"Only Be Strong and Very Courageous" (2)

Joshua 1:1–18 ESV

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. Every place that the sole of your foot will tread upon I have given to you, just as I promised to Moses. From the wilderness and this Lebanon as far as the great river, the river Euphrates, all the land of the Hittites to the Great Sea toward the going down of the sun shall be your territory. 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. Be strong and courageous, for you shall cause this people to inherit the land that I swore to their fathers to give them. Only be strong and very courageous, being careful to do according to all the law that Moses my servant commanded you. Do not turn from it to the right hand or to the left, that you may have good success wherever you go. This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success. 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.” And Joshua commanded the officers of the people, “Pass through the midst of the camp and command the people, ‘Prepare your provisions, for within three days you are to pass over this Jordan to go in to take possession of the land that the Lord your God is giving you to possess.’ ” And to the Reubenites, the Gadites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh Joshua said, “Remember the word that Moses the servant of the Lord commanded you, saying, ‘The Lord your God is providing you a place of rest and will give you this land.’ Your wives, your little ones, and your livestock shall remain in the land that Moses gave you beyond the Jordan, but all the men of valor among you shall pass over armed before your brothers and shall help them, until the Lord gives rest to your brothers as he has to you, and they also take possession of the land that the Lord your God is giving them. Then you shall return to the land of your possession and shall possess it, the land that Moses the servant of the Lord gave you beyond the Jordan toward the sunrise.” And they answered Joshua, “All that you have commanded us we will do, and wherever you send us we will go. Just as we obeyed Moses in all things, so we will obey you. Only may the Lord your God be with you, as he was with Moses! Whoever rebels against your commandment and disobeys your words, whatever you command him, shall be put to death. Only be strong and courageous.”

Scripture: Joshua 1:1-18

Sermon Title: “Only Be Strong and Very Courageous”

Our passage this morning takes us to God’s commissioning of Joshua to lead his people after Moses passed away. Before we read, let’s take a few moments to consider who Joshua is. Maybe we tend to think of Joshua as a young man in his 20s or 30s, full of youthful energy when he takes this position, but at the youngest he is 55 here, and more likely, over 60 years old. Not to say those of you over 60 aren’t young people and don’t have energy, but with his energy, he also had some wisdom and maturity. His military knowledge began 40 years before when he made his debut against the Amalekites just months after Israel left Egypt. He was one of the few allowed to go part of the way up Mt. Sinai with Moses, he stood at the tent of meeting where Moses met with God, and he was one of the initial spies to Canaan. 

Joshua had been Moses’ right-hand man, and as such, was a familiar face in the community of Israel. Joshua had military intelligence and spiritual vibrancy; he was a trustworthy companion and he believed in God’s commands and promises. Last, but not least, this was the man selected by God, gifted with the right characteristics, and groomed for the task ahead. Knowing a little more about who is before us, please stand as we read the account of God’s commissioning of Joshua. 

Brothers and sisters in Christ, can you imagine what taking up this role must have felt like? Even when you have the right credentials and qualifications, there is still a bit of fear and hesitancy that come along with not knowing what may be ahead. Joshua knew what these people were like, he knew his role would not always be appealing and could be downright frustrating at times. But God has placed him here, and God’s first proclamation is his promise to be with him as he was with Moses. Such a great comfort! Joshua had been able to see the relationship they had. It is a great encouragement that he would never leave nor forsake Joshua but God does not just give him this comfort; he also gives him some commands. 

You heard it three times in verses 6 through 9, “Be strong and courageous.” Moses had spoken those words to him before he passed away, his fighting men say the same thing when he tells them to prepare to leave but it is when they come from God that we focus our attention this morning. “Be strong and courageous.”  It is not a coincidence that God repeats those words; it is not because Joshua was hard of hearing. I believe God was very intentional and purposeful in giving this repeated command, and this morning we are going to look at what it meant for Joshua to understand God’s message and also make our way towards what it means for us still today.

The first reason Joshua needs to be told, “Be strong and courageous,” we find in verse 6, is because he will lead the people to inherit the land God swore to give to their forefathers. We are not talking the inheritance of just one generation, but rather an inheritance promised 500 years before by God to Abraham.  Abraham was the start of a people whom God called out of one place and had been moving them toward another. God had brought him into the land, showed it to him, and promised him that one day his descendants would possess and live here. 

Who is this people? Abraham had a son named Isaac, who had a son named Jacob. God gave Jacob the name Israel later in his life, and he had 12 sons and grandsons, which give us the 12 family tribes of Israel. After moving to Egypt during a famine because it was the only place where there was food, the families became too large and the Egyptians too fearful, so Israel’s descendants were forced into slavery for over 400 years. God’s word tells us that the people called upon him, and he finally brought them out of slavery by his servant Moses. God showed the Israelites and their oppressors and all of the surrounding nations his power. Moses, Joshua’s predecessor, had led this people to Mt. Sinai, where God entered into a formal covenant relationship with them. He was their God, and they were his people. 

