This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success.
Moses taught the children of Israel that the Word of God was their life. And Now Joshua tells them that they should not let the book of the law depart out of their mouths; to meditate therein day and night. Joshua believed in this as much as Moses believed in it. They shared their faith, trust, and love for the Word of God. When we came to the end of Joshua, the last chapter tells of the death of Joshua, but the very last verse tells of the death of Eleazar, the son of Aaron the priest, and how he was buried in a hill that belonged to Phinehas, his son.
It was sad; yet sweet to read of those two men of God passing from the scene. They were of the same cut. I remembered the zeal of Phinehas when he thrust through Zimri and his woman and stayed the plague that the Lord had given them for the whoredoms they committed with the Midianites and their women and gods. With his zeal and that javelin, the last carcass fell in the wilderness. Phinehas and his father Eleazar took the Word of God seriously.
Phinehas, the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron the priest, hath turned my wrath away from the children of Israel, while he was zealous for my sake among them, that I consumed not the children of Israel in my jealousy. Wherefore say, Behold, I give unto him my covenant of peace: And he shall have it, and his seed after him, even the covenant of an everlasting priesthood; because he was zealous for his God, and made an atonement for the children of Israel. (Numbers 25:11-13)
When I consider the commitment of Aaron and his family, I think about how the priest and his sons were to make a meat-offering the day they were anointed. It was to be an offering of baked fine flour with oil; and half of it was to be offered in the morning and half of it in the evening. (Leviticus 6:19-23)
Moses, Joshua, Eleazar, Phinehas… They shared a zeal and love for the Word of God. But then years and year later, David pens those blessed words, “But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night.” (Psalm 1:2) I can sense and feel the holy affinity between David and all those that before him that loved the Word of God. I’ve got to say (I think some people can relate) I feel like I’m also part of the fellowship. For I love the Word of God. It truly is a lamp unto my feet and light unto my path. And I do love to meditate on it day and night.
I’d like to challenge you to read your bible day and night; a little in the morning and a little in the evening. Job said, “I have esteemed the words of his mouth more than my necessary food.” (Job 23:12) Come up with your own schedule and stick to it. There’s no telling what God can do in your life if you’d fill yourself with his Holy Word. Go for it!