No man shall be able to stand before you all the days of your life. Just as I was with Moses, so I will be with you. I will not leave you or forsake you. Be strong and courageous, for you shall cause this people to inherit the land that I swore to their fathers to give them. Only be strong and very courageous, being careful to do according to all the law that Moses my servant commanded you. Do not turn from it to the right hand or to the left, that you may have good success wherever you go. This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success. Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.” (Joshua 1:5–9)
Yesterday, we saw that trusting in God is the only way to be delivered from fear. Today and tomorrow, I want us to meditate on the fact that God not only calls us not to fear, he also calls us to be courageous.
The passage above contains the words Joshua related from God to the people of Israel as they were preparing to go into the promised Land. There is a major barrier to their entering the land, though. In fact, it is an impossible barrier to overcome by themselves. They are wondering if God is going to help them and if they be sufficient for this trial ahead of them.
The Bible is in the habit of telling us to do things which are impossible—like love your enemy, or pray for those who persecute you, or fear not. We find two such commands in this passage. One is in the context. God tells the people to cross the Jordan. Now if we could travel back to that time, we might protest upon hearing the command: “No problem, God!” However, this is what geologists will eventually call ‘earth’s deepest valley’ (1286 feet below sea level), it will be measured to be some 100 feet deep in some points, and high mountains frame it on both sides — in fact some are sheer cliffs.” It was impossible to cross.
The other command is the one on which I would like to focus our attention. It is a command to do away with fear: “Be strong and courageous.” To emphasize, the command comes three times and at one point is intensified to “be very courageous.” To get at the design behind the command, let’s ask two questions, “Why” (today) and “How” (tomorrow).
Life is difficult
For one, we must be courageous because life is difficult and we, as Christ representatives, are called to show the world how to walk through it. That means that every one of us is called to be a leader to somebody. God commanded Joshua to be strong and courageous so that he could lead. The command to be courageous always comes in the face of difficulty. You seldom have to tell someone relaxing on the beach to be strong and courageous. The road ahead for all of us is by definition difficult. It would be difficult for these Israelites whom Joshua is tasked to lead as well. There would be giants to battle and habitations to carve out. God teaches us that even after our initial deliverance, the Christian life, which moves ever closer toward the inheritance of heaven, will be a difficult battle. As Christians, we are in a unique season where we can bear witness to God to those around us by being strong and courageous.
People are difficult
Specifically, Joshua was called to lead these people. They were not easy people. People are not easy. You and I are not easy, because we are all sinful rebels at heart who do not want to lead, nor do we want to be led. These people had just lost their beloved leader Moses. They loved him so much they grieved a whole month after his death. And they loved him so much they tried to stone him on one occasion! Even the people who love us best can be difficult. You and I are called to lead people (children, peers, coworkers, family members) by words and actions in the way they are to go with Christ, and that is a difficult task. Challenging circumstances like the ones we are currently in can make us feel this even more acutely. Our emotions can cause relating with one another to be even more challenging. In some cases, strength and courage will look like overlooking an offense (Proverbs 19:11) in order to demonstrate the gospel.
You possess the Bible
The reason you and I as Christians have this awesome responsibility is because we have inestimable privileges. Not the least of those blessings is God’s Word, which shows us how to live. Do you realize how many people are desperate to know how to live and you possess a book which contains the answers they need? Such privileges bring responsibility. In our text, God emphasizes the necessity of obeying God’s Word by referring to it three times. Joshua had less of it than you because he lived so early in redemptive history. But he had enough of God’s promises in the Word that he had to act courageously. You must be strong and courageous because you possess God’s Word which Paul tells us “fully equips the person of God for every good work” (2 Timothy 3:17).
You will be prosperous and successful
As sinners, we tend to have all the wrong goals. Some of us here want to get rich. Others are looking for name recognition. However, I am sure most of us simply want to fulfill God’s intention for our lives. That’s what is promised here as a reward for being strong and courageous.
God commands it
Finally, you must be strong and courageous because God tells you to be. He is the master of the universe, the one who is able to throw both body and soul in hell. Therefore, you must be strong and courageous because God commands it. Some theologians and Christians would be happy if I we were to stop there. They would say that God gives commands and preachers must simply repeat and God’s people must simply obey them. However, God would not be happy if I stopped with telling you what you must do and why. I suspect that you, like I, would not be either. We would be despairing. Because while these are the reasons for obeying that arise out of the text, they are useless to us without the enabling promise that lies behind each one.
In tomorrow’s devotional, we will return to this wonderful passage to uncover the enabling promises of God to Joshua – and us.
Prayer
Very simply, ask God for courage. Ask him for courage that would enable you to lead those around you to the source of courage – God himself. Also, pray that God would make churches all over the world act courageously in the midst of this pandemic to bear witness to the greater hope we have as Christians.
For more opportunities to pray and serve, please visit https://www.2pc.org/covid-19-response/.