“Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.”
Joshua 1:9 (NIV)
When the Lord spoke these words to Joshua, he was overwhelmed with his new responsibility to replace the leadership of Moses, after he died.
Replacing Moses certainly seems like a formidable task. After the death of Moses, God spoke to Joshua many times. Many times God told Joshua to be strong, and that He was with him in leading the people to the promised land.
After forty years of wandering across the wilderness, the Jordan River would be the final boundary to cross, in order to finally enter the promised land. The Israelites had the ark of the covenant with them, which was the gold covered chest, containing the sacred relics of Manna, Aaron’s rod and the stone tablets of the Ten Commandments. The ark represented the mighty presence of God who was with His people.
God gave very odd but specific instructions, that only the priests from the priestly tribe of Levi were allowed to carry that ark of the covenant. In fact, they had to carry it without directly touching it, holding it with poles on each side, like handles.
God told Joshua that as the priests carried the holy ark of the covenant to the Jordan River, the moment their feet touched the edge of the river, the water would part. Joshua directed the people to do as God commanded. It was during the March-April season of harvest, right after winter rains and melted snow from the mountain filled the river to its highest point.
God reassured Joshua that He would be with him in the same way He was with Moses. God told Joshua,
“Today I will begin to exalt you in the sight of all Israel, that they may know that, as I was with Moses, so I will be with you.” (Joshua 3:7)
Joshua’s strength came in following every detail of God’s instructions. As his priests carried the ark, and their feet touched the edge of the Jordan River, it parted and the people walked across. Later his army encircled the fortified brick walls of Jericho, just praising God, and the walls collapsed on the seventh day.
All these amazing stories of scripture left historical evidence behind throughout the holy land. One of the most influential archeologists of biblical sites is Kathleen Kenyon, who found the actual ruins of Jericho, where those 13 ft. walls came tumbling down that day.
The parallels between Moses and Joshua are amazing. As God parted the Red sea for Moses, He parted the Jordan River for Joshua. God validated Joshua as a leader through that miracle, proving that He was with his leadership as He was with Moses’.
Whatever we are going through, we can trust in the instructions that God has given us through Jesus and we can trust that God is saying to us, as He said to Joshua,
“Be strong and courageous, for I am with you wherever you go.”
We can learn something else in Joshua’s strength, that he also knew how to show kindness to strangers. Rahab was a harlot, who was not part of the Israelite community but lived within the city of Jericho. She heard of and came to believe in the God of the Israelites. She helped Joshua by hiding some of his spies, before they conquered the city. She asked Joshua for kindness and mercy in return, and Joshua gave orders to spare her and her entire family’s lives, when they invaded Jericho. Rahab had a turning point of faith and later married an Israelite man, and became a part of the genealogy of Jesus.
Joshua had strength, but his strength increased by following the unusual orders given to him by God. He did everything God asked him to do despite how strange it might appear. The priests carried the ark of the covenant into the Jordan River, his army marched around the fortified walls of Jericho seven times, praising God.
He showed kindness to a harlot, who was not a part of their people, but whose changed life later gave birth to the Messiah. Joshua’s strength came from believing God, and then obeying some strange requests, and in the end, God was glorified through it all.
God gave many unusual orders in the stories of scripture, but He put His strength within every person who would believe and receive those orders. He commanded His people to circumcise every male child on the eighth day of their life, and when He sent Jesus, He told us to believe in Him and be baptized in water. Then He told us to practice communion, doing it in remembrance of Him. By believing and receiving the instructions given to us by Jesus, we all have His strength within us.
We learn from Joshua that it’s not always necessary to ask, hope for, yearn or beg for God’s strength. There is a time to just stand in the strength that He has already given us, follow His instructions and remember to show mercy and kindness to others.
Lord, bless each reader today with a renewed sense of strength that has always been within us by abiding in Jesus and His commandments. Help us to show your kindness to others through this strength. Amen