INTRODUCTION: The great Leader and Law Giver of Israel, the one that GOD used as the Deliverer of the Hebrew slaves died. Up to that point, Joshua was accustomed to a supporting role to Moses. He was also placed in charge of Israel’s armies.
Towards the end of his ministry Moses was called by GOD to meet Him at the Tabernacle of Meeting. And he was told to bring Joshua with him…
NUMBERS 27:18-23
18 And the LORD said to Moses: "Take Joshua the son of Nun with you, a man in whom is the Spirit, and lay your hand on him; 19 "set him before Eleazar the priest and before all the congregation and inaugurate him in their sight. 20 "And you shall give some of your authority to him, that all the congregation of the children of Israel may be obedient. 21 "He shall stand before Eleazar the priest, who shall inquire before the LORD for him by the judgment of the Urim. At his word they shall go out, and at his word they shall come in, he and all the children of Israel with him-all the congregation." 22 So Moses did as the LORD commanded him. He took Joshua and set him before Eleazar the priest and before all the congregation. 23 And he laid his hands on him and inaugurated him, just as the LORD commanded by the hand of Moses (See also DEUT. 31:3-8; 14-23).
After a rather significant, serious blunder on the part of Moses, the LORD ended his career, stating that he would not lead Israel into the promised land. That mission would go to Joshua (NUM 20:11-12).
If you’ve ever been asked to fill the shoes of your mentor, someone that you’ve held the highest respect for – you know something about how Joshua must have felt. Even Scripture itself states that there was never another prophet like Moses (DEUT 34:10). How could Joshua possibly live up to that?
This is why GOD had to keep reassuring this man (JOSH 1:5-9).
This story begins at the riverfront of the Jordan, where Joshua and Israel are about to crossover into Canaan land…
Before we get into the text of Chapter One, some more background and preliminary information:
The Book can be divided into THREE MAJOR SECTIONS:
1) ENTERING THE PROMISED LAND – the people of Israel cross over the Jordan into Canaan (JOSH 1:1-5:12): Joshua leads the nation (about 1-2 million Hebrews, representing the next generation, as the first generation – with the exception of Joshua and Caleb – all perished in the wilderness because of their unbelief).
2) CONQUERING THE PROMISED LAND – The nation begins their GOD-ordained mandate to take the land promised to them (JOSH 5:13-12:24): Joshua strikes the central area of Canaan, then turns to the south and conquers those regions of Canaan. He turns about and takes down the regents in northern Canaan.
3) DIVIDING THE PROMISED LAND – The twelve tribes received their land allotments. (JOSH 13:1-24:33): Special cities are set aside for the Levites. The eastern tribes build an altar (for which they are drastically misunderstood by their fellow Hebrews). Joshua gives his farewell message.
FIVE PRIMARY THEMES of the Book:
1) SUCCESS – Success came when Israel obeyed GOD, not their own desires. Their trust was founded on GOD’s abilities, His promises, His faithfulness rather than their own military might and other human resources.
2) FAITH – By trusting GOD every step of the way (even when they didn’t know what their next step would be!) they would be assured of GOD’s salvation and leading. Observing GOD’s faithfulness in the past, gave them the faith to continue trusting in GOD and exhibiting confidence in future campaigns.
3) GUIDANCE – GOD’s instructions to Israel for every aspect of life was carefully laid out as He declared His Word to them and followed through by His faithful attendance to their needs and their GOD-given ability to claim the land promised to them.
4) LEADERSHIP – Joshua was an excellent leader, demonstrating his confidence in the LORD’s strength, being courageous in the face of opposition and willing to always seek GOD’s counsel.
5) CONQUEST – GOD commanded His people to conquer the land, bring judgment to the unrepentant Canaanites and acquire all of their land. Completing this mission would fulfill GOD’s promises to Abraham regarding the inheritance of the land and brought judgment on the evil people living there. Unfortunately, Israel never finished the job.
PROMISE Of The LAND, ENTERING THE LAND, CONQURING THE LAND, DESTROYING THE CANAANITES.
GENESIS 12:1-3
GOD promised to bless Abraham and make his descendants into a great nation.
GENESIS 15:16
GOD would choose the right time for Israel to enter Canaan because the pagan nations living there then would be wicked and ripe for judgment (their “iniquity would be full”).
GENESIS 17:7-8
GOD promised to give all the land of Canaan to Abraham’s descendants.
EXODUS 33:1-3
GOD promised to help the Israelites drive out all the evil nations from Canaan.
