought more than their music to American culture. They introduced the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, an Indian mystic who was promoting his particular Hindu technique of Transcendental Meditation that he claimed would foster personal well being by a combination of regulated breathing and the repeated chanting of a mantra, which is generally a series of sounds without meaning (or the name of a Hindu god). TM is similar to Krishna Consciousness, another Indian movement popular in the US at the same time. Its devotees, heads shaved and wearing saffron-colored robes, would frequent airports, train stations, and bus depots, selling flowers and the organization's magazine, "Back to Godhead," and chanting, "Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna."12 Transcendental Meditation and Krishna Consciousness were just two of several religious movements that gained popularity at this time (along with Sun Myung Moon's Unification Church).13 There was a burgeoning interest among American youth who were trying to find their way in a society that had lost its biblical moorings. They sought meaning in 'sex, drugs, and rock 'n roll,' as well as in religious alternatives to Christianity.
One of the activities TM and Krishna Consciousness promoted—new to many in this country—was called meditation. It sparked discussion even among Christians, many of whom wondered if it was okay for them to meditate. Some dismissed the practice out of hand as a cult activity, unacceptable for children of God. Others noted that the Bible recommends it in several passages, which raised the question: Is there good meditation and bad meditation? If so, what is the difference between meditation that God commends and meditation He condemns?
Indeed, there is a difference. Although not exactly the same, biblical meditation is similar to biblical prayer in the way it engages the mind. Jesus, in his Sermon on the Mount, warns his disciples not to imitate the pagan practice common in the first century, which often uses mindless repetition. He says...
Matt 6:7 ...when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words.In contrast, biblical prayer, the kind that attracts God's attention, is marked by two characteristics: It has both content (substance, information) and concentration (focus, direction),14 which Jesus illustrates for the disciples when he instructs them...
Matt 6:9a This is how you should pray. [In other words, the praise and petitions that follow are to be the content of your prayer, but you must also have the proper concentration.] "Our Father in heaven...Biblical meditation is similar to biblical prayer in that biblical meditation also has concentration and content, so Joshua says, "Meditate [concentrate] on this Book of the Law [content]." Knowing this, the difference between Eastern meditation and Biblical meditation becomes stark.
| Eastern Meditation | Biblical Meditation |
| ...is a mindless activity, the repetition of a meaningless mantra. | ...is a mindful activity, a reflection on meaningful revelation. |
| ...detaches from reality and empties the mind, exposing it to malevolent spiritual forces.15 | ...engages with reality and focuses the mind, concentrating it on a benevolent God. |
While the reflection on God's law, being a mental activity, is very much a personal activity, your attention to His instruction must not remain private. Joshua also says...
2. Your actions must accord with what God requires.Such loyalty will not go unnoticed or unrewarded, and Joshua cites two benefits that result from obedience to God's word.
a. It will secure your finances: "You will be prosperous."...and...
b. It will secure your future: "You will be...successful."This result echoes what Moses told the people just a few weeks earlier,16 in...
Deut 29:9 Carefully follow the terms of this covenant, so that you may prosper in everything you do.It is a message future generations will find to be reliable because, several hundred years later, the author of Ps 1 reiterates it in a description of the typical righteous man.
Ps 1:2a [H]is delight is in the law of the LORD, and.... 3d Whatever he does prospers.David will also use it in counsel to his son Solomon.
1 Chr 22:13a [Y]ou will have success if you are careful to observe the decrees and laws that the LORD gave Moses for Israel.Is this true, and can you be certain, that service to God will result in success from God? ...The answer to the first question—Is it true?—is "yes," as examples of the principle in scripture illustrate. Noah, Abraham, and David were all servants of God who experienced success from God.17 This is not, however, a quid pro quo ("this for that") arrangement, where service to God guarantees success from God. So, the answer to the second question—Is it certain?—is "no," as exceptions to the principle in scripture also illustrate. Job and Paul, for example, were loyal servants of God who experienced significant suffering.18 Granted, their suffering was not from God,19 but their suffering mitigated to some extent whatever sense of success they experienced.20
Because there are such exceptions in scripture, we must understand that Joshua is not stating an absolute rule but a general principle, and general principles have exceptions. Suppose you are one of the exceptions, one of those whose service to God is not rewarded with success from God. Should you give up on Him and go your own way? ...That would be very short-sighted because, while there is no guarantee of prosperity now, there is assurance of it later.
