2. God’s Promise: Joshua 1:6, “Be strong and courageous, because you will lead these people to inherit the land I swore to their forefathers to give them.”
“First, Joshua was commanded
to be strong and courageous because of God’s promise of
the land. Strength and fortitude would
be required for the strenuous military campaign just ahead, but Joshua was to
keep uppermost in his mind the fact that he would succeed in causing Israel to
inherit the land because it had been promised to their forefathers,
that is, to Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and the entire nation.”
Joshua had to have faith that
God would keep his promise that the Hebrews were to receive the Promise Land. Without that promise, Joshua would have been
a fool to attack Canaan.
C.S. Lewis, “You never know
how much you really believe anything until its truth or falsehood become a
matter of life and death to you. It is
easy to say you believe a rope to be strong and sound as long as you are merely
using it to cord a box. But suppose you
had to hang by that rope over a precipice.
Wouldn’t you then first discover how much you really trusted it? Only a real risk tests the reality of a
belief.”
3. God’s Power:
Joshua 1:7-8, “Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the
law my servant Moses gave you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left,
that you may be successful wherever you go. 8 Do not let this Book of the Law
depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be
careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and
successful.”
“Joshua was again commanded
to be strong and very courageous, being careful to obey all the Law of
Moses. This command is based on God’s power through His Word.
This is a stronger exhortation, indicating that greater strength of character
would be required to obey God’s Word faithfully and fully than to win military
battles! The emphasis in these verses is clearly on a written body of truth. To
enjoy prosperity and be . . . successful in the Conquest of Canaan
Joshua was to do three things with regard to the Scriptures: (a) The Law was
not to depart from his mouth; he was to talk about it; (b) He was
to meditate on it day and night, to think about it; (c) He was to do
everything written in it, to obey its commands fully and to act by it.
Joshua’s life demonstrates
that in a practical way he lived according to the teachings of the Law of
Moses. This alone explains the victories he achieved in battle and the success
that marked his entire career. In one of his farewell addresses to the nation
just before he died he urged the people to live in submission to the
Scriptures.”
Joshua lived out his courage,
by living a life that was according to what God had said.
C.S. Lewis, “Courage is not
simply one of the virtues, but the form of every virtue at the testing point,
which means, at the point of highest reality.
A chastity or honesty or mercy which yields to danger will be chaste or
honest or merciful only on conditions.
Pilate was merciful till it became risky.”
4. God’s Presence: Joshua 1:9, “Have I not commanded you? Be
strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever
you go.”
“The third call to courage
addressed to Joshua was based on the promise of God’s presence. This did
not minimize the task Joshua faced. He would encounter giants and fortified
cities, but God’s presence would make all the difference.
Joshua probably had times
when he felt weak, inadequate, and frightened. Perhaps he considered resigning
before the Conquest even began. But God knew all about his feelings of personal
weakness and fear and told Joshua three times, Be strong and courageous.
God also urged him not to be afraid or discouraged. These
charges with their accompanying assurances (God’s promise, God’s power, and God’s
presence) were sufficient to last a lifetime. Believers in all ages can be
uplifted by the same three assurances.”
John Eldredge, “There comes a
time when we simply have to face the challenges in our lives and stop backing
down.”
5. 1 Chronicles 28:20, “David also said to
Solomon his son, “Be strong and courageous, and do the work. Do not be afraid
or discouraged, for the Lord God,
my God, is with you. He will not fail you or forsake you until all the work for
the service of the temple of the Lord
is finished.”
