Fireside: Finding Your “Why”

“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.

(And his daughter was Sherah, who built Beth-horon the nether, and the upper, and Uzzensherah.)

And Rephah was his son, also Resheph, and Telah his son, and Tahan his son,

Laadan his son, Ammihud his son, Elishama his son,

Non his son, Jehoshua his son.”
1 Chronicles 7:23-27

Makings of a Hero

Do you know Joshua of the Bible? Joshua was the servant of Moses. He stuck with Moses on Sinai while all Israel turned after the golden calf. He was faithful to Moses despite the rebellions of Korah, Dathan, Abiram, and even Aaron and Miriam. He and Caleb alone of the 10 spies sent believed the promise of God over the giants in Canaan. He was chosen by God to lead Israel when Moses left.

The Captain of the Lord’s host personally commissioned him. The 31 kings of Palestine trembled because of him. The Jordan River parted for him to cross on dry ground. The walls of Jericho fell before him. At his word the sun stood still over Gibeon for an entire day. He repossessed much of Canaan that belonged to Israel by Divine right.

This Joshua was a driven individual. He was driven by more than ambition. Joshua found his motivation in the old tales his great-grandfathers used to tell.

You see, Joshua was born a slave in Egypt. He had never known freedom. He had never had military training. His only education was begrudged of his taskmasters and likely moonlighted after work. He saw the atrocities of the Hebrews’ male genocide in the Nile River. All this weighed down his fellow Israelites like a millstone necklace. But something deeper drove Joshua to his place at the right hand of Moses the Man of God.

“And the sons of Ephraim; Shuthelah, and Bered his son, and Tahath his son, and Eladah his son, and Tahath his son, And Zabad his son, and Shuthelah his son, and Ezer, and Eleah, whom the men of Gath that were born in that land slew, because they came down to take away their cattle. And Ephraim their father mourned many days, and his brethren came to comfort him.”

(1 Chronicles 7:21-22)

Every man who does anything for God has a “why” for what he does.

Everyone advocates for greatness. Most of the talk of greatness will stop at “what” can be done that merits accolade. Some will dissect the habits and virtues of a great one and arrive at a “how”. But the fountain of original thought, inspiration and devotion comes when you discover the “why.”

Joshua appears suddenly in Exodus 17 with a direct order from Moses to choose men to fight with Amalek. They meet in Rephidim, in the wilderness of Sin, (later called Massah and Meribah) where Israel miraculously drank from the smitten rock. Suddenly, Amalek appears to quench the ember of the nomad nation. They have not a trained warrior among them, but Moses chooses Joshua, and they descend into the valley to fight. Aaron and Hur hold up the praying hands of Moses as Joshua grips his sword until sundown. That was the beginning for Joshua.

Why Joshua? He knew his history. Joshua was an Ephraimite. Why was he picked to fight Amalek? Why, they were Philistines from Gath. The same Gathites that slew his ancestors and grieved Ephraim and disgraced the household of Joseph. Joshua knew it, and the fire of his zeal moved Moses to pick him from 600,000 men to lead. He had the right backstory to make him into a fierce leader.

What’s your backstory?

Do you want to renew some purpose in your Christian life? Find your “why.” Learn where you came from. Find out who your enemies were, and pick up the battle for yourself. Billy Sunday was a drunk; God saved him, and he called down the liquor traffic his whole life. Vance Havner was saved and called to preach at 12. After his formal education, midlife he became a self-proclaimed liberal theologically, but God reclaimed him. Read his sermons in his later years, and you won’t find better arguments for the old paths than from him.

They found their “why.” Now, you find yours!