Joshua 1 – Courage, part 2

Again the phrase – only be strong and very courageous (v 7). The commission given in Deuteronomy 31 is repeated in Joshua 1. I won’t repeat the comments made a couple of days ago; instead, I was reminded of when this passage became very personal to me.

It was about this time 10 years ago. I was just starting to raise support and the support-raising was not going well. There were some bad experiences calling people so I began to fear the phone. I became paralyzed right after dinner around 6:30 to 7 pm. You see, this is the time that people are home and generally available. This will last until around 9 pm. That is the time when you are supposed to call people to set up appointments. And I was becoming afraid.

I knew that I needed to have the Lord’s perspective; I needed Him to press me on if I was to finish this. And then I came across this passage.

Now you might think that things went better, but they didn’t. Actually the support-raising got worse. But I still had the promise of God’s presence and the admonishment to be strong and courageous.

Eventually the support team was developed. The process was long and difficult; the phone only became marginally easier. I wonder if Joshua ever felt like melting before the armies of other nations, but pressed on anyway. I wonder if it was difficult for him to muster the troops to engage in a seemingly hopeless battle.

There is a saying: courage isn’t action in the absence of fear, but action in spite of fear. Was I fearless in support-raising? No. But I knew the Lord was with me. So I punched the numbers into the receiver. And acted on what I knew to be true.

Deuteronomy 31 – Strength and courage

“Be strong and courageous. Do not fear or be in dread of them, for it is the LORD your God who goes with you. He will not leave you or forsake you.”

Then Moses summoned Joshua and said to him in the sight of all Israel, "Be strong and courageous, for you shall go with this people into the land that the LORD has sworn to their fathers to give them, and you shall put them in possession of it. It is the LORD who goes before you. He will be with you; he will not leave you or forsake you. Do not fear or be dismayed."

And the LORD commissioned Joshua the son of Nun and said, "Be strong and courageous, for you shall bring the people of Israel into the land that I swore to give them. I will be with you."

Deuteronomy 31:6, 7-8, 23 (ESV)

There are certain situations where we feel strong and courageous. There are others where we feel weak, inadequate, and timid. Most of these feelings are based on levels of proficiency and experience – “I will make bold moves in business, because I have savvy and experience in this area.”

Here Joshua is called to be strong and courageous as he leads Israel. While one can be groomed for this situation, it is a monumental task, both in size and importance. Three times in this chapter he is told to be strong and courageous. This begs the question, “Why would he be strong and courageous?”

Common wisdom would say that his training, prior experience, and public appointment should provide the basis for this confidence. Even if he didn’t have that, we are told to “dig deep” or “believe in yourself” for this confidence. Being a person with many faults and weaknesses, I am nervous when I am told to “trust in myself.” I know myself and there are many times when I have good reason to be afraid. Our text today, however, provides a better foundation for strength and confidence.

God calls us to be bold in many areas, but He also tells us that He will be with us. In Jesus’ last statement in the book of Matthew, He tells the disciples to make more disciples. His concluding statement is that He will always be with them. In Hebrews 13:5-6, there is a similar assurance regarding the Lord’s presence. In all of Joshua’s exhortations, there is a promise, a promise of God’s presence.

Our confidence is not in ourselves, our abilities, or our experiences. Our confidence is solely on the promise that the Lord is with us. Our God is near to us. Our Lord is with us. The Spirit indwells us.

For me, the question then turns on what I’m doing. Surely this confidence must be associated with what God is doing in my life. Having God is with me, does not mean that He will let me win the lottery or get first place at the US Open. I can be strong and courageous in all that God has called me to do, not everything my tainted desires want to do. Joshua was being asked to conquer fortified cites and slay giants. We are being called to glorify God – to love and follow Christ and to make disciples of people everywhere. These are all tasks that are impossible without the power and presence of God.

This passage is comforting and refining. The comfort comes from the promise of His presence – “The Lord is my helper, I will not fear; what can man do to me?” (Heb 13:6). The refinement comes from His will. I am not supposed to spend my life pursuing the trinkets and baubles of this world. I am to follow the Prince of Peace and He is with me to the very end.

Deuteronomy 25 – Justice

While Deuteronomy seems to have disjointed laws, there are themes that help us connect seemingly unrelated edicts. Moreover, many of these themes point to the very character of God.

Ensuring a future

• The use of physical punishment should be tempered so that the guilty man is not degraded, for he is a brother (v 3). It seems that the Lord is interested in his integration back into the community.
• The widowed woman is also granted a future. If she has a brother-in-law who is unwilling to provide for her and preserve his brother’s name, he is publicly humiliated for his refusal to do what is right. Thus, his house is ruined as well (vv 5-10). Such a penalty would hinder a relative from forgoing his duty.
• If a man’s future is tied to his ability to have children and to participate with the assembly (v 23:1), then he is protected from loss because of a fight (vv 25:11-12). Like all of these, God is not only interested in short term justice, but He also sees the long term implications.

Fairness

• The ox works hard and should benefit from the work (v 4). This principle is also applied to the church (1 Tim 5:17-18).
• People work hard and should be offered what is agreed upon for their wares. If you deal dishonestly with one another, you will destroy your own community (vv 13-16). Honesty is a quality that reflects God’s character (Col 3:9-12).

Avenging the weak

• You cannot force a marriage, but the widowed woman is granted justice if her brother-in-law refuses to uphold her dead husband’s name (vv 5-10).
• By attacking weak and fail of Israel, the Amalekite nation has gone too far. Since they destroyed those who could not defend themselves, they too will be destroyed (vv 17-19).

The Lord is very concerned about the weak and the powerless. Even in the previous chapter, we see a list of laws that give rights by preventing exploitation and uplifting the lowly. This is the type of Lord we need – one helps those who cannot help themselves.