Day 62: Joshua 1-3

(The first five books of the Old Testament made up the section known as the Torah: five books written by Moses that presented God's eternal plan. The second section of the Old Testament was known as the "historical section." It consisted of twelve books that documented Israel's history from their entry into the Promised Land until their captivity. The Book of Joshua was the first book of the historical section and was believed to have been written by Joshua. God led the Israelites through Judges. Moses was the first Judge. Joshua was the second Judge. This book documented the events during Joshua's time as Judge. Remember, God had intended for Moses to lead the Israelites into the Promised Land. However, Moses disobeyed God. This meant Joshua became the steward/keeper of another man's (Moses') ministry.)

Joshua 1
¹ Now it came to pass after the death of Moses the servant of Jehovah, that Jehovah spake unto Joshua the son of Nun, Moses' minister, saying,
² Moses my servant is dead; now therefore arise, go over this Jordan, thou, and all this people, unto the land which I do give to them, even to the children of Israel.

(After Moses was dead, God spoke to Joshua and told him to go over the Jordan River.)

³ Every place that the sole of your foot shall tread upon, to you have I given it, as I spake unto Moses.
⁴ From the wilderness, and this Lebanon, even unto the great river, the river Euphrates, all the land of the Hittites, and unto the great sea toward the going down of the sun, shall be your border.

(The "great sea" was the Mediterranean Sea.)

⁵ There shall not any man be able to stand before thee all the days of thy life: as I was with Moses, so I will be with thee; I will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.

(What an amazing statement from God! God was with Joshua as He was with Moses. God would not fail him nor forsake him.)

⁶ Be strong and of good courage; for thou shalt cause this people to inherit the land which I sware unto their fathers to give them.
⁷ Only be strong and very courageous, to observe to do according to all the law, which Moses my servant commanded thee: turn not from it to the right hand or to the left, that thou mayest have good success whithersoever thou goest.

(God put a lot of emphasis on being strong and courageous.

-Strength was "the ability to handle a sudden conflict." Basically, it takes strength not to panic during the moment of conflict.

-Courage was "the ability to handle an anticipated conflict." It takes courage to continue walking towards a coming conflict.)

⁸ This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth, but thou shalt meditate thereon day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success.

(God told Joshua to meditate on the Law. One reason for this was so Joshua would have "good success." Part of the Strong’s Concordance entry for the word success was to "wisely understand"...having a right how and a right why. The meaning of success in God’s Eyes was not the same as success as our culture or the world sees it. Good success could only come from wisdom, which only came from God.)

⁹ Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of good courage; be not affrighted, neither be thou dismayed: for Jehovah thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest.

(Verses 10-18: preparations to cross the Jordan River.)

¹⁰ Then Joshua commanded the officers of the people, saying,
¹¹ Pass through the midst of the camp, and command the people, saying, Prepare you victuals; for within three days ye are to pass over this Jordan, to go in to possess the land, which Jehovah your God giveth you to possess it.

(Joshua told them to prepare their victuals (food, provision) because they would cross the Jordan River in three days.)

¹² And to the Reubenites, and to the Gadites, and to the half-tribe of Manasseh, spake Joshua, saying,
¹³ Remember the word which Moses the servant of Jehovah commanded you, saying, Jehovah your God giveth you rest, and will give you this land.
¹⁴ Your wives, your little ones, and your cattle, shall abide in the land which Moses gave you beyond the Jordan; but ye shall pass over before your brethren armed, all the mighty men of valor, and shall help them;
¹⁵ until Jehovah have given your brethren rest, as he hath given you, and they also have possessed the land which Jehovah your God giveth them: then ye shall return unto the land of your possession, and possess it, which Moses the servant of Jehovah gave you beyond the Jordan toward the sunrising.

(Joshua reminded the Reubenites, Gadites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh about the agreement they made to fight with the rest of Israel until they all found rest.)

¹⁶ And they answered Joshua, saying, All that thou hast commanded us we will do, and whithersoever thou sendest us we will go.

(They agreed to do all that Joshua commanded.)

¹⁷ According as we hearkened unto Moses in all things, so will we hearken unto thee: only Jehovah thy God be with thee, as he was with Moses.
¹⁸ Whosoever he be that shall rebel against thy commandment, and shall not hearken unto thy words in all that thou commandest him, he shall be put to death: only be strong and of good courage.

