וֶאֱמָץחֲזַק, Be Strong and Courageous

Joshua 1:5-9
5 No man shall be able to stand before you all the days of your life. Just as I was with Moses, so I will be with you. I will not leave you or forsake you. 6 Be strong and courageous, for you shall cause this people to inherit the land that I swore to their fathers to give them. 7 Only be strong and very courageous, being careful to do according to all the law that Moses my servant commanded you. Do not turn from it to the right hand or to the left, that you may have good success wherever you go. 8 This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success. 9 Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”

Imagine now (with your “sanctified imagination) that you stand next to an 80-year-old Joshua as he now attempts to fill the shoes of his predecessor and mentor, Moses. God’s promise to give Israel the Land is about to be fulfilled and Joshua is the guy to do the job! What words does he need to hear to move forward? God provides exactly what is needed – be strong and courageous, Joshua, because God will do the heavy lifting. Joshua saw with his own eyes that God was with Moses and now He promises that same presence with Joshua. There is no need for fear.

It has been no accident or happenstance that Joshua has been able to witness Moses’ entire journey of leadership. Joshua had been born in Egypt and had experienced slavery. He saw the 10 plagues, the Passover, the crossing of the Red Sea and walked with Moses through 40 years of wilderness wandering. During those 40 years he too had eaten manna and quail, seen water pour from rocks, and probably watched as Moses penned the first 5 books of the Bible. And he had those books in his own hands, for constant reference and encouragement. Now, he is being called upon to trusts in the Lord alone for strength and power to do the seemingly impossible – take the land that God is handing over to His Children. There was absolutely no way for Joshua to pull this off on his own and he knew it. Now God encourages him to trust in the Father as Moses had done. But, as we all know, that trust can sometimes be difficult.

This too is a lofty Christian work. … There would be fewer merchants and less trade if this were put into practice. For he who does this must truly hold fast to heaven and look always to the hands of God, and not to his own resources or wealth, knowing that God will support him even though every cupboard were bare, because he knows to be true what God said to Joshua, “I will not forsake you or withdraw my hand from you” [Josh 1:5]; as the proverb has it, “God still has more than what he ever gave away.” But that takes a true Christian, and he is a rare animal on earth.
(Luther, Martin. AE 45:256)

We too can take these words to heart today. No, we don’t stand on the brink of beginning a new nation. We have not spent the last 40 years wandering in the wilderness being led by an actual manifestation of God’s presence (pillar of cloud or fire). But we daily face the temptation to go it alone – minus God’s leading and strength. We won’t inherit a nation, but we will inherit heaven because of Jesus Christ. And so we too are encouraged to be strong and courageous.

1 Cor 16:13
Be watchful, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong.

1 Peter 5:10
And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you.

For me, the admonition to always keep God’s Word in my mind and my heart provides a platform for my trust in Him. He is worthy of that trust.

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