Have I not commanded thee Be strong and courageous? Be not afraid, neither be dismayed; for Jehovah thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest.
本节注释
The Setting
Joshua stands at the Jordan with the call of God to lead Israel into Canaan, and three times in this opening chapter the Lord presses on him the same charge: "Be strong and of a good courage." Verse 9 sums up the source of that courage — not Joshua's own resolve, but the divine commission and the divine presence: "Have not I commanded thee?... for the Lord thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest."
The Authority That Sends
The verse opens with a question — Have I not commanded you? — and the commentaries make this the foundation of every other thought. Strength flows from a settled knowledge that one is moving under God's order.
J. N. DarbyVerse 9. Again, another principle; the starting-point is that we have the authority of God to walk with Christ. Then there is energy. It is the certitude of God's will.
Without that certainty the heart wavers; with it, the feet move. The same lesson is pressed elsewhere — when adversaries multiply, the believer's warrant for service is still the Word of the Lord.
MagazinesWe have all to learn the lesson that the Word — the mind of the Lord — is the warrant for service, and that when He speaks it is but for us to go forward, whatever the circumstances and however numerous the adversaries. As He said to Joshua: "Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest." (Joshua 1:9.)
Courage Tied to the Word
The threefold "be strong" in this chapter is not a bare call to bravery. It is fastened to Scripture and to obedience — courage drawn from meditation in the Book and from doing what is written.
Arno Clemens GaebeleinNotice the courage is linked with the law (the Word of God) and obedience to it, as well as meditation in it day and night. Joshua was put in dependence on the written Word. So are we... It requires courage in an ungodly age, a blinded world with its eyeblinding god (Satan) "to observe to do according to all that is written." ... We constantly need the courage of faith, which looks to God and which is expressed by obedience to His Word. "God's strength is employed in helping us in the paths of God's will, not out of it."
So even after the Word has been received, the heart still needs reminding — fear is never far from the leader who carries the burden of God's people.
Leslie M. GrantIt is the living God who commanded Joshua. Therefore again he is told to be strong and of good courage (v. 9). He had no reason to give way to fear or discouragement, for the Lord God was with him wherever he went. Even when we have learned the Word of God there may be still a danger of giving way to fear, so that we need constant encouragement from the Lord.
God Both Commands and Supplies
The promise "I will be with thee; I will not fail thee, nor forsake thee" stands behind the command. God never asks of His servant what He does not also enable.
Norman AndersonEvery step of the way would be contested and diligent exercise, faith and dependence would be needed all the way. Was there apprehension or trepidation? How encouraging the word of the Lord, "I will be with thee; I will not fail thee, nor forsake thee." Thrice over He exhorted Joshua, "Be strong and of a good courage." How true it is that God never enjoins anything upon His own but what He supplies the power to perform.
The same promise of presence reaches forward to every believer — the strength is measured not by us but by Him.
MagazinesIf He is with us, resting confidently in what He is for us, we measure our foes and difficulties, not by what we are, or by our own resources, but by what He is in all His own omnipotence. Then we can boldly say... "If God be for us, who can be against us?"
A Word for Today's Believer
The chapter is read as more than ancient history. Joshua's crossing pictures the Christian's place in the heavenlies in Christ, and the same exhortation is taken up in pastoral counsel.
J. N. DarbyBe of good courage, dear brother, be strong, and He shall establish your heart. Read the first chapter of Joshua, and look to Christ. He is faithful and full of love. All we have to do is to go on peacefully, doing His will and ever looking to Him for help.
Summary
- Divine Authority. Courage starts with "Have I not commanded thee?" — the certainty that we are moving under God's will, not our own.
- Word-fed Strength. The command to "be strong" is bound to meditation in Scripture and obedience to it; courage and the written Word cannot be parted.
- Presence Promised. "The Lord thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest" is the ground that turns command into power; we measure foes by Him, not by ourselves.
- God Supplies What He Asks. He never lays a charge on His servant without giving the strength to perform it; weakness is no barrier when the living God commands.
- Constant Need. Even those who know the Word still drift toward fear, so the Lord repeats "be strong" — believers today need the same encouragement Joshua needed at Jordan.