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7 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. 8 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.

I’ve heard this passage preached more than you might guess. It is a common slogan, encouraging verse, and a call to bravery. Joshua’s call to courage is a common text used by youth conference speakers who are hoping to instill confidence to a room full of confidence-averse teenagers. And that is helpful as far as it goes. But the mistake is made when the application of this passage focuses on perseverance of action rather than steadfastness of thought.
Don’t fear your upcoming football game—be strong and courageous.
Be confident as you take your exams—be strong and courageous.
Don’t be ashamed that people know that you are a Christian—be strong and courageous.
What tends to happen is that Joshua 1:6-7 becomes the Old Testament version of Philippians 4:13, “I can do all things through him who strengthens me.” And while there may be nothing egregiously “wrong” with these applications, they fall short of driving to the heart of the text. Sometimes, (maybe even often!), our best intentions get in the way of dependable application. So, let’s briefly revisit this text and see what it communicates about courage.

The Recipient

The recipient of these verses isn’t Israel, its Joshua. Joshua was the man chosen by YHWH to follow in Moses’ footsteps. Can you imagine? I was once given a piece of wisdom from a friend, “Never follow a legend at a job.” We see this concept the clearest in the sports arena. What are the chances you will prove your worth if you follow Nick Saban at Alabama? Or Phil Jackson in Chicago or LA? Even if you manage to win a championship, at best you are simply as good as the last guy. You’ve reached the expectations–there is often nowhere to go but down. But here is Joshua, following the legend. You can imagine how he must have felt. Joshua’s emotions must have been all over the place. Remember, this isn’t something as trivial as a sports championship—in view is the life or death of a nation and Joshua is to lead the way.

The Message

The message to Joshua is clear: be strong and courageous. But this is where we tend to drift from the meaning of the text. The charge and encouragement isn’t “be strong and courageous in conquest” the charge is “be strong and courageous to do all the Torah that Moses my servant commanded you.” In other words, victory in conquest isn’t based upon courage in warfare, but courage to obey the Torah, the law.

Do you see the subtle but important shift from how we normally understand this passage? Its not about passing the test, landing the job, winning the game, or even winning a war—even faithful Christians will often fail at all of these things. The message to Joshua is that having courage and strength isn’t about the conquest—its about obeying the Torah in the midst of the conquest. Its about what the conquest will cause you to think and do; its about how the conquest will tempt you. You see, what takes courage and strength isn’t the war, rather, its about obedience to God while fighting in the war.

Application

With these things in view, the application of Joshua 1:7-8 begins to take shape. The charge to Joshua is less about the war and more about how he reacts to the war. Strength and courage are judged upon obedience to God’s law, not the trials set before us. Strength and courage are not about conquest but obedience—if we get that backwards then life can become very confusing.

Friends, the call for the Church is to recognize that sometimes Christians rule nations and sometimes we are food for lions. Regardless of the result, the paths are faced the same way: strength and courage to obey all of God’s commands.