Haven’t I commanded you: be strong and courageous? Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.”
Joshua 1:9
I’m not a huge fan of going to the shops at the best of times, but I often seem to go to Tesco for supplies in the few days before Christmas. It’s always busy, with shoppers bustling for turkeys and trimmings and all that jazz. It’s a challenge to find the right items in the right places, and I’m always faced with conundrums when there seems to be choices between brands or varieties. Argh. Cara always gives me a list, but I still end up confused and needing to call her for answers to my million questions. It’s much easier to handle the gauntlet when Cara is with me!
Although he led God’s people out of Egypt to freedom and was unique in his close relationship with the Lord, Moses never stepped foot in the promised land. He saw it from a distance but died before the Israelites crossed into their new home.
His predecessor was a man called Joshua, who was ‘filled with the spirit of wisdom because Moses had laid his hands on him.’ (Deuteronomy 34:9) Joshua was to take on the mantle, and lead God’s people to victory and rest, with the promise that the Lord would be with him and would defeat all their enemies.
‘Be strong and courageous’ was a constant refrain as the Lord spoke to Joshua. He was to be bold in his quest, not because he was a fantastic leader and brave warrior, but simply because the Lord was with him.
This boldness wasn’t about fighting wars though, but instead was about boldly following the Lord, and faithfully obeying his commands.
Above all, be strong and very courageous to observe carefully the whole instruction my servant Moses commanded you. Do not turn from it to the right or to the left, so that you will have success wherever you go.
Joshua 1:7
Given that God’s people were constantly prone to forget their Lord, it’s no surprise they were given this strong reminder. They weren’t to wander off the clear path that the Lord had given them, even a step to one side or another. It paints a picture like walking a tightrope, where one error could be fatal, and that’s something of what the Lord was saying to Joshua.
The Lord was calling Joshua to realise the gravity of being faithful and remembering that wandering from his purposes would always end in pain. The only way to faithfully obey would be to constantly have these commands on their minds and in their chat. (Joshua 1:8) If we found ourselves in a life-or-death situation on a tightrope, we’d certainly find it hard to think about anything else but the challenge in front of us. So too, the gravity of faithfulness was to weigh heavy on the minds of Joshua and the Israelites.
There is no way Joshua could bear all that responsibility on his own though. Joshua wasn’t sinless, his heart would wander, never mind that it would be impossible to enforce other peoples’ faithfulness.
The burden always falls with the Lord. He is the one who would carry his people safely home. Joshua was called to be bold in trusting and obeying, knowing that the Lord was his ever present help.
When we meet the Lord in his Word, we will find many commands to obey that are for our own good and safety. We should be bold in battling to live faithfully, but we can never do that on our own strength.
We need to know Jesus, the one who was sinless and mighty, who is the true King who will lead us and carry us home, and who will be with us as we seek to live for him.
My trips to Tesco might be a bit tougher when Cara’s not with me, but our journey in the Christian life is impossible if the Lord is not with us. And yet, our journey in the Christian life is made much sweeter as we remember that the Lord is with us. We will often stumble to the left and the right, but he will always bring us back to the path of faithfulness.
Today, find confidence and encouragement from the mind-blowing reality that Jesus has promised to be with us, his people, by his Spirit.
Rejoice!
Written by Pete Bell
A thought to remember: Emmanuel spurs his people on to faithful service.
A bit more to read: Deuteronomy 34, Joshua 1
A question to ask: How might the Lord’s presence give you confidence today?
A song to sing: Go Tell It On The Mountain