The Call to Courage

Forty years earlier, the Israelites had failed to trust God and refused to enter into the promised land God had given them. Because of their faithlessness, God forced that generation to wander in the wilderness until all of them, except Joshua and Caleb, had died off. Now it was time for the next generation, those who were children or who were born during the wilderness wandering, to enter the land. In this session, we will see that God called on this generation to follow Him in faith, just as He had called the previous generation. And once again, God revealed His presence and power to His people. But this generation would do what their parents and grandparents had failed to do—they trusted the Lord.

Session Outline

++1. God gives His people strength and courage through the Power of His Word (Josh. 1:6-9).

++2. God always demonstrates His power before His people and fights for them when they are willing to follow Him in faith (Josh. 3:5-8,14-17).

++3. God calls His people to remember and testify of who He is and what He has done (Josh. 4:20-24).

Session in a Sentence

God gives strength and courage to His people through His Word as He demonstrates His power so that the world might know and fear Him.

The opening question in the DDG (p. 48).

If you had a do-over for any day in your past, where would you use it?

DDG (p. 48)

A hypothetical do-over typically involves some regret, but starting over in reality often comes with a sense of power and freedom.

· Sports fans understand that the start of each new season brings with it the ability to put any woes of the prior season in the past and replace them with hope for what lies ahead, at least for a game or two.

· Some of the best entrepreneurs look back at a time when they failed and were forced to start over as the key moment that led to their success.

· Sometimes we experience the gift of a new start in small, ordinary ways: tossing a failed recipe and starting over from scratch, erasing an email draft and writing it over, or stopping a difficult conversation midway through and asking the other person if you can start over again.

The Book of Joshua in the Bible is a do-over. God granted the next generation of Israelites after wandering in the wilderness for forty years because of the unbelief and disobedience of the previous generation. But would they do what their parents and grandparents had failed to do—would they trust God and follow His commands?

God called on this generation to follow Him in faith, just as He had called the previous generation. And once again, God revealed His presence and power to His people so that they would trust Him and the new leader He appointed for them.

Point 1: God gives His people strength and courage through the Power of His Word (Josh. 1:6-9).

Moses was dead, but the Israelites still had Joshua. He had been Moses’ aide almost from the beginning of their journey, and God had appointed him as Moses’ successor. Now, during this critical moment of leadership transition, in preparation for his first act as leader, God spoke to Joshua.

Read: Joshua 1:6-9 (DDG p. 49), Count or circle the times God tells Joshua to “be strong and courageous.”

6 Be strong and courageous, for you shall cause this people to inherit the land that I swore to their fathers to give them. 7 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. 8 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. 9 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.” (Joshua 1:6-9)

Instruct: Ask groups of 3-4 to use the table in their DDG (p. 49) to list Joshua’s duties and God’s promises included in this passage. After a couple of moments, allow the groups to share their responses with the larger group. The items on their lists should reflect on some level the two lists below.

JOSHUA’S DUTIES

Be Strong and Courageous

Distribute the Land

Carefully Observe God’s Instruction

Speak God’s Law

Meditate on God’s Law

Do Not Be Afraid or Discouraged

GOD’S PROMISES

Give the Land to His People

Provide Prosperity and Success

Always Be with Joshua

DDG (p. 49)

Why would God repeatedly instruct Joshua to “be strong and courageous”? For starters, Joshua needed to hear this message. He needed the encouragement because of the challenge that was before him. Joshua was to be strong and courageous first, to conquer and distribute the land (v. 6), second, to observe carefully God’s instruction (vv. 7-8), and third, because God was with him (v. 9).

· First, Joshua was to be strong and courageous to conquer and distribute the land (v. 6). Before the Israelites could possess the land, they would first have to conquer it. The Canaanites were not just going to walk out of the promised land because the Israelites walked in with a claim on it. So Joshua needed strength and courage to lead the Israelites into battle. But even more importantly, Joshua was to have strength and courage because their victory would not come from their military shrewdness or might but from the sure promise of God—God had chosen this land for the descendants of Abraham.

