On top of that, those children heard their parents, grumbling, complaining, murmuring about their situation, all motivated by hearts of unbelief. But the second generation who grew into adulthood by the end of their journey, did express faith in the LORD, and the LORD delivered! – in more ways than one!
Now their eyes have seen the Jordan River; they’ve laid twelve stones in it, and another twelve on the riverbank as a testimony to remember what GOD had done for them.
Then they are told to prepare to enter into Canaan by gathering up provisions (and the formidable task of breaking camp for some millions of people!) and in three days (a significant number) they’ll be crossing over. Not only were they anticipating some good fortune but were probably apprehensive as well about the unknown. How much more so for their leadership, and especially Joshua!
JOSHUA 1:10-11
10 Then Joshua commanded the officers of the people, saying, 11 "Pass through the camp and command the people, saying, 'Prepare provisions for yourselves, for within three days you will cross over this Jordan, to go in to possess the land which the LORD your God is giving you to possess.'"
Apparently in gathering up food stores, the manna that GOD provided for them throughout their journey was still coming down to some degree, giving them sustenance (JOSH 5:12). Our GOD knows our needs long before we ever do! Nevertheless, the people were expected to take responsibility for their own provisions and depend on their GOD-given abilities to perform the task.
The “officers” mentioned in vs. 10 were most likely lower ranking magistrates, whose work involved more of a hands-on labor rather than the other “officers” who would engage in the loftier matters of courts of law and magisterial occupations.
To Joshua, the LORD stated that He had “given” the land to him and his people; here the leader of Israel states that the LORD is “giving” them the land to possess. So, which is it? Actually, it’s both!
We must remember that GOD is eternal, which means that He exists outside of time. He observes the past, the present, and the future all at once. So as far as GOD is concerned, any counsels of His that He declares is a “done deal” because He sees it already happened in the future, well before we arrive at the future which then becomes our present (ROM 4:17).
In relating to us in “real time” (from our perspective) He told them that He is “giving” the land to them.
PSALM 24:1GOD owns all that He created; as Creator He owns all the real estate on the planet just as much as He owns all souls (EZEK 18:4). Just because He owns all souls as their Creator, that does not mean that they are all GOD’s children. No one is GOD’s child in a familial sense because He created them. He created the sun, moon and stars as well as rain, sunshine and mud – that doesn’t make them GOD’s children.
The earth is the LORD'S, and all its fullness, The world and those who dwell therein.
GOD must be one’s Redeemer in order for anyone to become a child of GOD:
JOHN 1:12-13Because He is Creator, He is the Sovereign LORD over His creation – which means He makes the rules that we’ve all broken (sinning against the Holy Law of GOD). Being a Holy LORD Who established the Law, it’s only right that He as the Holy GOD should preside over the Law as Judge. As a righteous Judge He must do His job and condemn any violation of the Law (as any good judge will do). But He is Love as well as Holy and doesn’t want to condemn the souls He loves – so He made a way of escaping the Judgment, while fulfilling the justice of His Law – as Redeemer.
12 But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name: 13 who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.
Check out The FOUR PRIMARY OFFICES of GOD that explores each of these offices that GOD holds.
But getting back to the LORD being LORD over all the Earth that belongs to Him (DEUT 10:14; JOB 41:11; PSA 50:12; 1 COR 10:26,28): there are those who protest Israel’s existence, citing a favorable view towards the Palestinians (Who are actually, mostly Jordanian [and were already given a land, namely Trans-Jordan, today known simply as Jordan]) and claiming Israel has no right to the land. And in reality, they don’t: GOD does! And He has every right to give any parcel of land to anyone He wants (or evict anyone He wants – which will happen on Judgment Day: no one will remain on this Earth once Judgment Day commences, and after its finished, the old Earth and old Heavens will vanish away (with the biggest bang in history! 2 PET 3:10; ISA 51:6; MATT 24:35; ROM 8:12; REV 20:11) and be replaced with New Heavens and New Earth, where ONLY the righteous will dwell forever and ever (2 PET 3:13)!
Any and all who rejected the Gospel, and GOD’s offer of salvation, extended by His nail-scarred hand, will proceed to the lake of fire, aka the second death, without reprieve or second chances (people for the most part received countless chances during their lifetime while on Earth!).
