Joshua 1:1-11
1After the death of Moses the servant of the LORD, the LORD spoke to Joshua son of Nun, Moses’ assistant, saying, 2“My servant Moses is dead. Now proceed to cross the Jordan, you and all this people, into the land that I am giving to them, to the Israelites. 3Every place that the sole of your foot will tread upon I have given to you, as I promised to Moses. 4From the wilderness and the Lebanon as far as the great river, the river Euphrates, all the land of the Hittites, to the Great Sea in the west shall be your territory. 5No one shall be able to stand against you all the days of your life. As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will not fail you or forsake you. 6Be strong and courageous; for you shall put this people in possession of the land that I swore to their ancestors to give them. 7Only be strong and very courageous, being careful to act in accordance with all the law that my servant Moses commanded you; do not turn from it to the right hand or to the left, so that you may be successful wherever you go. 8This book of the law shall not depart out of your mouth; you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to act in accordance with all that is written in it. For then you shall make your way prosperous, and then you shall be successful. 9I hereby command you: Be strong and courageous; do not be frightened or dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.” 10Then Joshua commanded the officers of the people, 11“Pass through the camp, and command the people: ‘Prepare your provisions; for in three days you are to cross over the Jordan, to go in to take possession of the land that the LORD your God gives you to possess.’”
Back in Numbers 27, when Moses asked the LORD to appoint a new leader who would take the Israelites into the promised land, the LORD appointed Joshua. In preparation for the death of Moses, there was a public ceremony to appoint Joshua as the new leader, the one who would lead the people into the promised land.
After the death of Moses and when the people are about to enter Canaan, the LORD speaks directly to Joshua.
The LORD commands Joshua to lead the people into the land and assures Joshua that He will be with him, just like He was with Moses. The LORD tells Joshua that no one will be able to stand against him all the days of his life and that he will lead the people to possess the land that was promised to his ancestors, beginning with Abraham.
The LORD also tells Joshua about the importance of keeping all the laws that Moses had commanded. Joshua is to read the book of the law out loud and meditate on it day and night.
Now with Moses and the old leaders all gone, Joshua probably wondered how he was going to fulfill his duties. When and how to cross the Jordan was a problem for which he had no solution, and there was also the problem of the people who were already living in the land – The same people that the Israelites feared so much that they refused to enter the first time, some forty years previous.
So, it must have been a comfort to Joshua that the LORD speaks directly to him and reassures him that he is the chosen leader and that the LORD will never leave him and will give him and Israel success.
Since Joshua had been at Moses’ side for over forty years and had witnessed how the LORD had worked through Moses, it must have been a great comfort to hear the LORD say that He will be with Joshua, just like He was with Moses. Joshua, through his experiences, knew what it means when the LORD says He will be with him.
Although there were still misgivings in his mind, Joshua must have also felt excited, since the LORD had promised that all the promised land would be theirs. It can only mean that the LORD was going to do some great miracles to make it happen. Being one of a handful of adults left who had witnessed firsthand the great power of the LORD in leading the people out of Egypt, Joshua was fully aware of what the LORD can and is willing to do.
What is interesting about what the LORD says to Joshua is that He says “Be strong and courageous” three times. If the LORD is going to do all that He is promising, then why does Joshua need to be strong and courageous? It must mean that Joshua and the people are not just going to be spectators but are going to have some work to do. It most likely refers to needing to be strong and courageous in his faith in the LORD and His promises.
It is interesting that in verse 7, the LORD uses the words, “Be strong and very courageous”, when He tells Joshua to be in accordance with all the laws of Moses. So, will it take Joshua more courage to live according to the law, than to rely on the LORD to conquer the land? Apparently so.
This is the way things work in our lives living as Christians in this world. It is often easier to trust in the outcome that the LORD promises than to live according to His commands. It takes a much stronger faith and courage to be obedient to the LORD in the face of temptation and hardships.
Joshua was strengthened by the LORD’s promise to be with him, like He was with Moses. For us, reading the Bible about how faithful the LORD is to keep His promises should have the same effect.
It is striking that what the LORD says to Joshua is very similar to what Jesus tells His followers as He is about to leave this earth in Matthew 28:19-20:
“All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
We are commanded to obey everything that Jesus has commanded us. And He assures us that He will be with us always.
This was going to be a new beginning for Joshua and the Israelites. They are going to do what their parents could not do – To trust in the LORD enough to boldly go into the land. There will be difficulties that will test their faith, but the LORD is guaranteeing success.
We are about to start a new year, and it can be a new beginning for us too. Whatever things we did or did not do in 2024 is in our past. We have a command to be witnesses to the fact that Jesus Christ is the Son of God and the Savior of the world. We also are reminded that we are to obey everything that the LORD has commanded. Commands like loving our enemies and putting others’ needs above ours are not easy to do. It will mean that we will need to be strong and very courageous in our faith in the LORD.
We will need to keep in mind and trust the LORD’s promise that He is with us.
(the above is a summary of the message shared by Shun Takano during our worship on December 29, 2024.)
Japanese Congregational Church 