· Second, Joshua was to be strong and very courageous to observe carefully God’s instruction (vv. 7-8). The Pentateuch, the five books of the Law, had been written down by Moses before his death (Deut. 31:9). Joshua would need the law to flow continually from his mouth, and he would need to meditate on it, to ponder and seek to understand it. If he were to do this, he would be able to obey it, and this was key, because through obedience, he and the people would find success in the promised land. It does take courage to observe God’s Word, to meditate on it and act upon it. It takes courage to step out in obedience to God’s Word in a world that functions in opposition to it.

· Third, Joshua was to be strong and courageous, not afraid or discouraged, because God was with him (v. 9). This was the key to it all. Joshua’s courage was to come from God, who was with him.

Not from his leadership abilities.

Not from his wisdom.

Not from the might of his military.

Not from the praise of his people.

There was nothing wrong with any of those things, but the root of Joshua’s courage was to be the one thing that mattered most: God’s presence.

Joshua wasn’t the only one in the Scriptures to find strength and courage in God’s presence.

David found confidence in saying, “I will fear no evil, for you are with me” (Ps. 23:4, emphasis added).

Zephaniah assured God’s people that God was in their midst (Zeph. 3:17).

The prophet Isaiah’s words came true when it was said of Jesus, “ ‘Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel’ (which means, God with us)” (Matt. 1:23, emphasis added; see also Isa. 7:14).

Joshua had seen God draw near to Moses and guide him through adversity, and he could believe that same presence was with him. Like Joshua, we too can walk in confident faith because God is with us. When we walk with Almighty God, when we follow Jesus, He gives us the courage we need to overcome all our fears.

Ask the following question.

What are ways God gives us courage through His Word?

(through reading, speaking, and meditating on God’s Word; through stepping out in faith to obey God’s instructions; through fellowship with God’s people in Christ)

Point 2: God always demonstrates His power before His people and fights for them when they are willing to follow Him in faith (Josh. 3:5-8,14-17).

Pack Item 6: The Conquest Map: Reference this map poster for this point to note that the Israelites crossed the Jordan River opposite Jericho.

The Israelites were preparing to cross the Jordan River opposite Jericho and to leave behind forty years of wilderness wandering. Yet the moment they stepped foot on the other side of the river, they faced giant armies of giants, so they needed to be strong and courageous. Not, to cross the Jordan river at flood stage in the fall season.

Read Joshua 3:5-8,14-17 (DDG p. 50).

5 Then Joshua said to the people, “Consecrate yourselves, for tomorrow the Lord will do wonders among you.” 6 And Joshua said to the priests, “Take up the ark of the covenant and pass on before the people.” So they took up the ark of the covenant and went before the people.

7 The Lord said to Joshua, “Today I will begin to exalt you in the sight of all Israel, that they may know that, as I was with Moses, so I will be with you. 8 And as for you, command the priests who bear the ark of the covenant, ‘When you come to the brink of the waters of the Jordan, you shall stand still in the Jordan.’ ”

.................................................

14 So when the people set out from their tents to pass over the Jordan with the priests bearing the ark of the covenant before the people, 15 and as soon as those bearing the ark had come as far as the Jordan, and the feet of the priests bearing the ark were dipped in the brink of the water (now the Jordan overflows all its banks throughout the time of harvest), 16 the waters coming down from above stood and rose up in a heap very far away, at Adam, the city that is beside Zarethan, and those flowing down toward the Sea of the Arabah, the Salt Sea, were completely cut off. And the people passed over opposite Jericho. 17 Now the priests bearing the ark of the covenant of the Lord stood firmly on dry ground in the midst of the Jordan, and all Israel was passing over on dry ground until all the nation finished passing over the Jordan.

