We are never promised an easy ride through life. We may be asked to accomplish a seemingly impossible task. Those on the outside will rattle off a "have faith" quip and move on. But here we see God giving Joshua a pep talk.
Joshua had been mentored by Moses for the last number of years, but he was not Moses. He was not the one speaking with God on the mountain. People didn't rebel against him, only to be swallowed by the earth when God Himself defended Moses' position of authority. He was there, but he was not the one in charge. Even the cloud pillar was no longer part of the daily camp life. It must have been a lonely feeling.
"Be strong and of good courage" verse 6
"be thou strong and very courageous" verse 7
"I command thee to be strong and of a good courage" verse 9
Each verse increasing in amplitude, culminating with God commanding Joshua to get ready to be the leader of Israel.
The result? 9 verses later we see Joshua encouraging the tribes to be "strong and of a good courage" verse 18.
Most of us will not be tasked with re-conquering the promised land or leading a nation. But each of us have opportunities each day to encourage a leader or to be a leader who encourages others.
Go out. Be strong. Be courageous.
3 comments:
Todays passage was a good reminder to be strong and courageous in the Lord. This verse also stood out to me:
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. - Joshua 1:8
When we're strong in the Lord and holding onto His words, we can be courageous.
Joshua was told by God a few times to be strong and courageous, God backed him up then by stopping the Jordan's waters to allow the Israelites to cross, just as He had done for Moses at the Red Sea. What a great visual for all the Israelites to see and confirm for them that Joshua was now their chosen leader. God sets up Joshua then backs him up in a big way, what a comfort that must have been for Joshua. A good reminder for us this Easter how God promised a messiah then delivered by raising Him from death to save us. What a comfort for us!
I love that God showed Joshua, in such a dramatic way, that He supported Joshua as Moses' replacement, and that He would be with him in the same way as He was with Moses.
I always love the story of Rahab. Despite only hearing about God's power, never seeing for herself firsthand, she put her faith in Him, risking her life to help the spies. I love that she ends up marrying an Iraelite and makes it into the genealogy of Jesus.
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