Be Strong and Courageous: Joshua's New Leadership

Joshua 1 sets the people of God in front of a new leader and a new possession. God has taken Moses, and God has put Joshua in his place. No man is indisposable. God’s work goes on uninterrupted, because the Master may reach down into His tool chest and choose a different instrument, but the Master’s hand is still the same.

The text remembers why the old generation did not go in. God had brought His people right up to the promised land before, but hardness of heart, murmuring, and complaining left their bones bleaching in the wilderness. Moses had led them a long way, but even Moses lost his temper at the rock. The Lord took him while his eye was still good and his strength still there, and Joshua, the servant and helper, became the man God would use to take the people over Jordan.

God tells Joshua again and again, “Be strong and courageous,” because giants, walled cities, and enemies stand ahead. Jericho will not fall because Israel has military might. Jericho will fall because God’s people obey, walk, wait, blow the trumpet, break the clay pots, and God brings the walls down. The enemies had heard what God did at the Red Sea, and their hearts melted within them. God’s people were afraid, but the enemies of God were more afraid.

Joshua commands the officers first, because a people that large cannot move without order. The officers pass through the camp and tell the people to prepare provisions, because within three days they will pass over Jordan. The Reubenites, Gadites, and half tribe of Manasseh are reminded that their rest does not excuse them from helping their brothers get rest. The people answer Joshua with a blessed spirit of submission: “All that you command us, we will do. Wherever you send us, we will go.”

Joshua 3 shows the ark of the covenant going before the people. The people must keep their distance and follow, because they have “not passed this way before.” The priests must step into the brink of Jordan while the river is overflowing its banks. When the soles of their feet touch the water, God cuts off the river, heaps it up, and brings all Israel over on dry ground. The living God proves that He is among His people and that He will drive out the enemies before them.

The new leader, the ark going before, and the dry ground in the river all call God’s people to faith, order, courage, submission, prayer, and encouragement as the Lord takes His church into days it has not passed before.

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Key Takeaways

• 1. God changes instruments, not hands [20:45] God’s work does not collapse when a familiar servant is taken away. Moses was gone, but the Lord was not gone, and the promise had not lost its strength. The church is steadied when its confidence rests not in the tool, but in the Master whose hand never changes. [20:45]
• 2. Courage obeys before walls fall [27:29] Jericho did not come down because Israel had better weapons or greater strength. God gave a strange command, and obedience became the path where power showed itself. Faith often looks like walking around a wall before there is any visible crack in it. [27:29]
• 3. Fear often misreads the enemy [30:01] Israel feared the people in the land, yet those enemies had hearts melting because of what God had already done. Fear can make opposition look bigger than God’s promise. The melting hearts of the enemy remind the believer that unseen conviction may already be working where fear expects only resistance. [30:01]
• 4. Rest still helps the brothers [18:52] The Reubenites, Gadites, and half tribe of Manasseh had received their place, but their calling was not finished. Their families could rest, but their men of valor still had to cross over and help the rest of Israel. God-given rest is never meant to become selfish ease while brothers still need help. [18:52]
• 5. God leads unfamiliar paths clearly [50:43] The ark went before the people because they had not passed that way before. New seasons are not safe because they are familiar, but because God goes ahead. Consecration matters when the path is strange, because tomorrow’s wonders belong to the Lord who leads today.
  
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Youtube Chapters

• [00:00] - Welcome
• [17:04] - Joshua 1 and the New Leader
• [20:45] - God’s Work Goes On
• [22:10] - Hard Hearts in the Wilderness
• [25:03] - Joshua Steps Into Moses’ Place
• [26:01] - Be Strong and Courageous
• [27:29] - Jericho Falls Through Obedience
• [29:21] - Enemies With Melting Hearts
• [31:17] - A Son Witnesses to His Father
• [40:40] - Joshua Commands the Officers
• [44:10] - The People Submit to Joshua
• [45:45] - Biblical Authority and Its Limits
• [49:37] - The Ark Goes Before Israel
• [51:02] - You Have Not Passed This Way
• [53:29] - Jordan Opens Before the Ark
• [56:18] - God Gives the Land to Possess

