Men of Valor: Joshua’s Mighty Men

by David Chadwick

In a culture where men are being emasculated and torn down, God desires to raise up a generation of men who reflect his heart of strength, love and courage.

Joshua’s mighty men of valor are today’s men of valor. You will find their story in Joshua 10. They were a whole team of courageous men!

The Gibeonites, a tough group of grizzled soldiers, stood in the way of God’s people acquiring the land that God had promised to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

In Joshua 10:7, Joshua went up from Gilgal with “all the mighty men of valor.” These were some of Israel’s most courageous men going up against the evil Gibeonites. God instructed Joshua’s mighty men not to give their opponents a second thought in verses 7-10. He said, “Do not fear them, for I have given them into your hands. Not a man of them shall stand before you” (Joshua 10:8).

Not only did God send them into battle, he sent them with the assurance of victory! God certainly expected them to fight, but gave them the strategy for how to win.

Joshua and his mighty men went out and began to fight and God sent the Gibeonites into a state of panic and confusion. As Israel pressed forward courageously, the Gibeonites were chased away. The Lord even pitched huge stones from heaven on them and they died (Joshua 10:11).

God had given his word that his people would inherit the Promised Land. But they still had to fight to attain it. Their valor and courage were needed to win the victory.

The same principle holds true for our lives as believers. We have the victory over Satan and all his demonic hordes, but we still must daily engage in spiritual warfare on this side of eternity. We are fighting a battle Jesus has already won, but we still must fight it.

So, dear friends, rise up and take your place in God’s story!

Men of Valor: Gideon, A Mighty Man

by David Chadwick

Some years ago, my wife, Marilynn, wrote a book called “Woman of Valor.” The concept of becoming women of valor has become a theme very near and dear to her heart. Her book has recently been revised and she and I both feel it has very much been written for these days in which we are living!

Valor is a character trait that God’s people must develop. I want to continue to build on last week’s women of valor theme and look at several men of valor. We are going to start by looking at the story of Gideon, a man who God called a mighty man of valor.

You will find Gideon’s story in Judges 6. The Midianites overtook Israel and placed them in bondage. One of the things the Midianites would often do is swoop down on Israel during the harvest season and steal all of the food they had harvested. Aware of the Midianites’ evil tendencies, Gideon hid as he sought to harvest his food.

Suddenly, as Gideon was hiding, an angel of the Lord came to him. Some wonder if this appearance was a theophany - an appearance of Jesus in the Old Testament. The angel of the Lord looked at him and said, “The Lord is with you, you mighty man of valor.” The word valor means courageous. Strong.

Gideon was acting in the opposite of valor when the Lord referred to him as a mighty man of valor. Yet that’s the beauty of this story. God does not look at who someone is, but who they can become. God did not see a coward. He saw a mighty warrior inside of Gideon. He prophesied and Gideon rose up to be exactly that: a mighty man of valor.

Ultimately, Gideon ended up being the one to mobilize the Israelites’ army of 300 (against the Midianite army of 32,000!) and defeat them. Gideon became a renowned judge of Israel, tore down the primary altar of the godless Baal, and is looked at today as a man of valor.

I pray that each of you will learn to see yourself as God sees you. Not the world. Not others. Inside of you there just may be locked up a mighty warrior!

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To order a copy of Woman of Valor, Discovering the Courage and Strength God Gave You, by Marilynn Chadwick, please click here.

Women of Valor: Love Makes us Brave

by Marilynn Chadwick

I agree with Indiana Jones: “I hate snakes!” Maybe some of you share my distaste for these slithery reptiles.

A while back, when cleaning our garage, our son found a small copperhead hiding behind a box. My first response was, “Yikes! Go hide!” My next thought was, “Go get ‘em!”

I grabbed the nearest gardening tool and went after that snake with a warrior-like vengeance, sending him into the grave! Why? Because he was in my garage…near my kitchen door…a threat to my home and family! Though I’m scared of snakes, my love for my family made me brave.

Maybe you can relate. Is there a time when you did something that scared you in order to protect someone you loved? If so, you were showing courage, or what the Bible often refers to as valor.

As you have learned by now, I’m captivated by the Hebrew word for valor, chayil. In the Orthodox Jewish Bible translation, chayil is used to describe the famed Proverbs 31 woman. “Who can find a woman of valor?” (Proverbs 31:10). Clearly, she was part nurturer and part warrior.

Chayil is used to describe David’s mighty men of valor. It is also used to describe a reluctant hero named Gideon. Simply put, “valor,” or chayil, is personal bravery in the face of danger—especially courage in battle. In its nearly 100 uses in the Old Testament, chayil most often depicts warriors.

I believe we need to become courageous men and women of valor as we face today’s battles: addiction, divorce, poverty, injustice, domestic violence, child abuse, abortion, poverty, unemployment, pornography, human trafficking, joblessness, homelessness, racism, persecution, terrorism. I’m sure you could add to this list.

As I listen to conversations with men and women of all ages, stages, and walks of life, I’m hearing a recurring theme —their heart’s desire to be strong for their families and communities. In short, they long to be courageous so God can use them to change the world.

Is God calling you to have more courage? Remember, it’s love that makes you brave.

I pray that God’s daughters reclaim what it looks like to walk biblically as women of valor!

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This Moment of Hope is adapted from Woman of Valor, Discovering the Courage and Strength God Gave You, by Marilynn Chadwick. For more inspiration or to order the newly Revised Edition of this book, please click here.