(Strength and courage were emphasized again.)




Joshua 2
¹ And Joshua the son of Nun sent out of Shittim two men as spies secretly, saying, Go, view the land, and Jericho. And they went and came into the house of a harlot whose name was Rahab, and lay there.

(Joshua sent out two spies to go to Jericho and they met up with Rahab (the harlot) and lodged with her. The following story was referenced in Hebrews 11:31 as proof that Rahab was an example of faith to us. In addition to that, Rahab was referenced in the lineage of Christ (Matthew 1:5) and James 2:25 also referenced this story.)

² And it was told the king of Jericho, saying, Behold, there came men in hither to-night of the children of Israel to search out the land.
³ And the king of Jericho sent unto Rahab, saying, Bring forth the men that are come to thee, that are entered into thy house; for they are come to search out all the land.

(The King of Jericho found out and told Rahab to bring forth the men. How did the king know to confront Rahab about this?)

⁴ And the woman took the two men, and hid them; and she said, Yea, the men came unto me, but I knew not whence they were:

(Rahab hid the men.)

⁵ and it came to pass about the time of the shutting of the gate, when it was dark, that the men went out; whither the men went I know not: pursue after them quickly; for ye will overtake them.
⁶ But she had brought them up to the roof, and hid them with the stalks of flax, which she had laid in order upon the roof.
⁷ And the men pursued after them the way to the Jordan unto the fords: and as soon as they that pursued after them were gone out, they shut the gate.
⁸ And before they were laid down, she came up unto them upon the roof;
⁹ and she said unto the men, I know that Jehovah hath given you the land, and that the fear of you is fallen upon us, and that all the inhabitants of the land melt away before you.
¹⁰ For we have heard how Jehovah dried up the water of the Red Sea before you, when ye came out of Egypt; and what ye did unto the two kings of the Amorites, that were beyond the Jordan, unto Sihon and to Og, whom ye utterly destroyed.

(Rahab told them that all the inhabitants of the land faint because of them. The Israelites were famous. People outside of Israel fainted because they heard about God drying the Red Sea and what they did to the two kings on the other side of Jordan.)

¹¹ And as soon as we had heard it, our hearts did melt, neither did there remain any more spirit in any man, because of you: for Jehovah your God, he is God in heaven above, and on earth beneath.

(Rahab had faith. She stated that the God of the Israelites was the God of heaven and earth.)

¹² Now therefore, I pray you, swear unto me by Jehovah, since I have dealt kindly with you, that ye also will deal kindly with my father's house, and give me a true token;
¹³ and that ye will save alive my father, and my mother, and my brethren, and my sisters, and all that they have, and will deliver our lives from death.

(Rahab asked for a "true token" so they would spare her and her household.)

¹⁴ And the men said unto her, Our life for yours, if ye utter not this our business; and it shall be, when Jehovah giveth us the land, that we will deal kindly and truly with thee.
¹⁵ Then she let them down by a cord through the window: for her house was upon the side of the wall, and she dwelt upon the wall.

(She let them down by a cord. Her house was on the wall.)

¹⁶ And she said unto them, Get you to the mountain, lest the pursuers light upon you; and hide yourselves there three days, until the pursuers be returned: and afterward may ye go your way.
¹⁷ And the men said unto her, We will be guiltless of this thine oath which thou hast made us to swear.
¹⁸ Behold, when we come into the land, thou shalt bind this line of scarlet thread in the window which thou didst let us down by: and thou shalt gather unto thee into the house thy father, and thy mother, and thy brethren, and all thy father's household.
¹⁹ And it shall be, that whosoever shall go out of the doors of thy house into the street, his blood shall be upon his head, and we shall be guiltless: and whosoever shall be with thee in the house, his blood shall be on our head, if any hand be upon him.
²⁰ But if thou utter this our business, then we shall be guiltless of thine oath which thou hast made us to swear.

(The conditions of the oath were established. They were similar to the Passover: when people put blood (red) over their doors and the angel of death passed over the house.)

²¹ And she said, According unto your words, so be it. And she sent them away, and they departed: and she bound the scarlet line in the window.

