Joshua 1:1-9. [1:1] After the death of Moses the servant of the LORD, the LORD said to Joshua the son of Nun, Moses' assistant, [2]"Moses my servant is dead. Now therefore arise, go over this Jordan, you and all this people, into the land that I am giving to them, to the people of Israel. [3] Every place that the sole of your foot will tread upon I have given to you, just as I promised to Moses. [4] From the wilderness and this Lebanon as far as the great river, the river Euphrates, all the land of the Hittites to the Great Sea toward the going down of the sun shall be your territory. [5] No man shall be able to stand before you all the days of your life. Just as I was with Moses, so I will be with you. I will not leave you or forsake you. [6] Be strong and courageous, for you shall cause this people to inherit the land that I swore to their fathers to give them. [7] Only be strong and very courageous, being careful to do according to all the law that Moses my servant commanded you. Do not turn from it to the right hand or to the left, that you may have good success wherever you go. [8] 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. [9] Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go." (ESV)
Today is the International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church. Right now, 360 million believers worldwide are facing high levels of persecution and discrimination because of their faith in Jesus. To put that in perspective - the number of people persecuted for their faith is 9 times the population of Canada. According to one report, an average of 13 Christians die for their faith every day. (https://www.gisreportsonline.com/r/global-crisis-religious-persecution/)
In Joshua 1, Israel was about to undertake a great enterprise as they entered the land of Canaan. This land had been promised for centuries, and the Pentateuch points repeatedly to it. Now the time had come for the nation to enter the land and take possession of their inheritance. But before they could do this, they needed to undertake several steps of preparation. That preparation meant internalizing the promises of God, realizing the one who had made the promises and having the fruit of that digested word flow through their hearts, minds and actions. Before battling the Canaanites, the Lord was preparing His people to face the difficulties that were before them.
In the sovereign plan of God, He allows difficulties to strengthen the saints of God and testify to His greatness and power. Exemplified ultimately in the Cross of Jesus Christ, suffering and death are not the victory of evil but the triumph of God. When evil seems to be prevailing, God is working in an unexpected way to show His power and Glory. Faithfulness through persecution and suffering is the ultimate present earthly display of courage. Through faith in Christ, believers can exemplify the Courage to Rise Above difficulty. Such extraordinary faithfulness is no momentary action but sustained spiritual striving in the power of God using His divine resources. For both the believers suffering and the church at large, we are called by God to intercede in prayer and fellowship in the Spirit.
Joshua 1 shows us how to obtain the Courage to Rise Above difficulty. God has given us His word through the power of His spirit to join together in prayer and fellowship to find victory in Christ. Joshua 1:1-9 shows how to obtain this victory in three ways. First, we see how to obtain 1) Courage from God’s Commission (Joshua 1:1–2). 2) Courage from God’s Promises (Joshua 1:3–6), and 3) Courage from God’s Written Word (Joshua 1:7–9).
In order to achieve the Courage to Rise Above difficulty we can obtain:
1) Courage from God’s Commission (Joshua 1:1–2).
Joshua 1:1-2. [1:1] After the death of Moses the servant of the LORD, the LORD said to Joshua the son of Nun, Moses' assistant, [2]"Moses my servant is dead. Now therefore arise, go over this Jordan, you and all this people, into the land that I am giving to them, to the people of Israel. (ESV)
The Book of Joshua begins as though it were a continuation of something written previously, which, of course, it is. The phrase “the death of Moses” ties this material in with an earlier event (which is recounted in the preceding chapter in the Bible: Deut 34:1–8). The death of Moses occurred c. 1405 B.C. (Criswell, W. A., Patterson, P., Clendenen, E. R., Akin, D. L., Chamberlin, M., Patterson, D. K., & Pogue, J. (Eds.). (1991). Believer’s Study Bible (electronic ed., Jos 1:1). Nashville: Thomas Nelson.)
• What we find when we become familiar with the narratives of scripture, like other genres, is that the word is not merely a list of rules or irrelevant history, but a living testimony to a living God. We find real people, dealing with real problems and a real God.
