Be Strong and Courageous

Yes, I would love to be strong and courageous. I would love to be thought of and described as someone strong and courageous. But what happens if I don’t believe I am strong enough or am afraid to find out exactly how strong I am out of fear of failure?

As I have mentioned in other posts I am a sucker for self-help, motivational, and productivity content and there is an interesting “debate” (if you can call it that) that I have come across. Some argue that we are afraid of trying and failing, and others argue that we are afraid of discovering how strong and capable we are and discovering that we have settled for so little of our potential for all these years.

I believe the same can be true of our spiritual lives. Maybe we are afraid of doing more for God or putting forth a greater effort for our spiritual growth because we are afraid that we will just fail. Or because we are afraid of what life could be like if we had a more vibrant walk with God. Maybe we are afraid of how much our life would change, and how much responsibility God might place on us so we settle for just a little bit of God in our lives.

I am not writing as someone who has figured this all out, I am writing as someone currently in the middle of this struggle. How much of a spiritual pursuit, or spiritual disciplines and practices is healthy, and at what point does it become unbalanced fanaticism?
What is the balance between having a strong connection with God and also being present and active in the lives of those around me?

I have witnessed people go off the deep end. They start talking to God and claiming that God is talking to them (which I don’t always doubt) but the next thing I know they are struggling to function in society. It is not always obvious when someone is just super pious, or a little crazy.

As always, the Bible is a good place to turn to for clarity. If I am going to study about being strong and courageous then Joshua seems to be the perfect place to begin. Joshua was told repeatedly to be strong and courageous and he was a person who was faithful to God and useful in the practical world/society. Joshua exhibited the strength and courage that I wish to display in my life.

The Key

One point that for me is extremely important is who is telling/commanding Joshua to be strong and courageous?

 After the death of Moses the servant of the Lord, it came to pass that the Lord spoke to Joshua the son of Nun, Moses’ assistant, saying: 2 “Moses My servant is dead. Now therefore, arise, go over this Jordan, you and all this people, to the land which I am giving to them—the children of Israel. 3 Every place that the sole of your foot will tread upon I have given you, as I said to Moses. 4 From the wilderness and this Lebanon as far as the great river, the River Euphrates, all the land of the Hittites, and to the Great Sea toward the going down of the sun, shall be your territory. 5 No man shall be able to stand before you all the days of your life; as I was with Moses, so I will be with you. I will not leave you nor forsake you. 6 Be strong and of good courage, for to this people you shall divide as an inheritance the land which I swore to their fathers to give them.
- Joshua 1:1-6 NKJV

I started with verse 1 for context but verse 5 is the key of the first part of God’s charge to Joshua. God is giving Joshua a personal, heart-warming, promise. God is telling Joshua that he will succeed because God will be with Him just like He was with Moses.

As one scholar notes,

“Yahweh’s fidelity does not hinge on the achievement of men, however gifted they may be, nor does it evaporate in the face of funerals or rivers.”
- D. R. Davis, No Falling Words: Expositions of the Book of Joshua (Grand Rapids: Baker, 1988), 18.

The first key point in being strong and courageous is a realization of God’s presence and support. As we study this further we will gain an understanding of this means. But I’ll just mention it now that it does not mean that you get to assume that God supports whatever you desire to do and that you can do whatever you want.

Moses changed Joshua’s name?

These are the names of the men whom Moses sent to spy out the land. And Moses called Hoshea the son of Nun, Joshua.
-Numbers 13:16 NKJV 

The fact that Moses gave Hoshea son of Nun the name Joshua makes Joshua the first person in the Bible to be explicitly given a name that incorporates God’s holy, personal name, “Yahweh.” (David M. Howard p. 73.)

Joshua’s name usually is given in the Hebrew Bible as “Yehoshua,” which means “Yahweh saves/delivers.” His name is rendered in the Greek traditions (LXX) as Iēsous, which is the same form as Jesus’ name in the New Testament.
- David M. Howard Jr., Joshua, vol. 5, The New American Commentary (Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1998), 73.

It is important to keep in mind that God Himself is the deliverer of Israel. Joshua’s name is a reminder of this. This also brings up the second key point in being strong and courageous, and that is a realization that God is the one who delivers us. I am not talking about being strong and courageous based on your human abilities and physical strength, but rather being strong and courageous as God’s agent here on earth.

It’s complicated…

God is with Joshua and God is responsible for his success. How can Joshua know it is God’s will? Sure, God talked to Joshua, but how can we be sure it is God talking to us and not just the desires of our own hearts? We should always question messages we think are coming from God since we can easily deceive ourselves.

Some history (context) always helps. In Genesis 15 we have God making His covenant with Abraham. As a part of it, God tells Abraham some of the things that were to happen, including the 400 years his descendants would be slaves. God adds that once the iniquity of the Amorites reaches their full measure, Abraham’s children would return and take possession of the land (Genesis 15:16). So there is a scriptural basis for what God is calling Joshua to do.

