“This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success” (Joshua 1:8).

Joshua, upon the death of Moses, received a direct command from God. “Now therefore arise, go over this Jordan, thou, and all this people, unto the land which I do give to them” (1:2). Humanly speaking, the task before him was next to impossible. Not only would he have to break the backs of the great powers of the land, but he would also have to supervise the allotment of land to twelve tribes. Even the river Jordan posed a problem.

Like Joshua, our problems can also seem insurmountable. How can we prosper and have good success? Man’s part to good success. First, “Be strong and of good courage.” God repeats this three times in verses 6, 7, and 9. This is good advice, not only to Joshua, but to us. Paul understood this as well when he wrote, “Be strong in the Lord, and in the power of His might” (Ephesians 6:10). The Lord further encourages Joshua to “Be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed” (Joshua 1:9). Second, “Observe to do all the law” (1:7). Obedience to the law of God was an extremely important ingredient to ultimate success. They had to obey in order to prosper (1:7,8). God’s part to good success. “The LORD thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest” (1:9). “As I was with Moses, so I will be with thee: I will not fail thee, nor forsake thee” (1:5). God’s continued personal presence would be the key to good success wherever they went. God had promised the same to Moses years before. “My presence shall go with thee, and I will give thee rest” (Exodus 33:14). God promises the same to us. “I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee” (Hebrews 13:5).

True spiritual prosperity and success depends on our explicit obedience to the word of God. NPS