And while all the Earth belongs to the LORD, He has chosen to prefer a particular piece of real estate, found in the Middle East: Israel (PSA 87:2; 78:67-68)! Note what the LORD says regarding those who have dissected His land according to their own preferences:
JOEL 3:2All diplomatic efforts aside, a “two-state solution” is contrary to the will of GOD. In Part One of this study, we showed that the land the LORD allotted to Israel is actually much larger than what they currently hold, and one day His will shall be manifested when His people Israel are blessed with a land mass comparable to the State of Texas rather than the New Jersey-sized parcel they have now.
I will also gather all nations and bring them down to the Valley of Jehoshaphat; And I will enter into judgment with them there on account of My people, My heritage Israel, whom they have scattered among the nations; They have also divided up My land.
JOSHUA 1:12-15
12 And to the Reubenites, the Gadites, and half the tribe of Manasseh Joshua spoke, saying, 13 "Remember the word which Moses the servant of the LORD commanded you, saying, 'The LORD your God has given you rest and has given you this land.' 14 "Your wives, your little ones, and your livestock shall remain in the land which Moses gave you on this side of the Jordan. But you shall pass before your brethren armed, all your mighty men of valor, and help them, 15 "until the LORD has given your brethren rest, as He gave you, and they also have taken possession of the land which the LORD your God is giving them. Then you shall return to the land of your possession and enjoy it, which Moses the LORD'S servant gave you on this side of the Jordan toward the sunrise."
When they drew near to the land promised to them by GOD, the tribes of Reuben, Gad and (half of) Manasseh saw that the land area just east of the Jordan River was excellent for cattle raising (See NUM 32:1-41; esp. vss. 1-22) and asked Moses if they could settle there (“the land of Jazer and Gilead”) and after a dispute and misunderstanding, Moses granted their request on the condition that when the time came to war against the Canaanites, that they would leave their inheritance, join in the fight and not turn back until the enemy was defeated. Those tribes readily agreed to the condition and they kept their word.
While the LORD has assigned all of us in different places and phases of life, being in a commodious climate most suitable for our individual ministries, when it comes to sharing the Gospel, edifying the saints, intercessory prayer, like the tribes of Israel who were called upon for the common defense (and in their case, Divinely appointed offenses as well), we are called upon to function as one body for the purpose of furthering the kingdom of GOD and standing against the kingdom of darkness.
It was GOD’s will that the Canaanites be judged for their wickedness, and He chose according to His Sovereign Will, to use Israel as the method of that judgment.
The Canaanites worshiped false gods (check out this 13 min video) of the most heinous sort, that required infant sacrifices. They would lay newborns in the arms of bronze statues of Molech, super-heated in fire. Out of reflex to the excruciating pain, the baby would flinch and fall into the flames where it burned alive!
Archeology has discovered the skeletons of infants enclosed in the walls of Canaanite dwellings. Apparently, in order to procure the blessings of the gods on their homes, burying a baby alive within the wall was a requirement.
Barbaric you say? And yet when considering the methods of all the abortions conducted in the United States alone (even before such was made legal by Roe v. Wade), have we not exceeded that barbarism with atrocities committed in sterile medical facilities where abortionists are garbed in the clothing of the modern priesthood (surgical gowns, scrubs and masks; link goes to a clip of the film Nefarious)?
The LORD gave them more than four hundred years to repent before He judged the Amorites (who because of their vast numbers were representatives for all Canaanites). He told Abraham that his people would become slaves in a foreign land but that they would return to the inheritance He intended on giving them once the “iniquity of the Amorites [was] full”.
Likewise, the church of the LORD Jesus Christ will preside alongside her Bridegroom on the Day of Judgment, to judge all the world and rule over creation (1 COR 6:3; REV 2:26-27).
As discussed in Part One of JOSHUA Ch. 1, crossing over Jordan into the Promised Land is often depicted as leaving this world and entering heaven. While the analogy is applicable, a more precise analogy is of the Christian leaving the old life and entering into the new (via being born again in Christ).
There will be no contentions, strife and wars in heaven (there was a war between Michael and his angels and Satan and his own, but Satan was cast down (LUKE 10:18). No need to lay claim and conquer that which is granted to us by grace, according to the blessed atonement of the LORD Jesus Christ!
Yet in the Christian life, we are most certainly engaged in spiritual warfare! While Satan is ultimately a defeated foe, he is by no means no longer dangerous: if that were the case, there would be no need for the LORD to provide us with spiritual armor (EPH 6:10-18)!
