Faith Strength Courage

Throughout Bible history, God always called upon His people to be strong, be of good courage, and have no fear. The Jews, when they reached the promised land saw the giants and after all the miracles God performed to free them, they refused to trust in God, and they all demanded to go back to Egypt. Joshua and Caleb basically said, “Remember all those miracles God performed that made us free to begin with? What do we have to fear? We have God on our side.” But they would not listen to reason. The Lord was so angry, He condemned 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 had died and the time had come to possess the promised land. Look at what the Lord said 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.

You have this amazing moment. The Lord tells Joshua, Moses my servant is dead; now therefore arise. 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 (2 Tim. 2:1). Joshua had already proven his courage in the war with Amalek, and yet, he was still told to be strong. Timothy had already proven his courage on a 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. Joshua felt insufficient in himself to follow in the footsteps of Moses and 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 that his sufficiency was of God by His grace. Be strong and of a 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 to fulfill His purpose in them. This was a living faith in a living God, trusting in His wisdom, His Word, and His power to deliver them from the hands of their enemies and to deliver them from all their own worst tendencies.