Be a Strong and Courageous Dad
INTRODUCTION:
Happy Father’s Day to all our fathers! This morning we are taking a detour from the book of Revelation to do a special message to our fathers. Today’s fathers have a tough job leading a family in a very wicked and liberal culture, especially if we are seeking to lead them God’s way. Several years ago, Sherwood Pictures put out a movie called Courageous; it was a movie about fatherhood and being the father that God intends us to be for our families. God’s Word is clear that fathers are to be the spiritual leaders in their homes and this at times takes real courage in today’s world and its attack on the traditional family that was originally designed by God to consist of a husband and a wife and their children.
This morning I want us to look at three verses where a leader and a father was commanded to be strong and courageous. The truth that we learn from these verses are not just for dads, but can be applied to each person’s life and though I will be directing this message to fathers this morning, understand that each of you can take these same principles and apply them to your life and you to can be strong and courageous.
Before turning to our Scripture this morning let’s pray and ask God to give us teachable hearts that we might not only be hearers of God’s Word, but that we would be doers as well.
--PRAY--
SCRIPTURE:
Turn in your Bibles this morning to Joshua chapter 1. In the opening verse of this chapter we learn that Moses has died, and God buried him on the mountain overlooking the Promise Land. God has appointed Joshua to take Moses’ place and lead the children of Israel across the Jordan to take the land that God had promised to give to Abraham and his descendants. In verses 7-9, our passage for this morning, God commands Joshua to be strong and courageous in this new role God has called him to do, but God does not only give the command to be strong and courageous but gives instruction on how to do what God has commanded.
Please, if you are able, stand in honor of the reading of God’s Word and follow along as I read Joshua 1:7-9.
Joshua 1:7-9,
“Only be strong and very courageous; be careful to do according to all the law which Moses My servant commanded you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, so that you may have success wherever you go. This book of the law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it; for then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have success. Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous! Do not tremble or be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” (Joshua 1:7–9, NASB95)[1]
BE STRONG AND COURAGEOUS (Joshua 1:7)
In these verses God is encouraging Joshua as he is about to take on the huge task of leading a nation of people into hostile territory and then overthrowing the inhabitants of the land and taking it for themselves. Throughout this chapter God commands Joshua to be strong and courageous, but beginning in verse 7 God tells Joshua where this strength comes from, and where he can find the courage to be courageous.
As a father when I think of the responsibility that God has given me to lead my family, to be a godly father, to be available when my children need me, to be a role model to them, to faithfully lead them to Jesus, all this seems overwhelming and I will admit that many times I have not been the father I should have been, I have not always been strong and courageous because I have tried to do it in my own strength and I’ve failed miserably. I understand that I need to be strong and very courageous to raise my children in today’s world, but it could not be my own strength and I lacked the courage required to help them make right choices, to lead them to Jesus and the salvation that God offers. I understand that I was not chosen to lead a nation into a new land, but at the same time the responsibility of raising a family is huge. I can take the instruction offered to Joshua in these verses and apply it to my own life to be the spiritual leader I need to be in my family and to fulfill my responsibility as a father and I too can find the strength and courage that Joshua was commanded to have in leading his people.
God in verse 7 instructed Joshua to be careful to follow the law which Moses, God’s servant had commanded him. God had given Moses the law which was to govern the nation of Israel; it was not just for Joshua but for all the Israelites. The first five books of the Old Testament are called the Torah which means Law. These five books were the only Bible Joshua had, none of the rest of the Bible had been written. As the leader of the nation of Israel, Joshua was not above the law which God had given to govern the nation of Israel, rather Joshua was to lead by example.