They spent a year in that place, receiving and responding to God’s instructions, but at the right time, word began to spread through the camp that it was about time for them to continue on. Before they could leave, though, God told Moses to conduct a census. Boys and girls, God wanted them to count how many people they had so they would know how many could fight for them. The land God called them to was not an open property, it was not an undiscovered field that they would step foot in and build on for the first time. There were people there, people who did not follow God. As the census totals came in, all of Israel was able to see how faithful God had been to them and how he had multiplied them. Surely they could go wherever he led them!

After they broke camp, they journeyed to just south of Canaan. Here God called on Moses to send delegates from each of the tribes as spies to look at the land and the people. They were to report on how many and how strong were, what the conditions of the land and the cities was. Those spies were gone for 40 days, and when they returned they proclaimed, “It is exactly how God said it would be, ‘flowing with milk and honey!’ and they brought back some fruit. But then their demeanor dropped and the majority report was, “They are too powerful, too fortified! The people are too big for us!” Only Caleb, one out of twelve, speaks up on behalf of himself and Joshua, “We should go up and take possession of the land, for we can certainly do it.” He reminds the people, “If the Lord is pleased with us, he will lead us into that land…and will give it to us. Do not rebel against the Lord. And do not be afraid of the people of the land.” 

This camp had just taken a census a couple months before. They had figured out how many men could fight for them, and how many were in the whole camp. God had done so much, and now they were at the doorstep of going into the home that he had promised long before. But the people doubted whether or not they could defeat the Canaanites. God had led Moses and the people to this opportunity, and they were unwilling to go into the new home he was showing them.   Because they did not trust him, God declared not one of them would see the new land, save Caleb and Joshua. The land, their new home, would have to wait for their children. The first “be strong and courageous” that God speaks to Joshua is a reminder of all of this; it is a history lesson for Joshua to learn from. In knowing that God is with him, he must persevere, because the Israelites were a people known to weak in trusting God’s promises.  

The second reason for Joshua to be commanded to “be strong and courageous” comes in the context of his commitment of faith to God. God tells him, “Be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses gave you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, that you may be successful wherever you go. Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful.” Not only must Joshua be strong and courageous in leading a weak people, but he must be strong and courageous in keeping what is most important as just that. When Moses was in his last days, he repeated the law to all of the people, Joshua among them, but now in the opening of Joshua’s leadership, God speaks of this importance to him individually.  

What is so amazing about the repetition of God’s law to his people is that God was saying to them that the covenant offer was still on the table!  Even though they had been punished and wandering around aimlessly for 40 years in the desert, God had been faithful and was willing to continue to be faithful to them. When they had been at Mt. Sinai, God called to himself a group of slaves that had no identity, and gave them the greatest identity of any people. God had made them his treasured possession, a kingdom of priests, and a holy nation—the one true God of all creation claimed them as his own! It is into that established relationship, that God spoke his law, his rules for living. This generation that Joshua is given to lead reaffirmed their commitment to that covenant. They gave their word to God through Moses that surely the Lord was their God and he was God alone.

When it comes to Joshua, “to obey all the law,” as God commanded meant that he must “Love the Lord with all [his] heart and with all [his] soul and with all [his] strength.” If he could follow God, stay on the straight and narrow with his commands, then he would be successful and blessed. If he could keep God’s truth at the forefront of his leading and allow it to inform all he did and thought, if he could mediate and carefully do all that God had spoken for his people—he would be prosperous and successful.

For Joshua and each of God’s people, God’s law had big implications on the way they were supposed to live. Being God’s chosen people meant they were going to look different from everyone else around them. It would not be easy, thus, God intended it as a way to make them trust and lean on him more and more.  By loving the law, Joshua would grow in his knowledge of God as well as his commitment to God and what he is able to do. His life was to be an example for all of God’s people, and in turn, he would be a testimony to God’s goodness. God’s promises that come with this command, blessings of success and prosperity, do not mean that Joshua’s life would be free from hardship. Certainly God rewards those who delight in him; all who seek after God will receive great mercy from him, but let’s not read this as an exemption from trials and difficulties, from occasional hardships. Living a life of obedience would give Joshua a life of joy in God, and that joy far outweighs any and all struggles that he might endure.

