"Be Strong and Courageous"

Hebrew is not my forté, neither is Greek for that matter, but I have at least studied Greek enough to know some of the basics. Never the less, I felt impressed to explore the meanings of some Hebrew words today, for the only thing that jumped out at me in today’s reading was the word “strong” in Joshua 23:6 . It only shows up once today, but whenever this word shows up in the context of possessing the Promised Land, it seems to get my attention. I decided to do a little study of the word in the book of Joshua. Here is what I discovered.

Simply put, the word means "be(come) strong, strengthen, prevail, harden, be courageous, be sore (meaning be severe)"[1] The Hebrew word shows up eight times in the book of Joshua. Five of those times the word “courageous” shows up with it. Courageous means "be stout, strong, alert, bold, be solid, hard."

Most interestingly, it shows up four times in the first chapter as Joshua is receiving instructions and encouragement from the Lord about leading the people into the Promised Land. Three times God tells him “be strong and courageous.” ( Joshua 1:6-9 ) The fourth time the encouragement comes from the people Joshua will be leading. (Joshua 1:18) The context tells us the exhortations are not just about the battles that are waiting to be fought. It is more about adhering to the covenant made between God and his people with the battles being an extension or manifestation of keeping the covenant with God. The exhortation to “be strong and courageous” is an exhortation to be unwavering in one’s application of God’s instructions – His Word.

There are several important implications for us.

1. It takes effort on our part to fully receive and enjoy the benefits of God’s word to us. God may promise it, but we have to possess it.
2. Possessing the promises of God is not for the faint of heart. The effort that must be made needs strength and courage. This is because we are to act on our conviction of God’s promises to us in spite of what the physical circumstances appear to be. There were fortified cities and warriors of great stature in the land, but the people of God were to act on the basis of God’s promise rather than what the physical circumstances might seem to dictate. However, the good news is the Holy Spirit lives in us making it possible to perceive and act on the promise of God in spite of the our circumstances.
3. Obedience to God is important. It seems that full-time obedience is a pre-requisite for winning the incidental battles we fight. I don’t mean to imply we “earn” God’s good favor and therefore he grants us a “win” here and there. I think it’s more akin to positioning ourselves to be a conduit of God’s grace. Where God’s grace flows there is power. Willful sin somehow gums up the works and impedes the exercise of that power. Now you must treat this idea with caution as I am not sure I am right, but I put it out there in hopes of getting some feedback which, one way or the other, will help me as I wrestle with this thought.