This week, I preached from Joshua 1 where Joshua received his commission from the Lord to lead Israel into the Promised Land. Along with this commission comes the charge, “be strong and courageous”, a charge repeated three times. This charge to be courageous is grounded, primarily, in the fact that Joshua was not being sent out to take the land in his own strength. God was going with him, and he would do it.

The promise, “I will be with you. I will not leave you or forsake you,” (1:5) is crucial in the book of Joshua.

That verse, Joshua 1:5, and specifically the phrase ‘I will not leave you or forsake you’ is picked up in the book of Hebrews as an encouragement to all Christians. But the context is a bit puzzling.

Hebrews 13:5-6, Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” So we can confidently say, “The Lord is my helper;
I will not fear; what can man do to me?”

The quote from Joshua (and the second quote from Psalm 118) makes good sense when the context is going into battle, tackling a big task like rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem, or taking the gospel message to the ends of the earth. But how does it connect with the love of money?

The love of money is motivated by one of two things. First, we love money because it provides security, or better yet, the illusion of security. So, the author of Hebrews reminds us that God is our security. Our hearts and lives are free from the pursuit of false financial security, and hence freed for generosity, because we are confident in God’s supply and protection. He will never leave us or forsake us.

Secondly, we love money because of the pleasures money can buy. Retail therapy is, well, therapeutic. It feels good to buy stuff, to go places, to do things. And money makes it possible. But Hebrews points us in a different direction. Giving away money to help those in need or to support the church’s mission means less money to spend on our pleasures, but don’t worry. God is with you, and with him there are pleasure evermore. He will never leave you nor forsake you, hence the joy will never fade or diminish (unlike the joy of buying the new thingamabob).

The joy of the Lord is our strength; hence, we do not rely on the strength of money or pine for the pleasure money can buy!