Joshua 1:1-9
King James Version (KJV)
1 Now after the death of Moses the servant of the LORD it came to pass, that the LORD spake unto Joshua the son of Nun, Moses' minister, saying,
2 Moses my servant is dead; now therefore arise, go over this Jordan, thou, and all this people, unto the land which I do give to them, even to the children of Israel.
3 Every place that the sole of your foot shall tread upon, that have I given unto you, as I said unto Moses.
4 From the wilderness and this Lebanon even unto the great river, the river Euphrates, all the land of the Hittites, and unto the great sea toward the going down of the sun, shall be your coast.
5 There shall not any man be able to stand before thee all the days of thy life: as I was with Moses, so I will be with thee: I will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.
6 Be strong and of a good courage: for unto this people shalt thou divide for an inheritance the land, which I sware unto their fathers to give them.
7 Only be thou strong and very courageous, that thou mayest observe to do according to all the law, which Moses my servant commanded thee: turn not from it to the right hand or to the left, that thou mayest prosper withersoever thou goest.
8 This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success.
9 Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the LORD thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest.
1:9 be strong chazaq (Kah-zahk): there is a wide range of meaning for this word, which occurs nearly 300 times in the OT: for example, "to encourage," as when David encouraged himself (literally, "made himself strong") in the Lord (1Sam. 30:6) chazaq is the root of several Hebrew names, including "Hezekiah," meaning "Strengthened by Yahweh."
1:6-9 Courageousness. LEADER TRAITS. Courageousness is often the fruit of encouragement. Joshua is a marvelous example of a leader who is exhorted to be courageous. His first exhortation comes from his mentor Moses; here it is a courage to lead God’s people into the Land of Promise (Deut. 31:7).
The second exhortation comes from Moses as well, but this one is related to Moses' charge to Joshua and lends emphasis to the seriousness of the task ahead (Deut. 31:23).
The third exhortation comes from the Lord Himself; here the issue is Joshua’s need to go beyond Moses’ leadership and take the land from the Lord’s enemies (Josh 1:6).
The fourth exhortation is joined with the commandment not to fear (Josh. 1:9).
The fifth exhortation comes from the officers of the children of Israel, encouraging Joshua to take the leadership (Josh. 1:18).
The last exhortation comes from the new encouraged Joshua, who is now able to encourage the children of Israel (Josh. 10:25). It is interesting to see that this attribute was present in Joshua’s life during his entire walk with Moses.
In Christ,
Playwright Janet Irene Thomas
Founder/CEO
Bible Stories Theatre of
Fine & Performing Arts
www.biblestoriestheatre.org
info@biblestoriestheatre.org
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