Question

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Be strong and courageous

Joshua 1:1-18

Key Verse:1:9

1. Read 1-5.Describe the circumstances under which God gave this commission of Joshua.(Ge 12:5-7) Identify the boundaries of the territory to be conquered.

2. Read 6-9 On what condition was Joshua promised success and prosperity? Why should he not be afraid or dismayed?

3. Why do you suppose Joshua had such a need to be “strong and of good courage” as is emphasized in this chapter? What application should we make of verse 9 in our own lives today? (Heb.13:5-6)

4. What order did Joshua give the people (10-11)? What special reminder did Joshua give to the tribes of Reuben, Gad and half tribe of Manasseh (12-16)? What was their response (17-18)?

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Attachment

• Be strong and courageous-questions.doc

Message

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2013 Joshua Study Lecture 1

Be Strong and Courageous

Joshua 1:1-18

Key verse 1:9 “Have 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 Book of Joshua covers the conquest of the Promised Land under the leadership of Joshua. Joshua successfully led the Israelites to the Promised Land through victories in many battles. Joshua chapter 1 serves as an introduction to the principles of Joshua’s successful leadership. The rest of the chapters in this book show us the actual implementation of these principles during the conquest of the Promised Land. Joshua 1 also teaches us winning strategies for spiritual battles in our mission fields. Personally, Joshua 1 provides me guidelines to keep in mind for pioneering my new mission field. May God speak to us personally through this passage so that we experience victory in our mission fields!

The work of God continues until God fulfills his promise.

Look at verses 1 and 2. “After the death of Moses the servant of the LORD, the LORD said to Joshua son of Nun, Moses’ aide: Moses my servant is dead. Now then, you and all these people, get ready to cross the Jordan River into the land I am about to give to them—to the Israelites.” The first two verses mentioned Moses’ death. During the last 40 years, Moses led the Israelites out of Egypt toward the Promised Land with many miracles. Deuteronomy 34:12 said, “For no one has ever shown the mighty power or performed the awesome deeds that Moses did in the sight of all Israel.” They were about to enter the Promise Land, but suddenly Moses was dead. Moses’ death was tragic news to them. After Moses’ death, the Israelites did not know what to do. For 30 days, they grieved for Moses in the plains of Moab where Moses died. Joshua, the next leader of these people, must have been greatly overwhelmed to lead these people to the Promised Land. He fell short when he compared himself with Moses. He also knew that the Israelites would have high expectations of him. If he does not well, they would complain right away. As a military general, he also knew quite well how strong the inhabitants on the Promised Land were.

Joshua was in this state when God came to him and said, “Moses my servant is dead. Now then you and all these people, get ready to cross the Jordan River into the land I am about to give to them—to the Israelites. [2]” The point of God’s message to Joshua here is not Moses’ death, but a call to move forward with a new direction. The Israelites and Joshua might have been very emotional after Moses’ death. In this atmosphere, God told them not to look at Moses who died but to focus on God himself who was leading them to the next step. Moses died, but God never dies. Regardless of Moses’ death, God’s work continues on. How did Joshua 1 describe Moses? Moses is an instrument of God’s history. Verse 1 says, “Moses the servant of the LORD”. In verse 2, God said, “Moses my servant.” Though a servant of God dies, none of the God’s works dies.

This is significant to consider when we serve our missions. The director of God’s redemptive history is God himself. Progress of the work of God does not depend on servants, their performance or abilities. Therefore, we should not be in panic at the loss of spiritual leaders. We don’t need to fear the loss of coworkers, either. We don’t need to look at our environment or things that we lack, but to turn to God who carries out his work. The train of God’s redemptive history keeps on moving. So, get on board the train!

God’s work continues until God fulfills his promise. God remembers the promise he had made with Abraham, and he has been fulfilling his promise through Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Moses and Joshua. Now Joshua was to possess the Promised Land through battles against the inhabitants there. In fact, God continues to work since the Fall of Adam to restore his broken relationship with us and to be glorified by us. In John’s Gospel ch. 5, Jesus healed the invalid [B1] man on the Sabbath and he was persecuted by the Jewish leaders. In John 5:17, Jesus demonstrated how God and Jesus faithfully keep working, “My Father is always at his work to this very day, and I too am working.” It is God who fulfills his promise. It is God himself who is at work.

Three sources of strength and courage: God’s calling, God’s presence, God’s words

God knew that strength and courage are essential to Joshua. Conquest of the Promised Land was challenging. Joshua knew these challenges better than anyone else. The inhabitants there were strong. Victory over them seemed impossible. God knew that Joshua could be terrified and discouraged by these challenges. So, God commanded Joshua to be strong and courageous in three times. Then God began his exposition on how to be strong and courageous. In this text, I observed three biblical roots of strength and courage during the spiritual battles in our own mission fields: God’s calling, God’s presence and God’s words.

(1) God’s calling

Strength and courage come from firm assurance of God’s calling for us. God planted strength and courage in Joshua by choosing him and assigning him a mission. Look at verses 3 and 4. “I will give you every place where you set your foot, as I promised Moses. Your territory will extend from the desert to Lebanon, and from the great river, the Euphrates—all the Hittite country—to the Mediterranean Sea in the west.” God called Joshua and had a one-on-one conversation with him and gave him a mission very clearly. God told Joshua his mission by reiterating his promise with Moses and by giving him specific boundaries for the territory he would conquer. God’s calling for his servants is often described throughout the Bible. God’s servants began their mission after God’s personal callings for them. For examples, Moses led the Israelites from Egypt after his personal encounter with God. God called Samuel and established him as a prophet. Jeremiah started his book with God’s calling as a prophet. “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations. [Jer 1:5]” God’s personal calling is a driving force for us to be strong and courageous.

