LifeWay Explore the Bible Series for June 3: The leadership dare

LifeWay Explore the Bible Series for June 3: The leadership dare focuses on Joshua 1:1-18.

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The leadership Joshua is called to at the beginning of the book that bears his name should come as no surprise to those who have been paying attention to his growth as a leader prior to this point in the biblical story. In Joshua 1:1, Joshua is called Moses’ assistant.

In this role, Joshua had a front-row seat to watching the Lord as he led the people toward the Promised Land. God had planned all along to put Joshua in this position. That’s why in Exodus 17:14, Moses was commanded to write down the story of the battle with the Amalekites for all the Hebrews, but also was explicitly commanded to “recite it in the ears of Joshua.”

When Moses would leave the camp and ascend Mount Sinai to meet with the Lord, Joshua would go with him (Exodus 24:13; 32:17). His assistance to Moses even went to the tent of meeting, where God would “speak to Moses face to face” (Exodus 33:11).

Perhaps these experiences were used to develop the faith that led him to join Caleb as one of the two out of 12 spies that said after their expedition that the Hebrews should go into the land of Canaan (Numbers 14:6-9). Their confidence in God at that moment is the reason why, of their whole generation, only he and Caleb were allowed to enter the Promised Land.

Joshua had been prepared for this new leadership position after the death of Moses. Yet God still speaks words of encouragement and exhortation to him. Again and again, Joshua is commanded to “be strong and courageous” (vv. 6, 7, 9).

But what exactly would that strength and courage look like? How exactly does the Lord expect for Joshua to carry out this command? Certainly, he is to go in to possess the Promised Land. But if we read this text carefully, I think we see something more.

Look closely at verse 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.”

The precise way in which Joshua will be strong and very courageous is by careful obedience to the word of God, the law given through Moses. The temptation would be to veer off the course set by the law, to take a step or two to the left or right. But Joshua was to follow it closely. Only then would he be living out the strength and courage the Lord commanded him to display.

Obeying God’s word is not easy. It requires both strength and courage. It takes strength to resist the temptations of this world that seek to take us off the path of Scripture. The world, our flesh and Satan all try to make us believe the way to success and prosperity is found apart from God’s ways. But this text tells us “good success” and a “prosperous way” are found in obeying God’s word (vv. 7, 8).


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It takes courage to obey God’s word when the consequences of obedience include the opposition of the world. Sometimes following the Lord brings about conflict with others. Joshua certainly anticipated a battle with the Canaanites, Hittites, Hivites, Perizzites, Girgashites, Amorites and Jebusites. Maybe you worry about your obedience to Jesus leading to a battle with your boss, neighbors, friends or even your family (Matthew 10:34-39).

Dreading the fight, we want to compromise our faith. But the Lord tells Joshua, and us, in this text that only courageous obedience to his Word truly brings us to a “place of rest” (vv. 13, 15). Success, prosperity and rest come only from God as we live a strong and courageous obedience to his word.

Of course, this success, prosperity, and rest won’t look like that offered by the world. It may not involve rank, money or leisure. These treasures ultimately are found in an intimate relationship with the Lord.

Being strong and courageous for our God does not mean we have to go to battle as the Hebrew people did. As we answer the call to obey the word of God, it may mean making an ethical choice in the workplace, saying no to a worthwhile activity in order to protect time with family or sharing the gospel with a friend who might reject both Jesus and us.

So what can we do in order to cultivate strength and courage to follow God’s ways? The Lord gave Joshua instructions on this point, too. Immediately after the command to stay on the path of God’s word, he told Joshua, “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” (v. 8).

If you want to have strong faith, if you want to live out courageous obedience, then we must saturate ourselves in the word. It must constantly be in our mouths, feeding our souls. We must meditate on it day and night. Only then will we have the strength and courage to follow in the footsteps of our crucified and risen Savior.

Read your Bible. Every day. Several times, morning and night. Meditate on it. Memorize it. Nourish your soul with it (1 Peter 2:2). His word is living, active, and powerful (Hebrews 4:12). It is able to save our souls (James 1:21). And it is able to make us courageous and strong.


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