Bible Reading

Joshua 1:1-18
After the death of Moses the servant of the Lord, the Lord said to Joshua the son of Nun, Moses' assistant, “Moses my servant is dead. Now therefore arise, go over this Jordan, you and all this people, into the land that I am giving to them, to the people of Israel. Every place that the sole of your foot will tread upon I have given to you, just as I promised to Moses. From the wilderness and this Lebanon as far as the great river, the river Euphrates, all the land of the Hittites to the Great Sea toward the going down of the sun shall be your territory. No man shall be able to stand before you all the days of your life. Just as I was with Moses, so I will be with you. I will not leave you or forsake you. Be strong and courageous, for you shall cause this people to inherit the land that I swore to their fathers to give them. Only be strong and very courageous, being careful to do according to all the law that Moses my servant commanded you. Do not turn from it to the right hand or to the left, that you may have good success wherever you go. This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful 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. Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” And Joshua commanded the officers of the people, “Pass through the midst of the camp and command the people, ‘Prepare your provisions, for within three days you are to pass over this Jordan to go in to take possession of the land that the Lord your God is giving you to possess.’” And to the Reubenites, the Gadites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh Joshua said, “Remember the word that Moses the servant of the Lord commanded you, saying, ‘The Lord your God is providing you a place of rest and will give you this land. Your wives, your little ones, and your livestock shall remain in the land that Moses gave you beyond the Jordan, but all the men of valor among you shall pass over armed before your brothers and shall help them, until the Lord gives rest to your brothers as he has to you, and they also take possession of the land that the Lord your God is giving them. Then you shall return to the land of your possession and shall possess it, the land that Moses the servant of the Lord gave you beyond the Jordan toward the sunrise.’” And they answered Joshua, “All that you have commanded us we will do, and wherever you send us we will go. Just as we obeyed Moses in all things, so we will obey you. Only may the Lord your God be with you, as he was with Moses. Whoever rebels against your commandment and disobeys your words, whatever you command him, shall be put to death. Only be strong and courageous.” [17:04] [17:51] [18:24] [19:51] [20:35]

Joshua 3:1-17
Then Joshua rose early in the morning and they set out from Shittim. And they came to the Jordan, he and all the people of Israel, and lodged there before they passed over. At the end of three days the officers went through the camp and commanded the people, “As soon as you see the ark of the covenant of the Lord your God being carried by the Levitical priests, then you shall set out from your place and follow it. Yet there shall be a distance between you and it, about 2,000 cubits in length. Do not come near it, in order that you may know the way you shall go, for you have not passed this way before.” Then Joshua said to the people, “Consecrate yourselves, for tomorrow the Lord will do wonders among you.” And Joshua said to the priests, “Take up the ark of the covenant and pass on before the people.” So they took up the ark of the covenant and went before the people. The Lord said to 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. And as for you, command the priests who bear the ark of the covenant, ‘When you come to the brink of the waters of the Jordan, you shall stand still in the Jordan.’” And Joshua said to the people of Israel, “Come here and listen to the words of the Lord your God.” And Joshua said, “Here is how you shall know that the living God is among you and that he will without fail drive out from before you the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Hivites, the Perizzites, the Girgashites, the Amorites, and the Jebusites. Behold, the ark of the covenant of the Lord of all the earth is passing over before you into the Jordan. Now therefore take twelve men from the tribes of Israel, from each tribe a man. And when the soles of the feet of the priests bearing the ark of the Lord, the Lord of all the earth, shall rest in the waters of the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan shall be cut off from flowing, and the waters coming down from above shall stand in one heap.” So when the people set out from their tents to pass over the Jordan with the priests bearing the ark of the covenant before the people, and as soon as those bearing the ark had come as far as the Jordan, and the feet of the priests bearing the ark were dipped in the brink of the water (now the Jordan overflows all its banks throughout the time of harvest), the waters coming down from above stood and rose up in a heap very far away, at Adam, the city that is beside Zarethan, and those flowing down toward the Sea of the Arabah, the Salt Sea, were completely cut off. And the people passed over opposite Jericho. Now the priests bearing the ark of the covenant of the Lord stood firmly on dry ground in the midst of the Jordan, and all Israel was passing over on dry ground until all the nation finished passing over the Jordan. [49:42] [50:43] [51:02] [53:29]

