God’s Promise to Joshua: Assurance and Accountability

In Joshua 1:5, God assured Joshua of His support. Just as He had been with Moses, GOD promised to never leave or forsake Joshua. Joshua witnessed the challenges Moses and Aaron faced in leading the people, including the complaints and doubts from the ancestors of those Joshua was now entrusted to guide to the promised land. Yet, God reassured him of His steadfast support and guidance.

God declared that no one would be able to stand against him throughout his life. This assurance was vital, as crossing the Jordan River and entering the promised land meant encountering massive challenges. However, God guaranteed that none of these nations would prevail because of His presence.

This promise brings profound comfort for us regarding the battles we face against Satan, along with the external resistance, and internal struggles we deal with. The knowledge that God will never abandon us in these challenges offers great reassurance.

However, God’s promise is dependent on accountability and responsibility. Joshua was instructed to be strong and very courageous, faithfully keeping the law given by Moses without turning to the left or the right, so that he would prosper wherever he went.

Joshua’s promise of prosperity depended on his obedience and dedication to the path God laid out for him. This took a great deal of faith, as the journey ahead was full of challenges and temptations that could lead him off course.

Joshua 1:8 stresses that the Book of the Law should be on Joshua’s lips and meditated upon always. By doing so, he would be placing it in his heart, inevitably influencing his speech and decisions as he led the people, enabling them to faithfully follow what is written. It is impossible to obey what we do not know, nor can we speak meaningfully about something we have not studied.

Joshua undoubtedly had a responsibility; however, assurance of victory did not rely solely on Joshua’s leadership but on God’s guidance through him. God would ensure their prosperity and guarantee their victory, as He had promised, “I will be with you,” a promise extended to all who strive to follow God’s will.