“How long will you wait before you begin to take possession of the land that the LORD, the God of your ancestors, has given you? Interesting question. It highlights the Divine-Human interaction. God gave but they had to "take possession". They were not to sit in camp and wait on God to do everything. They were to respond to his promises.
There are big issues where this idea has been lost. I have no idea how many church fights, debates and articles have been generated by the grace - works debate. I think Joshua would have weighed in on the debate saying "yes" to both sides. By grace God gave them the land; by works they took possession of it. So, "yes" to both.
It would be easy to scoff at those who spend hours in these debates were it not for the fact that we all live out the debate personally. Do I pursue a career or wait on God to drop an opportunity on me? Do I exercise disciplines to become holy or does holiness come as a gift from God? If I believe God wants me to move somewhere, change jobs or talk to someone, then do I wait on him to do it or do I start working?
There seems to be a fine line between religious laziness and waiting on God. Likewise there is a fine line between religious fervor and not waiting at all. To take action in God's name without listening to him is disastrous. To take no action because we are always in a state of waiting is negligence. To do both is the goal of the Divine-Human interaction.
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