Joshua 1:9 - Strength and Courage in the Presence of God!
Jos.1:9: Strength and Courage in the Presence of God!
Josh. 1:9 (KJV) Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of a
good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the LORD
thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest.
Josh. 1:9 (NIV) 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."
Josh. 1:9 (TLB) Yes, be bold and strong! Banish fear and doubt!
For remember, the Lord your God is with you wherever you go."
CONTEXT/OVERVIEW
1:5-9 The promises and responsibilities expressed in
Deuteronomy are repeated here, including total obedience to all the law,
which is to be the focus of the people's thinking day and night. Only
by this discipline can the people survive and be assured of God's
presence wherever [they] go. [Cambridge Annotated SB]
"Be strong and courageous" Josh. 1:1-9. Note particularly God's
repeated words of exhortation and encouragement.
Exhortation Encouragement
Be strong, courageous I will be with you
Be careful to obey I will give to you
Meditate on the Book of the Law I will never leave
Be careful to do it I will never forsake
Do not be terrified You will prosper, and succeed
Do not be discouraged God will be with you wherever you go
In just these few verses, Scripture sums up the way to victory
in any situation we may face. [The 365-Day Devotional Commentary]
INTRODUCTION
Key Verse of this chapter: 1:9 God's command and presence are
enough. [Victor Bible Reader's Companion]
KEY TEXT
Be strong. For the third time God gives this command (see vs. 6,
7). [SDA Commentary]
The third call to courage addressed to Joshua was based on the
promise of God's presence. This did not minimize the task Joshua faced.
He would encounter giants and fortified cities, but God's presence
would make all the difference.... God also urged him not to be afraid or
discouraged (cf. Deut. 1:21; 31:8; Josh. 8:1). These charges with their
accompanying assurances (God's promise, God's power, and God's presence) were
sufficient to last a lifetime. Believers in all ages can be uplifted by the
same three assurances. [Bible Knowledge Commentary]
In this chapter . . . four different times God tells Joshua to
be of good courage; and he says that if he was of good courage no
man would be able to stand before him all the days of his life. And
we read that in the evening of his life he was successful; and that
no man was able to stand before him all his days. God fulfilled his
promise; God kept his word .... I have yet to find that God ever uses a
man that is all the time looking on the dark side, and is all the
time talking about obstacles and looking at them, and is discouraged
and cast down. It is not these Christians that go around with their
head down like a bulrush; looking at the obstacles and talking about
the darkness all the time, that God uses. They kill everything they
touch; there is no life in them. Now, if we are going to succeed, we
have got to be of good courage; and the moment we get our eyes on God
and remember who he is, and that he has all power in heaven and
earth, that it is God that commands us to work in his vineyard, then it
is that we will have courage given us. D. L. Moody [Spirit Filled
Life Devotional SB]
As children, when we had to face pain or loss, we may have been
told, "Be strong, don't cry, be a soldier" - which amounted to saying,
"Deny your feelings." This is not what God is telling Joshua. Instead,
he is saying, "I hear your terror and your discouragement. But you
can be strong and courageous because I am with you. Your strength
comes from me." That kind of strength does not have to be artificially
mustered up; it simply needs to be claimed. [Life Recovery Devotional
SB]
Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou
dismayed.... Let not the sense of thy own infirmities dishearten thee; God is
all-sufficient. Have not I commanded thee?"... When we are in
the way of our duty
we have reason to be strong and very courageous; and it will help
very much to animate and embolden us if we keep our eye upon the
divine warrant, hear God saying, "Have not I commanded thee? I will
therefore help thee, succeed thee, accept thee, reward thee. (Matthew
Henry's Commentary)
He is to encourage himself with the promise and presence of God.
Let not the sense of thine own infirmities dishearten thee; God is
all-sufficient. I have commanded, called, and commissioned thee to do it, and
will be sure to bear thee out in it. When we are in the way of duty,
we have reason to be strong and very bold. [Matthew Henry
Commentary]
APPLICATION
No Better Guide Than God.--If men will walk in the path that God
has marked out for them, they will have a counselor whose wisdom is
far above any human wisdom. Joshua was a wise general because God
was his guide. The first sword that Joshua used was the sword of the
Spirit, the Word of God. Will the men who are handling large
responsibilities read the first chapter of Joshua? [Joshua 1:1, 5, 7 quoted.]
