Be Strong—Be Bold!

For the Lord your God is with you.

This is my command—be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the LORD your God is with you wherever you go. —Joshua 1:9

Israel was at a crossroad. They had left Egypt years previous, and were on their way to possess the Promised Land that God had given to Abraham.

Their leader, Moses, has died and a new leader has been chosen: Joshua. This name means Yahweh Saves. He would lead God’s people into the Land of Promise.

However, God knows that this would not be a time for timidity. This would require courage on the part of leadership.

So, God gives Joshua the following instructions:

“Be strong and courageous, for you are the one who will lead these people to possess all the land I swore to their ancestors I would give them.“

Leadership in a time of transition will require extra courage. “Be strong and courageous.” Then, for emphasis, the LORD repeats himself:

“Be strong and very courageous.”

God knows that it will take an extra measure of courage to complete this mission. Then he gives Joshua a map to victory:

“Be careful to obey all the instructions Moses gave you. Do not deviate from them, turning either to the right or to the left. Then you will be successful in everything you do. Study this Book of Instruction continually. Meditate on it day and night so you will be sure to obey everything written in it. Only then will you prosper and succeed in all you do.”

Study this Book of Instruction continually. God tells Joshua that, to lead well, he must know what God has revealed to them. That Joshua should consider, then thoughtfully follow through. In fact, he says to meditate on it day and night.

Day and night.

Day and night. Why? So that you may follow through to do all that is written in it. Notice what He says next: Only then will you prosper and succeed in all you do. Their success hinges on it.

Then God finishes by repeating the need for courage—again:

“This is my command—be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.” —Joshua 1:6–9

I love this: He tells Joshua that, although it will be a time for extraordinary courage, the reason he can have confidence is this: Because the LORD your God will be with you—wherever you go.

Wherever you go.

And it’s not by mistake, that the leader’s name is Joshua. The name Jesus in Hebrew is Joshua (the LORD’s Salvation). Jesus is the Chosen One who will ultimately lead His people into his Kingdom—the Kingdom of God—the Ultimate Land of Promise.

Now you may be thinking to yourself, “God hasn’t called me to lead a nation.” Yeah. Me neither.

But never forget, whatever He has called you to, you can be confident in this: The LORD your God will be with you—wherever you go. So don’t be afraid. Move forward with confidence.

That is his promise. Be strong. Be courageous. Wherever you go He is with you.

Image by Sasin Tipchai from Pixabay

2 thoughts on “Be Strong—Be Bold!”

  1. No surprise; another great article. Well-written and succinct. You are right. God’s promise to Joshua can be applied to us as well. God is with us wherever we go. Psalm 139 confirms this. But God’s directive to Joshua, although not directly made to us can be applied to us as well. We are to follow His word day and night. Following His word in daylight is obvious. We can be seen by others and we can usually see God. But in times of darkness when we can’t seem to see God and are not seen by many others, it becomes more of a challenge to keep His word. We are to submit to Him 24/7. When we do, we will enjoy His presence, which motivates us to keep on following His word.

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