DDG (p. 50)

God commanded that the ark of the covenant, carried on the shoulders of priests, lead the way through the Jordan River and into the promised land. The ark represented the word, provision, power, and presence of God. God was making it clear from the start of the conquest that He would lead the way and win the victory. The still waters and dry riverbed for passage as soon as the priests stepped in proved His power once again.

Fill in the blanks: DDG (p. 50)

God Is Omnipotent: God is all-powerful: there is nothing God cannot do so long as it does not contradict His own nature or law. God has power and authority over the universe He created, from the largest solar system to the smallest particle.

“God Is Omnipotent”: God is all-powerful: ...

Affirming that God is all-powerful does not mean that God can sin—since that would go against His perfect moral nature. As Christians, we rest in the belief that the God who has all power is good, and we gain great comfort by knowing that an all-powerful God is working for our good and joy.

· Forty years before this, the previous generation of Israelites had escaped war with the Egyptians by God walling up the waters of the Red Sea. God had rescued them through the waters and then fought for them by releasing the waters to swallow the mighty Egyptian army.

· Now here, once again, God was stopping the waters of the Jordan River, serving as the second bookend of the wilderness wandering.

God wants to and will remove any and all unpassable obstacles that stand before you if you are willing to go where He sends you and do what He asks.

God had commanded Joshua to declare all of what Moses had written, and so, he likely reminded the people of how their parents and grandparents had crossed the Red Sea before.

Their trust in God was to be rooted in God’s faithfulness in the past, in the promises He had made, and in the power He put on display for them.

Ask the following question.

How do we witness the power of God today?

(we see and hear of God’s provision that defies explanation; we recognize in ourselves as believers that we are growing in our faith and becoming more like Christ by the work of the Holy Spirit; we share the gospel and witness it changing the hearts of unbelievers so that they begin to follow Jesus in faith and obey Him through the waters of baptism)

Point 3: God calls His people to remember and testify of who He is and what He has done (Josh. 4:20-24).

God told the Israelites to remember this miracle of crossing the Jordan River on a dry riverbed, and He gave them a way to do just that. He knew they would be prone to forget, just as we are, so God commanded Joshua to have one man from each tribe select a stone from the Jordan River bed, twelve stones in total (4:1-3). These stones would be a memory peg for the Israelites.

Read Joshua 4:20-24 (DDG p. 51).

20 And those twelve stones, which they took out of the Jordan, Joshua set up at Gilgal. 21 And he said to the people of Israel, “When your children ask their fathers in times to come, ‘What do these stones mean?’ 22 then you shall let your children know, ‘Israel passed over this Jordan on dry ground.’ 23 For the Lord your God dried up the waters of the Jordan for you until you passed over, as the Lord your God did to the Red Sea, which he dried up for us until we passed over, 24 so that all the peoples of the earth may know that the hand of the Lord is mighty, that you may fear the Lord your God forever.”

DDG (p. 51)

Twelve stones set up in Gilgal, the Israelites’ battle camp, would provide a reminder of God’s faithfulness and plan for generations. But God didn’t want the people to take just any stones. They were to take stones from the middle of the Jordan River (4:5), which was also where the priests stood firm with the ark (4:10).

Taking stones from this spot represented at least three things:

++the point of God’s providence,

++the point of greatest danger,

++and the point of the people’s faith.

· The point of God’s providence. The Israelites were to gather the stones from where the priests continued to stand, holding the ark, symbolizing God’s presence. They were a reminder that God was the One holding back the waters, allowing the people to cross and the twelve men to retrieve stones that had been submerged previously in the flowing waters of the Jordan.

· The point of greatest danger. If the people feared that the waters would come rushing back over them, which they may have because they hurried across, the middle of the river would be the most dangerous place to be. This would be where the ground was the lowest and the farthest from the safety of the banks.

· The point of the people’s faith. God performed the miracle to pave the way, but the Israelites still had to step out in faith and pass across the riverbed. It was in the middle, at the point of greatest danger, where the Israelites’ trust in God was most evident. They needed to remember that they did believe God and that He was worthy of their faith, both then and throughout the conquest and beyond.

