Strong and Courageous
Introduction
Locate Joshua Chapter 1; towards the front of your Bible; after Deuteronomy; as I always remember, Joshua, Judges, Ruth.
Pray
transition
Situation: Moses is Dead (v. 1); Stress: Israel Has No Leader (v. 1); Search: Israel Needs a Leader (v. 1)
Joshua 1:1 (NASB 2020)
Now it came about after the death of Moses the servant of the Lord,
Alright, stop right there!
Now stopping just half-way into the first verse, we realize there is a lot going on.
If you have just picked up your Bible and read straight through from page one, this would not come as a shock to you. In fact, the death of Moses is talked about in the end of Deuteronomy.
If you have not had the chance to read through the first books of the Bible I encourage you to do so, but Moses is an immense leader within Jewish history.
Some even consider Moses to be one of the best types for Christ, or the best symbols fulfilled through Christ, in the entire Old Testament.
Every one of us knows the impact of losing a good leader!
Sir Alex Ferguson
Manchester United coach from 1986 to 2013
During his time at United he won 13 Premier League Titles, or the equivalent of 13 Super Bowls in 27 years
In 2013 Ferguson retired for health reasons, and since then United have yet to win a Premier League title, and have had 4 different coaches come in and try to replicate what Ferguson has done.
Moses’ resume precedes him. The people of Israel are looking for the same caliber of leader as Moses was!
Who will lead these people? Who can direct Israel into the promised land?
Solution: God Selects Joshua (v. 2-9)
God Affirms Joshua (v. 3-5)
Joshua 1:1–5 (NASB 2020)
...the Lord spoke to Joshua the son of Nun, Moses’ servant, saying, “Moses My servant is dead; so now arise, cross this Jordan, you and all this people, to the land which I am giving to them, to the sons of Israel.
Joshua is not God’s backup plan…he is God’s plan
I think often times when things don’t go the way we expect, or the way we want, when death and destruction come our way, we assume God has the same attributes as man. That maybe His first plan didn’t work out, so now we are in His back up plan, and this is simply not the case. While death, pain, and suffering are hard things in this broken world, they do not lead to a backup plan from God, but are the plan to strengthen and embolden you in your faith.
God reminds Joshua of the land that has been promised to Israel.
Every place on which the sole of your foot steps, I have given it to you, just as I spoke to Moses. From the wilderness and this Lebanon, even as far as the great river, the river Euphrates, all the land of the Hittites, and as far as the Great Sea toward the setting of the sun will be your territory. No one will be able to oppose you all the days of your life. Just as I have been with Moses, I will be with you; I will not desert you nor abandon you.
God reminds Joshua of the promises from Moses.
Further, God affirms that these blessings given to Moses will also be given to Joshua.
The author of Hebrews also calls upon these verses when describing Christian character in Chapter 13, verses 5 and 6 saying,
Hebrews 13:5–6 (NASB 2020)
...“I will never desert you, nor will I ever abandon you,” so that we confidently say,
“The Lord is my helper, I will not be afraid.
What will man do to me?”
These words in Joshua serve to remind us of the continuing promises of God, and they remind us that He continues to be with us every day of our lives.
Biblical Theme
Connect strength & courage to God with us.
I want to be honest with you…this week has been a long hard week for me...
transition
God Commands Joshua (v. 6-9)
Be strong and courageous.
The two words here convey that Joshua is to be strong and courageous so that he might lead his people well!
This phrase is repeated three times as God commands Joshua.
Hold to the Book of the Law.
God is telling Joshua to hold to the words of the Torah, the writings of Moses.
This is a command not only to follow the words of the law, but to let these words fill Joshua, so that he might rely on them as sustenance.
New Situation: Joshua Assumes Command (v. 10-18)
Joshua Leads Israel (v. 10-15)
Joshua takes command of the Israelites, and he begins to do very specific tasks to prepare them to enter the promised land.
Preparing provisions, strategizing military plans, organizing the people of God; these points of leadership are the very basics required of him to lead these people.
The method in which they prepare is almost ritualized,
as Richard Hess writes in his commentary,
Joshua not only accepts the command from God to lead the people, but then takes it to action in the most direct and integral way.
In such, the people begin to enter the promised land in worshipful and responsive heart.
Israel Accepts Joshua’s Leadership (v. 16-18)
The text resurfaces the phrasing from earlier in the passage,
Israel accepts Joshua in the same way that God commanded Joshua, calling on him to be strong and courageous.
Many times as believers we think it is our responsibility to be strong and courageous, and to be someone that others lean on. Even in my own life, there are times when I feel like the pressure is on me to be strong and courageous.
Dad almost dying of Covid
In the midst of the roller coaster, I felt that I needed to be strong and courageous for my mother and sister. I remember telling myself to be strong, and to accept my role as the new leader of this family, being the one that they would need to rely upon.
While we are strengthened and emboldened in Christ, He is the ultimate leader, He is the ultimate strength, and He is the ultimate courage.
The promises of God bestowed on Joshua are ultimately fulfilled in Christ. Those of us in Christ know that not only is God with us always, but He now resides in our hearts.
This passage calls us to rely on Christ as our strength and courage, and by relying on Him as such, we might show others who he is by our strength and courage through Him.
So I ask, are you relying on Christ in this way. Are you relying on Him as the one to lead the charge into battle, and the one to be strong and courageous? Have you ever relied on Christ in this way? If you live a life changed by the Gospel, you have accepted that you are not strong enough, that you are not courageous enough, and you will never be these things.
Call to faith
Pray
