2 Great Africans

JOS 1:1 Now after the death of Moses the servant of the LORD it came to pass, that the LORD spake unto Joshua the son of Nun, Moses' minister, saying,

JOS 1:2 Moses my servant is dead; now therefore arise, go over this Jordan, thou, and all this people, unto the land which I do give to them, even to the children of Israel.
The Bible destails the experience of two of the greatest Africans to ever live.
One young, one Old, Both born Sons of the African Soil, both bred in the lap of luxury and loyalthy.

One grew up in the home of the Pharoah, ordained to be Pharoah when his time came,
The other a descendant of an African priestess called Asenah.
We know them in scripture As Joshua and Moses, and together, under the direction of God, the would pull of one of t he greatest achievements in the history of the world, and cause their names to be written on the annals of time, as leaders and founders of the nation of Israel.

Moses in his day had set his face to a splendid, audacious and impossible adventure. He sought awaken a passion for liberty in born slaves, people broken with no hope, no stars No tomorrow.

He sought to weld that soft crumbling stuff of which the Israelite People had been made into a nation, A people of pride and prosperity.

Moses sought To wrest a home for these poor souls out of the hands of a sturdy vigilant strong Hametic race of Canaanite people, who were not willing give up their land, no matter what Yahweh said. After all their God was Baal, and Yahweh they thought was no match for Baal

It was a dwarf dream, nothing more. And yet patiently, persistently, whole heartedly, Moses gave his life to it, leading, coaxing, thundering, Rousing tired hearts rekindling hopes that had gone out till at last it all but came through. The hour had struck, the years of weary waiting had crawled past, there lay the land full in sight at last, another step or two, and it would be reached.

Here they stand, at the edge of the Jordan. Millions of Israelite slaves. Jordan's water swiftly cascading merrily over the smooth stones that had sat at the bottoms of its water for some 5000 years.

According to the book of Numbers, their were 72,000 African Families in this massive crowd awaiting the command of the Lord to cross over this Jordan. They were descendant of Ehpraim and Manhasset. Further more, there was in this crowd the mixed multitude, African Egyptians who came with them for they had married into this Hebrew race, and where their family went, they went also. Then there were the African in-laws of Moses, including Horab the Midianite, who according to Num 10:29-33 Moses convinced to go with Him to Canaan and be a Head Scout

Moses had been their leader, their law giver, their oracle.
This 80 year old man, showed up the youthful Ramses,
Out maneuvered the Politicians of Africa, by winning the vote of the Populace

Educated the Doctors, who themselves had taught Him all the wisdom of Egypt, the greatest civilization on earth.

He blew the mind of the meteorologist, causing hail in the summer, and night in the day time.

He Confounded the oceanoligist who had never seen a red oceans, red rivers, or red lakes.

This senior citizen bewildered the Agriculturist, by bring drought in the time of plenty.
Amazed the Astrologist by showing fire at night in the Sky, and cloud by day which led the way to the promised land.

He caused frogs, and flies, and lice to appear in places they had never been before, so that the Counselors of the African King Ramses, begged Him, "Let the Hebrew people go, for we have never seen anything like this, in Egypt".

The Promised Land had not yet been reached, But one day God said, fall out Moses, its Joshua’s turn.

Moses, dream was still only a dream, His achievement was so close
Moses, God said, I know you want to go into the promise land,
I know you have longed for it,
I know you had dreamed of it, but I am the leader Moses,
The pillar of fire by night, the pillar of cloud by day, I am the true leader, fall out Moses, It's Joshua turn.

Many of wars have been lost because of Generals who did not know when to quit.
Senior Citizens who did not know when to turn over to the youth.

GEN 41:50 And unto Joseph were born two sons before the years of famine came, which Asenath the daughter of Poti-pherah priest of On bare unto him.

GEN 41:51 And Joseph called the name of the firstborn Manasseh: For God, said he, hath made me forget all my toil, and all my father's house.

GEN 41:52 And the name of the second called he Ephraim: For God hath caused me
to be fruitful in the land of my affliction.

1CH 7:22 And Ephraim their father mourned many days, and his brethren came to confort Him

1CH 7:23 And when he went in to his wife, she conceived, and bare a son, and he called his name Beriah, because it went evil with his house.

1CH 7:25 And Rephah was his son, also Resheph, and Telah his son, and Tahan his son,

1CH 7:26 Laadan his son, Ammihud his son, Elishama his son,

1CH 7:27 Non his son, Jehoshua his son.

