"Then the LORD said to Joshua, 'Do not be afraid of them. By this time tomorrow I will hand all of them over to Israel as dead men. Then you must cripple their horses and burn their chariots.'" ~Joshua 11:6, NLT
Joshua's task as God's servant was to lead the Israelites in conquering the native people of the land God had given them. These were terrifying peoples, terrifying in deed and terrified as a people. Israel faced setbacks whenever there was sin among them, and these losses scared the Israelites.
But God gave this particular promise to Joshua for a battle against the Allied Armies of the northern part of the Promised Land. This is seven different Kings uniting their armies against Israel. But God promised them victory, and indeed the Israelites completely destroyed the armies, then crippled the horses and burned the chariots as an act of obedience. Failure to obey usually resulted in Israelite losses, so of course, they obeyed.
God told Joshua to not be afraid. God had given Joshua a promise long ago, and He would fulfill His end of the deal so long as Joshua and the Israelites obeyed Him. God will fulfill all of His promises, but often times they are conditional on our obedience. Will we obey Him? If so, there's nothing to fear. If no, you may need to have a little conversation with God in the near future...
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