2023_06_12 Insight Post- Kim Feld

Joshua chapter 1 tells us that the mantle of leadership has now passed from Moses to Joshua. The words “be strong and courageous” were used by Moses in Deuteronomy 31 in his last address to the people and in the commissioning of Joshua in Deuteronomy 31:23. In the first nine verses of Joshua 1, those words are used three times by God in speaking to Joshua and then repeated by the people back to Joshua in verse 18. The Hebrew word for strong, used in this instance, means to establish oneself firmly; physical and internal strength of character; to conquer or seize (Kohlenberger, 2015). It’s interesting to note that this word is also used in reference to construction or repair. Courageous is defined as “persist; determined; take heart.” So, we can gather that God is calling Joshua and the people to be steadfast and determined in possessing the promised land, but in addition to physical strength, He is calling them to moral character. But there’s a connection to a promise God makes and a command: God will be with them, and they must obey the law He gave to Moses. Let’s take a look:

⁷ Be strong and very courageous. 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. ⁸ 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. ⁹ 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.”

In the book of Joshua, we read that the Israelites began to take possession of the land God promised them, but their rebellion and disobedience continued, preventing them from entering all that God had for them, namely his “rest.” The promised land and obedience to God offered the people physical rest from their enemies, but obedience to Him offered them the full extent of His spiritual blessings. Let’s take a look at Hebrews 4:8-11, NLT:

⁸ Now if Joshua had succeeded in giving them this rest, God would not have spoken about another day of rest still to come. ⁹ So there is a special rest still waiting for the people of God. ¹⁰ For all who have entered into God’s rest have rested from their labors, just as God did after creating the world. ¹¹ So let us do our best to enter that rest. But if we disobey God, as the people of Israel did, we will fall.

For you and me to enter our promised land of God’s rest, we have our own enemies to defeat. For some of us addictions or sinful patterns of living could keep us from experiencing God as fully as we can. For others, it could be fear that cripples and holds us back. But I suggest that under it all is a lack of believing God and taking Him at His word. Ask yourself: Do I believe He is bigger than anything I will face today? Have you ever noticed that looking one way but walking another is hard? That’s true physically and spiritually. Do you believe God strongly enough to focus on Him, or is He only in your peripheral vision?

Kim Feld
Executive Director of Education and Outreach

Reference: Kohlenberger, J. R., III. (Ed). (2015). NIV Exhaustive Bible Concordance (John R. Kohlenberger, Ed.). Zondervan Academic.