Joshua 1:9

Teri Burtis   -  

There are 31,102 verses in the Bible. These verses tell about: God, Jesus, and their love for us;

  • Words to give comfort in times of need and sorrow;
  • Verses that give us instructions;
  •  Passages that tell events and parables.

One of my favorite Bible verses is Joshua 1:9, “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.”

I like this verse for two reasons.

First is the part that says, “for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go.” No matter what happens, God will always be there. In the good times and bad, God will always be there. When we are happy or sad, God will always be there. Whether we are scared or unafraid, God will always be there. To me, at least, that is a very comforting thought.

The second reason I like this verse is more of a funny idea that I have. When I read this verse, I almost hear God being exasperated as he says, “Have I not commanded you?” (NHEB). Other versions say, “I repeat” (NET), “Remember” (EE), and “Have I not given you your orders?” (BBE) I am looking for the version that says “I have told you a million times!” Obviously, God has said this before.

The problem with picking one verse out of 31,102, though, is that you are reading only a small section and not getting the bigger picture. It would be like me saying, “I don’t like macaroni and cheese” while, in fact, I LOVE macaroni and cheese. However, if you only hear the first part, you miss out on the rest which is most important “that has been in the refrigerator for six months and has gotten moldy.” With that piece of information it totally changes your thought about me and my love for the yummy mac and cheese.

So, let us take a look at what happened before Joshua 1:9. In fact, let us go all the way back to Moses leading the children of Israel through the wilderness, Numbers chapters 13 and 14.

God tells Moses to sends spies to the land of Canaan, which he does. Forty days after the spies left, they returned with news of all they saw. They show the fruits they collected—the grapes, pomegranates, and figs—and tell how the land is flowing with milk and honey. But they also tell about the number and strength of the people there. And that is where the problem starts.

The people are afraid. Joshua and Caleb are all for going into the land. In Numbers 14:8-9, Joshua even says, “If the LORD delights in us, then He will bring us into this land and give it to us, a land which flows with milk and honey. Only do not rebel against the LORD, nor fear the people of the land, for they are our bread; their protection has departed from them, and the LORD is with us. Do not fear them.”

Sadly, in the end, the people are afraid and do not follow what the LORD has commanded. Therefore they wander for 40 years. The book of Joshua begins after Moses has died, and God is talking to Joshua about going into the land that had been promised to Moses and the children of Israel. In Joshua chapter one we read:

  • Verse 5 – “No man shall be able to stand before you all the days of your life; as I was with Moses, so I will be with you. I will not leave you nor forsake you.” (emphasis added)·
  • Verse 6 – “Be strong and of good courage, for to this people you shall divide as an inheritance the land which I swore to their fathers to give them.” (emphasis added)·
  • Verse 7 – “Only be strong and very courageous, that you may observe to do according to all the law which Moses My servant commanded you; do not turn from it to the right hand or to the left, that you may prosper wherever you go.” (emphasis added)·
  • Verse 8 – “This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall mediate in it day and night, that you may observe 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.” (emphasis added)·
  • Verse 9 – “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, not be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.”

Yep, in verse 9 God sums up and repeats what He has said in the previous 5 verses.

So now I have a new theory about Joshua 1:9. God is not exasperated. I now think He has decided that His creation of man just cannot follow His directions and, like children, need to be reminded of things several times over. And that is why we are called the Children of God.

TLB