Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the LORD thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest.
Joshua 1:9
Throughout his career as Moses’ minister, Joshua displayed distinguished valour and unwavering loyalty. Yet before his death, Moses still had a message for his most trusted officer. In the sight of all Israel, Moses charged Joshua: ‘Be strong and of a good courage: for thou must go with this people unto the land which the LORD hath sworn unto their fathers to give them; and thou shalt cause them to inherit it’ (Deuteronomy 31:7). Upon promotion to Moses’ post, God Himself reiterated this command to Israel’s new leader. Three times in diverse ways the Lord ordered Joshua to ‘be strong and very courageous’ (Joshua 1:6-7, 9).
Joshua’s debut in Scripture occurs when Moses commands him to select out troops to lead into battle against Amalek (Exodus 17:9). The success of Joshua and his band was crucial for the morale of the entire nation, as this was Israel’s first military engagement since leaving Egypt. It stands to reason that Moses would have chosen a man experienced in warfare as his front-line lieutenant. As such, it has been speculated that Joshua had previously served in the Egyptian army, as had Moses, according to Josephus:
…as Josephus imagines that Moses led an Egyptian army against the Ethiopians (Jos. Antiq. II. x. 1, 2), it is likely that Joshua had served in Pharaoh’s army before the Exodus. Foreigners were common in the army of Egypt. Moses considered him sufficiently battle-tested to appoint him leader of the Israelite defence against the attack of the Amalekites at Rephidim (Exod. 17:8-16). Since Joshua was apparently known to Moses, he may already have been in charge of organizing the undisciplined crowd of slaves who had escaped from Egypt into orderly marching columns. The Zondervan Pictorial Encyclopedia of the Bible, vol. 3, pp. 698, 700.
Yet in spite of any veteran experience or natural courage that Joshua possessed upon leaving Egypt, he was repeatedly adjured to be courageous. This demonstrates that what lay ahead was to challenge him, and that without determined trust in God he would fail.
World history has had its fair share of great military leaders, some of which never lost a battle. Alexander the Great and Julius Caesar accomplished daring feats of bravery which have won them the admiration of the world. Through their burning ambition for vainglory, such mustered up great courage to prevail when the odds were against them. But however greatly outnumbered these men may have been, Joshua’s military feats are beyond comparison with theirs. While such trusted in the strong arm of flesh, Joshua’s courage took hold upon an infinite power, and thus, he literally achieved the impossible.
Said the God of Israel upon appointing His new general: ‘be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the LORD thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest’ (Joshua 1:9). The perfect faith Joshua had in this promise was demonstrated on many occasions, but most strikingly in Israel’s battle with the five Canaanite kings which attacked the Gibeonites.
Upon setting out to defend the men of Gibeon, ‘the LORD said unto Joshua, Fear them not: for I have delivered them into thine hand; there shall not a man of them stand before thee’ (Joshua 10:8). Even though he was assured of victory before the battle, Joshua made haste to accomplish his mission. Having marched his men all through the night, the armies of Israel surprised the Canaanites (10:9) and ‘slew them with a great slaughter’ (10:10). As the enemy retreated, ‘the LORD cast down great stones from heaven upon them unto Azekah, and they died’ (10:11).
After marching through the night, Joshua’s army had routed a confederacy of five nations. At that point, one might think that Joshua and his exhausted men might retire. Over the past 24 hours of intense, non-stop physical exertion, they had more or less accomplished their mission. But even after witnessing the retreating enemy bombarded with artillery from heaven, Joshua was not satisfied that he had fulfilled his marching orders. In the fading afternoon light, Joshua surveyed the battlefield and saw enemy soldiers who might one day stand before Israel. Recalling his repeated command, Joshua determined to ‘be strong and very courageous’. Since it would not be possible to accomplish the complete destruction of the enemy after the sun went down, Joshua concluded that the great light must be kept above the horizon. Taking hold of the Mighty God who had enabled His army to march all night and fight victoriously all day, we read:
Then spake Joshua to the LORD in the day when the LORD delivered up the Amorites before the children of Israel, and he said in the sight of Israel, Sun, stand thou still upon Gibeon; and thou, Moon, in the valley of Ajalon. And the sun stood still, and the moon stayed, until the people had avenged themselves upon their enemies. Joshua 10:12-13
The next time you are presented with an obstacle in fulfilling the Lord’s commands, remember that not even the course of the sun inhibited Joshua from completing his marching orders. To be of good courage in the Biblical sense is to look beyond what is humanly possible. To be very courageous, the Christian must go forward even in an impossible situation, knowing that God will provide a way for us to fulfil what He has commanded us to do.
We are not being ‘very courageous’ when we shrink from our duty due to tiredness, inexperience, or the fear of standing alone. The decision to be ‘of a good courage’ must be made now, not when we reach the battlefield. If, with a clear conscience, we believe the promise that ‘God is with thee whithersoever thou goest’, we shall never turn our backs on any good fight. With this matter settled in the mind, our hearts will not faint, and like Joshua, we may achieve the impossible by faith.
Christopher Sparks