Joshua 1:9 NASB Context
After forty years of wandering in the wilderness, the people of Israel were all abuzz—God was finally leading them into the land he had promised them.
But it wouldn’t be easy. Israel’s enemies still occupied kingdoms and cities inside the promised land, and they weren’t leaving without a fight.
This book follows Israel and their leader, Joshua, as they trust God and come into their inheritance.
Joshua 1:9 NASB Meaning
After Moses’ passing, God chose Joshua to finally lead the Israelites into the land he had promised them decades before.
Joshua had seen God perform countless miracles in his life: parting the Red Sea, providing food from heaven, and even manifesting himself as a pillar of cloud and fire to lead the Israelites.
Even with his decades of military experience, Joshua still needed encouragement from God and others to continue walking in faith.
The phrase “be strong and courageous” appears five times in the book of Joshua: four instances directed to Joshua in chapter 1—three of them by God—and one to the Israelites.
In every instance, this command to “be strong and courageous” is surrounded by promises, reminders, and warnings.
In verse 6, God commands Joshua to “be strong and courageous” because God is going to fulfill his promise.
Joshua is not going to go out onto the battlefield without God’s strength and favor, and God is going to give the Israelites victory in conquering the promised land because he never reneges on his promises.
In verses 7 and 8, God connects being strong and courageous to faithfully following His Word.
Not believing in God’s Word nor taking it seriously had been the sin that forced the Israelites to wander in the wilderness for forty years.
But if Joshua follows God’s commands, rules, and promises, he will “have success wherever [he goes].” By contrast, the Israelites are warned that whoever doesn’t obey Joshua’s commands from God will be put to death (v. 18).
Joshua is encouraged to follow God boldly, knowing God will fulfill his promises and the Israelites will faithfully follow.
As a punch of a conclusion, God leaves Joshua with verse 9—a clear command to move in strength, live courageously, and believe above all else that “the LORD [his] God is with [him] wherever [he goes].”
Joshua 1:9 NASB Application
Like Joshua, God has called his people to follow him into the unknown. A new job or home, dating and marriage, facing past traumas and sins—sometimes what God calls us to seems too big, too impossible.
We begin to fear, question, drag our feet, or even walk away entirely, thinking we must not have heard him correctly.
God is not in the coddling business. He calls us from the shallow, calm waters of life into the deep end, because it’s only out of our depth that we must trust and rely on him completely.
It’s there, in the deep and the wild, that God fulfills his promises, our faith flourishes, and we grow closer to him.
This call to “be strong and courageous . . . not tremble or be dismayed” isn’t a flippant encouragement; it’s God’s command.
However our hearts may hurt or our knees wobble, we are commanded to move forward boldly and trustfully, one step at a time. Why?
Because “the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.” And God fulfills his promises.
“You came near when I called you, and you said, ‘Do not fear.’”