Joshua 1:6

Good courage. To lack courage is to lack faith, and “without faith it is impossible to please him” (Hebrews 11:6). One of the greatest wants of the day is courage — courage to confess Christ in word and deed upon all occasions, courage to believe the Bible and to live in harmony with it, courage to express and to follow our convictions when in the minority. Satan has no dread of learning, of influence, or of riches; but he quails before the dauntless courage of a humble soul who presses forward in faith. Divinely inspired courage arms the soul with invincible power. God was preparing Joshua for a task that would require full faith and trust in Him.

But though it is our privilege to have boundless confidence in God, we are ever to fear and distrust ourselves. Fear as we look within is to be quelled by courage as we look up to God. Joshua was no doubt conscious of his own inadequacy. He had not aspired to the high honor and great responsibility that were now his. He sought them not. When, therefore, the call came to him to assume the office left vacant by Moses, his courage may have failed him momentarily, and he needed encouragement from both God and man. It is when men sense truly their own inadequacy that God considers them qualified to undertake great and sometimes even overwhelming responsibilities. Often we are too self-confident for Him to use us effectively, too full of our own schemes and ways of doing things — like Abraham (Genesis 12:11-13; 16:1-3) and Moses (Exodus 2:12).

Shalt thou divide. “Thou” is emphatic in the Hebrew. “Divide” means “cause to possess.” In a secondary sense this would also include the dividing of the land, probably a more difficult process than taking possession of it. It would call for sound leadership to do this to the satisfaction of all. The apparent absence of even one serious complaint indicates that Joshua was guided by wisdom from God as he proceeded with the delicate task. Do we lean so heavily on divine guidance that those under us feel satisfied, or does our leadership produce grumbling and complaining?