Moses’ death was an important event in the life of the new nation of Israel. Yet Moses’ death should not cripple the nation. The Lord was faithful in all ages, and he would be in this instance as well. Joshua was designated as Moses’ successor, and the people were to carry on under him. As one scholar notes, “Yahweh’s fidelity does not hinge on the achievement of men, however gifted they may be, nor does it evaporate in the face of funerals or rivers.” (D. R. Davis, No Falling Words: Expositions of the Book of Joshua (Grand Rapids: Baker, 1988), 18.)
Moses was the great lawgiver and leader par excellence. He is here called the “servant of the LORD.” This labeling of Moses as the Lord’s servant is important in the Book of Joshua, since Joshua, for whom the book is named, is only called the “servant of the LORD” once, at the end of the book (24:29). The Book of Joshua is concerned with showing how God’s earlier promises were now in process of being fulfilled and with how God’s commands were being carried out. Many of these promises and commands were spoken by Moses, who is depicted in this book as the Lord’s special servant. God is referred to in this verse as “the LORD.” This rendering, found in most English versions (as well as the Septuagint, which renders it kurios, “lord”), obscures the fact that here is God’s personal name, which most scholars today agree was pronounced “Yahweh.” This is the most holy, personal name of God, revealing much of his character (W. Eichrodt, Theology of the Old Testament (Philadelphia: Westminster, 1961), 1:178–205.) It is the name whose meaning was revealed to Moses at the burning bush (Exod 3:11–15; cf. 6:2–3), and it tells us about God’s eternal existence and his enduring faithfulness to his people (U. Cassuto, A Commentary on the Book of Exodus (Jerusalem: Magnes, 1967), 35–40).
• By committing the promises and commands of God to heart we are more apt to be comforted in trouble and directed to action. When a crisis erupts, in many ways our mind does not process new information at the moment. Unless we have already hid the word in our heart, we will be overly troubled and lost in a sea of new choices.
Joshua may have felt a sense of loneliness, and waited expectantly near the Jordan River to hear the voice of God. He was not disappointed. When God’s servants take time to listen, He always communicates. In the present Age He usually speaks through His written Word. But in the Old Testament He spoke in dreams by night, in visions by day, through the high priest, and occasionally in an audible voice (Campbell, D. K. (1985). Joshua. (J. F. Walvoord & R. B. Zuck, Eds.) The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures (Vol. 1, pp. 327–328). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.). Moses renamed Hoshea (meaning ‘Salvation’) Joshua, which means ‘The LORD is salvation’ (Nu. 13:16). The name later became yešûa whence the Greek Iesous, and the English, ‘Jesus’. Joshua is the first person in the Bible to be explicitly given a name that incorporates God’s holy, personal name, “Yahweh.” (Carson, D. A., France, R. T., Motyer, J. A., & Wenham, G. J. (Eds.). (1994). New Bible commentary: 21st century edition (4th ed., Jos 1:1). Leicester, England: Inter-Varsity Press.).
• Christ identified Himself as the logos, or word of God. If we are going to bear the name of Christ in our identification as Christians then it behooves us to know and commit His word to heart.
God stated in v. 2 that he was “about to give” the land to the Israelites (“I am giving”). The pronouns are plural, embracing not just Joshua, but all Israel. For Joshua, this was a formidable command, and everybody acquainted with the local geography, as also later readers of this book, would have understood it so. The river Jordan had a separating rather than a connecting function, running through a deep gorge which may be called the earth’s deepest valley (E. G. Kraeling, Rand McNally Bible Atlas (1956), p. 26.). The Jordan flows into the Dead Sea, which lies 1286 feet below sea level. The river runs through a wider trough called the Ghor, within which is a narrower depression of one hundred feet or more in depth, forming the actual river bottom. In addition to these forbidding features the absolute level of the river valley is greatly enhanced by the mountains on both sides. The slopes are generally steep and sudden, sometimes forming huge precipices. Also note 3:15, which points to the river’s swollen condition at the time of the crossing. Thus the miracle of the Lord’s giving of the land is anticipated effectively by the writer’s recalling of the Lord’s command (Woudstra, M. H. (1981). The Book of Joshua. The New International Commentary on the Old Testament (p. 58). Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co.).
