Courage

Courage

–The ability to face danger without fear

One of the most unpleasant human emotions is fear, that well-known feeling of terror or panic. We experience it when we face persecution for standing up for what we believe, when we confront disease and death, when we experience loneliness and loss. It manifests in our feelings about the future—whether it be the uncertainty of a new day or week or year. There are many verses in the Bible to encourage God’s people not to be afraid. To cure fear, we are urged to be strong and courageous as we face problems and difficulties. We are encouraged to move out into the future with full confidence. Great courage is possible because God is faithful and He is on our side. The Word of God, and Jesus gives us strength, and because the Holy Spirit lives within us, we have the power of God in us. The bottom line is this: Jesus is Lord of our days—this day, and all of our tomorrows.

 

  1. Remarkable stories of courage
    1. Moses and Aaron confronting Pharaoh (Ex. 5:1-5, 10:24-29) New Notes
    2. Ehud killing Eglon (Jdg. 3:15-30)
    3. Gideon against the Midianites (Jdg. 7:1-24)
    4. Jonathan against the Philistines (1 Sam. 14:1-14)
    5. David against Goliath (1 Sam. 17:26-50)
    6. Elijah on Mount Carmel (1 Sam. 18:1-40)
    7. Esther approaching King Xerxes (Esther 5:1-8)
    8. Daniel’s three friends and the fiery furnace (Dan. 3:1-30)
    9. Daniel and the lions’ den (Dan. 6:1-23)
    10. The apostles facing the Sanhedrin (Acts 4:1-22, 5:17-41)
    11. Paul preaching in Damascus (Acts 9:20-25)
    12. Paul on his way to Jerusalem (Acts 21:10-14)
  2. The command to be courageous
    1. To the Israelites from Moses (Deut. 31:6)
    2. To the Israelites from Joshua (Josh. 10:25)
    3. To Joshua from Moses (Deut. 31:7,23)
    4. To Joshua from the Lord (Josh. 1:6-9,18)
    5. To Solomon from David. (1 Chron. 22:13, 28:20)
    6. To judges from King Jehoshaphat (2 Chron. 19:11)
    7. To the Israelites from Hezekiah (2 Chron. 32:7)
    8. To Peter from Jesus (Mt. 14:27)
    9. To the disciples from Jesus (Mk. 6:50)
    10. To Paul from the Lord (Acts 23:11)
    11. To all of us (1 C0r. 16:13; Heb. 3:6)
  3. Aspects of courage
    1. When do we need courage?
      1. As we face dangers and difficulties (Josh. 1:6-9; 1 Cor. 16:13)
      2. As we face the future (Rom. 8:37-39; 2 Cor. 5:1-7)
    2. Who is our source of courage?
      1. God (Gen. 26:24; Josh. 1:9; Ps. 18:29-50, 46:1-2)
      2. Christ (Phil. 4:13; Col. 1:11; Rev. 1:17-18)
      3. The Holy Spirit (Acts 4:8-13)

 

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Human fear


Human fear

Gen. 21:15-17; 50:19-21; Ex. 2:14; 20:18; Josh. 1:9; Ruth 3:11; 1 Kings 19:3; Mt. 1:19-20; Lk. 2:9-10; Jn. 20:19; Acts 27:17.

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The command not to be afraid


Gen. 15:1; 26:24; Ex. 14:13; 20:20; Deut. 31:6-8; Josh. 1:9; 2 Kings 6:15-17; 2 Chr. 20:15-17; Isa. 41:10-14; Mt. 28:5-10; Lk. 2:9-10; Acts 27:22-25; Rev. 1:17-18.

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Courage in our God


Num. 13:30; Deut. 31:6-8; Josh. 1:6-9; 1 Chr. 22:13; 2 Chron. 32:7-8; Ps. 27:1; 31:24; 1 Cor. 16:13; Eph. 6:10.

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Standing firm in the faith


Mk. 13:13; Lk. 21:19; 1 Cor. 1:8; 1 Tim. 1:18-19; 2 Tim. 1:13-14; Heb. 6:11-12; 10:35-39; James 1:12; 1 Pet. 5:8-10; Jude 20-21; Rev. 2:10.

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Holy Spirit dwelling in believers


Ezek. 36:27; Joel 2:28; Acts 2:1-4; Rom. 8:23; 1 Cor. 3:16-17; 6:19; 2 Cor. 1:22; 5:5; Eph. 2:22; 5:18.