Joshua 6:1-27
Now Jericho was shut up inside and outside because of the people of Israel. None went out, and none came in. And the Lord said to Joshua, “See, I have given Jericho into your hand, with its king and mighty men of valor. You shall march around the city, all the men of war going around the city once. Thus shall you do for six days. Seven priests shall bear seven trumpets of rams' horns before the ark. On the seventh day you shall march around the city seven times, and the priests shall blow the trumpets. And when they make a long blast with the ram's horn, when you hear the sound of the trumpet, then all the people shall shout with a great shout, and the wall of the city will fall down flat, and the people shall go up, everyone straight before him.” So Joshua the son of Nun called the priests and said to them, “Take up the ark of the covenant and let seven priests bear seven trumpets of rams' horns before the ark of the Lord.” And he said to the people, “Go forward. March around the city and let the armed men pass on before the ark of the Lord.” And just as Joshua had commanded the people, the seven priests bearing the seven trumpets of rams' horns before the Lord went forward, blowing the trumpets, with the ark of the covenant of the Lord following them. The armed men were walking before the priests who were blowing the trumpets, and the rear guard was walking after the ark, while the trumpets blew continually. But Joshua commanded the people, “You shall not shout or make your voice heard, neither shall any word go out of your mouth, until the day I tell you to shout. Then you shall shout.” So he caused the ark of the Lord to circle the city, going about it once. And they came into the camp and spent the night in the camp. Then Joshua rose early in the morning, and the priests took up the ark of the Lord. And the seven priests bearing the seven trumpets of rams' horns before the ark of the Lord walked on, and they blew the trumpets continually. And the armed men were walking before them, and the rear guard was walking after the ark of the Lord, while the trumpets blew continually. And the second day they marched around the city once, and returned into the camp. So they did for six days. On the seventh day they rose early, at the dawn of day, and marched around the city in the same manner seven times. It was only on that day that they marched around the city seven times. And at the seventh time, when the priests had blown the trumpets, Joshua said to the people, “Shout, for the Lord has given you the city. And the city and all that is within it shall be devoted to the Lord for destruction. Only Rahab the prostitute and all who are with her in her house shall live, because she hid the messengers we sent. But you, keep yourselves from the things devoted to destruction, lest when you have devoted them you take any of the devoted things and make the camp of Israel a thing for destruction and bring trouble upon it. But all silver and gold, and every vessel of bronze and iron, are holy to the Lord; they shall go into the treasury of the Lord.” So the people shouted, and the trumpets were blown. As soon as the people heard the sound of the trumpet, the people shouted a great shout, and the wall fell down flat, so that the people went up into the city, every man straight before him, and they captured the city. Then they devoted all in the city to destruction, both men and women, young and old, oxen, sheep, and donkeys, with the edge of the sword. But to the two men who had spied out the land, Joshua said, “Go into the prostitute's house and bring out from there the woman and all who belong to her, as you swore to her.” So the young men who had been spies went in and brought out Rahab and her father and mother and brothers and all who belonged to her. And they brought all her relatives and put them outside the camp of Israel. And they burned the city with fire, and everything in it. Only the silver and gold, and the vessels of bronze and of iron, they put into the treasury of the house of the Lord. But Rahab the prostitute and her father's household and all who belonged to her, Joshua saved alive. And she has lived in Israel to this day, because she hid the messengers whom Joshua sent to spy out Jericho. Joshua laid an oath on them at that time, saying, “Cursed before the Lord be the man who rises up and rebuilds this city, Jericho. At the cost of his firstborn shall he lay its foundation, and at the cost of his youngest son shall he set up its gates.” So the Lord was with Joshua, and his fame was in all the land.

Observation questions

1. In Joshua 1, what commands does God repeat to Joshua, and what reasons does He give alongside those commands?
2. What does Joshua tell the officers to do, and why does he begin with the officers rather than addressing the whole camp at once? [40:40]
3. What exactly are the Reubenites, Gadites, and half tribe of Manasseh told to remember, and what are they still required to do even though they already have a place of rest? [18:52]
4. In Joshua 3, what happens first: the river stopping or the priests stepping into the water? What details show how full and threatening the Jordan was at that moment? [53:29]

Interpretation questions

1. God tells Joshua more than once to be strong and courageous. What does that repetition suggest about the kind of leadership and obedience that would be needed for the days ahead? [26:01]
2. Jericho falls through obedience rather than military strength. What does that show about the way God often gives victory to His people? [27:29]
3. The people in the land had hearts melting because of what God had already done, while Israel still struggled with fear. What does that reveal about how fear can distort a believer’s view of opposition? [30:01]
4. The ark goes before the people because they had not passed that way before. What does that teach about God’s guidance in unfamiliar seasons? [51:02]

Application questions

1. God changes instruments, but His hand remains the same. When a familiar person, routine, or support is removed, where does confidence tend to go first? What would it look like to rest more steadily in the Lord Himself? [20:45]
2. Rest is not meant to become selfish ease while brothers still need help. In this season, where might it be easy to stay comfortable while someone else in the church still needs strength, service, or encouragement? [18:52]
3. Courage often looks like obedience before any wall has fallen. What is one clear thing God has already made plain that has been delayed because the outcome cannot yet be seen? [27:29]
4. Fear often imagines the enemy stronger than he is. Is there a person, conversation, or act of witness that has been avoided because of fear? What might change if it were remembered that God may already be at work in that person? [39:48]
5. God’s people answered, “All that you command us we will do, and wherever you send us we will go.” Where is there a need for that kind of willing spirit instead of a guarded or selective obedience? [44:27]
6. “You have not passed this way before” is true in many seasons of life. What part of life right now feels unfamiliar, and what would it mean in that place to follow the Lord closely rather than rush ahead or hang back? [51:02]
7. The priests had to step into the overflowing Jordan before the water was cut off. Where is there a need to put a foot in the water in faith instead of waiting for every fear to disappear first? [54:59]