“Now the Lord said to Joshua, “Do not fear or be dismayed.” Joshua 8:1a
As we journey on in our Bible Reading through the Book of Joshua, we’ve seen the People of God engaged in two Battle Campaigns; the Miraculous Conquest of Jericho, and the Embarrassing Loss at Ai. We’ve seen a People listen to, and depend upon, God alone, and watched how marching around a walled city and blowing horns were the means He employed to cause those walls to come crashing down! We then witnessed how One Man’s Disobedience removed God’s Presence and His Help, which resulted in their Crushing Defeat and the loss of 36 lives. In Today’s Verse, God now speaks these words to Joshua. Both he, and all of Israel, had been utterly humbled and saw the reality of Absolute Dependency upon God. Now they were at the place where they could go forward; not before!
These simple words, “Do not fear or be dismayed”, were spoken 40 years earlier to the Israelites when they were at the cusp of entering Canaan the first time. But what happened? They lacked the Faith to believe and trust God, and instead, they “feared” and were “dismayed”. As a result, they did not enter in, but instead experience 40 years of punishment! As Moses commissions Joshua, he utters these same words to help strengthen God’s People going forward. They were now ready; they were now humble and dependent on God. And God would be with them and give them the Victory over Jericho. Thus, we have the same phrase, with 2 entirely different results. Now, they hear it once again. Will they take it to heart? Will they believe it and embrace it, and have God with them? YES!!!
And so it is with us. God providentially brings us into Insurmountable Circumstances that cause us to “fear and be dismayed”. Even today, some of us may be facing things we’ve never faced before; Trials and Difficulties so overwhelming that we can do “nothing but” Fear and Be Dismayed. But if God is Our Father, then He speaks these words to us “Today”! They are as Real and Vital as if He were right with us speaking them Audibly. Jesus said to His Disciples, multiple times, “Do not be Afraid”! He said this in the midst of a Storm on the Sea, so Violent, that these seasoned fishermen thought they were going to die! But, they did not! Certainly we can find comfort as we go through “our” stormy times. May God speak these words to you as you humbly trust in Him!