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Exodus 5:1-5 Notes:


Exodus 5:1-5 Notes

Moses and Aaron Courageously Confront Pharaoh

Exodus 5:1-5 (KJV) And afterward Moses and Aaron went in, and told Pharaoh, Thus saith the LORD God of Israel, Let my people go, that they may hold a feast unto me in the wilderness. [2] And Pharaoh said, Who is the LORD, that I should obey his voice to let Israel go? I know not the LORD, neither will I let Israel go. [3] And they said, The God of the Hebrews hath met with us: let us go, we pray thee, three days’ journey into the desert, and sacrifice unto the LORD our God; lest he fall upon us with pestilence, or with the sword. [4] And the king of Egypt said unto them, Wherefore do ye, Moses and Aaron, let the people from their works? get you unto your burdens. [5] And Pharaoh said, Behold, the people of the land now are many, and ye make them rest from their burdens.

Exodus 5:1 Note: Notice they came in authority and commanded, not requested, the release of the Jews. This was certain to get a negative response from a man who proclaimed he was a god.

They spoke for the Lord and not themselves. This is what 1 Peter 4:11 commands all of us to do.

In Exodus 3:18, the Lord commanded Moses, Aaron, and the elders of Israel to appear before Pharaoh and demand their release. This passage doesn’t reveal that the elders of Israel were with Moses and Aaron, but I assume they were.

Exodus 5:2 Note: Pharaoh’s arrogance knows no bounds. But he will soon change his tune. Another powerful world leader who had his subjects worship an image he made of himself learned the hard way that God is able to abase those who walk in pride (Daniel 4:37).

Exodus 5:3 Note: This is exactly what the Lord told Moses to say in Exodus 3:18. However, it is clear that the Lord’s plan was always total deliverance from the Egyptians, not just a three-day trip (Exodus 3:8).

Moses told Pharaoh to let the Israelites go in Exodus 5:1. However, Pharaoh easily dismissed Moses’ demand in Exodus 5:2. Now Moses ups the stakes. He says if Pharaoh doesn’t let the Jews go, the Lord will fall upon the Egyptians with pestilence. This was provocative, and Pharaoh receivedit that way.

Exodus 5:4 Note: Pharaoh not only denied Moses’ and Aaron’s demands but told them they should be working like all the other Hebrew slaves.

Exodus 5:5 Note: Pharaoh has gone from ignoring their demands to going on the offensive. He punishes Moses and all the Israelites by increasing their workload. This was meant to intimidate Moses and Aaron and to turn the Israelites against them, thereby ending this whole affair.

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Exodus 10:24-29 Notes:


Exodus 10:24-29 Notes

Moses and Aaron Courageously Confront Pharaoh

Exodus 10:24-29 (KJV) And Pharaoh called unto Moses, and said, Go ye, serve the LORD; only let your flocks and your herds be stayed: let your little ones also go with you. [25] And Moses said, Thou must give us also sacrifices and burnt offerings, that we may sacrifice unto the LORD our God. [26] Our cattle also shall go with us; there shall not an hoof be left behind; for thereof must we take to serve the LORD our God; and we know not with what we must serve the LORD, until we come thither. [27] But the LORD hardened Pharaoh’s heart, and he would not let them go. [28] And Pharaoh said unto him, Get thee from me, take heed to thyself, see my face no more; for in that day thou seest my face thou shalt die. [29] And Moses said, Thou hast spoken well, I will see thy face again no more.

Exodus 10:24 Note: As in the previous plague listed in this chapter, Pharaoh was trying to make the Israelites leave some of their valuables behind in Egypt to guarantee they would come back. He could have used his armies to seize the Hebrews’ cattle if they had left them unguarded. This was not a good offer.

Exodus 10:25 Note: Moses refused to compromise. They could have escaped and left their flocks behind. But why would they opt for that? They were now in the driver’s seat. They were in control. It was just a matter of time until they got everything they wanted and more. Those who compromise do so because they don’t have faith that they can do any better.

Exodus 10:26 Note: Moses has kept up the ruse this whole time that the Israelites were just going into the desert to sacrifice. He hadn’t said they would come back, but he hadn’t said they never intended on coming back either. He continued the deception by saying the reason they need all their flocks and herds is because they don’t know what animals the Lord will want them to sacrifice until they get there. The truth was they were leaving, and they were never coming back.

Exodus 10:27 Note: See notes at Exodus 3:19, Mark 6:52, and John 12:40.

Exodus 10:28 Note Pharaoh knew Moses never intended to come back (see my note at Exodus 10:26) and that Moses’ assertion that the Israelites needed all the animals because they didn’t know which animals the Lord would require was false. So, Pharaoh reached the end of his patience. He told Moses to never come to see him again or he would kill him.

Exodus 10:9 Note: Just as Pharaoh had had it with Moses, so Moses was at the end of his patience with Pharaoh. Because Moses and Pharaoh both agreed that they would never see each other again, it is supposed that the encounter between them recorded in Exodus 11 happened before Moses left Pharaoh’s presence.

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