• In coming to the memorization of scripture, it may seem like a great mountain to climb with multiple obstacles. It all starts in faith. How do you begin to climb a mountain? With one step. How do you begin to memorize scripture? With one verse.
Please turn to Genesis 15 (p.10)
Most of the land remained to be taken. But in another sense God had already given Israel the land. It is as though Israel already possessed legal title to the land (ever since Abraham’s day), but they were awaiting God’s timing for the actual possession. In Gen 15:16 God promised Abraham that it would be several generations before his descendants would actually possess the land, since “the sin of the Amorites [i.e., Canaanites] has not yet reached its full measure.” In one sense God was still in process of giving Israel the land. After all, Israel had not yet even crossed the Jordan River, and only the land east of the Jordan actually had been taken by Israel. V 2 reads literally, ‘Now arise, cross …’ (i.e. ‘cross immediately, do not delay’. Christ commands the church: ‘Follow me’, and he too allows no procrastination (Lk. 9:59–62) (Carson, D. A., France, R. T., Motyer, J. A., & Wenham, G. J. (Eds.). (1994). New Bible commentary: 21st century edition (4th ed., Jos 1:2–9). Leicester, England: Inter-Varsity Press.).
Here now in Genesis 15 we see quite a violent link with the promises of God:
Genesis 15:12-20. 12 As the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell on Abram. And behold, dreadful and great darkness fell upon him. 13 Then the LORD said to Abram, “Know for certain that your offspring will be sojourners in a land that is not theirs and will be servants there, and they will be afflicted for four hundred years. 14 But I will bring judgment on the nation that they serve, and afterward they shall come out with great possessions. 15 As for you, you shall go to your fathers in peace; you shall be buried in a good old age. 16 And they shall come back here in the fourth generation, for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet complete.” 17 When the sun had gone down and it was dark, behold, a smoking fire pot and a flaming torch passed between these pieces. 18 On that day the LORD made a covenant with Abram, saying, “To your offspring I give this land, from the river of Egypt to the great river, the river Euphrates, 19 the land of the Kenites, the Kenizzites, the Kadmonites, 20 the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Rephaim, 21 the Amorites, the Canaanites, the Girgashites and the Jebusites.” (ESV)
• Here we see a covenant ratification ceremony where God is the one who promises by Himself to fulfill His promise. In the ceremony itself, the smoking fire pot and a flaming torch symbolizing God, passes between the pieces, symbolizing that God himself will bear the penalty if the promise is broken. Ultimately, Christ bears the penalty for our disobedience. Bear in mind this specific promise that was made to Abraham, was fulfilled 600 to 800 years later at the time of the exodus. What should this say to us about the reality of evil and God’s working? He often works with a timetable much different from ours. His promises may see their manifestation beyond our lifetime. For the present time, much like the manifestation of evil in persecution, it may seem like evil is winning. Faith is believing God especially when it doesn’t seem like He is acting now (Ex. 12:35–36). (Crossway Bibles. (2008). The ESV Study Bible (p. 77). Crossway Bibles.)
Illustration: The Value of God’s Promises
We never face any life-situation for which God has not supplied specific promises that give us mercy and grace to help in time of need. The old Puritan Thomas Watson put it very quaintly in a sermon to his little congregation in England on Sunday, August 17, 1662: “Trade much in the promises. The promises are great supports to faith. Faith lives in a promise, as the fish lives in the water. The promises are both comforting and quickening, the very breast of the gospel; as the child by sucking the breasts gets strength, so faith by sucking the breast of a promises gets strength and revives. The promises of God are bladders (flotation devices) to keep us from sinking when we come to the waters of affliction. O! trade much in the promises; there is no condition that you can be in, but you have a promise”.
J. I. Packer comes round to the same point in his book Knowing God: “In the days when the Bible was universally acknowledged in the churches as “God’s Word written,” it was clearly understood that the promises recorded in Scripture were the proper, God-given basis for all our life of faith, and that the way to strengthen one’s faith was to focus it upon particular promises that spoke to one’s condition” (J. I. Packer, Knowing God (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1973), 103.)