In Deuteronomy 7 God repeats the promise to Moses stating that no one would be able to stand against him (Deuteronomy 7:24). In Joshua 1:5 we have God repeating the same promise to Joshua. So a study of the scriptures reveals that what Joshua is being called to do fits perfectly with God’s plans.

I will be with you

Okay, but you’re not being called by God to lead the children of Israel across the Jordan into the promised land, at least not literally, like Joshua was. So how do we know if God’s promises to Joshua apply to us?

Great question!

The words “I will be with you” recall identical promises made to Isaac (Genesis 26:3), Jacob (Genesis 31:3), Moses (Exodus 3:12), and Joshua himself (Deuteronomy 31:8, 23). (David M. Howard Jr. p.83)

Be strong and of good courage, do not fear nor be afraid of them; for the Lord your God, He is the One who goes with you. He will not leave you nor forsake you.”
- Deuteronomy 31:6 NKJV

And the Lord, He is the One who goes before you. He will be with you, He will not leave you nor forsake you; do not fear nor be dismayed.”
- Deuteronomy 31:8 NKJV

Then He inaugurated Joshua the son of Nun, and said, “Be strong and of good courage; for you shall bring the children of Israel into the land of which I swore to them, and I will be with you.”
- Deuteronomy 31:23 NKJV

You’re probably feeling like there is a lot of repetition taking place here, but this is intentional. God is making this principle very clear. God is faithful to the words He spoke at earlier times. God is consistent and does not change.

Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.
- Hebrews 13:8 NKJV

“For I am the Lord, I do not change;
Therefore you are not consumed, O sons of Jacob.
- Malachi 3:6 NKJV

“God is not a man, that He should lie,
Nor a son of man, that He should repent.
Has He said, and will He not do?
Or has He spoken, and will He not make it good?
-Numbers 23:19 NKJV

The grass withers, the flower fades,
But the word of our God stands forever.”
- Isaiah 40:8 NKJV

Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will by no means pass away.
- Matthew 24:35 NKJV

Why is it important that God does not change? Because if He was always changing it would be impossible for us to know His will. We would always be wondering if He changed His mind. But knowing that He does not change, we can know if we are living under His will. All we have to do is familiarize ourselves with what He has revealed to us in the Bible and know His heart and character and plans and desires.

The verbatim repetitions of God’s promise that we find in the book of Joshua show how God was faithful to His words spoken in earlier times. God was faithful to every generation of Abraham’s descendants. On a similar note Jesus told his disciples “Surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age” (Matt 28:19–20), showing that God’s presence was not just promised to a particular generation, but to every generation of faithful believers. (David M. Howard Jr. p.84).

We have covered how God tells Joshua to be strong and courageous (Joshua 1:6,7,9 echoing Deuteronomy 31:6, 7, 23). We established that Joshua can be strong and courageous because God is with him and will give him victory. There is only one more thing that God communicates clearly to Joshua.

Obedience?

7 Only be strong and very courageous, that you may observe to do according to all the law which Moses My servant commanded you; do not turn from it to the right hand or to the left, that you may prosper wherever you go. 8 This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe 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 of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”
- Joshua 1:7-9 NKJV

God directs Joshua to live in obedience to the law that Moses had given him. Joshua would prosper, God guaranteed it. But Joshua’s prosperity was related to his obedience. For Joshua to succeed in the mission God had for him, the success that God would provide, Joshua had to keep the law. Obedience is important because victory is guaranteed by God.

The keys to Joshua’s success were the same as those for a king: being rooted in God’s word rather than depending upon military might (Deut 17:14–20, esp. vv. 16, 18–19).
- David M. Howard Jr., Joshua, vol. 5, The New American Commentary (Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1998), 85.

I love how everything goes together beautifully. God called Joshua and told him to be strong and courageous. God promises to be with Joshua and guarantees his victory. But also asks Joshua to be obedient to His laws.

Oftentimes we are tempted to believe that success lies in disobedience to God’s law. Like Eve, we believe the lies that God is withholding good things from us. We abuse our freedom and disregard God’s laws. We are free to disobey, and God does not immediately strike us with lightning, so we think He must not have meant what He said. We take God’s patience as approval for our disobedience. We confuse grace with license to sin and as a result, we miss out on the success we could have enjoyed.

Takeaway

God told Joshua to be strong and courageous and promised to be with him. We see that Joshua’s mission was in line with God’s plans and God’s previous revelations to those who came before Joshua. We know that God does not change. Jesus spoke similar words to His followers and gave us a mission and a promise as well.

Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”
- Joshua 1:9 NKJV

18 And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen.
- Matthew 28:18-20 NKJV

God called Joshua for a special mission. Jesus gave all of us, His followers a mission as well. We are to go and make disciples. God promised to be with Joshua and we have the same promise. Our success is in the hands of God. Joshua was told to keep the law, and we are told to teach others to observe all things that Jesus commanded us.

So my challenge to you is to be strong in courageous. Not because you are able to do what Jesus called you to do on your own, but because He promised to be with you. God’s presence is the key to success. You don’t have to be afraid, it is not about you. Just be faithful to God and watch Him work in a mighty way in your life.

Has Jesus not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you always, even unto the end of the age.

Amen.