Arise Without Fear

A timeless principle, throughout all ages, throughout all dispensations, is that God has always called upon His people to be strong, to be of good courage, and to have no fear.

You might remember when the Jews were miraculously delivered from the tyranny of Pharaoh with the crazy plagues and the amazing parting of the Red Sea and the manna from Heaven, and they finally reached the promised land. They sent in spies to scope it out. And what did they find? Giants. And the people lost their minds.

They basically said, “We were like grasshoppers in their site! Forget this! I don’t want to deal with giants! Let’s go back to Egypt!”

Joshua and Caleb were there. Do you remember what they told them? They basically said, “Hey, remember all those amazing miracles God performed that made us free to begin with? What do we have to fear? They’re giants! So what? We have God on our side.”

But they would not listen to reason.

The Lord was so angry, He was ready to wipe them out. Despite the miracles. Despite all the times He protected them, took care of them, on their way to the promised land, all they ever did was whine and moan and complain, and grumble, and murmur, and showing no practical faith in God to deliver the very promises He made to them. So these people would rather go back and live in slavery in Egypt rather than show any faith in God after everything He had already done for them. And this, for the Lord, was the last straw. He was ready to wipe them off the face of the Earth and start a new nation through Moses.

Then Moses makes an interesting point to the Lord in Num. 14:16. He’s like, “If you wiped them out now, don’t you think that would be bad PR? Because the Gentile nations are going to look at that and say, ‘clearly, the God of the Hebrews was not able to deliver His people to their promised land, and that’s why He killed them off in the wilderness.’ So, for that reason, don’t you think you should maybe let these people live?”

The Lord agrees.

But He condemns that generation to die in the wilderness, and the next generation, those who were 20 years old and younger would be permitted into the promised land led by Joshua.

When Moses, toward the end of his life, passed the baton to Joshua, he would tell Joshua in front of all the people of Israel, “Be strong and of a good courage, fear not, nor be afraid of them: for the LORD thy God, he it is that doth go with thee; he will not fail thee, nor forsake thee” (Deut. 31:6).

In Joshua 1, Moses has just died, and the time had come to possess the promised land. Look at what the Lord says to Joshua.

Jos 1:1 Now after the death of Moses the servant of the LORD it came to pass, that the LORD spake unto Joshua the son of Nun, Moses’ minister, saying, Jos 1:2 Moses my servant is dead; now therefore arise, go over this Jordan, thou, and all this people, unto the land which I do give to them, even to the children of Israel. Jos 1:3 Every place that the sole of your foot shall tread upon, that have I given unto you, as I said unto Moses. Jos 1:4 From the wilderness and this Lebanon even unto the great river, the river Euphrates, all the land of the Hittites, and unto the great sea toward the going down of the sun, shall be your coast. Jos 1:5 There shall not any man be able to stand before thee all the days of thy life: as I was with Moses, so I will be with thee: I will not fail thee, nor forsake thee. Jos 1:6 Be strong and of a good courage: for unto this people shalt thou divide for an inheritance the land, which I sware unto their fathers to give them. Jos 1:7 Only be thou strong and very courageous, that thou mayest observe to do according to all the law, which Moses my servant commanded thee: turn not from it to the right hand or to the left, that thou mayest prosper whithersoever thou goest. Jos 1:8 This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success. Jos 1:9 Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the LORD thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest.

What an amazing moment. The Lord tells Joshua, Moses my servant is dead; now therefore arise. Arise without fear. Joshua must arise to finish what Moses began.

We have three exhortations in this section to be strong and of good courage, which has an interesting parallel to Timothy. Just as Moses before his death told Joshua to be strong, so too, Paul before his death told Timothy to be strong. Joshua had already proven himself to be a pretty courageous guy. He’d proven his courage in the war with Amalek. Yet, he was still told to arise without fear, to be strong and of good courage. Timothy had already proven his courage on the spiritual battlefield, having been arrested, having professed a good profession before many witnesses, and yet, he was still told to be strong.

Courage cannot be taken for granted.

I have no doubt Joshua felt insufficient in himself to follow in the footsteps of Moses, and he had to be reminded that, essentially, his sufficiency was of God by His strength just as I’ve no doubt Timothy felt insufficient in himself to follow in the footsteps of Paul and had to be reminded also that his sufficiency was of God by His grace.

Be strong and of good courage.

