“This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success.” -Joshua 1.8
The Lord sets forth a standard here, that the Book of the Law shall be sufficient for the success of Joshua and the Israelites in the tasks set before them. God encourages an intimate knowledge and a prayerful consideration of what he has revealed to the people thus far.
So is the case with us, turning our attention to verses such as 2 Timothy 3.16-17 (“All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be competent, equipped for every good work“) and Hebrews 4.12 (“For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart“). There is no substitute for the written revelation of God in our struggle with the flesh. Any attempts to root ourselves outside of this will undoubtedly prove to be vain in the end.
Here we see Joshua taking over the role and responsibilities first given to Moses, and God’s primary advice for him in this is to trust in His promises and walk in His ways. It is foolishness if we think this does not still apply.
