Three times in
Joshua 1, the LORD commanded Joshua to be strong and courageous. This was God's message to Joshua as he stood on the precipice of leading the Israelites into the Promised Land given to them by God.
On December 5, 2025, we visited the ancient city of Shiloh, the place where God led Joshua and the Israelites to place the Tabernacle. They were there for almost 400 years. Eventually the Tabernacle would move to Jerusalem and David would have the Temple built there. As the Lord wills, I plan to go back to Israel in 2026 and not only see things I have not seen before but also take others with me and engage in missions while there.
Let us probe further these 3 commands God gave to Joshua in chapter 1 to
be strong and courageous. Strong is the Hebrew word
hazaq, which means to hold and prevail. God gives the strength and guidance we need, but we must take up the assignment and not be weak but rather strong in the execution of the task that God has given to us. Strength is to be coupled with courage. Don't you love that word "courageous"? It is the Hebrew word
ames, which means establish, fortify, prevail, and also obstinate. Yes, obstinately courageous! Some of you are this way, and that is a good thing; you do not back down when it comes to obeying God and doing the right thing.
Joshua has a most prodigious task before him. God chose him for it, and he is the right man for the job. He cannot back down in cowardice or fear; rather, he must press on with full reliance on God for success.
What comes to your mind when you hear the word "courage" or "courageous"? I think of a lion who does not back away from anything. I think of men, women, and students who stand strong in their Christian faith in the face of trial or temptation. I also think of heroes. Many have seen the video of Al Ahmed, the 44-year-old father of two girls, who wrestled the gun away from the murderer on Bondi Beach in Sydney, Australia, on December 14th. He was shot by the other gunman in the process and was hospitalized. He faces more surgeries and months of recovery. There was also an elderly couple, Boris and Sofia Gurman, who showed extreme bravery. As soon as the shooting began, they attacked the man shooting. He was able to get away from them and then shot and killed them. Tragic, sad, but what courage. Their family made this statement:
"While nothing can lessen the pain of losing Boris and Sofia, we feel an overwhelming sense of pride in their bravery and selflessness." (
Source.)
The opposite of one who is courageous and brave is one who is cowardly and complaining. Being cowardly and scared is the safe and predictable route taken by many. But another detriment to accomplishing great things is to complain and be a pessimistic naysayer. What if everyone took the position of cowardly complainer? Well then, we would be in trouble and get very little done.
But if we all strive to be "courageously strong" and make that our motto, then there is no limit to what we can do.
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