Why does God’s calling make us strong and courageous? It is because God chooses his servants with the eyes of hope. God does not look at our weaknesses but looks at our potential. As for Abraham, when God called him, he did not appear to be a great person. His hope was to having a son to sustain his family line. But God saw that he had potential to be a man of faith. When God called him, he obeyed and went even though he did not know where he was going. As for Moses, when God called him, he lacked self-confidence. But God chose him to carry out his mission, and he led the Israelites for forty years. Likewise, God chose each one of us with great hope. God does not look at our weak points but uses our strong points. God called each one of us for his good purpose. Unlike corporate hiring managers, God does not choose his servants through competitions. With eyes of hope, God called us to be his servants. We are precious in God’s eyes.

Moving down to Dallas soon, I was thinking of myself and my family. During the last 7 years of our missionary lives in this country, we lived like pilgrims moving from one place to the other. After two years of mission lives in Dallas, I do not know whether I stay there or move to somewhere else. I wondered how longer shall our family live like pilgrims in this country? As I reflected on God’s calling for me, my viewpoint upon this was changed. I found God chose me and my family with the eyes of hope, and he has been preparing us to serve his mission according to his good purpose. In this way, reminding myself of God’s calling gave me strength and courage.

As an application from this part, I would like give you questions to ask yourselves. When was your last time to remind yourself of God’s calling for you? When did the assurance of God’s calling make you passionate and courageous? Think upon the time when your blood was boiling because of God’s calling. God’s calling is the source to keep you pressing on against struggles and challenges. If you think upon the time when God called you, you will be strong and courageous. You will sense the hope of God within you and the privileges you have and the great commission God gave you.

(2) God’s presence

Second, strength and courage rest on the presence of God. Look at verse 5. “No one will be able to stand up against you all the days of your life. As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake you.” Let’s also read verse 9 together. “Have 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.” God promised Joshua that God would be with Joshua; God would not leave him or forsake him.

The presence of God is a source of strength and courage. Why? God’s presence implies his protection and help. In verse 5a, God promised Joshua his protection, which said, “No one will be able to stand up against you all the days of your life.” God’s protection was particularly valuable to Joshua. He would lead many battles. He and his people would face life-threatening events during these battles. God promised that he would continue to be with Joshua. God’s presence refers to more than physical distance between God and Joshua. God’s presence indicates that God understood Joshua. Because God was with him constantly, God understood Joshua very well. God knew that Joshua as a leader would be lonely. The followers might not understand Joshua’s decisions. Lots of different opinions might pop up in opposition to his decisions. God understood what Joshua needed most. Others may not recognize your struggles or understand you. The world may hate you and discourage you. But God understands our agony and concerns and know our needs since he is with us.

God’s presence represents his fellowship with his chosen servants. What I mean by fellowship is that there are dynamics between God and us in his presence with us. The more deeply we know God, the more strength we feel from his presence. Conversely[B2] , his presence with us helps us to know him better. Verse 5b describes what that means. Look at verse 5b carefully. “As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake you.” God reminded Joshua of God’s presence with Moses. During the last 40 years, Joshua worked closely with Moses, and he saw how God worked mightily for Moses. God’s presence empowered Moses to perform the awesome miracles. Joshua knew this. So when he heard that God would be with him as God was with Moses, he must have been greatly encouraged.

Notice that the presence of God does not depend on the place where we currently are or our ups and downs. Look at verse 9b carefully again. “Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go.” God is with you anywhere and in any circumstances. Whether or not things are going well, God is always with us. Wherever we serve our mission, God is with us. Whether our mission lives seem successful or unsuccessful, God is with us. In Psalm 23, the psalmist felt deeply comforted by the presence of God and he made his personal confession. “Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.” The presence of God was everything to him. So he said, “The LORD is my shepherd, I lack nothing.” It is true that God’s presence is a source of our strength and courage.

At this point, I want to turn your attention to verse 9b again. “Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go.” Are you afraid of something or are you discouraged? Come to God and bring your concerns and anxiety with you. You will be surrounded by the presence of God. God will provide you strength and courage. 1 Peter 5:7 said, “Cast all you anxiety on God because he cares for you.” Are you struggling with something? And do you think that you suffer a lot? Come to Jesus and take your wounds and sorrow to the cross and look at Jesus who suffered and died for us. You will meet Jesus and he will comfort you. In Matthew 11:28, Jesus invites us to come to him: “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.”

(3) God’s word

Strength and courage are anchored by the word of God. Look at verses 7 and 8. “Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses gave you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, that you may be successful wherever you go. Do 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.” Strength and courage come from the obedience of God’s words. God promised Joshua success and prosperity if he obeys his word by doing three things: (1) “Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth.” which means proclaim the message. (2) “Meditate on day and night.” Speaking God’s words again and again to ourselves until his words speak to us. (3) “Do everything written in it.” Put the word of God into practice. Indeed, Joshua’s life was successful and prosperous when he took God’s words in his heart. In his farewell speech, he delivered the same message he had received in God’s calling. Joshua 23:6 says, “Be very strong, be careful to obey all that is written in the Book of the Law of Moses, without turning aside to the right or to the left.”

In conclusion, we heard God’s message to Joshua, “be strong and courageous.” This message also applies to us as we are facing spiritual battles. May God grant us strength and courage as we remember God’s calling, we are filled with the presence of God and we obey God’s words! I pray that we might all win a victory in our mission field. I ask that we would prepare for the International Bible Conference as we exercise our faith.

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Attachment

• Joshua_M_2013_edited.doc