When we come across passages that talk about the law in the Old Testament, we might get wrapped up in thinking that it is only rules and regulations that the people were obligated to do, they were so restricted. Maybe some of us tend to think that the law has little to do with us, and we can easily just rush through any passages verses about it, especially all those little nitpicky ceremonial laws and prescriptions about what was clean and unclean. Let’s slow down, though, because the point of the law was not that the people would follow a list, making sure their lives matched up as close as possible. The point of the law, God’s intention behind giving Joshua and all his people instructions to orient their lives around comes from his desire for them to be a people set apart! Being set apart and called to live holy, in contrast with the wicked nations around them, meant they would need to grow to depend and rely upon the one who was setting them apart. The law is not God being cruel to his people; rather he loved his people, and wanted Joshua and each of them to love and trust him. 

What I hope we see in this point is that if the law was simply in place for the people to follow rules, then godly living is just about living morally. That’s not the core of what Christian living is about in our setting, and that was not the core of the Israelite’s relationship with God either. By living differently than everyone else, God’s people reflect in their values and lifestyles who they believe to be in control. We talk about Jesus as the fulfilment of the law; he lived it perfectly. The reason it needed to be lived out perfectly though is not due to legalism but rather showing full and unswerving dependence on the one true God and bringing the most glory to him. The law is important and meditating on the law is important for Joshua as well as all of God’s people, not so that we just can know the words and recite them to others, but so we can faithfully practice them and call upon the perfecter of our faith when we do not follow them. Joshua is commanded to be strong and courageous, and we are too, because God’s people need to fully trust in the Lord, and lead according to his commands.

The third time God commanded Joshua, “Be strong and courageous,” he intended it as a way of reiterating that he would never leave him nor forsake him. “Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.” Joshua was given the task of leading hundreds of thousands of men to fight, to make sure their families safely entered into a land they knew little about. There was good reason why 10 of the 12 spies had been fearful about going forward. But now it was Joshua’s turn, and his task was to bring them through the Jordan River and into battle. Joshua must get in and not lose focus on God’s will; he had had to be, and could be, strong and courageous because the God Almighty would be with him wherever he went.   

God’s call to his servant is simple. Lead without letting trouble drag you down. Lead without being overcome by anxiety, worry, and obstacles that seem impossible to overcome. When times are tough, when the people grumble, when you approach every city as a vulnerable target, know that I will be with you, so be strong and courageous! What a powerful encouragement! This book tells us that Joshua and Israel went on to conquer 31 kings and their territories. They went in and possessed the land under Joshua’s leading. In following God fully, they were finally able to experience the rest they needed and which God had planned for them.

I am guessing that none of us have had the experience of leading a large nation as its political, military, and spiritual leader. I am certain, however, that most if not all of us have had times in our lives where we have faced change with some hesitancy and fear of what the future may hold. I am not talking about the hesitancy you might have faced this weekend in choosing to buy Tostitos chips instead of your usual Meijer-brand. I am thinking about the fear that comes for young people choosing to go to college or into the workforce, and in either case, having to choose a field and try to find employment.  There is fear as you approach adulthood and face major decisions like where you might move, and whether you will buy or rent living space. In our work, we may face tough decisions about ethics as well as promotions. Some of us may encounter the role of providing a child with a little more care and attention because of a disability. Some of you may face adjustments when a spouse or a parent has experienced an injury or the effects of aging. We may never have the exact experience Joshua entered into, but I am sure that most of us have or will one day face one or several life changes that are not so easy. Yet, in what seems like the worst of circumstances, God still promises I will never leave you nor forsake you!  

Along with his promise, God also continues to give his command to “Be strong and courageous.” He is the one who created us, and who is willing to continue to provide for us. John Calvin wrote about this passage, “Let us learn that we can never be fit for executing difficult…matters,…because our abilities are weak, and Satan rudely assails us, and there is nothing we are more inclined to than to relax our efforts.” We are weak and the devil is after us, and we are inclined to relax in our struggles. Brothers and sisters, the call given to Joshua and given to each of us is one that we would not only temporarily appear to be strong, appear to be trusting in God, but that in all of our life we would remain strong. In our weakest moments we must know the Lord, and live in him, because he alone gives the strength and courage we need.

Joshua was leading Israel to receive their inheritance, and we too have an inheritance promised to us as well. As God’s children, we look forward to our inheritance of eternal life in the new heavens and new earth; our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ is preparing that place right now. How great an inheritance it is! As we come across blessings in life as well as difficulties and challenges, may we take hold that the joy we can experience through God alone far outweighs any earthly sorrow. Brothers and sisters, whether we find ourselves in the brightest days or the darkest, most uncertain days, “Be strong and courageous, for the Lord [our] God is with [us] wherever [we] go. He will never leave nor forsake [us].” Amen.