When Courage Fails

I was reading in the Book of Joshua concerning the allotment of land that was to be given to each of the Tribes of Israel, and I came across two places (Joshua 13:13 and Joshua 17:13) where it reads that the Israelites were not able to fully drive out the inhabitants from that land because they were not strong enough.

Really? Not strong enough? What could this mean? I was thinking that this might be a sign that Israel was losing their passion for serving God or a sign that they started drifting away. Could you help me with this?

Pastor J.M.

Dear Pastor J.M.,

The verses you mention note that after many military victories, the children of Israel did not conquer certain populations that God told them were their inheritance. We are not seeing in the Hebrew text words saying that it was because they were not strong enough, but as the words of Joshua are meant to guide us in our lives today, we do want to explore two reasons (there are more) why this conquering of the land did not happen.

The opening of Chapter 13 mentions that Joshua was old. Chapter 17 discusses specific tribes with their individual complaints. Perhaps we can learn a meaningful message from each of these.

Firstly, we see the importance of a leader as well as the danger of depending on a leader. Moses and Joshua were both larger than life characters. That allows the people under them to do amazing things. However, each of us must be our own leader as well. We cannot rely on others always being there to motivate us and bring out the best. We should seek mentors whose guidance we follow, but we must be careful to work on ourselves and our ability to act independently when needed.

Under Joshua, all the tribes worked together to secure the inheritance of each one. By chapter 17, each tribe focuses on itself. What is the parallel today? The more tunnel vision we each have, only being aware of what affects our specific sub-group whether that be defined by sex, race, religion, economic status or any other variable, the weaker and less successful we will be in the long term. A family, a community, a nation, and in the final analysis, humanity, needs to see the larger picture.

For example, minimum wage increases may seem appealing to an hourly worker, but if it destroys businesses and yields results that are the opposite of what is promised (as it often does), the worker is being short-sighted in supporting it. Seeing the opening ceremony show of the Olympics as an affront only to Christians rather than to all civilized people is misguided and weakens all of us. Yes, we owe allegiance to certain smaller groups such as family —not necessarily the ones that are cited in current dialogue—but wise people understand that even that smaller group does better when seen in a larger perspective.

We understand that Scripture does not paint a picture of perfection. God’s original plan called for Israel to cross the desert and enter the promised land quite quickly. Certainly not taking the forty years that eventually transpired. The Israelite reaction to the spies produced a new consequence. God didn’t make Moses strike the rock…there is and always was free choice–with its consequences. (An important lesson for parents engaged in the holy task of child raising)

Could Israel have conceivably defeated all of the land as surely would have been preferable? Sure, no doubt. But we humans strive for the stars as we should, even though we usually only reach the moon.

There is, of course, much more to say. Elsewhere (Corridors to Courage, reprinted in
Thought Tools Volume 3), we have written about the two characteristics referenced by the words repeatedly told to Joshua, that are inadequately translated as “Be strong and of good courage.” Scripture remains a fount of guidance for our own troubled times.

Stay strong,

Rabbi Daniel and Susan Lapin

---

What do you think? We’d love to hear your thoughts on this Ask the Rabbi & Susan post.
We Happy Warrior members can both read and write comments HERE.

Not a member yet? Ask the Rabbi is a reader-supported publication.
We truly appreciate those of you who sign up for a Basic membership. This lets us know we are providing value to you.

---