The Inspirational Speech

April 4, 2009

Today's Reading: Joshua 1-2 and Proverbs 27

At last, we are past the books of Moses. I’m sure that I have mentioned this before, but they are just really boring in some places. Reading Joshua, Judges and all the books until the Major prophets is going to be a thrill, like a movie.

In fact, the beginning of Joshua sounds a lot like a movie, like an action film. It even has the part of the movie that practically every action film has: the inspirational speech.

Come on, you know the scene. It is the one where all the men are feeling down, because they are about to face a huge obstacle. Suddenly, one leader character steps up and gives the inspiration speech that raises the men’s hopes, and they are now itching to fight.

For example, the scene in Independence Day where Bill Pullman does that speech about how humanity “we celebrate our Independence Day!” There was some hint of this in Return of the King and 300, but that is because they pretty much knew they were dead.

I used to think that “The Inspirational Speech” scene had its roots in Henry V, a Shakespeare play which predates any movie ever made. There was a cool version of Henry V staring Kenneth Branaugh where Henry talked about “Saint Crispin’s Day”. It was parodied in Mystery Men.

It is clear that the beginning of Joshua was the first Inspirational Speech. Joshua tells his troops all the cool stuff that you see in action films. I would imagine that his men were feeling pretty afraid of what comes next. After all, the whole reason they were wandering around in the first place is because they could not face the giants on the other side. Fortunately, forty years of complete boredom has a way motivating someone to do something, even if it is the stupid or the wrong thing.

However, Joshua didn’t just give the inspirational speech, he had to get the inspiration from God Himself. How could anyone not go into the jaws of death without some sort of divine inspiration.

Seriously, I’ve always wondered what makes soldiers go to the area where bullets are being fired, or why firemen rush into buildings people are running out of. What makes people risk death for some greater good?

I honestly don’t know. I think that life is really about giving of yourself, even if your life is to forfeit. Is there a limit on this? I don’t know, honestly. Perhaps there will be a moment in my life where I may need to give it, and then only God could give me the inspirational speech.