Not One Thing Hath Failed
By T. E. Bowen
Joshua was about to die. Faithfully he had served the Lord. He was prominent in Israel early in life. God had even directed Moses to associate him with his own work and share with him his responsibilities. At the death of Moses, Joshua was selected by the Lord to lead the children of Israel into their promised home. Joshua was a man of unflinching faith in God. He had great confidence in that God who could divide a sea, after spoiling the mightiest of earth's nations, and through the opening that delivered the captive seed of Abraham make a trap to finish, as it were, despoiling the mighty men of Pharaoh. Joshua was a young man in this host that passed through the Red Sea. He also witnessed the mighty acts of God in Egypt. He heard Moses and Aaron recount to Israel how God purposed to lead them into a land of their own, a land he would give them for an everlasting possession. He believed that what God had promised he was able also to perform. At the time of his death he gathered the elders of Israel unto him, and began to recount God's wonderful dealings with his chosen. As he reviewed it all, and saw what had really been done, he said: “Behold, this day I am going the way of all the earth: and ye know in all your hearts and in all your souls, that not one thing hath failed of all the good things which the Lord your God spake concerning you; all are come to pass unto you, and not one thing hath failed thereof.” This is a wonderful testimony. Israel had said they could not go in to possess the land. Caleb and Joshua said they could, with the good hand of their God upon them; and God was pleased with their faith. This is shown by the fact that he permitted this servant to live and see all the good promised Israel come to pass. In this dying testimony of the only man then living (except, perhaps, Caleb) who could span the entire history from the leaving of Egypt unto the settling of the tribes in their inheritance, is some most excellent counsel, and that, too, applicable to the Israel of to-day, who soon hope to enter upon the real rest of which that inheritance was but a type. Joshua said: “I am old and stricken in age: and ye have seen all that the Lord your God hath done unto all these nations because of you; for the Lord your God11is he that hath fought for you. Behold, I have divided unto you by lot these nations that remain, to be an inheritance for your tribes, from Jordan, with all the nations that I have cut off, even unto the great sea westward. And the Lord your God, he shall expel them from before you, and drive them out of your sight; and ye shall possess their land, as the Lord your God hath promised unto you. Be ye therefore very courageous to keep and to do all that is written in the book of the law of Moses, that ye turn not aside therefrom to the right hand or to the left; that ye come not among these nations, these that remain among you; neither make mention of the name of their gods, nor cause to sware by them, neither serve them, nor bow yourselves unto them: but cleave unto the Lord your God, as ye have done unto this day. For the Lord hath driven out from before you great nations and strong: but as for you no man hath been able to stand before you unto this day. One man of you shall chase a thousand: for the Lord your God, he it is that fighteth for you, as he hath promised you. Take good heed therefore unto yourselves, that ye love the Lord your God. Else if ye do in any wise go back, and cleave unto the remnant of these nations, even these that remain among you, and shall make marriages with them, and go in unto them, and they unto you: know for a certainty that the Lord your God will no more drive out any of these nations from before you; but they shall be snares and traps unto you, and scourges in your sides, and thorns in your eyes, until ye perish from off this good land which the Lord your God hath given you.” What a grand picture is here held up for Israel to view of the goodness of the Lord God of Abraham! How sad to think that the evil here mentioned came upon them, and that the remnant of these nations became a trap, a snare, and thorns to them simply because they did not take good heed to cleave unto and love the God that had been so good unto them. One could chase a thousand, and no enemy, however strong his boasts, could stand before that people whose God was the Lord, so long as they served him with all their hearts and obeyed him implicitly. Upon us the end of the world is come, and great is our need of this genuine faith in God and his power. All that he has promised will be performed. The same Captain that led Joshua has charge of the closing conflict against the hosts of sin and darkness. Unto him has been committed all power. Our success lies not in numbers, in riches, nor in anything we of ourselves can do, but in humbly walking with Christ, and letting him fight the battles for us. Our part is to take heed not to copy the sinful ways of the world, not to become entangled in alliances with it, and to take good heed to love the Lord our God, and obey him in all things. This is our glory. God will see to it that the people who thus honor and serve him not. Shall we not be faithful now? Can any who have seen the wonderful providences of God in leading out a people in these last days, a people to keep the commandments and have the faith of Jesus, turn away from him now just before the fulfillment of the rich promises? Would not this certainly be foolish? What can be compared to the exceeding great and rich reward promised? May God grant that nothing shall eclipse this; and, too, that nothing shall cause us to cast away our confidence—faith—in this closing work of God; for in this lies the “great recompense of reward.” Not one good thing promised by the Lord our God will fail to come to pass.