We saints have three formidable enemies (check out the three videos accompanying these teachings!): Satan, this world system, and our own sinful nature! And if we might feel overwhelmed by the enormity of the enemy’s powers (all three of them), we need not despair, for “those who are with us are more than they that be with them” (2 KINGS 6)! That is, the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit – as well as the Sword of the Spirit, the Armor of GOD, and access via prayer to the Holy Throne of the Almighty!
Show me a saint who is an overcomer, and I’ll show you a saint who by faith, thwarts all the assaults of Satan, overcomes the world, and successfully denies the flesh, dying to self, taking up daily his cross and living in resurrection power!
JOSHUA 1:16-18
16 So they answered Joshua, saying, "All that you command us we will do, and wherever you send us we will go. 17 "Just as we [this is now the second generation, not the first of the Hebrew people that was full of unbelief] heeded Moses in all things, so we will heed you. Only the LORD your God be with you, as He was with Moses. 18 "Whoever rebels against your command and does not heed your words, in all that you command him, shall be put to death. Only be strong and of good courage."
One might wonder – what’s all of this about, anyway? Why did GOD even bother creating a nation from Hebrew slaves and bring them into Canaan land? Or for that matter, why did the LORD even start things up with Abram? Or even further back – what was His point in creating the heavens and the earth?
What’s the ultimate goal?
These questions and more are the subject of my TTUF series: GOD’s PERFECT PLAN: The GOSPEL – A Series Exploring the Biblical Overview.
Essentially it’s GOD’s desire to reveal His glory and establish a forever family to dwell with Him throughout eternity with the intent of loving relationship.
But sin entered the world and seemed to foil that plan – but not really, as GOD being eternal, knew already what would happen and had the plan of redemption already in place before He even said, “Let there be light.”
He had to bring the Son into the world to be the Sacrifice. Before He could do that, He needed to create a lineage through which He could come – hence the covenant with Abraham (and later, David) by which the land would be established, the Jewish nation through which the Messiah would come, the throne from which Messiah would rule, and a host of prophecies detailing all of these, along with the biblical narrative that contrasts the failed kings of Israel and Judah with the flawless character of Christ the King!
Additionally, Christ sought out a bride that the Father drew to Him, and the church of born again believers will rule and reign alongside the LORD forever and ever.
The Cross was necessary for redemption, and redemption was needed in order to restore relationship.
The response of the Hebrews to Joshua, now their leader, to bring them into Canaan land was one of absolute affirmation: “All that you command us we will do, and wherever you send us we will go” as well as “Just as we heeded Moses in all things, so we will heed you. Only the LORD your God be with you, as He was with Moses.”
This was the second generation speaking now; the first generation (their parents) were the ones who grumbled, murmured interminably for forty years – and they even falsely accused Moses and so, they were all destroyed in the wilderness due to their unbelief:
HEBREWS 3:15-19The children learned their lesson: don’t deviate from your faith in the LORD, He is trustworthy, faithful, full of grace and truth! Do you remember that there were two men of that first generation that actually did make it into the promised land?
15 while it is said: "Today, if you will hear His voice, Do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion." 16 For who, having heard, rebelled? Indeed, was it not all who came out of Egypt, led by Moses? 17 Now with whom was He angry forty years? Was it not with those who sinned, whose corpses fell in the wilderness? 18 And to whom did He swear that they would not enter His rest, but to those who did not obey? 19 So we see that they could not enter in because of unbelief.
Joshua and Caleb; these were honorable men that took GOD at His Word, walked in faith and were obedient in all things. GOD isn’t an overly demanding GOD; all He asks is that we simply believe Him and hear and obey His Word. That’s all He asks of any of His saints, Old Testament or New!
That second generation, those believing saints were so committed to the LORD that they made an oath, that if any did not obey the Word of the LORD through Joshua, that they would be put to death (somehow I don’t think this would fly in today’s churches!).
And what the LORD told Joshua, the people themselves reiterated:
“Only be strong and of good courage."
We’ve reached the end of Chapter One, so next time we’ll get into Chapter Two!
Remember, the people of Israel cross over the Jordan into Canaan and their activities are recorded in JOSHUA chapters One through Five: Joshua is leading the nation, about 1-2 million Hebrews, representing the next generation.
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