The phrase translated “be careful” is a phrase that speaks of paying attention to what is commanded, to watch oneself that you do not fail to do what is commanded. It encompasses the idea of learning or remembering information (in this case the law) then taking care to watch for dangers that would cause you not to do what you had learned; it also carries the idea of clinging to what you have learned and guarding it. We pick up some of that idea when it says, “do not turn from it to the left or to the right.” God’s first instruction to Joshua to help him be strong and courageous is to know God’s Word, guard it and obey it and live it with focus so that you are not led away to do your own thing and thus fail to do what God has called you to do. God says that if you will do this you will have success wherever you go. This word translated “success” is closely tied to the idea of acting wisely, those who act wisely prosper and succeed, but those who do not find destruction and failure. Where do we learn this wisdom to act wisely? Psalm 111:10 says, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom; A good understanding have all those who do His commandments; His praise endures forever.” (Psalm 111:10, NASB95)[2] How do we fear the Lord? By recognizing who He is and seeing His glory and giving Him the respect and honor that are His. When we understand the greatness, the glory and sovereignty of God and recognize who we are in contrast we realize that we need to fear God and seek to do what His Word teaches. James 1:5 says, “But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him.” (James 1:5, NASB95)[3] It is a seeking and a desire to know God and we do that by knowing His Word where He reveals Himself to us. God’s first instruction so that we might be strong and courageous is to know God’s Word and know it well enough that we do not stray from it to the left or to the right.
In verse 8 God continues to instruct Joshua so that he can be strong and courageous. In this verse God teaches us how we are to know His Word well so that we do not stray from it. In this verse God gives Joshua three things that he is to do regarding the Word of God so that he will be successful and prosperous in carrying out the work that God has given him to do.
First, God said that the book of the law was not to depart from Joshua’s mouth. In other words, Joshua was never to stop talking about the Word of God. Talking about God’s Word was to a natural outflow of his life. He was to be known as someone who talked about God’s Word at every opportunity. Fathers, as the spiritual leaders of your homes do you talk about God’s Word? Is it the natural outflow of your life, do you use every opportunity that God gives you to talk about the Word of God? If you want to be strong and courageous then you must be willing to talk about God’s Word. In our home we try to take those moments when the boys ask questions about God and His Word as opportunities to teach them God’s Word and to talk about God’s Word. This is an area where I could do better though, make it more of a part of who I am.
Second, God instructed Joshua to meditate on His Word day and night. We cannot successfully talk about God’s Word if we do not know it. We get to know it by meditating on it, by studying it and then thinking about it. This word translated “meditate” is a Hebrew word that means “to mutter” but not in a negative sense, but to repeat quietly to yourself what you are reading or remembering. I used to memorize Scripture quickly, as I get older I find it takes longer. But this idea of quietly saying it over to yourself is how I memorize Scripture, as you do so stop and think about what each word in the verse means and you will be meditating on the Word of God and you can recall those verses at any time to go over them again. Joshua was to begin his day by doing this and end his day by meditating on God’s Word.
Third, God instructed Joshua to be careful to live what he talked about and what he meditated on. This is internalizing God’s Word and making it the governing rule in your life. Now Joshua only had the first five books of the Bible, you and I have the complete revelation of God to guide us, but it will not help us if we do not internalize it and then live it by obeying it. God promised Joshua prosperity and success if he would follow these instructions. The prosperity and success for Joshua was that he would accomplish the job that God had called him to do, to lead the nation of Israel into the Promise Land and subdue it and conquer it and inhabit it. The word translated “prosperity” is a word that is used to speak of advancing and subduing a land for yourself. When I think of this in terms of our families and as a father the success and prosperity that I see from living a strong and courageous life talking about God’s Word, meditating on God’s Word, and internalizing and living and obeying God’s Word, the success and prosperity is seeing my children begin that spiritual journey and seeing them become strong and courageous fathers someday because they are following my example. That is the greatest success that I could ever experience, and I would feel most prosperous knowing that God used my example to lead my children to follow Him with their whole hearts.
BE IN GOD’S PRESENCE (Joshua 1:9)
In verse 9 God repeats the command He already gave him in verse 7, God says, “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous!” (Joshua 1:9a, NASB95)[4] God knows our hearts and he knew that Joshua was afraid, and God goes on in verse 9 and He tells Joshua, “Do not tremble or be dismayed…” (Joshua 1:9b, NASB95)[5] The Hebrew word translated “tremble” is a word that is used when we fear or dread what the future holds, or the events in the future. As Joshua looked at the future he saw a huge task ahead of him that was not going to be easy. He was to lead the nation of Israel across the Jordan river and take the Promise Land for their inheritance. As he looked to the future I’m sure he imagined the many battles that would need to be fought and it caused him to tremble in fear. The word translated “dismayed” is also a Hebrew word used to describe fear or terror, but it is the result of the fear, it causes you to have a feeling of discouragement. We feel that there is no way we can carry out the responsibility given to us and we become discouraged.
