Joshua 1:6,7
“Be strong and courageous, for you shall give this peoplepossession of the land which I swore to their fathers to give them. Only be strong and very courageous; be careful to do according to all the Law which Moses My servant commanded you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, so that you may achieve success wherever you go.”
I’ve written on this before. There are times when we have to be strong and courageous. The implication is that he has some anxiety. Who would’t. Moses was one of the greatest leaders Israel had. Many who aren’t Jewish or christian still respect and honor the Ten Commandments. These are the shoes that Joshua is stepping into.
God spells out the task, they are to take the land that God will give them. The problem is that the land is occupied. Some bad dudes live there. A generation earlier 12 spies, of which Joshua was one, went into the land to assess it. They came back with a mixed report. They all agreed that it was flowing with milk and honey. However, they said the people were fierce. Ten of the twelve said they couldn’t take it. Joshua and Caleb said they could. The people melted with fear and refused to enter. God’s punishment was to forbid that generation to enter. They went back to the wilderness for forty years until all died off. I believe only Joshua, Caleb and their families could enter.
It was a contentious issue then. Would the attitudes be the same? Joshua had his people and the inhabitants of the land to deal with. They also had to find a way to cross the river. That was much to do. Most would be very concerned.
God tells him to be strong and courageous. It reminds me of the advice, “Get over it”. It doesn’t sound sympathetic. But it’s God giving this charge, so it’s right and good. Our day is used to the therapeutic approach. They would ask how we feel and go from there.
If God tells us to do something, then He will equip us to do it. We can be strong and courageous if He says so. Swallow or ignore our feelings and proceed. I think of the phrase, “Man up” or “Woman up”. We all have to wrestle with this. It could be a challenge at work or a bully on the playground.
We go into these circumstances with lots of question marks. We can think through scenarios and choose a behavior. Particularly with a school age child. The parents can role play. Whatever the case we go through with the confidence we can muster.
Courage isn’t the absence of fear, but the proceeding forward in spite of that fear. It’s an important lesson. A difficult one, but one we all have to face and manage.
God promises to be with us. “Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, Thou art with me”, (Psalm 23). Believers practice walking with God. We learn to feel His peace with us. We claim His promises to get us through. He gives us confidence. It’s often not easy, but He makes it doable.
The other charge is to be strong. This isn’t talking about physical strength, but strength of character. It also could include other strengths, people skills, skills of war, leadership and so on. Depending on our situation we need particular skills. Our jobs require skills. We need to be strong in them. Again, God will help us. To be strong doesn’t seem to fit with the Beatitudes. It does, just don’t be arrogant in our strength. We can be humble and strong. The oft used illustration for meekness or being humble is that of a horse. Quite strong, but under control.
We can be comforted with this charge. It comes from God who only puts us into situations that we can handle. He will equip us for all that He charges. Thank You, Lord.