There is an unknown aspect of life for every human alive at this moment: the future. No one knows what it holds. For that reason, everyone faces the temptation to be fearful of it. Joshua faced an unknown future until God gave him six success principles—and promised he would prosper.
The context of Joshua 1 is transition—the transition of leadership in Israel from Moses to Joshua. To this day, Jews revere Moses as one of the most significant figures in Jewish history. How would you like to have been Joshua, taking the reins of leadership from someone like Moses? Moses had led Israel out of bondage in Egypt, across the Red Sea to Mount Sinai, where God gave him the Ten Commandments, and then across the wilderness to the Promised Land.
1. The Principle of Godly Perspective (Joshua 1:3, 5)
2. The Principle of Godly Purpose (Joshua 1:2-4)
3. The Principle of Godly Persuasion (Joshua 1:6-7, 9)
4. The Principle of Godly Priority (Joshua 1:7-8)
5. The Principle of Godly Presence (Joshua 1:5, 9)
6. The Principle of Godly Prosperity (Joshua 1:5, 8)
Exodus 33:11 says something about Moses that the Bible does not say about any other person: He spoke to the Lord “face to face.” Moses was on intimate terms with God. He received instructions for Israel from God and then communicated them to the people. Though the people often grumbled against Moses, they knew he was God’s man. They chafed against his leadership and loved him all at the same time. When Moses died, “The children of Israel wept for [him] in the plains of Moab thirty days” (Deuteronomy 34:8).
Moses’ death came at a difficult time. The generation that failed to trust God at Kadesh Barnea had died off during forty years of wandering in the wilderness. Now the new generation that replaced them was gathered on the east bank of the Jordan River, ready to cross over and inherit the Promised Land. The people of Canaan, who would not leave willingly, were large in stature, well-organized socially and militarily, and far advanced in civilization and technologies like metallurgy for making weapons (Joshua 17:16).
The Israelites were not prepared at all to conduct military campaigns. They had been living in the wilderness for forty years, being fed a day at a time by God. In this pivotal situation, God tells Joshua he is the nation’s new leader!
If you had been called in as a consultant to help Joshua prepare for his new role, what would you have told him?
Fortunately, Joshua did have a consultant—a divine one: God himself. God gave Joshua one of the most powerful motivational speeches I have ever read. This speech has helped me many times in my life, and I believe it will help you when you are “stuck”—not sure that you can succeed in the task you are attempting.
In this lesson, we will study God’s six-point plan for success in life, originally delivered on the plains of Moab to Joshua.
1. The Principle of Godly Perspective (Joshua 1:3, 5)
Notice that God mentions Moses twice: in verse three and verse 5. These two references provide historical context for Joshua, reminding him of what he had experienced as Moses’ assistant and partner in ministry. It was as if God was saying to Joshua, “I was with Moses, and I will be with you!”
One of the most important things we can ever do as we face the uncertainties of the future is to remember what God has done for us in the past. I read the biographies of great Christian leaders from the past for that reason: “Lord, You did it for David Livingstone in Africa, so I know you can do it for David Jeremiah in America!”
It was time for Joshua to get over what someone has called the “second lieutenant mentality.” He was no longer the number two man in Israel; he was soon to become the leader. He had to realize that God would be with him just as He had been with Moses.
2. The Principle of Godly Purpose (Joshua 1:2-4)
Once Joshua had a divine perspective of his task, he received a godly purpose: to settle the Promised Land God had promised Abraham for his descendants. Joshua needed to stay focused. Many distractions would arise along the way—he needed to remember the purpose of his appointment as leader of Israel.
The land was a gift to Israel, but they still had to take over it—to walk across the ground and claim it as their own. It was theirs, but they had to reach out and take it.
There is something very liberating and refreshing about knowing what you are supposed to do. You can get up every morning, make your “to-do” list, and go forward to accomplish your purpose. When you don’t know what you’re supposed to do, life gets foggy and confusing. Purpose gives direction and energy for life.
3. The Principle of Godly Persuasion (Joshua 1:6, 7, 9)
Even with all his experience with God and Moses, Joshua needed a little prodding. So the next thing he received was divine persuasion:
- “Be strong and of good courage” (Joshua 1:6)
- “Only be strong and very courageous” (Joshua 1:7)
- “Be strong and of good courage” (Joshua 1:9)
If I had to guess, I would say God was trying to impress upon Joshua the need to be very strong and courageous! That is the heart of God’s motivational message to Joshua.
Strong means resolute—not easily swayed from one’s purpose by the efforts of others. Courageous has a sense of daring in it, an element of risk-taking. (Think of the daring it would take to march around Jericho for a week!) Strength and courage mean the willingness to stay on point regardless of how hard the winds blow against you and obey God when the naysayers oppose you.
Joshua displayed these traits when he and Caleb returned from scouting the land with the other ten spies. They were the only spies who believed Israel could take the land by trusting God’s promises. The other ten spies were afraid of the giants in the land—they focused on the opposition. But Joshua and Caleb were focused on God. They were in the minority but held their ground—even though the rest of Israel voted with the pessimistic majority.