When Jesus wondered if the apostles would leave him as others had done, Peter replied...
John 6:68 ...Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.In other words, there really are no alternatives, no viable options besides what God offers. Moreover, no matter what hand you are dealt now, there is something infinitely better later. Job, after losing everything, his finances and his family, said about God...
Job 13:15a Though he slay me, yet will I hope in him....How can someone who has suffered so much, someone whose experience should make him pessimistic about the future, be so optimistic? ...Job knew that what he would have "in the end" was better than anything he could have at the moment. So he also said...
Job 19:25 I know that my Redeemer lives, and that in the end he will stand upon the earth. 26 And after my skin has been destroyed, yet in my flesh I will see God;Job knew that what he would have "in the end" was better than anything he could have at the moment. Likewise, the apostle Paul, despite the suffering and persecution he endured, declared with the utmost assurance and anticipation...
Rom 8:18 I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us.God takes a long view of life, and He wants you to do the same.21 Whether or not you achieve success and prosperity now, even if this present life is characterized by failure and loss, what follows will be glorious.., beyond anything you can imagine. As Paul also wrote,22
1 Cor 2:9 ...No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him.Paul knew that there is a radical difference between what we have now—whether it seems great or small—and what we will have later.... Do you love God? ...Then He has prepared for you a glorious future, glorious beyond your wildest dreams.
It is easier to wait for that future if you are prosperous and successful now, but whether you are or not—and most people are somewhere in between—there are at least three qualities the apostle Paul recommends as essential to all people, whatever their situation may be.
- The first quality you must have is patience.23 Paul says in...
We are subject to God's timetable, and there is no rushing Him. There are those who would like to advance the schedule,24 but that will not be. As Peter notes:Rom 8:25 ...if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently.
Like God, therefore, you must have patience.2 Pet 3:9 The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.
- The second quality you must have is contentment.25 Paul says in...
Contentment is related to patience in that you cannot be impatiently content. This is not to say you should have no ambition, no desire or drive to better yourself. As James Mackintosh, a 19th c. Scottish jurist, politician, and historian said.26Phil 4:11 b I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances.
It is right to be contented with what we have, but never with what we are. [Italics added]Contentment is being at ease with your situation and meaning it when you sing,
"Whatever my lot, thou hast taught me to say, "It is well, it is well with my soul."Therefore, you must have contentment.
- The third quality you must have is endurance.27 Paul says in...
This means finishing what you start. Most people have uncompleted projects at home, tasks they began then set aside when interrupted by something more pressing. While your walk with God is an ongoing, unfinished project, it must never be something you set aside for something more pressing. There is nothing more pressing, especially if you care about your future. Jesus says...2 Tim 2:12a if we endure, we will also reign with him.
Matt 10:22b [= 24:131 ...he who stands firm to the end will be saved.Therefore, you must have endurance.
These three qualities—patience, contentment, endurance—the apostle Paul recommends as essential to all people, whatever their situation may be, as they wait for the future God has planned for His people.
Joshua has already seen one generation fail and suffer for its lack of commitment to God's instructions, so in his address to another generation he explains that the secret of prosperity and success is The Foremost Concentration on the precepts of God. Whether you, like the Israelites, are setting out on a new venture or continuing on one you started some time ago, Joshua's advice is still good, and it will guarantee the best outcome for God's people today, including you.
Having considered The Foremost Contemplation, we will look next at The Foremost Conviction, which threatens the priority of God, in Job 19:25-27.
For the Bibliography and Endnotes, see the pdf here.
(This sermon is part of Dr. Manuel's sermon series: "What is Foremost?" Links to each of the sermons in the series will be found here as they are posted)
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Jim Skaggs