Joshua in the Old Testament records the words of the Lord following Moses’ death; “6 iBe 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 jvery courageous, being careful to do according to all the law kthat Moses my servant commanded you. lDo not turn from it to the right hand or to the left, that you may have good success1wherever you go. 8 This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but myou 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? nBe strong and courageous. oDo not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” [1]
The Hebrew word for courage is emas and there are 41 occurrences of this term in the Old Testament. This term is predominately translated as courage or courageous. The context for Joshua was a change in national leadership. This was a crisis moment for Israel, the Promised Land was set before them. Which force would prevail – Fear or God Words (v.8)? If these verses were applied to a mathematical equation it would be:
COURAGE = Application of God’s Words
Fear
Simply stated, the greater our application to the God’s Word the greater our ability to crush fear out from our lives. What was at stake for Israel – Promised Land inheritance! What is at stake for us post-Covid – Revival and Discipleship strategies that have never been attempted. King Jesus’ arrival is getting closer! Notice the three occurrences of “strong and courage.” When applying God’s words, it is helpful to understand the trajectory of the words. The origin of action starts within a person choosing to take their comprehension of God’s words to new levels coupled with application (v.8). The result; FEAR is conquered. The courageous person walks, acts, and sounds differently than a fearful person.
Here is one question and one statement of fact.
- QUESTION: What is one micro-step that you can take today that will improve your study of scripture by 50%?
- FACT: History records that all previous pandemics have come to an end.
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i ver. 7, 9, 18; Deut. 31:6, 7
j ch. 23:6
k ch. 11:15
l Deut. 5:32; 28:14
1 Or may act wisely
m Ps. 1:2; 119:15
n ver. 6, 7, 18
o Deut. 1:29; 7:21; 20:3; 31:6, 8
[1] The Holy Bible: English Standard Version. (2016). (Jos 1:6–9). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles.
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