The Favor of Joshua shows us how God’s favor rests on courageous obedience, word-centered leadership, and a willingness to move when God says move, even when the instructions or circumstances seem overwhelming. In Joshua, we see favor expressed in a heart that believes God’s promises when others doubt, and in a leader who helps God’s people step into what He has spoken.

Overview: The Favor of Joshua

When we talk about the Favor of Joshua, we are looking at a man whose story of favor begins before he ever leads Israel across the Jordan. As a younger man, Joshua is sent with others to spy out the promised land (Numbers 13:1–3, 16–17). While most of the spies return with fear and unbelief, Joshua and Caleb come back with a good report, urging the people not to rebel and declaring that the Lord is able to give them the land He promised (Numbers 13:30; 14:6–9). That posture of believing God’s word over what his eyes see becomes a defining mark of Joshua’s life.

Later, after Moses dies, the Lord commissions Joshua to lead Israel into Canaan (Joshua 1:1–2). God tells him that every place he sets his foot will be given to him, that no one will be able to stand against him, and that He will be with him as He was with Moses (Joshua 1:3–5). In that same passage, God calls Joshua to be strong and courageous and commands him to keep the Book of the Law always on his lips, to meditate on it day and night, and to be careful to do everything written in it (Joshua 1:7–9). The Favor of Joshua is seen in how he leans into God’s presence and word, and in how he leads Israel into the land under God’s direction.

Scriptural Foundation for the Favor of Joshua

The Favor of Joshua is especially rooted in three key portions of his story.

• In Numbers 13–14, twelve men are sent to explore the land of Canaan. Ten come back focused on the giants and fortified cities, saying, “We seemed like grasshoppers in our own eyes” (Numbers 13:31–33). Joshua and Caleb, however, tear their clothes in grief and say to the people, “The land we passed through and explored is exceedingly good… the Lord is with us; do not be afraid of them” (Numbers 14:7–9). Their faith sets them apart, and God promises that they, unlike the rest of that generation, will enter the land (Numbers 14:22–24, 30).
• In Joshua 1:1–9, God speaks directly to Joshua after Moses’ death. He promises to give him every place where he sets his foot (Joshua 1:3), assures him that no one will be able to stand against him (Joshua 1:5), and calls him to be strong and courageous because the Lord his God will be with him wherever he goes (Joshua 1:9). God also instructs Joshua to keep the Book of the Law on his lips and to meditate on it day and night, so that he may be careful to do everything written in it, with the promise that then he will be prosperous and successful (Joshua 1:8).
• In Joshua 6:1–20, we see Joshua lead Israel in the conquest of Jericho. The Lord gives a very specific strategy: for six days they are to march around the city once each day, with priests carrying trumpets, and on the seventh day they are to march around seven times, then have the priests blow the trumpets and the people shout (Joshua 6:3–5). Joshua relays these instructions to the people, they obey, and when they shout, the walls collapse and the city is taken (Joshua 6:15–20).

These passages together show the Favor of Joshua as a story of believing God’s report, embracing His word, and walking out His instructions with courage.

The Pattern and Responsibility of Favor

In Joshua’s life, the Favor of Joshua follows a clear pattern and brings real responsibility.

First, we see what precedes the favor. Before Joshua ever leads a nation, he stands as one of only two spies who believe that God will do what He has promised (Numbers 14:6–9). When others see giants and impossibility, Joshua and Caleb see a good land and a faithful God. They urge the people not to be afraid, saying that the Lord is with them. What precedes Joshua’s later favor is a heart that already trusts God’s word over fear, and a willingness to stand almost alone with a good report. That early choice of faith becomes the soil where his future leadership is planted.

Next, we notice how the favor works once Joshua is commissioned. In Joshua 1, God’s favor is expressed through His presence and His promises. The Lord tells Joshua, “As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake you” (Joshua 1:5). He repeats the call to be strong and courageous and ties Joshua’s success to obedience to His word (Joshua 1:7–9). Favor works by God going with him, by God’s promises defining his assignment, and by God strengthening him to lead in the face of real battles.

