Spiritual Courage

Joshua 1 - Episode 116

I wish that I could tell you that once you choose to follow God, He will fight for you, and everything will be easy. But it isn’t true. Sometimes we have to fight too. The comfort and encouragement are not found in freedom from the fight. The comfort is that God will always be with you and the encouragement is that He is the most powerful force you could ever have your side.

The New Leader – Joshua 1:1-5

After Moses died, God spoke directly to Joshua as the Israelite’s new leader. Thirty years younger than Moses, Joshua had been his assistant from the beginning. He was first mentioned as the military leader who defeated the Amalekites soon after they left Egypt. But he was with Moses when he met the Lord on Mount Sanai to receive the law and when he entered the tent of meeting to speak with God. He also represented the tribe of Ephraim as one of the 12 men sent to spy out the land God promised to give them. Only he and Caleb trusted God to bring them into the Promised Land at that time, and they were the only two who would be allowed to enter from the first generation of Israelites.

Joshua was born in Egypt and his parents named him Hoshea, which means “desire for salvation” presumably because they wished to be saved from their oppression in Egypt. Moses renamed him Joshua, which means “The Lord saves”, because God had saved them from slavery. Also, in Hebrew, Joshua is pronounced Jesus. Mary and Joseph were told to name their son Jesus because He would save the people from their sins.

So, forty years after God saved them from Egypt, around 1405 BC, at the age of 90, Joshua was called to lead the second generation into the Promised Land. God had already given them detailed boundaries for the land, but He gave Joshua the exterior bounds of the land again. It would stretch from the Mediterranean Sea on the West to the Euphrates River in the East, as far north as Lebanon and south to the Nile of Egypt. God would give all this land over to them as long as they went in and fought for it. Just as the Lord was with Moses, He would now be with Joshua. No one would be able to stand against Him because God was on His side. He could trust the Lord to be with him in the battle.

Be Strong and Courageous – Joshua 1:6-9

Even though Joshua was a warrior, God gave Him no military strategy. The victory wouldn’t come through schemes and tactics but through their reliance on the Lord. Instead of instructions and plans, God gave him encouragement and affirmation. This was a motivational speech by the Commander of the army letting him know that he would succeed. Three times Joshua was told to be strong and courageous.

It was not physical strength that would be required for this battle, but spiritual and emotional strength and courage. Every army needs a courageous leader, but because they were not especially strong physically and they were outnumbered in the land, they would need to remain brave and trust in God’s strength above that of their enemies. This would be a long war and it would take perseverance and faith to continue the fight.

But all Joshua had to do was obey the Lord. If he kept God’s Word close and didn’t deviate from His ways, then he would be successful. But for Joshua to obey the Lord, He needed to know what God said, and meditate on His words, keeping them always in his mind. Joshua needed knowledge and wisdom to be a good leader and God was telling him how to obtain both.

Confirmation from the People – Joshua 1:10-18

After God finished encouraging Joshua, he began preparing the people. They were told to gather their things because they would enter the Promised Land in only a few days. The battle would soon begin. But the land was already theirs, they just had to take it.  

Then he turned to the two and a half tribes who had already received their land and reminded them of their promise to Moses. Their families and animals could remain in their land on the eastern side of the Jordan, but every able-bodied man was required to cross the river and fight with the others until they also took possession of their land. They could not rest in their own land until the rest of the Israelites were allowed to rest in theirs.

Then the people also confirmed Joshua as their leader. They vowed to do everything he said to do and go wherever he told them to go. They even vowed to put anyone to death who rebelled against him. They accepted him as their leader just as they had accepted Moses and they would follow him just the same. They knew the Lord had appointed him as their leader and that God would be with him just as He had been with Moses. They trusted Joshua because they knew he had been called by God and this generation trusted the Lord to fulfill His promise to them. Then they, too, encouraged Joshua to be strong and courageous, knowing that they were behind him.