Joshua 1:9 - Be Strong and Courageous Meaning
Three times in nine verses, God tells one man to be strong and courageous. That repetition is not decoration. It's a signal that the man hearing it did not feel strong or courageous at all. Before you take the command as a slogan for your fridge magnet, it's worth sitting in the actual scene: a new leader, a dead mentor, a river in flood, and a land full of armed cities on the other side. Quick answer Joshua 1:9 is God's command to Joshua as he takes over leadership of Israel after Moses' death, right before the nation crosses the Jordan into Canaan. The courage God asks for is not self-generated bravado, it rests entirely on the promise attached to it: "the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go." The command is tied to obedience to God's law (v.7-8), not to positive feeling. It doesn't promise an easy conquest or a fear-free life. It promises presence, and it calls for obedience regardless of how afraid you still feel. "Have I not comm...