Who Was Joshua in the Bible? Be Strong and Courageous

Four times in Joshua 1, God says essentially the same thing to the new leader of Israel: "Be strong and courageous."

Once would be an encouragement. Twice would be emphasis. Four times is God acknowledging that what He is asking of Joshua is terrifying — and that courage will need to be a daily, repeated choice.

Joshua was being asked to lead millions of people into a land occupied by fortified cities and well-armed nations, crossing a flooded river, with only divine promise and a divine command. The courage God calls him to is not the absence of fear. It's the choice to move forward in the face of it.

Joshua's Background

His original name was Hoshea (meaning "salvation"). Moses changed it to Joshua — "the LORD saves" (Numbers 13:16) — a name that foreshadows the one in whose image he would serve. The Greek form of Joshua is Iesous — Jesus.

He was from the tribe of Ephraim. He served as Moses' aide from his youth (Numbers 11:28). He was one of the twelve spies Moses sent to explore Canaan, and one of only two — he and Caleb — who came back with a faithful report: the land is good, the LORD is with us, let us go up (Numbers 13:30). The other ten were afraid.

Because of that faithful report, Joshua and Caleb were the only members of the Exodus generation permitted to enter the Promised Land. Everyone else died in the wilderness. Joshua had been waiting forty years for this moment.

The Commission

At the end of Deuteronomy, with Moses about to die, God commissioned Joshua directly: "Joshua son of Nun, who stands before you, will enter it. Encourage him, for he will lead Israel to inherit it." (Deuteronomy 1:38)

And then, in Joshua 1, God spoke to Joshua after Moses' death and gave him his marching orders — the most memorable of which is this:

"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)

Success and prosperity are defined here as faithful obedience to God's word — not military supremacy or political dominance. Joshua's strength comes from the Law he meditates on.

Crossing the Jordan

The Jordan River was in flood season when Israel needed to cross. But God told Joshua to have the priests who carried the ark of the covenant step into the water — and when their feet touched it, the waters would stop flowing.

This is a faith act: you have to step into the flood before it stops.

The priests stepped in. The waters stopped. Israel crossed on dry ground. (Joshua 3-4)

The memory of this crossing was so important that Joshua commanded twelve stones to be taken from the middle of the Jordan — one for each tribe — and set up as a memorial at Gilgal: "When your children ask their fathers in time to come, 'What do these stones mean?' then you shall let your children know..." (Joshua 4:21-22)

He was building memory into the landscape. Future generations would need to know that God stopped a river to bring them home.

Jericho: The Walls Fell Down

Jericho was the first city. It was fortified and locked shut — no one going in or out. God's strategy was unprecedented: march around the city once a day for six days, seven times on the seventh day, blow the trumpets, shout — and the walls would fall.

No military strategy here. No siege equipment. Just obedience to an unusual divine command.

They did it. The walls fell. The city was taken. Only Rahab and her household were spared.

This pattern — obedience to God's specific command, regardless of whether it makes military sense — defines Joshua's campaigns throughout the book.

The Failure at Ai

One of the most important passages in Joshua's story is the failure at Ai (Joshua 7). After Jericho's great victory, Israel sent a small force to Ai — the next city — and was routed. Thirty-six men died. Israel's confidence collapsed.

The reason: one man, Achan, had taken devoted things (forbidden plunder) from Jericho. His disobedience had created a corporate vulnerability.

Joshua, prostrate before God in grief and confusion, received the explanation and the command to deal with the sin. He obeyed. Achan and his household were judged. And Israel defeated Ai.

The lesson: holiness in the community is not optional. One person's secret sin affects the whole body.

Joshua's Final Address

At the end of his life, Joshua gathered all Israel and gave them the most famous farewell address in the Old Testament:

"Now fear the LORD and serve him with all faithfulness. Throw away the gods your ancestors worshiped beyond the Euphrates River and in Egypt, and serve the LORD. But if serving the LORD seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD." (Joshua 24:14-15)

"As for me and my household, we will serve the LORD." These words have been carved into countless household decorations and family crests. But in context, they are not a warm family motto. They are a challenge spoken by a man at the end of his life who has seen what faithfulness requires and is urging the next generation not to be deceived by comfortable compromise.

Choose. Today. Not after you've seen how things go. Choose now.

What Joshua Teaches Us

Courage is commanded because it doesn't come naturally.

God told Joshua four times to be strong and courageous because it was genuinely hard. If courage were easy, it wouldn't need to be commanded. The command is the acknowledgment: this is difficult, and you need something beyond your natural confidence.

Obedience precedes the miracle.

The priests had to step into the flooded Jordan before it stopped. The walls of Jericho fell after seven days of marching, not before. God consistently calls His people to act on faith before they see the result. The obedience is not the reward — it's the pathway to it.

The Word is the source of strength.

God didn't tell Joshua to meditate on military strategy. He told him to meditate on the Law — the word of God. In the Christian life, the primary source of courage and direction is the Scripture. The person who is saturated in God's word is better equipped for what God asks than any other preparation.

Finish strong.

Joshua's faithfulness extended to the very end of his life. He didn't coast. He called the nation to decision and renewal. He declared his own household's allegiance one more time. The measure of a life is not just how it began but how it ended.

A Prayer Inspired by Joshua

Lord, I need to hear Your command again today: be strong and courageous. Not because courage comes naturally, but because You are with me wherever I go. Help me to step into the flooded Jordan — to act in obedience before I see the waters stop. And at the end of my life, let me be someone who still stands before the community and says: as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD. Amen.

FAQ About Joshua

How is Joshua a "type" of Jesus? Joshua's Hebrew name is the same as Jesus. He led God's people into their inheritance (Canaan); Jesus leads God's people into eternal inheritance. He took the place of Moses (the law); Jesus fulfills and transcends the law. The parallels are extensive.

Did Joshua commit genocide? The "holy war" commands against the Canaanites are among the most difficult passages in the Bible. Scholars hold various views: divine judgment on a deeply corrupt culture, a bounded historical command not applicable universally, or theological and historical complexity requiring careful engagement. This question deserves more than a FAQ answer.

How long was Joshua's conquest of Canaan? The book of Joshua suggests the major military campaigns were relatively swift, though complete settlement of the land took much longer. Joshua 11:18 says "Joshua waged war against all these kings for a long time."

What does "meditate on it day and night" mean in Joshua 1:8? The Hebrew word (hagah) for meditation includes the idea of reading aloud, murmuring, and deeply pondering. It is active, not passive — and it implies the word should be constantly present in one's mind and on one's lips.

Is "as for me and my household" a promise or a statement? It's a declaration — not a guarantee that everyone in his household would always choose faithfulness, but a statement of Joshua's own leadership posture. He is committing his household's direction, not overriding their free will.