Joshua, Yahweh is deliverance, the Son of Nun, born of the African tribe of Ephraim, military commander of Moses during the wilderness wanderings.

It was Joshua who went up into the mount that day, when God had invited Moses to come up to Mount Sinai so that He may give Him a table of stone containing law which God himself has written with his own fingers.

It was Joshua who stood by, When like a devouring fire, God appeared upon the mountain. And for forty days, and forty nights, communicated with Moses, and God shared with them, as he had shared with no man before. This African man Joshua was there.

Joshua, a man of energy and push,
Joshua, a African man with great enterprise to his credit,

For forty years he witnessed the slavery and sorrow of a captive people.
His childish eyes had witnessed the brutality of the Egyptian taskmasters.
And he burned with a zeal to liberate these people.

Joshua was a soldier. He was not a teacher or a prophet. God did not appear to Him as a burning bush, no as Captain of the Lords Host God came, sword drawn in his hand

And Now God Speaks to this great African leader.

JOS 1:2 Moses my servant is dead; now therefore arise, go over this Jordan, thou, and all this people, unto the land which I do give to them, even to the children of Israel.

And now God speaks to Him, Joshua, Moses is Dead. And era has ended, But a new one is about to begin, arise, you go over this Jordan.

Canaan, home of the Giants. Land of the sons of Ham, Brothers to Nimrod. In this country are African giants. Military geniuses. They settle here because it is the cross Roads of the world, and they alone have proved to be militarily able to withstand the onslaught that living in Palestine requires.

Canaan, land of the Africans, Cities strongly fortified. Jerico, Ai, Gilgal, Jerusalem, Hebron, Lachish, Eglon, Jarmoth. Cities that had stood as a monument to the ability of the African race to build structure of magnificence and beauty, where peace and tranquility existed within its walls, Mountainous fortress and strongholds that would defy any power in those days.

Canaan, land of the Africans, . They were a powerful people fierce and warlike. Armed and ready to stop any intruder, any nation ready to claim Palestine as their own. They have Horsemen, and chariots, and instruments of war, which Israel has none.

"Before you Joshua, Jerico, behind you Joshua, Egypt". To your right Babylon, to your left Hittites, all great African empires. Built by the sweat of their brows, with the strength of their hands. They fear no one thus far, But Joshua, You Great African military leader of Israel, shall put fear into hearts, for with you is not Baal. With you is not Isis. With You is not Astoreth.

Fear thou not, for Yahweh is with you,
Be Not dismay, for Yahweh is your God
I will strengthen you, I will uphold you with the right hand of my righteous

Arise, great African Military leader, Arise, and take my people over this Jordan.

When a man knows he had been called to a certain work, he is invincible. He is not unconscious of His own deficiency. He is not insensible of difficulties. None is as quick to see the great stones, the iron gates as he is.

He sees the walled cities the broad flowing rivers
He feels the shaft of ridicule and adverse criticism.
But from all these he looks steadily away to the declared purpose to which God has called Him, and he yields himself a channel through God can operate.

The supreme inquiry for each of us, when summoned to a new work, a new task to uphold a new doctrine, is not whether we possess sufficient strength,
Not whether we possess sufficient qualifications
Not whether we possess suffiecient education, no.

When we are called by God; there is no further cause for anxiety.
If it is in His plan that we should march through a river,
If it is in His plan that we take walled town
If it is in His plan that we turn to flight an army,

We have simply to go forward He will make a way in the mountains
Rivers will dry up. Walls will fall down, armies will scatter, the devil will tremble in his boots. There is no such thing as impossibility when God says Forward; Arise go over this Jordan.

JOS 1:5 There shall not any man be able to stand before thee all the days of thy life: as I was with Moses, so I will be with thee: I will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.

The devil may try to stop you.
He might turn up the fire seven times higher.
He might send his enemies to hate us
The river may be deep, The mountains may be high.
But who can faint when there hand is in Gods hand.

When God say march, there is no need to fear.
Just call on his name, in the words of the poet.

Guide me Oh thou great Jehovah
Pilgrim through this barren land.
I am weak but thou art mighty
Lead me with thy powerful hand.

When I tread the verge of Jordan
Bid my anxious fear subside
Death of death and hells destruction
Land me safe on Canaan side

JOS 1:3 Every place that the sole of your foot shall tread upon, that have I given unto you, as I said unto Moses.

This demonstrates the slow and toilsome process of spiritual acquisition.
There are no express trains from Egypt to Canaan, No easty doctrine, no easy decisions
One foot at a time, one foot up and one foot down.