Be strong and of good courage. Be strong and courageous. Be strong and very courageous. Do not be afraid. Do not be discouraged. Those are good words to remember. Words littered throughout this powerful book of the Old Testament. Joshua's testimony, the people of Israel's testimony of how they entered the Promised Land. It's not all glitz and glamour. There are stops and starts, little rebellions and blatant sins, just like before under Moses. Then, just like before, God assures and reassures his people. I am with you. Trust in me. Trust in my goodness for you. Do as I have commanded you. Follow me with your whole heart for I long to bless you. That's what I see here in Joshua.
There are lots of stories of faith and taking risks, from the the felling of the walls of Jericho, to Rahab's bravery, to the sun standing still, to the battle of Ai, and the list goes on. I love the picture of the Israelites standing on opposite hillsides, Mount Ebal and Mount Gerizim, shouting at one another blessings and curses. God is awesome.
One thing that always bothers me though is the story of the treaty of the Gibeonites (Joshua 9). It's one of those stories where you read it and the whole time your cringing and hoping, please oh please choose the right thing this time. It's like when Luke, in Empire Strikes Back is on Dagobah and he is trying to lift the Xwing out of the swamp. Every time I root for him, as he non-chalantly says, "All right, I'll give it a try." Ah Master Yoda, "No! Do, or do not. There is no try." But he fails, every time. So do the Israelites get duped every time by the Gibeonites. I'm sure Joshua was thinking to himself as they played out their ruse, "I've got a bad feeling about this..." But he signs a treaty with them regardless. They, like Luke, fail to seek their Greater Source. Now I'm going to stop with the Star Wars analogies soon. That's the point though, Luke failed because he failed to trust the force. The Israelites enter into a harmful treaty because they fail to seek the LORD their God.
That's a good lesson. It's a hard one to learn. Seek God, follow his commands, trust him wholeheartedly. It means an awful lot of surrender, but it's worth the risk. Seeking God first, He is the only way that I can be strong and courageous. I have to put my trust in him. He is faithful, ever more than me. That's a good thing.
Do not be afraid. Do not be discouraged. Be strong and courageous. The LORD you God will be with you wherever you go. An excellent promise that is still good today.
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