The majority is not always right! Sometimes the minority report is the one that reflects God’s will. Think about Jesus Himself—was He, and were His followers, in the majority or the minority? To be a leader requires standing firm for what you know is right and not wavering.
Leadership can be lonely, but it should not be abandoned just because it is. Paul Lawrence Dunbar has reminded us in poetic form that:
Minorities, since time began,
Have shown the better side of man;
And often in the lists of time
One man has made a cause sublime.1
4. The Principle of Godly Priority (Joshua 1:7-8)
Now we come to the heart of the matter: It is impossible to succeed in our purposes in life unless we walk according to God’s Word.
God didn’t tell Joshua to prioritize military strategy, financial backing, or bilateral relations with neighboring countries. Those things have a place, but they are not the priority. Here was Joshua’s focus: Meditate day and night upon the principles of the Word of God.
Just before Joshua died, in his last address to the people, he admonished them to follow the instructions God had given him: Be courageous and obey all of God’s laws (Joshua 23:6). He passed on to the next generation what God had given him. The instruction God gave for kings in Israel is along the same line: Make a personal copy of the laws of God, read it all your life, and obey all of it (Deuteronomy 17:18–19). When David was near the end of his life, he gave the same instructions to his son Solomon: Be strong and keep God’s commandments as written in the law of Moses (1 Kings 2:2-3).
I’ve read enough biographies of the people who have changed the world for Christ to know that they fed themselves on the Bible. Apparently, George Mueller read through the Bible two hundred times. David Livingstone read it through four times while in prison in Africa. Charles Spurgeon said, “A Bible that is falling apart usually belongs to someone who is not.” If Christians today would just read through the Bible once a year, it would revolutionize the Church. God promises His Word will never return to Him void without accomplishing the purpose for which it was sent (Isaiah 55:10–11).
Suppose we are going to make the Word of God the priority in our life it should be. In that case, we will have to start including it in our conversation, meditating on it, reading it to obey what we read, following it exclusively, and accepting all of it—from cover to cover.
5. The Principle of Godly Presence (Joshua 1:5, 9)
The fifth principle for Joshua’s success in the Promised Land was the principle of God’s divine presence with him. We are familiar with the verse from Hebrews that says, “I will never leave you nor forsake you” (Hebrews 13:5), and here is one of its Old Testament roots (Deuteronomy 31:6, 8). God tells Joshua, “As I was with Moses, so I will be with you. I will not leave you nor forsake you” (Joshua 1:5). And in verse 9, we have God’s words, “The Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”
God had done everything necessary for Joshua’s success. First, He gave him perspective—a context for success. Next, He reminded him of the importance of purpose—his task in settling the land of Canaan for Israel. Third, God persuaded Joshua to be strong and courageous—to stay resolute and daring. Fourth, He reminded him to make the Word of God his priority. And now, God tells Joshua the one thing Joshua probably most wanted to hear: He wasn’t going into Canaan alone! God would be beside Joshua from the Jordan to the Mediterranean, from Dan to Beersheba.
If you are involved in a ministry for the Lord, never think you are doing it alone. God promised to be with Joshua, and He promises to be with you.
6. The Principle of Godly Prosperity (Joshua 1:5, 8)
Finally, God gives Joshua an overwhelming promise: “No man shall be able to stand before you all the days of your life.”
“Wow!” Joshua must have thought. “No one will defeat me for the rest of my life in any of my undertakings? How could this be possible?”
“It is possible,” God would reply, “because you are a man of my Word. You are a man of courage and strength. You are a man who walks obediently in all my statutes and commands. And ultimately, Joshua, you will prosper because I will never leave or forsake you. I will be with you in all things to ensure your success. You will never be defeated if you continue in my ways.”
Here is God’s promise to Joshua that if he lived according to God’s law: “You will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success” (Joshua 1:8). Success meant, in the Hebrew language, to be prudent or to act circumspectly. So, in a religious and ethical sense, it means someone who allows God to guide his life. Joshua had this kind of success and prosperity. He experienced hardship, and sometimes he failed. But his way was prudent and wise and, therefore, successful.
Now, picture this with me: Joshua finds out he has this new job assignment to be the leader of Israel. He goes into the divine Consultant’s office and gets the six principles of success we’ve reviewed in this lesson. God reads them out to Joshua just like you’ve read them here. When he went into the office, he might have been a bit overwhelmed, even depressed at the thought of what lay before him. But when Joshua walked out, I believe he was standing straight and tall, and there was a spring in his step. He had gotten a transfusion of courage from his meeting with the divine Counselor.
These principles have transformed my life on many occasions, giving me the courage to push on and find the success God intended. And I believe they will do the same for you.
This article is an excerpt from David Jeremiah’s Courage to Conquer study guide.
Sources:
1Paul Lawrence Dunbar, “Right’s Security,” Lyrics of Lowly Life (Carol Publishing Group, 1984).