God says to Joshua, “Don’t have these feelings because I am not asking you to do it alone.” You can be strong and courageous because I, the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go. Here is a promise that Joshua could hold onto, God would be with him supporting, strengthening and providing the courage and everything that Joshua would need to accomplish the task before him.
As fathers this is a promise that we can hold on to as well. As much as I have felt overwhelmed by the responsibility of raising my children and guiding them spiritually, God promises me here that I do not have to do it alone or with just human strength, He will be with me every step of the way. When I fail, and I have failed trying to do my task in my own strength and I fail miserably, God is there to correct me and guide me to ask forgiveness of my children and to move us forward again by His ever-guiding presence with us. I just must remember to be in His presence when I am interacting with my children.
Our Scripture reading this morning was from near the end of Joshua’s life and if you read through the book of Joshua you see that he was strong and courageous, and he completed the task God gave him to do. Near the end of his life Joshua called the people of Israel together and called on them to follow the Lord, as he had and determined to do his whole life. He said to the Israelites in Joshua 24:15, “If it is disagreeable in your sight to serve the Lord, choose for yourselves today whom you will serve: whether the gods which your fathers served which were beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you are living; but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.” (Joshua 24:15, NASB95)[6]
CONCLUSION:
What about you? Our strength and courage are not dependent on us pulling up our own bootstraps and putting on a good act, rather it is being in God’s Word daily and making it a part of our everyday life by talking about it and meditating on it and internalizing it by living it and obeying what it says, and by being dependent on the Lord knowing that He is with you and will provide all the strength and courage you need to act wisely and to prosper in each and every task that He has called you to do.
Fathers let me encourage you to look at the responsibility of leading your family in a new light, to lead in the strength and the courage that God provides. To take the Word of God and treasure it and make it a part of your life every day. Make it a priority to be reading your Bible, four chapters a day and you can read through the Bible in a year. It does not take that long to read four chapters. The more time you spend in God’s Word the more you will talk about it, the more time you spend in God’s Word the better you will know it and be able to meditate on it even if you do not have it with you, the more time you spend in God’s Word the more you will internalize it so that it becomes the way you live and never forget that God is with you wherever you go. What change can you make in your life so you can be in God’s Word more, give up a few minutes of sleep, skip a half an hour of TV, read your Bible in your free time. Do not put it off make it a priority, your family depends on it.
For those of you who are not fathers, you can take these principles and promises as well and find strength and courage to complete the task or tasks that God has called you to do. Be strong and courageous by making God’s Word a priority in your life, begin talking about it, meditating on it and internalizing it so that it affects every area of your life and becomes a part of who you are. It is never too late to start, pick up God’s Word and start reading it and read it often. Do not become fearful of what the future holds or allow it to discourage you because God is with you wherever you go, and you cannot be separated from His love for you. Paul wrote in the end of Romans 8, “But in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 8:37–39, NASB95)[7] What do you have to fear when we can overwhelmingly conquer all things through Him who loves us and from whom we cannot be separated.
[1]New American Standard Bible : 1995 Update. La Habra, CA : The Lockman Foundation, 1995
[2]New American Standard Bible : 1995 Update. La Habra, CA : The Lockman Foundation, 1995
[3]New American Standard Bible : 1995 Update. La Habra, CA : The Lockman Foundation, 1995
[4]New American Standard Bible : 1995 Update. La Habra, CA : The Lockman Foundation, 1995
[5]New American Standard Bible : 1995 Update. La Habra, CA : The Lockman Foundation, 1995
[6]New American Standard Bible : 1995 Update. La Habra, CA : The Lockman Foundation, 1995
[7]New American Standard Bible : 1995 Update. La Habra, CA : The Lockman Foundation, 1995