The great point is that they were not to let the sense of their own insufficiencies dishearten them in battle or in leadership, because God is the source of all their sufficiencies. They were fully equipped to fulfill His purposes in them. This was a living faith in a living God, trusting God in His wisdom, in His Word, and in His power to deliver them from the hands of their enemies and to deliver them from even their own worst tendencies.

Joshua

There are some interesting points to be made about Joshua. Joshua means “Jehovah is Savior.” The Greek name for Joshua is “Jesus.” He’s the first one in the Bible to bear that name. In Exodus, Joshua was the leader of Israel against Amalek, as we noted. He’s mentioned as Moses’ servant (Ex. 24:13; 32:17-18). As the servant of Moses, he did not depart out of the tabernacle (Ex. 33:11). He went with Moses, up into the mount of God.

It’s been said that Moses, the servant, is a type of Christ, the perfect servant of God, and Joshua is also a type of Christ, typifying Christ in and among His people in the power of His Spirit fulfilling His promises.

Because Moses and Joshua are both types of Christ, it’s been said that Moses and Elijah also represent the two comings of Christ. Moses might broadly represent the first coming of Christ. He ministers to Israel through great signs and wonders, offering deliverance to the promised land, but all of that ends in unbelief and judgment. Then Johsua arises, as a type of Christ, and he kind of broadly represents the second coming of Christ. He is the one who actually brings Israel into the promised land, just as Christ at His Second Coming will gather His people, bring them into their land, and they shall possess their full inheritance forever.

No Fear

We have in the first verse here Jos 1:1 Now after the death of Moses the servant of the LORD… The word “now” is kind of interesting. It is in the Hebrew kinda like the word “and.” It’s connective tissue, like a conjunction. Joshua picks up where Deuteronomy left off with the death of Moses and begins with the statement of Moses’ death. Joshua also ends with the record of Joshua’s death, and the next book, Judges, picks up where Joshua left off and begins with the statement of Joshua’s death. So here in Josh. 1, we have the statement of Moses’ death and Joshua is to lead the people into the Promised Land. The Jews had been for years in the wilderness beholding that land across the river Jordan with its beautiful hills and mountains and its fertile valleys. We’d read in Jos 1:3 Every place that the sole of your foot shall tread upon, that have I given unto you, as I said unto Moses.

I loved what Arno Gaebelein had to say about this in his Joshua commentary. He wrote, “They had to appropriate what God had given and as they appropriated it, they would possess and enjoy the land. If they made it their own by putting their feet upon the land, whether mountain or valley, it became theirs in reality. This required energy.”

Plus, he points out that “Canaan typifies the heavenly places mentioned in the Epistle to the Ephesians. We are blessed ‘in Christ’ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places (Eph. 1:3). All is the gift of the grace of God. Unsearchable riches, far greater than that land, even in its widest dimensions, belong to us. The unsearchable riches of Christ are by the death of Christ put on our side. We must take possession in the energy of faith, as Israel had to plant their feet upon the territory and conquer it.” I love that point. Just as Israel was called by God to take possession of what was already theirs, so too, we must reckon for ourselves, take possession, embrace, what is already ours.

Gaebelein would also write, “If we are apprehended of Jesus Christ, we also must apprehend.” Then he quoted Php 3:12, “Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect: but I follow after, if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus.” Just as Christ had taken possession of Paul, Paul wanted to take possession of Christ. Paul knew that he had been apprehended, taken possession of, by Christ Jesus for His good use, and therefore, Paul wanted to take possession of Christ, to apprehend Christ Himself, to know Christ intimately, experientially, to live like Christ, to embody Christ in his walk, to experience the power of Christ’s resurrection life and the fellowship of His sufferings, so he can glorify Christ by his life and his death. Gaebelein would also point out how Israel failed in the wilderness, failed in the possession of the land.

Yet, we can also find failure in our walk simply because we have not reckoned everything God says we are in Christ, because we have not taken possession of everything we already have in Christ, and because we have not endeavored to take possession OF Christ Himself in our lives with the same thoroughness and completeness as He has taken possession of us.

Be Strong

These words the Lord says to Joshua are just so stirring. In vs. 5, He says, “as I was with Moses, so I will be with thee: I will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.” He wasn’t to compare himself to Moses and try to be as great as Moses, but he was to take comfort in the faithfulness of the Lord Himself, how the Lord never left Moses, how the Lord never abandoned Moses, and how the Lord never once failed Moses in anything He asked Him to do on His behalf. Just as He was with Moses, so too, He will be with Joshua.

Gaebelein would write, “And this is true of us. He is with us, indwelling us; His Spirit is with us and His power on our side. God is for us; who can be against us?”