Second, In order to achieve the Courage to Rise Above difficulty we can obtain:
2) Courage from God’s Promises (Joshua 1:3–6)
Joshua 1:3-6. [3] Every place that the sole of your foot will tread upon I have given to you, just as I promised to Moses. [4] From the wilderness and this Lebanon as far as the great river, the river Euphrates, all the land of the Hittites to the Great Sea toward the going down of the sun shall be your territory. [5] No man shall be able to stand before you all the days of your life. Just as I was with Moses, so I will be with you. I will not leave you or forsake you. [6] Be strong and courageous, for you shall cause this people to inherit the land that I swore to their fathers to give them. (ESV)
Verse 3 ends by stating that this gift of the land was in fulfillment of God’s promise to Moses. The perfect, “I have given,” refers to the counsel of God as having been formed long before, and being now about to be carried into execution. These words, which are connected with Deut. 11:24, so far as the form is concerned, rest upon the promise of God in Ex. 23:30, 31, to which the words “just as I have promised/said to Moses” refer (Keil, C. F., & Delitzsch, F. (1996). Commentary on the Old Testament (Vol. 2, p. 22). Peabody, MA: Hendrickson.).
• Just as the land and promises have been given by God, in memorizing scripture we have the gift of God as embodied by His promises. When we memorize these we begin to see the unfolding of the promises, as well as help our understanding and excite our expectation of future fulfillment.
The extent of the land that God was giving Israel is detailed in v. 4, a “map” of sorts. That is a big command! Just how big sinks in when we note that the Jordan and its valley are part of the Great Rift that stretches all the way from Turkey down into Malawi and Mozambique in southeast Africa. This rift is such a deep gash down the face of the earth that it can be seen from the moon. The description in Joshua 1:4, is general, giving the southern and northern boundaries first: “the wilderness/desert” in the south and “Lebanon” in the north. “The wilderness/desert is a generic term that may refer in the Old Testament to any barren area; the reference here to a southern desert is deduced from the context. “Lebanon” is roughly what is present-day Lebanon, north of Israel, including two mountain ranges. Lebanon is not visible near at hand to someone east of the Jordan. The statement “this Lebanon,” then, may have been an ironic one, intended to emphasize the inclusion of this (not-visible) land. (Harstad, A. L. (1991). Joshua. The People’s Bible (p. 18). Milwaukee, WI: Northwestern Pub. House.).
Please turn to Deuteronomy 7 (p.142)
Verse five is the spiritual climax and highlight of the first part of God’s charge to Joshua. It is a heart-warming promise to Joshua himself that (1) his and the Israelites’ efforts would succeed and (2) God would never leave him. It is doubly encouraging when we see that God promised to be with Joshua in the same way that he was with Moses. The words “I will be with you” recall identical promises made to Isaac (Gen 26:3), Jacob (31:3), Moses (Exod 3:12), and Joshua himself (Deut 31:8, 23). That is the constant presence of the Lord. You see, the promises of God didn’t die when Moses died: “I was with Moses.” And the same God who was alive when Moses was alive is still alive. And I want to tell you, the same God that was alive when Joshua was alive is still alive. …. “As I was with Joshua, so will I be with you.”. (Rogers, A. (2017). God’s Plan for Your Prosperity. In Adrian Rogers Sermon Archive (Jos 1:1–9). Rogers Family Trust.)
