Josh 1:1-9, Joshua's task and guidance

• Background (Evans, "Explore the Bible")
• Author: Difficult to determine. The burial notices in 24:29-33 argue against Joshua. The dozen appearances of the phrase  "to this day" could suggest Samuel or a later prophet.
• Time frame:
• Temple laid in 480th year (966) after coming out of Egypt
• Suggests exodus at 1446 and book of Joshua as 1406 to 1380
• Organization:
• Conquest of the land: Chapters 1-12
• Distribution of the land 13-24


Joshua 1:1–5 (ESV) — 1 After the death of Moses the servant of the Lord, the Lord said to Joshua the son of Nun, Moses’ assistant, 2 “Moses my servant is dead. Now therefore arise, go over this Jordan, you and all this people, into the land that I am giving to them, to the people of Israel. 3 Every place that the sole of your foot will tread upon I have given to you, just as I promised to Moses. 4 From the wilderness and this Lebanon as far as the great river, the river Euphrates, all the land of the Hittites to the Great Sea toward the going down of the sun shall be your territory. 5 No man shall be able to stand before you all the days of your life. Just as I was with Moses, so I will be with you. I will not leave you or forsake you.


• Background:
• The people observed 30 days of mourning
• Joshua is from the tribe of Ephraim, Moses was from the tribe of Levi
• What is the promise? This is the land promise
• Lebanon
• Syria
• Iran
• Jordan
• The land promise has important eschatological significance
• It has never been fulfilled literally
• Pre-mil, pre-trib doctrine teaches that it is fulfilled in the millennial kingdom
• Other ideas include a non-literal fulfillment, to include ideas such as the church replaces Israel
• God gave this promise to Israel (it was also a promise to Moses so it does not have to accomplish within the lifespan of the person who heard it)
• Does the land promise include land on the eastern side of the Jordan?
• The promise of foot and possession is after the crossing of the Jordan
• But, 2 1/2 tribes have already settled on the east side
• What is the distribution of responsibilities for conquering the land?
• Israel has to step forward (they have to put their foot on it)
• God says that no one will stand before Joshua all the days of his life
• (implied are aspects of the law (obedience) which come out in the Ai story)


Joshua 1:6–7 (ESV) — 6 Be strong and courageous, for you shall cause this people to inherit the land that I swore to their fathers to give them. 7 Only be strong and very courageous, being careful to do according to all the law that Moses my servant commanded you. Do not turn from it to the right hand or to the left, that you may have good success wherever you go.


• Three times God says be strong and courageous in verse 6 - 9 (once he adds, very courageous)
• The Hebrew word for strong can mean (using Dictionary of Biblical Languages):
1. be harsh (high degree of intensity),
2. be hard (not willing to obtain new information because it will not change the response to the situation),
3. be strong (implies an element of resolve is needed)
• The Hebrew word for courageous can mean (TWOT):
1. be strong (have a high status)
2. be victorious (have a victory)
3. harden (be obstinate)
• So they are actually very similar thoughts, what is God expecting from Joshua?
• To listen to Him, not the people
• Not to second guess God's command
• Not to shrink back
• In verse 7, God adds and additional command. What is it and why?
• What: Be careful to DO according to all the law that Moses … commanded you (do not deviate, to the right or to the left)
• Why: Because a leader has to set the example. People will lose faith in a leader who says one thing and then does the other
• APPLICATION: We need to live the Christian life of love for our witness to be effective. We can't lead someone to faith if they see a disconnect in our life


Joshua 1:8–9 (ESV) —
8 This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful 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. 9 Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”


• This is a very famous verse. Why does God give it?
• In order to follow the word, you must make it a part of your everyday life
• "Depart from your mouth" could be a reference to memorization
• What is meditation?
• It is an active process of the mind to dig more deeply into the meaning of a verse
• It is characterized by
• questioning
• turning over
• cross-referencing
• examining in light of the context
• understanding the context
• "A text without a context is a pretext for a proof text"
• What is the promise?
• Prosperity and success
• This was a very specific promise to Joshua in the undertaking that God have given him, but it is a feature of the old covenant
• Deut 27:11-26 are the curses that the people were to shout to each other (although not the blessings)
• Deut 28 is a summary of the blessings (1-14) and curses (15-68)
• Physical blessings and physical punishment are distinct elements of the Mosaic law
• APPLICATION: Can a believer today take this promise for him or herself?
• Yes, but primarily in the Proverbs sense. If you do right, for the most part, good things follow
• Also, you could sense that God is giving you this promise for some undertaking, but that would be a conviction
• No, you cannot teach it except under the general Proverbs sense.


Joshua 1:10–18 (ESV) — 10 And Joshua commanded the officers of the people, 11 “Pass through the midst of the camp and command the people, ‘Prepare your provisions, for within three days you are to pass over this Jordan to go in to take possession of the land that the Lord your God is giving you to possess.’ ”
12 And to the Reubenites, the Gadites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh Joshua said, 13 “Remember the word that Moses the servant of the Lord commanded you, saying, ‘The Lord your God is providing you a place of rest and will give you this land.’ 14 Your wives, your little ones, and your livestock shall remain in the land that Moses gave you beyond the Jordan, but all the men of valor among you shall pass over armed before your brothers and shall help them, 15 until the Lord gives rest to your brothers as he has to you, and they also take possession of the land that the Lord your God is giving them. Then you shall return to the land of your possession and shall possess it, the land that Moses the servant of the Lord gave you beyond the Jordan toward the sunrise.”
16 And they answered Joshua, “All that you have commanded us we will do, and wherever you send us we will go. 17 Just as we obeyed Moses in all things, so we will obey you. Only may the Lord your God be with you, as he was with Moses! 18 Whoever rebels against your commandment and disobeys your words, whatever you command him, shall be put to death. Only be strong and courageous.”


• From a leadership point of view, what do we see Joshua doing?
• Involving other people (commanders)
• He has a plan and a short-term timetable and specific instructions
• He specifically deals with the 2 1/2 tribes, why?
• They already have their land
• They made a promise
• He gets them to reiterate their vow
• In the long term, God gave the 2 1/2 tribes what they desired but it was not for the best. The best would have been going into the land with the other 9 1/2 tribes
• 40,000 of 110,000 men cross. So "all" needs to be understood in the sense of a reasonable amount
• APPLICATION: We need to communicate clearly. We need to involve other people and not try to do everything our self. We need to face difficult situations upfront and early