Joshua’s Twin Admonitions

The book of Joshua has been referenced 71 times in general conference talks since 2000. Here is the distribution of those references by chapter:

Overwhelmingly, leaders of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints have focused on two admonitions, one of which appears in the first chapter and one in the last chapter of Joshua:

1. “Be strong and of a good courage.” – Moses gave Joshua this charge in Deuteronomy 31:23, and then the Lord repeated it three times in Joshua 1:6-7, 9. Subsequently, a group of Israelite soldiers repeated these words as part of their commitment to follow their new leader (Joshua 1:16-18).
2. “Choose you this day whom ye will serve” (Joshua 24:15). At the end of Joshua’s life, after leading his people to victory in their promised land, he charged them not to abandon God. He knew that it would be easy to become complacent and to drift away from their covenants. He set the example for them by saying, “As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”

One way to read these admonitions is to think about their context. The first is a call to action for people facing a significant challenge of uncertain difficulty and duration. The second is a call to renewed commitment for people who have settled into a new home. Each admonition is appropriate to the circumstances of the people.

But it’s also possible to see them as parallel exhortations that we can follow simultaneously. Consider how the stripling warriors in the Book of Mormon embodied both of Joshua’s admonitions:

They were all young men, and they were exceedingly valiant for courage, and also for strength and activity; but behold, this was not all—they were men who were true at all times in whatsoever thing they were entrusted.
Yea, they were men of truth and soberness, for they had been taught to keep the commandments of God and to walk uprightly before him.

Alma 53:20-21

The stripling soldiers were strong and courageous as they fought to defend the liberty of their people. They were also constant and dependable in fulfilling their covenants. They chose to serve God, and they found strength in Him. As their leader, Helaman, wrote, “they are young, and their minds are firm, and they do put their trust in God continually” (Alma 57:27). They demonstrated by their actions that Joshua’s admonitions are complementary and mutually reinforcing.

Today I will follow both of Joshua’s admonitions. I will face challenges with courage, and I will be firm in my resolve to be true to my covenants with God.