Bravery

After the death of Moses the servant of the Lord, the Lord spoke to Joshua son of Nun, Moses’ assistant, saying, ‘My servant Moses is dead. Now proceed to cross the Jordan, you and all this people, into the land that I am giving to them, to the Israelites. Every place that the sole of your foot will tread upon I have given to you, as I promised to Moses. From the wilderness and the Lebanon as far as the great river, the river Euphrates, all the land of the Hittites, to the Great Sea in the west shall be your territory. No one shall be able to stand against you all the days of your life. As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will not fail you or forsake you. Be strong and courageous; for you shall put this people in possession of the land that I swore to their ancestors to give them. Only be strong and very courageous, being careful to act in accordance with all the law that my servant Moses commanded you; do not turn from it to the right hand or to the left, so that you may be successful wherever you go. This book of the law shall not depart out of your mouth; you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to act in accordance with all that is written in it. For then you shall make your way prosperous, and then you shall be successful. I hereby command you: Be strong and courageous; do not be frightened or dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.’

—Joshua 1:1-9

There is really no way for us to fully appreciate what it must have felt like to be Joshua on this particular day. After forty years, the tribes of Israel stand on the far bank of the Jordan, a few damp footsteps from realizing their dream of the Promised Land. But Moses is dead. The man who was for them the embodied voice of God is no longer with them. Suddenly Joshua becomes aware of a voice before him, a voice that resounds with power, even if it is a “still, small voice” (1 Kings 19:12). God. THE LORD. The One whose name cannot be spoken. God speaks to Joshua. God speaks, God raises Joshua from sidekick to man in charge. Then followed a passel of promises and assurances that I doubt seriously Joshua heard. I imagine he was still back there in the moment he realized he was in charge. He was now Moses. 

There is no weight such as the burden of responsibility. An obligation, a duty, a commitment—they all can weigh upon us. We feel them tangibly, knowing it is up to us to see things through to completion. The weight becomes especially heavy when we know there are others depending on us, looking to us for guidance, needing us to be the voice of confidence and assurance, and seeking protection or security from us. 

I remember a birthday party from when my children were very small. We invited parents to drop their children at our home where we would have cake and open presents, then we would transfer them to a nearby skating rink for some playtime. Never have I felt so responsible as I strapped other people’s children into their car seats in my van. The enormity of what we were about to do struck me full in the face—other people’s children were entrusted to my care—they have to come home just as I received them. I used to feel the same way every time I left on a youth retreat when i served as a youth pastor—I am obligated to bring these children home safe and sound. 

Most of us experience moments when such a responsibility is laid upon us. Someone else trusts us with something or someone whom they treasure. It can be children, a friend, or a parent—but we will have to care for someone dear to someone else. It can be a project, a document, or a piece of furniture—but we will have to ensure its safety, security, and being until we give it back. Knowing someone else will care deeply should something happen hefts a weight on our shoulders and in our heart.

Now, one thing Joshua has that he may not as yet see or grasp is that it is God who is entrusting him with his responsibility. This is precisely where we need to tune in even as Joshua may well have tuned out, stunned by the directive. What does God say to Joshua as God lays this responsibility upon him? 

I will be with you; I will not fail you or forsake you.

What an astounding assurance! What a promise! God does not simply command Joshua to take over leadership of Israel, God takes on the responsibility himself!

God reassures Joshua that this endeavor is a mutual effort—it will be God working with and through Joshua to preserve, protect, and carry the Israelites forward. 

Something all of us within this place share is the commitment to preserve, protect, and provide for this community of faith. Like Joshua, God called us together for that purpose. We may not understand that, or see it, or realize it when we come together, but that is truly what is happening—to be in any house of God is come under the direction of God, and that direction means knowing God’s call to participate in, to lay claim to, and to work within this communion. 

And also like Joshua, God makes the same promise God gave to Joshua—

I will be with you; I will not fail you or forsake you.

We exist at a delicate time to be within the institutional Church. More and more people all around us are finding us more and more irrelevant to their lives. A simple glance through denominational materials provides a rather bleak portrait of a shrinking Church, radically trimmed down presbyteries, and a conglomeration of congregations whose average size is now a 100 people or less strewn across the country. 

Now, you will notice that I said delicate, instead of desperate, or distressing. I am no pollyanna. What I am is trusting God to see us through what lay before us. Thomas Keating, a wonderful spiritual theologian, commented on the Feeding of the 5000 that what sets the tone for the miracle is the confidence of Jesus in the providence of God. As Jesus trusted God would find a way to feed the throng with a couple of fish and few loaves of bread, the people saw within themselves a remarkable feast they never knew was there. That stance works for us here and now. Yes, it is so very easy to simply look at ourselves as meager. But remember Joshua—God was with him—he believed it to be so, so he led the people. Look to Jesus—he believed God would feed the people, so he led them to the table. It is now our turn, our call, and our opportunity. 

God tells us—

I will be with you; I will not fail you or forsake you.

Hear and believe this good news.