Courage

Joshua is about to lead Israel into one of the most important periods of their history in Joshua 1:1-10. He is commanded to have courage. What can we learn about that topic from his interaction with God in this text?

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Joshua 1:1-10

Today we are going to approach a few verses of scripture about courage
They command Joshua to have courage
Courage for service
Courage to do God’s will
Courage to carry out God’s commands
And courage to take action
This is the kind of courage Joshua needed at this point in life
And it is the kind of courage we need today

It’s a one-word theme today
“Courage” from Joshua 1:1-10

We don’t often think of ourselves as “in need of courage”
But challenges come quickly
And they catch us unaware
They don’t give us time to prepare
So whether we have a desperate need for courage today
Or will have a desperate need for it tomorrow
It would be wise for us to beg God for it today

If we know Joshua’s back story
And understand the challenges he faces at the beginning of the book of Joshua
It’s easy to see why he may need courage
His circumstances are, no doubt, quite different from our own
But I think we can learn much about why we may need the same kind of courage
As we take a really close look at the text

Let’s see how God described it to Joshua…

Joshua 1:1-2

1 Now after the death of Moses the servant of the LORD it came to pass, that the LORD spake unto Joshua the son of Nun, Moses’ minister, saying,

2 Moses my servant is dead; now therefore arise, go over this Jordan, thou, and all this people, unto the land which I do give to them, even to the children of Israel.

Joshua’s time has come
The more famous leader of Israel, Moses, is dead
Now Joshua has a job to do
And his job may seem more important or more prominent or more difficult than yours or mine
But he needed courage
And we need courage

He needed courage just to arise, to prepare himself for God’s will
He didn’t know everything that meant yet
We also lack the ability to see the future

One thing was for sure, he was responsible for these people – God’s people
To carry them with him into the land of promise, to lead them
This was his big moment
But this was the nation’s big moment
To finally come into the country that was their possession, because God had promised it

And while their fathers and mothers and grandfathers and grandmothers had rejected his advice 40 years earlier
When he was one of the spies that went into the land and returned with the report “we are well able” to overcome them
This new generation would need to trust God
And trust God’s leader, Joshua, to enter in this time

And here’s what God said…

Joshua 1:3-4

3 Every place that the sole of your foot shall tread upon, that have I given unto you, as I said unto Moses.

4 From the wilderness and this Lebanon even unto the great river, the river Euphrates, all the land of the Hittites, and unto the great sea toward the going down of the sun, shall be your coast.

God provided certainty for Joshua
This is a re-affirmation of God’s previous promises to Israel
But it does get very specific for Joshua
God provides him personal reassurance
God’s will for Him was settled
And whatever he is going to face, the land will be secured

Thankfully, we have a roughly similar position
God has provided us with His word
And so many personal reassurances in it
He speaks to His children today with a “more sure word of prophecy”
We can be certain of His instructions
His promises
And that our future is secure
If we trust His son

But there is more for Joshua…

Joshua 1:5-6

5 There shall not any man be able to stand before thee all the days of thy life: as I was with Moses, so I will be with thee: I will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.

6 Be strong and of a good courage: for unto this people shalt thou divide for an inheritance the land, which I sware unto their fathers to give them.

There is precedent
In the life of a man Joshua served, Moses, God was faithful
He provided strength, and protection, and guidance, and reassurance, and wisdom
He empowered His servant to do His work
Joshua had been an eyewitness

Based on this experience
What he knew from it
And the testimony he could give about God in the life of Moses
He was to have courage
Because he had promises too
From the same faithful God

What does this mean, to have courage?
Well, courage means proceeding, even when it’s difficult
Even when you’re scared
Even when you lack confidence
Even when you have no strength within yourself
No doubt, Joshua would face challenges
But He served a great God
As do we
One that made promises and had shown Himself capable of keeping them

And so God goes on…

Joshua 1:7

7 Only be thou strong and very courageous, that thou mayest observe to do according to all the law, which Moses my servant commanded thee: turn not from it to the right hand or to the left, that thou mayest prosper whithersoever thou goest.

Why does Joshua need the courage?
Did you notice it?
To face battle?
To defeat the many enemies that he would no doubt face?
To deal with all the difficulty of leading God’s people?
Not exactly – although these would also take courage
But instead – to observe all of God’s commands

Some of His commands would be: go into battle
Face your enemies
Lead my people well
No doubt
But this was not just courage in the face of difficulty
It was courage to obey
Courage to trust
Courage to take action in faith

God requires much of us
God holds us to a high standard
But He promises, He reassures, He helps, He empowers – He gives courage!
And whatever commands may be coming our way
He gives the ability to have courage because of who He is
This was true for Joshua
It is true for us

If the courage is available, where do we go?
Verse 8 really helps…

Joshua 1:8

8 This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success.

Joshua was not proceeding empty-handed
He was carrying with Him the commands of God
They were to be His meditation
His day and night companion
To be examined, re-examined, re-read, and re-applied
They were to be his light in whatever dark places he encountered

He would need them
He would need to embrace and cling to them
And if he did, success would be the result

We can draw much confidence from this exhortation
We have the word of God on our journey
It can guide us just as well
And it provides us with everything we need

Now, it appears Joshua is ready to depart…

Joshua 1:9-10

9 Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the LORD thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest.

10 Then Joshua commanded the officers of the people, saying,

We can be encouraged and reassured a lot in life
But the time always comes for action
To arise and to do it
And the time had come for Joshua
So, he made His commandment
Having been reassured in all the ways we read and more
With God’s promises and God’s commands on His heart
He was prepared
His people were prepared
He was equipped for courageous leadership

I wonder if the time has come for us?
Maybe this program has encouraged us?
Reminded us?
We must take action
Will we do so, with courage?

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