The promises in Joshua 1:5 are identical to those in God’s promise to Moses in Deuteronomy 7:
Deuteronomy 7:17–24. 17 “If you say in your heart, ‘These nations are greater than I. How can I dispossess them?’ 18 you shall not be afraid of them but you shall remember what the LORD your God did to Pharaoh and to all Egypt, 19 the great trials that your eyes saw, the signs, the wonders, the mighty hand, and the outstretched arm, by which the LORD your God brought you out. So will the LORD your God do to all the peoples of whom you are afraid. 20 Moreover, the LORD your God will send hornets among them, until those who are left and hide themselves from you are destroyed. 21 You shall not be in dread of them, for the LORD your God is in your midst, a great and awesome God. 22 The LORD your God will clear away these nations before you little by little. You may not make an end of them at once, lest the wild beasts grow too numerous for you. 23 But the LORD your God will give them over to you and throw them into great confusion, until they are destroyed. 24 And he will give their kings into your hand, and you shall make their name perish from under heaven. No one shall be able to stand against you until you have destroyed them (ESV) (cf. Dt. 7:24; Dt. 11:25a)
• In Deuteronomy Israel is warned three times (here, 8:17, and 9:4) not to say in your heart certain things that express fear (7:17) or pride (8:17; 9:4). The antidote to wrong fear is to remember what the LORD your God did. Right fear means fearing (AKA revering) God. Even in the combatting here of evil, the battle would be a slow and difficult one, where progress would be made “little by little”. (Crossway Bibles. (2008). The ESV Study Bible (p. 343). Crossway Bibles.).
Back in Joshua 1:5, God’s promise that I will not leave you or forsake you can be seen when Jesus told his disciples that “surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age” (Matt 28:19–20), showing that God’s presence was not just promised to particular generations, but to every generation of faithful believers. This anticipates the Hebrew writer penning the same words in Hebrews 13:5. It also anticipates the coming of Jesus, our Immanuel (meaning “God with us”). (Smith, R., Jr. (2023). Exalting Jesus in Joshua (D. Platt, D. L. Akin, & T. Merida, Eds.; p. 22). Holman Reference.)
It is only through realizing God’s presence with us that the command in verse 6 “to be strong and courageous” can be possible. This is a command to “be strong and resolute,” The task ahead was enormous. They would never accomplish it alone, but through God they could. Joshua and the people needed confidence in the power of God. Joshua had spied out the land with Caleb forty years prior. He knew the inhabitants of the land were many and they were well equipped for battle. It would be impossible to defeat them with their meager resources, but God would provide for them. They simply needed to trust in His mighty power. (Benfield, C. (2015). Being Strong and Courageous. In Pulpit Pages: Old Testament Sermons (p. 152). Chris Benfield.)
• How is it that those who face persecution can speak the truth to their persecutors or show a holy boldness in their faithfulness? It is because they know that greater is He who is in them, than he who is in the world.
• This is often the gap between our knowledge and obedience. If we truly believed that God is with us and will give us everything, we need to accomplish His will, we would be strong and courageous. The question is, what are you holding off doing because you have not internalized this fact?
Illustration: Luther’s Courage
When Martin Luther walked into the presence of King Charles V and other religious leaders, at the Diet of Worms, in April 1521, to answer charges of heresy and to hear a possible death sentence, an old knight was heard to say: “Little monk, I like the step you take but neither I nor any of our battle comrades would take it.” Consider that little Augustinian monk who shocked Christendom by his defiance of unbiblical papal authority and who, at last, stood trial for his life. During a high moment in the trial, Martin Luther exclaimed: “I do not accept the authority of popes and councils, for they have contradicted each other—my conscience is captive to the Word of God. I cannot and I will not recant anything, for to go against conscience is neither right nor safe. God help me. Amen”. (Jones, G. C. (1986). 1000 illustrations for preaching and teaching (p. 85). Broadman & Holman Publishers.)
• Anyone can do the simple things when it is easy. It takes courage to do the hard things when resisted by the forces of evil. Those who stand on the truth of Christ while facing opposition and persecution are often the ones most used by God in the greatest ways.
