Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage;
do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever
you go."
Joshua is Israel’s new leader who is to accomplish what many
would consider to be an impossible task. He is to lead a new generation of Israelites
across the Jordan River and conquer the giants and all the enemies in the
Promise Land and then divide it up between the twelve tribes. As we have been
studying already, we have learned in this first chapter that God has given
Joshua several encouragements to assure him of victory.
In verses 1-2, God encouraged Joshua with a specific
calling and commission. To “arise and cross this Jordan and conquer this
land.” We are living in a day whereas God’s people we are surrounded by enemy
giants that would cause us to fear and be afraid. We are surrounded by ungodly,
wicked and evil people with an agenda to destroy America and Israel. And they
don’t just live in Iran or the Middle East, they have embedded themselves in
our media, our universities, and in the highest levels of our government! They
are determined to stamp out the knowledge of God, His Word, His Church, His people
Israel, and our Christian faith. These giants strike fear, worry, discouragement,
despair, depression into our hearts and minds.
Sadly, young people are growing up with no real purpose or
plan for their lives because they have never taken God into their lives and as
a result are living vain and empty lives without hope. I love the great resurrection
chapter of the Bible, 1 Corinthians 15 that assures us of our great eternal
future with God. This chapter ends with this admonition: “But thanks be to
God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, my
beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the
Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord” (1 Corinthians
15:57-58). Every believer has a ministry with a divine calling and commission that
assures us that whatever we do for the Lord and eternity will not be in vain.
We do not have to live empty and meaningless lives! By faith we can obey our
Lord and His commands and experience victory every day!
Joshua was also encouraged by God’s great promise that He
would be with him every day and every step of the way. (vv. 3-6). He was also assured
that he had God’s written Word to remind Him of God’s awesome greatness so that
he would prosper and be successful in fulfilling every assignment God gave him.
(vv. 7-8). We have these same promises today! Joshua only had the first five
Books of the Bible, Genesis through Deuteronomy. We now have all sixty-six complete
Books of the Holy Bible to instruct us, guide us, reprove us, correct us, and keep
us in the right way, so that we are well equipped for every good work (2
Timothy 3:16-17).
Finally in verse 9, Joshua received encouragement from
God's commandment. God's commandments are still God's enablement for those who
obey Him by faith. Gabriel's words to Mary are as true today as when he spoke
them in Nazareth: "For with God nothing shall be impossible"
(Luke 1:37). The very word that God speaks has in it the power of fulfillment
if we will but trust and obey!
In the years to come, whenever Joshua faced an enemy and
was tempted to be afraid, he would remember that he was a man with a divine
commission—and his fears would vanish. Whenever things went wrong and he was
tempted to be dismayed, he would recall God's command—and take new courage.
Like Moses before him, and Samuel and David after him, Joshua had a divine
mandate to serve the Lord and do His will—and that mandate was sufficient to
carry him through.
My friend, we have the same God and Lord Jesus Christ that has
called each of us to the ministry of reconciliation (2 Corinthians 5:17-21). In
His name we can experience victory every day!
God bless!
