Be Strong and Courageous

Joshua 1

            With the beginning of Joshua, the Bible’s story is about to take a large step forward. In Deuteronomy 26, the Israelites were instructed to say, “My father was a wandering Aramean,” when they brought their offerings—a reference either to Jacob or maybe even to Abraham who left Harran at the Lord’s command. The point is that for some 700 years, Israel had been a homeless people. Abraham moved about, Jacob was a nomad, and the whole people had lived for hundreds of years as guests and then slaves in Egypt—but they never called it home. Now, they are about to cross the Jordan and take possession of the land the Lord had promised for so long. In some ways, a lot of the rest of the Old Testament is a story about the land: will Israel remain faithful to the Lord and stay in the land or not?

            As they enter this next phase of their history, Joshua is their new leader, and just as in Deuteronomy 31, so here: Joshua is told to be strong and courageous: four times! It must have been a daunting task—a nomadic people who had for the last four hundred years been slaves trying to take on fortified cities and standing armies. As I said in reference to Deuteronomy 31, though, it takes courage to face strength with strength, but it takes even more courage to face strength only with reliance on the Lord!  The two things that that courage stands on are that the Lord is with them and that they are doing what the Lord commanded. I’m regularly reminded, unfortunately, that just because what you are doing is right doesn’t make it easy. So, the repeated encouragement: Be strong and courageous!