With these stones, the Israelites were to remember not just the miracle but also the God behind the miracle.

In our forgetfulness, faith and remembrance can easily turn into idolatry. We likely have our own stones and markers of remembrance, but we should never get caught up in God’s many provisions and forget God Himself.

Ask the following question.

What can we do, like the stones of remembrance, to help us remember our powerful and faithful God?

(be prepared to give an answer of your own to jump-start the conversation)

Voices from the Church

“Memory is the mother of traditions. Almost all of our special days are celebrated because they remind us of something significant in the past … Our celebrations are occasions to look back and remember what God has done in the world and in our lives.” 1 –Noël Piper

Not all traditions are bad or in need of changing. Traditions are born out of memories of monumental events or truths. Certainly, there are worthy traditions, if they testify to ourselves and others of who God is and that He is to be feared.

DDG (p. 51)

The Israelites’ memory of God’s power and provision was not only for those who made the journey across the Jordan but was also for their descendants. As the people continued to grow, children who had not witnessed the river crossing would see the stones and be prompted to ask about them. The stones, then, offered God’s people a way to remember God and to proclaim His glory.

Like the Israelites, we are to proclaim to others what God has done. They had stones to help them pass on the true story of God’s faithfulness and power. But the story of God’s Word comes to its pinnacle with another stone of great importance: Jesus Christ, the chief corner stone. We share with others our living Savior, how God sent Christ to go before us, to display His power, and to lead us unto salvation.

Ask the following question.

How can believers use what God has done, their stones of remembrance, to point others to the power and beauty of the gospel?

(be prepared to give an answer of your own to jump-start the conversation)

My Mission

If we aren’t careful, we can find ourselves a little envious of the Israelites. After all, sensing God’s presence, seeing His power, can be so difficult today.

Do you envy Israel because:

++We don’t have an ark,

++we don’t see waters walled up,

++we haven’t feasted on manna from heaven.

But the truth is:

The Israelites would be envious of us because we have something far better—we have the living Christ.

Those who have believed have feasted on Christ Jesus, the true bread from heaven and the chief corner stone.

We may not have witnessed waters held back, but believers have experienced their sin cast away and Christ’s righteousness overflow in its place. And instead of the ark of the covenant, the followers of Christ have the indwelling presence of God to lead them. Christ went before us in power, laid down His life on a cross, and was raised again in victory to provide our salvation and bring us into spiritual rest.

DDG (p. 52)

Because Christ has gone before us in death and resurrection and provided salvation, we recount all of God’s mighty works to others so that they too may know Him and His power and be received into His kingdom.

· What steps of faith are you being led to take by the omnipotent God?

· How has God worked in your life, and how can you commemorate His work?

· What are some opportunities you have to share of God’s power and provision in Jesus Christ for the salvation of all who believe in Him?

Remember

Session in a Sentence

God gives strength and courage to His people through His Word as He demonstrates His power so that the world might know and fear Him.

Close in prayer:

References

1. Noël Piper, Treasuring God in Our Traditions (Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2003), 64.

2. David Oginde, “Joshua,” in Africa Bible Commentary, gen. ed. Tokunboh Adeyemo (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2006), 259-60.

3. Richard S. Hess, “Joshua,” in CSB Study Bible (Nashville, TN: B&H, 2017), 322, n. 1:6.

4. K. Jesurathnam, “Joshua,” in South Asia Bible Commentary, gen. ed. Brian Wintle (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2015), 270.

5. Ken Fentress, “Joshua,” in The Apologetics Study Bible (Nashville, TN: B&H, 2007), 326, n. 3:14-17.

6. K. Jesurathnam, “Joshua,” in South Asia Bible Commentary, gen. ed. Brian Wintle, 272.

7. Harold R. Mosley, “Memorial Stones,” Biblical Instructor (Spring 2016): 77.

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