Fear. I think many of us scoff at the word fear. We think, I’m not afraid of spiders or the dark or of heights, or any of those things. There is so much more to the word, though. The feeling that lies below so many actions can help us wade through and sort out the why of unexplainable or shameful actions that steal our peace. Jesus uses the word fear (or feared, etc) at least 17 times in the New Testament and yet seven of those he says not to fear and in another three instances he is asking why fear. Jesus too sees that fear is present in many cases and sees fit to address it; we mustn’t hide it. And so, we return to not necessarily seeing ourselves (myself) as having any fears. If that is so, good on you! But I think I have to say that I am not there yet.

Courage over fear

I find Joshua returning to mind every time I consider this topic. The verses in the beginning of Joshua’s leadership of the new Israelite nation are indeed famous, ‘be strong and courageous … be strong and very courageous … be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged,’ (Joshua 1: 6, 7, 9), but what is easy to forget is that these three exhortations follow three of the same. Deuteronomy 31: 6, 7, and 23 also exhort Joshua to be strong and courageous. Six times, three with Moses himself conveying the point, and three more with God directly, Joshua is told to be courageous, to overcome the fear that invades. This encouragement from God to have courage indicates a strong tendency toward fear and it seems so contradictory when I consider all that Joshua has carried out: he championed the results of the spies to all of the Israelites (Numbers 13-14), he lead the victory against the Amalekites (Exodus 17:8-16), and was Moses’s right-hand man and God-picked successor (Deuteronomy 3:28).  

God uses flawed people

Yet, when we look back to these highlights of Joshua’s training period, we also see a pattern that God noted and shored up. We see a flawed man that God chose and elevated anyway. In the report of the spies sent to Canaan, it is Caleb who speaks first, loud and proud; Joshua speaks with Caleb to the assembly only later that night after much groaning and grumbling of the people. Joshua hung back in voicing his support for taking the land God had promised yet Caleb is the one who is no longer among the leaders of the assembly; Joshua is. After the victory over the Amalekites, God specifically told Moses, ‘Write this on a scroll as something to be remembered and make sure that Joshua hears it,’ (Exodus 17:14). God made sure that Joshua heard that he was remembered and lifted up as the leader to victory. Exodus 24:13 tells us that Joshua accompanied Moses to Mt Sanai to carry the tablets of the law for him and we are then told in Exodus 32:17 that Joshua heard the noise in the camp and told Moses about it. Do you see the in-between bit? Joshua not only accompanied Moses, but for the forty days in the cloud while God spoke of the tabernacle and its furnishings, it seems Joshua was near. Was he taking notes or just waiting in the wilderness? Joshua was not left behind with the assembly but was near Moses and maybe even with him, learning.

God’s chosen

The picture this makes for me is that Joshua was not proud and may have even tended toward low self-esteem. Humble men would have a healthy understanding of their standing and who they are in God’s eyes. Instead, we see that Joshua was being raised up by God over the course of his training under Moses and on into his leadership. Joshua was a favored man, yet had an image of himself as small, and needed encouragement from God himself to overcome this weakness. It is a good thing when we know that we are small and God is big, bigger than our problems, our issues, our fears, and our weaknesses. But when we consider ourselves below the righteous place that God has put us in, it is a problem. It distorts our view, and that distortion could easily lead us to fear others, the future, the past, loss, and so much more.

Despite this apparent weakness, God chose Joshua and walked with him, taught him, never left him, and extended his blessings over him. God knows our fears and He draws us nearer so that together we accomplish His goals. He doesn’t send us away or tell us to get it together or hide that fear away; He addresses it with us, leads us in courage and helps us overcome our fear. God has chosen you, too.

Fear points us to God

Joshua was almost nagged by God to make sure to leave the fears behind, and it was always accompanied by why the fear was no longer needed. Fear is necessary only to direct us to God, all we need. He is always with us, goes before us, never leaves us not forsakes us; he sets us on our feet before the goals and promises that he gives us, he instructs us in his ways so we may be victorious. Joshua may not have realized that he feared, but God did. He gives us opportunities to address that with Him when we listen to Him. Be strong and courageous, fear less. Fear for less time, less intensity, less often.