JOS 1: 8Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful. 9Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go.”
Joshua is a name that means “Jehovah is salvation.” His parents gave him that name to symbolize the hope of many Israelite slaves in Egypt then to see God’s redemption. Alfred Edersheim, a renowned Jewish biblical scholar who lived in 1800’s wrote in many of his writings that, Joshua may have been about 40 years old at the time of the Exodus. Moses was about 80 when he led the Israelites miraculously and supernaturally out of Egypt after more than 400 years of slavery. About two months after crossing the Red Sea, Joshua was appointed as Moses’ commander and served him until the end of Moses’ life. The character and personality of Joshua both as a private person and a national leader is quite impressive. As a young military commander he did not only possess integrity and character but more importantly, Joshua displayed great faith in God and great faith in his leader, Moses. Like his contemporary, a man named Caleb, Joshua was described as one who had “a different spirit and a different heart.” This is why from the thousands who originally escaped Egypt during the Exodus, only Joshua and Caleb were able to enter Canaan, the Promise Land.
In Deuteronomy 31, Moses, at the age of 120 years old, called his trusted and faithful commander and bequeathed to him the mantle of leadership. In Deuteronomy 31: 7, we read, “Then Moses summoned Joshua and said to him in the presence of all Israel, “Be strong and courageous, for you must go with this people into the land… That day was truly a defining moment for Joshua. He had served Moses faithfully and supported him unconditionally for many years. But time came when Joshua was called by the Spirit to God to step out of Moses’ shadows and embrace his destiny as the anointed leader of his people. In short, Joshua was to continue the unfinished work of God. He was going to lead his nation to Canaan. On another occasion, this time after Moses had already died, God called Joshua again to affirm to him his calling. 9Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go.”
9Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous… For most of us, the word command is associated with something forceful and militaristic. A command is a directive. It is a mandate. It is an order. But it has quite a different meaning in Hebrew language. The word command in Hebrew is “tsavah” and it means to put in order. It also means to set a person in a correct journey. Throughout the development of faith and theology, God has often been pictured as an autocratic, egoistic, dictatorial and controlling Being who is out to impose his will on people and nations at all cost. But you see, the word “tsavah” explains to us that God’s commands are purposeful, useful and beneficial. God’s wants to set things right. God wants to usher order, sense, meaning and clarity in our lives and situations. God’s commands set us up for a meaningful, significant and worthwhile journey of life.
Brothers and sisters, there is so much pressure in the world today for people to push God’s commands out of their lives. Some would even go far as believing that in this day and age, God’s commands are unnecessary, pointless and irrelevant. This is a serious and dangerous lie that we should never, ever believe. After giving the 10 commandments to Moses, this is what God had to say in Deuteronomy 5: 29, “Oh, that their hearts would be inclined to fear me and keep all my commands always, so that it might go well with them and their children forever!” What about us? Are we putting the commands of God in our hearts? Are we purposely aligning our lives with God’s purposes and intentions?
9Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go.” The Hebrew word for courage is “chazaq” and it means firm, strong and constant. The land that Joshua and the Israelites were commanded to possess was already occupied. One time, this report was given to Joshua, “We can’t attack those people; they are stronger than we are… All the people we saw there are of great size. We seemed like grasshoppers in our own eyes, and we looked the same to them.” (Number 13:31-33). How practical it may have been for Joshua to just walk away from it all – – – to shrink back and be intimidated by the giants of the land. But instead of trusting his own wisdom and human calculation, he decided to trust God – – – to move forward and proceed as God had instructed him.
The very last recorded event in the life of Joshua was when he, at the age of about 110, led the entire people of Israel to renew their covenant with God at Mount Shechem. The sin of idolatry was slowly creeping into the nation again. But up to the very end of his life, Joshua remained courageous. “Throw away the foreign gods that are among you and yield your hearts to the Lord, the God of Israel.” Joshua gallantly fought the good fight of faith. Joshua died peacefully and honorably. JOS 24:31 Israel served the LORD throughout the lifetime of Joshua..” His track record was impeccable. His integrity was intact. Like Joshua, this is the destiny of those who honor God’s commands. This is the destiny of those who will be strong and take courage wherever we go.
