“Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses gave you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, that you may be successful wherever you go. Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful.” Joshua 1:7-8
After the death of Moses, Joshua was the candidate chosen by God to lead the people of Israel into the promise land. This command was a great task for Joshua. Leading the people to possess the land that God had given them was not an easy task, but rather a difficult challenge since the land was inhabited by other people that needed to be removed first before they could conquer the land.
Perhaps Joshua felt intimidated, maybe he thought that this task was a huge responsibility. Perhaps in his mind came the question: “Will I be able to accomplish this command?” God, knowing this came to talk to him and gave him the key for success in his task. If we pay careful attention, the first thing that God told him was: “Be strong and courageous.” This requirement by God to be strong and courageous had nothing to do with fighting like a brave warrior, since Joshua being with Moses had proved to be a courageous and bold fighter. The requirement had to do with being strong in keeping the commandments that God had given them through Moses.
It is very easy for a man to forget and disobey the commandments of God. There needs to be a lot of courage and strength to be able to stay away from the impulse of running towards all of the distractions that this world offers. One has to be very strong and courageous to decide in ones heart like Daniel to not contaminate ourselves. One has to be very strong and courageous to not allow the position of leadership, the victories one might obtain, and popularity to corrupt the heart and fill you with pride.
This inner strength and courage only come through meditating the commandments of God. And here is where we enter the second requirement that God gives to Joshua in order for him to be successful in his job. God states: “that he should meditate on the word day and night.” To mediate is to speak out the word, to repeat the promises over and again until they are memorized. That is why it states: “Keep this book of the Law always on your lips; mediate on it day and night….” Muttering in a quiet voice His promises, repeating them and thinking about what it says is where we find strength and courage to withstand any obstacle that might be headed our way. When we mediate on His word, we become strong and courageous to keep God’s commandments. Finally, when we meditate on His word, we will make our paths prosper and everything we do, we will accomplish with success.