DEUTERONOMY 4:5-8
The Israelites were to be an example of right living to the whole world; this would not work if they intermingled with the wicked Canaanites.
DEUTERONOMY 7:1-5
The Israelites were to utterly wipe out the Canaanites because of their wickedness and because of Israel’s call to purity.
DEUTERONOMY 12:2
The Israelites were to completely destroy the Canaanite’s altars so nothing would tempt them away from worshiping GOD alone.
THE TIMELINE FROM THE DELIVERANCE OF ISRAEL TO THE TIME OF THE KINGS:
- Exodus From Egypt: 1446 BC~ The above notes were taken in part from the Life Application Bible, Introductory Notes
- Israelites enter Canaan: 1406 BC
- The beginning of the Time of the Judges: 1375 BC
- The United Kingdom of Israel under King Saul: 1050 BC
- The Kingdom is given to David: 1010 BC
1) ENTERING THE PROMISED LAND (JOSH 1:1-5:12): Joshua leads the nation (about 1-2 million Hebrews, representing the next generation, as the first generation – with the exception of Joshua and Caleb – all perished in the wilderness because of their unbelief; HEB 3:19; 4:6).
JOSHUA 1:1
Now after the death of Moses the servant of the LORD, it came to pass that the LORD spoke to Joshua the son of Nun, Moses' assistant, saying:
Moses, the Law giver died, and now it’s left for Joshua to pick up where Moses led off. In comparing Moses with Joshua by type, Moses represents the Law, and Joshua represents Jesus Christ.
Just as Moses didn’t lead the children of Israel into the land, neither can the Law lead us into salvation by the New Testament Covenant (the Law can only convict and condemn us for our sin; 1 TIM 1:9).
It was Joshua who led the Hebrews into the land, and likewise the LORD Jesus Christ that leads the repentant sinner into the New Covenant. While this was (and still is) applicable to Israel (Read JERE 31 below) – because of their rejection of the Messiah, this opens the opportunity for us Gentiles to enter into this covenant (ROM 11), which GOD intended for both Jews and Gentiles (Note: GOD’s promises to Israel will be fulfilled and the Jewish nation will one day be saved; ROM 11:26).
JEREMIAH 31:31-34JOSHUA 1:2-4
31 "Behold, the days are coming, says the LORD, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah 32 "not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt, My covenant which they broke, though I was a husband to them, says the LORD. 33 "But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the LORD: I will put My law in their minds, and write it on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people. 34 "No more shall every man teach his neighbor, and every man his brother, saying, 'Know the LORD,' for they all shall know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them, says the LORD. For I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin I will remember no more."
ROMANS 11:11-12
11 I say then, have they [the Jews] stumbled that they should fall? Certainly not! But through their fall, to provoke them to jealousy, salvation has come to the Gentiles. 12 Now if their fall is riches for the world, and their failure riches for the Gentiles, how much more their fullness!
ROMANS 11:15-22
15 For if their being cast away is the reconciling of the world, what will their acceptance be but life from the dead? 16 For if the firstfruit is holy, the lump is also holy; and if the root is holy, so are the branches. 17 And if some of the branches were broken off, and you, being a wild olive tree, were grafted in among them, and with them became a partaker of the root and fatness of the olive tree, 18 do not boast against the branches. But if you do boast, remember that you do not support the root, but the root supports you. 19 You will say then, "Branches were broken off that I might be grafted in." 20 Well said. Because of unbelief they were broken off, and you stand by faith. Do not be haughty, but fear. 21 For if God did not spare the natural branches, He may not spare you either. 22 Therefore consider the goodness and severity of God: on those who fell, severity; but toward you, goodness, if you continue in His goodness. Otherwise, you also will be cut off.
2 "Moses My servant is dead. Now therefore, arise, go over this Jordan, you and all this people, to the land which I give them, even the children of Israel. 3 "Every place that the sole of your foot will tread upon I have given you, as I said to Moses. 4 "From the wilderness and this Lebanon as far as the great river, the River Euphrates, all the land of the Hittites, and to the Great Sea toward the going down of the sun, shall be your territory.
Overall, Moses had a good report from none other than the LORD Himself:
NUMBERS 12:6-9No one knows where GOD buried Moses, except that it was somewhere in Moab (DEUT. 1:38). We do know however that there was a contention over his corpse! It’s been suggested and with strong support logically, that Satan wanted to turn the body of Moses into a religious icon to be worshiped, thus stumbling Israel via idolatry. He never got the chance however due to Michael the archangel calling upon the LORD to rebuke him (JUDE 1:9)!