(She agreed to the deal. If she did not tell of the two spies, they would not kill her and her family.)

²² And they went, and came unto the mountain, and abode there three days, until the pursuers were returned: and the pursuers sought them throughout all the way, but found them not.
²³ Then the two men returned, and descended from the mountain, and passed over, and came to Joshua the son of Nun; and they told him all that had befallen them.
²⁴ And they said unto Joshua, Truly Jehovah hath delivered into our hands all the land; and moreover all the inhabitants of the land do melt away before us.

(The two spies gave a good report. Did Joshua only send two spies because only two spies gave a good report forty years previously? Remember, Joshua was one of those two previous spies. Did Joshua send two spies so they would serve as two witnesses for the coming judgment of Jericho?)




Joshua 3

(Verses 1-13: instructions for crossing the Jordan River.)

¹ And Joshua rose up early in the morning; and they removed from Shittim, and came to the Jordan, he and all the children of Israel; and they lodged there before they passed over.
² And it came to pass after three days, that the officers went through the midst of the camp;
³ and they commanded the people, saying, When ye see the ark of the covenant of Jehovah your God, and the priests the Levites bearing it, then ye shall remove from your place, and go after it.

(The Ark of the Covenant would lead the way.)

⁴ Yet there shall be a space between you and it, about two thousand cubits by measure: come not near unto it, that ye may know the way by which ye must go; for ye have not passed this way heretofore.
⁵ And Joshua said unto the people, Sanctify yourselves; for tomorrow Jehovah will do wonders among you.

(Joshua told the people to sanctify themselves because God was going to do wonders among them.)

⁶ And Joshua spake unto the priests, saying, Take up the ark of the covenant, and pass over before the people. And they took up the ark of the covenant, and went before the people.
⁷ And Jehovah said unto Joshua, This day will I begin to magnify thee in the sight of all Israel, that they may know that, as I was with Moses, so I will be with thee.

(God wanted the people to know that He was with Joshua as He was with Moses. This would build their faith.)

⁸ And thou shalt command the priests that bear the ark of the covenant, saying, When ye are come to the brink of the waters of the Jordan, ye shall stand still in the Jordan.

(The priests with the Ark of the Covenant were to stand still in the Jordan.)

⁹ And Joshua said unto the children of Israel, Come hither, and hear the words of Jehovah your God.
¹⁰ And Joshua said, Hereby ye shall know that the living God is among you, and that he will without fail drive out from before you the Canaanite, and the Hittite, and the Hivite, and the Perizzite, and the Girgashite, and the Amorite, and the Jebusite.
¹¹ Behold, the ark of the covenant of the Lord of all the earth passeth over before you into the Jordan.
¹² Now therefore take you twelve men out of the tribes of Israel, for every tribe a man.
¹³ And it shall come to pass, when the soles of the feet of the priests that bear the ark of Jehovah, the Lord of all the earth, shall rest in the waters of the Jordan, that the waters of the Jordan shall be cut off, even the waters that come down from above; and they shall stand in one heap.

(Joshua told them God would cause the water to be cut off and it would start piling up, like a dam, so they could cross.)

(Verses 14-17: the crossing of the Jordan River.)

¹⁴ And it came to pass, when the people removed from their tents, to pass over the Jordan, the priests that bare the ark of the covenant being before the people;
¹⁵ and when they that bare the ark were come unto the Jordan, and the feet of the priests that bare the ark were dipped in the brink of the water (for the Jordan overfloweth all its banks all the time of harvest,)
¹⁶ that the waters which came down from above stood, and rose up in one heap, a great way off, at Adam, the city that is beside Zarethan; and those that went down toward the sea of the Arabah, even the Salt Sea, were wholly cut off: and the people passed over right against Jericho.
¹⁷ And the priests that bare the ark of the covenant of Jehovah stood firm on dry ground in the midst of the Jordan; and all Israel passed over on dry ground, until all the nation were passed clean over the Jordan.

(What Joshua told them God would do came to pass. The priests with the Ark of the Covenant stood on dry ground and all the Israelites passed over on dry ground. Very similar to Moses and the Red Sea.)

(This post covered God's instructions to Joshua prior to crossing the Jordan and God's miraculous damming of the Jordan so that all the Israelites passed over on dry ground.)

Day 63