Strong and Courageous

"Only be strong and very courageous..."
Joshua 1:7

In His words to the new leader of the Israelite people God gives Joshua the lasting words of encouragement to be strong and courageous. Not meant to just be words of comfort for the man set to take the place of Moses, they were instructions on how he was to lead the people to the promise land and through the many tests and trails that were yet to come.

The word strong used here is translated from the Hebrew text as "chazaq" and what is interesting to note is that this word is a verb, meaning it is a word of action. As God is setting his bond with his new leader, the first thing that he tells him is to be strong. It is clear that God knows that this task will not be easy and no doubt Joshua saw many examples of the challenges of leadership while following Moses. Yet God is encouraging him to be a proactive leader by commanding him to strengthen, be firm and be resolute.

The word courageous in this part of the text comes from the Hebrew word, " 'amats" which has similar meaning to chazaq but point more inward to the inner man. it can also mean to make oneself alert or confirm oneself. It points to the notion that a leader must have confidence in themselves. Good knowledge for leaders both then and now.

I walk with this word in my heart, that I need to be strong and courageous in my thoughts and actions.