The Lord also says here, “I will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.” Just as He never failed Moses, never abandoned Moses, so too, He will never fail or abandon Joshua. And the big point here is that we don’t compare ourselves among ourselves, but we all rest in the faithfulness of Christ, because HE never fails His people. HE never abandons His people no matter what age you may be living in. The blessings and the power are always there for those who would by faith take possession and appropriate all the blessings they already have in Christ.

Isn’t that just amazing?

Then the Lord would say here in Jos 1:6 Be strong and of a good courage, and then He would say again in Jos 1:7 Only be thou strong and very courageous, that thou mayest observe to do according to all the law, which Moses my servant commanded thee: turn not from it to the right hand or to the left, that thou mayest prosper whithersoever thou goest. Then in Jos 1:9 He says again, Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the LORD thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest.

Three times He tells Joshua to be strong and of good courage. This is after Moses gave him the same exhortation in Deut. 31:7. This is after Joshua had already proven he had courage, particularly in the war with Amalek, and when he had shown courage and faithfulness in God before an unbelieving Israel who wanted to go back to Egypt after learning about the giants in Canaan. Yet, God still deemed it necessary to repeatedly tell him to be strong and of good courage. Matthew Henry would write that, “Those that have grace have need to be called upon again and again to exercise grace and to improve in it. Joshua was humble and low in his own eyes, not distrustful of God, and his power, and promise, but diffident of himself, and of his own wisdom, and strength, and sufficiency for the work, especially coming after so great a man as Moses; and therefore God repeats this so often, ‘Be strong and of a good courage;’ let not the sense of thy own infirmities dishearten thee; [because] God [Himself] is all-sufficient.”

I can’t help but think of Eph 6:10 Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. God didn’t tell Joshua to beg Him for strength just as Paul doesn’t tell us to beg God for strength.

Joshua, and we, are told to BE strong.

Arise without fear.

Be strong in who you are as a child of God. Be strong in the blessings you already possess as a child of God.

Notice Paul doesn’t write about being strong BY the Lord or being strong FROM the Lord, but he writes about being strong IN the Lord. Strength isn’t something we have to beg to get from God, because that strength is already ours IN the Lord. We can, and we’re exhorted, to always be strong in Him. To be strong in the Lord is to be strong in what God has already made you in Christ but being strong in the power of His might is a deep dive into the strengthening of the inner man.

How are we strengthened with might by His Spirit in the inner man? Through His Word. 1 Thess. 2:13. We read that, “when ye received the word of God which ye heard of us, ye received it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God, which effectually worketh also in you that believe.” You see how the Word of God effectually and continually works in us who believe? Why? Because the Word of God is living. His Word is the power that energizes the believer through the Holy Spirit, who is the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus.

So to be strong in the Lord is to be strong in what God has made you in Christ. To be strong in the power of His might is to be strengthened in your inner man by the Spirit through the study of His Word. There are parallels between our inner strengthening through the study of His Word and what the Lord told Joshua about meditating upon the law.

Gaebelein would write, “Notice [how] courage [for Joshua] is linked with the law (the Word of God) and obedience to it, as well as meditation in it day and night. Joshua was put in dependence on the written Word. So are we. Spiritual growth and [empowerment] are impossible apart from meditation in the Word and obedience to it. The Word and obedience to it, separates us, and keeps us separated. And we need courage to obey. It requires courage in an ungodly age, a blinded world with its eye-blinding god (Satan) ‘to observe to do according to all that is written.’ It becomes more difficult as the present age draws to its close, to fight the good fight of faith, to appropriate in faith the spiritual blessings, to stand and withstand the wiles of the devil. But if we are obedient His strength will sustain us and give us victory. We constantly need the courage of faith, which looks to God and which is expressed by obedience to His Word. ‘God’s strength is employed in helping us in the paths of God’s will, not out of it. Then no matter where we go, what the difficulties are, how long the journey seems, He makes our way prosperous.’” I love that.

Be Strong in the Grace

Of course, I also cannot help but think of 2 Tim. 2:1, “Thou therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus.” To be strong in the Lord is to be strong in what God has made you in Christ. To be strong in the power of His might is to be strengthened in your inner man by the Spirit through the study of His Word. But here Paul says to be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. What does that mean? Notice he first says, Thou therefore, my son… This is a concluding thought to what had that came before it. So what came before this verse? Is Paul referring back to the story of Onesiphorus at the end of the previous chapter? Yes. Or, wait. Is he referring back to that verse about all of Asia turning on him? Yes. Or maybe he’s referring back to his own imprisonment or maybe stirring up the gift? Yes, and yes. I’d suggest that everything in chapter 1 has led up to this great concluding thought, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. Everything in chapter 1 was one thought building upon another thought building upon another thought until you reach the most powerful thought of them all, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus.

