2026 In The Presence Of The Lord

2026 In The Presence Of The Lord Joshua 1:6-9 I. Strength and Courage. (v. 6a) * Joshua was exhorted by the Lord to "be strong and of a good courage". * Both of these attributes would be essential for the days ahead. * The exhortation occurs three times in this section (vv. 6, 7, 9). * Strength and courage in the face of the most intimidating circumstances will be drawn from the well of divine promise, which is why the exhortation follows the promises of vv. 3-5. * The link between strength and courage is not isolated to this section of the Word of God. It also appears in Scripture when David charges Solomon with the task of building the temple (1 Chr 28:20), and by Hezekiah when the Assyrians were besieging Jerusalem (2 Chr 32:7). * Strength should never be confused with aggression, as Paul explained to the Corinthians, "I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ's sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong" (2 Cor 12:10). * Joshua would derive his strength from the Lord and His promises and it should be the same for a Christian: * "Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might" (Eph 6:10); "Thou therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus" (2 Tim 2:1). Paul exhorted the Corinthians in his first epistle, "Watch ye, stand fast in the faith, quit you like men, be strong" (1 Cor 16:13), and in the next verse balanced the exhortation, "Let all your things be done with charity" (1 Cor 16:14). * Here, the Lord Jesus is the supreme example for the Christian, as He is in every aspect of Christian living. * Christ strength and courage were wonderfully blended with love and gentleness; when He faced the devil in the wilderness (Lk 4:1-13), or when He stood up in the synagogue in Nazareth declaring Himself to be the fulfilment of Isaiah 61:1-2 (Lk 4:16-30), and throughout His public ministry. II. 3 Resources Available to Joshua (vv. 6b-9) a. Promise of the Father. (v. 6b). * Here the Lord reminds Joshua of His promise to the fathers of Israel. * The immediate fathers of the present generation that stood on the banks of the Jordan had received a promise from the Lord, that "Joshua the son of Nun, which standeth before thee, he shall go in thither: encourage him. for he shall cause Israel to inherit it. * Joshua should take courage and draw strength from the divine promise being fulfilled, as any Christian should: "Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises" (2 Pet 1:4). The promises of the Lord are too numerous to outline in this context. * They have been the source of strength and courage for Christians over generations of time, when facing mighty tasks for God and the difficulties of serving God in an ungodly world: "For all the promises of God in him are yea, and in him Amen, unto the glory of God by us" (2 Cor 1:20). b. Precepts of the Law, (vv. 7-8). * The obligation laid upon Joshua is regarding "all the law". * His observance was not to be partial. The familiar expression, "turn not from it to the right hand or to the left" (Deut 2:27; 5:32; 17:11, 20; 28:14), is given here as the extent of the obedience expected of Joshua and, indeed, of all Israel under the Law. * In addition to complete obedience, the need for meditation was brought before Joshua. It was not the obedience of unintelligent habit that the Lord demanded, but rather the intelligent obedience of devotion. * Vivid expressions are used by the Lord to convey the point-"this book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth". * "Thou shalt meditate therein day and night". * His external obedience to the Law was to flow from an appreciation and love for the Law that would come from daily meditation and constant conversation. * "Then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success". * The promise of the Lord to Joshua was not that of material success and prosperity. * In the Old Testament, prosperity and success are both linked with accomplishing the purpose of God, with the help of God (Ezra 6:14; Neh 2:20; Dan 3:30) and obedience to the word of God (1 Kings 2:3; 2 Kings 18:6-7; 1 Chr 22:13). * Here, these words are linked together for the only time in the Bible and serve as a reminder that setting the word of God in its rightful place, and responding to it, is vital for the accomplishment of the purpose of God. c. The presence of the Lord. (v. 9). * This promise had already been given to Joshua in slightly different words (v. 5). * The emphasis here is that, "the Lord thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest". * This expression mirrors that used in v. 7 to speak of the prosperity that Joshua would know if he obeyed the Law. * Thus, obedience to the Law and the presence of the Lord are linked, and not without significance. * The presence of the Lord would be that enablement that Joshua would require if he was going to obey the Law. * Without the presence of the Lord, Joshua would be doomed to failure in respect of the obligation to observe it.