6 Then He said, "Hear now My words: If there is a prophet among you, I, the LORD, make Myself known to him in a vision; I speak to him in a dream. 7 Not so with My servant Moses; He is faithful in all My house. 8 I speak with him face to face, Even plainly, and not in dark sayings; And he sees the form of the LORD. Why then were you not afraid To speak against My servant Moses?" 9 So the anger of the LORD was aroused against them [Aaron and Miriam], and He departed.
With Moses gone, Joshua is directed to cross over Jordan with all the people following. Some have seen “crossing over Jordan” as a type of the saint crossing the threshold of this world and stepping into the eternal heaven.
Yet Israel is confronted with enemies in Canaan, and giants, and suffer episodes of defeat and idolatry – hardly a picture of heaven!
Rather, what this represents is crossing over from the old life and into the new. By type we could rightly apply the life of a Christian, leaving behind a life of dominant sinfulness, and entering into the liberty found exclusively in Christ (GAL 5:1), yet still with battles to engage in, with potential either for victory or defeat in our day to day lives.
In fact, the entire history of Israel entering Canaan and overcoming the enemy is a type of the born again Christian experiencing an overcoming life, taking down strongholds and sinful tendencies one at a time, growing in holiness just as the land of Canaan grew in population of the Hebrews, gradually pushing out the evil, unrepentant inhabitants bit by bit (even using hornets do accomplish this! EXOD 23:28-30).
Notice what it says in vs. 3: “every place that the sole of your foot will tread upon I have given you…” GOD doesn’t say, “I will give you” but “I have given” – it’s a done deal in GOD’s mind! Victory assured: all the Hebrews had to do is obey GOD and enter the land in accordance with His direction!
If you look at the dimensions of the territory GOD gave to Israel, it’s identical to those GOD described to Abraham, along with the promise of a great nation with innumerable descendants (GEN 13:17-18; 15:18;17:7-9).
Yet here, the boundaries are even more explicit:
"From the wilderness and this Lebanon as far as the great river, the River Euphrates, all the land of the Hittites, and to the Great Sea toward the going down of the sun, shall be your territory”
The wilderness speaks of the southern region, what we know today as the Negev. The northern regions extend all the way to Lebanon and the Hittites (bordering Turkey). All the way eastward to the Euphrates that splits Iraq by a third and the Great Sea is the Mediterranean Sea. This promised landmass is about the size of Texas – today Israel occupies an area slightly larger than New Jersey with a comparable population (about 9 million).
That’s quite an expansion! Will we ever see Israel inherit all the land that GOD promised Abraham? Yes, but I believe it will happen upon the return of the Messiah and His commencement of the Millennial Reign.
JOSHUA 1:5-7
5 "No man shall be able to stand before you all the days of your life; as I was with Moses, so I will be with you. I will not leave you [fail you] nor forsake you. 6 "Be strong and of good courage, for to this people you shall divide as an inheritance the land which I swore to their fathers to give them. 7 "Only be strong and very courageous, that you may observe to do according to all the law which Moses My servant commanded you; do not turn from it to the right hand or to the left, that you may prosper wherever you go.
The LORD says to Joshua twice in three verses: “…be strong and of good courage… be strong and very courageous…”
He saw the mighty works that GOD did through Moses, the sort of intimacy Moses had with the LORD, how he faithfully led upwards of 1-2 million Hebrew slaves through the barren wilderness (think at some length about the logistics of travel and provisions of this many people without any running water, no grocery stores anywhere!) all the while putting up with their grumbling, mumbling and rebelling. Then in vs. 17, these Hebrews have the nerve to say to Joshua, “Just as we heeded Moses in all things, so we will heed you.”
Can you just picture Joshua grimacing at that remark? It’s no wonder the LORD commanded him to be strong! And that wasn’t a word of encouragement, or a recommendation – it was a command from Almighty GOD! The exact same sort of command that the LORD gives His Christian warriors (EPH 6:10)!
And Joshua could take GOD at His word – why? Because He clearly told this General of the Armies of Israel – and now their leader: “…as I was with Moses, so I will be with you. I will not leave you [fail you] nor forsake you.”
In a way, Joshua had the advantage over Moses – He saw firsthand all of the incredible miracles GOD performed in Egypt, at the Red Sea, in all of the provisions throughout the 40 year journey through the wilderness before GOD called him into leadership.
He understood that the same GOD that did all that for His people is the same GOD that has promised to be with him always. Moses started off his leadership role with just two signs: turning his staff into a serpent and turning his hand leprous and back again (EXOD 4).
