By R.A. Mathews

His birthday was last week, and he was delighted to show me the necklace he had been given by a friend. In fact, he took it off so I could hold it and see just how thoughtfully it had been made.

It’s a brown metal cross. On the front is the imprint of the stars and stripes, paying tribute to the American flag. On the back is a Bible verse, drawing in God’s great words: 

“Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go” (Joshua 1:9, ESV).

Cade is twenty-four and quite pleased with it. I definitely want to meet the friend who gifted him this cross. 

“Do you know where it is in the Bible?” I asked.

He looked at the inscription and said, “Well, the book of Joshua.”

It was funny. 

“Not just Joshua, Cade,” I said, “but the first chapter of Joshua. Do you know what was going on?” 

Cade sat down. “Tell me.”

“Those are words of war.”

Joshua is the sixth book of the Bible. The first, Genesis, is mostly about Abraham, Isaac and Jacob — a man, his son, and his grandson. They are known as the “patriarchs” or the fathers of our faith (Genesis 12-50).

The three settled in the Promised Land, but as the Book of Genesis closes, Jacob had migrated to Egypt with his family due to a severe famine. 

The content of the next four books is easy to remember — it’s a chronicle of Moses freeing the children of God enslaved by Pharoah and leading them back to the Promised Land.

Believe me, that did not go well.

The Hebrews reached the Promised Land in the second year after leaving Egypt, but they refused to seize it, instead wanting to kill Moses and return to Egypt. Here’s the tragic passage: 

“The Lord spoke to Moses, saying, ‘Send men to spy out the land of Canaan, which I am giving to the people of Israel.’ … At the end of forty days they returned from spying out the land… [and] said, ‘We are not able to go up against the people, for they are stronger than we are.’  

“Then all the congregation… said to one another, ‘Let us choose a leader and go back to Egypt.’ …[and they decided] to stone [Moses, Aaron, Caleb and Joshua]… But… the Lord said to Moses, ‘… I will strike them… and I will make of you a nation greater and mightier than they.’”

Many, including myself, thought God’s children were lost in the wilderness for 40 years. Not so. Books two through five — Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy — show the Hebrews not lost but wandering, waiting for the first generation to die out so God could bring the second generation into the Promised Land.

At that time, Joshua was chosen. 

This happens at the end of Deuteronomy: “And the Lord said to Moses, ‘Behold, the days approach when you must die…’ And the Lord commissioned Joshua… and said, ‘… you shall bring the people of Israel into the land that I swore to give them. I will be with you’” (Deuteronomy 31:14-23, ESV).

There are many Bible verses that you can buy on T-shirts, wall hangings and jewelry. I love them all. 

But what’s even better than the verse is the story behind the verse!

The Book of Joshua begins the war to conquer the Promised Land and drive out the inhabitants. It’s one of the great moments in Scripture. My young friend now knows the fierce words he wears close to his heart are spoken to each person on God’s side. 

“Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”

Christians march for the Lord every day.

Look for the Rev. R.A. Mathews at RAMathews.com where you can contact her and read her biography and samples of her books. Copyright © 2025 R.A. Mathews. All rights reserved.