Finally, Second, in order to achieve the Courage to Rise Above difficulty we can obtain:
3) Courage from God’s Written Word (Joshua 1:7–8)
Joshua 1:7-9. [7] Only be strong and very courageous, being careful to do according to all the law that Moses my servant commanded you. Do not turn from it to the right hand or to the left, that you may have good success wherever you go. [8] 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. [9] Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go." (ESV)
In a paragraph of this length, the amount of space devoted to keeping the law might seem to be disproportionate (about half: forty-five of ninety-two words); however, keeping the law would be the key to Joshua’s success. It is striking that God’s instructions here to Joshua are not about military matters, given that Joshua and the Israelites faced many battles ahead. However, the keys to his success were spiritual, directly related to the degree of his obedience to God. The keys to Joshua’s success were the same as those for a king: being rooted in God’s word rather than depending upon military might (Deut 17:14–20, esp. vv. 16, 18–19) (G. Gerbrandt, Kingship according to the Deuteronomistic History, SBLDS 87 (Atlanta: Scholars Press, 1986),)
• How do we conquer doubt and opposition? By the Word of God. How did Jesus battle Satan (Mt. 4:3-4), and believers through time battle their doubts and fears? By the word of God. Before we would know how to handle our kids, our boss, or our doubts and fears, we need to internalize the word of God before battle.
The command in v. 7 to “be strong and very courageous/resolute” is to ensure Joshua’s scrupulous obedience to the law of Moses. The command for “being careful to do according to all the law” translates the verbs šmr and ?sh. The first, šmr, means “to keep, observe,” and the second, ?sh, means “to do, obey.” The essential relationship between faith and obedience is illustrated here. Faith is confidence based on God’s promise (v. 6), and such faith issues in obedience (v. 7) (Whitlock, L. G., Sproul, R. C., Waltke, B. K., & Silva, M. (1995). The Reformation study Bible: bringing the light of the Reformation to Scripture: New King James Version (Jos 1:7). Nashville: T. Nelson.)
• Regardless of how highly we regard scripture, unless we read, study, memorize and meditate upon it, it will do us no good.
Second, mediation was an activity that was done aloud. This is why God told Joshua in verse 8, that this lawbook should not leave his mouth (as opposed to, e.g., his heart or his mind). The ancient practice of reading aloud to oneself as an aid to memorization is in view here (Biblical Studies Press. (2006). The NET Bible First Edition Notes (Jos 1:8). Biblical Studies Press.). The mouth is for eating. God’s Teaching is to be “chewed,” “swallowed,” and “digested” so that it becomes part of the person’s very self in thought and action. The mouth is also for speaking. The one who has received God’s Teaching in his mouth must also teach, warn, and encourage others (Josh. 8:34–35; cf. Jer. 1:9; 15:6; Ezek. 2:8–3:3) (Hamlin, E. J. (1983). Inheriting the land: a commentary on the book of Joshua. International Theological Commentary (p. 6). Grand Rapids, MI: W.B. Eerdmans Pub. Co.).
The phrase “from your mouth” literally refers to the custom of muttering while studying or reflecting. The Hebrew word translated “meditate” (hag_ah) literally means “mutter.” When one continually mutters God’s Word to himself, he is constantly thinking about it (Madvig, D. H. (1992). Joshua. (F. E. Gaebelein, Ed.) The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, Volume 3: Deuteronomy, Joshua, Judges, Ruth, 1 & 2 Samuel (p. 257). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House.).
• Before we would mediate upon the word, it must be first in us. What we find in scripture that the spiritual disciplines of memorization, rest, prayer, fasting, solitude, gratitude, mediation, and service all tie together, but they all start with scripture.
The command to “mediate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written is it”, is not the one commonly familiar in the late twentieth century, namely, of emptying the mind and concentrating on nothing or on self or on visualizations of various types; much of this type of meditation is indebted to Eastern mystic religions. Rather, the Old Testament concept of meditation involves two things: First, a focus upon God himself (Ps 63:6 [Hb.7]), his works (Pss 77:12 [Hb. 13]; 143:5), or his law (Josh 1:8; Ps 1:2). “Meditate” (???), “does not mean theoretical speculation about the law, such as the Pharisees indulged in, but a practical study of the law, for the purpose of observing it in thought and action, or carrying it out with the heart, the mouth, and the hand”. Joshua was to “be careful to do/obey according to all that is written in it.” This represents something permanent, since it was written down. (C. F. Keil. The Book of Joshua [Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1975 reprint], 30).