The LORD assured Joshua that he would come to divide the land promised to their fathers, to the twelve tribes, and also commanded him to obey all things that He instructed Moses in the Law of GOD.
Likewise for us Christians – we heed the commands of GOD, and follow Christ Who will assure us daily that we will conquer the sin nature and live holy, victorious lives
JOSHUA 1:8
"This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success.
Read what this verse says about the Holy Revelation of the Living GOD:
1 THESSALONIANS 2:13That word for “effectively” is energeo in the Greek (you can see, it’s the word we derive the word “energy” from. It means “active, (to work) effectively, fervent, might”. The Word of GOD has been compared to a seed in parables that the LORD Jesus gave us (LUKE 8:11).
For this reason we also thank God without ceasing, because when you received the word of God which you heard from us, you welcomed it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God, which also effectively works in you who believe.
Seeds are amazing capsules jam-packed with DNA to create that which the seed came from. Apple seeds come from apples, which came from apple trees – those seeds will produce more apple trees and fruit.
GENESIS is replete in the expression, “after their own kind” (which by the way, slams evolution). Check out Living Waters film, Evolution vs. GOD!
The Word of GOD is spiritual seed, that when planted in a good heart (not good in a moral sense but prepared with godly sorrow and repentance (2 COR 7:10) – like tilled soil ready for seeding) that is repentant and expressing faith in Christ will produce the new nature (as opposed to our sin nature) that is born of the Spirit of GOD that indwells all born again disciples.
Essentially, the Word works effectively, fervently, mightily to reproduce the nature of Christ in us – His goodness, His grace, His truth, His love! As we take in the Word and by faith in GOD’s empowering grace live out the truth of the Word – this is what conforms us to Christ (ROM 8:29). We then represent His “many brethren” all re-made in the image of Christ, the Last Adam – and Founder of what is essentially a new human race!
If Joshua obeyed, then by meritorious conduct he would earn GOD’s blessings. This is where the Old Testament saint differs from the New Testament saint: all of our spiritual blessings are granted to us by grace – not merit – upon entering into the New Covenant and experiencing the new birth in Christ, and entering into the kingdom of GOD.
JOSHUA 1:9
"Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go."
GOD will never command us to do something that is impossible for us – through the power of Christ that dwells in us! The Christian life isn’t difficult, it’s impossible! The only One Who could truly live the Christian life is Christ – hence the necessity for us to be born again! It’s very much like “hand in glove”.
The glove is a lifeless shell incapable of doing anything on its own. But put a hand in it, and that glove can do anything that the hand can do – because the power isn’t in the lifeless glove, but in the living hand inside it.
So since we are saved by grace, indwelt by the Spirit, granted access to the holy throne of GOD and the grace He provides for our spiritual fortitude, there is no excuse why we can’t obey the command of GOD:
1 PETER 1:15-16Does this mean that we will never sin again and live perfectly sinless lives (as some assert with the doctrine of “sinless perfectionism”. What does the Word of GOD say about this? Advocates of sinless perfectionism state that our old nature is dead – but if that’s the case, what is the Spirit striving against (GAL 5:17)?
15 but as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, 16 because it is written, "Be holy, for I am holy.
What does apostle John say in his epistle?
1 JOHN 1:8-9So, it’s possible for us to still sin, but with the remedy of confessing those sins – and the LORD is faithful to forgive, cleanse and restore us! Also, as long as we focus on “walk[ing] in the Spirit we won’t fulfill the lusts of the flesh” (GAL 5:16). But we often fail to walk in the Spirit – “there’s the rub”!
8 If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
But why does it say in that same epistle the following?
1 JOHN 3:9Because that which has been born of GOD is our new nature – but our old nature (or “old man”) is still around! It’s what causes us trouble (ROM 7). But that part of us that’s been born of GOD – that is the new hearts we are given and then sealed by the Holy Spirit of promise – this new nature cannot sin, but the old nature does!
Whoever has been born of God does not sin, for His seed remains in him; and he cannot sin, because he has been born of God.
This is why it’s vital that we “die to self (old nature) so that Christ’s nature may thrive in us (ROM 6:6; EPH 4:22; COL 3:9)! As we grow in Christ, we won’t be given over to habitual sin – we won’t “continue in sin” as the Scripture from 1 JOHN states in the original Greek.
We’ll end on this point, and pick up in Part Two of JOSHUA Chapter One next time, starting in vs. 10!
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