The Favor of Joshua also works through a deep relationship with God’s word and a lifestyle of obedience. God commands Joshua to meditate on the Book of the Law day and night and to do everything written in it (Joshua 1:8). Joshua’s success is not built on charisma alone, it is built on alignment with Scripture. When he leads the people around Jericho in Joshua 6, his obedience to God’s unusual instructions becomes the channel for God’s power. Favor works through a life that hears, believes, and obeys, even when the steps look simple or strange from a human perspective.

Over time, we see what this favor produces. Joshua leads Israel across the Jordan (Joshua 3–4), into victories at Jericho and beyond (Joshua 6–12), and eventually into the distribution of the land among the tribes (Joshua 13–21). The book sums up this season by saying that the Lord gave Israel all the land He had sworn to give their ancestors, He gave them rest on every side, and not one of all the Lord’s good promises to Israel failed, every one was fulfilled (Joshua 21:43–45). The Favor of Joshua produces a shift from wandering to inheritance, from hearing about promises to living in them.

Woven into this pattern is the responsibility of favor. Because Joshua carries God’s favor, he must lead in a way that continually returns to God’s voice. He is responsible to encourage the people to be strong and courageous along with him (Joshua 1:10–18), to call them to obedience, and to confront disobedience when it appears, as he does later with hidden sin in the camp (Joshua 7). The Favor of Joshua means that his choices ripple through the whole nation. He cannot lead casually, he must lead under the fear of the Lord, knowing that his faith and obedience are part of how God’s people experience God’s promises.

Where the Favor of Joshua Meets Us

As you reflect on the Favor of Joshua, you might ask where God has invited you to stand with a “good report” in the middle of fear. Are there situations where the majority voice is discouragement or doubt, yet you sense God calling you to believe His promises and speak hope, like Joshua and Caleb did when they said, “The Lord is with us; do not be afraid” (Numbers 14:9).

You can also consider how God’s word is shaping your courage. Are you letting Scripture be on your lips and in your meditation the way God commanded Joshua in Joshua 1:8, or are you mainly feeding your heart with other voices. The Favor of Joshua invites you to let God’s word define what is possible, to receive His “be strong and courageous” in Joshua 1:9 as a personal call, and to step forward in obedience based on what He has already said.

Finally, think about where God may be asking you to obey instructions that require faith more than logic. Are there “march around Jericho” moments in your life, places where He has given you a clear step that seems simple, slow, or even strange, like walking in circles and waiting for a shout (Joshua 6:3–5), yet carries His promise. Those are often the places where His favor breaks through in ways you could not have engineered on your own.

Living in the Favor of Joshua

To live in the Favor of Joshua, begin by agreeing with God’s report over your life and circumstances. Ask Him to show you where fear, comparison, or the opinions of others have become louder than His promises, and choose to stand with what He has said, as Joshua did when he stood on God’s word in Numbers 14:7–9, even when almost everyone else disagreed.

Next, cultivate courage through His presence and His word. Make time to be with Him, to listen, and to let His “I will be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake you” in Joshua 1:5 settle into your heart. Read and speak His word regularly, allowing Joshua 1:8–9 and other passages to shape your thinking and your responses. As you do, courage grows not from trying harder, but from trusting deeper.

Finally, embrace obedience as the pathway of favor. When God gives you direction, whether through Scripture or specific leading, respond with a willing heart, even if the step feels risky or unusual, just as Joshua led Israel in God’s unusual battle plan at Jericho in Joshua 6:12–20. As you walk in that obedience, you position yourself and those you influence to see God move.

May you, like Joshua, believe God’s report when others do not, carry His word in your heart and mouth, and lead with a courage that comes from His presence.

Continue to the next study: The Favor of Samuel