• When we recopy sections of scripture out, on a card or screen, it helps engrain the relevant portion to our mind. The combination of knowing the story, characters, plot, purpose , writing down reciting aloud , all combine for an effective mnemonic, that helps the brain both process and remember scripture.
Please turn to 1 Chronicles 22 (p.327)
The result (?az, “then”) of Joshua’s keeping the law was that it would “make his way prosperous, and then he would have good success”. Joshua’s obedience to God’s will (vv. 7–8) and God’s presence with him (v. 9) guaranteed this. The Hebrew roots in question here are ?l? (“prosperous”) and skl (“have good success”). The first term occurs sixty-nine times in the Old Testament, and the majority of the time (fifty-nine times) it means “to prosper [or, better, “to succeed”] in one’s endeavors,” almost always because of God’s gracious and ever-present hand. The second term in Josh 1:8 to (skl, “have good success”) occurs a total of seventy-eight times in the Old Testament (as a verb or a noun), most commonly with the meaning of “have insight, understanding, be wise.” In ten or eleven cases—including twice here in Josh 1:7–8—it means “to have success.” And, in these cases, almost without exception, success is to be achieved because individuals seek the Lord earnestly or carefully obey his commandments. (D. P. Bricker, “The Doctrine of the ‘Two Ways’ in Proverbs,” JETS 38 (1995): 501–17.)
Let’s see here in 1 Chronicles 22 what the prosperity and success promised truly are:
1 Chronicles 22:9-13. [9] Behold, a son shall be born to you who shall be a man of rest. I will give him rest from all his surrounding enemies. For his name shall be Solomon, and I will give peace and quiet to Israel in his days. [10] He shall build a house for my name. He shall be my son, and I will be his father, and I will establish his royal throne in Israel forever.' [11]"Now, my son, the LORD be with you, so that you may succeed in building the house of the LORD your God, as he has spoken concerning you. [12] Only, may the LORD grant you discretion and understanding, that when he gives you charge over Israel you may keep the law of the LORD your God. [13] Then you will prosper if you are careful to observe the statutes and the rules that the LORD commanded Moses for Israel. Be strong and courageous. Fear not; do not be dismayed. (ESV)
• Many Christians mistakenly read these and other passages as guarantees that all Christians will (or should!) succeed in every venture they undertake and that they will prosper financially if they are truly following God. Christians who do not succeed, or who are not financially well off, are condemned as living in some persistent sin or lacking in proper faith. But it is the internalization of God’s word itself that helps us avoid sin: Psalm 119:11 I have stored up your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you. (ESV)
Finally, God’s charge to Joshua ends in verse 9, by reiterating words of encouragement and commitment (vv. 5–6). Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go." Joshua was not to fear or be discouraged precisely because the Almighty God promised him his presence. I want to close with a quote about God’s presence and words of comfort and encouragement. John Piper wrote: “Most of us are emotionally crippled—all of us, really. We do not experience God in the fullness of our emotional potential. How will that change? One way is to memorize the emotional expressions of the Bible and speak them to the Lord and to each other until they become part of who we are. For example, in Psalm 103:1, we say, “Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless his holy name!” That is not a natural expression for many people. But if we memorize this and other emotional expressions from the Bible, and say them often, asking the Lord to make the emotion real in our hearts, we can actually grow into that emotion and expression. It will become part of who we are. We will be less emotionally crippled and more able to render proper praise and thanks to God”. (http://www.desiringgod.org/resource-library/taste-see-articles/why-memorize-scripture)
For the believers of India, Nigeria, Nicaragua and the other 360 million Christians around the world that live with persecution for their faith, we all can praise and thank God that He has not forgotten their plight. We can intercede for our persecuted brethren and take courage to rise above the evil and wickedness perpetrated against followers of the truth because God is sovereign. When believers are courageously faithful in difficult circumstances, we show the beauty and power of our God. May we continue to pray and act as faithful believers together in this cause of Christ.
(Format Note: Outline from Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). Be Strong. “Be” Commentary Series (pp. 21–27). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books. Some base commentary from Howard, D. M., Jr. (1998). Joshua. The New American Commentary (Vol. 5, pp. 69–90). Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers.)