Everything in chapter 1 was about motivating Timothy to step up as spiritual leader in Ephesus, to be unshakeable from the sound doctrines of grace, and to engage in this spiritual warfare no matter the cost. He tells him, remember your grandmother, Timothy. Remember your mother. Stir up the gift, Timothy. For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind. Do not be ashamed, Timothy. Remember, Timothy, that God hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began. Don’t forget, Timothy, that Christ has abolished death for us. Christ hath brought life and immortality to light through the gospel, and it’s for this reason only that I am in prison. Follow my example, Timothy. I am not ashamed. For I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day. Do not abandon the truth. Fight for the truth. Look at the example of Onesiphorus, how he gave up his life because he was not ashamed of the gospel or of the Lord or of me his prisoner. Therefore, Timothy, you must be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus.

When Paul says to be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus, I’d suggest that he’s talking about that specific divine attribute of God Himself, His grace, which has become our grace, which is to become the predominant characteristic of our spiritual lives, once it has been nourished up in the words of faith and of good doctrine, just like Timothy.

We know, just as Timothy knew, that the God of all grace made His only begotten Son the source, the channel through which His grace has been showered upon us, and we know that the ministry of His grace to our souls is through His written Word by the power of the Holy Spirit. We know His grace reigns today, and that it’s by Christ that His grace has become our grace. We know that we are called by His grace. We are saved by His grace. We are made whole, complete in Him, by His grace. We know that we have a sure standing in His grace before God, and that we are under the administration of His grace vs. the administration of the law. Knowing that we are standing in His grace as full grown sons of God, we rejoice in hope of the glory of God, and when we study His Word, we drink into our souls the precious Word of the God of all grace, which empowers us, which makes us strong, and ultimately, which produces grace in us. We also know that the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost given unto us, which gives us both spiritual strength and joy, and that makes us able to walk in grace toward others. Just as His grace reigns over the world, so too, His grace reigns in our hearts and minds, which allows us to exhibit His grace in our walks, and we are to be strong in that grace.

We are to maintain the vivacity of His grace operating in our hearts. We are to keep that inspiring, transforming, attribute of God alive in us all our days on this Earth. We allow His grace to motivate everything we do, ensuring that His grace lives out in us, and we are strong only as much as we allow the power of His grace to work in us. This is about His attribute of grace influencing our hearts and directing our walks. This is about a faithful service to God by allowing ourselves to be influenced to the full by all the grace that is in Christ Jesus. Every good thing we have and every good thing we are and every good thing we do is because of His grace, and when we allow that special attribute of His divine character to inspire us, to motivate us, to shine out in us, we become strong in His grace, by His grace, and through His grace. His grace gives us the ability to be conformed to the image of His Son, and His grace enables us, empowers us to live the grace life by exhibiting that attribute of His nature to the world. In other words, His grace has become our grace, from which we derive all our strength through the trials of life. We’re to not only allow His grace to be our sufficiency but also our strength to carry us through all the difficult circumstances of life.

So to be strong in the Lord is to reckon as true everything God has made you in Christ. To be strong in the power of His might is to have your inner man strengthened with might by His Spirit through the study of His Word. But to be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus is to maintain the vivacity of His grace operating in our hearts, and we allow His attribute of grace to inspire, motivate, and be the predominant characteristic of our spiritual lives, which brings us power, peace, joy, love, and strength in Christ Jesus. We cannot be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus if our inner man hasn’t been strengthened with might by His Spirit, which the Spirit cannot accomplish if we’re not in His word, if we haven’t reckoned as true everything God made us in Christ. The question for all of us then is “How do we minister BY grace instead of ministering ABOUT grace?”

Conclusion

Throughout Bible history, God always called upon His people to be strong, be of good courage, and arise without fear. Just as Moses before his death told Joshua to be strong, so too, Paul before his death told Timothy to be strong. Courage cannot be taken for granted. Joshua felt insufficient in himself to follow in the footsteps of Moses and he had to be reminded that his sufficiency was of God by His strength just as I’ve no doubt Timothy felt insufficient in himself to follow in the footsteps of Paul and had to be reminded that his sufficiency was of God by His grace, in His grace, and through the vivacity of His grace in his heart.