Straight out of Egypt, Hosea was raised in the projects. Daddy was around and neither was Mama, so he came up the rough side of the mountain. He was constantly brought before Moses for fighting. To be fair Hosea wouldn’t start ‘em but he’d sho’ end them.
So, when the Amalekites attacked the Israelites, Moses called on Hosea to lead the charge, which he did and killed them all.
Perhaps being a felon himself, Moses understood Hosea’s rough side. Over time, he basically adopted Hosea and changed his name to Joshua. And God chose Joshua, whose name means salvation, to lead the people into the Promised Land.
Throughout the wilderness journey, Moses constantly prayed for people over and over doing the same bad thing, again and again.
Now, other than Moses, Joshua didn’t fool with too many people. He was a bit of a loner but a keen observer. Over the years, Joshua watched Moses do backflips for these people. He told them the Law so they could have order in their lives, only to have most die in the desert.
With that, Joshua knew he was leading a generation in mourning and confusion. When they crossed over, everybody would have to get past their tears and fears because their enemies care less, in fact they’d welcome them.
Besides, they had heard all the prayers that brought them to this moment. Joshua wasn’t unfeeling; he understood the assignment. They had to fight the good fight of faith for what God had said, what he had promised.
Frederick Douglass said: I prayed for freedom for twenty years but received no answer until I prayed with my legs. It was time for the children of Israel to go forward.
References – Exodus 17:8-13, Numbers 27:18-22, Joshua 1:1-10
