“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” (Joshua 1:7 NASB).
After the death of Moses, God appointed Joshua to lead the Israelites into the promised land. There were many trials to face in order to possess the land, and God’s expectation and charge to Joshua was that Joshua would obey His law with strength and courage. Joshua was instructed to not “turn from it to the right or to the left,” nor let the law “depart from his mouth” and to “meditate on it day and night” (Joshua 1:7-8 NASB). Through his unwavering steadfastness to God’s instructions, Joshua remained faithful to Him and was allowed to inhabit the promised land.
Throughout the book of Joshua, the Israelites lived among nations that had the ability to influence them to depart from God’s law. Today, we likewise live among influences that have the potential to ensnare us, so that we depart from obedience to God’s Word. Cultural shifts, media, and even the company we keep can slowly change our mindset and diminish our resolve until we eventually depart from God.
At the end of Joshua’s life, Scripture records that “Israel served the Lord all the days of Joshua and all the days of the elders who survived Joshua” (Joshua 24:31 NASB). So how can we remain faithful today like Joshua? I suggest that we heed the words of God given to Joshua. Even in the midst of the influences, pressures, and temptations of today’s world, we must be strong and very courageous and not turn from God’s Word, neither to the right nor to the left. We must not let God’s Word depart from our mouths. We must meditate on God’s Word day and night. Every day when we awake, we have a choice. Let’s choose to be strong and very courageous and remain faithful.