In this first chapter God commissions Joshua to take over command of Israel, and Joshua charges the war-able people to prepare for crossing the Jordan into the promised land.
“After the death of Moses the servant of the Lord, the Lord said to Joshua the son of Nun, Moses’ assistant, ‘Moses my servant is dead. Now therefore arise, go over this Jordan, you and all this people, into the land that I am giving to them, to the people of Israel. 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. 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.’ ” (v1-2,5,9)
God tells Joshua three times to “be strong and courageous”, and the leaders of the tribes tell him the same thing. Joshua is reminded four times to be strong and courageous, yet God only reminds him once to keep the laws given to Moses. Why do you think that is?
It is unlikely Joshua was afraid of the inhabitants of Canaan, since he was one of the two spies that insisted they could take the land with God’s help (the other ten were afraid and said it couldn’t be done).
Personally, having a low opinion of myself I could understand if Joshua was possibly unsure of his leadership abilities. I doubt my qualifications all the time. Perhaps Joshua didn’t think he was ready to lead the people. Thankfully, we can live in the truth that God does not call the qualified, He qualifies the called, as He did with Moses.
The Bible doesn’t clarify why Joshua needed the confidence boost (at least not in this chapter) but one thing is clear – he had the best support system possible for the journey ahead. Not only was God with him (which was more than sufficient), he had also assisted Moses since shortly after the Red Sea crossing, so he had strong mentorship. Joshua, though given a daunting task of leading 2.4 million people, had been setup to succeed in his calling.
Today, we can say the same thing. We have far more resources at our disposal than Joshua did (we have information overload, actually) including an entire Bible, plus we have the same God of Israel backing us. My challenge today is to look in the mirror and say “Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord my God is with me wherever I go.” – then live in that truth.
Father God, Almighty King, Conqueror of of the Promised Land we praise Your holy name. You are a strong, and unstoppable God, who goes before us as our fearless leader and behind us as our protector. Father please encourage us to be bold and courageous, to fulfill the calling you have in our lives. Please teach us to fear You alone, and nothing else in this world. Please help us to remain strong in the face of uncertainty, knowing that You are there with us. Thank you for fulfilling Your promise to never leave or forsake us. We praise, honor and glorify You in the name of Jesus, amen.
~ Conqueror in Training