{2BC 993.1}
A knowledge of God's promises still gives us the courage we need
to obey His Word. [Victor Bible Reader's Companion]
Notice that courage is demanded in the Christian life (vv. 6-7,
9), but this courage is supplied by the Word of God (v. 8). [Wiersbe
Expository Outlines]
The answer to fear and uncertainty is the presence of God and a
determination to follow His guidance. [Passages Of Life SB]
The life of faith has been likened to a tightrope act, in which,
the believer's dependence upon God must constantly be balanced with
human action. It was like that for Israel. On the one hand Canaan was
"the Promised Land" (1 ,2). God had promised, "I will not abandon you
or fail to help you" (1:5), and "the Lord your God is with you
wherever you go" (1 :9) - wonderful truths to claim!
But that didn't mean the Israelites were free to sit back and do
nothing! There was a hike to begin, and a most important step of faith to
take into the Jordan River - a step, only the people could initiate.
Where is God waiting for you to do his will through a step of
obedience? God has battles for you to fight and win in his strength, but
you must do your part.
This month, begin a notebook of "Ways God Is Preparing Me Today
for Tomorrow's Battles." At the end of the month; look back over
what you have written down to see how God's faithfulness and your
obedience worked together for good in your life. [Daily Walk Bible]
God sometimes asks us to do things that seem far beyond our
abilities. He might ask us to assume a position of leadership, or take on a
demanding project, or begin a Bible study with our non-Christian friends.
At such times it is easy to feel under qualified and overwhelmed.
Warming Up to God: God has a unique task for you. It is possible
that he is calling you to do some work for him even now.
Discovering the Word: 1. What promises does the Lord make to
Joshua (vv. 1-9)? 2. How would these promises strengthen and encourage
Joshua? 3. What commands does the Lord give to Joshua (vv. 6-9)? 4. What
is the relationship between God's promises and his commands?
Applying the Word: 1. How do you react when faced with something
you feel totally unqualified to do?
Responding in Prayer: Thank God for his presence and strength as
you seek to obey him in the challenges you face. [Quiet Time SB]
God specializes in dry sandals. He loves to start with an
impossible situation in your life . . . and then do the impossible.
When the nation of Israel approached the Jordan, God demanded a
step of obedience before they could cross. The priests, like drum
majors leading a three-million-member marching band, had to hike to the
brink of the flood-swollen Jordan and take that first step into the
water. Then - and only then - would God perform a miracle, roll back
the waters, dry up the puddles, and send the people across kicking
up dust at every steps! Dry sandals followed trusting obedience.
Where in your life is God waiting for you to take that first
step of faith? In the margin at the left of the page, write down the
obstacle you are facing (your Jordan) and the step of obedience God is
asking you to take (your dry-sandals experience). Trust Him for the
unexpected, and let Him surprise and delight you by doing the unexplainable!
[Your Daily Walk SB]
God will lead you to no waters He cannot part, no brink He
cannot cross, no pain He cannot bear. [Your Daily Walk SB]
Our grand business in life is not to see what lies dimly at a
distance, but to do what lies clearly at hand. Thomas Carlyle [Passages Of
Life SB]
CONCLUDING THOUGHT/SUMMARY STATEMENT
Success is knowing and doing what God says. Many people think
that prosperity and success come from having power, influential
personal contacts, and a relentless desire to get ahead. But the strategy
for gaining prosperity that God taught Joshua goes against such
criteria. He said that to succeed, Joshua must (1) be strong and
courageous because the task ahead would not be easy, (2) obey God's law,
and (3) constantly read and study the Book of the Law--God's Word. To
be successful, follow God's words to Joshua. You may not succeed by
the world's standards, but you will be a success in God's eyes--and
his opinion lasts forever. [Life Application SB]
RELATED THOUGHTS
Joshua's meditation on the word of God was to focus on
obedience. From that obedience came the automatic presence of God to save....
Divine sovereignty and human responsibility complement one another.
Obedience (Josh. 1:7) enables a person to live according to God's divine
order and thus enjoy God's best (cf. Deut. 30:15-20). [New Bible
Companion]
OTHER THOUGHTS
The Promised Land always lies on the other side of a wilderness.
Havelock Ellis [Passages Of Life SB]
He had already given them the land; all they had to do was step
out by faith and claim it! God has already given us "every blessing
of the Spirit" in Christ (Eph. 1:3). All we need do is step out by
faith and possess our possessions. [Wiersbe Expository Outlines]
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